Government

House Approves System For Reporting UFO Sightings

Politico reports: The House on Wednesday voted to create a secure government system for reporting UFOs and to compel current and former officials to reveal what they might know about the mysterious phenomena by promising to protect them from reprisal. The bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, passed by voice vote without debate, is part of an aggressive …

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NYC Issues Nuclear Attack Preparedness PSA [VIDEO]

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: New York City launched a nuclear attack preparedness public service announcement on Monday, saying it’s best to be prepared even if such a strike is unlikely. “While the likelihood of a nuclear weapon incident occurring in/near New York City is very low, it is important New Yorkers know the steps to stay safe,” the …

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Federal Court Axes Trump-Era HHS Anti-LGBTQ Rule

Law & Crime reports: Days before the end of Donald Trump’s tenure, the departing president’s administration imposed a rule that gutted the “non-discrimination” provisions for the receipt of the roughly $500 billion in funds administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A federal judge has rescinded that Trump-era rule, restoring the regulations that existed in the wake …

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Manhattan Launches “Pooper Scooper” Law Crackdown

NY1 reports: City officials in Manhattan are warning dog owners they’ll have to pay up if they don’t pick up as residents complain of dog poop piling up on city sidewalks. City Councilman Erik Bottcher, who represents parts of Manhattan including Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, said on Friday that the Sanitation Department’s Canine Task Force will be assigning more agents …

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FAA Issues Record Fines Against Two “Unruly” Fliers

Via press release from the FAA: U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed the largest-ever fines ever against two passengers for alleged unruly behavior. The fines of $81,950 and $77,272, respectively, are part of the approximately $2 million the agency has proposed since Jan. 1, 2022. “If you are on an airplane, don’t be a jerk and don’t …

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Arizona First State To Allow Digital IDs In iPhone Wallet

The Verge reports: The first state to officially roll out Apple’s digital driver’s license and state ID is Arizona, the iPhone maker announced Wednesday. “Starting today, Arizonans can add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet, and tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to seamlessly and securely present it at select TSA security checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International …

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NYC Fire Department To Begin Using Robot Dogs

The New York Times reports: Inside a dimly lit tunnel along a stretch of simulated subway track, one of the New York Fire Department’s new dogs showed off a few of its tricks. Lie down. Roll over. Stay. But the most remarkable things that the two robotic dogs can do were mastered by real dogs long ago: jogging across rugged …

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Senate Votes To Overturn Air Travel Mask Mandate

Roll Call reports: The Senate voted 57-40 to overturn a federal requirement that passengers on U.S. airplanes and other modes of public transportation wear masks. The Congressional Review Act measure, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is the latest salvo in a fight between congressional Republicans and the Biden administration over public health requirements related to the pandemic. Despite the …

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Senate Votes To Make Daylight Savings Time Permanent

Reuters reports: The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday to make Daylight Savings Time permanent, a move supporters say would make winter afternoons brighter and end the twice changing of clocks. The measure still needs approval from the U.S. House of Representatives and the backing of President Joe Biden. On Sunday, most of the United States resumed Daylight Savings Time, …

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Senate Approves $1.5T Spending Bill In 68-31 Vote

CNN reports: The Senate voted on a bipartisan basis Thursday evening to pass a massive $1.5 trillion government funding bill that includes $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine. The bill, which the House passed Wednesday evening, can now be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The final tally in the Senate was 68-31. Government funding is …

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House Passes $1.5T Spending Bill In Late Night Vote

The New York Times reports: The House on Wednesday passed a sprawling $1.5 trillion federal spending bill that includes a huge infusion of aid for war-torn Ukraine and money to keep the government funded through September, after jettisoning a package to fund President Biden’s new Covid-19 response effort. Bipartisan approval of the first major government spending legislation of Mr. Biden’s …

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FDA: Family Dollar Products Might Contain Rat Feces

Via press release from the FDA: Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting the public that several categories of FDA-regulated products purchased from Jan. 1, 2021, through the present from Family Dollar stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee may be unsafe for consumers to use. The impacted products originated from the company’s distribution facility in …

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Feds Seize $100M Worth Of Fake Super Bowl Swag

The Los Angeles Times reports: Nearly $100 million in counterfeit sports-related items were seized at flea markets and retail outlets around Los Angeles in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVI, federal officials announced this week. More than 267,500 items, including fake jerseys, jackets, hats, rings, souvenirs and tickets were seized as part of “Operation Team Player,” a joint effort involving …

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House Approves Major Overhaul Of USPS Finances

The New York Times reports: The House on Tuesday approved the most significant overhaul of the Postal Service in nearly two decades, seeking to address the beleaguered agency’s financial woes and counter pandemic-era mail delays that became a flash point in the 2020 elections. The service has teetered on the brink of insolvency for years, as repeated efforts to revamp …

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FAA Nixes FedEx’s Request For Anti-Missile Lasers

Reuters reports: The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it was withdrawing proposed conditions that could have allowed delivery company FedEx Corp to install a laser-based missile-defense on Airbus A321-200 airplanes. The FAA said Tuesday it “has determined that further internal study is necessary.” The FAA said to avoid confusion “a comment period on a proposal that the agency is …

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House Raises Debt Ceiling In 221-209 Party Line Vote

CBS News reports: The resolution introduced in the Senate on Tuesday to raise the debt limit by $2.5 trillion passed along party lines, 50 to 49. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said this would mean Congress won’t have to fight about raising the debt limit again until 2023 — beyond the midterm elections. The legislation headed to the House of …

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House Approves Debt Ceiling Bill In Party Line Vote

The New York Times reports: The House approved legislation on Tuesday that would pave the way for a swift increase in the debt ceiling amid a Republican blockade, after congressional leaders in both parties agreed to try an unusual maneuver that could avert the threat of a first-ever federal default. The 222-to-212 vote came after days of quiet bipartisan talks …

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House Approves $768 Billion Defense Spending Bill

CBS News reports: The House on Monday night approved the 2022 annual defense bill, which authorizes programs and spending guidelines for the Pentagon and other national security programs, includes changes to military prosecutions, more money for Ukraine and a pay raise for service members. The bill had bipartisan support, garnering 363 votes. Fifty-one Democrats and 19 Republicans voted against it. …

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Tentative Deal Reached To Avert Government Shutdown

The Washington Post reports: House and Senate leaders on Thursday announced they had reached a deal on a bill to fund the government into mid-February, opening the door for lawmakers to narrowly avoid a shutdown entering this weekend. The agreement on a new stopgap spending measure set the House on a path to vote before the end of the day, …

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Pentagon Forms Task Force To Investigate UFO Reports

From the Department of Defense: Today, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, in close collaboration with the Director of National Intelligence, directed the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security to establish within the Office of the USD(I&S) the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group (AOIMSG) as the successor to the U.S. Navy’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. …

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