Author: Jon Bryan

The United States has spent trillions of dollars on ensuring intelligence and the network that distributes that intelligence is the best on the planet, but more needs to be done, said Air Force Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, commander of U.S. Cyber Command, director, National Security Agency and chief, Central Security Service, in a discussion at the Reagan Defense Forum yesterday. Intelligence is the lifeblood of defense strategy and a crucial aspect of deterrence. Haugh spoke during a panel hosted by New York Times reporter Julian Barnes. The panelists agreed that the United States does a good job of collecting intelligence…

After more than a century, a Native American tribe in northern Washington can finally fish for coho salmon in the same rivers as its ancestors, the Seattle Times reported — and it’s all thanks to the removal of two ecosystem-disrupting dams. The removal of the dams comes after years of hard-fought environmental advocacy by members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to restore the tribe’s historic lands. As detailed by the Times, since 1911, two dams blocked nearly 90 miles of river and tributary habitat on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park. The dams obstructed more than 90% of the river’s natural flow, depleting…

The terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall in March 2024, which left 140 people dead, has sparked a crackdown on central Asian workers living in Russia, and put the relationship between the region and Russia under increasing strain. The four suspected gunmen under arrest are all citizens of Tajikistan, a central Asian nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. Following the Crocus City attack, Russian police started rounding up and deporting workers who are originally from Tajikistan, as well as from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The attack, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine, also sparked massive police raids, document checks of migrants…

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg reminded the United States that it needs allies more than ever as foreign ministers marked the 75th anniversary of the alliance on Thursday in Brussels. NATO has expanded since Russia invaded Ukraine, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that Ukraine will join. “Europe needs North America for its security,” Stoltenberg said Thursday at a ceremony at NATO’s headquarters on the second day of a two-day summit of foreign ministers aimed at shoring up support for Ukraine. “At the same time, North America also needs Europe. European allies provide world-class militaries, vast intelligence networks…

Shares in Donald Trump’s media company soared as the firm made its formal debut on the stock market. Shares surged past $70 in early trade, giving the firm a market value of more than $9bn. They ended the day at about $58, still up more than 16%. The long-awaited moment will inject more than $200m into Trump Media & Technology Group and hands the former president a stake worth more than $4bn. Analysts say that is far more than the firm’s performance warrants. Trump Media’s Truth Social, a Twitter-like service, brought in just $3.3m in revenue in the first nine…

Ukraine says it is hopeful that US lawmakers will approve new military aid for the country, despite Senate Republicans blocking a package on Wednesday. Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, said she thought Congress could vote again by the year’s end. Republicans opposed the bill because it did not also include the US border security measures they wanted. Another vote will be difficult with Congress slated to go home next week. Markarova said in a Facebook post that her office continues to work actively with Congress. She said she hoped that lawmakers would approve a package that “will include…

A Texas judge has granted permission for an abortion to a woman whose foetus has a fatal abnormality, despite the state’s ban on the procedure. The ruling – which Texas may challenge – is thought to be one of the first attempts to seek a court-granted abortion. Texas law prohibits pregnancy terminations except to save the life of the expectant mother. Abortion advocates argue the exception is too vague and puts women at risk. That is the argument of Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two from the Dallas area, who is currently 20 weeks pregnant. Her foetus has been…

A major University of Pennsylvania donor has withdrawn a $100m (£79.3m) grant after a controversial appearance in congress by the school’s president. President Elizabeth Magill met representatives alongside Harvard President Claudine Gay and Sally Kornbluth of MIT on Tuesday. But they caused anger after avoiding questions on how students calling for the genocide of Jews would be punished. The donor, Ross Stevens, said he was “appalled” by her stance. US college campuses have seen angry protests since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted two months ago. In an email, seen by the BBC, Mr Stevens said: “I have clear…

An ex-college professor was “struggling financially” and carrying a “target list” when he fatally shot three faculty members and injured a fourth at a Las Vegas campus, say police. The 67-year-old suspect was fatally shot by police during Wednesday’s attack at the University of Nevada. Officials said being denied “several” jobs at various colleges may have been a motive for the shooting. He also posted a white powder to at least one university before the attack. Two of the victims have been officially named as professors Cha Jan Chang, 64, and Patricia Navarro-Velez, 39. The name of the third victim…

Federal prosecutors have filed tax charges against Hunter Biden, a second criminal case against the US president’s son. The nine-count indictment says he schemed to evade at least $1.4m (£1.1m) in federal taxes from 2016-19. The three felonies and six misdemeanours include failure to file and pay taxes, false tax return and evasion of assessment. Hunter Biden was indicted in September on federal firearm charges in Delaware. The 53-year-old son of President Joe Biden has already pleaded not guilty in the gun case. The White House did not comment on the new charges on Thursday night. It comes as congressional…