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☆ Jimmy Carter never appointed a Supreme Court justice, but he left a remarkable judicial legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-30 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Jimmy Carter, who served a single full presidential term without the chance to appoint a Supreme Court justice, nonetheless left behind an incomparable judicial legacy. Carter named Ginsburg to an important Washington-based US Court of Appeals in 1980, which positioned her for eventual elevation to the Supreme Court. Women made up 12 of his 59 circuit court appointees and 29 of his total 203 district court appointees. Until Carter’s tenure, only two women had ever been named as circuit court judges and six as district court judges. The second woman, named by President Bill Clinton in 1993, was Ginsburg, Carter’s earlier appellate court choice.

Persons: Jimmy Carter, —, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Carter, Ginsburg, “, ” Ginsburg, Harry Truman, Leon Higginbotham, Amalya, Damon Keith, Pat Greenhouse, Carter’s, Ifill, ” Carter, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, ”, Sandra Day O’Connor, Bill Clinton Organizations: CNN, of, Supreme, Congressional Research, Boston Globe, Getty, Civil, Howard University, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, House Locations: Washington, Philadelphia, York, Cincinnati, Los Angeles

☆ Congress was set to get a modest raise. Then Elon Musk stepped in.
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Members of Congress were set to make a few thousand extra bucks under a government funding bill. One of the most controversial pieces of the short-term government funding bill that Elon Musk helped tank last week was a provision that would have allowed members of Congress to receive a modest salary increase. AdvertisementAs Musk argued against the so-called "continuing resolution" in a stream of posts on X, he said that lawmakers were set to receive a 40% salary increase if the bill passed. AdvertisementHow can this be called a “continuing resolution” if it includes a 40% pay increase for Congress? "Congress should be focused on lowering costs for the American people, not giving ourselves a raise.

Persons: Elon Musk, qFFUP0eUOH — Elon, —, aren't, Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Donald Trump, weren't, that's, Mullin, it's, Joe Morelle, Morelle, Pat Ryan Organizations: Senate, Congressional Research Service, Oklahoma Republican, hasn't, House Administration Committee, Democrat Locations: Oklahoma, Washington , DC, —, House, New York

On Monday, the Pentagon issued a new statement attempting to clarify the long-standing discrepancy about the number of troops in Syria. The vague reference to additional troops in Iraq leaves open the possibility of a significantly larger presence than was previously acknowledged, just as in Syria. Defense officials insist the Pentagon has not misled the public about the core number of troops in Syria, which they have said since 2020 is around 900. Concealing the true number of US troops in Syria dates to Donald Trump’s first administration. Trump in 2019 had agreed to keep roughly 200 to 400 US troops in Syria, but the actual number was “a lot more,” Jeffrey said.

Persons: Patrick Ryder, ” Ryder, we’ve, ”, Ryder, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Donald Trump’s, Jim Jeffrey, ” Jeffrey Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, Defense, Iraqi, Army, Trump, Congressional Research Service Locations: Syria, Maj, Israel, “, Iraq, Washington, Baghdad

☆ Senate passes Social Security Fairness Act
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-21 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US Senate passed a bipartisan bill early Saturday to increase Social Security benefits for close to 3 million federal, state and local public sector workers, which includes firemen, policemen and teachers. The Social Security Fairness Act — which already passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support in November — eliminates two policies that have reduced Social Security benefits for public service employees. The workers affected are those who are eligible for government pensions from jobs where they didn’t pay into Social Security but who did pay into the program through other jobs or whose spouses did so. “The GPO reduces the spousal or surviving spousal benefits of people who receive pensions on the basis of noncovered employment,” CBO noted. Americans can receive retirement benefits if they have paid into Social Security for at least 10 years and are also entitled to spousal or survivor benefits if their spouse paid into the program.

Persons: Joe Biden, Democratic Sen, Sherrod Brown of, Republican Sen, Susan Collins, Collins, —, ” Collins Organizations: CNN, Senate, Social Security, Congressional, Office, CBO, Congressional Research Service, Social, GPO, Democratic, Republican, Security, “ Locations: Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Maine, Bangor , Maine

☆ The Salt Typhoon telecom hack targeted senior American political figures, the White House says
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-08 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Salt Typhoon hack is one of the largest attacks on US telecommunications ever, officials say. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner told The Washington Post that the hack is the "worst telecom hack in our nation's history by far." Senior White House officials on the call said the hack has been ongoing for "likely one to two years." She added that the White House "has made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom of this." Neuberger said that White House leaders are meeting three times a week to discuss the hack.

Persons: Anne Neuberger, Mark Warner, Warner, Neuberger, Biden Organizations: Verizon, NSA, Microsoft, White House, Congressional Research Office, Lumen Technologies, NBC, Senate, Washington Post, New York Times, Justice Department, FBI, White Locations: China

☆ Elon Musk says DOGE's work will be public — legally, it has to be
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-08 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Legal experts say it is obvious that Elon Musk's DOGE falls under a federal transparency law. Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that they would not officially join the Trump administration. Musk has already said that DOGE is looking for staffers willing to work 80-plus hours a week for no money. Musk wrote on X. Musk is already getting to work on DOGE.

Persons: Elon, Donald Trump, Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Jason Arnold, Obama, Bowles, Simpson, Erskine Bowles, Sen, Alan Simpson of, Trump, William Joseph McGinley, It's, Axios, Arnold, McGinley, Tricia McLaughlin, Clinton, Hillary Clinton's, George W, Bush's, Dick Cheney, Ken Lay, John Boehner, Boehner, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Joni Ernst, Mike Johnson Organizations: Elon Musk's, Federal Advisory, Department of Government, Securities and Exchange Commission, FAA, Congress, Trump, Virginia Commonwealth University, Republicans, Democrats, Democrat, White House, Republican, Social Security, Capitol Hill, Congressional Research Service, USA, Enron, Federal, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Capitol Locations: Alan Simpson of Wyoming, Marjorie Taylor Greene of, Iowa

☆ What are Social Security's trust funds? New debate emerges on program's financing
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty ImagesWhat are Social Security's trust funds? Social Security's trust funds prompt headlines each year when Social Security's trustees release their annual report on the program's financial outlook. Lee is not the first politician to question Social Security's trust fund structure. In his post on X, Lee said: "the government routinely raids" Social Security's trust fund. During a July 2023 Senate hearing on protecting Social Security, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, describes the program's trust funds as a "four-drawer file."

Persons: Richard Stephen, Istock, Blahous, George W, Bush, Bonds, Susan Chapman, Luke Frazza, —, Lee, Sen, Ron Johnson, Johnson, Stephen Goss, actuary, Andrew Biggs, Biggs, Nancy Altman, Altman, Jason Fichtner Organizations: Social, Research Service, Social Security Administration, Treasury, U.S ., Federal Investments, of Public, Afp, Getty, Social Security, American Enterprise Institute, Vanguard, Congressional Research Service, Center, U.S Locations: Parkersburg , West Virginia, Wisconsin, China

☆ Biden’s pardon of his son makes presidential history
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-01 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Joe Biden made history Sunday when he granted a pardon to his son Hunter Biden for criminal convictions on gun and tax charges. With the pardon, Biden broke a clear public promise not to interfere with the justice system on his son’s behalf, something that will now stain his presidential legacy. She told me the framers did not anticipate the pardon power being used for close relations. In issuing the pardon for his son, Biden said Americans should still believe in the justice system. It’s in these final weeks in office that presidents frequently use their pardon power in the most controversial ways.

Persons: Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, “, ”, Biden, —, Hunter, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, Alexis Coe, George Washington, Bill Clinton, Roger, ► Trump, Charles Kushner, Kushner, Coe, Clinton, Trump, Marc Rich, Paul Manafort, Stephen Bannon, Bannon, It’s Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Trump, Constitutional Convention, Department of Justice, FBI, Congressional Research Service, Democrats Locations: United States, Ukraine, France, New York, Washington , DC

☆ Intercontinental ballistic missile: Ukraine has accused Russia of launching an intercontinental missile. Here’s what we know
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-21 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into its territory for the first time, marking what would be another significant escalation in the 1,000-day-old war. Despite Kyiv’s accusation, two Western officials said that the missile launched by Russia was a ballistic missile, but not an ICBM. Ukraine’s air force accused Russia of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile at Dnipro at around 5 a.m. local time, from the Astrakhan region of southern Russia. Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images/FileWhat is an intercontinental ballistic missile? An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a long-range weapon that is fired into space and then releases a warhead or warheads that reenter the atmosphere to drop on their targets.

Persons: CNN —, Heorhii Tykhyi, “, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, ” Zelensky, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Joe Biden, Putin, Alexander Nemenov, Mykola Synelnykov, Serhiy Lysak Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russia’s Defense, Victory Day, Getty, Center for Arms Control, Soviet Union, The, Patriot, Missile, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Congressional Research Service, Patriots Locations: Russia, Dnipro, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Astrakhan, Laos, British, Russian, Moscow, AFP, Soviet, States, Germany, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk

The Library of Congress said hackers broke into its communications systems and were able to read its email correspondence with congressional offices for most of this year. In a private notification sent Friday to some congressional offices, obtained by NBC News, the Library of Congress said that hackers “accessed email communications between congressional offices and some Library staff, including the Congressional Research Service.” The hackers had access from January until September, the notification said. The Library of Congress, the world’s largest library, offers a dedicated research staff for Congress. Last year, it gave congressional staffers more than 76,000 custom responses to inquiries, according to its most recent annual report. Bill Ryan, director of communications at the Library of Congress, told NBC News in an email that the software vulnerability the hackers used to gain access has been “mitigated.”“The Library has referred the matter to law enforcement and is also conducting its own analysis of the breach,” Ryan said.

Persons: Bill Ryan, ” Ryan, ”, Chuck Schumer Organizations: Congress, NBC News, of Congress, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, ., Russian Embassy, Washington , D.C, Embassy Locations: United States, China, Russia, U.S, Russian, Washington ,

☆ What is impoundment? How Trump thinks he can control spending without Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —“Impoundment” is another word that Americans may need to learn in the vernacular of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. Trump took the time to record a video about impoundment during the Republican primary season, and he promised seizing control over spending from Congress would be a top priority if he was elected. Impoundment occurs when Congress appropriates money that the president then declines to spend. As a result of these standoffs, Congress passed a law to curtail a president’s use of impoundment, particularly for policy reasons. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 did a lot more than that, however.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, ”, Trump, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Nixon, Nixon, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Trump’s, “, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, DOGE –, Ramaswamy, ” Ramaswamy, Matt Gaetz, Jimmy Carter, It’s Organizations: CNN, Senate, Republican, Congress, Congressional Research Service, Office, Capitol, Supreme, overreach, Elon, “ Department, Government, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Ramaswamy, Department of Education, Nuclear Regulatory, Trump, FBI Locations: Mississippi, Louisiana, France, Ukraine, Trump’s, Ohio, Washington

☆ 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

“We know they can do it.”More than 300,000 women served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Manning said. More than 9,000 women received Army Combat Action Badges for “actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy,” according to a 2015 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Two were given a Silver Star, the third-highest military combat decoration, for “gallantry in action,” the report said. Manning said another 383 women were awarded a Purple Heart — the nation’s oldest military award, which recognizes sacrifice and heroism. “To cast this wide net and say women shouldn’t serve in combat — well, guess what?

Persons: Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s, ”, hasn’t, ” Hegseth, Shawn Ryan, Ben Shapiro, “ I’m, Ash Carter, Shapiro, “ shouldn’t, Lory Manning, Manning, “, Allison Jaslow, Jaslow, ” Jaslow, Trump, Hegseth, Steven Cheung, Trump’s, Sen, Tammy Duckworth, ” Duckworth, Raquel Durden, shouldn’t Organizations: U.S, Army, NBC News, Fox News, Pentagon, Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, ”, Defense Department, Service, Congressional Research Service, Star, Afghanistan Veterans, Army’s Ranger, Republican, Army National Guard, CNN Locations: U.S, America, Iraq, Afghanistan, California, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

WASHINGTON — Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., plans to file a resolution in the House on Thursday that would express support for the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, which sets the term limits for the president. However, he could introduce it as a privileged resolution to force Republicans to vote on the matter. The resolution, which NBC News obtained Wednesday, reaffirms that the 22nd Amendment "applies to two terms in the aggregate as President of the United States" and reaffirms that it "applies to President-elect Trump." The resolution lists a number of instances in which Trump has joked or floated the idea of serving longer than two terms in the White House or being a dictator. To amend the Constitution and modify term limits for president, both the House and the Senate would need to approve amendment language by two-thirds votes.

Persons: Dan Goldman, Trump, “, we’ve, Harry Truman, Franklin D, Roosevelt Organizations: WASHINGTON —, NBC, New York Times, House Republican, Congressional Research Service, Congress, National Conference of State Legislatures Locations: United States, Trump

☆ The House just voted 'yes' on a bill that would increase Social Security checks for some pensioners
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A bipartisan bill to change Social Security benefit rules for pensioners passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, with 327 lawmakers voting to support the measure. The proposal — called the Social Security Fairness Act — would repeal rules that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive pension benefits from state or local governments. It would eliminate the windfall elimination provision, or WEP, that reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who worked in jobs where they did not pay Social Security payroll taxes and now receive pension or disability benefits from those employers. About 3% of all Social Security beneficiaries — about 2.1 million people — were affected by the WEP as of December 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service. As of December, about 1% of all Social Security beneficiaries — or 745,679 individuals — were affected by the GPO, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Persons: Abigail Spanberger, Garret Graves, Graves, They're, they're Organizations: Social Security, Senate, U.S, Social, Congressional Research Service, Finance, GPO Locations: Washington , DC

☆ What Trump's win could mean for student loan forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

St. Louis-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp, a Trump appointee, issued the latest preliminary injunction against Biden's revised student loan forgiveness plan. Student loan forgiveness likely to dry up under TrumpU.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he announces a new plan for federal student loan relief during a visit to Madison Area Technical College Truax Campus, in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S, April 8, 2024. Kevin Lamarque | ReutersBiden has forgiven more federal student debt than any other president. It has done so mostly by improving existing student loan relief programs that had long been plagued by problems. "The Biden administration has been making periodic announcements about loan forgiveness," Kantrowitz said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump's, Trump, Mark Kantrowitz, Joe Biden's, Biden, Matthew Schelp, Biden's, Kantrowitz, Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Reuters Biden, George W, Bush, Mike Pierce, Mario Tama Organizations: U.S . Department, Trump, Biden, District, Center for American, Congressional Research Service, Trump U.S, Madison Area Technical, Truax, Reuters, Education Department, Public, Senate, Protection Center, University of Southern, USC, Getty Locations: Racine , Wisconsin, Louis, U.S, Madison , Wisconsin, University of Southern California, Los Angeles , California

One other potential scenario looms this fall: the "contingent election" of the president and the vice president that would happen if no one can secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidential election. That has not happened in the modern era, but there are a few conceivable (if unlikely) paths across the Electoral College map that could lead to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris ending the race tied at 269 electoral votes. In the event of a tie, Congress would decide the next president. “Each state, regardless of population, casts a single vote for President in a contingent election,” according to the Congressional Research Service. Although Washington, D.C., has three electoral votes in the presidential election, it would not have a vote in the House in a contingent election because it is not a state.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, ’, Harris Organizations: Electoral, Omaha -, Republicans, Congressional Research Service, Electoral College voters, D.C Locations: Omaha, Congress, Minnesota, North Carolina, Washington

☆ A federal disaster fund has drawn 50,000 applications after twin hurricanes. One problem: It’s out of money.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Laura Strickler | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Frank-Thorp-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

About 54,000 have applied for low-interest loans from a disaster fund operated by the Small Business Administration, but the money has all dried up. The SBA disaster loan fund remains a major source of money for businesses obliterated by natural disasters, according to the Congressional Research Service. “While we await Congress to provide much-needed funding, we strongly encourage eligible businesses and households to apply for SBA disaster loans. " Before the funding ran out, about 750 had been approved to receive loan money totaling $48 million, according to the SBA. He's reluctant to apply for an SBA loan because of his precarious financial situation.

Persons: Lucious Wilson, Hurricane Helene, “, ”, reconvenes, Isabel Casillas Guzman, Kristen Welker, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Wilson, he's, He's Organizations: NBC News, Wedge Brewery, Small Business Administration, Biden, NBC, SBA, Congressional Research Service, Press Locations: Asheville , North Carolina, Asheville, N.C

☆ Fact check: John Deere says Trump’s story about how he saved US jobs with a tariff threat is fictional
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Inflation under Trump: Trump repeated his false claim that there was “no inflation” over his four years as president. Inflation under Biden: Trump also falsely claimed, “Biden went two years with no inflation, because he inherited from me. South Korea’s payments for the US military presence: Trump repeated his false claim that before his presidency, South Korea paid “nothing” for the US military presence there. He claimed that when he started trying to get South Korea to pay, the country responded, “We will not. The Congressional Research Service wrote in a 2023 report: “In the past, South Korea generally paid for 40%-50% (over $800 million annually) of the total non-personnel costs of maintaining the U.S. troop presence in South Korea.”US troops in South Korea: Trump falsely claimed, as he has before, that the US has “40,000 troops” in South Korea.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Donald Trump, Trump, John Deere, they’re, John Micklethwait, Harris, Kamala Harris, –, Biden, “, “ Biden, don’t, ”, didn’t, Trump, Barack Obama, Obama, Nobody, Joe Biden, haven’t, Biden’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNN, Republican, Economic, of, Bloomberg News, Biden, Capitol, Trump, The Justice Department, FBI, Trade, European Union, “, EU, US, European, NATO, ”, Nord, ISIS, South, Congressional Research Service, Pentagon, Department of Defense Locations: Mexico, United States, of Chicago, Washington, DC, Biden’s, China, Canada, Japan, European Union, Venezuela, Russian, Germany, Nord, ”, South Korea, Korea, Trump , South Korea, South

☆ The THAAD system the US is deploying to Israel has rarely seen combat, but its test record has been flawless since it came online
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US is sending a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and American operators to Israel. THAAD is a highly advanced air-defense system that can intercept ballistic missiles. AdvertisementThe US is sending an air-defense system to Israel that has rarely seen combat but has had a flawless flight test intercept record since it became operational. US ArmyTHAAD, which is made by Lockheed Martin, is the middle tier of the US military's sophisticated ballistic missile defense network. It covers a larger area than the Patriot system but less than the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense and Ground-based Midcourse Defense systems.

Persons: THAAD, —, Pat Ryder, Lockheed Martin, Washington, Ryder, Cory D, Payne Organizations: Defense, Pentagon, Service, US Army, Lockheed, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, United Arab Emirates, Houthi, Congressional Research Service, Army, Fort, US Air Force, Staff Locations: Israel, East, Yemen, South Korea, Guam, Iran, Tehran, Fort Bliss, Texas, States

☆ What is THAAD? The powerful US anti-missile defense system is being sent to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The THAAD defense system is one of the US military’s most powerful anti-missile weapons, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometers (93 to 124 miles) and with a near-perfect success rate in testing. THAAD interceptors are kinetic, meaning they take out incoming targets by colliding with them rather than exploding near the incoming warhead. Those other missile defense systems are more numerous than THAAD, an illustration of the importance the Biden administration is placing on this deployment to Israel. What makes THAAD so accurate is the radar system that supplies its targeting information, the Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance radar, or AN/TPY-2. Production models of the THAAD system have never failed to intercept incoming targets in testing, according to the Missile Threat Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Persons: Biden, THAAD, Cedric Leighton, ” Leighton, Israel’s RAFAEL, Washington Organizations: CNN, Defense, Congressional Research Service, Pentagon, US Army, US, Patriot, US Air Force, Army Navy, Missile Defense, Missile, Center for Strategic, International, Defense System, Raytheon, Iron Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, United States, China, South Korea, North Korea, Beijing, Guam

☆ Israel may not be able to take down Iran's nuclear sites on its own
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

One option would be to take out Iran's nuclear sites — something Biden opposes. A hit on Iran's nuclear facilities could, however, create far graver consequences, potentially including a race by Iran to build a nuclear weapon. AdvertisementUS President Joe Biden would not support Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in targeting nuclear sites. As The Financial Times noted, there are more than a thousand miles between Israel and Iran's main nuclear bases. And Iran's nuclear sites present a formidable target, sprawling across various sites, with several of the most sensitive located in heavily fortified underground bunkers.

Persons: Biden, —, Sabet, Joe Biden, Wisam, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jim Watson, Matthew Savill, Robert Dover, Issam, Filipo, Savill Organizations: Service, Geneva Graduate Institute, New York Times, Getty Images Israel, Brent, Reuters, Getty, Financial Times, US Congressional Research Service, Atomic Scientists, Royal United Services Institute, Hull University, EU, UN, University of Bristol Locations: Israel, Iran, It's, Lebanon, Anadolu, Fordow, London, Dover

☆ Jimmy Carter is setting a new record for American presidents. It’s important for everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images Carter works at a construction site sponsored by the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Asan, South Korea, in 2001. Alex Wong/Getty Images Carter meets with Obama and other former presidents at the White House in January 2009. Richard Lewis/The Elders/Getty Images Carter was interviewed for "The Presidents' Gatekeepers" project at the Carter Center in Atlanta in September 2011. Chris McKay/Getty Images Carter talks about his cancer diagnosis during a news conference at the Carter Center in Atlanta in August 2015. The 1983 tweaks to Social Security included, for instance, the counting of some Social Security benefits as taxable income and a gradual increase of the retirement age from 65 to 67.

Persons: Jimmy Carter, Carter, John Quincy Adams, It’s, CNN’s Stephen Collinson, ” Carter, “, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Rosalynn, Lillian, Gloria, . Bradley, Jimmy, Horace Cort, —, John Storey, Stan Wayman, Amy, Walter Mondale, Gerald Ford, Ford, Warren Burger, Rosalynn Carter, Billy, Simons, Barry Thumma, Harvey Georges, Helmut Schmidt, Schmidt, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Camp David, Carter's, Carter jogs, Karl Schumacher, Dirck Halstead, Leonid Brezhnev, Chuck McManis, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Robert Burgess, Joe Holloway Jr, AP Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Paul J, Richards, Clinton, Chung Sung, Fidel Castro, Adalberto Roque, Arne Knudsen, Hugo Chavez's, Juan Barreto, Howard Dean, Erik S, Scott Olson, Marco Longari, Michael Williamson, Barack Obama's, Alex Wong, Obama, George W, Bush, J, Scott Applewhite, Mark Wilson, Ismail Haniya, Mahmud Hams, Jung Yeon, Nelson Mandela, Jeff Moore, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, Gomes, Darren McCollester, Sheikh Jarrah, Mary Robinson, Bernat, George, Kris Connor, Raul Castro, Javier Galeano, Richard Lewis, David Hume Kennerly, Michelle Obama, Martin Luther King Jr, Jewel Samad, Brian Kersey, Chris McKay, Phil Skinner, Donald Trump, Saul Loeb, Jim Chapin, Drew Angerer, Matt McClain, Dan Quinn, Scott Cunningham, Chip Somodevilla, Mark Humphrey, John Amis, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Adam Schultz, John Bazemore, Michael S, Williamson, Jason Carter, Evelyn Hockstein, Jimmy Carter's, there’s, aren’t, – Carter, Ronald Reagan –, CNN’s Eva Rothenberg, ” Regan, dismissively, gaslighting, “ Governor Reagan, Reagan empaneled, Alan Greenspan, Donald Trump’s, Kamala Harris Organizations: CNN, Social Security, Medicare, Carter, ”, Habitat, Humanity, Bettmann, Jimmy, AP, US Naval Academy, Democratic, Atlanta, Hulton, Democratic National Convention, Walnut, Theater, Ford, Getty Images, Department of Energy, West, Airlift, Camp, AFP, Getty, Democratic National Committee, White House, Ronald Reagan Library, Andrews Air Force Base, United Nations, Trinity Church, Summit, America's, Getty Images Cuban, University of Havana, Venezuelan, Department of Defense, Washington Post, White, Foreign, Korea University, North, South, Boston's Logan International Airport, Irish, Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, Carter Center, Lincoln Memorial, Sunday School, Maranatha Baptist Church, Hurricane Relief, College, College Station ,, Secret Service, Atlanta Falcons, NFL, Former, The New York Times, Pew Research Center, Congressional Research Service, Security Locations: Cuba, Guinea, Iraq, Winnipeg, Canada, George H.W ., United States, Elk City , Oklahoma, Plains , Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Georgia's St, Florida, Panama, Vietnam, Berlin, Maryland, Egypt, Israel, Pennsylvania, Vienna, Austria, Los Angeles, Arab, Wiesbaden, West Germany, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, AFP, New, Asan , South Korea, Havana, Oslo, Norway, Caracas, Venezuela, American, Connecticut, Boston, Maputo, Mozambique, DC, Ghana, Gaza, Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Johannesburg, Jerusalem, Sheikh, Pyongyang, Chicago, College Station, College Station , Texas, Nashville , Tennessee, Plains

☆ China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank earlier this year, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Paul P. Murphy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank pierside in the spring and the Chinese Navy tried to conceal the loss, according to two US defense officials. The attack submarine was the first of its new Zhou-class line of vessels, the official said, under construction at a shipyard near the city of Wuhan. “It’s not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the fact that their new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank pierside,” said the senior US defense official. According to the latest China military power report from 2023, the PLA Navy operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines, and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines. The PLA Navy has 370 platforms, which includes 234 warships, according to CRS, while the US has 219 warships.

Persons: The Zhou, Zhou, It’s, ”, Tom Shugart, “ I’ve, ” Shugart, Shugart Organizations: CNN, Chinese Navy, Maxar Technologies, PLA Navy, Center, New, New American Security, People’s Liberation Army, PLA ) Navy, US Navy, Street Journal, Congressional Research Service, Navy, CRS Locations: Wuhan, The, New American, Beijing, United States, China, Washington ,

☆ A Navy SEAL unit that killed Osama bin Laden may be training Taiwanese forces to defeat a possible Chinese invasion, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewAn elite Navy SEAL unit may be preparing Taiwanese forces for reconnaissance operations and missions to repel a Chinese invasion, retired Navy officers said after a report said the unit had been training for such an eventuality for over a year. AdvertisementAccording to three retired Navy officers, the unit may be training Taiwanese soldiers to fight back against China should it invade Taiwan. One, he told BI, "is training Taiwanese forces in reconnaissance and perhaps direct attack, focusing on missions that might be required to defeat a Chinese invasion." "Naval reconnaissance forces would locate Chinese forces for long-range attacks," he said, adding: "They might also launch attacks against offshore ships or shipping in Chinese ports." Reports have already given clues as to how the US is preparing for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Persons: —, Osama bin Laden, Mark Cancian, Bradley Martin, Sam Tangredi, Graeme Thompson, Joe Biden, Samuel Paparo, Martin, Cancian, Daniel Ceng, Phil Davidson, Davidson, Feng Hao, Paparo, Frank Kendall, Kendall Organizations: Service, Navy SEAL, Financial Times, Business, Navy, Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US Navy, Getty, Eurasia Group, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Pacific Command, Washington Post, Congressional Research Service, Senate Armed Services Committee, Theater Command, PLA, China Military, Anadolu, American Enterprise Institute, Institute for, Japan's Nikkei, RAND Corp, US Air Force, Air & Space Forces Association Locations: Virginia, Taiwan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Pakistan, China, People's Republic of China, Pingtung County, AFP, Washington ,, Australia, United States, Taichung, Anadolu, Pacific

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