Todays' Headlines and Commentary

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has accepted President Obama’s invitation to come to the States. Although a date has yet to be confirmed, the meeting serves as a clear indicator of an attempt to mend an icy relationship.  As is well known, Chancellor Merkel was none too pleased when she discovered that her phone had been hacked by her ally. Meanwhile, the European Parliament has invited Edward Snowden to testify on U.S. surveillance practices. The Civil Liberties Committee of the European governing body has asked Snowden to testify (via video link) as part of its investigation into U.S. surveillance. The Department of Justice filed a motion yesterday that would block plaintiffs in Klayman v. Obama from learning more about surveillance practices. The motion cites the sensitive nature of certain NSA materials as justification for its continued classification: ““Plaintiffs have made clear their intentions to seek discovery of this kind of still-classified information, concerning targets and subjects, participating providers, and other operational details of the challenged NSA intelligence programs…” The motion argues that de-classifying these materials “could cause exceptionally grave damage to national security.” The Hill has more. Good news for tech companies: the Department of Commerce is advising President Obama on NSA reform. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said yesterday that her department is “part of the conversation” in Washington about NSA matters. Pritkzer is considered to be sympathetic to tech companies, and also understands the potential loss of e-business as a result of NSA spying revelations. She spoke yesterday from the Consumer Electronics Show, the biggest tech conference in America. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, an extreme Syrian rebel group with links to Al Qaeda, has been pushed out of its headquarters in Aleppo by other Syrian rebels who disagree with ISIS’ practices and core beliefs, according to The New York Times. The violence illustrates the tensions between rebel groups, and the confusing and convoluted nature of the Syrian conflict. NPR also covers the ISIS story, as well as Senator John McCain's questions over whether the United States’ military campaigns in Iraq wasted time, money and lives. The Times also considers the “grim sequel” to the American war in Iraq. The Nuclear Threat Initiative released a report on the security conditions of nuclear materials in various nations worldwide.  According to the "The NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index," the number of countries that currently possess materials that could be transferred into the hands of terrorists has diminished since 2012, dropping from 32 to 25. Of the countries that still possess weapons-usable nuclear materials, Australia is top-ranked in terms of overall security conditions.  The United States is ranked eleventh. Arpopos of nukes, according to a new report released by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, plans to modernize and maintain the United States’ nuclear arsenal are too expensive and, as a result, unattainable.  The National Journal has the story. Officials from the United States and Cuba will meet to restart migration talks today. The talks are meant to take place every six months; but these will be the first set of talks in two years.  On the agenda will be the implementation of 1990s accords, under which the United States agreed to issue 20,000 Cuban immigration visas. The government of Israel has denied an audience to the leaders of refugees from Eritrea and Sudan. The refugees---who are on strike, and demonstrating against poor working conditions---wanted to meet with leaders of the Knesset’s left-wing party, but were denied entry. The status of African migrant workers in Israel is a loaded topic in the Jewish state; some, like Prime Minister Netanyahu, consider the Africans illegal immigrants.  But others view them with a more sympathetic eye, as legitimate political refugees. In what appears to be a retaliatory move for the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York last month, India is cracking down on the activities of the United States embassy in Delhi. The Indian government has asked the United States to cease all commercial activity at its embassy club and also has indicated that “inquiries into the tax affairs of US staff will be pursued aggressively.” The CIA can breathe a sigh of relief. A covert paramilitary agent has withdrawn a lawsuit against the Agency that sought to shutdown an investigation into his participation in alleged war crimes. 100 Reporters covers the story.