Google in China and Other Hot Topics in National Security

CBS News National Security consultant Juan Zarate told John Dickerson Thursday that Google China, mounting international support for sanctions on Iran, a new ruling on wiretapping and terrorist attacks in Russia are the four biggest topics in national security this week.

"This week we saw the return of terror attacks to the Russian heartland," Zarate said on "Washington Unplugged" Thursday. "This has been heating up for a year or so and it has been a little under the radar but now that you have these attacks in the metro in Moscow you see people focusing on the problem."

He noted that the attacks could have an impact on the relationship between the U.S. And Russia. "It actually provides an opportunity for cooperation because it is a point of mutual sympathies," he said.

What else is making headlines in Juan's beat?

"There is a cyber war underway in China," Zarate reported. "You've got Google going to head to head."

Also this week, federal court in San Francisco released a ruling that "in essence held the...NSA surveillance program which is a warrentless program at least according to the court was illegal. And that is a big case," he said.

"Number one it is a historical ruling of that program...secondly it was an attempt by the Obama administration to use something called the state secret ruling to try to block the case from coming to the court. In some ways they were defending the Bush administration by using this rule," said Zarate.

"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.