James Mattis, the newly appointed Secretary of Defense marked his first full day at the Pentagon by supervising 31 strikes against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. On Saturday, Mattis arrived at the Pentagon with a smile for his initial full day of work, and for good reason, in view of the substantial bombardment ISIS […]
Category: Foreign
Russia Leads Syrian Peace Talks
Astana, Kazakhstan – Key players in the war in Syria are due to meet on Monday in Astana to begin talks aimed at consolidating a nationwide ceasefire and potentially paving the way towards a political settlement. The talks, organised by Russia, Turkey and Iran, come weeks into a countrywide ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Ankara […]
ISIS Lost 25% Of It’s Territory
IRBIL, Iraq — Researchers say the Islamic State group lost nearly a quarter of its territory last year, as an array of forces pressured it on multiple fronts in Syria and Iraq. In a report published Thursday, IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center called the territorial losses “unprecedented” and predicted ISIS militants would be driven […]
Trump Continues To Use Private Security
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign steadily increased spending on private security after he received Secret Service protection as a candidate in 2015, and it has continued paying private security firms since Election Day, an analysis of federal records shows. Donald J. Trump For President, INC., the president-elect’s campaign committee, spent $262,074 for “security services” for the […]
Mattis Sworn In As Defense Secretary
Retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis was confirmed and sworn in as President Trump’s defense secretary Friday, breaking with decades of precedent as a recently retired general became the Pentagon’s top civilian leader. Mattis, 66, was approved with a 98-1 vote after the presidential inauguration and then sworn in by Vice President Pence. The new […]
North Korea Threatens Trump Inauguration With Nukes
North Korea is “readying two intercontinental ballistic missiles” to “nuke” Donald’s Trump inauguration, it’s been reported. Military officials say the rogue state wants to send a “strategic message” to the incoming US president by timing launches to ruin his big day on Friday. In a statement, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the reports […]
Obama Commutes Sentence Of Chelsea Manning
In recent days, the White House had signaled that Mr. Obama was seriously considering granting Ms. Manning’s commutation application, in contrast to a pardon application submitted on behalf of the other large-scale leaker of the era, Edward J. Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who disclosed archives of top secret surveillance files and is living as […]
Trump Wants To Make Nuclear Arms Deal With Russia
LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will propose offering to end sanctions imposed on Russia for its annexation of Crimea in return for a nuclear arms reduction deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he told The Times of London. Trump, in an interview with the newspaper published online on Sunday, was deeply […]
Isis Continues To Lose Territory
MOSUL, Iraq — Iraqi forces have won a string of swift territorial gains in Mosul in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after months of slow progress. Government troops retook the eastern edge of a third bridge in Mosul Saturday and a cluster of buildings inside Mosul University, according to […]
Tax Payers To Pay Marines 2 Billion Dollars Due To Contaminated Drinking Water
WASHINGTON — After years of waiting, veterans who were exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may now be able to receive a portion of government disability benefits totaling more than $2 billion. Beginning in March, the cash payouts from the Department of Veterans Affairs may supplement VA health […]
GOP Threatens To Cut Embassy Defense Budget
WASHINGTON ― Three Republican senators — including two former presidential candidates who’ve long criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi — introduced a bill on Tuesday that would halve funds for embassy security, construction and maintenance until the next president moves the U.S. Embassy in […]
Obama Continues To Empty Gitmo Of Terrorists Despite Trump’s Warning
President-elect Donald Trump urged President Obama to hold off on any final transfers from Guantanamo Bay, saying Tuesday that the detainees still being held are “extremely dangerous people.” The administration has signaled it is trying to transfer nearly 20 of the remaining detainees before Mr. Obama leaves office, making as much headway as possible on […]