Fact & Spin

February 11, 2023: Syria sanctions relief, Pence subpoena and Jerusalem car ramming

Facts & Spin for February 11, 2023 top stories: The US issues sanctions relief for Syria earthquake aid, Mike Pence is subpoenaed by a special counsel investigating Trump, Ukraine says Russian missiles crossed into Romanian and Moldovan airspace, Two are killed in Jerusalem car ramming attack, The US House GOP requests documents in a Biden family probe, Poland closes a main Belarus border checkpoint, A Belgian MEP is arrested over corruption allegations, South Africa declares a 'state of disaster' over its energy crisis, Florida passes a bill to relocate undocumented immigrants, and an Australian study finds a lung protein may prevent COVID.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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February 10, 2023: ‘Forever war’ authorizations, EU Twitter content moderation and Indian hug-a-cow day

Facts & Spin for February 10, 2023 top stories: US lawmakers try to end 'forever war' authorizations, Zelenskyy addresses an EU summit as fighting rages around Bakhmut, North Korea displays a possible new missile at a military parade, The EU reprimands Twitter for an 'incomplete' content-moderation report, Eight civilians are killed in clashes with UN peacekeepers in the DRC, The Church of England approves same-sex union blessings, Missouri votes not to ban children from carrying guns in public, A survey finds that half of Americans are worse off than they were a year ago, Disney plans to lay off 7,000 workers, and India urges citizens to ‘hug a cow’ on Valentine’s Day.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

February 9, 2023 top stories: Alleged US Nord Stream attack, Biden SOTU, and $16B Superbowl betting

Facts & Spin for February 9, 2023 top stories: An investigative journalist claims America bombed the Nord Stream pipeline, Biden delivers his second State of the Union address, Zelenskyy visits the UK, UK MPs claim HSBC is complicit in China’s alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong, Amnesty says Thai children may face prison for protesting, ex-Twitter executives testify over the handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story, Sri Lanka’s president says the nation’s economy may return to growth by the end of the year, Iran reveals an underground air force base, CVS strikes a deal to buy Oak Street Health, and Super Bowl betting is projected to hit a record $16 billion.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

February 8, 2023: Drawn-out inflation, Canada-bound migrants and mass wildlife extinction

Facts & Spin for February 8, 2023 top stories: US Fed chairman Powell says the inflation fight may last a while, Fighting intensifies in Eastern Ukraine, A UN report finds unemployment is driving militants in sub-Saharan Africa, A court rules South Korea must compensate a Vietnam War victim, A Kenya Judge says that Meta can be sued by an ex-moderator, Migrants in New York City are given one-way tickets to Canada, A report concludes NYPD officers should be punished for their 2020 BLM protest response, Polls show Low enthusiasm for a Biden re-run, Antibiotic Use in Farming is projected to Climb Amid Fears of Drug-Resistance, and More Than a Third of US Plants and Animals are believed to be at Risk of Extinction.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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February 7, 2023: Catastrophic Syria/Turkey earthquake, downed Chinese balloon and former Pakistani pres. death

Facts & Spin for February 7, 2023 top stories: A deadly earthquake kills thousands in Southern Turkey and Northern Syria, China accuses the US of 'indiscriminate' use of force after it downed an alleged spy balloon, The trial of 16 Hong Kong democracy activists begins, Kyiv prepares for renewed Russian attacks, Former Pakistan Pres. Pervez Musharraf dies, Dell announces plan to slash over 6,000 jobs, Moscow and Tehran are reportedly advancing plans for a drone facility, Protests break out across India as Adani loses $110 billion, Kamala Harris pledges $4.2 billion in Central America investments, and Koch network says it won’t back Donald Trump in 2024.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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February 4, 2023 top stories: Chinese “spy balloon,” 517k new US jobs and Ukraine-EU summit

Facts & Spin for February 4, 2023 top stories: The Pentagon says it’s tracking an alleged Chinese 'spy balloon,' a US labor report finds 517,000 jobs were created in January, the Ukraine and EU hold a summit in Kyiv, Brazil's former president is accused of planning the Jan. 8 riots, the Pope arrives in South Sudan, US Lawmakers call for Azerbaijan to end its blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, the trial over Elon Musk’s Tesla tweets heads to closing statements, Swiss prosecutors probe Credit Suisse’s dirty money leak, a Guantánamo detainee is freed to Belize, and the US proposes new rules to limit sugar in school meals.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
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February 3, 2023: US-Philippines military pact, Shell record profits and $3.8B stolen crypto

Facts & Spin for February 3, 2023 top stories: The US military gains expanded access to Philippine bases, Shell reports its highest profits in 115 years, EU leaders arrive in Kyiv for talks, Rep. Ilhan Omar is kicked off the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Bank of England raises interest rates to a 14-year high, Italy renews its migration pact with Libya, a report finds that a record $3.8B in cryptocurrency was stolen in 2022, the US College Board revises its African American Studies course, Merck’s COVID drug is found to potentially cause virus mutations, and Australia says King Charles won't appear on its $5 bill.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
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February 2, 2023 top stories: Biden FBI home search, massive UK strikes and EU green industry plan

Facts & Spin for February 2, 2023 top stories: The FBI searches Biden's home in Delaware, Russian forces claim 'operational encirclement' of Bakhmut, the UK faces its worst strikes in a decade, Bush is revealed to have attempted to replace Palestine's Yasser Arafat, Myanmar’s junta extends the country’s state of emergency, a report reveals French forces seized Yemen-bound weapons from Iran, Biden moves to slash “junk fees,” Nikki Haley will reportedly take on Trump in 2024, the EU sets forth a 'Green Industry Plan,' and Tom Brady announces his retirement.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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February 1, 2023: US COVID emergency end, increased UK corruption and Canada drug experiment

Facts & Spin for February 1, 2023 top stories: Biden announces an end to the US COVID emergency in May, the UK falls in the Global Corruption Rankings, Biden says the US won't provide F-16 fighters to Ukraine, the IMF lifts its global growth forecasts, Rep. George Santos steps down from his House Committees assignments, France is criticized over it Olympics security plan, Trump sues journalist Bob Woodward over audio recordings, school closures are reported to have cost children one-third of a year’s learning, Canada’s British Colombia experiments with decriminalizing hard drugs, and Rhino poaching surges by 93% in Namibia.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

January 31, 2023: Deadly Pakistan mosque attack, lockdown critics surveillance and Syria chlorine attack report

Facts & Spin for January 31, 2023 top stories: 59 are killed in a mosque attack in Pakistan, The British army is accused of spying on lockdown critics, Russia claims control over nine Zaporizhzhia villages, A watchdog blames Syria for the alleged 2018 chlorine attack in Douma, TikTok’s CEO is set to testify before US Congress, US officials say Israel was behind a weekend drone attack on Iran, US arms left in Afghanistan are reported to be surfacing in Kashmir, Trump kicks off his presidential campaign in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Utah bans gender-reassignment health care for transgender minors, New Zealand braces for more flooding, and officials in Australia hunt for a missing radioactive capsule.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod