Midday rundown: Russia on verge of ‘collision’ with US, TikTok CEO to testify

RAY BOGAN: RUSSIA SAYS IT’S ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH THE US AND NATO, TIK TOK’S CEO IS SET TO APPEAR BEFORE CONGRESS, AND SMOKEY ROBINSON HAS A NEW ALBUM COMING OUT. 

THIS IS STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS.

RUSSIA CALLS US TANKS EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE

RUSSIA’S DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS ON THE VERGE OF A DIRECT COLLISION WITH THE US AND NATO. HE ALSO CALLED THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S DECISION TO SEND 31 ABRAMS TANKS TO UKRAINE AN EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE STEP. 

AS A RESULT, RUSSIA IS NOW WARNING THAT IT’S POSSIBLE THERE WILL BE NO NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL TREATY BETWEEN THE US AND RUSSIA, BECAUSE WASHINGTON WANTS TO INFLICT STRATEGIC DEFEAT ON MOSCOW. LAST WEEK, THE US ANNOUNCED IT WILL SEND ABRAMS TANKS TO UKRAINE, BUT THEY COULD TAKE MONTHS TO GET THERE. 

GERMANY AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ARE SENDING LEOPARD TANKS. 

NAME: JOHN KIRBY | NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON: “Tanks also provide the ability to move efficiently around a battlefield, but of course they have much more fire power. So, it’s perfectly understandable why President Zelenskyy, facing what he’s facing in the Dambas, and expecting to face those same threats  going forward in coming weeks would want some tanks some additional tanks, it’s not like he doesn’t have any, but additional tanks to support his offensive and defensive operations in that particular part of the country.”

100,000 CHICKENS DIE IN FIRE

AS MANY AS 100,000 CHICKENS ARE DEAD AFTER A FIRE BROKE OUT AT HILLANDALE EGG FARM IN CONNECTICUT. IT TOOK 21 FIRE CREWS EIGHT HOURS TO BATTLE THE BLAZE. OFFICIALS SAID A 400 FOOT BY 50 FOOT COOP WAS LOST BUT 13 OTHER COOPS WERE SAVED.

THIS WILL NOT HELP THE ALREADY STRUGGLING CHICKEN POPULATION. THE COST OF A DOZEN EGGS MORE THAN DOUBLED LAST YEAR, IN PART, BECAUSE THE BIRD FLU LED TO THE DEATH OF 44 MILLION HENS. THAT POPULATION DECREASE CAME AT THE SAME TIME AS RISING FEED, FUEL, AND LABOR COSTS, WHICH CREATED A PERFECT STORM FOR A PRICE INCREASE. ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, THE AVERAGE PRICE FOR A DOZEN EGGS WAS $4.25 IN DECEMBER. A YEAR PRIOR IT WAS $1.79. 

TIKTOK CEO TESTIFIES TO CONGRESS

TIK TOK’S CEO WILL TESTIFY BEFORE THE HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE MARCH 23RD. IT WILL SHOU ZI CHEW’S FIRST APPEARANCE BEFORE CONGRESS. COMMITTEE CHAIRWOMAN CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS SAID CHEW WILL TESTIFY ON HIS COMPANY’S CONSUMER PRIVACY AND DATA SECURITY PRACTICES, THE PLATFORMS’ IMPACT ON KIDS, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY.

CHAIRWOMAN RODGERS SAID IN A STATEMENT QUOTE: BIG TECH HAS INCREASINGLY BECOME A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. AMERICANS DESERVE TO KNOW HOW THESE ACTIONS IMPACT THEIR PRIVACY AND DATA SECURITY, AS WELL AS WHAT ACTIONS TIKTOK IS TAKING TO KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE FROM ONLINE AND OFFLINE HARMS.

TIK TOK HAS BEEN UNDER INCREASED SCRUTINY IN WASHINGTON, AND NEXT MONTH THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE WILL VOTE ON A BILL THAT, IF SIGNED INTO LAW, WOULD BLOCK THE APP ENTIRELY IN THE UNITED STATES. 

34 DEAD, 150 WOUNDED IN PAKISTAN BOMBING

AT LEAST 34 PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND 150 ARE WOUNDED AFTER A SUICIDE BOMBING IN PAKISTAN. THE ATTACK TOOK PLACE AT A MOSQUE INSIDE A POLICE COMPOUND AND OFFICIALS SAY MOST OF THE VICTIMS ARE MEMBERS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. 

THE PAKISTANI TALIBAN CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY. 

SOMEHOW THE ATTACKER SNUCK INSIDE THE WALLED COMPOUND WHICH, ITSELF, IS LOCATED INSIDE A HIGH SECURITY ZONE WITH GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. 300 WORSHIPPERS WERE IN ATTENDANCE WHEN THE ATTACKER SET OFF AN EXPLOSIVE VEST. MANY WERE INJURED WHEN THE ROOF COLLAPSED. 

THE COUNTRY HAS EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN MILITANT ATTACKS SINCE NOVEMBER WHEN THE PAKISTANI TALIBAN ENDED A CEASE-FIRE WITH GOVERNMENT FORCES. 

AVATAR SURPASSES STAR WARS

AVATAR 2 THE WAY OF WATER HAS OFFICIALLY SURPASSED STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS AT THE BOX OFFICE, GIVING DIRECTOR JAMES CAMERON THREE OF THE FOUR HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS OF ALL TIME. THE AVATAR SEQUEL HAS NOW MADE AN ESTIMATED $2.1 BILLION DOLLARS WORLD-WIDE. 

SO HERE ARE THE TOP FOUR FILMS: AVATAR, AVENGERS ENDGAME, TITANIC AND AVATAR. THOSE THREE JAMES CAMERON FILMS HAVE MADE MORE THAN 7.2 BILLION. 

SMOKEY ROBINSON RELEASES NEW MUSIC

SMOKEY ROBINSON, THE KING OF MOTOWN, IS SCHEDULED TO RELEASE HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN NEARLY A DECADE. IT’S TITLED GASMS AND IT’S COMING OUT APRIL 28TH. 

IT WILL HAVE NINE TRACKS AND WAS WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY ROBINSON HIMSELF. ONE OF THE ALBUMS’ SINGLES “IF WE DON’T HAVE EACH OTHER” IS ALREADY AVAILABLE TO STREAM.

THE 82 YEAR OLD IS ALSO GOING ON TOUR. IT STARTS MARCH 3RD IN ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY AND INCLUDES STOPS IN THE DC AREA, LAS VEGAS, AND CALIFORNIA.