Today’s Headlines and Commentary

President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen is expected to plead guilty to charges related to bank fraud, tax fraud and a campaign finance violation, reports the Washington Post. It is not known whether a cooperation agreement with the special counsel’s office will be included in the plea.

According to the Post, Microsoft shut down a hacking operation in which a group associated with Russian intelligence created fraudulent versions of websites associated with public policy groups and the U.S. Senate in an effort to to entice people to interact with the websites and potentially download malware onto their computers.

Axios has published a report detailing new methods that propagandists are using to influence elections, including AI, botnets, and “deep fake” manipulated photos and videos. The operations are becoming increasingly sophisticated so as to stay one step ahead of crackdowns by social media platforms.

A 17-year-old hacker describes hacking mock state elections in a few minutes and a few lines of code in Politico. The hack was part of a competition cosponsored by the Democratic National Committee.

Russia is currently planning the largest war game since the Soviet era, CNN reports. The games, dubbed Vostok 2018, will take place in Siberia in September and overlap with the Russian-sponsored Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Thousands of Chinese and Mongolian troops are expected to participate.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell posted a special edition of The Lawfare Podcast to discuss the Mueller-related events of the weekend.

Jack Goldsmith weighed the dilemma of former senior intelligence officials who wish to speak out against President Trump, in the wake of the president’s decision to revoke former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance.

Sarah Grant gave an update of significant litigation developments in transgender service member cases including Doe v. Trump, Stone v. Trump, Karnoski v. Trump, and Stockman v. Trump.

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