Declassified Pentagon F-35 study details reliability, security woes for America’s costliest weapon

A declassified Pentagon comprehensive test report of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 warplane, reveals that six years of combat testing has been marred by reliability and maintenance delays, guns that don’t shoot straight and unresolved concerns about cyber defense capabilities.

US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment

U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.

The biggest remaining unsanctioned Russian bank hit with US sanctions, nearly 3 years into war

Russia’s third largest bank, Gazprombank and its six foreign subsidiaries were hit with U.S. sanctions on Thursday — in a move intended to curtail Russia’s ability to evade the thousands of sanctions imposed on the nation since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

FBI and DHS leaders won’t testify publicly about national security threats before Senate

The leaders of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security declined to testify publicly at a scheduled Senate hearing Thursday on global national security threats, a break from precedent following years of open testimony before the panel.

Police report reveals assault allegations against Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary

A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday.

FBI arrests man charged with planning attack on New York Stock Exchange

The FBI says Wednesday that Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, 30, of Coral Springs, Florida, has been charged with attempt to use an explosive device to damage or destroy a building used in interstate commerce. 

‘Fat Leonard’ to appeal sentence, while retired Navy captain will seek reduced charge

Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian contractor known as “Fat Leonard” at the center of the U.S. Navy’s worst-ever bribery and corruption scandal, will appeal the 15-year prison sentence imposed earlier this month. In a related case, a retired Navy captain who pleaded guilty to taking bribes from Francis and recently spent two years in prison filed a motion indicating he will seek to have his felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor.

Republican senators push for more VA oversight after agency claimed $15B budget shortfall

Sixteen GOP senators urged swift passage of a bill to require quarterly budget briefings from the Department of Veterans Affairs after the agency secured emergency funds from Congress for incorrectly claiming a multibillion-dollar shortfall threatened veterans benefits.

Senate rejects effort from Bernie Sanders to block some weapons for Israel over Gaza deaths

The Senate on Wednesday rejected attempts by Sen. Bernie Sanders Wednesday to block sales of offensive weapons to Israel for its war in Gaza over mounting civilian deaths there. The first attempt to block the sales was rejected overwhelmingly, and two more efforts also went down to defeat.

Fort Liberty soldier charged in 2022 killing that police say he committed before enlisting in Army

An 82nd Airborne Division soldier was arrested and charged at Fort Liberty, N.C., for a killing that he is accused of committing in Indiana two years ago before he joined the Army, military and state law enforcement officials said.

Republicans on House Ethics Committee reject for now releasing report on Matt Gaetz

Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday against releasing a report on their long-running investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. The outcome, however, is only a temporary reprieve for Gaetz, who faces allegations of sexual misconduct, as he works to personally secure his embattled nomination to be the nation’s top law enforcement official.

Fort Cavazos soldier gets 6 months in prison, discharge for arson in the barracks, owning child sex materials

A Fort Cavazos soldier was sentenced Wednesday to six months confinement and a discharge after pleading guilty to possession of child sex materials and setting fire to a trash can in the barracks during a night of heavy drinking.

Lawmakers concerned about background checks of Trump’s Cabinet picks as red flags surface

The Trump transition team has so far not signed the requisite agreements with the White House or the Justice Department to allow the FBI to screen his personnel choices, both for the process of obtaining security clearances and meeting the Senate’s usual standards for nominations.

Weak passwords, easy access and unsupported web apps hinder online security at the VA

Stricter controls are needed to secure the online personal information that the Department of Veterans Affairs collects and maintains on millions of veterans enrolled in its health care services and who receive benefits, according to a new report from the agency’s inspector general.

Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to ignore prosecutors and dismiss hush money conviction

As prosecutors push to preserve President-elect Donald Trump’s historic hush money conviction, his lawyers urged a judge Wednesday to ignore them and scrap the case before he takes office in January.

Texas offers Trump land on US-Mexico border for potential mass deportations

Texas is offering a parcel of rural ranchland along the U.S.-Mexico border to use as a staging area for potential mass deportations under President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump chooses former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as NATO ambassador

The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy.

US gathers allies to talk AI safety as Trump’s vow to undo Biden’s AI policy overshadows their work

Donald Trump has vowed to repeal Joe Biden’s signature artificial intelligence policy when he returns to the White House. What that actually means for the future of AI technology remains to be seen. Among those who could use some clarity are the government AI experts from multiple countries gathering in San Francisco this week to deliberate on AI safety measures.

‘Bomb cyclone’ kills 2 and knocks out power to over half a million homes across US Northwest

A major storm swept across the U.S. Northwest battering the region with strong winds and rain, causing widespread power outages, closing schools and downing trees that killed at least two people.