As C.I.A. director, William J. Burns was deeply focused on China and Russia when the Middle East conflict plunged him back into his old life.

While the United States tries to spy on one of the hardest targets, Burns has also tried to reopen a dialogue with Beijing, including via his counterpart, Chen Yixin, the security minister. (The head of the China Mission Center, a career CIA officer fluent in Mandarin, accompanied Burns on one of his trips to Beijing.)

On Saturday, new CIA Director john Ratcliffe made public the CIA’s reassessment that shifts from an inconclusive position to now believing the lab-leak was most likely despite a low level of confidence.

WASHINGTON — The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion.

In a fresh analysis, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said it believes that the Covid-19 virus ‘more likely’ leaked from a Chinese lab than transmitted by animals. The US intelligence agency has released the ’low confidence’ assessment under Trump-appointed CIA director John Ratcliffe,

He has offered a vision for a more aggressive spy agency, and his focus on the threat from China is widely shared by Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

New CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered the covid origins analysis declassified, which a spokesperson described as a “low-confidence” assessment.

The new assessment came after John Ratcliffe was confirmed on Thursday as the CIA director under the second White House administration of Trump

Federal workers are facing fresh anxieties with President Donald Trump’s first week of actions targeting agencies, including those that lead the federal government’s health policies.

The Hampton Roads and U.S. economies have a solid foundation in 2025, but potential tariffs and other actions from President Donald Trump’s new administration could kneecap the prospect for growth,

Now going into its 12th year (a full cycle of the Chinese zodiac!), CBBC’s Chinese Burns Supper has become a permanent fixture in the China-Scotland business calendar. The event will feature a fusion of Burns Night traditions - including a ceilidh ...

Officials previously argued that all 32 severance agreements were exempt as confidential personnel records under Virginia's Freedom of Information Act.