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National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby declined to comment specifically on the possibility of the US sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but said broadly that the US has been forward-looking about “future capabilities” and needs. US lawmakers and congressional staffers have joined in the F-16 lobbying campaign, urging the administration to provide the jets so that Ukraine can establish control over its skies. US allies with F-16s could conduct training for Ukrainian fighter pilots, or the aircraft’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, could carry out training as a private contractor. Without the jets, Ukraine is having to improvise, officials say. The Russian jets have largely been staying behind Russian defensive lines, making them difficult for Ukraine to target with shorter-range systems like NASAMs.

The error – which lawmakers and congressional staffers were briefed on Thursday – triggered frustration from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees. “The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic, to say the least. Now, due to this revelation, there is about $5.3 billion still available, far more than even the largest single package provided to Ukraine. But now that there is more funding available, congressional sources said they are less concerned about the immediate need for a new funding package for Ukraine. The accounting error occurred because when the US transferred weaponry to Ukraine, they counted the value of replacing the weapon instead of the value of actual weapon, defense officials explained.

☆ Man charged in baseball bat attack on two U.S. congressional staffers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Xuan-Kha Tran Pham, 49, was taken into custody by Fairfax police following the attack in the offices of Representative Gerry Connolly on Monday. Attorneys Office in eastern Virginia, which filed the charges, have not said what they believe motivated the attack but said in a written statement that the suspect was demanding to speak to Connolly. Connolly, a Democrat from Northern Virginia, said on Twitter that the two staff members had been released from hospital. Prosecutors say Pham entered Connolly's office in Fairfax carrying the baseball bat, then struck a female in the head and hit an intern in the ribs. He then returned to the first victim, striking her a total of eight times, according to prosecutors.

WSJ explains why U.S. debt has become the center of the economy. Photo Illustration: Madeline MarshallWASHINGTON—The outlines of a possible deal to raise the debt ceiling and limit spending are starting to emerge, but negotiators are far from an agreement as President Biden and top lawmakers are set to meet at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. White House and congressional staff have been meeting behind closed doors for several days, and people briefed on the discussions said they were making incremental progress. But Tuesday’s meeting between Mr. Biden and the congressional leaders will be a significant test of whether the staff-level work can win broader buy-in, amid mounting signs that progressive Democrats are opposed to some of the proposals under discussion.

WSJ explains why U.S. debt has become the center of the economy. Photo Illustration: Madeline MarshallWASHINGTON—Negotiators appeared far from an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and trim spending ahead of a Tuesday meeting between President Biden and top lawmakers, as progressive Democrats signaled opposition to several proposals and Republicans demanded new work requirements for beneficiaries of government programs. White House and congressional staff have been meeting behind closed doors for several days, and people briefed on the discussions said they were making incremental progress. But Tuesday’s meeting between Mr. Biden and the congressional leaders will be a significant test of whether the staff-level work can win broader buy-in, amid mounting signs that progressive Democrats are opposed to some of the proposals under discussion.

Interviews with a U.S. senator, congressional staffers, AI companies and interest groups show there are a number of options under discussion. Some proposals focus on AI that may put people's lives or livelihoods at risk, like in medicine and finance. Other possibilities include rules to ensure AI isn't used to discriminate or violate someone's civil rights. Another debate is whether to regulate the developer of AI or the company that uses it to interact with consumers. GOVERNMENT MICROMANAGEMENTThe risk-based approach means AI used to diagnose cancer, for example, would be scrutinized by the Food and Drug Administration, while AI for entertainment would not be regulated.

☆ Staff Members Attacked With Bat at Congressman’s Virginia Office
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A person armed with a baseball bat attacked two congressional staff members at a district office in Northern Virginia on Monday after asking to speak with Rep. Gerry Connolly, the congressman said in a statement. Mr. Connolly, a Democrat, said the individual committed “an act of violence” at his Fairfax, Va., office against two members of his staff, who were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Fairfax City Police said on Twitter that an individual was in custody. My District Office staff make themselves available to constituents and members of the public every day,” Mr. Connolly said in a statement. “The thought that someone would take advantage of my staff’s accessibility to commit an act of violence is unconscionable and devastating.”Mr. Connolly represents a swath of the Northern Virginia suburbs west of Washington, D.C.

☆ Good news for markets next week. Everyone agrees the debt ceiling 'X-date' is not here yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Scott Schnipper | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Good news for markets next week: no default, no credit agency downgrade, no apocalypse. Worrying 2011 precedent Recent history tells investors that stocks will move more violently during a debt ceiling standoff. Retail sales update Debt negotiations aside, investors get updates next week on the state of American consumer spending when April retail sales are reported Tuesday alongside earnings from Home Depot. Deutsche Bank estimates that April retail sales expanded month over month by 0.7%, the market consensus. Credit Suisse is less optimistic, forecasting that April retail sales grew by 0.6%, but, excluding vehicles, were unchanged.

☆ Dianne Feinstein once mistook GOP Sen. Tim Scott for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dianne Feinstein once mistook two different Black senators, according to a story relayed in a new book. She confused GOP Sen. Tim Scott for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, saying she'd been rooting for him. Scott reportedly played along, telling Feinstein that her "support means a lot." Scott, a Republican who's served in the Senate since 2013, is said to have played along with Feinstein's apparent confusion. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 🟧 (@RepDeanPhillips) April 12, 2023But on Wednesday, Feinstein finally returned to the Capitol, continuing to suffer balance and vision impairments.

☆ You don't need a college degree to work for this member of Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

College degree requirements lock millions of Americans out of jobs. Persistent labor shortages have caused some states and companies to drop degree requirements. However, persistent labor shortages have helped call such degree requirements into question. Craig said she is the first member of Congress to officially drop degree requirements for congressional staff. "Every job description should consider: Does this job actually need a four-year degree," or is relevant experience sufficient, she said.

☆ Matt Gaetz says AOC is 'wrong a lot' but 'she's not corrupt' as the pair joined forces to block Congress from trading stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Both congressional lawmakers formed an unlikely team-up on Tuesday to introduce a new bill. "AOC is wrong a lot, she'd probably say the same thing about me, but she's not corrupt," Gaetz told Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday. They and several other congressional leaders warned that congressional trading erodes trust in the government and presents conflicts of interest. Gaetz told Watters on Tuesday that Congress should "disallow congressional stock trading for the same reason we don't allow the referee to bet on the game." Representatives for Gaetz, Ocasio-Cortez, and Frankel did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Fact Check-Video features deepfakes of Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

(Editors note: Paragraph 11 contains language some readers may find offensive)A video with clips of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Joe Biden that have been digitally altered is being shared by users who believe it to be real. The video includes clips from the documentary Pelosi in the House, made by Pelosi’s daughter Alexandra (here). We’re at [redacted], which has facilities for the House and the Senate to meet. Project Veritas and James O’Keefe, both mentioned in the video, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Audio tracks appearing to be the voices of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Joe Biden were added onto various clips.

☆ Opinion | Private Equity Is Gutting America — and Getting Away With It
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Brendan Ballou | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In this case, as in nearly every private equity acquisition, private equity firm benefit from a legal double standard: They have effective control over the companies their funds buy, but are rarely held responsible for those companies’ actions. This mismatch helps to explain why private equity firms often make such risky or shortsighted moves that imperil their own businesses. But it isn’t just that firms benefit from the law: They take great pains to shape it, too. The most prominent of these benefits is the carried interest loophole, which allows private equity executives to pay such low tax rates. Instead, Congress approved an amendment that largely exempted small and midsize companies owned by private equity firms from a new corporate minimum tax.

☆ Medicare is prohibited from covering weight-loss drugs — Ozempic could change that
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Medicare is prohibited from covering new weight-loss medications. Medicare, the federal program that covers healthcare for people 65 and older, is prohibited by law from covering any weight-loss medications. That includes looking at programs that test out Medicare coverage and proposed limits to coverage, The Journal reports. The future of the $100 billion weight-loss drugs marketExpanding Medicare coverage to new weight-loss medications could drastically change how Americans access the drugs. Meanwhile, other Americans will continue to go to Canada, Mexico, and unregulated online pharmacies to get the weight-loss medications for cheap.

CNN —National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby defended the United States’ decision not to evacuate US citizens from Sudan after US forces conducted a military operation extracting government personnel from its embassy in Khartoum Saturday. Internet connectivity has also been unreliable, leaving family members and friends outside of Sudan to worry if their loved ones are safe. Kirby said Monday that the violence in Sudan “is increasing,” and urged Americans remaining in the country to shelter in place. Officials told congressional staffers last week that there could be an estimated 16,000 American citizens in Sudan, most of whom are dual nationals. Kirby echoed this on Monday and suggested that many of those dual nationals “don’t want to leave” the country.

☆ Sudan: People scramble to leave Khartoum after attempted ceasefires fail to stop violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Eyewitnesses said Thursday that reinforcements for the paramilitary RSF were on their way to Khartoum when army forces confronted them with warplanes and ground forces. There was an increase in the number of people at bus stops, trying to leave Khartoum and escape the fighting, according to witnesses. A water and electricity crisis has continued in Khartoum, with food shortages in shops and pharmacies closed, eyewitnesses say. The union also said that five ambulances had been attacked by military forces, and others were prevented from transporting patients for treatment and delivering aid. A latest attempt to strike a ceasefire for 24 hours was quickly upended late on Wednesday, when clashes erupted north of Khartoum.

CNN —The situation on the ground in Sudan on Wednesday remained too volatile to get diplomatic staff from the US Embassy in Khartoum out of the country, a top State Department official told congressional staffers. Another US official told CNN that State Department officials are in contact with Pentagon officials in Djibouti where the US has military assets to determine the best evacuation operation. Officials told staffers Wednesday that there are an estimated 16,000 American citizens in Sudan, most of whom are dual nationals, and roughly 500 had contacted the US Embassy since the outbreak of fighting. “Within Sudan, the Department of Defense’s mission is primarily focused on providing security at the US Embassy. While operational security prevents us from going into detail, the Department of Defense, through the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, provides ongoing security for diplomatic facilities worldwide,” he said.

☆ House Judiciary Committee subpoenas FTC for Twitter-related documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ranking member Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, right, attends the House Judiciary Committee hearing titled Revoking Your Rights: The Ongoing Crisis in Abortion Care Access, in Rayburn Building, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. A Republican-led House committee said Wednesday it subpoenaed the Federal Trade Commission for documents related to the agency's inquiry into Twitter. The subpoena comes after the House Judiciary Committee asked the FTC to hand over the information voluntarily last month. An FTC spokesperson said the agency had offered to brief congressional staff on its inquiry but that they hadn't yet taken the FTC up on that offer. "The FTC respects the important role of Congressional oversight," FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said in a statement.

The Alzheimer's Association and the pharmaceutical industry say the drug companies are not directly involved in the campaign. But the Alzheimer's Association says patients simply don't have the time to spare. The agency did not address the Alzheimer's Association campaign. Association members have met 30 times with staffers for the state's 20 members of Congress, Ryan Schiff, the chapter's public policy manager, said. Spokespeople for all three companies said they do not work with the Association on its campaign to expand Medicare coverage of the drugs.

☆ The FBI is warning that House lawmakers and hundreds of their staff had their personal information stolen due to a data breach at an online health insurance marketplace
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DC Health Link is the District of Columbia's health insurance marketplace. A data breach at DC Health Link may have exposed thousands of enrollees' personal information. Information for hundreds of House members and staff was also stolen, according to a memo. The FBI notified Szpindor that the "account information and (Personal Identifiable Information) of hundreds of Member and House staff were stolen" during that breach. To enroll, lawmakers and their staff rely on DC Health Link to choose their specific plans.

☆ DeSantis' new memoir skips juicy details about his life that could emerge in a presidential bid. Here's what he left out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

DeSantis published his first memoir, "The Courage to Be Free," on TuesdayThe book is widely viewed as laying the groundwork for a presidential run. DeSantis doesn't mention his gap year between Yale and Harvard, when he taught at the elite Darlington School. DeSantis writes extensively about his legislative victories in his book, but not about the legal battles that have ensued. DeSantis writes nothing about the January 6 attack on the Capitol to overturn the election results, nor does he address Trump's false claims about election fraud. He also, without naming Trump, writes about "the dangers of truning over the country to the likes of Dr. Anthony Fauci" during the pandemic.

☆ Perfect Storm for Some Companies: Fewer Interest Deductions, Rising Rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

For some firms, the move shrank the amount of taxable income that can be offset by interest expenses. Higher interest rates generally lead to higher interest expenses tied to companies’ variable-rate debt, new borrowings and refinancings. The cap can hit companies’ cash flows immediately, though not necessarily their financial statements, due to timing differences in claiming the deductions. Aluminum maker and recycler Novelis plans to allocate less cash toward its venture-capital arm due to the higher interest expenses. Leveraged loans have variable rates that typically reset every one to three months, based on short-term interest rates.

☆ Brazil sinks rusting old aircraft carrier in the Atlantic
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Brazil sank a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean off its northeast coast, the Brazilian Navy said, despite warnings from environmentalists that the rusting 1960s French-built ship would pollute the sea and the marine food chain. The 32,000-tonne carrier had been floating offshore for three months since Turkey refused it entry to be scrapped there because it was an environmental hazard and the ship was towed back to Brazil. The Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier served the French Navy for four decades as the Foch, capable of carrying 40 war planes. It then decided to sink the Sao Paulo at high sea. The company's legal representative in Brazil, Zilan Costa e Silva, said that disposal of the carrier was the Brazilian state's responsibility under the 1989 Basel Convention on the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes.

☆ Twitter staff can tweet from any account in 'GodMode' because loopholes weren't closed after Bitcoin scam hack, former engineer reportedly says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter staff can tweet from any account, according to an FTC complaint seen by The Washington Post. The ex-Twitter engineer behind the complaint said it was called "GodMode," and the company didn't close it after a hack. In 2020, hackers tweeted a Bitcoin scam from several high-profile accounts after accessing internal systems. The ex-Twitter engineer told The Post that the program's name was changed to "privileged mode," and its original purpose was to let Twitter staff tweet on the behalf of advertisers. He joined the company shortly after the 2020 hack, and said he uncovered "extreme, egregious deficiencies by Twitter in every area of his mandate."

☆ DOJ sues Google over its dominance in online advertising market
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Justice Department and eight states sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the company of harming competition with its dominance in the online advertising market and calling for it to be broken up. The move marks the Biden administration’s first blockbuster antitrust case against a Big Tech company. Having inserted itself into all aspects of the digital advertising marketplace, Google has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful means to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies.”The suit was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Tuesday’s suit marks the federal government’s second antitrust complaint against Google since 2020, when the Trump administration sued over Google’s alleged anticompetitive harms in search and search advertising. Third-party estimates suggest that Google and Facebook (now known as Meta) accounted for the majority of US digital ad revenues until about 2017, with Google taking about a third of the market.

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