Author: Ben Fox
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U.S. sees heightened extremist threat heading into midterms
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WASHINGTON • A looming Supreme Court decision on abortion, an increase of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and the midterm elections are potential triggers for extremist violence over the next six months, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. The U.S. was in a “heightened threat environment,” and these factors might worsen the situation, DHS…
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What’s in the latest U.S. military package to Ukraine
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WASHINGTON • As the war in Ukraine evolves, so do the needs of the Ukraine military. That’s the case U.S. officials are making as they explain the decision to a include a mobile rocket-launching system to help the Ukrainians fight the Russian assault in the country’s east. In the initial phase of the invasion, Ukraine…
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Biden visits Lockheed plant as weapons stockpile strained
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TROY, Ala. • President Joe Biden on Tuesday visited a Lockheed Martin plant that manufactures an antitank weapons system, aiming to herald the U.S.-made arms as a game-changer for Ukraine’s stiff resistance to Russia’s invasion. But Biden’s visit to the Alabama factory line is also drawing attention to a growing concern as the war drags…
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Son of famed American artist charged in Jan. 6 Capitol riot
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BOSTON • For years, Vincent Gillespie waged a legal battle to try to gain control of hundreds of paintings by his father — renowned postwar American artist Gregory Gillespie. On Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors say, Gillespie engaged in a very different kind of battle, joining rioters as they tried to wrest control of the U.S.…
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U.S. talks global cybersecurity without a key player: Russia
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WASHINGTON • Amid an epidemic of ransomware attacks, the U.S. is discussing cybersecurity strategy this week with 30 countries while leaving out one key player: Russia. The country that, unwittingly or not, hosts many of the criminal syndicates behind ransomware attacks was not invited to a two-day meeting starting Wednesday to develop new strategies to…
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DHD chief defends policy as border crisis continues
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WASHINGTON • A surge of migrants on the southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive, with the head of Homeland Security acknowledging the depth of the problem Tuesday but insisting it’s under control and saying he won’t revive a Trump-era practice of immediately expelling teens and children. The number of migrants being stopped…
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Biden’s policy allows surge of kids at U.S. southern border
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WASHINGTON • The number of migrant children and families seeking to cross the U.S. southwest border has surged to levels not seen since before the pandemic, a challenge for President Joe Biden as he works to undo the restrictive immigration policies of his predecessor. Statistics released Wednesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed the…
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Hack against U.S. is ‘grave threat,’ cybersecurity agency says
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WASHINGTON • Federal authorities expressed increased alarm Thursday about an intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in its most detailed comments…
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Official claims pressure to alter Homeland Security intel
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WASHINGTON • An official at the Department of Homeland Security said in a whistle-blower complaint released Wednesday that he was pressured by agency leaders to suppress details in his intelligence reports that President Donald Trump might find objectionable, including intelligence on Russian interference in the election and the threat posed by white supremacists. Brian Murphy…
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State Department rejects further probe of diplomat’s remarks
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WASHINGTON • A report Wednesday by the State Department’s internal watchdog confirms news accounts that staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Britain have accused Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets and the U.S. ambassador, of making “insensitive” and “inappropriate” remarks. The department’s Office of the Inspector General called for further investigation into the…