Daily Update | September 20, 2018
As election day nears, many states and counties are beefing up their plans to deal with cyberattacks on election infrastructure. Undocumented immigrant families affected by Hurricane Florence are wondering whether seeking government resources like shelter, food, or other aid would put them at greater risk. State Department officials are facing backlash over the decision to drastically limit the number of refugees who will be permitted to settle in the U.S. The Office of Inspector General criticized the Bureau of Prisons’ management of female prisoners. Terrorism is down worldwide, but the State Department says that Iran maintains a ‘near-global reach’ as the leading state sponsor of terrorism. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un committed to some concrete steps towards denuclearization, but fell short of what American officials have demanded.
TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s request that a federal judge move forward with sentencing for Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor, has triggered a new debate about the timeline and status of the special counsel’s investigation (The Hill).
- Flynn will be sentenced on December 18th.
Paul Manafort may also have corrupted European politicians (The Global Anticorruption Blog).
IMMIGRATION
The Trump administration is unable to account for the whereabouts of nearly 1,500 migrant children who illegally entered the United States this year and were placed with sponsors after leaving federal shelters (NYT).
An internal Army email suggested that the Army may not have stopped its practice of discharging immigrant recruits (NYT).
Undocumented immigrant families affected by Hurricane Florence are wondering whether seeking government resources like shelter, food, or other aid would put them at greater risk (NYT).
State Department officials are facing backlash over the decision to drastically limit the number of refugees who will be permitted to settle in the U.S. (LAT).
DEMOCRACY
As election day nears, many states and counties are beefing up their plans to deal with cyberattacks on election infrastructure (WSJ).
- Private companies play a crucial role in running elections (NPR).
JUSTICE & SAFETY
The hope for justice for the crimes against the Rohingya in Myanmar grew more doubtful with National Security Advisor John Bolton’s critical comments about the International Criminal Court last week, writes Aryeh Neier at Just Security.
The Department of Defense released a summary of its 2018 Cyber Strategy Report (Lawfare).
- The new strategy gives the U.S. military authority to act more aggressively in the case of cyber attacks (The Hill).
- Al Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias remain deadly threats (NYT).
The public should know more about the hacking tools and techniques federal law enforcement is using, writes Alex Betschen at Just Security.
The Office of Inspector General criticized the Bureau of Prisons’ management of female prisoners (Sentencing Law & Policy).
Terrorism is down worldwide, but the State Department says that Iran maintains a ‘near-global reach’ as the leading state sponsor of terrorism (WaPo).
President Trump has put the U.S. and China on the cusp of a new Cold War, writes Mark Landler at NYT.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un committed to some concrete steps towards denuclearization, but fell short of what American officials have demanded (NYT).
President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement has been effective without either of the two predicted consequences, writes Clifford Krauss at NYT.
If Apple moved smartphone production to the U.S. to avoid President Trump’s tariffs, it could do more harm than good, writes Greg Ip at WSJ.
REGULATION
A group of senators called on DOJ to address how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to websites (Disability Scoop).
Credible and stable regulation encourages voluntary climate action, writes Lily Hsueh at The Regulatory Review.
Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney plans to relocate some CFPB employees from Washington D.C. to Atlanta (The Hill).
An employment discrimination class action suit has been filed against the CFPB and its acting director, Mick Mulvaney (Ballard Spahr).
The Small Business Administration’s decision to eliminate its Spanish-language website and replace it with a version translated by Google Translate is part of a troubling trend by the Executive Branch that appears to devalue resources aimed at Spanish-language speakers, writes Fernand Fernandez at The Hill.
President Trump’s tax cuts have only brought in 3% of the promised $5 trillion to the U.S. (WaPo).
RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE
President Trump’s executive order about election interference should not deter Congress from passing legislation about election interference, but is a necessary step to showing potential adversaries that there are consequences to such acts, writes Megan Reiss at Lawfare.
- Ed Stein analyzes the Order at Lawfare.
Tags:
Immigration Regulation Democracy Justice & Safety Russian Interference