Short Takes – 1-14-23

Why Russia is fighting so hard for Ukraine’s Bakhmut. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “John Herbst, the senior director of the Eurasia Center for the Atlantic Council, said the fighting in Bakhmut and Soledar is almost entirely being conducted by the Wagner Group, a mercenary outfit led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Makiivka and Bakhmut: The Impact of Russian Casualties. SAMF.Substack.com article. Interesting if lengthy discussion. Pull quote: “When we step back from the daily news the underlying trends of this war favour Ukraine. It is learning to cope with the repeated Russian attacks on its critical infrastructure, and once spring comes the impact will decline, while it has been getting bolder in its attacks on facilities on Russian territory. The energy shock has not turned the West away from supporting Ukraine and instead they are offering support for future land offensives. Here lies the biggestdanger for Putin - more retreats rather than more casualties - and a developing aura of futility. The question of what it takes to get Russia to abandon its war of conquest remains unanswered but that does not mean that no answer will ever be found.”

U.S. Will Hit Debt Limit on Thursday, Yellen Tells Congress. NYTimes.com article. Extraordinary measures begin Thursday. Pull quote: “That [bipartisan] group includes the entire Democratic caucus in the House and Senate, plus a handful of Republicans needed to pass bills in both chambers. Such a coalition could employ a rare tactic in the House, called a discharge petition, to force a floor vote on raising the limit. But the move would take weeks or even months to produce a bill that Mr. Biden could sign into law, which could threaten default if lawmakers misjudge the date when Treasury can no longer pay the nation’s bills.”

Journey to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 | Workshop #2. NIST.gov announcement. Pull quote: “Join NIST and expert panelists and leaders on February 15, 2023, for this second virtual workshop to discuss potential updates to the Cybersecurity Framework. This event will discuss potential significant changes to the Framework as outlined in the CSF Concept Paper, as well as build on feedback from the 2022 NIST Cybersecurity Request for Information (RFI) and the first workshop. This upcoming workshop will help to improve the CSF by engaging with a wide and diverse community of experts (the first CSF 2.0 workshop was attended by 4,000 participants from 100 countries).”

The Center of Gravity for Chemical Threats. HomelandSecurityNewsWire.com article. Background piece by Director of Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC). Pull quote: “This NDAA authorization acknowledges the enduring importance of laboratory-based chemical security research and analysis. But more importantly, it reinforces to our DHS customers and partners that CSAC will continue to do the science that remains crucial to executing the homeland security mission.”

You Get a Special Counsel, and You Get a Special Counsel, Everyone Gets a Special Counsel! StatusKuo.Substack.com article. This guy has a very interesting take on matters legal, sign up for his Substack. Pull quote: “The same goes for Hur. It didn’t take long for Republicans to realize they had been outmaneuvered, to furrow their brows, and then to come out awkwardly against the appointment—which seems odd until you realize that they really wanted to make the next few months all about Biden’s classified documents. Speaker Kevin McCarthy grumbled, “We don't think there needs to be a special prosecutor but I think Congress has a role to look at it.””

House Republicans prepare emergency plan for breaching debt limit. WashingtonPost.com article. Oh the games congresscritters play…. Pull quote: “In the preliminary stages of being drafted, the GOP proposal would call on the Biden administration to make only the most critical federal payments if the Treasury Department comes up against the statutory limit on what it can legally borrow. For instance, the plan is almost certain to call on the department to keep making interest payments on the debt, according to four people familiar with the internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. House Republicans’ payment prioritization plan may also stipulate that the Treasury Department should continue making payments on Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits, as well as funding the military, two of the people said.”