China issued a stinging response to a US statement Thursday that welcomed Beijing’s willingness to engage in arms control talks. Beijing has “no interest” in any such negotiations, a statement by Chinese embassy in Washington said. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Thursday in a statement that the United States “welcomes China’s commitment to engage…… MORE
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed Thursday that he had been briefed on information regarding Russian payments to the Taliban, seemingly acknowledging that Russia’s support for the militant group in Afghanistan is not a “hoax,” as President Donald Trump has claimed. However, Esper also made clear that he has not seen intelligence that corroborates claims…… MORE
The Commerce Department Inspector General on Thursday delivered a harsh rebuke of the department in a new report detailing how pressure from the White House prompted a statement from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration contradicting a local National Weather Service office during Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The report from Inspector General Peggy Gustafson declares…… MORE
In one of the Trump administration’s latest efforts to pressure schools to reopen, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said Thursday that schools were an “essential service” and cited factories as a model. “To me, schools are an essential service. We’ve had our factories in this country open throughout the pandemic. We’ve had our grocery stores open,”…… MORE
A former top official at the Department of Veterans Affairs improperly steered a $5 million contract for leadership development and training services to a friend’s business, according to an investigation by the agency’s independent watchdog. The VA inspector general said the move not only qualified as unethical conduct but also resulted in the waste of…… MORE
The Supreme Court said Thursday that a large swath of eastern Oklahoma, including Tulsa, is Native American land for purposes of federal criminal law in a decision that the state argued could call into question thousands of state prosecutions for serious crimes. Justice Neil Gorsuch penned the 5-4 opinion joined by the liberals on the…… MORE
The Justice Department supports longtime Trump friend Roger Stone going to prison on Tuesday, according to a new court filing. Stone has asked a federal appeals court for emergency help to delay his prison term until September, citing coronavirus. But the Justice Department, which has been criticized for going easy on Stone, said the report…… MORE
The US Army is investigating how a handout distributed on a base in Alabama initially included a description that the phrase “Make America Great Again” was a form of “covert white supremacy” and therefore racist — which it says was “sent out in error and immediately recalled.” Earlier this week, a graphic was included in…… MORE
House Democrats argued on Thursday that the Supreme Court preserved the right of Congress to investigate a president even as a powerful chairman conceded that the landmark decision over President Donald Trump’s financial records had set back their efforts to probe Trump this election year, warning that the delay will prove “dangerous.” In a high-profile…… MORE
Sen. Tammy Duckworth is demanding more details about Russian bounties that were offered to the Taliban to kill US troops in Afghanistan and sent a new letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday voicing her frustration with the information provided by the Pentagon to date. The Illinois Democrat, who is a combat veteran and…… MORE
