Today's Headlines and Commentary

Wells and I are not the only ones watching this week’s hearings in the 9/11 military commission trial. Jane Sutton of Reuters has a story on this week’s agenda.

Afghan security forces have taken the security lead in all regions of their countr, as NATO transitions out---just in time for new attacks in the capital. Here are the Washington Post story, NPR report, The Hill story, and New York Times report.

Meanwhile, Senator Bob Corker is putting a hold on future aid to Afghanistan until he receives assurances from the White House that the bags of cash delivered to Afghan President Karzai by the CIA are not fueling corruption in the country. Matthew Rosenberg in the Times has the details. Anyone who’s anyone joined the Guardian web chat with Edward Snowden yesterday. Ellen Nakashima of the Post has a post mortem.

Nina Totenberg of NPR has this lengthy piece on the FISC.

Republican Senator Dan Coats penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that calls on his party colleagues to halt their “NSA grandstanding”:

As a result of these leaks and subsequent spread of misinformation, the federal government faces a Catch-22. The administration must disclose more information about the use of these programs to regain the people's trust and ensure the protection of civil liberties, but doing so also compromises the programs. As the NSA chief said in his recent testimony, "Everything depends on trust. . . . We do not see a trade-off between security and liberty. It is not a choice, and we can and must do both simultaneously."

The government's interest in carrying out these programs is the most compelling imaginable: an enduring defense against terrorist attacks that could take thousands of innocent lives. I have no doubt that returning to a pre-9/11 security posture will make this country less safe. A majority of Americans agree, and their support is likely to grow as sensationalism and fear are replaced with facts.

Meanwhile, the House intelligence committee hosts NSA director General Keith Alexander, but he won’t be alone; joining him will be the Deputy Attorney General, the Deputy Director of the FBI, and the General Counsel of the DNI. I just wonder what on earth could be on that hearing’s agenda?

And Marc Ambinder documents presumed FBI Director nominee James Comey’s reaction as Deputy AG to the Bush administration’s exploitation of warrantless wiretaps over at Foreign Policy.

US News & World Report’s “Debate Club” features contributors discussing the prospect of repealing the 2001 AUMF.

NPR’s Morning Edition has this report on a forthcoming book entitled Anonymous Sources by former NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly. It’s a work of fiction that draws on her experience on the national security beat.

U.S. and Russia have signed a bilateral agreement that will take the place of the now-expired Nunn-Lugar threat reduction program, and which will also encourage cooperation and information sharing on cybersecurity and other national security threats. Ellen Nakashima reports on the details in the Post.

Perhaps not national security law focused, but it’s Bitcoin-related, the Government Accountability Office has released a report on steps the IRS needs to take with regards to virtual currencies. Citizens don’t understand the tax implications of using such moneys. Peter Schroeder of The Hill recaps the report’s conclusions.

The Sprint-SoftBank-Clearwire-Dish saga continues: Sprint has now filed a lawsuit against Dish Network for its bid on Clearwire. Here’s a Reuters story on the ensuing legal drama.