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☆ Former CIA officer who spied for China sentenced to a decade in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Josh Campbell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A former CIA officer arrested for espionage has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to provide classified information to Chinese intelligence officials, according to the US Department of Justice. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, of Honolulu, had arranged for himself and a relative, who also previously worked for the CIA, to meet with Chinese security officers in Hong Kong and provide classified material in exchange for $50,000, according to his plea agreement. Ma pleaded guilty in May. Ma was later the target of an FBI undercover operation after applying to work as a linguist at the bureau’s Honolulu field office. During the course of his monitored employment with the FBI, Ma allegedly took a digital camera into the FBI office to photograph sensitive documents that he would then take to his handlers in China.

Persons: CNN —, Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, Ma, Salina Kanai Organizations: CNN, CIA, US Department of Justice, FBI, People’s, DOJ, Justice Department Locations: Honolulu, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China, China, Salina, United States

☆ Kursk: Russia counterattacks against Ukraine in border region
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Gul Tuysuz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russia has launched a counter-attack in the Kursk border region where Ukrainian forces last month launched a surprise cross-border incursion. Ukraine has been anticipating a Russian reaction and a counteroffensive is in line with the ‘Ukrainian plan,’ Zelensky said. Zelensky has previously said that the surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk region was the initial step in a four-part “victory plan.”The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement Thursday that Russian forces had “penetrated” into the Kursk region, capturing 10 settlements. On August 6, Ukrainian forces stormed into the Kursk region in a shock, lightning strike that caught even American officials by surprise. Last week, Zelensky said Ukraine had captured around 100 settlements in the Kursk region, and around 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of territory.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ’ Zelensky, Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, –, Bill Burns, Richard Moore, Ukraine’s, Moore, Burns, Cross, Pat Griffith, Dmytro Lubinets, ” Zelensky, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, Russian Ministry of Defense, CIA, Red Cross, International Committee, ICRC, ” ICRC Ukraine Locations: Russia, Kursk, Ukraine, Russia’s Kursk, ”, Russian, Snagost, Moscow, Ukrainian, Donetsk region, Donetsk

☆ The plot to topple Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Paul Starobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

But it was only when Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine , in 2022, that Ammosov began to plot the overthrow of his homeland. As I found in months of wide-ranging interviews, everyone aspiring to a new Russian revolution grasps the seemingly impossible odds of their bid to topple Putin. Ponomarev — who was profiled last year in The Washington Post under the headline "Could this man bring down Putin?" Most applicants live in Russia, Sokolov tells me, but submissions have come from as far away as Uruguay. "I know a lot of good officers" in the CIA, Ponomarev told me, who "sympathize" with the anti-Putin insurgency.

Persons: Vladislav Ammosov, Ukraine —, Ammosov, wondrously, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Simona Supino, Alexey Navalny —, Ilya Ponomarev, Ponomarev —, —, Sean Guillory, Denis Sokolov, Sokolov, Galina Starovoytova, Anastasia Sergeeva, Sergeeva, Valter, Putin —, Tatiana Kosinova, Yelena Bonner, Itil, Boris Nemtsov, Nemtsov, Vladimir Lenin, specter, NurPhoto, Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Boris Akunin, Ponomarev, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, Alexei Sobchenko, Sergei Chuzavkov, Ilya Ponomarev Ponomarev, Michał Kamiński, Kosinova, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, Nikolai Gogol's, . Barnum, Bernie, Madoff, Donald, Leonid Nevzlin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Navalny, King George III, Khodorkovsky, Garry Kasparov, Putin's, Andrey Volna, Brian Fitzpatrick, Charlie Wilson's, Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Daniel Fried, William Burns, Fried, Biden, We're, Evgenia, it's Organizations: Putin, Ukrainian, Russian Federation, The Washington Post, University of Pittsburgh, Civic Council, Kennan, Wilson Center, GRU, Russia, BI, International Republican Institute, CIA, Kremlin, Russian, Memorial, Soviet Union, of America, Civic, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Russian Volunteer Corps, European, Human Rights, Siberian Battalion, Ammosov, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Putin's Defense Ministry, True, Bolsheviks, of Russia Legion, People's Deputies, State Department, Justice Department, Polish Senate, Trump University, Trump, Khodorkovsky, FBI, Intelligence, Senate, Ukrainian Security Services, Bolshevik Locations: Siberia, Russia, Warsaw, Poland, Ukraine, Sakha, India, Putin Russia, Russian, Kyiv, The, restive North Caucasus, Washington, Soviet Union, Moscow, WhatsApp, Ukrainian, Soviet, Crimean, USSR, Europe, Uruguay, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, America, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Belgorod, Kursk, Kremlin, China, Cuba, True Russia, Ponomarev, Northern Virginia, Polish, ., Lviv, Yukos, London, Pennsylvania, Texas, Afghanistan, Putin Russian, Tallinn, Estonia

☆ Ukrainian forces in Kursk are readying for a long fight and may plan to 'bleed' the Russians just like in Ukraine, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That figure is more than the amount of territory Russia has seized in Ukraine so far this year. AdvertisementThat's a rate of more than 1,100 casualties a day, and there are indications Russian forces are continuing to take heavy losses. A pair of Ukrainian soldiers walk in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region. But he said there's also a danger that Ukraine's forces could get overextended and "get too widely spaced that the Russians can take advantage of it." Furthermore, this unexpected invasion of Russian territory has allowed Ukraine to regain the initiative after months in a grueling defensive position.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Fabien Nachi, Matthew Savill, David Cohen, Michael Bohnert, Savill, Ed Ram, Mark Cancian, there's, Cancian, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Business, NBC, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, UK Ministry of Defence, Russia, Ukraine, CIA, RAND Corporation, Washington, Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Russia's Kursk, Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Sudzha, Ukrainian

☆ CIA director saw ‘genuine risk’ of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons early in Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CIA Director Bill Burns testifies next to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines during a House (Select) Intelligence Committee hearing on diversity in the intelligence community, on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 27, 2021. CIA Director William Burns believed there was a real risk in the fall of 2022 that Russia could use nuclear weapons on the battlefield against Ukraine, though he said the West should not be intimidated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats. "There was a moment in the fall of 2022 when I think there was a genuine risk of the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons," Burns said. In the more than two years since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has regularly signaled that it would consider using nuclear weapons in the war. It allows the use of nuclear weapons in response to an attack with nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies, as well as a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the Russian state.

Persons: Bill Burns, National Intelligence Avril Haines, William Burns, Vladimir Putin's, Burns, Richard Moore, Joe Biden's, Sergey Naryshkin, We've, Putin, Sergei Ryabkov, Ryabkov Organizations: National Intelligence, Capitol, CIA, Financial, Kremlin Locations: Washington, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Russia's Kursk, Kursk

☆ U.S. believes Iran transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has informed allies that it believes Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter. The White House declined to confirm the weapons transfer but reiterated its concern that Iran is deepening its support of Russia. The White House has been warning Iran for months not to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia. The White House has been on edge for months about a possible deal between Iran and Russia. President Joe Biden is set to host British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks at the White House on Friday.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Masoud Pezeshkian, Sean Savett, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, William Burns, Joe Biden, Keir Starmer, Karine Jean, Pierre Organizations: Government, United, Security, Kremlin, Moscow, United Nations, CIA, Ukraine, Democratic, White, Iranian, British, Street Journal Locations: Tehran, Iran, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Iranian, Russia's Kursk, London, China, North Korea, Western, Korea, Moscow, Russian, White House, U.S

And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has poured cold water on US hopefulness, though Biden officials have largely refrained from criticizing him. “In my view, the less that’s said about particular issues, the better,” a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday in response to Netanyahu’s press conference. Days later, a senior administration official who briefed reporters argued that the majority of the details of a ceasefire deal – “90%” – had been agreed to by the two parties. In a detail not previously shared, the senior official said that of the 18 paragraphs in the agreement, 14 were finished and agreed to. They need to rest and refit, in case a war in the north [with Hezbollah] is going to happen,” the second senior administration official said.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden’s, Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “, ”, Itamar, Ben, Antony Blinken, ” –, – “, Feedback Netanyahu, CNN Biden ‘, Hersh Goldberg, Polin, it’s, Israel, Haniyeh, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh’s, —, ” Biden, –, Bill Burns, I’ve, John Kirby, “ I’m, ” Kirby Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, Defense Ministry, IDF, White House Locations: Gaza, Israel, ” – Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Tehran, London, White

☆ How the CIA tries to recruit Russians to spy on their country
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-30 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

At the CIA's covert training facility near Williamsburg, Virginia, commonly called "The Farm," recruits are trained in the world of espionage and the many ways to get people to provide secret information. "We are in the head-hunting business, as we call it," Olson said. "We have to find individuals that we can induce to cooperate equally with us to give us their secrets." After Klyushin was arrested in Switzerland by U.S. authorities, one of the claims his lawyer made was that American intelligence officers had attempted to recruit Klyushin as a spy for the U.S. upon meeting him for the first time. However, as Olson explained to Javers, the way that intelligence officials approach that process is far different, something that he called "the recruitment cycle."

Persons: Jim Olson, —, Eamon Javers, Olson, Javers, Vladislav Klyushin, Klyushin Organizations: Counterintelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, CNBC Senior Washington Locations: Williamsburg , Virginia, Moscow, Russian, U.S, Switzerland, American

☆ Dozens killed in strikes in southern Gaza as preparations for cease-fire talks move forward
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

At least three dozen Palestinians were killed in multiple Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip, officials said Saturday, even as preparations moved ahead for high-level cease-fire talks in the Egyptian capital. The hospital received a total of 33 dead who were killed in three separate strikes in and around Khan Younis. Seventeen others were killed when a strike hit a road south of Khan Younis, including the passengers on a tuk-tuk and passers-by, Nasser Hospital said. Another strike hit a tuk-tuk east of Khan Younis, killing at least five people. First responders also recovered the bodies of 10 people from a residential block west of Khan Younis.

Persons: Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital, Mahmoud Merdawy, David Barnea, Shin, Eliezer Toledano, William Burns, Brett McGurk, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Bassem Naim, Sunday’s, Merdawy Organizations: Hospital, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Associated Press, Health Ministry, Hamas, Qatari, CIA Locations: Gaza, Al, Aqsa, Khan, Israel, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Cairo, U.S

The Utah department issued the notice July 30, but it has not been publicly disclosed until now. It said the hacking group continued a series of unsuccessful efforts from March 2023 to March 2024. The Utah department did not disclose precisely which organizations were targeted. A spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to an email requesting comment on the Utah hacking attempts. The Utah Department of Public Safety did not respond to an email requesting further information about the incidents.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, ”, Adam Meyers, Trump, Kamala Harris, Harris, Sergey Shykevich Organizations: NBC News, Utah Department of Public, Analysis, The, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Intel, Microsoft, Google, Revolutionary Guard, Trump, NBC, United Nations, U.S, The Utah Department of Public, Utah Geological Survey, Industry, CIA Locations: Utah, “ Utah, The U.S, The Utah, American, Three U.S, Iran, Islamic Republic, ” Utah

☆ Even if a Gaza ceasefire is agreed, Israel has made clear it reserves the right to resume the war with Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Months of feverish negotiations, in different cities and at multiple levels, have gotten Israel and Hamas closer to striking a ceasefire deal. “But we are committed to continue the war after the pause in order to achieve the goal of destroying Hamas. It essentially allows Israel – and Hamas – to abandon discussions after the six-week first phase and resume the war. Far-right members of his cabinet have blasted any ceasefire agreement while Israeli reports cite security officials who accuse Netanyahu of sabotaging the negotiations. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was visiting Israel, said Netanyahu had agreed to the proposal while Hamas had not yet.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s, Israel –, –, Netanyahu, Riki Baruch, ”, it’s, John Kirby, “, Joe Biden, Biden, Qatar –, Yahya Sinwar, Bill Burns, Antony Blinken, Sinwar, ” CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, Israel, National Security, Hamas, Islamic, IDF, ”, CIA, Biden, American Locations: Israel, Gaza, Cairo, Palestinian, Egypt, Qatar, Israeli, Israel’s, American, Doha, Iran, Lebanon, Beirut, Tehran

A third teenager has been arrested in connection with a foiled attack on now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna. The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday, according to Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner. Taylor Swift fans gather in Vienna. Authorities display a photo of a man arrested in connection with a plot to attack Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Vienna, Austria. The U.S. State Department and the broader U.S. government have been in contact with Austrian officials about the alleged plot, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Gerhard Karner, Karner, Ernst Happel, Thomas Kronsteiner, Karl Nehammer, “, ” Nehammer, it’s, ” Swift, Sadiq Khan, We’re, ” Khan, Swift, ’, Southport , England Peter Powell, ”, Omar Haijawi, Franz Ruf, Taylor, Roland Schlager, Pirchner, Matthew Miller, “ Taylor, Pedro Gomes, TAS24, Elle, Magnus Ranstorp Organizations: Austrian, Authorities, Islamic State, Investigators, Ernst, London’s Wembley, London, Manchester Arena, Getty, Islamic, of State Security, Intelligence, Ministry of, Interior, CIA, U.S . State Department, State, ” Barracuda, Barracuda Music, Estadio da Luz, Las, Strip, Swedish Defense University, Associated Press Locations: Vienna, al Qaeda, Europe, Gelsenkirchen, Austria, Ariana Grande, Manchester, England, Southport , England, AFP, Ternitz, Austrian, Lisbon, Portugal, United Kingdom, Stockholm

“Any assessment that Iran is assigning lethal operations to a ‘B team’ misses the utility of nonofficial actors," said Roule, currently affiliated with United Against Nuclear Iran. Officials say they see no connection between that plot and the shooting of Trump in Pennsylvania by a local resident who had researched mass shootings and political assassinations. In 2021, the Justice Department charged four alleged Iranian intelligence operatives with trying to kidnap Masih Alinejad. “We have said many times that we have been tracking Iranian threats against former politicians,” she said this week. Neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris has commented on the alleged Iranian assassination plots.

Persons: ”, Kenneth Katzman, don’t, “, ” Katzman, “ There’s, they’ve, Norm Roule, ’, Roule, aren't, Asif Merchant of, Donald Trump, John Bolton, Qassem Soleimani, New York —, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, General Merrick Garland, we’ve, Steven M, Bolton, Biden, it’s, It’s, —, Jake Sullivan, Sean Savett, … The, Harris, White, Karine Jean, Pierre, “ We’ve, Qassem, …, Biden’s, John Kirby, ” Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump, Mike Turner Organizations: FBI, Soufan Center, Congressional Research Service, CIA, United Against Nuclear, Iran’s Revolutionary, Quds Force, Administration, D.C, Justice Department, Eastern, NBC News, Roule, Bolton, National Security Council, … The Biden, NBC, ., White, Indian, ” Locations: Iran, United States, U.S, U.S . Iran, United Against Nuclear Iran, Asif Merchant of Pakistan, Texas, Trump, Pennsylvania, Saudi, Washington, New York, Brooklyn , New York, Bolton, Tehran, Europe, Canada

☆ Iran steps up influence campaign aimed at US voters with fake news sites, Microsoft says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Iranian operatives have ramped up their attempts to influence and monitor the US presidential election by creating fake news outlets targeting liberal and conservative voters and by trying to hack an unnamed presidential campaign, Microsoft said in research published late Thursday. Microsoft said it notified the campaign of the hacking attempt, but declined to say publicly which campaign it was. CNN has requested comment from the Trump campaign. The Iranian, Russian and Chinese governments routinely deny allegations of election influence operations. As president, Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, and he withdrew from a multilateral deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Clint Watts, ”, Kamala Harris ’, Trump, Joe Biden’s, Russia “, China “, “, Qasem Soleimani Organizations: CNN, Iranian, Microsoft, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CIA, FBI, National Intelligence, Russian, Ukraine, Service, Department Locations: MAGA, Iran, Savannah , Georgia, Russian, Ukrainian, Trump, Russia, U.S, China

☆ Missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels hits container ship in first attack in 2 weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden, authorities said Sunday, the first assault by the group since Israeli airstrikes targeted them. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, claimed the attack in a prerecorded statement Sunday afternoon. The rebels have targeted more than 70 vessels with missiles and drones in a campaign that has killed four sailors. Meanwhile Saturday, the U.S. military’s Central Command said its forces destroyed a Houthi missile and launcher in Yemen. Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage, sparked the war.

Persons: Yemen’s Houthi, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Saree, JMIC, ”, Saree, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Liberian, Maritime Information, U.S . Navy, United, U.S MQ, U.S . Defense Department, U.S ., CIA, U.S, U.S . military’s, Command, West Bank Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Aden, Gaza, Iran, Gulf, Groton, ”, United Arab Emirates, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Israel, United States, Britain, Tel Aviv, Hodeida, Asia, East, Europe, Suez, Sanaa, Haniyeh, Tehran, Gulf of Oman, Yemen, Hamas

The same Chinese brokers who were laundering fentanyl proceeds were now heavily involved in marijuana trafficking across the U.S. as well. Over the past decade, Chinese organized crime groups in the U.S. quietly became the dominant money launderers for Mexican cartels. Since 2023, federal prosecutors have charged at least 31 people linked to Chinese groups accused of laundering cartel drug money. In the ensuing months, the team began to understand for the first time how the Chinese became the Mexican cartels’ go-to money launderers. The Chinese money brokers then arrange for the cartels to receive the equivalent amount in pesos or cryptocurrency in Mexico.

Persons: Ray Donovan, Joaquin “ El Chapo ” Guzman, Guzman, Donovan, ”, Michael Mezner, ‘, I’ve, El Chapo, ” Donovan, “, Christopher Urben, “ They’ve, Dennis Wilder, ” Wilder, Urben, ” Urben, Bill Bodner, Vanda Felbab, Brown, ’, They’re, Xi Jinping Organizations: Attorney’s, Central, Central District of, U.S, Division, CIA, Ministry of State Security, U.S ., National Intelligence, National Security Council, Los, Singapore —, Brookings Institution, Operations Division, DEA, Citibank Locations: U.S, East, China, El, Sinaloa, Pasadena, Calif, Central District, Central District of California, Virginia, United States, CJNG, propping, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, Asia, Australia, Singapore, New York, Chicago, Miami, Mexico, Los Angeles County . U.S, Guangzhou, America

☆ Children of Russian spy couple in prisoner swap only learned their nationality on flight to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Anna Chernova | Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The children of two Russian intelligence agents, who were among the detainees released as part of a historic prisoner swap, only discovered their nationality when they were being flown to Moscow, the Kremlin said Friday. The pair had been posing as an Argentine couple in Slovenia where they were convicted of spying. Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted them on the tarmac in Spanish as they didn’t speak Russian and didn’t even know who Putin was, according to Peskov. “When the children came down the plane’s steps – they don’t speak Russian – and Putin greeted them in Spanish, he said ‘Buenas noches,’” Peskov said. While living undercover in Slovenia, Dultsev posed as an IT businessman named Ludvig Gisch.

Persons: Artem Dultsev, Anna Dultseva, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, –, ‘ Buenas, ” Peskov, ”, Dultseva, bouquets, Dultsev, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Ludvig Gisch, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Peskov Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA Locations: Moscow, Argentine, Slovenia, Turkey, Russian, Ankara, ”, Spanish, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Berlin, Ljubljana, United States

☆ Defense secretary abruptly revokes plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind KSM, co-conspirators
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin abruptly revoked a plea deal for the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and his co-conspirators, and he relieved the overseer in charge after years of effort to reach an agreement to bring the cases to a close. Prosecutors in the case had been discussing the possibility of a plea deal for more than two years, which would have avoided a lengthy trial complicated by questions over the admissibility of evidence obtained during torture. The US had said it would seek the death penalty for Mohammed. US criminal courts for decades have dealt with high profile terror trials, including with death sentences, which Holder had authorized. “They were dealt a bad hand by political hacks and ideologues who lost faith in our justice system.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Bin ‘ Attash, Hawsawi –, Susan Escallier, ” Austin, Mohammed, ”, Brett Eagleson, Democratic Sen, Richard Blumenthal, ” Sen, Lindsey Graham, “, George W, Bush, Eric Holder, Barack Obama’s, Holder, ” Holder, Daniel Pearl, ideologues, CNN’s Manu Raju, Morgan Rimmer Organizations: CNN —, Pentagon, Prosecutors, Democratic, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, CNN, South Carolina Republican, Wall Street Journal Locations: Guantanamo, Pearl, Richard Blumenthal of, Manhattan, Pakistan

Eleven years ago, in 2013, Holder said that Mohammed and his associates would have been “on death row as we speak” had the case gone to federal court as he proposed. But he blamed Congress for blocking a federal trial that would have resulted in swifter justice. They were dealt a bad hand by the political hacks and those who lost faith in our justice system,” Holder said in a statement to NBC News on Thursday. “If my decision to try KSM and his confederates in the tested and effective federal court system had been followed they would be nothing more than a memory today,” Holder said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he’s “long advocated that our federal court system is perfectly capable of conducting this kind of trial” and was well-suited to handling serious crimes.

Persons: Eric Holder, ”, Holder, ” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘ Attash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al, General Holder, Mohammed, ” Holder, KSM, “, ” Eric Holder, Chip Somodevilla, Rudy Giuliani —, Donald Trump’s, —, Giuliani, Tsarnaev, William Barr, Trump, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, hadn’t, ” Barr, he’d, he’s, Barr, Alexanda Amon Kotey, Joe Biden’s, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Sen, Chris Coons, doesn’t, ” Coons, Richard Blumenthal, Conn, “ I’ve, ” Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Biden, Thom Tillis, I’m, ” Tillis, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Organizations: WASHINGTON, Guantanamo, Pentagon, CIA, NBC, New York City, Prisons, Boston Marathon, Rockies, Republican, Trump, Justice Department, Islamic State, White, NBC News, House Locations: United States, Guantanamo, Manhattan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, America, Pakistan, Caribbean, ADMAX Florence, Colorado, ”, George H.W ., ADMAX, Florence, Ky

The Russian officials took the proposal back to Moscow. It was a remarkably swift conclusion to years of painstaking negotiations between the US and more than half a dozen countries. Key to the deal was President Biden’s ability to persuade German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to release Krasikov, the Russian prisoner most keenly sought by Putin. Officials worked quietly throughout this year to get the German government to agree to release Krasikov — including entreaties from both Biden and Harris. President Biden sent a letter to Scholz in April, and the Germans at last agreed to release Krasikov in early June.

Persons: CNN —, Vadim Krasikov, who’d, who’s, Vladimir Putin, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Bill Burns, Gershkovich, Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Biden, Kamala Harris, Serdar Ozsoy, Biden’s, Olaf Scholz, Putin, Krasikov, Brittney Griner, Burns, –, Viktor Bout, Alexey Navalny, Brendan Smialowski, Antony Blinken, James Rubin, Blinken, Annalena Baerbock, Jake Sullivan, Harris, Scholz, “ Chancellor Scholz, “, Jake, ‘, ’, Sullivan, Navalny, Paul, Evan, ”, Ronald Wittek, Kara, Robert Golob, Kurmasheva’s, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Carstens, Jeff Flake, ” Flake, Flake, ” Sullivan Organizations: CNN, CIA, Wall Street, White, Base Andrews, Aircraft, Ankara Esenboga Airport, US Marine, WNBA, State Department, National Security Council, Krasikov, Getty, German, National, Biden, Munich, Conference, US, Munich Security, Aspen Security, Street, Hostage Affairs Locations: Eastern, Russia, Russian, Berlin, Moscow, American, Turkey, Ankara, Chechen, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Washington , DC, AFP, Germany, ”, Munich, Washington, Slovenian, Mordovia, “

☆ Iran says Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas said Haniyeh was killed "in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran's new president." Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said early Wednesday, and Hamas blamed Israel for the attack. Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. In April, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed three of Haniyeh's sons and four of his grandchildren. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, along with other Hamas officials and officials from Hezbollah and allied groups.

Persons: Ismail Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel, Sinwar, Masoud Pezeshkian's, Fouad Shukur, Shukur, Biden, Bill Burns, Brett McGurk, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Organizations: Revolutionary Guard, Al, Israel, Guard, CIA, White, Hamas, Gaza Health Ministry Locations: Tehran, Israeli, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Qatar, Al Jazeera, Iran, Beirut, Lebanese, U.S, Rome, East, North Africa

☆ Former defense sec. Leon Panetta: Democrats have put themselves in 'stronger position' for election
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFormer defense sec. Leon Panetta: Democrats have put themselves in 'stronger position' for electionLeon Panetta, former U.S. Defense Secretary and CIA director, and Judd Gregg, former U.S. senator from New Hampshire, join CNBC's 'The Exchange' to discuss election outlooks, the viability for a Kamala Harris ticket, and more.

Persons: Leon Panetta, Judd Gregg, CNBC's, Kamala Harris Organizations: U.S . Defense Locations: U.S, New Hampshire

CNN —A verdict is expected in the coming hours in the espionage case of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, with Russian prosecutors seeking an 18-year prison sentence in what his employer and the US government have dismissed as a sham trial. The court in Yekaterinburg will announce the verdict on Friday at 5 p.m. local time (8 a.m. Earlier Friday, the court heard closing arguments and Gershkovich delivered his closing remarks behind closed doors. The state prosecution service has requested 18 years in prison for Gershkovich, according to state news agency TASS, citing the court. Gershkovich, the US government and the WSJ have vehemently denied the charges against him.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA, WSJ Locations: Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Gershkovich, American

☆ Evan Gershkovich: Russian trial of US journalist resumes after being brought forward
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Sergey Gudkov | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A Russian court resumed the trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich on Thursday after it was moved forward by one month. Initially slated for August, his trial was brought forward at the request of the defense. The trial is being held behind closed doors and little information on the hearing was immediately available. Gershkovich was arrested while reporting for the Wall Street Journal, during a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg in March 2023, and later accused of spying for the CIA. Gershkovich, the US government, and the WSJ have vehemently denied the charges against him.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Roger Carstens Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA, WSJ, Embassy, TASS Locations: American, Russia, Sverdlovsky, Yekaterinburg

☆ Selina Cheng: Hong Kong journalist says she was fired by WSJ after taking top post at union under attack by Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Wall Street Journal reporter in Hong Kong said she was fired after being elected to lead a press union that has come under attack by Beijing amid a national security crackdown. Selina Cheng, who was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on June 22, said in a statement posted Wednesday on X that she had been terminated from her job covering China’s car sector earlier in the day. Both Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused it of siding with protesters during the anti-government demonstrations in 2019, a charge the association has denied. But critics have increasingly bemoaned the territory’s shrinking press freedoms since Beijing imposed a national security on Hong Kong after the 2019 protests. “The Wall Street Journal has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” he said.

Persons: Selina Cheng, ” Cheng, “, ”, Hong Kong’s, Cheng, Gordon Fairclough, Emma Tucker, Evan Gershkovich Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Hong, CNN, The, CIA Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, Singapore, Russia

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