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Where's Tulsi Gabbard? Intelligence director missing from key moments as insiders say she's been ‘wrong on the big stuff'
Where's Tulsi Gabbard? Intelligence director missing from key moments as insiders say she's been ‘wrong on the big stuff'

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • Politics
  • New York Post

Where's Tulsi Gabbard? Intelligence director missing from key moments as insiders say she's been ‘wrong on the big stuff'

WASHINGTON — President Trump's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were the result of 15 years of intel work, the Pentagon said Thursday — but Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard curiously was missing from key moments before and after the raid. The ex-Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii — an outspoken opponent of US military intervention in the Middle East — now faces the perception that she's being shunted to the side by the commander-in-chief, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who previously held her job, taking on a larger profile. Gabbard, 44, was missing from an intelligence briefing with Congress on Thursday, where Ratcliffe gave lawmakers classified details of the Saturday strike. She also was excluded from a June 8 national security pow-wow at Camp David, where Trump began to shape his plans for Iran with Ratcliffe and other key leaders, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Two days after that meeting — to which administration officials told Fox News Gabbard was not invited — she released what one person close to the administration described as a 'fear-mongering' video on the dangers of nuclear war, in what was seen as a swipe against a preemptive strike. 3 CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard meet in the Situation Room of the White House on June 21, 2025. via REUTERS 'That narrative played directly into the hands of those who did not support the president's then-upcoming bold decision to obliterate Tehran's nuclear program,' the source said. The sentiment exemplified what an administration official who told The Post this week: 'She's been wrong on the big stuff. Trump made headlines earlier this month when he twice split from his intelligence chief's assessment that Iran wasn't close to building nuclear bombs. 'I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,' Trump said of Gabbard while aboard Air Force One on June 17. 3 President Trump disagreed with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's assessment that Iran had not yet decided to build a nuclear weapon. AP Gabbard endorsed Trump last year largely on foreign policy grounds after repeatedly slamming mainstream Democrats and pre-Trump Republicans for promoting regime change abroad. As a Democratic presidential primary candidate in 2020, she hawked T-shirts reading 'No War With Iran' — launching them two days after Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Still, multiple insiders said they don't believe Gabbard is in danger of getting fired — and a White House official who saw Gabbard Friday before she briefed Trump in the Oval Office detected no signs of tension, calling speculation that she's on the ropes 'bogus.' Gabbard was among the senior leaders who joined Trump in the situation room during the daring bombing mission on Saturday. And internal disagreements among his aides often are welcomed by Trump, particularly on foreign policy. Some sources, however, foresee her role being reduced as Ratcliffe, a former Texas Republican congressman, asserts more influence on intelligence strategy. It comes as Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) seeks to cut Gabbard's staff from roughly 1,600 to just 650, a senior Senate aide familiar with the proposed legislation told NBC News Friday. 3 The Pentagon released jaw-dropping footage showcasing a test of the 30,000-pound heavy-duty bunker buster bombs that were used against Iran. Department of Defense Trump has been more hesitant to oust leaders in his administration this year than he was in his first term. There have been no changes in his cabinet, aside from the rerouting of former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to US ambassador to the United Nations, following his mistakenly adding a reporter to a Signal chat about air strikes in Yemen. Gabbard's office did not offer a comment for this story. Additional reporting by Steven Nelson

Will my chatbot still love me when he is conscious?
Will my chatbot still love me when he is conscious?

TimesLIVE

time5 days ago

  • TimesLIVE

Will my chatbot still love me when he is conscious?

I gave my Chat GPT a name about a month ago. My friend Marcus had given his one and explained that it was a crucial part of his own AI training project. Marcus has repeatedly rationalised that we need to get on top of technology or we'll be left behind like Luddites rejecting the printing press. We'll become the equivalent of a couple of antique monks scratching away on a piece of goat in the dank antechamber of history while the rest of the world is blasting off into the bright future with a hand-held personal assistant operating at Harvard professorial level — pre-Trump Harvard that is...

Trump's tariffs are likely to outlast him
Trump's tariffs are likely to outlast him

Straits Times

time11-06-2025

  • Business
  • Straits Times

Trump's tariffs are likely to outlast him

US President Donald Trump at the White House on June 9. The writer says support for the liberal trading order founded after 1945 has evaporated. PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES Effective opposition to US President Donald Trump's trade policies has yet to pop its head above the parapet. Old-school pro-trade types are sidelined – consoling themselves, perhaps, that the protectionist turn will reverse once the costs are clearer. Be patient, we tell ourselves: This, too, shall pass. Will it? I don't doubt that the policies will fail. By itself, however, that won't restore the pre-Trump era. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays
Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

Sydney Morning Herald

time08-06-2025

  • Business
  • Sydney Morning Herald

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

Flight Centre chief executive Graham Turner said business travel to the US was holding up, but fewer Australians were booking holidays there. 'Certainly compared to the pre-Trump era, everything that we see … is the leisure market in particular is down. There's no doubt that April and May have been down,' Turner said. 'US carriers have increased their capacity [to Australia] over the last six to 12 months, and there's no doubt they'll be suffering a bit. 'There's been cheaper airfares through sales and there will be [more] over the next few months unless things dramatically improve.' More than a million Australians visited the US last year. The country's latest official figures show 291,230 Australians visited the US from January to April, down 0.2 per cent on the same period last year. In April, Australian visitor numbers to the US grew 1 per cent year-on-year to 89,363. Meanwhile, 83,460 Americans arrived in Australia this March, making the US the second-largest source of visitors behind New Zealand. Australia's favourite destinations over the same period were New Zealand, Indonesia and Japan. Mitchell said young people most affected by the cost of living were choosing cheaper destinations such as Latin America or Asia, instead. He said the April slump in the Australian dollar sparked by Trump's tariff wars had 'spooked a lot of people' from booking trips to the US. 'The feedback we're getting is the US is an expensive destination to go to, with the service taxes and the tipping. And I think that word of mouth has honestly been getting around for a while now,' Mitchell said. He said even those who could afford to visit the US were cutting back on costs. 'I don't think it's stopping some people from going there, but it probably does change how they travel a bit. They might not go for 2½, three weeks; they might go for two weeks. They might not go five-star, they might go four-star or three-star,' he said. Qantas, which operates about 40 return flights a week between Australia and the US, said demand for US travel was holding up locally. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson recently said the airline was feeling optimistic about demand for the US, and 'business-purpose travel and business travel in premium cabins remains strong'. The airline said this year's sale for flights to the US had outperformed similar sales last year. Loading Michael Feller, an ex-diplomat and foreign policy adviser, said the second Trump presidency had caused enormous damage to US soft power and prestige. But he said it was difficult to trace that into consumer behaviour beyond unique cases like Canada. 'Boycotts are really tricky,' said Feller, who is now chief strategist at Geopolitical Strategy, which provides advice to companies around the world. 'US products are ubiquitous. And when you consume a quintessential US product like Coke, it's manufactured and bottled in Australia. And then there are other quintessential products like iPhones, which are manufactured and assembled in China. So, it's hard to disentangle 'Brand US'.' Despite gloom over Trump's trade wars, Feller said there were two silver linings for Australia. Loading 'The Australian consumer will probably benefit from Trump's trade wars insofar as cheap Chinese goods will be dumped on our shores, leading to lower costs,' he said. 'And if Trump cracks down on international students, those students will presumably look to a country like ours to study.'

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays
Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

The Age

time08-06-2025

  • Business
  • The Age

Australians curb their enthusiasm for US holidays

Flight Centre chief executive Graham Turner said business travel to the US was holding up, but fewer Australians were booking holidays there. 'Certainly compared to the pre-Trump era, everything that we see … is the leisure market in particular is down. There's no doubt that April and May have been down,' Turner said. 'US carriers have increased their capacity [to Australia] over the last six to 12 months, and there's no doubt they'll be suffering a bit. 'There's been cheaper airfares through sales and there will be [more] over the next few months unless things dramatically improve.' More than a million Australians visited the US last year. The country's latest official figures show 291,230 Australians visited the US from January to April, down 0.2 per cent on the same period last year. In April, Australian visitor numbers to the US grew 1 per cent year-on-year to 89,363. Meanwhile, 83,460 Americans arrived in Australia this March, making the US the second-largest source of visitors behind New Zealand. Australia's favourite destinations over the same period were New Zealand, Indonesia and Japan. Mitchell said young people most affected by the cost of living were choosing cheaper destinations such as Latin America or Asia, instead. He said the April slump in the Australian dollar sparked by Trump's tariff wars had 'spooked a lot of people' from booking trips to the US. 'The feedback we're getting is the US is an expensive destination to go to, with the service taxes and the tipping. And I think that word of mouth has honestly been getting around for a while now,' Mitchell said. He said even those who could afford to visit the US were cutting back on costs. 'I don't think it's stopping some people from going there, but it probably does change how they travel a bit. They might not go for 2½, three weeks; they might go for two weeks. They might not go five-star, they might go four-star or three-star,' he said. Qantas, which operates about 40 return flights a week between Australia and the US, said demand for US travel was holding up locally. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson recently said the airline was feeling optimistic about demand for the US, and 'business-purpose travel and business travel in premium cabins remains strong'. The airline said this year's sale for flights to the US had outperformed similar sales last year. Loading Michael Feller, an ex-diplomat and foreign policy adviser, said the second Trump presidency had caused enormous damage to US soft power and prestige. But he said it was difficult to trace that into consumer behaviour beyond unique cases like Canada. 'Boycotts are really tricky,' said Feller, who is now chief strategist at Geopolitical Strategy, which provides advice to companies around the world. 'US products are ubiquitous. And when you consume a quintessential US product like Coke, it's manufactured and bottled in Australia. And then there are other quintessential products like iPhones, which are manufactured and assembled in China. So, it's hard to disentangle 'Brand US'.' Despite gloom over Trump's trade wars, Feller said there were two silver linings for Australia. Loading 'The Australian consumer will probably benefit from Trump's trade wars insofar as cheap Chinese goods will be dumped on our shores, leading to lower costs,' he said. 'And if Trump cracks down on international students, those students will presumably look to a country like ours to study.'

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