Senate confirms Trump's pick for counterterrorism agency, a former Green Beret with extremist ties
Kent won confirmation on a 53-44 party-line vote. He had already been working for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. As the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he will oversee an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
24 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Putin signs a bill punishing online searches for information deemed ‘extremist'
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a bill that punishes online searches for information officially branded 'extremist,' the latest in a series of moves by authorities to tighten control of the internet. The legislation, which has been approved by both houses of parliament earlier this month, makes what it describes as 'deliberately searching for and accessing extremist materials' online punishable by a fine of up to the equivalent of $60. In Russia, the official definition of extremist activity is extremely broad and includes opposition groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the 'international LGBTQ+ movement.' It's not clear how authorities will track down violators. Officials and lawmakers said ordinary internet users won't be affected and that only those who methodically seek outlawed content will be targeted. They did not explain how authorities would differentiate between them. Russians widely use VPN services for access to banned content, but authorities have sought to tighten restrictions and close the loopholes. The state communications watchdog has increasingly used technology to analyze traffic and block specific VPN protocols. Russian authorities have ramped up their multipronged crackdown on dissent after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments have soared. Multiple independent news outlets and rights groups have been shut down, labeled as 'foreign agents' or outlawed as 'undesirable.' Hundreds of activists and critics of the Kremlin have faced criminal charges.
Toronto Star
40 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Trump envoy Witkoff and US Ambassador Huckabee will inspect food distribution in Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the death toll of Palestinians waiting for food and other aid continued to climb. The White House said Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee will inspect food distribution in Gaza on Friday At least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while attempting to get aid in the past 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday. This includes 54 people killed while awaiting food in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing on Wednesday, the ministry said. The toll is expected to rise further as many of those killed or wounded were brought to isolated, undersupplied hospitals in northern Gaza and have not yet been counted.
CTV News
42 minutes ago
- CTV News
Trump envoy arrives in Israel amid rising Gaza death toll of Palestinians seeking aid
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff waits for the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, N.J., en route to attend the Club World Cup final soccer match, Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip -- U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the death toll of Palestinians waiting for food and other aid continued to climb. At least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while attempting to get aid in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. This includes 54 people killed while awaiting food in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing on Wednesday, the ministry said. The toll is expected to rise further as many of those killed or wounded were brought to isolated, smaller hospitals in northern Gaza and have not yet been counted. The Israeli military said Palestinians surrounded aid trucks and the Israeli military fired warning shots into the crowd, but that it isn't aware of any injuries stemming from Israeli fire. A security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations said the gunfire came from within the crowd and altercations between Palestinians attempting to access aid. A Palestinian youth carries a sack of aid that landed in the Mediterranean Sea after being airdropped over central Gaza, at the shore of Zawaida, Gaza Strip Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) A Palestinian youth carries a sack of aid that landed in the Mediterranean Sea after being airdropped over central Gaza, at the shore of Zawaida, Gaza Strip Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) A diplomatic push Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Israel on Thursday afternoon as the U.S. imposed new sanctions on officials from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. He is expected to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a possible ceasefire, according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. This is the first meeting between Witkoff and Netanyahu since both Israel and the U.S. called their negotiation teams home from Qatar one week ago. Witkoff said at the time that Hamas 'shows a lack of desire' to reach a truce. Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. In Jerusalem, about 50 people, including families of some of the approximately 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, demonstrated on Thursday in front of Netanyahu's office calling for an end to the war. Aid trickles into Gaza Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed. The Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza said 270 trucks of aid entered Gaza on Wednesday, and 32 pallets of aid were airdropped into the Strip. That amount is far lower than the 500 to 600 trucks per day that aid organizations say are needed. The international community has heaped criticism on Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. International organizations said that Gaza has been on the brink of famine for the past two years, but that recent developments, including a complete blockade on aid for two and a half months, mean that the 'worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza.' Criticism of Israel in Gaza comes from staunch allies German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was also due in Israel later Thursday on a two-day trip that will also take him to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Germany, traditionally a staunch ally of Israel, has been increasingly critical recently of Israel's actions in Gaza. It has insisted that Israel must do more to increase aid supplies and pushed for a ceasefire. Berlin hasn't joined major allies France, Britain, and Canada in saying it will recognize a Palestinian state in September. But in a statement ahead of his departure Thursday, Wadephul underlined Germany's position that a two-state solution is 'the only way' to ensure a future in peace and security for people on both sides. 'For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state stands rather at the end of the process. But such a process must begin now. Germany will not move from this aim,' Wadephul said. U.S. revokes visas of Palestinian officials Palestinian officials linked to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization will no longer be able to travel to the U.S. after their visas were revoked Thursday, marking a further deterioration of their relations with the United States. The U.S. State Department said the organizations had violated longstanding agreements not to undermine the peace process or globalize the conflict through international courts. It accused them of inciting violence and supporting attackers and their families. It did not specify which officials would be sanctioned, but similar actions taken during President Donald Trump's first term led the group to shutter it's Washington-based office in 2018. Some of the recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood have been predicated on reforming the PA, which is mired in corruption and widely unpopular at home. The PA has also clashed bitterly with Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. The PLO, the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people, oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. PLO member Mustafa Barghouti called the move a response to nations recognizing Palestine and said it proved the U.S. couldn't be a neutral mediator in the peace process. 'It is time for everyone -- including the Palestinian Authority, which along with the PLO is facing U.S. sanctions -- to realize that it is futile to bet on the illusion that the United States can act as a mediator,' he said in an interview. 'The U.S. is completely and absolutely biased toward Israel and is complicit in its war crimes.' ---- By Wafaa Shurafa And Melanie Lidman Sam Metz in Jerusalem and Imad Isseid in Ramallah, the West Bank, contributed reporting.
