Today's Headlines and Commentary

North Korea returned the remains of U.S. servicemen who were killed during the Korean War, fulfilling a promise made by North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the June 12 Singapore summit, reports CNN. The remains will be transported to a U.S. military lab where it will likely take several months to identify the servicemen. President Trump thanked Kim, saying “this will be a great moment for so many families.”

The U.S. government reunited a majority of the 2,500 migrant children separated from their parents in time for Thursdays court-imposed deadline, but more than 700 children were not approved for reunification, according to the Wall Street Journal. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said that some of the reunifications had not been approved based on safety concerns. However, other children were not reunited because their parents have already been deported and the government is struggling to track them down.

The British Home Office announced that it is temporarily suspending the transfer to the U.S. of two British citizens with suspected ties to the Islamic State after the U.S. failed to provide assurances that they would not face the death penalty, says the Washington Post. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are believed to have been part of the notorious British cell nicknamed “The Beatles,” known for beheading hostages in Syria; they were captured earlier this year. The Home Office now awaits a judicial decision on whether the transfer violates British law.

Former cricket player Imran Khan’s party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, was declared the victor of Pakistan’s July 25 general election, ousting the former ruling party, the Muslim League, whose leader is currently in jail on corruption charges, according to Reuters. European Union monitors reported that the election was tainted by vote-rigging and a “lack of equality” among the political parties. Khan said he will investigate the allegations thoroughly and “unite” Pakistan under his party.

The State Department approved $195 million in military aid for Egypt after the U.S. froze the funds last year to pressure Egypt to improve its human rights record, says the New York Times. Humanitarian organizations criticized the decision fervidly, saying the move endorses Egypt’s violations while eliminating U.S. leverage over Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. American officials say the money was reinstated because Egypt had responded to specific concerns, though the State Department did not elaborate on the nature of those concerns.

On Wednesday, Turkey transferred American pastor Andrew Brunson from prison to house arrest after two years in jail. Trump is now threatening sanctions against Turkey unless Brunson is released immediately, reports the Journal. Brunson was imprisoned in 2016 based on accusations that he supported the attempted military coup against President Tayyip Erdogan that year. Ankara bristled at Trump’s threat, stating that it had already done “more than enough” to work with the United States on Brunson’s case.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Elena Chachko explained Iran’s lawsuit against the United States in the International Court of Justice.

Herb Lin shared a recent poll that examined whether the public views the threat of Russian cyber operations along partisan divides.

Robert Chesney analyzed how the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019 will impact military cyber operations.

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