Today's Headlines and Commentary

The House’s general counsel said during oral arguments in the D.C. Circuit Court on Monday that the House is investigating whether President Trump lied in written answers provided to special counsel Robert Mueller during the Russia investigation, according to CNN.

President Trump tweeted on Monday morning that he will “strongly consider” submitting written responses to questions as part of the impeachment inquiry. His comments came after a suggestion made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the weekend that Trump share his perspective.

The Washington Post details the schedule of expected public impeachment hearings this week. The schedule for Tuesday includes Pence aide Jennifer Williams and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman in the morning, followed by Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker and former NSC Russia expert Timothy Morrison in the afternoon.

Leaked files and internal documents reveal how the Chinese government carried out an extensive and ruthless program to crack down on Uighurs in Xinjiang while publicly presenting the efforts as benevolent, according to the New York Times.

The Times also reports that a leak of hundreds of Iranian intelligence cables demonstrates the country’s efforts to influence Iraqi affairs and successes in out-maneuvering U.S. efforts.

After the BBC revealed that the UK Ministry of Defence may have engaged in a cover up of killings of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan by UK troops, the International Criminal Court said it would independently assess the findings, according to the BBC.

Hong Kong’s High Court struck down a ban on wearing face masks in public, arguing that the ban violated the territory’s Basic Law, reports the Times. The decision comes as police have cornered several student protesters at a Hong Kong university.

The U.S. Senate has sought to expedite the passage of a bill to support Hong Kong that would mandate a yearly review of the territory’s special trade status with the United States, reports the Post.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement that suggests another U.S.-North Korea summit will be unlikely without major U.S. concessions, according to the Associated Press. The statement expresses frustration that North Koreans have gotten “nothing in return” from previous meetings.

ICYMI: Last Weekend on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell shared the latest episode of The Lawfare Podcast, featuring a roundtable discussion of last week’s impeachment hearings and the guilty verdict in the trial of Roger Stone.

Simon Cottee discussed the factors that led Trinidad and Tobago to become a major recruiting source for the Islamic State and how the country should handle returnees.

Masha Simonova summarized the deposition testimony of Christopher Anderson, a foreign service officer who served in Ukraine.

Charlotte Butash summarized the deposition testimony of Catherine Croft, a foreign service officer who is currently the special advisor for Ukraine negotiations.

Jacob Schulz summarized the deposition testimony of Laura Cooper, a Department of Defense deputy assistant secretary.

Quinta Jurecic posted the full deposition transcript of Jennifer Williams, a special adviser to the vice president.

Jurecic also posted the transcript of National Security Council staffer Tim Morrison.

Jurecic also posted the opening statement from the closed-door deposition of foreign service officer David Holmes.