
By Ashish Kumar Sen - The Washington Times
The Taliban announced Tuesday that after nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan they are ready for talks with the United States, as senior Obama administration officials said discussions with the Islamic militants who sheltered Osama bin Laden would start within days. Published June 18, 2013 Comments

By Shaun Waterman - The Washington Times
More than 1,000 computer technicians at the National Security Agency, most of them contractors, have the same kind of access used by self-proclaimed whistleblower Edward Snowden to steal documents on NSA’s top secret data-gathering programs, the agency’s chief told lawmakers Tuesday. Published June 18, 2013 Comments

By Shaun Waterman - The Washington Times
The National Security Agency last year checked fewer than 300 telephone numbers against its database containing details about every phone call made in America, intelligence officials said Tuesday. The rare admission was part of the Obama administration’s effort to reassure Americans about NSA data-gathering programs that officials said had foiled more than 50 terrorist plots in the United States and abroad. Published June 18, 2013 Comments

By Angela K. Brown - Associated Press
A military judge on Tuesday refused a three-month trial delay for the Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage. Published June 18, 2013 Comments

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times
Agreement on a policy toward Syria isn’t likely, but President Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, did find common ground on reducing the threat posed by nuclear weapons. Published June 18, 2013 Comments

By Shaun Waterman - The Washington Times
Political appointees at the Defense Department, the CIA and the White House brushed aside concerns from career officials about helping two Hollywood filmmakers research their 2012 movie about the top-secret Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden, according to a report from the Pentagon’s inspector general. Published June 17, 2013 Comments

By Jerry Seper - The Washington Times
Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton announced Monday that he will leave the agency at the end of July after more than four years. Published June 17, 2013 Comments
By David Sherfinski - The Washington Times
Speaker John A. Boehner said Tuesday that he won't bring an immigration bill to the chamber floor unless it can win the support of a majority of House Republicans, creating hurdles for those hoping to see Congress legalize illegal immigrants. Published June 18, 2013
By Sgt. Shaft - The Washington Times
Dear Sgt. Shaft: For three years, my dad has been battling with twitching and a weakness that started in his leg. He went to the VA doctors first in Des Moines then in Kansas City. For over a year, they told him he had just had a stroke and sent him to therapy for it. Six months ago, they finally diagnosed him with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and said it was caused from Agent Orange from serving in Vietnam. Published June 18, 2013
By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times
Outnumbered at the just-completed G-8 conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not give an inch on Syria, preferring to maintain one of Russia's most valuable, though unpopular, alliances. Published June 18, 2013
By Kimberly Dozier - Associated Press
The director of the National Security Agency insisted on Tuesday that the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide in a forceful defense echoed by the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee. Published June 18, 2013
By Cheryl K. Chumley - The Washington Times
ohn R. Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, weighed in on Tuesday morning on the obviously uncomfortable get-together of President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, characterizing the attempt to find common ground on Syria a pure waste of time. Published June 18, 2013
By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times
The announcement that U.S. and Cuban officials will hold landmark talks this week toward restarting direct mail service between the two nations prompted a mix of reactions on Monday on whether the Obama administration plans a broader outreach to the Castro regime in the president’s second term. Published June 18, 2013
By Shaun Waterman - The Washington Times
Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, will give classified details of terrorist plots foiled with the help of the National Security Agency's broad data gathering about Americans' phone calls and online communications when he delivers rare open testimony to the House intelligence committee Tuesday. Published June 18, 2013
By Shaun Waterman - The Washington Times
President Obama bristled at comparisons with the Bush administration in his first interview addressing the National Security Agency’s broad gathering of data about Americans’ phone calls and online communications. Published June 18, 2013
By Dave Boyer - The Washington Times
President Obama has had difficulty finding his footing and has been late to the game in defending federal intelligence surveillance programs as a valuable weapon for thwarting terrorist plots, national security analysts say. Published June 18, 2013
By Cheryl K. Chumley - The Washington Times
An Oregon community fed up with rising petty neighborhood crime and dissatisfied with police response has taken matters into their own hands. They’ve organized a citizens’ watchdog group – armed with Glock handguns and ready to protect their property. Published June 18, 2013
By Cheryl K. Chumley - The Washington Times
Syrian President Bashar Assad issued a clear warning to the world this week, promising the world — and, specifically, Europeans — would "pay a price" for providing arms to rebels. Published June 18, 2013