Family of Last Hostage in Afghanistan Pleads with Biden to Pardon Drug Lord
"As far as I can tell, this is the only viable option," Charlene Cakora, sister of U.S. hostage Mark Frerichs told Newsweek. "Everything else is just smoke."
With Afghanistan Won, A 'New' Taliban Seeks to Rebrand Itself
"The current posture of the Taliban is for a global audience in an effort to present themselves as a legitimate government who seeks to stabilize Afghanistan and fight terrorism," a Pentagon official told Newsweek.
Military to Mandate Masks and Vaccines, Takes In Doctor Questioning Both
"As a veteran, the father of a veteran, and father-in-law of a current soldier. I wouldn't want this man anywhere near my family," Fred Wellman, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, told Newsweek.
Iraq Seeks Path to Avoid New War with Plan for U.S. 'Combat' Mission to End
"When we commit forces, how do we set the conditions to not just win the war, but to win the peace post-war?" former U.S. Army cultural advisor for Iraq Adam L. Silverman told Newsweek. "This has been a major issue in almost every major conflict we've found ourselves in."
Exclusive: Fallen Soldier to Be First Black MOH Recipient Since Vietnam
Two sources familiar with the process confirmed to Newsweek that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has signed off on Army Sergeant 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe receiving the Medal of Honor, and a third source aware of the proceedings said the White House was working to set a ceremony date.
U.S. Bets on Old Foe Taliban to Fight New ISIS Threat in Afghanistan
"We're glad that they're doing what they're doing," a Defense Department official said of the Taliban fight against ISIS, "because it mirrors and parallels what we're trying to do for our counterterrorism mission."
Biden to Announce 'Operation Allied Refuge' to Airlift All Eligible Afghans
"This is going to SIV eligible applicants — even if they are not in the pipeline," Naveed Shah told Newsweek. "It is far broader than the original 18K, and will include Afghans in all stages of the application process and even those eligible for an application."
Launching a Ransomware Attack Against a Nation Is Far Easier Than You Think
"It used to be that you had to be very technically adept to be a hacker, but the way the cyber market or cyber underground has evolved is a lot of those things have become services now," a U.S. military cyberwarfare officer told Newsweek.
Russia's Little Cyber Green Men Versus the U.S. Digital Army
"It's almost like 'Minority Report,'" a U.S.military intelligence official told Newsweek, "where you can find a path of likely outcomes to build a reasonable conclusion, but unless a crime has been committed, it isn't a crime."
NATO Countries May Host Afghan Allies as Biden Pulls Out Troops: Senator
"One consideration could be working with our NATO allies who served with us in Afghanistan," Senator Angus King told Newsweek. "It seems to me logical that they would be involved in helping us to solve the problem that they may have."
Will Putin's Hackers Launch a Cyber Pearl Harbor—and a Shooting War?
As cyber criminals linked to Russia increase their attacks on U.S. targets, there's a rising risk the next big strike could trigger a war—and not the virtual kind, but one involving troops, tanks, missiles and, in the worst-case scenario, even nuclear weapons.
Why Vladimir Putin Wants A Deal to Avoid 'Cyber Pearl Harbor'
"We need to find what the red lines are, this continues to escalate, and we can't allow it to escalate," CrowdStrike President and Chief Security Officer Shawn Henry told Newsweek. "It's the exact reason we had nuclear arms talks, because we realize things couldn't continue to escalate."
U.S. Cyber Tools Turned Against Americans, Limiting Biden's Russia Options
"Technically, a lot of these tools that are being leveraged for ransomware are tools that were leaked from our own organization," one cybersecurity official told Newsweek on the condition of anonymity.
Biden Demands China Share Info, Lessons to Stop Next 'Biological Threat'
"Getting to bottom of the origin of this pandemic is not about assigning blame, it is about understanding how to prepare for the next pandemic, and the next one after that," a State Department spokesperson told Newsweek.
Russia Warns of 'Politicization' of COVID-19 Origin amid U.S.-China Feud
"We oppose politicization of the current situation and presume that the WHO should play a central role in identifying causes of the pandemic," the Russian embassy in Washington told Newsweek.
Biden Thinks China Hid COVID-19 Origin Info, China Sees 'Political Virus'
"This virus originated in China and China has information that it has not shared with the global community about its origins, and that is information that we all need access to in order to prevent the next pandemic," a senior administration official told Newsweek.
Afghans Are Dying to Come to U.S. Before Troops Leave, Can Biden Save Them?
"We interpreters, we just try to help you to accomplish your mission in Afghanistan...and since we did our part, I think the U.S. government should also do their part as well."
Chinese Chemicals in Mexican Cartel Hands Feed Deadly U.S. Fentanyl Crisis
China has cracked down on fentanyl, but an unmatched U.S. appetite ensures a continued flow. "We don't manufacture fentanyl, we use fentanyl. They don't use fentanyl, they manufacture fentanyl," one DEA official told Newsweek, "and also we cannot even keep our side of the sidewalk clean."
Rudy Giuliani Voicemail Hints at Cause of Federal Search Warrant
Warrants are particularly tough to secure when prosecutors want to conduct searches at an attorney's home or office, according to evidence collection steps outlined in a Department of Justice handbook.
Video Shows Loveland Police Officer Breaking Grandmother's Arm
The woman's attorney said she felt "shock" and "disgust" when she heard the officers discussing the arrest later at the booking office.
Navy Moves to Recognize 'Heroic' Black WWII Sailor Who Saved 15 Men
"Too often in our past, service members of color were overlooked despite their fidelity and bravery," U.S. Army veteran Naveed Shah told Newsweek.
NJ Man Charged with Sex Assault after Prior Case Dropped Amid Cop Protests
"I'm embarrassed about how it was all handled," one New Jersey State Trooper told Newsweek, expressing frustration with both the current and prior cases linked to Ian Schweizer.
New Jersey AG Spent $270,000 to Investigate Media Reports on Top State Cop
"Thank God for the media, serving as the proper watchdog of public officials," news commentator and radio host Roland Martin told Newsweek, "but you should have checks and balances in the system, to where it doesn't require a story or a series of stories to be done to expose wrongdoing."
Officers Get Pay Raise as Clip of Cop Tackling Karen Garner, 73, Circulates
Garner was still clutching a bunch of wildflowers as she was pinned down, hands hog-tied behind her back, in the arrest that has been watched online by millions.
Cops Who Held Lt. Nazario at Gunpoint Must Face Probe, Ex-Police Chiefs Say
"It's unconscionable that they would do that to a compliant man who was serving his country in uniform," said Erroll Southers. "There's just no excuse."
Top New Jersey State Cop Faces New Criticism Over Report on Diner Meeting
"Sounds like a scene out of 'The Sopranos' and not something the acting superintendent of the New Jersey State Police should be doing," one state official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Newsweek.
Can Congress End 'Forever Wars' Before the U.S. Starts A New One?
"We're all very aware that Congress needs to reassert our war powers authority and stop ceding this authority to the executive branch," California Representative Ted Lieu told Newsweek.
Veteran Groups: Our Community Has an Extremism Problem
"We hope that veterans remember their oath to this day," John Raughter, deputy media director of the American Legion, told Newsweek. "At least one time they believed that this country was worth serving for and worth dying for. It's the same great country, they just need to remember that."
After SolarWinds, Companies Turn to Insurers, Not Feds, for Protection
"My theory is that there are only two kinds of corporations: those that have been breached, and those that will be breached," Resilience cybersecurity insurance firm CEO Mario Vitale told Newsweek.
U.S. Navy Calls China's Rapid Sea Power Rise 'Concerning,' Will 'Confront'
U.S. Navy Assistant Chief of Information Commander Courtney Hillson told Newsweek that China "continues to coerce vital resources from the exclusive economic zones of other nations, militarize disputed features in the South China Sea, and develop the world's largest missile force."