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Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Don't miss The Daybreak Daily — scroll to the bottom of these top news stories

Biden Administration Approves Utilizing Medicaid to Pay for Groceries, Nutritional Counseling

Wall Street Journal: The Biden administration has started approving state requests to use Medicaid to pay for groceries and nutritional counseling as policy makers explore whether “food as medicine” programs can lead to broad health benefits and trim costs. A growing body of research suggests that addressing food insecurity can improve health as well as deliver savings by reducing medical visits, the need for medication, or by helping control serious illness (Wall Street Journal). National Review: Critics argue that expanding Medicaid to pay for food is unnecessary and redundant, because the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, already helps disadvantaged people buy groceries. Stretching Medicaid’s purpose beyond medical services will ultimately grow the federal government and make recipients more dependent on new offerings, they say (National Review).

Microsoft Advertising Removes Labels on Conservative Outlets Describing Them as Disinformation to Deter Ad Revenue

Townhall.com was labeled “reprehensible/offensive.” Washington Examiner: Microsoft has removed negative flags for conservative media outlets that have blocked them from reaping key advertising dollars amid the corporation launching an internal review and suspending its subscription to a “disinformation” tracking group’s blacklist used to “defund” disfavored speech. The Microsoft-owned Xandr, a major advertising company, previously abided by a secret blacklist of conservative news compiled by the Global Disinformation Index, a British organization with two affiliated U.S. nonprofit groups. Now, as Microsoft appears to be taking steps to distance itself from GDI , the company has, for the time being, deleted flags such as “false/misleading” and “reprehensible/offensive” for right-leaning websites (Washington Examiner). Gabe Kaminsky: Some websites flagged as “false/misleading.” What this means is that Xandr slashed ad dollars from these websites based on the idea that their spreading disinfo (Twitter). Ed Morrissey: Included in those blacklists were most of Salem Media’s sites—Townhall was rated “reprehensible/offensive,” while others—such as Hot Air—got tagged as “false/misleading” without any evidence. Most hilariously, GDI’s public report hailed Buzzfeed as one of the most reliable sources even after its publication of outright disinformation in the Steele dossier, while rating the libertarian Reason Magazine’s site as one of the highest risks for disinformation (HotAir).

China attempts to intimidate the Philippines After They Broker Military Deal with US

CNN: The Philippine Coast Guard has accused a China Coast Guard ship of pointing a “military grade” laser at some of its crew, temporarily blinding them, aboard a vessel in contested waters of the South China last week. The Chinese ship also “made dangerous maneuvers” in approaching within 150 yards (137 meters) of the Philippine vessel, the Philippine Coast Guard alleged in a statement (CNN). Associated Press: The Philippines has filed nearly 200 diplomatic protests against China’s aggressive actions in the disputed waters in 2022 alone. China claims the South China Sea virtually in its entirety, putting it on a collision course with other claimants (Associated Press). This comes right after the US secures access to four military bases in the Philippines to monitor Chinese aggressions in the region (BBC).

Biden Looks to Sell 26 Million Additional Barrels of Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Bloomberg: The Biden administration plans to sell more crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, fulfilling budget directives mandated years ago that it had sought to stop as oil prices have stabilized. The congressionally mandated sale will amount to 26 million barrels of crude, according to people familiar with the matter. The sale is in accordance with a budget mandate enacted in 2015 for the current fiscal year, said a spokesperson for the Department of Energy. The Energy Department has sought to stop some of the sales required by 2015 legislation so that it can refill the emergency reserve, which currently has about 371 million barrels. After this latest release, the reserve will dip to about 345 million barrels (Bloomberg). Newsmax: The department had considered canceling the fiscal year 2023 sale of the 26 million barrels after the Biden administration last year sold a record 180 million barrels from the reserve (Newsmax).

President Biden Proposes to Overhaul Student Loan Repayment

Insider: President Joe Biden has taken steps to crack down on schools that offer degrees to students that won’t pay off the debt they took on — but Democratic lawmakers think he can go even further to prevent an endless cycle of repayment after graduation (Insider). Washington Times: President Biden’s latest proposal to overhaul the Department of Education’s Income Driven Repayment plan is drawing fire from Republicans. Lawmakers say the president’s plan to reduce monthly payments and shorten loan forgiveness terms under the Revised Pay as You Earn program is an abuse of executive authority. They warn that the changes would result in an “unsustainable transfer of wealth from hardworking taxpayers to college-educated individuals.” The administration’s latest proposal would expand the federal government’s income-driven repayment plan by extending $0 monthly payments for borrowers making less than $30,600 per year and reducing monthly payments for those who earn more than $30,600 per year (Washington Times).

Survey: Army Recruitment Down Because of Concern for Personal Safety

If we tell children how America is evil, why would they enlist to defend it? National Review: The U.S. Army says “wokeness” is not a primary driver of its current recruitment struggles, after new surveys showed that young people are far more concerned about their safety and about putting their lives on hold if they were to join the force. Last year, the Army fell about 25 percent short of its goal to recruit 60,000 new soldiers. To find out what is causing the recruitment slump, the Army conducted a series of surveys over four months last spring and summer. Officials said the surveys, which were conducted among 600 respondents aged 16 to 28 per month, found that only about five percent of respondents said “wokeness” was a deterrent to enlisting. Thirteen percent of survey respondents said they believe that women and minorities will face discrimination in the Army and not get the same opportunities (National Review). Associated Press: They “just don’t see the Army as something that’s relevant,” said Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, head of Army marketing. “They see us as revered, but not relevant, in their lives” (Associated Press).

Ford to Build $3.5 Billion Battery Factory in Michigan Using Chinese Tech to Help Build EV Fleet

Wall Street Journal: Ford Motor Co. is investing $3.5 billion to build a battery plant in Michigan with help from China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. The facility, which will be built in Marshall, Mich., about 100 miles west of Detroit, is expected to create about 2,500 jobs. The auto maker said a wholly-owned subsidiary would manufacture the battery cells using technology and expertise provided by CATL, the world’s largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles. Ford is seeking to boost its domestic EV-making supply chain to help it produce 2 million electric vehicles a year globally by the end of 2026 (Wall Street Journal). Financial Times: The licensing agreement with CATL differs from other recent deals struck between car companies and battery-makers… The Michigan-based carmaker will pay to use CATL’s formula to make lithium iron phosphate batteries, a chemistry that is cheaper but less energy-dense than today’s EV batteries containing nickel, cobalt and manganese (Financial Times).

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Claims Construction Sites Employ Too Many White Workers

Fox News: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg focused on racial disparities in construction during a Monday conference, claiming that construction sites are not employing local workers in minority communities and outsourcing to White people. During the National Association of Counties Conference, Buttigieg urged those in attendance to work with their contractors and community colleges to build a workforce that reflects the community. Throughout Monday’s conference, Buttigieg failed to mention the train carrying vinyl chloride, a dangerous colorless gas, and operated by the transportation company Norfolk Southern Railroad, which derailed in Columbiana County, Ohio on Feb. 3 (Fox News). Mayra Flores: Silence from the press and the federal government is dereliction of duty to the public. Where is Pete Buttigieg? How will this Ohio train derailment affect our farmers, the nearby population, and our supply chain for Americans (Twitter)?

State Department Urges Americans to Evacuate Russia

Washington Examiner: The State Department issued a stark warning Monday to all U.S. citizens in Russia, urging them to leave “immediately” amid heightened concerns about wrongful detentions. For Americans mulling a trip to Russia, the department didn’t mince words: “Do not travel to Russia.” Although it is not clear why officials released the updated travel advisory, military leaders have been sounding alarms that Russia is gearing up for a major escalation in its bloody war against neighboring Ukraine (Washington Examiner). Daily Wire: The State Department issued a travel advisory, set at the highest of four levels, ahead of President Joe Biden’s expected visit to Poland to mark the anniversary of the massive assault’s beginning. The advisory cites “the potential for harassment and the singling out of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government security officials, the arbitrary enforcement of local law, limited flights into and out of Russia, the Embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia, and the possibility of terrorism” (Daily Wire).

10.

Death Toll from Earthquakes in Turkey, Syria Reaches 35,000

NBC: The death toll from the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria passed 35,000 Monday as only a handful of survivors were pulled from the rubble more than a week after the disasters that devastated swaths of both countries. Turkey’s disaster agency said Monday that more than 31,500 had been recorded killed in that country. The Syrian Health Ministry reported almost 1,400 deaths and the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group in rebel-held regions of the country, reported another 2,100 deaths. The death toll was expected to climb (NBC).

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