Today's Headlines and Commentary

The Commerce Department has withdrawn proposed regulations restricting the ability of U.S. companies to sell to Huawei Technologies Co. after the regulations met with resistance from Defense Department and Treasury Department officials, according to the Wall Street Journal. Officials from the Defense Department were concerned that the regulations would make U.S. companies less competitive in research and development.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis marched Friday in Baghdad, calling for the expulsion of U.S. troops from the country, reports the Washington Post. The protests were encouraged by a popular Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

London’s police department announced the roll-out of new facial recognition software that allows the police to identify people in real-time, according to the New York Times. The Times notes that this degree of surveillance is “rare outside of China.”

The foreign minister of Bulgaria has announced that the country is likely to expel two Russian diplomats who are suspected of spying, reports Reuters. This move comes in the same week Bulgarian prosecutors charged three Russians with the attempted murder of an arms trader and two other Bulgarians for a poisoning in Bulgaria that authorities are investigating for ties to the Skripal poisoning in England in 2018.

The BBC reports that Rinaldo Nazzaro, the American leader of an extremist group known as The Base, left New York for St. Petersburg less than two years ago and has attended Russian state functions. The group leader’s real identity was previously unknown. The Base is currently a major counter-terrorism focus for the FBI.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Arindrajit Basu and Justin Sherman considered the implications of India’s revised Personal Data Protection Bill.

Yasmina Abouzzohour examined the reign of Oman’s recently deceased Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and discussed Oman’s future.

Hannah Kris posted a livestream of the third day of the Senate impeachment trial.

Margaret Taylor introduced Lawfare’s new addition to The Report podcast, The Impeachment, which presents the impeachment trial in a distilled format.

Jen Patja Howell shared the most recent episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Renee DiResta, Quinta Jurecic, and Alina Polyakova discuss DiResta’s work with disinformation.

Jacob Schulz posted a declassified order about the applications for a FISA warrant for Carter Page.

Stewart Baker shared the most recent episode of the Cyberlaw Podcast in which Stewart Baker, Matthew Heiman, Mark MacCarthy, Michael Vatis and Nick Weaver discuss new developments in cybersecurity and cyberlaw.

Robert Chesney and Steve Vladeck shared the most recent episode of the National Security Law Podcast in which the pair lighten up with discussions on movies, T.V., sports, books, and other frivolous topics.

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 opening on our Job Board.