James Clapper is the new director of national intelligence. As we first reported on Friday, the Senate approved his nomination on Aug. 5. His vote came after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) lifted his hold on the vote once McCain received a classified intelligence report that he wanted from Clapper. In his new post, Clapper will oversee the nation’s 16 major intel organizations. He had been serving since April 2007 as under secretary of defense for intelligence. He succeeds Dennis Blair, who stepped down as DNI in May.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.