Trump administration revokes security clearances of 37 current and former government officials
A memo from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was seen by The Associated Press, accuses the targeted individuals of having engaged in the 'politicization or weaponization of intelligence' to advance personal or partisan gain.
It's the latest action of retribution by the Trump administration against national security officials he perceives as having been against him. It comes as his government has launched a sweeping effort to cast doubt on the legitimacy of intelligence community findings that Russia interfered on his behalf in the 2016 election.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
a minute ago
- The Hill
Work begins in Finland on a new Canadian icebreaker for Arctic defense
HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Dignitaries at a steel-cutting ceremony Wednesday in Finland marked the start of work on a new Canadian icebreaker to be named the Polar Max and aimed at bolstering Arctic defense. The event marked the concrete beginning of a trilateral partnership of the United States, Canada and Finland announced by the White House in July 2024 to bolster defenses in a region where Russia has been increasingly active. Russia has vastly more icebreaker ships than the U.S. and Canada at a time when climate change has made the remote but strategically important Arctic more accessible. The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, aims to leverage Finland's advanced shipbuilding expertise and technologies to help meet U.S. and Canadian demand for new icebreakers. Canada's minister for defense procurement, Stephen Fuhr, said his country is bringing its coast guard into the military and that investing in the Arctic is important for the future. 'The North is opening up, there are many reasons to be up there,' Fuhr said. 'There's security issues, resource development.' The hull will be built at Helsinki Shipyard before being transported to Canada where it's expected to be completed in Levis, Quebec by 2030. Quebec's Economy Minister Christopher Skeete highlighted the benefits of cooperating on the building of the new icebreaker. 'It's a partnership and we have a shared responsibility for the North, so this is a unique and very opportune partnership that allows us to leverage the strengths of both our countries in terms of maritime Arctic protection,' he said. 'The North is becoming more and more accessible, there are more and more rivalries in the North, and so we have to be prepared to assert our sovereignty out there,' Skeete added. During a NATO summit in June, U.S. President Donald Trump said Finland was the 'king of icebreakers' and suggested the U.S. might be willing to buy as many as 15 of them, including the used icebreaker that Trump said might be immediately available. 'We're trying to make a good deal,' Trump said. According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report, the U.S. hasn't built a heavy polar icebreaker in almost 50 years. The last remaining one in service is the 399-foot Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star commissioned in 1976. During a talk in February at the RAND research organization, U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier said the agency has determined it needs eight to nine icebreakers — a mix of heavy polar security cutters and medium Arctic security cutters. Building an icebreaker can be challenging because it has to be able to withstand the brutal crashing through ice that can be as thick as 21 feet (6.4 meters) and wildly varying sea and air temperatures, the report said.
Geek Wire
a minute ago
- Geek Wire
18 arrested at Microsoft headquarters in latest protest over Israel tech contracts
Police take protesters into custody on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, following a demonstration at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash. (GeekWire Photo / Maddie Stoll) REDMOND, Wash. — Eighteen people were arrested on the Microsoft campus Wednesday afternoon, including some current and former employees, as protesters continued to escalate their campaign against the company over its role in providing technology to Israel. It was the second straight day of protests by members of the group No Azure for Apartheid. The group is calling on Microsoft to cut all ties to the Israeli military and government, alleging that the company's technology is being used in the surveillance, starvation and killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Redmond police said they were dispatched around 12:15 p.m. to the plaza of Microsoft's East Campus. Protesters poured red paint on the large Microsoft sign, symbolizing blood. They also used tables and chairs to form a barrier on a nearby pedestrian bridge, according to police. In contrast with a protest Tuesday, when the group dismantled their encampment after police warned them of imminent arrest, members of the group refused to leave, resisted and 'became aggressive,' police said in a statement. There was a large law enforcement presence, as Redmond police were joined by Washington State Patrol, Bellevue Police, and Kirkland Police. The arrests were for charges including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest and obstruction. Police said no injuries were reported. One of those arrested was Hossam Nasr, a leader of the group who was fired from Microsoft last year after an earlier protest on the Redmond campus, for what the company described as violations of its policies designed to prevent workplace disruption. Red paint covers the Microsoft sign at the company's headquarters. Protesters from the group No Azure for Apartheid also placed shrouds in the plaza intending to symbolize martyrs of Gaza. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) Abdo Mohamed, an organizer of the group who was also fired by Microsoft last year, said after the protest Wednesday that the 'escalations will continue' as long as Microsoft is 'embedded in the Israeli economy of genocide and apartheid' against Palestinians in Gaza. He said Microsoft seemed to be showing more outrage over red paint and relocated chairs than over its technology's alleged role in the killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. In a statement, Microsoft said the group 'engaged in vandalism and property damage' after returning to campus for a second day. The company accused protesters of disrupting and harassing local small businesses at a lunchtime farmer's market for employees, and taking their tables and tents. 'Microsoft will continue to do the hard work needed to uphold its human rights standards in the Middle East, while supporting and taking clear steps to address unlawful actions that damage property, disrupt business or that threaten and harm others,' the company said. The company reiterated its commitment to its human rights standards and noted it is 'pursuing a thorough and independent review of new allegations' regarding the use of its Azure platform in the surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza. Microsoft announced Aug. 15 that it had hired the law firm Covington & Burling LLP to lead the review after reports in The Guardian and other outlets alleged Israeli forces used Microsoft servers as part of the mass surveillance of Palestinians. The company said the report contained 'additional and precise allegations that merit a full and urgent review,' and noted that it would publicly release the findings. In past statements, Microsoft has said it complies with its human rights commitments, and that its contracts with Israel's Ministry of Defense are standard commercial agreements, governed by its terms of service and AI Code of Conduct. Earlier this year, Microsoft said internal and external reviews found no violations. However, the company at the time also acknowledged its limited visibility into how its technology is deployed on private or on-premises systems.
NBC News
3 minutes ago
- NBC News
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil's federal police said that messages found on the telephone of embattled former president Jair Bolsonaro showed that at one point he wanted to flee to Argentina and request political asylum, according to documents seen Wednesday by the Associated Press. Bolsonaro is currently awaiting a Supreme Court ruling about an alleged coup attempt and on Wednesday found out he might face another case as police formally accused him and one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, of obstruction of justice in connection with his pending trial. The AP had access to the police investigation, messaging app exchanges, voice messages and reviewed the documents, which were sent to Brazil's Supreme Court. The 170-page police report said that Bolsonaro had drafted a request for political asylum from Argentine President Javier Milei's government dated Feb. 10, 2024. Bolsonaro saved the document two days after authorities searched his home and office as part of an investigation into an alleged coup plot. In a 33-page letter addressed to Milei, Bolsonaro claimed he was being politically persecuted in Brazil. 'I, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, request political asylum from Your Excellency in the Republic of Argentina, under an urgent regime, as I find myself in a situation of political persecution in Brazil and fear for my life,' the former Brazilian leader wrote. Argentina's presidential spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bolsonaro did not make comments about the investigation either. On Feb. 12, Bolsonaro reportedly spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília, fueling speculation among critics that he may have been attempting to avoid arrest. Brazilian federal police investigators also said in their report that Bolsonaro's decision to ignore precautionary measures established for his house arrest and spread content to his allies 'sought to directly hit Brazilian democratic institutions, notably the Supreme Court and even Brazil's Congress.' With regards to Wednesday's obstruction of justice accusations, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a lawmaker who has lived in the United States, said in a statement that he 'never aimed at interfering in any ongoing proceedings in Brazil.' He added the conversations with his father that are part of the investigation are 'absolutely normal' and its publication has a political bias. Silas Malafaia, an evangelical pastor who is a staunch ally of Bolsonaro's, was also targeted by police. He had his passport seized by investigators but was not formally accused of obstruction of justice. Several messages exchanged between Bolsonaro and his son show their interest in praising U.S. President Donald Trump to affect legal proceedings in Brazil. Last month, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on some Brazilian exports and claimed the trial of the former president was the main reason for his sanctions. 'You won't have time to reverse the situation if the guy here turns his back on you. Everything here is very touchy, every little thing affects you,' Eduardo Bolsonaro told his father in one of the exchanges. 'In today's situation, you don't even need to worry about jail; you won't be arrested. But I'm afraid things will change here (in the United States). Even inside the White House, there are people telling (Trump): 'OK, Brazil is gone. Let's move on',' Eduardo Bolsonaro said. Some exchanges also show frictions sauced with expletives between father and son. Eduardo, who moved to the U.S. earlier this year despite holding a seat in Brazil's congress, calls Bolsonaro 'ungrateful' for his efforts to influence the Trump administration in their favor.
