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Baltic air alerts near Belarus

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Lithuania issued a yellow air alert in Vilnius and Utena counties on Tuesday evening after detecting an unidentified object moving from Belarus toward the border; Latvia issued a similar airspace-threat warning earlier in November.

Jim Jordan was elected House Republican leader for the next Congress, and John Thune will return as Senate minority leader, according to The Guardian's live coverage.

US federal prosecutors have charged Mohammad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian and Iraqi national, for the foiled attack on a UK air force base where American B-1 bombers were stationed, according to The Guardian.

Republicans elected Jim Jordan as House minority leader and John Thune as Senate leader for the final two years of Trump's presidency, according to The Guardian.

Fact-check

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Lithuania issued a yellow air alert in Vilnius and Utena counties on Tuesday evening after detecting an unidentified object moving from Belarus toward the border; Latvia issued a similar airspace-threat warning earlier in November.

Latvia, Lithuania warn of threat in airspace near Belarus https://t.co/oxI9to7p3b

Original post · @Reuters

lrt.lt NAMES: None needed. POST 2120280489302937700: NOCLAIM

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Jim Jordan was elected House Republican leader for the next Congress, and John Thune will return as Senate minority leader, according to The Guardian's live coverage.

Trump ally Jim Jordan to lead House Republicans next year, with John Thune to return as Senate minority leader - live - Jordan, the hardline conservative from Ohio, beat fellow congressman Steve Scalise by a vote of 106-73; Thune won re-election without a challenger Republicans e

Original post · The Guardian

theguardian.com NAMES: Jim Jordan = Republican congressman from Ohio; John Thune = Republican senator from South Dakota; Steve Scalise = Republican congressman

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US federal prosecutors have charged Mohammad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian and Iraqi national, for the foiled attack on a UK air force base where American B-1 bombers were stationed, according to The Guardian.

US prosecutors charge Iranian operative allegedly responsible for UK air force base attack - New indictment claims Mohammad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian and Iraqi national, plotted while in US custody US federal prosecutors have said that an Iranian operative jailed in New Yor

Original post · The Guardian

theguardian.com

VERIFIED TRUE

Republicans elected Jim Jordan as House minority leader and John Thune as Senate leader for the final two years of Trump's presidency, according to The Guardian.

Republicans elect Jim Jordan as House minority leader after midterm defeats - Republicans pick Jordan as House leader and John Thune as Senate leader for last two years of Trump’s presidency US politics – live updates Republicans have elected veteran congressman Jim Jordan as the

Original post · The Guardian

theguardian.com NAMES: Jim Jordan = Republican congressman from Ohio; John Thune = Republican senator from South Dakota.

Sources

What the hosts said

BA quiet Tuesday, and then both Baltic neighbors say the same thing within hours: there's something over the border.
BLithuania put out a yellow air alert in two eastern counties tonight after spotting an unidentified object moving from Belarus toward the border.
BAnd Latvia had a similar warning earlier this month. Two NATO countries, same stretch of sky, same unease.
BReuters has the wire on it. No one is saying what the object is. Could be a drone, could be weather, could be a signal.
BCould also be someone testing how fast the alarm goes up. That's the part that gets my attention.
BOr it could be a stray cargo plane that forgot to squawk. We don't know yet, and the authorities haven't said.
BFair. But both warnings came from the Belarus direction, and Belarus is seen as a Russian staging ground. You can understand why Vilnius doesn't shrug.
BRight. Lithuania shares a long border with Belarus, and the alert only covers counties along that edge. But no intercept, no crash, no explosion. That's the whole story so far.
BAnd on a day like this, after everything else, even a blip on a radar in the Baltics feels heavier.
BSpeaking of heavy: the House Republicans just picked their leader for the next Congress, and it's a familiar fighter.
BJim Jordan. Ohio Republican, combative, Trump loyalist. He beat Steve Scalise 106 to 73.
BThe Guardian's live blog had the numbers. And John Thune returns as Senate minority leader without a challenger.
BSo the party gets punished at the ballot box, loses the House and the Senate, and the response from most members is... put the toughest pro-Trump gladiator in charge.
BOr put in somebody who can hold the caucus together and fight the Democratic majority instead of fighting himself.
BJordan is better at fighting than at compromising. That's his reputation. His whole brand is subpoenas and sharp questions.
BHe's also been around long enough to know the job. And they have two years before the next election. They'll want noise, and he's very good at noise.
BBut isn't that the problem? The midterms just said voters are tired of noise. They lost the House, lost the Senate, and their answer is more yelling.
BNo, no—that's too simple. The losses happened with Trump at the top and the war and gas prices biting. Jordan wasn't on the ballot in Pennsylvania.
BHe was the face of the impeachment fights and the investigations. And now he's the face of the opposition.
BThat's what an opposition leader does. They oppose. And with a Democratic House and Senate, the White House needs someone who can slow things down.
BI'll give him this: he's disciplined. When he wants a narrative, he keeps it. He'll be on message every Sunday show.
BNow a story that's more personal and far more grim. The Guardian has an update on Thomas Markle, Meghan's father.
BThe report says, according to the Department of Justice, he cut off his ankle monitor just days after his arrest over storage units containing child sexual abuse material.
BHe's 82, estranged from his daughter, and now he's facing a far more serious custody fight.
BI'll keep my reaction simple: the case is in the hands of the court. But cutting off the monitor tells you he wasn't interested in showing up.
BAnd a lighter note? Not exactly. A pro-Trump account on X is taking shots at Senate Republicans, saying they did less than zero for Americans and couldn't even fix the time change.
BThat's a specific complaint. The Senate has been gridlocked, sure, but blaming them for daylight saving is a new one.
BThe account's handle is Steven J, and the post is basically a rage thread about underachievement. No bill number, no details.
BIt's an opinion, but it's one making the rounds on the right. Two years of a tied Senate, and the biggest failure cited is the clocks.
BThere's a real frustration under that joke. Voters sent these people to Washington to do things, and they saw very little.
BAnd one more from X: a new member of Congress who is a pro-Palestine Muslim. That's the whole post, and it's moving.
BWe couldn't confirm the name from this post alone, but the point is bigger than one person. The new class is more diverse, and some voices will be very loud on the war.
BThat's the tension for the next two years: an emboldened left flank inside the Democratic caucus, with a Republican minority led by Jordan ready to pounce.
BAnd that is a preview of every hearing we'll be covering.

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