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☆ American Companies' China Profits Are Declining; Increased War Chance
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Without the promise of profits, American firms are also becoming less willing to go to bat for China — to reinforce the idea that China's market is crucial to the success of their futures. No demandAfter pandemic lockdowns ended in 2023, the Chinese economy experienced what is known on Wall Street as a "dead cat bounce." What money Chinese consumers are still able to spend is increasingly going to companies that grew up in their home country. Related storiesWhat money Chinese consumers are still able to spend is increasingly going to companies that grew up in their home country. It gives corporations, already under financial pressure as China's economy declines, even less reason to act as interlocutors encouraging stability between Washington and Beijing.

Persons: Washington —, Xi Jinping, Lee Miller, lockdowns, They're, Xi, Yi Gang, Michael Pettis, Tesla, Elon Musk, it's, Ball, Jamie Dimon, It's, China's, Goldman Sachs, Ray Dalio, seeping, Miller, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Harris, —, Trump, Biden, we're, Cordell Hull Organizations: Apple, Nike, Chinese Communist Party, People's Bank of, Carnegie Endowment, China Business Council, Starbucks, Street, Bridgewater Associates, Beijing, East Asia State Department, CCP, Trump, State Department, Republicans, Financial, Broadcom, Nvidia, Biden Administration Locations: China, America, Beijing, Washington, American, South China, Taiwan, People's Bank of China, Shanghai

☆ The plot to topple Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Paul Starobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

But it was only when Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine , in 2022, that Ammosov began to plot the overthrow of his homeland. As I found in months of wide-ranging interviews, everyone aspiring to a new Russian revolution grasps the seemingly impossible odds of their bid to topple Putin. Ponomarev — who was profiled last year in The Washington Post under the headline "Could this man bring down Putin?" Most applicants live in Russia, Sokolov tells me, but submissions have come from as far away as Uruguay. "I know a lot of good officers" in the CIA, Ponomarev told me, who "sympathize" with the anti-Putin insurgency.

Persons: Vladislav Ammosov, Ukraine —, Ammosov, wondrously, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Simona Supino, Alexey Navalny —, Ilya Ponomarev, Ponomarev —, —, Sean Guillory, Denis Sokolov, Sokolov, Galina Starovoytova, Anastasia Sergeeva, Sergeeva, Valter, Putin —, Tatiana Kosinova, Yelena Bonner, Itil, Boris Nemtsov, Nemtsov, Vladimir Lenin, specter, NurPhoto, Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Boris Akunin, Ponomarev, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, Alexei Sobchenko, Sergei Chuzavkov, Ilya Ponomarev Ponomarev, Michał Kamiński, Kosinova, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, Nikolai Gogol's, . Barnum, Bernie, Madoff, Donald, Leonid Nevzlin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Navalny, King George III, Khodorkovsky, Garry Kasparov, Putin's, Andrey Volna, Brian Fitzpatrick, Charlie Wilson's, Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Daniel Fried, William Burns, Fried, Biden, We're, Evgenia, it's Organizations: Putin, Ukrainian, Russian Federation, The Washington Post, University of Pittsburgh, Civic Council, Kennan, Wilson Center, GRU, Russia, BI, International Republican Institute, CIA, Kremlin, Russian, Memorial, Soviet Union, of America, Civic, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Russian Volunteer Corps, European, Human Rights, Siberian Battalion, Ammosov, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Putin's Defense Ministry, True, Bolsheviks, of Russia Legion, People's Deputies, State Department, Justice Department, Polish Senate, Trump University, Trump, Khodorkovsky, FBI, Intelligence, Senate, Ukrainian Security Services, Bolshevik Locations: Siberia, Russia, Warsaw, Poland, Ukraine, Sakha, India, Putin Russia, Russian, Kyiv, The, restive North Caucasus, Washington, Soviet Union, Moscow, WhatsApp, Ukrainian, Soviet, Crimean, USSR, Europe, Uruguay, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, America, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Belgorod, Kursk, Kremlin, China, Cuba, True Russia, Ponomarev, Northern Virginia, Polish, ., Lviv, Yukos, London, Pennsylvania, Texas, Afghanistan, Putin Russian, Tallinn, Estonia

☆ Trump's bitcoin strategy was shared behind closed doors with CEOs who raised $25 million. Here's what he told them.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

Bitcoin 2024 attendee wears "Make Bitcoin Great Again" baseball cap. Trump said on Saturday that his campaign has raised $25 million from the crypto industry since it began accepting cryptocurrency donations in May. "Make Bitcoin Great Again" hats displayed for sale at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, US, on Saturday, July 27, 2024. "The rules will be written by people who love your industry, not hate your industry," Trump declared that afternoon in the main auditorium as he warmed up the crowd. As Riot's Les put it, "I think the core message that we communicated to President Trump was, 'This is your industry leadership group.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jon Cherry, Donald Trump White, Tyler, Cameron Winklevoss, Paul Grewal —, David Sacks, Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, Cynthia Lummis, Bill Hagerty, Marsha Blackburn, Vivek Ramaswamy —, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Les, Fred Thiel, Zach Bradford, Chris Cook, Amanda Fabiano, Michael Saylor wasn't, Saylor, Trump, That's, Donald Trump's, Les, he's, litigator, Tracy Hoyos, Cyrus strummed, " Hoyos, López, Hoyos, Cyrus, López Trump, Marathon's Thiel, Thiel, David Bailey, Bailey, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Gary Gensler —, Kamala Harris, Cook, Saturday's, CleanSpark's Bradford, Riot's Les, indoctrinating, Bradford, they've, It's, we're Organizations: Republican, Getty, Music City Center, GOP, Gemini, Trump, U.S ., State Department, Marathon Digital Holdings, CNBC, Music City, Riot, Attorney, Bitcoin, BTC Inc, U.S . Securities, Exchange, US, Bloomberg, indoctrinating Trump, Industry, Mar Locations: Nashville , Tennessee, San Francisco, Nashville, Mar, Lago, U.S, San Bernardino County, López

☆ Fact-checking night 3 of the Republican National Convention
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Night three of the Republican National Convention has kicked off in Milwaukee. From CNN’s Haley BritzkyRep. Ronny Jackson’s false claim of ‘record-high inflation’Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas claimed in his Republican National Convention speech on Wednesday that there has been “record-high inflation” under the Biden administration. From CNN’s Haley BritzkyRNC video falsely claims there was peace in the Middle East under TrumpA video played early in the Republican National Convention proceedings on Wednesday night claimed that the “strength” of President Donald Trump kept “the Middle East at peace.” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley had similarly claimed in his convention speech on Monday that the Middle East was “at peace” four years ago under Trump. Dana El Kurd, senior nonresident fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC think tank, also called that claim “false” when Trump made it. She said in a November email: “The Abraham Accords did not achieve peace in the Middle East.

Persons: Newt Gingrich, Trump, Biden, –, Jennifer Hansler, Richard Grenell, Joe Biden “, ”, Joe Biden, ” Grenell, Donald Trump’s, “, CNN’s Haley Britzky, Ronny Jackson’s, Ronny Jackson, Jackson, Biden –, Daniel Dale, Michael Whatley, “ They’ve, Charlie Dietz, Donald Trump, Abraham, Aaron David Miller, ” Miller, Dana El Kurd, Joe Biden’s Organizations: CNN, Republican National Convention, Trump Former Republican, Defense, Trump intel, National Intelligence, ISIS, United, Taliban, Afghanistan Reconstruction, Russian, Russian Navy, Pentagon, State Department, NATO, Trump, Republican, ” Republican National, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Hezbollah, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arab Center Washington DC, The Defense News, Heritage Foundation Locations: Milwaukee, Afghanistan, United States, ”, Doha, Texas, Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, Havana , Cuba, Russian, Kazan, Havana, Bahrain, Israel, Morocco, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, China, “, America

☆ Israel’s Netzah Yehuda: How an army unit deemed abusive by the US is shaping the fight in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Cnn S International Investigations Team | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

In this 2014 photo, Israeli soldiers in the Netzah Yehuda battalion are seen taking part in training in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, near the Syrian border. While he was in Netzah Yehuda, he said, the battalion’s commanders played a key role in perpetuating a culture of violence, both by standing by as it happened and promoting it. The findings by the expert panel would have been enough to disqualify a military unit from any other country, the officials said. Lt. Col. Nitai Okashi oversaw the Netzah Yehuda battalion from 2018 to 2020. Lt. Col. Uri Levy was in charge of Netzah Yehuda from 2014 to 2016.

Persons: Yehuda, Menahem Kahana, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Mike Johnson, Israel “, Blinken, Netzah Yehuda, –, ” Charles Blaha, they’re, ”, “, Biden, Israel, Netzah, Ahmad Jamil Fahd, Sanad, Shin Bet, Gil Cohen, Josh Paul, Paul, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Amanpour, ” Paul, Eyad Baba, Joe Biden, Leahy, Sen, Patrick Leahy, Charles Blaha, Blaha, Omar Assad, Assad, Netzah Yehuda –, Mati Shevach, Nasser Nasser, ” Blaha, Shevach, Nitai Okashi, Okashi, Der Spiegel, , Uri Levy, Levy, Johnson, don’t, ” Netzah Yehuda, Col, Shlomo Shiran, Katie Polglase, Benjamin Brown, Barbara Arvanitidis, Alex Platt, Mark Baron, Augusta Anthony, Alberto Mier, Toby Hancock, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Laura Smith, Eliza Mackintosh, Dan Wright, Matt Wells Ami Kaufman, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, US State Department, State Department, Getty, IDF, State Department’s Office, Security, Human Rights CNN, Congress, Department, Israel Border Police, Internal Security Forces, ” CNN, Israeli Air Force Base, Magen, State, Human, Kfir Brigade, AP, Netzah, Urban Warfare Training Center, CBS, Battalion, Kfir Infantry Brigade, West Bank ., Jerusalem Brigade, Britain’s Guardian, Okashi, Israeli, Augusta Anthony Visual Locations: Israeli, United States, Gaza, Golan, Syrian, AFP, Palestinian, Israel, Ramallah, Rahat, Jerusalem, Jiljilya, Col, West Bank, Jiljiliya, Beit Hanoun

The plea deal allows Assange to avoid prison in the US and return to his native Australia. “That never came up in our conversations,” said David Stilwell, the State Department assistant secretary for the Pacific region during the Trump administration. Sessions’ focus on national security-related leaks was “probably one of the reasons why the [Assange] case had more traction,” Hickey told CNN. Hickey said he was not involved in the Assange case when he was a senior official at DOJ’s National Security Division from 2016 to 2023. Stilwell, the former State Department official under the Trump administration, pushed back on the Assange plea deal.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, Biden, Trump, ”, David Stilwell, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, General Merrick Garland, Chelsea Manning, Manning, Barack Obama, Obama, Trump’s, Jeff Sessions, Adam Hickey, ” Hickey, Hickey, “ Assange, who’s, Mayer Brown, Garland, Andrew McCabe, “, it’s, ” McCabe, Stilwell, ” Stilwell, Bradley Moss, would’ve, ” Moss, ” CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Marshall Cohen, Kevin Liptak Organizations: CNN, United, Wikileaks, State Department, Australian, Justice Department, FBI, Northern, London’s, US Justice Department, White, Pentagon, Army, Assange ., Department, Obama, Biden, DOJ’s National Security Division, Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union, Computer, Ecuadorian Locations: United States, Washington, London, Stockholm, Quito, Ecuador, Australia, Pacific, Virginia, London’s, Northern Mariana Islands, Iraq, Guantanamo, Washington ,

☆ Witness in Menendez trial describes setting up mortgage payment and consulting job for senator’s girlfriend-turned-wife
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sabrina Souza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Menendez and Hana – as well as the other co-defendant, New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes – have pleaded not guilty. Moldovan said Nadine Menendez was “upset and offended” that Hana had a lawyer formalize the loan with a promissory note. Moldovan testified that he rarely did anything without Hana’s approval. Nadine Menendez never signed the IS EG job agreement, according to Moldovan. On cross-examination, the senator’s attorney, Avi Weitzman, asked Moldovan if Nadine Menendez ever mentioned she was dating the senator, to which he testified she did not.

Persons: CNN — Sen, Bob Menendez’s, New Jersey Democrat’s, Menendez, –, Wael Hana, Menendez’s, Hana, Fred Daibes, Hana –, Fred Daibes –, Nadine, John Moldovan, Nadine Menendez, “, Avi Weitzman, Daibes, CNN’s Gregory Krieg Organizations: CNN, New, FBI, State Department, EG, Moldovan, Strategic International Business Consultants Locations: New Jersey, New York, Egyptian American, Qatar

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Criticizes Israel for Failure to Protect Civilians in the Gaza Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

The report also did not find that Israel had intentionally obstructed humanitarian aid into Gaza. Such a finding would have triggered a U.S. law barring military aid to countries that block such assistance. They argue that Israel has indiscriminately killed civilians with American arms and intentionally hindered U.S.-supplied humanitarian aid. Either would violate U.S. laws governing arms transfers to foreign militaries, as well as international humanitarian law, which is largely based on the Geneva Conventions. The United States provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military aid, and Congress last month approved an additional $14 billion in emergency funding.

Persons: Biden, Israel “, —, President Biden, Israel, Israel’s, Israel ”, Brian Finucane, Finucane, “, Chris Van Hollen, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr, ” “, ”, Josh Paul, Biden’s, John F, Kirby Organizations: State Department, Israel Defense Forces, President, Crisis, United, U.S ., Biden Administration, Israel, The State Department, Central Kitchen Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, U.S, Rafah, Congress, Geneva, Maryland, ”

☆ A high-stakes report looms over Biden on whether Israel violated international law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kylie Atwood | Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

Nic Antaya/Getty Images Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate on the New York University campus in New York on Friday, May 3. Mike Blake/Reuters Pro-Palestinian protesters stand their ground after police breached their encampment at UCLA on May 2. Before police were deployed to campus, pro-Palestinian protesters and Israel supporters were clashing at the school , according to multiple reports. Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images Columbia University students gather for a picket organized by the Student Workers Union (UAW Local 2710) on Monday, April 29. Stefan Jeremiah/AP Israeli flags are reflected in the sunglasses of a demonstrator in front of Columbia University on April 22.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, “, Matthew Miller, Adam Schultz, Netanyahu, Israel, Mahmud Hams, It’s, ”, Democratic Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Sen, Alex Brandon, Van Hollen, Miller, ” Miller, Melissa Overton, Nic Antaya, Seth Harrison, Jenny Kane, Chip Somodevilla, Mathieu Lewis, Rolland, Craig Hudson, Emma, Roberto Schmidt, Etienne Laurent, Mike Blake, Spencer Platt, Frederic J . Brown, Caitlin Ochs, David Dee Delgado, Charly Triballeau, Kena Betancur, Seyma, Alex Kent, Joseph Prezioso, Suzanne Cordeiro, Diane Handal, Cliff Owen, Qian Weizhong, Mike Stewart, Sarah Reingewirtz, Jay Janner, Brandon Bell, Brian Snyder, Mike Johnson, Timothy A, Clary, Matthew Hatcher, Nuri Vallbona, Jordan Vonderhaar, Zaydee Sanchez, Cameron Jones, Stephanie Keith, Andres Kudacki, Tayfun, Joe Buglewicz, Fatih Aktas, Michael M, Mary Altaffer, Scott Eisen, Columbia's, Stefan Jeremiah, Selcuk Organizations: CNN, State Department, Israeli, Congress, Hamas, Capitol, ”, National Security, Getty, State Department’s Bureau, Political, Military Affairs, Defense Department and National Security Council, Biden, Israel, Palestinian, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations Office, Human Rights, Biden Democrats, Democratic, Democratic Party, Republican, Department, Protesters, University of Michigan's, New York University, Westchester County Journal, USA, Network Police, Portland State University, AP, George Washington University, The George Washington University, AFP, Police, University of California, UCLA, Reuters, Fordham, Lincoln Center, Getty Images Police, Hamilton, Columbia University, Reuters Police, Columbia, The City College of New, Getty Images, Columbia Students, Justice, Hamilton Hall, Brown University, Getty Images Columbia University, Student Workers Union, UAW, University of Texas, Low, Sunday, Rueters Georgia State Patrol, Emory University, MediaNews, Los Angeles Daily News, Austin Statesman, Network, Austin, University, Emerson College, Swarthmore College, Bloomberg, University of Southern, Reuters New York, Reuters Columbia, New York Times, Sproul Hall, Yale University, University police, York University, The New School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Library, USAID Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Capitol Hill, Iran, Palestinian American, Jabalia, AFP, Ann Arbor , Michigan, New York, Westchester, Portland , Oregon, Washington ,, Portland, The, Los Angeles, The City College of New York, Columbia, Columbia's, Palestine, Providence , Rhode Island, Texas, Austin, New, Rueters Georgia, Atlanta, Getty Images Texas, Boston, Swarthmore , Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Berkeley, Sproul, Anadolu, New Haven , Connecticut, Cambridge

☆ Iran's stealth drones have become the new blueprint for international warfare
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia has become increasingly reliant on Iranian drones to fight its war in Ukraine. At least six countries have ramped up production of Iranian drones in the last two years, according to a Bloomberg report this week, bringing the total number of countries producing drones with Iran's help to at least a dozen. The issue has become of particular importance as Russia becomes more reliant on Iranian tech to produce its drones for the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Iran is pocketing foreign money in exchange for its much-coveted drone tech and expertise. AdvertisementEthiopia has used Iranian drones to squash rebellions in the country, while Tajikistan, Algeria, and Venezuela are also partnering with Iran, Bloomberg reported.

Persons: —, Israel —, Matthew McInnis Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, US, Washington Post, Pentagon, State Department Locations: Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Red, Ethiopia, Tajikistan, Algeria, Venezuela

The world's governments have agreed they want to triple renewable energy by 2030, a goal laid out at the U.N. climate summit in December. Here are the big hurdles to solar, wind and other renewable energy projects:COSTLY CREDITCentral banks in Europe and the U.S. have raised interest rates to combat inflation. Renewables have much higher up-front costs to build wind farms, solar arrays and more, and that borrowing costs money. Germany's southern region of Bavaria, for example, is known for resisting the noise and appearance of wind turbines in its scenic landscape. Installations have lagged in Bavaria and other regions despite the German government's push for more renewable energy after losing affordable Russian natural gas used to heat homes, generate electricity and power factories.

Persons: Todd Moss Organizations: U.S, Renewables, State Department, Energy, Growth Locations: Europe, Germany's, Bavaria, Ghana, U.S, Washington

☆ Exclusive: Russia-linked smear campaign against Hunter Biden began earlier than previously thought
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The man pushing the thumb drive was a citizen of an Eastern European country and a guest of Claremont. That evening, Rollie passed a thumb drive containing disinformation about Hunter Biden and Burisma to a Pompeo aide. Smirnov was indicted last week for lying to the FBI about Hunter Biden. The revelation about Rollie's thumb drive comes shortly after the indictment of Smirnov, for allegedly making false statements about Hunter Biden in June 2020. Like Smirnov, Rollie's materials accuse Hunter Biden of involving his father in Burisma's business and committing a vast off-the-books fraud.

Persons: Mike Pompeo, Hunter Biden, Rollie, Pompeo, Burisma, BI Rollie, I'm, Rollie's, Biden's, Josef, Johnathan Buma, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Peter Schweizer, Rudy Giuliani, John Solomon, Hunter, Giuliani, Alexander Smirnov, Smirnov, Biden, David Weiss, Smirnov's, Joe Biden, GOP Sen, Charles Grassley, MAGA, Jack Posobiec, Buma, Anastasiia Carrier Organizations: Claremont Institute's, Claremont, Business, BI, KGB, Department, Claremont Institute, FBI, New York Times, Prosecutors, GOP, State Department, Justice Department, Anastasiia Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Beverly Hills, Eastern, Soviet, Los Angeles, Russian, Delaware, Ukraine, The Hill, East, West, Eastern Europe

☆ Biden fundraising 'dream team' creates $140 million war chest to take on Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

US President Biden arrives to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on December 20, 2023, as he departs for Milwaukee, Wisconsin. President Joe Biden's $140 million campaign war chest has been bolstered by a group of loyal advisers and fundraisers that some party strategists call a "dream team" effort to defeat the likely Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. "They have kind of put together a dream team in fundraising," said Jim Messina, who served as former President Barack Obama's campaign manager for his successful 2012 reelection campaign. Katzenberg has been speaking with donors to Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and trying to recruit them to support Biden. But Katzenberg pointed to Haley's support in places like New Hampshire, where she won 43% of the Republican primary vote, saying that suggests there is a slice of the Republican party ready to move on from Trump.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Rufus Gifford, Michael Pratt, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Julie Chávez Rodriguez, Jim Messina, Barack Obama's, Katzenberg, Nikki Haley, Katzenberg Haley, Trump's, Karoline Leavitt Organizations: Air Force, Joint Base Andrews, Republican, State Department, CNBC, Trump, Biden, Democratic National Committee, Commission, White House Locations: Maryland, Milwaukee , Wisconsin, South Carolina, Trump, New Hampshire

☆ Is Kim Jong-un Really Planning an Attack This Time?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | More About Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two veteran analysts of North Korea — the former State Department official Robert L. Carlin and the nuclear scientist Siegfried S. Hecker — sounded an alarm this past week in an article for the U.S.-based website 38 North, asserting that Mr. Kim was done with mere threats. “Kim Jong-un has made a strategic decision to go to war,” they wrote. But there is still stark disagreement over where Mr. Kim’s new tack might be leading. “The North Koreans won’t start a war unless they decide to become suicidal; they know too well that they cannot win the war,” said Park Won-gon, a North Korea expert at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. “But they would love their enemies to believe that they could, because that could lead to engagement and possible concessions, like the easing of sanctions.”

Persons: Robert L, Carlin, Siegfried S, Hecker —, Mr, Kim, “ Kim Jong, ”, Donald J, Kim’s Organizations: North, State Department, U.S, Trump, Koreans, Ewha Womans University Locations: North Korea, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, United States, Seoul

☆ Ex-State Dept. Official Ordered to Bias Training After Anti-Muslim Rant
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Hurubie Meko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At a court appearance Wednesday, Manhattan prosecutors said that if the man, Stuart Seldowitz, completed the program through the organization Queens Counseling for Change, had no new arrests and did not violate a protective order, they would ask that his charges be dropped. Mr. Seldowitz agreed, according to prosecutors. Mr. Seldowitz, 65, has no other criminal history and prosecutors frequently refer people who have committed nonviolent, misdemeanor hate crimes for such training. In recent years, the Manhattan district attorney’s office has sent 10 cases to the Queens organization, according to a spokeswoman. Afaf Nasher, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York, said in a statement on Thursday that “light punishments are a slap in the face to the victims.”

Persons: Stuart Seldowitz, Seldowitz, Afaf Nasher, ” Organizations: State Department, Queens, Islamic, New Locations: Manhattan, Queens, New York

☆ Trump’s avalanche of dishonesty: Fact-checking 102 of his false claims from this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +111 min

Below is a fact check of 102 of Trump’s false claims from the 12 speeches. But contrary to Trump’s claim, it’s not true that people had been attempting for decades to create such an initiative. Trump’s aid to farmersIn speech after speech, Trump claimed that he had given US farmers $28 billion from China. Even if the poll result is off, it’s clear that Trump’s claim that “nobody wants them” is not true. He said he was an airline pilot.”Facts First: Trump made a false claim while mocking Biden for making false claims.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, “, ”, Mexico’s, ‘ Trump, Defense Department –, ” Theresa Cardinal Brown, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, ” Trump, I’ve, Todd Harrison, Harrison, It’s, Trump’s, ” Ben Cahill, Nobody, Jimmy Carter’s, Barack Obama, isn’t, El Salvador –, Obama, we’d, Obama’s, Webster, Covid, Wuhan ”, They’d, they’d, you’d, Scott Gottlieb, ” Gottlieb, Trump Trump, it’s, Abraham, Aaron David Miller, Miller, Dana El Kurd, Qasem Soleimani, they’ve, we’re, We’re, ’, Iran haven’t, ” Matt Smith, Biden’s, Smith, Ali Vaez, Kpler, Biden Trump, Iran “, Democrats ”, that’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter “, Carter, ‘, Hillary Clinton, Kari Lake, Bill Gates, Gates, ” Chris Wallace, Chris Wallace, Hunter Biden, “ Chris Wallace, ‘ He’s, ‘ ” Trump, Wallace, “ you’re, “ Biden, ‘ You’re, Wallace interjected, Rather, you’ve, ’ ” Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James &, ” Molchanov, Tim Woody, Woody, autoworkers, CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Joe Biden’s, Erin Mellon, Gavin Newsom, Mellon, ” Vonette Fontaine, Biden “, CNN’s Matt Egan, Egan, ” Biden, Europe Trump, United Kingdom “, Brent, Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James, Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy, De Haan, Matt Smith, Matt Egan, Afghanistan Trump, we’ve, Krista Wiegand, Wiegand, ” Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Qasem, Bibi, Netanyahu, Soleimani, Asad, Mark Milley, Hezbollah Trump, Steven Cheung, John Kirby, Cheung, Kirby, Iran’s, ” Ali Vaez, Joseph Amon, Washington –, Faiq Zidan, Zidan’s, Zidan, Abu Mahdi al, China Trump, Ukraine Trump, Letitia James, James, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, You’re, Bragg, Colangelo, Tanya Chutkan, I’m, Jack Smith, Bill Clinton, That’s, everybody’s, Letitia James –, Al Capone’s, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, CNN couldn’t, Schwartz, Eliot Ness, MAGA, “ MAGA, …, White, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Inflation Trump, Bacon, Joe, PolitiFact, Trump . Howard Gleckman Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Republican, Trump Trump, Republican Jewish Coalition, Department, ISIS, Trump’s, Democratic, Congress, Defense Department, former Defense Department, Center, US Customs, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, IHS, Islamic, The State Department, Customs Enforcement, Policy Institute, ICE, El Salvador, ”, Merriam, The New York Times, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Hezbollah, State Department, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arab Center Washington DC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, Obama, US International Trade Commission, Washington Post, U.S . International Trade Commission, New England lobstermen, England lobstermen, Americas, Crisis, government’s Energy, Administration, Washington Free Beacon, Energy Information Administration, Democrats, Biden, Electoral, Georgia, Michigan, Carter, Democrats can’t, Republicans, Alabama, Arizona, Fox News, ” Energy, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Wildlife, Alaska Industrial Development, Export Authority, Raymond James & Associates, Wilderness Society, Cox Automotive, Pew Research Center, New York Times, National Oceanic, California Gov, California, American Petroleum Institute, Union, West, Energy, American Automobile Association, AAA, GasBuddy, New Hampshire, Houston, Keystone XL, Obama administration’s State Department, –, Foreign, Military, DoD, Afghan, Defense, Policy, Taiwan News, “, University of Tennessee’s Center for National Security, Foreign Affairs, Israeli, NBC, Jerusalem Post, Yahoo, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, National Security, Group, US government’s Defense Intelligence Agency, Narcotics Bureau, Global Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Justice Department, Washington, Judicial, Popular Mobilization Forces, Customs and, Middle East, Customs, Protection, CBP, Border Protection, Kiel Institute, European Union, New York, New, ExxonMobil, Trump University, Trump Foundation, Manhattan, Attorney, federal Justice Department, Department of Justice, Washington DC, Presidential Records, Presidential, Mar, Biden White, MAGA Republicans, Inflation, Heritage Foundation, Trump ., Brookings Tax, Urban Institute Locations: New Hampshire, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Iowa, Mexico, “, U.S, Houston, Iraq, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nord, Germany, Russian, Trump’s, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, El, Washington, ”, ” In Texas, Covid, China, Wuhan, Italy, France, Abraham, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, New England, England, Kpler, Malaysia, Oregon, Alabama, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arizona’s, Moscow, Alaska, East, South Carolina, California, “ California, West Virginia, Virginia, United Kingdom, West Texas, “ U.S, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Mississippi , Louisiana, Canada, United States, Paris, Taiwan, “ China, Iranian, that’s, –, Singapore, Iraqi, San Diego, Kiel, York, Manhattan, York’s, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, Qaeda

Given the U.S. gives Israel $3.8 billion a year in military aid, Sanders said, "We have a right to say, 'Sorry, you need a new military strategy.'" Israeli officials say Hamas uses civilians and hospitals as cover and prevents civilians from leaving combat zones. Multiple U.S. officials say they have been able to influence its conduct in the war somewhat. At the time it was the most military aid the U.S. had given any country. U.S. lawmakers who back a ceasefire support Israel eradicating the Iranian-backed Hamas, but some say Israel's strategy will backfire.

Persons: Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Biden, Bernie Sanders, Israel, Sanders, CNN's, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Aaron David Miller, Raphael Cohen, ” Cohen, Pramila Jayapal, Obama, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Doina, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, Howard Goller Organizations: Franciscan Action, Palestinian, REUTERS, United Nations, Independent U.S, Hamas, Union, Democratic, State Department, U.S, Republicans, Rand Corporation, Thomson Locations: Israel, Washington , U.S, Gaza, U.S, Washington, Baghdad, London, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Saudi Arabia, East, Iran

☆ Former State Department Aide Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Jan. 6 Attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Michael Levenson | More About Michael Levenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former U.S. Marine who served in the Trump administration as a low-level State Department aide was sentenced on Friday to nearly six years in prison for his role in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The former aide, Federico G. Klein, of Falls Church, Va., was a State Department employee when he used a stolen riot shield to repeatedly assault officers during several violent clashes in a tunnel below the Capitol, prosecutors said. He was arrested in March 2021 and indicted later that year. After a non-jury trial in July, Mr. Klein was convicted of eight felony charges, including six counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; obstruction of an official proceeding; and civil disorder, as well as several misdemeanors, prosecutors said. He did not testify at his trial, and declined to address the court before Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sentenced him to 70 months in prison and 24 months of supervised release, The Associated Press reported.

Persons: Trump, Federico G, Klein, Trevor N, McFadden Organizations: U.S . Marine, Department, Capitol, State Department, U.S, District of Columbia, Associated Press Locations: Falls Church, Va

☆ Federico Klein: Former Trump State Department appointee sentenced to 70 months for role on January 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A former appointee of Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to 70 months in prison for his violent role on January 6, 2021. Federico Klein, a former State Department appointee, was found guilty following a bench trial before Judge Trevor McFadden this summer of multiple counts, including assaulting multiple police officers that day. “Your actions on January 6 were shocking and egregious,” McFadden, also a Trump appointee, said during Friday’s sentencing. Aquilino Gonell told the court that Klein had attacked him multiple times with a police riot shield. Klein’s actions on January 6, Woodward said, were “not a betrayal” of his service in the military and the State Department, but was part of attending “a protest turned wrong.”

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump, Federico Klein, Trevor McFadden, ” McFadden, Klein, “, Aquilino Gonell, Klein –, Trump, Stanley Woodward, ” Woodward, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Woodward, ” Organizations: CNN, Department, Trump, Capitol, US Capitol Police, Prosecutors, State Department, United States Marine Corps Locations: Florida

☆ Why Israel's push into Gaza is killing so many children
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Lila Hassan | Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Children account for a startlingly high share of Palestinians killed in Gaza — roughly 41%. The overwhelming majority of the children — a reported 3,542 as of October 30, as compared to more than 30 children reportedly killed on the Israeli side — have been Palestinians living in Gaza. On Sunday, international humanitarian organization Save The Children said that the number of children killed in Gaza in three weeks surpasses the total number of children killed in all global conflict zones since 2019. 'A growing stain on our collective conscience'Children constitute 41% of the 8,525 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry. Since 2019, the court has had an open investigation into potential Israeli war crimes.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Omar Shakir, Shakir, Mohammed Abed, Israel, Brian Finucane, Finucane, HuffPost, Al, HRW's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Isaac Herzog, Herzog, Karim A.A, Khan, Khan's, Tahani Mustafa, Mustafa, Lila Hassan, hassan.com Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Service, Palestinian Health Ministry, Hamas, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Health Ministry, United Nations, World Health Organization, UN, Human Rights Watch, Palestinian, Getty, State Department, Crisis, ISIS, UNICEF, Department, Israel Defense Forces, Law, IDF, Military, of Defense, ICC, New York Times, Israeli Air Force Locations: Israel, Gaza, Al, Ahli, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Northern Gaza, Al Jazeera, HRW's Israel, Cairo, Lila@lila, schwartz79@protonmail.com

[1/4] A formation of Israeli tanks is positioned near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 21, 2023. Iran, a longtime backer of Gaza's rulers Hamas, finds itself in a quandary as it tries to manage the spiralling crisis, according to nine Iranian officials with direct knowledge of the thinking within the clerical establishment. "We are in contact with our friends Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah," Vahid Jalalzadeh, the head of parliament's National Security Committee said on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media. Iran's foreign ministry didn't respond to a request for comment about the country's response to the unfolding crisis, while Israeli military authorities declined to comment. "Iran's nuanced position emphasizes the delicate balance it must maintain between regional interests and internal stability," said the former senior Iranian official.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, wouldn't, Avi Melamed, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Israel didn't, Khamenei, Joe Biden, Biden, John Kirby, Washington, Jon Alterman, Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Saul, Jerusalem, Arshad Mohammed, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, Michael Georgy, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, parliament's National Security, Israel, Wednesday, Hezbollah, U.S, Germany's Ramstein Air Base, House, State Department, CSIS, Swiss, Iran, Iranian, Thomson Locations: Israel's, Gaza, Israel, Rights DUBAI, Iran, Tehran, U.S, Lebanon, Yemen, United States, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Lebanese, Syria, Iraq, Washington, America, GAZA, LEBANON, China, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Beirut, Paritosh, New York

☆ Iran's Quandary: How to Stay Out of Israel's War on Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

Iran, a longtime backer of Gaza's rulers Hamas, finds itself in a quandary as it tries to manage the spiralling crisis, according to nine Iranian officials with direct knowledge of the thinking within the clerical establishment. "We are in contact with our friends Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah," Vahid Jalalzadeh, the head of parliament's National Security Committee said on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media. Iran's foreign ministry didn't respond to a request for comment about the country's response to the unfolding crisis, while Israeli military authorities declined to comment. Khamenei, the supreme leader, has denied Iran was involved in the attack, though he praised the damage inflicted on Israel. "Iran's nuanced position emphasizes the delicate balance it must maintain between regional interests and internal stability," said the former senior Iranian official.

Persons: Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Saul, Arshad Mohammed DUBAI, wouldn't, Avi Melamed, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Israel didn't, Khamenei, Joe Biden, Biden, John Kirby, Washington, Jon Alterman, Jerusalem, Arshad Mohammed, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, Michael Georgy, Pravin Char Organizations: Reuters, Islamic, parliament's National Security, Israel, Wednesday, Hezbollah, U.S, Germany's Ramstein Air Base, House, State Department, CSIS, Swiss, Iran, Iranian Locations: Iran, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, U.S, Lebanon, Yemen, United States, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Lebanese, Syria, Iraq, Washington, America, GAZA, LEBANON, China, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Beirut, Paritosh, New York

☆ State Department official resigns over Biden administration’s handling of Israel-Hamas conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Sharif Paget | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A State Department official has resigned from the agency over the Biden administration’s approach to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the official announced on LinkedIn Wednesday. “Hamas’ attack on Israel was not just a monstrosity; it was a monstrosity of monstrosities. I also believe that potential escalations by Iran-linked groups such as Hezbollah, or by Iran itself, would be a further cynical exploitation of the existing tragedy. Decades of the same approach have shown that security for peace leads to neither security, nor to peace. “There’s a moment where you can say, OK, well, you know, it’s out of my hands, but I know Congress is going to push back,” he told the Times.

Persons: Josh Paul, ”, ” Paul, “, ’, Paul Organizations: CNN, State Department, Biden, Hamas, LinkedIn, Political, Military Affairs, The New York Times, Times Locations: Israel, “ Hamas, Iran, Gaza, “

While a Hamas spokesman told the BBC that Iran did assist in the attack, officials in Tehran have denied responsibility while praising the outcome. "If you had a large end-of-year bonus payment coming your way, might you start spending more money in the meantime? “This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government, so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told NBC News. While the Biden administration renewed talks with Iran to reenter the pact, the discussions have led nowhere and U.S. negotiators publicly walked away. Though not believed to be directly connected, some analysts have speculated that the Biden administration move to free up the $6 billion could have been an incentive to continue talking even as Tehran slowed the pace of development of a nuclear weapon.

Persons: Trump, State Anthony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Richard Goldberg, Matthew Kroenig, Joe Biden, Nikki Haley, Ebrahim Raisi, ”, Biden, Adrienne Watson, Aaron David Miller, Obama, –, Donald Trump Organizations: White, Hamas, Biden, BBC, Treasury Department, “, ”, State, Israeli, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Wall, Georgetown University, GOP, NBC News, Former State Department, –, Trump, U.S Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, South Korea, Qatar, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Islamic Republic of Iran, Washington, U.S

☆ Why didn't Israel's sophisticated border security stop Saturday's attack? `
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A day that began with air raid sirens blaring out in the early morning had by lunchtime turned into one of the most terrifying attacks Israel has known in the 75 years of its existence. Though Israel is no stranger to terrorist attacks, Saturday’s assault was unprecedented – not least because of the lack of warning. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it has spent billions of dollars securing the border from attacks. To stop rocket attacks, Israel has used the Iron Dome, an effective rocket defense system developed with help from the United States. The Israel Defense Forces have already begun airstrikes in Gaza targeting Hamas infrastructure, resulting in hundreds of dead and injured.

Persons: Israel, It’s, ”, Jonathan Conricus, Richard Hecht, “, ” Hecht, Aaron David Miller, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, ” Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ghassan Alian, Conricus Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Reuters, State Department, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israeli, Pearl, Yom Kippur, United States, Middle, Palestinian

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