U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May says she'll demand changes to the Brexit deal she reached with the EU, but the EU has long said it's unwilling to renegotiate — and a series of votes in Parliament today didn't make the picture any clearer.
The bottom line: May says the votes indicate there's a majority out there for a revised deal. That's an optimistic interpretation. Two months ahead of the date the U.K. is set to leave the EU, it's unclear what's going to happen.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has scheduled attorney general nominee William Barr's confirmation vote for Feb. 7, hours after the panel delayed the vote due to concerns over how Barr will handle special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The big picture: Under current rules, Barr will only require a simple majority of senators’ votes, meaning he likely won't need any support from Democrats to be confirmed. The day after the vote, acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker is due to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about his oversight of the Mueller probe.
U.S. intelligence officials say Russia made a secret proposal to North Korea last fall —dismantle its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in exchange for a nuclear power plant, the Washington Post reports.
The big picture: This marks yet another example of an emboldened Russia intervening publicly and privately in key global hotspots, often in direct conflict with U.S. interests. Earlier Tuesday, Russia doubled down on its criticism of the Trump administration's latest round of sanctions against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, for whom Russia has expressed continuing support.
The U.S. intelligence community said Tuesday that Iran is not currently working to develop its nuclear capabilities and remains compliant with the Iran nuclear deal, an assessment that stands in contrast with President Trump's assertion when withdrawing from the deal, which he called "defective at its core," last year.
The state of play: CIA Director Gina Haspel told the Senate Intelligence Committee that "the most recent information" from the CIA indicates that Iran is "considering taking steps to lessen [its] adherence" to the deal as it fails to realize promised economic and trade benefits following the U.S. withdrawal.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Senate Intelligence Committee today that North Korea "is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities" because its leaders believe doing so would endanger the regime.
Why it matters: President Trump has downplayed the nuclear threat from North Korea since his Singapore summit with Kim Jong-un, who the president insists has committed to full denuclearization. With Trump set to hold another summit with Kim next month, Coats says the U.S. intelligence community has concluded Trump's stated goal in negotiating with Kim is "unlikely" to be achieved.
A newly detailed espionage group is breaching the telecom and travel industries in a likely attempt to surveil individuals, according to a new report by FireEye.
Why it matters: FireEye, which has dubbed the group APT 39, believes the group is Iranian. This would be the first Iranian hacker group to focus on personal information. Others have conducted destructive attacks on industry, along with general espionage or influence campaigns.
Acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker told reporters on Monday he has been "fully briefed" on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and that it's "close to being completed."
"I look forward to Director Mueller delivering the final report. ... But, right now the investigation is, I think, close to being completed. And I hope that we can get the report from Director Mueller as soon as possible."
Why it matters: Whitaker's remarks came in response to a question on whether he has observed any developments in the probe that gives him concerns. This also comes days after Roger Stone, a longtime political advisor to President Trump, was indicted on seven counts, including allegations of witness tampering, obstruction of justice and making false statements to Congress.
