Morning rundown: US expands military presence in Philippines; Phil sees his shadow

RAY BOGAN: PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY MEET TO DISCUSS THE DEBT CEILING, AND WILL NEW MEXICO MAKE AN OFFICIAL STATE AROMA? AND A COUPLE FUN FACTS ABOUT PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL FOR THIS GROUNDHOG DAY. 

THIS IS STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS.

U.S. TO INCREASE MILITARY PRESENCE IN PHILIPPINES

THE U.S. AND THE PHILIPPINES AGREED TO INCREASE AMERICA’S MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE COUNTRY. THE U.S. WILL NOW HAVE ACCESS TO FOUR MORE MILITARY BASES THERE. 

THIS IS AN EFFORT TO DETER CHINA AS THE COUNTRY’S LEADERS CONSIDER INVADING TAIWAN, AND CONTINUE TO EXPAND IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. 

THE JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT ALSO SAYS THE MILITARIES WILL WORK TO IMPROVE COMBINED TRAINING, EXERCISES, AND INTEROPERABILITY. THE U-S WILL MAKE AN $82 MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN THE COUNTRY’S MILITARY INFRASTRUCTURE. 

DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN HAS BEEN IN ASIA ALL WEEK. ON TUESDAY HE ANNOUNCED THE U-S WILL SEND MORE ADVANCED WEAPONS TO THE KOREAN PENINSULA INCLUDING FIGHTER JETS AND BOMBERS. 

VOTE ON REMOVING REP. OMAR FROM COMMITTEE

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WILL VOTE TODAY ON A RESOLUTION TO REMOVE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN ILHAN OMAR FROM THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP EXPECTS IT WILL PASS. 

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY SAID SHE SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE COMMITTEE BECAUSE OF STATEMENTS SHE’S MADE ABOUT ISRAEL AND 9-11. THAT INCLUDES EQUATING THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL TO HAMAS AND THE TALIBAN. 

OMAR’S FELLOW DEMOCRATS CONDEMNED HER STATEMENTS. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, THEY HAVE HER BACK, AND SHE SAYS SHE’S SORRY. 

REP. ILHAN OMAR | (D) MINNESOTA: “Whatever our disagreements might be as members of Congress, policy differences alone have not, and must not be cause for eliminating someone from serving on a committee.”

A FEW REPUBLICANS ARE EXPECTED TO VOTE AGAINST THE RESOLUTION. THEY SAY OMAR DESERVES MORE DUE PROCESS, AND THAT THIS COULD BECOME A TIT-FOR-TAT AFTER DEMOCRATS REMOVED REPUBLICANS FROM THEIR COMMITTEES LAST CONGRESS.

MCCARTHY ALSO REMOVED CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF AND ERIC SWALLWELL FROM THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE. 

BIDEN, MCCARTHY MEET TO DISCUSS DEBT CEILING

PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY MET FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR YESTERDAY TO DISCUSS THE DEBT CEILING. THERE WERE NO AGREEMENTS OR PROMISES, BUT SPEAKER MCCARTHY SAID IT WAS A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION AND HE THINKS THEY CAN FIND COMMON GROUND. 

THE U-S HIT IT’S 31.4 TRILLION DOLLAR DEBT CEILING JANUARY 19TH. THAT MEANS THE GOVERNMENT CAN’T BORROW ANYMORE MONEY TO PAY ITS BILLS UNLESS CONGRESS GIVES APPROVAL. BUT WITHOUT AN INCREASE, THE U-S WOULD DEFAULT ON ITS DEBT. SO FAR THIS FISCAL YEAR, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS SPENT 421 BILLION MORE DOLLARS THAN IT HAS COLLECTED. 

HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY | (R) CALIFORNIA: “The current path we’re on we cannot sustain. We’ve got to change the directory to put ourselves on a path to balance. How we get there will be our discussions.”

THE WHITE HOUSE SAID IN A STATEMENT: PRESIDENT BIDEN MADE CLEAR THAT, AS EVERY OTHER LEADER IN BOTH PARTIES IN CONGRESS HAS AFFIRMED, IT IS THEIR SHARED DUTY NOT TO ALLOW AN UNPRECEDENTED AND ECONOMICALLY CATASTROPHIC DEFAULT. 

CALIFORNIA SNOWPACK AT 40 YEAR HIGH

THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES SAYS THE STATE’S SIERRA SNOWPACK IS 205% ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. IT’S EVEN 128% ABOVE IT’S APRIL AVERAGE, WHICH IS WHEN THE SNOW LEVEL IS HIGHEST. THE STATE’S SNOW SURVEY MANAGER SAYS IT’S EXACTLY WHAT CALIFORNIA NEEDS TO HELP BREAK FROM ITS ONGOING DROUGHT. SNOW PACK PROVIDES ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE STATES WATER SUPPLY. THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT FLOODING WHEN IT STARTS TO MELT. THE STATE WILL HAVE TO TAKE STEPS TO MITIGATE THOSE RISKS. 

OFFICIAL STATE AROMA? NM CONSIDERS ROASTED CHILE

THERE ARE OFFICIAL STATE COLORS, STATE ANIMALS, STATE MOTTOS AND EVEN STATE BUGS. BUT NEW MEXICO MAY BECOME THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL AROMA. 

{NM STATE AROMA VO}

LAWMAKERS IN THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT WANT TO GIVE THAT TITLE TO ROASTED CHILE. THEY SAY IT’S A DISTINCTIVE SCENT THAT CAN BE FOUND IN NEARLY EVERY RECIPE FROM BREAKFAST BURRITOS TO RED CHILE LATTES. IT’S ALSO THE STATE’S SIGNATURE CROP. IN 2021, 60 PERCENT OF CHILE PEPPERS PRODUCED IN THE U-S CAME FROM NEW MEXICO. 

IT’S GROUNDHOG DAY

WELL FOLKS, IT’S DAY WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE WINTER BEGAN. TODAY IS GROUNDHOG DAY AND PUNSXATONY PHIL HAS PREDICTED THERE WILL BE SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER. THE GROUNDHOG CLUB THAT HOSTS THE EVENT SAYS PHIL IS CORRECT 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME. METEOROLOGISTS SAY HE’S RIGHT ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF THE TIME. SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT PHIL, HE IS MARRIED TO PHYLISS AND THEY HAVE NO CHILDREN. INCREDIBLY, PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL HAS BEEN MAKING THESE PREDICTIONS SINCE 1886 AND IT’S THIS REPORTERS OBSERVATION THAT HE HASN’T AGED A DAY.

THANKS FOR WATCHING THE DAILY RUNDOWN WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.
WE’RE ON A MISSION TO BRING BACK TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM BY ONLY SERVING YOU — NOT AN AGENDA.
WE’LL BE BACK WITH MORE NEWS THIS AFTERNOON.
UNTIL THEN, I’M RAY BOGAN…HAVE A SAFE DAY AND A GREAT DAY.