Chinese State Media Feels Biden’s Personnel Picks ‘Good For China,’ ‘Softer’ Than Trump

Chinese state-run media outlet China Daily insisted that Joe Biden’s picks for his foreign policy team were “good news for China.”

The paper, a registered foreign agent in the U.S., serves as a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party. Therefore, its glaring endorsement of Joe Biden’s foreign policy team is cause for concern.

The piece – “Let’s hope Biden fixes blunders of predecessor” by European Bureau Chief Chen Weihua – insists “Biden’s announcement of his foreign policy team on Tuesday is good news for China”:

US president-elect Joe Biden’s announcement of his foreign policy team on Tuesday is good news for China and the world which have suffered dearly from the incumbent US administration’s disruptive and destructive “America first” policy.

The Chinese Communist Party-funded outlet also expresses approval of Tony Blinken for Secretary of State:

By appointing people such as veteran diplomat Tony Blinken as secretary of state, Biden seems to be bidding farewell to the unpredictability of the outgoing US administration.

Another state-run outlet, Global Times, shared a similar sentiment about Blinken’s potential to be “softer” on China, amplified by professors at Chinese Communist Party-run universities:

“Given his [Blinken’s] previous rhetoric on China-related issues and his past experience, his stance is softer than that of the current administration, which is likely to create a positive environment for the China-US relationship,” Diao Daming, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday. Blinken recently pledged to build stronger economic ties with the island of Taiwan and he said full decoupling from China was “unrealistic,” in contrast to the approach from President Donald Trump. “He won’t be as provocative as the Trump administration on some of the issues of concern, like the Taiwan question, but the Democrats may take the island as an example on ideological matters,” Diao said.

China Global Television Network peddled a similar narrative, drawing a stark contrast between Blinken and “shrill hawkish bully” Mike Pompeo:

Unlike Mike Pompeo, the shrill hawkish bully he will succeed, Blinken is decidedly more win-win than zero-sum. Last summer he said that while the U.S. and China were definitely competitors, he’d like them to have a race to the top and not the bottom.

The China Daily article also notes “China welcomes the Biden team’s pledge to return to multilateralism” and offering praise for his selection of John Kerry as climate envoy. It also expresses hope that a Biden administration would reverse President Trump’s tough approach to the Chinese Communist Party:

In this sense, the new US administration has a lot to do to fix Trump’s blunders, from punitive tariffs on Chinese goods and bans on Chinese tech companies to persecution of Chinese news outlets and journalists based in the US and the Confucius Institutes that teach Chinese language and culture.

“The US under Biden’s leadership and China should work together to usher in a new era of bilateral relations for the betterment of the two countries and the world beyond,” it concludes.

https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/ccp-media-good-news-biden/

Colombian police take down criminal group behind human trafficking

Arrests follow a three-year investigation supported by INTERPOL and UNODC

LYON, France – A three-year investigation has concluded with police in Colombia arresting six individuals believed to be behind the trafficking and sexual exploitation of Colombian and Venezuelan women.

The criminal group was first identified in 2018 by Panama’s Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants Division, following the discovery of several victims who had been promised jobs as waitresses, only to have their passports confiscated and be exploited. They were often denied food, slept on the floor and would regularly see their so-called “debts” for “travel and accommodation” increase arbitrarily.

The women, who were taken into protective care, all came from vulnerable backgrounds and had been recruited by a network operating out of Cúcuta, one of Colombia’s busiest border cities, located on the Colombian-Venezuelan border.

Fast forward to 2020, when global trafficking and smuggling specialists gathered to debrief the results of INTERPOL’s Operation Turquesa I. With the right people in the right place, Panama shared intelligence with Colombia, INTERPOL’s Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants (HTSM) unit, as well as specialized prosecutors from REDTRAM, the Ibero-American network of public prosecutors.

When the suspected head of the criminal network relocated to Colombia, the country’s national police took the investigative lead, focusing on the group’s activities in Cúcuta.

INTERPOL and the UNODC played a critical role in supporting the investigation by facilitating intelligence exchange, coordinating police and judicial actions including victim hearings. The hearings played a major role in securing crucial evidence for the investigation.

INTERPOL also issued Blue Notices, which enabled law enforcement to seek additional information on the individuals.

https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2021/Colombian-police-take-down-criminal-group-behind-human-trafficking

Chicago CBP Seizes Counterfeit DEA Badges, Again!

CHICAGO— Just last weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) officers at the Chicago International Mail Branch (IMF) seized eight Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) badges and one FBI badge. Over the last two days, August 22 and 23, CBP officers found more counterfeit badges; this time officers intercepted 26 counterfeit DEA badges.Badges2

CBP inspected 25 parcels to determine the admissibility of the contents. Officers seized a total of 26 badges all destined for locations across the U.S to include: Washington, Iowa, Kentucky, Florida, California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Illinois. These shipments were all arriving from China and were sent by the same shipper from the previous week.

“These seizures are an example of the vigilance demonstrated by CBP officers every day at our nation’s international mail facilities and express consignment operation hubs,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago. “Finding these and ensuring dangerous criminals can’t use these badges for illegal activity is further proof of how CBP protects our nations communities.”

“It is hard to know what dangerous and illicit activity these badges could have been used for,” said Shane Campbell, Area Port Director – Chicago. “Criminals could have used these badges in a variety of ways, and all would have had horrific outcomes.”

CBP officers coordinate findings with CBP’s Fraudulent Document Analysis Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and other federal partners to combat any illicit activity. Visit CBP’s YouTube channel to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.

CBP's border security mission is led at 328 ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders. Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/chicago-cbp-seizes-counterfeit-dea-badges-again

Air and Marine Operations P-3 crews and partners seize 114,000 pounds of cocaine

WASHINGTON – Air and Marine Operations (AMO) National Air Security Operations Center, P-3 Long Range Tracker and Airborne Early Warning crews and partners disrupted the flow of 113,779 pounds of cocaine in drug source and transit zones through the end of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2021. It is estimated that United States Southern Command counter-narcotics operations involving Air and Marine Operations, federal and international partners denied transnational criminal organizations more than two billion dollars between October 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

National Air Security Operations Center P-3 capabilities are essential to United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Operations, contributing to an increased law enforcement presence in narcotics transit zones. This partnership bolsters support to the U.S. and international law enforcement by sharing information and intelligence to help expand target packages.

Since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2021, AMO P-3 crews have flown 5,485 flight hours. Eighty-five percent of those flight hours have been piloted in collaboration with SOUTHCOM partners. For every hour flown by a P-3 aircrew during this timeframe, federal and international authorities stopped the flow of 24.3 pounds of cocaine.

AEW

AMO uses P-3 Airborne Early Warning and Long

Range Tracker aircraft to conduct long-range

aerial patrols and surveillance missions along

the U.S. borders and in drug transit zones in

Central and South America.

AMO has two P-3 National Air Security Operations Centers, located in Jacksonville, FL and Corpus Christi, TX. These P-3 aircraft operate throughout North, Central and South America in defense of the borders of the United States and to prevent attempts to smuggle persons or contraband.

AMO safeguards our nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond. With approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, AMO serves as the nation’s experts in airborne and maritime law enforcement.

In Fiscal Year 2020, AMO enforcement actions resulted in the seizure or disruption of 194,220 pounds of cocaine, 278,492 pounds of marijuana, 15,985 pounds of methamphetamine, 952 weapons and $51.5 million as well as 1,066 arrests and 47,872 apprehensions of undocumented migrants.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/air-and-marine-operations-p-3-crews-and-partners-seize-114000-pounds

Washington Tech Executive Sentenced for Covid-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/washington-tech-executive-sentenced-covid-19-relief-fraud-scheme

Biden Sticks to the Taliban Demanded August 31st Deadline, as CIA Director William Burns Negotiates Payments and Indulgency Fees to Keep Airport Safe During Final Week

The term “indulgency fee” is so much more appealing than “extortion“, just ask U.S. Ambassador John Christopher Stevens; oh,…wait. I digress.

It is being reported that CIA Director William Burns flew to Afghanistan to negotiate with Taliban leadership yesterday. Earlier today, Joe Biden tells the G7 nations that he is sticking to the August 31st withdrawal deadline imposed by the Taliban who are in control of almost all regions of the country including the capital city of Kabul.

For future reference, remember this CIA meeting with Taliban leadership in case the administration ever tries to say we do not negotiate with terrorists. The Biden administration doesn’t have a choice. The Taliban circle the airport in Kabul. The Taliban have U.S. made advanced technology surface-to-air missiles (SAMS) that we left with the Afghan army before their defeat. As a consequence, the Taliban could easily begin shooting down any airplane attempting to take-off or land from the airport…

Hence… CIA Director Burns is almost certainly negotiating payment terms with the Taliban for safe passage. We can only imagine how much money the Biden administration is paying the Taliban leadership to permit ongoing operations at the Kabul airport. Think about how much Biden would pay to avoid the optics of a U.S. airplane carrying hundreds of Americans being blown out of the sky on CNN and BBC news. That is how much we are paying.

Biden is telling everyone at the G7 he is sticking to the August 31st deadline date. Biden addressed the leaders on the call for about seven minutes. The NATO allies are worried they will not be able to get their people out. However, undoubtedly the extraction of Americans and allies AFTER August 31st is part of the agreement between the CIA (on behalf of Biden) and Taliban leaders.

The Taliban are not stupid, they have all the leverage in this dynamic. The Taliban know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain massive ransom payments without the international media visibility of physically holding hostages. They also know the desperation of the Biden administration to avoid any painful optics.

Earlier today, the Taliban announced they will not permit Afghan nationals to travel to the airport in Kabul. The Taliban are not going to permit U.S. embassy staff who are Afghan nationals to leave.

BBC is reporting that Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majahid said: “Afghans should not go to the airport or try to leave the country.” At the press briefing, Zabihullah Mujahid also said, “Women should stay at home for now, for their safety.” The Taliban spokesman added it would be a “violation” of the agreement to allow evacuations of foreign nationals beyond the 31st of August.

This is the problem with, and motive for, the Biden administration refusing to quantify the number of Americans and SIV’s who remain in Afghanistan. As long as the American public do not know how many are there, the administration can use any arbitrary number to claim they have all be removed regardless of their actual disposition.

If you don’t think a Democrat administration is willing to sacrifice a few thousand pesky Americans to save themselves the political issues of their abandonment; and if you think the Democrats are genuinely worried about the disposition of Afghan nationals that will likely be killed silently by Taliban enforcers…. please, remind yourself of Benghazi.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2021/08/24/biden-sticks-to-the-taliban-demanded-august-31st-deadline-as-cia-director-william-burns-negotiates-payments-and-indulgency-fees-to-keep-airport-safe-during-final-week/

Carroll County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Possession of Child Pornography

Curtis Posed Online as the Mother of an Infant or Toddler and Discussed and Distributed Images of the Sexual Abuse of His Purported Children

https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/carroll-county-sex-offender-pleads-guilty-federal-charge-possession-child-pornography

Inver Grove Heights Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/inver-grove-heights-man-sentenced-180-months-prison-producing-child-pornography

Former Klamath Falls Police Officer Pleads Guilty for Stealing Methamphetamine and Fentanyl from Evidence Room

https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/former-klamath-falls-police-officer-pleads-guilty-stealing-methamphetamine-and-fentanyl