Center for Strategic Communication

Yemen’s Defense Minister Escapes al Qaeda Assassination Bid: Security Source

Reuters

Yemen’s defense minister escaped an assassination attempt by suspected al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Friday, a security source told Reuters. The source said Muhammad Nasir Ahmad and a number of senior security officials were attacked by gunmen while travelling in their vehicles in the province of Shabwa.

U.S. Suspends Public Operations at Embassy in Yemen

Barbara Starr / CNN

Citing recent attacks, the United States on Wednesday announced that it has suspended public services at its embassy in Sanaa,Yemen.

Exclusive: Iraq, in a Major Shift, Might Want Some U.S. Troops Back

Gordon Lubold / Foreign Policy

The Iraqi government is actively seeking armed drones from the U.S. to combat al Qaeda in its increasingly violent Anbar province, and in a significant reversal, would welcome American military drone operators back into the country to target those militants on its behalf, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Researchers Develop New Fabric That Protects Against Chemical Weapons

Defense One

U.S. researchers have developed a fabric containing carbon nanotubes that — if used in clothing — could protect its wearer against deadly nerve agent.

Official: New U.S. Ambassador Headed to Egypt

AP

In a routine but necessary step toward smoothing its stormy relationship with Cairo, the White House on Thursday tapped a career diplomat to fill a nine-month vacancy as the U.S. ambassador to Egypt.

Putin Travels to Crimea for Victory Day Celebrations

Neil MacFarquhar / The New York Times

The Russian president arrived in Sevastopol, where he used the anniversary of victory over the Nazis to assert that Moscow had the right to annex the peninsula.

Venezuelan Security Forces Break Up Protest Camps

BBC News

Venezuelan security forces have broken up a number of protest camps and arrested almost 250 people, officials said. Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez said four encampments in the eastern part of the capital, Caracas, had been cleared.

Back to the Future: Are We About to Crack Energy Fusion?

Duncan Jefferies

Can we harness the energy of an earth-bound sun? It’s a question that has obsessed and perplexed scientists for more than half a century. According to Professor Steve Cowley, director of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) and chief executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, it remains one of the “great quests” in science.

On Our Flashpoint Blog

ASP’s Cheney and President Obama on Weather Channel

Adin Dobkin

Yesterday on The Weather Channel, ASP CEO, BGen Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.) discussed national security and climate change with Sam Champion.  The General was featured along with President Obama as part of a larger discussion on the Presidential Administration’s Climate Action Plan.

ASP’s Cheney on The Takeaway

Adin Dobkin

Yesterday on The Takeaway, ASP CEO, BGen Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.), discussed the changing state of affairs in national security in an episode titled What’s a Bigger Threat: Terrorism or Climate Change?

Space – Innovation and Adaptation

August Cole

The steadily worsening effects of climate change- drought, floods, heat, rising sea levels, and severe storms- pose serious threats to the U.S. energy sector. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) details this issue in their newly published report, “U.S. Energy Sector vulnerabilities to climate change and extreme weather.”

Upcoming Events

Building a Better Corporate Tax Regime & Strengthening our Economic Security – A Conversation with Robert Pozen

May 13 @ 8:00 – 9:30AM

Join ASP on Tuesday, May 13 as we host Bob Pozen for an informative discussion about corporate tax reform, as well as the many fiscal and political obstacles facing it.

EU Election Results: Implications for the United States

May 28 @ 8:30 – 9:30AM

Join ASP for a conversation about the effects the EU elections will have on the United States. We will be joined by Paul Adamson, Philippe Maze-Sencier, and Geoffrey Harris who will be contributing their years of experience to the discussion.

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