National Security and Foreign Affairs
Donald Trump tried to ease fears about his finger being on the nuclear button during Monday night’s presidential debate, declaring that “I would certainly not do first strike.” He added: “Once the nuclear alternative happens, it’s over.”
But moments later, the Republican presidential nominee seemed to backpedal, claiming that he “can’t take anything off the table.”
Two members of Congress don’t want Trump to have the option.
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Federal law enforcement officials are investigating the possibility that foreign hackers targeted mobile phones held by Democratic party officials.
The attack against a "small number" of officials took place within the last one or two months, sources told Reuters. The sources reportedly had reason to believe that, like attacks on the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the perpetrators were connected to the Russian government.
Rep., Ted Lieu (D – CA) and Sen. Ed Markey (D – MA) have today introduced the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, which would effectively ban the United States from launching nuclear first strikes against other countries.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO – U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that Washington has no plans to become a nuclear “no first use” nation, tamping down speculation that President Barack Obama may rip away that tenet of U.S. nuclear policy before leaving office.
Obama reportedly wants to scrap the U.S. position that it may need to fire a nuclear weapon before an opponent does.
By contrast, China has said it will not conduct a first strike.
Is Donald Trump fit to control the United States’ nuclear weapons? That question has induced cringing among military and foreign policy experts since the early days of his candidacy. Now, two Democratic lawmakers are trying to get out in front of the problem.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced a measure Tuesday that would bar the president from launching a nuclear strike unless Congress formally declared war first. The president currently has the power to use the country’s nuclear arsenal without the consent of Congress.
HOLY CYBER, BATMAN — So … that happened. At Monday night’s presidential debate, there was a whole segment dedicated to cybersecurity. For those long immersed in the cyber world, it was a watershed moment, even if no new major ground was covered. Jeff Greene, senior policy counsel for major tech firm Symantec, recalled that “in 2009, when I joined the team working on comprehensive cybersecurity legislation, we could barely get staffers to come to a briefing.” Three years later, cyber first snuck into President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
Two Democrats are pushing a bill that would bar the president from launching a nuclear strike without prior approval from Congress, tying it to concerns about Donald Trump having control of nukes.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who introduced the House version of the bill Tuesday, voiced concerns about Trump's comments on nuclear weapons at Monday night's first presidential debate.
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A Democratic congressman is urging the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to support a resolution that would call for an independent investigation into human rights abuses in Yemen.
“The repeated killing of civilians by the Saudi coalition, done with U.S. assistance, violates not just our moral conscience but degrades our reputation and standing in the world,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) wrote to Ambassador Samantha Power on Monday.