Attorney General Pam Bondi let loose on Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) during a Capitol Hill hearing on Tuesday, directly challenging his credibility when he attempted to suggest that she had not handled a specific situation properly.
Bondi raised the specter of a scandal that broke back in 2010, when an investigation revealed that Blumenthal had often implied that he was a Vietnam veteran when he had, in fact, received a number of deferments before joining the Marine Reserve in 1970, and while he did participate in drills stateside, he never deployed during the war.
Blumenthal began with a question about a recent merger that involved Ballard Partners, a firm where Bondi had previously worked.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Pam Bondi just DEMOLISHED Senator Blumenthal after he ACCUSED her of impropriety:
&#8220;I CANNOT BELIEVE that you would ACCUSE ME of impropriety when YOU LIED about your MILITARY SERVICE.&#8221;
&#8220;You LIED to be elected a US Senator.&#8221;
&#8220;Don&#8217;t YOU EVER challenge MY integrity. I… <a href="https://t.co/Fx0reJH5J7">pic.twitter.com/Fx0reJH5J7</a>
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1975587653442502949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;In the merger that took place involving American Express GBT [Global Business Travel], I understand that Brian Ballard, longtime backer and head of the law firm where you worked, was instrumental in lobbying the Justice Department to drop that lawsuit,&#8221; Blumenthal said. &#8220;It was dismissed, so it&#8217;s not subject to a court review. What conversations did you have with Mr. Ballard?&#8221;
&#8220;Sen. Blumenthal, I cannot believe that you would accuse me of impropriety when you lied about your military service. You lied, you admitted you lied to be elected a U.S. Senator,&#8221; Bondi shot back.
&#8220;I am not asking you — I am not accusing you of impropriety — I am —&#8221; Blumenthal attempted to cut back in several times, but Bondi continued to talk over him.
&#8220;Don&#8217;t you ever challenge my integrity. I have abided by every ethics standard. Do not question my ability to be fair and impartial as Attorney General,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;You&#8217;ll answer that question for another of my colleagues,&#8221; Blumenthal concluded.
The two squared off on several questions throughout the hearing, with Blumenthal asking Bondi about a dinner she&#8217;d had with President Donald Trump — and what was discussed during that dinner.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
AG Pam Bondi: &#8220;No one is above the law, that’s a quote from you, Senator Blumenthal.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/WtTWAp30gX">pic.twitter.com/WtTWAp30gX</a>
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) <a href="https://twitter.com/Huberton/status/1975591441779843455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Senator, I am not going to discuss any conversations I have or have not had with the President of the United States. You&#8217;re an attorney, you have a law degree, and you know that I am not going to do that,&#8221; she said.
Reading from a paper in front of her, she quoted, &#8220;&#8216;I will keep fighting to ensure that law enforcement and the judicial process move forward without political interference. No one is above the law, not even the president.&#8217; That&#8217;s a quote from you, Senator Blumenthal.&#8221;

Attorney General Pam Bondi Testifies In House Hearing

Bondi Unloads On Blumenthal In Tense Hearing: ‘Don’t You Ever Challenge My Integrity’

Congress

Media

Pam Bondi

Politics

Richard Blumenthal

Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who was famously accused years ago of lying by claiming he had served in Vietnam, implied <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pam-bondi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pam Bondi</a> was lying in some of her replies at her hearing for Attorney General, prompting her to directly confront the insinuation.
“I am really troubled, deeply disturbed and troubled by some of your responses and non-responses to the questions that you’ve been asked today,” Blumenthal stated. “You say the right things, that you’re going to be the people’s lawyer. That’s what you have to say to be here, but I believe being the people’s lawyer means you have to say no to the President of the United States; you have to speak truth to power; you have to be able to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.”
Bondi tersely responded, “Senator, first, I need to clarify something that you said, that I ‘have’ to sit up here and say these things. No, I don’t. I sit up here and speak the truth. I’m not going to sit up here and say anything that I need to say to get confirmed by this body. I don’t ‘have’ to say anything.”
As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/nyregion/18blumenthal.html?pagewanted=all&amp;referer=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in 2010 of Blumenthal’s actions:
<blockquote>
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.” 
There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat <a style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/nyregion/15blumenthal.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now running for the United States Senate</a>, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records. &#8230;
Sometimes his remarks have been plainly untrue, as in his speech to the group in Norwalk. At other times, he has used more ambiguous language, but the impression left on audiences can be similar. &#8230; In at least eight newspaper articles published in Connecticut from 2003 to 2009, he is described as having served in Vietnam. &#8230; It does not appear that Mr. Blumenthal ever sought to correct those mistakes.
</blockquote>
Blumenthal once <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_MAB-bX7Ug" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a>, “Now, on a few occasions, I have misspoken about my service, and I regret that and I take full responsibility.”
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Blumenthal Implies Bondi Is Lying. He Was Accused of Lying About Serving In Vietnam.

Vietnam

A Democrat U.S. senator on Thursday called for the mysterious drones being sighted over multiple northeastern states to be shot down if they threaten sensitive areas. 
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/richard-blumenthal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Blumenthal</a> (D-CT) said the U.S. government needed to take a more aggressive approach to responding to the drones and that it was “absolutely unacceptable” how little information people was being passed on to citizens. The drones have mainly been spotted in New Jersey, but there have also been sightings above nearby states like Connecticut and New York. 
&#8220;We should be doing some very smart intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they&#8217;re flying over airports or military bases,&#8221; Blumenthal said. &#8220;They should be shot down, if necessary, because they&#8217;re flying over sensitive areas.&#8221;
He said that his office had seen an influx of residents expressing concerns. 
&#8220;I&#8217;m hearing from constituents in the metropolitan area around New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, who are really terrified by these drones flying unidentified over airports and military bases,&#8221; Blumenthal said. 
New Jersey Republican Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/12/new-jersey-drone-sightings-new-york-senators" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously</a> demanded the drones be shot down.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dhs-fbi-release-statement-about-drone-sightings-in-new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a joint statement on Thursday saying there was &#8220;no evidence&#8221; of a threat. 
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” the statement said. “The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.”
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Sen. Blumenthal also urged Americans not to buy Chinese-made drones. 
&#8220;Chinese manufactured drones are real and present a threat to the security of this country,&#8221;  he said. &#8220;We have to stop using them.&#8221;
The comments come as the Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/brentwood-man-arrested-allegedly-flying-drone-over-and-photographing-vandenberg-space" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> this week that a 39-year-old Chinese citizen had been arrested for allegedly flying a drone over the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and taking photos. The man, Yinpiao Zhou, was arrested by authorities before boarding a flight to China. 
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base&#8217;s layout, which is against the law,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The security of our nation is of paramount importance and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”

Democratic Senators Address The Leaked Supreme Court Draft Decision To Overturn Roe v. Wade

Democrat Senator Calls For Mysterious Drones To Be Shot Down

Connecticut

Department of Homeland Security

Drones

National Security

New Jersey

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/richard-blumenthal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Blumenthal</a> (D-CT), a fierce opponent of former President Donald Trump, said on Thursday that Americans will be stunned by shocking failures that Senate investigators have uncovered about the Secret Service&#8217;s failure to protect Trump on July 13, 2024, when a would-be assassin nearly killed him at a political rally in Pennsylvania.
Blumenthal made the remarks while talking to reporters after Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe gave members new information during a closed-door meeting about the investigation into the assassination attempt.
&#8220;I think the American people are going to be shocked, astonished, and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures by the Secret Service in this assassination attempt on the former president,&#8221; Blumenthal said. &#8220;But I think they also ought to be appalled and astonished by the failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank as it should be to them in terms of providing information.&#8221;
He said that investigators are pressing DHS to give them the full truth and to turn over all the documents that they have related to the matter.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/">Am I Racist? ONLY In Theaters Tomorrow—Get Your Tickets Now!</a>
Blumenthal said that he would not disclose what new information he had learned, but noted that it would &#8220;shock the American people&#8221; about the &#8220;lapses and lags in the protection that was afforded that day and the breakdown in communication.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨🚨🚨WATCH
Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal: The report on Trump assassination attempt &#8220;will absolutely shock the American people.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/o9VT4obzjZ">pic.twitter.com/o9VT4obzjZ</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1834401171395526690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2024</a></blockquote>

Senator Blumenthal Discusses His Legislation To End US Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia

Democrat Senator Blumenthal: Public To Be ‘Shocked’ By Secret Service’s Failure To Protect Trump

assassination

Donald Trump

Pennsylvania

Secret Service

U.S.

Top U.S. Senators said over the weekend that they are introducing a bipartisan resolution calling for military strikes against Iran if its terror proxies in the Middle East kill any U.S. soldiers or if Hezbollah opens up a second front against Israel.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) made the remarks during a CNN interview Sunday morning with Dana Bash on &#8220;State of the Union.&#8221;
The segment comes after Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis in an unprecedented terrorist attack last month and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group in Lebanon, has conducted small scale attacks against Israel as it weighs whether to launch a full-scale attack.
&#8220;It basically says, if the war expands, if Hezbollah opens up a second front in the north against Israel in a substantial way to overwhelm Iron Dome, then we should hit the Islamic Republic of Iran,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;There is no Hamas without the Ayatollahs&#8217; support. There is no Hezbollah without the Ayatollahs&#8217; support. The great Satan in the region is not Israel or the United States. It&#8217;s Iran.&#8221;
Graham said that he and Blumenthal just came back from the region and that Israel had begged them to deter Iran from entering the war as they deal with wiping out the Hamas terrorist organization inside Gaza.
&#8220;If any of our troops are killed in Syria and Iraq by Iranian-backed militias, I think that&#8217;s an expansion of the war,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;So, the resolution puts Iran on notice that all this military force in the region will be coming after you if you expand this war by activating Hezbollah or killing an American through your proxies in Syria and Iraq. And they need to hear that. They need to believe that.&#8221;
Graham&#8217;s remarks come after there have been at least 31 attacks from Iranian-backed terrorists on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria over the last two weeks, according to a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/escalating-militia-attacks-on-u-s-troops-risk-washington-tehran-confrontation-f2308361">report</a> from The Wall Street Journal.

A picture taken on August 20, 2010 shows

Top U.S. Senators Warn Military Will Strike Iran Under Two Conditions

Hamas

Hezbollah

Iran

Israel

Lindsey Graham

Military

Top lawmakers on the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations are asking for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> to provide unredacted documents on Saudi Arabia’s “role” in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/9-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9/11</a> as numerous records on the subject have remained classified.
In a <a href="https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/services/files/4A131859-DDBB-4A6D-8D88-EA7A76631F14" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ron Johnson</a> (R-WI) ask for unredacted documents so they can better understand <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/saudi-arabia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saudi Arabia</a>’s connection to 9/11.
“No one was more affected by these attacks than the families of those whose lives were lost on that day, and who have struggled to obtain accountability ever since. Our inquiry into Saudi Arabia’s attempts to influence U.S. affairs has underscored, yet again, the need for transparency, particularly regarding Saudi Arabia’s connection to the 9/11 attacks,” the senators wrote on Sunday, one day before the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. 
The senators said that they had previously asked in July for “the U.S. government finally provide full transparency into what it knows about the attacks, particularly as it relates to Saudi Arabia’s involvement,” but had not yet heard back. 
They said that they asked again on August 8 for an unredacted copy of a record on “Operation Encore,” but had not yet received a single document from the FBI or the DOJ. &#8220;Operation Encore&#8221; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/11/senate-sept11-saudi-arabia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> the name given by the FBI to describe links between Saudi nationals and the terrorists who crashed the planes on 9/11. 
“Your failure to respond to our letter only adds to our concerns about the U.S. government’s longstanding refusal to provide full transparency to the American public, and particularly for the families of 9/11 victims, about Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks,” the senators wrote. 
Blumenthal and Johnson said that if the federal entities did not respond to their new call for unredacted documents, they could turn to other methods to ensure compliance with their request. 
Families and survivors of the 9/11 attacks have long pushed for more U.S. officials to press Saudi Arabia on the terrorist attacks. Ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia in July 2022, the families and survivors asked Biden to discuss the attacks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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“Please stand where no other President since 9/11 has stood, with the September 11 community in our pursuit for justice, and prioritize a full and complete discussion of the Saudis’ continued denial of their complicity in the attacks,” the families said in a <a href="https://911familiesunited.org/9-11-families-president-biden-must-demand-saudi-accountability-for-the-september-11-attacks/">letter</a>.
Although Biden has released some 9/11 documents, they have remained heavily redacted and lawmakers and victims have continued to push for more information.

The US Senators Ron Johnson Visits Kiev

Senators Push For ‘Transparency,’ Unredacted Documents On Saudi Arabia’s ‘Role’ In 9/11

Senators Push For 'Transparency,' Unredacted Documents On Saudi Arabia's 'Role' In 9/11

9/11

Christopher Wray

Department of Justice

Merrick Garland

Ron Johnson

Saudi Arabia

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/richard-blumenthal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Blumenthal</a> (D-CT) will undergo surgery on Sunday after fracturing his femur in an accident at the UConn men’s basketball victory parade.
Blumenthal, 77, was in attendance to celebrate the Huskies’ national championship Saturday morning when a person taking a video of him during the procession stumbled and fell on top of the senator, <a href="https://connecticut.news12.com/sen-blumenthal-fractures-femur-at-uconn-parade-will-undergo-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to News 12 Connecticut. The third-term Democrat was reportedly in “good spirits” when he talked to the news outlet over the phone Saturday night.
Nearly 45,000 people came out to <a href="https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/sports/dog-house/heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-saturdays-uconn-parade/3009958/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrate</a> with the UConn men’s basketball team after the Huskies defeated San Diego State in the NCAA national championship game last Monday for the university’s fifth title. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz were also in attendance for the parade and addressed the fans who came to celebrate.
The Democratic senator is leading bipartisan efforts to crack down on TikTok, the social media app with ties to communist China. In February, Blumenthal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-and-democrat-senators-join-forces-in-call-for-tiktok-crackdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined</a> Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) in exhorting Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to force the divestment of TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
“TikTok, which collects the sensitive information of tens of millions of American users and plays an increasing role in our society, is well within the scope of CFIUS’s national security mandate,” Blumenthal and Moran wrote.
Blumenthal was elected to the Senate in 2010 after serving Connecticut for 20 years as attorney general.
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Dem Senator Breaks Femur At UConn Basketball Victory Parade After Person Taking Video Falls On Him

Sen. Richard Blumenthal Breaks Femur At UConn Basketball Victory Parade After Person Taking Video Falls On Him

Basketball

Health

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/richard-blumenthal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Blumenthal</a> (D-CT) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) exhorted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/treasury-department" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Treasury</a> Secretary <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/janet-yellen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Janet Yellen</a> to force the divestment of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> from ByteDance, its <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> parent company.
ByteDance, which is located in Beijing, has been accused of maintaining close ties with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ccp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese Communist Party</a>. Blumenthal and Moran suggested in a Thursday <a href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/20230216cfiustiktok.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Yellen that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a board composed of nine cabinet-level officials charged with reviewing the national security implications of foreign investments into American companies, should compel ByteDance to jettison operations for TikTok within the United States.
“TikTok, which collects the sensitive information of tens of millions of American users and plays an increasing role in our society, is well within the scope of CFIUS’s national security mandate,” the lawmakers contended. The letter referenced CFIUS requiring that Beijing Kunlun Company <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL33388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">divest</a> itself of LGBTQ dating site Grindr and healthcare platform PatientsLikeMe four years ago under the Trump administration.
Blumenthal and Moran also noted how ByteDance acknowledged at the end of last year that staff members had “spied on the private data of journalists and others in order identify sources behind articles critical of the company.” The revelation confirmed an earlier <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktoks-parent-company-in-china-planned-to-use-platform-to-track-locations-of-specific-americans-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Forbes which indicated that ByteDance planned to track the location of specific American citizens.
“This bombshell disclosure demonstrates that TikTok and ByteDance cannot be trusted by CFIUS or its tens of millions of users in the United States,” the letter continued. “Therefore, CFIUS should impose structural separations and firm restrictions on ByteDance’s ability to: access Americans’ personal data; make decisions about content moderation; control its algorithmic recommendation systems; and oversee its U.S. operations.”
The two lawmakers are the latest from both sides of the aisle to observe the national security implications of permitting American consumers to utilize TikTok. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-senator-urges-apple-and-google-to-ban-tiktok-from-app-stores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressed</a> Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai earlier this month to remove the site from the companies’ app stores.
President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-unanimously-votes-to-ban-tiktok-on-government-devices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> legislation prohibiting TikTok from devices owned by the federal government, while several states, including Nebraska, Alabama, and Iowa, had previously banned the platform from government devices. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-ceo-will-testify-before-congress-as-national-security-privacy-concerns-grow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testify</a> before members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee next month.
Renewed controversy over TikTok and broader Sino-American relations occurs after at least one Chinese surveillance balloon recently traversed the continental United States. The vessel crossed Montana, the home of many defense assets and missile silos, then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinese-spy-balloon-flies-out-of-montana-and-over-new-u-s-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled</a> over states such as Kansas and Missouri before the object was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-military-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-after-biden-let-it-travel-across-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot down</a> off the coast of the Carolinas.
The White House is now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-refining-executive-order-banning-american-companies-from-investing-in-key-chinese-sectors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to unveil an executive order that would ban American funds from enabling the development of Chinese advanced semiconductors, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and other technologies with surveillance and military applications, according to a recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/business/us-china-investing-tech-biden.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from The New York Times. Yellen and other senior administration officials spent months contacting industry leaders to forecast the economic implications of the executive order, according to another <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/01/12/white-house-biden-china-executive-order-cfius" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Axios released last month. News of the nearly completed measure came as lawmakers threatened to pursue their own investment restrictions in the absence of federal plans.

Republican And Democrat Senators Join Forces In Call For TikTok Crackdown

Republican And Democrat Senators Want Treasury Secretary To Crack Down On TikTok

China

Global Politics

Janet Yellen

TikTok

Treasury Department

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/southwest-airlines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southwest Airlines</a> COO Andrew Watterson said in remarks prepared for a Thursday hearing that he and fellow executives “messed up” amid the company’s holiday <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/air-travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">travel</a> meltdown.
Southwest canceled some 16,700 flights between December 21 and December 31, even as severe winter weather subsided in the days after Christmas. Watterson said in his prewritten opening <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23602424-written-testimony-of-andrew-watterson-coo-southwest-airlines-final" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> before the Senate Commerce Committee that the disruptions prompted the company to cancel flights so that crews could position themselves to resume normal operations.
“Let me be clear: we messed up. In hindsight, we did not have enough winter operational resilience,” he remarked. “It became clear that, with the storm severely disrupting our Denver and Chicago Midway stations concurrently, we did not have enough resiliency in our operation for the severe effect this winter event had on us.”
Flight schedules for Denver and Chicago Midway, which serve as starting and ending bases for one-fourth of the company’s flight crews, were almost entirely canceled by Southwest in the days before Christmas. The same occurred at other airports across the country as the storm moved east, causing communication between employees to deteriorate amid the chaos.
“This lack of effective communication and coordination resulted in compounding, frequent, close-in flight cancellations, rather than our normal practice of batched pre-cancellations further in advance of departure times,” Watterson continued. “This created an unprecedented amount and frequency of required changes to crew schedules that overwhelmed our crew scheduling processes and technology.”
Southwest previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-reveals-how-much-holiday-flight-meltdown-will-cost-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimated</a> that between $725 million and $825 million will be lost in the aftermath of the cancellations. The firm reported a $220 million loss in the fourth quarter of last year and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-airlines-reports-massive-revenue-hit-after-christmas-meltdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> investors that fallout from the company’s holiday meltdown would continue.
Watterson told lawmakers that Southwest would seek to enhance software used by crew members with a $1.3 billion information technology investment. He added that the company has gone “above and beyond” standards created by the Department of Transportation for airlines that cancel or significantly delay flights; customers received reward points amounting to $300 in value as staffers worked to reimburse passengers for meals, hotel accommodations, rental cars, and tickets purchased with other carriers during the meltdown.
“Southwest is intensely focused on reducing the risk of repeating the operational disruption we experienced in December,” Watterson added. “We are committed to running a great operation each and every day, and I have the utmost confidence that our people, processes, and technologies will do just that.”
The hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee occurs as lawmakers file legislation meant to bolster protections for consumers in the wake of the Southwest meltdown. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), both of whom are members of the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights and the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous Fees Act last week.
“Air travelers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for basics like a carry-on bag, a seat next to their children, or even for a sip of water, especially as airlines continue to fail passengers at every turn,” Markey said in a <a href="https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-blumenthal-lead-in-introducing-legislation-to-bolster-airline-passenger-protections" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “Our nation’s largest airlines can’t even guarantee consumers that their flights won’t be delayed or cancelled, that their luggage won’t be lost, or that they won’t get stranded at the gate because of overbooking. The status quo won’t fly any longer. We must empower regulators and uphold passengers’ rights so they are treated with dignity before, during, and after their flight.”

LaGuardia Airport

‘We Messed Up’: Southwest Executive Testifies On Holiday Meltdown Chaos

Southwest Executive Testifies Before Senators On Holiday Meltdown Chaos

Air &amp; Space

Air Travel

Ed Markey

Southwest Airlines

U.S. Senate

Sen. <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/richard-blumenthal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Richard Blumenthal</a> (D-CT) plans to reintroduce legislation creating a “bill of rights” for <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/air-travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airline</a> passengers following the recent logistical meltdown at <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/southwest-airlines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southwest Airlines</a> that left thousands of passengers stranded across the country.
The company nixed roughly two-thirds of flights during the busy Christmas travel season, even after severe winter <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/weather" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weather</a> conditions had subsided and other carriers had ceased canceling an elevated number of flights. Southwest announced a return to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-says-it-will-resume-normal-operations-on-friday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">normal operations</a> beginning on December 30; cancelation <a href="https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/yesterday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> provided by FlightAware show the company is currently at parity with other major airlines.
Blumenthal is submitting legislation to the new Congress that would provide various reimbursement guarantees to passengers impacted by future flight cancelations. &#8220;The kind of disaster that we saw with Southwest simply dramatizes an ongoing failure by the airlines to respect basic passenger rights,&#8221; the lawmakers said in an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/airline-passenger-bill-of-rights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with CBS. &#8220;Rental cars, hotel, meals, no questions asked, money back.”
Similar <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3222?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22Airline+Passengers%27+Bill+of+Rights%22%2C%22Airline%22%2C%22Passengers%27%22%2C%22Bill%22%2C%22of%22%2C%22Rights%22%5D%7D&amp;s=1&amp;r=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> filed by Blumenthal during the last Congress would have granted “protections for airline passengers from being required to involuntarily relinquish their seats,” mandated “training on the rights of passengers” for airline staff, restricted “unreasonable air carrier fees,” and provided “compensation to passengers” for delayed or canceled flights.
Other lawmakers have likewise called for increased regulations on the airline industry following the holiday travel meltdown. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) cited an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bernie-sanders-ro-khanna-tear-into-pete-buttigieg-over-southwest-airlines-fiasco" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earlier admonition</a> to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in which they called for the official to establish rules guaranteeing refunds for passengers impacted by canceled or delayed flights.
“Taxpayers bailed out the airline industry during their time of need,” Sanders wrote. “It is the responsibility of the airline industry and the Department of Transportation to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the flying public and crew members are able to get to their destinations on time and without delay.”
Share prices for Southwest have fallen more than 15% over the past month as executives scramble to win back the trust of disaffected customers. Leadership in the company’s pilot union has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-meltdown-a-year-for-the-last-five-or-six-years-southwest-pilots-blast-company-over-crisis-that-was-a-decade-in-the-making" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> the surge in cancelations was attributable to “a combination of processes, outdated technology, and infrastructure.” The airline is unique among other major carriers because flights are organized by a point-to-point system rather than a hub model.
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan remarked in a recent <a href="https://swamedia.com/releases/release-7e05ea1637937dc7354128bee7c60a1a-ceo-bob-jordan-provides-update-on-taking-care-of-our-customers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that the firm is conducting a “thorough review” of the disruptions. “We&#8217;ve already taken immediate actions to mitigate the risk of this ever happening again, and the review work will inform additional actions and investment as well,” he said. “We&#8217;ve asked our unions to participate in this review effort as well, and likewise we are in regular communication with our Board of Directors.”
Some 54 million passengers planned to depart from airports between December 18 and January 3, marking a 20% increase in holiday travel from last year despite persistent cost pressures and other economic headwinds, according to <a href="https://media.hopper.com/research/christmas-2022-holiday-outlook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from Hopper. The snowfall and frigid temperatures also presented obstacles to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amazon-fedex-post-office-warn-of-delivery-delays-as-winter-weather-persists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">major delivery services</a> as Americans waited for last-minute Christmas presents: FedEx and UPS issued statements warning of delays, while Amazon and the United States Postal Service shuttered multiple locations.

Southwest Airlines Experiences Major Flight Cancellations Across U.S.

Lawmaker Calls For Airline Passenger ‘Bill Of Rights’ After Southwest Meltdown

Airline Passenger 'Bill Of Rights' Introduced By Lawmaker After Southwest Meltdown

Air and Space

Russian President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vladimir-putin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vladimir Putin</a> is expected to annex parts of eastern and southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukraine</a> on Friday, claiming that forced referenda across four occupied regions support <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a>’s claim.
Western leaders are scrambling to respond to what many have condemned as a “land grab,” according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/29/putin-russia-annexation-ukraine-00059545">Politico</a>. Putin’s move has raised concerns that Russia is committing itself to long-term conflict with Ukraine, and that a resolution to the war may be much farther off than European and North American leaders were hoping.
Russian state media <a href="https://ria.ru/20220927/referendum-1819941990.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> Tuesday that Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions voted overwhelmingly to break with Ukraine and join Russia. The referendum, which local Ukrainian officials said was coerced by Russian soldiers, took place on September 23-27. The results in each region were strikingly lopsided in favor of Russia: 99% in Donetsk, 98% in Luhansk, 87% in Kherson, and 93% in Zaporizhzhia.
Putin said in a television appearance on Thursday that “the formation of a more just world order is taking place,” according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/29/world/russia-ukraine-war-news#with-annexation-plans-putin-escalates-a-battle-of-wills-with-the-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. He did not directly address the expected annexation, which covers an area of roughly 40,000 square miles.
“Unipolar hegemony is inexorably collapsing,” he said. “This is an objective reality that the West categorically refuses to accept.”
Officials in the U.S. condemned the results of the referendum and Putin’s claim to the regions.
“The Kremlin’s sham referenda are a futile effort to mask what amounts to a further attempt at a land grab in Ukraine. To be clear: the results were orchestrated in Moscow and do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a <a href="https://www.state.gov/russias-sham-referenda-in-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Thursday.
“The United States does not, and will never, recognize the legitimacy or outcome of these sham referenda or Russia’s purported annexation of Ukrainian territory,” he continued. “This spectacle conducted by Russia’s proxies is illegitimate and violates international law. It is an affront to the principles of international peace and security.”
In the U.S. Senate, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced legislation Thursday to block U.S. aid from going to regions “annexed” by Russia.
“We are dealing with Hurricane Putin, for the lack of a better word,” Graham said, according to Politico. “He’s trying to rewrite the map of Europe. He’s trying to do by force of arms what he can’t do by process.”
Blumenthal added: “It is a land grab. It’s a steal. And it is another craven, brazen tactic by Vladimir Putin to test the West’s support for Ukraine and we are having none of it.”
The United States <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2022/Sep/28/2003087045/-1/-1/1/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-SEP-28.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committed</a> another $1.1 billion in security assistance – including weapons, ammunition, and other war goods – towards Ukraine’s war effort on Wednesday. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, that brings U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February up to about $16.2 billion.
Some national security experts put the amount of security assistance committed much higher: over <a href="https://stephensemler.substack.com/p/how-much-military-aid-has-biden-sent" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$40 billion</a> since August of last year. The wide discrepancy is due to the confusing way in which the funds are pooled together, and a lack of organization in tracking them.
“There is a range of funding sources, including Presidential Drawdown Authority, Foreign Military Financing, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative,” Ari Tolany, U.S. program manager at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, told <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/09/10/ukraine-military-aid-weapons-oversight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Intercept</a> earlier this month. “It’s been tricky to trace what materiel is coming from where.”

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Set To Claim Wide Swaths Of Ukraine After ‘Sham’ Referenda

Department of Defense

Russia

Ukraine

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a resolution on Tuesday to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terror.
The resolution urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to add the designation to Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
&#8220;Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate &#8212; views the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin, as acts of terrorism,&#8221; the<a href="https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/5496358a-cb7d-43c4-ad73-34866ec00e87/sst-resolution.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> resolution</a> noted.
https://twitter.com/tobydouthat/status/1524063085383884801
The U.S. currently lists only four nations as state sponsors of terror. The nations include Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria.
&#8220;Last week the Ukrainian government took a vote urging the U.S. Congress to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. So we heard their plea and we&#8217;re answering their request,&#8221; Graham <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?520119-1/senators-graham-blumenthal-news-conference-war-ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;We should be all-in in making sure that Putin is marginalized and his country is marginalized as long as his country is engaged in the matter that they are engaging in,&#8221; he added during the press conference.
Graham also spoke out against Putin in an interview on &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; to call for regime change.
&#8220;If we back off prosecuting Putin as a war criminal, all the laws on the books become a joke. If we don&#8217;t get this right, China will certainly invade Taiwan,&#8221; the senator argued.
&#8220;There is no off ramp in this war. Somebody&#8217;s going to win and somebody&#8217;s going to lose,&#8221; he <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/graham-pushes-label-russia-state-135543943.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Graham noted Monday on Twitter that he also <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1523660202758873089" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supports</a> Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
&#8220;NATO needs to get bigger, not smaller,&#8221; the senator tweeted. &#8220;If Finland and Sweden join NATO and Europe breaks away from dependence on Russian oil and gas, and Putin is declared a war criminal, that would be the best outcome for the world writ large.&#8221;
Blumenthal, who serves as the bipartisan sponsor of the resolution, has also spoken out strongly against Russia.
&#8220;Russia’s horrific inhumanity—barbaric atrocities &amp; war crimes—have richly earned its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. I’ll be leading this resolution with Senator Graham, applying stiffer sanctions &amp; making it a true pariah among nations,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBlumenthal/status/1523332910073335808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Twitter Monday.
The resolution comes as missiles continue to strike civilians in Ukraine more than 70 days after Russia&#8217;s invasion launched on February 24.
&#8220;Ukraine said Russian forces fired seven missiles Monday at Odesa, hitting a shopping center and a warehouse in the country’s largest port. One person was killed and five wounded, the military said,&#8221; the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-business-nato-moscow-c8e00f7bbc4f24aa40d70a4ac2d97adb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;Images overnight showed a burning building and debris — including a tennis shoe — in a heap of destruction in the city on the Black Sea. Mayor Gennady Trukhanov later visited the warehouse and said it &#8216;had nothing in common with military infrastructure or military objects,'&#8221; the report added.
Graham&#8217;s announcement also comes one day after Putin&#8217;s Victory Day speech that many feared could escalate the war. Putin&#8217;s words did not declare victory but instead indicated the Ukrainian invasion could be part of a long-term war.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Introduces Resolution To Designate Russia As A State Sponsor Of Terror

Terrorism

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