Trump, top officials defend response to Russia bounty threat

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and his top national security officials are stepping up their defense of his response to intelligence assessments that suggested Russia had offered bounties for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The president’s national security adviser says he had prepared a list of retaliatory options if the intelligence had been corroborated. Trump continues to play down the assessments and insist he wasn’t briefed on the matter because the intelligence didn’t rise to his level. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the situation was handled “incredibly well” to ensure the safety of U.S. troops.