US considering plan to down Chinese balloon over Atlantic
WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Biden administration is considering a plan to shoot down a large Chinese balloon suspected of conducting surveillance on U.S. military, by bringing it down once it is above the Atlantic Ocean where the remnants could potentially be recovered, according to four U.S. officials. In a brief remark Saturday in response to a reporter’s question about the balloon, Biden said: “We’re going to take care of it.”The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over North Carolina as it neared the Atlantic coast. Uncensored reactions on the Chinese internet mirrored the official government stance that the U.S. was hyping up the situation. Some said that since the U.S. had put restrictions on the technology that China is able to buy to weaken the Chinese tech industry, they couldn’t control the balloon. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brig.
wftv.comNew rules would limit sugar in school meals for first time
U.S. agriculture officials on Friday proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars, with a focus on sweetened foods such as cereals, yogurt, flavored milk and breakfast pastries. “School meals happen to be the meals with the highest nutritional value of any meal that children can get outside the home,” Vilsack said in an interview. Under the plan, for instance, an 8-ounce container of chocolate milk could contain no more than 10 grams of sugar. By the fall of 2027, added sugars in school meals would be limited to less than 10% of the total calories per week for breakfasts and lunches. The proposal also would reduce sodium in school meals by 30% by the fall of 2029.
wftv.comUS to send Ukraine longer-range bombs in latest turnaround
For months, U.S. officials have hesitated to send longer-range systems to Ukraine out of concern that they would be used to target inside Russia, escalating the conflict and drawing the U.S. deeper in. The longer-range bombs are the latest advanced system, such as Abrams tanks and the Patriot missile defense system, that the U.S. has eventually agreed to provide Ukraine after initially saying no. The assistance initiative, which will pay for the longer-range bombs and the air defense system integration, also funds two HAWK air defense systems, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, and counter-drone systems. The U.S. has pledged medium- to long-range National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and truck-launched short-range Avenger air defense systems; the Netherlands, Germany and the U.S. are sending Patriot missile defense systems; Germany is sending medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems; and Spain is sending Aspide anti-aircraft air defense systems. The addition of longer-range bombs to the latest aid package was first reported by Reuters.
wftv.comUS wage growth slowed in the final quarter of 2022
WASHINGTON — (AP) — Pay and benefits for America's workers grew at a healthy but more gradual pace in the final three months of 2022, a third straight slowdown, which could help reassure the Federal Reserve that wage gains won't fuel higher inflation. Wages and benefits, such as health insurance, grew 1% in the October-December quarter compared with the previous three months. That marked a solid gain, though it was slower than the 1.2% increase in the July-September quarter. Powell has said that he sees rapid wage gains, particularly in the labor-intensive service sector, as the biggest impediment to bringing inflation down to the Fed's 2% target. For most people, inflation has still outpaced those pay gains.
wftv.comWest Virginia advances school mandate on 'In God We Trust'
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — (AP) — Public schools in West Virginia may soon be required to display the phrase “In God We Trust” in every building if a bill passed by the state Senate on Monday becomes law. “Maybe they’ll look up one day and say, ‘In God We Trust’ and know they can put their hope in God.”The bill is now heading to the West Virginia House of Delegates. The displays must also contain images of the U.S. national and state flags but can't depict any other words, images or information. Similar laws have been passed in Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and several other states. Mississippi was the first state to pass a law mandating “In God We Trust” be displayed in public schools back in 2001.
wftv.comWest Virginia advances school mandate on 'In God We Trust'
Public schools in West Virginia may soon be required to display the phrase “In God We Trust” in every building if a bill passed by the state Senate on Monday becomes law. The bill was introduced by Republican Sen. Mike Azinger, who said he wants to give kids in schools something to look up to and let them know it's OK to “say God” in school. “We know there’s a lot of kids that have problems at home, tough times at home that we don’t know anything about,” Azinger said, speaking on the Senate floor.
news.yahoo.comWhy Biden’s Green Subsidies Have US Allies Fuming
President Joe Biden is offering about $370 billion in subsidies and tax breaks to boost green industries and cut US greenhouse-gas emissions. But some of America’s largest trading partners including the European Union and Japan say the measures will unfairly benefit US companies and harm free trade. If the dispute escalates, it’s likely to hinder the growth of technologies needed in the shift to a low-carbon economy.
washingtonpost.comTyre Nichols investigation: US attorney urges nonviolence ahead of video release, does not announce charges
Kevin Ritz, a U.S. attorney who is involved with the federal probe into the Memphis death of Tyre Nichols, says he met with his family this week and pledged a "thorough" investigation.
foxnews.comNew program lets private citizens sponsor refugees in US
The State Department plans to announce the program, dubbed the Welcome Corps, on Thursday. The agency aims to line up 10,000 Americans who can help 5,000 refugees during the first year of the program. They’ll also offer training so private sponsors understand what's needed to help refugees adjusting to life in America. Under the first phase, private sponsors will be matched with refugees already approved for resettlement under the U.S. The previous administration, under President Donald Trump, had largely rolled back the refugee program.
wftv.comWhy Europe Is Fuming Over America’s Green Subsidies
President Joe Biden is offering about $370 billion in subsidies and tax breaks to boost green industries and cut US greenhouse-gas emissions. But some of America’s largest trading partners — most importantly the European Union — say the measures will unfairly benefit US companies and violate World Trade Organization rules. Washington and Brussels have often sparred over state support for sectors ranging from aircraft manufacturing to banana and beef production and biotechnology. If this latest f
washingtonpost.comEXPLAINER: How armored vehicles aid Ukraine at critical time
The U.S. and Germany are sending Ukraine an array of armored vehicles, including 50 tank-killing Bradleys, to expand its ability to move troops to the front lines and beef up its forces against Russia as the war nears its first anniversary.
US VP Harris flying to Philippine island near disputed sea
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will fly to a western Philippine island province at the edge of the South China Sea to amplify America’s support to its treaty ally and underline U.S. interest in freedom of navigation in the disputed waters.
US ambassador to Russia leaving post as Ukraine war drags on
The U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, ended his tenure as America’s top diplomat in Moscow on Sunday after nearly three years, spanning the Trump and Biden administrations, and will retire from a lengthy career in government service.
Biden administration responds to Iran's offer on nuke deal
The Biden administration says it has responded to Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, but neither side is offering a definitive path to revive the agreement, which has been on life-support since former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018.
1/6 panel lawyer urged to run for Missouri US Senate seat
Former Republican U.S. Sen. John Danforth and others are urging a former federal prosecutor who now serves as an attorney for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to make an independent run for one of Missouri’s Senate seats.
Florida lawmakers introduce bill to address baby formula shortage
Several U.S. senators introduced a new bill Monday called the “Urgently Feeding America’s Babies Act,” which would direct President Joe Biden and his administration to invoke the Defense Production Act in response to the ongoing baby formula shortage.