Interesting Delta
Beijing Tells Biden Administration to Play by CCP’s Rules
China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi warned the Biden administration not to cross Beijing’s “red line” in a half-hour speech on the evening of Feb. 1.
“The United States should stop interference in the affairs of Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang,” Yang said, calling the issues regarding the three regions China’s “internal affairs.” He made the remarks while speaking at a virtual event hosted by New York-based nonprofit the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Yang added: “They constitute a red line that must not be crossed. Any trespassing would end up undermining China-U.S. relations and the United States’ own interests.”
He also told the United States that it should “strictly abide by the One China principle” with regards to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims is part of its territory.
The Trump administration confronted China on its human rights violations against Falun Gong adherents, Hongkongers, Muslim minorities, Tibetans, and Uyghurs, by imposing visa restrictions and sanctions against Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials responsible for the abuse.
Additionally, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated CCP’s persecution against Uyghurs and other majority-Muslim ethnic minorities as genocide and “crimes against humanity” last month.
The Chinese regime has often deflected international criticism against its own policies by claiming that certain issues, including its militarization efforts in the South China Sea and coercion tactics against Taiwan, are “internal affairs.”
Yang called on the Biden administration to “restore” the China-U.S. relationship to a “predictable and constructive track of development.”
He named areas in which he said the two countries could cooperate, including drug control and cybersecurity.
China is the largest source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-like substances in the United States, according to a 2018 report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
According to data from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, there were 70,630 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2019; the majority of the deaths related to the use of fentanyl.
Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin. As little as two milligrams is considered a lethal dosage for most people.
In 2020, the United States sanctioned several Chinese nationals and a Chinese company for fentanyl trafficking.
https://www.ntd.com/beijing-tells-biden-administration-to-play-by-ccps-rules_561556.html
Former Arizona GOP Chair Scammed $400k from Elderly Mass. Woman, Left Party Finances a ‘Mess’
Robert Graham was fined $15,000 and banned from working in Massachusetts, and caused the party to face FEC scrutiny for its poor financial reporting.
Robert Graham, the former Arizona GOP chair who is attacking top Trump ally Kelli Ward, was barred from trading in Massachusetts after losing an elderly woman’s $400,000. The state party also faced FEC scrutiny from his time as chair.
Dr. Kelli Ward was successfully re-elected as the chair of the Arizona GOP last month, defeating Sergio Arellano in the second round of voting. However, despite Arellano joining Ward on stage following his defeat and calling for party unity, the loser then proceeded to demand an audit of the vote, insubstantially claiming that there were “errors” in the voting process.
2) state committeemen are raising concerns and asking me to ask for an audit because only a candidate for party office can do so. So I've done that and we're waiting for a response that lays out the when, where, and how of that process.
— Sergio Arellano (@SurgeArellano) January 28, 2021
Arellano, who National File revealed has a lengthy history of traffic offenses, including driving without a license or insurance, and has been accused of passing a bad check, was joined in his call for an audit by Robert Graham, who served as the chairman of the Arizona GOP between 2013 and 2017.
“At this point, if the results of the elections are not made public, in an auditable form, each of us should question the hypocrisy and integrity of the AZ GOP state election,” Graham said in a statement.
The call is coming from inside the house: Here's former @AZGOP chair's Robert Graham's response when he was asked to sign letter to Ward demanding GOP election recount. https://t.co/ULdFFCApfH pic.twitter.com/lfGtroP3SN
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) January 31, 2021
However, it appears Graham had a less than stellar job performance when he was at the helm of the Arizona Republican Party.
Reports from 2018 note that Graham was fined $15,000 and barred from the financial industry in the state of Massachusetts following his alleged mishandling of an investment opportunity that resulted in a 67-year-old woman losing $400,000. The elderly woman gave Graham the $400,000 from trusts meant to provide for her elderly mother and disabled brother, expecting that Graham’s investment strategy would increase her capital. Until courts intervened, she was left with nothing.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts said in a press release that the money was lost “as a result of mismanagement by Graham and his business partners.” The investment opportunity in question was a project to pull apart a steel mill in yet another state, which Graham claimed only failed due to “weather and commodity prices.”
Graham allegedly did not notify his broker-dealer, Capital Investment Group, about soliciting the client to invest in the company, according to the consent order, with CIG’s chief compliance officer only finding out about this one month later.
National File can also reveal that the Arizona GOP faced serious FEC scrutiny during Graham’s chairmanship. Emails obtained by National File show that millions of dollars were misstated or incorrectly disclosed during the 2013-4 election period, with the FEC forcing the state party, under Treasurer Bob Lettieri, to enter a corrective action plan to fix the myriad of financial errors. Some of the errors included:
Misstated financial activity in the amount of $942,594.
Incorrectly disclosed disbursements in the amount of $1,926,995, seemingly allocated for the vague purpose of “voter registration”.
Receiving excessive contributions totalling $86,000.
Incorrectly disclosed donations totalling $140,000.
Lack of itemisation of expenditures in the amount of $236,754.
You can read the full corrective action plan negotiated between the Arizona Republican Party and the FEC below:
https://nationalfile.com/former-arizona-gop-chair-scammed-400k-from-elderly-mass-woman-left-party-finances-a-mess/
Nancy Pelosi Calls for ‘9/11-Type Commission’ to Investigate Capitol Riot
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Tuesday called for a “9/11-type Commission” to investigate and issue a report on last month’s U.S. Capitol riot in which five people were killed, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer.
“It may be difficult for Members to share their stories, but it is important to facilitate an accurate personal record and for the healing process for our Congress and indeed, Country,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Democrat colleagues. “We will need to establish a 9/11-type Commission to examine and report upon the facts, causes and security relating to the terrorist mob attack on January 6.”
In Dear Colleague letter to House Dems, @SpeakerPelosi says “we will need to establish a 9/11-type Commission to examine and report upon the facts, causes and security relating to the terrorist mob attack on January 6.” pic.twitter.com/EFagcItPFx
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 2, 2021
The U.S. Capitol riot prompted the House to impeach President Donald Trump, accusing the now-former president of instigating the event. The vote passed the Democrat-controlled lower chamber by 232-197, with 10 Republican lawmakers voting against Trump. House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) was the highest ranking House GOP lawmakers to support the measure. The Senate’s impeachment trial is scheduled to begin on February 9.
The office of former President Donald Trump has announced a new impeachment defense team after several of its key members left a day prior.
In a statement on Sunday, Trump’s office announced trial lawyers David Schoen and Bruce L. Castor, Jr., would represent the 45th president during his upcoming second Senate impeachment trial.
The announcement came after CNN first reported that South Carolina lawyers Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier and several others had left his legal defense with a little over a week before the trial is set to begin.
The statement said that Schoen has previously worked with Trump and other advisors on the upcoming trial and that both he and Castor agree that the impeachment is unconstitutional.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/02/nancy-pelosi-calls-for-9-11-type-commission-to-investigate-capitol-riot/
‘Wow, Space Force’ — Jen Psaki Shrugs Off Question About Sixth Military Branch
White House press secretary Jen Psaki ridiculed a reporter Tuesday for asking a question about the future of Space Force under President Joe Biden.
“Wow, Space Force. It’s the plane of today,” she replied wryly to a question from Bloomberg News reporter Josh Wingrove. “It is an interesting question.”
By referring to America’s sixth military branch as a “plane,” Psaki appeared to be dismissing the importance of the question.
Her response drew criticism from Defense One journalist Kevin Baron on Twitter .
“‘It’s the plane of today,’ is Psaki’s way of snarking at WH press questions about things they. think are silly, like Air Force 1’s paint scheme, — so that’s where Space Force ranks with them, apparently,” he wrote, suggesting that her flippant response showed that the Biden White House had “given ZERO consideration” to the future of the program.
Psaki admitted that she did not even know who was the point of contact for Space Force at the White House.
“I will find out and see if we have any update on that,” she concluded.
Space Force was formed by Congress in 2019 at the request of former President Donald Trump. His administration requested $15.4 billion for the military branch in the 2021 budget request.
Although the left has repeatedly mocked the concept of Space Force (and even created a critically panned Netflix show to make fun of it) it will likely remain a branch of the military.
But Biden did not make space force a prominent issue during the presidential campaign, leaving many wondering what, if anything, he would change about it’s future.
Ending Space Force would require an act of Congress, which would not likely occur as long as it serves as a vehicle to get more defense spending to the military.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/02/wow-space-force-jen-psaki-shrugs-off-question-about-sixth-military-branch/
Warnock: ‘Shameful’ Georgia Republicans Moving to End No-Excuse Absentee Voting, Ballot Drop Boxes
Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) expressed outrage over state Republican lawmakers moving to end no-excuse absentee voting, automatic voter registration, and ballot drop boxes, calling the proposals “shameful.”
“This is shameful,” the newly-elected senator said of the proposals. “We need to swiftly pass the For The People Act to strengthen access to the ballot and prevent voter suppression from silencing our voices”:
This is shameful. We need to swiftly pass the For The People Act to strengthen access to the ballot and prevent voter suppression from silencing our voices. https://t.co/qqgt6Kt2az
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) February 2, 2021
Republican state senators in Georgia introduced bills Monday targeting a number of controversial voting issues, including no-excuse absentee voting. According to AJC, the measure would limit absentee voting to “those over 75 years old, voters with disabilities or anyone required to be absent from his or her precinct.”
The measures also include efforts to ban ballot drop boxes, requiring absentee voters to instead send their ballot in through the mail or deliver it to the country election office. Another proposal would prevent automatic voter registration.
“We’ve got to restore confidence in the ballot box,” Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, who cosponsored the bills, said. “When people lose confidence in the ballot box they ultimately lose confidence in their government.”
“Our goal is to be sure every vote is accounted for, accurate and legal,” he added.
Democrats, however, contend that the measures amount to voter suppression.
“If you restrict access, then people get discouraged and they don’t vote. They don’t come back,” Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler (D) said. “We have to make the argument that it’s a good process. People were able to vote, and they voted in record numbers.”
The legislation follows a controversial presidential election and subsequent runoffs, which thrust the Peach State into the spotlight amid the mounting reports and suspicions of irregularities, sowing a sense of distrust among many voters nationwide.
Democrat lawmakers have been pushing H.R. 1, or the “For the People Act,” which would “nationally mandate automated mailing out of ballots to registered voters for elections while prohibiting states from having photo-ID requirements for ballot submission or signature verification of ballots,” as Breitbart News reported.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) spoke about the proposal in December, warning that the left’s priorities “include a national mandate for mail-in voting, legalization of ballot harvesting, and ending photo-ID requirements for voting.”
“H.R. 1, under [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, was a radical election law bill that would have mandated universal mail-out balloting in every state of the union. It would have required states to permit ballot harvesting. It wouldn’t have only prohibited photo identification — which [is] needful — it would have prohibited even signature verification,” he told Breitbart News Daily.
Democrats, again, showed that they remain dedicated to altering U.S. election laws, with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introducing a bill last week, the “Vote at Home Act,” designed to expand “Oregon-style” mail-in voting nationwide.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/02/warnock-shameful-georgia-republicans-moving-end-no-excuse-absentee-voting-ballot-drop-boxes/
https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-coronavirus-vaccine-phase-two-rollout-from-march-pfizer/c88e3f0c-7b28-4b7e-8ac6-1b7c2f8fe783
Internal National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Reference Guides
Background
According to the document:
“The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a joint organization engaged in the research and development ( R&D), acquisition, launch, and operation of overhead reconnaissance systems necessary to meet the needs of the Intelligence Community (IC) and the Department of Defense (DoD). The NRO conducts other activities as directed by the Secretary of Defense (SecDef) and/ or the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).”
The NRO Reference Guide was mentioned in the Intellipedia entry for the NRO. In September of 2017, I requested the 2012 version. It was completely denied in December of the same year.
The Black Vault appealed, then waited more than three years for the NRO to partially grant that appeal, and release the records. The result was a prime example why you should always appeal, as it yielded 669 pages of material, which spanned throughout FIVE NRO Reference Guides.
Although a lot is still redacted and withheld, the release does give nuggets of history and an inside look at various aspects of the NRO.
All of them are below.
Document Archive
Internal National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Reference Guides, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 [669 Pages, 142MB] – Note: There are “bookmarks” embedded in this .pdf which show the different guides within it.
https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/nro/F-2017-00166.pdf
https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/internal-national-reconnaissance-office-nro-reference-guides/
FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases
Background
The following files are from FBI File 62-HQ-46855. They deal with book reviews and purchases by the FBI, as they keep a watch on all books published mentioning the Bureau, or related interests.
The first release consisted of more than 4,100 pages of material, and I do still have an open request for additional pages. This archive will be updated when the case is finally processed and additional records are released, if any.
Due to the size of the files, I offer a searchable .pdf and a non-searchable .pdf with different download sizes. Both .pdf’s are identical, with the exception of the “searchable” version being processed, cleaned up and OCR’d for search capability.
Document Archive
FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases – FBI Release #1 – [4,154 Pages, 1,033MB / 1.03GB] – SEARCHABLE .PDF – Extremely Large File
https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/1417683-000-fbi1.pdf
FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases [4,154 Pages, 322MB] – NON-SEARCHABLE .PDF – Same files as above for a smaller download option.
https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/1417683-000-fbi1-noocr.pdf
FBI File 62-HQ-46855: Files on Book Reviews & Purchases – FBI Release #2 – [187 Pages, 12MB]
https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/1417683-000-fbi2.pdf
https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/fbi-file-62-hq-46855-files-on-book-reviews-purchases/
https://youtu.be/uil7TedCwz4
9 mins in tucker talks about Qanon again