Today's Headlines and Commentary

The Australian government recently announced that satellite images indicate objects in the southern Indian Ocean that may be connected to the still-missing flight MH370. Aircraft and vessels have been rerouted to the area in order to begin a search. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are covering the story---along with everyone else. Russia released Ukrainian naval personnel captured in yesterday's seizure of Ukrainian naval bases, even as it speeds ahead with its annexation of Crimea, the Journal reports. President Obama has announced a new round of American sanctions while the European Union debates further sanctions of its own , and the Washington Post reports on Vice President Biden's efforts to reassure nervous allies in the region of US support. Meanwhile, the burgeoning debate over how the US should respond continues apace: In an op-ed for the Post, Senator Marco Rubio advocates for a tougher range of sanctions and other measures, and in a Times oped, jailed opposition activist Alexey Navalny calls for targeted sanctions on Putin's closest oligarchs.  The Times editorial board pushes back against calls to expel Russia from the Group of 8. In Politico, Josh Gerstein reports on two of Attorney General Eric Holder's claims at a press conference yesterday. According to Holder, the government is on track to meet the President's March 28 deadline for reform proposals for NSA's metadata collection program and DOJ has not yet made any decisions regarding whether to launch investigations into the CIA-SSCI affair.  The intelligence community should be more proactive about disclosures and warier of over-classifying materials. This is a primary lesson from the Snowden disclosures, according to ODNI general counsel Robert Litt. Steve Aftergood reports on Litt's recent statements and how Snowden's actions have transformed the way the intelligence community thinks about secrecy. At yesterday's PCLOB hearing, NSA general counsel Rajesh De explained that all communications material collected by NSA under the 2008 surveillance law occurred with the knowledge of the companies involved. The assertion seemingly contradicted months of denials from the companies themselves. The Guardian has the story. In a surprise move, Bin Laden son-in-law Sulaiman Abu Ghaith took the stand in his own defense yesterday in federal court yesterday. He explained that when Bin Laden asked him to help rally Muslims world-wide the day after the 9/11 attacks, he agreed to do so because he genuinely believed in the cause.  Abu Gaith insisted that he wasn't speaking on behalf of al Qaeda, but was simply using al Qaeda because it was the "only way" to get his own message out. Closing arguments begin Monday. The Times' Ben Weiser and the Journal's Christopher Matthews have the story. A magistrate judge rebuked the Justice Department yesterday for frequently requesting overly broad searches of email accounts. Approving DOJ's requests, Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola explained, would be “repugnant to the Fourth Amendment.” Carol Rosenberg updated her readers on the state of affairs in Guantanamo and reports on a wide-ranging interview with the prison's commander. Most prisoners are no longer on hunger strike and are therefore now being held in communal, medium-security detention. Apparently, some are currently learning Spanish in anticipation of release. After 12 years at Guantanamo, Ali Ahmad al-Razihi, a 33-year-old Yemeni who served as one of Osama Bin Laden's bodyguards, is set to go before the Periodic Review Board to determine whether he is eligible for transfer. Reuters reports that he is eager for release and  that his representatives have insisted that he is focused on returning to his family business and marrying. Today marks the 111th anniversary of the Senate's vote ratifying the lease of Guantanamo Bay. Politico reprints the Times story  covering the Senate vote. The LA Times reports that General Jeffrey Sinclar has received a reprimand and no jail time, must forfeit four months salary and must pay $4,100 restitution for his mistreatment of, and three-year affair with, a subordinate. The flawed prosecution of the case has deeply embarrassed the Army and figured prominently in recent legislative efforts to reform sexual assault is dealt with by the military. The New York Times Magazine has a lengthy piece by Carlotta Gall investigating the Pakistani military's close ties to terrorism and berating the US government for its failure to understand and confront the threat. Over at Foreign Policy, Colum Lynch reports that Pakistan is pushing a resolution that could trigger more criticism of US drone strikes through the UN Human Rights Council. The United States, however, is boycotting talks on the resolution. And drones don't have to kill; they can also use tasers! As this intern recently found out. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.