McConnell urges Trump to voice support for Hong Kong protesters
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is calling on President Trump to publicly voice support for protesters in Hong Kong amid escalating tensions with the Chinese government.“I would...
View ArticleTaliban frees American, Australian in prisoner swap
An American and an Australian were freed by the Taliban on Tuesday for three of its members as part of a prisoner exchange with Afghanistan's government. A Taliban official told The Associated Press...
View ArticleTalks stall on defense costs with South Korea
Talks between the U.S. and South Korea on defense costs were halted after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on how much South Korea should contribute for the ongoing U.S. military presence in...
View ArticlePentagon watchdog: US withdrawal in Syria damaged Kurdish partnership, hurt...
President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeast Syria, paving the way for a Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces, damaged the U.S. relationship with its main local partner and...
View ArticleSenators voice support for Iran protesters but stop short of taking action
Senate Republicans and Democrats stopped short Tuesday of calling for action in support of protesters in Iran, saying protests in Hong Kong, sanctions on Turkey and monitoring the situation in Iraq and...
View ArticleLawmakers spar over surveillance flight treaty with Russia
Lawmakers on Tuesday debated the effectiveness of the Open Skies Treaty at a joint hearing of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.The hearing comes amid reports that...
View ArticleLawmakers expect to finish defense policy bill negotiations this week
Lawmakers are expecting to finish negotiations on the annual defense bill this week, the chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees said Tuesday.“That is our plan, and I believe we will...
View ArticlePentagon warns Iran will seek advanced weapons as embargo expires
Iran will seek out new fighter jets and tanks from Russia and China when an international arms embargo expires in October 2020, a senior defense intelligence official told reporters on Tuesday.Tehran...
View ArticleSenate passes legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters
The Senate easily passed legislation on Tuesday throwing support behind protesters in Hong Kong. The bill, known as the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, passed by unanimous consent on Tuesday...
View ArticleOvernight Defense — Presented by Boeing — Pentagon watchdog says Syria...
Happy Tuesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I'm Ellen Mitchell, and here's your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the ...
View ArticleDem senator says Zelensky was 'feeling the pressure' to probe Bidens
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said on Tuesday that he believed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was feeling pressure from Rudy Giuliani to investigate the Bidens. Murphy, in a letter to the leaders...
View Article2 US service members killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash
Two U.S. service members were killed Wednesday after their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.NATO Resolute Support released a statement on the matter without providing many additional details nor...
View ArticlePentagon chief: US giving Vietnam surplus ship for coast guard
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday announced while visiting Vietnam that the United States would be providing the country's coast guard with a surplus American ship, The Associated Press...
View ArticleDozens of lawmakers call for government surveillance reforms
Dozens of progressive and libertarian-leaning lawmakers on Wednesday threw their support behind significantly revising a set of government surveillance authorities that are set to expire within months....
View ArticlePentagon No. 2 denies trying to block official's impeachment testimony
The No. 2 official at the Pentagon on Wednesday insisted he was not seeking to block the testimony of another senior Pentagon official when he sent her lawyer a letter outlining the Trump...
View ArticleOvernight Defense — Presented by Boeing — Senate eyes sending stopgap...
Happy Wednesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I'm Rebecca Kheel, and here's your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the...
View ArticleSenators want Air Force probe into allegations military housing provider...
Senate Armed Services Committee leaders on Wednesday demanded the Air Force investigate reports that a major U.S. military housing provider falsified maintenance records for years at a Texas base in...
View ArticleHarris accuses Trump of being 'punked' by North Korea
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on Wednesday night said President Trump “got punked” when it comes to the administration’s so far unsuccessful denuclearization negotiations with North Korea.“Donald Trump...
View ArticleGabbard, Buttigieg battle over use of military in Mexico
Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Tulsi Gabbard tussled Wednesday night over prior experience and judgment after the Hawaii congresswoman said the South Bend, Ind., mayor wanted to...
View ArticleTrump says Navy won't remove SEAL status from officer at center of war...
President Trump on Thursday denied that the Navy would strip a service member of his SEAL status following an acquittal of murder charges against the officer earlier this year."The Navy will NOT be...
View Article