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[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it is searching for remnants of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down the previous day, in a dramatic spy saga that has further strained American-Chinese relations. A successful recovery could potentially give the United States insight into China's spying capabilities, though U.S. officials have downplayed the balloon's impact on national security. Democrats said Biden's decision to wait to shoot down the balloon until it had passed over the United States protected civilians from debris crashing to Earth. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said.

☆ Republicans criticize Biden for waiting to shoot down Chinese balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. Schumer said downing the balloon into the ocean likely enables U.S. intelligence officials to examine its remnants. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said. Trump on Sunday disputed Austin's statement that Chinese government surveillance balloons had transited the continental United States briefly three times during his presidency. Speaking on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures" show, Trump's former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe also denied such balloon incidents.

☆ Google's ex-CEO Eric Schmidt tapped for federal biotech commission that allows members to keep biotech investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

On Dec. 30, leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees announced the selection of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and 11 others to serve on a new federal commission on biotechnology. The appointment, however, doesn't require commission members to divest their own personal biotech investments — even as they help shape U.S. policy overseeing the industry. The person didn't say when Schmidt made the decision to donate profits, adding that he hasn't yet named any recipient charities. The new federal commission will likely have a say in steering such investments over the two years of its lifetime. Schmidt's biotech investments are relatively recent.

☆ U.S. says Russia violating New START nuclear arms control treaty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Delegates from Russia attend the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York City, New York, U.S., August 1, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday accused Russia of violating the New START Treaty, the last major pillar of post-Cold War nuclear arms control between the two countries, saying Moscow was refusing to allow inspection activities on its territory. The two countries, which during the Cold War were constrained by a tangle of arms control agreements, still account together for about 90% of the world's nuclear warheads. "The New START Treaty remains in the national security interests of the United States," the spokesperson said. Asked if Moscow could envisage there being no nuclear arms control treaty after 2026, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RIA state new agency: "This is quite a possible scenario."

☆ Air Force general predicts war with China in 2025, tells officers to get ready
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A four-star Air Force general sent a memo on Friday to the officers he commands that predicts the U.S. will be at war with China in two years and tells them to get ready to prep by firing "a clip" at a target, and "aim for the head." In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said, “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025.”Air Mobility Command has nearly 50,000 service members and nearly 500 planes and is responsible for transport and refueling. His order builds on last year’s foundational efforts by Air Mobility Command to ready the Mobility Air Forces for future conflict, should deterrence fail.”In March 2021, Adm. Philip Davidson, then commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that “Taiwan is clearly one of [China’s] ambitions. “I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, in the next six years,” said Davidson.

☆ U.S. Senate passes record $858 billion defense act, sending bill to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday authorizing a record $858 billion in annual defense spending, $45 billion more than proposed by President Joe Biden, and rescinding the military's COVID vaccine mandate. Senators supported the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual must-pass bill setting policy for the Pentagon, by an overwhelming 83-11 bipartisan majority. AID FOR TAIWAN, UKRAINE AND JUDGESBecause it is one of the few major bills that always passes, lawmakers use the NDAA as a vehicle for a range of initiatives. A bid to amend the bill to award back pay and reinstate troops who refused the vaccine failed. A bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, 2023, - the end of the fiscal year - is expected to pass Congress next week.

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."

☆ Congress could soon end the military's vaccine mandate under pressure from Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Congress could soon end the military's Covid-19 vaccine mandate. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Monday the administration is aware that Congress is considering repealing the mandate, noting that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin opposes such a move. Austin instituted the vaccine mandate, which applies to all service members on active duty or in the Ready Reserve, including the National Guard, in August 2021. Republicans have been highly critical of the mandate and the repeal legislation has long been in the works by Republicans on both the House and Senate Armed Services Committee. The bill is unrelated to a separate pressure campaign by some Republican senators, who last week said they would drag out passage of the NDAA unless the vaccine mandate was repealed.

☆ Washington lawmakers hold on to crypto holdings despite calls for new laws in wake of FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Another lawmaker, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, disclosed at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing about FTX on Thursday that he, too, holds some crypto assets. Tuberville's most recent disclosure reports from this year reviewed by CNBC do not show any crypto stock purchases. Out of all ten offices contacted, only one said they sold their crypto stock holdings after FTX imploded. Rep. Marie Newman, D-Ill., who lost her bid for reelection owned crypto stock up until last week, recently sold her digital token stocks as the industry took a hit. Toomey told CNBC "HODL" when asked about whether he plans to sell his crypto stock following FTX's collapse.

☆ Senators urge Pentagon to reconsider Gray Eagle drones for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of 16 U.S. senators pressed the Biden administration to carefully reconsider Ukraine's request for lethal Gray Eagle drones to fight Russia and asked the Pentagon to explain why it has not moved ahead, according to a copy of the letter. The Biden administration has so far rejected requests for the armable MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone, which has an operational ceiling of 29,000 feet and would represent a great technological leap forward for Ukraine. A Pentagon spokesman said, "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on our communication with elected officials." The letter and its contents were reported on by the Wall Street Journal earlier on Tuesday. Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Alexandra Alper and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth faces off against Republican Kathy Salvi in Illinois' US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is running against Republican Kathy Salvi to represent Illinois in the US Senate. Duckworth holds a giant fundraising lead over Salvi and is highly favored to win the election. IL-17IL-06IL-13 HouseDemocratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Duckworth faces off against Republican Kathy Salvi in Illinois to represent the state in the US Senate. Illinois' Senate race candidatesDuckworth, an Iraq War veteran born in Bangkok, currently chairs the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland. Duckworth served four years as a helicopter pilot in the US Army Reserve before joining the Illinois National Guard in 1996.

Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly is running against Republican Blake Masters in Arizona's high-profile Senate race. Polls closed in Arizona at 7 p.m. local time, or 9 p.m. EST, as freshman Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona faces off against newly-minted Republican candidate Blake Masters in a highly charged race for the state's US Senate seat. Embattled former President Donald Trump endorsed Masters in early June based on Masters' denial of Joe Biden's lawful victory. His opponent, Masters, has raised $12 million, spent $9.4 million, and has $2.6 million of cash still left to spend, as of October 19. Thiel's pro-Masters Saving Arizona PAC, for one, has poured more than $17 million into the race through September.

☆ The U.S. Army is struggling to find the recruits its needs to win the fight over the future
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

That has also impacted the U.S. Army, which as the largest branch of the U.S. military has a current workforce of 466,400. "Wages have gone up a lot, and that's great for Americans, but it's making it harder for us in the Army to compete." The Army missed its recruitment goal for fiscal 2022 by 25% or 15,000 soldiers, the military service said earlier this month. However, changing the broader propensity of Americans to serve in the military is a challenge that is a much longer-term. The Army also needs to change how parents think about the Army and the risks it poses to children.

☆ The US Coast Guard's biggest ship made a rare trip to the North Pole amid warnings about Russian and Chinese moves in the Arctic
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US Coast Guard icebreaker Healy made a rare trip to the North Pole at the end of September. Healy is one of only two icebreakers operated by the Coast Guard, and both of them are aging. Kenneth Boda, said in a release, calling it a "rare opportunity" and "a highlight of our Coast Guard careers." "This includes expanding the US Coast Guard icebreaker fleet to support persistent presence in the US Arctic and additional presence as needed in the European Arctic," the document adds. (The icebreaker Polar Sea, built alongside Polar Star, has been nonoperational since 2010 and is used for spare parts.)

☆ Sen. Mark Kelly, one of the most vulnerable freshman Democrats, faces off against Blake Masters in Arizona for a seat that could decide control of the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Mark Kelly is running against Republican Blake Masters in Arizona's high-profile Senate race. A Masters win could help Republicans win control of the currently 50-50 Senate. Arizona Senate candidatesKelly, a former NASA astronaut who is also married to retired Democratic congresswoman-turned-gun-control advocate Gabrielle Giffords, has jumped into a variety of issues during this first term in Congress. Masters is a first-time candidate vying to reinsert some red into the battleground state after voters handed control of the Senate delegation to Democrats Kelly (2020) and Kyrsten Sinema (2018). A Masters win would tip the balance of power to Republicans, ending the 50-50 split that's been in effect since January 2021.

☆ Senate Pushes $847 Billion Defense Bill to Meet China, Russia Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘The importance of U.S. support for the Ukrainian people cannot be overstated.’ said Sen. Jack Reed (D.-R.I.), who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee. WASHINGTON—The Senate moved forward on the annual defense policy bill that sets spending levels and provides pay raises for the country’s military, with lawmakers setting goals of bolstering U.S. weapons inventory and improving relationships with countries positioned to help counter threats from China and Russia. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.) put a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act on the floor Tuesday morning. The move tees up lawmakers to debate the hundreds of proposals it contains when they reconvene next month after the midterm elections. Congress is aiming to wrap up the legislation by the end of the year.

☆ U.S. Senate kicks off debate on massive defense bill, targets China, Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate formally kicked off debate on Tuesday on the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass $817 billion bill setting policy for the Pentagon and including provisions to compete with China and Russia and boost Taiwan and Ukraine. The text of the latest version of the NDAA was not immediately available, but Senate aides said it would include elements of a bill to significantly enhance security assistance for Taiwan that was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September. The NDAA also includes new funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, authorizations for new weapons systems and a host of other provisions. This NDAA confronts China and Russia by fully investing in the Pacific Deterrent Initiative, the European Deterrent Initiative and Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative," Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a Senate speech. The NDAA has passed every year since 1961.

☆ Nancy Pelosi's congressional stock trading ban has a massive blind trust loophole and is too broad, ethics experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But ethics experts say the bill has a major loophole when it comes to blind trusts, and is too broad. Broadly speaking, a blind trust is a financial arrangement wherein people turn over their assets to be managed by an independent entity to prevent a conflict of interest. Several previously-introduced bills to ban stock trading allow for lawmakers to place their stocks into a blind trust, rather than fully selling off existing stock holdings. "You'd be able to create any kind of a trust you want to, put anything you want into it, and call it a blind trust, even though there wouldn't actually be any way to prove that it is, in fact, a blind trust." Payne also said the blind trust loophole was a "small risk," but that in an optimistic scenario, "that language allows this law to grow for future circumstances that you just can't be prepared for."

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