National security

One year after the death of George Floyd sent shockwaves around the world, calls to reform France’s police force have been met with pushback. French police say that they’re afraid, too.

Over the past week, thousands of protesters rallied in rapper Pablo Hasél’s defense while hundreds of artists — including Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar and actor Javier Bardem — signed petitions calling for his release.

To curb the spread of new, highly contagious coronavirus variants found in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil, France has implemented a 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew. 

Susan Hennessey, executive editor of the Lawfare blog, said that Donald Trump’s taxes raise serious questions about the president’s debts.

This week, Critical State digs into new research about legislative oversight when it comes to security issues. As historian Peter Roady writes in a new article in the Journal of Policy History, the National Security Agency has escaped congressional oversight with two words: “It’s classified.”