kek
it had me wondering too
prolly a weak negotiating tactic?
Associated Press runs paid PR ads for Chinese telecom Huawei as CCP seeks to influence UN agency
The AP is taking cash from Huawei to run paid ads for the Chinese telecom which the U.S. has dubbed a national security threat.
The Associated Press is running paid public relations advertisements on X and on the wire service’s own website on behalf of Huawei as the blacklisted Chinese telecom behemoth and the CCP seek influence over a key United Nations tech agency.
The U.S. government has long pointed to the national security threat posed by Huawei and has sought to limit the firm’s spread inside the United States and around the world. At the same time, the AP took cash from the Chinese company to promote Huawei’s efforts to burnish its image as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seeks to influence the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and increase the penetration of Chinese telecoms and networks worldwide.
The paid tweet by the AP — sent on Mar. 12 and now boasting more than 75 million views — highlighted Huawei’s links to ITU and its efforts on the world stage, and a paid article from Huawei published by the AP promoted Huawei’s efforts in AI. The tweets are clearly marked as "Paid advertisement."
"National Champion" firms
The U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence stated in 2021 that “national champion” firms such as Huawei help “lead development of AI technologies at home” and “advance state-directed priorities that feed military and security programs.”
“China is the most capable competitor in the AI space, and aims to displace the U.S. as the global AI leader by 2030,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence assessed in March. “China is driving AI adoption at scale — both domestically and internationally — by using its sizable talent pool, extensive datasets, government funding, and burgeoning global partnerships.”
Michael Sobolik, a China expert and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Just the News that “the Associated Press claims to provide ‘news without an agenda,’ and says that its mission is ‘journalism, not profit margins.’ It’s hard to square those praise-worthy goals with taking money from a CCP-controlled company to boost its propaganda.”
“The AP isn’t alone in doing this either. It’s the latest in a number of American reporting outlets that willingly become propaganda conduits for Beijing,” Sobolik added. “There’s no First Amendment in China, but CCP-controlled companies can push their message in America for the right price.”
Neither Huawei nor the Associated Press responded to a request for comment from Just the News.
Tens of millions of views for a “Paid Advertisement from @Huawei”
The tweet by the AP from earlier this month noted that it was a “paid advertisement from @Huawei” and it touted Huawei’s role in hosting the TECH Cares Forum in Barcelona earlier this month.
“From AI infrastructure to biodiversity protection, Huawei shined a light on both digital inclusion and conservation tech ahead of Mobile World Congress 2026,” the AP said on X.
The video in the AP tweet related to Huawei and the forum featured an interview with Cosmas Zavazava, the director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at the ITU, who said, “Artificial intelligence has as its foundation. We need local data, we need local infrastructure, we need local talent.”
Zavazava has been the director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at ITU since 2023, and in the past he led the Republic of Zimbabwe's Government Telecommunications Agency and served as a senior diplomat for the African nation. Zavazava’s curriculum vitae noted his previous ITU work in numerous countries, including China.
more…
https://justthenews.com/accountability/media/associated-press-runs-paid-pr-ads-chinese-telecom-huawei-ccp-influences-un
'Woke pseudoscience': NIH awards new funding to transgender mice experiments after DOGE cutoff
Funding for UC San Diego study had been reinstated under court order last summer, but budget period ended and NIH was under no legal obligation to issue new award, anti-animal testing watchdog says. FOIA lawsuit filed.
Less than a year after the Department of Government Efficiency abruptly halted funding for transgender experiments on animals, intended to improve so-called gender-affirming care for humans, the National Institutes of Health chose to fund at least one again.
The University of California San Diego study of "androgen effects on the reproductive neuroendocrine axis" to fine-tune male hormones for women who identify as men, using mice that were "gonadectomized," injected with testosterone and decapitated, received another $584,117 for fiscal 2026, following the $646,301 it received for fiscal 2025.
Last summer, a federal court ordered NIH to resume funding hundreds of studies including UCSD's trans mice research, saying their termination had been "arbitrary and capricious," but the order applied only to the grants' current budget periods, according to the anti-animal testing White Coat Waste Project, which showed the Jan. 16 approval to Just the News.
NIH funding policy says it has no "legal obligation to provide funding beyond the ending date of the current budget period" and warns grantees that "projected levels of future support are contingent on satisfactory progress, the availability of funds, and the continued best interests of the Federal government."
That means NIH's legal obligation to the UCSD study ended Nov. 30 with its budget end date, said WCW Senior Vice President Justin Goodman.
NIH is also funding a parallel human study by UCSD researchers, last updated Jan. 15, to understand "the mechanism of menstrual disruption" for women who identify as men and receive "testosterone replacement therapy." Flooding female physiology with wrong-sex hormones is known to have severe side effects far beyond menstruation.
They are studying "blood reproductive hormone secretion" in these women before and during hormone therapy, and in female control subjects who do not identify as men.
more…
https://justthenews.com/accountability/watchdogs/woke-pseudoscience-nih-awards-new-funding-transgender-mice-experiments
Retired General Mike Flynn reaches $1.25M settlement with feds over Russia collusion pursuit
Flynn sued the DOJ for $50 million in 2023 for malicious and politicized prosecution.
Retired General Mike Flynn on Wednesday settled his lawsuit accusing the federal government of malicious prosecution during the now-discredited Russia collusion case and will receive $1.25 million in compensation.
Flynn, who was forced to resign as President Donald Trump's first national security advisor after a stellar career as a three-star general, overseeing the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Just the News he felt vindicated by the settlement after enduring what he called "the Russian Hoax FBI lawfare against me."
"Nothing can fully compensate for the hell that my family and I have endured over these many years—the relentless attacks, the destruction of reputations, the financial ruin, and the profound personal toll inflicted upon us all," he said. "No amount of money or formal resolution can erase the pain caused by a prosecution that should never have been brought."
"This ordeal stemmed from partisan government officials in a coordinated effort to pursue an innocent man as part of a broader campaign to undermine President Trump and his administration. It was a relentless, partisan pursuit that weaponized federal law enforcement in a brazen and unjust manner," he said.
Flynn sued the DOJ for $50 million in 2023 for malicious and politicized prosecution by Special Prosecutor Robert Muel
Flynn thanked the Trump DOJ for entering into a settlement.
"Yet this settlement goes far in demonstrating that the current Department of Justice—under the leadership of President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Blanche, and other dedicated departmental leaders—is committed to bringing accountability for the bad acts of those partisan actors. It marks a meaningful step toward righting a profound wrong," he said.
"There should never again be such a brazen attempt to weaponize federal law enforcement against political opponents or innocent citizens. It is essential that we remain guardians of the rule of law. A huge part of that guardianship is accountability—holding those who abuse power to answer for their actions."
Flynn's lawyer, Jesse Binnall, said Flynn "is an American hero and he and his family should have never been put through this hell. That they had the courage to stand firm and fight back against the extremists in the Mueller investigation should be a testament to the strength of American character.
"In this agreement, the Justice Department is doing more than simply cutting a check, they are admitting that General Flynn was seriously wronged," he added.
https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/retired-general-mike-flynn-reaches-125m-settlement-feds
WH blasts Politico preview of Trump speech as example of why Americans should not trust legacy media
The news outlet cited six anonymous sources in an article promoted as a preview of the president's address, which was headlined: "‘I came, I saw, I conquered:’ Trump set to claim victory in Iran at primetime address."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Politico Thursday for its preview of President Donald Trump's primetime speech on the Iran conflict, stating it was an example of why Americans should not trust certain publications.
The news outlet cited six anonymous sources in an article promoted as a preview of the president's address, which was headlined: "‘I came, I saw, I conquered:’ Trump set to claim victory in Iran at primetime address."
The president made an America-first declaration in his speech that the issues surrounding the Strait of Hormuz are not the U.S.'s problem, and assured Americans that the conflict with Iran will soon come to an end.
"This story was based on 'six people familiar with the planning,' and I am sure none of them actually read the President’s speech before it was delivered. Politico did not even reach out to the White House for comment," Leavitt said on X. "Another example of why you should not blindly trust what you read from the legacy media. This is what they do — call up random sources who just make things up, and then they report it as fact."
The criticism comes after Leavitt slammed CNN last month for reporting that the U.S. was not prepared for Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, despite claims from lawmakers at a classified briefing, the White House and War Secretary Pete Hegseth otherwise.
"The idea that Chairman [Dan] Cain and Secretary Hegseth weren’t prepared for this possibility is PREPOSTEROUS," Leavitt said. "The Fake News is working overtime to discredit President Trump, his administration, and our U.S. Military, all of whom are working 24/7 to eliminate the threat of the Iranian regime."
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/wh-blasts-politico-preview-trump-speech-example-why-americans-should-not
Trump places 100% tariff on brand-name pharmaceuticals produced overseas
The European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are exempt from the new duties because of existing trade deals with the United States.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for 100% tariffs on name-brand pharmaceuticals that are produced overseas as the Trump administration looks to bolster drug manufacturing in the U.S.
The executive order comes after Trump made a similar move last year, in which the president warned he would place 100% tariffs on pharmacuetical products unless the company was building its plant in the United States.
"Despite being the world leader in research and development for most innovative pharmaceuticals … The United States is heavily reliant on imports, threatening to limit United States access to life-saving medications in the event of global supply chain disruption due to geopolitical or economic disruption," the order reads.
The European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are exempt from the new duties because of existing trade deals with the U.S., which Trump claimed "further United States economic and national security interests."
The president said he was authorizing the tariffs under the Trade Act of 1974 and section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which were not targeted in a recent Supreme Court order that invalidated Trump's orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trump-signs-100-tariff-brand-name-pharmaceuticals-produced-overseas