The Obama administration is close to announcing a series of measures to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 presidential election, including economic sanctions and diplomatic censure, according to U.S. officials.
The administration is finalizing the details, which also are expected to include covert action that will probably involve cyber-operations, the officials said. An announcement on the public elements of the response could come as early as this week.
The sanctions portion of the package culminates weeks of debate in the White House on how to revise a 2015 executive order that was meant to give the president authority to respond to cyberattacks from overseas but that did not cover efforts to influence the electoral system.
The Obama administration rolled the executive order out to great fanfare as a way to punish and deter foreign hackers who harm U.S. economic or national security.
Inside the coming war between the United States and the United Nations
Even before Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, Congress is planning to escalate the clash over the U.N. Security Council’s anti-Israel resolution into a full-on conflict between the United States and the United Nations. If Trump embraces the strategy — and all signals indicate he will — the battle could become the Trump administration’s first confrontation with a major international organization, with consequential but largely unpredictable results.
Immediately after the Obama administration abstained Friday from a vote to condemn Israeli settlements as illegal, which passed the Security Council by a vote of 14 to zero, Republicans and Democrats alike criticized both the United Nations and the U.S. government for allowing what Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) called “a one-sided, biased resolution.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee for the State Department and foreign operations, pledged to lead an effort to withhold the U.S. funding that makes up 22 percent of the U.N.’s annual operating budget.
“The U.N. has made it impossible for us to continue with business as usual,” Graham told me right after the vote. “Almost every Republican will feel like this is a betrayal of Israel and the only response that we have is the power of purse.”
Erdan calls John Kerry's upcoming Middle East peace speech 'pathetic'
"It's pathetic to present a [peace] plan at the last minute when he hasn't managed to change anything for his entire time in office," Erdan said late on Tuesday night. "It's unfortunate that the Obama Administration, that erred for years in the Middle East, is trying to make sure that the chaos will last far past its tenure,"
YESHA Council Envoy: Kerry is a liar, he's not saying the truth
"When I met with Kerry a few weeks ago, I understood that we're talking about a person who is disconnected from reality and looking to make headlines. He's a person who takes sides in an argument and confuses facts with wishes.
Leaked documents claim UN anti-settlement resolution orchestrated by US, PA co-op
Prior to the UN Security Council vote on anti-Israeli settlement resolution 2334, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with a Palestinian delegation in early December in Washington to discuss the draft, agreeing to cooperate... According to the report, Kerry along with US National Security Adviser Susan Rice, met with Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee Saeb Erkat and Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service.
Prior to the UN Security Council vote on anti-Israeli settlement resolution 2334, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with a Palestinian delegation in early December in Washington to discuss the draft, agreeing to cooperate... According to the report, Kerry along with US National Security Adviser Susan Rice, met with Secretary General of the PLO Executive Committee Saeb Erkat and Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service.
Vote on new Israeli homes in east Jerusalem said canceled ahead of Kerry speech
Amid heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Washington over the US’s abstention in last week’s UN resolution, the Jerusalem Municipality will reportedly cancel a Wednesday meeting to approve hundreds of Jewish residential units beyond the 1949 Armistice Line. ...the municipality contended that the resolution had no bearing on the city’s master plan for Jewish or Arab construction.
Amid heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Washington over the US’s abstention in last week’s UN resolution, the Jerusalem Municipality will reportedly cancel a Wednesday meeting to approve hundreds of Jewish residential units beyond the 1949 Armistice Line. ...the municipality contended that the resolution had no bearing on the city’s master plan for Jewish or Arab construction.
Erdogan accuses West of backing IS, breaking promises in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the West was breaking promises in Syria, accusing Ankara's partners of backing "terror groups" including IS jihadists in the country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said the West was breaking promises in Syria, accusing Ankara's partners of backing "terror groups" including IS jihadists in the country.
Gingrich to Congress: Condemn Obama over anti-Israel resolution
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich urged Congress on Monday to condemn the Obama administration for allowing the resolution against Israeli “settlements” to pass the UN Security Council. “Why is the Obama team waging war against Israel? Why are they taking steps to isolate and then kill a democracy and an ally?
John Kerry To Deliver Obama’s Plan To Solve The Israel-Palestinian Conflict
John Kerry will deliver a speech outlining the Obama administration’s plan to solve the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians Wednesday, said Department of State spokesman Mark Toner Tuesday While it remains unclear what exactly Kerry will say, it is believed that the speech will center on four core issues regarding a potential two-state solution:
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