First Run News

Posted at 9:44 pm on June 28, 2017 by streiff It has been nearly two weeks since the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, was rammed by the container ship ACX Crystal near Fitzgerald’s homeport of Yokosuka, Japan.

Posted at 10:38 pm on June 28, 2017 by streiff Monday evening the administration issued a warning to Syria. In essence, it said ‘we know you are planning a chemical strike and it will be painful if you carry through on that idea.’ Now, Secretary of Defense James Mattis has said that not only was the evidence real but the attack was cancelled because of the warning.

Wednesday that if Russia is not punished for their actions in the 2016 presidential elections they will continue to meddle in other U.S.

Two Democratic amendments aimed at President Trump’s travel expenses and potential business profits failed late Wednesday. The House Armed Services Committee voted 30-32 against an amendment from Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) to prohibit Pentagon funds from being used at properties owned by Trump or his immediate family members. Republican Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.) and Mike Coffman (Colo.) joined all committee Democrats in voting for the amendment. The committee also voted 31-31 on an amendment offered by Rep.

The House Armed Services Committee easily passed its $696.5 billion defense policy late Wednesday night. The committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed 60-1 and now moves to the full House for a vote after the July 4 recess. Rep. MORE (D-Hawaii) was the lone no vote. The bill would authorize $621.5 billion in the base defense budget and $75 billion in a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) on Thursday announced that it is launching a new wave of ads on tax reform – this time targeting Republican senators. This is the third set of ads that AFP, which is backed by wealthy GOP donors Charles and David Koch, has released as part of a six-figure campaign on tax reform.

With a full plate of economic issues facing them, President Obama and 19 other world leaders meet this weekend at the G20 summit, a moveable feast taking place this year in Brisbane, Australia.  The world’s premier economic forum, the G20, currently is focused on pulling down trade barriers, increasing infrastructure investment, reforming financial systems, and meeting a five-year goal of adding $2 trillion to global GDP by 2018.  ADVERTISEMENT But before it undertakes any of these challenges, the G20 needs to look inward.

It’s shaping up to be a record-breaking year for summer travel. Airlines for America, an industry trade group, is expecting about 234 million passengers to travel worldwide on United States airlines between June and the end of August, the highest number ever, and up 4 percent over last summer. Indeed, Dallas Fort Worth International, one of the nation’s busiest airports, is predicting that some 18 million people will pass through — more than any other summer.

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: • The global cyberattack this week may have been meant to paralyze Ukraine, digital security experts said. There, hackers targeted tax accountants, who use a software that is integrated into government systems.

On Nov. 16, 1974, a few hundred astronomers, government officials and other dignitaries gathered in the tropical forests of Puerto Rico’s northwest interior, a four-hour drive from San Juan. The occasion was a rechristening of the Arecibo Observatory, at the time the largest radio telescope in the world.