Latest news with #USSecurity
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pence: Trump's Qatar jet is ‘inconsistent with our security'
Former Vice President Pence said during a recent interview that President Trump accepting a luxury jet from the Qatari government is 'inconsistent' with the United States' 'security' and that he should turn down the gift. 'Well, I think first we got to remember who Qatar is. We've got a military base there. I have members of our immediate family that have deployed to the region, but Qatar has a long history of playing both sides. They support Hamas. They supported al-Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States. And so the very idea that we would accept an Air Force One from Qatar, I think is inconsistent with our security, with our intelligence needs,' Pence said during his appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'And my hope is the president reconsiders it,' Pence told anchor Kristen Welker, adding that if Qatar wants to give a gift to the U.S., they 'ought to take that $400 million and plow it into infrastructure on their military base.' Trump has strongly defended his decision to accept the Boeing 747-8, which is estimated to be worth $400 million, and has shot down the criticism and concerns raised by congressional lawmakers in both parties. 'I just want to say, it was a radical left story,' Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier. 'The people here, to show you how crazy it is, they would like me to pay a billion dollars.' The jet is being delivered to the Department of Defense to eventually replace Air Force One, which has been in service for over three decades. The plane would later be transferred to Trump presidential library. 'This goes to the United States Air Force for whoever is president, and at some point, it'll be like Ronald Reagan. It'll be decommissioned, because they won't want it,' Trump told Baier. 'We need a plane for a couple of years before we get the other ones, because Boeing is very late,' the president added. 'They should be able to knock them off in no time.' Pence said that Trump should turn down the gift, pointing to the potential for 'intelligence gathering,' along with 'very real constitutional issues.' 'The Constitution prohibits public officials from accepting a present, in the words of the Constitution, a present from a foreign state,' Pence told Welker. 'Now, they may have some basis through chain of title, through avoiding that. But, I think it's just a bad idea. And my hope is the president will think better of it.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Pentagon considers shifting Greenland to US Northern Command, sparking concerns over Trump's ambitions for the territory
Trump administration officials are weighing a change that would shift responsibility for US security interests in Greenland to the military command that oversees America's homeland defense, underscoring the president's focus on the strategically important territory that he has repeatedly said he wants to acquire, three sources familiar with the deliberations told CNN. The change under consideration would move Greenland out of US European Command's area of responsibility and into US Northern Command, the sources said. On its face, the idea of putting Greenland under NORTHCOM authority makes some logical sense given it is part of the North American continent, though politically and culturally, it is associated with Europe and is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. Some of the discussions pre-date Trump's return to office this year, the sources said. US Northern Command declined to comment. CNN has reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as Danish and Greenlandic officials for comment. Still, several US officials expressed wariness about the move because of Trump's repeated insistence that the US 'needs' Greenland and his refusal to rule out military action to obtain it. In an interview with NBC that aired last weekend, Trump renewed that threat. 'I don't rule it out,' he said. 'I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything.' 'We need Greenland very badly,' Trump said. 'Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we'll take care of, and we'll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.' US Northern Command is chiefly responsible for protecting US territory and currently oversees missions like the southern border task force. Trump's rhetoric has also caused major friction with Denmark and with Greenland itself. Putting Greenland under US Northern Command would at least symbolically split Greenland from Denmark, which would still be overseen by US European Command. Danish officials are concerned about the message that could send suggesting that Greenland is not a part of Denmark, one of the sources familiar with the deliberations said. Proponents of the move have pointed out that despite there being a US military base there and Greenland being seen as a vital outpost in competition with Russia and China for access to the Arctic — a major bipartisan national security priority — it sometimes gets overlooked by US European Command because of its distance from the command center in central Europe, one US official said. For US NORTHCOM, though, Greenland is an important vantage point for any potential enemy craft coming from that direction towards the United States. The unclassified version of the US intelligence community's annual threat assessment mentioned Greenland four times, within the context of adversaries like China and Russia seeking to expand their influence there. The discussions about moving Greenland into NORTHCOM come amid another high-profile spat between American and Danish officials over Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said this week that he plans to 'call in' the US acting ambassador to Denmark for talks after a Wall Street Journal report said Washington had ordered US intelligence agencies to increase spying on Greenland. They were directed to learn more about Greenland's independence movement and attitudes towards American resource extraction, the Journal reported. 'I have read the article in the Wall Street Journal, and it worries me greatly because we do not spy on friends,' Rasmussen told reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers. 'We are going to call in the US acting ambassador for a discussion at the foreign ministry to see if we can confirm this information, which is somewhat disturbing,' Rasmussen added.
CNN
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Pentagon considers shifting Greenland to US Northern Command, sparking concerns over Trump's ambitions for the territory
Trump administration officials are weighing a change that would shift responsibility for US security interests in Greenland to the military command that oversees America's homeland defense, underscoring the president's focus on the strategically important territory that he has repeatedly said he wants to acquire, three sources familiar with the deliberations told CNN. The change under consideration would move Greenland out of US European Command's area of responsibility and into US Northern Command, the sources said. On its face, the idea of putting Greenland under NORTHCOM authority makes some logical sense given it is part of the North American continent, though politically and culturally, it is associated with Europe and is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. Some of the discussions pre-date Trump's return to office this year, the sources said. US Northern Command declined to comment. CNN has reached out to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as Danish and Greenlandic officials for comment. Still, several US officials expressed wariness about the move because of Trump's repeated insistence that the US 'needs' Greenland and his refusal to rule out military action to obtain it. In an interview with NBC that aired last weekend, Trump renewed that threat. 'I don't rule it out,' he said. 'I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything.' 'We need Greenland very badly,' Trump said. 'Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we'll take care of, and we'll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.' US Northern Command is chiefly responsible for protecting US territory and currently oversees missions like the southern border task force. Trump's rhetoric has also caused major friction with Denmark and with Greenland itself. Putting Greenland under US Northern Command would at least symbolically split Greenland from Denmark, which would still be overseen by US European Command. Danish officials are concerned about the message that could send suggesting that Greenland is not a part of Denmark, one of the sources familiar with the deliberations said. Proponents of the move have pointed out that despite there being a US military base there and Greenland being seen as a vital outpost in competition with Russia and China for access to the Arctic — a major bipartisan national security priority — it sometimes gets overlooked by US European Command because of its distance from the command center in central Europe, one US official said. For US NORTHCOM, though, Greenland is an important vantage point for any potential enemy craft coming from that direction towards the United States. The unclassified version of the US intelligence community's annual threat assessment mentioned Greenland four times, within the context of adversaries like China and Russia seeking to expand their influence there. The discussions about moving Greenland into NORTHCOM come amid another high-profile spat between American and Danish officials over Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said this week that he plans to 'call in' the US acting ambassador to Denmark for talks after a Wall Street Journal report said Washington had ordered US intelligence agencies to increase spying on Greenland. They were directed to learn more about Greenland's independence movement and attitudes towards American resource extraction, the Journal reported. 'I have read the article in the Wall Street Journal, and it worries me greatly because we do not spy on friends,' Rasmussen told reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers. 'We are going to call in the US acting ambassador for a discussion at the foreign ministry to see if we can confirm this information, which is somewhat disturbing,' Rasmussen added.
Boston Globe
09-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Readers appreciation lesson in community learning in Jamaica Plain
posted on Learning is very important as one ages — it is known to help keep dementia at bay, and it is particularly beneficial if done with others. Many universities offer programs at very low cost for retirees/seniors. The one I belong to now is a great resource. We have classes, hold outings and parties, and do a dining trail through the Lowell area to explore the history, food, and culture of the different ethnic groups there. The program, LIRA — Learning in Retirement Association— is associated with UMass Lowell. Our classes are held there and pretty much all are hybrid, so you can attend via Zoom. Our members range in age from 50s to one who is over 100 and often attends in person! Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Margy Roeck Advertisement Dracut This is great. Doesn't have to be a high-rise either; any community, apartment complex, neighborhood, etc., can do the same. . . . I would recommend having a book club with neighbors. Something to bring neighbors together and learn more about them. GardenFan64 posted on JP@Home is a community organization that fosters the same connections as Towering Minds. It promotes enrichment and community among seniors with the aim of helping them stay in their homes in a rich and healthy way. JP, Roslindale, Hyde Park, Brookline, West Rox residents are welcome. There is a membership fee, but it's manageable. Advertisement wumberlog posted on I'm sitting here in the original Pelican Cove in Sarasota, Florida, where our ($40/year) resident-taught education programs continue. ... Past very popular courses included US Security, the American Political System, discussions of American Short Stories, and Music for All. This year there was a lecture on one man's opinion of the Best Rock Band (ever — and why), Watercolor Painting, and Flora and Fauna of Pelican Cove, Sarasota, to name a few. In the evening we have nationally known musicians nearly every week for 13 weeks. Many (but not all) residents are retired. The 'University' courses and beautiful shady campus convinced us to buy here! jmmurph47 posted on While it was enjoyable to read Salvatore Tagliareni's piece about the connections of residents living in the 30-story Jamaicaway Tower, it doesn't diminish the angst I feel whenever I view this architectural monstrosity rising high above the Emerald Necklace and Jamaica Pond. As old-timers such as myself recall, it was constructed well above the height restrictions of the area, due to the permissiveness of so many political connections that sanctioned an end-around of height limitations for this tree-lined area. Joe Galeota West Roxbury Another lifelong learning opportunity is at the University of Massachusetts Boston — the OLLI institute. OLLI stands for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and is the 'best deal in town.' Check it out! Hilarity Ensued posted on Going Underground I loved the Your Home: Renovations issue (March 30). I have one question regarding Advertisement Judy Rehfeld Epping, New Hampshire Beautiful renovation but yikes when it comes to those granite stairs to the basement. Hope that glass is reinforced and well-sealed against water intrusion. And if they'd built in any drainage down there, it would have helped a lot to mention it in the article. filmlady posted on How much does it cost to dig that deep and create the renovated basement? It must have been pretty disruptive to the neighbors. It's certainly an interesting idea. nantucketgirl37 posted on My husband who is an architect did same for us in Brookline — it's found space! brilliant22 posted on I know from experience that excavating a basement is costly. Fifteen years ago, my wife and I decided we would stay for the long haul in a modest bungalow in Central Mass., which led to a major renovation. I had the back half of my house up on 28 jacks. We excavated roughly 150 cubic yards of hardpan clay, and lowered our basement by 36 inches. I have 7-foot ceilings there with four I-beams holding up the house. . . . It was a ton of money and a ton of work. Often there is too much focus on the 'eye candy' aspect of renovations. Many readers want to know the costs, timelines, setbacks, and all of the important stuff behind the scenes that no one ever sees. jjshello posted on CONTACT US: Write to magazine@ or The Boston Globe Magazine/Comments, 1 Exchange Place, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02109-2132. Comments are subject to editing. Advertisement
