Former President Obama’s Homeland Security secretary on Wednesday defended his response to Russian interference in the 2016 election, arguing the last administration’s careful characterization was intended to ensure it was not seen as taking sides in a political fight, reports The Hill.

• The Hill: Trump Jr. Touts Handel as Georgia’s First GOP Woman
• Reuters: Kremlin Calls U.S. Statement on Eastern Ukraine Inappropriate
• The Hill: Bloomberg: Trump Will Win Reelection Because ‘Democratic Party Will Be Torn Apart’
• Politico: Poll: Opposition to GOP Health Bill Is on the Rise
• Reuters: Kremlin Calls U.S. Statement on Eastern Ukraine Inappropriate

Federal investigators probing the lobbying work of ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn are examining the role of Bijan Kian, Flynn’s former business partner, according to an FBI interviewee, reports Reuters. Investigators are also looking at whether payments from foreign clients to Flynn and his company, the now-inactive Flynn Intel Group, were lawful, according to two separate sources with knowledge of the inquiry into Flynn’s business activities.

• The Hill: US Shoots Down Pro-Assad Drone in Syria
• WashTimes: New Study Supports Trump: 5.7 Million Noncitizens May Have Cast Illegal Votes
• Daily Caller: Soros, Clinton-Linked Teneo Among Donors to McCain Institute
• The Hill: No. 2 Senate Republican: We’re Going to Have 50 Votes on Obamacare Repeal
• AP: US Coroner Investigating Death of Student Freed From N Korea

Russia on Monday said it will treat U.S. or coalition aircraft that fly over any of its operating areas in western Syria as targets, after a U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet downed a Syrian bomber a day earlier, reports The Washington Examiner. “Any aircraft, including planes and drones of the international coalition, detected in the operation areas west of the Euphrates River by the Russian air forces will be followed by Russian ground-based air defense and air defense aircraft as air targets,” according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement.

• Engadget: Senate Alters Sanctions to Allow Use of Russian Rocket Engines
• WashExaminer: Supreme Court Rules Disparagement Provision in Trademark Law Violates First Amendment
• Engadget: Google Bets AI and Human Oversight Will Curb Online Extremism
• Politico: Supreme Court to Hear Partisan Gerrymandering Case
• Free Beacon: US Quietly Admits Covert CIA Role in Iranian Coup