Our picksAfghan War Deceptions | Unsecure NYC Water | California Sea Rise Problem, and more

U.S. Officials Misled Public about Afghan War, Confidential Documents Reveal (Craig Whitlock, Washington Post)
U.S. officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it, an exclusive Post investigation found.

Seven Outright Falsehoods in GOP Staff Report on Impeachment (Susan Simpson, Just Security)
On December 2, 2019, Republican staff of the three committees overseeing the impeachment inquiry published a report prepared for the GOP Chairs: Representatives Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan, and Michael McCaul. This report, however, is not a serious examination of the evidence, nor is it intended to be. Unlike the House Intelligence Committee’s Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report , the minority staff report makes no attempt to construct a coherent statement of facts, nor to offer its own version of events as an alternative to the one set forth in the majority’s report. The point of the minority report is not to offer an explanation of what really happened, but to make what really happened seem unknowable.

Emergency Response System in Maine on the Edge of Collapsing (Colin Woodward, Portland Press-Herald)
In the past 16 months, two services – County Ambulance in Ellsworth and Tri-Town Ambulance and Emergency Rescue in West Paris – closed, and leaders of many rural services say they are one unexpected expense, one administrative mishap from closure.

Lawmakers: Prep for California Sea Level Rise or Suffer Later (Roxanna Xia, Los Angeles Times)
Flood projections keep getting worse, critical roads and infrastructure are mere feet from toppling into the sea, cities along the coast are paralyzed by the difficult choices ahead — the reality check sounds bleak.

New York Water System Audit Finds Cybersecurity Flaws (Rachel Ettlinger, Times Herlad-Record)
An audit by the New York State Comptroller’s Office found cybersecurity electronic access vulnerabilities for the water system in upstate Middleton, N.Y., using a simulated cyberattack to find holes in the defenses.

How Remote Working Increases Cybersecurity Risks (Hannah Murphy, Financial Times)
A dispersed workforce gives rise to a variety of data management challenges

I’m Next, Says Brother of Chechen Rebel Killed in Berlin Hit (Oliver Moody, The Times)
The brother of a Chechen rebel murdered in Berlin by a suspected Kremlin hitman has been told he is next on the list of targets, The Times can reveal.
The alleged contract killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, 40, who was shot in August while on his way to Friday prayers, has raised fears that no city in Europe is safe from Russia’s hit squads.
In his first interview with a western news outlet, Mr Khangoshvili’s brother, Zurab, 46, said that he had received intelligence that his own life was in danger. “I was asked to be careful,” he said. “I don’t go out alone.”

Despite Concerns About Election Security, ‘Vulnerabilities Abound’ (Alan Greenblatt, Governing)
Hacking isn’t the only problem. Misinformation campaigns and the refusal of politicians to admit defeat all serve to undermine voter confidence. Now, states need to anticipate new threats.