Author: Frank V. Vernuccio, Jr.

Although over a quarter of a year into the Biden Administration has passed, the White House appears confused about whom it works for.

The correct answer should be, of course, the American people. But the nation’s citizenry appears to be little more than an afterthought. The Biden White House has assisted global interests, at the expense of Americans.

Russia’s energy-dependent economy is helped by limiting U.S. energy production. Europeans, particularly Germans, are glad that the Trump-era demands to pay a fair share of their own defense is off.  China is heavily relieved that the prior administration’s economic pressure on it to deal fairly has been pushed aside. Latin American nations are grateful that tough border policies have been abolished, and drug cartels are thrilled at the increase in their nefarious business. Iran is gleeful that an opening has been made to reduce or eliminate sanctions.

How have these policies affected the constituency that the current president was elected to represent?

Almost immediately, American workers lost well-paying jobs due to the shutdown of the Keystone Pipeline and the limitation on fracking. Every U.S. consumer, especially drivers, have, as a result, seen their energy costs skyrocket. American energy independence, an extraordinary accomplishment of the Trump Administration, is being reversed. The problem results in both soaring prices for Americans, and greater reliance on Russia for fuel by our European allies.

Unemployment and increased costs, both at the marketplace and in taxes, for Americans is obviously not a concern for the Biden White House, which has prioritized helping non-Americans.

A Pew study released in March noted that “The Biden administration is expected to review policies that led to increased denial rates of H-1B visa applications under the Trump administration. In addition, Biden has delayed implementing a rule put in place by Trump that sought to prioritize the H-1B visa selection process based on wages, which would have raised the wages of H-1B recipients overall. Biden also proposed legislation to provide permanent work permits to spouses of H-1B visa holders. By contrast, the Trump administration had sought to restrict these permits.”

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The Biden Administration is obviously seeking to increase immigration levels, legal and illegal, to the United States. That may be beneficial to those abroad seeking a better life, but the impact on Americans is costly.

In February, President Biden announced that he was issuing an executive order to expand the number of refugees allowed to enter the U.S., essentially quadrupling the number allowed under his predecessor. Some of that is due to Biden’s redefining what a “refugee” actually is.

Biden’s border policies have encouraged a significant surge in illegal immigration, ignoring both the cost to U.S. taxpayers and the increased threat from contagious diseases.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform  estimates that “…the annual costs of illegal immigration at the federal, state and local level to be about $113 billion; nearly $29 billion at the federal level and $84 billion at the state and local level…. tax collections from illegal alien workers, both those in the above-ground economy and those in the underground economy… do not come close to the level of expenditures and, in any case, are misleading as an offset because over time unemployed and underemployed U.S. workers would replace illegal alien workers.”

Writing in The Hill Kristan Tate noted that “…there is a significant tax burden imposed on citizens and legal immigrants tied to a leaky border…noncitizen families in the United States are twice as likely to receive welfare payments than native born families. A full half of noncitizens receive Medicaid, compared to 23 percent of native born citizens, while almost half of noncitizens are on food stamps. Of particular concern is that noncitizens who stay in the long term are more likely to use these programs than those who just arrived. Half of new noncitizens receive welfare, but the figure jumps to a stunning 70 percent among those who have been in the United States for more than 10 years.”

Illustration: Pixabay

IRAN

Iranian war ships this week moved out into the Atlantic Ocean. While unconfirmed, they appear heading toward the US. The State Department spokesman, Ned Price, says Washington supports their freedom of navigation, but it is watching if they seek to effect the transfer of weapons or other illicit materials. His added that the US is “prepared to leverage our applicable authorities, including sanctions, against any actor that enable’s Iran’s ongoing provision of weapons to violent partners and to proxies. This is a concern that we’ve talked about broadly in the context of Iran, even as we work with our allies and partners in the P5+1 context, to attempt to put Iran’s nuclear program back in a box.” 

Price stated the US is prepared to hold Iran accountable and that “…before that were to take place, we are prepared to do what we can do attempt to eliminate such activity.” Price chose to use the word “attempt” to describe the US response. Also on Thursday, the Treasury Department simultaneously removed the names of the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Corporation and managing director of one of its subsidiaries from the Iranian sanctions list. During a press briefing on Thursday, Price was combative with reporters trying to find out why the US is lifting sanctions on individuals involved in the Iranian energy sector. In responding to media inquiries Price defended the Administration’s position stating that “…there is no linkage, there is no connection to the delistings that we announced today to the JCPOA or to negotiations that are ongoing in Vienna.”  Price pointed out that it was the Secretary of State who released a statement saying that we’re “lifting sanctions on three former Government of Iran officials and two companies previously involved in the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of Iranian petrochemical products….” Referring to the US working with other countries to contain Iran, Price said “That’s why we’ve been working in lockstep with our European allies and other partners in the context of the P5+1 – Russia and China….” It appears Washington now views Russia and China as partners in this challenge – in “lockstep.”

RUSSIA

A few days ago the United States issued a waiver not to sanction the Nord Stream company and its CEO Matthias Warnig. It appears the German Government sees this as a sign that Washington has accepted that the Russian pipeline can be finished and that its construction will not incur further sanction. Price told reporters the US position has not changed despite the issuance of a waiver. He noted that the Biden Administration is “…opposed to the pipeline, that we view it as a Russian geopolitical project, a project that threatens European energy security, and in fact, that undermines the security of some of our close partners, including Ukraine and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank.” Price could not explain why the waiver was not sending a signal to Moscow to proceed. He suggested the US instead will rely on diplomacy to make sure Russia behaves well in its use.

HUMANITARIAN AID

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Senior Advisor to the President on Migration Amy Pope announced more than $57 million in new humanitarian assistance at the June 10 Solidarity Event for Forcibly Displaced Persons and Host Communities in Central America and Mexico, according to the State Department. Questions have arisen in recent days over how to ensure these funds reach their intended recipients and don’t end up in the pockets of corrupt government officials. The State Department has not commented on how the program can be secured. Recently, Vice President Harris was in Central America holding discussions about the illegal migration issue confronting the US. In a public statement, while traveling, she told people not to come to the US. She has received heavy criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for her statements in a trip that has been labeled as a “failure,” even by some inside the Biden White House.

NICARAGUA

At a Tuesday media briefing, State Department Spokesman New Price said the United States is calling on “President Daniel Ortega and the Nicaraguan government to immediately release presidential candidates Cristiana Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Felix Maradiaga, and Juan Sebastian Chamorro, as well as other civil society and opposition leaders who have been arrested over the past week in an increasing wave of repression.”

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay

More than three thousand years ago, around the time horses were domesticated, men from the upper classes started wearing pants in China. It was a sign of prestige. The elite typically owned the horses during this period and wearing pants made riding easier for them. By 1205 AD these “big boy pants” became known as britches. Today, China’s ambitious President Xi Jinping has outgrown his modern-day britches. His grandiose desire to remake the world in China’s image is an outsized and extremely dangerous dream. The threat is one the world has only recently accepted as real and imminent.

RAND Corporation released a major 252-page report this week examining the international and defense dimensions of the US-China relationship from Beijing’s perspective to aid western leaders in developing a strategy to deal with the rising communist giant. Using primary source documents, it confirms that the communist giant’s immediate goal is to establish its primacy in the Asia-Pacific region and assume leadership of the international order. It reveals that China has not ruled out military force to achieve its objectives, although it currently is relying heavily on its economic expertise and diplomatic wolf warriors. According to the report, China may choose to conduct a proxy war with the US in the next decade or so or engage in a direct limited conflict to attain it goals. Most significantly, it says that China’s strategy “will not allow” the United States to get in its way or to dislodge China from its future position of advantage over the West.

The authors of the report, Timothy Heath, Derek Grossman, and Asha Clark conclude that Chinese military strategy calls for building a superior force to make the cost of war too great for any nation, including the US, to oppose China’s plans. Part of that strategy includes shaping the international environment so that security ties with client states favor Beijing and not Washington. The analysts point out that China already acknowledges there will be intense competition but has yet to overtly admit to the inevitability of a future armed conflict. Unlike earlier hegemons, China primarily is centered on dominating Eurasia, the Middle East, and Africa. “Chinese international leadership would be characterized by a reliance on finance, diplomatic engagement, and security assistance to exercise influence while maintaining a modest overseas military presence,” they said.

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Marginalization of the United States and its Western allies would have dire economic consequences for the whole world. The RAND report has implications that should wake up the Biden Administration and West European leaders. By 2050 it says China expects successful competition with the United States may include “militarized crises or conflicts of a limited scope.” China expects the US to be forced into recognizing its authority as the global leader. President Xi plans to contain the US in the Americas. Worse still is China’s goal to alter the international rules-based order, a system which has proved stable, in favor of the norms upheld by China when managing conflicts of an economic or military nature. According to the report, Beijing expects to dictate the terms under which the US and the communist giant cooperate. 

Chinese overseas aggression has intensified since President Xi assumed power. The country has embarked on a mission to secure the South China Sea, absorb Hong Kong under Chinese law, internationally isolate and then take Taiwan back, militarize and control space, and ensure the US and Europe remain at odds in their approach toward China, among other areas. The authors summarize five major objectives derived from Chinese primary sources. First, Beijing intends to force the US to modify its policies to accommodate China’s demands regarding its core interests. Next, China intends to foment divisions inside the US regarding opinions on the threat posed by China. This involves the US media, academia, and cultural elites. Third, it intends to force the US government to cooperate on shared concerns on equal terms per the “new type great power” framework. China also expects the US to facilitate it technological development and it plans to ensure Washington is ineffective in restraining Chinese “extraction” of the needed technology. Finally, China intends to make US attempts to constrain Beijing ineffective. To do so Beijing intends to make its BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) the compelling choice above US geoeconomic initiatives. 

China has gotten too big for its britches. US diplomatic efforts going forward need to shore up American alliances and partnerships to restrain China. Anything else dooms the free world to a Chinese style gulag archipelago by 2050. 

This article was written by the distinguished jurist, Judge John Wilson (ret.)

As one of the female athlete plaintiffs stated when describing her reasons for bringing a lawsuit, “We all know the outcome of the race before it even starts; it’s demoralizing…I fully support and am happy for these athletes for being true to themselves. They should have the right to express themselves in school, but athletics have always had extra rules to keep the competition fair.” 

Ignoring these “”anecdotal” stories of women who have been harmed by the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, Grossman and Rathod continue to misstate the facts;  “Moreover,” they write, “there is simply no evidence that trans girls would displace cis girls to a substantial extent if allowed to compete on girls’ sports teams…(i)n March, Associated Press journalists contacted the sponsors of the 20-plus anti-trans sports bills introduced this year. In almost every case, the lawmakers could not cite a single instance in their own state or region where the participation of trans athletes caused any problems whatsoever.”  

These two statements are diametrically opposed, one to the other.  While it is true that the state legislatures which have voted for transgender bans from female sports (which include Florida, Ohio and Alabama) could not cite to any “problems” with trans athletes (leaving wide open the definition of the word “problem” in this context), other states (such as Connecticut, discussed above), have produced evidence of trans athletes who have displaced women.  According to Wired, “(t)ransgender athletes are having a moment. At all levels of sport, they’re stepping onto the podium and into the headlines. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard won two gold medals at the Pacific Games, and college senior CeCe Telfer became the NCAA Division II national champion in the 400-meter run. Another senior, June Eastwood, has been instrumental to her cross-country team’s success.”

In fact, the aforementioned CeCe Telfer competed on behalf of Franklin Pierce University of New Hampshire, where a bill to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports is being held up in committee until next year’s legislative session.    But where did CeCe win the 400-meter run?  “(T)he outdoor track at Javelina Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University in Kingsville, Tex(as)…on Saturday, May 25, 2019.”   

Does Texas have a “problem” with transgender athletes?  “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has said he will sign a bill to prevent transgender youth from competing on teams that align with their gender identity… (t)he bill, sponsored by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), passed the Senate on a party-line vote last month. Under the bill, athletes would be required to compete on sports teams matching the sex listed on their original birth certificates… it was that same…rule referenced by Perry that created controversy a few years ago when transgender student Mack Beggs was forced to compete in girls’ wrestling despite having started his transition, because the original sex listed on his birth certificate was ‘female.’” 

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In the final analysis, Grossman and Rathod present their arguments from a particular perspective; “Trans girls are girls” they write.  “Protecting the athletic opportunities for girls means protecting opportunities for trans girls too. There is increasing consensus among legal practitioners that gender identity—rather than anatomy or sex-assigned-at-birth—is the primary determinant of sex.”  

But legal practioners are not doctors, nor are they female athletes unable to compete with the bigger, stronger, trans athletes.  And what is the medical view?  “A new study suggests transgender women maintain an athletic advantage over their cisgender peers even after a year on hormone therapy… said the study’s lead author, Dr. Timothy Roberts, a pediatrician and the director of the adolescent medicine training program at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. ‘At one year, the trans women on average still have an advantage over the cis women…'” 

Various leaders in women’s sports are finally coming forward to address this issue.  According to the Washington Post, “Donna de Varona, the Olympic swimmer who lobbied for Title IX’s passage in 1972; Donna Lopiano, the former chief executive of the Women’s Sports Foundation; and Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Olympic swimmer and law professor who wrote a book on Title IX…. planned to lobby for federal legislation requiring transgender girls and women, in high school sports and above, to suppress testosterone for at least one year before competing against other girls and women, making universal a policy already in place in some states and some higher levels of sports. For transgender girls in high school who do not suppress testosterone, they suggested ‘accommodations,’ such as separate races, podiums or teams… ‘To give girls and women an equal opportunity to participate in sports, they need their own team. Why? Because of the biological differences between males and females,’ said Hogshead-Makar, CEO of Champion Women, a women’s sports advocacy organization. 

Rather than follow the ideological position of Grossman and Rathod, de Varona, Lopiano and Hogshead-Makar are looking for a reasonable, practical way to address the obvious truth underlying this entire issue – the existence of physical differences between men and women.  If they are successful, and more states continue their efforts to protect women’s sports, than no other woman will lose out on a college scholarship, or need to have her skull broken in a sporting competition.

Illustration: Pixabay

This article was written by the distinguished jurist, Judge John Wilson (ret.)

“I’ve fought a lot of women and have never felt the strength that I felt in a fight as I did that night. I can’t answer whether it’s because she was born a man or not because I’m not a doctor. I can only say, I’ve never felt so overpowered ever in my life…”                             Tamikka Brents, commenting on her fight with transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox

In 2014, Fallon Fox, a male Mixed Martial Arts fighter who had surgically transitioned to a woman, fought Tamikka Brents, a female.  “Everything happened in the first round within the first two and a half minutes. It was a messy, bloody fight and not easy for everyone to watch. During the fight Tamikka suffered a concussion and fractured her orbital bone in her skull and Fallon Fox didn’t stop until Tamikka Brents was finally TKO’d. After the fight she received several staples in her head and skull.” 

Brents recovered from her injuries; Fallon has never fought again.  But though Fallon’s career as a fighter is over, the controversy over the Fallon Brents fight remains.  

Shortly afterwards, UFC fighter Paul Costa made this statement: “He was born a man, and he is a man, even though he calls himself a transsexual…It’s absurd cowardice, not only by him but also by the promoters of any event that has accepted this kind of absurdity. He has simply annihilated the girls who have fought against him…I don’t want to get into [the personal aspect] of his choice, to be transsexual or not, homosexual or not. What happens here is that a man is fighting against girls, against women, as if he were one. This is absurd, and it can’t be accepted.”  However, Fox found support from a medical professional. “Dr Eric Vilain, director of the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA, examined Fox’s medical records, told Time Magazine that ‘a male to female transsexual athlete has significantly less muscle strength and bone density, and higher fat mass, than males.’  Indeed, the transition could mean a hormonal disadvantage for Fox because of her low testosterone levels.”   

Nevertheless, the fact remains that a biological male fighter broke the skull of a biological female fighter within two and one half minutes of the first round, regardless of each fighter’s respective testosterone levels.

Why is this significant?  Why would this one incident from 2014 still resonate almost seven years later?

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Because in that time, the lesson of the Fallon Brents fight has not been learned.  Instead, the truth has been actively denied.  And what is that truth?  That there is a biological difference between men and women.

Recently, in Verdict, Joanna L. Grossman (the Ellen K. Solender Endowed Chair in Women and Law at SMU Dedman School of Law) and Saraswati Rathod (a 1L student at Stanford Law School) published an article which denies this truth, and attacks the efforts being made by various states to protect women’s sports from dominance by transgender athletes.  “Like the bathroom bills,” they write, “the transgender athlete bans are a reaction to an imagined problem that is not supported by either anecdotal or empirical evidence. And like the bathroom bills, the transgender athlete bans are certain to harm already-marginalized individuals—all in the name of ginning up support of the GOP’s deep-red base.”   

This statement appears at the very beginning of the article, and is demonstrably untrue.  The example of the Fallon Brents fight is “anecdotal” evidence for the harm caused by transgender athletes.  For further evidence of harm, consider the lawsuit brought by three female student runners in Connecticut.  According to the Washington Examiner, the three are suing Connecticut’s  “Interscholastic Athletic Conference for sex discrimination, arguing the inclusion of transgender women denied them nearly 100 opportunities to compete in various athletic competitions during their time in high school.” 

In particular, the female students cited the example of two transgender athletes who have won a plethora of running titles in recent years; “The participation in high school sports by transgender girls Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, both of whom are sprinters and were identified in the complaint, has sparked debate in Connecticut as they continue to compete and excel in state track events… Miller…holds the outdoor track and field State Open records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and won two New England track titles in 2018…(d)uring the 2018-19 indoor track and field season, Miller won Class S, State Open and New England titles in the 55- and 300-meter dash.” 

Contrast this with Miller’s pre-transition athletic history:  “Running on the boys’ team as a ninth-grader in suburban Hartford, Terry Miller was an average track athlete, online records show, failing to qualify for any postseason events.” 

Judge Wilson’s (ret.) report concludes tomorrow

Photo: Pixabay

The Biden Administration has submitted its defense budget for the coming fiscal year. It provides a 1.6% increase. Since the current rate of inflation is 4.2%, it is, in real terms, a decrease of 2.6%.  It totals $715 billion out of a $6 trillion total spending.

Contrary to popular belief, the Pentagon actually accounts for only 15% of the federal budget. Many had expected funding for the military to rise by approximately 5%, due to the dramatic increase in China’s armed forces, and the aggressive acts they continue to engage in.  Many had assumed as well that Putin’s strengthened military, and his threats to Ukraine, as well as the nuclear trends in Iran and North Korea, would inspire a significant hike.

Under Biden’s proposed budget, 4,600 troops would be cut. Support for new aircraft would be cut to $52.4 billion, down from Trumps’ request last year of $56.9 billion. Some aircraft in the U.S. arsenal are so old that the grandfathers of current pilots flew them seventy years ago.

Less money was also requested for ground weapons—$12.3 billion compared to $13 billion last year. There’s also a drop in the missile defense spending request, which comes in at $10.9 billion, down from $11.6 billion, and missiles and bombs, which drop to $20.3 billion, down from $21.3 billion.

Some defense experts prioritized spending on increasing the navy as a key need, but the Biden budget cuts sharply there, as well.  Rear Admiral John Gumbleton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for budget, noted “We recognize that China and Russia posture themselves to project military power in the maritime domain. Both desire to change the world stage, bent to their interests rather than the rules-based order that has served the U.S. and world economies since the end of World War II.”

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However, the White House budget cuts the Navy’s ability to buy new ships and aircraft. Beijing has the largest navy in the world, with an overall battle force of approximately 350 ships and submarines including over 130 major surface combatants. In comparison, the U.S. Navy’s battle force is approximately 293. Under current fiscal trends the PRC will increase their already significant numerical advantage at sea.

Portions of the Defense budget have raised considerably questions about whether the White House has politicized the military, by including spending on issues such as climate change and a variety of “woke” programs. One strange budget line would provide dollars to monitor the on-line correspondence of servicemembers.

In response to reports of political bias within the Department of Defense, U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services stated “I am greatly concerned by numerous press reports of conservative voices being silenced in the Department of Defense while Departmental leadership defends and protects left-leaning voices. The United States Armed Forces should be focused on preparing to face and win any battles against the threats posed by China and other foreign adversaries and not imposing political beliefs on those who chose to serve in uniform.”

Overall, Biden’s proposal greatly disappointed Republicans. In a statement, leading GOP Senators noted: “President Biden’s budget proposal cuts defense spending, sending a terrible signal not only to our adversaries in Beijing and Moscow, but also to our allies and partners. …President Biden’s own Pentagon leadership team acknowledges that the defense strategy they inherited is largely on the right track, and that resourcing the strategy requires significant real growth in the defense budget. Anything less than real growth will force the Department to choose between taking care of service members and ensuring they have the tools and training to meet new and growing threats…”

Photo: China’s supply ship Gaoyouhu conducts alongside replenishment-at-sea with the guided-missile frigate (China Defence Ministry)

For students, June is report card month, a time when their accomplishments (or lack thereof) are noted and relayed to parents. The young find out whether they will advance to the next grade, or be subjected to that most dread of all experiences, summer school.

The Biden Administration’s first half year has been, by any objective standard, not a success.

 Its border policy has been an unmitigated disaster. The promise of improved race relations has fallen flat. The White House energy policy has driven prices sky high, not just at the pump but in most other items as well. Indeed, inflation, which had been comparatively tamed for decades, is back with a vengeance.

The economy has begun a modest recovery from the excessive COVID lockdown, but has not roared back the way it should due to both inflationary fears brought about by Washington’s excessive spending and its bizarre policy of encouraging government dependency rather than job growth. The White House push for tax increases has played a harmful role. It’s been particularly difficult for blue collar and minority workers and job seekers, who made significant gains under Trump.

Fairly soon after information about a virulent new disease emanating from Wuhan emerged, serious questions were raised about its origins. However, criticism of that nation was seen as ratifying then-president Donald Trump’s warnings about Beijing’s growing threat to the world. Shortly after the outbreak became known, President Trump closed off travel from China. He was harshly criticized as being “xenophobic” by Biden and others. To emphasize that point, local officials in progressive-run cities such as New York urged their constituents to ignore White House warnings. Now that the campaign season has concluded, Democrats and their media allies are looking at Beijing’s negligence and dishonesty about the origins of the pandemic. The Biden Administration, to its credit, is reopening the investigation begun by its predecessor into how the disease came about, and how it spread throughout the world.

Foreign affairs have suffered. Putin’s aggressionagainst Ukraine during the Obama-Biden Administration was followed by a period of relative quiet during the Trump presidency, but has now flared up again.  The new president’s killing of the Keystone XL pipeline and other anti-energy policies have strengthened Moscow’s hand, particularly in its influence with Europe.

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China’s imperialist ambitions in the Indo-Pacific were seen most clearly in its assault against the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone during Obama-Biden, a move which that White House wholly ignored. Now that the staunch anti-China Trump administration is gone, Beijing has resumed its moves on Manila, as well as its numerous other worrisome acts. In that same region, it is worth noting that North Korea has resumed substantive missile testing, which had gone into a quiescent period during the prior administration.

The Middle East had been trending significantly towards peace during the four years of the Trump White House, with the implementation of its Abraham accords, improved relations with Saudi Arabia, its defeat of the ISIS caliphate, tough sanctions against Iran, and steadfast support for Israel. Those accomplishments have been diminished by Biden’s appeasement of the Tehran Mullahs, its tilt towards Islamic extremists, and estrangement of Israel. Much of his administration’s regional policy can be seen as a nod towards the large and growing anti-Israel faction of the Democratic Party.

The assaults by extremist groups such as Antifa have not relented, despite broad media hints that they would diminish under Democrat leadership in Washington.

Biden’s first six months in office have not been encouraging, earning failing grades in just about every area.  As a start, it must move away from the extremism of the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party and put the good of the nation above partisan politics.

Illustration: Pixabay

NICARAGUA

After Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with representatives from the Government of Nicaragua officials arrested Cristiana Chamorro, a journalist who’s considered a potential candidate for president of the country. Blinken said he is “very disturbed by the steps that Nicaragua has taken – backward, not forward in terms of putting in place what is necessary for free and fair elections.” He added that Nicaragua has moved in exactly the wrong direction.  This week the opposition in Nicaragua has been denied the ability to compete in elections. According to Blinken, it is a sign of a total lack of confidence in the system.

IMMIGRATION

Vice President Harris is tasked with dealing with the root causes of irregular migration. According to Blinken, the US is doing this in partnership with Mexico. He suggested there are answers to the issue of illegal immigration. The Vice President, he said, made a phone call to resolve the situation. She “recently had a call to action with our private sector to look at what it would take to make more investment in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador so that there is more opportunity,” according to Blinken. He offered  no other details about what actions VP Harris is taking in his interview with CNN on Thursday.

RUSSIA

Secretary Blinken this week said he has not spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov since he met with him a few weeks ago. HE pointed out that “…we are seeing, unfortunately, a new front in cyber threats, and that is criminal organizations using what’s called ransomware to hold hostage companies, to hold hostage critical infrastructure for financial gain.” These attacks, he said, are usually perpetrated by criminal enterprises, organizations, but they often have some physical connection, because their leaders live someplace, they’re working from someplace, and Blinken thinks it’s the obligation of any country to do whatever it can to find these enterprises and to bring them to justice, including in the case of the Russian attack on the Colonial Pipeline. 

“We need two things. We need to make sure that our defenses, whether it’s governments or whether it’s the private sector, are much stronger and much more effective when it comes to cyber attacks in general and so-called ransomware in particular. But we also need countries around the world to make commitments and then make good on those commitments not to harbor criminal enterprises that engage in these attacks, and on the contrary, to seek them out and to stop them and to bring them to justice,” Blinken added.

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CHINA

This June 4 marks the 32^nd anniversary of the Chinese massacre in Tiananmen Square. The State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson, Jalina Porter, announced only that the “United States condemns actions by Hong Kong authorities that prompted organizers to close the June 4th Museum that commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.” When questioned at the press briefing on Wednesday if the US was sending any particular messages, she quipped “No, we’re not sending any direct messages at this time, other than saying that Hong Kong and Beijing authorities continue to silence dissenting voices by also attempting to erase the horrific massacre from history.” 

PALESTINE

A statement released by the State Department this week said that the United States is “in the process of providing more than $360 million in assistance to the Palestinian people. This includes $38 million in new assistance to support humanitarian efforts in the West Bank and Gaza.  This new assistance includes nearly $33 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in support of its West Bank and Gaza operations, and an additional $5.5 million to humanitarian partners.”  

The Department called the funds “critical” and said the money will provide needed support for humanitarian organizations to provide emergency shelter, food, relief items, and health care, as well as mental health and psychosocial support for those who experienced trauma.

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay

Decades ago, China’s paramount leader Deng Xiaoping said: “No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat; as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat” (不官黑猫白猫，捉刀老树九十好猫). The former paramount leader meant that if it works in practice, it can be used by China to achieve the country’s end goals. Earlier, during the Qing Dynasty, author Pu Songling wrote that “The black raccoon, the one who wins the rat. This is not empty talk.” The racoon in Pu’s story may not have had stripes but it won. China still likes to win.

At a Monday meeting of the Politburo, China’s top decision-making body, President Xi Jinping followed Deng and Pu by modernizing the saying to “tell China’s story well” (讲好中国故事).The characters may vary over time, but the message remains the same. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, China will use whatever power it has, and do whatever it takes, to achieve its ambitious global goals. Today, those are no less than hegemonic domination.

According to the China Media Project (CMP), some analysts are noticing a language reset is underway in China. But, did this week’s collective study session of the Politburo decide to soften China’s tone because it was too belligerent sounding or does the CCP have another reason for restraining its wolf warrior diplomats? Too often the West has fallen into the China trap, seeing only what Beijing floats above the surface, and failing to examine the depth of the glacial threat. David Bandurski, director of CMP, says the characterization of the tonal change reverts to the Maoist era and is labeled by the CCP as fixing a “public opinion struggle.” Friends in a compliant media, according to China, comply. Enemies in the media, academics, and politicians who complain are neutralized.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expert advising the Politburo, Zhang Weiwei, explained that China’s one-party system is superior and performs better than other forms of governance. He is known for saying that China has “learned a lot form the West and will continue to learn in the future, but we have a vision today that goes beyond the West… [a] post-Western discourse… [a] new world order.” 

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That should send chills down Western leaders’ spines. He justifies China’s aggressive moves overseas because they offset Western resistance. Zhang places the all the blame on the West who he says fail to understand China’s rightful place at the center of the world. He argues that the West urgently needs to accept the “glories” and “infallibility” of the Chinese model. One German diplomat recently told CMP that “Dialogue is now conditional on us not criticizing China.” Is this to be our future?

Zhang appears to be the architect, not a moderating voice, in China’s supposed change of tone, according to Bandurski. He says Zhang’s “crossing of the swords” is not new. In a 2020 TV interview Zhang claimed that “The Chinese have a culture of ‘being kind to others’ and of giving face to others, which the West does not have.” Zhang argues that confrontation is the only method of communication understood by the West.  China’s lone wolf warrior diplomats may not be as quiet this summer as some envision. As China approaches the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party next month, the West can expect to hear more about China’s plans to remake the world in its image. 

What Western leaders cannot afford to do is once again, believe China has reformed and is complying with the norms of the international rules-based system. Propaganda remains a central tool for Xi Jinping and the CCP. Given the Covid pandemic, however, Chinese propaganda may not be capable of forcing the Western world to turn a blind eye to its moves against Taiwan, Hong Kong, its Uighur Muslim minority, military fortification of the South China Sea, intellectual property theft, predatory lending practices in the developing world, and its weaponization of space, to name only a few of the challenges China presents to the world.

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Friday, she presents key updates on China.

Google is the predominant vehicle for research. That presents key challenges to a nation in need of objective information.

According to a study by Pew Research, educators report that students overwhelmingly use Google for research, to the extent that “Research = Googling.” Teachers told Pew that 94% of  teachers surveyed said students were likely to use Google of similar search engines for their work.

Even a cursory search of Google results during the 2020 election cycle revealed its prejudices.  

USA Today reported that there was overwhelming evidence that the Big Tech giant tilted its results to show those sites that agreed with its corporate biases.

Although the organization has dismissed claims, and used preexisting algorithms as an excuse, there are substantial indicators that it seeks to manipulate the outcome of events such as elections, large and small.

 A Consumer Watchdog letter first reported by Fox Business News outlined how the web behemoth sought to mislead its users by obscuring relevant material in a state initiative regarding online privacy, an issue it had a significant corporate stake in.

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“A search for Prop 24 at Google serves up a link to the official voter guide at the Secretary of State’s website. Most voters would reasonably assume this is a link to unbiased information provided by the government. Instead, the snippet of text Google includes with the link is not the title of the measure, or the nonpartisan state summary of the measure, but the “CON” or No on 24 argument…”

The internet research organization Can I Rank reports that Google search results are almost 40% more likely to contain pages with a “Left” or “Far Left” result…Moreover, 16% of political keywords contained no right-leaning pages at all within the first page of results…the Google algorithm itself may make it easier for sites with a left-leaning or centrist viewpoint to rank higher in Google search results compared to sites with a politically conservative viewpoint.”

A Breitbart review discusse “The Good Censor,” an 85-page briefing leaked to Breitbart News, admitting that under the leadership of Google and other tech giants, the internet has moved away from its original ideals of unfettered free speech, and towards a “European” model of speech that “favors dignity over liberty and civility over freedom.”

In 2019, according to mindmatters.ai. “senior Google engineer Gregory Coppola contacted watchdog group Project Veritas to talk about the Google bias that affects the information users get about political choices… According to Coppola, Big Tech’s agenda is dangerous, in large part, because it is hidden…widely published behavioral research psychologist Robert Epstein (who described himself as ‘center/center-left’ before a Senate committee) [testified] ‘Data I’ve collected since 2016 show that Google displays content to the American public that is biased in favor of one political party …No private company should have either the right or the power to manipulate large populations without their knowledge. …If you were to examine the data I have been collecting over the past 6-and-a-half years, every one of you would put partisanship aside and collaborate to reign in the extraordinary power that Google and Facebook now wield with unabashed arrogance.”

There may be another alternative. Conservatives rightly objected to the dangers of government control inherent in classifying internet providers as “common carriers.”  But, traveling a path as precise as threading a needle, a modified version of the common carrier concept could be applied without the overlay of government control that proponents of the concept maintain is necessary for the more physical world of trains and planes.  That highly modified common carrier concept could warrant—without any other government intrusion, regulation, or oversight– that monopolistic internet giants such as Twitter and Google treat all users equally.