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Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Flies Over The U.S.
U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed outrage after learning Thursday that a Chinese surveillance balloon has been traveling over the continental U.S., including Montana.
In a joint statement, the GOP and Democrat leaders of a House select committee on China called for a strong response from the administration.
The statement read in part, “The Chinese Communist Party should not have on-demand access to American airspace.”
The committee leaders said the surveillance airship’s presence over the U.S. shows that the threat China poses “is not confined to distant shores — it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat.” China has issued its own statement, insisting the incursion into U.S. territory was “unintended” and that the balloon is meant for quote “mainly meteorological” research.
A Pentagon spokesman has said that the balloon “does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground” — and that they have chosen not to shoot it down thus far to prevent risk to people below. Amid the controversy over the balloon, the Biden administration has decided to postpone Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming trip to China.
Amazon Could Have Majority Robot Workforce
Investor Cathie Wood predicts that by 2030, Amazon could have more robots than it has human workers at the company, pointing out that Amazon is adding “about 1,000 robots a day.”
Facebook’s Parent Company Plummets In Revenue
The net income of Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, plummeted 41% over the course of last year, as indicated by the company’s last earnings report.
Narcan Nasal Spray Coming To Los Angeles Schools
Students at Los Angeles Unified School District will likely soon be able to have Narcan nasal spray on them in the event of a drug overdose. Narcan is a medication used to “reverse or reduce the effects of opioids.” Like many parts of the country, LA is experiencing an explosion of opioid overdose deaths.
Ted Cruz Demands China Release Texas Prisoner
Texas lawmakers, including GOP Senator Ted Cruz, are ramping up pressure on the Biden administration to demand the freedom of a Houston businessman, Mark Swidan, who has been imprisoned in China since 2012 after being accused and convicted in 2019 of taking part in a criminal drug conspiracy.
Energy Seeks To Regulate Gas Stoves
The Energy Department proposed new rules Wednesday that would mandate a certain energy consumption threshold for gas stoves even after the possibility of a nationwide ban garnered backlash.
Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr. said during an interview last month that gas stoves constitute a “hidden hazard” and said “any option is on the table” for a nationwide prohibition. A consumer Product Safety Commission chairman later walked back the commissioner’s comments, saying that neither he nor the agency planned to outlaw gas stoves.
Masks Make ‘Little To No Difference,’ Study Claims
The Cochrane Institute examined 78 global studies on the effectiveness of masks and found that masks made “little to no difference” in the spread of respiratory infections. The studies involved more than 1 million people worldwide. Surgical masks reduced the risk of transmission of COVID or other flu-like illnesses by 5% the study found. The CDC’s latest guidance still recommends wearing masks in some situations, including indoor public transportation settings.
Sims 4 Has Transgender Options
And “The Sims 4” video game recently updated avatar options to include expanded transgender options. These include scars of breast removal surgery, chest binders, as well as additional medical wearable devices.
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