U.S. Prepares to Arrest Thousands of Immigrant Family Members

Officials brief Congress on election security: The House and Senate were provided with an election security briefing on Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, National Security Agency Director and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command Paul M. Nakasone, and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan. Officials briefed lawmakers about the state of election security, including the new tools the government has equipped itself with to identify and avoid future organized attempts to interfere with federal elections. Officials also “made it clear there are active threats and they’re doing everything they can” to stop them, said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). Both Democrats and Republicans left the sessions publicly expressing confidence in the officials’ efforts, even as the parties remain divided as to whether President Trump is taking election security seriously enough. Washington Post, Associated Press 
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Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Hasn’t Briefed Congress on New Rules for Cyberattacks, Lawmakers Say
 
Majority of Americans say Iraq and Afghanistan wars were not worth fighting: According to a new Pew Research Center survey of veterans, 64% said the war in Iraq was not worth fighting considering the costs versus the benefits to the United States, while 33% said it was. The general public’s views are nearly identical: 62% of Americans overall said the Iraq War was not worth it and 32% say it was. Similarly, a majority of both veterans (58%) and the public (59%) said that the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting. Veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan were no more supportive of those engagements than those who did not serve in these wars. Pew Research Center 
 
Second federal judge blocks Justice Dept. bid to replace census attorneys: A second federal judge denied the Justice Department’s bid to withdraw its attorneys from the legal battle over adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. However, Judge George J. Hazel of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland signaled on Wednesday that he might ultimately allow the change if the new lawyers address the discrepancies between what the previous team had told the court and the Trump administration’s current posture. Hazel wrote that he was “inclined to ultimately permit the withdrawal” if the Justice Department would, among other things, provide assurances that the new team was “aware of and prepared to address potential conflicts between recent developments in this case and positions repeatedly taken before this Court by the withdrawing attorneys.” In a six-page order, Hazel wrote that he shared the concerns of Judge Jesse Furman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York who similarly blocked the Justice Department maneuver earlier this week, but noted that in his district, attorneys do not have to provide “satisfactory reasons for withdrawal.”  Washington Post 
Related: 
Wall Street Journal: Maryland Case Could Expose Origins of Census Citizenship Question
 
Trump threatens to ‘substantially’ increase sanctions on Iran: Speaking at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on Wednesday, President Trump warned that U.S. sanctions against Iran would soon be “substantially” increased. Without evidence, Trump also accused Iran of previously secretly enriching uranium. Iran responded by saying that it had “nothing to hide.” UN inspectors have not uncovered any covert enrichment by Iran since well before the 2015 nuclear deal. In a separate closed-door meeting with member states on Wednesday, IAEA inspectors confirmed that Iran is now enriching uranium to 4.5% fissile purity, slightly above the 3.67% limit set by the 2015 deal. Reuters, Washington Post 
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Reuters: We Want to Uphold Nuclear Deal if All Sides Do, Iran's IAEA Ambassador Tells Paper
Washington Post: Allies in the Persian Gulf Pushed the U.S. to Confront Iran. Now They’re Not Sure What They Want.
 
White House to host far-right social media summit: President Trump is scheduled to host several right-wing internet personalities at the White House today at an event  intended to “share how they have been affected by bias online.” Trump and other Republican politicians have recently amplified attacks on social media companies for what they see as unfair censorship directed at conservative voices. The White House has not released a public list of attendees for today’s event, but a number of online personalities have posted invitations on Twitter. They include Ali Alexander, a right-wing operative pushing a smear that presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) isn’t really “an American Black,” a pro-Trump “memesmith” who goes by the screenname “@CarpeDonktum,” and blogger Jim Hoft, whose Gateway Pundit blog frequently promotes hoaxes. Neither Facebook or Twitter are reportedly attending the summit. NBC News, The Daily Beast 

Migrant details daughter’s death after ICE detention: Yazmin Juárez, a migrant woman whose 19-month-old daughter died weeks after being released from an ICE detention facility, gave emotional testimony at a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on Wednesday afternoon. Juárez, who left Guatemala with her daughter Mariee to seek asylum in the United States, said that her daughter died because of “neglect and mistreatment.” Juárez has filed a wrongful death claim against the government seeking $60 million for Mariee’s death. NBC News, Washington Post 
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The New York Times Magazine: A Crime Scene at the Border
Washington Post: U.S. Begins Returning Asylum Seekers to One of Mexico’s Most Dangerous States
 
New holding center for migrant children opens in Texas: The Department of Health and Human Services has repurposed a former oilfield worker camp in Texas to serve as a holding center for migrant children after they leave Border Patrol stations. HHS said that about 225 children are currently being held at the site in Carrizo Springs, however they plan to house as many as 1,300 children at the site, making it one of the largest camps in the U.S. system. Immigrant advocates and others have raised concerns about the location’s isolation. The camp is located 110 miles from San Antonio, which will make it challenging to find nearby lawyers to help the children with their immigration cases. Associated Press 
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Washington Post: ‘I Hate This Mission,’ Says Operator of New Emergency Shelter for Migrant Children
NBC News: House Democrats Seek Documents From For-Profit Companies Detaining Migrants
 
Border officials not told of massive surveillance breach for three weeks: U.S. Customs and Border Protection was not informed that a hacker had stolen a huge cache of sensitive border-surveillance documents until nearly three weeks after the cyberattack was first discovered. Perceptics, the maker of the government’s widely used license-plate scanners, offered a timeline of the breach after a CBP official told Congress that a “significant amount of time” had passed before the agency was alerted about the document theft. By the time CBP was notified, the stolen files had already been made freely available on the “dark web.” Washington Post

New chemical weapons team to launch first Syria investigation: A new team established by the UN-affiliated Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will investigate nine alleged chemical weapons attacks reported to have taken place during Syria’s civil war. The British-led proposal to create a 10-member investigatory team was supported by the United States and European Union, but opposed by Russia, Iran, and Syria. Syria has also refused to issue visas to the team’s members or to provide it with documentation. Reuters 
 
Somalia executes three over 2017 hotel attack: Somalia’s military said that it executed three men by firing squad on Wednesday. The men were convicted of carrying out the deadly attack on the Nasa-Hablod hotel in Mogadishu in 2017 that resulted in the deaths of 18 people. All three men were accused of being members of al-Shabaab. Washington Post, Reuters
 
U.S. missiles found in Libya belonged to France: France's Defense Ministry acknowledged on Wednesday that U.S.-made missiles captured from a Libyan National Army base originally belonged to the French military. A statement issued by the ministry said that the missiles were originally intended to protect French anti-terrorism forces in Libya. The release also said that the missiles were damaged and no longer operational. Pro-government fighters seized FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles, UAE-made Yabhon drones, and Russia-made Kornet anti-tank guided missiles in June. France denied transferring the missiles to Hifter's forces and said the U.S. had been informed of the recovery of the four Javelin anti-tank missiles. ABC News, Al Jazeera, New York Times 

U.S., Russia diplomats meet in Helsinki: David Hale, Undersecretary for political affairs at the State Department, met with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in Helsinki on Wednesday to discuss U.S.-Russian relations. The meeting between Hale and Ryabkov followed June 28 talks between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka. “The under Secretary stressed that while the United States seeks to narrow differences and foster cooperation with Russia on a number of global challenges, Russia’s negative actions continue to be a barrier for progress in our bilateral relationship,” the State Department’s spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, said in a statement. Without elaborating, she said the two had also discussed regional challenges in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Reuters 
 
Trade war between South Korea and Japan reaches ‘emergency’ levels: South Korea President Moon Jae-in warned on Wednesday of an “unprecedented emergency” in relations with Japan, as a disagreement between the two countries over historical grievances threatens to boil over into an economic confrontation. The dispute stems from a Seoul court ruling last year ordering Japanese companies to pay compensation for their use of forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. In response to the ruling, Japan imposed restrictions last week on South Korea-bound exports of materials that South Korean firms use to make smartphone chips and other technology products. Japanese officials also accused Seoul of flouting international sanctions that restrict trade with North Korea. Washington Post 
Related: 
Wall Street Journal: North Korea’s Weapons Program Fuels Tokyo’s Trade Spat with Seoul
The Telegraph: Seoul Denies Sharing Technology with North Korea as Trade War With Japan Heats Up
 
Iranian boats try to block British tanker: Three Iranian boats reportedly sought to block a British tanker from passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. “Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz,” the British government said. “We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region.” Tensions between Tehran and London rose last week when the British played a crucial role in the seizure of an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar as it was carrying oil bound for Syria. Iranian officials called the British seizure “an act of piracy.” New York Times, Washington Post 
 
N. Korea vows to respond to South’s deployment of F-35 jets: North Korea criticized South Korea over its ongoing deployment of F-35 fighter jets, warning Thursday that it will respond by developing and testing unspecified special weapons of its own to “destroy” the aircraft. The statement, which also urged South Korea to abandon its “preposterous illusions” for improved ties between the two countries, comes as Seoul has expressed hopes that a recent summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will help revive dialogue between the Koreas. Associated Press 
 
22 nations urge China to end Xinjiang detentions: 22 countries issued a statement on Wednesday urging China to end mass arbitrary detentions and other violations against Uighurs and other Muslims in the Xinjiang region. The signatories issued the statement as a letter to the UN’s Human Rights Council, but stopped short of seeking a council resolution. Rights groups and the United States estimate up to one million Muslims may be arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang. China denies widespread abuse in the detention centers and calls them training schools aimed to combat extremism and provide employable skills. Associated Press 
 
Reporters Without Borders urges Saudi Arabia to free 30 jailed journalists: Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday increased its pressure on Saudi Arabia to release dozens of journalists currently detained in the country. A delegation from the organization met with top Saudi officials earlier this year to urge the government to free 30 detained journalists during a visit that was prompted by widespread outrage over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, little action has been taken since the trip, prompting Reporters Without Borders to release information about the previously undisclosed visit in order to add further pressure on Saudi Arabia. New York Times 
Related: 
Washington Post: In the Aftermath of Khashoggi’s Killing, Saudi Influence Machine Whirs On In Washington
 
Papua New Guinea massacre kills 20: At least 20 people, including pregnant women and children, have been killed in an ambush and retaliatory massacre by villagers in Papua New Guinea. The fighting began when six people were killed while returning from a ceremony on Saturday in the country’s central highlands. Relatives of the dead then retaliated. A police spokesman, Dominic Kakas, said that 16 women and children, including two pregnant women, were killed in the revenge attack. New York Times