China\, Russia chief threats to U.S.: Coats

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) Russia and China pose the biggest espionage and cyber attack threats to the United States and are more aligned than they have been in decades, the director of national intelligence told U.S. senators in testimony on worldwide threats on Tuesday.

While the two countries seek to expand their global reach, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said, some American allies are pulling away from Washington in reaction to changing U.S. policies on security and trade, he said.

"China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea increasingly use cyber operations to threaten both minds and machines in an expanding number of ways - to steal information, to influence our citizens, or to disrupt critical infrastructure," Coats said.

Coats also said U.S. adversaries likely are already looking to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election, refining their capabilities and adding new tactics.