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The White House plans to cut staffing at the Central Intelligence Agency by 1,200 positions while other intelligence agencies including the National Security Agency will also shed thousands of jobs, the Washington Post has reported.
A person familiar with the plan confirmed the changes to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The Trump administration has told members of Congress about the planned cuts at the CIA, which will take place over several years and be accomplished in part through reduced hiring as opposed to layoffs, the Post reported on Friday. The cuts include several hundred people who had already opted for early retirement, it said.
In response to questions about the reductions, the CIA issued a statement saying its director, John Ratcliffe, was working to align the agency with Donald Trump’s national security priorities.
“These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position CIA to deliver on its mission,” the agency said in the statement.
A spokesperson for the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Gabbard’s office oversees and coordinates the work of 18 agencies that collect and analyse intelligence.
The CIA earlier this year became the first US intelligence agency to join a voluntary redundancy program initiated by Trump, who has vowed to radically downsize the federal workforce in the name of efficiency and frugality. The NSA has already offered voluntary resignations to some employees.
The CIA has said it also plans to lay off an unknown number of recently hired employees.
The Trump administration has also eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs at intelligence agencies, though a judge has temporarily blocked efforts to fire 19 employees working on DEI programs who challenged their terminations.
Trump also abruptly fired the general who led the NSA and the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, Tim Haugh.
Ratcliffe has vowed to overhaul the CIA and said he wants to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China.
With the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
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PUTIN henchman and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is "preparing to flee Russia" - as he has put his son in charge of the police.
The infamous leader of Chechnya has already made several moves to prepare for his escape - and his efforts have sparked a conflict with Kremlin cronies.
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The 48-year-old dictator is a vocal supporter of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, and has sent tens of thousands of troops to support the bloody war in Ukraine.
He has also been accused of violating human rights, including involvement in kidnapping and torture.
But relations between Putin and Kadyrov have soured in recent months, especially after alleged secret meetings between Kadyrov and Middle Eastern officials.
Local media reported that the Chechen ruler began "unsanctioned discussions" with officials from several Middle Eastern countries about his assets and family's future - without Moscow's approval.
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The FSB security service officers informed a "furious" Putin, 72, about Kadyrov’s secret negotiations.
Kadyrov has reportedly already begun transferring assets abroad, with the leader's family recently acquiring properties in both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The Chechen leader spoke with "Muslim monarchies" who he has close ties with, according to IStories.
Putin likely sees this as a betrayal, even though Kadyrov sent troops from his private army when the Russian leader faced a coup bid from now-dead Wagner private army chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in June 2023.
After suffering from poor health, Kadyrov is hoping that his son will take over after him.
It is believed that the ruthless Kremlin-ally is suffering from severe kidney and pancreatic issues, as reported by Novaya Gazeta Europe.
But the brutal warlord does not trust that Putin will appoint his son as the next in line to rule Chechnya.
Ukraine brings war to Putin’s mad henchman as massive explosion rips through special forces HQ
Kadyrov has appointed his 17-year-old son, Adam, as the head of the police, Chechen state media reported on Monday.
Reports said that the teenage boy had been appointed "curator" of the Chechen interior ministry.
Kadyrov has awarded his son multiple medals and appointed the teenager to a succession of posts, building him up as crown prince and heir apparent.
When Adam was aged 16, he was put in charge of his father’s security apparatus and given a leadership role at the Vladimir Putin University of Russian Special Forces, in Chechnya.
Leading investigative journalist Andrey Kalitin said Kadyrov senior’s health is now “very poor” with “tough decisions” over the succession imminent.
Kalitin said: “The Kremlin has two or three candidates.
“Ramzan Kadyrov has one. His name is Adam, he is 17 years old, he has more than 15 awards.”
Even if Putin appointed Adam, he would need a regency-style arrangement until he is 30 under Russian laws.
The boy won his father’s backing after he assaulted a prisoner accused of burning the Quran.
Kadyrov is believed to have amassed a vast fortune as a reward for taming war-riven Chechnya since taking over from his assassinated father.
Accused of human rights abuses, Kadyrov has boasted that he has been sanctioned more than anyone by the West.
Rumours have persisted that a bloated Kadyrov has “serious” pancreatic and kidney problems, with photos being carefully edited and never showing him below the chest.
The notorious leader also has a flashy online presence - last year he flaunted his Tesla with a machine gun bolted to its roof.
The Russian Republic of Chechnya is also known for buying Ukrainian prisoners of war and using them as bargaining chips for their own gain.
They buy captives from Russian military units, and use them in negotiations to swap with Chechen captives, according to RadioFreeEurope.
Kadrov's republic has also used POWs to get sanctions lifted.
In January 2024 Kadyrov offered to release 20 Ukrainian captives in exchange for the removal of US sanctions against his relatives and horses.
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The speculation comes as NATO scrambled fighter jets after Putin unleashed a barrage of nuclear-capable bombers on Ukraine.
Russia struck central Kyiv as well as other location in brutal strikes which included kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles.
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Ara Nazarian is an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a degree in mechanical engineering, followed by graduate degrees from Boston University, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Harvard University. He has been involved in the Armenian community for over a decade, having served in a variety of capacities at the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society, the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center, Armenian National Committee of America, St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
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