Summary
- The situation in Ukraine continues to unfold. Follow our live blog here for more updates on the possibility of a Russian invasion.
- The Texas attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over the mask mandate with air travel.
- Jurors in former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s libel case against the New York Times received notifications during their deliberations that the judge planned to dismiss the case.
- Investigators found that Ryan Zinke, the interior secretary for Donald Trump, misused his position to advance a development project in his Montana hometown and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement.
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Report: Biden expected to ask for more than $770bn in 2023 defense budget
Reuters is reporting that Joe Biden is expected to ask Congress for a defense budget exceeding $770bn for the next fiscal year.
The figure surpasses the record budget requests by former president Donald Trump.
Sources tell Reuters that the majority of these funds are going toward the Pentagon’s budget for spending on salaries, tanks and F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp, in addition to funds for the energy department’s nuclear weapons programs.
While the nuclear modernization effort – modernizing the nuclear “triad” of ballistic missile submarines, bombers and land-based missiles – is seen as a “must pay”, other top priorities of this budget include shipbuilding, developing capabilities in space and missile warning.
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