Today's Headlines and Commentary

The leading, and tragic, news is a shooting yesterday at Fort Hood by an Iraq War veteran who killed three and wounded sixteen before killing himself. According to reports, the shooter, Ivan Lopez, was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder; there is no evidence of a political or ideological motivation. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and most other news sources are covering the story.

In world news, two fatal explosions rocked Egypt’s Cairo University, killing at least one police officer and injuring five others, the Journal says. Two hours later, there was a third explosion---but it does not seem to have caused any casualties. The bombs apparently were remotely detonated and targeted riot police who had been stationed on campus to quell violent student protests.

The Journal also reports on an unsuccessful assassination attempt on former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf today.  The latter is currently on trial for treason. The Pakistani Taliban detests Musharraf because of his support for the American-led War on Terror.

It is fitting, then, that the Pakistani Taliban do not want to extend a temporary halt to its attacks. Reuters informs us that the militant group is open to continuing peace negotiations with the Pakistani government, but doesn't want to renew a cease-fire that ended in March.

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is feeling remorse for inviting Russian forces into Crimea. In a recent interview, he tearfully acknowledges the mistake and explains his decision to flee protests in Kiev. The Times has the story.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian government officials blamed Yanukovych for directing the sniper deaths that killed many protesters in Kiev in February. He denied his involvement in the deaths; an inquiry into who was responsible is ongoing.

The Department of Justice is threatening harsh measures against a Ukrainian oligarch with close ties to Gazprom.

After a court ruling and sustained international pressure, it looks like Turkey’s Twitter ban is about to end. #win! The Journal has the story.

The AP reveals that USAID built and launched a secret social media platform in Cuba called ZunZuneo. The network was “designed to undermine the communist government in Cuba, built with secret shell companies and financed through foreign banks.”

With the Afghan election fast-approaching, here’s some disheartening news: A Gallup poll found that seventy percent of Afghans have no confidence in their electoral system. The lack of confidence is even lower than before the 2009 presidential election.

The Times has an overview of what it has been like to conduct a presidential campaign in wartime Afghanistan, and how difficult it has been for Afghan forces to provide security and guarantee a free and fair election.

On to other affairs: A fascinating piece from NPR investigates the “super forecasters,” a group of ordinary citizens whose ordinary Google search-based predictions are 30% better than intelligence professionals with access to classified information.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to vote today to declassify its controversial report on post-9/11 CIA interrogation methods. Despite the opposition of most Republicans, declassification is almost guaranteed after Maine’s two Senators, Olympia Snowe and Angus King, announced their support yesterday. The report will now proceed to the Obama Administration for redaction.

Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald tells us that James Connell, lawyer for one of the five 9/11 conspirators, is trying to get his hands on the SSCI report, which, he alleges, contains information about the torture of his client.

Former State Department arms expert Stephen Kim was sentenced yesterday to 13 months in prison for leaking classified information to Fox’s chief Washington correspondent, James Rosen. According to the Washington Post, the sentencing hearing devolved into a larger debate over the Obama Administration’s aggressive treatment of leaks.

An interesting poll from the Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that military veterans are far more likely than other Americans to agree that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were worth the costs. Nevertheless, even these veterans’ support for the wars remains decidedly lukewarm and deeply divided by party.

Buzzfeed reports ongoing discussions among Senators to reform the AUMF, but concludes that reformers are likely facing an uphill battle.

The National Journal has a largely sympathetic piece profiling Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner’s proposed legislation to weaken NSA’s 702 program and close what he calls a “loophole” allowing surveillance of American email contents.

Rep. Sensensbrenner asked, in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, why there had been no response to his request for an investigation into DNI James Clapper’s statement to Congress that the NSA was not collecting bulk metadata on Americans.

Earlier this week, CRS released its report on constitutional challenges to NSA collection.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson wants to “inject a new energy” into the department. Mike Allen of Politico has more about what Johnson has been doing in his first 100 days in office---and a personal tidbit or two.

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