The College Board has released a statement condemning the Florida Department of Education's "slander" of its African American Studies course. They have expressed regret for not immediately denouncing the comments and called for the attacks on Black scholars to stop. Governor DeSantis has said he will “re-evaluate” the state’s relationship with the College Board, but the outcome of this evaluation is unclear.
News Mash
President Joe Biden has fired J. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, following a report of abuse of authority and misuse of taxpayer money. Blanton had been appointed by former President Donald Trump and was subject to bipartisan criticism for his alleged misdeeds. After doing due diligence, the President terminated Blanton at his direction.
A coolant leak on a Russian supply ship docked to the International Space Station (ISS) has caused the launch of a replacement Soyuz capsule to be postponed until March. The leak was discovered on the Soyuz MS-22 crew ferry ship, which was docked at the Russian Rassvet module, and is believed to have been caused by a presumed micrometeoroid impact in December. The delay of the Soyuz capsule launch will not affect the operations of the ISS, as there are currently three crew members on board.
The Pentagon has released details on an unidentified flying object shot down in Canadian airspace, which was a "small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it." China has reported that high-altitude balloons belonging to the United States had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since early last year. Lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration for more information on the objects and if they posed any threat to the United States or its allies.
At Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Joe Biden accused Republicans of wanting to use "debt ceiling" negotiations to force cuts to Social Security and Medicare. In response, Democrats proposed a bill to increase Social Security benefits and fund them through taxes on the wealthy. The debate over Social Security and Medicare continues to be a contentious issue in Washington, with both sides proposing different solutions.
The US military has shot down three unidentified objects in North American airspace in the past week. John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, has said that the objects were detected by early-detection radar. He did not comment on whether the objects had any connection to China’s spy balloon. The US military is continuing to investigate the objects and their origin.
The Biden administration has announced the formation of an interagency group to address the recent uptick of unidentified aerial phenomena over North America. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has assured the public that there is no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns. The interagency group will be tasked with studying the policy implications of these unidentified aerial objects and providing a report to the president in the coming weeks.
President Joe Biden has fired J. Brett Blanton, the Architect of the Capitol, following allegations of misuse of government resources and his absence during the January 6, 2021, insurrection. A scathing inspector general report found "administrative, ethical and policy violations" by Blanton, including abuse of government property and misrepresenting himself as a law enforcement official. The decision to terminate Blanton was made after bipartisan calls for his firing or resignation, including from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. It is unclear who will replace Blanton as the Architect of the Capitol.