| 'I WAS TOLD THEY MADE A MISTAKE': It was a little after 10 a.m. in the Northern Ukrainian city of Sumy. Hundreds of people were gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday when two Russian missiles struck in the heart of the town. "One hit a university building, the other exploded above a city street. Thirty-four innocent people were killed, 117 injured, including children, among them a baby girl born in 2015," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X. "Only completely deranged scum could do this." The attack — the second large-scale strike by Russia against civilian targets in just over a week — drew worldwide and, in the U.S., bipartisan condemnation. "Russia's horrific attack on Ukrainian civilians celebrating Palm Sunday — including children — is a reminder of Putin's depravity, which the whole civilized world should condemn," Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) posted on X. "Today’s Palm Sunday attack by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency," retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special Ukraine envoy, posted on X. "As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong." But speaking to reporters on Air Force One last night, Trump seemed willing to give Russian President Vladimir Putin the benefit of the doubt, shrugging off the weekend carnage as an inadvertent accident of a war he said was allowed to happen by "an abuse of power." "I think it was terrible and I was told they [the Russians] made a mistake," Trump said. "I think the whole war is a horrible thing. I think for that war to have started is an abuse of power this country would have never allowed to have started if I were president." WITKOFF MEETS PUTIN IN RUSSIA AS TRUMP SAYS TO 'GET MOVING' ON PEACE DEAL TRUMP: 'OUT OF CONTROL' CBS: On his Truth Social platform, Trump opened up with both barrels at his latest nemesis, the highly rated CBS program 60 minutes, which aired segments last night featuring Zelensky lamenting "a shift in tone, a shift in reality" in U.S. support for his war effort, along with a segment highlighting Greenlanders' consternation at Trump's fixation on annexing their country. "I just finished watching 60 Minutes, the FAKE News Show," Trump said in the first of two fiery posts threatening the network he's already suing for their routine editing of a Kamala Harris interview before the election. "Now tonight, with two separate but highly inaccurate stories about "TRUMP," they're at it again. The people at CBS Fake News just don't get it!" It's unclear what he found to be "highly inaccurate" — both segments were straightforward accounts of the reaction to Trump's policies regarding Ukraine and Greenland. “I believe, sadly, (that) Russian narratives are prevailing in the U.S.,” Zelensky told CBS correspondent Scott Pelley. “How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia’s information policy on America, on U.S. politics and U.S. politicians.” The Greenland segment featured an interview with a prominent political scientist who called Trump's efforts to acquire the self-governing territory of 57,000 people "head-scratching," given that Greenland is willing to host as many troops as America wants to send. So if President Trump said, "'We wanna do X in Greenland, outside of this realm buying, or annexing, or seizing. Just, 'We need to put up a base in Greenland?'" asked CBS's Jon Wertheim. "They wouldn’t get a no," replied Ole Wæver. "So, what’s going on here?" Wertheim pressed. "That’s a good question," Wæver replied. "And everyone is scratching their heads in Copenhagen and Nuuk as well." 'THEY SHOULD LOSE THEIR LICENSE!': Trump practically ordered Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, who Trump elevated to chairman in January, to pull CBS's broadcast licenses. "They should pay a big price for this," Trump ranted, calling 60 Minutes "not a ‘News Show,’ but a dishonest Political Operative simply disguised as ‘News,’ and insisting the network ‘must be responsible for what they have done.'” "They should lose their license! Hopefully, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as headed by its Highly Respected Chairman, Brendan Carr, will impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior," Trump said. "CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before." "Almost every week, 60 Minutes, which is being sued for Billions of Dollars for the fraud they committed in the 2024 Presidential Election with their Interview of Failed Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, mentions the name "TRUMP" in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend's "BROADCAST" tops them all," he said. Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also weighed in on X, calling the CBS segments "Two hit pieces tonight, back to back," against the president. "And people wonder why Republicans are so turned off to the mainstream media." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Good Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE HAPPENING TODAY: President Donald Trump welcomes Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, to the White House today at 11 a.m. for a bilateral meeting, lunch, and a planned joint news conference at 12 p.m. Bukele has become a key ally in Trump's campaign to quickly whisk suspected gang members and violent criminals out of the country before courts can intervene or legal challenges can delay the process. Bukele has offered to continue to accept deportees and even American citizens at his notorious maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT." Bukele is doing a "fantastic job." Trump told reporters Sunday morning. "He's taking care of a lot of problems that we have that we really wouldn't be able to take care of from a cost standpoint," Trump said. "And he's doing really, he's been amazing. We have some very bad people in that prison. People that should have never been allowed into our country." Given the relationship between the two presidents, Trump could have requested Bukele return a Maryland man who was wrongly deported, and a federal judge has ordered him returned to the U.S., but he has not made such a request. "If the Supreme Court said bring somebody back, I would do that," Trump said aboard Air Force One Friday, "I respect the Supreme Court." But at Friday's White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was parsing words, arguing a Supreme Court ruling that the administration must "facilitate" the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, did not mean it had to secure his release. "The Supreme Court made their ruling last night very clear, that it’s the administration’s responsibility to facilitate the return, not to effectuate the return," Leavitt said. WHITE HOUSE UNDER NO DUTY TO 'EFFECTUATE' MARYLAND MAN'S RETURN FROM EL SALVADOR: KAROLINE LEAVITT ALSO TODAY: A group calling itself "Federal Workers Against DOGE," is holding a noon news conference outside the Labor Department to urge President Trump and Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to “preserve critical DOL programs and public servants amid damaging cuts from DOGE, which put worker safety at risk.” MILITARIZATION OF SOUTHERN BORDER: In an executive order issued Friday night, President Donald Trump transferred a long swath of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border to the jurisdiction of the U.S. military and put Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in charge. The memorandum titled “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions" directs the Secretaries of Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security to support Hegseth, who is authorized to treat the border zone as "a military installation under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense.” The memo specifically mentioned what's known as the "Roosevelt Reservation," a 60-foot-wide strip of land that runs along the border with Mexico and California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and gives Hegseth the authority to take "reasonably necessary" actions to enable military activities … including border-barrier construction and emplacement of detection and monitoring equipment." The plan envisions turning the border into a buffer zone that would effectively be a U.S. military installation, which would allow for migrants who are “trespassing” on a military base to be detained by active-duty troops until they could be turned over the civilian law enforcement, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the plan last month. TRUMP AUTHORIZES MILITARY TO OCCUPY FEDERAL LAND ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Witkoff meets Putin in Russia as Trump says to 'get moving' on peace deal Washington Examiner: US and Iran already disagree on nature of talks in Oman Washington Examiner: The military leaders fired within Trump's first three months Washington Examiner: Trump authorizes military to occupy federal land along southern border Washington Examiner: Air Force Academy ends race as factor in admissions Washington Examiner: Xi Jinping has spent his career preparing for tariff faceoff. It may not be enough Washington Examiner: Arrested Istanbul mayor debuts in court, accuses Erdogan of political suppression Washington Examiner: White House under no duty to 'effectuate' Maryland man's return from El Salvador: Karoline Leavitt Washington Post: Trump's military border surge takes shape along U.S.-Mexico frontier Wall Street Journal: In Secret Meeting, China Acknowledged Role in US Infrastructure Hacks AP: Iran and US Envoys Hold 1st Negotiation over Tehran's Nuclear Program, and Talk Face-to-Face Breaking Defense: Ukraine Defense Contact Group Pledges 'Record' $23 Billion-Plus Military Aid Boost New York Times: Prepping for War With Russia on the Ice and Snow Defense News: Train Like You Fight: Taiwan Comes to Grips with an Old Military Adage AP: China's Xi says there are 'no winners' in a tariff war Real Clear World: Algeria and France, Unhappy Together AP: Trump administration might host a military parade in Washington on the president's birthday Air Force Times: Vets in Congress Demand Answers over Pregnant Aviator Policy Reversal Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force, Intelligence Community Say They're Breaking Through on Data Sharing Bloomberg: Trump Directs Review of All Major Defense Acquisition Programs Defense One: Long-Sought Goal of Better Pentagon Buying May Finally Be Within Reach DefenseScoop: Hegseth Issues New Directive to Rein in Pentagon Spending on IT Services Contracts Military.com: Pentagon Turns Focus to Potentially Privatizing Commissaries, Military Exchanges SpaceNews: Bridging the Gap Between AI Hype and Reality Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Using Generative AI to Help Modernize Legacy Software Naval News: US Navy Cancels Critical HALO Hypersonic Missile Citing Cost Concerns Air & Space Forces Magazine: Caine Confirmed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; First Air Guardsman in the Job Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Book Captures Minuteman Missile Art Before it Disappears Task & Purpose: Oldest Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies at 106 THE CALENDAR: MONDAY| APRIL 14 12:30 p.m. — Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies virtual discussion: “Russia’s Approaches to Strategic and Nuclear Deterrence: Lessons from the War in Ukraine,” with Katarzyna Zysk, professor of international relations and contemporary history at the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies https://sais.jhu.edu/campus-events 4 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council book discussion: “Night Train to Odesa: Covering the Human Cost of Russia’s War,” with author Jen Stout https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/night-train-to-odesa 5 p.m. 1521 16th St. NW — Institute of World Politics discussion: “Russian Hybrid Warfare in Central Europe,” with Ivana Stradner, research fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Barish Center for Media Integrity https://www.iwp.edu/russian-hybrid-warfare TUESDAY | APRIL 15 10 a.m. — German Marshall Fund of the U.S. virtual discussion: “Reintegration of Ukraine’s Veterans: Charting a Path Forward,” with Iryna Khomiak, program officer, GMFUS Ukraine Relief, Resilience, and Recovery Program; Iryna Dobrohorska, GMFUS fellow; and Mariia Kudelia, senior program manager, Veteran Hub https://www.gmfus.org/event/reintegration-ukraines-veterans-charting-path-forward 10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Enhancing U.S.-ROK Space Cooperation,” with Karen Feldstein, associate NASA administrator, Office of International and Interagency Relations; John Lee, deputy administrator, Korea AeroSpace Administration’s Mission Directorates; HAN Minyoung, director-general of the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Scientific Affairs Bureau; and Valda Vikmanis, director, State Department’s Office of Space Affairs https://www.csis.org/events/enhancing-us-rok-space-cooperation 10 a.m. — Arms Control Association virtual discussion: “Can Trump and Putin Agree on Nuclear Limits after New START?” with former Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Thomas Countryman, ACA board chairman; Alexey Arbatov, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations Center for International Security; and Maria Antonieta Jaquez, coordinator for disarmament, nonproliferation and arms control at the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register 3 p.m. 1744 R St. NW — German Marshall Fund of the U.S. discussion: “A World Divided: Global Perspectives and the Path to Peace in Ukraine,” with George Chewning, founder and executive director, U.S.-Ukraine Veterans Bridge and U.S. Army veteran and former infantry officer in Afghanistan; Meaghan Mobbs, director, Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for American Safety and Security, president of the Romulus T. Weatherman Foundation and former paratrooper and combat veteran; and John Boerstler, GMFUS visiting senior fellow, head of public sector at Ipsos Public Affairs and former chief experience officer at the Veterans Affairs Department https://www.gmfus.org/event/world-divided WEDNESDAY | APRIL 16 8:45 a.m. 1201 15th St. NW — Defense Strategies Institute Unmanned Autonomous Systems Summit, April 16-17 with Amy Smith-Carroll, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for platform and weapon portfolio management delivering remarks on “DoD Efforts to Supply the Joint Force with Critical Unmanned and Autonomous Capabilities” https://unmanned.dsigroup.org/ 9:30 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “The U.S. Role in Ukraine’s Energy Sector,” with Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/german-galushchenko THURSDAY | APRIL 17 8:10 a.m. — Association of the U.S. Army "Transforming Army Installations Conference," with Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. David Wilson; and Lt. Gen. Omar Jones, commander, Installations Management Command, delivers keynote remarks https://www.ausa.org/events/hot-topic/transforming-army-installations 8:45 a.m.1201 15th St. NW — Defense Strategies Institute Unmanned Autonomous Systems Summit with Vice Adm. James Pitts, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, delivering remarks on “Prioritizing Innovation to Enhance Current Naval Capabilities for Future Warfighting Needs” https://unmanned.dsigroup.org/ FRIDAY | APRIL 18 9 a.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies Russia Program Annual Conference, with discussions on: “Russia as a Semi-Closed Society” and “War Transformations in Russia” https://therussiaprogram.org/conference_2025 TUESDAY | APRIL 22 6:15 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army "Coffee Series" discussion with Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/gen-mingus 10 a.m. — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security and Special Competitive Studies Project Defense Writers Group Zoom report discussion: "Applying AI to Strategic Warning," with Nandita Balakrishnan, a co-author, and Special Competitive Studies Project Director for Intelligence [email protected] | | | | "Russia launched a missile attack on Sumy on Palm Sunday — slaughtering and maiming dozens of innocent people. This isn't war, it's savagery. Attacking civilians on a holy day reveals again the true nature of Putin and his regime: cruel, cowardly, and criminal." | | Meaghan Mobbs, daughter of retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's Ukraine envoy, who heads a charity that supports Ukraine. |
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Megyn Kelly -> Pete Hegseth responds to 2017 rape accusation. 🔥 vol. 3, issue 13 | December 6, 2024 Quick Hits All the news you need in...
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