National Security and Foreign Affairs

Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement on the nomination of Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil, to serve as the next Secretary of State.

The United States has halted some arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid concerns about mounting civilian casualties in the Yemen civil war, according to multiple reports

Since the Cold War ended 25 years ago, Americans haven't thought much about nuclear war. That changed slightly in the recently concluded presidential campaign, but it needs to change dramatically, many experts say.

Unbeknownst to most voters, a growing cadre of security analysts says the risk that nuclear weapons might be used by nations or terrorist groups is increasing, and it may even be higher than it was in the Cold War, due mostly to a spiral of Russian provocations and Western responses.

Much has been made of concerns over ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's ties to Russian leadership as his nomination to secretary of state is evaluated. But to Southern Californians, the company legacy under Tillerson features serious environmental violations and mishaps, some of which are still under investigation.

The company sold the Torrance Refinery in July, so the ExxonMobil footprint is much smaller in Southern California than when when it was producing one-fifth of the region's gasoline.

The United States has decided to limit military support to Saudi Arabia's campaign in Yemen because of concerns over widespread civilian casualties and will halt a planned arms sale to the kingdom, U.S. officials told Reuters.

The United States will also revamp future training of the kingdom's air force to focus on improving Saudi targeting practices, a persistent source of concern for Washington.

The Obama administration will curtail some intelligence sharing with Saudi Arabia following a review of military assistance, an official said, but it will expand support in other areas despite intense criticism of Saudi strikes on civilians during the Kingdom's air war in Yemen.

The carrot-and-stick approach reflects an attempt by U.S. officials, increasingly uncomfortable with support for an operation that has been widely condemned by rights groups, to distance themselves from the Yemen campaign without alienating a core Middle Eastern ally.