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The Morning Rundown™

Morning rundown: COVID surge; Pelosi’s attacker in court; JFK files revealed


The U.S. faces a potential COVID surge; a government shutdown likely to be avoided; Paul Pelosi’s attacker appears in court; and JFK documents are set to be declassified. These stories and more highlight our morning rundown for Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. 

Senate to vote on funding bill to avert shutdown

There was a House vote late Wednesday to avoid a partial government shutdown. A short-term funding bill was passed in the House. The Senate is expected to vote on it as early as today.

It would give the government a one-week extension to continue debating how to allocate government spending in 2023. If the Senate passes the short term funding bill, Congress will have until Dec. 23 to iron out details of a roughly $1.7 trillion spending package.

White House renews free at-home COVID tests

From December to February is when Americans are most at risk of viral infections, including the flu and COVID-19.

The White House is unveiling contingency plans today for any potential surge in COVID cases. That includes sending out free at-home tests, putting personnel and equipment on standby for hospitals and nursing homes, and encouraging more people to get booster shots.

As of now, the White House could run out of federal funding for COVID-19 as early as next month. That’s when insurance companies or uninsured Americans would be responsible to pay for vaccines or testing.

House committee holds hearing on Uvalde massacre

Today on Capitol Hill, a House Judiciary Committee will be hearing testimony from a Texas state senator on the Robb-Elementary mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Democratic state Sen. Roland Gutierrez represents the district that includes Uvalde. Today he will give lawmakers his opinion on systemic failures of law enforcement’s response to the mass shooting. He will also discuss gun laws that he says make school shootings possible.

Survivors, victims’ families and local officials will also have the opportunity to appear at today’s public hearing.

Pelosi’s attacker targeted Hunter Biden, Tom Hanks

The man who allegedly broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and assaulted her husband Paul Pelosi was in a San Francisco courtroom Wednesday. During a preliminary hearing, David Depape said he was also planning to go after President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and actor Tom Hanks.

“At this time, as I’ve already said a month ago, this was clearly a planned and calculated act. The outcome was what I expected, which is that we filed the charges based on what evidence we had. And that we had sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed these acts,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said.

In court, police who were on scene that day took the stand. One police officer held the hammer that police say was used in the attack.

There was also body camera footage played at the hearing, but it is still not available to the public.

DOJ charges 7 with smuggling us tech to Russia

Millions of dollars worth of U.S. equipment and technology has been sent to Russia’s military, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The DOJ arrested seven individuals in the scheme — five Russians and two U.S. nationals.

They allegedly conspired to violate U.S. sanctions, illegally obtaining military grade equipment, and shipping it to Russia both before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year.

8,000 JFK documents to be declassified

Nearly 60 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the National Archives will release once-classified information related to the president’s death and assassin Lee-Harvey Oswald.

On Thursday, 8,000 documents will become declassified — something conspiracy theorists have been wanting for decades. But officials say it might be a let down, saying there’s no obvious bombshells in the material.

Still, the new information will likely reignite the debate on why the government can withhold information about a president’s murder.

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KARAH RUCKER: STARTING TODAY…FAMILIES CAN REQUEST FREE AT-HOME COVID TESTS AGAIN AS THE WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS PLANS FOR A POTENTIAL COVID-19 SURGE. THIS IS YOUR MORNING RUNDOWN AIMED DOWN THE MIDDLE WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

SENATE TO VOTE ON FUNDING BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

BUT FIRST WE BEGIN WITH A HOUSE VOTE LATE WEDNESDAY TO AVOID A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.
A SHORT-TERM GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL WAS PASSED IN THE HOUSE…THE SENATE EXPECTED TO VOTE ON IT AS EARLY AS TODAY.

IT WOULD LEND THE GOVERNMENT A ONE WEEK EXTENSION TO CONTINUE DEBATING HOW TO ALLOCATE GOVERNMENT SPENDING IN 2023.

IF THE SENATE PASSES THE SHORT TERM FUNDING BILL, CONGRESS WILL HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 23RD TO IRON OUT DETAILS OF A ROUGHLY 1.7 TRILLION DOLLAR SPENDING PACKAGE.

WHITE HOUSE RENEWS FREE AT-HOME COVID TESTS

FROM DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY IS WHEN AMERICANS ARE MOST AT RISK OF VIRAL INFECTIONS…INCLUDING THE FLU AND COVID-19.

THE WHITE HOUSE IS UNVEILING CONTINGENCY PLANS TODAY FOR ANY POTENTIAL SURGE IN COVID CASES.

THAT INCLUDES SENDING OUT FREE AT-HOME COVID TESTS, PUTTING PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT ON STANDBY FOR HOSPITALS AND NURSING HOMES —AND ENCOURAGING MORE PEOPLE TO GET BOOSTER SHOTS.

AS OF NOW THE WHITE HOUSE COULD RUN OUT OF FEDERAL FUNDING FOR COVID-19 AS EARLY AS NEXT MONTH.
THAT’S WHEN INSURANCE COMPANIES OR UNINSURED AMERICANS WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY FOR VACCINES OR TESTING.

HOUSE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON UVALDE MASSACRE

TODAY ON CAPITOL HILL…A HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE WILL BE HEARING TESTIMONY FROM A TEXAS STATE SENATOR ON THE ROBB-ELEMENTARY MASS SHOOTING IN UVALDE, TEXAS.

DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR ROLAND GUTIERREZ REPRESENTS THE DISTRICT OVER UVALDE. TODAY HE WILL GIVE LAWMAKERS HIS OPINION ON SYSTEMIC FAILURES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT’S RESPONSE TO THE MASS SHOOTING.

HE WILL ALSO DISCUSS GUN LAWS THAT HE SAYS MAKE SCHOOL SHOOTINGS POSSIBLE.

SURVIVORS, VICTIMS’ FAMILIES AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WILL ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAR AT TODAY’S PUBLIC HEARING.

IT COMES A DAY AFTER THE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING — AS WELL AS A HOUSE HEARING WITH SURVIVORS FROM LAST MONTH’S CLUB Q SHOOTING IN COLORADO.

Matthew Haynes | Club Q Founding Owner: “It also illustrates how much damage can be done when you take hate and access to military-style assault weapons. Putting those together is total carnage. We were lucky that night that the casualties were not much higher.”

PELOSI’S ATTACKER TARGETED HUNTER BIDEN, TOM HANKS

THE MAN WHO BROKE INTO HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI’S HOME AND ASSAULTED HER HUSBAND PAUL PELOSI WAS IN A SAN FRANCISCO COURTROOM YESTERDAY.

DURING A PRELIMINARY HEARING…DAVID DEPAPE SAID HE WAS ALSO PLANNING TO GO AFTER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S SON HUNTER, CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM AND ACTOR TOM HANKS.

BROOKE JENKINS | SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: “At this time, as I’ve already said a month ago, this was clearly a planned and calculated act. The outcome was what I expected, which is that we filed the charges based on what evidence we had and that we had sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed these acts.”

IN COURT…POLICE WHO WERE ON SCENE THAT DAY TOOK THE STAND. ONE POLICE OFFICER HELD THE HAMMER THAT POLICE SAY WAS USED IN THE ATTACK.

THERE WAS ALSO BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE PLAYED AT THE HEARING BUT IS STILL NOT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.

DOJ CHARGES 7 WITH SMUGGLING US TECH TO RUSSIA

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF U.S. EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN SENT TO RUSSIA’S MILITARY.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.

THE DOJ ARRESTING SEVEN INDIVIDUALS IN THE SCHEME…FIVE OF THEM RUSSIANS…AND TWO U.S. NATIONALS.

THEY ALLEGEDLY CONSPIRED TO VIOLATE U.S. SANCTIONS…ILLEGALLY OBTAINING MILITARY-GRADE EQUIPMENT…AND SHIPPING IT TO RUSSIA. BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE THIS YEAR.

8,000 JFK DOCUMENTS TO BE DECLASSIFIED

NEARLY SIXTY YEARS SINCE PRESIDENT JOHN F KENNEDY WAS ASSASSINATED…THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES WILL RELEASE ONCE-CLASSIFIED INFORMATION RELATED TO THE PRESIDENT’S DEATH AND ASSASSIN LEE-HARVEY OSWALD.

TODAY…EIGHT THOUSAND DOCUMENTS WILL BECOME DE-CLASSIFIED. SOMETHING CONSPIRACY THEORISTS HAVE BEEN WANTING FOR DECADES.

BUT OFFICIALS SAY IT MIGHT BE A LET DOWN…SAYING THERE’S NO OBVIOUS BOMBSHELLS IN THE MATERIAL.

STILL…THE NEW INFORMATION WILL LIKELY RE-IGNITE THE DEBATE ON WHY GOVERNMENT CAN WITHHOLD INFORMATION ABOUT A PRESIDENT’S MURDER.

THE DOCUMENTS WILL DROP LATER TODAY.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS THIS MORNING. WHERE WE STRIVE TO BRING YOU JOURNALISM WITHOUT AGENDA.