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Hello! I’m AllSides Managing Editor Henry A. Brechter. It’s Friday, March 24, 2023. Here’s your AllSides balanced briefing for today.

 

TOP STORIES FOR MARCH 24

See news from left-, center-, and right-rated sources with our Headline Roundups and Balanced Web Search results on these stories:

  • The U.S. military carried out air strikes against Iran-linked groups in Syria after a suicide drone attack killed a U.S. contractor, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The initial attack on a coalition base in northeast Syria also wounded another contractor and five U.S. servicemembers.

  • TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew defended the popular app in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday. Chew denied that the app and its parent company are beholden to the Chinese Communist Party as efforts to ban the app continue in the U.S.

  • A Senate committee released a report on nationwide shortages of critical medications, and deemed drug shortages to be a national security threat.

  • The World Athletics Council voted to exclude transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from women’s international track and field competitions.

  • President Joe Biden's approval rating is at 38%, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC poll, nearing a low. Other polls put Biden's approval rating between 42% and 44%.

 

TRUMP INDICTMENT UNCLEAR

The week came and went without an indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Trump predicted last weekend that he'd be arrested on Tuesday, and called for protests. The Manhattan DA is considering charging Trump over hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair.

Because planned meetings of a Manhattan grand jury to discuss the case were called off on Wednesday and Thursday, any decision won't come until next week at the earliest.

Read more from our Story of the Week newsletter.

 

CHINA-RUSSIA SUMMIT CONCLUDES

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a three-day summit in Moscow this week, strengthening their alliance while drawing criticism from the West.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Xi’s visit gave "diplomatic cover" for "atrocities" committed by Russia in Ukraine. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called the meeting a “three-day bro-fest celebrating authoritarian power.”

Read more from our balanced Headline Roundup.

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR NEXT WEEK

  • Trump will hold the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign on Saturday at the regional airport in Waco, Texas.
  • Twitter will begin removing legacy blue check marks on April 1 for users whose accounts were verified before Elon Musk took over.
  • Opening day for Major League Baseball's 2023 season is on Thursday.

 

TODAY'S WEATHER

See today’s weather radar and temperature maps for your area from the NOAA.

 

GOOD NEWS

A first-of-its-kind children's museum is opening in Mumbai, India, and is aimed at providing kids with "immersive and interactive" opportunities to "think, imagine and create to the best of their abilities."

 

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Henry A. Brechter is the Managing Editor of AllSides. He has a Center bias.