Three-martini lunch tax break, foreign aid: Year-end bills stir controversy Matthew Brown and Ledyard King, USA TODAY
President Trump denounces new COVID-19 relief bill and seeks multiple changes
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WASHINGTON – The $2.3 trillion spending package Congress overwhelmingly passed last week has a little bit of everything.
Fused from two major bills – a $900 billion coronavirus aid package to address the economic fallout of the pandemic and a $1.4 trillion spending measure to fund the government through Sept. 30 – the legislation includes money for direct payments to millions of families, vaccine distribution efforts and pay raises for the military.
It also includes controversial provisions that would extend tax breaks for race car tracks and business lunches, millions for venues that aren t open and a requirement that carbon monoxide detectors be installed in public housing apartments. It includes billions in foreign aid, which often draws co
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Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group Begins Second 2020 Deployment
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) transits the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 18, 2020. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS
Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), its escorts and its embarked air wing began its second deployment in a year, the service announced on Wednesday.
The deployment of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group began at the completion of a sustainment exercise that began shortly after the carrier left San Diego earlier in December.
“Completing SUSTEX confirmed that Carrier Strike Group Nine is ready to sail west to preserve freedom of the seas, deter aggression, and if necessary, win against any competitor,” CSG 9 commander Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, Commander said in a Navy statement.
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Top Stories 2020: U.S. Navy Operations
December 23, 2020 11:31 AM
Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Oliver Aguirre Torres, from Bloomington, Calif., left, mans the rails as the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) arrives at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on July 9, 2020. US Navy Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.
As the U.S. continues to recalculate its strategy to counter Russia and China, naval operations this year focused on maintaining a presence in multiple theaters during a global pandemic.
While the Navy continued its sustained carrier presence in the Middle East, the service also conducted operations and exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Rear Adm. Steve Koehler is a native of San Diego and a 1986 graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) and designated a naval aviator in March 1989. He holds a Master’s in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and is a graduate of the Joint Staff College and the Navy Nuclear Power Program.
At sea, he commanded the Pukin’ Dogs of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 143, USS Bataan (LHD 5), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), and Carrier Strike Group Nine. His additional assignments at sea include tours in Fighter Squadron (VF) 211, VF-41, executive officer aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). During his operational tours he supported Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel in support of contingency operations in the Middle East, Operation Deliberate Guard in support of stabili
USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Dec. 21, 2020
December 21, 2020 11:49 AM
USNI News Graphic
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Dec. 21, 2020, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Total U.S. Navy Battle Force:
297
In Japan
A P-8A Poseidon, assigned to the ‘Fighting Tigers’ of Patrol Squadron (VP) 8, taxis into position to standby for snow flight operations at Naval Air Facility (NAF) Misawa, Japan on Dec. 17, 2020. US Navy Photo