Today’s News Briefs include the Military seeking refund from “The Rock”; US hostages home; Black bear encounters; US Debt $142 trillion; Child tax credit fails.
US Hostages swapped for Russian terrorists
Americans Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza are home after being swapped in a prisoner exchange with Russia. The deal came at a heavy price and may endanger Americans who could be now be targets across the globe by groups seeking a release of their own members from US jails, say experts. The Russians exchanged for the Americans were guilty of espionage, fraud and murder, according to the Associated Press. In 2022, Biden traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner. “We must recognize that President Biden and Kamala Harris have now stated that we will be subject to pressure from state terrorists who illegally kidnap Americans overseas for ransom or trade,” stated former US Ambassador James S. Gilmore.
Black bear encounters skyrocket
Americans are increasingly encountering black bears who are thriving as incidents rise in 18 states, Newsweek
reports. More than 46,000 incidents were reported to state agencies in 2022, according to data compiled by the International Association for Bear Research and Management. Missouri is among the states that include Arizona, California, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Successful conservation efforts have led to an increase from just 21,000 encounters in 2015. There are an estimated 471,000 black bears in 41 states.
Staggering US debt for future generations
Justfactsdaily reports that “Based on data from a U.S. Treasury report, the federal government has amassed $142 trillion in debts, liabilities, and unfunded obligations. This staggering figure equals 93% of all the wealth Americans have accumulated since the nation’s founding, estimated by the Federal Reserve to be $152 trillion.” The news site says “$142 trillion applies strictly to Americans who are alive right now and includes the government’s commercial assets. Thus, it quantifies the financial burden that today’s Americans are leaving to their children and future generations.” Although the Treasury
published the report in February,
Google News indicates that no major media outlet has mentioned it. Just Facts Daily is a research effort that pours through government data.
Democrats fail to pass Child Tax Credit
The Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate failed on Aug. 1 to advance a bipartisan deal to expand the Child Tax Credit. The Tax Relief for Working Families and Americans Act was unveiled in January by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) as a compromise bill to expand the Child Tax Credit. The bill would make the $2,000 credit fully refundable by 2025, adjust it for inflation, and allow parents to claim separate credits for each child, as opposed to a single credit regardless of the number of children. Republicans passed the bill in the House on Jan. 31 in a large bipartisan vote of 357–70.
Military wants a refund from “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson.
American Military news
reports the “U.S. Army’s $11 million marketing partnership with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and the United Football League failed to help the Army gain new recruits and may have had a negative impact on attracting new enlistments. Internal documents and emails reviewed by the outlet show the campaign and partnership with the progressive Johnson and the United Football league, which he partly owns, likely did not lead to any new Army recruits. The Army is attempting to get some of the money back from Johnson and the league. Polls indicate that young men are increasingly not influenced by progressive personalities and are now likely to identify with conservative policies and candidates.
–Dwight Widaman and wire services
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