Russia Launches Deadly Missile and Drone Strikes Across Ukraine, Killing Three Including a Child 
U.S.-Iran War Talks Resume Amid Economic Pressure and Ceasefire Uncertainty 
Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 4,000 Prisoners Under New President Min Aung Hlaing 
House Republicans Near Deal on FISA Extension with Limited Reforms 
Trump Nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz as New CDC Director 
Brazil's Former Intelligence Chief Alexandre Ramagem Released from U.S. Immigration Custody 
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to Exit Federal Government at End of May 
Trump Warns Iran on Nuclear Weapons Amid Ongoing Feud with Pope Leo 
Ukraine's Svyrydenko Returns from U.S. With Renewed Support and Diplomatic Momentum 
France and Britain Lead 40-Nation Talks to Reopen Strait of Hormuz 
Russia Unleashes Massive Drone and Missile Barrage on Ukraine, Killing Civilians 
Trump Pushes for Lebanon-Israel Dialogue Amid Renewed Hezbollah Conflict 
U.S. and Philippines to Build 4,000-Acre Tech Hub Under Pax Silica Initiative 
Pentagon Taps Auto Giants to Supercharge U.S. Weapons Production 
Israel-Hezbollah War: Netanyahu Vows to Dismantle Militia and Secure Peace Through Strength 
U.S. Senate Blocks Resolutions to Halt $450 Million Weapons Sale to Israel 
As soon as Joe Biden takes his oath of office as the new president of the United States, he may be faced with a bare Cabinet as confirmation hearings have run into delays. Among them, his nominee for Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has assured that politics would be left out when it comes to intelligence analysis.
Senate confirmation hearings for several of Biden’s potential Cabinet members have already begun, with Haines to have her confirmation hearing Tuesday. In excerpts of a statement obtained by NBC News, Haines is expected to assure the lawmakers that she plans to keep intelligence analysis apolitical.
Should Haines be confirmed, she would be overseeing the 18 intelligence agencies of the country including the CIA and the NSA. Haines also pledged to protect whistleblowers as well as prioritizing deterring potential threats from China, anticipating the next pandemic, and enhancing cybersecurity. Haines would also be in charge of overseeing presidential briefings, but the CIA director would be in charge of running covert operations upon orders of the president.
“To safeguard the integrity of our Intelligence Community, the DNI must insist that, when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics - ever,” Haines is to say.
Haines previously served in the Obama administration as the deputy national security adviser and also served as the deputy CIA director. Should she be confirmed, Haines would also become the first woman to lead the intelligence community.
“We should provide the necessary intelligence to support long-term bipartisan efforts to out-compete China -- gaining and sharing insight into China’s intentions and capabilities, while also supporting more immediate efforts to counter Beijing’s unfair, illegal, aggressive, and coercive actions, as well as its human rights violations, whenever we can,” Haines is expected to say.
Biden’s other National Security Cabinet nominees are also in line to receive their Senate confirmation hearings, but only after Biden takes office. Typically, the Senate has already confirmed some Cabinet nominees on Inauguration Day, but with the tensions surrounding Donald Trump’s impeachment trials and the riots at the Capitol, that has been delayed.
Up for confirmation are Antony Blinken for State Department, Alejandro Mayorkas for Homeland Security, Janet Yellen for the Treasury, and Lloyd Austin for the Pentagon.
