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19 Years After 9/11, Politicians Need to Stop Overhyping Threats (Joshua A. Geltzer, Defense One)
From China to disinformation, our fear of fear itself is tearing us apart and making us less safe.

Russian Hackers Have Targeted 200 Groups Tied to Presidential Election, Microsoft Says (Dustin Volz, Wall Street Journal)
China has also sought to compromise ‘high-profile individuals’ linked to Joe Biden’s campaign, according to the software giant

The Trump Team Welcomed Russian Disinformation, the Trump Administration Further Confirms (Aaron Blake, Washington Post)
President Trump, in August, promoted information that the U.S. government has increasingly connected to a Russian disinformation campaign in the 2020 election — after his personal attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, worked with the man promoting it. Now the U.S. government says explicitly that the man behind it is a Russian agent.
The Treasury Department on Thursday identified Ukrainian politician Andrii Derkach as an “active Russian agent for over a decade” — a label that could lead to more direct penalties. It added that Derkach has “directly or indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed or otherwise been complicit in foreign interference in an attempt to undermine the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential election.”
“This action is a clear signal to Moscow and its proxies that this activity will not be tolerated,” the Treasury Department said.

This 9/11 Anniversary Arrives with the End of the War on al-Qaeda Well in Sight (Christopher Miller, Washington Post)
Remnants of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization that launched the 9/11 terror attacks 19 years ago remain active throughout the world. But it is now possible to see the contours of how the war against al-Qaeda ends.

Internet Watchdog Warns on Live Broadcast of Terror Attacks Online (Damien McElroy, The National)
Nicholas Rasmussen claims footage would be removed much quicker than before

America Is Trapped in a Pandemic Spiral (Ed Yong, Defense One)
As the U.S. heads toward the winter, the country is going round in circles, making the same conceptual errors that have plagued it since spring.