Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Pentagon probing more alleged classified docs posted online, some marked with highest classification
The Pentagon is investigating purported classified U.S. military and intelligence documents posted on social media, adding to concerns of a potential breach after documents that appear to be U.S. and NATO efforts to aid Ukraine were posted online earlier this week. Published April 8, 2023
War planning documents leaked ahead of Ukrainian counteroffensive: Report
Secret documents explaining U.S. and NATO efforts to aid the Ukrainian military were posted on social media this week, according to media reports, representing a rare leak of sensitive internal war planning materials at a crucial moment in Ukraine's war with Russia. Published April 7, 2023
Yemen crisis resists resolution despite Iran-Saudi thaw
The recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran brought with it renewed hope that a comprehensive, lasting peace deal may be on the horizon in Yemen, home to a near decade-long civil war that has fueled one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet. Published April 6, 2023
Bill Clinton expresses ‘terrible’ regret for pushing Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons
Former President Bill Clinton said he feels "terrible" about his key role in a landmark 1994 deal that saw Ukraine surrender its nuclear arsenal, and the 42nd president suggested that it's highly unlikely Russia would have invaded its neighbor in February 2022 if Ukraine still had those weapons. Published April 5, 2023
Balloon collected secret intel for China; revelation counters Biden assurances
China's suspected spy balloon gathered intelligence from sensitive American military sites as it flew across the U.S. in late January and early February, according to new reports Monday, fueling questions about why President Biden allowed the craft to travel across the country before it was shot down by U.S. military fighter jets off the South Carolina coast. Published April 3, 2023
Putin’s power play to bully Europe collapses as U.S. overtakes Russia as top crude oil supplier
The U.S. has overtaken Russia as the top crude oil supplier to Europe, data shows, capping a remarkable 12-month period in which Moscow's plan to weaponize its position as an energy superpower collapsed from strong Western opposition to the war in Ukraine. Published April 2, 2023
Russian spy charges for U.S. reporter spark outrage
Russian authorities arrested a Wall Street Journal reporter Thursday on allegations of espionage, sparking a furious reaction in Washington, adding fresh tension to already icy U.S.-Russian relations and stoking fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin has fully embraced a new strategy as retaliation for Western opposition to his war in Ukraine. Published March 30, 2023
Kremlin energy leverage in Europe evaporates as war grinds on
The U.S. has overtaken Russia as the top crude oil supplier to Europe, new data show, capping a remarkable 12-month period that saw Moscow's plan to use its position as an energy superpower as a weapon against Europe collapse amid strong Western opposition to the war in Ukraine. Published March 29, 2023
Netanyahu moves to ‘avoid civil war,’ delays judicial overhaul plan amid strikes, protests
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he will delay his judicial overhaul plan in a bid to "avoid civil war" amid historic demonstrations, workers' strikes and a rebellion in his own Cabinet against his deeply polarizing proposal. Published March 27, 2023
State Dept. faces Monday deadline to turn over secret Afghan dissent cable as GOP readies subpoena
The State Department faces a close-of-business deadline Monday to turn over to Congress a secret dissent cable that Republicans say will shed new light on the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and reveal internal warnings from inside the Biden administration about the looming disaster. Published March 27, 2023
Threat Status: U.S. flexing military muscle in Asia amid simmering tension with China
U.S. forces are set to engage in a massive showing of military force next month in East Asia, with Philippine and U.S. troops holding a set of wide-ranging joint drills next month in locations that could be strategically vital in potential conflict with China. Published March 26, 2023
U.S. swiftly returns fire after deadly drone attack, carries out retaliatory airstrikes in Syria
The U.S. carried out retaliatory airstrikes late Thursday after a suspected Iranian drone killed an American contractor and wounded at least five troops, the Pentagon said. A second U.S. contractor was also wounded in the drone attack on an American base outside the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah. Published March 24, 2023
Pentagon has ‘multiple options’ ready if Iran builds nuclear bomb, top U.S. general says
The Pentagon has developed multiple military options ready for President Biden if or when Iran begins to build nuclear weapons, America's top general told Congress Thursday. Published March 23, 2023
Pentagon pressed on Ukraine endgame as skepticism takes root with some lawmakers
Lawmakers pressed top Pentagon officials Thursday to explain America's ultimate goal in Ukraine, how exactly victory over Russia can be measured, and just how much money and military equipment the U.S. is willing to commit in the latest sign that the political sales job for supporting Kyiv is getting tougher by the day. Published March 23, 2023
Null and void, but still causing headaches: Pentagon’s legal woes over COVID vaccine mandate persist
At the height of the global pandemic, the Pentagon in August 2021 decreed that all U.S. troops must get the COVID-19 vaccine, then launched a logistical push to get the shot to every service member stationed anywhere in the world. Published March 17, 2023
Russia races to recover U.S. drone wreckage as questions swirl over sensitive data
Russian crews are scouring the Black Sea for remnants of the American MQ-9 Reaper that crashed there earlier this week, Pentagon officials said, while the U.S. military made public on Thursday raw video footage that seems to show a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on the drone and clipping its propeller just before it went down. Published March 16, 2023
Declassified video shows Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on, colliding with U.S. drone
The Pentagon early Thursday released a declassified video that officials say shows the Tuesday collision between a Russian Su-27 fighter jet and a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea. Published March 16, 2023
‘That’s U.S. property’: Pentagon races to find drone wreckage as Russia launches recovery mission
The U.S. and Russian militaries scrambled Wednesday to locate the wreckage of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone that crashed into the Black Sea after being hit by a tailing Russian fighter jet a day earlier. Published March 15, 2023
Escalation? Dramatic collision of Russian jet, U.S. drone fuels fear of direct conflict
A Russian fighter jet collided with a U.S. military surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, forcing U.S. operators to bring down the unmanned craft in international waters and prompting Pentagon officials to blast the Russian pilots' behavior as "unsafe and unprofessional." Published March 14, 2023
Biden admin guarantees Silicon Valley Bank deposits, shutters N.Y. bank in bid to head off crisis
The Biden administration said it would guarantee all deposits at the now-shuttered Silicon Valley Bank but insisted the move was not a taxpayer-funded bailout, while regulators closed a second institution, New York City's Signature Bank, amid fears of an unfolding economic crisis. Published March 12, 2023