The spacecraft landed somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean.

Senate Republicans met Tuesday for Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s weekly off-the-record members’ lunch. These meetings, along with regular Wednesday Steering Committee lunches, are among the few regular times when party senators gather in one room to set party policy and messaging. There are few clearer windows into McConnell’s priorities than these lunches, and Tuesday did not disappoint: The RAND Corporation was invited to present its report on military spending and the potential need to raise taxes to increase the military percentage of the country’s GDP. Senate-watchers can consider Tuesday’s lunch not simply a glimpse into a moment of McConnell’s priorities but a preview into his goals for this month’s spending fight — and his plans for the likely December spending deal that will follow. That’s right; that was the priority. It wasn’t the former president and Republican nominee, who over the weekend survived another assassination attempt. It wasn’t Donald Trump’s campaign focus on past tax cuts or promise of more to come. It wasn’t House Republicans’ strategic (if faltering) election play to link the SAVE Act to a six-month spending resolution or even the threat of a bloated omnibus hanging over the Senate’s own head. It was more money for the Pentagon. Keep in mind: The government runs out of funding at the end of the month, at midnight on Sept. 30 — or 12 days from now. More money for the Pentagon, once a safe Republican issue, has fallen from favor with voters and members over the past four years in particular. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Blaze News learned, pushed back, asking why the conference ought to spend time considering tax hikes (suggested in the report) to deliver billions to a politicized, incompetent Pentagon brass that has cratered recruitment numbers. To Lee’s point, Trump has vocally lashed out at unaccountable Pentagon leadership, pointing out in last week's debate that the Biden-Harris administration hadn’t fired a single person over the chaotic, deadly, and embarrassing retreat from Kabul. But McConnell doesn’t share those concerns. Indeed, he’s made clear he intends to stay on in the Senate after stepping down from leadership this fall explicitly to fight for Pentagon priorities and continued funding for the war in Ukraine. Throughout the meeting, he reportedly waxed wistful about American defense spending as a percentage of GDP during World War II and other eras. Senate-watchers can consider Tuesday’s lunch not simply a glimpse into a moment of McConnell’s priorities but a preview into his goals for this month’s spending fight — and his plans for the likely December spending deal that will follow. Keep an eye out for big promises to Pentagon brass, get ready to see South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bill committing the United States to a decade of funding Ukraine’s war against Russia, and expect other moves to tie Trump’s hands on foreign policy should he win in November. Sign up for Bedford’s newsletter Sign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford's newsletter.

Want Some Cheese With That Whine? Don Lemon Uses Lies to Blame Trump for Assassination Attempts

TSMC Arizona's factory has started producing Apple's A16 Bionic chips. First introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro, Cupertino has begun making one of its latest processors in America, as it had previously promised to do so. Even though Apple's latest smartphones feature the new second-generation 3nm chip, the A18, it's still a reasonably impressive processor to be made outside of Taiwan, showing Apple is serious about bringing some of its latest technologies back home. The information comes from independent journalist Tim Culpan. According to his sources, the A16 Bionic chip is currently being manufactured at Phase 1 of TSMC's Fab 21 in Arizona in "small but significant numbers." When the second stage of Phase 1 FB is completed, the volume will ramp up "considerably." TSMC still aims to be fully functional in the first half of 2025. Interestingly enough, TSMC uses the same N4F manufacturing process in Taiwan to produce the American's A16 Bionic processor, an "enhanced" version of the 5nm manufacturing process. Currently, the only products Apple sells that offer this chip are the regular iPhone 15 models. It's unclear if some of the iPhone 15 production could be made in the US or if Apple is ramping up production for a future iPad or iPhone SE. Rumors so far point to an 11th-gen iPad being announced next month. Since the 10th-gen features an A14 Bionic chip, Apple could be planning to give this tablet the A16 Bionic processor, which is a fairly capable chip. Another option could be the upcoming iPhone SE 4. Even though Apple usually gives this device the latest and greatest chip, it could opt for the A16 processor, as rumors say Cupertino will base this entry-level iPhone on the iPhone 14 but with a single main camera. Neither Apple nor TSMC commented on this report, which means both companies must be waiting to start mass-producing these chips to announce that Cupertino is now making iPhone chips in America. Don't Miss: iPhone 16: Release date, features, A18, price, AI, and more The post Apple is now manufacturing one of its iPhone chips in the US appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Today’s deals: $199 iPad 9, $99 TP-Link WiFi 7 router, $400 off Narwal Freo X Ultra robot vacuum, more Today’s deals: $10 off Starbucks coffee, $199 Apple iPad, $16 portable blender, $99 BISSELL Little Green, more Best Apple Watch deals for September 2024

Ukrainian drones struck a large military depot in a town deep inside Russia overnight, causing a huge blaze and prompting the evacuation of some local residents, a Ukrainian official and Russian news reports said Wednesday.

Jerusalem's pager attack against Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon was carried out ahead of schedule due to concerns the Iranian proxy might have discovered the plan, according to reports in Axios and Al-Monitor.

For 10 months, rumblings, lawsuits, law enforcement raids and mounting allegations of widespread sexual abuse had surrounded Sean "Diddy Combs.

The interest rate for the most popular U.S. home loan fell last week to its lowest level in two years, on anticipation the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates on Wednesday, potentially by as much as a half of a percentage point.

The U.S. national security panel reviewing Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel let the companies refile their application for approval of the deal, a person familiar with the matter said, delaying a decision on the politically sensitive merger until after the election.

Harvey Weinstein is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Manhattan on a new indictment charging him with up to three additional sex offenses, his lawyer said.