Jul 5, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Susan Rice: Trump "picks Putin over our troops”

Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Former national security adviser Susan Rice says President Trump sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin following news that Russia allegedly offered bounties for those who targeted American soldiers in Afghanistan.

Rice said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday: "In everything [Trump's] done since, from dismissing the intelligence and standing up for Putin at Helsinki, to inviting him back into the G7 against the objections of our long-standing allies, to unilaterally withdrawing a third of our troops from Germany, all these steps benefit Putin."

  • "And now we learn that even when it comes to the blood of American service members, this president picks Putin over our troops."
  • "Why is President Trump at every turn, protecting and defending Vladimir Putin, and our arch adversary, Russia? It goes back to before he was president when he called on Russia to hack and steal his opponent’s emails."
  • "The message to Vladimir Putin is you can kill American servicemen and women with absolute impunity. This is an extraordinary revelation. The president of the United States has demonstrated absolutely callous disregard for the safety and security of American forces in a war zone and there's no explanation for this."

Between the lines: The New York Times reported a Russian military intelligence unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked groups in Afghanistan to target American troops as the U.S. was in the middle of peace talks with the official Afghanistan government and the Taliban.

  • Trump tweeted neither he nor Vice President Mike Pence had been briefed about the matter, denied the story and said, "Nobody’s been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration."

Go deeper: Trump: Intelligence didn't find Russian bounties on U.S. troops claim credible

Go deeper

Zach Dorfman of the Aspen Institute
Aug 5, 2020 - Politics & Policy

When U.S. politicians exploit foreign disinformation

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

U.S. political actors will keep weaponizing the impact of widespread foreign disinformation campaigns on American elections, making these operations that much more effective and attractive to Russia, China, Iran or other countries backing them.

Why it matters: Hostile powers’ disinformation campaigns aim to destabilize the U.S., and each time a domestic politician embraces them, it demonstrates that they work.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Zachary Basu
Updated Aug 6, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Sally Yates: There was a "legitimate basis" for FBI's Flynn interview

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testified Wednesday that she believes there was a "legitimate basis" for the FBI to interview then-national security adviser Michael Flynn in January 2017 as part of a counterintelligence investigation into Russian election interference.

Why it matters: The Justice Department under Attorney General Bill Barr is attempting to dismiss the case against Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, on the grounds that there was no basis for the FBI to interview him in the first place.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 25 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 19,451,097 — Total deaths: 722,835 — Total recoveries — 11,788,665 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2. p.m. ET: 4,968,413 — Total deaths: 161,858 — Total recoveries: 1,623,870 — Total tests: 60,415,558 — Map.
  3. Public health: Fauci says chances are "not great" that COVID-19 vaccine will be 98% effective.
  4. Science: Indoor air is the next coronavirus frontline.
  5. Schools: How back-to-school is playing out in the South as coronavirus rages on — Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Howard to hold fall classes online.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow