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Year: 2024

Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for $824B budget

Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for 4B budget

The Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit on Friday as the agency was unable to fully account for its massive $824 billion budget, though officials were confident the Department of Defense “has turned a corner” in understanding its budgetary challenges going forward. The audits resulted in a disclaimer of opinion, which means auditors were provided with insufficient information to form an accurate opinion of the accounts. Of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 28 reporting entities that had standalone audits, 9 received an unmodified audit opinion, 1 received a qualified opinion, 15 received disclaimers, and 3 opinions remain pending, the Pentagon said. But with the goal of achieving a clean audit by 2028, Michael McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, said the agency “has turned a corner in its understanding of the depth and breadth of its challenges.”  MILITARY SUICIDES WERE ON THE RISE LAST YEAR, DESPITE A MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN PREVENTION PROGRAMS “Momentum is on our side, and throughout the Department there is strong commitment—and belief in our ability—to achieve an unmodified audit opinion,” he said in a statement. The objective of earning an unmodified audit opinion is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act. McCord told reporters at a briefing on Friday that he would not say that the agency “failed” as it had “about half clean opinions.” “So if someone had a report card that is half good and half not good, I don’t know that you call the student or the report card a failure,” he said. US DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL MILITARY FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST AMID INTENSIFYING REGIONAL TENSIONS: PENTAGON Independent public accountants and the DoD Office of Inspector General closely examined the financial statements for the audit. McCord emphasized in a statement that the path to a clean audit is clear. “Significant work remains and challenges lie ahead, but our annual audit continues to be a catalyst for Department-wide financial management reform, resulting in greater financial integrity, transparency, and better-supported warfighters,” he said.

Virginia attorney general expects ‘a lot more common sense’ during Trump presidency

Virginia attorney general expects ‘a lot more common sense’ during Trump presidency

Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said he anticipates “a lot more common sense to come out of Washington” with a Trump presidency ahead.  With President-elect Donald Trump heading to the Oval in January, Miyares said he looks forward to the administration rolling back “the overly burdensome regulations that have impacted so many Americans these last four years.” “Everything from the OSHA vaccine mandate . . . to a pretty radical interpretation of Title IX to essentially say that now biological boys are allowed to be on women’s sports teams,” Miyares told Fox News Digital. “So I anticipate you’re going to see a lot more common sense to come out of Washington and come out of the administration.” Miyares said he anticipates lots of new developments with the new Republican administration, and “we look forward to seeing it.” VIRGINIA AG CHEERS SUPREME COURT RULING AS ‘HUGE WIN’ FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY Following his win, Trump and his team have already started to announce various Cabinet nominations and policy expectations. Among them have included Trump’s announcement that he would be nominating Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general.  Miyares did not directly comment on Gaetz as the potential head of the Justice Department, but clarified that he also looks forward to working with the new AG.  “We’re going to work with the attorney general,” Miyares said. “I know that’s why we have the Senate to advise and consent.” “But this is what I would say — the new administration and who they’re going to put in elevated leadership is, again, I think, going to be fundamentally different than I think some of the real left-wing ideology that we’ve seen pushed down by the Biden administration,” Miyares continued.  TRUMP’S SPEEDY CABINET PICKS SHOW HIS ‘PRIORITY TO PUT AMERICA FIRST,’ TRANSITION TEAM SAYS Miyares recently made headlines after challenging a lower court’s ruling ordering the state to restore the names of approximately 1,600 potential noncitizens to its voter rolls ahead of the Nov. 5 election.  Miyares, along with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, remained steadfast after the Department of Justice initially sued them over the voter removals, arguing that the state’s process was “individualized” and conducted in accordance with state and federal law.  Miyares is up for re-election in 2025 but has yet to announce any formal plans for running again. Two Democrats have already announced their plans to run for the post, including former Virginia delegate Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. Both have voiced their criticisms of Gaetz’s nomination on social media.  “When I am Virginia’s next Attorney General, you better believe I’ll be taking on Matt Gaetz’s overreach in court. We are going to hold this Administration accountable for Virginia families,” Jones wrote on X.  MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL “Matt Gaetz, who was investigated by law enforcement for sex trafficking and who has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee (a Republican-led committee in a Republican-majority House) was nominated by President-Elect Trump as the next US Attorney General,” Taylor wrote on X.  “I call on Attorney General Miyares @JasonMiyaresVA who is the highest legal officer in our Commonwealth, to oppose this appointment and to call on President Elect-Trump to instead nominate an Attorney General who is above reproach as opposed to a man under ethics investigation himself.” Trump first announced his intentions to nominate Gaetz as AG in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, saying Gaetz “has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.” Gaetz then confirmed the nomination on the social media site X, adding, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” Shortly after the announcement, Gaetz resigned from his post in Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced.  Republicans have already signaled concerns over Gaetz’s potential appointment. He was previously under a yearlong DOJ investigation stemming from accusations that he had had a sexual relationship with a minor, but the department ultimately did not press charges. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Kelly Phares contributed to this report. 

Trail of destruction as Typhoon Man-yi lashes the Philippines

Trail of destruction as Typhoon Man-yi lashes the Philippines

A powerful typhoon has wrecked houses, caused towering tidal surges and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee to emergency shelters as it cut across the northern Philippines in the sixth major storm to hit the country in less than a month. Typhoon Man-yi slammed into the eastern island province of Catanduanes on Saturday night with sustained winds of up to 195km/h (125mph) and gusts of up to 240km/h (149mph). The country’s weather agency warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” in provinces along its path. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the typhoon, which was forecast to blow northwestwards on Sunday across northern Luzon, the archipelago’s most populous region. The capital region of metropolitan Manila would likely be spared from a direct hit but was placed, along with outlying regions, under storm alerts and warned of dangerous coastal storm surges. The entire province of Catanduanes had no power after the typhoon knocked down trees and electricity posts, and disaster-response teams were checking how many more houses were damaged in addition to those affected by previous storms, he said. More than 750,000 people took refuge in emergency shelters, including churches and a shopping mall, due to Man-yi and two previous storms mostly in the northern Philippines, civil defence official Cesar Idio and other provincial officials said. The rare number of back-to-back storms and typhoons that lashed Luzon in just three weeks has killed more than 160 people, affected nine million and caused such extensive damage to residential communities, infrastructure and farmlands that the Philippines may have to import more rice, a staple food for most Filipinos. In an emergency meeting as Man-yi approached, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr asked his cabinet and provincial officials to brace for “the worst-case scenario”. The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. It is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Adblock test (Why?)

Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic – UFC 309: MMA heavyweight championship fight

Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic – UFC 309: MMA heavyweight championship fight

Jon Jones has cemented his position as arguably the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of all time by pulling off a stunning knockout of Stipe Miocic to retain his heavyweight belt at the UFC 309 fight night. The 37-year-old American looked fully in control throughout the main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, preventing his opponent from leveraging his boxing skills and finishing with a brutal heel to the body that left Miocic on the canvas clutching his ribs. “That body shot man, no matter how tough you are, the liver’s the liver,” a jubilant Jones said in the cage following his victory. In the aftermath, 42-year-old former champion Miocic said he was retiring from the sport. “I’m done,” Miocic said. “I’m hanging ’em up.” Widely considered the best fighter in the world, Jones (28 wins, 1 loss, 1 no contest) was the aggressor from the start and took Miocic down with a superbly timed trip and trapped him before raining down elbows as he dominated the rest of the round. Keen not to get taken down again, Miocic was hesitant as he tried to manage the distance, but Jones was able to measure strikes to the body from his southpaw stance to keep Miocic on the back foot. Croatian-American Miocic enjoyed some success early in the third round, but once again Jones was able to work out the puzzle, connecting with a couple of punches late in the round before his creative rotating kick ended the bout. British heavyweight Tom Aspinall looms as the next challenger for Jones. Aspinall won a fight for the interim heavyweight title in November 2023. UFC CEO Dana White had promised Aspinall, who chatted with Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, would challenge the winner of the main event in a unification bout. UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones (R) fights challenger Stipe Miocic [Kena Betancur/AFP] Trump, Musk in attendance With Donald Trump in the audience, Jones imitated the United States president-elect’s campaign trail dance as he celebrated. In the co-main event, Brazil’s Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision to put his name back in contention for a crack at the lightweight title he was stripped of for missing weight in May 2022. Jones posed and played to the crowd on top of the octagon in front of Trump, Elon Musk, picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Robert Kennedy Jr, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his incoming administration. Trump walked out to a rousing ovation in front of 20,200 fans just before the start of the pay-per-view card and seemed to bask in the thrill of the fighters that throughout the night gave him props — including Jones. “I want to give a big, big thank you to President Donald Trump [for] being here tonight,” Jones said to a roaring ovation that bled into a “USA! USA!” chant. “I’m proud to be a great American champion,” Jones said. US President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk watch the fight [Kena Betancur/AFP] Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler In a lightweight bout that made every fan, from Kid Rock to Jordan Knight to Anthony Kiedis, go wild at the finish in the fifth round, Charles Oliveira beat Michael Chandler via unanimous decision. The fight was a rematch of their May 2021 fight when Charles Oliveira topped Chandler to win the lightweight title. Oliveira staked his claim to another title fight with the win. The fifth round was about as good as it gets inside the octagon highlighted by Chandler dropping Oliveira twice on his back. The 38-year-old Chandler stepped inside the cage for the first time in two years, in large part because he waited for a fight that never materialised with Conor McGregor. “We’ve been wondering where you’ve been, Conor,” Chandler bellowed in the cage. “Come back and beat me if you can.” Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler grapple on the ground in a lightweight fight [Sarah Stier/Getty Images via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)