The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> press briefing room erupted on Monday after a reporter from an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Africa</a>-focused outlet accused press secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> of making a “mockery of the First Amendment.”
Jean-Pierre stepped to the briefing room podium followed by the cast of the Apple TV series “Ted Lasso,” who was visiting the White House to meet with President Joe Biden about mental health awareness. Soon after taking the stage, Jean-Pierre was pelted with accusations of discrimination from Today News Africa correspondent Simon Ateba.
Jean-Pierre tried to hush Ateba. “We’re not doing this,” she told him repeatedly.
Ateba pressed forward: “You’ve been discriminating against me. You’ve been discriminating against some people in the briefing room. And I’m saying that this is the U.S. This is not China, this is not Russia.”
“What you are doing, you are making a mockery of the First Amendment,” Ateba continued over protests from others in the briefing room. “It’s been seven months. You have not called on me. I’m saying that’s not right.”
White House staff as well as other reporters told Ateba repeatedly to be quiet, accusing him of being disrespectful of the briefing room and to the other reporters.
“Sir, let it go,” someone said.
“Decorum, please!” another yelled.
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Ateba eventually quieted down and the press briefing began with remarks from Jean-Pierre and “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis. After Sudeikis’ comments, the actor and the rest of his co-stars left the room.
After the cast departed, Ateba again launched into Jean-Pierre.
“You can’t keep discriminating against some people in the briefing room because you don’t like them, you don’t like their questions,” he said. “That’s not right. This is not China, this is not Russia. This is the United States.”
Others in the room were apparently fed up with Ateba’s commotion.
“The rest of us are here too, pal,” someone snarked.
“If you have grievances, you should being them to her later,” another stated.
“It isn’t always about you, Simon,” said another.
Ateba continued undaunted, “I understand that you get questions all the time and you don’t understand what it is to sit here for eight months and be discriminated against. I understand that you’re in the front row … and you get questions all the time, but there are people in the back who don’t get any questions.”
A reporter in the briefing room then lashed out at Ateba: “Don’t make assumptions about what the rest of us do, mind your manners when you’re in here, if you have a problem bring it up afterwards, but you are impinging on everybody in here who’s only trying to do their job.”
After a couple more exchanges, Ateba ended his tirade. Jean-Pierre then lectured the briefing room over what had just transpired.
“As you all know, many of you know, this is the White House press briefing room, a historic room, a room that should have decorum, a room where folks should respect their colleagues and respect the guests that are here. And I understand that there is going to be give and take,” Jean-Pierre said. “I will always respect that. But what I will not appreciate is disrespecting your colleagues and disrespecting guests who are here, who were here to talk about an incredibly important issue which is mental health.”
“What has just occurred these last 10-15 minutes is unacceptable,” she said. “So we are either going to continue the briefing or we can just end the briefing right here.”
After someone in the audience answered that they wanted the briefing to continue, the press secretary continued with her remarks.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Complete chaos in the briefing room today. <a href="https://t.co/2W4trGj4eJ">https://t.co/2W4trGj4eJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/vHmwvHYnTj">pic.twitter.com/vHmwvHYnTj</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1637883618738446361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Karine Jean-Pierre

‘Decorum, Please!’: White House Briefing Erupts After Reporter Accuses Jean-Pierre Of Discrimination

Executive

Joe Biden

U.S.

Washington D.C.

White House

Former Vice President Mike Pence and the Biden White House are engaging in a war of words after Pence made a joke about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Pence initiated the sequence of events with his comments at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington for journalists and politicians. He pointed out the incongruity of Buttigieg taking leave of his post after the birth of his adopted twins while Americans were struggling with air travel.
“He took two months ‘maternity’ leave whereupon thousands of travelers were stranded in airports, the air traffic system shut down, and airplanes nearly collided on our runways. Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression,” Pence quipped about Buttigieg, who is gay.
The White House furiously <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-demands-pence-apologize-homophobic-joke-aimed/story?id=97832200&amp;cid=social_twitter_abcn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded an apology</a>. “The former vice president’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, all the more so because he treated women suffering from postpartum depression as a punchline,” White House Press Secretary Karine-Jean Pierre snapped. “He should apologize to women and LGBTQ people, who are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Buttigieg’s husband Chasten <a href="https://twitter.com/Chasten/status/1635328870760202242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1635328870760202242%7Ctwgr%5Edc1abc58852a631e55d726c9c57e358b9c15d55b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FPolitics%2Fwhite-house-demands-pence-apologize-homophobic-joke-aimed%2Fstory%3Fid%3D97832200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, “An honest question for you, @Mike_Pence, after your attempted joke this weekend. If your grandchild was born prematurely and placed on a ventilator at two months old &#8211; their tiny fingers wrapped around yours as the monitors beep in the background &#8211; where would you be?”
But Marc Short, Pence&#8217;s former chief of staff, fired back, “The Biden administration should spare America the faux outrage. The hypocrisy is especially rich considering their own Secretary of State Antony Blinken joked that he yearned for ‘the old days’ when ‘Jews did all the work.’”
“The White House would be wise to focus less on placating the woke police and focus more on bank failures, planes nearly colliding in mid-air, train derailments, and the continued supply chain crisis,” he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The White House would be wise to focus less on placating the woke police and focus more on bank failures, planes nearly colliding in mid-air, train derailments, and the continued supply chain crisis.
&mdash; Marc Short (@marctshort) <a href="https://twitter.com/marctshort/status/1635318703654076422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Asked about Pence’s comments, Buttigieg said, “There&#8217;s not a lot of time for me to focus on the Washington game because we have real work to do.”
Buttigieg took roughly two months of paternity leave between August to October 2021, during which time a supply chain crisis hit the American economy. Among other concerns about Buttigieg’s unavailability, Protect the Public’s Trust asked for and received documents <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/buttigieg-avoided-calls-public-appearances-paternity-leave-foia-documents-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showing</a> Buttigieg declined a request for a call with Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley to discuss an application for funds for a bridge in Iowa.

Collage Maker-14-Mar-2023-11-37-AM-8406

‘Spare America The Faux Outrage’: Pence’s Team Fires Back At White House Demanding Apology

Pence’s Team Fires Back At White House Demanding Apology

Mike Pence

Paternity Leave

Pete Buttigieg

Politics

When the next bank loaded with depositors exceeding $250,000 fails, will the federal government jump in to save the day as it is doing now with Silicon Valley Bank?
That is the question the Biden administration hasn’t answered as of Monday afternoon. The response to it might depend on whether or not that bank is deemed “woke” enough.
The president and his team were quick to jump in to rescue customers of SVB, the 16th largest bank that caters to the leftist techno-class in California and around the country. Many of its clients have far more than the quarter million in deposits that would be covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
The bank, however, used that money in arguably risky investments and promoted things such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and climate change hysteria. At the same time, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/silicon-valley-bank-signature-bank-collapse-joe-biden-cbs-news-explains/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the sharp raise hikes enacted by the Federal Reserve to curb Bidenflation — in part caused by the president’s gigantic spending in 2021 and 2022 — weakened the bank&#8217;s overall investment portfolio. Similarly, the media outlet noted that depositors in the bank had to withdraw more and more cash due to high prices. In short, SVB could no longer meet its obligations.
Some, including the president, blame the failure of de-regulation that occurred in the Trump era. That is true to a certain extent, but it overlooks the fact that Biden&#8217;s economy created the perfect storm for this bank to go under, causing a semi-moral hazard.
For many, the optics show that the bank operated with well-placed arrogance that its cronies in government, Democratic officials, would help them out when needed.
Critics, including Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and 2024 candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have argued, respectively, that SVB operated as if it were &#8220;<a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1635348934469234688?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">too woke to fail</a>” and understood its true insurance policy was to “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-valley-bank-doesnt-deserve-a-taxpayer-bailout-federal-reserve-fdic-risk-startups-treasury-interest-rates-ad440fe9?mod=hp_opin_pos_5#cxrecs_s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">curry favor with the Biden administration</a>” via its aforementioned investments that mirror social justice warrior pet projects.
Now, the U.S. Treasury Department insists that taxpayers will not be on the hook to make SVB clients “whole” and instead money paid by the bank via fees paid by financial intuitions around the country.
Yet, those costs will trickle down to customers across the nation. So indirectly, yes the common man will pay to bail out SVB.
Experts believe that the problems are limited to SVB, as well as Signature Bank, and that most banks won’t need that sort of a bailout — even if SVB never received one.
So why the rush for this one bank?
Well, on Sunday, NBC’s Maria Kumar let it slip that SVB is the “Democrats’ ATM.” Indeed, unsurprisingly, SVB had many depositors who work in Silicon Valley. For context, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/silicon-valley-opens-wallet-joe-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">95% of Silicon Valley employees</a> at six major tech firms donated to Biden’s 2020 bid. More data shows that tech employees <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/10/30/21540616/silicon-valley-fundraising-donald-trump-joe-biden-analysis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">across the board</a> donated to Democrats and the president.
In that case, it is not really surprising to see that Biden would act so swiftly to make sure his donors are taken care of. The action is couched under the shield of “protecting the little guy,&#8221; but that&#8217;s a load of crock, to put it mildly.
Unfortunately, it appears that Biden is more focused on rewarding his allies who knowingly took book risks by investing with this bank and keeping more than the FDIC insured in one location.
Put another way, if this bank was called “East Palestine Ohio Bank,” does anybody think that the president would have acted with the same urgency? Or, perhaps, the real question is what&#8217;s the point of the FDIC insurance limit if it is just going to be adjusted to bail out Democratic friends?
Biden said that his actions will provide a little &#8220;breathing room&#8221; for Americans and that the economy will be all right. Still, we&#8217;ll hold our breath as we await the answers to the questions in this column.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 13: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the banking system in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. President Biden gave an update regarding the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in California and how his administration is handling the ripple effects.

‘Too Woke To Fail’: The Perfect Leftist Storm Preceding Silicon Valley Bank ‘Bailout’

'Too Woke To Fail': The Perfect Leftist Storm Preceding Silicon Valley Bank 'Bailout'

Banks

Democratic Party

Money

Silicon Valley

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House</a> voted overwhelmingly on Friday morning to approve the declassification of all <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> intelligence on the origins of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a>.
The House voted 419-0 in favor of the bipartisan measure, according to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/10/covid-origins-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Axios</a>. The Senate voted unanimously last week to approve a similar measure. The bill would require the declassification and release of all intelligence related to the origins of COVID and the virus’ possible connections to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) within 90 days of receiving the president’s signature.
The Department of Energy and FBI both delivered assessments recently that concluded that COVID most likely originated in a leak from the Wuhan lab. The theory, known as the lab leak hypothesis and pursued by Republicans, was dismissed as a conspiracy theory early on in the pandemic by top medical and science officials, including former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci.
Investigations into the origin of COVID have been hampered by China, which has rebuffed requests for information and access for investigators. Beijing has floated that COVID did not originate in Wuhan at all, and instead is a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/world/asia/coronavirus-china-conspiracy-theory.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creation</a> of the U.S. military.
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Many Republicans have continued to push the lab leak theory as the most likely origin of the pandemic virus that killed millions globally.
“The American public deserves answers to every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic, including how this virus was created and specifically, whether it was a natural occurrence of was the result of a lab-related event,” said Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), chairman of the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dems-gop-vote-unanimously-declassify-covid-origins-intel-send-bill-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
“The House intelligence committee, which oversees our intelligence community, is aware of classified information that could help inform the public why COVID-19 as a lab leak theory is not just a possibility, but approaches the idea that it is likely,” he continued.
The Department of Energy, with its <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/the-energy-department-lab-investigating-covid-knows-what-its-talking-about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">network</a> of national laboratories and specialists in biological weapons, is the latest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community to determine that the likeliest origin of COVID is a lab-related incident. Last month, the department reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-intel-prompts-energy-dept-to-assess-covid-likely-leaked-from-wuhan-lab-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shifted</a> its conclusion from undecided to “low confidence” in the lab leak hypothesis with new information, though it is unclear what that new information is.
The FBI assessed in 2021 that the lab leak theory is most likely the correct theory with “moderate confidence.”
The National Intelligence Council and four agencies have ruled against the lab leak theory in favor of the natural emergence hypothesis that says COVID originated in an animal species and somehow made its way into humanity.

House Votes 419-0 To Declassify All Intel On COVID Origins

Bill To Declassify Intel On COVID Origins Heads To Biden’s Desk After House Vote

COVID

COVID-19

U.S. House of Representatives

The White House struggled to defend President Joe Biden&#8217;s decision to support a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-says-he-will-sign-bills-blocking-d-c-s-radical-overhaul-of-voting-rights-criminal-code" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill blocking Washington D.C.</a> from overhauling its criminal code and voting rights laws.
Biden announced Thursday that he would sign a Republican bill blocking D.C. from passing two bills reforming the criminal code and allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections. Congressional Democrats were outraged by the move. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled to respond to the criticisms at Friday&#8217;s press briefing.
&#8220;[T]he President has been very clear we need to do more to reduce crime, to make communities safer, to save lives,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwEt80UMw8c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jean-Pierre</a> said. &#8220;[T]he way that we see this bill, it doesn’t actually reform policing practices &#8230; like the ones the president has put forward at the federal level [via Executive Order].&#8221; Jean-Pierre repeatedly touted Biden&#8217;s support for D.C. statehood and his own crime and policing policies.
The administration had previously opposed the House bill in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/SAP-H.J.-Res.-24-and-H.J.-Res.-26_PDF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Statement of Administration Policy (SAP)</a>, claiming that it deprived the city of self-governance. Despite this opposition, Jean-Pierre insisted on Thursday that Biden never took a position on whether or not he would sign the bill. &#8220;[Biden] never made that clear in that SAP,&#8221; she said. &#8220;[W]e never said anything at this time. Now we’re communicating very clearly. Now that we know that this legislation is going to be at the president’s desk, we’re making very clear and communicating where the president is on this legislation.&#8221;
&#8220;There was no veto threat in the SAP,&#8221; she added later. “There really wasn’t. We … opposed it, but there was no veto threat.&#8221;
Jean-Pierre spent much of the briefing defending Biden&#8217;s decision because Democrats spent Thursday blasting his announcement that he would sign the bill.
“I’m disappointed,&#8221; Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/02/biden-wont-veto-gop-effort-to-repeal-dc-criminal-code-00085247" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO</a> Thursday. &#8220;First of all, I hope the Senate would not pass it. But I think it’s pretty clear they will. And to me, the Congress should not substitute its judgment for the elected representatives of the people of the District of Columbia.”
&#8220;This ain’t it,&#8221; Rep. <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1631502407132672001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1631502407132672001%7Ctwgr%5Ef87521844ded7bee50dc8eb03ea0767497e502a0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Fsad-day-disappointed-democrats-bidens-decision-oppose-dc-law-reducing-penalties-violent-crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> (D-NY) tweeted. &#8220;DC has a right to govern itself, like any other state or municipality. If the President supports DC statehood, he should govern like it. Plenty of places pass laws the President may disagree with. He should respect the people’s gov of DC just as he does elsewhere.&#8221;
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One member of Congress did not mince words. “The White House f***** this up royally,” the member told <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3881888-house-democrats-blindsided-as-biden-changes-tune-on-dc-crime-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a> via text message, citing the SAP. “So a lot of us who are allies voted no in order to support what the White House wanted. And now we are being hung out to dry. F****** AMATEUR HOUR. HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS.”
Biden said he would sign the Republican bills on Thursday. “I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule — but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections — such as lowering penalties for carjackings,” Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1631392285182009376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> from the official Presidential Twitter account. “If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did — I’ll sign it.”
The Senate is expected to vote on the bills as soon as next week. It already has the support of two Democrats, meaning it will likely head to the president’s desk afterwards.

Meida Briefing Held By White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

White House Struggles To Defend Biden’s D.C. Legislation Decision After Outrage From Democrats

White House Struggles To Defend Biden's D.C. Legislation Decision After Outrage From Democrats

Congress

Democrats

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Murdaugh Trial Closes
The trial of Alex Murdaugh, the prominent South Carolina attorney accused of murdering his wife and son, came to a close today. Here&#8217;s what Daily Wire Senior Editor Ashe Short told the Morning Wire &#8220;Afternoon Update&#8221; podcast:
<blockquote>The prosecution and defense have delivered their closing arguments in the trial of the disgraced South Carolina attorney. The prosecution argued that Murdaugh is the only one with the means, motive, and opportunity to kill his family members. While the defense noted the sloppy investigation lacks any direct evidence to the once prominent attorney.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-trial-prosecution-defense-give-closing-arguments-in-six-week-murder-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE HERE: Alex Murdaugh Trial: Prosecution, Defense Give Closing Arguments In Six-Week Murder Trial</a>
Blinken, Lavrov Meet 
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a surprise meeting Thursday at the G20 summit in New Delhi. Here with more is Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips:
<blockquote>Blinken and Lavrov met for about ten minutes, and while they didn’t reveal everything that was said, the meeting marks the most senior and positive signs for diplomacy between Russia and America since the start of the war. According to Blinken, he raised the possibility of releasing Paul Whelan — the U.S. marine veteran accused of being a spy who’s been held by Russia since late 2018. Blinken also said he encouraged his Russian counterpart to re-engage in the treaty known as START — the last remaining nuclear weapon treaty between Russia and the U.S. — which Russia pulled out of earlier this year. American officials say that agreement is necessary to prevent nuclear weapon proliferation and for the safety of the world.</blockquote>
White House Defends Biden’s Labor Pick
The White House is defending President Biden’s new pick for secretary of Labor, Julie Su. Su, who is currently deputy secretary of Labor, oversaw California’s labor department and billions in COVID fraud during her watch.
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Su led the California Labor Department as the state&#8217;s unemployment system witnessed as much as $31 billion in pandemic relief go to possible fraudsters. She acknowledged the matter to reporters two years ago, but nevertheless said the Trump administration didn&#8217;t provide enough guidance on how to prevent illegal activity. When one journalist raised the concerns about Su&#8217;s nomination with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, she downplayed the scandal by pointing to the large volume of claims that officials in California had to handle.
Su will have to be re-confirmed by the Senate.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-defends-labor-secretary-nominee-who-oversaw-billions-in-covid-relief-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE HERE: White House Defends Labor Secretary Nominee Who Oversaw Billions In COVID Relief Fraud</a>
Tennessee Targets Drag Shows With ‘Pro-Child Law’
On Thursday, Tennessee’s state Senate passed a bill effectively banning any events or shows featuring drag queens performing in front of children. Republican Governor Bill Lee has said he will sign it into law, which would make Tennessee the first state to have such a law on the books.
The law, if signed, would ban adults from impersonating the opposite sex in public or near where children could see it while appealing to prurient interests — that is, engaging in a sexually suggestive performance. Anyone who violates the law would be hit with a misdemeanor, and repeat offenders could face felony charges.
Critics call it discriminatory and argue it infringes on freedom of expression, while advocates of the law describe it as “pro-child.”
Discover To Start Tracking Users&#8217; Gun Purchases
Beginning in April 2023, Discover credit will become the first credit card company to track users’ gun purchases.
To listen to the audio version of this podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Thursday stock photo

Thursday Afternoon Update: Murdaugh Trial Closes, White House Defends Labor Pick, Tennessee Advances ‘Pro-Child’ Bill

Thursday Afternoon Update: Murdaugh Trial Closes, White House Defends Labor Pick, Tennessee Advances 'Pro-Child' Bill

Drag Queens

General

Morning Wire

Russia

Tennessee

Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) introduced new legislation on Wednesday that would force state-sponsored <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media</a> organizations operating on Capitol Hill to comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and other relevant U.S. laws.
The legislation from Bergman, a retired Marine Corps Lt. General who now serves as the Chairman of the House Armed Services Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee, comes after he wrote a <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000186-149d-d453-a38e-76dff17c0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last month specifically targeting Qatar&#8217;s Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN).
Bergman, along with two other Republican lawmakers, called for the &#8220;immediate suspension of press credentials for the Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN), and for that suspension to remain in place until the State of Qatar and its propaganda arm agree to adhere to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and other U.S. laws.&#8221;
For example, the letter noted that Al Jazeera has 136 employees who have press credentials while The New York Times only has 82 employees with the same access.
&#8220;Credentialed members of the House and Senate galleries enjoy unparalleled access to the U.S. Capitol, as well as to Senators, Members of Congress, and staffers,” the letter noted. “While this access is necessary for the media to provide accurate reporting to the American public, it is also the kind of access coveted by foreign powers seeking sensitive information from inside Congress.”
In addition to requiring compliance with FARA, Bergman’s <a href="https://bergman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1035" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> also:
<ul>
<li>Sets a limit of ten total press credentials for any qualifying foreign state-sponsored media outlet and its affiliates, and;</li>
<li>Requires FBI background checks for all individuals applying for credentials to the House Press Gallery through a qualifying foreign state-sponsored media outlet.</li>
</ul>
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Bergman&#8217;s bill highlights several foreign adversaries that have well-documented histories of spying on Americans — such as Russia, Qatar, and China — and that own powerful state-controlled propaganda organizations that have virtually unlimited access to U.S. lawmakers, making espionage easier.
&#8220;Troublingly, state-sponsored media outlets are not subjected to background checks prior to acquiring credentials, even if the outlet is owned or controlled by a state that is known to have conducted espionage operations targeting U.S. government officials or other Americans,&#8221; Bergman said in a statement. &#8220;Over the past decade, the People’s Republic of China, Russia, and the State of Qatar have aggressively deployed their espionage forces against United States Government agencies and government officials, as well as targeting thousands of United States businesses and Americans perceived to be opponents or dissidents of their regimes.&#8221;
Bergman&#8217;s office noted numerous examples of China, Russia, and Qatar spying on Americans on U.S. soil, thus highlighting the importance of the legislation.
&#8220;Unless and until state-sponsored media outlets respect our laws by registering under FARA, we cannot allow their employees almost unfettered access to the halls of Congress—especially if the FBI has never conducted background checks on those given &#8216;all-access passes&#8217; for Capitol Hill,&#8221; Bergman said. &#8220;If foreign state-sponsored media outlets from countries such as China, Qatar and Russia will not respect FARA and our laws protecting Americans from surveillance, the possibility is all too real that foreign intelligence services could use their propaganda arms to hide intelligence operatives in plain sight in the U.S. Capitol.&#8221;
“It is difficult to see how anyone could stand in opposition to legislation that merely requires foreign state-sponsored media outlets to comply with U.S. law in order to receive Congressional press credentials,” he concluded.

House GOP Meeting

GOP Rep Jack Bergman Introduces Bill To Crack Down On Foreign State Media Operating On Capitol Hill

Communist China

Espionage

Media

Qatar

The world is laughing at the United States with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office — or at least our Aussie friends down under are getting a good chuckle out of his presidency.
Earlier this week, Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi could not contain her laughter after Biden&#8217;s doctor released a report claiming the commander-in-chief is fit to serve. Panahi played a series of verbal miscues, stumbles, and other oddities from Biden&#8217;s time in the White House to compare with the medical update.
The montage must be seen to be believed:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Joe Biden’s blunders bring Sky News Australia host to tears" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WxXepkdJHko?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The week prior, Panahi also had fun at Biden&#8217;s expense as The Australian’s Washington correspondent, Adam Creighton, <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/rita-panahi/joe-biden-the-funniest-president-in-history-due-to-gaffe-phenomenon/video/9b7cdbe82f4a2157cd1480b1fdbab0fb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down</a> some of Biden&#8217;s greatest gaffes
&#8220;I have argued in other columns that this has been the funniest president in history because of this phenomenon,” Creighton told Panahi as the channel&#8217;s chyron read&#8221; Another Day Another Joe Biden Blunder.&#8221;
Creighton also pointed out that it is a somewhat worrying &#8220;phenomenon.&#8221;
“Of course, the humor is not intentional, but it’s nevertheless very, very funny – and somewhat worrying, I suppose,&#8221; he added.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Joe Biden the ‘funniest president in history’ due to gaffe ‘phenomenon’" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/spHMdwFLUdw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Last week, White House physician Kevin O’Connor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-doctor-claims-biden-fit-to-serve-as-president-despite-no-cognitive-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> in a memo<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> that Biden’s</a> most recent physical shows that he is in sufficient shape to remain serving as President of the United States, even though a cognitive test was not conducted, The Daily Wire reported.
“President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” O’Connor <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Health-Summary-2.16.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated.</a>
On Friday, ABC News released snippets of an interview in which — much like Panahi&#8217;s video compilation — the president appeared to show what appear to be moments of senility.
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For example, he couldn&#8217;t &#8220;recall&#8221; if he had spoken to the Mayor of East Palestine, Ohio, in wake of the toxic train derailment:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Biden is asked if he talked to the Mayor of East Palestine.
“I can&#39;t recall&#8230;I&#39;ve talked to everyone there is to talk to”
 <a href="https://t.co/BarWzl3qm8">pic.twitter.com/BarWzl3qm8</a>
&mdash; ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) <a href="https://twitter.com/alx/status/1629269381698969605?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Earlier on Friday, he floundered through a question from the press before departing from the White House.
“Are you planning on traveling to East Palestine?” a reporter asked Biden.
“At this moment not. I was, I did a whole video, I mean, uh, you know, the uh, what the hell?&#8221; he responded .&#8221;On Zoom. All I can hear every time I think of Zoom is that song of my generation, &#8216;Who&#8217;s Zoomin&#8217; Who?&#8217;”
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Q: “Are you planning on traveling to East Palestine?”
BIDEN: “At this moment not. I was, I did a whole video, I mean, uh, you know, the uh, what the Hell? On Zoom. All I can hear every time I think of Zoom is that song of my generation, &#39;Who&#39;s Zoomin&#39; Who?&#39;” <a href="https://t.co/tFo4zHhEkk">pic.twitter.com/tFo4zHhEkk</a>
&mdash; ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) <a href="https://twitter.com/alx/status/1629256968547233796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Who&#8217;s Zoomin&#8217; Who&#8221; was a 1985 Aretha Franklin hit song that came out when the president was 43 years old.
On that note, to <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/charles_m_schulz_105974#:~:text=Schulz%20Quotes&amp;text=Don't%20worry%20about%20the%20world%20coming%20to%20an%20end,is%20already%20tomorrow%20in%20Australia." target="_blank" rel="noopener">modify a phrase from</a> &#8220;Charlie Brown&#8221; creator Charles M. Schulz: Don&#8217;t worry about the world coming to an end today under Biden&#8217;s command. It&#8217;s already tomorrow in Australia.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 01: U.S. President Joe Biden meets virtually with baby formula manufacturers at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on June 01, 2022 in Washington, DC. Biden, along with other administration officials, met with executives from manufacturers including ByHeart, Bubs Australia, Reckitt, Perrigo Company and Gerber to discuss the ongoing baby formula shortage.

WATCH: Australian News Bursts Out Laughing At Biden

Australia

If you thought the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> was a walking disaster, then you thought wrong, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. It is actually a huge success because it doesn&#8217;t have a lot of straight, white men working in the executive branch, she bragged on Thursday.
&#8220;The Cabinet is majority people of color for the first time in history. The Cabinet is majority female for the first time in history. A majority of White House senior staff identify as female. Forty percent of White House senior staff identify as part of the racially diverse communities. And a record seven assistants to the president are openly LGBTQ+,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;So again, this is something that the president prides himself on.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jean-Pierre: &quot;The Cabinet is majority people of color for the first time in history. The Cabinet is majority female for the first time in history. A majority of White House senior staff identify is female and a record 7 assistants to the president are LGBTQ+.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BLlEfrwO3E">pic.twitter.com/BLlEfrwO3E</a>
&mdash; Joe Biden Showered With His Daughter (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1628836326081499139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Legacy Media would likely tell you that her comments weren&#8217;t a celebration of racism, sexism, or gender discrimination — they were an embrace of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Of course, when you think about it, that really means it&#8217;s a celebration of anti-white ideology, amongst other bigoted principles.
For this administration, a political appointee&#8217;s skin color and sexuality are what people should focus on when judging their victories. Merit matters not to this White House. In the words of the Hodge Twins responding to Jean-Pierre, &#8220;How many people are actually good at their job? Zero. None of this s*** matters.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
How many people are actually good at their job? Zero.
None of this shit matters. <a href="https://t.co/7P44JMNTWJ">https://t.co/7P44JMNTWJ</a>
&mdash; Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) <a href="https://twitter.com/hodgetwins/status/1628849894650789889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The Hodge Twins are correct — just take a look at Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg&#8217;s ability to lead his department.
Of course, no decent person actually cares about somebody&#8217;s race, gender, or creed. For conservatives, on a personal level, the content of somebody&#8217;s character is what’s important — nothing else. When choosing public servants, competency and the ability to excel at one&#8217;s duties on behalf of the American people is what counts, in addition to character.
That is not how the Biden administration sees it.
In fact, the president, an 80-year-old white guy, wants to transform the entire federal government by using this race-based Marxism to redistribute wealth. Just last week, he signed an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/turned-government-funded-racism-into-an-art-biden-creates-army-of-equity-bureaucrats-across-the-federal-government-with-latest-executive-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order mandating that the entire administration re-double</a> its equity efforts and create &#8220;agency equity teams&#8221; across the government.
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So, amidst historic inflation, high gas prices, the disaster at the border, transportation woes, arguably the worst press secretary ever, record fentanyl deaths, and World War III looming on the horizon, the Biden administration takes pride in the fact that they are meeting self-imposed racial and sexuality quotas.
The bad news is that it could get worse.
&#8220;White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre says the next Fed Chair will be hired based on how diverse they are, not strictly on their experience with monetary policy,&#8221; Townhall editor Katie Pavlich tweeted. &#8220;So, good luck with that America.&#8221;
Billionaire Elon Musk responded, &#8220;Maximum skill with monetary policy is extremely important in this role! A bad Fed decision affects the lives of everyone.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Maximum skill with monetary policy is extremely important in this role! 
A bad Fed decision affects the lives of everyone.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1628845480628355073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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January 20, 2025, cannot come here soon enough.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Holds Daily Briefing

White House Brags About Its Lack Of Whiteness

Biden Administration

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-rogan">Joe Rogan</a> reacted to the White House on Monday after it denied repeatedly that &#8220;alien or extraterrestrial activity&#8221; is in any way tied to the various objects that have been shot down in recent days.
The host of &#8220;The Joe Rogan Experience&#8221; podcast shared with his 16.3 million followers that it hadn&#8217;t even crossed his mind that the flying objects that have been shot down over the United States and Canada air space were tied to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/aliens">aliens</a>, until the White House insisted they were not.
&#8220;Now all of a sudden I think it actually is aliens,&#8221; Rogan wrote in his post on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ConSdyYus5S/">Instagram</a>. &#8220;#lookintoit.&#8221;
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The podcaster&#8217;s post included a screenshot of a headline in <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-house-aliens-ufo-spy-balloons-shot-b2281484.html">The Independent</a> that read, &#8220;No evidence of &#8216;alien or extraterrestrial&#8217; activity in shot-down objects, White House says.&#8221;
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took time to address what she called &#8220;questions and concerns&#8221; about the recent &#8220;takedowns&#8221; of the various <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schumer-says-u-s-officials-believe-ufos-shot-down-over-alaska-and-canada-were-balloons">unidentified flying objects</a>.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;There is no, again, no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns.&quot;
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed alien speculation in a briefing Monday regarding the latest downed unidenitified objects. <a href="https://t.co/tZegzXH4bj">pic.twitter.com/tZegzXH4bj</a>
&mdash; The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1625219255129210880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I just wanted to make sure we address this from the White House,&#8221; the WH Press Secretary shared. &#8220;I know there have been questions and concerns about this but there is no — again no — indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns.&#8221;
Her comments drew laughter from members of the press in the room, before Jean-Pierre repeated the denial again.
&#8220;Again there is no indication of alien or [extra]terrestrial activity with these recent takedowns,&#8221; the press secretary insisted. &#8220;Wanted to make sure the American people knew that. All of you knew that. And it was important for us to say that from here because we&#8217;ve been hearing a lot about it.&#8221;
The comments from the White House come after National Security Council spokesperson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-kirby">John Kirby</a> said that the flying objects didn&#8217;t appear to be connected to the Chinese airship that crossed U.S. airspace earlier this month that was later shot down, the outlet noted.
He also stressed that the U.S. has &#8220;no reason&#8221; to believe that the shot-down objects were &#8220;conducting surveillance of any kind,&#8221; but made clear that they couldn&#8217;t rule out the possibility yet.

Joe Rogan-2

Joe Rogan Responds To WH Denying ‘Alien Or Extraterrestrial Activity’ Tied To Shot-Down Objects

Aliens

Celebrities

Entertainment

Joe Rogan

President Joe Biden fired the embattled Architect of the U.S. Capitol (AOC) Brett Blanton, who faced accusations of abusing his position and government resources.
“After doing our due diligence, the Architect of [the] Capitol was terminated at the President’s direction,” a White House official <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/13/politics/architect-of-the-capitol-resignation-calls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CNN</a>, a move applauded by Republicans and Democrats in Congress. PunchBowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/2-13-23-biden-to-blanton-letter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published a short White House letter</a> sent to Blanton, declaring that his firing would be effective at 5 p.m.
Blanton, <a href="https://www.aoc.gov/about-us/who-we-are" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tasked with overseeing the operation and maintenance of Capitol Hill</a>, has been facing mounting criticism ever since last year&#8217;s release of an inspector general report that outlined <a href="https://www.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/oig-reports/AOC/2021-0011-INVI-P-Oversight-Post-Final_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a number of misconduct allegations</a>, including that he misused a government-owned vehicle and wasted taxpayer money, among other &#8220;substantiated violations.&#8221; He was also accused of misrepresenting himself as a law enforcement officer.
During an appearance under oath before the House Administration Committee, Blanton further stoked the ire of lawmakers when he testified last week about the watchdog&#8217;s findings and conceded that he did not think it was &#8220;prudent&#8221; for him not to drive to work on January 6, 2021, the day when a crowd of people breached the Capitol while Congress met to certify Biden&#8217;s victory in the 2020 election, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/09/lawmakers-capitol-hill-architect-misconduct-00081934" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to POLITICO</a>.
Still, Blanton denied doing anything unethical, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/13/politics/architect-of-the-capitol-resignation-calls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN reported</a>.
“I wholeheartedly reject any assertion that I have engaged in unethical behavior during my service to this country while serving in this particular role, I have taken my commitment to transform the agency’s culture to promote positive workplace for every AOC employee,” Blanton said. “Moreover, I have fully invested to ensure that I meet the responsibilities and the expectations of this role.”
News of Blanton&#8217;s ouster on Monday came shortly after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) called for Biden to take action if Blanton refused to step down.
&#8220;The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1625187743918702603" target="_blank" rel="noopener">McCarthy tweeted</a>.
Democrats in Congress voiced support for Biden&#8217;s decision to remove Blanton.
“After being given the opportunity to respond to numerous allegations of legal, ethical, and administrative violations, and failing to directly respond, the President has removed Mr. Brett Blanton from his position – a decision I firmly stand behind,&#8221; House Administration Committee ranking member Joe Morelle (D-NY) said in a statement. “President Biden did the right thing and heeded my call for action. I look forward to working with my colleagues to begin a search for a new Architect immediately.”
Blanton, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, had seven years left in his 10-year term. It was not immediately clear who would replace him as AOC.

Brett Blanton

Biden Fires Architect Of The Capitol

Biden Fires AOC

Capitol Hill

US Capitol

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/white-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> released a statement Saturday night giving details about a call that President Joe Biden had with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following a military operation that Canada allowed the U.S. military to conduct in its airspace.
NORAD tracked an unidentified object over Canada that was deemed to be a potential threat and a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor was scrambled to shoot it down.
&#8220;The object was closely tracked and monitored by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) over the last 24 hours and the President has been continually briefed by his national security team since the object was detected,&#8221; the White House&#8217;s readout of the call said. &#8220;Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized it to be taken down.&#8221;
&#8220;President Biden authorized US fighter aircraft assigned to NORAD to conduct the operation and a US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory in close coordination with Canadian authorities,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;The leaders discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin.&#8221;
The incident over Canada comes after the U.S. military shot down an unidentified object over Alaskan air space on Friday afternoon. The object, the size of a small car, was flying at 40,000 feet with a “cylindrical shape” over U.S. territorial water when it was shot down.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command released a statement over the incident on Saturday evening.
“Recovery operations continue today near Deadhorse, Alaska. U.S. Northern Command’s Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, in close coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement, are conducting search and recovery activities,” the statement said. “Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety.”
U.S. officials said that the recovery operations were happening on sea ice and there was not any additional information at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose, or origin.
The statement said that U.S. Northern Command was continuing to conduct recovery operations off the coast of South Carolina after the U.S. military used an F-22 Raptor last week to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean using a single air-to-air AIM-9X Sidewinder missile that was fired at an altitude of approximately 58,000 feet. The decision to shoot down the spy balloon came after President Joe Biden allowed it to fly thousands of miles over the continental U.S. last week.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to assist recovery on site and take custody of debris arriving at on-shore locations,” the statement concluded. “Sea states Feb. 10 permitted dive and underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV) activities and the retrieval of additional debris from the sea floor. The public may see U.S. Navy vessels moving to and from the site as they conduct offload and resupply activities. Operations will continue as weather permits.”

Biden

White House Releases Statement Following U.S. Air Force Shooting Down Object Over Canada

Alaska

Canada

National Security

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