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☆ Schiff Led the ‘Nerd Caucus’ Before the Trump Era. Now He’s a Senate Favorite.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before Representative Adam B. Schiff became famous as the chief congressional tormentor of former President Donald J. Trump, his professional hallmark was his low profile. In a Southern California district glittering with show business, he was simply “the congressman from Burbank.” In a state teeming with Democratic political stars, he was rarely on short lists for higher office. In Congress, his calling cards for years were the Democratic Study Group on National Security — also known as “the nerd caucus” — which he co-founded, and his knack for securing federal dollars for light rail in Greater Los Angeles. Now Mr. Schiff is a national figure and the favorite to become the next California senator, buoyed in his liberal-dominated state by his anti-Trump bona fides: lead manager during the former president’s first impeachment trial and proud recipient of a censure once Republicans took control of the House. As Tuesday’s primary draws near, Mr. Schiff is the Democratic front-runner, and polls suggest he may be on a glide path to the seat, which was held by Senator Dianne Feinstein for more than 30 years until her death at age 90 in September.

Persons: Adam B, Schiff, Donald J, Trump, National Security —, Dianne Feinstein Organizations: ”, Democratic, Group, National Security, Trump Locations: Southern California, Burbank, Greater Los Angeles, California

Now, hundreds of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have appeared at Finland's border from Russia, seeking entry into the Nordic country. They accuse Russia of driving the migrants to the border to sow discord as payback for Finland's membership in NATO. Finnish authorities quickly closed four checkpoints and then three more, leaving just one Arctic crossing point open for asylum-seekers. Finland also asked for help from EU border agency Frontex, which said it would send dozens of officers and equipment as reinforcements to the Finnish border. The Kremlin denies encouraging the migrants, and says it regrets the Finnish border closures.

Persons: Elina Valtonen, Petteri Orpo, Maria Zakharova, Valtonen, Russia’s, ”, Klaus Dodds, ” Dodds, Ylva Johansson, Sauli Niinistö, Alexander Lukashenko, Evika Siliņa, Siliņa, Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, “, Geert Wilders, Orpo’s, Vanessa Gera Organizations: HELSINKI, —, NATO, Nordic, Associated Press, HOW, EU, Frontex, Russian Foreign Ministry, Royal Holloway, University of London, VU EU Home Affairs, Belarus —, Latvian, AP, Poland’s, Guard Locations: Finland, Russia, East, Africa, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Finnish, FINLAND, Helsinki, Belarus, Europe, Moscow, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Baltic, Netherlands, Finns, Lapland, Murmansk, Warsaw

☆ Xi-Biden summit: What’s on the agenda for China’s leader as he heads to California?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Biden, meanwhile, finds himself strapped with international challenges from the war in Ukraine to the latest conflict in Gaza. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, left, and US President Joe Biden. Getty ImagesXi’s agendaDespite the challenges he faces at home, the insulated Chinese leader may see himself in a stronger position relative to Biden. Xi will ask Biden to clarify and define the scope of the US approach on tech restrictions, analysts say. Liu Ranyang/China News Service/VCG/Getty Images‘Positive signals’The lead-up to Xi’s American visit has been marked with signals that China is hoping to smooth prickly relations.

Persons: — Xi Jinping, Joe Biden —, Xi, Biden, he’d, ”, Yun Sun, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, …, Suisheng Zhao, Stimson, Sun, Harry Moyer, Liu Ranyang, Zhong Sheng, wisecracks, Nancy Pelosi’s, Beijing’s, Shi Yinhong, Shi Organizations: CNN, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, “, China Program, Stimson, Getty, Biden, Center for, Cooperation, University of Denver, Communist Party, US, Taiwan’s Democracy Progressive Party, US Flying Tigers, Kunming Foreign Language School, China News Service, “ Flying Tigers, China’s Renmin University, Republicans Locations: China, Hong Kong, San Fransisco, Bali , Indonesia, Ukraine, Gaza, Washington, Beijing, Center for China, Taiwan, California, Kunming, China's Yunnan, United States, Russia, Iran

“We are in uncharted waters, but it’s also very clear that we do not want to have a speaker pro tem who is leading policy. “That's the goal,” McHenry said earlier Thursday when asked if he would put a vote for speaker on the House floor. House Republicans are gridlocked with no end in sight, a war is escalating in Israel and Palestine and the U.S. government is ticking closer to a shutdown. McHenry was named to the role of speaker pro tempore by McCarthy as part of a process established in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It's an argument that may catch on in the House as lawmakers grow restless with their inability to act.

Persons: Patrick McHenry, gavel, Kevin McCarthy, McHenry, it’s, That’s, ”, Zach Nunn, Steve Scalise, Marc Molinaro, “, ” McHenry, McCarthy, Israel —, Michael McCaul, shouldn't, David Joyce, Joyce, Jim McGovern, Josh Chafetz, Scalise, Jen Kiggans, Kevin Freking, Farnoush Amiri, Lisa Mascaro Organizations: WASHINGTON, North Carolina Republican, Republicans, U.S, Republican, House Foreign Relations, Israel, GOP, Ohio Republican, Capitol, Georgetown Law School, Virginia Republican, Associated Press Locations: McHenry, Iowa, Israel, Palestine, Virginia

Dentons, the largest Western law firm in China in terms of staff, said yesterday it would separate from Dacheng, its unit there. The two firms merged in 2015, and Dentons even added Chinese characters to its logo to signal its commitment to the country. That made it impossible to follow legal industry standards and best practice, a person familiar with Dentons’ decision-making told DealBook. “Standards are diverging between China and Western economies,” Eswar Prasad, a trade policy professor at Cornell and a former head of the I.M.F.’s China division, told DealBook. Employees at financial firms operating in China have reportedly been forced to attend lessons in the ideology of President Xi Jinping.

Persons: Dentons, DealBook, Eswar Prasad, “, Xi Jinping Organizations: Cornell Locations: China, Western, ’, Sequoia

☆ China slaps export curbs on chipmaking metals in tech war with the U.S, Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China is restricting the exports of gallium and germanium, two metals key to the manufacturing of semiconductors, its commerce ministry said in a statement late on July 3, escalating a technological trade war over access to microchips with Europe and the United States. China is restricting the exports of two metals key to the manufacturing of semiconductors, its commerce ministry said late Monday, escalating a technological trade war with Europe and the United States over access to microchips. These new regulations — imposed on grounds of national security — will require exporters to seek a license to ship some gallium and germanium compounds starting Aug. 1, China's commerce ministry said. Applications for these export licenses must identify importers and end users and stipulate how these metals will be used. Both are outperforming the 0.1% gain for the CSI 300 index of China's largest A-share listings.

Organizations: CSI Locations: China, Europe, United States, Yunnan, Shenzhen

☆ Trump acted like 'the Godfather if it was reenacted by a 5-year-old' to try to keep his hands clean in Mar-a-Lago case: experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Insider Staff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One national security lawyer described Trump's actions like "the Godfather — if it was reenacted by a five-year-old." To veteran national security lawyer Kel McClanahan, it brought to mind "the Godfather — if it was reenacted by a five-year-old." "I found it hilarious that some of his most incriminating things were recorded by his lawyers," McClanahan told Insider. To McClanahan, the executive director of National Security Counselors and a lecturer at George Washington University's law school, Smith's indictment against Trump is "masterfully written." Trump has cast Smith's case as politically motivated and said he was within his legal rights to hold on to the government documents.

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump's, Evan Corcoran, Corcoran, Jack Smith, blundering, Kel McClanahan, McClanahan, George Washington, Hillary Clinton, Jon Sale, Chelsea Manning, Harold Martin, I've Organizations: Trump, FBI, Service, National Security Counselors, Democratic, of, Chelsea Locations: Mar, United States

☆ 3 men arrested after attempting to kidnap an Iranian-American journalist and activist who is critical of the country's human rights abuses, feds say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three men were indicted on charges of money laundering and murder-for-hire, the DOJ said. The target, Masih Alinejad, told The Associated Press the FBI read her the messages the men exchanged. The indictment did not say if the Iranian regime was directly involved in the murder order. Alinejad told The Associated Press that the FBI read her the messages the men exchanged,"I'm not scared," Alinejad told the AP. While the man behind the plot is in Iran, the DOJ indictment did not say whether the Iranian government was behind the plot.

☆ Utah GOP Rep. Chris Stewart rejects notion that Biden was unaware of classified documents found in his possession: 'It just is nonsense'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Stewart rejected the notion that President Biden was unaware of classified documents in his possession. Biden last week said that he did not realize that he was in possession of the Obama-era documents. "I've dealt with classified documents almost my entire life. "This isn't the kind of thing that you just sit on your desk and you think, 'Oh, I forgot that they're classified.' The House Judiciary Committee on Friday announced that it would launch an investigation into the unearthing of the Biden materials.

☆ ‘The reshoring craze is real’ — These companies should benefit, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A lot has been said about reshoring, as companies look to bring manufacturing back to their home countries, particularly the U.S. Reshoring is essentially companies returning operations to their original country from overseas. "The reshoring craze is real, especially as you continue to hear more and more about this general theme of deglobalization," he said. "They sell into the construction of the factory, they sell into the equipment of the factory, the automation of the factory." The company's equipment is needed for big semiconductor manufacturing plants as companies test chips as they are produced, Snyder said.

LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Britain accused Russia of planning to give Iran advanced military components in exchange for hundreds of drones, British defence minister Ben Wallace said on Tuesday, calling on the West to do more to expose the trade. "In return for having supplied more than 300 kamikaze drones, Russia now intends to provide Iran with advanced military components, undermining both Middle East and international security — we must expose that deal. Wallace did not provide detail on the type of military components he said Russia wanted to give Iran. Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but said they were sent before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February. Britain, the United States and the European Union have sanctioned Iranian military figures and defence manufacturers believed to be involved in the supply of Iranian drones to Russia.

☆ Tulsi Gabbard's one-time Democratic colleagues are both perplexed and unsurprised by her far-right pivot: 'An Elise Stefanik kind of turn'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic Party before campaign with far-right Republicans. "Nope," Sanders said when Insider asked if he'd like to talk about former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, an early supporter of his 2016 presidential campaign. "I'm not surprised," said Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia, another former Armed Services Committee colleague of Gabbard's. Hawaii's two Democratic senators — Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz — both declined to speculate about what may be driving Gabbard's political movement, despite serving with her in the Hawaii delegation. "I think she's home," Hirono said repeatedly when asked what she thought had happened, referring to Gabbard's political home.

☆ Scientists at America’s top nuclear lab were recruited by China to design missiles and drones, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dilanianmug.Jpg | Ken Dilanian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The report, by Strider Technologies, describes what it calls a systemic effort by the government of China to place Chinese scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear weapons were first developed. Scientists were paid as much as $1 million through participation in Chinese government “talent programs,” which are designed to recruit Chinese scientists to return to China. Moreover, U.S. officials and experts say most Chinese scientists who immigrate to the U.S. remain here — and many have made significant contributions to U.S. defense technology. Workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M. Los Alamos National Laboratory via AP fileLos Alamos officials referred questions to the Energy Department, which declined to address the report’s specific findings. “No one can say this is not a national security issue,” Evanina said.

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