Unnerving concerns over top pick

ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson is President-elect Donald Trump's likely pick for secretary of state, US media reports say, with some lawmakers quickly voicing concerns about his ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.Tillerson has extensive experience in international negotiations, overseeing his oil company's activities in more than 50 countries. But his links to Russia could be problematic, lawma... ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson is President-elect Donald Trump's likely pick for secretary of state, US media reports say, with some lawmakers quickly voicing concerns about his ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

FBI knew about Russia interference with election, Harry Reid says

The FBI knew that Russia was meddling in the U.S. election to help ensure a Donald Trump victory - but the agency's director turned a blind eye to the interference, outgoing Senate minority leader Harry Reid claimed. A day after a secret CIA assessment showed several people connected to the Russian government leaked hacked emails from the Democrats to whistleblowing site WikiLeaks, Reid called for the resignation of FBI director James Comey.

Report: Trump’s Secretary of State Is Rex Tillerson

Multiple outlets are reporting this, although it all traces back to NBC News at this point. Here is the Wall Street Journal from a couple of days ago talking about Tillerson's ties to Putin : Friends and associates said few U.S. citizens are closer to Mr. Putin than Mr. Tillerson, who has known Mr. Putin since he represented Exxon's interests in Russia during the regime of Boris Yeltsin.

Green Party candidate says she’s cooperating in Russia probe

The Senate intelligence committee has asked for documents from former presidential candidate Jill Stein as part of its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, adding another new thread to the panel's investigation as it heads into 2018. Stein said in a statement overnight Tuesday that she was cooperating with the probe and is providing documents to the committee.

Trump Assembles a War Cabinet to Meet Foreign Threats

Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, has been known for his criticism of President Obama for failing to identify radical Islamists as the enemy. But his book expands the list of enemies to Russia, which seems like a strange pick since Flynn had appeared at the Russia Today propaganda channel's 10th anniversary celebration in Moscow, sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Member of Putin’s party: ‘United Russia won the elections in America’

President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a "USA Thank You" tour event on Dec. 1, 2016, in Cincinnati. President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a "USA Thank You" tour event on Dec. 1, 2016, in Cincinnati.

For Russia, Trump presidency offers hope of sanctions relief

Russia's government staunchly denies reports that it tampered in the U.S. election or supported either candidate, but once the results were in, members of President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party didn't hold back. "It turns out that United Russia won the elections in America," Viktor Nazarov, the governor of Omsk, Russia, declared in a radio interview.

Turkey, Russia seek truce in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that his country and Russia want a cease-fire in Syria, where the two nations support opposing camps in the conflict. Speaking alongside Sergey Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, in a Turkish resort town, Cavusoglu said, "We are in agreement that a cease-fire is needed so that the tragedy can come to an end."

Unforgettable quotes from 11 of the most powerful leaders in the world

It's no coincidence that the most powerful leaders in the world - from Barack Obama to Bill Gates to Vladimir Putin - are gifted speakers who win support, shape minds, and even stir controversy with their words. Though his speaking habits are unconventional - and often contentious - US President-Elect Donald Trump now joins the same ranks as these powerful leaders.

Russia, Germany accuse each other of election hacking

The recent discord between United States and Russia spurred by Kremlin-blamed cyberattacks is being emulated abroad after Germany's top intelligence official this week suggested Moscow may similarly interfere with his nation's general election next year. Bruno Kahl, the head of BND, Germany's federal intelligence service, said in an interview Tuesday that Russia may be setting its sights on the 2017 German election after being attributed with a series of cyberattacks, email leaks and online disinformation campaigns waged during the run-up to the recent White House race.

Trump intelligence nominee sees Russia, China, North Korea as main threats

President Donald Trump's nominee to be the top U.S. intelligence official listed activity by Russia, China and North Korea as among the main challenges faced by the country. "Russia's assertiveness in global affairs is something I look upon with great concern, which we need to address with eyes wide open and a health degree of skepticism," former Senator Dan Coats, Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, told his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Europeans anxious about Trump outreach to Putin

The annual Halifax International Security Forum brings together senior Canadian, European, and U.S. military and civilian officials, and you can guess what was on everyone's mind this year: To be more specific, the crowd was eager to pump U.S. participants, including a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators, about whether Trump would turn his back on NATO and cozy up to Vladimir Putin. Many asked whether the president-elect might hold an early meeting with Putin even before getting together with NATO allies - which would send a dangerous signal.

The Western War On Truth

The "war on terror" has simultaneously been a war on truth. For 15 years -- from 9/11 to Saddam Hussein's "weapons of mass destruction" and "al Qaeda connections," "Iranian nukes," "Assad's use of chemical weapons," endless lies about Gadaffi, "Russian invasion of Ukraine" -- the governments of the so-called Western democracies have found it essential to align themselves firmly with lies in order to pursue their agendas.

Donald Trump responds to Fidel Castro’s death

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Fidel Castro as the "symbol of an era," the Kremlin said in a statement Saturday. Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said Mr Castro was an "absolute giant of the 20th century", and blamed the US for the restrictions on civil liberties under his leadership.

Draining the Swamp at State

If there is one hopeful sign in the Presidency of Donald Trump, it is his pledge to ' drain the swamp ' as it relates to those special insider interests who run the show and those outsider interests who own the show. It is a hugely ambitious task and hardly achievable in four short years but there is a branch of the Federal government where the President-elect would find immediate results and bring the satisfaction that American foreign policy would no longer be dependent on globalization or spreading unwinnable wars on wasteful adventurism overseas.

Japan ex-minister warns resolving isles row with Russia not easy

A potential ruling party rival to Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned on Monday against excessive optimism over a breakthrough in a decades-old territorial row with Moscow when Abe meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Japan next month. TOKYO: A potential ruling party rival to Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned on Monday against excessive optimism over a breakthrough in a decades-old territorial row with Moscow when Abe meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Japan next month.