Good morning! Today is Sunday, June 7th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. As FISA Section 702 nears its June 12 expiration, Harrison Berger reports on the bipartisan establishment's scramble to renew warrantless surveillance powers — and why civil libertarians shouldn't celebrate too soon even if it lapses. Ted Galen Carpenter argues that the deepening Russia–China partnership, on display at last month's Putin–Xi summit, is the predictable result of decades of Washington's own strategic blunders. Carpenter suggests Moscow's reluctant role as Beijing's junior partner may still offer an opening for American statecraft to unwind the alliance it helped forge. and now for the details. We begin in Washington, where a key surveillance authority is set to expire on June 12th, and the bipartisan establishment is scrambling to keep it alive. FISA Section 702 allows the government to sweep up communications from foreign targets without a warrant — communications that often include Americans on the other end of the line. A 45-day clean extension passed on April 30th after House leadership blocked an amendment that would have required warrants for so-called backdoor searches of Americans' data. Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas has been pushing a clean three-year reauthorization, but the effort has stalled. Vice Chairman Mark Warner of Virginia withdrew his support after President Trump tapped Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, telling Senate Majority Leader John Thune he can no longer deliver Democratic votes. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Thomas Massie are pointing to a secret March 17th FISA Court opinion documenting what they call serious abuses by federal agencies, particularly the FBI. Berger reminds readers of a 2022 court opinion that found an FBI analyst had queried the 702 database to run a batch search on more than 19,000 donors to a congressional campaign. Berger cautions, though, that even if 702 expires, the surveillance state has other tools. CIA whistleblower Patrick Eddington notes that Executive Order 12333 would remain intact, as would the so-called data broker loophole — the government's purchase of commercially available information on Americans. A 2022 advisory report warned that such data can be used to, quote, "pry into private lives, ruin reputations, and cause emotional distress." Berger concludes that civil libertarians may have reason to celebrate if 702 lapses, but the broader surveillance apparatus will continue regardless. Turning now to the world stage. Last month's summit between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping produced more than 40 cooperation agreements and deepened what is now a robust strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing. Writing for The American Conservative, Ted Galen Carpenter argues this alignment was not inevitable — it was manufactured in Washington. Carpenter traces the story back to the implicit assurances given by President George H.W. Bush that NATO would not expand eastward following German reunification. Successive administrations broke that understanding, admitting former Warsaw Pact states and pieces of the former Yugoslavia into NATO, and inching the alliance toward Russia's border. The 2014 ouster of Ukraine's elected president, Carpenter writes, triggered the seizure of Crimea, and the 2022 escalation became a full proxy war between NATO and Russia. When the Biden administration tried to enlist Beijing against Moscow, China instead deepened its energy purchases from Russia and ramped up joint military exercises. Carpenter notes that Russia and China are unlikely natural allies — they share a long border that has produced bitter disputes, including fighting along the Amur River as recently as 1969. But American policy, he argues, has given both capitals every reason to view the United States as the principal threat. A smarter approach, Carpenter concludes, would ease pressure on Russia, since China is the more likely peer competitor. Moscow, he suggests, does not enjoy playing second fiddle to Beijing — and there may still be an opening for American statecraft to weaken the partnership it helped create. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.
