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).
After the horrific mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, activists are once again urging Congress to take action. Trevon Bosley, a gun violence prevention activist, joined Cheddar News to talk about how to push legislators on the issue of new gun restrictions. “Even 10 years later the same sense of hopelessness from before," Bosley said, referring to the lack of change since the Sandy Hook massacre.
In Jarkesy v. Securities and Exchange Commission, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the SEC violated the U.S. Constitution. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo dives into how the ruling could potentially change everything for regulators.
The school shooting in Texas that left 19 children and 2 teachers dead has reignited the debate over gun control.
The tragedy in Uvalde is the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade and marks the latest in a string of mass shootings in the country. Jared Moskowitz, Broward County Commissioner and candidate for Congress in FL-23, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss why gun control measures are stalled in the Senate, and where legislation can move forward from here.
Police and detectives are still investigating the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 children and two adults. Cheddar News was joined by Kirk Burkhalter, professor at New York Law School and former NYPD detective to gain some insight on what investigators are looking for and what comes next.
Texas authorities say the gunman who massacred 21 people at an elementary school was in the building for over an hour before he was killed by law enforcement officers.
Join Cheddar News as we break down the top headlines for Thursday, May 26 including updates on the Texas school shooting, President Joe Biden's executive order on police reform, and a recount in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary.
Representative Morgan Griffith of Virginia rebuked words from the FDA commissioner that could have been construed as blaming parents for stockpiling baby formula exacerbating the shortage.
Cheddar News reporter Megan Pratz brings the latest from the scene of yesterday's horrific school shooting at a Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Now the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history with 19 children and two adults killed, Pratz goes into comments by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, details about the deceased shooter, and reactions from members of the community.
The Robb Elementary School mass shooting killing 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas pm Tuesday was the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, and came just 10 days after the grocery store shooting in Buffalo, New York. Nelson Vergara, the founder and CEO of 360 Protective Solutions, joined Cheddar’s Opening Bell to discuss. "Right now what law enforcement is concentrating on is trying to trace his steps as to what motivated the gunman to act the way he did. What it boils down to just trying to figure out what led to his motivation to do such a horrific act.”
