Today's Headlines and Commentary

Gordon Ahl
Thursday, November 7, 2019, 2:10 PM

Lawfare’s daily roundup of national-security news and opinions.

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The Justice Department charged two former Twitter employees with spying on behalf of Saudi Arabia, reports the Washington Post. The DOJ charges allege that the men accessed and shared Twitter’s internal information on Saudi dissidents who use the platform.

The Financial Times reports that the Indian Space Research Organization was warned of a cyber attack in the middle of their failed September moon mission. This revelation comes after a nuclear plant in southern India was hit by a cyber attack last week. Some experts attribute both attacks to a broader campaign by North Korean hackers.

President Trump requested that Attorney General Bill Barr hold a press conference for Barr to say that Trump had broken no laws during the July 25th call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the Post. Barr ultimately declined to hold the conference.

Against the wishes of the White House, Former national security adviser John Bolton is reportedly willing to testify as part of the House impeachment inquiry, according to the Post. However, Bolton claims he will only testify if the federal courts clear the way, which could not be until next year.

The United States and China have both agreed that any new trade deal would involve a roll back of tariffs on each other’s products, according to the New York Times.

Bosco Ntaganda, a former Congolese rebel leader, was convicted on 18 counts including murder, rape and use of child soldiers before the International Criminal Court, reports the BBC. Ntaganda’s sentence of 30 years is the longest the ICC has ever handed down.

Colombian Defense Minister Guillermo Botero resigned after officials in Colombia confirmed that eight children had been killed in August during an aerial bombing of a drug-trafficking group, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The Times reports that gunmen in Burkina Faso killed at least 37 people in an attack on a Canadian mining company's convoy.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that European states can no longer rely on the United States to defend NATO allies, according to CNN.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell shared this week’s episode of Rational Security, in which Shane Harris, Margaret Taylor and Tamara Cofman Wittes talked about impeachment and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s leadership.

Radha Iyengar Plumb discussed Facebook’s process of creating their new Oversight Board.

Gordon Ahl posted the transcript from the impeachment inquiry deposition of Amb. Bill Taylor.

Jacob Schulz posted the complaint filed by the DOJ against the two former Twitter employees who allegedly spied for Saudi Arabia.

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Gordon Ahl is a senior at Georgetown University, studying international politics. He is an intern at Lawfare and the Brookings Institution.

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