Today’s Headlines and Commentary

A Marine Corps veteran who was charged in the Capitol riot once served as a crew chief for the presidential Marine One helicopter squadron, writes the Washington Post. John Daniel Andries, who was charged with two felonies, joined the squadron in 2006 and served during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. To serve on the squadron, members must have a top-secret clearance and an additional higher clearance, reserved for personnel close to the president. Andries is one of more than 30 veterans who have been charged with crimes in the January insurrection.

The Wall Street Journal released the six-minute recording of former President Trump’s phone call to the chief investigator of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office in December, during which he encouraged her to look for mail-in ballot fraud. In the phone call, Trump repeatedly told Frances Watson that he had won Georgia, and that “[w]hen the right answer comes out, you’ll be praised.” There is an ongoing criminal investigation into possible efforts to have Georgian officials overturn the state’s presidential election results, and a grand jury is expected to convene this month, according to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

President Biden will deliver a public address at 8 p.m. ET to discuss the nation’s coronavirus response, including his $1.9 trillion economic relief package which received Congressional approval yesterday, reports the New York Times.

A third degree murder charge was reinstated in the trial of Derek Chauvin—the former Minneapolis police office charged with the death of George Floyd—following the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday to not accept Chauvin’s appeal against the charge, reports the Hill. Chauvin is also facing second-degree murder charges and manslaughter chargers.

Merrick Garland was confirmed as Biden’s attorney general in a 70-30 Senate vote, writes the Post. During his time as a federal appeals court judge, Garland earned a reputation as a moderate consensus builder.

China’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to support a proposal on “improving the electoral system” of Hong Kong, reports CNN. The stated goal of the proposal is to ensure only “patriots” govern Hong Kong, meaning those who are loyal to China and the Chinese Communist Party. Last week, the Chinese National People’s Congress spokesperson stated Hong Kong’s anti-government protests and civil unrest in 2019 “showed that the electoral system needs to be improved,” to ensure “patriots govern.”

Turkey, Russia and Qatar are making a joint attempt to create a “lasting political solution in Syria,” according to Reuters. The foreign ministers of the three countries agreed the conflict must be ended by political settlement made in line with United Nations resolutions.

Eight anti-coup protesters were killed in Myanmar by security forces today, bringing the total number of protesters killed to 68, reports Reuters.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Herb Lin examined the similarities between Biden and Trump’s cyber strategies.

Peter Margulies and Ira Rubenstein proposed a hybrid approach to solving transatlantic data transfers while protecting privacy.

Lester Munson shared an episode of Fault Lines, titled “Supply Chains and Relationship Strains.”

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast, featuring Bryce Klehm’s conversation with Wesley Morgan about his book, “The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley.”

Howell also shared an episode of Rational Security, the “Happy Birthday, Remote Jungle Studio” edition.

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