China sends fighter jets toward Taiwan after Tsai's US meeting - Julia Musto

 

by Julia Musto

China imposes travel ban, issues sanctions after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen

  China sent warships and dozens of fighter jets toward Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese government.

The move was in reaction to a meeting between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California last week. 

China's military announced the start of three-day "combat readiness patrols" as a warning to Taiwan. 

There were eight warships and 42 planes detected near the self-ruled island, 29 of which flew across the middle line of the strait that separates it from the mainland, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense. 

CONFLICT WITH CHINA 'LAST RESORT' BUT CONGRESS WILL AUTHORIZE TROOPS IF AMERICANS SUPPORT IT: MCCAUL

In this image taken from video footage run Saturday, April 8, 2023 by China's CCTV, a Chinese fighter jet performs an mid-air refueling maneuver at an unspecified location. The Chinese military announced exercises around Taiwan on Saturday in a new act of retaliation for a meeting between the U.S. House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.  (CCTV via AP)

Those aircraft included Chengdu J-10, Shenyang J-11 and Shenyang J-16 jet fighters.

Furthermore, the navy planned to hold "live fire training" in Luoyuan Bay in Fujian province opposite Taiwan, per an announcement from the local Maritime Authority.

Ships were reportedly banned during the firing, which also was due to take place over the next two weeks.

The People’s Liberation Army gave no indication whether they might be planning a repeat of previous exercises during which missiles were fired into the sea.

"This is a serious warning against the collusion and provocation between the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external forces," the army said in a statement. The "Joint Sword" exercises "defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., shakes hands with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen after delivering statements to the press at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.  (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

CHINA RETALIATES AGAINST TAIWANESE PRESIDENT TSAI'S US VISIT BY SANCTIONING REAGAN LIBRARY, THINK TANK

"We condemn such an irrational act that has jeopardized regional security and stability," the Ministry of Defense said.

This comes after the Chinese government imposed a travel ban and economic sanctions against American groups and individuals who were associated with Tsai's meeting.

The Taiwanese military said missile defense systems were activated and that air and sea patrols had been sent to track the Chinese aircraft.

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, left, and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, speak at a luncheon during a visit by a Congressional delegation to Taiwan in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, April 8, 2023.  (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

While Taiwan and the mainland have trade and investment ties, they have no official relations. 

Taiwan split with China after a civil war in 1949. The ruling Communist Party says the democracy is obliged to rejoin the mainland, by force if necessary. 

China also says that contact with foreign officials encourages Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step the ruling party says would lead to war.

The U.S. has no official relations with Taiwan, but maintains extensive informal and commercial ties. Congressional visits to Taiwan have increased in recent years.

In August, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taiwan to meet with Tsai, and China reacted with its largest live-fire drills in decades.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-sends-fighter-jets-toward-taiwan-tsai-us-meeting

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US could tap China's 'greatest fear' with one move, expert says - Kristen Altus

 

by Kristen Altus

China vows 'forceful' measures against US after House Speaker McCarthy meets with Taiwan's president

 

As China vows to take "resolute and forceful" measures against Taiwan after its president’s meeting with U.S. lawmakers, one foreign policy expert signaled the Chinese Communist Party’s strong words could be knocked down like a facade with one swift move from American defenses.

"[China's] greatest fear is that we will go ahead and announce that Taiwan is not a part of China. We've come close to that over the last 50 years, Japan gave it up in the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, but no one's ever been assigned Taiwan," Hudson Institute Director of the Center on Chinese Strategy Michael Pillsbury said Friday on "Varney & Co."

On Thursday, Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed it would take action to "defend [its] sovereignty and territorial integrity," urging that the U.S. "not go further down the wrong and dangerous path."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was joined by a bipartisan group to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier this week, reportedly discussing America’s "unwavering support" for Taiwan amid rising, hostile political and military tensions with China, the speaker had said in a press conference.

CHINA CATCHING UP WITH U.S. ON AI, MAY NATIONALIZE DEVELOPMENT, HARVARD REPORT WARNS

While talks about Taiwan-China relations are taking place at home, a separate group of bipartisan lawmakers, led by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, is on a three-day trip to Taipei where they’re expecting to discuss delayed weapon delivery.

President Biden is playing a "dangerous game" with China, Hudson Institute Director of the Center on Chinese Strategy Michael Pillsbury said Friday on "Varney & Co." (Getty Images)

"That's the real issue — if there is an attack and use of force, Taiwan says it will announce 'we're independent,' and provoke an even greater conflict," Pillsbury said. "So this is a dangerous game that the Biden administration is playing, by not forwarding these weapons to Taiwan, that Taiwan has paid for."

"The delegation in Taiwan right now from Congress, bipartisan delegation, they're making this point: Where are these $19 billion worth of weapons, once paid for, but never been delivered? Part of it may be the drawdown because of Ukraine," the expert continued.

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China getting 'cheap layups' due to 'American weakness' and 'passivity' from Biden: Steve Yates

America First Policy Institute senior fellow Steve Yates argues Congress is 'on the right sheet of music' with China relations, while the Biden administration is 'pretty conflicted.'

China recognizes that no country has a declared military alliance with Taiwan and feels the U.S. is distracted by the war in Ukraine, Pillsbury argued while noting White House officials have been "quite vague" about the support American forces are willing to give.

"It looks like the Chinese believe that the Americans are too tied down, too bogged down with the Ukrainian effort, and therefore they might not come to the aid of Taiwan in the event of a limited attack," the Hudson Institute director said. "They see Taiwan more as a duck that's waiting to be attacked, not a really strong power and certainly not yet a porcupine."

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Biden 'totally misguided' on how to deal with China: Gordon Chang

Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang argues the U.S. should be militarily prepared to defend Taiwan against China.

The Biden administration is "playing with fire" while China has a "wide range of options" for retaliation, the policy expert warned, while urging caution when within the CCP’s territory.

"This is Chinese territorial waters, so they have the right to stop and search any ship that goes there. They claim that our aircraft carriers when they pass through need permission from China. We don't ask for permission," Pillsbury said. "So there's a very wide range of options China can choose from. On the American side, our range of options is very limited, very narrow, given our past policy."

Fox News’ Julia Musto contributed to this report.

 

Kristen Altus

Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/us-tap-chinas-greatest-fear-one-move-expert

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GOP urged to denounce ‘alarmist’ UN climate change report - Elizabeth Elkind

 

by Elizabeth Elkind

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged wealthy nations to move up their net-zero carbon emissions goals to 2040.

 

 

FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE: A recent memo sent to every Republican member of Congress is urging lawmakers to dismiss the United Nations’ "alarmist report" on climate change.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently called on wealthy nations to move up its net-zero emissions goal from 2050 to 2040. But a memo sent by the Competitive Enterprise Institute offered Republicans talking points for refuting both the UN’s findings and the Biden administration’s push to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.

"In the wake of the latest alarmist report from the United Nations about emissions and climate change, I wanted to draw your attention to three new developments and realities that you should be aware of as debate about climate continues," the memo stated.

WHITE HOUSE WANTS TO BOOST GREEN ENERGY IN COMMUNITIES REELING FROM COAL PLANT SHUTDOWNS

The United Nations, led by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is pushing countries to move more quickly to carbon-free sources of energy. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

The memo started by picking apart various claims from those who warn that global warming will lead to catastrophic changes to human and animal life. For example, it noted a short-term projection by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that suggests global temperatures peaked nearly a decade ago in 2015.

"Despite this reality, we are told every day that every emission warms the planet. That is clearly not the case. We should not mindlessly and recklessly proceed with dangerous and expensive emissions cuts until this paradox is resolved," the memo stated.

It then pointed out that a recent report from the Energy Information Administration that said the Biden administration will already fall well short of its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

BIDEN CONSIDERING CRACKING DOWN ON GAS CARS AFTER STRIPPING EVS OF TAX CREDITS

House Republicans have already taken steps to push back against Biden's clean-energy agenda. (Photographer: Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Both the electricity utility industry and the Biden administration have now admitted that cutting net emissions to zero by 2050 ('net zero by 2050') are not happening," the memo outlined.

Finally, the memo showed various doomsday predictions related to climate change going back to 1967 that never came true.

"These three points fairly question the wisdom of any rush to judgment on climate and/or the dismantling of our energy grid," the memo to lawmaker claimed.

BIDEN ADMIN ISSUES 20-YEAR MINING BAN AS IT TURNS TO FOREIGN SUPPLY CHAIN AMID GREEN ENERGY PUSH

Biden promised "strong executive action" to combat climate change, despite dual setbacks that have restricted his ability to regulate carbon emissions and boost clean energy such as wind and solar power.  (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File) (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)

House Republicans, armed with a new, narrow majority, are already chipping away at Biden's clean energy agenda. President Biden's $1.2 trillion Inflation Reduction Act, passed last year, was hailed by supporters as the largest climate investment in history.

Guterres has the same view, and issued a dire warning in March about his body’s findings regarding climate change. "Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once," he said.

But last month, House lawmakers passed a comprehensive energy bill that they say will lower costs for families and reverse burdensome regulations on the fossil fuel industry.

 

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-lawmakers-un-report-climate-change

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Spoiler Joe? Speculation grows Manchin might wage third-party challenge to Biden - Nick Givas

 

by Nick Givas

An independent run by West Virginia senator would be reminiscent of Ross Perot's disruptive '92 bid.

 

Sen. Joe Manchin has been courting top-level political donors in recent weeks while remaining coy about running for another term representing West Virginia, stoking speculation he might wage a third-party challenge in the 2024 presidential race that could siphon Democrat votes from Joe Biden.

An adviser to major GOP donors told Just the News this week that Manchin recently spent time with some big name conservative funders,

"Joe Biden has gone so far to the left. And sometimes it seems like Sen. Manchin is all alone in the Senate, except when (Arizona Sen.) Kyrtsen Sinema occasionally joins him. But really there are five to seven other Democrats who feel just like him," the adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was referencing private discussions. "He just has the courage of his convictions to drive his decisions." 

"There are a number of conservatives who have spent time with Sen. Manchin. They were actually hoping he would switch to the Republican Party," the adviser added. "Now the Senator hasn't said this but it's been suggested by others that he might have (switched) if Mitch McConnell wasn't the GOP leader. An independent run might be the next best thing."

The aforementioned anonymous adviser isn't the only source pushing the idea of a Manchin for President campaign. Politico ran an article last month speculating about the West Virginia Democrat's future, stating that he still has time to make a decision on whether or not to make an independent run at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

"Manchin says he’s not deciding on anything until the end of the year and is also pointedly refusing to rule out a presidential run on a third-party ticket," Politico reported. "That gives him roughly nine more months to keep Washington guessing. In the meantime, he’ll keep exerting his political leverage, at least until he runs and Republicans start to limit his opportunities or a retirement announcement saps his Senate sway." 

"He’s running for something. I don’t know what it is,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told Politico. Tuberville is reportedly working on legislation with Manchin surrounding college athlete compensation. “He’s going to have a tough race. I think West Virginia’s redder than we are in Alabama. So he’s going to put his best foot forward for a year and a half. We gotta think he’s going to run.”

Manchin added to the speculation by appearing on NBC's "Meet The Press" last Sunday, pointedly refusing to rule out a presidential run, quoting Abraham Lincoln and invoking the need for unity. 

Host Chuck Todd said Manchin sounded like a presidential candidate and quoted from an interview he had just done with the Washington Post in which the Democrat said, "If enough Americans believe there is an option and the option is a threat to the extreme left and the extreme right, it will be the greatest contribution to democracy, I believe."

This was in response to Manchin being asked if he would join a "no labels ticket." 

Manchin replied: "When you’re asking me what I’m going to do and what my political ambitions would be, it’s to make the country work together and be a United States, and not the divided states."

"I'm going to do whatever I can, to have a voice in that middle, that we can basically force both sides and say wait a minute. You've gone to extremes. You've got to start coming back," he continued. "You've got to find ways to solve problems. You can't solve them from the extreme right and the extreme left. You can't make people pick a side... Neither one of them are doing the job the way we should do it. But one's not as bad as the other so you pick a side. I think we can do better than that. And if we can change that dialogue and have a movement Chuck, then we've done our job." 

Todd asked if Manchin would like to see Biden run again and his answer was non-committal, after which Todd followed up to ask about a potential change in party affiliation. 

"The party identification is not going to change me," Manchin shot back. "Democrat, Republican. I mean having a (D) and (R) should not change you as a person. I'm going to still fight for the things I do. Can't I be a moderate centrist? With whatever identification, or no identification I would think. I'm not going to be changing as a person... I'm going to continue to fight for the people of West Virginia and the people of my great country. Proud to be an American." 

The West Virginia moderate was also asked directly about playing the "spoiler" for the upcoming presidential cycle, to which he replied, "I would never intend to be a spoiler of anything. I would like to basically be a promoter of united government. A united government that basically has provided the greatest opportunities in the world." 

Many in the media and political world are drawing comparisons between Manchin's possible run and the late-Ross Perot's presidential campaign in 1992.

Perot, a billionaire businessman from Texas, ran for the White House as an independent in 1992 and 1996 and was credited in some circles with causing George H.W. Bush's loss to Bill Clinton, as he was able to steal enough votes away from the center-right of the spectrum to hand Democrats an upset. 

Perot, similar to Manchin in that they both held moderate views with aims to shrink the deficit, "tapped into voter anger stemming from bloated federal budget deficits and anti-Washington sentiments," the University of Virginia's (UVA's) Miller Center wrote. Even Bush's Vice President Dan Quayle admitted, after the fact, that Perot had played a huge part in their defeat. 

“The Perot factor was clearly a huge factor in that ’92 campaign," he said. "We never really figured out how to deal with it. He was in the campaign, then he was out of the campaign, then he was back in. The Clinton people talked our people into letting him into the debates, which was a big mistake. You notice he wasn’t in the debates in ’96, but he was in ’92. 

James Baker, Bush's chief of staff at the time said, “We had Ross Perot taking two out of every three votes from us, and there’s no doubt about that. Don’t believe that baloney that he puts out that he didn’t take from us any more than he took from the Democrats. He took, our polling showed it consistently, two out of every three. He got 19 percent, we got 38 percent. Take two-thirds of 19 percent, and we got 51 percent.”

Just The News reached out the Manchin's office for comment on his potential run, but did not receive a reply. 

 

Nick Givas

You can follow Nick on Twitter @NGivasDC

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/eve-third-wheelhow-manchin-could-become-next-ross-perot-centrist-voters

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Judicial reform protests continue despite terror attacks, security threat - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Protesters began taking to bridges above Israeli highways, with the main demonstration set to begin later on Saturday.

 

Protest held against the judicial reform in Rehovot, Israel on April 8, 2023.

(photo credit: RUBY YAHAV)

The leadership of the Umbrella Movement for the Israeli national protests called for the continuation of the weekly nationwide protests against the government this Saturday evening.

Protesters began taking to bridges above Israeli highways, with the main demonstration set to begin later on Saturday.

The protest this Saturday will focus on the government's mishandling of the recent security crisis and support the residents of Israel's north and those living in the Gaza Strip area, whose "security has been compromised by the government's incompetence," according to the group's statement.

The central protest in Tel Aviv

The central demonstration is planned to be held in Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street and begins with a moment of silence in honor of the Israeli victims of recent terror attacks. The main speaker will be former defense minister and former IDF chief of staff Moshe Yaalon.

"The government, led by Netanyahu, received every possible warning from the security establishment and the former defense minister, who was fired for warning about the damage that the judicial coup would cause to Israel's security and deterrence," the leadership of the Umbrella Movement said. "Those who have been calling the reservist soldiers in the IDF traitors, Nazis, thugs, and anarchists are the ones who have undermined Israel's security the most."

“It seems that Netanyahu has lost his north and his government is set for destruction. This government is destroying the country's security, economy, social cohesion, and security deterrence. We call on all citizens to take to the streets in massive numbers this weekend. Democracy is the strongest defense for the state of Israel," it added.

Thousands of Israelis gather in Tel Aviv in protest following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on March 26, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

The group also called on the international community to support their cause and help bring attention to the "struggles facing the Israelis that are fighting for a democratic Israel."

In reaction to the current government's plans for judicial reform, which have been halted by Prime Minister Netanyahu, weekly demonstrations across the country have continued for months.

Some of the protests were canceled in selected locations

The organizers of the demonstrations canceled several protests in Ra'anana, Netanya, Or Akiva, and Karkur due to the recent terror attacks, and that they will return to protest next week, according to Ynet.

The organizers of the protest in Ra'anana sent their condolences to the families of the murdered victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-738703

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One killed, 7 wounded in ramming terror attack in Tel Aviv - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Terrorist shoots, rams pedestrians in Tel Aviv, killing one and wounding seven • Netanyahu orders call-up of Border Police, IDF reservists

 

The aftermath of a terror ramming in the Tel Aviv promenade area, April 7, 2023

(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)

A 36-year-old Italian tourist was murdered and seven more people were injured in a ramming attack at the Tel Aviv promenade on Friday night.

Israel Police later said the terrorist attempted to ram pedestrians before his car overturned, possibly due to attempts made to neutralize him.

An Israel Police officer shot the terrorist as he approached the car, with the terrorist appearing to reach for his weapon. The terrorist was later identified as an Israeli citizen from Kafr Kassem.

Injuries included three who were moderately wounded and rushed to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for treatment.

Four people were lightly injured and were rushed to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon for treatment. Two of them were released on Saturday morning.

The aftermath of a terror ramming in the Tel Aviv promenade area, April 7, 2023. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

All the victims in the attack are tourists, Magen David Adom's spokesperson confirmed. The man who was killed was a resident of Rome, a 36-year-old Italian citizen named Alessandro Parini, Italy's Foreign Minister stated early on Saturday morning.

The Italian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on its Twitter account, expressing "horror and deep dismay at the cowardly attack on Tel Aviv."

The other seven injured were British and Italian citizens.

"I arrived at the scene and saw an overturned car with a 17-year-old girl lying next to it, fully conscious, who suffered bruises on her head, stomach and limbs as a result of being hit by a car," senior Magen David Adom medic Yosef Kurdi described the scene.

"After initial treatment on the spot, she was evacuated in an MDA intensive care unit to Ichilov Hospital in moderate condition. About 200 meters north on the boardwalk lay an unconscious man with injuries to his body. He was without a pulse and not breathing and after medical tests, we had to determine his death in the field. Additional large MDA forces that arrived at the scene provided medical treatment to 4 other victims in moderate and light condition who were also hit by the vehicle."

Shortly following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had ordered the mobilization of Border Police and IDF reservists in response to the deadly attacks in Tel Aviv.

Reactions after the attack

Hamas stated that the attack in Tel Aviv and the attack in the Jordan Valley on Friday morning "testify to the resistance's ability to strike Israel anywhere," and that these attacks are "a natural response to Israel's crimes against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the worshipers inside it."

Multiple Arab politicians in Israel condemned the attack. 

"This is not the way of the Arab society and Arab citizens in Israel," said Chairman of Ra'am party Mansour Abbas, adding that the Arab leadership, headed by Ra'am and the Islamic movement "will not accept in any way the use of violence against any citizen regardless of religion or race or nationality."

Adel Badir, mayor of Kfar Kassem, the town in Israel where the terrorist hailed from, also condemned the attack and sent his condolences to the family of the victim. "We condemn any harm to innocent lives and call for tolerance from all sides. This is not the way of the residents of Kfar Kassem."

"I send condolences to the Italian people and wishes of recovery to the injured, tourists who came to see beautiful Israel and were harmed by hateful terrorism," said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-738698

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Hamas, Islamic Jihad praise Jordan Valley shooting - Israel National News

 

by Israel National News

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have published statements praising the deadly shooting attack on Friday.

 

Abdel-Latif al-Kanou, a spokesman for the Hamas movement, calls the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley, in which two sisters were murdered and the mother was critically wounded, "an act of heroism."

In a statement he published (Friday), al-Kanou said that this "act of heroism" coincides with the launching of rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli settlements and these moves illustrate the unity of the Palestinian people in dealing with the occupation and in defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

According to him, the attack is a defiant message about the "crimes of the occupation" at the al-Aqsa Mosque that were directed against the Muslim worshippers, since it is impossible for them to go without a response from the Palestinian struggle organizations.

The Islamic Jihad also published a message congratulating the attack in the Jordan Valley, which it called a "heroic act" carried out as "revenge for (the) Al-Aqsa Mosque and our mighty (Palestinian) people."

According to the Islamic Jihad, the operation was carried out as part of the policy aimed at carrying out attacks against the IDF checkpoints in Judea and Samaria, to hurt Israel in a way that it does not expect and to send a strong message according to which "the crimes of the occupation against our (Palestinian) people will not go without a response that is commensurate with the scope of the crime ".

In the Temple Mount square, Muslim worshipers hung a Hamas banner and chanted in support of the murder of women in the Jordan Valley.

Israel National News

Source:https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/369743

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The Trump Trials: Changing the Subject - Pete Hoekstra

 

by Pete Hoekstra

Those now in charge will seemingly do almost anything to make the narrative leading up to the election once again about allegations against Trump instead of the geopolitical and economic shortcomings of Biden's policies.

• Red lights have to be flashing for the current administration and its supporters: "danger ahead."

• Inflation continues threatening to turn into a crushing recession. Iran is reportedly days away from a nuclear-weapons breakout. A Chinese spy balloon just spent a week doing figure-eights over America's most sensitive nuclear sites while transmitting information back to Beijing in real time. Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping is telling his people to prepare for war. And the House Oversight Committee keeps finding more bank evidence that the Biden family appears compromised by foreign payments.

• What do the current administration and its supporters do, then? Revert to the tried-and-true playbook of the Trump era and launch the latest "Trump trial" to distract from the administration's challenges. The pattern has been consistent – create a false narrative that is more favorable to themselves and more problematic for whoever is challenging them.

• After seeing multiple high-level Democrat operatives from candidate Hillary Clinton herself approving a disinformation operation against then-candidate Trump, her campaign and the DNC reportedly financing the Steele dossier, DNI James Clapper reportedly leaking info on the Steel dossier to the media, Adam Schiff misleading his colleagues about information leading to the first Trump impeachment, and 51 former intelligence officials signing a bogus letter about the Hunter Biden laptop, there should be little surprise that New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg -- whose campaign was indirectly supported by a million dollars from George Soros while Bragg "promised to put Trump behind bars" -- decided to move forward with what ended up a totally fabricated, politically-motivated indictment of Trump. It did not even fulfill the constitutional requirement for Trump "to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation" – meaning: Bragg did not even name the supposed federal crime.

• Those now in charge will seemingly do almost anything to make the narrative leading up to the election once again about allegations against Trump instead of the geopolitical and economic shortcomings of Biden's policies. If a presidential candidate, a Director of National Intelligence, and a Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee will engage in hyper-partisan political activities under the guise of legitimate government activities, why should we be surprised that a local prosecutor might do the same thing?

• The bottom line is that every Republican potential candidate will have to address the "Trump issue," probably multiple times during the upcoming weeks and months, rather than discussing their solutions and proposals to address the economic and national security concerns gripping Americans today. For the current administration, that is "mission accomplished."

The Biden administration and its supporters have reverted to the tried-and-true playbook of the Trump era by launching the latest "Trump trial" to distract from the administration's challenges. Pictured: Former President Donald Trump at an event in West Palm Beach, Florida on April 4, 2023, hours after he was arraigned in a New York court. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

What's a politician to do? Going into a presidential election year, the incumbent president looks to be facing a difficult reelection campaign. Persistently high inflation numbers remain a problem. Energy prices are still up. America's southern border is being overrun with illegal border-crossers and fentanyl. Major bank failures have raised the specter of a banking crisis. There are multiple House of Representatives investigations covering Biden family finances, the weaponization of government agencies, China, and the origins of COVID. For the current administration and its supporters, the answer is as easy as it is familiar: change the subject to Donald Trump. It has been an oppositional go-to foil since Trump dared step onto the political stage in 2016.

The expectations that President Joe Biden would be facing significant headwinds going into the November 2024 election are proving to be accurate. While there is plenty of time for the political narrative to change — and it will — for many in the government hoping to run again, the current situation has to be worrisome.

Fox News reported that a March 23 poll found that Biden's approval numbers had slipped from 45% down to 38%. That is just above his July 2022 all-time low of just 36% approval, which followed inflation peaking at 9.1% in June 2022. "It's the economy stupid," as the expression became famously known during Bill Clinton's presidential election campaign in 1992. On this critical issue, Biden gets a rating of only 31% approval.

While the 2022 midterms failed to develop into the "red wave" Republicans hoped for, and pundits anticipated, there was enough of a ripple to give Republicans control of the House of Representatives. As these same pundits prepare their 2024 predictions, they can look to the election of 1980 when inflation was as high as we experienced in the summer of 2022.

Leading up to the 1980 presidential election, Americans experienced gas lines at the pump, President Jimmy Carter encouraged Americans to wear sweaters so we could save on heating costs by turning down the thermostat, and we had high interest rates to go along with high inflation and unemployment, leading to what eventually was dubbed "stagflation." Carter ending up losing his reelection bid to President Ronald Reagan in a landslide.

Economic uncertainty and consumer anxiety in 1980, and again in 1992, led to the demise of two presidential reelection bids. Biden and the Democrats recognize that on their current trajectory, they might be heading to the same outcome in 2024.

Red lights have to be flashing for the current administration and its supporters: "danger ahead."

Inflation continues threatening to turn into a crushing recession. Iran is reportedly days away from a nuclear-weapons breakout. A Chinese spy balloon just spent a week doing figure-eights over America's most sensitive nuclear sites while transmitting information back to Beijing in real time. Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping is telling his people to prepare for war. And the House Oversight Committee keeps finding more bank evidence that the Biden family appears compromised by foreign payments.

What do the current administration and its supporters do, then? Revert to the tried-and-true playbook of the Trump era and launch the latest "Trump trial" to distract from the administration's challenges. The pattern has been consistent – create a false narrative that is more favorable to themselves and more problematic for whoever is challenging them.

Even as Hillary Clinton and pollsters were anticipating another Clinton presidency in 2016, they began the sinister "Russia hoax" campaign against Trump, to create a narrative that Trump was beholden to Russia. Clinton's former campaign manager, Robby Mook, testified in court that Clinton herself approved sharing information with the media about uncorroborated information linking Trump to Russia. The Clinton campaign and the DNC reportedly financed the "Steele dossier," a now-discredited report, "that included salacious allegations about Trump's conduct in Russia and allegations about ties between the Trump campaign and Russia."

Consider other actions as part of the Trump trials, including two impeachments of Trump; blocking discussion on the Chinese origins of COVID-19 in order to blame him, and discrediting the now-authenticated salacious Hunter Biden laptop as Russian disinformation just days before the 2020 elections.

Where does this lead one? After seeing multiple high-level Democrat operatives from candidate Hillary Clinton herself approving a disinformation operation against then-candidate Trump, her campaign and the DNC reportedly financing the Steele dossier, DNI James Clapper reportedly leaking info on the Steel dossier to the media, Adam Schiff misleading his colleagues about information leading to the first Trump impeachment, and 51 former intelligence officials signing a bogus letter about the Hunter Biden laptop, there should be little surprise that New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg -- whose campaign was indirectly supported by a million dollars from George Soros while Bragg "promised to put Trump behind bars" -- decided to move forward with what ended up a totally fabricated, politically-motivated indictment of Trump. It did not even fulfill the constitutional requirement for Trump "to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation" – meaning: Bragg did not even name the supposed federal crime.

Those now in charge will seemingly do almost anything to make the narrative leading up to the election once again about allegations against Trump instead of the geopolitical and economic shortcomings of Biden's policies. If a presidential candidate, a Director of National Intelligence, and a Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee will engage in hyper-partisan political activities under the guise of legitimate government activities, why should we be surprised that a local prosecutor might do the same thing?

Clearly the narrative is already changing. Trump's indictment, the first indictment of a former president in the history of the country, will dominate the news during early April. The media is already acting on cue, going with wall-to-wall coverage of Trump's motorcade and flight to New York, and his arraignment. Ongoing discussions about the risks, perils, and opportunities of a future court trial will become top story.

Trump's fundraising skyrocketed in the immediate aftermath of the indictment news and his poll numbers jumped up too in the Republican primary. Meanwhile, as predicted, 94% of Democrats support Trump's indictment, but the Republican Party is showing some signs of fracturing on the issue.

Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson has called for Trump to withdraw from the 2024 race while the candidate who came in third in CPAC's presidential straw poll, Perry Johnson, indicated he would pardon Trump. Vivek Ramaswamy said Trump's indictment could take the deeply-divided country to the breaking point, and Nikki Haley expressed dismay that the press was again focused on Trump instead of issues at the southern border.

The bottom line is that every Republican potential candidate will have to address the "Trump issue," probably multiple times during the upcoming weeks and months, rather than discussing their solutions and proposals to address the economic and national security concerns gripping Americans today. For the current administration, that is "mission accomplished."

Pete Hoekstra was US Ambassador to the Netherlands during the Trump administration. He served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the second district of Michigan, served as Chairman and Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee and is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19570/trump-trials

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'A New World Order'? The Iran-Russia-China Axis During the Biden Administration - Majid Rafizadeh

 

by Majid Rafizadeh

If the US further pulls out of Asia, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Ukraine, Latin America -- anywhere -- the vacuum created will surely be filled by the new axis of China-Russia-Iran. A US pull-out is, most probably, just what they are hoping and waiting for.

• The Biden Administration has created a vacuum of leadership on the global stage.

• If the US further pulls out of Asia, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Ukraine, Latin America -- anywhere -- the vacuum created will surely be filled by the new axis of China-Russia-Iran. A US pull-out is, most probably, just what they are hoping and waiting for.

• If Putin sees any gains in Ukraine, China will try to seize Taiwan.

• "We're sitting still, and the Chinese, the Russians, Iran, North Korea, and several others, are moving to shore up their relations and threaten us in a lot of different places... It's an indication that the Saudis and others are [also] trying to hedge their bets with China and Russia, because they don't think the United States has the resolve and the fortitude necessary to do what they need to do to protect the world against Iran and its intentions." — Former US National Security Advisor John R. Bolton, yahoo.com, March 12, 2023.

• "The Chinese have a strategy they've been following... We kind of wander around from day to day." — John R. Bolton, yahoo.com, March 12, 2023.

• Thanks to the lack of leadership and the vacuum that the Biden administration has created -- and appears continuing to create -- on the global stage, the new axis of Iran-China-Russia has been shaped with Beijing, Moscow and the ruling mullahs -- rather than the brutalized people of Iran. The Axis is seizing leadership of the new world order, or -- if the world's communists manage to defeat the world's democrats, as they seem tenaciously determined to do -- it will be, more accurately, the new world disorder.

If the US further pulls out of Asia, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Ukraine, Latin America -- anywhere -- the vacuum created will surely be filled by the new axis of China-Russia-Iran. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iran's then President Hassan Rouhani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on June 14, 2019. (Photo by Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP via Getty Images)

As Winston Churchill famously pointed out, "I never worry about action, but only about inaction". The Biden administration's inaction has led to the creation of a new axis of tyrannies: Russia, China and Iran, with North Korea not far behind. As the Tehran Times, which has close ties to Iran's foreign ministry, wrote: "[T]oday we are witnessing the formation of a new world order...."

Iran, China and Russia recently conducted joint naval exercises in the Sea of Oman, dubbed Marine Security Belt 2023. Iran's state-controlled Press TV boasted that to oppose the United States, China and Russia have also stepped up their "joint military exercises in recent years as part of their aligning of foreign policies."

"Back in December, the naval forces of China and Russia launched a one-week joint exercise off the coast of the Chinese Zhejiang Province in the East China Sea. China's Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army said at the time that the joint exercise was directed at demonstrating the determination and capability of the two sides to jointly respond to maritime security threats, and further deepen the China-Russia comprehensive new-era strategic partnership of coordination."

When these kinds of critical axes develop in the world among authoritarian regimes, they will most likely last for many years, if not decades. As US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told lawmakers, the alliance among China, Russia and Iran would be a problem for the US. Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Milley said that Russia and China are "getting closer together.... And then... Iran is the third. So those three countries together are going to be problematic for many years to come I think, especially Russia and China because of their capability."

The Iranian regime, especially, is fully benefiting from this axis; it is selling weapons to Russia; selling oil and trading with Russia and China in spite of sanctions, and counting on Beijing and Moscow's support in the UN Security Council. As Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, surprisingly acknowledged to Iran's state-controlled Tasnim News:

"We are one of the few countries in the world that clearly stands against the United States, strongly continues its political life, and establishes relations and deals with other countries. So, what's wrong with us having relations with countries like Russia, China, and India?! These countries have advanced technology, and many times, unlike the West, they have been responsive to our requests and offered their capabilities to us. What else should we expect from an allied country?.....Yes, during the years of sanctions, our best customer has been China, and in some years, we have traded goods worth up to 52 billion dollars with China....Recently, in the latest move made by the West and led by the United States, a resolution was supposed to be issued against us (in the UN Security Council), but it was vetoed by both Russia and China."

The Biden Administration has created a vacuum of leadership on the global stage.

If the US further pulls out of Asia, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, Ukraine, Latin America -- anywhere -- the vacuum created will surely be filled by the new axis of China-Russia-Iran. A US pull-out is, most probably, just what they are hoping and waiting for.

If Putin sees any gains in Ukraine, China will try to seize Taiwan.

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton accurately told radio host John Catsimatidis on the WABC 770 morning show:

"We're sitting still, and the Chinese, the Russians, Iran, North Korea, and several others, are moving to shore up their relations and threaten us in a lot of different places... It's an indication that the Saudis and others are [also] trying to hedge their bets with China and Russia, because they don't think the United States has the resolve and the fortitude necessary to do what they need to do to protect the world against Iran and its intentions."

"The Chinese," Bolton added, "have a strategy they've been following... We kind of wander around from day to day."

Thanks to the lack of leadership and the vacuum that the Biden administration has created -- and appears continuing to create (here, here and here) -- on the global stage, the new axis of Iran-China-Russia has been shaped with Beijing, Moscow and the ruling mullahs -- rather than the brutalized people of Iran. The Axis is seizing leadership of the new world order, or -- if the world's communists manage to defeat the world's democrats, as they seem tenaciously determined to do -- it will be, more accurately, the new world disorder.

• Follow Majid Rafizadeh on Twitter

 

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19562/new-world-order-iran-russia-china

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Massive rocket barrage fired from Lebanon into Israel on Passover - Jerusalem Post Staff, Tal Spungin, Hanan Lischinsky

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff, Tal Spungin, Hanan Lischinsky

One Israeli injured by shrapnel, another while seeking shelter • Netanyahu to convene security cabinet this evening with top IDF officials

 

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire caused after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit near the Israeli town of Shlomi, April 6, 2023

(photo credit: FLASH90/FADI AMUN)

Rocket sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, during the Passover holiday, amid a barrage of rocket attacks launched across the northern border with Lebanon, the IDF confirmed.

A single rocket launched from Lebanese territory was successfully shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system. Minutes later, sirens sounded in dozens of northern Israeli towns and villages, especially in the western Galilee, amid a barrage of rockets from Israel's northern border.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office sent out a statement on Thursday afternoon, saying the prime minister will hold a situational assessment with his security cabinet later on Thursday, including Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai. The security cabinet is expected to meet at 9:15 p.m.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said he was familiar with the details of the security situation in Israel's North, adding that initial orders were given to the IDF for a response. IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi later convened a meeting with the IDF General staff, with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar attending as well.

ראש המטה הכללי, רב-אלוף הרצי הלוי, וראש השב״כ, רונן בר, מקיימים כעת הערכת מצב משותפת עם פורום המטה הכללי בבסיס הקריה בתל אביב pic.twitter.com/WDgA1Id4VE

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 6, 2023

 

Defense Minister Gallant instructed the defense establishment to advance all options for an Israeli response, in preparation for the security cabinet meeting.

Gallant conducted a meeting with the heads of the security organizations, concerning the rocket fire in the last day from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. In addition, Gallant received an intelligence update on the latest developments in all arenas.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a meeting with heads of the security establishment, April 6, 2023. (credit: ARIEL HERMONI)

The barrage included 34 rocket launches from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory, the IDF confirmed in a statement.

Of the 34 rockets, 25 were intercepted in the air, while five landed on Israeli territory. The location of four of the rockets is still under investigation.

Local residents reported hearing loud blasts echo across northern Israel, as red alerts sounded out in towns near the Lebanese border, including Matsuva, Shlomi, Hanita, Admit, Eylon, Hila, Rosh Hanikra and Arab al-Aramashe.

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire caused after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit near the Israeli town of Shlomi, April 6, 2023 (credit: FLASH90/FADI AMUN)

The rocket barrage from Lebanon comes amid increased tensions between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on Temple Mount, with clashes reported between armed Palestinians and Israeli police in al-Aqsa.

The Israeli Air Force also struck in Gaza on Wednesday in response to rockets fired from the Strip targeting southern Israel earlier this week.

One Israeli injured by shrapnel

One Israeli was reported lightly injured following the rocket barrage. Magen David Adom said the Israeli was hit by shrapnel, while another Israeli was injured on her way to a shelter and another suffering from PTSD.

Galilee Medical Center confirmed that one Israeli, a resident of the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat, was injured while riding a two-wheeler in an open field in the North.

As a result of the rockets that landed on Israeli territory, a number of fires broke out and are currently being extinguished, according to the Israel Fire and Rescue services.

The northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona issued a statement to its resident, urging caution amid the rocket barrage while reassuring them that the city's operations will be continued as planned.

The municipalities of Nahariya and Karmiel announced that they would open the public bunkers in the city, in preparation for possible events.

Following a situation assessment conducted in the municipality, the mayor of Ashkelon, directed the opening of shelters and bunkers throughout the city on Thursday evening, emphasizing that the move was intended to increase the sense of security among the residents and that there were no special instructions at this time.

UNIFIL responded to the rocket attack in a statement on Twitter: "Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro is in contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line. The current situation is extremely serious. UNIFIL urges restraint and to avoid further escalation."

This is a developing story.

 

Jerusalem Post Staff, Tal Spungin, Hanan Lischinsky

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-738594

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Biden admin review of Afghanistan withdrawal repeatedly blames Trump - Chris Pandolfo

 

by Chris Pandolfo

Biden administration says former President Donald Trump's actions 'severely constrained' conditions for US military withdrawal from Afghanistan

The White House on Thursday released its review of President Biden's fumbled withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, dropping the long-awaited report days before the Easter holiday while former President Donald Trump's indictment dominates headlines. 

In a 12-page outline, Biden officials defend the president's decision to withdraw, calling his decision to end the two decades-long war "the right thing for the country." The report does not appear to acknowledge any mistakes made by Biden. However, the document repeatedly criticizes the Trump administration for constraining the conditions of American evacuation, during which 13 American soldiers died in a suicide bombing while protecting the Kabul airport. 

The review does acknowledge that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but blames the delays on the Afghan government and military, and on U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.

"President Biden’s choices for how to execute a withdrawal from Afghanistan were severely constrained by conditions created by his predecessor," the document states. The White House accuses Trump of emboldening the Taliban by engaging in peace talks without consulting U.S. allies and partners in the region. The document emphasizes that at the same time, Trump was decreasing the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan with a series of drawdowns throughout 2020. 

"During the transition from the Trump Administration to the Biden Administration, the outgoing Administration provided no plans for how to conduct the final withdrawal or to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies," the White House says. "Indeed, there were no such plans in place when President Biden came into office, even with the agreed upon full withdrawal just over three months away." 

UN OFFICIALS CONDEMN TALIBAN'S DECISION TO BAN AFGHAN FEMALE STAFFERS FROM WORKING AT THE UNITED NATIONS

FILE - President Biden, first lady Jill Biden, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken look on as as a carry team moves a transfer case with the remain of Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Ind., during a casualty return at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, for the 13 service members killed in the suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan precipitated the disastrous collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces and the Taliban's takeover of Kabul on August 15, 2021. Biden oversaw evacuation efforts for U.S. allies, translators, and Afghan refugees considered at risk of retribution from the radical Islamist forces overtaking the country. Nearly 1,000 American citizens were left behind and later evacuated. Thousands of Afghan allies remain in the country. 

The document released by the White House gives a broad overview of the administration's actions and recounts the details of the Afghanistan withdrawal from their perspective.

"As you all know, over these many months, departments and agencies key to the withdrawal conducted thorough internal after-action reviews, each of them examining their decision making processes, as well as how those decisions were executed," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. 

"Today, they are making those reviews available to relevant committees in the Senate and in the House, as previewed by Secretaries Blinken and Austin in testimony last month," he added.

BIDEN ADMIN ACCUSED OF ‘STONEWALLING’ GOP ON KEY AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL CABLE: ‘IT RAISES MY SUSPICION’

FILE - President Biden delivers remarks on the terror attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Afghanistan, and the U.S. service members and Afghan victims killed and wounded in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (POOL via CNP/INSTARimages/Cover Images)

By the time Biden assumed office, the White House says, "the Taliban were in the strongest military position that they had been in since 2001, controlling or contesting nearly half of the country."

"While it was always the president's intent to end that war, it is also undeniable that decisions made and the lack of planning done by the previous administration significantly limited options available to him," Kirby told reporters at Thursday's White House press briefing. 

"President Biden inherited a force presence in Afghanistan of some 2500 troops. That was the lowest since 2001. He inherited a special immigrant visa program that had been starved of resources. And he inherited a deal struck between the previous administration and the Taliban that called for the complete removal of all U.S. troops by May of 2021, or else the Taliban, which had stopped its attacks while the deal was in place, would go back to war against the United States."

Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2021 (AP)

Kirby said the Trump administration failed to provide any plans to remove U.S. troops, to transition security to the Afghan government or to increase processing for special immigrant visas for Afghan allies. 

ENEMIES NO LONGER FEAR US RESPONSE AFTER BIDEN BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN, EXPERTS SAY AMID BALLOON, DRONE CLASHES

"Transitions matter. That's the first lesson learned here. And the incoming administration wasn't much of one," he said. "Thus, President Biden's choice was stark: either withdrawal of our forces or resume fighting with the Taliban. He chose the former." 

READ THE WHITE HOUSE REVIEW BELOW. APP USERS, CLICK HERE

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-review-of-afghanistan-withdrawal-repeatedly-blames-trump

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