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Joint chiefs chairman holds first call with Chinese counterpart in over a year
CBSN
The nation's top military officer held a call with his Chinese counterpart Thursday morning, marking the highest level of military communication since July 2022, prior to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan — and the Chinese spy balloon's drift across the U.S. before a fighter jet shot it down off the South Carolina coast, angering Beijing.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown held a video with his counterpart Gen. Liu Zhenli, according to a readout from the joint staff.
Senior U.S. officials who previewed the call for reporters said the call is a result of the commitment by President Biden and Chinese President Xi in November to resume this type of communication. The officials didn't have any more calls to preview but are working with Chinese counterparts to set up different calls at various levels.
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More employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were informed Wednesday that their jobs appear in doubt. Senior leadership at the EPA held an all-staff meeting to tell individuals that President Trump's executive order, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," which was responsible for the closure of the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, will likely lead to the shuttering of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights as well.
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