Dozens Of Veterans Groups Livid Over Botched Afghanistan Pullout, 'Urgently' Demand Meeting With Biden

On Monday, a group of nearly four dozen veteran organizations requested a meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss the evacuation of U.S. partners in Afghanistan and “fulfilling our commitment to our Afghan allies.”

“Failing to meet our obligations to these Afghans would not only be a national security risk - harming America’s reputation abroad and eroding the trust in our armed forces that is critical for future operations - it would also condemn veterans and survivors of the conflict in Afghanistan to a lifetime of moral injury,” the group wrote in their letter to Biden.

Forty-five organizations signed a letter to Biden, urging him to agree to a virtual meeting. The coalition wants to ensure there is a comprehensive plan to get all citizens and allies out of the country and say they want to assist in every way possible. In addition, the group wants Biden to ensure that all allies are granted emergency status to enter the United States and have access to resettlement benefits.

The Taliban seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Aug. 15 as the Afghan government collapsed and top government officials fled the country, prompting a frenzied evacuation of U.S. diplomats, citizens, and allies from the country.

After the closure of Bagram Airbase and withdrawal of all U.S. military troops, Biden was forced to deploy 6,000 troops to help secure the Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans flooded the airport to flee Taliban rule. Biden has faced sharp bipartisan criticism for his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Many, including veteran groups, have urged Biden to spare no resources to evacuate U.S. citizens and allies who supported the United States’ effort in Afghanistan. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden’s top administration officials have reached out to the organizers of the letter and will meet with the coalition.

“We’ve been in regular contact with a wide range of veterans groups on Afghanistan and will continue to be, and we’re in touch with the organizers of this letter to arrange a meeting with senior White House officials to discuss this letter,” said Psaki, adding, “The VA [Veterans Affairs] is also working with VSOs and outside advocates on how to assist SIV [Special Immigrant Visa] applicants, which I know is a primary concern to a number of these groups, as it is to us.”

National security adviser Jake Sullivan told a reporter during the same press briefing Monday that the United States is working around the clock to get people out of Afghanistan.

“They [the U.S. military] have now facilitated the evacuation of more than 37,000 people out of the country since Aug. 14—American citizens, third-country nationals, our Afghan allies, and Afghans at risk of persecution or worse. In the last 24 hours alone, 28 U.S. military flights have evacuated approximately 10,400 people from Kabul.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/us-veteran-groups-demand-meeting-biden-afghanistan-evacuation-effort

Hedge Funds Dumped Chinese Stocks At A Record Pace, Setting Stage For A Furious Rebound

Late last week, when observing the stunning collapse in the most popular "hedge fund VIP" basket, whose 6 month performance now matches its worst stretch on record following the Lehman bankruptcy…

.. we pointed to Chinese stocks one of the key culprits, with Goldman noting that one third of hedge funds in Goldman's analysis held a China ADR in their long portfolio at the start of 3Q, contributing to the recent headwinds against hedge fund returns. Specifically, since the middle of February, a basket of China ADRs (GSXUCADR) has declined by 55%, with all but one of the stocks generating a negative return (UXIN being the exception) and 40 of the 46 stocks declining by more than 20%.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hedge-funds-dumped-chinese-stocks-record-pace-setting-stage-furious-rebound

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hedge-funds-dumped-chinese-stocks-record-pace-setting-stage-furious-rebound

Joker Virus Attacks Smartphones, Steals Money

And there’s a new computer virus that invades your smartphone and steals your money. It’s attacking Android phones by hiding in various apps on the Google Play store.

https://www.ntd.com/joker-virus-attacks-smartphones-steals-money_665751.html

China Still Main Source of Fentanyl in US as Chinese Traffickers Evolve Tactics: Report

Despite the Chinese regime banning fentanyl and its analogues in 2019, China remains the primary source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances being trafficked into the United States, according to a new report by a U.S. congressional advisory body.

Chinese traffickers have found sophisticated ways to circumvent these regulations, said an Aug. 24 U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) report. This includes shifting their business from manufacturing finished fentanyl to exporting precursors to Mexican cartels, who then produce and traffic the drug across the border.

Moreover, these evasion efforts have been enabled by the Chinese regime’s “weak supervision and regulation” of its chemical industry, the report said.

These findings come as U.S. agencies continue to grapple with the country’s devastating opioid crisis fueled by a surge in the use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, and its variants in recent years.

The United States in 2020 saw a record number of overdose deaths from synthetic opioids at more than 56,000—a rise of 20,000 from the year before, according to provisional data by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Chinese Traffickers Embrace Mexican Cartels

Since Beijing’s ban on fentanyl in 2019, there has been a decline in the amount of finished fentanyl shipped directly from China—typically by mail—into the country, the report said, but illicit fentanyl has remained widely available in the United States.

Now, the drug mainly comes in from Mexico, with precursors being sourced from China.

To evade authorities, Chinese traffickers have pivoted their operations to focus mainly on producing and shipping chemical precursors to Mexico, the USCC said, citing the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This has also meant that Chinese traffickers have increased their cooperation with Mexican cartels, particularly with the country’s two most powerful crime syndicates, the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

These cartels control “pill mills” in Mexican cities—areas that manufacture finished fentanyl from the China-sourced precursors. They then smuggle the drug into the United States.

“The growing involvement of Mexican cartels and advanced money laundering schemes have exacerbated the problem,” the report said.

https://www.ntd.com/china-still-main-source-of-fentanyl-in-us-as-chinese-traffickers-evolve-tactics-report_665909.html

Voter fraud concerns mounting in tight California recall election

In social media posts and news outlets, proliferating reports detail alleged mail ballot theft, undelivered ballots, compromised vote privacy.

Facing the political fight of his life and sinking polls indicating he could lose in the Sept. 14 recall election, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is now plagued by rising concerns over alleged voter fraud after the Secretary of State's Office sent out mail ballots to 20 million voters.

Earlier in the year, the state legislature passed a measure to send out mail ballots to every registered voter whether they asked for one or not. Newsom's opponents argue this was done as a way to protect him from losing, suggesting the only way he could win was through fraud.

Two legislators sued Newsom last year over an executive order he issued changing election procedure. The lawsuit is on appeal and expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. One of the plaintiffs, State Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), is running to replace Newsom.

"Legislators are as desperate as Newsom to stop the recall," Kiley said. "The one thing they respond to is the fear of losing their jobs. They know that when the governor loses his job, it will be a whole new ball game."

Blue check users on Twitter have been posting video and images of alleged ballot fraud.

Trump administration acting Director of National Intelligence and California resident Richard Grenell asked if Newsom sent out suspiciously designed ballots on purpose, posting a video with a resident showing how small, round windows in the ballot envelopes may reveal "Yes" votes in favor of recall, making them easy to identify and discard by pro-Newsom ballot counters.

In an article "fact-checking" Grenell, the San Francisco Chronicle claimed, "No, California recall ballot was not designed to help Gavin Newsom and cheat Larry Elder," his Republican challenger leading in the polls.

Should Newsom lose the vote, he would be the second governor recalled in California history. The latest polls show him losing in the polls or statistically tied.

New York Times best-selling author and podcast host Adam Carolla tweeted out a video of what he described as "two women with a post office master key … caught on camera stealing what appears to be California recall election ballots at an apartment complex in Valley Village."

"Are they just targeting ballots or stealing all mail," Carolla wrote. "What are your thoughts?"

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/wedvoter-fraud-concerns-mounting-california-recall-election-newsom-poised

NSW to announce eased restrictions despite record infections

Despite the horror case numbers, PremierGladys Berejiklian said new freedoms for fully vaccinated NSW residents could be announced as early as tomorrow.

"As soon as we had all those milestones, we will have those extra freedoms. We're looking forward as a team to announce tomorrow or the day after what those are for those who are fully vaccinated," she said.

https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/australia/live-breaking-news/live-coverage/7c2269d611504540cefc030993dbf56a