The Biden administration is coming under heavy fire for its prisoner exchange of WNBA star Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. While critics are happy Griner is on her way home, they are not pleased a man called the merchant of death is free.  Bout was originally arrested in 2008, and extradited to…

Iran’s hijab law under review; a suspicious power outage in North Carolina is under investigation; and Russia rejects the West’s oil price cap. These stories and more highlight the morning rundown for Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. FBI investigate North Carolina power outages Tens of thousands of residents in one North Carolina county are without power.…

The Russian military is losing ground in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin thinks it’s because Western satellites, like those from Starlink, are giving the Ukrainians an advantage. So, naturally, Russia threatened to shoot them out of orbit. Beginning very early on in the invasion, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite-based internet provider has been providing internet connectivity to Ukrainians from…

While America continues its negotiations with Russia on a high-profile prisoner swap, U.S. officials worked out a separate prisoner swap over the weekend. The U.S. released Bashir Noorzai, a member of the Taliban, in exchange for Mark Frerichs, a veteran held in Afghanistan. The senior Taliban member was a notorious drug lord. He was interviewed…

The U.S. Air Force carried out a test of an intercontinental missile with nuclear capabilities. The test was delayed 12 days to avoid inflaming tension with China but also sends a signal of readiness in response to ongoing Chinese threats over Taiwan. “This scheduled test launch is demonstrative of how our nation’s ICBM fleet illustrates…

Taliban opens al-Zawahri investigation- The Taliban announced Thursday it is investigating this weekend’s killing of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri. A spokesperson indicated that Taliban leaders were not aware of the killing or of al-Zawahri’s presence in Kabul. This goes against Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s claim that the Taliban was sheltering him. On Monday, U.S.…

Following the killing of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, the State Department issued a heightened terrorism alert asking U.S. citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance. The request is specifically for those traveling abroad. In the alert, officials warned of possible retaliation that could be sought by terrorist groups. “As terrorist attacks, political violence (including…

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has reportedly landed in Taiwan. The skies and waters surrounding the small island remained quiet as American warships and Chinese warplanes are on standby. China has warned against the anticipated trip for weeks. Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Biden in a phone call last week the U.S. is playing…

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will travel to Taiwan and meet with government officials, according to numerous reports citing people familiar with the matter both in the U.S. and in Taiwan. Pelosi arrived in Singapore Monday as part of her Asian trip. The potential visit to Taiwan is not on the Speaker’s itinerary and there…

When it comes to the Persian Gulf and energy, oil is the obvious product: The region is home to more than half of the world’s oil reserves. But at least one nation there is looking to become a dual threat. According to the Wall Street Journal, the United Arab Emirates is “emerging as one of…