The AP Grab: NSL versus Subpoena
Update: In his letter responding to AP's complaints, Deputy Attorney General James Cole says these were subpoenas. Cole tries to argue the scope of the subpoena was fair. But what he doesn't explain is why the government didn't give the AP notice…
"A Full Two Month Period" that Covers John Brennan's Entire Drone Propaganda Campaign
In his letter to Eric Holder, AP's President Gary Pruitt emphasized how inexcusably overbroad the call record seizure had been.
Last Friday afternoon, AP General Counsel Laura Malone received a letter from the office of United States Attorney…
DOJ Goes Nuclear on Goldman and Apuzzo
While the AP doesn't say it in their report that DOJ got two months of unnamed reporters' call records, but this effectively means they've gone nuclear on Goldman and Apuzzo for breaking a story the White House was going to break the following…
Did Declan Walsh Get Expelled from Pakistan because He Provided Drone Cover for Brennan's Confirmation?
Three things have recently gotten me thinking about the legitimacy of US counterterrorism in Pakistan in terms of the partners we choose:
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrorism, Ben Emmerson, using the opposition to…
The Sabotage Attack on the Syrian Coalition
The NYT reports -- adding to an earlier WaPo story -- that hackers have attempted to sabotage a bunch of US energy companies.
A new wave of cyberattacks is striking American corporations, prompting warnings from federal officials, including…
NYTimes Carefully Transcribes Dubious Denials of US Role in Wardak Province Torture, Murders
As evidence from investigations carried out by Afghan officials continues to mount that a figure now named (although it seems quite likely to me that this is not a real name) Zakaria Kandahari is at the heart of the cases of torture and murder…
Hailing Carmen Ortiz While Ignoring Several Amendments
Main Justice has a bizarre post suggesting that those who excoriated Carmen Ortiz for her treatment of Aaron Swartz (and Tarek Mehanna and Russ Caswell, though MJ doesn't name them by name) are now hailing her aggressiveness.
"The criticism…
What Are the Secrets that Will Remain Hidden in Benghazi?
Things are becoming clearer day by day in Libya. groups and brigades are polarizing along Islamist-jihadist-secular lines
US drones are not only hovering all the time over eastern Libya, they also bombed a training camp run by Abdulbasit…
Benghazi Talking Points: Petraeus' Revenge
It has taken three days for the bleating press corps in DC to wade through the roll-out of Benghazi talking point emails and realize that the tension behind the emails -- as has been clear from just days after the attack -- is that Benghazi…
The Ongoing Tsarnaev Investigation
There have been a number of interesting developments in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation. This post will mostly serve to collect them and comment on what they say.
The taxi cab full of pressure cookers
First, there's a nagging…
Real ID Biometrics in Immigration Bill
I've got two ginormous issues with the report that the Immigration Bill includes a measure that would require the creation of a "photo tool" database to verify status before employment.
The immigration reform measure the Senate began debating…
Mike Bloomberg's Fondness for Spying Extends to the Banksters
In the wake of the Boston bombing, Mayor Bloomberg had some fairly alarming things to say about privacy.
“The people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry,” Mr. Bloomberg said during a press conference in Midtown. “But…
Some Canadian Bacon Is More Equal than Some Carnitas
The funny thing about this Josh Marshall column against (other peoples') dual citizenship is that he didn't need to go to the issue of dual citizenship at all. He wrote it in response to a proposal to let NYC non-citizens vote in municipal elections.
I’m…
Peshawar High Court Rules US Drone Strikes in Pakistan Are Illegal, Comprise War Crimes
In a remarkable ruling (pdf), the Peshawar High Court has ruled that US drone strikes carried out within Pakistan are illegal, that they are war crimes and that they must be stopped immediately. The court also directed Pakistan's military to…
Harold Koh Relitigates the Argument He Already Lost
The NYT thinks the takeaway "news" of Harold Koh's speech on Forever War is his call for more transparency on drone killing. Yet that Koh supports more transparency on drones is not news. Daniel Klaidman has been reporting that since January…
Shorter Mac Thornberry: the Armed Services Committees Do Oversight, Not Intelligence
As Bobby Chesney lays out, the GOP Chair of the Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, has introduced legislation to codify oversight over kill-or-capture missions.…
John Galt's Trail of Death and Destruction Continues to Grow
John Galt has been a deadly and destructive guy lately, with the largest of his most recent attacks taking place in the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh on April 24 where the death toll has now tragically topped 900 and the fertilizer…
Declaring "Wars" the President Didn't Ask For
I'll probably have a few posts on Harold Koh's speech opposing what he calls the "Forever War" at the Oxford Union. For now, I want to look at his argument against a new Authorization to Use Military Force.
I strongly disagree with those who…
Sheldon Whitehouse: Cybertheft Is [May Be] Biggest Transfer of Wealth in History
In an attempt to scare Congress into passing the cybersecurity legislation they failed to pass last year, Sheldon Whitehouse scheduled a hearing on cybersecurity today. In the hearing -- and in this op-ed he penned with Lindsey Graham -- he…
Imran Khan Injured, Doctors Order Rest Ahead of Saturday's Election
Yesterday, former cricket star Imran Khan was injured when he fell off a lift that was raising him and a number of bodyguards to an elevated stage for a rally in Lahore. Prior to the injury, Khan and his PTI party were seen as slightly trailing…