Trump Confronts Iran—Without Allies, a Defense Secretary, or a Coherent Policy
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Early Thursday morning, the United States military accused Iran of an “unprovoked attack” on a Navy drone flying over international waters, spurring President Donald Trump to tweet that the Islamic Republic had “made a very big mistake.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard acknowledged the attack but said the drone had been positioned over Iran, an…
Trump’s Choice to Lead Pentagon Withdraws Amid Reports of Violent Family Turmoil
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Patrick Shanahan, President Donald Trump’s acting secretary of Defense, withdrew himself from the nomination process for the permanent job Tuesday—a decision that coincided with media reports about alleged domestic violence incidents involving his ex-wife and son. Trump announced the move on Twitter and said Shanahan would “devote more time to his family.” Acting…
Space Force Yes! Baby Nukes No! What Congress Is Sticking in the Pentagon Budget.
Evan Vucci/Associated Press Congress completed its most significant step toward funding the Pentagon for the next year—and it only took close to 21 hours. By 6:53 a.m. this morning, when House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.) gaveled his panel out of session, members had resurrected President Trump’s beloved Space Force, blocked the Pentagon…
The Suspicious Twitter Network Trolling for Regime Change in Iran
National Security Advisor John Bolton and a little-understood Twitter network have both boosted MEK, an armed Iranian opposition group.Douglas Christian/ZUMA As the Trump administration has ramped up economic sanctions against Iran and aimed increasingly threatening rhetoric at the country, an influence network has popped up on Twitter pushing similar messages. Networks comprising over four hundred…
Controversial State Department Program Backing Trump’s Iran Policy Draws Congressional Scrutiny
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives at a closed briefing for House members on Iran on May 21, 2019.Alex Wong/Getty Images House Democrats are investigating the State Department’s use of a program originally set up to counter terrorist disinformation so the Trump administration could fund attacks on critics of the president’s Iran policy. News broke…
How Lobbyists Are Cashing In on Trump’s Chaotic Libya Policy
President Donald Trump speaks on December 24, 2018.Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images With one phone call in April, President Donald Trump undercut years of American diplomacy in Libya, leaving US policy toward the war-torn state uncertain. Now a colorful cast of lobbyists and would-be profiteers are cashing in on the confusion, as they sign up with assorted…