1 Reported Missile Launch From North Korea Briefly Grounds West Coast Flights
North Korea’s latest stunt: firing a missile which landed in the Sea of Japan. Turns out, the F-A-A ordered a full ground stop for West Coast flights around that time. While it was brief – reportedly between seven and 20 minutes – it was ordered around the same time North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. Still, the FAA’s statement is leaving people with more questions than answers. “As a matter of precaution, the FAA temporarily paused departures at some airports along the West Coast on Monday night,” the statement notes. “Full operations resumed in less than 15 minutes. The FAA regularly takes precautionary measures. We are reviewing the process around this ground stop as we do after all such events.”
2 Top Health Officials – Including Fauci – Defend Their Covid Response
Top U.S. health officials are playing defense as the nation grapples with a shortage of COVID testing kits and changing guidelines. On the offense? Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and others, including North Carolina Republican Richard Burr noted long lines across the U.S. for COVID testing. He also ripped ever-changing CDC guidelines. But what everyone’s talking about? The VERY testy exchange between Senator Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci. Paul accused Fauci of dismissing and attacking other scientists who disagree with him about COVID therapy treatments. Fauci accused Paul of "distorting everything about me" and inspiring death threats against him and his family. But their spat wasn’t the only verbal fracas. During the hearing, Senator Roger Marshall also questioned Fauci on his financial disclosures – and the fact that he’s the highest paid federal employee in the government (making more than $400k per year). Fauci got so heated that he was caught calling Marshall a “moron” on a hot mic.
3 Biden: Lift Senate Filibuster To Pass Voting Rights Bills
President Biden is calling on majority Democrats to lift the Senate filibuster to pass two federal voting rights bills. Speaking in Atlanta, Biden argued that the bills have to be passed somehow. The filibuster requires 60-votes to advance legislation. He said Senate Republicans won't even support debating the two bills. Biden is a former senator and he called the Senate a "shell of its former self." Democrats hold the majority in the 50-50 Senate because Vice President Harris can break ties. Biden ripped new election laws in many Republican-led states, including Georgia. He called the new state laws attempted voter suppression. Thing is? There are two Senate Democrats – West Virginia's Joe Manchin and Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema – who are also resistant to calls to lift the filibuster.