Mattis turns up heat on North Korea and China

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis turned up the heat on North Korea and its main benefactor, China, on Saturday, calling the North Koreans a "clear and present danger" and chastising the Chinese for coercive behavior in the South China Sea. His sharp words for both countries suggest he believes China will, out of self-interest, exert leverage on North Korea to halt its nuclear and missile programs even as Washington pushes Beijing to change course in the South China Sea.

Amarillo family continues tradition of collecting autographs

In this April 17, 2017, photo, Eric Corbyn, owner of Corbyn's Clothiers, displays a document bearing the signature of 13 U.S. presidents in Amariloo, Texas. This summer Corbyn hopes to add Trump to the list to make it 14. His late father, a major in the Korean War, collected autographs and photographs.

Indivisible Wichita Falls holds Empty Chair Town Hall

The event was hosted by the group Indivisible Wichita Falls, a grassroots organization who claims Congressman Mac Thornberry refused to hold an in person town hall meeting in Wichita Falls. For over an hour the floor was open to anyone who had concerns or questions for Congressman Mac Thornberry, who was not in attendance.

Reality Check: Trump Proposal Doesn’t Cover Major Military Expansion

In this Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 photo, a shipyard worker walks to his car at the end of the workday at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. With Donald Trump demanding more ships, the Navy is proposing the biggest shipbuilding boom since the end of the Cold War to meet potential threats from Russia and China.

U.S. House bill would end Red River land dispute with Texas

The House on Tuesday approved a bill that supporters say would block the federal government from improperly seizing control of hundreds of thousands of acres along the Red River in Texas and Oklahoma. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, sponsored the bill in response to complaints from property owners that the federal Bureau of Land Management was seeking control of disputed land along a 116-mile stretch of river.

Military services detail plans for $30 billion budget boost

Buoyed by President Donald Trump's pledge to rebuild the U.S. armed forces, senior Pentagon officials have delivered to Congress plans for increasing the defense budget by more than $30 billion to acquire new jet fighters, armored vehicles, improved training and more. The informal proposals, obtained by The Associated Press, represent the first attempt by Trump's Defense Department to halt an erosion of the military's readiness for combat.

Trump should end the Presidenta s Daily Briefing

President-elect Donald Trump should end the President's Daily Brief prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It summarizes high-level intelligence and analyses about global hot spots and national security threats as seen through the eyes of the director.

Lawmakers: Russia’s violation of nuke treaty has ‘worsened’

In this June 9, 2016, file photo, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., right, and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, left, talk in Washington. Russia's violation of a key nuclear arms control treaty has become more egregious, Nunes and Thornberry said in a letter released Oct. 19, that urged the Obama administration to confront and impose penalties against Moscow.

Cowboy Pastor Begins 1,000-Mile, 40-Day ‘Revival’ Trail Ride From TX to DC

Pastor John Riggs of Texoma Cowboy Church in Witchita Falls, Texas and four members of his congregation began a 40-day journey on horseback to the nation's capital on September 29th in an effort to spark a spiritual revival across the United States. "As we think about our country and the condition we find it in today, our hearts are broken over the moral slide and depravity we see in the nation," Riggs told The Baptist Standard .

To some in military, Trump disqualified as commander in chief

Donald Trump's criticism of a Muslim-American family that lost its son in Iraq has stirred dismay among veterans and soldiers. VFW members listen as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention last week in Charlotte, N.C. The head of the VFW criticized Mr. Trump Monday for comments the candidate made about the family of a Muslim-American veteran who died in Iraq.

Republicans declare support for Khans in spat with Trump

Prominent Republicans are speaking out Monday against their own presidential candidate after he chose to scuffle with the grieving parents of a decorated Army veteran killed in Iraq. Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the bereaved parents of Capt.

US cyber force reluctant to cut Internet in Syria

Thomas Atkin, the acting assistant defense secretary for homeland defense and global security, said a "careful balance" needed to be struck, when asked why the military does not simply stop jihadists from accessing the Internet. "It's a careful balance, even in Raqqa or Mosul , or anywhere on how we balance the rights to have access to the Internet versus the use of the Internet illegally by folks like ISIL," Atkin told the House Armed Services Committee, using another acronym for ISIS.

Senate approves defense bill, defies White House veto threat

Defying a White House veto threat, the Senate voted decisively Tuesday to approve a defense policy bill that authorizes $602 billion in military spending, bars shuttering the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and denies the Pentagon's bid to start a new round of military base closings. The GOP-led Senate's version of the National Defense Authorization Act passed 85 to 13, with all but seven members of the Democratic caucus backing the legislation.

The Latest: Mayor uplifted by city’s unity after shooting

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he was uplifted by the way the community has come together during a citywide prayer service for the 49 people who were killed in a nightclub shooting over the weekend. More than a thousand people - including many clergy and local, state and national civic leaders - met Tuesday night at First Baptist Orlando to hold a vigil for the victims of the early Sunday morning shooting at the Pulse nightclub.