US Intel Chief Says China Should Know US Is Willing To Defend Taiwan

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines said Thursday that China should know the US is willing to go to war over Taiwan, pointing to comments made by President Biden that he would defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.

Haines made the remarks at a House Intelligence Committee hearing when asked by Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) if she thinks the US should change its policy of "strategic ambiguity" over the question of defending Taiwan. "I think it is clear to the Chinese what our position is, based on the president’s comments," she said.

In September 2022, President Biden was asked if American men and women would be deployed to Taiwan if China attacked, and he replied, "Yes." Unlike previous times he made the commitment, the White House did not walk it back. Kurt Campbell, Biden’s top Asia official on the National Security Council, said at the time that the president’s comments “speak for themselves.”

For decades, the US policy was not to say one way or another if it would come to Taiwan’s defense. The policy served two purposes: China wouldn’t be sure what the cost of an invasion would be, and Taiwan wouldn’t be emboldened to take any action that would provoke a Chinese attack.

Biden administration officials insist there hasn’t been an official change in US policy on the issue but have made clear, unlike in Ukraine, Biden would directly intervene with troops in a Taiwan conflict to fight China despite the risk of nuclear war.

Journalist Michael Tracey: "They keep announcing war with China is already a foregone conclusion."

Haines also said at the hearing that "it’s not our assessment that China wants to go to war" over Taiwan. Beijing’s official stance is that it seeks "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan but doesn’t rule out the use of force.

China has been increasing military pressure on Taiwan in direct response to the US stepping up support for the island. Chinese officials have warned if the US doesn’t change its policies in the region, it will lead to "conflict and confrontation."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-intelligence-chief-says-china-should-know-us-willing-defend-taiwan

So Retarded it hurts

Colin Kaepernick Accuses His Own White Adoptive Parents Of "Perpetuating Racism"

Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick has released a new memoir, in which he insults the White couple that adopted him and raised him, accusing them of “problematic” behavior and “perpetuating racism.”

As reported by the Daily Caller, Kaepernick’s memoir, “Change the Game,” is written as a graphic novel. He further expanded upon what he said in the book in an interview with CBS News on Thursday.

“I know my parents loved me,” said Kaepernick.

“But there were still very problematic things that I went through. I think it was important to show that, no, this can happen in your own home, and how we move forward collectively while addressing the racism that is being perpetuated.”

In one example that Kaepernick cites, he told his parents that he wanted to get his hair done in a cornrow style, so that he could imitate the look of NBA player Allen Iverson. But his mother first asked what cornrows even meant, before commenting that the look was “not professional” and that it made him look “like a little thug.”

“Those became spaces where it’s like, ‘Okay, how do I navigate the situation right now?’” Kaepernick continued in the interview.

“But it also has informed why I have my hair long today.”

Kaepernick used to play for the San Francisco 49ers, but in 2016 he garnered widespread backlash after he knelt during the playing of the National Anthem during one game, a protest gesture that he continued in subsequent games in a direct effort to disrespect the American flag and the United States as a whole. He subsequently was not re-signed with the 49ers and never joined another team, claiming that he was blacklisted from the NFL for political reasons, while others have asserted that he was already on his way out of the sport due to being a mediocre football player.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/colin-kaepernick-accuses-his-own-white-adoptive-parents-perpetuating-racism

Former CEO Of Medical Device Company Indicted For Creating And Selling A Fake Medical Component That Was Implanted Into Patients

Medical Device Company Admitted Wrongdoing and Entered into Non-Prosecution Agreement Requiring $10 Million Monetary Penalty and Ongoing Compliance Measures

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-ceo-medical-device-company-indicted-creating-and-selling-fake-medical-component

EU nation arrests politician for traveling to Russia

Tallinn authorities suspect Aivo Peterson of “anti-Estonian association”

Estonian authorities announced on Friday that politician Aivo Peterson had been arrested on suspicion of activities against the state, along with two other individuals whose names were not released. The Baltic country’s security service detained Peterson in the town of Narva-Joesuu, on the border with Russia.

Two Estonian citizens and one Russian national with permanent residence were detained, Security Police spokesman Harrys Puusepp confirmed to local media, identifying only Peterson by name. Puusepp did not offer any details about the charges against them, saying only that the state prosecutors were investigating them for “creating associations against the Estonian Republic.”

Peterson is a prominent member of Together (known in Estonian as Koos, and in Russian as Vmeste), a leftist political movement advocating the peaceful coexistence of Estonians and Russians. He ran for parliament as a candidate of the Estonian United Left in last week’s election. His arrest amounts to government repression, Together activist Andrey Pozdnyakov told the outlet Postimees.

Estonian outlets, such as Postimees and the state broadcaster ERR, described Peterson as a “pro-Kremlin activist” and accused him of making “pro-Russian statements.”

In late February, Peterson traveled to Russia and a photo of his visit to Donetsk appeared on social media. Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets said that the politician must have collaborated with Russian intelligence in order to get so close to the battlefield, and declared him a security threat to Estonia. Border security reportedly detailed Peterson for several hours on March 6, when he returned from Russia, but eventually released him.

Russian-speakers make up about a quarter of Estonia’s population of 1.3 million. The Baltic state, which is a member of the EU and NATO, has adopted a hard line towards Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine. In recent months, Tallinn has advanced the proposal to curtail Russian-language education, and said even the Ukrainian refugees would need to learn Estonian if they wanted to stay.

The opposition has accused Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of “stealing” the most recent election, which included a day of in-person voting on March 6 after a week of voting online.

https://www.rt.com/russia/572781-estonia-koos-peterson-arrest/

'Stranger Things' star gives up acting after a sexual proposition from a movie producer

An actress who starred in "Stranger Things" says she is giving up acting and focusing on online video streaming after being propositioned by several producers, and she gave one detailed account.

Grace Van Dien played the role of cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham on the popular Netflix series, but she said she is turning to the Twitch streaming platform after several unsavory interactions.

She made the claims Tuesday in a video on her Twitch channel.

"The fact of the matter is, the last few projects I worked on, I didn't have the best experiences with some of the people I had to work for," Van Dien said.

"One of the last movies I did, one of the producers asked me to… he hired a girl that he was sleeping with, and then he had her ask me to have a threesome with them," she alleged. "So like, that’s my boss. I didn’t (do it), and I cried, and I was so upset."

Van Dien did not identify the producer by name. She went on to say that she is going to stick to streaming online while developing her own projects.

"I get to stay inside my home and play video games, and I don’t have my boss asking me to have sex with him. That’s how this is better for my mental health," she said.

"I'm happy here, and I'm developing my own projects," Van Dien continued. "I'm hoping that someone decides to fund them because then I can be in control of my own set and I'm not gonna ask my actors to sleep with me."

She streams on Twitch under the account Bluefille and has 299k followers on the platform.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/grace-vandien-sexual-harassment-producer

How PR and the fog of corporate disinformation has governments paying to burn the planet

Public relations is at the core of coal and gas industry influence which has governments actually incentivising the burning of the planet.

Fossil fuel corporations receive more than $10 billion in subsidies from Australian taxpayers every year. In contrast, the Government announced $2 billion in climate finance for 2020-2025 at the COP26 conference in Edinburgh; professing to take action to stop global warming, while incentivising the burning of our planet.

The International Monetary Fund figures paint a more dramatic picture. The IMF estimates that Australia will subsidise fossil fuels to the tune of $62 billion in 2023. The numbers include not just direct subsidies to consumers and producers, but also take into account implicit subsidies which an IMF paper defines as the persistent under-pricing of fossil fuels, that is, not taking environmental impacts into account.

“Underpricing leads to overconsumption of fossil fuels, which accelerates global warming and exacerbates domestic environmental problems, including losses to human life from local air pollution and excessive and road congestion and accidents.”

Fossil fuel and other polluting industries have undertaken a long term and concerted effort to influence political debates, to disguise the fact not only that global warming is happening, but that our governments are actively encouraging it through a multitude of financial incentives.

This disinformation campaign has been successful in placating us, to the point that not only do we not organise and act, but we don’t even realise we are subsidising the problem at hand.

At the core of this campaign is a sophisticated PR playbook which is rarely discussed. Here’s how it plays out in Australia.

Deny, deny, deny

When it comes to global warming, denialism is the devious frame that gets the most press. But Australian fossil fuel interests deny not only that global warming is happening, but also reject that fossil fuels are subsidised. In doing so, they draw from a range of PR talking points used by industries around the world to deny the obvious. And fossil fuel friendly politicians like Matt Canavan are more than happy to get in on the act.

The IMF tabulates worldwide fossil fuel subsidies at an astounding $9 trillion a year. But whether or not you agree with the IMF’s calculations or definition of “subsidy,” it’s impossible to argue with the fact that governments are incentivising the burning of fossil fuels, and that given the enormity of the challenge of global warming, any amount is too much.

But denialism is just the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the playbook gets much less press, despite its much larger impact.

https://michaelwest.com.au/how-pr-and-the-fog-of-corporate-disinformation-has-governments-paying-to-burn-the-planet/