Russian President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vladimir-putin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vladimir Putin</a> is expected to annex parts of eastern and southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukraine</a> on Friday, claiming that forced referenda across four occupied regions support <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a>’s claim.
Western leaders are scrambling to respond to what many have condemned as a “land grab,” according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/29/putin-russia-annexation-ukraine-00059545">Politico</a>. Putin’s move has raised concerns that Russia is committing itself to long-term conflict with Ukraine, and that a resolution to the war may be much farther off than European and North American leaders were hoping.
Russian state media <a href="https://ria.ru/20220927/referendum-1819941990.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> Tuesday that Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions voted overwhelmingly to break with Ukraine and join Russia. The referendum, which local Ukrainian officials said was coerced by Russian soldiers, took place on September 23-27. The results in each region were strikingly lopsided in favor of Russia: 99% in Donetsk, 98% in Luhansk, 87% in Kherson, and 93% in Zaporizhzhia.
Putin said in a television appearance on Thursday that “the formation of a more just world order is taking place,” according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/29/world/russia-ukraine-war-news#with-annexation-plans-putin-escalates-a-battle-of-wills-with-the-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. He did not directly address the expected annexation, which covers an area of roughly 40,000 square miles.
“Unipolar hegemony is inexorably collapsing,” he said. “This is an objective reality that the West categorically refuses to accept.”
Officials in the U.S. condemned the results of the referendum and Putin’s claim to the regions.
“The Kremlin’s sham referenda are a futile effort to mask what amounts to a further attempt at a land grab in Ukraine. To be clear: the results were orchestrated in Moscow and do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a <a href="https://www.state.gov/russias-sham-referenda-in-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Thursday.
“The United States does not, and will never, recognize the legitimacy or outcome of these sham referenda or Russia’s purported annexation of Ukrainian territory,” he continued. “This spectacle conducted by Russia’s proxies is illegitimate and violates international law. It is an affront to the principles of international peace and security.”
In the U.S. Senate, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced legislation Thursday to block U.S. aid from going to regions “annexed” by Russia.
“We are dealing with Hurricane Putin, for the lack of a better word,” Graham said, according to Politico. “He’s trying to rewrite the map of Europe. He’s trying to do by force of arms what he can’t do by process.”
Blumenthal added: “It is a land grab. It’s a steal. And it is another craven, brazen tactic by Vladimir Putin to test the West’s support for Ukraine and we are having none of it.”
The United States <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2022/Sep/28/2003087045/-1/-1/1/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-SEP-28.PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committed</a> another $1.1 billion in security assistance – including weapons, ammunition, and other war goods – towards Ukraine’s war effort on Wednesday. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, that brings U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February up to about $16.2 billion.
Some national security experts put the amount of security assistance committed much higher: over <a href="https://stephensemler.substack.com/p/how-much-military-aid-has-biden-sent" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$40 billion</a> since August of last year. The wide discrepancy is due to the confusing way in which the funds are pooled together, and a lack of organization in tracking them.
“There is a range of funding sources, including Presidential Drawdown Authority, Foreign Military Financing, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative,” Ari Tolany, U.S. program manager at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, told <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/09/10/ukraine-military-aid-weapons-oversight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Intercept</a> earlier this month. “It’s been tricky to trace what materiel is coming from where.”

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin Set To Claim Wide Swaths Of Ukraine After ‘Sham’ Referenda

Department of Defense

Lindsey Graham

Richard Blumenthal

Russia

Ukraine

A Department of Defense report found that China is exploiting federal programs to steal technology, with the report stating that “China, not the U.S., is the ultimate beneficiary of DoD and other [U. S. Government] research investments,” according to a U.S. senator.
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watchdog-to-probe-irs-after-hundreds-of-employees-failed-to-pay-taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joni Ernst</a> (R-IA), who reviewed the report but said she was not permitted to share it, said Wednesday that American companies receiving taxpayer funding from the Department of Defense and other agencies to develop technology “are recruited by China to continue their work at institutions associated with People’s Liberation Army. The U.S. company is then dissolved and the research and intellectual property paid for U.S. tax dollars is transferred to a subsidiary in China.”
“Just like that, American-made ingenuity is shipped overseas to our leading global adversary … and we, the America taxpayers, are funding it! This isn’t just another case of intellectual property theft.  This ongoing scheme has national and economic security implications according to the Pentagon,” Ernst — who sits on the Senate committees on armed services and small business — said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
In one case, a researcher and co-founders of an American company received four grants to develop space and drone technology. Then they were recruited by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-drones-and-huawei-chinas-triangular-digital-war-on-the-west" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> government, dissolved their American company, and now work for institutions tied to the Communist power&#8217;s defense agency, Ernst said.
Tens of millions of tax dollars in similar grants funded research that ultimately wound up in China&#8217;s hands thanks to &#8220;double-crossing companies,&#8221; she said.
The report said the grantees were exploiting the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, according to Ernst. The senator introduced a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4900" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> to modify the programs that passed the Senate unanimously, and is slated to be taken up by the House this week.
The bill ties a reauthorization of finding for the two programs to a requirement that agencies involved conduct a risk assessment of grant applicants to detect ties to China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, &#8220;or any other country determined to be a country of concern by the Secretary of State.&#8221; It also requires funding applicants to disclose &#8220;individuals of the small business concern who are a party to any foreign talent recruitment program of any foreign country of concern, including the People’s Republic of China.&#8221;
“This has to stop right now,” Ernst said.
China has taken numerous steps to infiltrate the U.S. brain trust, at times with unwitting assistance from Americans. More than 100 U.S. universities <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-universities-fail-to-disclose-donations-from-chinese-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed to disclose</a> donations from China, despite requirements. In 2019, Senate Republicans published a detailed investigation of how China used so-called <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/28/china-universities-propaganda/">Confucius Institutes</a> within U.S. colleges to cultivate relationships and push government propaganda, while denying the U.S. the ability to do similar on Chinese campuses.
In October 2019, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who would later be nominated by President Joe Biden as ambassador to the United Nations, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-u-n-ambassador-nominee-praised-chinas-success-in-africa-at-ccp-funded-institute-got-paid-1500-reports">paid</a> to speak an event in honor of Savannah State University&#8217;s Confucius Institute, and praised China in her speech. Soon after taking office, President Biden reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-drops-plan-to-track-chinese-communist-influence-in-american-schools-report">cancelled</a> a plan to more closely track Confucius Institutes.

China Marks 100th Anniversary Of The Communist Party

Military Report Says China Is Stealing Federally-Funded Technology Research, According To U.S. Senator

Military Report Shows That China Is Stealing Federally-Funded Technology Research

China

Foreign Policy

Iran

Joni Ernst

Military

Technology

U.S. Senate

A two-star general’s retirement has reportedly been placed on hold as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-military">military</a> investigates him over his social media conduct.
Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe is under administrative review by the U.S. Army. He previously served as commanding general of the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, but he has since been reassigned as his review plays out, according to the <a href="https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/09/19/ex-fort-benning-commanders-retirement-halted-over-tweets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Army Times</a>.
Donahoe “has been temporarily assigned as a special assistant to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command pending appropriate Department of the Army administrative reviews,” Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said.
A source familiar told the Army Times that Donahoe is under review for his social media conduct. It is not clear if Donahoe would be disciplined, or what discipline might come down should the review process find him guilty of some infraction.
Donahoe is well-known for his presence on Twitter. In 2019, the <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/2019/10/14/military-members-you-should-be-following-on-twitter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Military Times</a> ranked him number one on a list of “top service members to follow” on the platform.
“All soldiers are leaders and the good ones stay informed with the broader world events that could determine their future. Brig. Gen. Donahoe is one of the real OGs on twitter giving soldiers a hint on how a top military leader thinks. And if leaders learn from example, you can’t go wrong by following his,” the outlet wrote at the time of his Twitter usage.
Donahoe currently has over 23,000 followers on Twitter. His account has been made private and his tweets are protected against public viewing.
Donahoe kicked off a series of media stories and criticism against him after he used his personal Twitter account to mock a retired Marine who publicly disagreed with Donahoe’s views on the COVID-19 vaccine.
In July 2021, Donahoe <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/retired-marine-woke-fort-benning-commanding-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he would make the vaccine mandatory if he had the authority, citing a surge in ICU visits by young soldiers. Former Marine Josiah Lippincott responded to Donahoe, pointing out that the military had lost a total of 26 servicemembers to COVID-19 out of 2 million. After some back-and-forth, Donahoe responded by tagging Lippincott’s alma mater, Hillsdale College, and telling it to “come get your boy.”
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 <a href="https://t.co/k4WlL62BCm">pic.twitter.com/k4WlL62BCm</a>
&mdash; Ducky ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (@thatjerkme) <a href="https://twitter.com/thatjerkme/status/1572003938823438338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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That incident is reportedly not the subject of the ongoing review, though it is unclear what the review is focusing on specifically. Donahoe has been involved in several social media-related controversies in recent months, including criticizing Fox News host Tucker Carlson after he accusing President Joe Biden of “feminizing” the military, the Army Times reported.

Pentagon

Two-Star General, Tucker Carlson Critic Under Military Review Over Tweets: Report

Tucker Carlson

U.S. Army

The current chief “diversity, equity and inclusion” officer at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-defense">Department of Defense</a>&#8216;s Education Activity office, who supervises the education of the children of Pentagon employees and overseas military members, issued a series of social posts disparaging white people.
Kelisa Wing was promoted to her current position in December 2021. Director Thomas Brady, in announcing the promotion to a position created for her, enthused, “Kelisa Wing is exactly the right person to lead our efforts in building on the foundational work done to support meaningful change in our organization.”
“This new position will take a holistic approach to identifying and improving how we integrate the practice of diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of DoDEA, from curriculum and assessment to hiring and professional development,” he added.
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&#39;Woke&#39; Department of Defense equity chief has history of anti-white Twitter posts: report <a href="https://t.co/Ew7efQfeA0">https://t.co/Ew7efQfeA0</a> <a href="https://t.co/IE7a5fX2o6">pic.twitter.com/IE7a5fX2o6</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1569854657756897284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Kelisa Wing tweeted in June 2020, “I’m exhausted with these white folx in these [professional development] sessions,” as <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/woke-department-defense-equity-chief-writes-anti-white-posts-exhausted-white-folx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> reported.
Using the term CAUdacity, which refers to audacity from white people, she also tweeted, “[T]his lady actually had the CAUdacity to say that black people can be racist too … I had to stop the session and give Karen the BUSINESS … [W]e are not the majority, we don’t have power.”
Answering another tweet, she took aim at white people once again, writing, “If another Karen tells me about her feelings… I might lose it&#8230;”
At the end of May 2020, Wing <a href="https://www.edpost.com/stories/teachers-must-hold-themselves-accountable-for-dismantling-racial-oppression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, “Racism is ingrained in the very fabric of our country.”
On Friday, Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, Public Affairs Officer at Office of the Secretary of Defense, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/department-defense-reviewing-equity-chief-disparaging-posts-white-people-exposed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a statement </a>saying, “We are aware of news reports concerning an official at DoDEA.”
“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in… [DoDEA] are an important part of building and sustaining an organizational culture where all students, educators, and staff are valued and respected,” she continued. “Our focus remains on ensuring military-connected students, their families, and our employees have equitable access to opportunities and resources that support student achievement and readiness for college and careers.”
Wing has authored books for children including titles such as “What Is White Privilege,” “ What Is Anti-Racism?” and “What Does it Mean To Defund the Police?” The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11227333/Pentagon-launches-probe-woke-female-diversity-officer-disparaging-tweets-white-people.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
“White Privilege” contains sentences including, “If you are White you might feel bad about hurting others or you might feel afraid to lose this privilege.” It also encourages white children to wonder if they will “really feel good at the end of the race when you look back and see others fighting obstacles that you didn&#8217;t even have?’
“What is Anti-Racism?” asserts that the word “race” stems from  Italian or Hebrew, The Daily Mail noted, pointing out that Biblical Hebrew has no such word.

Take note of this

Defense Department Official In Charge Of Educating Children Issued Tweets Mocking White People

Racism

Whiteness

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-veterans-affairs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Veterans Affairs</a> (VA) is undercounting the number of former military service members who are dying to suicide and self-harm, a new study by a veterans group finds.
America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) worked with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/university-of-alabama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Alabama</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/duke-university" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Duke University</a> to gather the death data on veterans across eight states: Alabama, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, and Oregon. After reviewing the data, AWP’s findings suggest that veterans were dying to suicide and self-harm “1.37 times [more] than reported by the VA from 2014-2018.”
“It’s devastating,” America’s Warrior Partnership President Jim Lorraine, a 22-year veteran of the Air Force, told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/veterans-died-suicide-va-previously-reported-new-study-shows-rcna48092" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>. “I’m not only a veteran myself. My son serves, my son-in-law serves. My wife is a vet. I know a lot of veterans who have died from suicide.”
Much of the disparity is likely due to data collection errors by officials recording the deaths of former service members. “States undercounted [former service member (FSM)] status 18% of the time and counted non-FSMs as FSMs 7% of the time” leading to a “combined error rate of 25%,” the <a href="https://e55c5558-502f-457d-8a07-a49806f5ff14.usrfiles.com/ugd/e55c55_3e4c6bae16a945bbb8dbfa36739af2df.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> says.
AWP used demographic data to identify some groups of veterans who are most at risk of suicide and death by self-harm.
“FSMs from the Coast Guard were most likely to die from suicide/SIM, followed by Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and Air Force,” the study says. “Receiving a demotion during military service increased the FSM’s odds of dying by suicide/SIM by 56%.”
The length of service may also matter. “The longer someone has served in the military, the lower their probability of taking their own life is 2% for every year served,” the study says “Those who served in the military for less than three years were at greatest risk for suicide/SIM.”
The VA defended its reporting on veteran suicides in a statement to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/veterans-committing-suicide-rate-2-times-higher-va-data-shows-study" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
“Our methodology for creating this report is well-established and consistent, based on verified data from the CDC and DoD, and meets the quality and standards of a peer-reviewed publication,” the VA said in a statement. “In the interest of full transparency, we release yearly reports detailing how we come to the conclusions in the Annual Suicide Prevention Report.  The bottom line is this: One Veteran suicide is one too many, and VA will continue to accurately measure Veteran suicide so we can end Veteran suicide.”
Lorraine blamed the discrepancy in data collection at the county level, not on the VA, according to <a href="https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2022-09-17/veteran-suicide-rate-study-7363791.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stars and Stripes</a>.
“The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.”

Arlington Cemetery

Study Finds Veteran Suicide 1.37-Times Greater Than VA Reports

Department of Veterans Affairs

Suicide

Over a dozen former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-defense">Defense</a> secretaries and Joint Chiefs chairmen signed a letter warning of a “challenging civil-military environment” days after President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> delivered a polarizing political speech with two marines in the backdrop.
The <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2022/09/to-support-and-defend-principles-of-civilian-control-and-best-practices-of-civil-military-relations/">open letter</a> was published Tuesday on the national security website War On The Rocks. Eight former secretaries of Defense and five former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff signed onto the letter.
“We are in an exceptionally challenging civil-military environment. Many of the factors that shape civil-military relations have undergone extreme strain in recent years,” the letter begins, citing the “winding down” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last year was defined by chaos and bloodshed as 13 U.S. service members died in a terror attack in the war’s final days.
The letter also cites strains from the “pandemic and the economic dislocations.” It said military professionals have experienced an “extremely adverse environment characterized by the divisiveness of affective polarization” that culminated in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The letter then outlines 16 “core principles and best practices” to be observed by military and civilian leaders to protect the integrity of the military from politicization and controversy. The letter comes five days after Biden stirred such a controversy by featuring two U.S. marines in the backdrop of a political speech in which he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-demonizes-millions-of-americans-while-calling-for-unity">declared</a>: “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
While plenty of critics blasted Biden’s language, many others took note of the conspicuous placement of the marines in the background. Presidents typically refrain from using the U.S. military as props when making political speeches, and the presence of the marines gave Biden’s speech an ominous undertone.
“The message to other military personnel, particularly other Marines, is that support for the president’s opponents is considered a threat to the constitutional Republic,” <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/02/no-way-biden-shouldve-used-marines-as-props-for-his-hyper-political-speech/">wrote</a> Jonathan Turley, a law professor at the George Washington University Law School.
The military leaders’ open letter appeared to address such a controversy as the U.S. military appearing to be part of a political event. It also noted that military rules expressly forbid certain political activities by service members.
“There are significant limits on the public role of military personnel in partisan politics, as outlined in longstanding Defense Department policy and regulations. Members of the military accept limits on the public expression of their private views — limits that would be unconstitutional if imposed on other citizens. Military and civilian leaders must be diligent about keeping the military separate from partisan political activity,” the letter states.
The letter was signed by former Defense secretaries Dr. Ashton Baldwin Carter, William Sebastian Cohen, Dr. Mark Thomas Esper, Dr. Robert Michael Gates, Charles Timothy Hagel, James Norman Mattis, Leon Edward Panetta, and Dr. William James Perry, and joined by former Joint Chiefs chairmen Gen. Martin Edward Dempsey, Gen. Joseph Francis Dunford Jr., Adm. Michael Glenn Mullen, Gen. Richard Bowman Myers, and Gen. Peter Pace.

Joe Biden

Former Military Leaders Warn Of Politicized ‘Civil-Military Environment’ Following Biden Speech

Biden Administration

Marines

U.S. Military

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> will begin offering &#8220;abortion counseling&#8221; and, in some cases, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/abortion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abortions</a> to veterans through Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals — regardless of state law — in a move aimed at the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the VA said Friday.
The rule says some state laws are &#8220;laws not founded in science or based on evidence,&#8221; and asserts that &#8220;State and local laws and regulations that would prevent VA health care professionals from providing needed abortion-related care, as permitted by this rule, are preempted.&#8221; In a statement, it <a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5820" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;VA is taking steps to guarantee Veterans and other VA beneficiaries abortion-related care anywhere in the country.&#8221;
Since 1999, the VA has been banned from providing abortion or abortion counseling. The interim rule will become effective immediately, even though it has not completed the public-comment process, it said.
&#8220;As abortion bans come into force across the country, veterans in many States are no longer assured access to abortion services in their communities, even when those services are needed,&#8221; the rule says. &#8220;Unless VA removes its existing prohibitions on abortion-related care and makes clear that needed abortion-related care is authorized, these veterans will face serious threats to their life and health.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.womenshealth.va.gov/WOMENSHEALTH/docs/AR57-IF-Reg-to-FR-Reproductive-Health-Services.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rule</a> spends much of its 40 pages making a complicated legal argument that the Department does not need Congress&#8217;s authority to begin offering abortions. It also says the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal dollars from funding abortions, only applies to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
The rule says that abortion counseling will be provided in all cases, and that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/full-on-battle-mode-conservative-leaders-put-walmart-on-notice-for-promising-to-pay-for-abortions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abortions</a> will be provided only in certain circumstances, like where the &#8220;health&#8221; of the mother is jeopardized or the pregnancy is the result of rape.
However, the &#8220;rape and incest&#8221; terms will be broadly defined and enforced. &#8220;We are not requiring a veteran to present particular evidence such as a police report to qualify for this care,&#8221; it said.
The same goes for what constitutes impacting a woman&#8217;s health. &#8220;Individuals at risk of pregnancy complications who do not have access to contraception or abortion may experience conditions resulting from pregnancies that can leave them at risk for loss of future fertility,&#8221; the rule says. It also cites other conditions like preeclampsia and cardiac disease. &#8220;Assessment of the conditions, injuries, illness, or diseases that will qualify for this care will be made by appropriate health care professionals on a case-by-case basis,&#8221; it says.
Part of its justification for why it has the authority to make the change is that providing an exception for when the health of a mother could be impacted is &#8220;similar&#8221; to providing an exception for when her life is in danger, which is the standard for Department of Defense (DOD) care to active-duty military. It says VA health care must be &#8220;similar&#8221; to the DOD, which is not the same is &#8220;identical.&#8221;
The Department will also use federal funds to pay for veterans to get abortions elsewhere. &#8220;VA will pay for abortions from providers in the community, where available, in cases where the life or health of the Veteran is endangered if the pregnancy were carried to term, or in the case of pregnancy resulting from an act of rape or incest,&#8221; the Department <a href="https://www.womenshealth.va.gov/WOMENSHEALTH/topics/reproductive-health.asp">said</a>.
“We came to this decision after listening to VA health care providers and Veterans across the country, who sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions are creating a medical emergency for those we serve. Offering this care will save Veterans’ health and lives, and there is nothing more important than that,” Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA’s Under Secretary for Health, said in a statement.
According to the rule, &#8220;Abortion counseling has three purposes: (1) to aid a pregnant individual in making a decision about an unwanted pregnancy, (2) to help the pregnant individual implement the decision, and (3) to assist the pregnant individual in controlling their future fertility.&#8221;

Department Of Veterans Affairs To Begin Offering Abortions To Vets, Even In States Where It Is Banned

Abortion

Dobbs

House Republicans, angry that tens of thousands of National Guardsmen have reputedly been kept inactive because they have not complied with the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate, fired off a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding he repeal the mandate.
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), the first Green Beret elected to Congress, wrote the letter, which was signed by 13 other Republican members of Congress. “National Guard troops who have not received two COVID-19 vaccine doses by June 30, 2022 are under threat of, or actively being barred from, federally-funded deployments and receiving pay, according to the Pentagon’s late 2021 vaccine order,” The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11165491/House-Republicans-Pentagon-Lloyd-Austin-National-Guard-vaccine-mandate.html">pointed out</a>.
Citing the updated guidance released by the CDC on August 11 which acknowledged greater immunity to COVID among the general public, Waltz wrote, “Why not also reduce the strain on our already faltering military recruitment and retention efforts by taking this new data into consideration, as the CDC has in their new guidance, and revise the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate?”
“Approximately 45,000 National Guardsmen are unable to participate in crucial training in support of their federal missions due to a vaccine mandate that does not slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Waltz charged, adding, “All of this is happening with the backdrop of a recruiting and retention crisis the military services have not seen in decades.”
“Our military has been crippled by the restrictive COVID-19 policies that the Department of Defense under the Biden administration have implemented,” Waltz told The Daily Mail. “At a time when our adversaries, including China, are rapidly expanding and modernizing their militaries, why would the Department of Defense continue to implement a policy that decreases military recruitment, retention, and readiness?”
In January, Austin sent a letter to the governors of Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming. He <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/02/01/pentagon-vaccine-mandate-lloyd-austin-texas">wrote</a>, “To ensure that we maintain a healthy and ready military force capable of accomplishing our mission to defend this nation and to protect the American people, vaccination against COVID-19 is an essential military readiness requirement.”
The governors of Texas and Alaska had filed suit challenging the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate for the National Guard, arguing that the federal government had no authority over them. “There has long been a clear and distinct line between when National Guardsmen are governed by state authority and when they are governed by federal authority. When National Guardsmen are serving the State, the federal government has no command authority,” the lawsuit <a href="https://gov.alaska.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022.01.25-Govs.-Dunleavy-Abbott-NG-lawsuit.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>.

Bipartisan Representatives Discuss Need To Protect Afghan Partners During War Withdrawal

GOP Reps Demand Biden’s Sec Def Revoke Vaccine Mandate For National Guard

Lloyd Austin

National Guard

Vaccine Mandate

One year after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan left the country in the hands of the Taliban and left vast quantities of military equipment behind, China and Russia are now cultivating ties with the country, according to a new government report.
That means the White House’s military retreat has empowered Russia even as President Joe Biden steers billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine to use against <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/was-biden-calling-for-regime-change-in-russia-after-sunday-mass-the-president-tells-reporters-no">Vladimir Putin</a>, who he said &#8220;cannot remain in power.&#8221;
“Russia is probably providing aid to the Taliban in an effort to further develop relations and persuade decision-makers in Kabul to address Moscow’s security concerns,” a joint DHS, DOS, and USAID <a href="https://www.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/oig-reports/DoD/LEAD-INSPECTOR-GENERAL-OPERATION-FREEDOM%E2%80%99S-SENTINEL-AND-OPERATION-ENDURING-SENTINEL-APRIL-1-2022-%E2%80%93.PDF">Inspector General report</a> said, noting that Russia has, for example, donated 17 tons of medical aid to the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense.
Afghanistan has long served as a chess piece in games between Washington and Moscow. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to back a Communist government there. It took control of much of the country for a decade, a <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1977-1980/soviet-invasion-afghanistan">major event</a> of the Cold War.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-family-sought-to-make-money-by-giving-china-preferential-access-to-us-energy">China</a> made the decision to accept diplomatic credentials of Taliban reps and permit them to operate the Afghan Embassy in Beijing, likely out of a desire to “gain influence with the Taliban,” the report said. Citing the Department of State, it said China wants to connect Afghanistan to China with a railroad “and is also concerned about Afghanistan harboring terrorists and Chinese separatists. In its effort to deepen relations with the Taliban, the PRC government has promoted business opportunities in Afghanistan to PRC businesses, including in the natural resources sector.&#8221; It added that China “openly provided humanitarian aid directly to the Taliban.”
It said the U.S. has provided more than $567 million in humanitarian assistance to independent organizations — not the Taliban — but the efficacy of that money is restricted by Taliban orders. Even as it fights over access to $3.5 billion in its central bank, it has doled out “punitive measures” to NGOs pouring assistance into the country, and at least four aid workers were detained on allegations of corruption when their organizations resisted Taliban restrictions, it said.
&#8220;The Taliban earlier this year revived a policy framework from the Ghani administration called the &#8216;Monitoring and Control Plan of NGOs.&#8217; If implemented fully, the plan would essentially turn NGOs into quasi-government agencies, allowing the Taliban to review and approve their activities, according to a draft of the plan,&#8221; it continued.
The Taliban has discouraged programs meant to deter violence against women, and has demanded that female international aid workers be accompanied by a male chaperone, making it difficult to staff the roles and requiring them &#8221; to budget for travel, daily living expenses, and accommodations for male chaperones to accompany female staff members to training, workshops, and project site visits.&#8221;
It also reviews all health-related educational materials, demanding that they do not portray women without their faces and bodies covered, it said.
Meanwhile, the Taliban is now in control of billions of dollars in U.S. defense equipment abandoned by U.S. forces.
Since 2005, the U.S. spent nearly $19 billion on weapons and equipment for Afghanistan military forces, and much $7 billion worth left there after the withdrawal now remains in the Taliban’s hands, the report said. That includes some $4 billion worth of tactical vehicles like Humvees and MRAPs, nearly a billion dollars of aircraft, and roughly 316,000 weapons worth $500 million.
The Taliban that currently controls Afghanistan is little different than the one Americans came to know decades ago. The report cited “little discernible change in the behavior of the Taliban’s members, many of whom were part of the Taliban movement that was deposed in 2001.”
Biden followed up the withdrawal by bringing Afghan refugees into the U.S., adding pressure to a country already reeling from illegal immigration on the southern border.
One serviceman who was stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, which held some 10,000 migrants, told The Daily Wire that the State Department forbid guards from calling the Afghans anything but &#8220;guests,&#8221; because calling them refugees was viewed as insulting.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he is still active duty, he said that he was struck by the fact that even though the media and politicians advertised the group as being primarily interpreters who had helped U.S. forces, &#8220;the actual percent who spoke English was negligible. Essentially none.&#8221;
He also said that most of them were men who had fled and abandoned their wives and children in an area they claimed was too dangerous for them. &#8220;It doesn’t give you a good feeling about people joining America when the one thing you know is you left your wife behind, especially in a male-dominated society where that’s going to leave her in a pretty bad situation,&#8221; he said.
He said that even though the thousands of migrants had nothing but free time, no time was spent teaching them English or about American civics, nor figuring out what skills they had that could lend themselves to careers in the country.
This is Part 3 of a Daily Wire series examining the aftermath of one of the Biden administration’s most notorious disasters, which occurred one year ago this month.
Part 1: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-allowing-former-taliban-employees-to-migrate-to-u-s-under-refugee-program-billed-as-for-interpreters">U.S. Allowing Former Taliban Employees To Migrate To U.S. Under Refugee Program Billed As For ‘Interpreters’</a>
Part 2: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/military-base-housing-afghan-refugees-became-covered-in-feces-and-displaced-u-s-soldiers-employee-says">Military Base Housing Afghan Refugees Became Covered In Feces And Displaced U.S. Soldiers, Employee Says</a>

U.S. And Afghan Forces Battle Taliban In Kunar Province

China And Russia Now Working With Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan One Year After U.S. Withdrawal

One Year After U.S. Withdrawal, China And Russia Now Working With Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Migrants

Refugees

The Biden administration program to bring Afghan refugees to the U.S. was popularly marketed as being for interpreters who had helped American forces, but the program was later expanded to explicitly permit former Taliban employees, according to a new government report.
In June, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State announced “new exemptions” including for “individuals who worked as civil servants under the Taliban” and “individuals who provided only certain limited material support to the Taliban or other designated terrorist organizations,” according to a new joint DHS, DOS, and USAID <a href="https://www.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/oig-reports/DoD/LEAD-INSPECTOR-GENERAL-OPERATION-FREEDOM%E2%80%99S-SENTINEL-AND-OPERATION-ENDURING-SENTINEL-APRIL-1-2022-%E2%80%93.PDF">Inspector General report</a> that cited correspondence with the Department of State.
A <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/06/14/dhs-and-dos-announce-exemptions-allowing-eligible-afghans-qualify-protection-and">statement</a> from DHS that month said that the change will &#8220;ensure that individuals who have lived under Taliban rule, such as former civil servants, those required to pay service fees to the Taliban to do things like pass through a checkpoint or obtain a passport, and those who fought against the Taliban are not mistakenly barred because of overly broad applications of terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG) in our immigration law.&#8221;
&#8220;The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, exercised their congressionally provided discretionary authority to create three new exemptions, which can be applied on a case-by-case basis,&#8221; it said.
&#8220;This exemption does not include individuals who held high-level positions, worked for certain ministries, or directly assisted violent Taliban activities or activities in which the individual’s civil service was motivated by an allegiance to the Taliban,&#8221; it added.
A Department of State spokesperson told The Daily Wire that &#8220;The Afghan applicants this action is meant to protect include, but are not limited to, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, allies of the U.S. government, and others unable to avoid interacting with the Taliban or other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan. It is important to note that this is not an automatic exemption, but rather may be applied after a careful review on a case-by-case basis.&#8221;
The Taliban is still largely the same entity that entered the consciousness of Americans not long after September 11, 2001. The inspector general audit reported “little discernible change in the behavior of the Taliban’s members, many of whom were part of the Taliban movement that was deposed in 2001. During the quarter, the Taliban likely appointed no new Haqqani Network-affiliated officials to senior positions within its interim government, according to the DIA. As of June, Haqqani Network affiliated individuals, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, and Haji Mali Khan, maintained their existing positions in the Taliban’s interim government. The Haqqani Network is a DoS-designated foreign terrorist organization that is closely affiliated with the Taliban.&#8221;
Not long after the U.S. effort in Afghanistan ended in spectacular collapse one year ago, critics raised eyebrows about whether the tens of thousands being brought in amidst chaos could all be &#8220;interpreters, drivers and others who worked with American forces, as well as their family members,&#8221; as the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/us/politics/afghan-visa-applicants-army-base-virginia.html">described</a> an initial group of would-be asylees.
Between August 17 and August 31, 2021, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/small-fraction-america-s-afghan-allies-made-it-out-afghanistan-n1278141">23,000 Afghans</a> described as &#8220;allies and family members&#8221; were brought to the U.S., but as of October 2021, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/578095-nearly-200-americans-want-to-leave-afghanistan-state-department-tells/">hundreds of Americans</a> were still stranded in Afghanistan, according to the State Department.
More than 4,300 Afghan refugees passed through a Loudoun County, Virginia, site <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-to-dump-up-to-1000-afghan-refugees-next-to-loudoun-high-school">next to a high school</a>. Loudoun <a href="https://www.loudoun.gov/5691/Operation-Allies-Welcome-Safe-Haven-Faci">described</a> the group as including &#8220;interpreters&#8221; &#8212; yet the facility also said it was <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/afganistan-refugees-taliban-war-united-states-loudoun-county-virginia-families-kids-adults-parents-immigration-home-national-conference-center-operation-allies-welcome-joe-biden-foreign-aid">teaching them English</a>, and the sheriff said only 30% spoke the language.
The group has continued to be characterized by its most-sympathetic subcomponent, with <a href="https://thedispatch.com/p/a-year-after-afghanistan-fell-to">The Dispatch</a> this month referring to the asylum-seekers as including “translators and other allies who assisted American and coalition troops.&#8221;
Even if the program had been limited to &#8220;interpreters,&#8221; the report also suggests problems with the vetting of that category. It says that the government in recent years had &#8220;identified a fraud scheme related to a $1.4 billion DoD contract to provide interpreters and translators supporting U.S. and coalition military operations in Afghanistan.&#8221; A D.C. judge sentenced one such employee to one year of probation and a $100 fine, while a judge dismissed other cases — which involved having fluent people stand in for applicants in order to fake the results of language tests — for a procedural reason.
By February 2022, at least four Afghan refugees had been accused of sexual assault in the U.S, according to <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/02/model-afghan-refugee-sexually-assaulted-woman-who-daniel-greenfield/">Front Page Magazine</a>. One was <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/2022/01/afghan-refugee-who-sexually-assaulted-3-year-old-daniel-greenfield/">convicted</a> of sexually assaulting a three-year-old child at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
In October 2021, the New York Times published an inspiring portrait of the hero interpreters being evacuated. Chief among them was Matiullah Matie, who the Times pictured and documented coming to America with his six children. Matie was presumably among the most heavily-vetted translators, serving as a &#8220;fixer&#8221; for Lt. General Lawrence Nicholson, according to the Times.
“Reached Philadelphia airport safely thanks to my American brothers and sisters who helped me,” it quoted Matie as saying. Matie was settled in Wisconsin on December 29, 2021.
By February 2, Wausau Police said &#8220;a victim reported she was assaulted by Matie while in a vehicle on Wausau’s northeast side. The victim was identified as an acquaintance and was assisting Matie and his family in refugee resettlement. Court documents state Matie forcibly kissed the woman and inappropriately touched her,&#8221; according to local news outlet WSAW, which had previously profiled him positively.
In July, the charges against Matie were <a href="https://www.wsaw.com/2022/07/19/charge-dismissed-against-wausau-afghan-refugee/">dropped</a>.
This week, Dawood Nazim Shah, who was resettled to Brattleboro, Vermont, in January 2022, was recently charged with attempted sexual assault after allegedly luring a woman to his home, grabbing her breasts, and forcing himself on top of her.
Refugee advocates pushed for him to be released from jail, calling him a &#8220;kind and gentle person,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://www.reformer.com/local-news/refugee-charged-with-attempted-sexual-assault/article_1fd85f1c-1a6f-11ed-8dde-7f06db41b69c.html">local news</a>.
The news said he had &#8220;very limited knowledge of English,&#8221; making it unlikely that he was an interpreter.
This is Part 1 of a series examining the Afghanistan withdrawal one year later. Part 2 is here: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/military-base-housing-afghan-refugees-became-covered-in-feces-and-displaced-u-s-soldiers-employee-says">Military Base Housing Afghan Refugees Became Covered In Feces And Displaced U.S. Soldiers, Employee Says</a>
&nbsp;

AFGHANISTAN-TALIBAN-ECONOMY

U.S. Allowing Former Taliban Employees To Migrate To U.S. Under Refugee Program Billed As For ‘Interpreters’

U.S. Intentionally Permitted Taliban Officials To Migrate To U.S. Under Refugee Program Billed As For 'Interpreters'

Crime

Immigration

Merrick Garland

A U.S. Department of Defense agency responsible for developing technologies for the military is proposing a program to militate against cold-weather effects suffered by soldiers in freezing environments.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced on Monday the Ice Control for cold Environments (ICE) program.
“The best performing molecules identified during the discovery phase will subsequently be formulated to develop novel materials with enhanced operational performance, tailored to mitigate extreme cold weather challenges for specific DoD applications, and tested based on stakeholder needs and priorities,” the <a href="applewebdata://C8C8D647-18A5-4CA9-B90A-CEB4631A9CA8/The%20best%20performing%20molecules%20identified%20during%20the%20discovery%20phase%20will%20subsequently%20be%20formulated%20to%20develop%20novel%20materials%20with%20enhanced%20operational%20performance,%20tailored%20to%20mitigate%20extreme%20cold%20weather%20challenges%20for%20specific%20DoD%20applications,%20and%20tested%20based%20on%20stakeholder%20needs%20and%20priorities.">description</a> of the program asserted.
The program is “soliciting innovative research proposals to investigate the physical properties of ice crystals for the development of new solutions to protect warfighters and infrastructure and enhance operational capabilities in extreme cold weather (ECW) environments,” the PDF of the announcement stated.
The announcement cited “the warming of the arctic” permitting “access to new trade routes,” adding that such access “necessitated an expanded operational area where the U.S. military must counter peer adversaries seeking to exploit emerging theaters in ECW areas.”
“Significant physiological and material barriers exist to establishing and maintaining a force capable of sustained operations in ice-prone environments,” the announcement acknowledged. “Many of these challenges are a consequence of the physical properties of ice such as ice crystal formation, recrystallization, and propagation, as well as the impact these phenomena have on the surrounding operational environment and force readiness.”
The announcement pointed out the manifold uses of such a panacea: “Ice control capabilities could include, but are not limited to, the prevention of frostbite injuries, reduction of ice accretion on vehicles, vessels, and aircraft, decreased damage to infrastructure, maintaining aqueous solutions (potable water, medicines), solving transportation and logistics challenges (ice bridges, roads, runways), and enabling field operations.”
Some of the technological advances in other fields that the program hopes to take advantage of include “ice-binding proteins, pigments capable of absorption of defined wavelengths of light and radiative heat transfer to selectively melt snow versus ice,  cryoprotective polysaccharides (bacteria, algae, insects, and plants); and  small molecule cryoprotectants and eutectic mixtures (animals, insects, and plants).”
The first phase of the program is expected to last 18 months, the second phase 12 months.

WWII US Army Combat Soldiers Scrambling Forward After Enemy Attack

DOD Announces Program To Find Solutions For Soldiers In Freezing Cold Temperatures

Cold

Soldiers

U.S. Navy officials said Monday that warships would continue sailing through the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/taiwan">Taiwan</a> Strait in the coming days despite the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china">Chinese</a> Communist Party conducting several missile exercises around the island after the recent visit from U.S. House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nancy-pelosi">Nancy Pelosi</a>. 
The U.S. Naval Institute <a href="https://news.usni.org/2022/08/08/u-s-will-continue-taiwan-strait-transits-fonops-in-western-pacific-despite-growing-tension-with-china">reports</a> that the military would conduct &#8220;freedom of navigation operations&#8221; in the Indo-Pacific waters. Such visits recognize international law, allowing vessels to pass through foreign states safely. 
&#8220;We will continue to stand by our allies and partners,&#8221; Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, told reporters at a <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3120707/usd-policy-dr-kahl-press-conference/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press conference</a> Monday. &#8220;So even as China tries to kind of chip away at the status quo, our policy is to maintain the status quo of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which frankly is what I think most of the countries in the region would prefer.&#8221;
&#8220;Our policy hasn&#8217;t changed,&#8221; Kahl said. &#8220;We have a One China policy,&#8221; adding the U.S. has a commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with capabilities to defend itself, which includes the U.S. having capabilities &#8220;to preclude the use of violence to force a change in the status quo across the Strait.&#8221;
China&#8217;s communist officials view the self-governed democratic island as its territory and have said they would take it by force if necessary.
Taiwan, where 23 million people call home just 80 miles off the coast of China, has faced a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-launching-targeted-military-operations-encircling-taiwan-after-pelosi-lands-on-island">series of drills</a> after Pelosi&#8217;s trip caused tension between Beijing and Washington. China opposed the visit from the Speaker of the House and has continued flexing its military power through drills, sending several warships near the country. 
Taiwan officials condemned the &#8220;irrational action that has jeopardized regional peace.&#8221;
Yet Kahl said Pelosi&#8217;s visit hasn&#8217;t changed &#8220;one iota&#8221; of the U.S. government&#8217;s policy toward China or Taiwan.
&#8220;Legislatures from around the world go to Taiwan,&#8221; Kahl said. &#8220;Our Congress is an independent body of our government.&#8221;
&#8220;Clearly the PRC is trying to coerce Taiwan,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Clearly, they&#8217;re trying to coerce the international community, and all I&#8217;ll say is we&#8217;re not going to take the bait and it&#8217;s not going to work.&#8221;
&#8220;So it&#8217;s a manufactured crisis. That doesn&#8217;t mean we have to play into that,&#8221; Kahl added.
Currently, the military has stationed the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and the USS Tripoli assault ship in the Philippine Sea, according to <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://news.usni.org/2022/08/08/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-aug-8-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USNI News&#8217; Fleet Tracker</a>.

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