Today’s Headlines and Commentary

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Former Trump aide Stephen Bannon was found guilty on two charges of contempt of Congress for his failure to cooperate with the Jan. 6 House select committee investigation. Jury deliberation lasted under three hours, ending the week-long trial. The two charges each carry punishments of anywhere from 30 days to a year in jail. Bannon’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 21.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to separate deals with Turkey and the U.N. that will allow for exports of blocked Ukrainian grain. The agreement, which allows for the export of up to 22 million tons, is a step toward ameliorating the global food crisis exacerbated by the war. The deal will last for 120 days with the possibility of being renewed, according to the Facebook page of the deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office.

Separate strikes from Israel and Russia killed at least 10 people in Syria. The Israeli strikes killed three soldiers and injured an additional seven in Damascus, according to Syrian state television. The death toll was later revised by Jordanian state news, which reported that five Syrian soldiers were killed. Seven civilians were killed by Russian airstrikes in Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria, according to the White Helmets—a local group of emergency responders.

Four hundred military officers raided a Rio neighborhood, in which 16 suspected criminals, a police officer and a bystander were killed. The operation was orchestrated against a gang that robbed banks and stole cars in the area and surrounding neighborhoods. Despite the violence, human rights groups have criticized the Brazilian government for deploying excessive force in its approach to combating gangs.

Sri Lankan troops raided a camp of sleeping protestors outside of the presidential office early Friday morning. Police took nine protestors into custody during the raid. Dozens of protestors were injured. Security forces also beat at least two lawyers and two journalists, according to AP News. The crackdown came as newly elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe picked a new prime minister with strong connections to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was ousted by the protest movement earlier in the month.

Indian lawmakers elected the country’s first president from a tribal community. Droupadi Murmu will be the second woman to hold the title in India. While the role is primarily ceremonial, Murmu’s election is expected to help bolster support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party among marginalized tribal groups that represent a sizable portion of India’s population.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Evelyn Douek and Quinta Jurecic sat down with Evan Greer to discuss the role of Section 230 protections on liability for speech about abortion post-Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Ian Levy and Crispin Robinson discussed the debate and complexities around combating child sexual abuse on end-to-end encrypted services.

David Priess shared an episode of Chatter in which Shane Harris sat down with novelist Daniel Silva to discuss Silva’s career, his writing process, and how he created the Gabriel Allon spy series.

Stacey Gray argued that the American Data Privacy and Protection Act would provide protections that are stronger than state protections, establishing a strong national standard for privacy.

Benjamin Pollard shared a livestream of the eighth in a series of hearings held by the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6th Attack on the Capitol.

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