F35-C fighter jet: Race is on to reach sunken US plane… before China

A bizarre race against time is under way for the US Navy to reach one of its downed fighter jets - before the Chinese get there first.

The $100m F35-C plane came down in the South China Sea after what the Navy describes as a "mishap" during take-off from the USS Carl Vinson.

The jet is the Navy's newest, and crammed with classified equipment - and, as it is in international waters, is technically fair game.

Whoever gets there first, wins.

The prize? All the secrets behind this very expensive, leading-edge fighting force.

Seven sailors were injured when the jet came down on Monday after it struck Vinson's deck during a military exercise.

It is now lying on the ocean bed, but what happens next is a mystery. The Navy will not confirm either where it came down or how long it will take to retrieve it.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has increasingly taken steps to assert that claim in recent years, refusing to recognise a 2016 international tribunal ruling saying it had no legal basis.

National security experts say Chinese military would be "very keen" to get to the jet but a US salvage vessel looks to be at least 10 days away from the crash site.

That's too late, says defence consultant Abi Austen, because the black box battery will die before then, making it harder to locate the aircraft.

"It's vitally important the US gets this back," she says. "The F-35 is basically like a flying computer. It's designed to link up other assets - what the Air Force calls 'linking sensors to shooters'."

Full story:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60148482

6 injured in explosion at Louisiana chemical plant

An explosion at a southwest Louisiana chemical plant has left at least six people with minor injuries

WESTLAKE, La. – An explosion Wednesday at a southwest Louisiana chemical plant has left at least six people with minor injuries.

The explosion occurred at an empty ethylene dichloride storage tank shortly before 11 a.m., a spokesperson for Westlake Chemical South told news outlets

Two of the injured were taken to Oschner Christus St. Patrick Hospital and three were taken to Lake Charles Memorial. One was treated at the scene, plant spokesperson Joe Andrepont told The American Press.

Because the storage tank was empty, the fire was extinguished shortly after the explosion. A large plume of smoke was visible throughout the area. Several residents posted photos on social media.

Andrepont said shelter-in-place orders that were issued after the incident have since been lifted because there were no associated environmental issues.

He said it’s too early to tell what caused the explosion, which is under investigation. He said the Calcasieu Office of Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana State Police, and Coast Guard were notified of the incident.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/injured-explosion-louisiana-chemical-plant-82490925

Did a little dig on the company.

https://www.westlake.com/leadership-team

I suspect certain regula[r] posts on [t]he [b]oard are actually white-hat bots designed to throw off the sniffers.

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It's Comey and McCabe first I suspect.

FBI is fuk

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DOJ greenlights use of grant funds to bolster security for election workers

The Justice Department on Wednesday told state officials across the country they can use federal grant money to help protect election workers from a growing number of threats following the 2020 election.

A letter to state administrators of a law enforcement grant program said the funds could be used “to deter, detect, and protect against threats of violence against election workers, administrators, officials, and others associated with the electoral process.”

The Justice Assistance Grant program that will distribute the funds is more commonly used for a wide variety of criminal justice matters, but acting Bureau of Justice Assistance Director Kristen Mahoney said the money “may be used to prevent and respond to violent threats of this kind.”

The rising number of threats against election officials has been a priority for attorney general Merrick Garland, who in June wrote a memo to federal prosecutors directing them to more aggressively prosecute those making threats against election administrators.

Full story:

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/591641-doj-greenlights-use-of-grant-funds-to-bolster-security-for-election

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So you mean federal dollars to help the DS cheat?

Imagine my shock.

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