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Trump's USA • The President's Team
Sources: Top General Walks Out After Kid Rock Brawl

US Army Chief Randy George was fired after not listening to advice to drop the investigation into the helicopter flight at the artist Kid Rock's house, according to sources to the Washington Post.

In March, two Apache helicopters made unauthorized low-altitude flights over the house of Trump supporter Kid Rock in Tennessee. The artist posted clips on social media in which he waves to them.

Randy George wanted to follow procedures and investigate the incident, but Chris LaNeve – the army's second-highest-ranking commander – is said to have stated in private conversations that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not want an investigation, and urged George to drop it, according to the sources.

George is said to have felt embarrassed by the conversation, but continued with the investigation. A few days later, he was fired without explanation by Hegseth. LaNeve is now the favorite to succeed him, according to the sources.

US-Russia relations
Kremlin confirms CIA visit but denies Putin meeting

Vladimir Putin and CIA director John Ratcliffe did not meet in Moscow this week. The Kremlin told the Russian state news agency Tass, reports the Kyiv Independent.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, confirmed that Ratcliffe had been visiting the capital for a meeting "between security services", without going into details.

A US government source told the Kyiv Independent that the CIA chief would meet with high-ranking officials.

Ratcliffe has previously been involved in prisoner exchanges between Russia and the US. According to information from Russian Telegram channels, this week's meeting is said to have been about a similar matter, writes TT.

The CIA visit to Russia initially took place under great secrecy, and the trip is considered very unusual. It was Ratcliffe's first known official visit to Russia. The last time a CIA director visited the country was in 2021, when William Burns traveled to Moscow. 

US-China relations
US: Has discovered a major Chinese hacker attack

The US has discovered a Chinese hacker attack targeting the Department of Justice, Nasa, the Federal Reserve, the Senate and other agencies, the Justice Department writes according to Reuters.

According to the statement, the hacker platforms “QScan” and “QTrouter” have been used in the attacks, and several domain names have been seized. It is unclear whether the hackers have obtained any information.

The hackers are said to have connections to China's military and intelligence services, and are said to have used a tech company as a cover, writes CNN.

The Chinese embassy has not commented.

US: Chinese hacker attack against several agencies
TT
Published 16.55Updated 17.44

The US claims to have stopped a Chinese hacker attack against several US agencies, reports Reuters.

The attack is said to have targeted the Department of Justice, NASA, the Federal Reserve and the US Senate, among others.

The Department of Justice says that domains used by the hacking platforms “QScan” and “QTRouter” in the attack have been seized. According to the US, the platforms are run by a state-sponsored Chinese group.

“State-sponsored malicious hackers who attack critical US infrastructure will be stopped and prosecuted,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche in a statement.

China has not commented on the allegations.