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VIENTIANE, Laos — Women and racial diversity are vital to the strength of U.S. armed forces, outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an exclusive interview with NBC News as he prepares to shortly exit the top military post after four years. “I would tell you that, you know, our women are the finest troops in the world. Our military is going to remain a diverse military," Austin said. Austin did not weigh in on what he thinks about Trump's choice of Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Austin, a four-star general who was previously commander of U.S. Central Command, was appointed as Secretary of Defense by President Joe Biden and was sworn in on Jan. 22, 2021.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, “, ” Austin, Donald Trump’s, Pete Hegseth, Hegseth, ”, Austin, Trump, Biden, Vladimir Putin, —, we've, Joe Biden, Lester Holt Organizations: NBC News, Defense, Army National Guard, Pentagon, Senate, Republicans, Department of Defense, ., Korean, U.S . Central Command, NBC Locations: VIENTIANE, Laos, Iraq, Afghanistan, United States, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Russia's Kursk, Jan

☆ First ATACMS, now Storm Shadows: long-range Western missiles are raining down on Russia for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementUkraine has long been restricted from using Western missiles to strike inside Russia. Kyiv has since used both ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets on Russian soil. Ukraine is finally using its powerful, longer-range Western missiles to strike targets inside Russia after waiting over a year for permission. AdvertisementUkraine fired a volley of at least 10 Storm Shadow missiles into Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Ukrainian and Western officials. Ukraine long pressed its Western partners to allow it to fire Storm Shadow missiles across the border into Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Lockheed Martin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, JUSTIN TALLIS, Donald Trump Organizations: Storm, Street Journal, UK, Storm Shadow, North Korean, Defense Express, Euromaidan Press, NATO, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Ukraine's, Artillery, South Korean Defense Ministry, Getty, MBDA, Ukraine, Shadow, US, White Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Russia's, Bryansk, Russia's Kursk Oblast, Kursk, Britain, France, North Korea, Russia's Kursk, Ukrainian

☆ US admiral says sending Israel and Ukraine weapons like Patriot missiles is eating into what's needed for countering China
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"It's now eating into stocks," he said on Tuesday of advanced weapon shipments to Ukraine and Israel. The US Navy's top commander in the Indo-Pacific raised concerns on Tuesday that the Pentagon's advanced weapons shipments to Ukraine and Israel could sap the strength it needs to deal with China. While speaking at the Brookings Institution, Adm. Samuel Paparo said he initially hadn't been concerned with the weapons sent to the Middle East and Europe. Adm. John Aquilino, Paparo's predecessor at Indopacific Command, said in March that China could be ready to invade Taiwan as early as 2027. AdvertisementPress teams for the Pentagon and Indo-Pacific Command did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

Persons: Sam Paparo, Paparo, Samuel Paparo, hadn't, who's, it's, John Aquilino, Mike Miniham Organizations: Pentagon, US, Brookings Institution, Pacific Command, Patriots, Israel, Indopacific Command, US Air Force, Press, Business Locations: China, Ukraine, Israel, East, Europe, Kyiv, People's Republic of China, Russia, Taiwan, Beijing

WASHINGTON — Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said Tuesday that her effort to ban transgender women from using female bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol is a direct response to the election of Sarah McBride, who is set to be the first openly transgender person in Congress. Mace introduced a resolution Monday to prohibit any lawmakers and House employees from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex." She was asked by reporters Tuesday if the move was in response to McBride. Mace said she would like to see her resolution incorporated into the House Rules package for the next Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday that Republicans are trying to resolve the issue but that they will make accommodations for McBride.

Persons: Nancy Mace, Sarah McBride, Mace, McBride, she's, McBride's, Andrew Harnik, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “ doesn’t, ” Greene, she’d, Mike Johnson, we’ll, ” Organizations: WASHINGTON — Rep, U.S . Capitol, U.S, Capitol, Getty

☆ Trump urges Senate GOP to block Biden's last judicial nominees
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed his fellow Republicans in the Senate to stop Democrats from confirming any more of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees. The Senate has confirmed 216 of Biden's nominees to the federal judiciary. Biden has put forward 261 total judicial nominees, the White House said in a Nov. 8 press release announcing his 56th round of hopefuls. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told ABC News he would continue to bog down the nomination process. "I was on the Senate floor until almost midnight last night voting to confirm President Biden's judicial nominees," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote on X.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Trump, Judge Embry Kidd, Biden, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, John Thune, Sen, Thune, Patty Murray, We'll, Murray, Kamala Harris, Susan Collins of, Lisa Murkowski Organizations: America, Policy, Tuesday, Senate, Radical, Republican, U.S ., Appeals, ABC News, Democrat, ABC, Republicans, GOP Locations: Palm Beach , Florida, U.S, Susan Collins of Maine, Alaska

☆ A $40 Optimus robot figurine is the latest addition to Tesla's merch line — see the other wacky items it's sold
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Kate Duffy | Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla recently added to the list a $40 Tesla Bot Action Figure of the humanoid robot it's developing. Here's a list of the weird merchandise Tesla has sold, including flamethrowers and surfboards. A $40 collectible figure modeled after Tesla's Optimus Gen 2 humanoid robot. Under Musk's leadership, SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company have sold a number of quirky wares, oftentimes taking inspiration in name or design from Tesla vehicles or SpaceX rockets. Here's a look at some of the weirdest products Tesla has sold to date:

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, he's, Tesla's Optimus Organizations: Tesla's, SpaceX, Tesla, The, Company, eBay

Las Vegas police are investigating after an officer fatally shot a 43-year-old father who had called 911 for help during a home break-in. Durham reported that he was inside the house with his 15-year-old daughter and he was going to lock himself in a bathroom, Koren told reporters Thursday. Boudreaux was arrested during the incident, Koren said. She appears to have had some relationship with Durham, Koren said, but police provided no clarity as to what that relationship might be. The officer’s use of force is being reviewed using the standard set by the Supreme Court’s decision in Graham v. Connor, Koren told reporters.

Persons: Brandon Durham, Dori Koren, Durham, Koren, ” Koren, “, Alejandra Boudreaux, Boudreaux, Connor, Isabella, KSNV, ”, ” Isabella Organizations: Las, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, Police, NBC, KSNV, NBC News, Metropolitan Police Locations: Las Vegas, Sunset, Las, Durham, Boudreaux, Graham

☆ Russia targets Ukraine’s power grid in ‘massive’ missile strike, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

KYIV — Blasts rang out across Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other cities early on Sunday, as Russia staged its biggest missile attack since August and targeted power facilities with the winter setting in, officials said. “Another massive attack on the power system is under way. The enemy is attacking electricity generation and transmission facilities throughout Ukraine,” Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on Facebook. Officials often withhold information on the state of the power system because of the war. In Kyiv, the roof of a residential building caught fire due to falling debris and at least two people were hurt, city officials said on the Telegram messaging app.

Persons: German Galushchenko, extinguishes, ”, Andrii Sybiha, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Poland “, Vitali Klitschko Organizations: Ukrainian Energy, German, Facebook, Ukrainian Emergency, AFP, HANDOUT, Getty, Authorities, NATO Locations: Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Mykolaiv, Handout, AFP, Dnipropetrovsk, Volyn, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kryvyi, Rivne, Poland

☆ USS Edsall: Wreck of US Navy’s heroic ‘dancing mouse’ WWII warship found off Australia
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Known as the “dancing mouse” due to its slippery movements in that final, fatal fight with the Imperial Japanese Navy, the destroyer USS Edsall went down off the coast of Australia in 1942, under the command of Lt. Joshua Nix. Speaking alongside Kennedy, Australia’s chief of navy, Vice Adm. Mark Hammond, said the wreck was found with the help of advanced hydrographic survey capabilities aboard naval support ship MV Stoker. “Nix’s position was hopeless from the moment Edsall was sighted,” Cox wrote. At least one hit Edsall, and the ship began to lose its ability to maneuver. The discovery highlighted the current AUKUS partnership, between the US, Australia and the United Kingdom, she said.

Persons: Edsall, Joshua Nix, “ Joshua Nix, Australia Caroline Kennedy, Kennedy, Australia’s, Mark Hammond, Stoker, Hammond, Chuichi Nagumo, ”, Samuel Cox, EDSALL, – Edsall, ” Cox, Nix, Cox, “, ‘ Don’t, Don’t, Lisa Franchetti, Trent Hone, Edsall’s, Franchetti, ” Franchetti Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, US Navy, Pacific, Imperial Japanese Navy, Heritage Command, U.S . Navy, U.S . Army Air Force, US Locations: Hong Kong, Australia, Christmas, –, Japan, Sulawesi, Indonesia, United Kingdom

☆ Russia targets Ukraine's power grid in 'massive' missile strike, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Blasts rang out across Ukraine's capital Kyiv and other cities early on Sunday, as Russia staged its biggest missile attack since August and targeted power facilities with the winter setting in, officials said. "Another massive attack on the power system is under way. Officials often withhold information on the state of the power system because of the war. "Russia launched one of the largest air attacks: drones and missiles against peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, critical infrastructure," said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. In Kyiv, the roof of a residential building caught fire due to falling debris and at least two people were hurt, city officials said on the Telegram messaging app.

Persons: German Galushchenko, Andrii Sybiha, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Vitali Klitschko Organizations: Ukrainian Energy, German, Facebook, Authorities, NATO Locations: Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk, Volyn, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kryvyi, Rivne, Poland

But many Republicans and Gaetz allies have touted his aggressive style as an essential attribute for an attorney general. The president-elect filled some of those spots Thursday evening, appointing a series of his own personal lawyers to run key sections of the Justice Department. Trump also announced his selection of Emile Bove, another member of his criminal defense team, to be principal associate attorney general. Now, while some of his colleagues in Congress expressed skepticism of his pick as attorney general, they said they are prepared for a detailed confirmation process. As attorney general, Gaetz would be in control of the FBI investigative files that detail the evidence the bureau uncovered.

Persons: Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz, Trump, Gaetz, there’s, John Morgan, doubters, Morgan, ” Morgan, “, General Merrick Garland, Joe Biden, Todd Blanche, Emile Bove, ”, AnchorsGordon didn’t, Lawrence “ Larry ” Keefe, Keefe, Ron DeSantis, Feedback Sen, Klobuchar, —, Michael Cohen, Sen, Rick Scott, ” Gaetz, Hunter, Hank Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Liz Cheney, Gaetz didn’t, South Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, Bill Barr, Joel Greenberg, CNN’s Kristen Holmes Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Trump, Florida Republican, Prosecutors, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Democrats, Capitol, Senate, Panhandle Republican, Truman, Florida State University, & Mary Law School, AnchorsGordon, Florida Panhandle, Partners, Florida, Northern, Northern District of Florida, Vineyard, Tallahassee statehouse, Republican, Florida Bar, Florida Republicans, Washington Elected, White, Republican Party, House Republican, Union, House Intelligence, Democratic, Judiciary Committee, FBI, South, Garland’s Justice Department Locations: Congress, United States, Trump’s, Florida, Gaetz, Manhattan, Northern District, Texas, Tallahassee, Washington, Wyoming, South Carolina

☆ How different a commander in chief will Trump be?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

On the face of it, there are sizable differences in foreign policy between Trump and President Joe Biden. In October, the Biden administration again helped to intercept a barrage of around 200 Iranian ballistic missiles, which also caused minimal damage to targets in Israel. Bringing US troops homeIn 2020, the Trump administration signed a US withdrawal agreement from Afghanistan with the Taliban. But after McMaster was pushed out of office in 2018, the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban the withdrawal agreement of all US forces from Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the incoming Trump administration seems intent on resurrecting Schedule F, an executive order issued in the last months of the first Trump term.

Persons: sneezes, Trump, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Biden, Trump’s, shored, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Andrew Harnik, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ahmad Gharabli, Israel, Jared Kushner, Qasem Soleimani, Mike Huckabee, Israel — Huckabee, David Friedman, Reagan, JD Vance —, H.R, McMaster, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Haley, Pompeo, Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, Florida, George W, Bush, Pete Hegseth —, Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, Robert Gates, John Ratcliffe of, Tulsi Gabbard, Vladimir Putin, Basher al, Assad, Putin, Diego Fedele, Ukraine doesn’t, John Bolton, Mark Rutte, Tom Homan, Homan, ” Trump, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, “ It’s, Maura Healey, Stephen Miller, CBS’s, Camp David, It’s, Kim Jong Un Organizations: CNN, Trump, NATO, Ukraine, White, of, Biden, CIA, Liberation Army, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Obama, Getty, West Bank, Abraham Accords, Arkansas Gov, US Defense Intelligence Agency, ISIS, McMaster, UN, GOP, Republican, Special, House Armed Services Committee, Pentagon, Fox News, Senate, Republicans, US Civil, Policy, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Policy Institute, Rep, House Intelligence, NATO Trump, US Congressional Research Service, Joint Assault Brigade, National Police, of Homeland, American Immigration Council, NBC News, US Bureau of Prisons, Massachusetts Gov, National Guard, Congress, Washington Post, H.R, North, America Locations: Paris, Russia, China, Beijing, South China, United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan, Washington, United States, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Iranian, Syria, Israel, Yemen, Jerusalem, AFP, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, John Ratcliffe of Texas, Hawaii, Ukraine, Dnipro, Soviet, Toretsk, Crimea, Japan, NATO, “ Russia, Baltic, Western Europe, ”, Korean, North Korean

I’m tripping over their bodies,” said Sydney Seiler, the U.S. national intelligence officer for North Korea from 2020 to 2023. “Kim Jong Un is selling North Korean soldiers as cannon fodder mercenaries,” South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said last month. It’s an entirely new environment for the North Korean soldiers, who live in one of the most isolated and repressive countries in the world. The Russian military is teaching the North Korean soldiers about 100 key military terms, but “North Koreans are having a difficult time learning Russian,” South Korean lawmakers Lee Sung-kwon and Park Sun-won said last month. North Korean soldiers’ inexperience could be another point of friction and a major factor in how they are deployed.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Sydney Seiler, Seiler, Gavriil, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Shigeru Ishiba, Kim, “ Kim Jong, Kim Yong, hyun, John Hardie, Lee Sung, Bruce Bennett, ” Hardie, Bennett, ” Bennett, Edward Howell, “, ” Howell, Stella Kim Organizations: Ukraine, North, NBC News, U.S, The State Department, Korea’s National Intelligence Service, NBC, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Getty Images, Economic Cooperation, South Korean Defense, Pentagon, Politico, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, North Korean, South Korean National Intelligence Service, AFP, Getty, Korean, Battalion, Russian Ministry of Defense, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, South, Sun, Rand Corp . Communication, Chatham House Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, U.S, North Korea, Russian, Kursk, Korean, Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, Getty Images North Korea, South, Asia, Lima , Peru, The U.S, California, Ukrainian, London, Seoul, Hong Kong

☆ See inside the E-4B 'Nightwatch,' nicknamed the 'doomsday plane' for its ability to help US presidents survive nuclear war
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Talia Lakritz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

AdvertisementThe E-4B "Nightwatch" is nicknamed the "doomsday plane" because it can survive a nuclear attack. In the event of nuclear war, it would serve as the US military's command and control center. It is the US Air Force's most expensive plane to operate, at $159,529 per hour. Related Video The true cost of America's war machinesThere's another lesser-known presidential plane that can operate as a "flying war room": the E-4B "Nightwatch." Nicknamed the "doomsday plane" for its ability to survive a nuclear blast, the E-4B is designed to protect the president and other senior officials and function as a military command center in worst-case scenarios.

Organizations: US Air, Air Force, US, Defense, US Air Force

☆ Bela Karolyi, the polarizing coach who helped launch gymnasts to Olympic stardom, dies at 82
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Holly Yan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Bela Karolyi, the legendary and controversial Romanian American gymnastics coach who helped lead Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci and Kerri Strug to Olympic gold, has died, USA Gymnastics announced. Still, Bela Karolyi remained unapologetic to the end for the methods he used to blaze a path to sports glory. And by his senior year, he was coaching the school’s women’s gymnastics team, whose star Marta Enoss would become his wife and professional ally. “I think he was learning gymnastics with us.”At age 14, Comaneci famously scored the first “perfect 10” in Olympic gymnastics. “Prior to entering the Bela Karolyi camp, I knew one thing; Bela was my bus pass to the Olympics,” Okino wrote in 2001.

Persons: CNN — Bela Karolyi, Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci, Kerri Strug, Karolyi, Marta Karolyi, Bela Karolyi, ”, ” Bela Karolyi didn’t, Marta Enoss, That’s, “, Marta, Bela, ” Comaneci, Comaneci, Nicolae Ceaușescu’s, Karolyi’s, USA's Kerri Strug, Susan Ragan, Dianne Durham, Kim Zmeskal, Strug hobbled, USA’s, Strug, ” Karolyi, Larry Nassar, –, Nassar, Retton, ” Retton, ‘, Betty Okino, ” Okino, “ Karolyi, goddam Bela, Dominique Moceanu, ” Moceanu, Moceanu, Nadia Comăneci, ” CNN’s Lindsey Knight Organizations: CNN, USA Gymnastics, Texas, Romanian, Romania College of Physical Education, Eastern Bloc, Guardian, Rocky Mountain News, University of Oklahoma, USA, Olympic, US, Los Angeles Games, Team USA, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Orange County Register, –, Team Training, US Olympic Committee, ” Locations: Romanian American, Texas, Montreal, Romanian, New York, America, Houston, American, Atlanta, Romania, United States, California

☆ Xi Jinping opens huge port in Peru funded by China
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

LIMA, Peru — Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a weeklong diplomatic blitz of South America on Thursday by inaugurating a massive deep-water port in Peru, a $1.3 billion investment by Beijing as it seeks to expand trade and influence on the continent. Cranes at the Chancay megaport are seen behind a neighborhood in Chancay, Peru, last month. The rail project is estimated to cost $3.5 billion, according to Mario de las Casas, corporate affairs manager at Cosco Shipping Chancay Peru. Robert Evan Ellis, Latin America research professor at the U.S. Army War College, said that Chancay will make shipping between Latin America and China more efficient. China has overtaken the United States to become the largest trading partner of countries such as Peru.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Dina Boluarte, Chancay, Chris Bouroncle, Mario Ocharan, Mario de las, Trump, Robert Evan Ellis, “, ” Ellis, Laura Richardson Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Initiative, Getty, El, Cosco Shipping, Chamber of Commerce, Mario de las Casas, U.S . Army, College, U.S . Southern Command, Global Times Locations: LIMA, Peru, South America, Beijing, America, Asia, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Peruvian, Chancay, AFP, China, Latin America, Cosco Shipping Chancay Peru, Europe, Washington, United States, China’s

☆ Trump picks former Rep. Doug Collins for veterans affairs secretary
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is A Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate Doug Collins, a former House member from Georgia, to lead the Department of Veteran Affairs in his administration. Collins, an Iraq war veteran who left Congress in 2021, was a fierce defender of Trump during his 2019 impeachment inquiry. "Doug is a Veteran himself, who currently serves our Nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our Country in the Iraq War," Trump said in a statement Thursday. Collins said he was honored to accept the nomination and vowed to deliver best-in-class care to veterans. Trump has expressed support for Collins in the past, having floated him as a potential challenger to Georgia Gov.

Persons: Donald Trump, Doug Collins, Collins, Trump, Doug, We’ll, they’ve, Brian Kemp Organizations: Department of Veteran Affairs, United States Air Force Reserve Command, Veterans, Families, Trump, Republican, Democratic, Georgia Gov Locations: Georgia, Iraq, House

☆ SpaceX president says 'there is plenty of room for competition,' as Starlink nears 5 million customers
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX President and Chief Operation Officer Gwynne Shotwell speaks during the NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) astronaut visit at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. … It keeps us tight; it keeps us very focused," SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said, speaking at the 2024 Baron Investment Conference in New York. The next closest U.S. rocket company, Rocket Lab , has launched to orbit 12 times this year, with others in the single digits. And SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet network is now serving almost 5 million customers, Shotwell said. With nearly 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, SpaceX has expanded Starlink's product offerings from consumers into enterprise markets such as aviation and maritime.

Persons: Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's, Shotwell, Starlink Organizations: SpaceX, NASA, Program, CCP, Elon, Baron Investment Conference, Rocket, Department of Defense, U.S, International Locations: Hawthorne , California, U.S, New York

☆ Norwegian F-35s called into action after Russian aircraft spotted off Norway and over Baltic Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

AdvertisementNATO scrambled jets to respond to Russian aircraft "not adhering to international norms" this week. Italy's air force intercepted a Russian Coot-A aircraft over the Baltic Sea, NATO Air Command said. Norwegian F-35s identified multiple Russian aircraft off the coast of Norway, it added. Norwegian F-35s were called into action on Tuesday as NATO scrambled jets in response to Russian aircraft "not adhering to international norms," NATO's Air Command said in a post on X.Italy's air force intercepted a Russian Coot-A plane flying over the Baltic Sea, while the Norwegian F-35s identified multiple Russian aircraft off the coast of Norway, NATO Air Command said. In July, Russian fighter jets scrambled to intercept two US Air Force B-52H bombers approaching Russia's border, the Russian Ministry of Defense said at the time.

Persons: Henrik Omtvedt Jenssen, Jenssen, Lockheed Martin Organizations: NATO, NATO Air Command, Command, Norwegian Armed Forces, NRK, Russian, Royal Air Force, British Ministry of Defence, BBC, Typhoons, US Air Force, Russian Ministry of Defense, Lockheed, Kongsberg Defence, Aerospace Locations: Russian, Baltic, Norwegian, Norway, Russia, State, Kongsberg

☆ Syria: Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes on Damascus, state media say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Mostafa Salem | Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Fifteen people were killed and 16 others injured in Israeli strikes on Damascus in Syria, state media SANA said, citing a military source and marking one of the deadliest strikes in months to hit the Syrian capital. The strikes targeted several residential buildings in the upscale Mezzah neighborhood in the capital and the Qudsaya area in the Damascus countryside, Syrian state media reported. Among those killed were women and children, Syrian state media added. The strikes targeted a residential building in the Sayyidah Zaynab area of the Damascus countryside, with women and children among those killed, SANA said. On November 4, SANA reported Israeli strikes in Sayyidah Zaynab the same day the IDF said Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Hezbollah intelligence infrastructure in the Damascus area.

Persons: SANA, Jihad, “, ” SANA Organizations: CNN, Israeli Air Force Locations: Damascus, Syria, Jihad, Gaza, Syrian, Israeli, Mezzah, Riyadh, Israel, Sayyidah, Lebanon, Qusayr, Homs

☆ Pete Hegseth: Trump’s Pentagon pick aims for clash with top military leadership
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Jeremy Herb | Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

A Princeton and Harvard grad, Hegseth was CEO of the conservative veteran’s advocacy organization, Concerned Veterans for America, beginning in 2006. He has 20 years’ experience in the military, having served in the Army National Guard as an infantry officer from 2002 to 2021 and leaving service as a major, according to military service records. He also worked as a guard at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from June 2004 to April 2005. Hegseth has been awarded two Bronze Stars from his combat service. In one June interview on Fox, Hegseth bemoaned the state of the US military’s procurement system and the threat posed by China’s growing military.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Pete Hegseth, Hegseth, CQ Brown, —, “ Fox, ”, Trump, ” John Noonan, ‘ You’ve, Hugh Hewitt, “, they’re, Shawn Ryan, you’ve, ” Hegseth, Brown, Staff —, shouldn’t, Obama, Ben Shapiro, America Allison Jaslow —, who’ve, ” Jaslow, –, Biden, neocon, Hegseth –, neocon ”, he’s, ’, they’ve, Vladimir Putin’s “, Ryan, King, warcrimes, Matthew Golsteyn, Clint Lorance –, Eddie Gallagher, Mark Esper, Gallagher, Golsteyn, Lorance, Jaslow, Tim Parlatore, “ Everyone’s, ” CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Joint Chiefs, Army National Guard, Star, Pentagon, Trump, Princeton, Harvard grad, Veterans, Republican, Defense Department, Armed, Navy, of Defense, Staff, Air Force, Army Ranger School, Army Special Forces, Naval, Warfare Command, Afghanistan Veterans, Ranger School, Defense, Iraq, Fox, United, “ Fox, ”, warcrimes CNN, United States Senate Locations: China, Ukraine, America, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Washington, United States, Washington ,, Trump, Europe, Poland

CNN —When Elisa Smithers was deployed to Iraq in 2005, there was a ban on women serving in ground combat operations. But she returned home to find she wasn’t offered the same support by the US Department of Veterans Affairs that male combat veterans were offered, Smithers said. Women account for roughly 17.5% of the Defense Department’s active-duty force, according to 2022 data from the agency. Hegseth has specifically criticized having women in roles where strength “is the differentiator,” he said on the podcast last week. She also worries any course reversal on women serving in combat will have a sweeping impact on women serving in other government jobs.

Persons: Elisa Smithers, Smithers, wasn’t, Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, –, he’s, ”, Hegseth, “, hasn’t, ” Hegseth, Shawn Ryan, ” Smithers, we’ll, Elizabeth Beggs, Let’s, ” Beggs, Beggs, who’ve, Lory Manning, “ I’m, …, ” Manning, it’s, Manning, we’ve, Brandy Cottrill, Cox, “ It’s, ‘ That’s, Sen, Tammy Duckworth, Anna Moneymaker, Illinois Sen, Duckworth, MAGA, Wendy Coop, Wendy Coop Wendy Coop, ” Coop, Coop, don’t, that’s, she’s Organizations: CNN, National Guard, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Fox News, Army, Defense, Warriors, US Army, Army National Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs, Navy, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Marine, “ Seals, Rangers, Green Berets, Service, Action, American Civil Liberties Union, “, National Center for Veterans Analysis, Combat, Veterans Families, US Coast Guard, US Army Special Operations Command, US National Guard, Capitol, US Navy, US Naval Academy Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Washington , DC, Illinois, St, Augustine , Florida

☆ Israel says it has expanded its military ground operation in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Israel’s military ground operation in southern Lebanon has been expanded, the country’s defense minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. Israel launched what it described as a “limited ground operation” to expel Hezbollah from southern Lebanon early last month. Despite the Israeli ground operation into southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has maintained a daily barrage of rockets against parts of northern Israel and continues to launch drones against Israeli cities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said around 50 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel on Wednesday. Katz’s announcement about expanding Israel’s ground operation also comes as the military confirmed the death of six Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

Persons: CNN —, Israel Katz, Katz, Israel, ” Katz, ”, General Naim Qassem, Qassem, Hassan Nasrallah, James Elder Organizations: CNN, Northern Command, Israel Defense Forces, Wednesday, Hezbollah, UNICEF, Golani Locations: Lebanon, Dahiyeh, Beirut, Israel, Israel’s, Gaza, Joun, Baalchmay, Dawhet, Aalmat

☆ Every kind of F-35 has now seen combat after a carrier-based stealth fighter struck the Houthis
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementThe Pentagon said F-35C stealth aircraft took part in strikes against the Houthis last weekend. The aircraft carrier-based variant of the F-35 stealth fighter made its combat debut during recent American military airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a US defense official confirmed to Business Insider on Wednesday. AdvertisementA US defense official said that mission was the first operational combat flight by the F-35C, meaning all three variants of the aircraft have now seen combat. The F-35 Lightning II is a single-engine, multi-role strike stealth fighter jet made by American defense company Lockheed Martin. Aircraft from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) support operations against Iran-backed Houthis in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Persons: Abraham Lincoln, Lockheed Martin, 8Y4yqsAepd, Carl Vinson, Pat Ryder, Seaman Nathaly Cruz, Ryder Organizations: Pentagon, Business, Lockheed, The Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Aircraft, U.S . Central Command, Taliban, ISIS, Fighter Attack Squadron, EA, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, US Navy, Communication, Monday Locations: Iran, Yemen, American, U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Gulf of Aden, Mandab, Syria

☆ US Navy destroyers unscathed after fighting off a complex attack of cruise and ballistic missiles and exploding drones
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two US Navy destroyers came under attack by the Houthis on Monday. The destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Spruance came under fire as they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic maritime chokepoint between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Navy repelled multiple Houthi attacks involving at least three anti-ship cruise missiles, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and eight one-way attack drones, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday. Earlier, the Houthis said they attacked the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and two unnamed American destroyers in the Red Sea. The attack against the destroyers on Monday marks the latest Houthi attack on Navy warships off the coast of Yemen.

Persons: —, Stockdale, Spruance, Pat Ryder, Sea Ryder, Abraham Lincoln, Arleigh Burke, ENS Abu Qir, Ryder, Lincoln, 8Y4yqsAepd, Michael Erik Kurilla Organizations: US Navy, Pentagon, Service, Navy, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Sea, Egyptian Navy, . US Navy, Lincoln, US, Command, Aircraft, U.S . Central Command Locations: Iran, Yemen, Mandab, Aden, Red, Egyptian Navy El Suez, U.S, Gulf of Aden, Israel, Syria

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