Obama Closes Trip To Israel, West Bank With Memorial Visits
President Obama wrapped up his trip to Israel and the West Bank on Friday with visits to three symbolic pilgrimage sites: First he laid a stone on the grave of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, then he laid a wreath and a stone on the grave of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli leader assassinated in 1995. Finally, Obama made a somber visit to the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem.
CIA Drone Operations Could Be Handed To Pentagon
The responsibility for counterterrorism operations involving unmanned drones could soon begin shifting from the CIA to the Pentagon as part of Obama administration efforts to mollify critics who say the program lacks transparency
Gaza Militants Fire Rockets, As Obama Heads To West Bank
Militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel on Thursday, just as President Obama travelled from Israel to the West Bank, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
United Nations Will Investigate Possible Use Of Chemical Weapons In Syria
The United Nations is launching an investigation into the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Court Says CIA Can’t Have It Both Ways on Drones
A federal appeals court has rejected an effort by the CIA to deny it has any documents about a U.S. drone program that has killed terrorists overseas, ruling that the agency is stretching the law too far and asking judges “to give their imprimatur to a fiction of deniability that no reasonable person would regard as plausible.”
ICE Now Admits It Released More Than 2,000 Undocumented Immigrants Due To Budget
Backpedaling, the Obama administration is now admitting that it released more than 2,000 undocumented immigrants from immigration jails because of budget contraints prompted by the sequester.
Justice’s Voting Rights Unit Suffers ‘Deep Ideological Polarization’ Says Watchdog
The Justice Department’s voting rights unit suffers from “deep ideological polarization” and a “disappointing lack of professionalism” including leaks of sensitive case information, harassment and mistreatment among colleagues who have political differences, department watchdogs concluded Tuesday.
Labor Relations Board Will Take Recess Appointment Decision To Supreme Court
The National Labor Relations Board says it will ask the Supreme Court to review a lower court decision that invalidated three of President Obama’s recess appointments, casting a legal cloud over more than 1,000 board actions over the past year.
China Calls For Rules, U.S. Calls For End Of Cyberattacks
In separate events, the Chinese and American governments called for standards regarding cyberattacks.
Senate Approves Nomination Of John Brennan As CIA Chief
After an epic filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul that lasted into the early morning hours, the Senate voted this afternoon to confirm the nomination of John Brennan as the country’s next Central Intelligence Agency director.
