Dilnaz Shaikh

WASHINGTON — A two-page Middle East policy briefing bearing Larry Summers’ name and House Oversight Committee document numbers has surfaced in the Epstein files, providing a window into the kind of material that flowed through the former Treasury Secretary’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein during the Arab Spring.

LONDON — Britain and France are declining to join the United States in patrolling the Strait of Hormuz until a durable ceasefire is established between Washington and Tehran, Politico reported Wednesday, citing officials. The refusal exposed a rift between Washington and its two most capable European military partners over risk-sharing in a mission that follows from decisions in which those partners had no part.

WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence on Monday by a 51-47 party-line vote, handing the Trump administration control over the nation’s seventeen-agency intelligence apparatus and completing a confirmation process that began when the administration’s first choice for the job helped sink a marquee spy law. Every Republican present voted to confirm. Every Democrat voted no.