A series of tweets from China’s new foreign minister seem to signal a possible softening in China-U.S. relations. Qin Gang, a trusted aide to leader Xi Jinping and outgoing Chinese ambassador to the U.S., offered enthusiastic praise of the U.S. on Tuesday. “Going forward, I will continue to care about and support the growth of…

A Chinese jet fighter came within 20 feet of a U.S. Air Force plane flying over the South China Sea. The Air Force said if its pilot didn’t take evasive actions, the planes would have collided. In a video released by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy J-11 can be seen…

An Idaho murder suspect has been taken into custody; Southwest Airlines appears back on track after a week of cancellations and chaos; and heavy metals in chocolate. These stories and more highlight the Straight Arrow News midday rundown for Friday, Dec. 30, 2022.  Suspect in custody for Idaho murders The arrest comes almost two months after…

The $1.7 trillion government spending bill signed; Trump taxes released; and a soccer legend dead at 82. These stories and more highlight your morning rundown, aimed straight down the middle, for Friday, Dec.30, 2022.  Biden signs $1.7 trillion spending bill While on vacation on Thursday, President Biden resumed official business just long enough to sign…

The U.S. military isn’t getting enough new recruits. The Army is 15,000 recruits shy of its goal for this year, and just lowered its goal for next year by another 15,000. Only about 23% of young Americans meet the requirements to join the military in the first place. Less than 10% are actually interested in…

The Biden administration announced new COVID testing requirements for Chinese travelers; U.S. is selling millions of dollars of arms to Taiwan; and a Twitter outage causes outrage. These stories and more highlight our morning rundown for Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022.  US requires testing from China travelers Starting next week, any travelers from China to the…

A U.S. military device containing a biometric database recently sold on eBay for $68, plus shipping and handling. According to the New York Times, researchers in Germany bought the Secure Electronic Enrollment Kit, or SEEK II. Inside the device was a memory card containing the names, nationalities, photographs, fingerprints and iris scans of more than…

The last man who plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer is sentenced; the former Pope is “very sick” and Southwest could be compensating its inconvenienced travelers. These stories and more highlight the midday rundown, aimed straight down the middle, for Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. Sentencing in Whitmer kidnapping plot Barry Croft Jr., who helped plan…

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, some U.S. lawmakers have warned that aid to Ukraine will not slow down. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told Punchbowl News in October that further aid to Ukraine would become more difficult to pass if Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. The GOP did, in fact, win…

Title 42 gets another temporary lifeline; Southwest airlines is still struggling; and more snow hits Buffalo. These stories and more highlight the morning rundown for Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022.  Supreme Court keeps Title 42 for now Title 42 was supposed to expire one week ago today before the Supreme Court intervened. Now in a 5-4…