Today's Headlines and Commentary

President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday related to the policy of separating migrant families at the border, according to the Wall Street Journal. The order, titled “Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation,” dictates that families will be detained together when “appropriate and consistent with law and available resources.” The administration’s goal of prosecuting all individuals who cross the border illegally remains in place. Some critics have raised concerns with Section 3 of the order, which requires that minors be detained with their parents while they await court proceedings, a process that could take years. A 1997 settlement agreement, called the Flores settlement, dictates that minors can only be detained in immigration centers for about 20 days. The order does not address the 2,300 children currently in U.S. custody.

The Israeli Justice Ministry charged Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with fraud, reports Reuters. The indictment accuses Netanyahu of using state funds to cater more than $100,000 worth of meals at her private residence. She is formally charged with fraud, breach of trust, and aggravated fraudulent receipt of goods. Netanyahu has denied all allegations, and her lawyer called the accusations “ludicrous.” The prime minister, who is separately under investigation for corruption, also criticized the charges; in spite of the allegations against him, the prime minister’s polling numbers remain strong.

The United Nations commission investigating possible war crimes in Syria left out details of chemical weapons attacks in their official report, according to the New York Times. More than seven pages were removed from an early draft of the report and replaced with a brief two-paragraph summary. The missing pages clearly assert that Syria was responsible for the highly publicized use of chemical weapons in Ghouta, but they also detail six chemical attacks on civilians that occurred between January and April 2018. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly denied his government’s involvement in any use of chemical weapons.

The White House will announce a proposal to combine the Education and Labor departments on Thursday, reports the Washington Post. An administration official says the White House will lay out its highly-anticipated plan to reorganize federal agencies and cut down on bureaucracy. Fourteen months ago, the Office of Management and Budget asked federal leaders to seek out superfluous programs, offices, and positions; it told agency directors to expect cuts to their workforce beginning in October of this year.

Federal prosecutors subpoenaed the publisher of the National Enquirer as part of the investigation into Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, according to the Journal. The government sought records in relation to the magazine’s $150,000 payment to a former Playboy model for the rights to her story regarding her relationship with Donald Trump. People familiar with the matter say the investigators question whether Trump coordinated with the magazine to buy the rights to the model’s story and then not publish it. The subpoena is part of a larger investigation into Cohen’s attempts to cover up any damaging information during the 2016 campaign.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Geoffrey S. Corn and Peter Margulies urged the Israeli Defense Forces to investigate the use of force along the Gaza border.

Robert Chesney highlighted Sen. Ben Sasse’s proposal to create a bipartisan national commission for U.S. cyber strategy.

Victoria Clark posted the livestream of the Senate intelligence committee’s hearing on the policy response to Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

Philip Bobbitt criticized the argument that the president can pardon himself.

Nicholas Weaver cautioned against the U.S.’s use of supply-chain attacks.

Clark also posted the executive order on separating migrant families at the border.

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