A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers touched down in Taiwan for an unannounced visit on Thursday. The group is the latest batch of officials to flout China's demands that the U.S. cut ties with the self-governed island. Rep. Mike Gallagher‚ R-Wis.‚ a major critic of China‚ led the delegation‚ which included four other members of Congress. "The United States‚ Democrats and Republicans‚ stands with Taiwan‚ for your freedom and for ours‚" Gallagher said at a press conference...

A cross-party delegation of American lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Thursday‚ seeking to affirm US support for the island amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei. Mike Gallagher‚ Republican chairman of House committee on the Chinese Communist Party and a vocal China hawk‚ said the US partnership with Taiwan is stronger and more “rock-solid than ever” and would remain so regardless of the outcome of the elections in November.

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers assured Taiwan's president-elect William Lai of strong U.S. support in a meeting in Taipei on Thursday. Why it matters: The U.S. delegation takes a hard line on the Chinese government‚ which claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has ramped up pressure on the self-governing island after Lai's election in January‚ sending warships‚ military jets and high-altitude balloons near Taiwan. Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive...

The Biden administration plans to spend billions on domestic-built cargo cranes to replace Chinese ones that pose a potential national security threat‚ The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The investment is part of a larger plan to bolster U.S. security on the maritime stage‚ which includes improving standards for cybersecurity in computer networks and in foreign-built cranes operating in seaports‚ according to WSJ. The U.S. and intelligence agencies are concerned...

The United States will invest tens of billions of dollars to boost maritime cybersecurity around its strategic seaports‚ including by replacing China-made container cranes that officials believe could leave American infrastructure vulnerable to sabotage. Foreign-manufactured ship-to-shore cranes‚ in particular those built by China's state-owned ZPMC‚ have been a national security concern for several years. The heavy industries company is the world's largest crane maker‚ whose machines...

The head of the busiest US maritime gateway said Chinese-made cranes pose a potential risk to national security‚ but a shortage of other countries that build the giant container-moving machines makes it challenging to address the vulnerability. “They’re collecting data‚ they’re looking at information‚” Gene Seroka‚ executive director of the Port of Los Angeles‚ said in an interview Thursday on Bloomberg Television’s Surveillance. “What they’re using that data for is the question.” Biden...

As the tax filing season gets underway‚ taxpayers in some states will have a new way to file online available to them in "the coming days‚" the IRS said this week. Direct File‚ the free site for filing federal tax returns directly through the IRS‚ will be open for new users in 12 states during unspecified windows of time‚ before becoming widely available to taxpayers in those states in mid-March‚ according to the IRS. The IRS has already launched its filing site to...

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday announced a significant sanctions escalation against Russia‚ targeting its financial system and military infrastructure with over 500 new penalties‚ marking the largest tranche of sanctions since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. The measure was announced ahead of the invasion’s anniversary on Saturday and followed the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a penal colony in the Arctic earlier this month. The sanctions...

A drug dealer once suspected in the infamous killing of two NYPD cops at the hands of the Black Liberation Army was recently sprung from prison on parole‚ The Post has learned — a move decried by one of the officers’ widows as a “sad state of affairs.” Robert Vickers‚ 74 — who was caught-on-tape bragging about dodging charges in the 1972 assassination of Officers Gregory Foster and Rocco Laurie — walked out of an upstate lockup last month‚ officials confirmed. “It...

Meghan Smith is the owner of Melody Note Vintage store in the eternally hip town of Palm Springs‚ California‚ and her old-school Gen X advice has really connected with younger people on TikTok.In a video posted in December 2022‚ she shares the advice she wishes that “somebody told me in my twenties” and it has received more than 13 million views. Smith says that she gave the same advice to her partner's two daughters when they reached their twenties. The video is hashtagged #GenX advice for #GenZ and late #millennials. Sorry older millennials‚ you’re too old to receive these pearls of wisdom.Here is some of the timeless advice that Smith shares in the video.Perfection is bullshit.You will never be more good-looking than you are today.Put your phone down and enjoy your life.Don't change for anybody.Don't worry about making mistakes.Laugh at yourself.If somebody shows you their true colors‚ believe them.Travel.You end up dating the people you think you deserve. Usually‚ you deserve better.Don’t forget to always wear your sunscreen. @melodynotevintage This might only help one person and thats ok. Advice I wish somebody told me in my twenties. #genx advice for #genz and late #millennials #adviceforyour20s #lifeadvice #fyp dont be an asshat in the comments if you are older‚ its not helpful. She followed up the video with a sequel with even more sage advice.Know who's on your side and who you can ask for help.Don't smoke.Don't spend longer than one year with the wrong person.Find your own style.Don't stress over the small stuff.Good manners don't go out of style.Do the work that it takes to be really good at something.Your happiness is more important than other people's disappointment. @melodynotevintage This might only help one person and thats ok. Advice I wish somebody told me in my twenties part 2 #genx advice for #genz and late #millennials #adviceforyour20s #lifeadvice #fyp This article originally appeared on 1.18.23