What to know about Joe Kent, Trump counterterrorism chief who resigned over Iran war
CBSN
Joe Kent, who resigned Tuesday as National Counterterrorism Center director, has been a stalwart Trump supporter, backing him since his 2016 campaign, through his 2020 election defeat, the Jan. 6 riots, as well as during his own conservative media advocacy and two failed congressional bids. In:
Joe Kent, who resigned Tuesday as National Counterterrorism Center director, has been a stalwart Trump supporter, backing him since his 2016 campaign, through his 2020 election defeat, the Jan. 6 riots, as well as during his own conservative media advocacy and two failed congressional bids.
But that ended with Mr. Trump's war in Iran and his alliance with Israel against the Islamic clerics who led the Tehran government. In a resignation letter he posted on X, Kent said Tuesday that Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation," and he asserted that "we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."
Kent, 45, is a special forces combat veteran with ties to right-wing extremists and was viewed as a Trump loyalist. His reasons for resigning contradicted the president's assertion that Iran was poised to attack the U.S.
On Feb. 28, in a video announcing the first airstrikes, Mr. Trump said his objective was "eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime."
"Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world," Mr. Trump said of Iran.
Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes cruised to a repeat victory in the Iditarod, the roughly 1,000-mile sled dog race in Alaska. In:
The leader of Cuba is vowing to put up "resistance" against the U.S. as President Trump suggests he may "take" the island nation, whose communist government has faced months of intense U.S. pressure and has languished under severe energy shortages. In:
Venezuela stunned the United States in the World Baseball Classic final, beating the Americans 3-2 for the country's first WBC title.
One person was killed and another was wounded in a shooting at a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico on Tuesday, according to military officials. In:
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore the Voice of America's operations after large parts of the government-run broadcaster had effectively been shut down a year ago, putting hundreds of employees who have been on administrative leave back to work. In:
Nancy Guthrie has been missing for 45 days, and with the latest update in the case being of little use to authorities, one expert tells CBS News the extended timeline means it "becomes much harder to keep the investigation going." In:
Arizona's attorney general on Tuesday filed criminal charges against Kalshi, alleging the prediction market platform is engaging in illegal gambling practices and election wagering. Edited by Aimee Picchi In:
Same-day delivery not fast enough for you? Amazon is revving up its delivery service by offering one- and three-hour options in cities across the U.S., the e-commerce giant said Tuesday. Edited by Alain Sherter In:
The Army general in charge of U.S. assistance to Ukraine in 2024 left classified maps marked "SECRET" describing the war in Ukraine on a train, a Pentagon watchdog found. In:
Washington — Chief Justice John Roberts warned Tuesday that personal attacks on Supreme Court justices and lower court judges are "dangerous" and said hostility directed toward specific jurists has "got to stop." In:
More Americans are turning to artificial intelligence to manage their finances. But the tech shouldn't be the only tool you rely on to deal with money matters, according to CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger. Edited by Aimee Picchi In:
Spring break "takeovers" have started to overwhelm some Florida cities and local officials. Kelsie Hoffman contributed to this report. In: