Nancy Benac

Read the latest stories and analysis from Nancy Benac.

Lt. Gen. William Mayville, speaks about the operations in Syria, Tuesday, during a news conference at the Pentagon. In a separate action from the air strikes against the Islamic State group, the U.S. bombed a cell of al Qaeda militants in northwestern Syria after concluding they were close to attacking the U.S. or Europe, Pentagon officials say. Mayville, the Pentagon's operations chief, said that the Khorasan Group was nearing "the execution phase of an attack either in Europe or the homeland." (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

When is an ‘imminent’ attack not imminent?

Nancy Benac · September 25, 2014 7:11 am

Lt. Gen. William Mayville, speaks about the operations in Syria, Tuesday, during a news conference at the Pentagon. In a separate action from the air strikes against the Islamic State group, the U.S. bombed a cell of al Qaeda militants in northwestern Syria after concluding they were close to attacking the U.S. or Europe, Pentagon officials say. Mayville, the Pentagon's operations chief, said that the Khorasan Group was nearing "the execution phase of an attack either in Europe or the homeland." (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

National Security

How imminent is an ‘imminent’ attack threat?

Nancy Benac · September 24, 2014 11:33 pm

President Barack Obama, flanked by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Joint Chefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, speaks at the Pentagon, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Across the years, Obama’s 9/11 message varies

Nancy Benac · September 11, 2014 10:27 pm

This photo taken Sept. 26, 2012 shows Charles and Liz Koch at Koch Headquarters in Wichita, Kansas. The Kochs are demonized by Democrats, who lack a liberal equal to counter their weight, and not entirely understood by Republicans, who benefit from their seemingly limitless donations. Married 44 years Liz says she is the only one that has cut his hair since they've been married. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Bo Rader)

Koch 101: Some basics on the billionaire brothers

Nancy Benac · August 25, 2014 8:45 am

4 Kochs took genes, money in different directions

Nancy Benac · August 25, 2014 8:42 am

This photo taken May 22, 2012 shows Charles Koch in his office at Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas, where Koch Industries manages 60,000 employees in 60 countries. The Kochs are demonized by Democrats, who lack a liberal equal to counter their weight, and not entirely understood by Republicans, who benefit from their seemingly limitless donations. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Bo Rader)

4 Kochs took genes, money in different directions

Nancy Benac · August 23, 2014 1:19 pm

FILE - This June 30, 2014, file photo shows customers walking into a Hobby Lobby store in Oklahoma City. There may be more to that "we the people" notion than you thought.These are boom times for the concept of "corporate personhood." Corporations are people? Mitt Romney got mocked during the 2012 presidential campaign for the very idea. But it turns out the principle has been lurking in U.S. law for more than a century, and the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, gave it more oomph this week when it ruled that certain businesses are entitled to exercise religious rights just as do people. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Corporations are people? It’s a real legal concept

Nancy Benac · July 3, 2014 10:33 am

First lady Michelle Obama hugs Juan Cua Monroy, 20, originally from Guatemala, after he was sworn in as a U.S. citizen during a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives in Washington, Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is at right. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

First lady makes pitch for immigration overhaul

Nancy Benac · June 18, 2014 4:49 pm

FILE - In this July 27, 1944, file photo, Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair poses for a photo in Tunisia, after he was wounded by shrapnel during a visit to the war front. He wears the Purple Heart awarded him at the time. The deaths of five Americans killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan stand as a fresh reminder of the dangers of friendly fire, an element of war that is older than the nation. In World War II, McNair died when an errant Allied bomb struck his position as the Allies struggled to break out from Normandy. (AP Photo)

National Security

Risk of friendly fire has long been element of war

Nancy Benac · June 11, 2014 6:12 pm

In this image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban have released a video showing the handover of Bergdahl to U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan. The video, emailed to media on Wednesday, shows Bergdahl in traditional Afghan clothing sitting in a pickup truck parked on a hillside. More than a dozen Taliban fighters with machine guns stand around the truck and on the hillside. That feel-good moment in the Rose Garden sure seems like a long time ago. Just a week after the president announced that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been freed in Afghanistan, details emerging about the soldier, the deal and how the rescue came together are only adding to the list of questions. A look at what's known _ and unknown _ about saving Sgt. Bergdahl. (AP Photo/Voice Of Jihad Website via AP video)

The Bergdahl rescue: What’s known and not known

Nancy Benac · June 7, 2014 8:37 am

In this image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban have released a video showing the handover of Bergdahl to U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan. The video, emailed to media on Wednesday, shows Bergdahl in traditional Afghan clothing sitting in a pickup truck parked on a hillside. More than a dozen Taliban fighters with machine guns stand around the truck and on the hillside. That feel-good moment in the Rose Garden sure seems like a long time ago. Just a week after the president announced that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been freed in Afghanistan, details emerging about the soldier, the deal and how the rescue came together are only adding to the list of questions. A look at what's known _ and unknown _ about saving Sgt. Bergdahl. (AP Photo/Voice Of Jihad Website via AP video)

Saving Sgt. Bergdahl: What’s known and what’s not

Nancy Benac · June 7, 2014 12:13 am

First lady Michelle Obama applauds in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, June 4, 2014, during a Joining Forces initiative event to announce "The Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness" program. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

First lady promotes effort to end vet homelessness

Nancy Benac · June 4, 2014 6:50 pm