Today’s Headlines and Commentary

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A federal judge ruled that former President Trump and attorney John Eastman may have been conspiring to illegally disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election on Jan. 6, 2021, reports CNN. In the ruling, Judge David Carter of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California wrote that, “Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.” In the same ruling, Carter also ordered Eastman to hand over 101 emails he sent and received around Jan. 6 to the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack. 

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol released a report that recommends that the House cite Dan Scavino, Jr. and Peter Navarro for criminal contempt of Congress, writes the Hill. Scavino, former Trump deputy chief of staff for communications; and Peter Navarro, former trade adviser to Trump, were both subpoenaed earlier this year by the select committee and both failed to appear at their respective depositions. Scavino and Navarro have also both repeatedly not cooperated with document requests issued by the select committee. The select committee will convene later tonight to vote on whether to pursue charges against Scavino and Navarro for contempt of Congress. 

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack will seek an interview with Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, according to the Washington Post. Ginni Thomas’ possible involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was recently brought to light when it was revealed that she exchanged text messages with Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the weeks leading up to the insurrection. In 29 text messages, Ginni Thomas reportedly urged Meadows to continue efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election to keep Trump in power. 

A Russian brigade commander was killed by his own troops in western Ukraine, reports Politico. The Russian colonel commander of the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade was run over by an armored vehicle and sustained injuries to both legs that led to his death. Western officials report that “The brigade commander was killed by his own troops, we believe, as a consequence of the scale of losses that have been taken by his brigade. We believe that he was killed by his own troops deliberately. We believe that he was run over by his own troops.”

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators were reportedly poisoned at talks in Kyiv earlier this month, writes BBC News. All three individuals survived the alleged poisoning but suffered symptoms of sore eyes and skin peeling. Officials suspect that the alleged poisoning was carried out by Russian hardliners who wanted to sabotage the peace talks. Abramovich is said to be an integral figure in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia—just last week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy asked President Biden to hold off on sanctions for Abramovich because of his willingness to participate in negotiations with the Kremlin. 

Top diplomats from Israel, the United States and four Arab countries convened at a summit in Israel to discuss a swath of security concerns such as how to coordinate against Iran, reports the New York Times. The summit was the first Arab-Israeli diplomatic meeting on Israeli soil. In addition to discussing Iran, and Ukraine and Russia, representatives from Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates reportedly urged Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid—who organized the conference—to create a sovereign Palestinian state. “What we are doing here is making history — building a new regional architecture based on progress, technology, religious tolerance, security and intelligence cooperation. This new architecture and shared capabilities we are building intimidates and deters our common enemies — first and foremost Iran and its proxies,” Lapid said. Other leaders shared Lapid’s enthusiasm about the talks and agreed to attend the summit annually, in a different country each year. 

The trial of El Shafee Elsheikh—a man accused of participating in the capture and murder of four American journalists and aid workers by the Islamic State—is set to begin in the U.S. on Tuesday, writes the Washington Post. Elsheikh is allegedly one of four Islamic State militants who held the journalists and aid workers hostage, and then killed them when their respective countries would not pay their ransom fees. Elsheikh's trial is the only trial for a member of an infamous terrorist cell to take place in a U.S. court. 

A Netherlands-based study found microplastic particles flowing in the human bloodstream for the first time, according to USA Today. Plastic particles were found in the blood of over three-fourths of the study’s participants. Previous research indicated that humans inhale and ingest enough microplastic particles to create a credit card each week, but the new study marks the first time microplastics were found in the human bloodstream. The study only tested for a few plastic polymers, so researchers are left with further questions such as what other plastics are in our blood, and how does this affect our overall health?

ICYMI: This Weekend on Lawfare

Inga Kristina Trauthig explained how chat and encrypted messaging apps provide new ways to distribute information and disinformation in Ukraine and Russia.

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