Pentagon: Chinese spy balloon spotted over Western U.S.

The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has “very high confidence” it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it...

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A new crypto threat to government launches

If the spread of social media to the Middle East sparked the Arab Spring, imagine what will happen when people get their hands on crypto tools that allow them to send money, form groups and enter into financial contracts — all with more secrecy than Bitcoin provides. That’s the startling pitch from Amir Taaki, an early Bitcoin developer now working with an international group...

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U.S. supports blocking Russia and Belarus from 2024 Olympics as war rages in Ukraine

The U.S. supports blocking Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics unless it is “absolutely clear” that they are not representing their respective countries, the White House announced on Thursday. As Russia continues to wage its almost yearlong war in Ukraine, a handful of Ukrainian allieshave called on the International Olympic Committee to ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. White House...

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Roy Wood Jr. named entertainer at 2023 White House Correspondents' dinner

Roy Wood Jr., the stand-up comedian known for his work on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," will be the featured entertainer at the 2023 annual White House Correspondents' dinner, the Correspondents’ Association announced on Thursday. “It will be a great night that will go down in the history books, or not, depending on which state you live in,” Wood said in the announcement. The...

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders picked for GOP State of the Union response

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week, GOP leaders from both houses of Congress announced Thursday. Sanders, the youngest governor in the U.S., was elected to the governor's mansion in Little Rock last November and sworn in early last month. She is the daughter of former Arkansas...

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Opinion | Fake it Till You Make It: The Generational Explanation Behind George Santos

The congressman representing the “Great Gatsby” district of Long Island and Queens, N.Y. faked it till he made it. Much like the self-mythologizing Jay Gatsby, Rep. George Santos lied about his education and work history but still achieved a version of the American Dream — getting elected to federal office. Exposed as a fabulist, Santos is now being called on to resign,...

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Jan. 6 defendant who sprayed line of police sentenced after tearful apology

A Jan. 6 defendant who sprayed a chemical irritant at about 15 police officers — and later bragged about it in a video interview — was sentenced Wednesday to 68 months in prison. This is one of the stiffest Jan. 6 sentences handed down to date. Daniel Caldwell, a 51-year-old Marine Corps veteran, delivered a tearful apology in court to the officers he sprayed, expressing...

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