Latest news with #WilliamBurns
South China Morning Post
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Former CIA director William Burns' ‘riveting' memoir to be published by Random House
Former CIA director and Biden cabinet official William Burns is working on a book about his years leading the intelligence agency. Advertisement Random House announced on June 3 that it would publish Burns' Diplomat Spy: A Memoir of Espionage in Revolutionary Times. The release date is still to be determined. 'It was a profound honour to lead the men and women of CIA, and I hope in this new book to illuminate their remarkable service, and the crucial connection in this revolutionary new era between spycraft and statecraft,' said Burns, who headed the CIA from 2021-23 and was elevated by the then US president, Joe Biden , to a cabinet position. A veteran diplomat, he was a key adviser to Biden on Russia, Ukraine and other parts of the world. In this image provided by The White House, CIA Director William Burns (left) and other security officials brief US President Joe Biden on an airborne attack on Israel from Iran in the White House Situation Room on April 13, 2024. Photo: Adam Schultz/The White House via AP According to Random House, Burns' book is 'a riveting first-hand account of dealing with the most difficult foreign adversaries in the most difficult crises, a candid look at the personal and professional pressures which come with espionage, and a reflection on the future of intelligence at a time of rapid technological change and relentless attacks on public institutions'. Advertisement
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Former CIA Director William Burns has a book deal for the memoir 'Diplomat Spy'
Former CIA director and Biden cabinet official William J. Burns is working on a book about his years leading the intelligence agency. Random House announced Tuesday that it would publish Burns' 'Diplomat Spy: A Memoir of Espionage in Revolutionary Times.' The release date is still to be determined. 'It was a profound honor to lead the men and women of CIA, and I hope in this new book to illuminate their remarkable service, and the crucial connection in this revolutionary new era between spycraft and statecraft,' Burns, who headed the CIA from 2021-23 and was elevated by President Joe Biden to a cabinet position. A veteran diplomat, he was a key adviser to Biden on Russia, Ukraine and other parts of the world. According to Random House, Burns' book is 'a riveting firsthand account of dealing with the most difficult foreign adversaries in the most difficult crises, a candid look at the personal and professional pressures which come with espionage, and a reflection on the future of intelligence at a time of rapid technological change and relentless attacks on public institutions.'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Franklin Co. couple admits to producing CSAM of 1-year-old
ST. LOUIS – A Franklin County couple admitted to filming and producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of a 1-year-old. The couple, William Burns, 41, and his wife, Rachel Burns, 34, both pleaded guilty in May in relation to the disturbing crimes. Court documents say the couple was arrested back in 2023 by the University City Police Department. During their arrest, the couple had two children in their car. Prosecutors charged the pair with attempted enticement of a minor. When speaking with investigators, the wife admitted to detectives that her husband had CSAM on various devices, prompting deputies to further investigate the case. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Upon their discovery at the home, deputies found not only electronic devices containing CSAM but also sexual devices and a silicone sex doll that was made to resemble a young girl, according to the couple's plea agreement. Investigators found more than 13,000 files of CSAM, and prosecutors say William Burns used an app to share the material with other users. In one video that investigators found in 2022, the couple was sexually abusing a 1-year-old. Investigators say that they found countless videos and images from that specific victim between 2022 and 2023. Rachel Burns pleaded guilty on May 22 to one count of conspiracy and two counts of production of child pornography. She will be sentenced on Aug. 25, with the U.S. Attorney's Office recommending no more than 35 years in prison. Her husband, William, pleaded guilty in court on May 30 to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, three counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. William Burns is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3. The U.S. Attorney's Office recommends between 35 and 40 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NHK
30-05-2025
- Business
- NHK
Richard Armitage memorial praises diplomat's contribution to Japan-US alliance
About 400 people have gathered to remember former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who played a key role in US-Japan relations. The high-ranking diplomat died in April at the age of 79. The memorial ceremony was held on Thursday at the US Naval Academy in the state of Maryland. The participants included former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and diplomats from Japan and other countries. In a speech, former CIA Director William Burns praised Armitage's achievements and character. He said Armitage knew that "diplomacy was not an abstraction but a very human business of building trust with allies and partners." Former Japanese Ambassador to the US Kato Ryozo said, "The passing of Richard Armitage, the greatest and most skilled craftsman in the history of the US-Japan alliance," was a "profound loss" to both countries. Kato added, "The friendship, trust, the many gifts he gave us are living still through us." Armitage worked under President George W. Bush. He was a top expert on Asian and Japanese affairs, and called for strengthening the US-Japan alliance.
The Guardian
30-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Nearly 20 councils in England ‘at risk of insolvency' due to Send costs
Nearly 20 councils have warned publicly that they are at risk of insolvency because of multibillion pound debts caused by years of overspends on special educational needs support, the Guardian can reveal. Overspending on special educational needs and disability (Send) services in England is forecast to grow by nearly £2bn over the next 12 months, a Guardian investigation shows. Councils will see mounting special educational needs and disabilities (Send) deficits rise by 54% on average, with some anticipating accrued debts to increase by millions of pounds every month as they struggle to cope with soaring demand. The deficits – currently totalling £3.4bn – will hit £5.2bn in 12 months' time. At least 18 councils have warned explictly the debts put them at risk of insolvency unless the government intervenes, with council estimates suggesting even more could go bust. 'The deficits are pushing councils all over England to the financial brink. The clock is ticking, and councils are being left in limbo with significant uncertainty over the future of services,' said William Burns, social care policy adviser for the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa). Mass defaults on Send deficits would cause chaos and damage other local services, said Cipfa, because councils which declare effective bankruptcy would be forced to drastically rein in spending in all areas, not just local schools. It estimates as many as 75 councils are at risk. The spiralling debts were kept off council books by Tory ministers using an accounting fix called a 'statutory override' but this ends on 31 March 2026, when the debt returns to town hall balance sheets. Ministers must now decide whether to clear the debt, or extend the override until the deficits can be cleared safely. The Send deficit ballooned under the last government, triggered by rapid increases in the cost of meeting education and health care plans (EHCPs) which give children the legal right to school support for conditions such as autism, and speech and language difficulty. In 2015, 240,000 ECHPs were in place in England, more than doubling to 576,000 in 2024, according to Department for Education (DfE) statistics. Insufficient special needs capacity in state schools, and the high costs of Send placements in private specialist schools, have been driving overspends. A government insider said: 'Those [council] forecasts can only have been based on the failing Tory system that we will change. Tackling the chaos that the Tories left in our Send system is a major priority for [the education secretary] Bridget Phillipson, so we can give every child the opportunity to get a brilliant education.' A Guardian investigation shows at least 101 English councils – over two-thirds of the total – spent more than their allocated Send budget during the past year, with 18 councils breaching their annual allocations by over £30m. Nearly nine out of 10 English upper-tier councils – of the 131 which responded in full to the FoI – will have an accumulated deficit on their high needs budgets by the end of next March, with one-in-four (32 out of the 131 who responded in full) now predicting debts of more than £50m and 15 debts of £100m or more. Leeds city council, which covers chancellor Rachel Reeves's Leeds West and Pudsey constituency, has forecast its accumulated Send deficit will soar from £17.5m to £50m by the end of the next financial year, and warned the increase will put it at 'serious financial risk'. Hampshire county council, which has England's largest forecast deficit at £312m, is projecting its debt to rise by £111m over the next year. In its budget reports, the council said that if the override was removed and the debt became a part of the organisation's deficit, 'a section 114 notice would become inevitable'. Middlesbrough, one of England's most deprived authorities, said its forecast Send deficit will rise by more than quarter to £26m over the next 12 months. In council papers last month, it called this 'a critical risk to the council's financial viability, given that it will wipe out the council's general fund reserves.' The average forecast accumulated deficit across the councils covered by the analysis is £40m by the end of March 2026, with 112 forecasting their accumulated high needs deficit will worsen over the next 12 months. A DfE spokesperson said: 'The evidence is clear that the Send system has been on its knees for years – with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support. 'It will take time, but as part of our Plan for Change we are thinking differently about what the Send system should look like, to spread opportunity, restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for.'
