The “Potato Facts” Edition

<p>This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott flew solo to discuss the week's big national security news, including:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>“Just Dropped in to See What Condition This Extradition is In.” The U.K. government has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/06/17/julian-assange-extradition-home-office/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed off on the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange</a>, putting him one step closer to trial in the United States. Are claims that his extradition threatens press freedoms fact or hyperbole? And what do we expect the Biden administration to do if it happens?</li><li>“Teach Xi How to Dougie.” A recently revealed internal report has revealed that, despite corporate commitments to Congress, substantial customer data held by the company TikTok can <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still be accessed by personnel at its Chinese parent company</a>. Does the Biden administration need to revisit its position towards the app? Or China’s technology sector more generally?</li><li>“Not the Droid We’re Looking For.” An engineer was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/11/google-ai-lamda-blake-lemoine/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suspended last week</a> for going public with his belief that Google’s LaMDA artificial intelligence program had achieved sentience. Is this a possibility worth taking seriously? What role should the possibility (or potential appearance) of sentience play in AI policy, if any?&nbsp;</li></ul><p>For object lessons, Alan endorsed Viet Thanh Nguyen's literature/spy thriller mash-up "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sympathizer-Hardcover-April-2015/dp/B010EW2NP8/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=sympathizer&amp;qid=1655815830&amp;sr=8-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Sympathizer</a>." Quinta shared her favorite John Eastman quote—“I’ve decided that I should be on the pardon list, if tha