Scott

So who are the Special Forces mentioned in Bkk Brian's post? The 300 Blackout name is perfect because it is heavier and larger than other calibers. This sturdy caliber is even designed for special operation forces.

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Getting to America was supposed to be the hard part. Now, for thousands of Afghan allies who evacuated alongside U.S. troops, staying in the country is proving to be just as harrowing. More than 18 months after nearly 76,000 Afghan refugees arrived on military planes, Congress has failed to create a path to legal permanent residency. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/afghans-resettled-us-face-uncertain-future-fear-forced/story?id=96884313

Former Twitter executives told a House committee Wednesday that the social media company made a mistake in its handling of a controversial New York Post story on Hunter Biden's laptop. The action by the social media platform just weeks before the 2020 election unleashed a wave of backlash from Republicans, who accused Twitter executives of suppressing the story to shield President Joe Biden and his family from what they say was damaging material found on a laptop hard drive belonging to the president's son. During a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Republicans grilled the three executives about the company's decision to block users from sharing the story on the younger Biden, and suggested the social media giant acted under orders from the government when it suppressed the story. https://abcnews.go.com/US/former-twitter-execs-house-committee-removal-hunter-biden/story?id=96979014

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended his government's response to two catastrophic earthquakes, saying it was impossible to prepare for the scale of the disaster. At least 12,000 people are confirmed dead in Turkey and northern Syria. Critics claimed the emergency services' response was too slow and the government was poorly prepared. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64577371

Troll post and reply reported and removed.

— A majority of Americans say he hasn’t accomplished much and many Democrats aren’t thrilled at the prospect of him running for reelection. But when President Joe Biden took to the House Chamber on Tuesday for his annual State of the Union address, his message was one of unadulterated optimism – gloom be damned. Delivering what was widely viewed as a test run for his reelection announcement, Biden claimed credit for progress made during his first two years in office while stressing the job isn’t finished. He faced sometimes-unruly Republicans, with whom he energetically sparred from the podium on spending cuts. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/takeaways-biden-state-of-the-union-address/index.html

Inflammatory post removed.

Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday it rejects any effort to reimplement the controversial Trump-era policy known as "remain in Mexico" for asylum-seekers. The policy, officially named the "Migrant Protection Protocols" (MPP), requires some asylum-seekers to be sent back to Mexico during immigration proceedings. In December, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk halted the Biden administration's latest attempt to end the program while a legal challenge, launched by Texas and Missouri aimed at forcing its reinstatement, is considered in court. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mexico-rejects-effort-reinstate-remain-mexico-policy-asylum/story?id=96939554

In the HBO show “The Last of Us,” characters identify zombies among them by the fungi that bursts from their bodies, and fungal parasites manipulate the humans to infect the communities around them. In real life, the fungal species that inspired the story, Ophiocordyceps, infects insects and does not cause problems for people. HBO, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. However, the threat from fungal pathogens is increasing, experts say, and may grow much worse in a warmer, wetter and sicker world. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/health/fungus-health-threat-scn/index.html

Australia is at risk of polarisation — a societal split — with low trust in institutions such as the government and media being a key element. A new study warns the nation is on a divisive path — towards countries with high socio-economic inequalities such as the US, South Africa and Argentina — if the direction is not corrected. The research in these countries suggests citizens feel both the divide and that such divisions cannot be overcome. A new study warns the nation is on a divisive path — towards countries with high socio-economic inequalities such as the US, South Africa and Argentina — if the direction is not corrected. The research in these countries suggests citizens feel both the divide and that such divisions cannot be overcome. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-08/trust-slump-as-division-rules/101939406

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the central bank's fight against inflation has "a long way to go," citing a blockbuster jobs report last week that showed the labor market remains hot despite the Fed's efforts to cool the economy. "This process is likely to take quite a bit of time," Powell said. "It's not likely to be smooth." Consumer prices rose 6.5% over the yearlong period ending in December, which amounts to a significant slowdown from a summer peak but is more than triple the Federal Reserve's target of 2%. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/inflation-fight-long-federal-reserve-chair-jerome-powell/story?id=96953701

A newborn baby girl has been saved by rescuers from beneath the rubble of a building in north-western Syria that was destroyed by Monday's earthquake. Her mother went into labour soon after the disaster and gave birth before she died, a relative said. Her father, four siblings and an aunt were also killed. Dramatic footage showed a man carrying the baby, covered in dust, after she was pulled from debris in Jindayris. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64555960

An immigration official in the Canadian province of Quebec has said it is "surprising" to learn that New York City is sending migrants to the country's border. New York City mayor Eric Adams told Fox 5 that his administration was assisting migrants who had been sent to his city but wanted to go elsewhere. "Some want to go to Canada, some want to go to warmer states, and we are there for them as they continue to move on with their pursuit of this dream," Mr Adams said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64489465

There is at least one very good documentary on how Purdue Pharmaceuticals and the Sackler family were using questionable data to convince doctors that massive doses were not addictive. One of the ways they did this, was to use a former heroin addict, whose tolerance was extremely high. I believe they also used junkets for representatives who were upping sales. It's very scary that some agency didn't catch this much faster than it did. The problem, of course, wasn't just the drugs, but the sudden withdrawal when the easy prescriptions dried up. That was, in part, the rise of Fentanyl.

As I understand it. They use different elevations to get different winds to take them in the direction they want to go. I suspect, and read somewhere, it has some maneuverability.

The American military had a “domain awareness gap” that allowed three other suspected Chinese spy balloons to transit the continental United States undetected under the Trump administration, the Pentagon general responsible for providing air and missile defense over North America said on Monday. “Every day as a NORAD commander, it’s my responsibility to detect threats to North America. I will tell you that we did not detect those threats,” Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command said when asked about the three other balloons. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/politics/pentagon-balloon-monday/index.html

The head of private school Epsom College has been found dead along with her husband and seven-year-old daughter in a property on school grounds. Emma Pattison, 45, her husband George, 39, and their daughter Lettie were found dead at 01:10 GMT on Sunday. Officers from Surrey Police said they were confident there was "no third-party involvement". https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64533429

For the 3rd time on this thread: he US Department of Defense said three other of these crafts 'briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.' “

For the 3rd time on this thread: he US Department of Defense said three other of these crafts 'briefly transited the continental United States at least three times during the prior administration.' “

Off-topic troll posts removed.

Original topic here: //closed//

7:41 At least 2,300 people now confirmed dead The death toll in Turkey from this morning's earthquake has risen again to 1,498, according to the country's disaster management agency. The combined death toll from the initial quake in Turkey and Syria now stands at more than 2,300 after 810 people were confirmed dead in Syria, the AFP news agency reports. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/64533954

More than 2,000 dead after major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria https://www.bbc.com/news/live/64533954

Trolling graphic removed.

A powerful earthquake has hit Gaziantep in south-eastern Turkey, near the border with Syria. The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep. The quake was felt in the capital Ankara and other Turkish cities, and also across the region. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64533851