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☆ Paul Ryan Says Even MAGA Diehards Believe Trump Can’t Win in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +23 min

Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk Paul Ryan Says Even MAGA Diehards Believe Trump Can’t Win in 2024For a good long time during the George W. Bush and Obama presidencies, Paul Ryan was considered one of the intellectual leaders and shining stars of the Republican Party. Get out of this race.” But I don’t think Trump is going to get the nomination. I don’t think we want the lack of liberty that comes with government-made equality. Where I part company with the left is I don’t believe in socialism. I don’t believe in equality of outcomes.

☆ House Democrats are skeptical about Biden's call for working with GOP: 'Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be the lead spokesperson these days'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Biden says Republicans can help build a "significant majority" for Dem priorities in a GOP House. "It looks like it's Marjorie Taylor Greene and extreme MAGA Republicans," Rep. Pramila Jayapal said. They question whether they can work with House Republicans on anything beyond "must-pass" legislation when they say "extreme" GOP members seem to be leading the caucus. And you know, Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be the lead spokesperson these days." "You're gonna have a lot of Republicans running our way," he told House Democrats on Wednesday night.

With the way cable news talking heads describe debt ceiling negotiations, one might think America is headed for an extinction-level event. Left-wing pundits argue that anything but a "clean raise" in the debt ceiling – extending America's credit card limit with no conditions – will bring about an economic apocalypse. As the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee with jurisdiction over the debt ceiling, Social Security, and Medicare, no debt ceiling legislation that passes through my committee will include cuts to these vital programs. Debt ceiling negotiations are something Democrats – and even then-Senator Biden – have agreed to multiple times in our nation's history. For Washington Democrats to engage in politics as usual is manifesting the very crisis they claim they want to avoid.

☆ The US military created an illusion of success in Afghanistan by handling tasks it was supposed to train Afghan troops to do, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new watchdog report details how Afghanistan's security forces collapsed in August 2021. It said the US handled tasks that it was supposed to be training Afghan troops how to do. Washington lacked the political will and effort to actually develop an Afghan security force in a "war-torn and impoverished country," which is a monumental task. Additionally, the report placed blame on the Afghan government, which it said was riddled with corruption that trickled down into the military. "However, nothing affected morale more than the realization in February 2021 that US military forces were leaving."

☆ U.S. warns China that helping Russia in war in Ukraine would 'alienate' it from world
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Adam Edelman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House on Dec. 12, 2022. President Joe Biden's top national security adviser said Sunday that the White House had not yet seen China provide Russia with lethal assistance in its war on Ukraine and warned Beijing that doing so would be against its interests. "We have not seen China yet provide military equipment to Russia for purposes of fighting in the war in Ukraine. We haven't seen it yet," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBC News' "Meet the Press." A Chinese fighter jet flew within 500 feet of a U.S. Navy plane over the South China Sea last week.

☆ Key Putin ally claims Russia is dismantling seized western weapons to turn 'the enemy's experience to our advantage' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dmitry Medvedev has hit back at Western reports that Russia is running short of weapons in Ukraine. He said Russian factories were working "around the clock" to produce the "latest technologies." Researchers study high-tech Western weapons seized in Ukraine to improve Russian kit, said Medvedev. He also said that Russia was improving its arsenal by studying high-tech Western weapons seized on the battlefield. By dismantling them "piece by piece," Medvedev said Russia had "turned the enemy's experience to our advantage."

☆ 'Business is very good, unfortunately': Arms fair spotlights bonanza year ahead for weapons companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Mohammed Zarandah | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesFew things illustrate the health of the arms industry like a massive defense fair. Indeed, many countries are ramping up their defense spending to unprecedented levels. On top of that, U.S. military spending on Ukraine alone hit nearly $50 billion in the last year. China and Saudi Arabia also set respective records for their own governments' defense spending in 2022, despite inflation, giving no indications of slowing down. France's Caesar self-propelled guns, which have been highly effective in battle for the Ukrainian military, normally take two years to make; the government aims to cut that time in half.

☆ After a year of death and destruction, Ukraine braces itself for a major escalation in the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Emergency service workers extinguish a fire after shelling on the Bakhmut frontline in Ivanivske, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on January 02, 2023. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesWhen Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, it shocked the world. Russia and Ukraine have only published data sporadically on their own casualty rates in the war — so we have to rely on estimates. One former NATO official told CNBC that, sooner or later, Ukraine would need to be given combat aircraft. Kenzo Tribouillard | Afp | Getty ImagesAsked whether he believed Ukraine could prevail and win the war before the end of 2023, Shea said two things need to happen: Western weapons need to arrive quickly and Ukraine must be given aircraft.

☆ Mitch McConnell says 'way too much attention' has been given to Republicans who oppose aiding Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

McConnell recently traveled to Europe to underscore Republican support for Ukraine. He told one reporter that members of his party opposed to aiding the country get "way too much attention." Other prominent Republicans have argued that the cost of US support for Ukraine is too high. "Let me start by saying: I am a conservative Republican from America, and I come in peace," said the top Senate Republican, according to his prepared remarks. "Reports about the death of Republican support for strong American leadership in the world have been greatly exaggerated."

☆ Republican U.S. Senator Rick Scott drops plan to cut Social Security, Medicare
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Let me say one more time: There is no agenda on the part of Senate Republicans to revisit Medicare or Social Security. Scott's move also came a day after Republican former President Donald Trump urged him to support Social Security and Medicare in a posting on his Truth Social media platform. "Be careful, Rick, and most importantly, fight for Social Security and Medicare. It also said: "Note to President Biden, Sen. Schumer, and Sen. McConnell – As you know, this was never intended to apply to Social Security, Medicare, or the US Navy." The White House said the newly revamped Scott plan should not be taken at face value.

☆ Pentagon’s Unidentified-Object Office Is Underfunded, Senators Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon office set up to detect and identify mysterious objects, such as the three shot down by the U.S. jet fighters over the past week, was mistakenly underfunded, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York Democrat who pushed to create the office. The Pentagon last year established the classified All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, from legislative language Ms. Gillibrand and Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) put in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022.

☆ A big bang or a grinding assault? What to expect from Russia's new offensive in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Russian citizens recruited as part of partial mobilization attend combat training in the training spots of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk, Ukraine on October 05, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesA renewed Russian offensive in the east of Ukraine is underway. Over the weekend, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian cities like Nikopol, a city in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where one person was reportedly killed. Ukrainian servicemen make a trench near Bakhmut on Feb. 1, 2023, as they prepare for a Russian offensive in the area. Shea, who was deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges at NATO until 2018, said he did not expect a big bang start to the offensive.

☆ FAA temporarily closed airspace above Lake Michigan due to 'national defense' amid reports of a hovering 'object'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | Kadia Tubman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Aviation Administration declared a "national defense airspace" over part of Lake Michigan. Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale said Sunday that officials advised him that "there IS an object and it WAS NOT an anomaly." The FAA declared a "national defense airspace" over Lake Michigan, the agency said in a notice according to Fox News. The FAA said that it "briefly closed some airspace over Lake Michigan to support Department of Defense activities" in a statement to Insider on Sunday. The US Department of Defense said that the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will be working "very closely" to investigate the object shot down over Canada in a statement.

☆ U.S. FAA reopens Montana airspace shut for defense activities
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said late Saturday it had reopened some airspace in Montana after it was briefly closed for undisclosed Defense Department activities. The FAA had issued a notice temporarily barring flights in an area about 50 by 50 nautical miles around Havre, Montana, near the Canadian border and classifying the area as "national defense airspace." The FAA declined to say whether the directive was related to another suspected balloon or object. The FAA issued similar actions in response to a suspected Chinese spy balloon that crossed the continental United States from Montana to South Carolina and was shot down earlier this month. Reporting by David Shepardson, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden administration set to propose largest Defense budget in US history as GOP pushes for spending cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration is close to asking Congress for the largest-ever US defense budget, per Politico. Lawmakers in December authorized $858 billion in defense spending, more than what President Biden had requested. Lawmakers in December authorized $858 billion in national defense spending, a number that was $45 billion higher than what President Joe Biden had requested. While Biden has called for a clean debt limit increase, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and his GOP conference are insistent on spending cuts. GOP leaders have not ruled out curtailing some Pentagon spending, but the more hawkish members of the Republican conference will be apt to push back against major defense cuts.

☆ Russian forces are closing in on the strategic city of Bakhmut, giving Ukraine a tough choice to make
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Ukrainian military vehicles drive along a road outside of the strategic city of Bakhmut on January 18, 2023 in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers outside the strategic city of Bakhmut on Jan. 18, 2023, in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Ukrainian servicemen of the artillery unit of the 80th Air Assault Brigade talk near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Feb. 7, 2023. On Wednesday, Russian media reported comments from a Russian special forces commander, who claimed Russian units were advancing into Bakhmut. Ukrainian security forces talk to an elder woman while the first anniversary of Russia-Ukraine war approaches in Bakhmut, Ukraine on January 25, 2023.

☆ U.S.-China relations just got more fragile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indefinitely postponed his visit to Beijing due to a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the United States. Brown | AFP | Getty ImagesBEIJING — U.S.-China relations look increasingly fragile, analysts say, after a now-downed Chinese balloon forced U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to indefinitely postpone his trip to Beijing. "A key question is why the Biden administration decided to publicize this balloon but not previous [reported] ones," Wildau said. While discussion of the balloon — including memes — circulated on Chinese social media, China's official Chinese-language mouthpieces have been more muted so far. "That alone would mean the Chinese leadership would be more restrained and would not want to let this balloon situation blow out of proportion."

☆ US Air Force crews have revived a method to load bombers that hasn't been used in 30 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US Air Force weapons loaders at Dyess Air Force Base revived a capability unused for three decades. In January, airmen used a Launcher Load Frame to pre-load munitions that were then loaded on a B-1B bomber. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyThe US Air Force has recently released some interesting photos showing the activity carried out a Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, earlier this month. A US Air Force weapons load crew member helps transport a Launcher Load Frame at Dyess Air Force Base on January 9. A Launcher Load Frame is raised into a B-1B at Dyess Air Force Base on January 9.

☆ Ukraine says pilots would need six months for F-16 combat training
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Before the invasion, even the idea of supplying lethal aid to Ukraine was highly controversial, but Western supplies have since shattered taboo after taboo. "The pilots are saying it is not a problem to fly the F-16, they could learn it within several weeks. Ihnat said in addition to the pilots, aviation engineers and other specialists would need training. Ukraine has already started work in different regions to create airfield infrastructure for Western planes, he said. Oleksiy Danylov, the secretary of the National Defense and Security Council, posted a video on Twitter of a Western fighter jet taking off and wrote "Soon in Ukraine".

☆ Arizona Senate hopeful Ruben Gallego posts record-breaking fundraising haul in bid for Kyrsten Sinema's seat, breaking state record
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger Christina Wilkie | Kevin Breuninger | Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Ruben Gallego's Senate campaign said Tuesday it raised more than $1 million in one day after the Democrat launched his bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's coveted seat in the 2024 election cycle. "There's a lot of really important work left on the table to get done for Arizona," Sinema said in that Friday interview. That Senate math shifted after Democrats outperformed expectations in the November midterms, extending their hold to an outright Senate majority, 51-49. When Sinema left the Democratic Party last month, she called the change "a reflection of who I've always been." "I think it is a big dilemma for the Senate Democratic majority to decide whether to support her or to support somebody running on the Democratic ticket," McConnell said.

☆ Russian warship armed with hypersonic missiles to join drills with China, S.Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 23 (Reuters) - A Russian warship armed with new-generation hypersonic cruise weapons will participate in joint exercises with the navies of China and South Africa in February, the Russian state agency, TASS, said on Monday. The missiles fly at nine times the speed of sound, with a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles), Russia says. They form the centrepiece of its hypersonic arsenal, along with the Avangard glide vehicle that entered combat duty in 2019. On Thursday, the South African National Defense Force said the drills, to run from Feb. 17 to Feb. 27 near the port city of Durban and Richards Bay, aim "to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China." The exercise will be the second involving the three countries in South Africa, after a drill in 2019, the defence force added in its statement.

☆ Germany will coordinate with allies on Ukraine weapons decisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, under pressure to allow the shipment of German-made tanks to Ukraine, said on Sunday all decisions on weapons deliveries would be made in coordination with allies including the United States. Last week Germany and Western allies reached no decision on whether Germany would agree to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, or permit other countries that have them to do so, despite Ukraine's pleas for modern tanks to boost its defence efforts. Scholz, asked at a news conference in Paris about providing tanks to Ukraine, said all weapons deliveries to Ukraine so far had taken place in close coordination with Western partners. Speaking at the same news conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not rule out the possibility of sending Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File PhotoMacron said that sending tanks must not escalate the situation, must take into account the time to train Ukrainians to be effective, and must not endanger France's own security.

Former Navy SEAL Daniel W. Swift was killed in Ukraine on Wednesday, a Navy official told NBC News Friday. Swift had been in active deserter status since March 11, 2019, the Navy Absentee Collection and Information Center said. The center said it did not know why Swift was in the eastern European country that has been at war with Russia for a year. Swift was a special warfare operator 1st Class and enlisted in the Navy on June 28, 2005. Swift is the sixth American known to have died fighting in Ukraine, according to State Department statements and reports from individual families.

☆ Palantir CEO tells tech workers who don't like the company's military deals, ‘Don’t work here’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, on day two of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Palantir co-founder and CEO Alex Karp knows many tech workers in Silicon Valley have misgivings about his data mining firm's dealings with intelligence agencies and the military. Tech workers have been more vocal in recent years in opposing their employers' contracts with the military. Two-thirds of people in Silicon Valley don't want to work for companies like Palantir, Karp said in Davos. "We don't like people who are coming in and saying, we want to kill terrorists and just without data protection," Karp said.

☆ The ways federal officials from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump — and now Joe Biden — have been accused of mishandling government records
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

President Joe BidenPresident Joe Biden speaks at the White House on January 12, 2023. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel, Robert K. Hur, to investigate Biden for potential mishandling of classified documents. Another State Department investigation that lasted for three years and ended in 2019 found Clinton's use of a private email server put classified information at risk but that there was "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information." Berger was found to have smuggled out highly classified documents, destroying some, and lying about possessing them. Lower-profile federal officials are more commonly chargedIn addition to former presidents and top White House officials, lower-profile federal agents are more commonly charged with mishandling government documents.

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