Today's Headlines and Commentary

The CIA misled the government and public about its enhanced interrogation program, according to officials with knowledge of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the program. The Washington Post tells us that the CIA proceeded by "concealing details about the severity of its methods, overstating the significance of plots and prisoners, and taking credit for critical pieces of intelligence that detainees had in fact surrendered before they were subjected to harsh techniques." Josh Gerstein at Politico reports that Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, who fired an assault rifle at the White House in 2011, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Security company RSA allowed the NSA to infiltrate its security systems through another encryption tool, reveals Reuters. In addition to the "back door" to an RSA encryption system, the NSA also developed an extension that would help it "crack a version of RSA's Dual Elliptic Curve software tens of thousands of times faster." Ken Dilanian of the Los Angeles Times writes about the legacy of just-retired Gen. Keith Alexander. Glenn Greenwald, over at The Intercept, mocks the story, saying that the NSA accidentally revealed top-secret information about its activities in Iraq. Last week, the White House Press Secretary's office released a transcript of a background call between senior administration officials on the President's decision to end the metadata program. Josh Gerstein also reports that the U.S. government is considering requiring DNA testing as part of the background checks on those applying for security clearances to access classified information. The United States is looking to sell or dispose of billions of dollars worth of military equipment as it prepares to leave Afghanistan, says the Associated Press. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issued an online statement mocking Saudi Arabia for taking tough steps against terrorism, calling the country a lackey of the United States. The United States and Israel are on the verge of an agreement to extend the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks through 2015---in exchange for the release of Jonathan Pollard, an American convicted of spying for Israel, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The New York Times has more on the story. Apparently, Uri Ariel, a hard line Israeli politician, has said Pollard does not want to be released in conjunction with such a deal. Reuters also covers the deal that John Kerry is trying to strike with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. USA Today informs us that Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said that recent events like the war in Syria and the Arab Spring have provided an opportunity for convergence on security issues between Arab countries and Israel. Russia said it would pull back some troops from the Ukrainian border yesterday. As of today, there has been no sign that Russia has withdrawn troops, and NATO has suspended "all practical civilian and military cooperation" with the country. Gazprom has increased the price of gas to Ukraine by a third, reports BBC. John Kerry has another date with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the Ukraine crisis. You just can't make this up: Squabbling siblings North Korea and South Korea are trading insults. A North Korean newspaper called South Korean president an “eccentric old spinster” and “a frog in a well.” Talk about harsh. And, this doesn't seem like an April Fools Joke, but it might as well be one: Guess who's running for president of Ukraine? It's Today's Moment of Zen. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter 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.