Refugees
Syrian Refugees in Turkey: Beyond the Numbers
Kemal Kirisci, Jessica Brandt, M. Murat Erdoğan Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 7:00 AM
Turkey's cities are grappling with hundreds of thousands of refugees, but more remains to be done.
Homeland Security
What’s In Trump’s Executive Order on Separating Migrant Families—And What It Is Missing
Matthew Kahn Thu, Jun 21, 2018, 12:12 AM
A primer on the president’s June 20 order on child separation.
Homeland Security
Document: Executive Order on Family Separations
Victoria Clark Wed, Jun 20, 2018, 4:43 PM
On June 20, President Trump signed the following order to end the administration’s policy of separating families who attempt to enter the country illegally. Under the new policy, the administration will detain parents and children together “where appropriate and consistent with law and available resources.”
China
Supply-Chain Attacks: Why the U.S. Should Worry
Nicholas Weaver Wed, Jun 20, 2018, 3:32 PM
If this country’s government has engaged in supply-chain attacks, others are likely to do the same.
Executive Power
Self-Pardons: The President Can't Pardon Himself, So Why Do People Think He Can?
Philip Bobbitt Wed, Jun 20, 2018, 2:53 PM
Why have thoughtful lawyers concluded that the president may constitutionally pardon himself when the conventional determinants of constitutionality so consistently indicate the opposite?
Today's Headlines and Commentary
Today's Headlines and Commentary
Victoria Clark Wed, Jun 20, 2018, 2:28 PM
The U.S withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, citing anti-Israel bias, reports BBC. U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley called the body a “cesspool of political bias” and said that it “makes a mockery of human rights.” Haley criticized the group for granting membership to countries like Venezuela, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and China, which she called some of the “world’s worst human rights abusers.” U.N.
Politics & National Security
Livestream: Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing on the Policy Response to Russian Interference in the 2016 Elections
Victoria Clark Wed, Jun 20, 2018, 11:29 AM
Ambassador Victoria Nuland, Chief Executive Officer at the Center for a New American Security, and Michael Daniel, President of Cyber Threat Alliance, will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on the policy response to Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. Watch the livestream below:
NDAA
The Cyberspace Solarium Commission: A Timely Proposal
Robert Chesney Wed, Jun 20, 2018, 10:31 AM
A provision in the Senate’s proposed 2019 National Defense Authorization Act offers a timely proposal for improving the U.S.’s cybersecurity strategy.
Israel-Palestine
Use of Force at the Gaza Border: A Hybrid Approach to Tactical Challenges
Geoffrey S. Corn, Peter Margulies Wed, Jun 20, 2018, 7:00 AM
Consistent with a recent ruling from the Israeli Supreme Court, it is vital that the IDF take, in good faith, appropriate investigatory steps in response to any use of force during the recent violence in Gaza that appears to have been improper.
Podcasts
The Lawfare Podcast: Artificial Intelligence and Security
Jen Patja Howell Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 8:39 PM
From manufacturing to healthcare, and from criminal justice to national security, artificial intelligence is changing nearly every sector of the global economy and many aspects of our public and private lives. And as artificial intelligence technology races ahead, its political, legal, and ethical considerations cannot be left undiscussed. Last Tuesday, as part of the A. Alfred Taubman Forum on Public Policy, James Baker, Susan Hennessey, and Scott Tousley joined John Allen at the Brookings Institution to discuss the opportunities AI offers and the challenges it presents to security.
Today's Headlines and Commentary
Today's Headlines and Commentary
Victoria Clark Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 3:47 PM
Federal prosecutors filed a 13-count superseding indictment against former CIA employee Joshua Schulte for stealing the agency’s cyber tools and turning them over to WikiLeaks last year, according to the Post. Prosecutors for the U.S.
Podcasts
The Cyberlaw Podcast: Interview with Megan Stifel
Stewart Baker Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 3:27 PM
Our interview is with Megan Stifel, whose paper for Public Knowledge offers a new way of thinking about cybersecurity measures, drawing by analogy on the relative success of sustainability initiatives in spurring environmental consciousness. She holds up pretty well under my skeptical questioning.
Secrecy & Leaks
Document: Superseding Indictment Against Joshua Schulte for Alleged Leak of CIA Hacking Tools
Matthew Kahn Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 3:16 PM
On Monday, the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York filed a 13-count superseding indictment against Joshua Schulte in connection with the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.
Book Reviews
Predicting War
Michael Neiberg Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 2:00 PM
Review of Lawrence Freedman’s “The Future of War: A History” (Public Affairs, 2017).
Immigration
Legal Considerations for Separating Families at the Border
Carrie Cordero Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 11:50 AM
The Trump administration practice of separating families at the border is clearly immoral. It may be illegal as well.
Federal Law Enforcement
Livestream: Justice Department Inspector General Testifies on Clinton Email Investigation Report
Victoria Clark Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 10:44 AM
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz will testify before the House Committees on the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform on last week’s inspector general report on the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email investigation. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
Executive Power
Trump’s Corrupt Use of the Pardon Power
Mark Greenberg, Harry Litman Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 10:35 AM
This president’s grants of clemency have debased the pardon power and are an affront to the justice system and the rule of law.
Federal Law Enforcement
James Comey’s 'Higher Loyalty' and His Response to the Inspector General Report
Bob Bauer Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 7:00 AM
There is a curious tension, if not an inconsistency, between the former FBI director's stress on the imperative of individual ethical decision-making and his endorsement of the IG process.
Military Commissions
Document: Judge Lamberth Rules in Gitmo Defense Counsel Habeas Case
Matthew Kahn Mon, Jun 18, 2018, 5:05 PM
Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that military commission Judge Vance Spath lacked authority to hold Chief Defense Counsel John Baker in contempt for disobeying an order last year. The full decision is below.
targeted killing
Judicial Review of Decisions to Kill American Citizens Under the AUMF: The Most Important Case You Missed Last Week
Robert Chesney Mon, Jun 18, 2018, 2:34 PM
A federal judge says courts should review the U.S. government’s decision-making process when it decides to target a U.S. citizen as part of the armed conflict authorized by the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.