Becker Brief: Morning Report for 2-23-23
Mayor Pete caves to Trump's pressure and visits Ohio, Biden threatens China over Russia alliance, U.S. troops mobilize abroad, Sam Brinton fashion scandal, the DEI debacle & more!
WORLD WAR 3 COMING?
U.S. Considers Release of Intelligence on China’s Potential Arms Transfer to Russia
The Biden administration is considering releasing intelligence it believes shows that China is weighing whether to supply weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, U.S. officials said.
The discussions on public disclosure come ahead of Friday’s United Nations Security Council meeting marking one year since Russia invaded Ukraine.
US Pledges ‘Consequences’ for China If It Provides Military Aid to Russia
The United States is prepared to impose consequences on China’s communist regime should it provide lethal military aid to Russia for the ongoing war in Ukraine.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price, during a Feb. 22 press briefing, said that the regime would not escape sanctions if it attempted to further assist Russia’s conquest.
“We have been clear with the PRC that consequences would befall them if they were to provide lethal assistance,” Price said using an acronym for the official name of communist China, the People’s Republic of China.
“We have been clear. We will not hesitate to target Chinese companies or individuals who violate sanctions.”
Sanctions have minimal impact on Russia's economy
The global economic sanctions fueled by Putin's invasion of Ukraine a year ago have slowed but not crippled the Russian economy, experts say.
Russia's economy did shrink 2.2% in 2022 – far short of predictions of 15% or more that Biden administration and other western economists had forecast.
Putin seeks to absorb Belarus by 2030
The 17-page document, created in 2021, was obtained through a collaboration of journalists from outlets in several countries, including Yahoo News in the U.S. and Ukraine's Kyiv Independent. Yahoo said it was leaked from Putin's executive office.
The document details a plan to complete a merger of the two countries into a Union State ruled by Moscow that would integrate the tax system and currency of Belarus, an independent country of 9 million under Russia's strong influence.
China says its relationship with Russia is 'solid as a rock'; Russian economy shrugs off sanctions
Representatives for EU countries will meet again Thursday after failing to agree Wednesday on a new package of sanctions against Russia intended to coincide with Friday's one-year anniversary of Moscow's invasion, Reuters reported.
Ukraine issued a decree halting all transactions involving assets owned by Russian financial institutions. The decree, to last 50 years, prohibits establishing business relations, transactions and investments with Russian banks.
Investigators have so far identified at least 91 Russian soldiers involved in war crimes in and around the town of Bucha, where more than 1,700 civilians were killed, Ukraine Prosecutor General Andrey Kostin said Wednesday.
U.S. to Expand Troop Presence in Taiwan for Training Against China Threat
The small contingent of American troops will be more than quadrupled in coming months
The U.S. plans to deploy between 100 and 200 troops to the island in the coming months, up from roughly 30 there a year ago, according to U.S. officials. The larger force will expand a training program the Pentagon has taken pains not to publicize as the U.S. works to provide Taipei with the capabilities it needs to defend itself without provoking Beijing.
Biden’s Surreal and Secretive Journey Into a War Zone
President Biden traveled covertly to the besieged Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, hoping to demonstrate American resolve to help defeat the Russian forces that invaded a year ago this week.
Huddled aboard the anonymous train were President Biden and a skeleton team of advisers accompanied by armed and edgy Secret Service agents, embarking on a secret mission to visit Kyiv. As far as the world was concerned, Mr. Biden was back in Washington, home for the evening after a date night at an Italian restaurant.
In fact, he was on a journey unlike any other taken by a modern American president.
Zelensky Delivers Blow to China's Russia-Ukraine Peace Plan
Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to deliver a "peace speech" before the United Nations on Friday—exactly one year after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Ukraine invasion. During his speech, he is expected to propose a plan to reach peace between the two countries, which continue to fight for control over eastern Ukrainian territory. […]
However, Xi's plan appears to lack support from Zelensky. During a press conference on Tuesday, the Ukrainian president appeared to dismiss any potential peace plan from Xi, according to Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
Instead, he pointed to his own peace plan, which the U.N. General Assembly is set Thursday to vote on. Among the hallmarks of Zelensky's sweeping 10-point peace plan are the restoration of Ukraine's territory, the withdrawal of Russian troops from all of Ukraine and a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes.
Zelensky’s 10-point “peace” plan
The ten steps he outlined are: radiation and nuclear safety; food security; energy security; release of all prisoners and deported persons; implementation of the UN Charter and restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity and the world order; withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities; restoration of justice; countering ecocide; preventing escalation; and finally, confirmation of the end of the war.
Ukraine’s Zelensky Is Challenged by Return of Domestic Political Troubles
Around the world, he has won support for the notion that the Ukrainian fight is both just and a line in the sand against Russian aggression toward its neighbors on Europe’s border. In a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, President Biden reaffirmed U.S. support in a dramatic show of solidarity with Mr. Zelensky.
But back home, the politics of the prewar period are returning for the 45-year-old president.
Corruption, a perennial problem in Ukraine, has come back into view in recent weeks. Mr. Zelensky has fired nearly a dozen senior officials for alleged schemes such as marking up the prices of eggs and other food procured for the military.
DISASTERS ACROSS AMERICA
With Ohio train derailment, Biden continues to put America last
Assuming any objectivity, even the biggest Biden supporter and staunchest Democrat would have to admit it is disgraceful that Biden hasn't visited the place. He had time to travel the 4,864 miles to Kyiv, Ukraine, but not the 290 miles from Washington, D.C., to East Palestine.
East Palestine Mayor stands by calling Joe Biden’s trip to Ukraine ‘the biggest slap in the face’
Last week, East Palestine, Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway revealed that he hadn’t heard a word from the White House until February 14 (Happy Valentine’s Day!), well after the train derailment that caused toxins to leak into the ground and water and air, jeopardizing the health and welfare of residents.
THE BUTT OF AMERICA’S SICK JOKE
Former President Donald Trump hammered Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Wednesday afternoon and during his visit to eastern Ohio, where a train derailment early February spilled toxic chemicals into the air and water.
“He should have been here a long time ago,” Trump said. “Now he was supposed to come today but he heard I was coming today and postponed it, but whenever he comes he’s got to do his job and if we didn’t come, they never would have come.”
"The Biden Administration did not fire Pete Buttigieg...they rewarded his dereliction of duty."
Buttigieg visits East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment site
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday to tour the site where a train wrecked nearly three weeks ago as the government faces growing criticism over the federal response to the derailment.
2024 RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Has Biden forgotten which country elected him?
President Joe Biden has not yet announced his intention to run for reelection, but there is no doubt his surprise stops in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Warsaw, Poland, this week were meant to kickstart his campaign.
Former pharma exec and newfound anti-ESG crusader has substantial ties to China, the Covid industrial complex, Pfizer, Soros inc, and a track record of business calamities.
MCCARTHY FIGHTS ANOTHER REBELLION
GOP group of 16 complicates McCarthy's debt ceiling leverage
16 House Republicans have never voted to raise the debt ceiling — even under former President Trump — complicating Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) hand as he seeks to browbeat the Biden administration into spending cuts.
COVIDIOCY
Congress Prepares to Investigate COVID-19 Vaccines
Members of Congress are preparing to probe COVID-19 vaccine development and other issues related to the shots.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is planning to investigate how possible side effects are being studied, the regulatory process of authorizing and approving the vaccines, and why the vaccines were mandated.
“I expect our oversight hearings will shed light on the FDA approval process, the potential for side effects, and ultimately the success rate and safety of the vaccine—each of which will help us to navigate future global health emergencies,” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) said.
Vaccine Mandates Did Nothing to Stop Spread of Covid, Study Finds
Vaccine mandates that were implemented across the United States did nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19, a new study has found. In a study conducted by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, researchers analyzed data to examine the efficacy of citywide Covid vaccine mandates in 2021.
Axios-Ipsos poll: Politics drive public health fears
Republicans see fentanyl and other opioids as the biggest threat to Americans’ public health, while Democrats say it's guns, according to a new Axios-Ipsos survey.
BIG TECH TITANS
Tesla CEO Elon Musk set Democrat President Joe Biden straight on his “woke” new executive order on “diversity and inclusion.”
CULTURE WARS
Axios-Ipsos poll: Politics drive public health fears
Nearly half of Americans — 47% — say insurers should cover transgender-related medical care. That's a deeply partisan issue: 77% of Democrats favor it; just 16% of Republicans do.
California Bill Allows Kids to Receive Mental Health Services Without Parental Consent
California legislators introduced a bill last week that would allow children ages 12 and older to consent to mental health services or counseling without parent permission.
California Teacher Fired for Saying She Would Tell Parents About Gender Transition of Their Child
California gym teacher Jessica Taipas said she would tell parents if their children started secret gender transitions. […]
The school told Taipas that California law demands she tells lies.
“The district provided you with a verbal directive to refrain from disclosing the gender identity of a student who is transgender to a parent who does not know the student’s gender identity,” reads a Feb. 21, 2023, email to Taipas from the school.
“I want to let you know, I will not be allowing biological males into the female locker room,” Taipas recalls telling school officials.
“Well, we have a whole other issue, then, because you have to. That would be discrimination,” she recalls the officials replying.
Fashion Designer Says ‘Woke’ Biden Official Sam Brinton Stole Her Clothes, Wore Them in Public
A fashion designer has accused disgraced former Biden administration official Sam Brinton of stealing a bag of her unique designs and wearing the clothing in public.
Asya Khamsin, a Houston-based fashion designer from Tanzania, has provided very compelling images of her unique clothing designs that were stolen.
Get out of my kitchen: Americans are boiling mad at Biden’s proposed gas stove rules
The Department of Energy is proposing stringent new energy efficiency standards for gas stoves that could double the time it takes to boil water, manufacturers say.
Well-Intentioned AmeriCorps Now Rotten to Core After Falling to Woke Left
AmeriCorps, an independent federal agency that provides stipends for more than 5 million Americans who do volunteer work, misled the public on how much it spends in its grant program.
Perhaps the greater scandal involves AmeriCorps’ focusing its entire mission last year on diversity, equity, and inclusion, also known as DEI. Agency leadership ensures that DEI is part of every aspect of grant-making, the workplace, and recruitment.
Corporate America may finally be realizing the harm caused by diversity, equity, and inclusion administrators, those whose vague title allows them to hogtie business with destructive ideological restraints. But President Joe Biden is moving the federal government in the opposite direction. It's a parallel to his increasingly slavish adherence to labor union demands at a time when most of the country, given the choice, frees itself from their sclerotic grip.
Joe Biden Is the Brezhnev of DEI
Joe Biden basically just created a Five-Year Plan for the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion across a huge swath of government agencies.
In a push for so-called equity so shockingly far-reaching that, not so long ago, a woke diversity officer wouldn’t have attempted it at even the most progressive liberal-arts college, Biden is making the federal government a frank instrument of a racialized radicalism.
No One Is Confused by ‘Wokeness’ in Practice
Republicans have no idea what they’re talking about when they use the word “woke.” That is the premise from which the Washington Post’s Ashley Parker and Liz Goodwin begin in a report on the torturing of this loaded word by its detractors on the right.
Aspirants for high office within the Republican firmament are quick to deploy the term, these reporters note, but its malleability renders the word meaningless. And yet, the term “originated in black culture before being co-opted by white people,” and conservatives only “began using ‘woke’ in pejorative terms to undermine black and liberal ideas,” according to the reporters’ restatement of Duke University professor Candis Watts Smith’s verdict. That was “not an accidental choice.”
Mark Wahlberg Refuses to ‘Deny’ His Faith, Says Christianity Is ‘Not Popular’ in Hollywood
Devout Christian actor Mark Wahlberg has said that his faith is suppressed in the entertainment industry because it is “not popular” in Hollywood. However, Wahlberg says he refuses to “deny” his Christian faith.
While ‘WWIII’ Trends on Twitter, God Moves on College Campuses
“WWIII” was trending on Twitter earlier this week… But doomsday predictions are not the only thing grabbing the attention of younger generations right now. A move of God on America’s college campuses is captivating Generation Z.
I wish China would put sanctions on the US for supplying arms to Ukraine. I suspect we need them a lot more than they need us
Thanks again for another great news brief.