Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
U.S. warns Russia with ‘extraordinary flight’ over Ukraine
Blasting Russia's "dangerous escalation" in the region, U.S. planes on Thursday conducted an "extraordinary flight" over Ukraine in what Pentagon officials cast as a blunt warning to Moscow. Published December 6, 2018
George H.W. Bush made history for decades
He served in World War II as the nation's youngest Navy combat pilot, surviving a fiery crash over Chichijima in 1944 and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. Published December 2, 2018
Vladimir Putin’s ‘deep fakes’ threaten U.S. elections
U.S. leaders say Vladimir Putin used a familiar cyber playbook to "muck around" in the midterm elections last month, but intelligence officials and key lawmakers believe a much more sinister, potentially devastating threat lies just down the road -- one that represents an attack on reality itself. Published December 2, 2018
William McRaven: President must trust military leaders
He steered clear of directly firing back at President Trump, but retired Adm. William McRaven -- the architect of the 2011 U.S. special operations mission that killed Osama bin Laden -- told a Texas audience Friday that military leadership is impossible without the full trust of the commander in chief. Published November 30, 2018
Richard Burr on Michael Cohen plea: ‘If you lie to us, we’re going to go after you’
A day after President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee warned that anyone else who lies to lawmakers will face a similar fate, and he said that the committee has worked with special prosecutor Robert Mueller and has made multiple referrals for criminal prosecutions. Published November 30, 2018
Russia-Ukraine Kerch Strait incident tests Donald Trump, U.S. power
Russian President Vladimir Putin is bent on testing American resolve around the world, with a brazen attack on three Ukrainian ships last weekend marking the latest in the former KGB spy's grand strategy to measure the strength of U.S. alliances and challenge the international democratic order. Published November 27, 2018
Russia-Ukraine Kerch Strait incident draws international condemnation
With Ukraine "screaming for help" and moving toward martial law, the U.S., NATO and other international leaders on Monday promised serious consequences for Russia's latest act of aggression against its neighbor -- but they struggled to find concrete ways to resist an emboldened Kremlin in the region. Published November 26, 2018
ISIS horror, mass graves in Syria, Iraq revealed
The brutal legacy of the Islamic State is only now coming into clearer focus as rebuilding efforts across Iraq and Syria uncover hundreds of mass graves and fully pull back the curtain on four years of unspeakable atrocities. Published November 20, 2018
40 killed in Afghanistan suicide bombing
At least 40 people were killed and scores more injured Tuesday when a suicide bomber struck a gathering of religious scholars at a wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan, officials told the Associated Press. Published November 20, 2018
James Mattis pressed on Pentagon budget cuts
U.S. military services on Monday began a process few expected under President Trump: finding programs they're willing to sacrifice in the face of looming multibillion-dollar budget cuts demanded by the White House. Published November 19, 2018
Donald Trump doesn’t want to hear Jamal Khashoggi death recording
Amid reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the killing of U.S. journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump said Sunday he's not interested in listening to an audio tape of the killing last month inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey. Published November 18, 2018
Air Force pilot dead in T-38C Talon supersonic jet crash in Texas
An Air Force pilot is dead and another was hospitalized after an Air Force T-38C Talon aircraft crashed at Laughlin Air Force Base in south Texas late Tuesday, military officials said, marking the fifth incident this year involving the supersonic jet and shining on a new spotlight on an already embattled base. Published November 14, 2018
Donald Trump rejects North Korea ‘undeclared’ missile site report
President Trump on Tuesday dismissed reports that North Korea is operating more than a dozen "undeclared" missile sites, suggesting the development won't derail a potential second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that administration officials say they hope can occur early next year. Published November 13, 2018
Case for Space Force lies with Defense Department officials, experts say
President Trump's Space Force faces a much tougher launch after last week's midterm elections -- and experts say it'll be up to top generals and Defense Department officials to face down skeptical Democrats on Capitol Hill and persuade them to get on board. Published November 11, 2018
As tensions rise, U.S. ends refueling of Saudi planes
The Pentagon said late Friday the U.S. would no longer refuel planes for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition battling Houthi rebels in Yemen, suggesting the Trump administration may be taking concrete steps to end support for the controversial war amid continued reports of high civilian casualties. Published November 10, 2018
Ian David Long, California bar shooter, guns should have been confiscated, neighbor says
The specific motive behind Wednesday night's massacre at a packed Southern California bar, the latest mass shooting to rock the nation, remains a mystery Published November 8, 2018
Democrats House win may alter Trump foreign policy
By seizing control of the House, Democrats have set the stage for a power struggle with President Trump that will reverberate around the world, foreign policy experts said Wednesday. Published November 7, 2018
Laura Kelly beats Kris Kobach in Kansas governor race
In a rebuke to a key ally of President Trump, voters in Kansas on Tuesday rejected Republican Kris Kobach and instead elected Democrat Laura Kelly as their next governor. Published November 6, 2018
Tammy Baldwin fends off GOP’s Leah Vukmir
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin sailed to re-election Tuesday, fending off a challenge from Republican Leah Vukmir in Wisconsin and ending the GOP's hopes of picking up a seat in a state President Trump won in 2016. Published November 6, 2018
Joe Manchin holds off Patrick Morrisey in heavily pro-Trump West Virginia
Defying the odds in heavily pro-Trump West Virginia, Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin III won re-election Tuesday, defeating Republican Patrick Morrisey and dashing the GOP's hopes of snatching a Senate seat in one of the reddest states in the nation. Published November 6, 2018