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.
The Dealmaker At Davos President Trump tells the world America is open for business while dealing with a big story at home.
Left, Right & Uncensored A certain word allegedly uttered by the president dominates the headlines as the DACA deal derails.
Flynn is in Mike Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI about Russia investigation.
Paul Manafort's in the hot seat. Who's next? It's reported that, while he was chair of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Paul Manafort offered to brief a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin. That's just the latest revelation about evidence being collected by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as he probes Russia's effort to influence last year's election. Recent reports by CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post suggest that Mueller's investigation has reached a "critical stage." Were the President's own associates involved? If so, did he know it? When he fired James Comey as head of the FBI, did he commit obstruction of justice? Trump has called the investigation a "witch hunt." We look at the "knowns" and the "un-knowns."
Trumpcare dead again, Ryan Lizza tells all New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza describes his conversation with Anthony Scaramucci.
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.
The Drug Wave Crests 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year. A lot of that was due to opiates. And it started a small.
Bonus Episode: The wind-up before the punch Josh Barro and Ken White couldn’t wait to debrief on the Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen sentencing memos before the documents become old news. So, voila! Bonus episode.
One Year Later: Rebuilding from the Thomas Fire This week marks one year since the Thomas Fire descended on the city of Ventura. It burned more than 500 homes within city limits. Since then, roughly half of those properties have received the green-light to start construction, but only a handful have actually broken ground. We visit one neighborhood where some of the first homes are getting rebuilt.
Remembering George H.W. Bush A balanced look at George H.W. Bush includes: the smear campaign that won him the White House, his successes in war and diplomacy, and his almost forgotten role as an environmental president. Also what lies ahead for the UK, if there’s no agreement on Brexit?