Former President Donald Trump claimed on social media recently that Vice President Kamala Harris’s team took information stolen from the Trump campaign by Iranian hackers and said it was “illegally spying on him.” Verdict: Unsubstantiated  Iranian hackers did send information to people associated with the then-Biden campaign (now the Harris campaign), however, there is no evidence at […]

A post shared on social media purportedly shows a screenshot of a post from former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Ryan Wesley Routh, calling for “Swifties” to vote against Trump. Verdict: False There is no evidence of Routh making this post. Fact Check: Routh smirked in his mugshot that was recently released after being arrested Sunday, Fox News reported. […]

'Ultimately, that is what immigrants do'

'A lady next to me here at SAS Plus opened the food and jumped out a mouse'

More than 8.5 million American tourists visited the Bahamas in 2023. The Caribbean nation offers pristine beaches, rich history, incredible water sports, delectable cuisine …  and some very serious interest from the People’s Republic of China. Chinese interest in the Bahamas recently made headlines after a hearing in which the commanders of U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Northern Command testified on the “aggressive” expansion of Chinese influence in the Caribbean. Though the Bahamas have long held a close relationship with the United States, its recent crises have invited influence from other quarters. Experts estimate that Hurricane Dorian cost the Bahamian economy around one-fourth of its national gross domestic product in 2019, equivalent to roughly $3.4 billion. The dramatic decline in tourism during COVID-19 further crippled the island chain nation, leaving it  particularly vulnerable to predatory Chinese influence. China was all too eager to step in. Currently, bilateral trade between the Bahamas and China totals $492 million. Additionally, China holds investments in a variety of infrastructural projects, including the development of a $3 billion deep-water containment port, $54 million in loans for a four-lane highway project, $3 billion in loans for the Baha Mar Resort, and a $12 million agreement for infrastructure upgrades. China’s aggressive Belt and Road Initiative extends well beyond the waters of the Bahamas. Ten Caribbean countries have signed on, including Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. China currently holds the third-largest share in the Caribbean Development Bank and has sponsored investments of  more than $10 billion since 2005. Increasing Chinese presence in the Caribbean could prove especially problematic for Taiwan, a key U.S. partner. The region is home to four of the just 13 countries that officially recognize Taiwan globally. Between South America and the Caribbean, nine countries have shifted recognition to China from Taiwan since 2016, reflecting China’s economic dominance in the region and the growing subversion of American influence. The Bahamas, in addition to being a close trading partner of the United States and one of our closest neighbors, also plays host to the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic and Undersea Test and Evaluation Center, responsible for research, development, testing, and engineering of submarine warfare systems. With the Caribbean as the primary means of maritime access to the southeastern United States, relationships with our Caribbean partners are a matter of national security. Increased cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party and further encroachments through its Belt and Road Initiative are unwelcome advancements for the region’s future. China’s projection of power in the Bahamas undermines U.S. influence in the region, calls into question the information security of U.S. military operations in the region, and weakens Taiwan’s precarious international diplomatic position. The United States must not take its position in the Caribbean for granted. The post Why Is China Taking Such a Keen Interest in the Bahamas? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Over the weekend, the leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S. will gather in Wilmington, Delaware, for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit. As China continues to enflame tensions in the South China Sea and along the China-India border, here are four items that the Quad should prioritize during their meeting. Maritime Security China’s actions in the South China Sea pose one of the most dangerous threats to Indo-Pacific stability. In August alone, Chinese vessels rammed into four different Philippine ships near Sabina Shaol, which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Chinese aircraft also conducted dangerous maneuvers near a Philippines Air Force plane. Should China miscalculate or push too far, there is a risk of conflict that could precipitate U.S. (and potentially Japanese) involvement, given the Philippines is a U.S. treaty ally. The Quad has a strong shared interest in deterring China from escalating tensions and unilaterally changing the status quo. Maritime domain awareness has been a growing area of cooperation for the Quad and should be enhanced further in the years ahead. Additional efforts are needed to strengthen counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing by Chinese vessels throughout the Indo-Pacific. Sovereignty In addition to China’s actions in the South China Sea, it continues to squabble with Quad partners over territorial disputes, infringing on their sovereignty and territorial integrity. In recent years, China has picked fights—sometimes literally—with Japan over the disputed Senkaku Islands and with India along their disputed land border, the Line of Actual Control. Most recently, China’s raised challenges to Japanese sovereignty over Okinawa, when Dalin Maritime University announced plans to establish a “Ryukyu Research Center,” which refers to when Okinawa was previously known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. This has raised concerns over whether China may press historical claims or records related to the archipelago that hosts key U.S. military bases and personnel. In a joint statement, the Quad partners have an opportunity to oppose China’s attempts to infringe on the sovereignty and rights of Indo-Pacific states. Including such language in a joint statement allows the Quad to signal unity in the face of continued Chinese aggression across multiple fronts. Defense Cooperation In a broader strategic context, enhanced defense cooperation will prove critical in advancing the Quad’s primary interest of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. China’s buildup of both conventional and strategic forces, including a record-setting pace of nuclear weapon production, poses direct threats to the safety and prosperity of the Quad partners. The Biden administration’s attempts to stabilize U.S.-China relations have failed to produce tangible results that have sufficiently changed China’s decision calculus. The Quad should continue to consider areas that would allow for stronger defense cooperation. As AUKUS, the trilateral defense agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, has shown, it is possible to invest in the industrial bases of allied and partnered economies and boost collective deterrence. Despite the challenges of AUKUS, similar provisions, such as intelligence and emerging technology cooperation, could be considered among the Quad partners that boost both military power and economic development. Supply Chain Resilience China has weaponized supply chains against each of the Quad partners, with notable examples including the 14 grievances against Australia and the bottlenecking of critical minerals against Japan. As countries look to diversify from an overreliance on Chinese supply chains, the Quad can both serve as a destination for and facilitator of reshoring actions. India’s booming population and expanded appetite for manufacturing growth provide an attractive option for companies looking to tap into a strong labor market with reduced risk. Quad partners can look to India for their own reshoring efforts. This Quad summit would benefit from additional initiatives on supply chain collaboration that support the four countries’ resilience and shared interests. The post 4 Issues to Consider as the US and Its Indo-Pacific Allies Meet to Counter China appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Senate Democrats are attempting to require women to register for the draft. But a group of Republican lawmakers are aiming to stop them.  Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Mary Miller, R-Ill., led a group of 22 Republican lawmakers in opposition to efforts that would force women to register for Selective Service.  The group wrote a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Thursday.  They wrote, “Forcing young women to register for the Selective Service is an affront to our nation’s values and does not enhance military readiness – the only metric by which Congress should measure an [National Defense Authorization Act]. This is yet another blatant attempt to advance a divisive agenda that seeks to eliminate all distinctions between males and females.”  The lawmakers addressed the effect this change to Selective Service would have on American families.  “Under no circumstances should the House of Representatives greenlight a future that cripples the American family by sending mothers and daughters to the frontlines – drafted to be combat replacements for casualties on the battlefield – while fathers and sons stay home,” the Republican lawmakers said. “A country that pursues radical social ideology over basic principles will not remain a strong, resilient nation.”  The group called on Johnson to oppose the provision.   “This radical proposal has been defeated in the past and must be defeated once again,” the Republican lawmakers said.  Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jack Reed, D-R.I., defended the Selective Service proposal. “Women are doing a remarkable job in our forces today, and if we were in a situation requiring a draft, I think we would need all able-bodied citizens 18 and above,” Reed told The Hill. The National Defense Authorization Act approves funding and delegates resources for the U.S. military and other critical defense priorities every year. On June 13, The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 22-3 to advance the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2025 to the Senate floor.  Although this Act is critical in equipping U.S. servicemembers, the group of Republican lawmakers said they do not agree with the provision that would require women to register for Selective Service.  9_19_24_Roy_Miller_Letter_to_Speaker_Johnson_re_NDAA_Female_Draft (3)Download fy25_ndaa_executive_summaryDownload The post Senate Democrats Want Women to Enter the Draft, but Republican Representatives Are Fighting Back appeared first on The Daily Signal.

EV Sales in Europe - Like Polar Bear Clubs in January - Take an Icy Plunge

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On Friday’s Good Morning America, ABC promised a puffball interview with Kamala Harris’s husband Douglas Emhoff, the “Second Gentleman.” Just the booking was deeply weird when Harris won’t grant an interview to ABC, even after they joined her in debating Donald Trump. At the opening of the show, co-host Michael Strahan promised they would discuss “the economy, their family, and reaction to Donald Trump repeated attacks on Jews that support Democrats and Harris.” But the Jewish part didn’t air. WHY are we getting interviews with Kamala's husband, and not Kamala? Isn't that deeply weird? pic.twitter.com/PnYcOELq33 — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) September 20, 2024 ABC also boosted Emhoff with a puffball late-night interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live on September 5, where there was light banter about Doug's 34 seasons of fantasy football...after Kimmel mercilessly mocked Sen. Ted Cruz's sex life.  The most shameless omission in this Strahan piece came in touting Emhoff’s family and his first wife... and saying absolutely nothing about what we just learned on August 3 about how he broke up his first marriage: He cheated on his wife with the nanny and impregnated her. As far as we can tell, ABC has yet to report this on air! ABC-slash-DNC just stuck with feeling Doug’s pain about J.D. Vance and Sarah Huckabee Sanders mocking Kamala as childless: STRAHAN: We've heard the childless cat lady quote. And just his week, Governor Sanders of Arkansas said, quote "my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble. How do you react to a comment like that? EMHOFF: Yeah, it's appalling for somebody who is in a position of leadership like governor to say something so repulsive and so out of touch, not only on the one, mispronouncing her name, which is disrespectful. She knows what her name is. And then two, as if you need to have your own biological children to be humble. But then to say as if women should be humble and you can see the pushback even from within her own party because it is a repulsive thing to say. STRAHAN: Vice President Harris is step mom to 30-year-old Cole and 25-year-old Ella from the second gentleman's first marriage to Kirsten Emhoff. [To Emhoff] It's been something to watch, speaking of family, to see your kids step up, to see your ex-wife step up. EMHOFF: You know, we roll hard together, that's who we are. Kirsten has been incredible. When you attack Kamala, especially on issues about motherhood, Kirsten has been out there each and every time to tell the truth about who Kamala is, as a mother, as a person, as a member of our family, again, is always there for us.  Then, when Strahan turned to the policy agenda, Emhoff wasn't any more effective than his wife on how Harris will bring down prices and how she is somehow not responsible in any way for the current inflationary environment.  Strahan asked an obvious question: “What do you say to those who say how is she going to be different from what we've seen with resident Biden?” Emhoff answered that she would just offer more of the same, “we're going to continue to expand infrastructure, the CHIPS Act, bring chips manufacturing in here, the transition into clean energy and on the infrastructure piece,” blah blah blah. Then the ABC co-host followed up. Some say “she hasn’t done that in three and a half years in office as vice president, do you think that’s unfair?" Emhoff said “Yeah. She’s the vice president, not the president.” No Democrat would accept that answer if the parties were reversed. Strahan closed by telling his fellow ABC hosts Emhoff was "open and honest." That's easier when you're just helping him make the case for the Democrats.