The National Interest Foundation Newsletter

Issue 56, July 30, 2020

Welcome to our NIF Newsletter. In this week’s headlines: Attorney General William Barr testifies before the House Judiciary Committee, bipartisan negotiations continue regarding new coronavirus aid legislation, tensions grow between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon, Jordanian security forces detain teachers’ union leaders in a crackdown on government dissent, and the U.S. expands charges against ex-Twitter employees accused of spying for Saudi Arabia.

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Attorney General Barr Testifies

Attorney General Barr Testifies Before the House Judiciary Committee

Attorney General William Barr testified before the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week on Tuesday. A range of topics were covered during the oftentimes contentious hearing including the deployment of federal law enforcement officers to cities like Portland, the nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, the probe regarding Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, and the criminal case against President Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone. Barr also addressed mail-in voting concerns, something the president has repeatedly claimed would lead to fraudulent election results, despite Trump himself voting by mail on multiple occasions. Overall, the hearing marked Barr’s first-ever appearance in front of the House panel during his tenure in the Trump administration and his first session before Congress in over a year.

Bipartisan Negotiations on Coronavirus Aid

Bipartisan Negotiations Regarding New Coronavirus Aid Legislation

Republican and Democratic leaders have been involved in negotiations this week regarding a new round of coronavirus aid legislation, although a deal does not appear to be forthcoming. On Monday, Senate Republicans released their proposal, dubbed the HEALS Act. A meeting to reconcile partisan differences between Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. McConnell, Sen. Schumer, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin ended in an impasse and it is unlikely a compromise is reached this week. Friday marks the end of expanded federal unemployment benefits, which has prompted a race against the clock for lawmakers to reach a bipartisan solution. Both Pelosi and McConnell have said they will not bring coronavirus aid legislation to the floor for a vote in their respective chambers without having an agreement first. The gap between each side’s demands is so wide that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows proposed a “skinny deal” which would tackle the issues in the bill one at a time.

Tensions Grow in Southern Lebanon

Tensions Grow Between Hezbollah and Israel in Southern Lebanon

Tensions have escalated in southern Lebanon this week, amid a tit-for-tat between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel accused Hezbollah fighters of crossing its border with Lebanon in the disputed Shebaa Farms area, which is claimed by both Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli military alleged that three to five Hezbollah fighters crossed the border before being repulsed by Israeli border guards. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah that it was “playing with fire” by inciting a border altercation. For their part, Hezbollah denied any of its fighters crossed into foreign territory, blaming the shots fired on Israeli forces seeking to claim a “false and mythical victory.” Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been especially high since late last week when a Hezbollah operative was killed by an airstrike in Syria that was attributed to Israel.

Crackdown on Dissent in Jordan

Jordanian Security Forces Detain Teachers’ Union Leaders

Jordan has detained the leaders of a teachers’ union amid a crackdown on dissent of the government. Jordan’s teachers’ union has become a leading governmental critic, and Jordanian security forces shut the union down for a period of two years in an effort to silence the criticism. The acting head of Jordan’s teachers syndicate, Nasser Nawasreh, was charged with incitement in relation to a speech to supporters last week in which he criticized Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz and his government. Jordanian state media also reported that Nawasreh’s fellow leaders of the union were charged with financial and administrative misconduct. In response, the teachers’ union called for a mass demonstration, during which the government was called upon to honor their previous commitments to the opposition. It is estimated that Jordan’s Teachers’ Association represents upward of 100,000 teachers, making it highly influential.

Charges of Spying for Saudi Arabia

U.S. Expands Charges Against Ex-Twitter Employees Accused of Spying for Saudi Arabia

After previously dismissing spying charges against two former Twitter employees and another person earlier this week, the U.S. government has unloaded a new superseding indictment which accuses all three individuals of even more offenses. The two ex-Twitter employees, Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah, and the third man Ahmed Almutairi had originally been charged with fraudulently accessing private information and acting as illegal agents of a foreign government for spying on Twitter users who were critical of the Saudi royal family. However, with this new indictment, the individuals have now been charged with seven offenses instead of two. The updated list of seven charges include: acting as an agent for a foreign government without notice to the attorney general; wire fraud; money laundering; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; and criminal forfeiture.