Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Claim: Trump fired Jim Mattis, gave him ‘Mad Dog’ nickname. Fact check: False

Former Defense Secretary Mattis slams Trump l ABC News


President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday the only thing he and former President Barack Obama have in common is "that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis." The tweet came after Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, criticized Trump's response to the protests being carried out across the nation since the police killing of George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis, Minn.


Trump didn't fire the general. Mattis served as his secretary of Defense from 2017, when he was confirmed by the Senate, until he tendered his resignation in December 2018 as he disagreed with Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria, according to U.S. officials. In the letter, he said his views and beliefs in foreign policy and strategy didn't align with those of the president.

Trump has claimed several times in the past he gave Mattis his "Mad Dog" nickname, which Mattis has openly said he dislikes. Yet, news reports have referred to him by the nickname as far back as 2004. During his Senate confirmation hearing for defense secretary, he said: "That nickname was given to me by the press, and some of you may have experienced similar occasions with the press where perhaps they didn't get it quite right." Other nicknames include "Chaos" and "Warrior Monk."

Read More

Insider trading in Washington, DC

U.S. senators and representatives with access to non-public information are permitted to buy and sell individual stocks. It’s not just unethical; it sends the message that the game is rigged.

Getty Images, Greggory DiSalvo

Insider Trading: If CEOs Can’t Do It, Why Can Congress?

Ivan Boesky. Martha Stewart. Jeffrey Skilling.

Each became infamous for using privileged, non-public information to profit unfairly from the stock market. They were prosecuted. They served time. Because insider trading is a crime that threatens public trust and distorts free markets.

Keep ReadingShow less
Supreme Court Changes the Game on Federal Environmental Reviews

A pump jack seen in a southeast New Mexico oilfield.

Getty Images, Daniel A. Leifheit

Supreme Court Changes the Game on Federal Environmental Reviews

Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now.

In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game.

Keep ReadingShow less
Growing Up Latina in Georgia, We Feared More Than ICE

An ICE agent monitors hundreds of asylum seekers being processed.

(Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Growing Up Latina in Georgia, We Feared More Than ICE

Last month, about an hour north of where I grew up in suburban Georgia, 19-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a mistaken traffic stop. Though granted bond on May 21, Ximena Arias-Cristobal is still facing deportation despite residing in Georgia since she was four years old.

While supporters nationwide have rallied around Ximena Arias-Cristobal, raising nearly $100,000 for her legal defense, this case serves as a solemn reminder that Latinos, especially in the South, are being surveilled. As someone who grew up Latina in a predominantly white suburb of Georgia, I also know that this surveillance isn’t limited to that by the state but ingrained into the fabric of our everyday lives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

Scam incoming call alert screen on mobile phone.

Getty Images/Stock Photo

Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

WASHINGTON–When my phone rang and I saw the familiar DC area code, I picked up, and a man with a slight Indian accent said: “Ma’am, this is the Indian Embassy.”

Expecting a response from the Indian Embassy for an article I was working on, I said, “Is this in regards to my media inquiry?” He said no. He was calling about a problem with my Indian passport. I asked who he called, and when he said a name I didn’t recognize, I informed him he had the wrong person and hung up, figuring it was a scam.

Keep ReadingShow less