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Former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden take part in the CNN presidential debate on Thursday, June 27. Austin Steele/CNN Trump and Biden were debating each other for the first time since 2020. Austin Steele/CNN Biden's campaign won a coin toss before the debate to choose which side he would stand on. Austin Steele/CNN Biden addresses Trump directly during the debate. Austin Steele/CNN Biden answers an early question.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump ., Biden, Trump, “, ” Trump, he’d, it’s, ” Biden, Biden’s, Hunter, Stormy Daniels, Trump’s, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, Roe, ”, Tristen Rouse, Joe, – Biden flailed, Austin Steele, We’d, Herbert Hoover, David, “ I’ve, Beau, Daniels, Trump “, Wade, “ It’s, Israel, –, Donald Trump, Will Lanzoni, Jill Biden, Adam Rose, CNN US Sen, Marco Rubio, CNN Trump, CNN Biden, CNN Tapper, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, CNN MJ Lee, Mandel Ngan, Megan Varner, Reuters Kennedy, Burk Stringfellow, Vladimir Putin, Putin, we’ve, I’m, Hillary Clinton –, South Carolina Republican Sen, Tim Scott, – Biden, freefall ”, Tapper – Organizations: CNN, Biden, Trump, Democratic, ABC, ”, Atlantic, Capitol, Capitol Hill, US Supreme Court, CNN US, House, CNN Biden's, CNN Biden, Atlanta, White House, Getty, Reuters, NATO, Ukraine, Western Europe, South Carolina Republican, Blacks, Trump – Locations: Atlanta, Washington ,, America, Iraq, United States, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Georgia, CNN's, AFP, Afghanistan, Russian, Ukraine, Iran, Wisconsin , Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South, freefall, Covid

☆ Ancient bone shows how Neanderthals cared for the vulnerable, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The find suggested that members of the community cared for and looked after the vulnerable child, who lived at least 146,000 years ago. The research is at odds with the image of Neanderthals, ancient human relatives who went extinct around 40,000 years ago, as brutish cavemen. The study did not include precise dating of the bone, which would require extraction of ancient DNA, but Neanderthals occupied the site 146,000 to 273,000 years ago. Study of the fossil revealed abnormalities in the ear bone. “For decades, it has been known that Neanderthals cared for and looked after their vulnerable companions,” Conde-Valverde said.

Persons: ”, paleoanthropologist Mercedes Conde, Valverde, “, Conde, ” Conde, Mercedes Conde, Julia Diez, Chapelle, Penny Spikins, Spikins, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, University of Alcalá, Syndrome, Valero, University of York Locations: Spain, Spain’s Valencia, Conde, United States, what’s, Iraq, France, United Kingdom

☆ Houthi rebels say they've fired a new 'homemade hypersonic missile,' posting footage of its launch at a civilian ship
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewYemen's Houthi rebel group said on Wednesday that it targeted a Liberian-flagged ship in the Arabian Sea with a "homemade hypersonic missile," saying it unveiled the weapon for the first time. Houthis posted footage of the missileHouthi-linked channels posted footage of the purported launch, calling the missile the "Hatem-2" or "Hadim-2." AFP via Getty ImagesIs the 'Hatem-2' really a homemade hypersonic missile? Notably, Yemen's latest launch occurred as the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group left the region on Saturday after defending the area for about eight months. It is due to be replaced by the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

Persons: —, Yahya Sare'e, Sare'e, MSC Sarah V, Houthis, Hatem, SARAH V, Saddam Hussein's, Yemen's, Dwight D, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier, Roosevelt Organizations: Service, Liberian, Business, MSC, Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, British Royal Navy, Yemeni Military Industrialization Corporation, United Nations, AFP, Getty, Tel Aviv . Naval, US, Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Locations: Greek, Israel, Abu Dhabi, Persian, Iran, Tehran, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, China, Palestine, Red, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Yemen, South Korea

☆ Rogue to Victim: What Australia Sees in Julian Assange
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, received a hero’s welcome even before he was set to arrive back in his home country of Australia on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a felony charge of violating the U.S. Australian politicians sprinted to publish statements supporting a plea deal that gained him his freedom. Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister who is now Australia’s ambassador to the United States, even joined him in the U.S. courtroom on the Pacific island of Saipan. That Mr. Assange’s case concluded in a distant outpost — the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth tied to America through post-World War II imperialism — seemed fitting. He ended his standoff with the American government far from Washington, 14 years after he published classified military and diplomatic documents, revealing secret details about U.S. spycraft and the killing of civilians during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Persons: Julian Assange, Kevin Rudd, Assange’s Organizations: WikiLeaks, . Espionage, America, spycraft Locations: Australia, United States, U.S, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Washington, Iraq, Afghanistan

☆ Biden may let US defense contractors deploy to Ukraine, but not like in Iraq and Afghanistan: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewPresident Joe Biden's administration is moving toward a plan that would allow US military contractors to deploy to Ukraine for the first time in a limited capacity, CNN reported. Advertisement"The President is absolutely firm that he will not be sending US troops to Ukraine," they added. AdvertisementThey also said that the move would likely see numbers from just a few dozen, up to around 200, contractors in Ukraine at any one time. In February, European leaders balked at French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out. Allowing US private contractors to go to Ukraine would not be the first time that the Biden White House has crossed its self-imposed red lines regarding support for Ukraine.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Biden, Emmanuel Macron's, Macron Organizations: Service, CNN, Pentagon, Business, NATO, Biden White Locations: Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan

The plea deal allows Assange to avoid prison in the US and return to his native Australia. “That never came up in our conversations,” said David Stilwell, the State Department assistant secretary for the Pacific region during the Trump administration. Sessions’ focus on national security-related leaks was “probably one of the reasons why the [Assange] case had more traction,” Hickey told CNN. Hickey said he was not involved in the Assange case when he was a senior official at DOJ’s National Security Division from 2016 to 2023. Stilwell, the former State Department official under the Trump administration, pushed back on the Assange plea deal.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, Biden, Trump, ”, David Stilwell, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, General Merrick Garland, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Barack Obama, Obama, Trump’s, Jeff Sessions, Adam Hickey, ” Hickey, Hickey, “ Assange, who’s, Mayer Brown, Garland, Andrew McCabe, “, it’s, ” McCabe, Stilwell, ” Stilwell, Bradley Moss, would’ve, ” Moss, ” CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Marshall Cohen, Kevin Liptak Organizations: CNN, United, Wikileaks, State Department, Australian, Justice Department, FBI, Northern, London’s, US Justice Department, White, Pentagon, Army, Assange ., Department, Obama, Biden, DOJ’s National Security Division, Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union, Computer, Ecuadorian Locations: United States, Washington, London, Stockholm, Quito, Ecuador, Australia, Pacific, Virginia, London’s, Northern Mariana Islands, Iraq, Guantanamo, Washington ,

☆ Opinion: Will Julian Assange receive a hero’s welcome in Australia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Opinion Latika Bourke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Julian Assange is no martyr, but the Trump administration’s continued pursuit of the WikiLeaks founder ended up making him one — in the eyes of many Australians. Assange, who was released from prison in the UK on June 24, has long been a polarizing figure in his native Australia. Once Assange pleads guilty, under the plea agreed with the US, he will have spent five years in solitary confinement. Assange’s WikiLeaks disclosures put Western human intelligence sources at risk by the way they were dumped on the internet unredacted. He is reported to be heading to Canberra where he’ll be given a hero’s welcome by some, including his family and hardline supporters.

Persons: Latika Bourke, ”, Read, CNN — Julian Assange, Trump, Latika Bourke Louis Douvis, Assange, narcissist, Pamela Anderson, Vivienne Westwood, Assange “, Chelsea Manning, Matt Canavan, ” Canavan, Julian Assange, Saeed Khan, Canavan, “ he’s, George W, “, Assange’s, Julian Hill, Stella Assange, indefatigably, Hill, Caroline Kennedy, Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese, Albanese’s, Albanese, Scott Morrison, he’s, ” Hill, Assange hasn’t, he’ll Organizations: Nightly, Sydney Morning Herald, Love, CNN, WikiLeaks, Trump, US Army, Australian, Wikileaks, Getty, Reuters, Australian Labor, Democrat, Labor, Liberal, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Australian, India, British, Ecuadorian, London, Sweden, Sydney's, Australia, AFP, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Iraq, Canberra

☆ Biden administration moving towards allowing American military contractors to deploy to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Biden administration is moving toward lifting a de facto ban on American military contractors deploying to Ukraine, four US officials familiar with the matter told CNN, to help the country’s military maintain and repair US-provided weapons systems. The change would mark another significant shift in the Biden administration’s Ukraine policy, as the US looks for ways to give Ukraine’s military an upper hand against Russia. The policy is still being worked on by administration officials and has not received final sign-off yet from President Joe Biden, officials said. Allowing experienced, US government-funded American contractors to maintain a presence in Ukraine means they will be able to help fix damaged, high-value equipment much faster, officials said. The discussions follow a series of decisions the US has made in recent months to try to help Ukraine beat back the Russians.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, “, ”, Jake Sullivan, Alex Vindman, Donald Trump’s, Vindman, ” Vindman Organizations: CNN, Biden, Russia, ”, Pentagon, State Department, Administration, Ukraine, National, European Affairs, Donald Trump’s National Security Council Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Poland, Romania, Kharkiv, Iraq, Afghanistan

☆ Julian Assange ends stalemate with US, exchanging guilty plea to felony charge for his freedom
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Thomas Manglona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Assange addresses the Oxford Union Society from the Ecuadorian Embassy in January 2013. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images Assange attends a news conference inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in August 2014. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images Assange, on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, holds up a United Nations report in February 2016. Carl Court/Getty Images Assange speaks to the media in May 2017, after Swedish prosecutors had dropped their investigation of rape allegations against Assange. Jack Taylor/Getty Images Assange was seen for the first time in months during a hearing via teleconference in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2018.

Persons: Julian Assange, “, ” Assange, Assange, Kim Hong, Ramona Manglona, Chelsea Manning, Jack Taylor, LEON NEAL, BERTIL ERICSON, FABRICE COFFRINI, Carl Court, Geoff Caddick, Oli Scarff, CARL COURT, Leon Neal, Philip Toscano, Ricardo Patino, Frank Augstein, David Paul Morris, John Stillwell, Mike, Pompeo, Maria Sol Borja, Alastair Grant, Daniel Leal, Elizabeth Cook, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, ASSANGE, Adrienne Watson, Stella, ”, Gabriel Shipton, he’s, hasn’t, Julian, –, ” Shipton Organizations: Northern Mariana Islands CNN, Northern, Northern Mariana Islands . Justice Department, WikiLeaks, United States, Reuters, Army, Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, British, Justice Department, Guardian, Getty, Swedish Trade Union Confederation, St, Paul's, Court, Ecuadorian Embassy, Oxford Union Society, Ecuadorian Foreign, Southwest Festival, Bloomberg, United Nations Human Rights, United, United Nations, CIA, CNN, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Southwark Crown, White, Sweden, National Security, Department of Justice, BBC Radio Locations: Saipan, Northern Mariana, London, United Kingdom, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Australia, United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sweden, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Westminster, AFP, Stockholm, Geneva, Switzerland, Austin , Texas, United Nations, Quito, Southwark, Baghdad, Guantanamo Bay

☆ Who is Julian Assange, what did the Wikileaks founder do to go through a 12-year legal battle?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from a British prison and was making his way back to his home country Australia on Monday after his 12-year battle against extradition to the United States ended in a plea deal. Assange boarded a flight from London’s Stansted airport on Monday after being released on bail from prison, according to a statement from WikiLeaks on Tuesday. “Julian Assange is free,” WikiLeaks said. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange boards a plane at a location given as London, Britain, in this still image from video released on June 25, 2024. Former Ecuadorian president Lenín Moreno told CNN he is glad the Wikileaks founder won’t be handed over to the US.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, “ Julian Assange, “, Chelsea Manning, ”, Jack Taylor, Hillary Clinton’s, John Podesta, Abu Hamza al, Masri, Joe Biden, Assange’s, Stella Assange, “ Julian, Lenín Moreno, won’t, Moreno, Gustavo Petro Organizations: CNN, Ecuadorian, WikiLeaks, US Justice Department, Wikileaks, Army, US, of Scientology, European, Human Rights, Westminster Magistrates, Democratic National Committee, London’s Metroplitan Police, UN, Amnesty, American Locations: Australia, United States, London, Iraq, Afghanistan, London’s Stansted, ”, United Kingdom, Britain, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Hawaii, Townsville, Queensland, Guantanamo Bay, Iraqi, Sweden, Stockholm, Westminster, England, London’s, Colombia, Mexico

☆ Julian Assange agrees to plea deal with Biden administration that will allow him to avoid imprisonment in US
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Evan Perez | Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The plea deal would credit that time served, allowing Assange to immediately return to Australia, his native country. The plea deal must still be approved by a federal judge, but as of Monday morning, Assange had been released from a UK prison, according to WikiLeaks. A federal judge in the Northern Mariana Islands set a plea hearing and sentencing for Wednesday morning, according to the US District Court there. President Joe Biden in recent months has alluded to a possible deal pushed by Australian government officials to return Assange to Australia. FBI and Justice Department officials have opposed any deal that didn’t include a felony guilty plea by Assange, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, “ Julian Assange, ” Assange, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Joe Biden, Katelyn Polantz, Holmes Lybrand, Lauren Said, Moorhouse, Claudia Rebaza, Christian Edwards Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, WikiLeaks, High Court, Stansted, Department, Prosecutors, Court, Army, FBI Locations: United States, London, Australia, Northern Mariana Islands, Iraq, Guantanamo

☆ Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Michael Kosnar | Ryan J. Reilly | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Julian Assange gestures as he speaks to the media from the balcony of the Embassy Of Ecuador on May 19, 2017 in London, England. Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to plead guilty as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to go free after spending five years in a British prison, according to court documents. Assange was charged by criminal information — which typically signifies a plea deal — with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, the court documents say. Court documents revealing Assange's plea deal were filed Monday evening in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. A superseding indictment was returned against Assange more than five years ago, in May 2019, and a second superseding indictment was returned in June 2020.

Persons: Julian Assange, Jack Taylor, Assange, Barack Obama's, Chelsea Manning, —, Robert Mueller, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Trump, Putin, Manning, Obama Organizations: U.S . Justice Department, Department, WikiLeaks, Northern, Ecuadorian Embassy, Court, Democratic National Committee Locations: ENGLAND, Ecuador, London, England, U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Mariana Islands, Australia, London —, United States, Russian

☆ Thousands of Iran-backed fighters ready to join Hezbollah's battle with Israel as UN chief warns of catastrophe 'beyond imagination'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThousands of Iran-backed fighters are ready to join the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon as tensions rise with neighboring Israel, the Associated Press reported. Hussein Malla / AP ImagesHezbollah has been launching strikes against Israel in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas since the latter's October 7 attacks, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Israel has also been weighing an all-out war with the group, with the country's defense minister, Israel Katz, saying on Tuesday that a decision on such a move was near. In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely hit," Katz wrote on X. Advertisement"One rash move – one miscalculation – could trigger a catastrophe that goes far beyond the border, and frankly, beyond imagination," he added.

Persons: —, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Nasrallah, Hussein Malla, Israel Katz, Katz, António Guterres Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Associated Press, Business, Atlantic Council, AP, Israel, Hamas, UN, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Baghdad, Gaza

☆ Donald Trump’s potential vice president picks
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Kaanita Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump has been busy in recent weeks. Doug Burgum speaks during a campaign event with former President Donald Trump, in Laconia, New Hampshire, in January. Vance, shakes hands with former President Donald Trump during a rally hosted by the former president at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio. He is also close with Donald Trump Jr.Vance, a former venture capitalist, veteran and author, is among the candidates who received vice-presidential vetting materials from the Trump campaign. Rep. Byron Donalds speaks before former President Donald Trump at the “People's Convention” of Turning Point Action on June 15, 2024, in Detroit.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Doug Burgum, Al Drago, Burgum, Burgum —, —, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, ”, ” Burgum, “, Sen, Marco Rubio, Joe Raedle, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio —, Rubio, Joe Biden, Vance, Drew Angerer, Vance Ohio Sen, J.D, Donald Trump Jr, Mike Pence’s, Tim Scott, Justin Sullivan, Tim Scott Trump, Scott, Nikki Haley, Elise Stefanik, Chip Somodevilla, Stefanik, Stefanik —, she’s, Ben Carson, Anna Moneymaker, Carson —, — didn’t, ” Carson, Carson, ” Trump, Byron Donalds, Carlos Osorio, Ron DeSantis, Donalds, Jim Crow, ” Donalds, ” “, Tasos Katopodis, Biden, Haley, ” Haley, didn’t, Tom Cotton, Andrew Harnik, Tom Cotton Arkansas Sen, Cotton, Tulsi Gabbard, Brendan Smialowski, wokeness, ” Gabbard, Gabbard, CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, David Wright, Shania Shelton, Kristen Holmes, Steve Contorno, Stephen Collinson, Avery Lotz, Manu Raju, Alayna Treene, Kate Sullivan, Aaron Pellish, Jeff Zeleny, Eva McKend, Gregory Krieg, Kylie Atwood, Arit John, Ebony Davis, Clare Foran, Ali Zaslav, Ted Barrett Organizations: CNN, Republican National Convention, North Dakota Gov, Bloomberg, Getty, Doug Burgum North Dakota Gov, Microsoft, Trump, Miami - Dade Country Fair, Delaware County Fairgrounds, Capitol, Fox News, Greenville Convention Center, South, Republican, Senate, South Carolina Gov, Grace Baptist Church, Ben Carson Former Housing, Urban, Department of Housing, Florida Gov, Trump ”, Democratic, Press, GOP, United Nations, UN, National Security Council, House, Senate Republican, NBC, Conservative Political, Conference, Tulsi, Former Hawaii Rep, Democratic National Committee, Democrat, New York Times, Defense Department, State Department Locations: New York, Laconia , New Hampshire, Miami, Florida, Delaware, Delaware , Ohio, Congress, Ukraine, Greenville, Greenville , South Carolina, South Carolina, Grappone, Concord , New Hampshire, Marion , Iowa, Detroit, Byron Donalds Florida, Trump, West Des Moines , Iowa, Washington , DC, Afghanistan, Iraq, National Harbor , Maryland, AFP, American

☆ What to Know About Suicides in the U.S. Army
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Janet Reitman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Army’s suicide rate has risen steadily even in peacetime, and the numbers now exceed total combat deaths in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Here’s what you need to know about the Army’s suicide crisis:The size and psychological strength of the Army has declined. After the Vietnam War, the Army went through a period of recalibration, a slowing-down that allowed leaders to take stock of their troops and assess their strategies. This requires that the Army be able to deploy anywhere, at any time, for any reason. The Army’s mental-health care system is broken.

Persons: ” Organizations: Times, Army, Behavioral Health, Fort Riley Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, Austin, Fort Riley, Kansas, Vietnam, China, Russia, Fort

☆ US military says it killed a senior ISIS official in Syria airstrike
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A senior ISIS official was killed in a US airstrike on Sunday in Syria, the US military said Wednesday in a post on X. “On June 16, US Central Command conducted an airstrike in Syria, killing Usamah Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim al-Janabi, a senior ISIS official and facilitator,” the post from US Central Command said. Nearly three weeks ago, an airstrike in a remote area near Dhaardaar in Somalia was assessed to have killed three ISIS militants, according to US Africa Command. Between January and March 2024, CENTCOM and its partners killed seven ISIS operatives in Syria and detained 27 more. “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”

Persons: CNN —, “, Usamah Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim al, ” CENTCOM, ”, Erik Kurilla Organizations: CNN, ISIS, US Central Command, US Africa Command Locations: Syria, Africa, Dhaardaar, Somalia, Iraq

☆ Former CIA Officer Andrew Bustamante Explains How Spying Works
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Kevin Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Andrew Bustamante spent seven years working covertly as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA recruited him while he was applying to join the Peace Corps after leaving the US Air Force. Bustamante possesses an intimate knowledge of the intelligence community's inner workings. After meeting his wife — also a CIA officer — and having children, he learned the CIA was no place for families. Today, he runs his own company, Everyday Spy, training people in the techniques he learned as a spy.

Persons: Andrew Bustamante, Bustamante, — Organizations: Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Peace Corps, US Air Force, Business Locations: Afghanistan, Iraq

☆ Opinion | Why Israel Is in Existential Danger Today
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

On Nov. 4, 2022, just after the current far-right Israeli government coalition won election, I wrote a column with this headline: “The Israel We Knew Is Gone.” It was meant to be a warning flare about just how radical this coalition is. I believe events have proved them wrong — and the situation is now even worse: The Israel we knew is gone, and today’s Israel is in existential danger. Israel is up against a regional superpower, Iran, that has managed to put Israel into a vice grip, using its allies and proxies: Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Shiite militias in Iraq. Right now, Israel has no military or diplomatic answer. But Israel is led by a prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has to stay in power to avoid potentially being sent to prison on corruption charges.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, — Organizations: West Bank, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Oslo, Jordan

☆ Election Updates: A Democratic brawl in a Virginia race may put a House seat in play in November.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

One of the field’s top fund-raisers, Krystle Kaul, faces charges of embellishing her résumé well beyond the usual flourishes of a political campaign. Ms. Filler-Corn was the first woman and first Jewish speaker of the Virginia State House. Mr. Helmer is a Rhodes scholar and an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and as a member of the Virginia House. Then last week, an anonymous Democratic official, speaking through her lawyer, accused Mr. Helmer of groping her and later making sexually crude remarks. “That would be presumptuous.”Democratic voters in the district peppered by texts attacking Mr. Helmer could be forgiven if they do not know where to turn.

Persons: Dan Helmer, Eileen, Krystle Kaul, Suhas Subramanyam, Jennifer Wexton, Subramanyam, Helmer, Barbara Comstock, Donald J, Trump, Mr, “, Ms, Wexton, Helmer of groping, Kaul, Michele Davis Younger, ”, Will Reinert, Subramanyam’s, Aliscia Andrews, Alexander Isaac, Avram Fechter Organizations: Congressional, Democratic, Senate, Republican, Virginia State House, Army, Virginia State House Democrats, Washington Post, Loudoun County Democratic Party, National Organization for Women, ”, Republicans, Democrat, National Republican Congressional, ” Democratic, Virginia Democratic, Federal, Commission, PAC, United States Central Command, Department of Defense, Marine Corps, Loudoun County Democratic Locations: Washington, Israel, Virginia, Rhodes, Afghanistan, Iraq, Democratic, Loudoun County, Va

☆ World’s nuclear powers strengthening arsenals as geopolitical tensions grow, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —Nuclear-armed countries are strengthening their arsenals and several have made ready new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapons systems amid rising geopolitical tensions, a new report has found. “While the global total of nuclear warheads continues to fall as Cold War-era weapons are gradually dismantled, regrettably we continue to see year-on-year increases in the number of operational nuclear warheads,” the institute’s director Dan Smith said. “Accordingly, there is a growing concern that North Korea might intend to use these weapons very early in a conflict.”Protesters against nuclear weapons outside the US mission to the UN. Moscow has continued to make threats involving the use of nuclear weapons in light of Western aid for Ukraine, and in May 2024 carried out tactical nuclear weapons drills close to the Ukrainian border, SIPRI said. “We have not seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the Cold War,” said Wilfred Wan, the director of SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Program.

Persons: Israel –, “, Dan Smith, Jung Yeon, ” SIPRI, ”, Hans M, Kristensen, Matt Korda, Erik McGregor, SIPRI, Wilfred Wan Organizations: London CNN —, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, ”, Korean, Getty, “, SIPRI’s, Ukraine, Hamas, Conference, Nuclear Weapons Locations: United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Stockholm, Seoul, South Korea, Swedish, Ukraine, saliency, ”, “, “ China, Korea, Gaza, Moscow, Ukrainian, Iran, Iraq, Syria

☆ Killings show ISIS remains a threat in Syria's desert 5 years after losing its caliphate
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

ISIS killed an estimated 84 Syrian soldiers and 44 civilians in central Syria in March, making it the most violent month in the ISIS desert campaign since late 2017. Another four Syrian troops were killed in another desert attack in late April. "Over the past several years, ISIS has been able to make regular attacks in the desert," Landis told Business Insider. AdvertisementLandis noted that the Syrian military is picking up its efforts to attack ISIS in the Homs-Palmyra region. AdvertisementWhile the Syrian military does carry out combing operations in the Homs desert, ISIS remnants are far from Damascus's top priority.

Persons: —, Joshua Landis, Landis, Bashar al, Aron Lund, Lund, Assad, what's, there's Organizations: Service, ISIS, Human Rights, Business, Center for Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma, Century International, Syrian Democratic Forces Locations: United Kingdom, Homs, Syria, Iraq, Deir ez, Palmyra, Islamic State, Kurdish, Turkey, Syria's Hasakah, Damascus, State

☆ Opinion: Literary protest against the war in Gaza has gone off the rails
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Opinion Ilene Prusher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Ilene Prusher Jordana MillerBut something about this year’s Jerusalem International Writers Festival, which was held late last month, was off. The festival’s artistic director, Julia Fermentto-Tzaisler, thought about whether the beloved book festival should happen this year at all. A shadow over the literary worldExamples abound of how fallout from the ongoing war is casting a shadow over the literary world. To be sure, these are not the only cancelations the literary world has experienced related to the war; nor are Jewish writers the only ones who have faced controversy. From the start of this war, it seems I’m much more therapist than writer,” she read in a lilting Hebrew.

Persons: Prusher Jordana Miller, Julia Fermentto, —, ”, Baillie Gifford, Suzanne Nossel, “, Nicholas Kristof, Miriam Libicki, they’re, Sir Simon Schama —, Benjamin Netanyahu, ’, John Irving, Covid, Tzaisler, Harry Potter, Noya Dan, Eshkol Nevo, I’m Organizations: Florida Atlantic University, CNN, Jerusalem CNN, Writers, PEN America, PEN, AP, New York Times, Jerusalem Writers, soccer, European Championship, Columbia University, Hay Locations: Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel, Hay, Wye, Wales, Vancouver, Scotland, Europe, British, Iraq, Iraqi

☆ Hamas leader says ‘we have the Israelis right where we want them’ in leaked messages, WSJ reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Mostafa Salem | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“We have the Israelis right where we want them,” Sinwar told Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar recently, according to one of the messages, the WSJ reported Monday. The date of the message isn’t clear but suggests that Sinwar is pressing for the war to continue. “Israel’s journey in Rafah won’t be a walk in the park,” Sinwar allegedly said in a message to the Hamas political leadership. CNN has not seen the leaked messages viewed by the WSJ and is not able to confirm the authenticity of the communications. The landmark vote means the UNSC now joins other major global bodies in backing the plan, increasing international pressure on both Hamas and Israel to end the conflict.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, ” Sinwar, Sinwar, ”, Israel, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, “, Prophet Muhammad, –, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, Wall Street, Sinwar, WSJ, United Nations Security, Monday’s, Russia, UNSC, US Locations: Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Algeria, Rafah, Karbala, Iraq

☆ Children of ISIS fighters coming of age in detention ask what they’re being punished for
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Brent Swails | Clarissa Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Northeastern Syria CNN —He had had visitors just once before, years ago when he first arrived in prison at 14. According to Amnesty, the estimated 30,000 children currently held in at least 27 detention facilities and two detention camps – Al-Hol and Al-Roj – in northeastern Syria represent the highest concentration of children arbitrarily detained and deprived of their freedom anywhere in the world. CNN was granted extremely rare access inside detention camps and facilities for suspected ISIS fighters and their family members, including Panorama prison. ‘A breeding ground for the next generation of ISIS’At Al-Hol, a sprawling detention camp of faded tents, rusted barbed wire and wind-swept earth, the scale of the problem reveals itself. Hoda Muthana holds hands with her 7-year-old son at the Al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria.

Persons: Northeastern Syria CNN —, Stefan Uterloo, Uterloo, ” Uterloo, It’s, We’ve, ”, Roj, Mazloum Abdi, ” Mazloum, Erik Kurilla, Mike Pratt, Hol, Ní, Ní Aoláin, “, you’ve, it’s, Shamil Chakar, doesn’t, ” Shamil, ‘, Brandy Salman, Hoda, She’s, Muthana, Trump, Hoda Muthana, Christina Jump, Scott McWhinnie, Oscar Featherstone, Augusta Anthony , Lou Robinson, Sarah Tilotta, Eliza Mackintosh, Laura Smith Organizations: Northeastern, Northeastern Syria CNN, American, CNN, ISIS, Syrian Democratic Forces, Panorama, Amnesty, United Nations, SDF, UN, US military’s, Command, US, Boys, Twitter, State Department Locations: Northeastern Syria, United States, Suriname, Dutch, South America, Syria, Kurdish, Iraq, Hol, Al, Panorama, Baghouz, Cologne, Germany, Minnesota, American, Alabama, US

☆ Fact check: Trump falsely claims Iran didn’t fund terror groups when he was president
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They weren’t funding Hamas, and they weren’t funding anything. They weren’t funding Hezbollah,” Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said in a May interview with right-wing host Dan Bongino. Trump’s own administration said in 2020 that Iran was continuing to fund terror groups including Hezbollah. Trump could have fairly said that his sanctions on Iran had made life more difficult for terror groups (though it’s unclear how much their operations were affected). “Iran has never ceased funding many of its core proxy groups” such as Hezbollah, said Phillip Smyth, who studies Iran’s proxies.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Dan Bongino, Phil McGraw, Phil, Trump, Pompeo, Trump’s, Mike Pompeo, ” Pompeo, “ We’re, “, ”, Ali Vaez, Hanin Ghaddar, Colin Clarke, Phillip Smyth, Brian Hook, ” Hook Organizations: Washington CNN, Hamas, CNN, Hezbollah, State, Trump, Crisis, The Washington Institute for Near, Washington Post, ” Reuters, The, The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qods Force Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Hamas, Palestinian, Israel, “, Tehran, Syria, Iraq, The Stockholm, Bahrain, Yemen, Qaeda, Europe, Africa, Asia

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