Hawkish Senator Calls Taiwan A "Country" In 4th US Delegation Visit This Month Alone

Following the Nancy Pelosi visit which sparked unprecedent sea and aerial Chinese military live fire exercises, Taiwan on Thursday unveiled a huge defense budget increase of just shy of 14%. Specifically at a 13.9% increase, Taiwan's cabinet has already approved the spending boost and it will next be debated in parliament, and if approve would bring the island's total military budge to about $19.41 billion for 2023.

The flow of weapons from Washington, which Beijing has vehemently condemned as a severe violation of the 'One China' principle, is thus expected to only increase, with provisions being made in the budget for more fighter jet funding and other major hardware.

Taiwan cabinet’s chief budget official Chu Tzer-ming indicated in statements that the bulk of next year's defense spending will be toward the additional military readiness required to fend off a potential Chinese invasion, given the greatly bolstered PLA presence around the island:

"The budget for maintaining operations saw the biggest increase among the defense-spending categories this year in response to the cross-strait situation," Chu said. "Warplanes need to take off and warships need to go to sea, which all lead to higher expenses."

The White House has accused Beijing of using the early August Pelosi visit to manufacture a crisis. Chinese state media had at the same time expressly stated the PLA drills were a "rehearsal" for forced reunification.

Meanwhile, the US clearly isn't backing down, or so much as allowing tensions to cool for a while, given this week marked no less than the fourth Congressional delegation to Taiwan in August alone.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) arrived Thursday in Taipei on a US Air Force plane in an unannounced visit. She's a well-known hawk when it comes to all things China, for example having posted on Twitter in 2020 that "China has a 5,000 year history of cheating and stealing. Some things will never change." She more recently backed a proposed bill that would let the Biden administration lend weapons to Taiwan, akin to what's already been authorized for Ukraine.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hawkish-senator-calls-taiwan-country-4th-us-delegation-island-month-alone

Kash Patel denounces DOJ for keeping his name in redacted affidavit made public Friday

"Brown Lives Matter. These gangsters are on notice," he concluded

Former Trump administration official Kash Patel ripped the Justice Department on Friday for keeping his name in the heavily redacted affidavit regarding the FBI's Mar-a-Lago raid released Friday to the public.

The department released the affidavit in compliance with a court order from Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who initially approved a warrant, based on the affidavit, for the Aug. 8 raid in search of White House documents.

The affidavit revealed the FBI's investigation into document Trump took when leaving the White House relied heavily on news articles, including one that quoted Patel on the issue of classified documents at Trump's estate.

"Today marks another vicious attack from DOJ/FBI who intentionally jeopardized my safety by un-redacting my name in the most reviewed search warrant in the history of the United States," Patel, a former Defense Department chief of staff, posted on Truth Social, the social media platform Trump created.

"This same FBI has been investigating death threats made against me due to baseless political overreach by government gangsters and in their greed for political vengeance, have threatened my safety again. Me, a former national security prosecutor, Deputy DNI, Chief of Staff for DoD, and lead investigator for Russia Gate-the very investigation they continue to work so hard to cover up. … Brown Lives Matter. These gangsters are on notice."

Patel, a former adviser to Trump, has asserted that the president maintains broad powers to declassify documents, even verbally, and may have declassified the documents the FBI seized within his constitutional prerogative.

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/kash-patel-denounces-doj-unredacting-his-name-fbis-trump-raid-warrant

11th Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Injunction Against Biden’s Covid Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld an injunction against Biden’s Covid vaccine mandate for federal contractors.

A three-judge panel voted 2-1 to uphold the injunction.

A Jimmy Carter-appointed judge dissented.

A federal judge last December blocked Joe Biden’s vaccine requirement for federal contractors nationwide.

Judge Stan Baker in the US Court for the Southern District of Georgia, a Trump appointee, issued a preliminary injunction against Biden’s vaccine mandate.

The lawsuit, brought by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster along with other Republican attorneys general, argued Biden’s vaccine mandate violated the 10th Amendment.

The lawsuit also argued Biden’s vaccine mandate is unconstitutional because only Congress is allowed to make rules.

Georgia, Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Utah and West Virginia attorneys general joined the lawsuit.

The Justice Department asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the nationwide injunction against Biden’s Covid vaccine mandate for federal contractors.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday said Biden did not have the authority to use the Procurement Act to establish health standards for contractors’ employees.

Earlier this year the Supreme Court blocked Joe Biden’s OSHA vaccine mandate.

The highest court of the land in a 6-3 ruling blocked Biden’s vaccine mandate on private businesses with 100+ employees.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/11th-circuit-court-appeals-upholds-injunction-bidens-covid-vaccine-mandate-federal-contractors/