Today’s Headlines and Commentary

According to an internal draft memo obtained by the Washington Post, the Army initially sought to reject the D.C. government’s request for a National Guard presence ahead of the Jan. 6 riots, unless more than 100,000 demonstrators were expected. The draft memo also said the request should be denied because the Army had not been identified to run the preparations and on-the-day operations, other federal agencies had unexhausted resources and that law enforcement was “far better suited,” for the task. The Army finally agreed to the National Guard presence after facing pressure from then-Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy supported the request, as long as a lead agency was identified and other federal agencies “exhausted their assets to support these events.”

The Department of Homeland Security said the number of attempted crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border is expected to reach its highest level in two decades, writes the Hill. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the U.S. is “on pace to encounter more individuals at the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years.” Mayorkas also said the U.S. is expelling “most single adults and families” not “unaccompanied children,” and he continued to defend the Biden administration’s efforts to find new facilities to house the surge of migrants.

The House will vote on two immigration bills this week, as part of the Democrats’ first effort at immigration reform under the Biden administration, reports CNBC. The American Dream and Promise Act would create a path to citizenship for about 2.5 million people and allow more than 4.4 million to be eligible for legal permanent residence in the U.S., while the Farm Workforce Modernization Act would establish a path for legal status for agricultural workers. The bills are unlikely to survive the Senate, where they would require 10 votes from Republican lawmakers to avoid a filibuster.

Attorneys general from Alaska, Florida, Montana, Nevada and Puerto Rico joined the Texas-led lawsuit against Google, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to 15 states and territories according to the Hill. The lawsuit filed in December alleges Google violated federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws, and the updated complaint filed on Monday includes Google’s plans to phase out tracking features.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Japan as part of the first foreign trip by President Biden’s cabinet members, writes the Wall Street Journal. Discussion about China took up most of the meeting between Blinken and Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Blinken criticized the Chinese government during a news conference in Tokyo, and asserted the U.S. “will push back if necessary on China’s coercions or aggressions.”

Over a dozen European countries have suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after concerns about the rare possibility of side effects including blood clots and abnormal bleeding, according to the New York Times. Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency, said there was “no indication that the vaccination has caused these conditions,” and that the agency is “firmly convinced” that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the possible side effects.

Russia will block Twitter in one month unless the company removes a specific list of banned content, which the Kremlin says includes child pornography and materials on illegal drugs and child suicide, reports Reuters. In the past Twitter has raised concerns about the impact on free speech, and the company has denied Russian allegations of allowing its platform to promote illegal behavior.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Alexander Vindman asked if litigation can help deradicalize right-wing media.

Rohini Kurup shared a Justice Department complaint against two men charged with assaulting Brian Sicknick, the U.S. Capitol Police Officer who died in the Jan. 6 attack.

Jordan Schneider shared an episode of ChinaTalk, featuring conversations about comparative advantage, Stalin, the Bolshevik Revolution and many more topics.

Yasmina Abouzzohour analyzed the current state of Arab monarchies, 10 years after the Arab Spring.

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast, featuring Alex Vindman’s conversation with retired Adm. James Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman, about their book “2034: A Novel of the Next World War.”

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