ELLEN KNICKMEYER

Foreign policy, national security, foreign policy & climate

Pentagon chief loses bid to reject 9/11 plea deals

A military appeals court has ruled against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s effort to throw out the plea deals reached for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants in the 9/11 attacks.

The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern

U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor’s warning of imminent famine in north Gaza.

Global monitor says famine is weeks away in north Gaza. A US diplomat calls warning ‘irresponsible’

A leading global food crisis monitor says deaths from starvation will likely pass famine levels in north Gaza as soon as next month. The U.S.

US sends home a man held 17 years without charge at Guantanamo

The Pentagon has transferred two Malaysian detainees at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military prison to their home country.

Lawsuit accuses State Department of creating loopholes for Israel on military aid and human rights

A lawsuit by a group of Palestinians in Gaza and American relatives accuses the State Department of giving Israel a pass when it comes to a U.S. law meant to limit military aid over human rights abuses.

Blinken faces GOP critics in Congress who say Afghanistan withdrawal ‘lit the world on fire’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to face questions for the last time regarding some of the darkest moments of Joe Biden’s presidency: the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden is rushing aid to Ukraine. Both sides are digging in. And everyone is bracing for Trump

The grinding war pitting Ukraine against its Russian invaders has escalated ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration.

US indictment accuses two Syrian officials of torture at notorious prison

U.S. prosecutors are accusing two senior Syrian officials of overseeing a notorious Syrian torture center that abused peaceful protesters, including a 26-year-old American woman who was later hanged.

Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possible

Donald Trump is pushing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine.

Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain

President-elect Donald Trump says the U.S. should avoid engaging militarily in Syria, where an opposition offensive is threatening the rule of the country’s Russian- and Iran-allied leader.

Former officials urge closed-door Senate hearings on Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief

The former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.

Russia’s top military officer gave his US counterpart advance notice of Mediterranean Sea drills

Russia’s top military officer called his U.S. counterpart to give advance warning of Russia’s drills in the Mediterranean Sea.

What to know about sudden rebel gains in Syria’s 13-year war and why it matters

The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence with rebels’ surprise capture of Aleppo, one of the country’s largest cities and an ancient hub of Middle East culture and commerce.

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

The Senate has rejected attempts by Sen. Bernie Sanders to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel.

Biden authorizes Ukraine to use US-supplied longer range missiles for deeper strikes inside Russia

President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike deeper inside Russia.

Gabbard’s sympathetic views toward Russia cause alarm as Trump’s pick to lead intelligence services

Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence is facing scrutiny over her past remarks that supported Kremlin propaganda about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump’s mainstream picks for top foreign policy posts could reassure allies — and worry China

China watchers know Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz as “the Florida faction” in foreign policy — two Florida lawmakers who share especially tough positions on China.

Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court’s independence

The U.S. military judge at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has scheduled hearings in early January for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants to enter guilty pleas in exchange for life sentences.

Leader of the free world has never been a role Trump has embraced. The world has gotten the message

Based on Donald Trump’s first term and his campaign statements, the United States will become less predictable, more chaotic, colder to allies and warmer to some strongmen, and much more transactional in picking friends globally than before.

Plea deals revived for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others

A military judge has ruled that plea agreements struck by alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants are valid.

Israel is falling far short of a US ultimatum to surge aid to Gaza

An Associated Press review shows that Israel is falling far short of U.S. demands to surge the level of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza or risk possible restrictions on U.S. military funding.

Rulings signal US courts may be more open to lawsuits accusing foreign officials of abuses

A U.S. court has given two top associates of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman until early November to turn over any evidence in a lawsuit.

Lawyer for news organizations presses Guantanamo judge to make public a plea deal for 9/11 accused

A lawyer for news organizations has urged the U.S. military commission at Guantanamo Bay to unseal the plea deal struck with accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others.

Israel’s strikes are shifting the power balance in the Middle East, with US support

Israeli military strikes are targeting Iran’s armed proxies across a nearly 2,000-mile stretch of the Middle East and are threatening Iran itself.

US spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since last Oct. 7

The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict around the Middle East.

US arranges flights to bring Americans out of Lebanon as others seek escape

U.S.-arranged flights have brought about 350 Americans and their immediate relatives out of Lebanon this week during escalated fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The US is more hands-off than usual in the Middle East. It fears making things worse

The Biden administration is taking a more hands-off approach than usual during a week of dramatic escalation between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Blinken says surprise escalations threaten to derail talks for a cease-fire in Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed frustration at surprise escalations that threaten to derail efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza.

Blinken is heading back to the Middle East, this time without fanfare or a visit to Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Egypt this week on his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began nearly a year ago.

Biden meets with British leader and brushes off Putin’s threats about weapons for Ukraine

President Joe Biden has brushed off a threat from Russian leader Vladimir Putin about war against the West if Ukraine’s allies allow it to use weapons deeper inside Russia.