Today's Headlines and Commentary

South Korea is considering lifting its bilateral trade and exchange embargo on Pyongyang, despite reported U.S. efforts to maintain strong sanctions against North Korea until it begins denuclearizing, says the New York Times.

President Trump announced on Tuesday that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is to be held after the Nov. 6 midterm elections, Reuters reports.

Turkish authorities have concluded that Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul within two hours of his arrival, according to the Times. The Times’s comprehensive summary of the details of Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance can be found here.

U.S. officials say they intercepted communications in June showing that Russia was working to undermine Greek-Macedonian relations to prevent Macedonia from joining NATO, reports the Times.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen gave a National Day address on Wednesday that criticized China for diplomatically isolating Taipei, and called on “like-minded countries” to support Taiwan, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein’s congressional hearing over his suggestion to wiretap President Trump was postponed, reports CNN. New evidence from last week indicates that Rosenstein’s suggestion was a serious one.

Syrian rebels have withdrawn the last of their heavy weapons from Idlib Province, just in time for a deadline set by Russian and Turkish officials for a truce that required a demilitarized zone in the region, says the Times.

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are challenging the Trump administration’s support of Saudi and Emirati forces battling Iran-aligned fighters in Yemen’s civil war, reports the Journal.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report that found that the Pentagon did not have sufficient protection against cyber threats to weapons systems, says Reuters. The full report is available on Lawfare here.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Hilary Hurd provided a comprehensive analysis of China’s treatment of the ethnic Uighurs and the international legal implications of Beijing’s policies.

Julian Ku argued that the disappearance of Interpol’s chief should prompt the world to more closely scrutinize China’s participation in international organizations.

Robert Chesney compared the U.S. and EU legal frameworks for surveillance by analyzing the EU Human Rights Court’s recent ruling against the U.K.’s surveillance practices.

Jen Patja Howell posted the next edition of the Lawfare Podcast, in which Benjamin Wittes and Shannon Togawa Mercer sat down with the EU Ambassador to the United States, David O’Sullivan, to talk about trade, sanctions, and the rule of law.

In this week’s Middle East Ticker, J. Dana Stuster covered the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Iraq’s new government and the U.S.’s relationship with the International Court of Justice.

Stewart Baker posted the latest episode of the Cyberlaw Podcast, which starts off this week with a discussion of Bloomberg Businessweek’s claim that China bugged Supermicro motherboards that went to at least 30 U.S. companies.

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