Israel launches ‘Third Lebanon War’ as IDF warplanes pound Hezbollah targets | World | News– www.express.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
Israeli warplanes have begun striking targets in the south and east of Lebanon after the IDF warned locals to evacuate as it steps up its military operation against Hezbollah, with one official referring to it as the “Third Lebanon War.”.
IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee added on X: “Residents of Lebanese villages: The raids will begin in the near future – evacuate the houses where Hezbollah weapons are hidden immediately!
“Hezbollah is lying to you and sacrificing you. Hezbollah says that you are its environment and that you are its audience, but it seems that its missiles and drones are more valuable and important to it than you.”
An Israeli security source told the Hebrew outlet Ynet that Israel expected a massive response from Hezbollah after the attack adding: “There are days ahead of us when the public will have to show composure.” They referred to the conflict as the “Third Lebanon War”.
UK Foreign Minister Lammy Plays Down Putin Threats– www.themoscowtimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “bluster” Sunday over his warning that letting Ukraine use long-range weapons to strike inside Russia would put NATO “at war” with Moscow.
US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met at the White House to discuss whether to ease rules on Kyiv’s use of western-supplied weapons this week
“I think that what Putin’s doing is throwing dust up into the air,” Lammy told the BBC.
“There’s a lot of bluster. That’s his modus operandi. He threatens about tanks, he threatens about missiles, he threatens about nuclear weapons.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking for permission to use long-range weapons such as British Storm Shadow missiles and US-made ATACMS missiles to hit targets deeper inside Russia for months.
Biden and Starmer delayed a decision on the move during their meeting on Friday.
It came after Putin warned that green-lighting use of the weapons “would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia.”
“If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face,” he added.
The Russian leader has long warned western countries that they risk provoking a nuclear war over their support for Ukraine.
“We cannot be blown off course by an imperialist fascist, effectively, that wants to move into countries willy nilly,” said Lammy.
“If we let him with Ukraine, believe me, he will not stop there.”
Lammy said that talks between Starmer, Biden and Zelensky over the use of the missiles would continue at the United Nations General Assembly gathering in New York later this month.
Elsewhere, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz once again ruled out sending long-range precision weapons to Ukraine on Saturday, regardless of decisions made by NATO allies.
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Russia launches drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s military says – MSN Source Link Excerpt:
Russia launched its eighth air attack in September on Kyiv overnight, with air defence units destroying nearly 20 drones that were heading towards the country’s capital, Ukrainian military said on Monday.
“Russian attack drones were heading to Kyiv from different directions and in different groups,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram.
“According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or damage in Kyiv.”
The scale of the attack, which kept Kyiv under air raid alerts for about 3.5 hours, will only be known later on Monday, he added on the messaging app.
Reuters’ witnesses reported a series of loud explosions in what sounded like air defence systems in operation.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow. Russia says that it targets only Ukrainian infrastructure that is key to its war efforts in its air attacks.
Trudeau says Ukraine can strike deep into Russia with NATO arms, Putin hints at war– ctv news Source Link Excerpt:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ukraine should be allowed to strike deep inside Russia, despite Moscow threatening that this would draw Canada and its allies into direct war.
“Canada fully supports Ukraine using long-range weaponry to prevent and interdict Russia’s continued ability to degrade Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, and mostly to kill innocent civilians in their unjust war,” Trudeau told reporters at a news conference in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., on Friday.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the NATO military alliance allowing Ukraine to use weapons it has provided for long-range strikes “would mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are at war with Russia.”
Putin Warns Russia at War with NATO if Ukraine Allowed to Fire Long-Range Missiles; Biden Dismisses Threat– www.cbn.com Source Link Excerpt:
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning to NATO leaders that approval for Ukraine to use long-range Western-made missiles that could penetrate deep into Russia “would mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are at war with Russia.”
When asked by reporters about the Putin threat, President Joe Biden essentially dismissed his warning, saying after a meeting Friday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.” Biden said he wanted to make clear that “Putin does not prevail in this war.”
Dmitri Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, asserted Saturday that a pending decision by the U.S. and NATO nations to approve Ukraine’s deployment of the missiles would possibly prompt Russia to use nuclear weapons, and he cautioned that Kyiv could be turned into a “gray melted spot.”
For much of this month, there have been indications that the U.S. and NATO might change the policy and allow Ukraine’s request to use the missiles. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted at such a change on a visit to Kyiv earlier in September.
The head of NATO’s military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer from The Netherlands, indicated Saturday that Ukraine would be legally and militarily justified in launching the weapons.
“Every nation that is attacked has the right to defend itself. And that right doesn’t stop at the border of your own nation,” Bauer declared.
U.S. hits Russian state media with sanctions for raising money for Moscow’s troops in Ukraine – LA Times Source Link Excerpt:
The U.S. State Department has announced new sanctions on Russian state media, accusing a Kremlin news outlet of working hand in hand with the Russian military and running fundraising campaigns to pay for sniper rifles, body armor and other equipment for soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
While the outlet, RT, has previously been sanctioned for its work to spread Kremlin propaganda and disinformation, the new allegations suggest its role goes far beyond influence operations. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday, RT is a key part of Russia’s war machine and its efforts to undermine its democratic adversaries.
“RT wants its new covert intelligence capabilities, like its longstanding propaganda disinformation efforts, to remain hidden,” Blinken told reporters. “Our most powerful antidote to Russia’s lies is the truth. It’s shining a bright light on what the Kremlin is trying to do under the cover of darkness.”
Federal Loopholes Allow China To Buy Land Near Sensitive Ports, Labs, and Coast Guard Facilities, Prompting Congressional Concern– freebeacon.com Source Link Excerpt:
… The Treasury Department’s Committee of Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the central body responsible for approving land sales to foreign entities, moved to “significantly expand” its jurisdiction in July, allowing it to review real estate transactions near 50 military and other sensitive sites. That expanded list, however, does not include locations such as “national laboratories, maritime ports, and critical telecommunications and energy infrastructure,” all of which remain vulnerable to foreign spy operations, according to Reps. Greg Murphy (R., N.C.) and John Moolenaar (R., Mich.).
The oversight, the lawmakers say, reflects “significant gaps in our national security screening regime for land purchases near national security sites.” Their concern comes as China works to ramp up its influence operations and “wreak havoc” on American infrastructure, efforts that have made combating Chinese land purchases a major political issue in states across the country.
“Coast Guard facilities, Department of Energy National Labs, among other locations, remain off CFIUS’s list of sensitive sites and are thereby vulnerable to foreign adversary exploitation,” Murphy and Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, wrote in a Monday letter to the Treasury Department.
“These loopholes must be closed, and closed quickly. Allowing our adversaries to have potential access to these sites poses risks to both our economic and national security, especially as we see companies with ties to hostile nations continue to increase their investments in the U.S.”
Chinese Communist Party-tied companies own at least 384,000 acres of American agricultural land, a 30 percent increase since 2019, though poor federal oversight means the number could be higher. This accounts for nearly $2 billion in holdings, planting Beijing and its interests across the American heartland.
China Has 100,000 Mines Ready to Sink the U.S. Navy – nationalinterest.org Source Link Excerpt:
Beyond having a larger fleet, China is developing innovative attack methods, including the mass production of cheap yet highly lethal naval mines.
-These mines are difficult to detect and capable of targeting U.S. warships, including aircraft carriers, especially in constrained waters near China like the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
-While U.S. carriers have layered defenses against mines in open waters, conflicts in these compact regions pose a greater risk due to China’s ability to seed the areas with mines.
China has already proven it has superior manufacturing capacity than the United States, at least at the mass-production level. And contrary to popular opinion in the West, Chinese technology is reaching parity with the Americans. This all translates to significant strategic advantages for the Chinese military if Beijing and Washington ever go to war.
US strategy for anti-ship weapons to counter China: plentiful, mobile, deadly – Reuters.com Source Link Excerpt:
The United States is amassing an arsenal of abundant and easily made anti-ship weapons as part of American efforts to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region and gear up U.S. forces there.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed U.S. thinking toward a new philosophy – “affordable mass,” as one missile industry CEO put it, speaking on condition of anonymity, referring to having plenty of relatively cheap weapons at the ready.
“It’s a natural counter to what China has been doing,” said Euan Graham, a senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, referring to the Chinese arsenal of ships and conventional ballistic missiles including those designed to attack vessels.
The Pentagon and China’s Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The United States has ramped up testing of its QUICKSINK weapon, an inexpensive and potentially plentiful bomb equipped with a low-cost GPS guidance kit and a seeker that can track moving objects. The U.S. Air Force used a B-2 stealth bomber during a test last month in the Gulf of Mexico to strike a target ship with QUICKSINK.
China will still have a large advantage in sheer numbers of anti-ship missiles, according to experts, and can base them on its home territory. But increasing U.S. production of QUICKSINK would narrow that gap by putting China’s 370 or so warships at more risk during any future conflict than they have faced since before Beijing leaned into modernizing its military in the 1990s.
China: Supplying Components for Russian Drones in the War Against Ukraine – lansinginstitute.org Source Link Excerpt:
Chinese companies are supplying components for Russian military drones, which may shed light on Beijing’s interests in prolonging the war in Ukraine and avoiding pressure on the Kremlin to end the conflict. These supply chains allow Russia to maintain its UAV production and military operations, raising questions about China’s true geopolitical motivations.
By supporting Russia’s drone capabilities, China indirectly contributes to Moscow’s military aggression, despite its public stance of neutrality and calls for peace. Beijing’s reluctance to exert pressure on Russia could indicate a strategic interest in keeping the West distracted and divided, as well as ensuring access to Russian resources and maintaining a partnership against Western influence.
This dynamic suggests that China might see the continuation of the conflict as beneficial for its long-term objectives, avoiding direct involvement while gaining from the geopolitical instability. By balancing diplomatic rhetoric with actions that support Russia, China maintains its influence without openly aligning with Moscow’s military agenda.
Chinese Electric Vehicles Could Be ‘Weaponised’ by Beijing, Report Warns– www.breitbart.com Source Link Excerpt:
The British government’s open-doors approach to electric vehicles from Communist China threatens to undercut domestic manufacturing and expose the country to national security risks, with a think tank warning that EVs could be “weaponised” by Beijing.
A report from the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI) warned that the growing market share of and dependency on Chinese-made electric vehicles in Britain presents both “economic and security risks” to the United Kingdom.
The report noted that the UK’s domestic car industry is responsible for 198,000 manufacturing jobs, representing 2.5 per cent of the country’s entire GDP.
… A 60 Minutes crew got a close look at the tense situation when traveling on a Philippine Coast Guard ship that was rammed by the Chinese Coast Guard.
China has repeatedly rammed Philippine ships and blasted them with water cannons over the last two years. There are ongoing conversations between Washington and Manila about which scenarios would trigger U.S. involvement, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro said in an interview.
“I really don’t know the end state,” Teodoro said. “All I know is that we cannot let them get away with what they’re doing.”
China states it has indisputable sovereignty over reef after Philippine ship leaves – LBC Group Source Link Excerpt:
China said Sunday it had “indisputable sovereignty” over a contested reef after a Philippine ship anchored there for months left the area.
Beijing “has indisputable sovereignty over… Xianbin Jiao and its adjacent waters,” Chinese coast guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said, using the Chinese name for Sabina Shoal.
Analysis: As China-Vatican deal nears renewal, warming ties could shake Holy See’s decades-old alliance with Taiwan – Channel News Asia Source Link Excerpt:
Dr Reyes noted that the developments reflect the “significant progression” between both parties, even as both do not share formal relations.
Beijing severed diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1951, after China’s Communist Party (CCP) took power and expelled foreign priests. The Vatican instead maintains official links with Taiwan – one of only a dozen states to do so.
Mr Yeo highlighted that Cardinal Chow, during his visit to the Vatican in May, extended an invitation to Pope Francis to visit Hong Kong. He views the gesture as significant, aimed at reinforcing the city’s role as a bridge between China and the global Catholic community.
Pope Paul VI is the only pontiff to have visited Hong Kong – he made a three-hour stopover in 1970 when it was a British colony, holding mass at Happy Valley racecourse.
“It was an informal invitation, but many eyebrows were raised because the Hong Kong cardinal would not have issued this invitation on his own, without clearance to China,” said Mr Yeo in an interview with CNA late last month.
China frees David Lin, American pastor who U.S. government says was wrongfully detained for 18 years– www.cbsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
China’s Mid-Autumn Festival holiday typically sees families reunite and give thanks, much like Thanksgiving in America. This year, Chinese-American pastor David Lin will have much to be thankful for when the holiday is marked on Tuesday. In a surprise move, Beijing freed the 68-year-old Sunday after he spent nearly 20 years in prison in a case the U.S. government and his family have always dismissed as baseless.
Lin entered China in 2006 and attempted to establish a Christian training center in Beijing. China‘s Communist Party disapproves of such activities and routinely roots out underground Christian churches, seeing them as a threat to its power. Only officially-sanctioned, closely monitored churches are permitted under the Communist Party’s rule.
Lin was detained the same year he arrived, then in 2009 he was handed a life sentence after being convicted of fraud. The charge is often applied to home church leaders who try to raise money for expansion, according to the Dui Hua Foundation human rights group.
The U.S. State Department, which always maintained that Lin was wrongfully detained by China, confirmed his release on Sunday. The Chinese government did not make any public comment on Lin’s release during the long holiday weekend.
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Russia and China Conduct Largest Military Drills since Cold War › American Greatness– amgreatness.com Source Link Excerpt:
In the last week, the military forces of China and Russia conducted some of the largest drills in the last 30 years, marking an alarming increase in the two nations’ displays of military strength.
According to Fox News, the week-long drills will include 90,000 troops, 400 naval vessels, and 120 aircraft, and will take place in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, as well as the Baltic, Caspian, and Mediterranean Seas. The drill has been named “Ocean 24.”
The display of power takes place as representatives from the United States meet with leaders of the European Union in Brussels, specifically focusing on rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific Region. China and Russia have slowly been growing closer together in recent years, with the former supporting the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.
The United States has been critical of China for providing “very substantial” support to Russia’s ongoing war effort.
“These are not dual-use capabilities,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell after the latest reports of China providing military supplies to Russia. “These are basically being applied directly to the Russian war machine.”
China to train thousands of overseas law enforcement officers to create ‘more fair’ world order – The Guardian Source Link Excerpt:
China will train thousands of foreign law enforcement officers so as to see the world order “develop in a more fair, reasonable and efficient direction”, its minister for public security has said.
“We will [also] send police consultants to countries in need to conduct training to help them quickly and effectively improve their law enforcement capabilities,” minister Wang Xiaohong told an annual global security forum.
Wang Xiaohong made the announcement in the eastern city of Lianyungang on Monday in front of law enforcement representatives from 122 countries, regions and international organisations such as Interpol.
The forum is part of ongoing efforts by China’s ruling Communist party to position itself as a global security leader. In 2022 China’s leader, Xi Jinping, launched the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which centres China as a facilitator to “improve global security governance … and promote durable peace”.
China’s New Aircraft Carriers Have a ‘Sizeable Edge’ over U.S. Navy for 1 Reason – The National Interest Online
Unlike the U.S., whose aircraft carriers are central to its naval power, China’s carriers are meant to operate under the protective “bubble” created by its A2/AD defenses, particularly within the First Island Chain.
What You Need to Know on China’s Aircraft Carriers and the 1 Edge They Have Against the U.S. Navy: China is rapidly expanding its aircraft carrier fleet, with plans for five or six by the 2030s, despite the challenges posed by anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems. Unlike the U.S., whose carriers are central to its naval power, China’s carriers are meant to operate under the protective “bubble” created by its A2/AD defenses, particularly within the First Island Chain.
US roll outs new export controls aimed at restricting China’s chip industry – Al Jazeera English
The United States has rolled out fresh export controls on quantum computers and semiconductor-manufacturing equipment amid concerns about the use of advanced technologies by rivals such as China.
The US Department of Commerce said on Thursday that the export restrictions followed consultation with international partners and would strengthen relations with “like-minded countries”.
“Today’s action ensures our national export controls keep step with rapidly evolving technologies and are more effective when we work in concert with international partners,” Under Secretary for the Bureau of Industry and Security Alan Estevez said in a statement.
“Aligning our controls on quantum and other advanced technologies makes it significantly more difficult for our adversaries to develop and deploy these technologies in ways that threaten our collective security.”
Xi offers African leaders more aid as China challenges US-led global order – Imperial Valley Press
BEIJING (AP) — Dozens of African leaders gathered Thursday in Beijing for a summit that signals China’s influence in a continent that it hopes will be a key ally in pushing back against a U.S.-led global order.
Chinese President Xi Jinping promised the leaders billions of dollars in loans and private investment over the next three years, and proposed that relations with all African countries that have diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the “strategic” level.
China rolls out red carpet for African leaders as it strategizes against the West – washingtonexaminer.com
China is rolling out the red carpet for 53 African leaders as it seeks to strengthen ties and cement its influence in the mineral-rich and strategically centered continent.
The three-day summit in Beijing began on Wednesday and comes as China tries to counter U.S. and European influence in the region to gain global dominance.
Dancers perform as Morocco Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Adek Berry/Pool Photo via AP)
Under President Xi Jinping, China is trying to raise its political credibility to the point that it becomes a rulemaker versus a rulebreaker in the international playing field. To do that, it needs other countries, in this case, in Africa, to become its allies in international institutions such as the United Nations. However, to do that, it must first build and nurture the relationships.
Even though the United States, Japan, India, and Russia also hold summits to push their interests in Africa, China is unmatched when it comes to the continent’s economic partner, investing billions of dollars in infrastructure and green projects.
‘Tier One’ US Special Forces Unit Preparing for Chinese Invasion of Taiwan: Report– www.westernjournal.com Source Link Excerpt:
A “Tier One” force is reportedly preparing to assist the island nation of Taiwan against a mainland superpower’s overwhelming and relentless force.
The United States Navy’s SEAL Team 6 is currently training for the types of missions that may occur if the People’s Republic of China opens hostilities against its island neighbor, the Financial Times reported.
According to the report, SEAL Team 6 has been training for the simmering conflict for over a year at the elite force’s Dam Neck, Virginia, headquarters.
German warships to cross Taiwan Strait for first time in 22 years, defying Beijing’s warnings – Firstpost Source Link Excerpt:
Two German warships are set to pass through the sensitive Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday.
Reuters reported last month that the warships were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing.
Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasise that Berlin views the trip as normal.
Germany’s defence ministry declined to comment.
China targets SpaceX’s reusable rocket lead, seeks to replace Jeff Bezos as Elon Musk’s top space rival – Mint Source Link Excerpt:
China is aiming to loosen Elon Musk’s lock on reusable launch vehicles — and close a yawning technology gap with the US.
Beijing is turning to aerospace startups and state-owned enterprises alike to develop an edge in rockets that can be used dozens of times to lift satellites into low-Earth orbit.
One company trying to meet that challenge isLandSpace Technology Corp.,whoseZhuque-3 reusablerocket successfully completed a 10 kilometer (6.2 mile)vertical takeoff and landing returntest flightat the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centeron Wednesday.According to Chinese state media, it markeda “significant breakthrough in China’s commercial space industry” and was a “crucial step toward achieving high capacity, low cost, high frequencyand reusability in future space launches.”
China raising its retirement age may be unpopular but it’s much needed, analysts say– www.cnbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
China’s top legislative body passed an official plan Friday to begin incrementally raising the nation’s statutory retirement age from Jan. 1 of next year and concluding in 2040, according to Chinese state media.
The final goal of the roughly 15-year plan is to raise the retirement age by three years for men to 63 years old, five years for women that work in factories from 50 to 55 and three years for women that work in white-collar jobs from 55 to 58.
The reforms are “overdue and very much welcome,” Erica Tay, director of macro research at Maybank Investment Banking Group, told CNBC.
China has been grappling with a shrinking workforce and looming pension budget shortfalls that could significantly damage the economy.
Mali seals arms deal with Chinese manufacturer – APANEWS
Mali has sealed a military cooperation deal with Chinese arms manufacturer Norinco on the eve of the opening of the 9th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) taking place in Beijing from 4 to 6 September.
The head of the Malian transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta, visited the headquarters of Norinco, a world leader in the manufacture of armaments for the signing of a contract for the purchase of new military equipment for his country.
In Beijing, Colonel Goïta was received at Norinco’s headquarters, accompanied by the Minister of Defence and Veterans, Colonel Sadio Camara, and several members of his government.
The visit gave the Malian officials the opportunity to learn about the latest innovations in the field of armaments, particularly in the areas of light weapons, combat drones and advanced artillery systems.
Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goïta reflects on visit to China – APAnews Source Link Excerpt:
In an interview with Malian television, he described the visit as a decisive advancement in Mali-China relations.
Colonel Goïta noted, “Currently, China and Mali enjoy fraternal ties that have lasted for over 60 years,” emphasizing that these relations span several sectors, including defense and security, education, agriculture, and energy.
A significant outcome of the visit was the announcement that Mali and China would elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership. “At the request of President Xi Jinping, we have decided to enhance our partnership to a strategic level,” the head of Mali’s transition stated. This development underscores the importance of Sino-Malian cooperation and will be formalized during an upcoming state visit.
China Hands 9-Year Prison Sentence to Taiwan Activist for ’Separatism’ – time.com
China handed a nine-year prison term to a Taiwanese political activist convicted of “separatism,” a rare sentence that prompted Taiwan to warn its people about the dangers of traveling across the strait.
Yang Chih-yuan received the term in a court in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said in a briefing on Thursday, according to the semi-official Central News Agency.
China’s ruling Communist Party intended for the “case to intimidate the people of Taiwan,” said council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh, adding that travelers from the democracy of 23 million should be prudent when considering going across the strait.
This was the first time China jailed a Taiwanese person on a charge of trying to break up its territory, according to the council, a government department in Taipei that handles cross-strait relations. In recent years, Chinese prosecutors have leveled the charge against Uyghurs, a minority group in the restive far western region of Xinjiang.
As Xi Clamps Down, Chinese Civil Society Flourishes Overseas– www.dailysignal.com Source Link Excerpt:
Mournful residents of Shanghai, China, watched Jifeng Bookstore close its doors for the last time on Jan. 31, 2018. The establishment was best known for carrying books and hosting forums that pushed the boundaries on issues deemed sensitive by the Chinese Communist Party.
The forced closure of the bookstore was part of a broader crackdown on free speech and civic discourse by Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government.
Nearly seven years later, Jifeng reopened Sept. 1 in a new location—Washington, D.C.—under the name JF Books. The bookstore’s grand opening attracted a diverse assortment of local scholars, journalists, activists, and members of diaspora communities from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
The excitement was palpable as visitors perused books, took in memorabilia from the shuttered Shanghai store, and registered for upcoming lectures, which are starting back up this month after a hiatus of nearly seven years.
China’s Presence in Timor-Leste Is Unseen, but Unmissable – TIME
“It was not really an assassination attempt,” says José Ramos-Horta. Timor-Leste’s President is sitting on the breezy veranda of Galeria Memoria Viva, the seafront bungalow in capital city Dili that now serves as his personal museum. The walls are festooned with memorabilia spanning half-a-century of activism and politics: a watercolor by an incarcerated former comrade; a plaque commemorating his 1996 Nobel Peace Prize; photos of an Australian journalist slain during his nation’s tumultuous birth pangs.
But when asked about that fateful morning of Feb. 11, 2008, Ramos-Horta tears up the history book. It was during his previous stint as president that rebel leader Alfredo Reinado entered his home at 6 a.m. with a dozen heavily armed men. Ramos-Horta was out jogging on the beach and returned to a firefight between the intruders and his security staff, during which he was shot at least twice (the rebels used banned “dum-dum” bullets that fracture on impact, so the exact number remains a mystery.)
Ramos-Horta was airlifted to the Australian city of Darwin for medical treatment and nearly lost his life; one shrapnel fragment was lodged just 2 mm from his spine. When he eventually recovered, Ramos-Horta from his hospital thanked “all who prayed for me, who looked after me, who cared for me following the assassination attempt on me by Mr. Alfredo Reinado.
As Global Underpopulation Crisis Continues, China’s One-Child Policy Has Destroyed Its Population – lifenews.com
Steven Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute, has issued a stark warning in the New York Post. In his article “Baby Doom,” Mosher highlights the alarming global decline in birth rates.
“The big story comes from China, home to one-sixth of the world’s population,” Mosher writes, “the decades-long devastation wrought by the one-child policy has sent that country, for centuries the pacesetter in population, into absolute decline.” He notes that the official population figure of 1.44 billion is likely exaggerated by as much as 130 million.
This birth rate issue is widespread, as Mosher explains “for the first time in the 60,000 or so years that human beings first arrived on the planet, we are not having enough babies to replace ourselves.” In addition, he argues that the 2.1 figure, often reported as the necessary replacement rate, is too low because “in many countries sex-selection abortion skews the sex ratio strongly in favor of boys.”
Aspects of China’s global economic coercion strategy – Mizzima News Source Link Excerpt:
The US has adopted a two-pronged strategy towards China. One, is pursuing the path of dialogue, the other is confrontation. Both go hand in hand as can be seen by recent developments. While Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State travelled to Beijing for talks, back home administration officials criticised China for its coercive behaviour worldwide.
The nature of Chinese coercion is evident on all fronts and its ramifications across several fronts including economic, defence and other areas, is also a focus area for the Biden administration. Such actions are normally visible as Beijing uses tools like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Global Security Initiative to penetrate and pressurize nations. Just one recent example of the heft China carries can be cited, this time in a cultural context. In Paris at a cultural event on China, the French Museum which hosted the event was ‘forced’ to title Tibet as ‘Xizang’, the latest effort by China to show that Tibet has always been a part of China. Thus, the world should be aware of various aspects of China’s coercive tactics.
China’s military coercion has been very visible in the South China Sea and its current actions clearly threaten the security of the Philippines. Nicholas Burns, the US Ambassador to China, recently pointed that the “very ill-advised efforts by the government of China to intimidate the Philippines at Second Thomas Shoal, at Sabina Shoal, in an incident at Scarborough Shoal, just to name three incidents over the last month or so”. Diplomatic messaging is certainly one way to signal intent and the US has been consistently doing it. Apart from the Ambassador in Beijing, Secretary Antony Blinken has conveyed US concerns to China as did US NSA Jake Sullivan, who told the Chinese leadership “very directly” that Washington had an ironclad commitment to defend the Philippines.
Disney Consumer Products helps Chinese partners to ‘go global’ – China.org Source Link Excerpt:
A Disney executive shared with China.org.cn that his cross-border strategy, introduced last year, has prompted many of Disney’s Chinese partner brands to successfully sell their products in overseas markets. In addition to aiding Chinese partners abroad, the global media and entertainment conglomerate is also optimistic about future growth with its own business in consumer products.
Kermid Rahman, senior vice president and general manager for Disney Consumer Products in Asia Pacific, stated that since he initiated the cross-border strategy last year nearly 70 licensees in the region have collaborated with Disney to start cross-border business.
“Many Chinese brands have successfully entered the Japanese, South Korean and Southeast Asian markets, and have already achieved brilliant performance,” he said at The Walt Disney Company’s Greater China Consumer Products Showcase 2025 held in Shanghai on Sept. 10. The temporary exhibition and showcase conference saw more than 3,700 representatives from various partner brands in attendance.
Former aide to New York’s governor is charged with being an agent of the Chinese government
Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, schemed to advance the interests of China while working in New York State government, federal prosecutors alleged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The indictment charges Sun with failure to register as a foreign agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.
Her husband, Christopher Hu, allegedly facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain, prosecutors said.
Sun and Hu each pleaded not guilty during their arraignment in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday afternoon. Sun appeared in a black pantsuit with a red blouse, while her husband appeared in slacks and a pale dress shirt.
While working for the Cuomo and Hochul administrations, Sun allegedly acted as an unregistered agent of China while her husband allegedly laundered the proceeds, enabling them to buy a $3.6 million house in Manhasset and a $1.9 million condo in Hawaii, prosecutors said.
China Paid Pro-CCP Agitators To Clash With Dissenters During Xi’s Visit to San Francisco: Report
China paid pro-Chinese Communist Party agitators to clash with dissidents in November 2023 when the country’s president, Xi Jinping, visited San Francisco, a Washington Post investigation revealed on Tuesday.
The Post’s report found that Chinese diplomats and diaspora groups organized demonstrations to “silence” anti-Beijing protesters gathered outside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where Xi met with President Joe Biden and other foreign leaders. The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles paid for the hotels and meals of pro-CCP agitators to incentivize them to participate in the violent demonstration.
The agitators harassed and beat anti-China protesters with flagpoles and chemical sprays, leaving some seriously injured, the investigation revealed. The attacks, according to the Post, were “carried out by coordinated groups of young men embedded among” the protesters to silence the dissenters, who gathered to denounce the Chinese government’s domestic repression and human rights abuse.
The Post report is a result of a six-month investigation into China’s campaign to silence foreign dissenters at the 2023 summit. China’s efforts at the APEC summit are part of a broader global pattern to suppress Chinese citizens abroad who advocate against the CCP and ongoing rights abuses in Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and mainland China, the U.S. government and human rights groups told the Post.
China’s Communist Infiltration of U.S. Institutions: A Growing National Threat Often Ignored by Elite Politicans
In recent discussions, experts have raised alarms over the persistent and pervasive threat posed by Chinese infiltration in the United States. Ret. Col. Derek Harvey, a seasoned intelligence officer, and Ben Harnwell, a political analyst, highlighted the grave concerns regarding the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to infiltrate various American institutions, from universities to government bodies. Their commentary underscores a troubling reality: despite clear warnings, these threats have often been ignored or downplayed.
Harvey pointed out that Chinese infiltration is “the largest counterintelligence and domestic spying operation” faced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), yet it remains under-resourced and, more concerningly, not prioritized.
“Too often these warnings and the indicators that they should be looking for are ignored or they just are quickly forgotten,” Harvey stated, reflecting a widespread complacency or negligence within the U.S. establishment.
This lack of prioritization is not just a theoretical issue; it has real-world consequences. For instance, Harvey recalled the case of U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell, who served on the House Intelligence Committee while maintaining a relationship with a Chinese agent named Fang Fang. Similarly, Senator Dianne Feinstein employed a driver for two decades who was later revealed to be a Chinese spy. These incidents, Harvey emphasized, were not isolated but part of a broader pattern of Chinese espionage efforts that have been overlooked until it’s too late.
“The FBI is spending resources on following, persecuting, and surveying little old ladies who climb to the U.S. state just to pray,” Harnwell added, pointing out the stark contrast in resource allocation. “Meanwhile, spies who are seeking to advance the influence of the CCP in America often go undetected for years.” This misallocation of resources, according to Harvey, demonstrates a failure of priorities within the FBI and other agencies tasked with national security.
America has one of the largest strategic nuclear arsenals in the world—and one of the oldest. The U.S. can deliver nuclear weapons from silos buried deep in the American heartland, submarines plying vast oceans, or bombers conducting global patrols. Nuclear power has underpinned not just America’s security but that of its closest allies for decades. But the U.S. is losing its nuclear edge in ways that profoundly affect Washington’s interests.
Today, the U.S.’ most formidable adversary, China, is growing its nuclear arsenal by rapidly churning out launch platforms and warheads faster than America’s aging forces can be replaced. A revisionist power like China is most effectively deterred when confronted by an opponent with the resolve and capability to balance out their forces in peacetime and, should deterrence fail, deny them victory in wartime. Satellite imagery of China’s nuclear forces shows that this balance is deteriorating…
A senior U.S. defense official recently revealed that China has begun loading these silos with intercontinental-range missiles. This is to say nothing of Beijing’s more secure road-mobile systems that can also hold the U.S. homeland at risk but are less vulnerable to preemptive attack. The Pentagon has reported to Congress that China’s intercontinental-range missile launchers, in total, outnumber America’s 400 silos loaded with the 54-year-old Minuteman III. China has thus exceeded the targeting coverage of the obsolescing U.S. land-based capability.
Who else is China recruiting? NY political insiders warn of broader CCP effort after arrest of ex-Hochul aide – New York Post
Bombshell accusations that a former aide to New York Govs. Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo acted as a secret agent for China raised alarms Tuesday about a broader effort by the Chinese Communist Party to compromise public officials and infiltrate American governments and society.
Political insiders and watchdog groups pointed to the Brooklyn federal court indictments of Linda Sun and her husband Christopher Hu as showing the extent of China’s spy recruitment apparatus.
“This is a dangerous situation,” warned Ed Cox, the state Republican Party chairman and son-in-law of former President Richard Nixon.
Indictment Of Gov. Hochul’s Aide Shows Red China Is No. 1 Threat– thefederalist.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Chinese have compromised the Democrat Party in ways Democrats dream the Russians have infiltrated Republicans.
Two indictments this week shook the nation, revealing the lengths to which foreign adversaries have gone to compromise the integrity of the American political system. One indictment, however, was not like the other. In fact, one was far worse in just about every way imaginable.
On Wednesday, an indictment handed down by the Department of Justice (DOJ) exposed a network of shadowy Russian media operatives allegedly duping half a dozen conservative pundits with large followings into receiving millions to “pump pro-Russia propaganda and disinformation across social media.” Federal prosecutors pressed charges against two employees of the Russian-backed news outlet Russia Today (RT), claiming they funneled $10 million to a Tennessee company that paid conservative influencers, who were unaware of its Moscow origins.
In other words, a few conservatives who created their usual online content with the support of a Tennessee firm (apparently Tenet Media) were left completely in the dark about the source of the original financing but are now being tarred in the press as Russian assets. By Thursday, YouTube had stripped Tenet Media’s channel (which hosted the aforementioned popular right-leaning figures) from its website, just two months before Election Day. According to Forbes, YouTube nuked all four channels operated by conservative commentator Lauren Chen, despite Chen’s not having been convicted or even charged with anything.
Yet the Russian interference effort to buy off a couple of oblivious influencers pales in comparison to Chinese operations that are targeting elected leaders who are actually in office.
Democratic Governor Of State Impacted By Venezuelan Gangs Claims Party Should Have ‘Huge’ Advantage On Border– americanactionnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado claimed Sunday that the city of Aurora “turned the corner” regarding crime, despite reports of a Venezuelan gang taking over an apartment complex, and said that Democrats should have an advantage on immigration.
Polis initially denied that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado despite a local TV station airing video of the gang’s activity, calling it the product of a local leader’s “imagination.” Polis praised Aurora as a “diverse” city and said crime had declined the past two years.
Fed Chairman Suggests ‘Influx’ Of Migrants Are Contributing To Rising Unemployment– americanactionnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell suggested migrants are helping drive rising unemployment during a press conference on Wednesday.
Powell spoke to reporters after the Fed announced it would lower its federal funds rate by 0.50% following disappointing job growth in both July and August. Unemployment currently sits at 4.2% — up from 3.4% in April 2023 — in what Powell suggested was largely a product of migrants crossing into the United States.
Pennsylvania Mother Describes Heartbreaking Impacts Of Migrant Crisis– www.louderwithcrowder.com Source Link Excerpt:
… A Pennsylvania mother described the awful impacts on her kid from leftist policies.
“My child already lost two years of school…She was supposed to go to head start and they told her she couldn’t go…because 20 immigrants came in and took her out of school!”
During the Panny D, the left pretended education was not “essential” even though they knew it was. Now, many districts are still keeping kids out of school but this time it’s because foreign nationals take priority over America’s children.
Progressive social experiments nearly always hurt kids the most, which makes it that much more evil. And don’t think this can’t happen in a town near you, because these things are becoming more prevalent.
In another instance, a mom had to keep her kid out of school because the preschool refused to “accommodate” her kid for only speaking English IN AMERICA. They demanded she supply a translator at an American school at her expense.
“They tell her that she has to hire a translator with her own money in order to send him to preschool because he’s the only student who doesn’t speak Spanish.”
Not Just Ohio: Biden-Harris Have Flown Hundreds of Thousands of Haitians All Across the Country– lidblog.com Source Link Excerpt:
Recently the problems that Springfield, Ohio, is suffering with the thousands of Haitians shipped there by the Biden-Harris regime has been at the top of the news. But, it isn’t just one little town in Ohio being hit with this problem. Biden and Harris have been inundating small towns all across the country with these migrants and the ills they bring…
Since fiscal 2021, more than 485,000 Haitian illegal border crossers, a record, have been reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The overwhelming majority were reported this fiscal year, nearly 216,000, compared to 48,727 in fiscal 2021.
Since fiscal 2021 through August, the majority have been apprehended at the southwest border of nearly 262,000, followed by nearly 221,000 nationwide and nearly 2,300 at the northern border, according to the data.
Additionally, since July, 205,000 Haitians have been released through the CHNV parole program, according to CBP data. Of the more than 765,000 illegal foreign nationals released into the country through the CBP One app, the top nationality is Haitian. Through these programs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also extended Temporary Permanent Status to them and granted work authorization.
Texas Gov Greg Abbott blasts Biden-Harris admin for allowing migrants to be flown into the US—Elon Musk calls it ‘treason’ | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com Source Link Excerpt:
“Another reason why the crossings at the border are down is because Biden is flying them across the border and then moving them to cities across the entire United States.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott appeared on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, where he discussed the ongoing migrant crisis and its impact on US communities.
Abbott took aim at the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of illegal border crossings, dismissing its claims that the reduction in border crossings was due to federal policies. Instead, he credited Texas’ state-led initiatives, claiming they have been instrumental in reducing illegal immigration by approximately 85 percent since last year.
September 16, 2024
Ohio’s Republican Governor Defends Haitian Immigrants: ‘Helped the Economy’ – newsweek Source Link Excerpt:
Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, defended Haitian immigrants in his state during a Sunday interview after former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, and his running mate Ohio Senator JD Vance, have amplified discredited accusations against the community in recent days.
Trump and Vance have repeatedly promoted claims that Haitian immigrants, who are in the United States legally, have been “eating the pets” of their neighbors in Springfield, Ohio. During Trump’s debate with Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC News on Tuesday, Trump said dogs and cats were being eaten by the migrants, despite local officials already saying there were no credible reports of this happening.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs—the people that came in,” Trump claimed about Haitian immigrants. “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
One of the debate moderators, ABC News’ David Muir, quickly fact-checked Trump’s claim and told viewers that the outlet had spoken to Springfield’s city manager about those allegations who told them that “there had been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Vivek Ramaswamy Meets With Springfield, OH Residents, Torches Biden-Harris Administration– trendingpoliticsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy placed blame for the struggles of Springfield, Ohio solely on the shoulders of the Biden-Harris Administration while meeting with residents on Thursday.
JUST IN: Biden Administration Approves $380M for DHS to Support Migrants
The Biden administration announced last week that it will allocate $380 million to nonprofits and local governments to help cover costs related to caring for migrants after their release by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the southern border.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is distributing the massive $380 million through its Shelter and Services Program (SSP). This initiative is designed to provide “critical support” to migrants, offering essentials like food, shelter, clothing, urgent medical care, and transportation as they wait for their immigration court hearings.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is distributing the massive $380 million through its Shelter and Services Program (SSP). This initiative is designed to provide “critical support” to migrants, offering essentials like food, shelter, clothing, urgent medical care, and transportation as they wait for their immigration court hearings.
New York Paying Migrant Familes $4000 to Aid Transition Out of Shelters – www.thegatewaypundit.com Source Link Excerpt:
Migrants arrive at the Roosevelt Hotel in NYC, which serves as a central processing center.
While millions of Americans are suffering in a disastrous Biden-Harris economy, illegals in New York are getting extra help that is not available to citizens.
On Friday, city officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that a pilot project has been launched that provides migrants $4000 to help transition out of city shelters.
The NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) offered 150 families cash assistance through the Asylee Moveout Assistance (AMA), a pilot created in December last year to help find permanent housing for asylum seekers. The pilot was launched in partnership with some city shelters providing services for asylum seekers.
“The city is using every tool at its disposal to implement innovative and cost-effective solutions to help recently-arrived asylum seekers residing in shelters take the next steps in their journey,” a Department of Social Services (DSS) spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
DHS officials in December started dispensing $4000 to 150 households who live in the city’s emergency DHS shelters.
“Since December, DSS has been working with a few not-for-profit providers operating emergency sites to pilot a new effort to reduce barriers to obtaining housing by helping asylum-seeking families who have identified permanent housing with the upfront cost of moving into their new home,” the DSS spokesperson said.
Thanks, Biden-Harris—Cops Estimate Up to 75 Percent of Manhattan Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants
Kamala Harris, the presidential candidate foisted on America by the Democrat political machine—a vice president who has never in her life won a delegate in a Democratic primary—has been releasing ludicrous ads lately claiming she’d be tough on the border.
What an absolute joke.
Tell that to the police who patrol the streets of Manhattan, some of whom claim that up to 75 percent of all the crimes committed in the Big Apple are by illegal aliens.
Life in the big city:
Across New York, recently arrived migrants are flooding the criminal-justice system — at far higher rates than public officials have acknowledged.
Police sources shared with The Post a staggering estimate that as many as 75% of the people they’ve been arresting in Midtown Manhattan in recent months for crimes like assault, robbery and domestic violence are migrants. In parts of Queens, the figure is more than 60%, sources there estimate.
On any given day, Big Apple criminal court dockets are packed with asylum seekers who have run afoul of the law.
What does it mean when the people who invade also commit a majority of the crime?
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Tuesday, demanding accountability for its lack of response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The request, initially submitted by the Attorney General’s office in March, seeks documents related to the Biden administration’s policies that permit dangerous criminals to be released directly into U.S. communities from prison.
Attorney General Moody voiced her frustration with the Biden administration, stating, “In addition to flat out refusing to secure the border, reports indicate that President Biden and failed Border Czar Kamala Harris refuse to deport dangerous illegal immigrant prisoners once they are released from prison.”
Yet, the insane policies of Democrat governors like Colorado’s Jared Polis and Illinois’s J.B. Pritzker are most to blame. And don’t forget California’s Gavin Newsom, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, New York’s Kathy Hochul, and Minnesota’s inimitable Tampon Timmy Walz, among others. The latter of whom is now Kamala Harris’s Vice-Presidential nominee. (And whose wife said she left her windows open when the 2020 Minneapolis riots went unquelled by her husband…so she could smell the city burning.)
Illegal immigrant who attacked cop in Times Square sentenced to one year in jail—NYPD union outraged
“364 days is not enough. This individual should be behind bars a lot longer. If you attack a New York City police officer, you should stay behind bars.”
An illegal immigrant from Venezuela is going to jail for 364 days for kicking a New York Police Department (NYPD) cop during a Jan. 27 Times Square brawl. The police union says the sentence is way too light, the New York Post reports.
Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, said nothing but smirked when he heard the sentence after he had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault last month to the brawl between police officers and a gang of illegal immigrants. Fully 75 percent of arrests in midtown Manhattan are illegal immigrants.
The police union says the sentence doesn’t send a strong enough signal that cops are not on the street to be kicked around by illegal immigrants. Police Benevolent Association chief Patrick Hendry said Gomez-Izquiel should have more time in prison to contemplate his actions.
ICE Cracks Down On ‘Violent’ Illegal Migrants On Ritzy Island In ‘Sanctuary’ State– americanactionnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made an unknown number of arrests in Nantucket, Massachusetts, this week for “immigration violations,” specifically targeting “violent offenders,” according to a press release from local officials Thursday.
The Nantucket Police Department revealed that ICE agents had contacted local Nantucket officials on Sept. 9 “concerning their planned arrival on island,” according to the press release. Local officials stated that ICE agents’ purpose was to “serve administrative arrest warrants for immigration violations,” adding that the local detective unit assisted by providing “requested addresses.”
“Their purpose on island was to serve administrative arrest warrants for immigration violations. The arrest warrants were specifically for ‘violent offenders.’ The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, not unlike many local, state or federal agencies, requested our assistance with local knowledge of geographical areas of our town,” the press statement reads.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is locked in a fierce battle for reelection this year, but he doesn’t necessarily consider that his biggest challenge. “In the 12 years I’ve been in the Senate, I have consistently led the fight to secure our border,” he told the Washington Examiner. “It is today I believe in an existential threat to Texas and to our nation.”
Cruz is campaigning heavily on his work, sometimes on a bipartisan basis, to mitigate the pressure on the border. This includes authoring successful amendments mandating information-sharing between the Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to safeguard the maritime border as well as promoting new security initiatives from South Padre Island to Port Mansfield. This includes funding for an air station at one Texas Coast Guard facility and an aerostat radar system.
But Cruz is keenly aware of the national implications of a porous border and believes that if it is not gotten under control, the results will not be good for his country or party.
NYC Borough Sees Massive Spike In Animal Sacrifices: ‘It’s Open Season’– trendingpoliticsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Queens, New York has recorded a massive surge in gruesome animal sacrifices, as scores of chickens, pigs, and rats have been found with signs of torture, mutilation, and ritual sacrifice in “twisted” rituals, according to a report from the New York Post.
In just over a month, at least nine severely wounded animals or carcasses have been discovered in the federally-managed Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel, the outlet reported. At least five of the wounded animals were pigs that were found with partially severed ears.
Additional findings from the gruesome scene include a barely alive baby rat that was found tied in a bag with chicken bones, a severed chicken head, and a live hen in distress. Authorities also found a dead dog with its neck snapped.
US secures the release of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners – abcnews.go.com
GUATEMALA CITY — The U.S. government announced Thursday that it secured the release of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners, who have arrived in Guatemala where they will apply for entry to the United States or other countries.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement that they were released on humanitarian grounds.
“No one should be put in jail for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights of free expression, association, and practicing their religion,” Sullivan said.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Eric Jacobstein, speaking with reporters, said that the Nicaraguan government received nothing in exchange for the prisoners’ release and the negotiation signaled no change in U.S. policy toward the government of President Daniel Ortega.
“Though the pressure itself has been consistent, the planning and execution of this release was rapid, and we’ve worked quickly to facilitate the travel of these individuals and really ensure their safety at every step of the journey,” Jacobstein said, adding that Nicaragua continues to “unjustly” detain people.
CNN Host Got Massively Triggered by the Cat Memes About Haitian Migrants– townhall.com Source Link Excerpt:
The liberal media and their partners in crime—the Democratic Party—had a total meltdown over the Haitian migrant story coming out of Ohio. There have been multiple reports of these people reportedly hacking up people’s pets, ducks, and geese. Tens of thousands were imported into Springfield, Ohio, thanks to the Biden-Harris immigration policy.
The story about pets being eaten has been debunked, but for a time, it produced excellent memes on social media that triggered liberal America to no end. CNN’s Dana Bash was particularly shocked by these memes, declaring cat memes to be racist. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) had a total meltdown over them.
CNN’s Dana Bash is at a loss for words about the “racist overtones” of cat memes. pic.twitter.com/lLmZGg1iLK
A political action committee has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Donald Trump over his recent two-hour live interview with Elon Musk.
End Citizens United, a Democrat-aligned PAC, claims that the interview “amounted to a virtual campaign event” for Trump financed by X, formerly Twitter, which would be in violation of federal law.
The complaint names Trump, his campaign treasurer Bradley T. Crate and X as the respondents.
“Such a brazen corporate contribution undermines the anti-corruption aims of the Act, and the Commission should immediately investigate these violations and take appropriate remedial action,” the complaint said, referring to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
‘No evidence’ Venezuela vote hacked, Carter Center election monitor says
There is no evidence that Venezuela’s electoral system was the target of a cyberattack during elections last month, the head of the Carter Center’s observation mission told AFP, confirming figures that give the opposition candidate a victory.
On election night, the president of Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoroso, declared a win for President Nicolas Maduro without providing data from polling stations, stating that the CNE had been the victim of a computer attack.
“We have no evidence of that whatsoever,” Jennie Lincoln, head of the Carter Center delegation that was invited to monitor the Venezuela election, told AFP.
The CNE has not published detailed results from the vote and claims the delay is due to a hack, while Maduro has denounced what he calls a “criminal cyber-fascist coup d’etat.”
“There are companies that monitor and know when there is a denial of service, that there was no denial of service in Venezuela on an election day or election night,” Lincoln said, speaking from Atlanta, Georgia, where the center is located.
According to traffic monitoring site Similarweb, Elon Musk’s platform, X, has achieved a significant milestone by surpassing Facebook and Instagram in global traffic. In June, X recorded an impressive 13.14 billion visits worldwide, eclipsing Facebook’s 12.44 billion and Instagram’s 5.798 billion. This marks a significant achievement for the platform, showcasing its growing popularity and reach.
… Stevenson’s lengthy thread featured numerous examples of Butch seeming to endorse the “Olympic Jesus” interpretation.
For instance, Butch shared an image from another Instagram account that showed the Olympics scene at the top of the page and da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at the bottom.
The words “Oh Yes! Oh Yes! The New Gay Testament!” accompanied the image.
Butch also shared this post that I have seen from multiple accounts, describing the image as the “gay New Testament.”
In short, the official explanation does not square with a key performer’s interpretation.
“The posts from Butch suggest – in contrast to the Olympics’ statement – that is was the Last Supper,” Stevenson wrote.
In other words, the center person in the portrayal was posting that she was depicted as the “Olympic Jesus” in the Last Supper even as the organization was trying to backtrack.
The posts from Butch suggest – in contrast to the Olympics’ statement – that is was the Last Supper.
I’m Catholic, but the Olympics opening ceremony should tick off any Christian.
Of course these people ridicule us because they knew we wouldn’t cut off their heads.
I’d tell the French, “Now do Mohammed,” but they already did. Muslims shot up Charlie Hebdo over its cartoon of Mohammed.
The ceremony mocked Christians with a drag Last Supper, which takes place on Holy Thursday during Holy Week.
Holy Thursday is one of the most important days in the Catholic calendar.
Catholics do not have Mass again until the Easter Vigil. On Good Friday, we have a liturgy.
Opening of the Olympic in Paris features parody of Last Supper, starring transsexuals, homosexual men and… a little kid#Paris2024pic.twitter.com/2j2XSf9ict
— ancient north eurasian solidarity (@UEurasier) July 26, 2024
ISRAEL’S foreign minister has warned of an “all-out war” with Hezbollah after blaming the militant group for a rocket attack in Golan Heights.
The missile hit a village in the Israel-occupied region on Saturday evening, killing 12 young people including children.
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) quickly pointed fingers at Iran-backed Hezbollah, who operate out of southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah, a staunch supporter of terror-group Hamas, has launched renewed attacks against Israel since war broke out in the Gaza Strip in October last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned a crunch meeting of his security cabinet following the attack and vowed revenge on the group.
Local law enforcement alerted the U.S. Secret Service about a suspicious person before the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month, according to the chief of the Pennsylvania State Police.
During questioning at the House Homeland Security hearing on Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris disclosed new details about the security lapse that led to the assassination attempt on former President Trump. The incident resulted in one death and two injuries.
Col. Christopher Paris stated that the Butler County Emergency Services Unit had a text thread discussing the suspected gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and had reported him as a suspicious person before the incident.
“At some point when he utilized the range-finder, the suspicion was heightened,” Col. Paris said of Crooks. He said that State Police got a call and a text from the emergency services unit about the suspected gunman’s activity and told the Secret Service.
State Police officials had “verbally turned right around and gave it to the Secret Service” at a local command post for security, Col. Paris said, adding, “My understanding was that he was milling about and he stood out to them because he never made his way to a point of ingress to the venue.”
The police chief also testified that two local law enforcement officers stationed in the building complex left to search for the suspect before the shooting. He added that he didn’t know if the officers would have seen Crooks climbing onto the roof of a nearby building had they stayed by the window.
Moments before the former president was shot at, with one bullet grazing his ear, Trump declared to a crowd of rallygoers that his nomination would be a moment of unity for the party.
“The world will see a vibrant Republican Party that is bigger, stronger, more confident, and more united than ever before,” he said in Butler, Pennsylvania.
But Republicans were going into the convention, a four-day affair that begins on Monday in Milwaukee, with lingering divisions over the party’s official platform and a bitter primary that revealed a sizable rift among Republican voters.
The owner of social media site X, Elon Musk, has opened up on his feelings regarding the recent incident which saw former President of the United States, Donald Trump, become the victim of a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump was attending a presidential rally in Butler when shots were heard coming in from his right hand side. Amidst screams and confusion, the former leader was quickly told to ‘get down’ by Secret Service agents, who piled on top of him in an effort to protect him from the incoming fire.
Former US President Donald Trump has said he is “supposed to be dead” after Saturday night’s assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
In one of his first interviews since the incident, Mr Trump told conservative US media he felt that he had been saved “by luck or by God”.
A spectator was killed in the attack, while two other people were seriously injured. The gunman, who also died, has been named as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Trump says he’ll ‘bring country together’ at Republican convention after shooting.
Mr Trump described the moment he looked up at the crowd after realising he had been shot.
Speaking as he prepared to board a flight to the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is expected to be confirmed as the party’s candidate for president, Mr Trump said he now had a “chance to bring the country together”.
President Joe Biden addressed Americans for the second time on Sunday evening, instructing voters how to feel and behave in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday.
“We’re neighbors, we’re friends, coworkers, citizens,” he told his “fellow Americans,” saying that “we’re not enemies.” He went on to say “we must stand together,” saying it was time to “lower the temperature” and “take a step back.”
“Thankfully,” he said, “former Trump is not injured” [sic], he said, noting again, as he did this morning and last evening in a post, that they spoke on the phone. And he again offered condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore, who was killed by the would-be assassin’s bullet. Biden had no update on the investigation, saying that it was ongoing and that was still no information as to what the motivation of Thomas Matthew Cooks, the 20-year-old Pennsylvania gunman, was.
As fans of MSNBC woke up on Monday morning, many no doubt waiting to be delivered the hottest takes from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, they were instead greeted by generic news desk coverage. That’s because executives at the network made the call to pull “Morning Joe” off the air in the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The reason why is telling.
According to CNN, which reported the development, this wasn’t a case of routine preemption. After all, “Morning Joe” has been left intact through essentially every other breaking news story since its inception. Instead, the decision came from a much darker place: MSNBC couldn’t trust that Joe, Mika, and its stable of lunatics wouldn’t compare Trump to Hitler again.
It’s a huge day in politics and MSNBC has pulled ‘Morning Joe’ off the air. They’re apparently worried the MJ crew might say something ‘inappropriate’ about the Trump assassination attempt. From CNN: https://t.co/uK3u0ZIoU9pic.twitter.com/AS8E4b5FdQ
A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the decision was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show’s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole. Given the breaking news nature of the story, the person said, it made more sense to continue airing rolling breaking news coverage in the fraught political moment.
Alex Berenson, author of the book, “Pandemia”, said the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is the biggest security “failure since 9-11.”
“LOL dummy it was the biggest failure since 9/11. Or maybe the Kennedy assassination,” Berenson posted on X, in response to a post saying the assassination attempt was the biggest security failure since January 6, 2021.
“I am so tired with lefty media pretending Jan. 6 was a near-coup. It sucked, it was horrible and embarrassing, but it was closer to a Capitol tour gone wrong for 98% of the ‘insurrectionists,’” posted Berenson.
lol dummy it was the biggest failure since 9/11
Or maybe the Kennedy assassination
I am so tired with lefty media pretending Jan. 6 was a near-coup. It sucked, it was horrible and embarrassing, but it was closer to a Capitol tour gone wrong for 98% of the “insurrectionists.” pic.twitter.com/SuVwe7BaoP
According to a new report by NBC News, the Secret Service identified the rooftop next to Trump’s event in Butler, Pennsylvania as a security vulnerability just days before the rally.
The agents failed to secure the building, allowing a man with a rifle to climb onto the roof, position his scope, and fire several shots at President Trump.
A bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, while two rally attendees were wounded. One Trump supporter was fatally shot.
Biden’s FBI has announced that they believe the would-be assassin at former President Trump’s Pennsylvania rally on Saturday acted alone.
The statement comes despite the bureau’s inability to access data from the suspect’s cell phone, which has been sent to Quantico for further examination.
Kevin Rojek, FBI Special Agent in Charge Pittsburgh, said that the information currently available to the bureau suggests that there is no further public safety concern. However, he also noted that the investigation is still in its early stages, according to Fox News.
“We have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we’re still very early in this investigation,” Rojek said during a press conference on Sunday.
BETHEL PARK, Pa. — The FBI said Sunday that investigators have not yet identified any ideology fueling the gunman who fired at former president Donald Trump at a packed campaign rally, and they believe he carried out the horrifying assassination attempt on his own.
The gunman was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, a strong math student in high school who was working as a nursing home employee.
Seconds after he opened fire from a rooftop outside the rally’s security perimeter Saturday evening, using an AR-style rifle that was legally purchased by his father,he was fatally shot by the Secret Service, authorities said.
“At this time, the information that we have indicates that the shooter acted alone and that there are currently no public safety concerns,” FBI special agent in charge Kevin Rojek said in a telephone briefing. “At present we have not identified an ideology associated with the subject, but I want to remind everyone that we’re still very early in this investigation.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s recent denial that he knows anything about Project 2025, a 900-page proposal by the Heritage Foundation think-tank for a radical reconfiguring of the US federal government to suit hard-line conservatives, has been ridiculed by former adviser to Mike Pence, Olivia Troye, who named ex-Trump administration figures involved and said she sat in on those policy meetings.
President Joe Biden had the perfect answer for why former President Donald Trump is “ranting on Truth Social at 3 in the morning,” saying Trump has a “guilty conscience” in a video showing him answering questions that “Trump can’t.”
Biden’s words came weeks after Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. A New York jury last month found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to corruptly influence the 2016 election. His sentencing is set for July 11.
In a clever campaign video dropped on Wednesday, Biden was asked a series of this or that questions, which are no-brainers for Biden but would be tough calls for Trump.
Milwaukee Democratic Mayor Cavalier Johnson defended his city, which is set to host the Republican National Convention this summer, after former President Donald Trump called the city “horrible” in a closed-door meeting with House Republicans earlier Thursday.
“This is a great place, and the former president and every Republican who’ll have the chance to come to our great city, they’ll see that when they’re here on the ground in Milwaukee for the convention,” Johnson told CNN’s Laura Coates Thursday night.
Johnson added that insulting the home of tens of thousands of Republican voters in Wisconsin, a swing state, could be politically costly for the former president as he seeks to return to the White House.
A member of the House Freedom Caucus is taking an unprecedented step to endorse the primary challenger fighting to unseat the ultra conservative group’s chair.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) is endorsing John McGuire, a state senator who is in a highly watched race against Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), McGuire’s campaign first shared with POLITICO.
“I love this country with a soldier’s passion. I’ve served in Congress since 2016, and we need reinforcements to help Make America Great Again. I’m happy to join President Trump by supporting and endorsing John McGuire for Congress,” Davidson said in a statement, describing McGuire as conservative, effective and someone who will drain the swamp.
He added: “I look forward to serving with him in the 119th Congress to support President Trump and the America First agenda. Drain the swamp!”
