New CIA report criticizes investigation into Russia's support for Trump in 2016

New CIA report criticizes investigation into Russia's support for Trump in 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) — A declassified CIA memo released Wednesday challenges the work intelligence agencies did to conclude that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election because it wanted RepublicanDonald Trumpto win. Thememowas written on the orders of CIA Director John Ratcliffe, aDonald Trumployalist who spoke out against the Russia investigation as a member of Congress. It finds fault with a 2017 intelligence assessment that concluded the Russian government, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin,waged a covert influence campaignto help Trump win. It does not address that multiple investigations since then, including a report from theRepublican-led Senate Intelligence Committeein 2020, reached the same conclusion about Russia's influence and motives. The eight-page document is part of an ongoing effort by Trump and close allies who now lead key government agencies to revisit the history of the long-concluded Russia investigation, which resulted in criminal indictments and shadowed most of his first term but also produced unresolved grievances and contributed to the Republican president's deep-rootedsuspicions of the intelligence community. The report is also the latest effort by Ratcliffe to challenge the decision-making and actions of intelligence agencies during the course of the Russia investigation. A vocal Trump supporter in Congresswho aggressively questioned former special counselRobert Muellerduring his 2019 testimony on Russian election interference, Ratcliffe later used his position as director of national intelligence todeclassify Russian intelligencealleging damaging information about Democrats during the 2016 election even as he acknowledged that it might not be true. The new, "lessons-learned" review ordered by Ratcliffe in May was meant to examine the tradecraft that went into the intelligence community's 2017 assessment on Russian interference and to scrutinize in particular the conclusion that Putin "aspired" to help Trump win. The report cited several "anomalies" that the authors wrote could have affected that conclusion, including a rushed timeline and a reliance on unconfirmed information, such as Democratic-funded opposition research about Trump's ties to Russiacompiled by a former British spy, Christopher Steele. The report takes particular aim at the inclusion of a two-page summary of the Steele dossier, which included salacious and uncorroborated rumors about Trump's ties to Russia, in an annex of the intelligence community assessment. It said that decision, championed by the FBI, "implicitly elevated unsubstantiated claims to the status of credible supporting evidence, compromising the analytical integrity of the judgment." But even as Ratcliffe faulted top intelligence officials for a "politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process," his agency's report does not directly contradict any previous intelligence. Russia's support for Trump has been outlined in a number of intelligence reports and the August 2020 conclusions of the Senate Intelligence Committee, then chaired by Sen.Marco Rubio, who now serves as Trump's secretary of state. It also was backed by Mueller,who in his 2019 report said that Russia interfered on Trump's behalfand that the campaign welcomed the aid even if there was insufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy. "This report doesn't change any of the underlying evidence — in fact it doesn't even address any of that evidence," said Brian Taylor, a Russia expert who directs the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at Syracuse University. Taylor suggested the report may have been intended to reinforce Trump's claims that investigations into his ties to Russia are part of a Democratic hoax. "Good intelligence analysts will tell you their job is to speak truth to power," Taylor said. "If they tell the leader what he wants to hear, you often get flawed intelligence." Intelligence agencies regularly perform after-action reports to learn from past operations and investigations, but it's uncommon for the evaluations to be declassified and released to the public. Ratcliffe has said he wants to release material on a number of topics of public debate and has already declassified records relating to theassassinations of President John Kennedyand his brother,Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, as well as theorigins of COVID-19.

byAlpha World

in

July 03, 2025

New CIA report criticizes investigation into Russia's support for Trump in 2016

New CIA report criticizes investigation into Russia's support for Trump in 2016 WASHINGTON (AP) — A declassified CIA memo released Wedne...

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Trump visits Iowa to kick off America's 250th anniversary, reassure farmers on trade

Trump visits Iowa to kick off America's 250th anniversary, reassure farmers on trade

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump travels to Iowa on Thursday to kick off celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary next year and to tout recent trade and legislative actions to heartland voters who helped propel his return to the White House. Trump will deliver a campaign-style speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, a familiar stop for presidential candidates in the early primary state. Trump won Iowa's 2024 Republican caucuses by a historically large margin and carried the state by 13 percentage points in the general election. His latest visit comes ahead of a Friday deadline he set for Congress to pass his sweeping tax and spending legislation, a cornerstone of his second-term domestic agenda that touches everything from immigration to energy policy. In remarks mixing patriotism and policy, Trump will aim to reassure Iowa's voters that his administration is defending their interests and delivering tangible results, according to a person with knowledge of the speech. Trump's trade policies have whipsawed agricultural communities in Iowa, creating economic uncertainty and testing loyalties. Iowa farmers have been hit hard, especially with China's retaliatory tariffs slashing soybean exports and prices. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday announcing his trip, Trump called Iowa "one of my favorite places in the world." "I'll also tell you some of the GREAT things I've already done on Trade, especially as it relates to Farmers. You are going to be very happy with what I say," Trump said. At recent Republican town halls in Iowa, tensions flared as farmers and constituents pressed congressional leaders, including Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, to push back against Trump's retaliatory tariffs. Some Republicans also worry that deep cuts to the Medicaid health program in their sweeping tax bill will hurt the party's prospects in the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has made several memorable trips to the Iowa State Fairgrounds. In 2015, the reality TV star and presidential candidate gave children rides on his personal helicopter as he aimed to overshadow Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. In 2023, Trump's private jet buzzed low over the crowds in another flashy power move, stealing the spotlight from primary rival Ron DeSantis as he campaigned on the ground below. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Osterman)

byAlpha World

in

July 03, 2025

Trump visits Iowa to kick off America's 250th anniversary, reassure farmers on trade

Trump visits Iowa to kick off America's 250th anniversary, reassure farmers on trade By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Do...

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Nationals CF Jacob Young makes wild home run robbery after scaling wall in win over Tigers

Nationals CF Jacob Young makes wild home run robbery after scaling wall in win over Tigers

Jacob Young had absolutely no issue scaling the outfield wall at Nationals Park on Wednesday night. The Nationals' outfielder made his way up the wall in ridiculous fashion and came up with what will easily be among the best home run robberies of the season. In the ninth inning of Washington's9-4 winover the Detroit Tigers, Young started tracking a deep shot from Riley Greene that appeared to be on pace for a solo home run. But as he got to the wall, Young didn't hesitate. He planted both feet onto the wall, climbed up and snagged the ball before it could cross over. He even made the catch backhanded, which made it that much more impressive. HE CLIMBED THE WALL TO ROB A HOMER 😮https://t.co/zQCoVyTC9Xpic.twitter.com/N5Olt8ixkI — MLB (@MLB)July 3, 2025 While it was a huge grab, it didn't make much of an impact on the game. The Nationals flew ahead to the five-run win thanks to a six-run eighth inning. Nathaniel Love kicked it off with a three-run triple, and then Josh Bell, Paul DeJong and Young each recorded an RBI to send the Nationals into the lead. Young went 0-for-4 from the plate, but his groundout to second in the eighth was enough to get DeJong home. The Nationals split with the Tigers on Wednesday. Detroit rolled to an 11-2 win earlier in the afternoon in a makeup game from the day before. The Tigers put up six runs in the first inning of that contest, thanks to three-run homers from Greene and Jake Rogers. The Nationals now sit at 36-50 on the season, last in the NL East. The Tigers hold a 54-32 record, which is the best in the American League. The two teams wrap up their four-game series on Thursday.

byAlpha World

in

July 03, 2025

Nationals CF Jacob Young makes wild home run robbery after scaling wall in win over Tigers

Nationals CF Jacob Young makes wild home run robbery after scaling wall in win over Tigers Jacob Young had absolutely no issue scaling the o...

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For the first time in 148 years, Wimbledon has no line judges. Some say that ‘takes away the humanity’ from the tournament

For the first time in 148 years, Wimbledon has no line judges. Some say that 'takes away the humanity' from the tournament

Pauline Eyre still remembers the "extraordinary feeling" of making her first appearance atWimbledonaged 21, taking in the noise and the crowds as she marched onto the pristine grass courts, neat and pillowy under her feet. Eyre, however, had no intentions of hitting a serve or swiping at a forehand, nor dreamed of lifting a trophy in two weeks' time. She even calls herself "a pretty bad junior player" who regularly lost in the first round of local tournaments. But under the looming shadow of Centre Court, she had reached the pinnacle of her vocation as a line judge. That moment, Eyre tellsCNN Sports, was "a great feeling of pride … going out as that team of people so visibly different." Line judges have long been an iconic and instantly-recognizable facet of Wimbledon, decked out in Ralph Lauren uniforms and often considered the sporting world's best-dressed officials. But as of this year, that traditionhas come to an end. Organizers announced in October that an electronic calling system would be introduced at future tournaments, doing away with human line judges. For someone like Eyre, who called the lines at Wimbledon on 16 occasions, the decision marks a sad chapter in the tournament's near 148-year-old history. "At the end of the day, a tennis match is sport, and sport is about people," says Eyre. "And I don't think technology necessarily makes everything better. I don't think it's improving the quality of the line calling because line calling was always excellent. "It takes away that bit for the players where they need to deal with adversity. If they don't like a call, they can't argue with the technology. … It's about the player who does the best in adversity. You take away the humanity from tennis, you're taking away a lot of what it is: human beings striving against each other and competition." Line judges, Eyre adds, were "part of the furniture of the court" at Wimbledon, their uniforms "so striking and so different to any uniform anywhere else in the world." But the tournament's shift to electronic line calling (ELC) is in step with the rest of the tennis world. The ATP and WTA Tours have adopted the system, as have the Australian and US Opens.Roland-Garrosremains the only grand slam competition using human line judges for "out" and "fault" calls. For Wimbledon to follow this trend might not seem like a particularly radical move, but the grass-court grand slam, brimming with history and old-school values, is often viewed as a separate entity to other tournaments, a world unto itself. The decision, according to All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Sally Bolton, was made to ensure "maximum accuracy in our officiating" and to give players "the same conditions" as for most other events on tour. "(It) was probably inevitable," Andrew Jarrett, the tournament referee at Wimbledon between 2006 and 2019, tells CNN Sports. "It is almost certainly correct to go down this route. Why? Well, provided it is set up correctly – and that's crucial – then you get a very good result, and it's proven to be better than human eyesight, so therefore it's seen as being an improvement. "From a technology point of view, if it exists and if it improves, why wouldn't you use it as the line that's been taken across the world?" Jarret, however, acknowledges the "cost to the human side" of the sport, as well as disincentivizing young officials who can no longer aspire to call lines at Wimbledon. Eyre makes the same point. "You have to be a bit of a saint to want to spend your weekends umpiring children's tennis matches at the local club without the carrot of Wimbledon at the end of it," she says. "Why would a 15-year-old who's a club tennis player or a county tennis player want to go into line judging when there's nothing really in it for them?" As for the players, the reaction has been mixed. Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka said that she is "50/50" but "probably leaning towards the electronic system" because it removes the question of challenging a line judge's call. But defending women's champion Barbora Krejčíková said that she "like(s) the old traditional style," whileAmerican star Frances Tiafoeenjoyed the "fanfare" of being able to challenge a line judge. There have been occasional teething issues with electronic calling, too. During Wednesday's second-round match between Madison Keys and Olga Danilović, the automated system made an unprompted "out" call between points, causing brief confusion and a ripple of laughter from the crowd. And after her first-round match on Court 8, located in one of the busiest parts of the grounds, China's Yuan Yuesaidthat the automated calls were sometimes too quiet to hear. From observing other tournaments, Eyre also thinks that electronic calls aren't always loud enough. Line judges, by contrast, are instructed to shout their calls clearly. "We had to sell the call: out, definitely, it's out, in one very short, sharp syllable," says Eyre. "It did feel a bit odd when they were super calm – it changed the environment, changed the atmosphere." CNN Sports has contacted Wimbledon organizers for comment on the volume of the electronic line calls. According to Reuters, the tournament's pool of around 300 line judges has been reduced to 80 at this year's event, with those remaining deployed as "match assistants" who step in should the ELC system fail. Wimbledon first used Hawk-Eye cameras to provide electronic officiating in 2007, and since then players have been able to "challenge" the calls made by human line judges, potentially overturning a decision against them. Jarrett was serving as the tournament referee when Hawk-Eye was introduced, but says that scrapping line umpires "was not on the agenda" during his time in office, which ended six years ago. "There was no real suggestion for the replacement of line umpires," he says. "I think we all knew right from the outset that we were starting a journey that would possibly lead to this one day, but that was not on the immediate horizon." As for Eyre, she felt that the threat of her old job being extinguished "was always there" once HawkEye was introduced, even though she thought it simply proved that line judges were "almost always" correct during player challenges. "After a while, I think it made us more confident that we knew that we were doing it right, and that was really good," she says. But even that wasn't enough to save the jobs of line judges, who are now destined to be talked about with a nostalgic appeal by the sport's traditionalists. Like many things in life, the charm of a Wimbledon line judge is perhaps only being appreciated once they've been taken away. That might feel ironic to someone like Eyre, who these days is a stand-up comedian using her line-judging days as a source for material. She never saw herself as a popular figure among players at Wimbledon, once being stared down by John McEnroe –the most famous protestorof a line call – and on another occasion getting booed by the crowd for foot-faulting home favorite Greg Rusedski. Line judges, she thinks, had a reputation as failed players and hangers-on, "terribly officious people who wanted to exert some power." But the true reason they devote so much time to the cause, Eyre believes, runs much deeper: "We just wanted to be part of something we loved." For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byAlpha World

in

July 03, 2025

For the first time in 148 years, Wimbledon has no line judges. Some say that ‘takes away the humanity’ from the tournament

For the first time in 148 years, Wimbledon has no line judges. Some say that 'takes away the humanity' from the tournament Pauline E...

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Some education grants in limbo were used for ‘leftwing agenda,’ Trump administration says

Some education grants in limbo were used for 'leftwing agenda,' Trump administration says

The Trump administration has accused states and schools of using federal education grants earmarked forimmigrants' children and low-income students to help fund "a radicalleftwing agenda." The administration this weekwithheld more than $6 billionintended for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and more, saying it would review the grants to ensure they align with PresidentDonald Trump'spriorities. The freeze sent schools and summer camp providers scrambling to determine whether they can still provide programs like day camps this summer or after-hours child care this fall. On Wednesday, the Office of Management and Budget said an initial review showed schools used some of the money to support immigrants in the country illegally or promote LGBTQ+ inclusion. The administration said it hadn't made any final decisions about whether to withhold or release individual grants. "Many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda," the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. It said New York schools had used money for English language instruction to promote organizations that advocate for immigrants in the country illegally. Washington state used the money to direct immigrants without legal status toward scholarships the Trump administration says were "intended for American students." Grant funds also were used for a seminar on "queer resistance in the arts," the office said. Officials from New York and Washington state didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Advocates for low-income and immigrant children connected the grant freeze to the Trump administration's largercrackdown on immigrants. Two of the federal programs put on hold were appropriated by Congress to help support English proficiency of students still learning the language and migrant children who move with their parents to follow agricultural and other jobs. School districts use the $890 million earmarked for English learners in a wide range of purposes, fromtraining teachers' aideswho work with English learners, to running summer schools designed for them, to hiring family liaisons whospeak the parents' native languages. The $375 million appropriated for migrant education is often used to hire dedicated teachers to travel close to where students live. By "cherrypicking extreme examples," the administration is seeking to conflate all students learning English with people who are in the country illegally, said Amaya Garcia, who directs education research at New America, a left-leaning think tank in Washington, D.C. In reality, the majority of English learners in public schools were born in the United States, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute. "The way they're framing it is that we're using this money for undocumented students and families," said Margarita Machado-Casas, president of the National Association of Bilingual Educators. "It's a distraction. A distraction from what's actually happening: that 5.3 million English learners who speak lots of different languages, not just Spanish, will suffer." Even if the students lack legal status, states may not deny public education to children in the country illegally under a 1982 Supreme Court decision known as Plyler v. Doe. Conservative politicians in states such as Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee have pursued policies that question whetherimmigrants without legal residencyshould have the right to a public education, raising the possibility of challenges to that landmark ruling. Meanwhile, states and school districts are still trying to understand what it will mean for their students and their staff if these funds never arrive. In Oregon, eliminating grants for English learners and migrant students would "undermine the state's efforts to increase academic outcomes for multilingual students, promote multilingualism, close opportunity gaps and provide targeted support to mobile and vulnerable student groups," said Liz Merah, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Education. ____ Associated Press writer Collin Binkley contributed from Washington. _____ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP'sstandardsfor working with philanthropies, alistof supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

byAlpha World

in

July 03, 2025

Some education grants in limbo were used for ‘leftwing agenda,’ Trump administration says

Some education grants in limbo were used for 'leftwing agenda,' Trump administration says The Trump administration has accused state...

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