OUR PICKSISIS Women Commanders | How China Spies on the West | Risks of Open Data Market, and more

Published 3 February 2022

·  U.S. Announces Death of ISIS Leader in Raid

·  Memo Circulated Among Trump Allies Advocated Using NSA Data to Try to Prove Stolen Election

·  Six Juveniles Are Persons of Interest in Threats to Historically Black Colleges

·  Allison Fluke-Ekren Is a Rarity to Experts: A Woman Alleged to Have a Senior Role in ISIS

·  British ISIS Beatles ‘Turn Supergrass and Reveal Masterminds Behind European Terror Attacks’ ahead of U.S. Trial

·  Alexander Vindman’s Lawsuit Is Right on the Law

China Watch

·  The Open Data Market and Risks to National Security

·  How China Spies on the West

·  Arkansas Professor Pleads Guilty to Lying About China Patents

·  As Putin Lines Ukraine Border with Russian Troops, Is There a China Factor?

·  How to Protect Europe from Risky Foreign Direct Investment

·  The Growing Rivalry Between America and China and the Future of Globalization

U.S. Announces Death of ISIS Leader in Raid  (New York Times)
President Biden said on Thursday that the leader of the Islamic State died during a raid by U.S. Special Operations commandos in a risky pre-dawn attack in northwest Syria. Rescue workers said women and children were among at least 13 people killed during the raid. Mr. Biden said in a statement that the terrorist leader, identified by ISIS as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed. A senior administration official said Mr. al-Qurayshi died at the beginning of the operation when he exploded a bomb that killed him and members of his own family, including women and children. “Thanks to the skill and bravery of our armed forces, we have taken off the battlefield Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — the leader of ISIS,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “All Americans have returned safely from the operation.” The helicopter-borne assault carried out by about two dozen American commandos, backed by helicopter gunships, armed Reaper drones and attack jets, resembled the raid in October 2019 in which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the previous leader of the Islamic State, died when he detonated a suicide vest as U.S. forces raided a hide-out not far from where Thursday’s operation took place.

Memo Circulated Among Trump Allies Advocated Using NSA Data to Try to Prove Stolen Election  (Josh Dawsey, Rosalind S. Helderman, Emma Brown, Jon Swaine and Jacqueline Alemany. Washington Post)
The proposal to seize and analyze “NSA unprocessed raw signals data” raises legal and ethical concerns that set it apart from other attempts that have come to light.

Six Juveniles Are Persons of Interest in Threats to Historically Black Colleges  (Michael Levenson, Katie Benner and Giulia Heyward, New York Times)
The F.B.I. has identified six juveniles as persons of interest in a series of bomb threats that targeted historically Black colleges and universities, a law enforcement official said on Wednesday. The bureau said it was investigating the threats as racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes. The bureau made the announcement during a week in which at least 17 historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats, prompting administrators to temporarily cancel in-person classes and lock down buildings.