NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA: “North Korea test-fired a missile towards the east in the early hours of Wednesday [11-29-17] morning, South Korean authorities said, ending a more than two-month hiatus from Pyongyang and threatening to increase tensions with the U.S. and in the region. The missile, which South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said was […]
Category: National Security
11/20/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Monday [11-20-17] officially designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, returning the rogue nation to a list from which it had been removed during the George W. Bush administration. North Korea had been removed from the list under the George W. Bush administration in an […]
11/18/2017
MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The top U.S. nuclear commander said on Saturday [11-19-17] that he would resist President Donald Trump if he ordered an ‘illegal’ launch of nuclear weapons. Air Force General John Hyten, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), told an audience at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada that […]
11/16/2017
MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. is laying the groundwork to build a type of missile banned by a Cold War-era pact unless Russia abandons its own pursuit of the weapons, U.S. officials said. The U.S. military’s preliminary research and development, previously undisclosed, is aimed at potentially reviving an arsenal of prohibited ground-based, intermediate-range missiles […]
11/16/2017
NATIONAL DEBT/TREASURY: “The Treasury Department has unveiled a new strategy for managing federal debt that could ease pressures set to push up long-term interest rates and reduce a potential drag on the economy. Under the plan unveiled earlier this month by Treasury, the department would increase the share of shorter-term debt issuance and reduce the […]
11/15/2017
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “A trip to Pyongyang by a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping offers a chance for Beijing to manage relations with its troublesome neighbor after months of frayed ties and stepped-up U.S. pressure to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program. The two sides will ‘exchange opinions on matters of mutual […]
11/14/2017
DEFENSE/MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. senators on Tuesday [11-14-17] took a rare look at the decades-old presidential authority to launch a nuclear strike, posing questions at a hearing about the process President Donald Trump would follow if he were to order such an attack… Three former government and military officials who were questioned by the […]
11/14/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/POLITICS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. senators on Tuesday [11-14-17] took a rare look at the decades-old presidential authority to launch a nuclear strike, posing questions at a hearing about the process President Donald Trump would follow if he were to order such an attack. Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee committee […]
11/10/2017
ECONOMY/FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States has been reminded time and again in recent years that economic security is not merely RELATED to national security – economic security IS national security. It is vital to our national strength. #APEC2017 https://t.co/8gKQUhit2X” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Nov. 10, 2017 05:43am […]
11/10/2017
ECONOMY/FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States has been reminded time and again in recent years that economic security is not merely RELATED to national security -economic security IS national security. It is vital to our national strength. #APEC2017 https://t.co/mGPeyZEyqm” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Nov. 10, 2017 05:31am […]
11/7/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The North Korean regime has pursued its nuclear & ballistic missile programs in defiance of every assurance, agreement, & commmitment it has made to the U.S. and its allies. It’s broken all of those commitments… https://t.co/xJ4jUpA8d8” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Nov. 7, 2017 10:12pm […]
11/7/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP POSITION CHANGES: “President Donald Trump left open the door for North Korea to return to negotiations and said there were signs of progress in the nuclear standoff, his conciliatory tone marking a departure from recent hostile rhetoric toward Pyongyang… On Tuesday, standing 35 miles from the North Korean border, […]
11/6/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, the President declared a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States […]
11/6/2017
BUDGET/MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump asked Congress on Monday for $4 billion to support missile defense to counter the threat from North Korea, just ahead of his first visit to South Korea since taking office in January… He made his request during his maiden trip to Asia as president, featuring repeated […]
10/30/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “More than 90 top American experts in atomic sciences, including a designer of the hydrogen bomb, publicly threw their weight behind the Iran nuclear agreement on Monday, exhorting Congress to preserve the accord in the face of President Trump’s disavowal of it. In a letter to Senate and House leaders […]
10/28/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “As North Korea races to build a weapon that for the first time could threaten American cities, its neighbors are debating whether they need their own nuclear arsenals. The North’s rapidly advancing capabilities have scrambled military calculations across the region, and doubts are growing the United States will be able to keep […]
10/28/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “JFK Files are released, long ahead of schedule!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 28, 2017 06:15pm […]
10/28/2017
CIA/JOHN KELLY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After strict consultation with General Kelly, the CIA and other Agencies, I will be releasing ALL #JFKFiles other than the names and… addresses of any mentioned person who is still living. I am doing this for reasons of full disclosure, transparency and… in order to put any and all conspiracy […]
10/27/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “#JFKFiles https://t.co/AnPBSJFh3J” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 27, 2017 07:05pm […]
10/24/2017
ATTORNEY GENERAL/DHS/DNI/IMMIGRATION/NATIONAL SECURITY/SECRETARY OF STATE/TERRORISM/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section […]
10/22/2017
DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived here to meet with regional counterparts as the U.S. attempts to coordinate efforts to counter North Korean belligerence. The Pentagon chief is scheduled to meet Monday with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo during a […]
10/22/2017
CYBERWAR/DHS/ENERGY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/POLICE: “The Department of Homeland Security plans to close a New York-based laboratory that has helped the city’s Police and Fire Departments develop systems to detect nuclear and biological threats, a move that some local officials fear could hamper efforts to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks. The radiological program that the laboratory, the […]
10/21/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY: “Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 21, 2017 07:35am […]
10/19/2017
CIA/INTELLIGENCE/MIKE POMPEO/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA: “CIA Director Mike Pompeo drew sharp criticism Thursday [10-19-17] after wrongly stating that the U.S. intelligence community had found that Russian meddling did not tilt the 2016 presidential election. Pompeo made the inaccurate claim at an event hosted by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a conservative think tank close to […]
10/18/2017
LEGAL/MICHAEL FLYNN/NATIONAL SECURITY/ROBERT MUELLER: “Democrats pressed Wednesday [10-18-17] for Rep. Trey Gowdy — the Republican chairman of the powerful House oversight committee — to subpoena the White House for documents related to former national security adviser Michael Flynn… In the letter, the committee’s 18 Democrats detailed the March 22 request for documents from the White […]
10/18/2017
MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Staffers at the National Security Council drafted and circulated a statement of condolence for President Donald Trump to make almost immediately after a deadly ambush of U.S. soldiers in Niger earlier this month. But Trump never publicly issued the statement, and, some two weeks later, is now in hot water over […]
10/13/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP FAMILY/JARED KUSHNER: “The head of a government bureau responsible for clearing background checks told lawmakers Wednesday [10-18-17] he has ‘never seen that level of mistakes’ when asked about numerous omissions in Jared Kushner’s security clearance application. Charles Phalen, the director of the National Background Investigations Bureau, a newly created division within the Office […]
10/10/2017
ARMY/FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA: “US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley made clear Monday [10-9-17] what a bind the US is in when it comes to solving the challenge of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, stating there are ‘no risk-free options’ but said there is also not an ‘indefinite amount of time’ to […]
10/6/2017
CYBERWAR/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA: “Kaspersky Lab ZAO, the Russian firm behind the popular eponymous antivirus program, is facing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers who are calling for hearings amid fresh accusations its software was exploited by Russian hackers as part of a massive data theft from the National Security Agency. In the 2015 incident, Russian hackers targeted an […]
10/6/2017
CYBERWAR/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA: “Russian software developer Kaspersky Lab said Friday [10-6-17] it had become a ‘pawn in a geopolitical conflict’ between Russia and the U.S., following the disclosure its software was used to help Russian intelligence steal secrets from the U.S. National Security Agency. The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported the theft of highly classified […]
10/5/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “National Security Presidential Memorandum Integration, Sharing, and Use of National Security Threat Actor Information to Protect Americans.. The United States Government’s ability to effectively analyze, evaluate, integrate, correlate, and share classified national security information and other information concerning threat actors and their networks, and then use that information to support a broad […]
10/5/2017
IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has approved a broad strategy to crack down on Iran for its ballistic missile program and support for militant groups throughout the Middle East, according to a senior administration official, although he has yet to formally sign off on ‘decertifying’ the nuclear accord negotiated by the Obama administration. Mr. […]
10/5/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/JOHN KELLY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House officials believe that chief of staff John Kelly’s personal cell phone was compromised, potentially as long ago as December, according to three U.S. government officials. The discovery raises concerns that hackers or foreign governments may have had access to data on Kelly’s phone while he was secretary of the […]
10/4/2017
CYBERWAR/INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY: “A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers unveiled legislation on Wednesday [10-4-17] that would overhaul aspects of the National Security Agency’s warrantless internet surveillance program in an effort to install additional privacy protections… The legislation, written by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, is seen by civil liberties groups as the best chance in […]
10/3/2017
DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/JAMES MATTIS/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR: “Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told lawmakers Tuesday [10-3-17] that he supports the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran, even though President Donald Trump has called it ‘one of the worst and most one-sided’ agreements ever made by the U.S… Mr. Trump must certify to Congress whether Iran remains in compliance […]
9/30/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House said on Saturday [9-30-17] it had ordered that Iran, Venezuela and four African nations be added to a U.S. list of countries accused of failing to crack down on human trafficking, a step that further isolates them from the United States. The White House said it also […]
9/28/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP FAMILY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House has launched an internal probe of private email use, pulling batches of emails on the White House server to and from private accounts of senior aides, according to four officials familiar with the matter. The effort began this week after POLITICO reported that Jared Kushner and a number […]
9/26/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY: “70 years ago today, the National Security Council met for the first time. Great history of advising Presidents-then & now! Thanks NSC Staff!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, September 26, 2017 07:30pm […]
9/26/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “North Korea’s foreign minister warned his country would shoot down American warplanes even if they are outside of the country’s airspace, in an escalation Monday of the threat of a military confrontation. Ri Yong Ho, speaking to reporters in New York, said the U.S. had declared war on North Korea […]
9/25/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “North Korea’s foreign minister escalated tensions with the United States on Monday [9-25-17], saying that President Trump’s threatening comments about the country and its leadership were ‘a declaration of war’ and that North Korea had the right to shoot down American warplanes, even if they are not in North Korean air […]
9/25/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “At least six of President Trump’s closest advisers occasionally used private email addresses to discuss White House matters, current and former officials said on Monday [9-22-17]. The disclosures came a day after news surfaced that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, used a private email account to send or receive about […]
9/22/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA: “North Korea’s latest threat—to detonate a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean—if carried through would mark a new level of defiance in the face of warnings from the U.S. and the international community. Pyongyang has notched milestone after milestone this year in its quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking […]
9/20/2017
ECONOMY/FOREIGN POLICY/HUMAN RIGHTS/IMMIGRATION/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUKES/SANCTIONS/SECRETARY OF STATE/TREASURY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that: The provocative, destabilizing, and repressive actions and policies of the Government of North Korea, including its intercontinental ballistic missile launches of July 3 and July 28, 2017, and its nuclear test of September […]
9/17/2017
INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When North Korea launched long-range missiles this summer, and again on Friday [9-15-17], demonstrating its ability to strike Guam and perhaps the United States mainland, it powered the weapons with a rare, potent rocket fuel that American intelligence agencies believe initially came from China and Russia. The United States government […]
9/17/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House on Sunday [9-17-17] reiterated its position that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un must give up his nuclear weapons, days after President Donald Trump hinted again at a military strike on the North. White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday the U.S. policy remains […]
9/14/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “North Korea fired a missile over Japan early Friday [9-15-17] local time for the second time in a month, defying rising international efforts to force it to abandon course. In a rare move, South Korea responded to the launch by immediately conducting a simulated strike of the North Korean launch site, an […]
9/13/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “North Korea has resumed work at its underground nuclear testing site, defense analysts said, as the country vowed to keep expanding its nuclear arsenal despite the latest United Nations sanctions. The defense analysts also said that the North’s Sept. 3 nuclear test, which Pyongyang said was of a hydrogen bomb, may have […]
9/11/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TERRORISM/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Certain Terrorist Attacks Consistent with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1622(d), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency previously declared on September 14, 2001, in Proclamation 7463, with respect to the terrorist attacks of September […]
9/11/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TERRORISM/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “A Message to the Congress of the United States Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1622(d), provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days of the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a […]
9/10/2017
ECONOMY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/UN: “The Trump administration is turning to economic warfare—an intensified sanctions program—to deal with an increasingly belligerent North Korean regime. But economic tools have a mixed record of success addressing geopolitical problems. Sanctions helped end apartheid in South Africa. They pushed Iran to an agreement to curtail its nuclear program, though many critics […]
9/5/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “A top U.S. naval commander said Tuesday [9-5-17] that Pyongyang’s recent string of missile and nuclear tests has brought the U.S. closer to its allies in Tokyo and Seoul—rather than dividing them, as he says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had hoped. The remarks from Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the […]
9/3/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States… North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, September […]
8/29/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/UN: “The United Nations Security Council adopted a statement Tuesday [8-29-17] condemning North Korea ‘for its outrageous actions and threats against another U.N. member state’ in the aftermath of the country’s latest missile launch, which passed over Japan. The ‘presidential statement,’ which counts as the Council’s fastest form of reaction to unfolding events, […]
8/29/2017
JAPAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan Tuesday [8-29-17], the latest in a string of direct provocations that have destabilized the region and triggered global alarm. The missile—the first Pyongyang has fired over Japan’s main islands since 2009—prompted a fiery response from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe… Mr. Abe […]
8/23/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “Hours after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praised him for exercising restraint, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared in state media visiting a missile-development factory and ordering the production of more warheads and rocket engines. Mr. Kim’s visit, the date of which wasn’t disclosed by Pyongyang in its report […]
8/22/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/VENEZUELA: “The U.S. government is considering restricting trades in Venezuelan debt as it seeks to punish President Nicolás Maduro for undermining the country’s democracy, according to people familiar with the matter. The unprecedented move would temporarily ban U.S.-regulated financial institutions from buying and selling dollar-denominated bonds issued by the Republic of Venezuela and […]
8/22/2017
CYBERWAR/NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump would be required to notify U.S. lawmakers before creating a joint U.S.-Russia cyber security unit – an idea that has drawn criticism across the political spectrum – under legislation advancing in Congress. The proposal, if it became law, would be the latest in a series of maneuvers […]
8/21/2017
AFGHANISTAN/MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump’s skepticism about America’s involvement in Afghanistan was no secret to his staff. But his top national security officials were still taken aback at a meeting in the Situation Room on July 19, when an angry Mr. Trump began ripping apart their latest proposal to send thousands of additional American […]
8/18/2017
DEMS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “The Obstructionist Democrats make Security for our country very difficult. They use the courts and associated delay at all times. Must stop!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 18, 2017 07:55am […]
8/17/2017
CYBERWAR/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump is close to making a decision to elevate the status of the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, signaling more emphasis on developing cyber weapons to deter attacks, punish intruders and tackle adversaries, current and former officials told Reuters on Thursday [8-17-17]. A current U.S. official, who was speaking on […]
8/16/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/RACISM: “City officials across the country are nervously trying to figure out how to avoid becoming the next Charlottesville as alt-right leaders and white nationalist groups vow to stage more rallies in coming days. A group claiming it is advocating free speech has planned a rally for Saturday [8-12-17] on the historic Boston Common, […]
8/16/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/RACISM: “Crews quietly removed Baltimore’s Confederate monuments early Wednesday [8-16-17], days after deadly unrest in Charlottesville as white nationalists rallied to defend a statue in that city. The sudden removal of four statues, without fanfare or advance notice, marks an attempt by Baltimore leaders to avoid a long, bruising conflict that has embroiled Charlottesville […]
8/26/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY: “The University of Florida has denied a request to rent space on its campus for an event that was expected to bring white nationalist leader Richard Spencer to the public flagship school next month. The decision to deny the National Policy Institute’s request was detailed in a message from university President W. Kent […]
8/15/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR: “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday [8-15-17] threatened to revive his country’s nuclear program if the U.S. continues to pile on sanctions, in a direct warning he is prepared to tear up a deal that set the stage for Iran’s opening to the West. Mr. Rouhani didn’t specify a threshold that would […]
8/14/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SOUTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States’ top general and South Korea’s president both said on Monday [8-14-17] that they hoped to avoid war with North Korea over its nuclear weapons, with the American commander stressing that the Pentagon was preparing military options only as a last resort. In a meeting with President […]
8/11/2017
MCMASTER/NATIONAL SECURITY/STEVE BANNON/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The conservative news site Breitbart has waged a nonstop campaign against national security adviser H.R. McMaster, but so far it seems to have done the most damage to someone else: Steve Bannon. A Wall Street Journal editorial earlier this week accused Bannon of using the right-wing media to go after his […]
8/10/2017
CRIME/DRUGS/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency Thursday [8-10-17], establishing a formal designation for the crisis that could shape the way his administration responds… A White House commission on the opioid crisis led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a one-time Republican rival and subsequent backer of Mr. […]
8/10/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When North Korea has made military threats in recent times, it has usually sought an off-ramp before tensions could spill over into armed conflict. But the current standoff—U.S. President Donald Trump warning North Korea of ‘fire and fury,’ Pyongyang declaring its intention to send missiles into the waters off Guam, […]
8/10/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/RUSSIA: “A low-flying Russian airplane created a buzz in the nation’s capital on Wednesday [8-9-17], but it turns out the surveillance flight over the Capitol, Pentagon and other sites was cleared by the U.S. government under a long-standing global treaty. The flight, which was filmed by The Associated Press, was permitted under the Open […]
8/9/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Senior American officials sent mixed signals on North Korea on Wednesday [8-9-17] as President Trump’s ‘fire and fury’ warning rattled allies and adversaries alike, a sign of his administration’s deep divisions as the outcast state once again threatened to wage nuclear war on the United States. The president’s advisers […]
8/9/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [8-9-17] boasted of the strength of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, vowing ‘there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world.’ ‘My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger […]
8/9/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday [8-9-17] that ‘Americans should sleep well at night,’ free from worry that North Korea’s ever-progressing nuclear program presents an ‘imminent threat’ to the United States. En route to Guam, the U.S. territory in the Pacific that North Korea has threatened to destroy with an […]
8/9/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “North Korea is reviewing plans to strike U.S. military targets in Guam with its medium-range ballistic missiles to create ‘enveloping fire,’ according to state media. The message came hours after President Trump warned North Korea that it will be ‘met with fire and fury and, frankly, power, the likes of […]
8/8/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump threatened on Tuesday [8-8-17] to unleash ‘fire and fury’ against North Korea if it endangers the United States as tensions with the isolated nuclear-armed state grow into perhaps the most serious foreign policy challenge yet in his young administration. ‘North Korea best not make any more threats to […]
8/8/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/UN: “North Korea escalated its criticism of the United States, as well as its neighboring allies, on Tuesday [8-8-17] by warning that it will mobilize all its resources to take ‘physical action’ in retaliation against the latest round of United Nations sanctions. The statement, carried by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, […]
8/8/2017
DRUGS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “I will be holding a major briefing on the Opioid crisis, a major problem for our country, today at 3:00 P.M. in Bedminster, N.J.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 8, 2017 06:11am […]
8/7/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/UN: “The Trump administration has hailed the latest United Nations sanctions against nuclear-armed North Korea as the most severe yet, and the North’s fury over the penalties suggested they carried some sting. In a staccato of outraged reactions on Monday to the sanctions imposed over the weekend, North Korea threatened retaliation against the […]
8/7/2017
FAKE NEWS/MEDIA/NATIONAL SECURITY/UN: “The Fake News Media will not talk about the importance of the United Nations Security Council’s 15-0 vote in favor of sanctions on N. Korea!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 7, 2017 03:15pm […]
8/7/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/UN: “North Korea on Monday [8-7-17] threatened to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. if provoked militarily and said it would ‘under no circumstances’ negotiate on its nuclear and missile weapons programs. In a written statement handed to reporters on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Manila, North Korean Foreign […]
8/5/2017
LEAKS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “After many years of LEAKS going on in Washington, it is great to see the A.G. taking action! For National Security, the tougher the better!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 5, 2017 05:58pm […]
8/4/2017
INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/ROBERT MUELLER: “Investigators working for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, recently asked the White House for documents related to the former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, and have questioned witnesses about whether he was secretly paid by the Turkish government during the final months of the presidential campaign, according to people […]
8/4/2017
MCMASTER/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump defended Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, his embattled national security adviser, on Friday [8-4-17] in the face of a full-bore campaign by the nationalist wing of his political coalition accusing him of undermining the president’s agenda and calling for his dismissal. General McMaster has angered the political right by […]
8/4/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/UN: “The United States is aiming for a United Nations Security Council vote on Saturday to impose stronger sanctions on North Korea over its two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests in July, diplomats said on Friday [8-4-17]. The United States is set to circulate a copy of the draft resolution to all 15 […]
8/2/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House has engaged in a slow-motion purge of hard-line officials at the National Security Council in recent weeks, angering conservatives who complain that the foreign policy establishment is reasserting itself over a president who had promised a new course. The latest to go was Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who ran […]
8/2/2017
MIKE PENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/NATO/RUSSIA: “Vice President Mike Pence accused Russia on Wednesday [8-2-17] of working to ‘destabilize’ the Western Balkans and divide the region from the West where he said its future lies. Pence spoke in Montenegro, which joined NATO this year in defiance of Russia, on the final leg of a tour designed to reassure […]
7/31/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When folks here in Washington end a summer filled with White House hijinks and an epic but inconclusive health-care debate, they will look up and discover something unsettling: The world has become a more dangerous place while everybody has been distracted. That’s most obviously true in North Korea, where its […]
7/27/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY: “Iran successfully launched a missile into space on Thursday [7-27-17], state media reported, two days after the United States House of Representatives approved a bill that would impose additional sanctions against the country, and Russia and North Korea. Such tests of what are essentially carrier rockets are not prohibited under the landmark […]
7/27/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A top adviser on Middle East issues to U.S. President Donald Trump left the National Security Council on Thursday [7-27-17] as the White House grapples with internal divisions as well as major policy issues involving Syria, Iran and Iraq. The Weekly Standard magazine was first to report the departure of […]
7/22/2017
FAKE NEWS/NATIONAL SECURITY: “The Failing New York Times foiled U.S. attempt to kill the single most wanted terrorist,Al-Baghdadi.Their sick agenda over National Security” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, July 22, 2017 05:45am […]
7/21/2017
DEFENSE/NATIONAL SECURITY: “The White House said it is conducting a broad review of the strength of the U.S. defense-industrial sector to try to correct weaknesses in advanced technology and industrial policy. The Pentagon has long been worried that the decline in important parts of U.S. manufacturing has weakened U.S. national security. The review, to be […]
7/21/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “In the wake of North Korea’s ongoing nuclear tests, Hawaii will begin rolling out an educational campaign on Friday [7-21-17] hoping to teach residents and visitors what to do should a missile launch from the reclusive country reaches the island’s shores. The Hawaii Emergency Management System began working on the campaign in […]
7/21/2017
CIA/MIKE POMPEO/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday [7-21-17] evening offered some of the most aggressive comments yet from the Trump administration with regard to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Although Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has in the past said the US was against forcing Kim out of power or the […]
7/21/2017
DEFENSE/DHS/ECONOMY/ENERGY/JOBS/LABOR/MANUFACTURING/MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy. A healthy manufacturing and defense industrial base and resilient supply chains are essential to the economic strength and national security of the […]
7/20/2017
AFGHANISTAN/MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump, arriving at the Pentagon to huddle with national security leaders Thursday, said ‘we’ll see’ if more U.S. troops are going to be sent to Afghanistan. Trump convened a closed ‘political-military’ meeting that lasted about 90 minutes and covered a range of national security topics, including a review of Afghanistan […]
7/18/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR: “The Trump administration on Tuesday [7-18-17] levied additional sanctions on Iran targeting its elite military unit and ballistic missile program. The move follows a late-night notification to Congress that Iran was complying with the 2015 nuclear deal between six world powers and Iran, after some officials in the Trump administration made a […]
7/17/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump agreed on Monday [7-17-17] to certify again that Iran is complying with an international nuclear agreement that he has strongly criticized, but only after hours of arguing with his top national security advisers, briefly upending a planned announcement as a legal deadline loomed. Mr. Trump has repeatedly condemned […]
7/17/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR: “North Korea’s rapid march to develop a nuclear-armed ballistic missile capable of striking the United States has spurred the U.S. military and Congress to ramp up efforts to counter the threat. The U.S. technological race is happening on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space. But military planners […]
7/13/2017
IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is expected to re-certify that Iran is complying with guidelines set by former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal, multiple Trump administration officials tell CNN, meaning President Donald Trump — at least for the time being — will go along with a deal he once promised to ‘tear up.’ […]
7/12/2017
BUDGET/DEFENSE/NATIONAL SECURITY: “The National Defense Authorization Act is a massive $696 billion defense policy bill that covers everything from F-35 fighter jets to Guantanamo Bay to military pay raises. It’s also a prime opportunity for Democrats to try to force politically difficult votes on Republicans dealing with President Donald Trump’s business ties, his family members […]
7/11/2017
NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA: “North Korea’s recent long-range missile test didn’t show Pyongyang is able to arm the device with a warhead that can survive the intense heat and vibration of re-entering the atmosphere, South Korea’s intelligence agency said. The assessment, given to South Korean lawmakers on Tuesday [7-11-17], contradicts an assertion by North Korea and […]