US News
- Trump commutes Roger Stone’s prison sentence. [Link]
- Bail reforms that promote algorithms and risk matrices do not correct for racial disparities. [Link]
- A Super PAC with ties to John Bolton has spent over $300,000 in a congressional race in Maine. The PAC is attempting to defeat Eric Brakey. Brakey has a history of calling for a less interventionist foreign policy. [Link]
- The US Army maintains a Twitch channel with an esports team playing Call of Duty. Users who mentioned the Mai Lai Massacre or Kunduz Hospital Bombing were banned from the channel. [Link]
Police
- Police militarization is a subsidy for the defense industry. [Link]
- Police agencies used Dataminr to help monitor BLM protests. [Link]
Defense Spending
- Some Senators are working to create the Office of Joint Cyber planning. The office may be created by the 2021 NDAA and would have $15 million in funding. [Link]
- The Air Force is looking to award a $10 million contract for flying car design. [Link]
- The Pentagon is using the Defense Production Act to give $84 million to small defense contractors. The bailout focused on drone manufacturers. [Link]
The New Cold War
- China says it will not engage in arms control talks with the US because the US invitations lack sincerity. [Link]
- Trump announced the US carried out a cyberattack against the Russian-based Internet Research Agency in 2018. [Link]
- The US deploys Reaper drones to Estonia for the first time. [Link]
Middle East
- Evidence is surfacing Israel carried out a sophisticated cyberattack on an Iranian nuclear facility. [Link]
- China and Iran are close to finishing a deal that will increase their military and economic ties. [Link]
- Turkey sends 25 military vehicles into Idlib, Syria, to reinforce several observation posts maintained by the Turkish Army. [Link]
- Saudi and UAE backed Yemeni militants started fighting each other in a southern city. [Link]
