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SPRING HILL, Tenn./ WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday that she still hoped to be able to visit China but offered no details on plans or timing. The United States shot down the balloon on Saturday. "I still hope to be able to visit China to meet with economic counterparts. China's foreign ministry has said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course and accused the United States of overreacting. When Yellen met Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in January in Zurich, they both agreed to enhance communication about macroeconomic and financial issues.

☆ GOP Rep. Mike Turner said Biden admin lacked 'urgency' in addressing Chinese balloon, which 'completed its mission'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP House Intel Chair Mike Turner said the Biden admin "lacks urgency" following the balloon incident. The Chinese surveillance balloon "completed its mission" in observing US military sites, Turner said. Clearly, this was an attempt by China to gather information to defeat our command and control of our sensitive missile offensive nuclear weapons sites. Turner joins a legion of Republicans blaming Biden for the balloon gaining access to US airspace and remaining there for several days. "The president allowed this to go across our most sensitive sites and wasn't even going to tell the American public.

☆ The stealth F-22, the top US air superiority fighter, just got its first known air-to-air kill taking out a Chinese balloon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The F-22 secured its first air-to-air kill by downing the Chinese surveillance balloon on Saturday. The Raptor fired "one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile," bringing the balloon down off the South Carolina coast. "This was a PRC surveillance balloon. The F-22 fired the missile at an altitude of 58,000 feet while the surveillance balloon was between 60,000 and 65,000 feet, per the DOD. "F-15 Eagles flying from Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, supported the F-22, as did tankers from multiple states," the Defense Department stated in its release.

☆ 3 spy aircraft that were also 'weather balloons'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Blake Stilwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China has said that it is a weather balloon that has gone off-course. It wouldn't be the first time that a spy balloon has been described as a weather balloon. China is probably just taking a page out of the US government 1960s-era cover-up playbook that we'll call: The ol' "Weather Balloon Dodge." Thomson ReutersThere's a reason the Department of Defense believes China's weather balloon is actually a reconnaissance balloon: The DoD is developing reconnaissance balloons of its own. If any of the massive balloons get forced down, they'd just be another weather balloon, which the National Weather Service still uses.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ Defense firms set to post higher sales, McCarthy's election clouds outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Nathan Gomes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

** Raytheon is expected to post quarterly revenue of $18.15 billion and a profit of 92 cents a share. ** General Dynamics is estimated to report quarterly revenue of $10.69 billion and a profit of $3.55 per share. ** Northrop is expected to report quarterly revenue of $9.66 billion and a profit of $6.58 per share. Median 12-month price target is $495. Median 12-month price target is $566.

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Warren said she was concerned about reports alleging Schmidt leveraged his positions on two federal advisory committees "to further his own personal financial interests." Those reports could suggest the Defense Department did not adequately apply federal conflict of interest rules "and therefore failed to protect the public interest" in Schmidt's case, wrote the Massachusetts Democrat. There was no indication that Schmidt broke any ethics rules or did anything unlawful while chairing the commission. Both advisory boards are subject to conflict-of-interest rules under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. "I am concerned by press reports indicating the Department may not have adequately followed FACA conflict of interest rules and therefore failed to protect the public interest."

☆ Biden admin wants to boost efforts to track U.S. weapons in Ukraine, may send another handful of troops
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Pentagon is working to shore up efforts to track weapons provided to Ukraine, according to three senior U.S. officials, including discussing whether to send a small number of additional U.S. troops to Ukraine. The Pentagon has a couple dozen U.S. troops in Ukraine at present, including a very small number already assigned to making sure weapons reach their intended recipients. While the U.S. troops do not travel to the front lines, they would travel outside Kyiv to scan barcodes on weapons and equipment to track supplies. The State Department also imposes caps on how many U.S. government officials — civilian and military — can live and work in other countries and that limit is low in Ukraine, officials say. “That’s ridiculous,” a U.S. defense official said, explaining that this is an “extremely limited” additional presence with a “very specific” mission.

☆ Fact Check-Viral video promotes baseless vaccine depopulation theory
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

However, there is no evidence that mortality rates have surged or that stillbirths have increased as a result of COVID-19 vaccines. News reports about cardiac arrests and unexpected deaths are then shown on screen and are baselessly attributed to COVID-19 vaccines. There have been 55 deaths involving COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in England between March 2020 and October 2022. While stillbirth rates remain constant, global birth or fertility rates, including in the U.S., have been declining for decades (here, here, here, here). The film does not provide evidence that the global elite are depopulating the world through COVID-19 vaccines.

☆ Pentagon awards multibillion-dollar cloud contract to Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Each of the four tech companies is guaranteed at least $100,000 under the contract, defense officials said at a press briefing Thursday. The use of multiple tech firms for the cloud services instead of just one will make the work cheaper and more resilient, the officials added. The JEDI contract was initially awarded to Microsoft in 2019, a deal potentially worth up to $10 billion over 10 years. And it formally canceled the JEDI contract last year, starting over with a new solicitation under the JWCC. “From the enterprise to the tactical edge, we are ready to deliver industry-leading cloud services to enable the DoD to achieve its critical mission.”

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Amazon, Chevron, Chipotle, Lowe's, Hershey, AT&T & more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Wall Street's biggest calls on Thursday: Bank of America reiterates Chevron as buy Bank of America said it's standing by its buy rating on the oil and gas giant after it announced its 2023 capital budget on Wednesday. JPMorgan upgrades Vulcan Materials to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said risks for the construction materials company are already priced in. UBS initiates Shopify as sell UBS said it's concerned about increasing competition. UBS upgrades Hershey to buy from neutral UBS said it's becoming bullish on the chocolate and candy maker's long-term growth. Bank of America reiterates Lowe's as buy Bank of America said shares of Lowe's remain attractive.

☆ Service members kicked out of the U.S. military for refusing Covid vaccine could be allowed to rejoin, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Service members who were kicked out of the U.S. military for refusing the Covid vaccine could be allowed back in uniform if the vaccine mandate is lifted, according to two U.S. military and two senior defense officials. Pentagon leaders are now discussing whether service members who were separated can rejoin if the NDAA is signed into law, the four officials said. After Austin issued his mandate, thousands of active-duty service members were separated for refusing the Covid vaccine. If they left for failing to obey a lawful order, even if it is no longer a lawful order, they may not be allowed to reinstate their commissions. Service members often live and work in close quarters like ships and barracks, making infectious diseases more worrisome.

☆ Self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics wins $50 million deal to help develop driverless Army vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John Rosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics said Tuesday that it won a two-year, $49.9 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to help develop automated combat vehicles for the U.S. Army. The company said the vehicles will be tailored for reconnaissance, surveillance and other missions that would present a high risk to a human driver. The contract was awarded by the DoD's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and is part of the Army's ongoing Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program. DIU said it received 33 responses to its initial solicitation in October, and selected Kodiak and another vendor, development software provider Applied Intuition, after an extensive review process. The award marks the latest development in the DoD's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge self-driving competitions, which began in 2004.

☆ A hotline set up between Russian and US militaries at the start of the Ukraine war has been used just once, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia and the US set up a "deconfliction" hotline shortly after Putin's invasion of Ukraine began. But the hotline has only been used once since then, a US official told Reuters. That missile blast, which triggered global concern, was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the time. Both the Russian Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Milley and his counterpart, Russian General Valery Gerasimov, have spoken on two occasions since the start of the war, the outlet said.

Reuters is the first to report on the use of the deconfliction line, beyond regular testing. SEVERAL WAYS TO COMMUNICATEThe deconfliction line is just one of several ways the U.S. and Russia militaries still have to communicate. Other military channels include rare high-level talks between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union maintained such hot lines at different levels. Vershbow drew a comparison to the far more active deconfliction line for Syria, where U.S. and Russian military forces sometimes operate in the same airspace or terrain.

☆ The US is sending 40 more boats to join Ukraine's growing 'river navy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Peter Suciu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US is sending Ukraine more riverine patrol boats in an aid package announced this month. The 40 boats in the latest package will join the 18 boats that the US supplied to Kyiv in June. The aid assistance package hasn't detailed the type of riverine boats that will be sent, but six from the previous batch were made by Louisiana-based Metal Shark. Those are now reportedly operating in the Black Sea. Ukraine defiantThe US supplied 10 34-foot Dauntless Sea Ark patrol boats, like those seen above, to Ukraine in June.

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Former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter died Monday evening after a "sudden cardiac event," his family said. He served as Defense Secretary in the Obama administration from 2015 to 2017. His sudden loss will be felt by all who knew him.”During his time as defense secretary, Carter was behind the campaign to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He held multiple positions within the Department of Defense, including Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics, in addition to serving as Secretary. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden applaud Ashton Carter after Obama announced his nomination to be the next defense secretary on Dec. 5, 2014.

☆ Elon Musk says SpaceX won't cut off Starlink in Ukraine even if the US government refuses to fund the internet service
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said SpaceX wouldn't stop Starlink in Ukraine even if the Pentagon declined to fund it. SpaceX asked the Pentagon to fund Starlink in Ukraine because the company said it couldn't afford it. Despite this, Musk has said SpaceX was burning around $20 million per month to keep the service running in Ukraine and Starlink was losing money. Although Musk said the costs were "unreasonable," he then backtracked on his refusal and said SpaceX would continue to fund Starlink in Ukraine. Politico reported on October 17 that the Pentagon has discussed whether to fund Starlink, according to two US officials involved with the project.

☆ Elon Musk says Starlink network in Ukraine has not received U.S. funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 18 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk said on Tuesday SpaceX's Starlink services have not received any funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, a day after reports said The Pentagon is considering paying for Starlink satellite network in war-torn Ukraine. SpaceX is losing approximately $20 million a month from unpaid service and costs related to security measures for cyberwar defense, but "we'll keep doing it (sigh)", Musk tweeted. "No money from DoD, but several other countries, orgs & individuals are paying for ~11k/25k terminals," Musk said. Musk, the world's richest person and chief executive of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), said SpaceX spends nearly $20 million a month for maintaining satellite services in Ukraine and that the company has spent about $80 million to enable and support and support Starlink there. The Pentagon is considering paying for the service to Ukraine, Politico reported on Monday, citing two U.S. officials involved in the discussions.

Pelosi's daughter, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, captured the moment and many others on Jan. 6 in footage shot for HBO and first obtained by CNN. "Tell him if he comes here, we’re going to the White House," the speaker jokes, reacting to Trump's speech at the White House ellipse earlier in the day. The video at the hearing also showed Pelosi speaking to Virginia Gov. The footage also showed Pelosi speaking to Vice President Mike Pence by phone two separate times that day about how they could resume the certification of the 2020 election results. Pelosi and Trump had a highly strained relationship throughout his presidency, which included the moment in 2019 when she and other Democratic leaders walked out of a White House meeting with Trump after he had what Pelosi described as a "meltdown."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. “Thank you very much, Mr. vice president,” Pelosi says on the call. “Good news.”Trump privately knew he had lostPublicly, Trump insisted he was being robbed of an election he won. The president told chief of staff Mark Meadows “something to the effect of, 'I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. “Claims that President Trump actually thought the election was stolen are not supported by fact and not a defense,” Cheney said.

Share this -Link copiedCommittee votes to subpoena Trump The committee voted on Thursday unanimously to subpoena Trump. Trump would not be the first president to be subpoenaed, nor would he be the first former president subpoenaed by Congress. "Even before the networks called the race for President Biden on Nov. 7th, his chances of pulling out a victory were virtually nonexistent, and President Trump knew it," Kinzinger said. “At times, President Trump acknowledged the reality of his loss. “What did President Trump know?

☆ Jan. 6 committee shows video footage of congressional leaders pleading for help during attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection presented previously unseen video Thursday of congressional leaders pleading for help from governors, the acting secretary of defense and the acting attorney general as rioters attacked the Capitol. The video montage began with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walking through the Capitol flanked by security guards at 2:23 p.m. The video from Thursday's hearing shows Pelosi and other congressional leaders repeatedly asking for help from law enforcement. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic Senate whip, appeared in another clip with leaders. "What we are being told very directly is it’s going to take days for the Capitol to be OK again," Pelosi told Pence.

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