Beware Leaders’ Rush to Approve Vaccines | How Not to Fight Terrorism | Eroding Election Security, and more

·  “Governments, including those in Washington and Moscow, have been laudable in funding vaccine development. … It would be irresponsible, though, for the U.S. president to prioritize the political benefit of an early vaccine approval over the nation’s health. The world is desperate for a cure for COVID-19—but Mr. Trump and others must focus less on rushing out possible treatments and more on winning over skeptical citizens.”

Trump’s Vaccine Can’t Be Trusted (Laurie Garrett, Foreign Policy)
If a vaccine comes out before the election, there are very good reasons not to take it.

Suspects Arrested in Colombia Linked to Failed Attempt to Overthrow Venezuelan President (VOA News)
Four Venezuelans are under arrest in Colombia for their alleged roles in a botched attempt to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power a few months ago. Colombian officials announced Thursday the suspects are accused of arming and training mercenaries who in May invaded Venezuela by boat.
The amphibious attacked dubbed “Operation Gideon” was carried out by three former U.S. Special Forces soldiers acting as mercenaries. Venezuelan soldiers arrested former Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were sentenced to 20 years in prison in Venezuela.

The Russians infiltrated Trump’s 2016 Campaign. We May Never Know Exactly What Happened (Michael Morell and Marc Polymeropoulos, Washington Post)

·  “As we … read the report [the Senate Intelligence Committee’s fifth, and last, report in its series on the Russian attack against our democracy four years ago] five points occurred to us. First, this report, like the four before it, is bipartisan. In this age, it is reassuring and even encouraging to see Republicans and Democrats work together on an issue that so directly threatens our national security.”

·  “Second, this report makes clear that Putin’s objectives in interfering in 2016 were to undermine Hillary Clinton as a candidate and if she won, as president; help Donald Trump’s candidacy; and weaken our democracy. This is now not only the conclusion of the full Senate committee but also of the intelligence community and the Mueller investigation. While we will never know to what extent Russia actually swung votes in Trump’s favor, we can put to rest forever that Putin’s motivation was to do just that.”

·  “Third, it is clear … that Russia mounted a classic and multifaceted human intelligence operation against the Trump campaign. … Fourth, the targeted Americans made it easy for the Russians. … According to the Senate report and a New York Times analysis, Trump and 18 of his associates had at least 140 contacts with Russian nationals and WikiLeaks, or their intermediaries. That is an extraordinary number for an intelligence operation against a ‘hard target,’ in this case, the United States.”

·  “Fifth, we only know what we know. Counterintelligence investigators do not have access to the other side; one can’t subpoena documents from the Russian government or interview Russian intelligence officers. Historically, we’ve learned the full truth in counterintelligence cases only when someone from the other side tells us.”

The Trump Administration Continues to Erode Election Security (Garrett M. Graff, Wired)
The DHS, the DOJ, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have all had recent controversies that bode poorly for electoral integrity.

What’s the Worst that Could Happen? (Rosa Brooks, Washington Post)
The election will likely spark violence — and a constitutional crisis.

DOD Inspector General’s Report Whitewashes Potential Violations of the Posse Comitatus Act (Joseph Nunn. Just Security)
Last week, the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a report on the use of active duty troops to support Department of Homeland Security operations at the U.S. southern border. Several thousand active duty soldiers, or “Title 10 personnel,” have been at the border since 2018, when President Trump deployed them to guard against the supposed threat from a migrant caravan moving through Mexico. Under pressure from Congress, the IG announced a review of these troops’ presence late last year—including whether their use violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars federal military forces from engaging in law enforcement activities unless “expressly authorized” by Congress.
The IG’s report should raise alarm bells with those concerned about this administration’s domestic uses of the military. The report finds little evidence that federal troops have engaged in law enforcement at the border, but acknowledges that the White House purported to authorize such activities, and concludes that the authorization was consistent with federal law and not in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. In reaching this conclusion, the IG dangerously misinterprets the law.

Why both Huawei and BTS Share the Cyber Stage with Powerful Nations (Stilgherrian, ZDNet)
Cyber conflict isn’t about cyberwar, says The Grugq. It’s about a global cyber power struggle that never ends, where even K-pop bands can influence nation states.

How Not to Fight Terrorism (Sam Westrop, National Review)
Many efforts to prevent terrorism focus on terrorists who have already embraced violence, and not on the extremists who engender this violence and are busy radicalizing the next generation.