The Pentagon on Thursday denied claims from a pro-ISIS media outlet that the group had downed a US combat jet in Syria. The Amaq news agency, a main outlet for pro-ISIS propaganda, claimed Thursday morning that the group downed a USAF A-10 near Hasakah, Syria. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook immediately denied the claim, saying all US aircraft had been accounted for. This isn’t the first time ISIS has claimed it had shot down a US plane. In July, Amaq said ISIS downed another US jet and killed its crew, prompting US Central Command to immediately deny that it happened.
A new report by the Defense Department’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation found that Texas and Virginia are America’s top recipients of defense spending, some $83 billion and $64.3 billion, respectively. Texas and California top the spending categories for Air Force contracts and personnel, some $17 billion and $15…