Joseph Clark

Josh Hawley to block Biden’s nominees until Cabinet members resign over Afghanistan

Sen. Josh Hawley pledged on Tuesday to hold up confirmation votes for all Pentagon or State Department nominees until key members of President Biden's Cabinet resign over the Afghanistan pullout.

September 14, 2021

Top House Republican stands up independent Afghanistan probe

The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee has hired a former CNN Pentagon reporter to investigate the "disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan," the lawmaker announced Tuesday.

September 14, 2021

Republican points to ‘leaked’ Biden call, accuses administration of ‘manipulating’ Taliban intel

Rep. Brian Mast, Florida Republican, accused the Biden administration Monday of "manipulating" intelligence and misleading the public about the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan.

September 13, 2021

Republicans hammer Blinken over Afghan debacle while Dems blame Trump

Infuriated Republicans demanded Secretary of State Antony Blinken's resignation Monday for his handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. At the same time, House Democrats mounted a well-coordinated defense of the Biden administration and tried to deflect virtually all of the blame for the chaotic, deadly exit onto former President Donald Trump.

September 13, 2021

Six Capitol police officers face disciplinary action for Jan. 6 conduct

The Capitol Police Office of Professional Responsibility is recommending disciplinary action against six officers for their conduct in response to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

September 13, 2021

Trapped in Afghanistan: Those left behind grapple with unresponsive U.S., dimming hope of escape

An Afghan interpreter who worked alongside the U.S. during the war said he made three trips to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal in failed attempts to escape the country with his wife and three children.

September 13, 2021

Secretary of State Antony Blinken first on docket as Afghanistan pullout hearings begin

President Biden's national security and foreign policy advisers will be grilled, as lawmakers open a series of hearings on the failures of the administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

September 12, 2021

FBI begins releasing declassified 9/11 documents on anniversary of attacks

The FBI began releasing newly declassified documents this past weekend related to its investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks following President Biden's executive order earlier this month.

September 12, 2021

Marco Rubio warns CIA to stay off TikTok, other ‘Chinese-owned apps’

Sen. Marco Rubio sounded an alarm Thursday over reports the CIA is considering establishing a presence on TikTok, a social media platform with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

September 9, 2021

Pentagon top brass to testify before Senate panel on chaotic U.S. pullout from Afghanistan

Senior leaders from the Department of Defense will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the committee announced Thursday.

September 9, 2021

Trump-appointed Air Force Academy oversight board member will fight Biden purge in court

An ousted member of an Air Force Academy oversight panel said President Biden's purge of several Trump appointees on service academy oversight boards represents an unprecedented "power grab" by the administration and vowed to address the matter in court.

September 9, 2021

Senate Republicans call for Pentagon testimony on Afghanistan

Senate Republicans on Wednesday called on Democrats to compel senior Pentagon leaders to testify about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

September 8, 2021

Ghani breaks silence, apologizes for fleeing Afghanistan

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Wednesday said fleeing Kabul was "the most difficult decision" of his life and apologized to the Afghan people for leaving "without ensuring stability and prosperity."

September 8, 2021

U.S.-funded research at suspect Chinese lab raises new COVID-19 origin questions

New documents revealed Tuesday are offering new insights into the scope and target of U.S.-funded research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China and raise new questions over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 4.5 million people around the globe.

September 7, 2021

Blinken to testify before Congress

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan on Sept. 14.

September 7, 2021

Army vet behind Afghan evacuation mission says State Department provided little help

The U.S. Army veteran who organized Monday's overland evacuation of four U.S. citizens from Afghanistan to a neighboring country said the State Department played only a small role in the effort and is exaggerating its involvement to "save face" for the Biden administration.

September 7, 2021

Belarusian opposition figures receive lengthy sentences

A Minsk court Monday sentenced two Belarusian opposition figures to lengthy jail terms in what the State Department has called further evidence of "the regime's total disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms" of its citizens.

September 6, 2021

‘Shaken to the core’: Terrorism fears increasing for U.S. allies, Hagerty says

America's European allies fear an increased risk of terrorism and a growing humanitarian crisis amid the fallout from the Afghanistan withdrawal, according to a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who recently met representatives from several key partners.

September 6, 2021

U.S. helps American family cross Afghanistan border to safety

A State Department spokesperson said Monday that the U.S. government assisted in the overland evacuation of four U.S. citizens from Afghanistan.

September 6, 2021

Taliban claim victory in last holdout Afghan province

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban claimed Monday to have gained control of the last holdout of resistance fighters in the rugged Panjshir Valley north of Kabul.

September 6, 2021