Brittney Griner prisoner swap - Government sues Microsoft - Xi visits Saudi Arabia

Source: Department of Defense

1. Summary
   The House of Representatives voted 350-80 to pass an $858 billion bill authorizing funding for the military. The Senate will vote on it next. The cost is $45 billion more than what the Biden administration requested. It is seen as must-pass legislation and has passed every year for six decades.
   
   The bill contains a provision that scraps the Pentagon's Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Ending the mandate was a key goal for Republicans in Congress, who threatened to block the legislation. Democrats ultimately conceded. Both President Biden and Defense Secretary Austin opposed ending the policy, but an administration official has not said whether Biden will veto the bill over the issue.
   
   The spending bill offers $800 million in assistance for Ukraine, $500 more than what the Biden administration requested, but also adds a new oversight measure for Ukraine aid. The legislation would also update the military's policy on sexual assault, by replacing commanders with military prosecutors in some military court cases.

   Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
   House passes defense bill, giving GOP its first post-midterm win.
   Washington Post (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 75% • 4 min read
   

1. Different political viewpoint
   In and out: The pet policies that survived inclusion in the $858 billion major defense policy bill.
   Washington Examiner (Right) • Factual Grade 65% • 4 min read

1. Selected long-read
   New defense bill: The war caucus always wins.
   The Intercept (Left) • Factual Grade 82% • 11 min read

WNBA star Brittney Griner was freed from Russian custody as part of a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap. Griner was arrested in February for drug possession and later sentenced to...

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with 14 Middle Eastern leaders in Saudi Arabia at the Gulf-China Summit for Cooperation and Development, the latest in China's overtures to th...

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In a 3-1 vote, the Federal Trade Commission decided to file a lawsuit to block Microsoft's purchase of Activision-Blizzard, which is one...

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Apple's new opt-in privacy feature, Advanced Data Protection, will allow users to encrypt all iCloud data, including device backups, photos, and notes. When such data is fully-encrypted, even App...

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