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--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
--:-- John Bickley: This is Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, March 16th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen testified before the U.S. Senate today regarding the state of the banking system. She tried to reassure lawmakers and the public that there's no cause for concern.
--:-- John Bickley: I can reassure the members of the committee that our banking system is sound and that Americans can feel confident that their deposits will be there when they need them.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Yellen also stated that inflation remains America's number one economic issue.
--:-- John Bickley: I consider high inflation the number one economic problem that all of us need to face and address.
--:-- Georgia Howe: I was very supportive of the American Rescue Plan.
--:-- John Bickley: The Biden administration has demanded that TikTok parent company ByteDance sell the video application or face a possible ban in the United States. Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Lawmakers from both parties are concerned over reports that the Chinese Communist Party has access to user data through TikTok, a hugely popular social media app among young Americans.
--:-- John Bickley: Those concerns drove the Biden administration to reportedly issue an ultimatum to TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, either sell TikTok to a company not linked to China or risk a nationwide ban.
--:-- Tim Pierce: ByteDance pledged in August last year to spend $1.5 billion on building safeguards to protect American data from the Chinese government. But that pledge hasn't appeared to be enough for U.S. officials.
--:-- John Bickley: President Joe Biden and dozens of state governors have banned the app from government devices. Officials over in the European Union took a similar step last month.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Department of Defense released video footage Thursday morning of the incident in which two Russian fighter jets harassed a U.S. military drone over international waters, leading to a collision and the complete loss of the U.S. drone.
--:-- John Bickley: The U European Command said in a statement that the two Russian aircraft conducted quote an unsafe and unprofessional intercept on March 14th.
--:-- Tim Pierce: One retired brigadier general and former U military deputy representative to NATO Blaine Holt, told Newsmax that the video looked more like an accident due to an unskilled pilot.
--:-- Blaine Holt: What I just saw in that video is a pretty crappy Russian fighter pilot looking to get a close look at that drone, and he clipped it. He just absolutely stinks at his job. There's no mastermind here. This is just a guy who needs to go back to pilot training and he brought back the messed up jet.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Some intelligence sources, however, told NBC that the Kremlin approved the fighter jet's actions.
--:-- John Bickley: A new report from the House Oversight Committee claims that another Biden family member, this time Haley Biden, the widow of Bo, profited off the president's political connections by taking payouts from people associated with the Chinese Communist Party.
--:-- Tim Pierce: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky alleged Thursday that, quote, over the course of several years, members of the Biden family and their companies received over $1.3 million in payments from accounts related to their associate, Rob Walker.
--:-- James Comer: This just shows how deep the Biden family was involved in this influence peddling scene. What we don't know is what the money was for. I mean, everyone says it was for an energy deal. Well, it looks to me like these people who were closely aligned with the Chinese Communist Party sent $3 million to a shell corporation. Then they turned around and split it three ways with a third going to the Biden family. Like three different family members for no apparent reason.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The FBI raided the Florida home of the former chief of staff to ex-Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, on Wednesday.
--:-- John Bickley: Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Brandon Dray.
--:-- Brandon Dray: Roy McGrath was scheduled to appear in court on Monday for a criminal trial, but never showed up, prompting officials to launch a manhunt.
--:-- John Bickley: McGrath has pleaded not guilty to an eight-count federal indictment on charges including wire fraud as well as fraud and embezzlement charges relating to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
--:-- Brandon Dray: McGrath's attorney says that he has no idea where his client is, noting that this decision to not appear at court on Monday is, quote, out of the ordinary behavior.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to our latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
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