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🇨🇳 China caught hiding spy gear on cargo ships. US officials allege Chinese shipping giant COSCO concealed surveillance equipment aboard commercial vessels to intercept US military communications. And despite being flagged as a “Chinese military company” back in January 2025, the company is still docking freely at American ports.

⚖️ Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin heading to trial. A Utah judge ruled that prosecutors have enough evidence to try Tyler Robinson on aggravated murder charges, clearing the way for the state to seek capital punishment. One legal expert says the trial could drag out until 2027 or even 2028.

🔨 DOJ threatens states shielding illegals on welfare. The Department of Justice warned all 50 states and several territories that they must report illegal immigrants receiving TANF and Social Security benefits or risk losing federal funding entirely.

🏫 DOJ sues school district over secret sex changes. The Justice Department filed suit against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools after officials allegedly created written “Gender Plans” for students while deliberately keeping parents completely in the dark.

Behind the paywall: Who Denmark just sent to Greenland and why, the consulate Germany is shutting over a drone, and the country Chevron is pouring billions back into.

What PBS left out about the two deaths, and why the CDC won’t count them…

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Q: Why would you amplify a debunked story about "conservative influencers amplifying Hegseth messaging" when they were retired Colonels sent to examine and make suggestions about how to improve military war colleges? — Leslie from Florida

A: A few days ago, we included a story in Bias Spotter claiming the Pentagon secretly placed three retired colonels (Rob Maness, Kurt Schlichter, and Thomas Anderson) into undisclosed civilian jobs to promote Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's agenda online.

The core fact that these three men got official Pentagon email addresses tied to a Pentagon office focused on military personnel policy is real, and it's true none of them publicly disclosed the roles while posting content defending Hegseth. But the "secret propaganda operation" framing falls apart pretty quickly.

In response to the story, Thomas Anderson said his only role was a task force reviewing the military's war colleges' curriculum, an assignment that already concluded. Kurt Schlichter also pushed back hard on the story, calling it a hit piece that ignores the mundane reality of retired officers being tapped for their expertise.

Administrations of both parties have long used outside experts for exactly this kind of narrow, time-limited work. The lack of disclosure doesn’t, in my view, appear too concerning, since these kinds of informal advisory roles often go unannounced.

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ✅ Approve (1,270)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ❌ Disapprove (32)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (55)

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