With CIA Post Filled, Trump's National Security Team Complete
*By Conor White*
At a critical time in his presidency, Donald Trump has found an adviser he can trust who will help him navigate the most vexing questions of war and peace.
Gina Haspel's confirmation as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, despite concerns about her role in the interrogations of terrorism suspects at secret CIA "black sites," puts her at Trump's side as he confronts no fewer than three major diplomatic and national security conflagrations.
"He wants someone he can rely on to give intelligence advice during this really critical time," said Daniel Lippman, a reporter at Politico. "You have North Korea, that summit coming up, the Iranian nuclear deal on tenter hooks, you have the Middle East going up in flames with Gaza, and so to have someone there that Trump doesn't fight like he did with Rex Tillerson at the State Department, that is reassuring to Americans."
It should at least be reassuring to the CIA.
"This is the best the CIA could've asked for," said Lippman. "She was the deputy under Pompeo, she's not a John Bolton-type person, she's pretty reasonable, that's why she got a number of Democratic votes."
Haspel, the first-ever female director of the agency, will be part of a national security team that also includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who used to lead the CIA, and Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-senate-confirms-haspel-and-giulianis-latest-tv-appearances).
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The recent Virginia and New Jersey elections are making one trend line pretty clear: voters in this climate will vote on education, and it could be a winning tactic for Republicans.
Virginia's race for governor was defined by, as the Republican candidate and eventual winner described it, "school-choice." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is taking a page out of Governor Youngkin's playbook for his upcoming reelection bid, over-indexing on themes of education. John Kennedy, Florida capital reporter at Gannett, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
North Korea launched its sixth missile test this month, equaling the total number performed in all of 2021. Cheddar News speaks with Bruce Klinger of the Heritage Foundation on why the regime is suddenly ramping up its weapons testing program.
More than 80 lawmakers are calling for President Biden to release a memo outlining the legal pros and cons regarding the president's authority to cancel student loan debt, the total of which sits around $1.75 trillion. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), joined Cheddar to discuss the memo and support the push to forgive student debt that could potentially have a massive positive impact on the U.S. economy. "I think that would be really helpful for all of us to be able to see as we figure out how we can go forward," she said. "It seems like a simple thing to do, and I hope that the administration will release this memo." For her part, Sen. Smith said she believes the president does have the authority to abolish student loan debt.
Dr. Celeste González de Bustamante, professor and director of the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the Univerity of Arizona, and Dr. Jeannine E. Relly, professor and director of Global Initiatives at the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the University of Arizona, join Cheddar News to discuss the recent journalist killings in Mexico.
