Today's Headlines and Commentary

Today, McClatchy brings us breaking news on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). An internal CIA review concluded that, yes, CIA personnel improperly accessed computers used by staffers on the Senate Intelligence Committee, during the latter's review of the CIA's controversial post-9/11 rendition, detention and interrogation practices. CIA Director John Brennan said that he would set up an internal accountability board to review the matter, which will be led by former Senator Evan Bayh, a Democrat of Indiana. Apropos, yesterday, the White House accidentally emailed a memo on that same report to an Associated Press reporter. According to the AP, the memo says the CIA initially kept then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and some U.S. ambassadors in the dark about secret prisons and harsh techniques being used. Other ambassadors who were told of the activities were instructed not to tell their superiors at the State Department. The four-page memo contains preliminary, proposed talking points in response to still-unreleased Senate report. “This report tells a story of which no American is proud,” said one.  According to the memo obtained by AP, the Senate document concludes that the CIA used brutal techniques on detainees but failed to produce life-saving intelligence, and then misled Congress and the Justice Department about the program. The Washington Post, LA Times, and the AP have more. Is Edward Snowden about to be kicked out of Russia? Earlier today, Ben brought our attention to an ITAR/TASS news agency bulletin which suggested that Snowden still awaits a decision from Russian authorities as to whether his asylum will be extended. Snowden’s asylum expires today, July 31. There’s more uproar in Germany about the U.S. surveillance controversy. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas caused a stir on Tuesday when he said that Edward Snowden should return to the United States and face the charges against him. The L.A. Times has more on the comments, which sent Germany’s opposition parties into a frenzy. And a new report from the New America Foundation finds that the revelations Mr. Snowden provided have had serious consequences on U.S. technology firms and for U.S. credibility around the world. Per the report, the fallout could cost U.S. industry between $22 and $180 billion by 2016. The Wall Street Journal covers the report. It case you missed it, Senator Patrick Leahy has released his surveillance reform bill on Tuesday. Yesterday on Lawfare, Jodie Liu gave us a roundup of who is saying what about the legislation, while last night, Ben weighed in with his thoughts on whether this is a good bill or not. Yesterday, the Washington Post released the results of a poll analyzing U.S. public opinion toward President Obama’s recent foreign policy decisions. As international crises dominate headlines, it seems that most Americans are unhappy with how the administration has responded to these events. Politico tells us that the President will host several senior members of the U.S. Senate at the White House today to discuss the series of ongoing foreign affairs and national security issues. We’ll give you a rundown on what all they’ve got to figure out, beginning with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yesterday, we flagged news that an Israeli shell struck another U.N. school in Gaza that was being used to house refugees. The Associated Press reports that other explosives that day struck a crowded market in Gaza City, claiming the lives of at least 116 people. According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that he will not agree to a ceasefire unless it allows Israel to eradicate Hamas’ underground tunnel system. The Wall Street Journal shares that 16,000 Israeli Defense Force reservists have been called to duty. Meanwhile, the Times remarks upon the “deafening” silence of Arab leaders in the wake of Israel’s latest campaign against Gaza. In Al-Monitor, Maj. Gen. Charles Dunlap (ret.) muses on the role in the conflict of "lawfare," or, as he defines it, "strategy of using — or misusing — law as a substitute for traditional military means to achieve an operational objective." If you can believe it, things in Syria might actually be getting even worse: Human Rights Watch is reporting that the Assad regime has escalated its use of barrel bombs against densely populated neighborhoods near Aleppo. This from Stars and Stripes, which also reports that at least 650 new damage sites have been documented in Aleppo over the last three months. The Times has new information on Moner Mohammad Abusalha, an American who in May committed a suicide attack in Syria. The most concerning part of their new report is that after receiving training in Syria, Abusalha returned to the United States for several months before leaving the country for the last time. Early this week, we highlighted a Times story that shed light on the new gangland nature of Iraqi politics. Today, Reuters tells us that Iraqi Shiite militias appear to be responding in kind to Sunni extremists' attacks, as a militant group has executed 15 Sunni Muslims and then hanged them from electricity poles in a public square. In Baghdad’s main Shiite district, a car bomb exploded killing 16 people, while another car bomb killed five in the capital’s Ameen district. Reuters also reports that a Hezbollah commander has died during a mission in Iraq, seemingly confirming that the Lebanese group is taking an active part in that country’s ongoing conflict. How are people responding to the reign of the Islamic State in Mosul? The Times tells us that the attacks on the city’s cultural history, including the destruction of the tomb of Jonah and the eviction of Christians, apparently have sparked the first sign of rebellion. Informal armed gangs of residents have begun to clash with ISIS militants against the harsh rule. The Post reports that the resistant group is calling itself the Mosul Battalions and claims to have killed nine members of the Islamic State in recent days. Foreign Policy reports that the battle for Iraq’s oil has now spread to a Texas courtroom. The legal fight is over 100 million barrels of crude oil, currently parked in the Houston Ship Channel. But the real issue may be the future of the Iraqi state, as the battle pushes Kurds further away from reconciliation with the central government in Baghdad. The New Republic has the story as well. NATO commander U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove announced yesterday that Russia has been “increasing” its military presence along its Ukrainian border. According to Defense News, he said, “The number of troops... is well over 12,000.” Buzzfeed shares a Russian soldier’s Instagram photos, which may demonstrate that the former Soviet Union is indeed conducting operations in Ukraine. Meanwhile, as the Ukrainian military is increasingly strained by a tight budget and low enrollment, Kiev is now using advertisements to appeal to the public to donate and volunteer. Foreign Policy provides video clips of the ads. According to the AP, a number of U.S. senators have begun to push for aid to Ukraine. Yesterday, in what has become a theme, the Russian Foreign Ministry rejected U.S. claims that it had violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Treaty. Reuters has details on the statement. The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. is now reaching out to its Asian partners to join in sanctions against Russia. The AP notes that recently announced U.S. and European sanctions are likely to cause the former Soviet Union significant harm. The Wall Street Journal is not as sure, though. The Atlantic offers three graphs to explain the effects of sanctions so far. The Daily Beast speculates as to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next move. Hint: it probably isn’t backwards. How’s this for sticker shock? The United States has spent more in its attempts to build a state in Afghanistan than it did in Europe for the entirety of the Marshall Plan. Roll Call reported on Wednesday that the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction released a report putting the total cost of U.S. aid to Afghanistan at $104 billion, with another $5.8 billion requested for 2015. Foreign Policy and Military.com have more on the specifics of the report, which FP says “reads like an early epitaph for the American nation-building effort in Afghanistan.” Secretary of State John Kerry penned an op-ed on the future of Afghan democracy in Afghanistan’s TOLO news yesterday. The op-ed, which ran in English, Dari, and Pashto, says, “The time for politics is over. The time for cooperation is at hand.” The splintering of the Pakistani Taliban has incited an increase in kidnappings of wealthy businessmen and influential figures, as various groups compete for ransoms to fund terrorist activities. The Wall Street Journal has more. The news from Libya continues to worry us, even as Reuters reports that rival militias have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Tripoli. The ceasefire will allow firefighters to battle a blaze at a major fuel depot at the airport. In Benghazi, at least 75 bodies, most of them soldiers, were found after two days of fighting in which Islamists fighters overran an army base. Up to 6,000 refugees a day are fleeing the Libyan conflict and entering Tunisia, the Post reports. Tunisia’s foreign minister was quoted as saying that his country’s “priority is the security and stability of Tunisia and we will close the border if necessary.” Just days ahead of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, National Security Adviser Susan Rice announced at the U.S. Institute of Peace that while the U.S. is not interested in military involvement in Africa, “we are committed to helping our partners confront transnational threats to our shared security.” Agence France-Presse has more on her statements. In other sanctions news, Defense News is reporting that the United States has imposed new sanctions on two North Korean shipping companies in response to their attempt to ship arms to Cuba. The U.S. Treasury Department has indicated that the companies endeavored to transport components of surface-to-air missile systems and launchers, MiG-21 jet fighter parts and engines, shell casings, and other ammunition. Meanwhile, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University is worried that new satellite images may indicate that North Korea is closer to a full-fledged, intercontinental ballistic missile than previously anticipated. AFP has more on the story. You can also follow the U.S.-Korea Institute’s blog at 38north.org. However, if it appears to you that the world is falling apart, Micah Zenko says you have it wrong. In Foreign Policy, he points out “that there is a world beyond those few countries in today’s headlines.” On the home front: Foreign Policy reports that Derek Chollet, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, plans to step down in January. The AP reports that, according to anonymous congressional aides, the Senate may confirm a number of ambassadorial nominations before breaking for recess. According to the Post, the State Department yesterday released a number of travel bans on Venezuelan government officials involved in crackdowns on popular protests in the country. Roll Call informs us that yesterday, the House approved Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Congressman Jeff Miller’s (R-FL) bipartisan Veteran’s Affairs health care bill in a 420-5 vote. The legislation is expected to clear the Senate and arrive at President Obama’s desk before Congress’s August recess. The AP informs us that Jeremy Ridgeway, a former Blackwater security guard, is cooperating with the prosecution in the case against him and his former co-workers. Wired explains why, according to new research, USB drives pose serious cybersecurity risks. We close the day’s news with infographics depicting terrorist activity in the U.S. from 1970 to 2013. Over the past few weeks, War on the Rocks has been releasing charts, graphs, and maps representing trends in global terrorism. This week’s takes a look at what has been going on at home. 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.