Thursday Afternoon Update: McConnell-Schumer Omnibus Passed, Arizona’s ‘Border Wall’

This article is a companion piece to today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

McConnell-Schumer Omnibus Passed

The U.S. Senate passed the $1.7 trillion, 4,000-plus page omnibus spending bill Thursday afternoon by a vote of 68-29, with 18 Republicans voting in favor of the measure.

Arizona’s ‘Border Wall’ Coming Down

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has agreed to take down a makeshift border wall made of shipping containers along the state’s border with Mexico after an agreement with the Biden administration. According to court documents, the resolution requires the state to stop installing the containers in any national forest and to remove the previously installed containers. This comes two weeks before Governor-Elect Katie Hobbs, who opposed the construction, takes over as governor.

Chip Roy Plays Hardball

House Freedom Caucus member Chip Roy (R-TX) unveiled a letter this week signed by 31 of his GOP Congressional colleagues, threatening to block any bill introduced by a Republican senator who votes for the most recent spending bill.

SBF’s Ex-GF Arrested

Two of Sam Bankman Fried’s associates pleaded guilty to federal charges on Wednesday. SBF’s ex-girlfriend Carolyn Ellison, the CEO of Alameda Research, and Gary Wang, the co-founder of FTX, are both cooperating with prosecutors. Bankman Fried was extradited from the Bahamas to the U.S., where he will appear in court as soon as possible. Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney handling the case, released a video statement last night.

Winter Storm Bears Down On The Midwest

A dangerous winter storm will hit much of the midwest just as holiday travel reaches its peak today and tomorrow. More than 1,200 flights have already been canceled — most in Chicago, Denver, and the Detroit area. Millions of people in the central U.S. are under a blizzard and winter warning.

CBP Seizes More Than 1 Million Fentanyl Pills In 48 Hours

Customs and Border Protection has seized more than one million fentanyl pills hidden in a train and two vehicles at the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry in the last 48 hours, Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported.

FBI Defends Itself Against Alleged ‘Conspiracy Theorists’

On Wednesday, the FBI defended its involvement with Twitter’s censorship efforts, saying in part that the reports “show nothing more than examples of our traditional, longstanding and ongoing federal government and private sector engagements, which involve numerous companies over multiple sectors and industries.”

Docs Say To Stop Testing New Admissions For COVID

A panel of infectious disease experts is urging hospitals to stop testing new admissions for COVID. In a new study, 12 experts affiliated with the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) argued that when hospitals employ masking and proper ventilation, testing for the virus can have deleterious effects, including “delays in patient placement” and “postponement of necessary procedures.”

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