Cotton to Austin: ‘Pentagon must stop using Chinese-owned tutoring service

WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, urging him to sever the Department of Defense s (DoD) contract with Chinese- owned Primavera Capital Group. The company owns Tutor.com, a tutoring service the DoD uses for both military members and their children.

Senator Cotton warned of the national security threats posed by a Chinese company having access to American service members data and requested information on DoD s relationship with the company.

Senator Cotton wrote: To the Honorable Lloyd Austin U.S. Department of Defense I write regarding the Chinese-owned Primavera Capital Group s contract with your Department to tutor American service members and their children. This business relationship is ill-advised, reckless, and a danger to U.S. national security, and the Department should immediately end that relationship.

Tutor.com is a long-standing provider of tutoring services to our service members and their families. In January 2022, Primavera Capital Group a Chinese-owned corporation associated with TikTok s parent company, ByteDance acquired Tutor.com and The Princeton Review (TPR Education LLC) from ST Unitas. In May 2023, The Wall Street Journal drew public attention to the dangers of this acquisition, yet the Department continues to utilize Tutor.com services.

While providing educational services, Tutor.com collects personal data on users, such as location, internet protocol addresses, and contents of the tutoring sessions.

As Chinese national security laws require companies to release confidential business and customer data to the Chinese government, we are paying to expose our military and their children s private information to the Chinese Communist Party.

Please provide the following information no later than February 20, 2024:

• How much funding has the Department provided to Tutor.com since 2022?

• Did the Department participate in any security reviews of Primavera s acquisition before ( it was approved?

If so, did the Department raise any concerns?

• Has the Department conducted an internal review to determine whether to continue this business relationship? If not, why?

• How many military personnel or dependents use Tutor.com annually?

Are users informed their data will be shared with a Chinese company?

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely, Tom Cotton, United States Senator

Authorities release names in

Finch shooting, deaths believed to be murder-suicide

PARAGOULD — Greene County authorities have identified the two people found dead inside a home in the Finch community earlier this month, with officials listing the preliminary cause of death as homicide/suicide.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office released details about the case late Monday. Officials said deputies went to a home Feb. 5 for a welfare check.

While there, deputies found the bodies of a man and a woman inside the home.

“At approximately 9:08 a.m. on Feb. 5 deputies arrived on scene in the 1800 block of 716 Rd to check on the welfare of Rebecca Edwards, age 51 of Jonesboro. Edwards had not been heard from since Feb. 2. She was the on again, off again girlfriend of Dewayne “Matt” Parnell, age 49 of the 716 Road address,” Sheriff Brad Snyder said.

Deputies noticed that both Edwards’ and Parnell’s vehicles were at the home, but no one answered the door.

However, Sgt. Tanner Hill was able to stand on a nearby HVAC unit and looked inside the home.

Hill saw a body on the floor and deputies went inside the home, Snyder

See STATE, page A9

COTTON STATE

From page A3

said.

“Once inside, deputies found Edwards and Parnell both deceased due to gunshot wounds. Edwards was found to have two gunshot wounds, one to the head and one to the chest. Parnell was found to have one gunshot wound to the head,” Snyder said. “Evidence at the scene indicated that Parnell’s gunshot wound was self-inflicted. Both bodies were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab’s Medical Examiner for autopsy.

Preliminary autopsy results received (Monday) for both of the deceased confirmed that this incident was a case of homicide/suicide.”

Officials said the investigation into the deaths will remain open pending receiving of the full autopsy and toxicology reports on Edwards and Parnell from the crime lab.Anyone with any information pertinent to the case in urged to contact the police.