More from Brian Spencer
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TikTok parent company ByteDance fires employees who tracked journalists
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance fired one executive and another resigned after it was revealed the Chinese tech giant tracked journalists. An internal investigation by ByteDance found employees wrongfully obtained the data of certain U.S. users, including their IP addresses. The company claimed internal auditors were trying to find the source of suspected leaks, according to… -
US will be able to sell seized Russian yachts, give money to Ukraine
In the early months of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the United States and other countries seized yachts, mansions, private jets and other valuable assets belonging to Russian oligarchs. But many wondered, including D.C. lawmakers, what can be done with all those billionaire toys? Well, included in Congress’s $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package is an amendment… -
Jan. 6 reports from GOP, investigative committee draw different conclusions
Two reports on the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol have two very different focuses. The official Jan. 6 investigative committee compiled a report that stated the attack on the Capitol could not have happened without Donald Trump. A separate investigation from a group of five House Republicans found that intelligence failures, internal politics… -
Arizona to remove shipping containers from Mexico border
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, R, has agreed to stop installing shipping containers along his state’s border with Mexico. According to a court filing, Arizona also agreed to remove those that have already been put in place to avoid a restraining order or preliminary injunction. The containers were added to fill gaps in the border wall.… -
Biden to give Zelenskyy $2 billion for war and Patriot missiles
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington to meet with President Biden and address a joint session of Congress. According to a senior administration official, President Biden will announce a $2 billion security package to Ukraine, which will include a Patriot missile battery. According to the State Department, Patriots are capable of defending against cruise… -
Congress giving $1.1 billion to fix 46,000 broken bridges
Congress is on track to provide an additional $1.14 billion in 2023 to reduce the backlog of structurally deficient bridges. But that’s not even close to what’s needed to fix the problem. A 2021 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers said 46,154 structurally deficient bridges in the United States are in “poor condition”.… -
Grand jury indicts 2 in hacked Ring doorbell swatting scheme
A grand jury indicted two people in a swatting scheme in which the defendants are accused of hacking into Ring video doorbells, calling the cops by placing bogus emergency calls, and then live streaming the police response on social media. The pair are accused of doing this about a dozen times in a single week.… -
Congress negotiating $1.7 trillion funding bill ahead of Friday deadline
The federal government is preparing to spend $1.7 trillion next year. According to the newly released 2023 omnibus spending package, taxpayer dollars are being split, with $772.5 billion for non-defense spending and $858 billion in defense funding for the military. Congress is currently negotiating the final details and the numbers may change slightly. But lawmakers… -
Border Patrol closes highway checkpoint as immigration surges
The Border Patrol shut down a highway checkpoint in the El Paso sector as the number of illegal crossings in the area skyrockets. Photos sent to Straight Arrow News by a source in El Paso show a checkpoint in New Mexico blocked off and unstaffed. The Border Patrol El Paso sector denied the shutdown was… -
House intelligence GOP and Democrats release dueling COVID reports
In another example of partisanship, Democrats and Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee released separate reports on COVID-19. The committee’s work is supposed to be nonpartisan, but the dueling reports highlight what each party has expressed concern about. For Democrats, their concerns are intelligence collection and how the Trump administration handled it. For Republicans, it’s… -
House votes to let Puerto Rico decide statehood
The House of Representatives passed the Puerto Rico Status Act, a bill to give the island territory the chance to decide its own future. If fully approved and signed into law, it would set up a binding referendum on Nov. 5, 2023, in which Puerto Ricans would choose from among three options: statehood, independence, or… -
Biden administration prepares for end of Title 42 while being urged to keep it
There’s just one week left until the court-ordered end to Title 42 on Dec. 21. The pandemic-era policy allows the U.S. to deport immigrants who cross illegally almost immediately on public health grounds. When it ends, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has predicted there could be as many as 18,000 illegal crossings per day. But… -
Massachusetts Gov.-elect Maura Healey wants to fix Boston’s transit system
Maura Healey is the first woman governor of Massachusetts. Beyond making waves as the state’s first female governor, she also flipped the seat that a Republican held for two terms. “I stand before you tonight, proud to be the first woman and the first gay person ever elected governor of Massachusetts,” Healy said after her…