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CIA director warns “misjudgments” could further escalate conflict in Middle East
CIA Director William Burns warned Monday of the potential for simmering clashes in the Middle East to spread across the region even as, he said, the U.S. intelligence community had assessed the leaders of Iran and Israel are not looking for “all-out conflict.”
“[W]e face the very real danger of a further regional escalation of conflict,” Burns said during a moderated question-and-answer session at the annual Cipher Brief threat conference in Sea Island, Georgia. He said Israel’s leadership was “weighing very carefully” how it would respond to Iran’s ballistic missile attack last week, but warned that “misjudgments” could still lead to an inadvertent escalatory spiral.
“The Middle East is a place where complicated stuff happens all the time,” Burns said.
A combination of robust intelligence-sharing between the U.S. and Israel, and “strong” integrated air defenses, allowed for the defeat of the large-scale missile attack from Iran on Oct. 1, Burns said. The attack exposed some “limitations” in Tehran’s military capabilities, but he said “that’s not to suggest that those capabilities are still not quite potent and something that not only Israel, but the United States, needs to take very seriously, too.”
The former senior diplomat —who played a key role in negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal that put constraints on Iran’s uranium enrichment program— said his agency had nonetheless not seen indications that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had decided to accelerate his country’s efforts to produce a nuclear weapon.
“[W]e do not see evidence today that the Supreme Leader has reversed the decision that he took at the end of 2003 to suspend the weaponization program,” Burns said. He acknowledged, however, that Iran was in a “much closer position” to create a single bomb’s worth of weapons-grade material, with a breakout time now at “a week or a little more.”
Speaking one year after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 250, Burns —who had for the past year been leading diplomatic negotiations alongside counterparts from Qatar, Egypt and Israel— expressed hope that a diplomatic deal could still be struck for a ceasefire and to secure the release of remaining hostages in Gaza.
“We’ve come close at least a couple of times, but it’s been very elusive,” he said. Talks on Gaza had come to a standstill in recent weeks as, U.S. officials said, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had stopped responding to updated proposals.
“[W]hat’s at stake in Gaza is shaped by political will,” Burns stressed. “In the end, it’s not just about brackets in texts or creative formulas when you’re trying to negotiate a hostage and ceasefire deal. It’s about leaders who ultimately have to recognize that enough is enough, that perfect is rarely on the menu, especially in the Middle East.”
“And then you’ve got to go make hard choices and some compromises in the interest of a longer-term strategic stability as well,” he said.
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Mark Harmon, widely known for playing Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the hit CBS drama “NCIS,” is stepping behind the camera as the executive producer and narrator of a new spin-off prequel, “NCIS: Origins.”
After nearly two decades in the role, Harmon is now helping bring to life the early years of Gibbs, with actor Austin Stowell portraying a young version of the iconic character.
“You come in and audition here for years and years, and all of a sudden, you’re presented with a badge with your name on it,” Stowell said about now working on the Paramount lot.
The show’s set features scenes at Camp Pendleton, including locations like Daley’s Tavern, a bar just off-base. For Stowell, it is a role of a lifetime.
“I felt very confident in what I could bring to the character, and then the second you walk in the room, that all goes out the window,” Stowell said.
Casting the role of young Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins” was a significant decision for the team, as it meant finding someone to take on the character that Harmon made iconic. The prequel, set in 1991, explores Gibbs’ early days as a rookie agent.
Harmon saw the project as an opportunity to dive deeper into the character’s backstory, introducing a Giibbs that has never been seen before in the original series.
“This is a chance to really kind of dig into it,” said Harmon
The role also brings a more personal and emotional storyline for Gibbs, one that explores his grief after the loss of his wife and child.
“He’s in rough shape,” Harmon said.
Stowell has drawn on his personal experiences to portray Gibbs’ pain. His father died by suicide four years ago.
“Loss is something we all deal with and for Gibbs, this is something that has cracked him to his core, said Stowell.
Harmon has been a steady presence on set, offering guidance to Stowell and the rest of the cast.
“From day one, Mark has been available,” Stowell said. “He’s so good at allowing the people who are on this show to feel like they are supported.”
Harmon made it clear that this new chapter of “NCIS” belongs to the younger cast.
“I’m there to help and to talk to them or to tell them what I remember from being in this for a while. But this is their thing,” Harmon said.
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After a four-year period in which interest rates hit record lows and then rose to decades-highs, the Federal Reserve started cutting interest rates again in September. A half a percentage point cut, sparked by cooling inflation numbers, was issued on September 18. And with unemployment and inflation declining in September, too, additional cuts of 25 basis points each look likely for the next two Fed meetings in November and December.
While this is welcome news for borrowers, it will detract from the big returns savers have been accustomed to in recent years. This is particularly true for those who have opened or are considering opening a certificate of deposit (CD). That said, CD interest rates haven’t declined so dramatically as to render these unique savings vehicles unworthy. Savers can still earn hundreds and potentially thousands of dollars with the right CD account – even now.
But there are some smart CD moves savers should make now, before the next rate cut, to earn that big return. Below, we’ll break down three of them.
Start by seeing how much more you could be earning on your money with a top CD here.
3 smart CD moves to make before the next rate cut
While CDs are still a safe and predictable way to earn a substantial return on your money, this high rate cycle could soon be coming to a close. Savers who have yet to take advantage, then, or those considering another account, should make the following moves now — before the Fed takes additional action:
Determine your budget
The more you deposit into a CD the more you’ll earn. That simple calculation, however, doesn’t account for any early withdrawal penalties you’ll need to pay if you withdraw your money prematurely. These penalties range from lender to lender but they can easily negate any earnings you’ve accumulated to that point. So, first, determine your budget. Figure out precisely how much you can afford to deposit and for how long you can lock it away. Once you have this amount and length of time (CD term), determined, you’ll be ready to take next steps.
Get started with a CD online now.
Shop around for lenders
Don’t just head to your local bank branch to open a CD. Often, the best CD rates and terms are found with online banks versus those with physical locations. But even all online lenders are not the same as some will require higher minimum deposits or other requirements to earn a high rate. So shop around for lenders to find one offering the best rates for the amount of money you’re comfortable depositing. And be sure to understand the early withdrawal penalties and any other fees or maintenance costs that could affect your returns before getting started.
Open a long-term CD
A long-term CD will mature anywhere between 18 months and 10 years. Once you’ve determined how much money you can comfortably afford to deposit, consider one of these accounts instead of a short-term one now. Currently, short-term CDs have slightly higher rates than long-term ones do. But those accounts will mature in just a few months, at which point rates will likely be lower. But long-term CDs have competitive rates now (in the 4% to 5% range), allowing savers to earn big returns for years to come, even if the larger rate climate cools during that time frame. And because of the locked rate nature of these accounts, you’ll be able to determine with precision your exact earnings upon account maturity.
The bottom line
Rate-cutting action on behalf of the Federal Reserve should spur savers who haven’t take advantage of the current high rate climate (or those who want to continue to) to make a move now – and they should do so with a CD. Specifically, savers should determine their budget in order to deposit as much as they can comfortably afford. But they should also shop for lenders to find one offering the highest rates, specifically for long-term CDs, which can help savers weather what appears to be a cooling rate climate.
Have more questions? Learn more about your current CD options here.