US and former Pakistan leader worry about latest split
With U.S.-Pakistan relations in the deep freeze, former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and American officials called Thursday for a thaw.
"Blame games, rigidity, arrogance, insensitivity to each other's national interests is certainly very counter-productive," Musharraf said in Washington. "It definitely saddens me to see the deteriorating Pakistan-United States relations," he said in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.
Twelve weeks have passed since American commandos killed Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan, an event that dramatically widened the rift between the two countries.
Musharraf denied he knew during his time as president or later that bin Laden was hiding out in Pakistan. "Whether one believes it or not, let me say with confidence, I did not know," he declared.
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Fight looming over military spending cuts
The raging Washington debate over increasing the debt limit already is foreshadowing perhaps the next budget tussle between the administration and Capitol Hill - a looming fight over cutting military spending.
The Pentagon is the middle of studying how it can meet President Barack Obama's orders to cut $400 billion in spending over the next 12 years - a plan that has raised eyebrows with pro-military Democrat and Republican members of Congress, many of them representing districts with defense contractors or military bases.
Pentagon officials say Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, just days into the job of heading the Pentagon, has been quietly talking to members about the long-term outlook for defense spending cuts. The officials declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
DHS releases status report on 9/11 recommendations, cites progress
Citing "significant progress," the Department of Homeland Security Thursday released a report looking at how far the U.S. has come in the past seven years to fulfilling specific 9/11 Commission recommendations.
"Over the past decade, we have made great strides to secure our nation against a large attack or disaster, to protect critical infrastructure and cyber networks, and to engage a broader range of Americans in the shared responsibility for security, " said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano in a statement released by the department.
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New Army report notes problems in acquiring new weapons
As congressional budget cutters sharpen their axes and size up the Pentagon, the Army released a report Thursday admitting major problems with the way it dreams up, orders and pays for major weapons systems.
The Army said it deserves credit for what it has achieved in a variety of programs, such as precision weapons, unmanned systems and mine-resistant vehicles. But its "white paper" on modernization said that too often in the past, technology, schedules and cost estimates have missed the targets.
Security Update : Thursday July 21
Compiled by Tim Lister
Petraeus concerned by "downward spiral" of US-Pak relations
Taliban show renewed influence in Kandahar
Karzai accused of impeding work against corruption
Syria: heavy gunfire in Homs, Damascus suburb on lockdown
Syria: has US given up on reform?
Syria: activists in US warned by FBI
Libya's financial meltdown
Yemen claims to have killed al Qaeda commander (again)
Yemen: health crisis worsens
Somalia: how famine might help Shabaab
Iraq: Sadr militia splinters into criminal gangs FULL POST
F.B.I. probes suspected harassment of Syrians in the U.S.
As demonstrations in Syria against President Bashar al Assad continue, protests against the regime also are taking place in the United States, organized by Syrian-American and Syrian activists.
Some demonstrators claim that personnel from the Syrian embassy in Washington have been photographing them and using the photos to intimidate them, as well as harass their families in Syria.
The State Department also is taking those allegations seriously and confirms that it has seen reports that Syrian embassy officials are carrying out photo and video surveillance of protesters in the United States. The department says it is investigating reports that the Syrian government sought retribution against the demonstrators' families in Syria.
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