Today's Headlines and Commentary

In breaking news, the Washington Post reports that authorities have arrested a Moroccan gentleman by the name of Amine el-Khalifi for planning a suicide bombing on the U.S. Capitol. Undercover FBI agents posing as al-Qaeda associates provided him with a fake suicide vest and an inoperable gun, and arrested him just a few blocks from the Capitol. Fox News first reported the news and also has the story. The Post also covers the Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iranian trilateral summit in Islamabad. In a show of solidarity, "the theme was fraternal unity as the trio pledged to work for peace and prosperity in a region racked by war and terrorism." According to the New York Times, underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has been sentenced to "the maximum sentence of four consecutive life sentences, plus an additional 50 years, on the charges, which included conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. " Senior intelligence officials "offered a bleak view of the war in Afghanistan" at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, as the Los Angeles Times details. On the theory that nothing should be above partisan wrangling, the National Journal tells us that GOP senators have put forth a competing cybersecurity bill. CNN's Security Clearance blog has more on senators' sparring over the bill. Michael Hayden, CIA director under George W. Bush, argues in this op-ed on CNN.com that negotiating with the Taliban is unlikely to succeed given our coming withdrawal from the region, and that "if we are to have any chance of success, deep understanding of the human beings across the table from us. . . will be essential." And if you labor over the weekend even for moment under the delusion that Pakistan is our ally, consider this story from the Iranian-run Press TV, today's Moment of Particularly-Infuriating (Assuming It's True) Zen. For more interesting law and security-related articles, follow us on Twitter, visit the Georgetown Center on National Security and the Law’s Security Law Brief, Fordham Law’s Center on National Security’s Morning Brief, and Fordham Law’s new Cyber Brief. Email us noteworthy articles we may have missed at  wakeman.lawfare@gmail.com  and  singh.lawfare@gmail.com.