Vaughn Cockayne

Trump sets ‘spheres of influence’ approach; Latin America is strategic backyard

The underpinnings of a new Trump foreign policy doctrine are becoming clear as the president closes out the first year of his second term with a push toward what analysts describe as a 19th-century-style "spheres of influence" approach exemplified by the administration's focus on Venezuela and greater Latin America taking center stage.

December 22, 2025

U.S. partnerships with industry, allies key to space mastery, top enlisted Space Force official says

Space has already been weaponized, and Washington needs to work diligently with its partners to ensure U.S. superiority in the final frontier, according to Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna.

December 22, 2025

Denmark, Greenland reject U.S. territorial claims after Trump appoints special envoy

The prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland demanded Monday that Washington respect their sovereignty and insisted that the U.S. will not take control of Greenland, a day after President Trump appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to the island territory.

December 22, 2025

Iranian oil exports face new U.S. sanctions on shadow fleet operations

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced a new set of sanctions this week targeting Iran's "shadow fleet" vessels used to transport sanctioned oil.

December 19, 2025

French authorities arrest suspect in connection with massive cyberattack on Interior Ministry

French authorities on Wednesday arrested an unidentified 22-year-old man in connection with last week's cyberattack on email servers at the French Interior Ministry.

December 18, 2025

Kremlin says it is open to negotiation on presence of European troops in Ukraine

The Kremlin said Wednesday it is open to modifying Russia's position on the presence of European soldiers in Ukraine under the terms of a U.S.-brokered peace agreement.

December 17, 2025

White House, State Department decry Hong Kong democracy champion Jimmy Lai’s guilty verdict

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have blasted a Hong Kong court finding democracy advocate Jimmy Lai guilty of conspiracy and are urging Chinese authorities to facilitate his release.

December 16, 2025

Germany to investigate laser attacks on U.S. jets landing at NATO base

Someone pointed high-powered lasers at U.S. F-16 jets as they were making their approach to a NATO air base in western Germany on three occasions this month, according to authorities.

December 15, 2025

Iran says International Atomic Energy Agency has no standard to inspect its damaged nuclear sites

Iran's top nuclear official ruled out third-party inspections of his country's bombed uranium enrichment facilities, saying the International Atomic Energy Agency has no standard for conducting such assessments.

December 15, 2025

JetBlue pilot narrowly avoids mid-air collision with Air Force plane near Venezuela

A JetBlue Airways pilot narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with a U.S. military aircraft off the coast of Venezuela shortly after taking off Friday from the Dutch island of Curacao in the Caribbean.

December 15, 2025

The ‘world is not ready’ for AI cybersecurity risks, Booz Allen CEO warns

Letting China pull ahead of the U.S. in the race for dominance over artificial intelligence could threaten the U.S. economy and national security.

December 12, 2025

Syrian supporters cheer after repeal of Assad-era sanctions through NDAA

Syria is one step closer to sanctions relief this week after the U.S. House passed the National Defense Authorization Act with a provision to repeal the Assad-era Caesar Act, and advocates are excited.

December 12, 2025

Russia backs Iran on the nuclear issue, Putin says

Moscow is prepared to continue supporting Iran on the world's stage, including Tehran's nuclear issue, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Friday.

December 12, 2025

Former ambassador casts doubt on status of Syria-Israel security agreement

Israel and Syria are much further away from reaching a deal than it appears, according to a former ambassador who suggested that stable peace between Damascus and Jerusalem may be a far way off.

December 11, 2025

Netanyahu behind stalled Israel-Syria negotiations, says report

Syria and Israel were preparing to sign a U.S.-brokered security agreement at the U.N. General Assembly in September until Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed out at the last minute, according to a new report.

December 9, 2025

DOJ operation busts $160 million network smuggling Nvidia chips to China

A multimillion-dollar smuggling enterprise focused on shipping advanced artificial intelligence chips to China has been disrupted by U.S. authorities, the Justice Department announced Monday.

December 9, 2025

Unidentified drones spotted three times above French intelligence base, authorities say

Unidentified drones were spotted above a French military intelligence base three times late last month, French authorities reported Tuesday.

December 9, 2025

Orban: Turkey guarantees Russian oil will continue to flow to Hungary

Turkey will continue to allow Russian oil to flow to Hungary, despite protests from European powers, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Monday.

December 8, 2025

Rubio says Biden-era Australian nuclear-powered submarine agreement to proceed

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that President Trump has approved of the Biden-era Aukus security agreement, which would assist Australia in developing its own fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

December 8, 2025

U.S. envoy Howery to meet Greenland, Danish officials at joint summit amid strained relations

President Trump's ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Howery, is in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, this week for a series of talks with foreign diplomats from Greenland and Denmark, even as the U.S. pushes for more control over the island nation and its mineral-rich resources.

December 8, 2025