NDAA MARKUP COMPLETE: After 14-and-a-half hours of debate, the House Armed Services Committee took a final 60-1 vote at 12:30 a.m. and passed its version of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was the sole “no” vote. The ultramarathon-length hearing included more than 400 amendments and tees up the $717 billion defense policy bill for a coming House floor vote. The Pentagon would get a $617 billion base budget and $69 billion for its Overseas Contingency Operations account, with the rest going to defense programs at the Department of Energy and other agencies.

BREAKING THIS MORNING: The three Americans detained in North Korea arrived back on U.S. soil this morning, greeted by supporters and Trump at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Trump praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the release of the three men, but would not say whether he had spoken with Kim ahead of high-stakes talks between the two countries about denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. “We want to thank Kim Jong Un who really was excellent to these three incredible people,” Trump said.

“It’s like a dream. We are very, very happy,” Kim Dong Chul, one of the three men, said through a translator. When a reporter asked how the three were treated by the North Koreans, he said “We were treated in many different ways. Me, I had to do a lot of labor, but when I got sick I was also treated by them.”

You can see photos and video of the arrival here.

TEASING THE TRUMP-KIM MEETING: Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said he will announce the date and location of his summit with Kim “within three days,” telling reporters the historic meeting will not take place at the Demilitarized Zone as he had previously suggested.

“I think we have a really great chance to make a great deal for the world,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

SO WHERE WILL IT BE? Singapore, sources told CNN. The neutral territory would allow senior administration officials to let go of previous concerns about the optics of Trump traveling to Kim’s backyard. Sources familiar with the planning said that administration officials have been advised to plan for a June meeting.

HAPPENING TODAY — PENTAGON NIGER BRIEF: After briefing the results to family members and Congress, the Pentagon says it will disclose the results at noon of its investigation into the ambush deaths of four soldiers in Niger. It will include Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U.S. Africa Command, and Maj. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier, the lead investigator. The public will be provided a “digital re-creation of the Tongo Tongo ambush” as part of the briefing.

DOD NOMINEES: The Senate Armed Services Committee holds its first hearing on Pentagon nominees since last month at 9:30 a.m. It will include testimony from Lisa Porter, who Trump has picked to be deputy undersecretary for research and engineering, along with three assistant secretary nominees. So far, 41 of the 57 Senate-confirmed jobs at the Pentagon have been filled during the Trump administration.

MATTIS EXPLAINS IRAN: The U.S. has backed out of the Iran nuclear deal over objections from France, Germany and the UK, but that does not mean it has given up on working together to confront Tehran, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday. “We will continue to work alongside our allies and partners to ensure that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon, and will work with others to address the range of Iran’s malign influence,” Mattis told the Senate Appropriations Committee during budget testimony. Over the past year, the defense secretary testified on the importance of sticking with the nuclear deal and told Congress Iran was in compliance. His statements began to converge with Trump’s criticisms last month when he said the agreement needed “to be fixed.”

On Wednesday, Mattis was left to explain Trump’s decision to make good on a campaign promise and pull the U.S. out of the deal, which is formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. “I believe what has happened is the president could not affirm as required that this agreement was being lived up to and in the best interests in all aspects of what was supposed to be happening under the JCPOA,” Mattis said. “It was not a hasty decision. The administration has been in place for over a year and for over a year we have attempted to work with allies to address the shortcomings on it. So I think we now have the opportunity to move forward to address those shortcomings and make it more compelling.”

McCAIN COMES OUT AGAINST HASPEL: Sen. John McCain called on the Senate to reject Gina Haspel’s nomination to become CIA director Wednesday, charging that she was unable to address concerns with her role in the use of enhanced interrogation techniques during the Bush administration.

McCain, who is chairman of the Armed Services Committee, is unlikely to vote on the nomination as he continues to battle brain cancer and remains home in Arizona. After Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced his support for Haspel yesterday, Senate Republicans can afford to lose only one member of their caucus for her to still be confirmed.

KRULAK WEIGHS IN: Retired Gen. Charles Krulak, former commandant of the Marine Corps, said he supports McCain’s decision, especially since “no one knows more about this issue than Senator McCain.”

“When it comes to senior government positions, character and judgment matter, and Ms. Haspel failed the test when it mattered most,” Krulak wrote in a statement released by Human Rights First. “The military does not have patience for those who seek to skirt the law and avoid personal responsibility.” Krulak in April took the lead in sending a letter signed by 109 retired generals and admirals in opposition to Haspel’s nomination.

MORE TROOPS FOR THE BORDER: The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Defense Department to supply an additional 700 National Guard troops and more helicopters for security efforts on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a DHS official with knowledge of the request.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it wants more personnel to support its office, field, intelligence and air and marine operations, a DHS spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner’s Anna Giaritelli.

BIBI MEETS VLAD: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Moscow on Wednesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin and discuss military coordination, the AP reported.

Together with Putin, Netanyahu toured a parade celebrating the anniversary of the World War II victory over the Nazis and then met the Russian president at the Kremlin for consultations. Netanyahu said he was eager to discuss ways of “solving crises and removing threats in a thoughtful and responsible manner.”

ROCKET RESPONSE: Meanwhile, Russia says Syrian air defenses shot down more than half of the 70 missiles Israel shot at Iranian sites in Syria, the AP reported.

“Israel says it struck dozens of Iranian targets overnight in response to a rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights. It was the biggest Israeli strike in Syria since the 1973 war. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that 28 Israeli F-15 and F-16 fighter jets launched about 60 air-to-surface missiles during the two-hour raid early Thursday. It says Israel also fired over 10 tactical surface-to-surface missiles.”

NO ESCALATION SOUGHT: “The [Israel Defense Force] has struck dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria in response to the Iranian rocket attack against Israel,” tweeted IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus. “Quds force is behind attack and has played the initial price. IDF remains ready for various scenarios but does not seek to escalate the situation.”

JOBS FOR SPOUSES: Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that aims to boost employment opportunities for military spouses, a move administration officials are hoping will help the military’s recruiting efforts.

FACT CHECK: “Speaking to a crowd of military spouses on Wednesday, President Donald Trump incorrectly claimed that his administration gave service members their first pay raise in 10 years, a moment he was ‘proud’ to oversee,” the Military Times reported.

“In fact, troops have seen a pay raise of at least 1 percent every year for more than 30 years. The 2018 military pay raise — which was 2.4 percent — was the largest for the armed forces in eight years.”

THE RUNDOWN

CNN: Trump warns Iran against restarting nuclear program

CNBC: South Korean defense company that paid Trump lawyer Cohen $150,000 is poised to win part of a $16 billion Pentagon deal

New York Times: Five Top ISIS Officials Captured in U.S.-Iraqi Sting

Defense News: House panel rejects greater transparency for Trump cabinet’s military flights

Daily Beast: Gina Haspel Stonewalls on Discussing Her Role in CIA Torture

AFP: Reactions to multiple suicide attacks in Kabul

Task and Purpose: Sergeant Responsible For Epic Humvee Free-Fall Fiasco Found Guilty

Breaking Defense: Mattis, Dunford Defend Strategy: Afghan Force Smaller But Better

Defense News: Remember that list of KC-46 problems? Here’s how they’re getting fixed.

Politico: Mattis optimistic North Korea talks ‘could be fruitful’

Defense News: To stay ahead of Chinese AI, Senators want new commission

USNI News: Mattis Defends Trump Administration’s Call for Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons