Today’s Headlines and Commentary

The Justice Department announced charges against North Korean spy Park Jin Hyok for involvement in various cyberattacks, according to the Washington Post. Park worked on behalf North Korean military intelligence agency responsible for Pyongyang’s cyber operations, the General Reconnaissance Bureau. The charging document alleges that Park was involved in the 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures, the 2016 theft of funds from the Central Bank of Bangladesh, and the 2017 WannaCry attacks. (Read the full criminal complaint and supporting affidavit on Lawfare).

The Trump administration announced it plans to withdraw from the Flores settlement on detention standards for underage migrants and their families, reports the Post. Instead, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services proposed new regulations that would “satisfy the basic purpose” of Flores and treat migrant minors with “dignity, respect and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors.” The proposed rules would entail indefinitely detaining migrants with families. The Flores agreement remains in effect only so long as the government has not established regulations for dealing with undocumented migrants. These regulations thus satisfies the settlement, so the government argues.

Republican representatives on the House Energy and Commerce Committee accused Twitter on Wednesday of using algorithms that discriminate against conservative voices, reports the New York Times.

The Department of Justice called for a meeting with state attorneys general to discuss whether tech companies are “hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms,” according to the Hill.

Kim Jong Un has set a timeline for denuclearization, reports Reuters. In response, President Trump thanked Kim and said that the two would “get it done together.”

The man who assaulted a white-nationalist organizer two days after the Charlottesville rally was sentenced to a $1 fine, said the Post. Jeffrey Winder faced a potential sentence of 12 months in jail and $2,500, but instead the jury decided on a nominal fine.

Six demonstrators were killed during two days of protests in Basra, Iraq, according to the Post. The demonstrators, who are marching over lack of services and government corruption, were killed by Iraqi security forces.

All parties to the civil war in Yemen are meeting in Geneva on Thursday, reports the Post, for the first time since a 2016 meeting in Kuwait.

The British government’s investigation into the poisoning of a former Russian agent and his daughter in Salisbury, is detailed in the Times. Also, a senior Labour parliamentarian has called on the government to reinvestigate 14 other suspicious deaths in the U.K. linked to Russia in recent years, reported Buzzfeed.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Matthew Kahn posted Sheryl Sandberg and Jack Dorsey’s testimony before the Senate intelligence committee.

Jim Baker discussed how artificial intelligence fits into the larger digital ecosystem.

Jack Goldsmith asked former intelligence community employees to discuss their prepublication review difficulties with the Knight Center and ACLU attorneys.

Susan Hennessey announced a new job opening at Lawfare.

David Stanton and Wenqing Zhao rounded up U.S.-China technology policy news, including Huawei’s appeals to the FTC and the FCC for access to U.S. markets, for this week’s SinoTech.

Jen Patja Howell posted the most recent episode of Rational Security, the “New Digs” edition.

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.

We rely on contributions from our generous readers, and now, as a thank you, we're offering a Lawfare challenge coin! Get yours by making a donation at lawfarestore.com.