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Reuters blog archive
from David Rohde:
Washington-gate
President Barack Obama listens to a question in the rain in the White House Rose Garden in Washington, May 16, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Unprecedented Justice Department searches of journalists’ phone records. IRS targeting of conservative political groups. Spiraling sexual assault rates in the military. And the downplaying of the first killing of an American ambassador in 30 years.
In a matter of days, alarming accounts have emerged regarding the actions of five key federal government bureaucracies: the Justice Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the State Department, the CIA and the Pentagon.
For commentators on the right, the reports are final proof of the raft of conspiracy theories focused on President Barack Obama. For commentators on left, they are non-scandals that Republicans exaggerate for political gain. Our endless left-right debate – Obama the devil, Obama the angel – misses more serious problems.
from The Great Debate:
The case for sea-based drones
An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator is towed into the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), May 13, 2013. CREDIT: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Walter
If all goes according to plan, sometime on Tuesday the military balance of power in the Pacific Ocean could tilt to America's advantage. The U.S. Navy's main warships, whose firepower now cannot match the range of Chinese missiles, could gain a new weapon that more than levels the playing field.
from The Great Debate:
A sequestration solution for the Pentagon
The sequestration drama in Washington is less severe and intractable than you have heard. A partial solution: Block the across-the-board cut of $42.5 billion in military funds this year — the Pentagon’s portion of $85 billion due March 1 — and spread the savings over several years by tweaking military spending caps already on the books.
Because this option preserves deficit reduction without raising taxes and lets the military drawdown intelligently, a congressional majority might support it.
from The Great Debate:
A battleground for weapons of the future
More than a week after a U.S.-Egyptian brokered ceasefire brought a fragile peace to Gaza, military analysts are busily assessing the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Their goal: Apply lessons from the eight-day battle to weaponry still in development.
Israel's frequent conflicts with its Arab neighbors have historically been proving grounds for the latest in battlefield technology. Arab-Israeli wars inspired the first operational aerial drones, radar-evading stealth warplanes and projectile-defeating armor. All are now staples of the world's leading militaries.
from Photographers Blog:
Where were you on 9/11?
By Larry Downing
It's a simple question understood by anyone alive on September 11, 2001; an unwanted reminder for those who witnessed the confusion of America’s day of crisis as uncertainty stretched beyond its borders and illustrated to the world man’s capability of reaching out and doing harm to others.
That September day started quietly as early Fall leaves gently landed on top of the morning shadows of New York, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, but turned horrible after passenger jets and skyscrapers fell out of the sky holding thousands of souls trapped inside evil fires.
from Reuters Investigates:
Do you want the NSA to be the cyber-police?
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Today's special report looks at what the U.S. government is and is not doing to fight cyber attacks. Read it in multimedia PDF format here.
It seems every day brings news of another data breach, from defense firms to banks and even the U.S. Senate.
from Tales from the Trail:
Washington Extra – Major breach
In this post-9/11, ultra-high security era, it is hard to believe that the bomb-proofing specs of a new Defense Department building in the DC area would be on public view. Then again, the Internet is a tough beast to manage.
Reuters reporters Mark Hosenball and Missy Ryan discovered the sensitive information about Mark Center -- where 6,400 Defense Department personnel are scheduled to move later this year -- on a public website maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers.
from Tales from the Trail:
Just the right tavern to celebrate 200 years of U.S.-French military ties
Not every U.S. ally who visits the Pentagon needs to be treated to a dinner that evokes more than 200 years of peaceful military relations.
France is the rare exception.
So when Defense Minister Alain Juppe traveled to Washington this week for talks with Robert Gates, the U.S. defense secretary found just the right venue: Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria, Virginia, one of the few establishments in the United States that can boast of "fine dining since 1770."
from Tales from the Trail:
Hillary wants a break, but maybe just a little one
Hillary Clinton is committed to remaining U.S. secretary of state through Barack Obama's first term. What will she want then? The answer seems to be "spare time". But maybe just a little.
Hillary's future has long been the subject of swirling speculation. Would she run for president against Obama in 2012? Join his ticket as the vice presidential nominee? Replace Bob Gates at the Pentagon?
from Tales from the Trail:
Washington Extra – Ducking the issue
We were all primed for the release of the Treasury’s global currency report this afternoon, which would have included a ruling on whether China was a currency manipulator. But a decision was taken to delay the report until after the Group of 20 summit in Seoul in mid-November.
Pressure from lawmakers and business had been mounting on President Barack Obama to act, but the delay shouldn’t come as a big surprise. After all, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told Congress last month he wanted to rally the G20 around the issue and take a multilateral approach. Perhaps more importantly, the administration is conveniently ducking the issue until after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
