Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially announced his run for president in 2024, overcoming technical difficulties on a Twitter Spaces event with the social media company’s CEO Elon Musk to make the announcement. And the U.S. government along with Microsoft have issued a warning regarding Chinese malware that is targeting critical American infrastructure. These stories and more highlight the rundown for Thursday, May 25, 2023.
DeSantis announces 2024 bid on Twitter despite technical glitches
Gov. DeSantis officially declared his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, a move that many had anticipated for months. However, it was the technical issues on Twitter’s end that grabbed significant attention after DeSantis utilized the social media platform to deliver his announcement.
During the live launch on Twitter’s audio platform called Twitter Spaces, unexpected problems arose as the servers became strained at the time DeSantis became the latest candidate to enter the GOP primary. Technical glitches and platform crashes caused a delay of approximately 20 minutes in the conversation between DeSantis and Twitter CEO Elon Musk. President Joe Biden took the opportunity to poke fun at the campaign mishap, tweeting, “This link works,” along with a link to his own campaign’s donation page.
“Governor DeSantis broke the internet — that should tell you everything you need to know about the strength of his candidacy,” a DeSantis campaign official told NBC News.
A recent CBS poll indicates that DeSantis trails the front-runner, former President Donald Trump, by a margin of over 30 points. Nevertheless, DeSantis’s campaign reportedly raised over a million dollars in the first hour after the launch, according to his team. The governor is expected to leave Florida after Memorial Day to visit key primary states along the campaign trail, as he seeks to gain support and build momentum for his presidential bid.
“Our results in Florida have been second to none,” DeSantis said during his campaign announcement. “We can and we must deliver big results for America. I pledge to be an energetic executive that will take on the important issues.”
Deadline looms as debt ceiling agreement remains elusive
The deadline to raise the debt ceiling is rapidly approaching, and as of now, there is still no agreement in place. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has emphasized that the deadline is just one week away, raising concerns about the potential for a default.
While there are no scheduled talks between President Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, their respective teams are continuing negotiations. On Wednesday, May 24, negotiation talks extended late into the evening, with both sides deeming the discussions “productive,” a sentiment that echoes similar comments made following previous negotiation meetings.
The credit rating agency Fitch has taken notice of the situation, placing the nation’s triple-A rating on negative watch. A spokesperson from the White House said this development “reinforces the need for Congress to quickly pass a reasonable, bipartisan agreement to prevent default.”
Prominent Jan. 6 protestor sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison
Richard Barnett, the individual associated with one of the more notorious images from the events of the Jan. 6 riot, has been handed a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Barnett had previously been convicted by a jury in January on charges including civil disorder, among eight other charges related to his actions during the incident.
“For better or for worse, you’ve become one of the faces of January 6, and I think you’ve enjoyed that,” District Judge Christopher Cooper said during sentencing.
According to court documents, Barnett spent approximately 10 minutes in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, where he placed his feet on her desk and left a profane note addressed to Pelosi. The severity of the charges he faced could have resulted in a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
State medical licensing board mulls action in controversial abortion case
The Indiana Medical Licensing Board is currently deliberating whether an Indianapolis doctor should face disciplinary action following her provision of an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim. Dr. Caitlin Bernard had previously spoken openly and publicly about the highly controversial procedure, revealing that the young girl had traveled to Indiana from Ohio.
Dr. Bernard is facing multiple accusations, having been accused of violating state law by failing to report the child’s abuse to the appropriate state authorities, as well as breaking federal patient privacy laws by disclosing information about the girl’s abortion to a newspaper reporter.
The story was subsequently covered by the Indianapolis Star on July 1, leading to national uproar and skepticism. However, the authenticity of the story was eventually confirmed when a man was charged in Ohio for the rape of the young victim, validating the circumstances surrounding the case.
U.S. Government, Microsoft sound the alarm on Chinese malware threats
The U.S. government, in collaboration with Microsoft, is issuing a warning about Chinese malware that is targeting critical infrastructure within the United States. This hacking operation has the potential to disrupt vital communication infrastructure between the U.S. and Asia in the event of future crises, raising concerns among top cybersecurity officials who consider cyber intrusions as one of the top threats facing the nation.
Security researchers at Microsoft have uncovered a malware scheme known as Volt Typhoon. The malware appears to have been growing since 2021 but was only recently discovered in February, coinciding with the time when the US downed a Chinese spy balloon.
Microsoft cautioned that affected organizations spanned nearly every critical infrastructure sector, including “communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, government, information technology, and education sectors.” China, however, has denied the hacking allegations, dismissing them as “disinformation.”
Music icon Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock and Roll, dies at 83
People worldwide are paying tribute to music icon Tina Turner, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 83 after battling a long illness, according to her publicist. Known as the Queen of Rock and Roll, Turner died peacefully at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland.
Born as Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee in 1939, Turner’s journey to stardom began when she met St. Louis band leader Ike Turner at the age of 16. Adopting the name Tina, the duo quickly rose to fame as one of the most popular acts in R&B, enchanting audiences with hits like the Grammy-winning “Proud Mary.” Following the couple’s divorce in 1976, Tina embarked on a remarkable solo career, surpassing expectations and carving her own path in the industry.
In Los Angeles, fans have been leaving flowers at her star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as many mourn the loss of the legendary artist. President Biden described Turner as a “once-in-a-generation talent” and said her “personal strength was remarkable.”
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