ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski was reportedly suspended without pay for sending an explicit email response to Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), who had <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/Hawley-Letter-NBA-China-Jersey-Messages.pdf">written a letter</a> to NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Friday requesting answers about their sanctioning of political messages on players’ jerseys.
Hawley wrote: “Conspicuously missing from the list of approved phrases are any in support of the victims of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including the people of Hong Kong, whose remaining freedoms are being extinguished by the CCP’s newly-enacted national security law.”
“Given the NBA’s troubled history of excusing and apologizing for the brutal repression of the Chinese Communist regime, these omissions are striking,” wrote the senator, later adding, &#8220;The league’s new policy suggests a newfound commitment to enhanced employee expression. But that free expression appears to stop at the edge of your corporate sponsors’ sensibilities. And for woke capital today, profits from the Chinese market are more popular than patriotism.&#8221;
After Hawley sent out the initial email announcing the letter, the senator posted the curt — and uncensored — response he received Friday from Wojnarowski’s email account. The email simply read: “F*** you.”
Hawley tweeted a photo of the reporter&#8217;s response and included a statement of his own: “Don’t criticize #China or express support for law enforcement to [ESPN]. It makes them real mad.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Don’t criticize <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a> or express support for law enforcement to <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a>. It makes them real mad ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/Outkick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Outkick</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/WJDxrotUBD">pic.twitter.com/WJDxrotUBD</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1281604989593559040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
“Multiple people familiar with the matter” told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/12/adrian-wojnarowski-suspended-espn-email-senator-josh-hawley/">The Washington Post</a> on Sunday that Wojnarowski, who was expected to travel to Florida for the NBA season restart, has been suspended for between one and two weeks.
Wojnarowski will also be prohibited from making his scheduled trip to Florida, and will instead travel to cover the remainder of the season at a later date, reports the Post.
After ESPN condemned the reporter’s email as “completely unacceptable” and Wojnarowski issued a public apology — calling his own actions “disrespectful” and “unacceptable” — Outkick <a href="https://outkick.com/woj-suspended-by-espn/">reported</a> that Wojnarowski had been suspended for an unspecified amount of time.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/wsBNk9Jv2y">pic.twitter.com/wsBNk9Jv2y</a>
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1281650976319868930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
But Hawley, who said Friday he wasn’t interested in an apology because Wojnarowski was just “saying what he really thinks,” responded Sunday with a much different idea.
“[ESPN], don’t suspend a reporter, ask tough questions of<a href="https://twitter.com/NBA"> @NBA</a> about their pro-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hashtag_click">#China</a>, anti-America bias. Start reporting for goodness sake,” said the GOP senator.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a> don’t suspend a reporter, ask tough questions of <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> about their pro-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>, anti-America bias. Start reporting for goodness sake <a href="https://t.co/No0rG4mS1L">https://t.co/No0rG4mS1L</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1282322849966039040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nba-releases-list-of-approved-social-justice-phrases-for-players-jerseys">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, the NBA’s pre-approved list of jersey messages include “Power To The People,” “Anti-Racist,” “Black Lives Matter,” “I Am A Man,” and “Education Reform,” among others. The Blaze reports that the phrases &#8220;will be displayed for the first four nights of resumed play,&#8221; when the season eventually kicks off again.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Senate Hears Testimony From Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein On Crossfire Hurricane Investigation

Report: ESPN Suspends NBA Reporter After ‘F*** You’ Email To Josh Hawley; Hawley Has Another Idea

China

ESPN

Josh Hawley

On Friday, Senator Josh Hawley fired off a <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/Hawley-Letter-NBA-China-Jersey-Messages.pdf">letter</a> to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in which he slammed the league for deciding players could emblazon social justice messages on their jerseys while he claimed the league didn’t approve any messages supporting the beleaguered people of Hong Kong, other victims of the Chinese Communist party, or law enforcement.
That prompted ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski to email Hawley this elegant response: “F*** you.”
Hawley responded on Twitter: “Don’t criticize #China or express support for law enforcement to @espn . It makes them real mad. @Outkick.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Don’t criticize <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a> or express support for law enforcement to <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a>. It makes them real mad ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/Outkick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Outkick</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/WJDxrotUBD">pic.twitter.com/WJDxrotUBD</a>
&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1281604989593559040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wojnarowski later offered an <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1281650976319868930">apology</a> for his email.
According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29405787/source-nba-union-agree-list-social-messages-put-jerseys">ESPN</a>, the approved messages included: Black Lives Matter; Say Their Names; Vote; I Can&#8217;t Breathe; Justice; Peace; Equality; Freedom; Enough; Power to the People; Justice Now; Say Her Name; Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can); Liberation; See Us; Hear Us; Respect Us; Love Us; Listen; Listen to Us; Stand Up; Ally; Anti-Racist; I Am A Man; Speak Up; How Many More; Group Economics; Education Reform; and Mentor.
Hawley began his letter by writing: “On July 3, the National Basketball Association (NBA) came to an agreement with the NBA players union allowing players to wear certain social and political messages on their jerseys, almost all aligned with the message of recent anti-police protests. Conspicuously missing from the list of approved phrases are any in support of the victims of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including the people of Hong Kong, whose remaining freedoms are being extinguished by the CCP’s newly-enacted national security law.”
He continued by citing the NBA kowtowing to the Chinese Communist regime: “Given the NBA’s troubled history of excusing and apologizing for the brutal repression of the Chinese Communist regime, these omissions are striking. Last October, you no doubt recall, you chose to apologize to the CCP after Daryl Morey, General Manager of the Houston Rockets, spoke up on behalf of the Hong Kong protestors.”
Then Hawley outlined the NBA’s response when he called them out:
<blockquote>Following that shameful display, I encouraged you to reverse course. Instead, you have spent the intervening months deepening the NBA’s ties to the CCP. Just last week, you described the October incident as “a bump in the road” in the NBA’s relationship with the Chinese government. You went on to say that you understand that the CCP has “a different view of &#8230; how things should be done,” and that you hope the NBA and the CCP will be able to “find mutual respect for each other.”</blockquote>
He laced into Silver and the NBA: “What offensive nonsense. No amount of profit can justify collaborating with a regime for which violent suppression and enslavement are routine tools of governance. The league’s new policy suggests a newfound commitment to enhanced employee expression. But that free expression appears to stop at the edge of your corporate sponsors’ sensibilities. And for woke capital today, profits from the Chinese market are more popular than patriotism. The truth is that your decisions about which messages to allow and which to censor – much like the censorship decisions of the CCP – are themselves statements about your association’s values.”
Hawley continued, “If I am right – if the NBA is more committed to promoting the CCP’s interests than to celebrating its home nation – your fans deserve to know that is your view. If not, prove me wrong. Let your players stand up for the Uighurs and the people of Hong Kong. Let them stand up for American law enforcement if they so choose. Give them the choice to write ‘Back the Blue’ on their jerseys. Or ‘Support our Troops.’ Maybe ‘God Bless America.’ What could be more American than that?”
He threw down the gauntlet:
<blockquote>With your new policy, you have crossed the line of sanctioning specific political messages. There is no avoiding the work of clarifying the association’s values now. This is a time for you to make clear what your league believes about human rights and about the nation that is your home. Your silence on these questions speaks volumes.
With that in mind, I request your response to the following questions by July 29, 2020:</blockquote>
<ol>
<li>Is the NBA prepared to allow its players to wear phrases in support of the United States, the American military, and U.S. law enforcement personnel, such as “God Bless America,” “Support Our Troops,” or “Back the Blue”? Will it censor players wearing such messages on their jerseys?</li>
<li>Are public reports correct that the list of phrases approved for display on NBA players’ jerseys does not include messages in support of victims of the Chinese Communist Party?</li>
<li>If a player chooses to display a message of support for victims of the Chinese Community Party on their jersey, will the NBA allow the player to wear their jersey or will it censor that player in order to avoid drawing Beijing’s ire?</li>
<li>How does the NBA plan to defend NBA players and employees against retaliation by the Chinese Communist Party if they choose to speak out against the Party’s actions in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, or elsewhere?</li>
<li>Is the NBA prepared to publicly condemn any attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to silence or punish these individuals?</li>
</ol>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Secretary Mnuchin Testifies In Senate Hearing On CARES Act Implementation

GOP’s Hawley Rips NBA For Approving Social Justice Messages While Reportedly Excluding Supporting Hong Kong, Law Enforcement. ESPN Reporter Snaps, ‘F*** You’

Adam Silver

Black Lives Matter

China&#8217;s new draconian national security law for Hong Kong reportedly contains a section that bans every person on earth from advocating for Hong Kong&#8217;s democracy, which some have suggested raises concerns about extradition pacts China and Hong Kong have with other nations.
&#8220;China has long sought to crush organized dissent abroad through quiet threats and coercion,&#8221; Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/china-hong-kong-law-global-activism-ff1ea6d1-0589-4a71-a462-eda5bea3f78f.html">reported</a>. &#8220;Now it has codified that practice into law — potentially forcing people and companies around the world to choose between speaking freely and ever stepping foot in Hong Kong again.&#8221;
Axios noted that Article 38 of the national security law states that it applies to those who commit the offenses against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region &#8220;from outside the Region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the Region.&#8221;
Wang Minyao, a Chinese-American lawyer based in New York, told Axios, &#8220;It literally applies to every single person on the planet. This is how it reads. If I appear at a congressional committee in D.C. and say something critical, that literally would be a violation of this law.&#8221;
Reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, who is an expert on China and the author of Axios&#8217; report, noted, &#8220;This means that anyone advocating democracy in Hong Kong, or criticizing the governments in Hong Kong or Beijing, could potentially face consequences if they step foot in Hong Kong, or have assets or family members in Hong Kong.&#8221;
Allen-Ebrahimian also raised the concern that Hong Kong authorities &#8220;may begin to detain or arrest people of any nationality upon entry to Hong Kong for their actions or speech elsewhere — or even issue extradition requests for major targets.&#8221;
Taiwan News <a href="https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3960108">reports</a> that a total of 52 countries have signed extradition agreements with China or Hong Kong. Some of the countries that have extradition agreements with Hong Kong include the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and others.
&#8220;China has signed extradition accords with 55 countries, but 16 are not valid yet,&#8221; Taiwan News added.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a group of international lawmakers are calling on Western nations to end their extradition treaties with China in response to the new security law.
&#8220;The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a bloc of legislators formed in June to coordinate an approach by democracies towards China, urged member countries to suspend their extradition agreements with Hong Kong after the national security legislation had &#8216;severely undermined the rule of law,'&#8221; SCMP reported. &#8220;Effective since last Tuesday, the law criminalised acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in Hong Kong with punishment of up to life in prison.&#8221;
The group&#8217;s 16 co-chairs “committed to coordinate efforts to ensure that no one has to face extradition to Hong Kong, where the rule of law is severely compromised following the imposition of the so-called national security law.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Hong Kong has extradition treaties with 39 territories, only 9 of which have similar agreements with the PRC.
We are campaigning for NO EXTRADITION to Hong Kong, where the so called National Security Law has severely undermined the rule of law. 
Source:<a href="https://t.co/dnuxEe05uP">https://t.co/dnuxEe05uP</a> <a href="https://t.co/PqB0vXuEoi">pic.twitter.com/PqB0vXuEoi</a>
&mdash; Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (@ipacglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ipacglobal/status/1279693059073204226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Riot police officers pinning down a protester during the

China Bans Everyone On Earth From Promoting Hong Kong Democracy, Expert Says. China Has Extradition Pacts With Dozens Of Nations.

Hong Kong

human rights

A Hong Kong lawmaker is warning that China is setting up a “global fight” with its new draconian national security law.
The Chinese Communist Party <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weapon-of-repression-china-passes-hong-kong-national-security-law-cracking-down-on-dissent">forced</a> the law on Hong Kong last week, essentially outlawing calls from activists to free the territory from the authoritarian state. Chinese and Hong Kong security forces have already begun arresting protesters under the law’s expansive application.
The law also threatens people that speak out against the CCP from outside of China’s territory. Article 38 of the law says, “This Law shall apply to offenses under this Law committed against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from outside the Region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the Region,” according to <a href="https://www.axios.com/china-hong-kong-law-global-activism-ff1ea6d1-0589-4a71-a462-eda5bea3f78f.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&amp;stream=top">Axios</a>.
The law, as written, applies to everyone in the world. Donald Clarke, a professor of Chinese law at George Washington University, described the repercussions of the law in a July 3 <a href="https://thechinacollection.org/hong-kongs-national-security-law-dangerous-article-38/?subscribe=success#blog_subscription-2">blog post</a>:
<blockquote>The alarming thing about the NSL is that, on its face at least, it provides for criminal jurisdiction over everyone on the planet for an act committed anywhere on the planet (Article 38). This is much broader than the purported reach of the PRC’s Criminal Law. Article 38 does not contain the limitation that the act in question must be serious enough to warrant a given minimum punishment and that it must also be a crime in the place committed. Thus, it is clear that an act that would violate the NSL if committed in Hong Kong will also violate it, and subject the actor to potential liability, if committed outside Hong Kong, even if the actor is not a Hong Kong resident or PRC citizen and has absolutely no connection with either Hong Kong or the PRC more broadly.</blockquote>
Nathan Law, a Hong Kong lawmaker who resisted the CCP’s influence over the Hong Kong government and fled the city last week, said, “One of the main purposes of having the national security law is to quash the international front of the movement,” according to Axios.
“For Hong Kong, we have to understand that it is the foreground of a very global fight, authoritarianism versus democracy,” Law told Axios.
For most of the world, the law is impossible to enforce despite its sweeping language. The law can have severe repercussions for people who have fled the city, however, and one day wish to return or still have connections to Hong Kong, such as assets or family members.
Chinese President Xi Jinping signed the sweeping national security bill into law on June 30. The bill purportedly bans acts of sedition, subversion, and terrorism, and Chinese authorities have since used it to crack down on protesters calling for a free and independent Hong Kong. Violations of the law carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), China’s top legislative body, reportedly passed the law in a 162-0 vote hours before it was signed.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Hong Kong Expat Says China Is Setting Up ‘Global Fight’ Between ‘Authoritarianism Versus Democracy’

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during an interview on Monday that the United States government was considering a ban on the Chinese app TikTok over security concerns.
&#8220;TikTok — which is owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance — has been repeatedly criticized by US politicians who accused the short-form video app of being a threat to national security because of its ties to China,&#8221; CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/07/tech/us-tiktok-ban/index.html">reported</a>. &#8220;The company has also run into roadblocks elsewhere. Last week, the Indian government said it would ban TikTok and other well-known Chinese apps because they pose a &#8216;threat to sovereignty and integrity.'&#8221;
Pompeo made the remarks in the following exchange during an interview on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;The Ingraham Angle&#8221; with host Laura Ingraham:
<blockquote>INGRAHAM: Finally, Mr. Secretary, the huge Chinese app TikTok has about 30 million users in the United States but it&#8217;s been banned now India and Australia is considering the same action, saying that TikTok was full of mass surveillance and propaganda and also that the app had the ability to feed information straight to Beijing. So, kind of obvious question, if all that&#8217;s the case, shouldn&#8217;t we be considering right now, tonight, a ban on Chinese social media apps, especially TikTok?&#8221;
POMPEO: Well, your viewers should know we are taking this very seriously. We&#8217;re certainly looking at it. We&#8217;ve worked on this very issue for a long time, whether it was the problems of having Huawei technology in your infrastructure, we&#8217;ve gone all over the world and we&#8217;re making real progress getting that out. We declared ZTE a danger to American national security. We&#8217;ve done all these things with respect to Chinese apps on people&#8217;s cell phones. I can assure you the United States will get this one right too. I don&#8217;t want to get out in front of the president but it&#8217;s something that we&#8217;re looking at.
INGRAHAM: Would you recommend that people download that app on their phones tonight, tomorrow, anytime currently?
POMPEO: Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.</blockquote>
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sec. Pompeo when asked if the Administration has considered banning TikTok: “We’re certainly looking at it.” <a href="https://t.co/N9NmbDOka0">pic.twitter.com/N9NmbDOka0</a>
&mdash; Benny (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1280352958752985089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The U.S. military banned service members from using TikTok earlier this year over national security concerns.
&#8220;Representatives for the Coast Guard and Air Force said that their members aren’t allowed to use TikTok on any government-issued devices, making them the latest branches of the armed forces to publicly declare the app off-limits,&#8221; The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-bans-tiktok-over-ties-to-china-11578090613">reported</a>. &#8220;The announcements follow similar decisions from the Defense Department, Navy, Army, and Marines.&#8221;
The Journal added that officials from the different service branches have urged troops and their dependents to delete the app from their personal devices.
Tensions between the United States and China have risen dramatically in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic from China, which the Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly lied about. The pandemic has caused trillions of dollars in economic damage to the global economy and has caused significant damage to the U.S. economy and to various aspects of life in the U.S.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

FRANCE-US-INTERNET-TECHNOLOGY

U.S. Considering Ban On TikTok, Other Chinese Apps Over Security Concerns

TikTok

Numerous books have been pulled from the shelves of libraries in Hong Kong after the Chinese Communist Party&#8217;s (CCP) new Hong Kong security law went into effect last week.
&#8220;Books written by prominent Hong Kong democracy activists have started to disappear from the city&#8217;s libraries, online records show, days after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the finance hub,&#8221; Voice of America <a href="https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/democracy-books-disappear-hong-kong-libraries">reported</a>. &#8220;Among the authors whose titles are no longer available are Joshua Wong, one of the city&#8217;s most prominent young activists, and Tanya Chan, a well-known pro-democracy lawmaker.&#8221;
Experts and activists say that the removal of the books increases concerns that the Chinese Communist Party will use the new law to censor political statements that dissent from the oppressive political party, which has been responsible for the deaths of <a href="https://www.heritage.org/asia/commentary/the-legacy-mao-zedong-mass-murder">tens of millions</a> of its own citizens since its inception.
The new security law &#8220;criminalizes four categories of crimes, including secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security,&#8221; The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-libraries-pull-books-for-review-under-chinas-security-law-11593963424">reported</a>. &#8220;In contrast to mainland China, Hong Kong historically has had robust protections on free speech, and the city has been a haven for publishers and journalists. However, episodes such as the disappearance of several booksellers who sold titles in Hong Kong critical of China’s leaders have heightened anxieties that China is trying to import its style of social control into the city.&#8221;
Two of the books that were removed were written by activist Josh Wong, who responded by writing on Twitter: &#8220;Less than a week after #NationalSecurityLaw has been put in place, #Hongkong&#8217;s public libraries started to put books under review and suspend them from lending, including two of mine published in 2013 and 2015.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Less than a week after <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalSecurityLaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalSecurityLaw</a> has been put in place, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hongkong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hongkong</a>&#39;s public libraries started to put books under review and suspend them from lending, including two of mine published in 2013 and 2015. <a href="https://t.co/Dbuj62rEfj">pic.twitter.com/Dbuj62rEfj</a>
&mdash; Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 😷 (@joshuawongcf) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1279309613431762944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to the new moves by Beijing, writing on Twitter: &#8220;With the ink barely dry on the draconian National Security Law, HK authorities are now removing books from libraries, banning political slogans, and requiring censorship in schools. The U.S. condemns these Orwellian assaults on the rights and freedoms of the Hong Kong people.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
With the ink barely dry on the draconian National Security Law, HK authorities are now removing books from libraries, banning political slogans, and requiring censorship in schools. The U.S. condemns these Orwellian assaults on the rights and freedoms of the Hong Kong people.
&mdash; Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1280310515915513866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News on Sunday that China&#8217;s new security law appeared to give &#8220;China the ability to imprison anybody that it wants.&#8221;
&#8220;And, indeed, you don&#8217;t even have to go to Hong Kong to be at risk, because Hong Kong and China have extradition treaties with other countries,&#8221; Gordon said. &#8220;And Article 38 of this law says that any comment, any statement on foreign soil by a foreigner is a violation of the national security law if it advocates succession, terrorism, collusion, sedition, all the rest of it. &#8221;
&#8220;China is saying that it not only demands the total obedience of people in China. It demands the total obedience of people in Hong Kong,&#8221; Chang added. &#8220;China demands total obedience from everybody else in the world. It can&#8217;t enforce that right now, but that really is the message.&#8221;
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Demonstrations Continue In Hong Kong Against China&#8217;s National Security Law

China Begins Repressive Crackdown On Hong Kong, Removes Books From Libraries That Promote Democracy

Free Speech

United States military planes and helicopters ran exercises and simulated sustained bombing runs in the South China Sea in what one U.S. naval commander described as an “unambiguous” show of force.
The military exercises took place throughout the weekend as the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz staged hundreds of launches of strike fighters, surveillance planes, and other military aircraft. The demonstration took place simultaneously with military exercises by China’s People Liberation Army, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-sends-two-aircraft-carriers-to-south-china-sea-for-exercises-as-china-holds-drills-nearby-11593816043">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
The U.S. war exercises were held in the South China Sea, a disputed region that China is encroaching further over in an effort to expand its territory.
“Because of the high state of our global readiness right now we have the opportunity to extend operations with another carrier,” Rear Adm. George M. Wikoff, told WSJ. “To me, that is quite unusual to do this amount of time working together as a carrier strike force in this theater.”
Wikoff, who commands the strike group led by USS Ronald Reagan, said the exercises would “show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability.”
The Chinese military held its own exercise around the South China Sea’s Paracel Islands, where China has military installments, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36700583">BBC</a>. The islands are disputed territory, with Vietnam and Taiwan also claiming ownership.
The South China Sea has remained a disputed zone for centuries with the surrounding countries claiming whole or part ownership over sections of the water. Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have all made claims over regions of the sea.
Wikoff did not specify where the United States held its exercises in the South China Sea and said that the trials were not in response to China’s own plans to conduct military exercises. The rear admiral did say, however, that China’s aggressive posturing in the region justified the show of force, according to WSJ.
“I think it really helps and serves to validate our operations out here in this region,” Wikoff said.
The flashy U.S. Independence Day exercises come as tensions between the U.S. and China have risen, in large part over the Trump administration&#8217;s decision to force renegotiations on trade deals. U.S. national security officials are also warning that China’s attempts to build information infrastructure internationally through technology companies such as Huawei is a ploy to expand its surveillance capabilities.
The United Kingdom is <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/04/17/uk-moves-to-drop-huawei-as-5g-vendor-citing-china-coronavirus-transparency/">reportedly</a> considering dropping a contract with Huawei over security concerns and because of China’s refusal to fully cooperate with other nations throughout the coronavirus pandemic, which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan sometime late last year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/technology/britain-huawei-5G.html">decision</a> to pursue the contract in January led to furious reactions from US security officials who threatened to withhold sensitive intelligence from the British government in response.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

USS Ronald Reagan

U.S. Aircraft Carriers, Strike Fighters Display ‘Unambiguous’ Show Of Force Near China

U.S. military

Officials may have identified one case of the bubonic plague, the disease at the center of the Black Death, in China’s Inner Mongolia region.
Local health authorities at the Bayannur municipal health commission reported a potential case of the bubonic plague on Saturday, according to <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-07/05/c_139190385.htm">state media</a>. On Sunday, the commission issued a level-three health warning, one notch above the least serious alert in a four-level system.
Local officials warned residents against hunting and eating potentially infected animals and requested they report rodents suspected of carrying the disease. The level-three alert and plague-prevention protocol will remain in place for the rest of 2020.
The case of the centuries-old plague was identified in a rural herdsman, local officials told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/world/asia/china-bubonic-plague-inner-mongolia.html">The New York Times</a>. In China’s Mongolia region, the disease is most often carried by marmots, a type of ground squirrel, and is transmitted by infected fleas. Human-to-human transmission of the disease is rare.
An outbreak of the bubonic plague in the 14th century killed tens of millions of people across Europe in what became known as the Black Death. The illness is fatal in an estimated 30-60% of untreated cases, but it can be treated with antibiotics if caught early, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague">World Health Organization</a>. The WHO gives the following description of the disease:
<blockquote>Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is caused by the bite of an infected flea. Plague bacillus, Y. pestis, enters at the bite and travels through the lymphatic system to the nearest lymph node where it replicates itself. The lymph node then becomes inflamed, tense and painful, and is called a ‘bubo’. At advanced stages of the infection the inflamed lymph nodes can turn into open sores filled with pus. Human to human transmission of bubonic plague is rare.</blockquote>
The bubonic plague, if it spreads to the lungs, can turn into the pneumonic plague, a condition that kills the patient within 24-48 hours if left untreated. According to the WHO:
<blockquote>Untreated pneumonic plague can be rapidly fatal, so early diagnosis and treatment is essential for survival and reduction of complications. Antibiotics and supportive therapy are effective against plague if patients are diagnosed in time. Pneumonic plague can be fatal within 18 to 24 hours of disease onset if left untreated, but common antibiotics for enterobacteria (gram negative rods) can effectively cure the disease if they are delivered early.</blockquote>
While the chance of a repeat of the Black Death event is small, reported cases of the bubonic and pneumonic plague are common, especially in rural regions of the world. From 2010 to 2015, authorities reported 3,248 cases of the diseases worldwide, including 584 deaths, according to the WHO.
Several cases of the pneumonic plague <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-people-in-china-have-the-plague">appeared</a> in China’s Inner Mongolia region last year. In November, a couple was diagnosed with the disease and treated at Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing. Several months earlier, another couple died from the plague after contracting it from eating raw organ meat from marmots.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Lab scientist

Case Of Bubonic Plague Found In China, Local Officials Say

The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) has become notorious for opposing basic human rights and siding with communist nations and dictatorships since so many of these countries have been allowed a seat on the council.
The latest example of the council’s flippancy toward human rights came this weekend when delegates from Cuba delivered a statement praising China’s adoption of a national security law imposed on Hong Kong. The United Kingdom offered a statement condemning China’s new law. As has come to be expected with the HRC, which allowed China to join its ranks on April 1 of this year, the council overwhelmingly supported Cuba’s statement praising China’s actions toward Hong Kong. In total, 53 countries ended up backing China’s new law while 27 condemned it.
The International Business Times <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/list-53-countries-support-chinas-hong-kong-national-security-law-3004962">reported</a> that critics of China’s new law “cited harsh penalties for vaguely defined political crimes and claimed it was the death knell for Hong Kong&#8217;s autonomy.” Axios obtained <a href="https://www.axios.com/countries-supporting-china-hong-kong-law-0ec9bc6c-3aeb-4af0-8031-aa0f01a46a7c.html">a list</a> of the countries that supported or opposed China’s actions:
<blockquote>Supporting: China, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia,  Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, UAE, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Opposing: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K.</blockquote>
Axios’ Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian explained that “Beijing has effectively leveraged the UN Human Rights Council to endorse the very activities it was created to oppose.&#8221; Further, the outlet reported, at least 43 of the countries that supported Beijing “have signed onto China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project.” Many of the countries in Africa that praised China’s actions are, according to Axios, “trying to renegotiate debt payments to China amid sharp COVID-related downturns.”
The outlet also explained that countries who have challenged China in the past have paid a price, including Australia and Canada.
“After pushing for an independent probe into China&#8217;s initial response to the coronavirus, Australia found itself in a costly trade dispute with its largest trading partner,” Axios reported. “Two Canadian citizens are still being held in China, meanwhile, after Canada arrested Huawei&#8217;s CFO on behalf of the U.S.”
IBT explained that many thought the announcement that China was joining the HRC was an April’s Fools Day prank:
<blockquote>Because the council deals with topics like freedom of speech, health, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detention, some may have thought this to be an April Fools joke. Unfortunately, it was not, and the appointment has sparked protests by international human rights activists.</blockquote>
The U.S. withdrew from the HRC in June 2018, calling the council “hypocritical and self-serving.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Human Rights Council

U.N. Human Rights Council Overwhelmingly Supports China’s Crackdown On Hong Kong

United Nations

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed hope that his league and the Chinese Communist Part (CCP) “can find mutual respect for each other” despite Beijing’s “different” views.
Silver appeared to downplay China’s numerous and ongoing human rights violations committed by its aggressive, authoritarian government in an interview with Time Magazine released on Monday. Time interviewed Silver as part of its Time 100 Talks series with some of the most influential people in U.S. politics and culture.
Asked if the NBA’s relationship with Beijing has improved since a team manager offended the CCP earlier this year, Silver responded, “I feel it has.” He noted that the state-owned distribution platform Tencent broadcasts NBA games across China. The league is dependent on the Chinese government to maintain agreements <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2019/10/09/nba-china-hong-kong-whats-at-stake/3912447002/">generating</a> at least $500 million annually for the league, and likely much more.
“You know, we’ve continued a dialogue with the Chinese, with our business partners there, [and] in certain cases, with certain government officials. And, you know, we’re just going to keep at it,” Silver said.
“We’ve had a long history in China. and certainly, this is a bump in the road in our relations. Obviously, I think we all understand each other,” Silver continued. “You know, as I’ve said before, we come to China with a certain set of core American values and principles. I understand also they have a different form of government, and they have a different view how things have been done, how things should be done. Hopefully, we can find mutual respect for each other.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TIME</a> interview released today (one day after Uighur genocide report &amp; same day China carried out Hong Kong takeover), <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> Commish Adam Silver said he understands China has &quot;a different view of how things should be done&quot; &amp; &quot;hopefully we can find mutual respect for eachother.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eQqN2l6fAN">pic.twitter.com/eQqN2l6fAN</a>
&mdash; JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1278063414611521536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Silver’s interview aired hours after China <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weapon-of-repression-china-passes-hong-kong-national-security-law-cracking-down-on-dissent">enacted</a> expansive legislation purportedly outlawing acts of terrorism and sedition in Hong Kong. On Wednesday, Chinese authorities used the law to justify cracking down on thousands of protesters. Police <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-begins-brutal-crackdown-under-new-law-in-hong-kong-starts-arresting-those-calling-for-freedom">arrested</a> several demonstrators carrying signs that called for “Hong Kong Independence.”
The day before Silver’s interview aired, a report on China <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/creeping-genocide-china-is-forcing-abortions-and-birth-control-on-thousands-of-minorities">revealed</a> that the authoritarian state is systemically oppressing thousands of minority women in its Xinjiang province, forcing them to abort unborn children and injecting them with unknown chemicals that can leave women infertile. One expert described the Chinese government’s operation as a “creeping genocide” meant to stamp out minority cultures and subsume them into China’s dominant Han population.
Silver and the NBA are showing off the league’s values by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nba-to-paint-black-lives-matter-on-sides-of-disney-courts-allow-players-to-put-social-justice-messages-on-jerseys">painting</a> “Black Lives Matter” on the sidelines of courts being used to restart the 2020 season. NBA players will also be allowed to place social justice messages on their uniforms. The symbolism is to show the league’s commitment to furthering social justice and solving racial inequality.
The NBA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nba-commissioner-we-certainly-didnt-apologize-to-the-chinese-government">capitulated</a> to China last year after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted out a statement of solidarity with protests happening in Hong Kong at the time against Chinese attempts to establish control over the region. The tweet prompted backlash from Chinese authorities against the league, which Silver responded to by whitewashing China’s human rights record and distancing himself and the league from Morey’s statement and the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

NBA Commissioner: China Has ‘A Different View,’ We Should ‘Find Mutual Respect’

Social Justice

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began cracking down on Hong Kong protesters on Wednesday after China&#8217;s government imposed a new national security law that cemented Beijing&#8217;s control over the city.
On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/weapon-of-repression-china-passes-hong-kong-national-security-law-cracking-down-on-dissent">signed</a> into a law a bill banning acts of sedition, subversion, and terrorism, a bill passed by China’s top legislative body by a vote of 162-0. Violating the new law could result in a sentence of life in prison.
In response, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong.
&#8220;Hundreds turned out to protest the legislation in the busy shopping district of Causeway Bay but were met with a heavy security presence,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/china/hong-kong-national-security-law-july-1-intl-hnk/index.html">CNN</a> reported. &#8220;Riot police fired pepper spray into the crowd, kettled and dispersed protesters, and deployed water cannons.&#8221;
The Hong Kong Police Force touted the first arrests under the new laws, tweeted out photographs and writing: &#8220;A man was arrested for holding a #HKIndependence flag in #CausewayBay, Hong Kong, violating the #NationalSecurityLaw. This is the first arrest made since the law has come into force.&#8221;
The man who was arrested appears to have simply been carrying a flag that stated: &#8220;Hong Kong Independence.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: A man was arrested for holding a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HKIndependence?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HKIndependence</a> flag in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CausewayBay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CausewayBay</a>, Hong Kong, violating the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalSecurityLaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalSecurityLaw</a>. This is the first arrest made since the law has come into force. <a href="https://t.co/C0ezm3SGDm">pic.twitter.com/C0ezm3SGDm</a>
&mdash; Hong Kong Police Force (@hkpoliceforce) <a href="https://twitter.com/hkpoliceforce/status/1278201222457987073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Hong Kong Police Force later announced a second arrest under the new national security law after a woman was caught carrying a sign that stated: &#8220;Hong Kong Independence.&#8221;
&#8220;#NationalSecurityLaw in effect. #HKPolice further arrested a female for showing a material with #HKIndependence slogan in #CausewayBay, Hong Kong,&#8221; the police force wrote. &#8220;#HKPolice will take resolute enforcement action in accordance with #NSL.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalSecurityLaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalSecurityLaw</a> in effect. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HKPolice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HKPolice</a> further arrested a female for showing a material with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HKIndependence?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HKIndependence</a> slogan in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CausewayBay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CausewayBay</a>, Hong Kong. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HKPolice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HKPolice</a> will take resolute enforcement action in accordance with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSL</a>. <a href="https://t.co/mTmJWt8Z8m">pic.twitter.com/mTmJWt8Z8m</a>
&mdash; Hong Kong Police Force (@hkpoliceforce) <a href="https://twitter.com/hkpoliceforce/status/1278235414956924928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Hong Kong Police Force later warned those who were waving a purple flag that warned others of the new draconian law that they may also be arrested.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
By raising the new purple warning flag, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HKPolice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HKPolice</a> warned <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HKProtestors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HKProtestors</a> chanting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HKIndependence?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HKIndependence</a> slogans that they may have breached <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalSecurityLaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalSecurityLaw</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CausewayBay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CausewayBay</a>, Hong Kong. <a href="https://t.co/xwcSjHL7dO">pic.twitter.com/xwcSjHL7dO</a>
&mdash; Hong Kong Police Force (@hkpoliceforce) <a href="https://twitter.com/hkpoliceforce/status/1278207953321910272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to police, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/china/hong-kong-national-security-law-july-1-intl-hnk/index.html">at least 70</a> protesters were arrested Wednesday.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/world/asia/china-hong-kong-security-law-rules.html">highlighted</a> how the new national security law allows China to suppress Hong Kong&#8217;s growing protest movement and to expand its national security apparatus &#8220;to pervade many layers of Hong Kong’s society&#8221;:
<blockquote>Ambiguously worded offenses of separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign countries carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment. Inducing residents to hate the government in Beijing or Hong Kong is defined as a serious crime.
A new Committee for Safeguarding National Security will be authorized to operate in total secrecy and be shielded from legal challenges. Its officials will be given the task of scrutinizing schools, corporations, nongovernmental organizations, news companies, and foreigners living in Hong Kong and abroad.</blockquote>
Numerous U.S. officials spoke out against the new Chinese law, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who wrote on Twitter: &#8220;The CCP’s draconian national security law ends free Hong Kong and exposes the Party’s greatest fear: the free will and free thinking of its own people.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The CCP’s draconian national security law ends free Hong Kong and exposes the Party’s greatest fear: the free will and free thinking of its own people.
&mdash; Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1278113285343260673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted: &#8220;More disastrous steps by Beijing to tighten their grip on Hong Kong. Congress and the Administration have taken strong steps to stand with Hong Kong. We need to keep it up and friends of democracy around the world should join us.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
More disastrous steps by Beijing to tighten their grip on Hong Kong. Congress and the Administration have taken strong steps to stand with Hong Kong. We need to keep it up and friends of democracy around the world should join us. <a href="https://t.co/16PrlmSM9Q">https://t.co/16PrlmSM9Q</a>
&mdash; Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) <a href="https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/status/1278043289174913024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted: &#8220;The brutal purpose of Beijing’s so-called &#8216;national security&#8217; law is to frighten, intimidate &amp; suppress the speech of Hong Kongers. All freedom-loving people must come together to condemn this law, which signals the death of the “one country, two systems” principle.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The brutal purpose of Beijing’s so-called “national security” law is to frighten, intimidate &amp; suppress the speech of Hong Kongers. All freedom-loving people must come together to condemn this law, which signals the death of the “one country, two systems” principle.
&mdash; Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1277997999306801154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

CHINA-DEFENCE

China Begins Brutal Crackdown Under New Law In Hong Kong, Starts Arresting Those Calling For Freedom

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this week that Australia will spend hundreds of billions of dollars to significantly ramp up its military capabilities as it faces increasing threats from communist China amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement comes after the Chinese Communist Party <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-threatens-australia-if-it-pushes-for-investigation-over-coronavirus-report-says">reportedly</a> threatened Australia for pushing for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China. China&#8217;s attempts to pressure Australia to drop the request for an investigation into the origins of the outbreak only strengthened Australia&#8217;s resolve against China, as Australia later came out and backed an initiative to have Taiwan rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO).
Morrison announced the $270 billion increase to Australia&#8217;s defense strategy, which includes &#8220;the purchase of long-range anti-ship missiles from the United States to equip its fleet of Super Hornets,&#8221; The Sydney Morning Herald <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-to-buy-ship-killing-missiles-and-shift-focus-to-indo-pacific-20200630-p557op.html">reported</a>. &#8220;It will also investigate the possibility of acquiring new long-range missiles that can be launched from the land in the future, including hypersonic missiles that can travel at least five times the speed of sound.&#8221;
&#8220;This includes developing capabilities in areas such as longer range strike weapons, cyber capabilities, area denial systems,&#8221; Morrison <a href="https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/scott-morrison-speech-transcript-unveiling-270bn-australian-defence-plan">said</a>. &#8220;We are undertaking the biggest regeneration of our Navy since the second world war, and have charted the transition to a fifth generation air force. This includes the F35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter, the most advanced Strike Fighter in the world. The Joint Strike Fighter. We’re strengthening our high tech industrial capability, as well.&#8221;
&#8220;It will expand our plans to acquire sophisticated maritime long range missiles, air launched strike, and anti ship weapons, as well as additional land-based weapons,&#8221; Morrison continued. &#8220;That’s right. That’s what we’re going to do. We will also invest in more highly integrated and automated sensors and weapons, including potential development of hypersonic weapons systems.&#8221;
Morrison noted that a lot has changed in the world due to the coronavirus pandemic and that Australia needed to be prepared to deal with a world that is &#8220;more dangerous&#8221; and &#8220;more disorderly.&#8221;
&#8220;The simple truth is this: Even as we stare down the COVID pandemic at home, we need to also prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, that is more dangerous, and that is more disorderly,&#8221; Morrison said. &#8220;We have been favored with many natural advantages for many decades. But we have not seen the conflation of global, economic and strategic uncertainty, now being experienced here in Australia, in our region, since the existential threat we face when the global and regional order collapsed in the 1930s and 1940s. That is a sobering thought. And it’s something I have reflected on quite a lot lately, as we’ve considered the dire economic circumstances we face.&#8221;
Morrison specifically highlighted the need for Australia to be competitive in the Indo-Pacific region given the increasing aggression from China in its border disputes with India and its territorial aggression in the South China Sea and in the East China Sea.
&#8220;Since the government’s 2016 Defense White Paper was released, we have witnessed an acceleration of the strategic trends that were already underway,&#8221; Morrison continued. &#8220;The pandemic has accelerated and accentuated many of those trends. And that is why today, I’m launching the 2020 Defense Strategic Update. It represents a significant pivot. It outlines the shifts and challenges I’ve foreshadowed and mentioned. It makes clear the strategic environment we face. And this clarity will guide Australia’s actions. The update sees an evolution of strategic defense objectives, in accord with our new strategic environment.&#8221;
<iframe title="Australia to build larger, more aggressive military to prepare for post-pandemic disorder | ABC News" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wvb4XAeHSms?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison Calls May 18 Election

Australia Begins Massive Military Build-Up As Conflict With Communist China Grows Over Pandemic

Australia

Chinese Communist Party

Coronavirus

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said United States health officials will be monitoring a new Swine Flu appearing in Chinese pig farms after a <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/06/23/1921186117?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=f91f1b7d9123b0e959ec0b5496b3a612c5f8821c-1593534493-0-AbXJTfBRuRRwcjeGNlyASt4u7v6WAWv_zVXdYJnxlGKrs90CW6NeaN4QhxLPGlvnf3mmatxyaFBM5zDx9a3LgGSDBCLqJ7uEsrVoIn30OTlJQm1pQR18udrH-an2RkGbJtL55mf9aFcWln6fBT7fVtON5LWc7KOYz22ccEupIYSO9aJe6dgNtJ_lwyy9PnjqQ8D3WZM2mAwp5tPwhTR_XZYUTpU85KAO046yJ6UR9AGN-fZ4BRrLNFpXT8G-cuTWdwkPx2XsHm-EpavDLJFBy1BWBGF8WDZuOmTvxMW2DSFFOJm-FRrgVjuY30yd_50FaQ">new study</a> suggested that the swine flu virus “raises concerns for the possible generation of pandemic viruses.”
While Dr. Fauci said that the public shouldn’t worry about the virus actively infecting humans at the moment — and is “not a so-called immediate threat” — he explained that the virus is “exhibiting what we call reassortment capabilities.”
“In other words, when you get a brand new virus that turns out to be a pandemic virus, it’s either due to mutations and/or the reassortment or exchanges of genes,” Dr. Fauci said during a Senate hearing Tuesday. “They’re seeing virus in swine, in pigs now, that have characteristics of the 2009 H1N1, of the original 1918, which many of our flu viruses have remnants of that in it, as well as segments from other hosts, like swine.”
“When they all mix up together, and they contain some of the elements that might make them susceptible to being transmitted to humans, you’ll always have the possibility that you might have another swine flu-type outbreak as we had in 2009,” said Dr. Fauci. 
The study, which was conducted using data collected from pigs in China between 2011 and 2018, found that the virus “has been predominant in swine populations since 2016.” Furthermore, serological surveillance data showed that out of 338 pig farm workers, 10.4% were positive for the virus. 
According to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/30/new-strain-of-flu-in-china-has-pandemic-potential-scientists-warns.html">CNBC News</a>, scientists have observed that it has “all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus” but have emphasized that the virus is not an immediate threat.
Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist from Columbia University who was not involved in the study, noted on Twitter that there seems to be “no report that any of the seropositive people with antibodies actually were seriously ill.” As such, she suggests the virus may not be “adapted as a human pathogen” or not be “very pathogenic.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
So&#8230;okay, it probably infects people but there&#8217;s no report that any of the seropositive people with antibodies actually were seriously ill. That suggests that while people can be infected, the virus is either 1. not adapted as a human pathogen or 2. it&#8217;s not very pathogenic.
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) <a href="https://twitter.com/angie_rasmussen/status/1277738990376869888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
Li-Min Haung, director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at National Taiwan University Hospital, told <a href="http://nytimes.com/2020/06/30/world/asia/h1n1-swine-flu-virus-china-pig.html">The New York Times</a> that scientists now need to determine whether workers were the source of spread to others. 
“It’s a very important study, and the virus looks quite dangerous,” said Dr. Huang. “We need to be worried about any disease with the potential to spread human to human.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Senate Help Committee Holds Hearing On Safely Going Back To Work And School During Pandemic

Dr. Fauci Says Officials Monitoring New Flu Strain In China, But It’s Not An ‘Immediate Threat’

Anthony Fauci

Pandemic

China has passed a sweeping national security law that human rights activists are describing as a &#8220;weapon of repression to be used against government critics&#8221; in Hong Kong, as the Chinese Communist Party continues to tighten its grip on the region.
Chinese President Xi Jinping signed into a law on Tuesday a bill banning acts of sedition, subversion, and terrorism, according to the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3091241/national-security-law-chinese-president-xi-jinping-signs">South China Morning Post</a>. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), China’s top legislative body, reportedly passed the legislation in a 162-0 vote on Tuesday morning.
Violation of the law carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. NPCSC Chairman Li Zhanshu said the law’s unanimous passage is a “reflection of the will of comrades in the whole of the nation including Hong Kong.”
Joshua Rosenzweig, who heads the China team of the international human rights group Amnesty International, said the bill’s passage has sparked fear that “Beijing has calculatingly created a weapon of repression to be used against government critics, including people who are merely expressing their views or protesting peacefully,” according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/29/china/hong-kong-national-security-law-passed-intl-hnk/index.html">CNN</a>.
The law, consisting of six articles and 66 clauses, has not been made public, and a draft copy has yet to be provided to officials in Hong Kong. The legislation is set to take effect July 1 without Hong Kongers knowing much of anything about what it says. The passage of the bill is another extensive erosion of the civil and political liberties of Hong Kong’s citizens.
Hong Kong&#8217;s Chief Executive Carrie Lam, widely viewed as a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party, defended the bill in remarks to the United Nations Human Rights Council
“The legislation will not undermine ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and Hong Kong’s high-degree of autonomy,” Lam <a href="https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3091249/carrie-lam-defends-national-security-law-speech-united-nations">said</a>. “Hong Kong is a free and diversified society. We respect differences of opinion and thrive on reaching consensus, but the One Country principle is non-negotiable and could not be compromised as without one country, two systems will stand on shifty ground and Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity will be at risk.”
Joshua Wong, who led pro-democracy protests against China in Hong Kong six years ago, said the new law is the beginning of Beijing’s “reign of terror” over the region.
“It marks the end of Hong Kong that the world knew before,” Wong said on Twitter. “From now on, #Hongkong enters a new era of reign of terror, just like #Taiwan’s White Terror period in history, with arbitrary prosecutions, black jails, secret trials, forced confessions, media clampdowns and political censorship.”
“With sweeping powers and ill-defined law, the city will turn into a #secretpolicestate. #HongKongProtesters now face high possibilities of being extradited to China’s courts for trials and life sentences,” Wong continued. “However, even under the ill wind of #China’s direct authoritarian rule, #Hongkongers will continue to fight for our freedoms and democracy for the city’s next generations. When justice fails, our fight goes on.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
2. From now on, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hongkong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hongkong</a> enters a new era of reign of terror, just like <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taiwan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Taiwan</a>’s White Terror period in history, with arbitrary prosecutions, black jails, secret trials, forced confessions, media clampdowns and political censorship.
&mdash; Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 😷 (@joshuawongcf) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1277794270393643008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
4. However, even under the ill wind of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a>’s direct authoritarian rule, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hongkongers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hongkongers</a> will continue to fight for our freedoms and democracy for the city’s next generations. When justice fails, our fight goes on.
Photo: Lam Yik Fei
&mdash; Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 😷 (@joshuawongcf) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1277794273174474759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Xi Jinping

‘Weapon Of Repression’: China Passes Hong Kong National Security Law Cracking Down On Dissent

A new flu virus has been discovered in China that can reportedly infect humans and that experts are warning has &#8220;pandemic potential&#8221; as the world still grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, which also originated in China.
Scientists say that the new flu strain was recently discovered in pigs and they are &#8220;concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from person to person, and trigger a global outbreak,&#8221; the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53218704">reported</a>. &#8220;They say, it has &#8216;all the hallmarks&#8217; of being highly adapted to infect humans and needs close monitoring. As it&#8217;s new, people could have little or no immunity to the virus.&#8221;
The world is still battling the coronavirus, which originated late last year in Wuhan, China, and has devastated economies around the world along with killing hundreds of thousands of people.
&#8220;Professor Kin-Chow Chang and his colleagues at Nottingham University say they are closely monitoring this new strain, which they are calling G4 EA H1N1,&#8221; Fox News reported. &#8220;The new strain, of which they found evidence among people who work in Chinese slaughterhouses, can grow and multiply in the cells lining human airways.&#8221;
&#8220;Right now we are distracted with coronavirus, and rightly so,&#8221; Kin-Chow said. &#8220;But we must not lose sight of potentially dangerous new viruses.&#8221;
The new virus is named G4 and is genetically related to the H1N1 virus strain that caused a pandemic in 2009.
&#8220;From 2011 to 2018, researchers took 30,000 nasal swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces and in a veterinary hospital, allowing them to isolate 179 swine flu viruses,&#8221; The South China Morning Post <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3091114/new-swine-flu-found-china-has-pandemic-potential-researchers-say">reported</a>. &#8220;The researchers then carried out various experiments including on ferrets, which are widely used in flu studies because they experience similar symptoms to humans – principally fever, coughing and sneezing.&#8221;
G4 was reportedly found to be &#8220;highly infectious&#8221; and caused &#8220;more serious symptoms&#8221; in the ferrets than the other viruses did.
&#8220;According to blood tests which showed up antibodies created by exposure to the virus, 10.4 per cent of swine workers had already been infected,&#8221; The South China Morning Post added.
James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University, said, “The work comes as a salutary reminder that we are constantly at risk of new emergence of zoonotic pathogens and that farmed animals, with which humans have greater contact than with wildlife, may act as the source for important pandemic viruses.”
This is a developing news story, refresh the page for updates.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Breeders Drive Pigs To Jump Into Water For Exercise In Shenyang

‘PANDEMIC POTENTIAL’: New Virus That Can Infect Humans Found In China, Report Says

virus

China is forcing ethnic minority women in its Xinjiang province to take birth control, get IUDs, and abort the unborn on a scale that has sent birthrates plummeting by over 80% in three years in some regions.
Xinjiang is home to much of China’s ethnic-minority, Muslim populations such as the Uighurs and Kazakhs. According to a new <a href="https://jamestown.org/product/sterilizations-iuds-and-mandatory-birth-control-the-ccps-campaign-to-suppress-uyghur-birthrates-in-xinjiang/">report</a> from The Jamestown Foundation, Chinese government documents and data show what one expert called a “creeping genocide” taking place across the province as Beijing enforces strict population control. The research was first reported by The <a href="https://apnews.com/269b3de1af34e17c1941a514f78d764c">Associated Press</a>.
“Natural population growth in Xinjiang has declined dramatically; growth rates fell by 84 percent in the two largest Uyghur prefectures between 2015 and 2018, and declined further in 2019. For 2020, one Uyghur region set an unprecedented near-zero population growth target: a mere 1.05 per [thousand], compared to an already low 11.45 per [thousand] in 2018. This was intended to be achieved through ‘family planning work,’” the report states.
“It’s genocide, full stop. It’s not immediate, shocking, mass-killing on the spot type genocide, but it’s slow, painful, creeping genocide,” Joanne Smith Finley, a university lecturer in the United Kingdom who specializes in the Xinjiang region, told the AP. “These are direct means of genetically reducing the Uighur population.”
China has had laws capping the number of children a couple is allowed to have for decades, but newly revealed government documents and data show that the Chinese Communist Party has recently launched an aggressive, targeted enforcement of childbearing laws on Xinjiang’s Uighurs and other minorities. At the same time, Chinese officials have relaxed enforcement of childbearing laws on Han Chinese, the largest ethnic group in China.
“It links back to China’s long history of dabbling in eugenics … you don’t want people who are poorly educated, marginal minorities breeding quickly,” James Leibold, a La Trobe University scholar of Chinese ethnic policy-making, told the AP. “What you want is your educated Han to increase their birth rate.”
Chinese officials threaten couples, and women in particular, who have more than two children with hefty fines, or, if they can not pay, lengthy sentences in one of the region’s many internment camps that Beijing says are used for “reeducation.” Inside the camps, women are subjected to pregnancy tests and injected with unknown chemicals that affect their periods. Some women who have escaped from China report that they were infertile after the treatments.
The camps reportedly hold over 1 million Uighurs on a variety of charges made by the Chinese government. The Trump administration is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-weighs-cracking-down-on-china-over-uighur-camps-beijing-promises-consequences">weighing</a> whether to take action against China over the camps. President Trump signed a bill on June 17 to potentially sanction China over its numerous human rights abuses.
Beijing reacted strongly against the bill’s signing, threatening the United States with “consequences” should the Trump administration move forward with sanctions.
“We again urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its mistakes and stop using this Xinjiang-related law to harm China’s interests and interfere in China’s internal affairs,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Otherwise, China will resolutely take countermeasures, and all the consequences arising therefrom must be fully borne by the United States.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

‘Creeping Genocide’: China Is Forcing Abortions And Birth Control On Thousands Of Minorities

NBA star LeBron James and one of his childhood friends launched a media company earlier this year “designed to move the culture.”
James and his business partner, Maverick Carter, launched SpringHill Co. on March 11, the same day that the NBA suspended its season because of the pandemic. The company launches with an initial $100 million in funding, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-06-25/lebron-james-maverick-carter-s-springhill-to-be-a-media-empire">Bloomberg</a> reported on Thursday.
James will continue his career in professional basketball and work on company projects such as staring in “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” a movie set for release next year. The basketball star will also use his image to promote and guide the company, while Carter will be directly involved with the company’s operations.
“This is ultimately a company that’s about point of view, the community you serve, and empowerment,” said Los Angeles investment banker Paul Wachter, who aided James and Carter. “This is a company designed to move the culture.”
The company’s primary focus will be telling stories from the perspective of people of color in America.
“When we talk about storytelling, we want to be able to hit home, to hit a lot of homes where they feel like they can be a part of that story. And they feel like, Oh, you know what? I can relate to that. It’s very organic to our upbringing,” James said
James is outspoken on political issues, especially those related to the NBA and the black community in the United States. He is a supporter of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nfl-veteran-blasts-nfl-courting-kaepernick-were-looking-at-affirmative-action-for-a-marxist">Colin Kaepernick</a>, a black former NFL quarterback who set off a wave of protests by kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner before football games in 2016 and early 2017.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem-0ap3000000691077">said</a> at the time. He has not played for an NFL team since Jan. 1, 2017, after leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 2-14 season.
James has said the NFL should apologize to Kaepernick, “a man who basically sacrificed everything for the better of this world.” James has also alleged that black people are systemically discriminated against through law enforcement and voter suppression.
His outspoken stance on civil rights in the United States has earned him criticism as a hypocrite on matters relating to China. Last year, protests in Hong Kong against the creeping influence of China’s totalitarian government sparked a wave of support for the protesters in the U.S.
Houston Rockets’ General Manager Daryl Morey prompted backlash against the NBA from Chinese authorities when he tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters. James <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lebron-bows-to-communist-china-pro-hong-kong-advocates-not-educated-negative-things-come-with-free-speech">said</a> Morey’s tweet was misinformed and an example of what “can happen when you&#8217;re not thinking about others and you&#8217;re only thinking about yourself.”
James told Bloomberg that the incident with Morey taught him to “keep an open mind.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Lebron James

LeBron Launches New Media Empire With $100M Investment, Intends To ‘Move The Culture’

Colin Kaepernick

LeBron James

FBI Director Chris Wray warned of the extreme national security threat that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses to the United States and highlighted the level of resources that America is devoting to combatting criminal activity in the U.S. that can be traced back to China.
In an interview on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Special Report&#8221; with anchor Bret Baier, Wray said that China was the greatest threat to &#8220;America’s innovation to economic security and to our democratic ideas.&#8221;
&#8220;Just to give you some context for that. Just as we’re sitting here having this conversation – the FBI has over 2,000 active investigations that trace back to the government in China,&#8221; Wray said. &#8220;And that’s – a little more context on that – that’s about a 1300% increase in terms of economic espionage investigations with the Chinese nexus from about a decade ago.&#8221;
&#8220;This is not about the Chinese people or Chinese Americans. This is about the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party,&#8221; Wray said. &#8220;And they are pursuing a campaign of intellectual property thief, economic espionage, cyber intrusions that target businesses – big and small – all across the country and our academic research institutions. And they do it not just through traditional government officials, which they certainly do, but also through what we sometimes call non-traditional collectors, which can be businessmen, high-level scientists, high-level academics – people like that. All of whom are in different ways incentivized to steal American innovation and confidential information to take back to China.&#8221;
Wray said that China is trying to steal information from nearly all types of businesses regardless of size or the industry that they are in.
&#8220;The FBI is opening a new counterintelligence investigation that ties back to China every 10 hours,&#8221; Wray later concluded. &#8220;So you put some of those things – and that’s sort of just the tip of the iceberg.&#8221;
Video and transcript below:
<iframe title="FBI Director Wray: Biggest terrorist threat is &#039;homegrown violent extremists&#039;" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKHVoTfx2jU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<blockquote>BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Director Wray, thanks for being here.
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DIRECTOR OF THE FBI: Thank you.
BAIER: There are a lot of topics we want to talk about and cover here with you. I want to talk about first foreign influence in this country. The Justice Department recently indicted a professor at Harvard for lying about his relationship with the Chinese government. For people who don’t know about China and what they&#8217;re trying to do in the U.S., how much is China doing? How much is China spying in the U.S.?
WRAY: Bret, there’s not a country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to America’s innovation to economic security and to our democratic ideas than China does. Just to give you some context for that. Just as we’re sitting here having this conversation – the FBI has over 2,000 active investigations that trace back to the government in China.
BAIER: 2,000?
WRAY: And that’s – a little more context on that – that’s about a 1300 percent increase in terms of economic espionage investigations with the Chinese nexus from about a decade ago.
BAIER: So how much of that economic espionage – how much is it government espionage?
WRAY: Well that’s the thing that a lot of people don’t really understand about the Chinese government. This is not about the Chinese people or Chinese Americans. This is about the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. And they are pursuing a campaign of intellectual property thief, economic espionage, cyber intrusions that target businesses &#8212; big and small &#8212; all across the country and our academic research institutions. And they do it not just through traditional government officials, which they certainly do, but also through what we sometimes call non-traditional collectors which can be businessmen, high-level scientists, high-level academics – people like that. All of whom are in different ways incentivized to steal American innovation and confidential information to take back to China.
BAIER: So in the 30s and 40s, the Soviet Union, for example, had more than 100 spies in the State Department. Is espionage a real problem in the U.S.? What is China doing on that front?
WRAY: Well traditional espionage is certainly – the old spy versus spy thing is still very much a phenomenon in today’s world. But we’re much more focused in many ways on the economic espionage which targets American businesses and hurts American jobs, American consumers. And it’s everything from Fortune 100 companies to startups. It’s agriculture. It’s high tech. It’s aviation. It’s health care. As I said before, it’s our academic research institutions.
BAIER: Are they taking an interest in elections?
WRAY: They certainly have an interest in influencing our political thought – our policies – to try and shift them in a more friendly, pro-China, pro-Chinese Communist party direction. And so sometimes that gets wrapped up in election issues.
BAIER: Is the FBI in charge of the investigation of the origins of the coronavirus?
WRAY: We certainly have a role in looking into the origins of the coronavirus.
BAIER: Are you getting closer?
WRAY: I would say, at this point, there’s nothing to add to what the intelligence community has already said publicly on that. There’s still insufficient information to really know exactly how the virus emanated from Wuhan.
BAIER: When you say that China’s active – when there is a crisis – for example, the protests after the George Floyd killing &#8212; are you seeing foreign intervention to kind of stir up chaos inside the U.S.?
WRAY: We have certainly seen in the past a variety of foreign adversaries looking to amplify controversy in this country. And they use state media. They use social media. Some of that is through propaganda, some of that&#8217;s through disinformation, some of that&#8217;s through just fake information. And we are looking carefully at the prospect of foreign influence or foreign interference in all of the protests and activities that have occurred over the last few weeks. &#8230;
The sheer volume of the threats that face this country is remarkable. So just to give you a flavor of it. In the past few months alone, our joint terrorism task forces have thwarted potential terrorists attack in Tampa, in New York, in Cleveland, in Kansas City. Then you had COVID come in, right? And we probably got over 400 COVID-19 fraud investigations open. We have probably in the last year something like 1,500 kids that the FBI has recovered or rescued from child sexual exploitation or human trafficking. We talked about China before. The FBI is opening a new counterintelligence investigation that ties back to China every 10 hours. So you put some of those things – and that’s sort of just the tip of the iceberg.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

FBI Director: We’re Opening New Investigations Into China Every 10 Hours, Have Over 2,000 Cases

Christopher Wray

Fox News

CNN&#8217;s Brian Stelter celebrated users of the China-owned TikTok allegedly utilizing the platform to sabotage President Trump&#8217;s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
Citing the photos of empty seats at Trump&#8217;s rally on Saturday, a notable departure from his typically large crowd size, Stelter credited TikTok user Mary Jo Laupp for the lower turnout due to a video she produced urging people to sign up for the rally and then ditch.
<div class="bq_collapsible_wrapper">
&#8220;It seems that one of the other reasons why there were so many empty seats is a no-show protest,&#8221; Stelter said on &#8220;Reliable Sources,&#8221; as <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/nicholas-fondacaro/2020/06/21/stelter-credits-china-owned-app-users-trump-rally-sabotage">reported</a> by Newsbusters. &#8220;A no-show protest. This all started with a video on TikTok created by Mary Jo Laupp, who’s being effectively called a ‘TikTok grandma.’ So, she made a video more than a week ago urging viewers to go to Trump&#8217;s site, sign up to attend the rally, but pointedly not show up at the rally.&#8221;
&#8220;Her video was viewed tens of thousands – hundreds of thousands of times, and then her video led to others, you had younger TikTok users going on posting similar videos, K-Pop fans were on there as well trying to sabotage Trump&#8217;s rally,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And look, it did seem to work to some degree. We don&#8217;t know exactly how well, but Trump&#8217;s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, was out there talking about how many people were signing up. Trump was bragging that there were a million people RSVP&#8217;ing, they were gathering all this data about people they can use for the campaign. But apparently it was a bunch of kids, a bunch of teenagers signing up as a protest.&#8221;
Stelter then invited on Mary Jo Laupp, a.k.a. &#8220;TikTok Grandma,&#8221; who expressed anger that President Trump originally planned to conduct his rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa.
&#8220;I had educated myself on Black Wall Street and understood better why black content creators on various social platforms were really upset and frustrated with the original plan of Juneteenth for the rally in Tulsa,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And I posted a video late Thursday night, the 11th, that was just sort of meant to be a frustrated rant. I had 1,000 followers on TikTok at that point. Most of my videos were seen a couple hundred times, maybe.&#8221;
After Laupp&#8217;s video went viral, which Stelter was noticeably enthusiastic about, hundreds of people started signing up for the rally.
&#8220;All I know is I was at a birthday party for one of my grandkids and my phone started blowing up with friends wanting to make sure I’d seen what was going on, and I hadn’t been paying attention,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;Do you think this is how it&#8217;s going to be from now on, whenever the President holds a rally there&#8217;s going to be this attempt to prank him, to troll him, to trick him?&#8221; Stelter asked.
&#8220;And I don&#8217;t think it was just an issue of pranking him. I think you’ve got a lot kids in the younger generation, 20-year-olds and teens, who are very aware – they&#8217;re much more aware and much more self-educated when it comes to things like black culture,&#8221; she replied.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HkSD1JAvWmQ" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">﻿</iframe>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.
</div>

CNN Heroes &#8211; Red Carpet

Brian Stelter Partially Credits TikTok Users For Sabotaging Trump Rally

Brian Stelter

Donald Trump

President Trump signed legislation on Wednesday to potentially sanction China over human rights abuses regarding its internment of ethnic Uighurs.
Trump signed the bill after former national security adviser John Bolton claimed that the president encouraged Chinese President Xi Jinping to expand the internment camps during bilateral trade negotiations in June 2019. Trump has denied the accusation made in Bolton’s upcoming memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.”
“[Bolton] is a liar,” Mr. Trump told <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/he-is-a-liar-trump-pushes-back-on-bolton-book-11592445879">The Wall Street Journal</a> when asked about the Uighurs, a Turkish minority group in China.
The Wall Street Journal had published an <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-bolton-the-scandal-of-trumps-china-policy-11592419564">excerpt</a> on Bolton’s book on Wednesday afternoon that contained the accusation against Trump:
<blockquote>At the opening dinner of the Osaka G-20 meeting in June 2019, with only interpreters present, Xi had explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang. According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do. The National Security Council’s top Asia staffer, Matthew Pottinger, told me that Trump said something very similar during his November 2017 trip to China.</blockquote>
The Uighur Human Rights Policy Act passed both chambers of Congress unanimously and urges the Trump administration to aggressively push China to close so-called “reeducation” camps and, instead, to provide robust and equal protection of civil rights to the Uighur people. Beijing slammed Trump on Thursday and promised retaliation for signing the bill, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-says-will-retaliate-after-trump-approves-uighur-muslims-sanctions-n1231386">NBC News</a>.
“We again urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its mistakes and stop using this Xinjiang-related law to harm China&#8217;s interests and interfere in China&#8217;s internal affairs,” China&#8217;s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Xinjiang is the region of China where many Uighurs live and more than 1 million are held in camps.
“Otherwise, China will resolutely take countermeasures, and all the consequences arising therefrom must be fully borne by the United States,” the statement continued.
China is systemically <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-who-are-the-uyghurs-and-why-is-the-chinese-government-detaining-them-111843">oppressing</a> Uighurs living in Xinjiang, arresting them, and reportedly placing them in forced-labor camps that often resemble high-security prisons. Many Uighurs reportedly die in the camps from abuse and lack of medical care. The Chinese government has denied accusations concerning the camps, instead claiming that the camps are part of an education program. Accurate information is notoriously hard to get on the camps because of China’s tight controls.
U.S.-China relations were already strained over an ongoing trade war and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The Trump administration has accused the Chinese government of hiding and lying about aspects of the disease in the early weeks of the outbreak, hampering the international response to the virus. The Chinese Communist Party has spread conspiracy theories about the disease’s origin, even suggesting that the U.S. military created the coronavirus and released it in Wuhan.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Menu

China

Report: ESPN Suspends NBA Reporter After ‘F*** You’ Email To Josh Hawley; Hawley Has Another Idea

GOP’s Hawley Rips NBA For Approving Social Justice Messages While Reportedly Excluding Supporting Hong Kong, Law Enforcement. ESPN Reporter Snaps, ‘F*** You’

China Bans Everyone On Earth From Promoting Hong Kong Democracy, Expert Says. China Has Extradition Pacts With Dozens Of Nations.

Hong Kong Expat Says China Is Setting Up ‘Global Fight’ Between ‘Authoritarianism Versus Democracy’

U.S. Considering Ban On TikTok, Other Chinese Apps Over Security Concerns

China Begins Repressive Crackdown On Hong Kong, Removes Books From Libraries That Promote Democracy

U.S. Aircraft Carriers, Strike Fighters Display ‘Unambiguous’ Show Of Force Near China

Case Of Bubonic Plague Found In China, Local Officials Say

U.N. Human Rights Council Overwhelmingly Supports China’s Crackdown On Hong Kong

NBA Commissioner: China Has ‘A Different View,’ We Should ‘Find Mutual Respect’

China Begins Brutal Crackdown Under New Law In Hong Kong, Starts Arresting Those Calling For Freedom

Australia Begins Massive Military Build-Up As Conflict With Communist China Grows Over Pandemic

Dr. Fauci Says Officials Monitoring New Flu Strain In China, But It’s Not An ‘Immediate Threat’

‘Weapon Of Repression’: China Passes Hong Kong National Security Law Cracking Down On Dissent

‘PANDEMIC POTENTIAL’: New Virus That Can Infect Humans Found In China, Report Says

‘Creeping Genocide’: China Is Forcing Abortions And Birth Control On Thousands Of Minorities

LeBron Launches New Media Empire With $100M Investment, Intends To ‘Move The Culture’

FBI Director: We’re Opening New Investigations Into China Every 10 Hours, Have Over 2,000 Cases

Brian Stelter Partially Credits TikTok Users For Sabotaging Trump Rally

Trump Weighs Cracking Down On China Over Uighur Camps; Beijing Promises ‘Consequences’

Menu

China

Report: ESPN Suspends NBA Reporter After ‘F*** You’ Email To Josh Hawley; Hawley Has Another Idea

GOP’s Hawley Rips NBA For Approving Social Justice Messages While Reportedly Excluding Supporting Hong Kong, Law Enforcement. ESPN Reporter Snaps, ‘F*** You’

China Bans Everyone On Earth From Promoting Hong Kong Democracy, Expert Says. China Has Extradition Pacts With Dozens Of Nations.

Hong Kong Expat Says China Is Setting Up ‘Global Fight’ Between ‘Authoritarianism Versus Democracy’

U.S. Considering Ban On TikTok, Other Chinese Apps Over Security Concerns

China Begins Repressive Crackdown On Hong Kong, Removes Books From Libraries That Promote Democracy

U.S. Aircraft Carriers, Strike Fighters Display ‘Unambiguous’ Show Of Force Near China

Case Of Bubonic Plague Found In China, Local Officials Say

U.N. Human Rights Council Overwhelmingly Supports China’s Crackdown On Hong Kong

NBA Commissioner: China Has ‘A Different View,’ We Should ‘Find Mutual Respect’

China Begins Brutal Crackdown Under New Law In Hong Kong, Starts Arresting Those Calling For Freedom

Australia Begins Massive Military Build-Up As Conflict With Communist China Grows Over Pandemic

Dr. Fauci Says Officials Monitoring New Flu Strain In China, But It’s Not An ‘Immediate Threat’

‘Weapon Of Repression’: China Passes Hong Kong National Security Law Cracking Down On Dissent

‘PANDEMIC POTENTIAL’: New Virus That Can Infect Humans Found In China, Report Says

‘Creeping Genocide’: China Is Forcing Abortions And Birth Control On Thousands Of Minorities

LeBron Launches New Media Empire With $100M Investment, Intends To ‘Move The Culture’

FBI Director: We’re Opening New Investigations Into China Every 10 Hours, Have Over 2,000 Cases

Brian Stelter Partially Credits TikTok Users For Sabotaging Trump Rally

Trump Weighs Cracking Down On China Over Uighur Camps; Beijing Promises ‘Consequences’

Don't miss a beat of our coverage.