Congress Passes Record Defense Bill, a Deepfake Putin, and an Irish Bar’s Christmas Spot

The House and Senate approved a record-high $886 billion defense policy bill, up 3% from last year. It includes a 5.2% pay raise for troops, the biggest pay boost in decades. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ [The Flyover]( [The Flyover]( [Calendar] FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2023 Good Morning! On this date in 1791, Virginia ratified the Bill of Rights, the 10th of 14 states to do so, enough to formally enact them as the first ten amendments to the new U.S. Constitution. ([See Image]() If you haven't signed up for The Flyover yet, you can take care of that [with one click](. Today's edition is sponsored by [Kailo](, a modern pain-relief patch that may be a great help to you. [Check it out](! [Take Off] [Article Icon 1] Congress Passes Record Defense Bill The House and Senate approved a record-high [$886 billion defense policy bill](, up 3% from last year. It includes a 5.2% pay raise for troops, the biggest pay boost in decades. The bill passed in the Senate 87-13 and the House 310-118, despite concerns from some GOP members that the bill keeps intact Pentagon “social-engineering” policies, such as abortion access. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was “disappointed” the House didn't get all it wanted but that the bill was [“a good compromise.”]( [Article Icon 1] Wisconsin Trades Diversity for Cash The Wisconsin Board of Regents reversed itself and [approved a state GOP deal]( for $800 million in university funding in exchange for freezing new hires of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officers. Additionally, 43 existing DEI jobs will be reclassified to new positions, and campuses will have to eliminate statements supporting “diversity” on student applications. The state legislature refused to approve the $800 million budget increase for pay raises and capitol improvements without the DEI deal. The Board of Regents initially turned it down but [reversed the decision]( in a surprise vote Wednesday. [Article Icon 1] Mickey Mouse Losing Copyright Protection After 95 years, the original version of Mickey Mouse is finally losing copyright protection and [entering the public domain](, where anyone can use the character as long as it doesn’t appear to come from Disney. Mickey’s first appearance was in the primitive 1928 cartoon [“Steamboat Willie,”]( and that’s the only version that’s entering the public domain — the sweet, hapless Mickey from the 1930s on is still protected. Another character that recently entered the public domain is Winnie the Pooh. He and Piglet were immediately reimagined as bloodthirsty villains in the slasher film [“Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.”]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoy reading The Flyover? [Click here](mailto:?cc=editor@jointheflyover.com&subject=My%20new%20favorite%20newsletter!&body=Hey!%0D%0A%0D%0AI%E2%80%99ve%20been%20reading%20a%20new%20newsletter%20every%20morning%20called%20The%20Flyover.%20I%20love%20it!%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20love%20it%20too.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt%E2%80%99s%20my%20new%20favorite%20source%20for%20news%20first%20thing%20in%20the%20morning.%20They%20cover%20important%20and%20interesting%20stories%E2%80%94usually%20politics%2C%20sports%2C%20finance%2C%20science%20%26%20tech%2C%20etc.%0D%0A%0D%0AI%20think%20you%20should%20give%20it%20a%20try.%0D%0A%0D%0AJust%20copy%20this%20link%20and%20paste%20it%20into%20your%20browser%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fjointheflyover.com%2F%3Futm%3D83%0D%0A%0D%0ALet%20me%20know%20if%20you%20like%20it.%20I%20think%20you%20will!%0D%0A) to share with your friends and family. [✈️] [Politics] ➤ The Senate canceled its recess next week and will stay in session to try and forge a deal on border control and funding for Ukraine. The House will be in recess. ([More]() ➤ A top Hamas leader has called for attacks on America and Britain in retaliation for the war in Gaza. The FBI has issued warnings of potential terrorist attacks in the U.S. ([More]() ➤ Only 25% of Michigan Democrats say they’re enthusiastic about President Biden as their presidential nominee, according to a new AP-NORC poll. For the state GOP, 45% say they’re enthusiastic about Donald Trump as the nominee. ([More]() ➤ Two men were indicted in Montana for killing 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, for feathers and other parts to sell on the black market, a federal crime. ([More]() Flying together with: [The Flyover]( Kailo: The Microtech Patch That Could End Your Pain In Seconds When you experience pain, it’s typically the result of electrical signals being sent from the location of the pain to your brain. The worse the pain, the stronger the signal. Kailo’s patented technology uses microcapacitors to “turn off” these pain signals like a light switch – [providing natural relief](, anywhere on your body, in seconds. It's one of the first products on the market [to use microtechnology for pain relief](, and it's available at an affordable price. Stick it on your knee, back, neck—wherever you're experiencing pain. - 100% Chemical Free - Reusable - Waterproof Want to see it in action? [Watch the video here](. [Available for 50% off today](! [Sports] ➤ The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo set a franchise record by scoring 64 points in a game against the Indiana Pacers, but a ruckus broke out afterward over who would get to keep the game ball. ([See Video]() ➤ The SEC released its 2024 football schedule on Wednesday, offering the first look at how the competition will shape up now that it’s expanded to a 16-team league that includes Oklahoma and Texas. ([See Schedule]() ➤ The University of Colorado is creating a new elective to study how Deion Sanders handles his celebrity on top of coaching the UC football team. The class is called “Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership.” ([More]() [Finance] [Trend Line]Market Report 12/14/23 ▲ NASDAQ Natl. Assoc. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations 14,761.56 +0.19% ▲ SPX S&P 500 4,719.55 +0.26% ▲ DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average 37,248.28 +0.42% ▲ BTC Bitcoin $43,081.0 +0.37% ▼ APLS Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $52.18 -17.02% ➤ Big Stock Move: Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock dropped 17% today after the company said European regulators were likely to reject Syfovre, its eye disease treatment. ([More]() ➤ GM is laying off nearly a quarter of employees working on its self-driving Cruise business after firing nine of the division’s executives. The robo-taxis are under investigation after a vehicle dragged a woman 20 feet. ([More]() ➤ The top-ranked Google search word for what things cost this year was “eggs” across all 50 states. It’s the first year that the same item has topped price-check searches in each state. ([More]() Flying together with our sponsor Kailo quickly and effectively relieves pain (all over your body) in the most natural way possible. The innovative patch is 100% drug-free, non-invasive, and can be used all day, every day, with zero side-effects. [Watch it work here!]( [Science & Technology] ➤ Russian President Vladimir Putin came face to face with an AI-generated “deepfake” version of himself during his annual press conference. Fake Putin asked Real Putin his thoughts on artificial intelligence. ([See Video]() ➤ New 3D images of the human tongue reveal that every person’s tongue has a unique pattern of taste buds and texture, distinct enough that scientists could identify each person by their tongue. ([See Illustration]() ➤ Scientists discovered the first known stream of stars stretching between galaxies while searching for dark matter. The gigantic “stellar stream” is ten times longer than the Milky Way. ([See Images]() [The Rotator] [Feel Good Friday] ➤ A small-town bar in Northern Ireland has produced a heart-warming Christmas commercial about kindness that’s gone viral worldwide. ([See Ad]() ➤ An Oklahoma man strung his house with Christmas lights and then saw that the homes of his neighbors, many of them elderly, remained in darkness. So he got their permission to light up every house on the street. ([See Video]() ➤ A mailman saved a toddler who escaped his daycare center and wandered toward a busy street. The postman scooped him up and called the police. “I was just in the right place at the right time,” he said. ([See Video]() Flying together with our sponsor ➤ Can’t think of a good Christmas gift? [Try this list](! [Et Cetera] ➤ First Lady Jill Biden posted a polarizing White House Christmas video that drew cheers and jeers from millions for its elaborately dressed dancers performing their interpretation of “The Nutcracker.” ([See Video]() ➤ A bull trotting down the tracks of a Newark, New Jersey transit station delayed travel for up to 45 minutes until the “livestock alert” ended with the animal captured in a fenced lot. ([See Video]() ➤ A photographer who tried for four years to get the perfect shot of a sunrise through the Dorset Door arches finally succeeded in capturing the iconic shot, known as a “sunstar.” ([See Photo]() [Poll Position] What's the best animated Christmas special? - [A Charlie Brown Christmas]( - [Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]( - [How the Grinch Stole Christmas]( - [Frosty the Snowman]( - [The Little Drummer Boy]( - [Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol]( - [Mr. Magoo Christmas Carol]( Thursday's Results: Should TikTok be banned? - Yes: 89% - No: 11% [Quote Box]Daily Quote [Quote] “This is it. This is Mickey Mouse. This is exciting because it’s kind of symbolic.” — Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University's Center for the Study of Public Domain on Mickey losing full copyright protection. [Trivia]Today's Trivia What was the first state to join the U.S. after the original 13 colonies? 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