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The Morning Rundown™

Morning rundown: US testing requirements for Chinese travelers; Twitter outage

Dec 29, 2022

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The Biden administration announced new COVID testing requirements for Chinese travelers; U.S. is selling millions of dollars of arms to Taiwan; and a Twitter outage causes outrage. These stories and more highlight our morning rundown for Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. 

US requires testing from China travelers

Starting next week, any travelers from China to the U.S.. will need to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding their flights. The CDC announced the new requirement as a recent covid-surge has swept over China.

The CDC is also asking Americans to reconsider any travel plans to China or Hong Kong as hospitals are overwhelmed with the wave of cases.

The U.S. is not alone or first to add testing requirements. Japan, India, and Taiwan all have similar rules. Italy has a testing requirement also after nearly 100 passengers on a plane from China to Italy tested positive for COVID.

Rep.-Elect George Santos investigation

Incoming congressman George Santos, R, of New York is now under investigation after he admitted to lying about his heritage, education, and professional experience on his resume.

Federal prosecutors are looking into his finances and financial disclosures to see if there is more the congressman-elect hasn’t been honest about.

Santos is still full-steam ahead on taking office in January.

$180 million arms sale to Taiwan

The Biden administration has approved a potential $180 million arms sale to Taiwan. The equipment would include military-grade vehicles capable of rapidly firing land mines over a large area.

It’s expected to be part of Taiwan’s defense capabilities in case China invades Taiwan.

The move is sure to draw negative attention from Chinese officials. But it’s far from the first time the U.S. has provided arms to our ally. In September, nearly 200 missiles were part of a $1.1 billion deal. And next year, Taiwan will establish a new defense program through the U.S. defense bill funding.

Israel PM Netanyahu resumes office

Benjamin Netanyahu returns to office today as Israel’s prime minister. Netanyahu previously served from 2009-2021 and before that in the 90’s.

The first day back for Netanyahu was met with protests. His ideology coming into this term is seen as the country’s most religious and ultra-nationalist government in Israel’s history.

Priorities include Jewish-settlement expansion in the West Bank, ending the Israeli-Arab conflict, and dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.

Twitter fixes overnight outage

Roughly 10,000 Twitter users were having issues with their Twitter accounts overnight. A global outage was reported with many unable to access the website for several hours.

The issue was largely resolved by the early morning hours Thursday.

Elon Musk responded to the outage by saying there’s been “significant back-end server changes that should make Twitter feel faster” now.

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KARAH RUCKER: THE CDC IS ASKING AMERICANS TO “RECONSIDER” ANY TRAVEL PLANS TO CHINA AS CASES SURGE.

THIS IS YOUR MORNING RUNDOWN AIMED DOWN THE MIDDLE WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

US REQUIRES TESTING FROM CHINA TRAVELERS

STARTING NEXT WEEK, ANY TRAVELERS FROM CHINA TO THE U.S. WILL NEED TO TEST NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19 BEFORE BOARDING THEIR FLIGHTS.

THE CDC ANNOUNCING THE NEW REQUIREMENT AS A RECENT COVID-SURGE HAS SWEPT OVER CHINA.

THE CDC ALSO ASKING AMERICANS TO RECONSIDER ANY TRAVEL PLANS TO CHINA OR HONG KONG AS HOSPITALS ARE OVERWHELMED WITH THE WAVE OF CASES.

THE U.S. IS NOT ALONE OR FIRST TO ADD TESTING REQUIREMENTS.

JAPAN, INDIA, TAIWAN ALL HAVE SIMILAR RULES.

ITALY HAS A TESTING REQUIREMENT ALSO AFTER NEARLY 100 PASSENGERS ON A PLANE FROM CHINA TO ITALY TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID.

REP.-ELECT GEORGE SANTOS INVESTIGATION

INCOMING-CONGRESSMAN GEORGE SANTOS OF NEW YORK IS NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER HE ADMITTED TO LYING ABOUT HIS HERITAGE, EDUCATION, AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ON HIS RESUME.

SANTOS IS NOW THE SUBJECT OF BOTH A FEDERAL AND LOCAL PROBE INTO HIS PAST.

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ARE LOOKING INTO HIS FINANCES AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES TO SEE IF THERE IS MORE THE CONGRESSMAN-ELECT HASN’T BEEN HONEST ABOUT.

SANTOS IS STILL FULL-STEAM AHEAD ON TAKING OFFICE IN JANUARY.

$180 MILLION ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS APPROVED A POTENTIAL 180 MILLION DOLLAR ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN.

THE EQUIPMENT WOULD INCLUDE MILITARY-GRADE VEHICLES CAPABLE OF RAPIDLY FIRING LAND MINES OVER A LARGE AREA.

IT’S EXPECTED TO BE PART OF TAIWAN’S DEFENSE CAPABILITIES IN THE CASE CHINA INVADES TAIWAN.

THE MOVE IS SURE TO DRAW NEGATIVE ATTENTION FROM CHINESE OFFICIALS.

BUT IT’S FAR FROM THE FIRST TIME THE U.S. HAS PROVIDED ARMS TO OUR ALLY.

IN SEPTEMBER NEARLY 200 MISSILES WERE PART OF A 1.1 BILLION DOLLAR DEAL.

AND NEXT YEAR TAIWAN WILL ESTABLISH A NEW DEFENSE PROGRAM THROUGH THE U.S. DEFENSE BILL FUNDING.

ISRAEL PM NETANYAHU RESUMES OFFICE

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU RETURNS TO OFFICE TODAY AS ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER.

NETANYAHU PREVIOUSLY SERVED FROM 2009-2021 AND BEFORE THAT IN THE 90’S.

THE FIRST DAY BACK FOR NETANYAHU WAS MET WITH PROTEST WHICH WAS EXPECTED.

Hagai Frenkel | protester: “We are going to have the most racist government that we ever had in Israel. This is a government that is based on people that not only they are racists, a great deal of those people have criminal records in their history, some of them are standing on trial, including the supposed-to-be prime minister.”

RUCKER: HIS IDEOLOGY COMING INTO THIS TERM IS SEEN AS THE COUNTRY’S MOST RELIGIOUS AND ULTRA-NATIONALIST GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY.

PRIORITIES INCLUDE JEWISH-SETTLEMENT EXPANSION IN THE WEST BANK…ENDING THE ISRAELI-ARAB CONFLICT…AND DISMANTLE IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM.

TWITTER FIXES OVERNIGHT OUTAGE

ROUGHLY 10 THOUSAND TWITTER USERS WERE HAVING ISSUES WITH THEIR TWITTER ACCOUNTS OVERNIGHT.

A GLOBAL OUTAGE WAS REPORTED WITH MANY UNABLE TO ACCESS THE WEBSITE FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

THE ISSUE HAS BEEN LARGELY RESOLVED BY THE EARLY MORNING HOURS THURSDAY.

ELON MUSK RESPONDING TO THE OUTAGE BY SAYING THERE’S BEEN “SIGNIFICANT BACK-END SERVER CHANGES THAT SHOULD MAKE TWITTER FEEL FASTER” NOW.