This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWhite House officials were first informed in early 2019 of intelligence reports that Russia was offering bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition military personnel in Afghanistan, but the information was deemed sketchy and in need of additional confirmation, according to people familiar with the matter.Several discussions were held with members of the National Security Council staff on the reports, which had been flagged as potentially significant and came at a time of growing tensions between...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWhite House officials were first informed in early 2019 of intelligence reports that Russia was offering bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition military personnel in Afghanistan, but the information was deemed sketchy and in need of additional confirmation, according to people familiar with the matter.Several discussions were held with members of the National Security Council staff on the reports, which had been flagged as potentially significant and came at a time of growing tensions between...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA pair of Republican Senate committee chairmen released a report Wednesday that revived attacks on the son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and argued his position with a Ukrainian energy company was “problematic,” but the report did not show that it influenced the then-vice president’s behavior or changed the Obama administration’s policy toward Ukraine.Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa)...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA pair of Republican Senate committee chairmen released a report Wednesday that revived attacks on the son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and argued his position with a Ukrainian energy company was “problematic,” but the report did not show that it influenced the then-vice president’s behavior or changed the Obama administration’s policy toward Ukraine.Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa)...WW…

CommentGift ShareGen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called China’s recent test of a hypersonic weapons system “very concerning” — and “very close” to a Sputnik moment as Beijing rapidly expands its military capabilities.Milley, the United States’ top military officer, is the first U.S. official to acknowledge the provocation publicly, telling in an interview aired Wednesday that “what we saw was a very significant event.”China’s test of the hypersonic system coincides with its broader effort to enhance strategic and nuclear weapons capabilities, developments being...…CommentGift ShareGen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called China’s recent test of a hypersonic weapons system “very concerning” — and “very close” to a Sputnik moment as Beijing rapidly expands its military capabilities.Milley, the United States’ top military officer, is the first U.S. official to acknowledge the provocation publicly, telling in an interview aired Wednesday that “what we saw was a very significant event.”China’s test of the hypersonic system coincides with its broader effort to enhance strategic and nuclear weapons capabilities, developments being...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareTwo days before Congress was set to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund was growing increasingly worried about the size of the pro-Trump crowds expected to stream into Washington in protest.To be on the safe side, Sund asked House and Senate security officials for permission to request that the D.C. National Guard be placed on standby in case he needed quick backup.But, Sund said Sunday, they turned him down.In his first interview since pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareTwo days before Congress was set to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund was growing increasingly worried about the size of the pro-Trump crowds expected to stream into Washington in protest.To be on the safe side, Sund asked House and Senate security officials for permission to request that the D.C. National Guard be placed on standby in case he needed quick backup.But, Sund said Sunday, they turned him down.In his first interview since pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe growing crowds outside the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon sounded menacing but at bay as senators began to debate challenges to the electoral college vote. A top adviser to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stepped out of the ornate chamber for a short break.Alone in the Capitol’s marble halls, just outside the chamber’s bronze doors, it was suddenly apparent that the citadel of U.S. democracy was falling to the mob incited by President Trump.A cacophony of screaming, shouting and banging echoed from the floor below....…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe growing crowds outside the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon sounded menacing but at bay as senators began to debate challenges to the electoral college vote. A top adviser to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stepped out of the ornate chamber for a short break.Alone in the Capitol’s marble halls, just outside the chamber’s bronze doors, it was suddenly apparent that the citadel of U.S. democracy was falling to the mob incited by President Trump.A cacophony of screaming, shouting and banging echoed from the floor below....WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Senate on Friday voted to turn a $741 billion defense authorization bill into law over President Trump’s objections, delivering the first successful veto override of his presidency in the waning days of his administration.The 81-to-13 vote in the Senate, just days to back the legislation, was one of two rare rebukes of Trump on Friday from Republican lawmakers.Ahead of the vote on rejecting the president’s veto, Senate Republicans blocked a Trump-endorsed effort to increase the size of stimulus checks from $600 to...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Senate on Friday voted to turn a $741 billion defense authorization bill into law over President Trump’s objections, delivering the first successful veto override of his presidency in the waning days of his administration.The 81-to-13 vote in the Senate, just days to back the legislation, was one of two rare rebukes of Trump on Friday from Republican lawmakers.Ahead of the vote on rejecting the president’s veto, Senate Republicans blocked a Trump-endorsed effort to increase the size of stimulus checks from $600 to...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump is headed toward a veto showdown with Congress, as the White House doubles down on Trump’s promise to scuttle a $740 billion defense bill unless it opens the door for new, unrelated sanctions against Silicon Valley — his second threat to kill the must-pass legislation.With most leading Republicans and Democrats firmly united in their opposition to Trump’s demands, the president is waging an uphill battle that, if nobody blinks, could result in the first veto override of his presidency.Trump threw the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump is headed toward a veto showdown with Congress, as the White House doubles down on Trump’s promise to scuttle a $740 billion defense bill unless it opens the door for new, unrelated sanctions against Silicon Valley — his second threat to kill the must-pass legislation.With most leading Republicans and Democrats firmly united in their opposition to Trump’s demands, the president is waging an uphill battle that, if nobody blinks, could result in the first veto override of his presidency.Trump threw the...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus is posing its most serious threat to Congress in months, sidelining the 87-year-old Senate president pro tempore, throwing a cloud over the end-of-year congressional agenda and raising sharp questions about public health precautions inside the Capitol. came less than 24 hours after he had presided over the opening of the Senate, led the Pledge of Allegiance, delivered two speeches to a sparse audience — and later moved around the crowded Senate floor after casting a vote.None of the fellow senators he...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus is posing its most serious threat to Congress in months, sidelining the 87-year-old Senate president pro tempore, throwing a cloud over the end-of-year congressional agenda and raising sharp questions about public health precautions inside the Capitol. came less than 24 hours after he had presided over the opening of the Senate, led the Pledge of Allegiance, delivered two speeches to a sparse audience — and later moved around the crowded Senate floor after casting a vote.None of the fellow senators he...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump publicly pressured the Justice Department on Friday to move against his political adversaries and complained that Attorney General William P. Barr is not doing enough to deliver results of a probe into how the Obama administration investigated possible collusion between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.The delayed report is “a disgrace,” and Trump’s 2016 Democratic opponent, , should be jailed, Trump said in a rambling radio interview, one day after he argued on Twitter that his current Democratic...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePresident Trump publicly pressured the Justice Department on Friday to move against his political adversaries and complained that Attorney General William P. Barr is not doing enough to deliver results of a probe into how the Obama administration investigated possible collusion between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.The delayed report is “a disgrace,” and Trump’s 2016 Democratic opponent, , should be jailed, Trump said in a rambling radio interview, one day after he argued on Twitter that his current Democratic...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA federal prosecutor and another Justice Department official plan to tell Congress on Wednesday that Attorney General William P. Barr and his top deputies issued inappropriate orders amid investigations and trials “based on political considerations” and a desire to cater to President Trump.Aaron Zelinsky, an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland formerly detailed to Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia investigation, will tell the House Judiciary Committee that prosecutors involved in the criminal trial of Trump’s friend Roger...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA federal prosecutor and another Justice Department official plan to tell Congress on Wednesday that Attorney General William P. Barr and his top deputies issued inappropriate orders amid investigations and trials “based on political considerations” and a desire to cater to President Trump.Aaron Zelinsky, an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland formerly detailed to Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia investigation, will tell the House Judiciary Committee that prosecutors involved in the criminal trial of Trump’s friend Roger...WW…