Our picks Security clearance problem; ICE license plate tracking; wetter Wisconsin, and more

Why the White House “system” for security clearances is an intelligence emergency (Samantha Vinograd, Just Security)
There is an intelligence emergency emanating from the White House. The news that Rob Porter worked as Staff Secretary for over a year without a permanent clearance is synonymous with saying that there was a giant invitation to foreign intelligence services hanging on the steps of the White House. But Porter was not the only one in this position, and it is important to understand how these unusual White House practices place United States security at risk.

City refuses to let ICE track license plates with “digital deportation machine” (Chantal Da Silva, Newsweek)
Just weeks after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency gained access to a nationwide license plate recognition database, a California city has said it will only approve a $500,000 deal to install traffic cameras if a policy can be put in place ensuring data will not be handed over to the ICE agents.

Could a cyber national guard have a role in safeguarding elections? (Lauren C. Williams, FCW)
With midterm elections this year, some members of Congress are wondering what the Defense Department can do to guard against foreign meddling. At a Feb. 13 Senate Armed Services cybersecurity subcommittee hearing, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) suggested that the National Guard should step in.

Ex-White House insider: Rob Porter was a “clear vulnerability” (Allie Conti, Vice)
A former counterintelligence official explains why you should care about the latest massive White House scandal.

The Syria War Powers memo: Why it matters (Justin Florence, Allison Murphy, Lawfare)
Last Friday, Feb. 9, Sen. Tim Kaine asked the Trump administration to turn over a legal memo prepared by administration lawyers in connection with the April 2017 missile strikes directed at Syrian regime forces.  The existence of that memo came to light in response to a freedom of information lawsuit filed by our organization, Protect Democracy. Because this issue is garnering so much attention, we wanted to provide an update on how we learned about this memo and why it matters.

Wisconsin is becoming wetter as lawmakers move to weaken rules for flood-preventing wetlands (Lee Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
‘Facilitating the destruction of wetlands will in many instances increase future flood risk.’

Federal agencies more secure than contractors, study finds (Joseph Marks, Nextgov)
Contractors may be a cybersecurity liability, according to the study.