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Biden Official Worked With Chinese Influence Group To Undermine U.S. Tariff Negotiations
When President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods, the Chinese Communist Party didn’t just retaliate with trade measures. It launched an information war, using American insiders to spread its narrative that tariffs were reckless and self-defeating.
One of the most prominent voices in that campaign is Rick Waters, a former senior U.S. diplomat who once directed the State Department’s China House.
Since leaving government, Waters has become a reliable messenger for Beijing’s preferred positions, appearing with CCP-linked influence groups and using Western media outlets to promote pro-China talking points that undermine Trump’s trade strategy.
From State Department Insider to Beijing’s Trusted Voice
In late 2024, Waters participated in an official interview for China–US Focus, a platform run by the China–United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). In the interview, he called for “restraint” and “dialogue,” insisting that “both sides must avoid confrontation.” The phrasing matched Beijing’s diplomatic line word for word.
Shortly afterward, he appeared as a featured participant at the 2024 U.S.–China Hong Kong Forum, another CUSEF-organized event that gathered Chinese Communist Party officials, Hong Kong elites, and select Western figures for “private dialogue.” The agenda promised to explore “mutual respect” and “pathways to cooperation,” but the guest list told a different story.
CUSEF was founded by Tung Chee-hwa, a vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the advisory body that sits under the CCP’s United Front Work Department. The United Front is the arm of the Party responsible for foreign influence operations and elite recruitment.
The United Front: Beijing’s Hidden Ministry of Influence
Behind the polished language of “dialogue” and “mutual understanding” lies one of the CCP’s most dangerous tools of foreign interference: the United Front Work Department.
According to U.S. and allied intelligence reports, the UFWD operates as the Party’s “hidden ministry of influence.” It is tasked with guiding foreign elites, shaping overseas media narratives, and blurring the line between diplomacy, propaganda, and espionage.
The U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission calls it “the primary entity coordinating influence operations targeting foreign elites, media, and business leaders.”
Beijing’s own statements describe the department’s mission even more plainly: to “unite all possible forces” in service of China’s goals. In practice, that means cultivating Western politicians, academics, and journalists who can quietly normalize the CCP’s worldview inside democratic systems.
CUSEF: The Tip of the Spear
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https://nataliegwinters.substack.com/p/exc-biden-official-worked-with-chinese
Senate Judiciary Launches Probe Into Gates Foundation's Alleged Funding Of Chinese Military Fronts
Scrutiny of the nonprofit world is increasing by the week. Regarding the Gates Foundation, rumblings surfaced in late August when the foundation abruptly severed ties with the Arabella network. This is the same network that bankrolls color-revolution-style operations run by No Kings partners, also known as the permanent protest-industrial complex.
Now, congressional pressure is mounting on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa launched an investigation into the foundation's alleged funneling of tens of millions of dollars in grants to entities tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), raising serious concerns over potential violations of U.S. tax laws governing 501(c)(3) world.
"According to recent reports, the Gates Foundation, through grants and direct payments, have funded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its allies. I am writing today to ask you whether these reports are true or not and, if true, how your organization's conduct comports with 501(c)(3) requirements," Grassley wrote in the letter.
Grassley cited several media reports that suggested in 2023 the Gates Foundation directed:
$11.7 million to various arms of China's government,
$2 million to a corporation linked by the U.S. Department of Defense to the Chinese military,
and $6.7 million to state-run universities that support Xi Jinping's regime
Grassley noted the foundation's 2022 tax filings that showed, according to the senator, "the nonprofit provided approximately $23 million in funding to over 20 different Chinese entities, some of which were labeled as "foreign governments."
These payments were reportedly categorized as public health or research initiatives. However, IRS regulations prohibit 501(c)(3) charities from directly supporting foreign governments. This means the foundation would have to obtain IRS determination letters or equivalency determinations to ensure that foreign grants serve charitable purposes and do not violate Sections 4942 or 4945 of the IRS Code.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/senate-judiciary-launches-probe-gates-foundations-alleged-funding-chinese-military
Mystery drone downed near US Army base close to Russia – NATO state
Estonia claims that two unidentified UAVs were flying near barracks at Camp Reedo
An unidentified drone was shot down near a base housing US troops in southeastern Estonia, close to the Russian border, the Baltic nation’s military has announced.
The incident occurred at Camp Reedo, which hosts the 5th Squadron of the US Army’s 7th Cavalry Regiment. The unit arrived in February to replace troops from the 30th Infantry Regiment.
“Allies detected drones flying in the immediate vicinity of the 2nd Infantry Brigade campus at 4:30 p.m. on October 17, one of which was brought down using an anti-drone rifle,” Estonian Defense Forces spokeswoman Liis Vaksmann told Postimees on Tuesday. She added that the downed UAV has not been recovered.
NATO has dispatched additional fighter jets to patrol its eastern flank after Poland accused Russia of violating its airspace with more than a dozen drones on September 9. In a separate incident a week later, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that two Belarusian nationals were detained for flying a UAV over government buildings in Warsaw. Moscow denied involvement in both cases.
On September 19, Estonia claimed that three Russian MiG-31 jets entered its airspace and remained there for more than ten minutes. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the flight was “carried out in strict accordance with international law and did not violate the borders of any country.”
https://www.rt.com/news/627085-drone-estonia-us-base/
Senate Committee Seeks Answers From NBA On Gambling Investigations
In an Oct. 27 letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the committee’s chairman, and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the committee’s ranking member, wrote that current and former NBA players and coaches have “compromised the game’s integrity.”
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was apprehended in relation to an illegal sports betting operation, while Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in connection to a rigged poker scheme tied to the Gambino, Bonanno, and Genovese crime families.
Former NBA player Damon Jones was also apprehended. He was allegedly tied to both schemes.
“In light of the latest allegations of gambling-related corruption involving an NBA player, we write seeking more information about how the NBA investigated and handled these allegations as well as what steps the Association is taking to maintain the public’s trust,” wrote Cruz and Cantwell.
In the case involving Rozier, the defendants allegedly used insider information to make bets and profit, according to the indictment. This involved Rozier telling two co-defendants that he was going to remove himself from a game and not return, allowing his co-conspirators to place successful and fraudulent over-under bets on how many points he was going to score and other statistics.
Jones, as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022–2023 NBA season, allegedly sold insider information to co-conspirators about a player not being on the court for a game ahead of the injury report being released to the public, according to the indictment. The player is believed to be Lakers superstar LeBron James, who has not been accused of wrongdoing. This allowed the bettors to make certain bets based on non-public information.
Billups is an unindicted co-conspirator in the rigging scheme where he sat key players for a Trail Blazers game against the Chicago Bulls. He had his team purposefully lose the game so that the team, which was out of playoff contention, could increase its chances of getting a higher draft pick, according to the indictment. The defendants bet on the Bulls winning the game based on the insider information they got.
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/senate-committee-seeks-answers-nba-gambling-investigations