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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., offered praise for the Biden administration's decision to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon that had hovered over several states in the last two days. "I strongly condemn President Xi’s brazen incursion into American airspace, and I commend President Biden’s leadership in taking down the Chinese balloon over water to ensure safety for all Americans," Schumer wrote in a tweet, following the U.S. military's removal of the balloon over the Atlantic Ocean. "Now we can collect the equipment and analyze the technology used by the CCP," Schumer added. US MILITARY SHOOTS DOWN CHINESE SPY BALLOON OVER ATLANTIC OCEAN Schumer, who has been largely silent on the Chinese spy balloon since it entered American airspace earlier this week, offered his comments after the U.S. military shot down the Chinese spy balloon from airspace just off the coast of South Carolina. The balloon, which made its way across North Carolina a...

President Joe Biden said shortly after the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon that he gave the order to shoot it down on Wednesday but that military officials waited until Saturday to do so. "I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible," Biden told reporters on Saturday. "They decided without doing any damage to people on the ground they decided that the best time to do that was when it got over water outside within a 12 mile limit." "They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it and we'll have more to report on a little later." Biden added, "I told them to shoot it down on Wednesday. They said to me let's wait for the safest place to do it." CHINA SPY BALLOON SHOWS COUNTRY IS PREPARING CITIZENS FOR WAR THAT COULD COME AT ‘ANY TIME’: EXPERT Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also acknowledged that the order was given to the military on Wednesday and that the mi...

Donal Griffin / Bloomberg : A look at little-known UK-based fintech Transactive, which processes €1B+ monthly and has UK and Lithuania licenses, and questions about staff ties to scammers   —  In the space of just five years, a little-known company on the outskirts of London has grown into a payments-industry powerhouse …

The U.S. military has shot down the Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean. While the balloon was off the coast of South Carolina, the balloon was shot down by U.S. military fighter jets on Saturday afternoon, according to Fox News sources.  A senior defense official said during a Thursday afternoon briefing that the U.S. government is "confident" the surveillance balloon is from the People's Republic of China.  When asked about the balloon on Saturday by a reporter, Biden said "we're going to take care of it."  CHINA MAINTAINS SPY BALLOON IS CIVILIAN, CLAIMS SOME IN US 'HAVE HYPED IT UP TO ATTACK AND SMEAR CHINA' A senior U.S. official told Fox News on Saturday that the government was considering a plan to shoot the balloon down while it's over the Atlantic Ocean where it wouldn't harm any individuals on the ground.  The official added that the U.S. government could potentially recover the balloon. During the briefing on Thursd...

Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer : New York AG fines a stalkerware developer $410K and forces him to alert his customers' victims that they are being secretly monitored using one of his apps   —  The New York attorney general's office has announced a $410,000 fine for a stalkerware developer who used 16 companies to promote surveillance tools illegally.

A former assistant secretary of the Army is taking issue with the "feckless" leadership at the Pentagon and its response to the suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been hovering across the United States in recent days, warning of consequences for the American military if the situation isn't handled properly. In a Saturday morning interview with Fox News Digital, E. Casey Wardynski, a former assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs under the Trump administration, said the Biden administration could have removed the aircraft from American airspace before it made its way to more populous areas of the country. Wardynski said he believes the Pentagon's outlook on the situation could have an impact on the military's recruiting efforts. "Who wants to join this team," he asked. "This will make recruiting harder because people are gonna look at this and say, 'Well, this is a feckless bunch.'" BIDEN SPEAKS ABOUT C...

Wall Street Journal : Sources: the US is weighing sanctions on Tiandy, Uniview, and other Chinese surveillance tech makers over sales to Iran in 2022 as protests swept the country   —  Beijing's exports of video recorders to Iran more than doubled in 2022 as protests swept the country

Two bills introduced in the Georgia state legislature this week could lead to state prosecutors facing disciplinary sanctions, removal from office or easier voter recalls if they decline to bring charges against people accused of misdemeanors. Both House Bill 229 and House Bill 231 were introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday, and are aimed at addressing district attorneys and county solicitors general refusing to prosecute certain crimes , such as low-level marijuana possession. House Bill 231 would create a Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission, which would have the ability to investigate judicial misconduct and recommend punishments to the state Supreme Court. BRIAN KEMP'S GOP STAR RISING AS GEORGIA'S GOVERNOR INAUGURATED FOR SECOND TERM STEERING KEY BATTLEGROUND The oversight commission would have the final decision on disciplining or removing a prosecutor, but a prosector objecting to a decision by the commission could ask the state Suprem...

Kamran Haider / Bloomberg : Pakistan's telecommunication authority blocks Wikipedia in the country, saying the site failed to remove “sacrilegious” content   —  Pakistan has blocked Wikipedia services in the South Asian nation after the platform failed to remove “sacrilegious” content.

As Lil Wayne was honored for his musical achievements, the rapper opened up about the little he has been recognized previously in his career during a pre-Grammy event that also paid homage to Dr. Dre and Missy Elliott . "I don’t get honored," Wayne remarked Thursday night at the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective event in Los Angeles , where he, Dre and Elliott were given the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. The honorees received the renamed award for their personal and professional achievements in the music industry. DJ Khaled presented Wayne with the award and a hug, while Drake and Deion Sanders paid tribute to him through video messages. Swizz Beatz, 2 Chainz and Tyga performed some of Wayne’s hits as well. JACK BLACK SINGS 'SCHOOL OF ROCK' SONG TO TERMINALLY ILL TEEN IN HEARTWARMING VIDEO During his acceptance speech, Wayne explained how the responsibility of making adult decisions was first placed on his shoulders at age 12, when he signed his first reco...

Reese Witherspoon can't seem to shake a major mistake she made while auditioning for Robert De Niro .  "I remember one of the very first auditions I ever had was with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese," the actress shared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." It was for the movie "Cape Fear," and she clearly did not get the part. "I'm not in that movie, because I got so scared when I walked in the room," she explained. "I didn't know who Robert De Niro was, so I was standing outside talking to the receptionist. She was like, ‘You know he’s the most important actor of our time, right?'" Witherspoon then re-enacted her look of terror at the woman's comment. "I was 14 like . . . I'd never seen ‘Goodfellas.’ I'd never seen ‘The Godfather.’ So it totally got my nerves, and I went in there, and I couldn't remember, there was like one word I couldn't say, and he had to say the word for me . . . he had to finis...

As speculation swirls over would-be candidates in the 2024 presidential race, Americans have begun to weigh in on their picks for the next commander-in-chief. Among Republican voters, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues to perform well in many polls, while former President Trump has seen mixed results. President Biden has received modest support among Democrats, though a healthy portion of left-leaning voters still express interest in someone else entirely.  According to a recent Marquette University national poll, 64% of registered Republicans would pick DeSantis over Trump as the 2024 nominee, if the choice came down to the pair. The same poll found that registered voters favored DeSantis over Biden, 45% to 38% in a hypothetical 2024 matchup. In a head-to-head match up between Trump and Biden, the duo tied at 40%.  In both hypothetical matchups, Biden's share of support has steadily declined since last summer, while support for DeSantis and Trump has increased in th...

Harmeet Singh Walia / Counterpoint Research : Global smartphone shipments declined 12% YoY to 1.2B units in 2022, the lowest since 2013; Apple took 18% share, 48% revenue, and 85% operating profit growth   —  - The global smartphone market declined by 18% YoY to reach 304 million units in Q4 2022.  — Apple replaced Samsung …

West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin's campaign appears to have spent more than $20,000 on catering services at his yacht club during the latter portion of 2022.

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch : Portside, which provides business management software to aircraft operators, raised a $50M Series B led by Insight Partners, bringing its total funding to $70M+   —  Business aviation operators are often challenged with crew and aircraft shortages as they look to scale and meet the growing post-pandemic demand for air travel.

After working on the popular "Harry Potter" franchise , Rupert Grint admitted he felt suffocated during the height of his career. Grint, who famously played Ron Weasley in the film series based on the novels by J.K. Rowling, got candid about his role and how it impacted his life for 10 years.  "Potter was so full on — [filming] all year, then we’d promote the rest of the time. It was quite suffocating," he said during an interview with Bustle. ‘HARRY POTTER’ STAR RUPERT GRINT SAYS CAST IS ‘STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT LIFE LOOKS LIKE’ "I wanted a break, to reflect on everything... It was an out-of-body experience for a while, but I think we finished at the right time. If we continued, it could’ve gone downhill." The now 34-year-old English actor was only 11 years old when he was cast to play Ron Weasley . He was 22 years old when the franchise ended. He continued to express the challenges he faced while playing the lovable redheaded wizard. ...

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is asking lawmakers to provide necessary resources to address a $201 million education aid gap, which was caused by a calculation error.

Bloomberg : Brookfield's $15B commitment to help finance Intel's Arizona complex may spur PE firms and their infrastructure funds to help reassert US chip competitiveness   —  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP's $15 billion commitment last year to help finance Intel Corp.'s giant new semiconductor complex in Arizona …

Alec Baldwin blew off some steam Tuesday night in New York as he was spotted heading into a private, members-only club shortly after being formally charged with involuntary manslaughter. Zero Bond, an exclusive social club in the heart of Manhattan , is known as much for its culinary cuisine as it is for its roster of celebrity clientele.  Nightlife guru Scott Sartiano opened the mixed-use space toward the end of 2020 and has since seen the likes of Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady and Elon Musk walk through the doors of the massive 20,000-square-foot lounge in the heart of Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. New York City Mayor Eric Adams celebrated his successful mayoral campaign bid in 2021 at the trendy hotspot on election night, where the likes of Chris Rock, rapper Ja Rule and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt mingled together. ALEC BALDWIN FIRST SEEN AFTER ‘RUST’ INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES FORMALLY FILED Membership into the elite club begins with a $1,000 initiation fee, and a...

Chris Velazco / Washington Post : Samsung is working with Google and Qualcomm to produce “extended reality” products and experiences running on a special version of Android   —  The company is working with Google and Qualcomm on new products and the ecosystem to nurture them  —  SAN FRANCISCO — For the most part …

Millions of people have already viewed, liked and commented on Tom Brady 's emotional video sharing his decision to retire from the NFL, but it's his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen's message that really stands out. "Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life," she wrote, alongside a praying hands emoji. The supermodel also liked the post, which included the caption, "I love my family I love my teammates I love my friends I love my coaches I love football I love you all." In addition to the video, Brady also uploaded a series of photos featuring Bündchen, as he highlighted all those who had supported him over his 23-season career with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots. SIGNS TOM BRADY AND GISELE BÜNDCHEN WERE HEADED FOR THE END ZONE "I'm retiring, for good," Brady said sitting beach-side to the camera. "Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn't change a thing,...

Most Democratic voters said they would support a ban on natural gas hookups, an action that would effectively ban gas stoves, after the Biden administration floated such a ban.

Samsung on YouTube : Livestream of Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event   —  ✨✨✨ Are you ready to bring your epic moments into the spotlight?  #SamsungUnpacked is now LIVE.  ✨✨✨ To view the YouTube streams on a desktop or laptop comp...

Britney Spears is not amused with anyone questioning her well-being or health. Spears' took aim at actress Alyssa Milano for a tweet she previously posted about the pop-star, which read "Someone please go check on Britney Spears."  On her Instagram story , Spears wrote beneath a screenshot of the tweet, "It saddens me to see things about me from people who don't know me !!! This definitely feels like a form of bullying !!!" BRITNEY SPEARS SAYS FANS WENT A 'LITTLE TOO FAR,' 'INVADED' PRIVACY IN CALLS THAT PROMPTED WELFARE CHECK "Ladies," the " Piece of Me " singer continued, "We are supposed to be rooting for one another not pulling one another down !!!" A representative for Milano did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment at the time of publication. Although it is unclear what provoked Spears to address a tweet written in Dec. 2022, she had recently condemned her fans who she felt viol...

Gerry Smith / Bloomberg : Sources: as Apple launches MLS Season Pass, the company is shopping ad packages for up to ~$4M per season, without guaranteeing advertisers viewership numbers   —  Apple Inc. will launch its new streaming service for Major League Soccer this week with a lot of the traditional practices of TV advertising kicked to the sidelines.

After the sudden passing of Cindy Williams , known for her role as Shirley from the "Happy Days" spin-off " Laverne & Shirley ," two of the original show's biggest stars are remembering her for not only the work they produced together, but also the friendships they developed. Ron Howard, who originally starred alongside Williams in the 1973 film " American Graffiti ," remembers the actress as having "big sister energy," despite playing love-interests in the film. "She was 24 and I was 18," Howard told People magazine. "I had my first kissing scenes with her, but they weren't very romantic because she knew that she had this nervous kid on her hands and she had to take charge of the situation…And so she was like, 'Here's how we got to kiss for the camera. Here's what we have to do.' She's always had almost a big sister energy around me." Howard, 68, had recently reconnected with Williams last y...

CNBC : PayPal says it will lay off around 2,000 employees, about 7% of its workforce, “over the coming weeks”   —  Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT  —  PayPal on Wednesday announced plans to lay off 2,000 employees, or around 7% of its workforce, according to a release posted to the company's website.

The former president is seeking just under $50 million in damages over audio recordings released by Woodward and his publisher without Trump's consent.

Jason Schreier / Bloomberg : A look at Microsoft's 343 Industries, the prized studio behind Halo, after a leadership overhaul, layoffs, and more; sources detail a pivot to Unreal Engine   —  Microsoft Corp. says it's going to keep making new games in the popular Halo franchise at its prized 343 Industries studio — despite rumors to the contrary.

Mickey Rourke is continuing to stand by fellow actor Alec Baldwin after it was announced he'd be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal "Rust" shooting. "It is bulls--- that an actor who is working on the set is handed a gun by somebody else whose job it is to make sure the gun is not loaded," Rourke expressed in a video.  "And Alec, if he doesn't have experience in guns or whatever… usually they dry fire the gun six times in front of you. If it is me, I will take it and do it 12 more times. It's like, he is not to blame." MICKEY ROURKE DECLARES 'NO WAY IN HELL' ALEC BALDWIN SHOULD BE CHARGED IN FATAL 'RUST' SHOOTING Rourke’s comments come on the heels of Baldwin facing criminal charges in the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.  The 42-year-old was killed by a live round from a gun that Baldwin was holding while rehearsing a scene for the Western movie "Rust." The Oscar nominee continued ...

When Shania Twain chose to pose nude ahead of her forthcoming sixth studio album "Queen of Me," she was exhausted from feeling a "lack of freedom." "I want to be more relaxed and comfortable in my own skin," she said on the "Making Space with Hoda Kotb" podcast. "It is what it is, and I can't change it unless I go under the knife or something," she added. "I mean you don't really know what you're gonna get anyway, right? One thing pulled here, and another one pulled there, I don't know, I may never be happy," she said. "So it's my perception of things that has to change.. .instead of changing who I am and what I look like." When asked if she would ever get plastic surgery, Twain was adamant she would not. SHANIA TWAIN WOULD 'FLATTEN HER BOOBS' TO KEEP ABUSIVE STEPFATHER AWAY: 'DIDN'T WANT TO BE A GIRL IN MY HOUSE' "I've come to a point where, no I'm not gonn...

Tyre Nichols' parents and Brandon Tsay, who has emerged as a hero in the wake of the Monterey Park, California mass shooting, are expected to attend the State of the Union speech.

Demetri Sevastopulo / Financial Times : Sources: the US Department of Commerce told some companies it would no longer grant licenses to export US technology to Huawei, as it moves toward a total ban   —  White House moving closer to imposing total ban on sale of American tech to Chinese company  —  The Biden administration …

Joseph Cox / VICE : ElevenLabs found an uptick in “voice cloning misuse cases” during its recent beta; Motherboard finds deepfake voices of Emma Watson, Joe Rogan, others on 4chan   —  4chan members used ElevenLabs to make deepfake voices of Emma Watson, Joe Rogan, and others saying racist, transphobic, and violent things.

Bloomberg : Sources: Twitter made its first interest payment under Elon Musk to a group of seven banks; the payment was due around January 27 and estimated to be ~$300M   —  Twitter Inc. made its first interest payment under Elon Musk, according to people with knowledge of the matter …

Martha Stewart shed some unfiltered light into her beauty regimen that allows her to have such youthful looking skin, posting photos from the salon chair to her Instagram on Sunday. Stewart, 81, shared a selfie mid-wash at her hair salon, insisting she had not edited her photos. "Absolutely no re-imaging," the businesswoman exclaimed on Instagram. "Skin looking good after a mostly dry January and pilates @bedfordpilates every other day. By re -imaging I meant no filtering my selfie," she added. While some of Stewart's followers loved the post, commenting with heart and fire emojis, others questioned whether she has had more work done than she let on.  One person wrote in part, "I’m your biggest fan Martha but seriously you have a top notch surgeon & skin care. It’s ok but the rest of us general public can’t do that so please just keep us, the general public in mind." Another user commented, "Don’t miss represent the reality of aging! D...

Dominic-Madori Davis / TechCrunch : Analysis: US Black Web3 founders raised $60M in 2022, up from $16M in 2021; total money raised by US Web3 startups in 2022 fell to $11.9B from $16.5B in 2021   —  Startups in the space are more bullish than ever  —  Much hope remains after the crypto winter almost froze the sector …

Amid an announcement of several promotions and new hires, Archewell, the non-profit organization founded by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, is parting ways with two of its top executives, Fox News Digital can confirm. Neither Ben Browning, head of content for Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio, nor Fara Taylor, Head of Marketing for Archewell, will continue their time with the company. "Ben and Fara have been integral to the creation and execution of many critically and commercially acclaimed projects during their tenure. They have expertly delivered content and campaigns that have exceeded expectations and made their mark within the cultural zeitgeist," a press release obtained by Fox News Digital read. "They played a critical role in helping to tell the stories of the Duke and Duchess thus far and the couple remain hugely grateful for their support on those vital ‘look back’ projects, as they now look fo...

Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Mark Warner, D-Va., slammed the lack of visibility into the classified documents found in the residences of Biden and Trump.

TechCrunch : Court records since 2011 show how police in some US states used digital data, like text messages, search history, and emails, in abortion-related prosecutions   —  In late April, police in Nebraska received a tip saying 17-year-old Celeste Burgess had given birth to a stillborn baby and buried the body.

Rep. Ilhan Omar said Republicans are "OK with Islamophobia" and antisemitism within their own ranks after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy moved to eject her from her committee.

Katy Perry showed up in support of fiancé Orlando Bloom's ex-wife Miranda Kerr at the 20th anniversary G'Day USA Arts Gala 2023, where the supermodel was being honored on Saturday. The Gala, which celebrates and showcases the innovative work of Australians in America, honored Kerr with the Excellence in Arts award. "Known for her celebrated modeling career, she is also a dedicated philanthropist, a respected businesswoman & entrepreneur," the organization wrote of Kerr on their Instagram. On the red carpet, Perry wore a stunning metallic two-piece Zimmerman set, which she joked was a representation of her favorite Kora Organics moisturizer , founded by Kerr. MIRANDA KERR RECALLS FIRST MEETING EX ORLANDO BLOOMS FIANCÉE KATY PERRY: 'WE JUST IMMEDIATELY GOT ALONG' "I am dressed as my all-time favorite facial moisturizer in the whole world," she told the crowd inside the event, documented on her Instagram story. "The ‘Turmeric Glow Moistur...