CAFE Insider

On this episode of United Security, “Arms, Protests, Ballots,” Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein break down politically charged national security issues making the headlines, including: -- The legal and policy questions raised by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision to bypass congressional review on an $8.1 billions arms deal with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates;-- The legal authorities for the deployment of federal agents in response to Black Lives Matter protests in Portland and the related concerns the move raises about the mission of the Department of Homeland Security; -- Criticisms of the warning issued by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, on foreign election interference.References and Suppremental Materials can be found at CAFE.com

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Jeffrey Toobin talks about his writing craft and how he manages to write so many books. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.For references and supplemental materials, head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned-bonus/stay-tuned-bonus-8-5-jeffrey-toobin/

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Threats Foreign and Domestic,” Preet and Anne speak with Ben Wittes, the editor-in-chief of the Lawfare blog, about the revelations that the Department of Homeland Security compiled and disseminated “intelligence reports” on journalists who reported on Portland protests, including Ben himself. They also break down President Trump’s threats to ban TikTok, his tweets floating the possibility of delaying the election, and the administration’s decision to rescind an Obama-era fair housing rule. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials found at Cafe.com. 

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "The Amateurish Dystopian Surrealism of Michael Cohen's Gag Order,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "Appearances Matter, But Not to Barr’” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Jake Tapper talks about his fiction writing and what Preet should ask Jeffrey Toobin during their interview next week. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.For references and supplemental materials, head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned-bonus/stay-tuned-bonus-7-30-jake-tapper

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Barr Fight,” Preet and Anne discuss Attorney General Bill Barr’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, President Trump’s recent deployment of hundreds of federal officers to American cities as part of “Operation Legend,” and the release of Michael Cohen from prison after a federal judge called his re-imprisonment “retaliatory” in response to his plans to publish a book. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials found at Cafe.com. 

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Barr Cannonballs Into a Pool of Corruption,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "Hurdles One Inch High on the Track’” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

In this episode of the United Security podcast, Lisa and Ken make sense of the recent Twitter hack which has renewed concerns about cyber vulnerabilities related to the upcoming election; escalating tensions between the U.S. and China with the Trump Administration’s decision to close the Chinese consulate in Houston and the Justice Department’s indictment of two Chinese nationals; and reporting that President Trump has provided secret orders authorizing the CIA to conduct covert cyber attacks. Transcript, References & Supplemental materials here.