| | | | |  | | By Matt Berg | |  The White House late Thursday recognized Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of Venezuela's Sunday vote. | Matias Delacroix/AP | With help from Erin Banco, Maggie Miller, Joe Gould and Paul McLeary Subscribe here | Email Matt | Email Eric The Biden administration’s decision to recognize the Venezuelan opposition leader as the winner of the country’s presidential election instead of NICOLÁS MADURO is raising the temperature in South America. It adds to pressure coming from Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico — all of whom haven’t yet recognized Maduro as the winner, instead demanding the release of vote tallies. And lawmakers who had been asking the U.S. to get tougher on Maduro applauded the White House recognition late Thursday of EDMUNDO GONZÁLEZ as the winner of Sunday’s vote. Still, those working on the issue in Washington say their eyes are trained on what those regional powerhouses do next. The Latin American states could determine Maduro’s fate more than U.S. actions. “The big surprise is the regional withholding of recognition of Maduro,” said a House aide who works closely on the issue, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “I’m not sure it’ll be enough, but they’re certainly feeling that pressure. I hear it from Caracas.” The decision to recognize Gonzalez could be a strategy by State to follow behind the region and cast the U.S. as a major supporting figure for those trying to pressure Maduro. The House aide said they’re hoping there’s a plan behind the scenes at State, but congressional offices aren’t getting read in if there is. “We’re in touch with State daily but there’s no clarity on next steps. There doesn’t seem to be a plan — even though everything that’s presently happening in Caracas was predicted,” the aide said. Asked for comment, a State Department official told NatSec Daily that the U.S. “will continue to use diplomacy and coordinated actions with regional allies and partners to promote accountability for those complicit in supporting Maduro’s undemocratic acts.” Maduro and his inner circle know how to live under U.S. pressure, said WILL FREEMAN, who used to work with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere subcommittee. There’s a chance they also learn to live under isolation from the rest of Latin America’s major countries. “But it would strip Maduro of much of the international — and not just U.S. — recognition and legitimacy he hoped to get out of this electoral process,” Freeman told NatSec Daily. Today, top U.S. lawmakers on foreign policy committees joined together with European legislatures to condemn the Venezuelan government’s handling of the election, a rare and powerful rebuke that aims to put pressure on Maduro. Maduro isn’t likely to take it to heart. The U.S. doesn’t have the political sway to influence outcomes in this region any longer, said BENJAMIN GEDAN, the former South America director on the National Security Council. “That said, the real hope here is that a massive protest movement might dislodge the regime,” Gedan told NatSec Daily. “For that reason, the U.S. decision could be productive, validating the outrage of millions of Venezuelans and energizing the opposition.”
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Bringing every domain closer, no matter the distance.
Today’s battlespace has no room for miscommunication. At Lockheed Martin, we’re building the strongest communication network possible, no matter where the battle lines are drawn. Defense tech you can count on when every second counts. Learn more. | | | | | MIDDLE EAST WATCH: Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN is preparing “multiple forthcoming force posture moves to bolster force protection for U.S. forces” across the Middle East, Pentagon spokesperson SABRINA SINGH told reporters today. As our own PAUL McLEARY writes in, Singh said the moves would “provide elevated support to the defense of Israel and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to this evolving crisis.” It will likely be a mix of fighter aircraft, ships and air defense systems. There is already a significant U.S. presence in the region, including ground and air forces and newly deployed destroyers, amphibious ships with hundreds of Marines aboard, and an aircraft carrier spread from the Persian Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean, any of which could play a role in thwarting attacks coming from Iran, Yemen or Lebanon. The expected movement of force comes after Israel assassinated Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Beirut and Tehran over the past week, the latter of which Israel has not claimed credit for publicly. In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU on Thursday, President JOE BIDEN said the U.S. would “support Israel’s defense against threats,” which would include “new defensive U.S. military deployments,” according to a readout of the call. THE AMERICANS, FOR REAL: As American hostages deboarded a plane in Washington in the early hours of this morning, joining a joyous Biden, a group of previously relatively unknown Russians spies landed in Moscow, as our own ERIN BANCO writes in. Two of those Russians were Argentine citizens, ARTEM DULTSEV and ANNA DULTSEVA, who were living in Slovenia and working for Moscow as spies. Their release from prison in Slovenia was key to the most complex prisoner swap in U.S. history, two senior administration officials told Erin. Yet almost no one knew about their existence or their work for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Services prior to their release. Biden administration officials were working up until the final hours the deal was sealed to ensure that the two spies would, in fact, be freed from prison after a legal snafu in Slovenia almost scuttled the entire deal. Up until the final days before the deal was announced, the Russian couple had not been sentenced by the Slovenian courts. They were eventually sentenced on Wednesday to 19 months in prison but were released on time served and ordered to leave the country. That allowed the deal to move forward, the officials said, adding that the Biden administration urged Slovenia to move quickly to get the legal requirements in place for their release. A CIA aircraft transported them from Slovenia to Turkey where they were put on another plane with other Russians freed from prison under the deal and flew back home. The couple moved to Slovenia in 2017 and assumed fake names: LUDWIG GISCH and MARIA ROSA MAYER MUÑOS. Their job: transfer cash — and disseminate orders from Moscow — to Russian agents throughout Europe. A video showing their arrival in Moscow shows Anna Dultseva crying as she walks down the stairs and hugs President VLADIMIR PUTIN. Her children, who also landed in Moscow today, had been sent to foster care in Slovenia when their parents were arrested in 2022. Upon their arrival, Putin greeted them in Spanish: “Buenos dias,” he said. Russian officials, explaining why Putin spoke to them in a different language, said the children did not know they were Russian. FAMINE IN SUDAN: Famine was officially declared for the first time today in Sudan’s Darfur region as a brutal civil war with no clear end in sight ravages the country, The New York Times’ ABDI LATIF DAHIR reports. Civilians who fled to the Zamzam camp near the city of El Fasher have faced famine since June while no aid reaches them, leading agencies to make the declaration. Some half a million people live in the camp. DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of Washington’s national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring JEFF FLAKE, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and who served stints in the House and Senate as an Arizona Republican. As a Mormon, Flake naturally doesn’t imbibe like the majority of the people we feature here (he laughed when we asked him this question). But he still likes to knock back a cold one — from a familiar ice cream shop. “Wherever I can get Cold Stone Creamery and go for one of their signature chocolate concoctions, I do it,” Flake said, drawing a comparison to Biden’s affinity for the sweet treat. “I’m grateful there are some here.” Cheers, ambassador! Bonus: Sens. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) and CHRIS COONS (D-Del.) had a competition this week to see who could make the best Orange Crush: "Cardin’s drink looked like something you would get in a restaurant,” WaPo food reporter EMILY HEIL said. “Coons’ drink looked like the last dregs of what was left.” IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at mberg@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow us on X at @mattberg33 and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, @JGedeon1 and @mherszenhorn.
| | | | Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat. | | | | | | | | | THE ART OF A DEAL? Investigators secretly probed whether Egyptian President ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI sought to give $10 million to DONALD TRUMP’s 2016 presidential campaign, The Washington Post’s AARON DAVIS and CAROL LEONNIG report. Days before Trump took office, Egypt’s intelligence service sent a letter to a Cairo bank branch requesting the withdrawal. Soon after, “four men arrived and carried away the bags, which U.S. officials later described in sealed court filings as weighing a combined 200 pounds and containing what was then a sizable share of Egypt’s reserve of U.S. currency,” the Post writes. After receiving intelligence about the situation, the Justice Department had examined whether the transfer of money violated federal law barring U.S. candidates from receiving foreign funds — and if the influx of cash factored into Trump’s decision to put $10 million of his own money into the campaign in the last days of his White House bid. “Those questions, at least in the view of several investigators on the case, would never be answered,” the Post writes. The report could be more fuel for KAMALA HARRIS to use in their bid against Trump, painting him as a shady politician even as he poses as a crafty businessman battling the establishment. The pair could debate as soon as September, so don’t rule out this topic coming up. ICYMI — PHIL GORDON: Europe’s ‘ally’ on Kamala Harris’ team by our own LAURA KAYALI and CLEA CAULCUTT
| | OUT OF THIS WORLD, EH? Ottawa and Washington wrapped up talks for an agreement that would allow Canada to use American space launch technology and data for launches, Canada’s foreign ministry said today. “We are one step closer to finalizing this agreement, which, when in force, will position our country to be a global leader in commercial space launch,” Foreign Minister MELANIE JOLY said in a statement, per Reuters’ ISMAIL SHAKIL. The two countries will work to finalize the text and seek necessary authorizations, in a move that would significantly bolster Ottawa’s space capabilities for years to come.
| | | |   | | | | | TRUMP’S IRON DOME ‘METAPHOR’: Trump’s idea for an Iron Dome missile defense system to protect the U.S. is drawing jeers from Democrats, our friends at Morning Defense (for Pros!) report. Senate Armed Services Chair JACK REED (D-R.I.) told our colleagues that the U.S. does need to develop new defenses — but argued Trump’s not up to the job: “I don't think he has any detailed information of what these systems are, how they operate, and I don't think he invested time to learn,” Reed said. Sen. JACKY ROSEN (D-Nev.), who supported sending Iron Dome defenses to Israel after Hamas' attacks, said Trump doesn’t grasp that the Iron Dome is effective mainly for smaller countries like Israel. “The United States is not one of those smaller places so I think trying to deploy that across the United States would be a little bit difficult.” His allies pushed back, saying the former president is making a broader point about the need for missile defense. “Trump is not saying, ‘Let's build the exact Iron Dome weapon system that Israel is building [with] the United States,’” said ROBERT SOOFER, who led DOD’s nuclear and missile defense policy under Trump. “That would be silly, because it's a short-range defense system. It's a metaphor for providing protection for the homeland.” YOU FIRST: Beijing recently kicked off a diplomatic effort against Washington’s nuclear weapons posture while also beefing up its own capabilities, The Financial Times’ KATHRIN HILLE and MAX SEDDON report. China is the only permanent member of the U.N. Security Council that has pledged to not use nuclear weapons first. It is calling on others to match the pledge and bashing the United States for its promise to extend a nuclear umbrella to allies in case of attack. But officials from the U.S. and allied nations say it's an attempt by China to blunt criticism of its own nuclear buildup. The Pentagon estimates that Beijing will have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, double the current number they’re believed to have. ICYMI — Kyiv runs into strong opposition on tax hike to fund the war by our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA
| | | | DID YOU MISS IT? On Tuesday, POLITICO and McKinsey convened three conversations in D.C. with policymakers and space experts, including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The discussions also featured a panel of experts, an interview with Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and an executive conversation with McKinsey's Ryan Brukardt.
The conversations focused on the next great innovation frontier – the space industry, including deeper discussion around which sectors of the global economy see their growth arc in space and what the role of government leaders is in expanding and regulating the growing number of orbital ideas. CATCH UP AND WATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE | | | | | | | | GOP BLASTS ISRAEL HOLDS: Nearly all Senate Republicans signed onto a letter calling on Biden to expedite the delivery of all weapons and ammunition approved by Congress to Israel, our own JOE GOULD writes in. The letter published today, led by Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.), argues Biden’s fear of escalation has “left Israel exposed and our enemies emboldened.” Though the administration has denied it is withholding arms for Israel other than 2,000-pound bombs, the lawmakers say the list also includes “120 mm tank ammunition, 120 mm mortar ammunition, light tactical vehicles, air-to-air missiles, F-15s, F-35 engines, joint direct attack munition kits, rifles and guided missile systems.” “Your stalling tactics are endangering our greatest ally in the Middle East and jeopardizing the lives of our American servicemembers stationed in the region,” the letter reads. FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — NO DISTURBANCE, PLEASE: Sens. JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D-Colo.) and MIKE CRAPO (R-Idaho) on Thursday night introduced new legislation aimed at ensuring that dark spaces key to scientific and astronomical studies are not kneecapped by satellite interference, our own MAGGIE MILLER writes in. The Dark and Quiet Skies Act would develop technologies to counteract light interference from satellites, and establish a “Center of Excellence” to develop and circulate scientific best practices to address unintended light and radio interference. Crapo said in a statement that he hoped to preserve wilderness in Idaho, warning that “with the advancement of space technology, these truly majestic spaces are becoming fewer.” PANAMERICAN CONGRESS: A delegation of Democratic lawmakers flew to South America today to create a multinational congress to tackle a number of issues in the Western Hemisphere. Rep. GREG CASAR (D-Texas), one of the lawmakers on the trip to Bogota, told NatSec Daily they plan to discuss how the U.S. “can build bonds of trust and create some shared goals across the hemisphere.” Core issues he listed include addressing climate change; combating authoritarian regimes around the world; promoting democracy and supporting free and fair elections; tackling gun trafficking; and addressing immigration.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Clear insight means stronger foresight.
When threats come from anywhere, you have to be able to communicate everywhere. Lockheed Martin’s cross-domain connectivity is key to keeping every mission on track. Learn more. | | | | | WCK STRIKE FINDINGS: An Australian inquiry blamed a World Central Kitchen convoy for Israel’s airstrike in April that killed seven of its workers and prompted international condemnation, The Associated Press’ ROD McGUIRK reports. The fatal strikes came after “serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making,” investigators said in a statement, adding that the convoy’s armed guards were likely mistaken for Hamas militants. The inquiry said that Israel didn’t deliberately strike the workers, but it’s “important to all the families that an appropriate apology be provided to them by the government of Israel.”
| | — LIZ ALLEN, under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, resigned from State today, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN announced. She will take on a senior role in Harris’ presidential campaign. — BEN CAHILL is leaving the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he has been a senior fellow in the energy security and climate change program for over four years. — ADRIENNE JACOBS is joining the Alliance for International Exchange as assistant director and head of advocacy and government relations. She most recently was senior program officer for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a program sponsored by the State Department.
| | — JAMES BAMFORD, The Nation: How Kamala Harris can show she’s not like Biden on Israel — M GESSEN, The New York Times: The plan that freed EVAN GERSHKOVICH was hatched long before his arrest — MICHAEL SCHAFFER, POLITICO: MAX BOOT called Trump a foreign asset. Now his wife is indicted for just that.
| | — There are no events on our calendar, a rare occurrence! We all deserve a break after the past few weeks… Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who faces international pressure to stop editing this newsletter. Thanks to our producer, Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, who would be elected to take her position. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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