Security wipe

Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Live” that Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) have “forfeited their right to question security precautions at the Capitol” because they voted not to certify the 2020 presidential results. Ruhle said, “I heard you say yesterday that you don’t think Republicans who backed the president, which is basically most of them, should even participate in these hearings. If we continue to take this hyperpartisan approach, are we ever going to find a path to get together, especially on something as important as safety?” Swalwell said, “Well, I don’t think it’s hyperpartisan because there are a lot of Republicans who did not back that. I’m just suggesting that perhaps Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz have forfeited their right to question security precautions at the Capitol. It’d be like allowing an arsonist to call the fire chief in after the village burns and say, ‘Why didn’t you do enough to protect the village?'” Follow Pam … [Read more...] about Swalwell: Hawley, Cruz ‘Forfeited Their Right to Question Security’ at the Capitol

U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a “Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership” on Tuesday that commits to fight “systemic racism” and COVID-19, but ignores the Keystone XL pipeline. In a preamble , the two leaders declare: “The Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership announced today establishes a blueprint for an ambitious and whole-of-government effort against the COVID-19 pandemic and in support of our mutual prosperity. It creates a partnership on climate change, advances global health security, bolsters cooperation on defense and security, and it reaffirms a shared commitment to diversity, equity, and justice.” Much of the document is devoted to the coronavirus pandemic, including a commitment to the controversial World Health Organization (WHO). It also commits both countries “to take a coordinated approach based on science and public health criteria when considering measures to ease Canada-U.S. border restrictions in … [Read more...] about Biden-Trudeau ‘Roadmap’ Commits to Fight ‘Systemic Racism,’ Climate Change; Excludes Keystone XL

President-elect Joe Biden Joe Biden Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services chairman talks Pentagon policy nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi killing | Austin stresses vaccine safety in new video MORE early Monday announced former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns William Burns Biden's picks face peril in 50-50 Senate Hillicon Valley: Biden signs order on chips | Hearing on media misinformation | Facebook's deal with Australia | CIA nominee on SolarWinds OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Key vote for Haaland's confirmation | Update on oil and gas leasing | SEC update on climate-related risk disclosure requirements MORE as his nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Burns is a former career diplomat with more than three decades of experience in … [Read more...] about Biden announces veteran diplomat William Burns as nominee for CIA director

In a recent speech, delivered virtually before the Munich Security Conference, President Biden adamantly declared , “We have to push back against the Chinese government’s abuses and coercion that undercut the foundations of the international economic system.” “Everyone must play by the same rules,” he added. Earlier in February, the White House issued a similarly strong statement following the first phone call between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the White House , Biden raised “fundamental concerns” about various problems in China, including “coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan.” ADVERTISEMENT Although Biden’s statements are undoubtedly important and should be welcomed by Americans of every political persuasion, it is hard to imagine Beijing is shaking in its boots over Biden’s tough talk. For starters, Biden … [Read more...] about Despite tough talk, Biden would make Beijing more powerful than ever

China conducted its seventh national population census in November and December. The results are startling. China’s downward human spiral is accelerating, according to the government’s new numbers . This isn’t just a social and economic problem for China. It threatens the country’s geostrategic position in the long term and international security in the short term. U.S. foreign and defense policymakers should pay close attention to how Beijing responds to the news. Chinese mothers bore fewer babies in 2020 than in any year since 1961. Some provinces reported a 30 percent drop. This, on top of nearly a decade of contraction in working-age Chinese citizens is speeding up the pace of population aging. By 2050, a Chinese government think tank announced , there will be only one worker supporting each dependent old person; today there are two workers supporting each elderly person. By comparison, China’s old-age dependency ratio, a key indicator of future economic stability, has … [Read more...] about Biden’s Pentagon can exploit China’s population decline