Today’s Headlines and Commentary

Lots of healthcare national security news and commentary today. In developments Bobby discussed yesterday, the Associated Press reports on the new developments in the Al Kidd case—namely, that federal Magistrate Judge Mikel Williams ruled that Al Kidd was wrongly imprisoned under the material witness detention statute. The BBC reports that two men were arrested in London yesterday “on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.” Nothing is known about them other than their ages: 18 and 32. According to the New York Times, India’s Home Minister and Minister for Law, respectively, have confirmed after interrogating Abu Jindal—a key suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks who was arrested last week—that Jindal helped to coordinate the attacks from Karachi, and that Pakistan bore some responsibility for the attacks. Moment of Zen-like quotation from a Pakistani official upon hearing the accusations: “Why are you blaming Pakistan?. . . He is your citizen. You fail to control your citizen.” The Washington Times tells us that Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence fears that the United States will face serious blowback for its role in Stuxnet. Apparently, “U.S. officials are so concerned that the president and his Cabinet recently rehearsed responses to a Stuxnet-type strike that destroys vital infrastructure such as the power grid.” The Associated Press reports that Khalid Aldawsari, the Saudi student accused of attempting to use a WMD, was found guilty. He will be sentenced on October 9 and faces up to life in prison. If you still consider CNN a reputable news source after its rather unfortunate mishap yesterday, the channel is reporting that Pakistani public opinion of the United States has reached a new low—if that’s even possible. Seventy-four percent of the country considers America an enemy. The Pentagon's Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, discusses the “volatile situation” in Iraq at a House hearing. The Hill has the story. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed that it had taken over Mali’s northern desert, heightening fears that Mali will become an Al Qaeda sanctuary, says Reuters. Spencer Ackerman at Wired’s Danger Room provides an account of “the next generation” of counterterrorism analysts:

Most counterterrorism scholars will never meet Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaida, let alone pray with him. As a teenage extremist, Tawfik Hamid did. Back when Hamid was a youth in Cairo, studying at a medical school, his religious fervor compelled him to associate with terrorists. “One of the mosques at the school was reserved for Gemaa Islamiyah,” Hamid casually explains over a burger in Arlington, Virginia. Before Hamid decided that he’d prefer not to assassinate the police officer that Gemaa Islamiyah wanted him to kill, he shared mosque time on a few more occasions with the man who would succeed Osama bin Laden. Now senior U.S. generals refer to him as a “treasure.”

The Heritage Foundation is holding an event on July 10 on Kirk Lippold’s new book on the bombing of the USS Cole: Front Burner: Al Qaeda’s Attack on the USS Cole. See our Events Calendar for details. And check out, from the Onion, the Army’s new policy on female soldiers in combat—today’s Moment of Zen: