Latest U.S. National Security Council News

Israel warned the US that an operation in Lebanon was coming but gave no details, officials say

Sep. 19, 2024 19:17 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel warned U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a call Tuesday that a military operation was going to take place in Lebanon but gave no details, U.S. officials said Thursday. The same day of the call, in an attack widely blamed on Israel, thousands of pagers belonging to...

Biden pushed Gaza pier over warnings it would undercut other aid routes, watchdog says

Aug. 28, 2024 11:13 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ordered the construction of a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza this year even as some at the U.S. Agency for International Development expressed concerns that the effort would be difficult to accomplish and undercut the effort to persuade...

Israel-Hamas war cease-fire, hostage talks will continue after weekend meetings didn't resolve gaps

Aug. 26, 2024 01:21 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — A round of high-level talks in Cairo meant to bring about a cease-fire and hostage deal to at least temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ended Sunday without a final agreement, a U.S. official said. But talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days in an...

'Chaos agent': Suspected Trump hack comes as Iran flexes digital muscles ahead of US election

Aug. 14, 2024 17:20 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With less than three months before the U.S. election, Iran is intensifying its efforts to meddle in American politics, U.S. officials and private cybersecurity firms say, with the suspected hack of Donald Trump's campaign being only the latest and most brazen example. ...

Takeaways: Harris' approach to migration was more nuanced than critics or allies portray it

Aug. 14, 2024 11:02 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As thousands of immigrants approached the U.S. border in early 2021, President Joe Biden tapped his second-in-command to address the influx. The decision has exposed Vice President Kamala Harris to one of her biggest political liabilities. Harris’ assignment was...

Presented with rise in border crossings, Kamala Harris chose a long-term approach to the problem

Aug. 14, 2024 10:54 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, watching tens of thousands of migrants from Central America reach the U.S.-Mexico border just a few months into his administration, tapped his second-in-command to help address the influx — a decision that has exposed Vice President Kamala Harris to one of...

Donald Trump's campaign says its emails were hacked

Aug. 10, 2024 22:03 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign said Saturday that it has been hacked and suggested Iranian actors were involved in stealing and distributing sensitive internal documents. The campaign provided no specific evidence of Iran's involvement, but the claim comes a...

Blinken and envoys from Japan, Australia and India work to improve maritime safety in Asia-Pacific

Jul. 29, 2024 09:30 AM EDT

TOKYO (AP) — Top diplomats from Japan, the U.S., Australia and India meeting Monday in Tokyo compiled a set of measures to reinforce maritime safety and cybersecurity and to support other Asia-Pacific countries in improving their defenses during growing tensions in the regional seas. ...

Martin Indyk, former US diplomat and author who devoted career to Middle East peace, dies at 73

Jul. 25, 2024 20:50 PM EDT

NORWICH, Conn. (AP) — Veteran diplomat Martin S. Indyk, an author and leader at prominent U.S. think tanks who devoted years to finding a path toward peace in the Middle East, died Thursday. He was 73. His wife, Gahl Hodges Burt, confirmed in a phone call that he died from...

Families of service members killed during Afghanistan withdrawal criticize Biden at GOP convention

Jul. 18, 2024 15:22 PM EDT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Relatives of some of the 13 American service members killed during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention Wednesday in an emotional moment that revived one of the low points of President Joe Biden's presidency. ...