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FBI agents' slayings in Florida draw Biden's grief: 'A hell of a price to pay'
After the first major law enforcement tragedy of his presidency, Joe Biden expressed condolences to the families of two FBI agents killed Tuesday while trying to serve a warrant in connection with a child pornography and violence against children investigation in Florida.
"They put their lives on the line and it’s a hell of a price to pay," Biden said from the Oval Office. "And every single day … by and large the vast, vast majority of these men and women are decent, honorable people who put themselves on the line. We owe them."
He said he had not yet had the chance to speak with the victims' families and did not plan to do so Tuesday.
The 6 a.m. shootout left FBI special agents dead, two in a hospital and another with minor injuries. The suspect was also killed. FBI Director Christopher Wray identified the two slain agents as Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger. It was the deadliest day for the FBI since the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
- FBI identifies slain agents who 'exemplified heroism' in Fort Lauderdale shootings
- Florida dispatch audio reveals chilling moment two FBI agents are fatally shot
- Florida FBI agent killed fought child exploitation in the field and educated students in the classroom
- FBI overhauled weapons, armor for agents after deadly Florida shootout 35 years ago
- FBI's January gun background check statistics show people buying firearms at 'blistering pace,' expert says
Ilhan Omar targeted by GOP for removal from House committees as Dems focus on Greene
House GOP lawmakers say they're seeking this week to oust U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from her committee assignments as Democrats push for similar action against U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Fox News has learned.
A GOP proposed measure calls for Omar, frequently identified as a member of the "Squad" of progressive Democrats, to be removed from her committee assignments "in light of conduct she has exhibited," Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reported.
In the amendment, Republicans argue that Omar has made anti-Semitic comments that are grounds for dismissal. Omar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Jim Jordan calls out Dem ‘double standard’ amid Greene scrutiny
- Romney says GOP must distance from 'wacky weeds' like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
- Ilhan Omar slams Wall Street over GameStop frenzy: Those who 'cut off the public' should go to prison
- Rep. Ilhan Omar calls on Biden to back 'recurring cash payments' until economy recovers
Nuclear war with China or Russia a 'real possibility,' STRATCOM commander warns
The head of U.S. Strategic Command is calling for military and federal leaders to reimagine methods of deterring aggressive action from rivals such as China and Russia, including the "real possibility" of nuclear war.
In a stark assessment of the current geopolitical landscape, STRATCOM Commander Adm. Charles Richard warned that China and Russia have "begun to aggressively challenge international norms" in "ways not seen since the height of the Cold War."
Richard cited a rise in cyberattacks and "threats in space," as well as their investment in advanced arms such as nuclear weapons. STRATCOM is responsible for the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
"There is a real possibility that a regional crisis with Russia or China could escalate quickly to a conflict involving nuclear weapons, if they perceived a conventional loss would threaten the regime or state," Richard wrote in the February issue of "Proceedings," the U.S. Naval Institute’s monthly magazine. "Consequently, the U.S. military must shift its principal assumption from "nuclear employment is not possible" to "nuclear employment is a very real possibility," and act to meet and deter that reality." CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- North Korea likely 'had help from China' in developing new submarine-launched missile: Gordon Chang
- China will double its arsenal of nuclear warheads, report says
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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- Trump appointees to Pentagon boards blocked by Biden defense chief: reports
- WHO team visits high-security Wuhan virus lab at center of speculation
- Psaki accused of making fun of Space Force, refuses to apologize
- Putin critic Navalny defiant during prison sentencing
- LeBron James heckler issues apology after courtside spat: 'I take full responsibility'
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#The Flashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
SOME PARTING WORDS
Tucker Carlson blasted a New York University study saying there was no evidence to support claims of conservative censorship.
"They didn’t hide their findings in footnotes, they got right to it in the title -- ‘False Accusations: The Unfounded Claim Social Media Companies Censor Conservatives,'" Carlson said during Tuesday’s "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
"So it turns out what we’ve been telling you for years isn’t true, it’s merely an unfounded claim. There’s no truth to it. That’s what they concluded. It’s all there in the paper."
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