Today's Headlines and Commentary

Over the weekend, the United States continued its offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). Reuters tells us that U.S.-led air strikes are reported to have destroyed oil refineries in Syria. President Obama spoke on the continuing developments in Syria and Iraq as he sat for an interview with “60 Minutes” which aired last night. The president says that the United States misjudged the power of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and recognized that the Iraqi army was not sufficiently equipped to handle the threat. The Washington Post covered President Obama’s remarks. The BBC reports that al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda offshoot, has denounced the U.S.-led offensive against ISIS, and declared the U.S.’ actions as “a war against Isam”.  The group issued an online statement that encouraged its supporters to violently target the U.S. and its allies in the offensive, including neighboring Arab countries. While the offensive against ISIS continues, Hassan Hassan of the Guardian points out that airstrikes against the militant organization may actually lend it legitimacy among local populations. Though the strikes may be successful in weakening ISIS’ physical capabilities, the airstrikes may help the group to reinforce anti-American sentiment in parts of Syria and Iraq. President Obama isn’t just targeting ISIS through airstrikes: he’s put together a team to directly combat the group’s financing sources.  The Los Angeles Times reports that the president has gathered an “interagency team, led by the Treasury Department to track down Islamic State's foreign donors, crack down on its smuggling, and identify individuals and institutions that help the group transfer or hide its money.” NPR spoke with a Yazidi woman who was captured by ISIS forces in Kurdish Iraq. The woman, Dudu, managed to escape from the clutches of her captors, and she recounts the horrifying story of her kidnapping and eventual escape. The Times reports that the Iraqi army has been able to persuade deserters to rejoin the country’s military forces by focusing on the need to fight against ISIS. James Zogby, at the Huffington Post argues that the news surrounding American-led airstrikes in Syria and Iraq have led us to ignore the situation in Lebanon. The ISIS threat is real and imminent in Lebanon, which is currently home to 1.2 displaced Syrians, who now make up nearly 25% Lebanon’s population. Small but lethal sectarian attacks plague parts of the country on a daily basis. The Guardian reports that four suspected militants were killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan yesterday. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has arrived in Afghanistan as part of a delegation of governors.  The Times explains that the governors will receive “briefings on counterterrorism and security issues”. Outgoing NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that his biggest regret during his tenure at NATO is the development of Russia’s adversarial relationship with NATO. USA Today covers Rasmussen’s remarks. NPR reports that the Russian parliament has passed a bill that would limit foreign ownership of Russian media to less than 20 percent.  The bill, if signed into law by President Putin (which he is expected to do without hesitation), would allow the Russian government to exert even more power over information in the country. American intelligence officials are keeping a close watch on developments in Congress concerning bids for a federal contract essentially to "act as the air traffic controller for the nation’s phone system." National security issues could be implicated if a foreign company wins the bid. Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security, has helped to draft a document on behalf of American-based Neustar, lobbying the government to keep the contract with the company. The Times has the story. Word on the Hill is that a “narrowly tailored” Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) could pass through Congress. The Hill reports that the AUMF to combat ISIS could pass, but we shouldn’t expect it to happen any time soon. Meanwhile, the White House still wants the 2002 AUMF repealed. The Hill explains that President Obama wants to see the 2002 measure replaced with an authorization to combat ISIS. But, until then, and as we’ve talked about here, a lot, the president is still relying on in the 2002 AUMF (among other things) in the meantime to justify airstrikes in Iraq and Syria to fight against ISIS. As if you had any doubt: CIA officers are just as caffeine-addicted as the rest of us. The Post takes us inside the most covert Starbucks in the country at the CIA headquarters at Langley. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us onTwitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.