KARAH RUCKER: COMING UP — FOR THE SECOND DAY IN A ROW –RUSSIAN JETS ARE CAUGHT ON VIDEO HARASSING U.S. DRONES IN SYRIA –ACCORDING TO THE U.S. MILITARY. WHAT PENTAGON OFFICIALS HAVE TO SAY IN RESPONSE.

AND —IS THE NEWLY RELEASED SOCIAL MEDIA APP “THREADS” A COPYCAT OF TWITTER? THE POTENTIAL LEGAL BATTLE THAT’S BREWING.

THE RUNDOWN STARTS NOW. THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS. BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.

TODAY IS FRIDAY — JULY 7TH — 2023.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

RUSSIAN JET DROPS FLARES IN FRONT OF U.S. DRONE

FOR A SECOND DAY IN A ROW — RUSSIA FIGHTER JETS HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ON CAMERA HARASSING U.S. MILITARY DRONES IN SYRIA.

THIS IS VIDEO RELEASED BY THE AIR FORCE.

RUSSIAN JETS “DROPPED FLARES IN FRONT OF U.S. DRONES AND FLEW DANGEROUSLY CLOSE” WHILE THE U.S REAPER DRONES WERE CARRYING OUT AN OPERATION AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE TARGETS THURSDAY MORNING.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE PENTAGON.

IT FOLLOWS A SIMILAR INCIDENT THAT OCCURED IN THE SAME 24 HOUR PERIOD.

ON WEDNESDAY MORNING — THREE U.S. DRONES WERE HARASSED BY THREE RUSSIAN FIGHTER JETS — ALSO IN SYRIA.

AN EARLIER CONFRONTATION OCCURRED IN MARCH WHEN RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A U.S. DRONE CAUSING IT TO CRASH INTO THE BLACK SEA.

THE U.S. HAS CONDEMNED RUSSIA — CALLING ALL THREE INCIDENTS “UNSAFE AND UNPROFESSIONAL.”

Gen. Patrick S. Ryder | Pentagon Press Secretary: “We call on the Russian forces to cease this type of reckless behavior and to behave like professional airmen. We have rules in place, you know, well-established processes and procedures, and have very successfully deconflicted with the Russians over many years when it comes to, you know, safe operations in that region.”

$800M AID PACKAGE TO UKRAINE COULD INCLUDE CLUSTER BOMBS

HAPPENING TODAY –THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE ITS LATEST MILITARY AID PACKAGE FOR UKRAINE –WORTH UP TO 800 MILLION DOLLARS –ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

IN IT –THE U.S. IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE “CLUSTER MUNITION”.

WHICH IS CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE THE CLUSTER BOMBS HAVE A HIGH RATE OF FAILURE TO EXPLODE —

ACCORDING TO SOME REPORTS — THE FAILURE RATE IS AS HIGH AS 40 PERCENT.

ON THURSDAY THE PENTAGON WOULDN’T CONFIRM WHETHER THESE EXPLOSIVES THAT — ONCE DEPLOYED OPEN IN THE AIR AND RELEASE SUB-MUNITIONS — WOULD BE PART OF ANY PACKAGE — BUT SAID IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO UKRAINE’S CURRENT COUNTEROFFENSIVE.

THE LATEST MILITARY WEAPONS BEING SENT TO UKRAINE WILL COME FROM PENTAGON STOCKS –AND WILL ALSO INCLUDE ARMORED VEHICLES –ALONG WITH AN ARRAY OF OTHER AMMUNITION AND ROCKET SYSTEMS.

THIS 800 MILLION DOLLAR PACKAGE IS SEPARATE FROM THE 500 MILLION DOLLAR AID PACKAGE THE PENTAGON ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK.

MORE THAN 40 BILLION DOLLARS HAS BEEN SENT TO ASSIST UKRAINE SINCE FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR.

YELLEN CRITICIZES CHINA’S TREATMENT OF U.S. COMPANIES

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JANET YELLEN IS IN BEIJING –FOR THE BETTER INTEREST OF AMERICAN BUSINESS OVERSEAS.

IN A MEETING WITH SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL AMERICAN COMPANIES –YELLEN CRITICIZED THE COMMUNIST PARTY FOR ITS TREATMENT OF U.S. COMPANIES. SHE CITED NEW EXPORT CONTROLS ON CERTAIN CRITICAL MINERALS –AND SAID CHINA’S “PUNITIVE ACTIONS” ARE FUELING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO MAKE U.S. MANUFACTURERS **LESS RELIANT** ON CHINA.

THIS IS THE SECOND HIGH-STAKES TRIP THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS MADE IN WEEKS –AFTER SENDING SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN WHO MET WITH CHINA’S PRESIDENT XI JIN-PING LAST MONTH.

TWITTER THREATENS TO SUE META OVER LAUNCH OF RIVAL THREADS APP

TWITTER IS THREATENING LEGAL ACTION OVER META’S NEW SOCIAL MEDIA APP “THREADS” THAT LAUNCHED ON THURSDAY.

AN ATTORNEY FOR TWITTER IS DESCRIBING THE NEWLY LAUNCHED PLATFORM AS A “COPYCAT” SERVICE –ALLEGEDLY DEVELOPED BY HIRING **FORMER EMPLOYEES OF TWITTER AND USING THE COMPANY’S TRADE SECRETS. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A LETTER SENT TO META CEO “MARK ZUCKERBERG.” TWITTER CEO ELON MUSK TWEETED “COMPETITION IS FINE. CHEATING IS NOT.” WITHIN ITS FIRST FEW HOURS OF LAUNCH – THREADS HAD MORE THAN 30 MILLION USERS SIGN UP TO USE TO LATEST SOCIAL MEDIA SITE.

FDA APPROVES FIRST DRUG SHOWN TO SLOW ALZHEIMER’S

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER –A DRUG MEANT TO **SLOW THE PROGRESSION OF ALZHEIMER’S WILL BE ON THE MARKET. THE “FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION” GRANTING THE ALZHEIMER’S DRUG “LEQEMBI” — FULL FDA-APPROVAL.

WHILE OTHER DRUGS TARGETING THE SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED –THIS IS THE FIRST DRUG THAT SLOWS DOWN COGNITIVE DECLINE.

SCIENTISTS SAY PATIENTS DO STILL DECLINE ON THE DRUG –BUT THE ONSET IS SLOWED BY AS MUCH AS 27 PERCENT ACCORDING TO CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS.

LEQEMBI WILL COST 26 THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR –BUT MEDICARE ANNOUNCED IT WILL BROADLY COVER THOSE COSTS.

IAEA CHIEF REVEALS FUKUSHIMA WATER RELEASE CONCERNS

WE’VE BEEN MONITORING THE PLANS TO RELEASE TREATED — RADIOACTIVE WATER FROM THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN JAPAN. NOW — WE’RE LEARNING NOT ALL EXPERTS WHO APPROVED THE PLANS — MAY HAVE BEEN ENTIRELY ON BOARD.

THE U-N’S NUCLEAR WATCHDOG RELEASED A REPORT THIS WEEK GREENLIGHTING THE PLANS.

ON FRIDAY — THE HEAD OF THE WATCHDOG SAID ONE OR TWO OF THE EXPERTS BEHIND THE REPORT MAY HAVE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT RELEASING THE WATER.

THIS COULD INCLUDE LIU SENLIN — A CHINESE EXPERT WHO DESCRIBED THE REPORT AS “HASTY” — SAYING THE INPUT FROM EXPERTS WAS LIMITED AND ONLY USED FOR REFERENCE.

Rafael Grossi | International Atomic Energy Agency Director General: “I heard that being said. I’m not sure to be honest that that is the case. But again, what we’ve published is scientifically impeccable. They often say this is one-sided. We do not take sides. I’m not on the side of Japan or on the side of China or on the side of Korea. The standards apply to all, the same way.”

GROSSI TOURED THE NUCLEAR PLANT THIS WEEK — SAYING HE’S SATISFIED WITH THE PLANS.

HE CALLED FOR TRUST IN HIS ORGANIZATION — AND OFFERED TO VISIT SOUTH KOREA TO ADDRESS ANY FURTHER CONCERNS.

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UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. 

HAVE A GREAT DAY!