Twitter Does It Again: Behold @cromnibus

(Photo from Twitter) Legislative crises have becoming a Holiday Season tradition in Washington right up there with powerful officials mingling with other powerful officials at invitation-only parties. But, thankfully, a snarky soul has created a Twitter account to help us all cope. On Tuesday evening, senior lawmakers rolled out what’s called a “cromnibus.” You may…

What to look for at the NATO Summit

NATO members are gathering for their 2014 summit in Wales this week, and tensions are higher than usual. Topics are expected to include Russia’s destabilization of Ukraine, the Syrian Civil War, Islamic militants, and even aggressive territorial claims by China. Just in time for the summit, Vago gathered an expert roundtable to preview the discussions on Defense News…

DoD OCO Requests $700M for Bombs and Ammo

As the congressional oversight panels continue their review of the Pentagon’s $58.6 billion 2015 Overseas Contingency Operations budget request, much of the focus has been on the high-profile items, such as a $4 billion request for a new counterterrorism fund and $1 billion to boost US military presence in Europe. But the request includes $53 billion…

VIDEO: B-2 Stealth Bombers Arrive in England for Exercises

Two US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers arrived at RAF Fairford in England on Sunday for NATO exercises in Eastern Europe amid tensions with Russia. Ben Ramsay, an aviation enthusiast, posted an excellent, 8-minute video with rare close ups of the jets’ arrival at Fairford on Sunday. Below are some photos posted by the Air Force of the Spirit of Louisiana and Spirit of…

ESSAY: Obama’s Bergdahl-Taliban Gamble Is All About Timing

Buried beneath the nasty political brawl over the Obama administration’s swap of five senior Taliban prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is Obama’s cold-blooded strategic thinking. And President Barack Obama’s big gamble already has deepened Republicans’ frustrations with him, which could make easing sequestration a political impossibility.

NSA Doesn’t Scoop Up Facial Recognition info on US Citizens – On Purpose

The head of the National Security Agency insisted today that contrary to recent reports, his organization does not collect facial recognition data on US citizens – on purpose. “We do not do this in some unilateral basis against US citizens,” insisted Adm. Michael Rogers. “We have very specific restrictions when it comes to US persons.”…