Today's Headlines and Commentary

Al-Qaeda militants seized al Mukallah prison in southeastern Yemen this morning, and in doing so, freed a number of inmates. Reports conflict as to how many prisoners escaped. BBC News reports 150; CNN says 270; and Agence France-Presse puts the figure at over 300. Apparently, senior al-Qaeda operate Khalid Batarfi was among those who escaped. Reuters informs us that Houthi rebels have overcome the central district of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden. Aden “has been the last major holdout of fighters loyal to the Saudi-backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who fled... a week ago.” The loss of Aden’s central neighborhood comes despite a week of heavy airstrikes, conducted by a Saudi-led coalition of Arab nations. Meanwhile, the Defense Department asserts that the U.S. is not conducting airstrikes in Yemen. The Washington Examiner reports. American, European, and Iranian negotiators in Switzerland appear to have come to an agreement on the broad strokes of an “understanding,” which would limit Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. The Washington Post has more. Elsewhere, the Post provides “a guide to the big, tough questions that would surround any lasting agreement with Iran.” The Post also explains why the Obama administration has invested so much effort into the Iranian nuclear deal: “The Iran talks... reflect [the President’s]... abiding belief that the best way to change the behavior of hostile governments with spotty human rights records is not through isolation or the threat of military force, but by persistent engagement.” Early this morning, al-Shabab militants attacked Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya. Gunmen opened fire, killing 70 students and taking others hostage. Kenyan authorities have rescued over 500 people from the assault, but another 500 remain unaccounted for. The Post shares details. The Post also reports on China’s “Great Wall of sand”: Beijing is currently engaging in an “unprecedented land reclamation” project in the South China Sea, in order to better assert its territorial rights over the Spratly Islands, a disputed archipelago, which may contain oil. At a naval conference in Australia, U.S. Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr. noted “that the pace of China’s construction of artificial islands ‘raises serious questions about Chinese intentions.’” Yesterday, after a month-long siege, the Iraqi government finally took control of the entire city of Tikrit, routing the remaining Islamic State militants. This victory represents the first major success against the Islamic State since its declaration of a caliphate. The operation originally stalled for a number of weeks, but according to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, five days of airstrikes conducted by U.S.-led coalition forces helped break the “stalemate.” McClatchy has more. The Wall Street Journal notes that the battle for Tikrit has had the inadvertent effect of empowering Shia militias in Iraq. Many of the groups “emerged from relative obscurity to take a lead role in the battle,” but concerns linger now as to who controls these militias---Iran or Iraq. A suicide bomber in eastern Afghanistan today killed seventeen people and injured some fifty others, when he detonated among a group of anti-corruption protesters. According to Reuters, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. According to the New York Times, Russia appears to be reverting to Cold War behavior: “Last year, Norway intercepted 74 Russian warplanes off its coast... [This] total was a drastic increase from the 11 Russian warplanes Norway spotted 10 years earlier.” Of course, Russia is not likely to invade Norway, but coupled with Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine and the Baltics, NATO Secretary-General and former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg says the “total picture... gives us reason for concern.” War on the Rocks considers the perpetual hybrid warfare Europe appears caught in; defining the term as one that “capture[s] the blurring and blending of previously separate categories of conflict:military, economic, diplomatic, criminal, and informational.” Yesterday, the Justice Department announced a fourteen-count indictment against Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who is accused of corruption misuse of office. Menendez says he is “angry and ready to fight,” according to the Post. The New Jersey Senator will temporarily relinquish his post as ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Defense One explains what Menendez stepping down will mean for the committee and its work on legislation related to the Iran nuclear deal and an Islamic State AUMF. In two months, the National Security Agency’s authority to collect bulk telephony metadata under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act will expire. Congress will have to act before then in order to extend such collection practices. However, reform legislation in the form of the USA FREEDOM Act failed to pass the Senate by two votes last November. The Hill points out, “If Congress does not promptly begin a serious debate on the future of Section 215, they will be scrambling for a quick fix at the end of May.” Researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases appear to have successfully developed a vaccine for the Ebola virus. “Safe and effective in clinical trials,” the drug produced an “antibody response” in ninety-three percent of the individuals in the vaccinated group within two weeks. According to military researchers, the drug can be deployed in the event of future Ebola outbreaks. Defense One has the story. Defense News shares “commentary” on the Pentagon budget: “Rather than play the partisan game of ‘who is tougher on defense,’ Congress needs to help Pentagon leaders do what they seem incapable of doing for themselves: setting realistic priorities and reducing unnecessary spending.”

ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare

Eric Jensen examined the recently released “2014 Gaza War Assessment: The New Face of Conflict.” Jack explained how the White House’s justification for the Bergdahl-Taliban swap could be used to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. Paul analyzed President Obama’s recent executive order on cyber sanctions and called it “a good first step.” Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.