Today's Headlines and Commentary

President Trump announced on Sunday that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, was dead following an American military operation in Syria this weekend, reports the New York Times.

EU leaders have agreed to extend the Brexit deadline until Jan. 31, 2020, reports the BBC. EU Council President Donald Tusk presented it as a “flextension” meaning the UK could leave before the deadline.

Charles Kupperman, who served as a deputy to former national security adviser John Bolton, declined to appear for his Monday deposition before Congress as part of the impeachment inquiry, according to the Washington Post. Kupperman had requested an opinion Friday from a federal judge on whether he needed to appear but has not yet received a response.

Senator Ron Johnson met with former Ukrainian diplomat Andrii Telizhenko in July according to the Post. Telizhenko said discussions included “the DNC issue,” referring to his unsubstantiated claim that Ukrainian officials assisted Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump has signed a document signaling his intent to withdraw the United States from the Open Skies Treaty, a 1992 agreement between Russia and the West to permit reconnaissance flights over each other’s territories to reduce the risk of war.

Representative Katie Hill announced her resignation from Congress after the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into her alleged romantic involvement with a member of her staff, the Post reports. Hill is also pursuing legal options in response to the non-consensual release of an explicit photo of her by conservative news sites.

Argentina’s center-left candidate Alberto Fernandez won Sunday’s presidential election after the incumbent center-right President Mauricio Macri conceded defeat, reports CNN.

ICYMI: Last Weekend on Lawfare

Quinta Jurecic posted video coverage of President Trump’s announcement of the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Daniel Byman commented on Trump’s remarks on al-Baghdadi and how the president missed an opportunity to unify Americans.

Robert Chesney explored the legal aspects of Trump’s decision to notify the Russian government but not Congress prior to the al-Baghdadi raid.

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of The Lawfare Podcast, in which Benjamin Wittes speaks with Amanda Sloat on the latest Brexit news and then Helen Thompson on the state of British constitutional governance.

David Fishman discussed how China is shifting to a more aggressive strategy regarding Antarctica and how the United States should respond.

Jurecic posted Charles Kupperman’s request for a declaratory judgment from the U.S. District Court regarding his immunity from congressional testimony.

Daniel Byman and Chris Meserole announced a new series of student papers on solutions to problems social media companies face when dealing with various hate groups. As part of the series, Kareeda Kabir and Ilari Papa discussed how Facebook’s shift to privacy, including encrypted messaging, might have detrimental effects. Henry Mihm, Ines Oulamine and Fiona Singer suggested that Facebook should do more to address state-sponsored trolling in the Philippines.

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