#POTUS#Biden spoke w/Andrés about the incident that resulted in the workers' deaths, which #NationalSecurity spox #Kirby said provoked outrage in the admin.
The accts signal a potential tactical shift in how #China aims to #influence American #politics, w/more of a willingness to target specific candidates & parties, including Biden.
In an echo of #Russia’s #influence campaign, #China appears to be trying to harness #partisan#divisions to undermine the #Biden admin’s policies, despite recent efforts by the 2 countries to lower the temperature in their relations.
Some of the #Chinese accounts impersonate fervent #Trump fans, including one [still allowed] on #X that purported to be “a father, husband & son” who was “#MAGA all the way!!”
Moscow has found better ways to conceal #influence ops, by using harder-to-trace tech, to amplify arguments for #isolationism before #UnitedStates elections, acc/to disinfo experts & #intelligence.
In recent days, #intelligence agencies have warned that #Russia has found better ways to hide its #InfluenceOperations, & Treasury issued #sanctions last week against 2 Russian companies that it said supported the Kremlin’s campaign.
The stepped-up ops, run by aides to #Putin & Russian #military intelligence, come at a critical moment in the debate in the #UnitedStates over support for #Ukraine.…
Russian ops are laying the groundwork for what could be a stronger push to support candidates who oppose aiding #Ukraine, or who call for pulling the #UnitedStates back from #NATO & other alliances, US ofcls & independent researchers say.
Investigators say that firms working in the “#Doppelgänger” network —& #Russia’s #intelligence agencies duplicating the tactics— are using the techniques to replicate & distort legitimate #news sites in order to undermine #aid to Ukraine.
The result is that much of the original speech is First Amendment-protected — say a member of #Congress [#HouseRepublicans] declaring that resources being sent to #Ukraine should instead be used to patrol the southern border of the #UnitedStates. But the amplification is engineered in #Russia or by #RussianInfluencers.
A Pivot to #China Saved #ElonMusk. It Also Binds Him to Beijing.
#Tesla & China built a symbiotic relationship, with credits, workers & parts that made #Musk ultrarich. Now, his reliance on the country may give Beijing #leverage.
…A few years earlier, w/ #Tesla on the brink of failure, #Musk had bet on #China, which offered cheap parts & capable workers — & which needed Tesla as an anchor to jump-start its fledgling #ElectricVehicle industry.
For Chinese leaders, the prize was a Tesla factory on domestic soil. #ElonMusk would build one in Shanghai that would become a flagship, accounting for over ½ of Tesla’s global deliveries & the bulk of its profits.
#ElonMusk initially seemed to have the upper hand in the relationship, securing concessions from #China that were rarely offered to foreign businesspeople. But in a stark shift, #Tesla is now increasingly in trouble & losing its edge over Chinese competitors in the very market he helped create. Tesla’s China pivot has also tethered #Musk to Beijing in a way that is drawing scrutiny from #UnitedStates policymakers.
…fmr #Tesla employees, diplomats & policymakers reveal how #ElonMusk built an unusually symbiotic relationship w/Beijing, profiting from the govt’s largess even as he reaped subsidies in the #UnitedStates.
As #Musk explored bldg the factory…,Chinese ldrs agreed to a crucial #policy change on natl #emissions regs, following lobbying by Tesla not previously reported. That change directly benefited Tesla, bringing in…hundreds of millions…in profits as #China production took off….
Is there any better way to celebrate the glory of the Resurrection than by helping a #criminal suspect—indicted on scores of charges—pay off his #legal fees?
Not according to Donald #Trump, who took his broke ass to Truth Social on Tues morning to announce that supporters can purchase copies of the Christian holy book.
We all know at this point that #Trump’s business savvy is a gold-plated mirage, but you can’t say the man doesn’t know how to squeeze bucks out of attaching his name to stuff.
Hence, he’s selling the “God Bless The USA” Bible… for $59.99 a pop (+shipping & handling). For those wondering why the price point is so high, a site dedicated solely to selling the books notes it’s “the only Bible endorsed by President Trump.” Not like those other worthless Bibles….
A separate Israeli delegation, which includes Min of Strategic Affairs RonDermer & #NationalSecurity adv TzachiHanegbi, is to depart #Israel Mon evening, said an Israeli ofcl…. Israeli PM Benjamin #Netanyahu said he would CANCEL the delegation if the #UnitedStates did not #veto the #Gaza resolution….
Netanyahu repeated his insistence Sun that a military op in #Rafah is needed to eliminate #Hamas.
Alex Shepherd says Trump faces "an apocalyptic financial situation":
"Strapped for cash both personally and politically, Trump is desperate for money and, judging from his deranged posts lately on Truth Social, it’s sending him into a tailspin of panic."
This creates a dangerous situation:
"He badly needs big donors—and he’s clearly willing to change policy proposals on a host of issues, from China to entitlements, to get them."
An #explosion rocked a concert hall in the Moscow region & several #gunmen opened fire on theatergoers Fri evening, acc/to Russian authorities & videos from the scene, a deadly attack >1 week after #Putin was re-elected.
Rep #KenCalvert, top #Republican on #Defense Appropriations. “Every member must understand the impact of not passing this package. The only other option will be a full CR which will devastate our #NationalSecurity & put our country at #risk.”
Jay Kuo, looking at the immense dangers ahead as Trump's Truth Social becomes publicly traded, and the Russians, Chinese, and Saudis could be standing ready to own controlling interest in the company:
"I’ve read many pieces about how Trump is set to be worth $3.4 billion more next week, but I’ve seen nothing so far warning of the dangers of a publicly-traded presidential candidacy. We are in wholly uncharted waters."
Trump’s evasion of consequences for his crimes and torts is now being sponsored by Kremlin allies. This places America into a state of national emergency.
Chubb’s CEO would have to have been closely consulted prior to the issuance of a loan this politically explosive and objectively dangerous for Chubb.
A loan to a rapist who is approaching bankruptcy and a known career criminal but infamously doesn’t pay back his loans (and even lies to, then sues into oblivion, those lenders who dare to attempt to collect debts from him.
Chubb's supersedeas bond for Trump apparently no other reputable carrier would issue.
Chubb, with Evan Greenberg at the helm, has led the charge to underwrite Russian oil and gas expansion—which, as it happens, is key to Trump’s 2024 energy agenda.
Russian oil and gas industry Chubb and Greenberg are invested in, and good odds of Trump’s receiving continued Russian election interference in his favor.
The delivery last Fri of the assurance letter signed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant comes as #Israel & the Biden admin are locked in a contentious debate over Israel’s plan for a major military offensive in the southern #Gaza city of #Rafah. Biden has warned that the operation risks a #humanitarian catastrophe & called it a “mistake,” acc/to #NationalSecurity adviser #JakeSullivan.
A team of snr Israeli ofcls is due in DC early next week, at Biden’s request, to discuss the ongoing #offensive.
The #NationalSecurity memorandum signed by #POTUS#Biden on Feb 8 was a response to rising concerns about Israel’s conduct of the #war. It repeated many of the arms transfer rules in place in #UnitedStates#Law & #InternationalLaw, but included NEW assessment, transparency & reporting requirements.
While the memo applies to >70 countries receiving US weaponry, more restrictive reporting requirements are placed on 7 countries currently involved in armed conflict, incl’g both #Israel & #Ukraine.
Each [of the 7] was given an initial 45 days for a snr ofcl to provide “credible & reliable written assurances” that it will use #UnitedStates defense material in accordance w/ #InternationalHumanitarianLaw & other laws.
The #LawOfWar imposes specific requirements on #targeting, protection of #civilians & treatment of #POWs.
Former Giuliani associate: ‘Ron Johnson was our guy in the Senate’
A former Rudy Giuliani associate and former Donald Trump ally testified that Sen. Ron Johnson could be counted on to do “the bidding for the Russians.”
#Wisconsin compromised Ron Johnson knowingly participated in disseminating Kremlin Russian intelligence #disinformation to influence our presidential election.
Until Mon, #IsabellaDeLuca had been an unpaid volunteer media assoc at the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a research org in Washington, #DC focused on #NationalSecurity issues, its president, Eli M. Gold, said. She was hired for the role last May. The institute was unaware that she had been facing #criminal charges until being contacted by reporters… “Following further internal investigation, we felt it necessary to sever our relationship,” Gold said.