Brookings Institution / Lawfare
Susan Hennessey is a fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution and the managing editor for Lawfare, a national security blog.
From 2013 to 2015, she served as attorney with the Office of General Counsel for the National Security Agency.
Trumpcare dead again, Ryan Lizza tells all New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza describes his conversation with Anthony Scaramucci.
It looks like Donald Trump Jr TRIED to collude with the Russians Is it still just smoke? Or is there a fire?
Lacking votes, House GOP pulls healthcare bill President Trump suffers his first big legislative defeat.
A White House shakeup after less than a month in office Washington is on fire with charges and counter-charges, reports and rumors in the aftermath of Michael Flynn's departure as President Trump's National Security Advisor. Trump asked for Flynn's resignation because he "lost his trust" in him. White House officials were reportedly told "weeks ago" that Flynn lied to Vice President Pence about conversations with Russia's ambassador. Democrats are demanding to find out what the President knew and when he knew it — and even some Republicans are calling for an investigation. Washington is fully preoccupied with Russian meddling in the election, Obama Administration sanctions and President Trump's ties to Vladimir Putin.
Chaos and confusion as a new administration gets under way After less than a week in office, President Trump has been shaking up governmental institutions — as promised during his campaign. But his labeling intelligence agencies "Nazis" surprised even supporters — and Saturday's apologetic visit to the CIA seems to have backfired. Meantime, the CIA and others are investigating relations between the President's close advisors and Russia. We ask what they're looking for, and hear about the potential consequences of a chief executive at loggerheads with his sources of information on national security.
Does the FBI Need a Back Door to Your Data? The FBI demands that Apple provide access to a dead terrorist Syed Farook's iPhone, which might contain evidence in December's deadly attack in San Bernardino. But Apple says the privacy of every other iPhone user could be lost forever, and it's challenging the power of government in the Era of Smart Phones. Complicating the issue, the FBI is using a law passed about the time that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity. We update the case in more ways than one.
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?