Today’s Headlines and Commentary

President Trump’s May 24 emergency declaration regarding threats from Iran allows Raytheon to partner with the Saudi Arabian Military Industries Company, a state-owned enterprise, to assemble parts for their Paveway Smart Bomb. The deal, part of a larger arms package previously blocked by Congress, raised concerns that Saudi Arabia would apply the technology to its war in Yemen, the New York Times reports.

The Pentagon has concluded internal review of the October 2017 attack on U.S. troops in Niger, which resulted in the deaths of four servicemembers. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said that no additional officers will be punished for their roles in it and that he is ““satisfied that all findings, awards, and accountability actions were thorough and appropriate,” per the Washington Post.

Today, Theresa May has ended her tenure as leader of British Conservative Party, but will remain prime minister until a new leader is elected, says Reuters. The contest for her replacement will open on June 10.

The U.S. and Mexico are discussing significant changes to asylum laws and border enforcement rules, according to the Times. The proposed changes include requiring asylum seekers to apply for the status “in the first foreign country they enter after leaving their homes.”

The U.S. stopped accepting Turkish pilots for F-35 training in response to Turkey’s planned purchase of Russian air-defense systems, Reuters reports.

The head of U.S. Central Command said that Iran has chosen to “step back and recalculate” after apparently preparing an attack against U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region, but he stressed that the threat is not gone, according to the Associated Press.

The United Arab Emirates has attributed the recent “sophisticated and co-ordinated” attack against four tankers off the its coast to a “state actor,” but stopped short of blaming Iran, the BBC reports.

Ivan Golunov, a prominent Russian investigative journalist working for the independent website Meduza was detained in Moscow on charges of dealing drugs. His employer said he was being persecuted for a forthcoming investigative piece, according to the Associated Press.

The acting commissioner of the Australian Federal Police defended recent raids against a national media outlet and prominent journalist, saying the investigations into the “alleged publishing of classified information” are “complex and ongoing,” CNN says. The police chief refused to rule out future searches and further charges.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general says conditions at immigration detention facilities, such as the provision of rotting food and dilapidated bathrooms, may violate detainee rights, the Associated Press writes.

Microsoft deleted the largest public face-recognition database from the internet, Financial Times reports. It contained 10 million images and was used to train facial recognition systems around the world.

If Europe decides to ban the acquisition of telecom equipment from Chinese firms, it could increase the cost of the development of 5G networks by roughly $62 billion and delay the technology by 18 months, according to Reuters.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Mieke Eoyang, Ben Freeman, Ryan Pougiales and Benjamin Wittes posted the May 2019 results of their monthly survey titled “Confidence in Government on National Security Matters.”

Jack Goldsmith identified four posts from the Harvard National Security Journal’s spring issue that may be of interest to Lawfare readers.

Bennett Clifford and Helen Christy analyzed the dilemma online extremists face when balancing online public outreach and operational security.

Thomas E. Kellogg explores Hong Kong’s proposed extradition law.

Benjamin Wittes announced the publication of an audiobook edition his Mueller report reading diary.

David Priess announced the publication a new e-book compiling analysis of the Mueller report originally published on Lawfare into single volume.

Quinta Jurecic shared a draft resolution seeking to streamline the enforcement of subpoenas, which the House will consider on June 11.

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