China's ambassador to Washington has protested remarks President Joe Biden made about Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, and its embassy said the United States should act immediately to undo the negative impact or bear all the consequences.
China was enraged after Biden referred to Xi Jinping as a "dictator" at a fundraising event on Tuesday, an unexpected flare-up just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken completed a visit to Beijing aimed at stabilizing relations between the superpowers.
The Staff: Truth hurts and really tired of all the threats China has said for everything they don't like. Below is for Xi Jinping.
With Nato’s vital summit in Vilnius looming, Turkey’s President Erdoğan is distracting Western attention from the brutal war in Ukraine by manufacturing a crisis over admitting Sweden into the alliance. It’s an issue that has already begun to paralyse European security, leaving Stockholm vulnerable and playing directly into the bloodied hands of Vladimir Putin.
Everyone – including officials in Ankara – can see that Sweden meets the criteria for joining Nato. The problem is that Erdoğan, emboldened by an unprecedented third election victory, is more intent than ever on pursuing policies that challenge not only the West, but the very democratic and human rights principles that the alliance is there to defend. This is a man who prosecutes his rivals and gets them banned from politics. Now, though, he’s taking this brand of authoritarianism to a new level, demanding that Sweden extradite named opponents before it can join.
We can debate the rights and wrongs of Sweden’s asylum policy for Kurds. But can any advocate of the rule of law agree to let a foreign government decide whom it should expel from its territory?
Let’s remember how, after an attempt to assassinate Napoleon III in 1858 by a former refugee in Britain, France demanded other dissidents against his regime be handed over. Uproar followed in Parliament and in the press over letting a foreign dictator decide who could reside in this country, even if he was an ally against Russia in the Crimean War.
Foolishly, some analysts saw Erdoğan’s post-election cabinet as a positive omen because he appointed an orthodox economy minister. The implication was that he might begin to fall in line with the West over issues such as Putin’s war or Syria’s fate.
How wrong they were. Instead, Erdoğan has set his sights on using and abusing Turkey’s strategic location vis-à-vis Russia and Iran to manipulate Europe’s defence, judging that America and the core Nato membership are so anxious to get Sweden accepted into the alliance that they will ultimately swallow his demands, however outrageous or damaging.
For the West, there is no need to make Erdoğan a martyr in the eyes of the Turkish public or, worse still, make them feel their country has been disrespected. But it would be a terrible error to cave in to the Turkish government’s demands by conceding them a treasure trove of sophisticated weapons systems or dissidents. Arguably, the US has already conceded too much, such as with the delivery of upgrades to F-16 fighter jets.
Erdoğan’s justification for undermining Nato is that he’s putting Turkey’s national interest first, and perhaps he genuinely believes this. However, Nato was not founded to serve Turkey alone. If the other allied countries (including Hungary on this issue) think that admitting Sweden is in their own national interest and Turkey remains dead against that, then a clash should be welcomed. And while Nato has no procedure for expelling members, the other 30 states could bypass Turkey on an ad hoc basis. Dump Turkey
For instance, even if it is not possible to formally admit Sweden next month, it shouldn’t be beyond the alliance’s strategists and logisticians to set up mechanisms of co-operation with Sweden that grant it most or all of the benefits of membership. After all, for decades, “neutral” Sweden has engaged in de facto co-operation with us.
Putting Ankara on the spot that way would absolutely call Erdoğan’s bluff, and not just on Nato expansion – for the Turkish president is acting against Western interests across the board. He plays a double game with Russia over Ukraine, as well as meddling in Syria and Iraq. These issues are crying out for Washington to decide what its core interests are. DO SOMETHING US AS YOU LOOK VERY VERY WEAK
Of course, Turkey’s choice of president is up to its people, but when Erdoğan’s policies undermine the security of the West and promote the interests of Vladimir Putin, we ought to push back strongly and strategically – and stop calling Ankara a vital ally. Erdogan works for Putin.
The list below are true Rhinos as they supported a man who is an Excellent LIAR and did great harm to what is known as the truth. He was always claiming he had proof that Trump worked with Russia and had proof but never did.
For anyone who supported Schiff and didn't vote to censor him is a true RHINO and needs to be replaced in 2024. Here is the list of RHINOS.
The Twenty Republicans that voted with Democrats in favor of the motion to table: Reps. Kelly Armstrong (N.D.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (Ore.), Juan Ciscomani (Ariz.), Tom Cole (Okla.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Kay Granger (Texas), Garret Graves (La.), Thomas Kean Jr. (N.J.), Kevin Kiley (Calif.), Young Kim (Calif.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Tom McClintock (Calif.), Mark Molinaro (N.Y.), Jay Obernolte (Calif.), Mike Simpson (Idaho), Mike Turner (Ohio), David Valadao (Calif.) and Steve Womack (Ark.).
A Victorville man accused of attempted murder after a violent attack on a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy has been found not guilty, despite cell phone video showing the incident.
The Staff: Finds the online video and you will agree, he should be in jail and too bad the officers who arrived on scene weren't better shots when they dropped him.
Flooding as a consequence of the attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region
You only have to look at the Russians’ appalling behaviour in the wake of the attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam to see they have nothing but contempt for the plight of ordinary Ukrainian citizens. Not content with the fact that thousands of Ukrainian families were forced to flee their homes in the face of rising flood waters, Russian soldiers compounded their utter disregard for civilians by trying to steal the boats that could have been used to take them to safety.
From the commencement of hostilities last year, the Russians have had no qualms about attacking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, whether it involves bombing the country’s energy supplies or residential neighbourhoods. But its actions in recent days have taken its criminality to a new low – one that will add to the mounting pressure for Vladimir Putin and his acolytes to stand trial for war crimes.
It should also persuade Western leaders to overcome any feelings of squeamishness they might have about Ukraine extending its military campaign into Russian territory.
Indeed, as Kyiv’s long anticipated offensive gains momentum, there have been several reports of attacks deep within Russian territory, such as the recent incursion on a well-to-do Moscow suburb or the bombing of oil dumps and airfields. There have also been a number of border raids involving members of the Russian Volunteer Group, a militia composed of Russian partisans said to be sympathetic to Ukraine. In their most recent operation at the weekend in southern Russia, the militia claimed to have succeeded in capturing Russian soldiers.
Previously the government in Kyiv had been persuaded, due to Western reservations, to confine its military operations to liberating territory in the east and south of the country occupied by the Russians. The Biden administration, in particular, had expressed concern that Ukrainian attacks against Russian positions could lead to a major escalation in the conflict. This caused Washington to limit the amount and type of weapons supplies it was prepared to supply to Kyiv.
But with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, keen to utilise the new Western-equipped fighting brigades that have been trained in preparation for the counter-offensive, the Ukrainians are indicating they are no longer willing to accept the West’s arbitrary constraints, and are perfectly willing to attack Russian positions when necessary.
If, as Western leaders repeatedly claim, they want the Ukrainians to emerge victorious, then they should overcome their misgivings and allow Kyiv to do so.
This is not to say that the Ukrainians should be given carte blanche to attack civilian targets within Russia – for that would reduce Kyiv to the same level of moral bankruptcy as the Kremlin, and would lead to a dramatic decline in support for Ukraine’s war effort. But there are a number of perfectly legitimate military targets that they can strike within Russian territory, such as army bases, ammunition dumps and transportation networks, the degradation of which would reduce Moscow’s ability to continue fighting. Attacking such targets is not only justified: it is crucial if Kyiv is to achieve its ultimate objective of inflicting a catastrophic defeat against their Russian adversaries.
Nor is it unrealistic for the Ukrainians to think in such terms. General David Petraeus, who commanded coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming CIA director, believes there is a strong possibility that the Russian forces will simply collapse when confronted by the type of highly effective combined arms operations the Ukrainians are likely to employ during their offensive.
“I believe the Russian forces are going to crumble,” the retired general said during a visit to Kyiv earlier this month. While the Ukrainians have undergone rigorous training and are now equipped with superior Western tanks and other high-grade weaponry, he believes the Russian forces lack motivation and morale. “This counteroffensive is going to attack Russian forces that are significantly depleted,” Petraeus predicted. “They’ve taken very heavy losses. They’ve been in combat in many cases for a year or more… They’re not well-disciplined or well-led.”
The inherent weakness of the Russian military’s defensive positions can be seen from its unimpressive performance in trying to hold the hotly contested city of Bakhmut, with Yevgeny Prigozhin denouncing the Russian military a “disgrace” after Ukraine’s troops were able to push back Russian lines and seize Berkhivka, a town in the northern suburbs of the embattled city.
In such circumstances it is entirely conceivable that Ukraine can achieve a comprehensive victory over Russia, one that would have long-term benefits for European security. A Russian defeat would not only signal the end of Putin’s despotic rule in Moscow – it would send a clear message to other authoritarian regimes like China and Iran that democratic countries are prepared to fight for their freedoms, and win.
This bridge has a very short time before it collapses and any weight above 2 tons may cause it to crumble sooner. the concrete has cracked on both sides and may actually be open from one side to the other. If that is the case, any shaking may cause it to fail.
Look at these photos and you will see time for this structure is very limited. The photos appears to show different sides which os not good for them lasting much longer. Putin's pride and joy will fall soon and I'd hit it again with a rocket to help it along.
