https://www.scmp.com/rss/523937/feed The latest news and top stories on Jack Reed, US Senator for Rhode Island. He is a senior United States Senator for Rhode Island, first elected in 1996, and previously served in the US House of Representatives and the Rhode Island State Senate. A former US Army officer, he taught at West Point and practised law. He holds degrees from West Point, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School. Reed is Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a senior member of the Appropriations... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang A US Senate hearing on nuclear capabilities issued a warning about China on Wednesday, hours before US President Donald Trump was due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Senator Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in his opening statement that China has been engaged in an “unprecedented nuclear expansion” in recent years. China, Wicker said, had “rapidly constructed hundreds of new missile silos, expanded mobile missile and ballistic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3353483/us-senate-warns-chinas-nuclear-capabilities-hours-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3353483/us-senate-warns-chinas-nuclear-capabilities-hours-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 21:14:01 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Days after the operation that abducted then Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump’s nominee to command US forces in Latin America dodged pressure from senators to endorse a military-first plan to counter China’s growing influence in the region. Lieutenant General Francis Donovan, who is nominated to lead US Southern Command (Southcom), repeatedly declined to say whether Washington should rely mainly on force projection to push back against Beijing’s expanding footprint. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340106/trump-pick-south-america-command-sidesteps-china-questions-senate-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340106/trump-pick-south-america-command-sidesteps-china-questions-senate-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:00:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Pentagon’s watchdog found that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put US personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said on Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335115/hegseths-use-signal-posed-risk-us-personnel-pentagon-watchdog-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335115/hegseths-use-signal-posed-risk-us-personnel-pentagon-watchdog-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:21:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday he had recently spoken with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro amid soaring tensions between the two countries, while Caracas condemned what it called US preparations for an attack. The United States has been piling the pressure on Venezuela, with a major military build-up in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged drug cartel run by Maduro as a terrorist group, and an ominous warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace was “closed”. Washington... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334700/lawmakers-voice-support-congressional-reviews-trumps-military-strikes-boats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334700/lawmakers-voice-support-congressional-reviews-trumps-military-strikes-boats?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 20:40:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters The admiral who leads US military forces in Latin America will step down at the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday, in a surprise move amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. A source familiar with the matter said there had been tension between Admiral Alvin Holsey and Hegseth over operations in the Caribbean and questions about whether he would be fired in the days leading up to the announcement. The top Democrat on the Senate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329311/us-admiral-overseeing-strikes-against-boats-venezuela-step-down-surprise-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329311/us-admiral-overseeing-strikes-against-boats-venezuela-step-down-surprise-move?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 23:24:35 +0000