*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).
The Supreme Court says it will not immediately take up a plea by special counsel Jack Smith to rule on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his actions to overturn the 2020 election results.
A Congressional oversight committee has opened an investigation into the safety of an Osprey aircraft, weeks after a deadly crash off the coast of Japan that killed eight airmen.
Cuba announced tough economic measures for 2024 with increased prices for fuel and essential services.
Florida Gov. and presidential hopeful Ron Desantis says that he thinks the Republican primary would be different if former president Donald Trump wasn't indicted.
Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, days after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit.
The top military officer in the United States met with his Chinese counterpart for the first time in over a year.
A judge ordered former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani immediately to start paying the judgment against him for the former Georgia election workers that he defamed.
Lawyers for former president Donald Trump requested that the Supreme Court avoid taking on an appeal about whether Trump has immunity for his actions challenging the 2020 election results.
President Joe Biden said there's no question former President Donald Trump supported an insurrection but wouldn't give an opinion on Colorado banning Trump from the ballot.
Hamas says it will not negotiate for the release of any additional hostages until Israel's operation in Gaza ends.
