Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) unloaded on leftist Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, also known as AMLO, this week in response to a recent meltdown from AMLO over the issue of tackling the country&#8217;s drug cartel problem.
AMLO slammed the Republican Party during a press conference late last week for wanting to use the U.S. military to destroy the nation’s powerful multi-billion dollar drug trafficking organizations, which are the most powerful in the world.
AMLO&#8217;s remarks came after four Americans were kidnapped, with two murdered, last week in Mexico and a number of U.S. officials have called for using the U.S. military to destroy the cartels in an effort to stop tens of thousands of Americans from dying every year from drug overdoses.
“Starting today, we are going to initiate an information campaign (aimed at) Mexicans who live and work in the United States, and all Hispanics, to inform them about what we are doing in Mexico and how this initiative from the Republicans, besides being irresponsible, is an offense against the people of Mexico,” AMLO <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mexicos-president-threatens-to-meddle-in-u-s-elections-to-beat-republicans-corrupt-to-stop-cartels">said</a>. “A lack of respect for our independence, for our sovereignty. And if they do not change their attitude and think that they are going to use Mexico for their propagandist, electioneering, and (dirty) political purposes, we are going to call for them not to vote for that party, (due to its being) interventionist, inhumane, hypocritical, and corrupt.”
Crenshaw, who introduced legislation earlier this year that would allow the U.S. military to intervene in Mexico to destroy the cartels, responded to AMLO&#8217;s remarks during an <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/dan-crenshaw-you-can-be-pretty-sure-mexican-president-bought-off-by-drug-cartels/">interview</a> this week with Fox News Radio host Guy Benson.
&#8220;I mean, this president is out of control. If you weren’t sure if he was bought off by the cartels before, you can be pretty sure now, because this was an unprovoked set of comments from him,&#8221; Crenshaw said. &#8220;You know, I never called him out by name. I never, never said anything about him in particular. I just said, look, you’ve got to go after these cartels that have been terrorizing Mexicans for 20 years. I mean, nobody even knows the real numbers. But it’s tens of thousands of murders and disappearances of Mexican citizens every year from these cartels.&#8221;
&#8220;Americans are taking notice now because of the fentanyl issue — they’re lacing street drugs with fentanyl,&#8221; Crenshaw continued. &#8220;This is a poisoning problem, it’s less of a drug problem and more of a poisoning problem.&#8221;
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-massive-drug-submarines-recovered-on-opposite-ends-of-the-world">Two Massive Drug Submarines Recovered On Opposite Ends Of The World</a>

US House Convenes After Failing To Elect Speaker

Dan Crenshaw: These Remarks From Mexico’s Leftist President Prove He’s Been ‘Bought Off By The Cartels’

Crime

Drug Cartels

Drugs

Mexico

Politics

Southern Border

U.S. Military

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The unauthorized disclosure of U.S. military personnel records by the Air Force to an opposition research firm funded by Democrats is now under investigation by the House &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-republicans-to-start-committee-on-weaponization-of-the-federal-government-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weaponization Committee</a>.&#8221;
Leading the charge are Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), a <a href="https://stewart.house.gov/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former Air Force pilot</a>. They <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/631712073/Weaponization-Airforce-Leak-Letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent a letter</a> on Thursday to the military branch&#8217;s top official seeking various documents and communications, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> can reveal.
&#8220;To advance our oversight and to inform potential legislative reforms, we write to request information about this serious breach of our servicemembers’ personal information,&#8221; the congressmen wrote.
The House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government &#8220;are investigating the mass collection and dissemination of information about American citizens by federal agencies,&#8221; they added.
At issue are revelations starting last fall when POLITICO published a profile of Indiana GOP House candidate Jennifer-Ruth Green, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/10/07/shes-black-and-conservative-in-a-democratic-district-is-she-about-to-take-off-politically-00060703" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which revealed</a> she had been sexually assaulted while in the military. The candidate, who ultimately lost her race, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/air-force-takes-full-responsibility-jennifer-ruth-green-sexual-assault-leak-congressmen-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fox News</a> the information used for the report was illegally obtained.
An Air Force audit found “there was an unauthorized release of military duty information on 11 individuals&#8221; after &#8220;employees did not follow proper procedures requiring the member&#8217;s authorizing signature consenting to the release of information,&#8221; service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told The Daily Wire. Two <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dirty-tricks-by-democrat-operatives-air-force-released-gop-candidates-private-info" target="_blank" rel="noopener">members of Congress</a> — Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Zach Nunn (R-IA) — divulged that their records were among those leaked between October 2021 and October 2022.
Some Republican leaders have already <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-gop-demands-answers-pentagon-leaked-records-jennifer-ruth-green-sexual-assault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requested information</a> from the Defense Department.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), an Air Force veteran, said she has reason to believe her records were also leaked, and predicted there will be a criminal investigation.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The USAF, after admitting that records of service members were wrongfully obtained, just let me know that they will need until 3/17 to give us the information we requested. Today was the deadline. The USAF leaked information of USAF candidates in the 2022 midterms to a DEMOCRAT… <a href="https://t.co/toXBoPEojZ">https://t.co/toXBoPEojZ</a>
&mdash; Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) <a href="https://twitter.com/realannapaulina/status/1630249190080106497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Maj. Gen. Troy Dunn, commander of the Air Force Personnel Center, <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000186-5bcf-de7f-a9ee-7fdf748e0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent a letter</a> to Bacon stating that Abraham Payton, identified as an analyst with a research firm called Due Diligence LLC, “inappropriately requested copies of your military personnel records for the stated purpose of employment and benefits&#8221; and had possession of Bacon&#8217;s social security number at the time of the request.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/21/gop-lawmakers-air-force-records-00083694" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO reported</a> that Payton is a former research director for the Democratic political group American Bridge. The report also said Federal Election Commission records show the Due Diligence Group, <a href="https://www.duediligencegroupllc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which claims to</a> &#8220;specialize in using public records research to provide our clients with the knowledge and insights needed to drive strategic decision making,&#8221; received a little over $110,000 between January 2021 and December 2022 from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
As of now, there is no indication that the DCCC coordinated with the Due Diligence Group to obtain the records. And it wasn&#8217;t immediately clear whether Due Diligence was behind all the requests that led to the 11 unauthorized disclosures, <a href="https://armedservices.house.gov/news/press-releases/rogers-comer-demand-answers-dod-improper-release-personnel-files" target="_blank" rel="noopener">though Republican lawmakers</a> have said Green&#8217;s information was released to the same group and the Air Force told POLITICO that “virtually all” of the 11 disclosures were made to an individual &#8220;who represented himself as a background investigator seeking service records for employment purposes.&#8221;
Stefanek, the Air Force spokeswoman, insisted there was &#8220;no evidence of political motivation or malicious intent on the part of any employee&#8221; at the service. The Air Force &#8220;takes full responsibility for releasing the personally identifiable information of these individuals,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Records-release procedures have been improved by elevating the approval level for release of information to third parties and conducting intensified retraining for personnel who handle record requests.&#8221;
Still, &#8220;OSAF may have violated Department of Defense policies and federal law,&#8221; Jordan and Stewart wrote in their letter. &#8220;While the Air Force has rightfully taken responsibility for these inappropriate OMPF [Official Military Personnel Files] disclosures, questions remain unanswered about the U.S. Air Force’s collection, maintenance, and dissemination of this sensitive information.&#8221;
Jordan and Stewart requested from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall a slew of documents and communications, including those related to Due Diligence Group dating back to the beginning of 2021. They also asked for a &#8220;complete list of names of current or former OSAF employees involved in or responsible for the improper release of OMPFs for the period of January 1, 2021, to the present, as well as any administrative or disciplinary action(s) taken against them.&#8221;
The lawmakers set a deadline of 5 p.m. on March 30.
The Air Force informed The Daily Wire it has &#8220;received several requests for information based on the unauthorized release and will respond as quickly as possible.&#8221;
The Daily Wire also reached out to the Due Diligence Group and the DCCC seeking comment on the new letter.
This report has been updated with comment from the Air Force.
</div>
</div>

Reps Jim Jordan and Chris Stewart

Weaponization Committee Launches Probe Into Air Force Leak

Congress

Jim Jordan

U.S.

U.S. Air Force

The Department of Defense released video footage Thursday morning of the incident in which two Russian fighter jets harassed a U.S. military drone over international waters — leading to a collision and the complete loss of the drone.
&#8220;Two Russian Su-27 aircraft conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept with a U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance unmanned MQ-9 aircraft operating within international airspace over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023,&#8221; U.S. European Command said in a statement. &#8220;Russian Su-27s dumped fuel upon and struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters.&#8221;
WATCH:
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> US army published the footage from the drone incident with Russia over the Black Sea <a href="https://t.co/ney41fNjGb">pic.twitter.com/ney41fNjGb</a>
&mdash; Guy Elster (@guyelster) <a href="https://twitter.com/guyelster/status/1636303898267746307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A previous statement from U.S. European Command on Tuesday said that the two jets had repeatedly harassed the drone while the drone was &#8220;conducting routine operations in international airspace.&#8221;
“U.S. and Allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa.
The statement said that the incident followed a “pattern of dangerous actions” by Russian pilots while interacting with U.S. and Allied aircraft over international airspace that could “lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation.”
“U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa routinely fly aircraft throughout Europe over sovereign territory and throughout international airspace in coordination with applicable host nation and international laws,” the statement added. “In order to bolster collective European defense and security, these missions support Allied, partner, and U.S. national objectives.”
Nikolai Patrushev, Russian Security Council Secretary and the former chief of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), said that the Russian military was going to try to recover the $32 million drone out of the Black Sea.
“The Americans keep saying that they are not participating in hostilities,” Patrushev claimed during a press conference. “This is yet another confirmation that they are directly involved in these events, in the war.”
General Mark Milley said Wednesday that the U.S. does not consider the incident an act of war. “Incidents happen,” Milley <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/incidents-happen-gen-milley-wont-consider-russia-dropping-u-s-drone-an-act-of-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “And clearly we do not seek armed conflict with Russia and I believe at this point we should investigate this incident and move on from there.”

U.S. Drone

U.S. Releases Footage Showing Russian Jets Harassing Drone Before Collision

Drones

Global Politics

National Security

Russia

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

World

Russian officials shared plans to salvage the remains of a U.S. military drone that crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday.
“I don’t know if we can recover them or not, but we will certainly have to do that, and we will deal with it,” Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said during televised remarks Wednesday. “I certainly hope for success,&#8221; he added, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-drone-pentagon-9f4b3e8fdd719c0fa91a0683228b9e51" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Associated Press</a>.
Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, told a reporter that he believes Moscow has the resources for such an operation. &#8220;The way I see it, there are such technical capabilities,&#8221; he said, per <a href="https://tass.com/politics/1589205" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russian state-run media</a>.
<a href="https://www.eucom.mil/pressrelease/42314/russian-aircraft-collides-into-us-unmanned-system-in-international-waters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The U.S. military says</a> one of two Russian Su-27 aircraft conducting an intercept struck a propeller of a MQ-9 surveillance drone conducting routine operations in international airspace, causing U.S. forces to bring the aircraft down in international waters. State Department spokesman Ned Price <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/u-s-says-a-russian-fighter-jet-hit-an-american-drone-over-the-black-sea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described the incident as a</a> “brazen violation of international law.&#8221;
Russia&#8217;s defense ministry claims the drone flew toward the Russian border with its transponders turned off and was in violation of airspace restrictions set up for its &#8220;special military operation&#8221; in Ukraine, according to <a href="https://tass.com/politics/1589195" target="_blank" rel="noopener">state-run news agency TASS</a>.
The defense ministry also denied Russia&#8217;s fighter jets came into contact with the drone and claimed the U.S. aircraft hit the water due to &#8220;uncontrollable maneuvering.&#8221;
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN on Wednesday that recovery of the drone&#8217;s remnants may be impossible for the United States.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The U.S. is demanding answers this morning after a Russian fighter jet took down a U.S. Air Force drone. 
We get an update from the NSC&#39;s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby: <a href="https://t.co/YoCceKUtg1">pic.twitter.com/YoCceKUtg1</a>
&mdash; CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNThisMorning/status/1635994186695540737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I’m not sure that we’re going to be able to recover it. Where it fell into the Black Sea — very, very deep water,&#8221; Kirby said. &#8220;We’re still assessing whether there can be any recovery effort. There may not be.&#8221;
Without going into detail, Kirby added the U.S. took steps to &#8220;minimize any intelligence value that might come from somebody else getting their hands on that drone.&#8221;
The drone threatens to escalate an already tense situation as the U.S. and its Western allies provide military support to Ukraine in its efforts to ward off a full-scale invasion by Russian forces.
&#8220;The incident with the American MQ-9 Reaper UAV — provoked by Russia over the Black Sea — is [Russian President Vladimir] Putin&#8217;s way of signaling his readiness to expand the conflict to involve other parties,&#8221; said Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/russia-try-recovering-downed-us-drone-us-vows-protect-our-equities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Fox News</a>. &#8220;The purpose of this all-in tactic is to always be raising the stakes.&#8221;
While Russia&#8217;s ambassador to the U.S. <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-warned-washington-not-violate-152745830.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly claimed he told Washington</a> that Russia would &#8220;no longer allow anybody to violate our waters,&#8221; the Defense Department insisted the U.S. military will not be making any concessions.
“Make no mistake, the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows,&#8221; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/15/politics/lloyd-austin-russian-aircraft-us-drone/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>. &#8220;And it is incumbent upon Russia to operate as military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.&#8221;

MQ-9 Reaper

Russia Aims To Recover Downed U.S. Drone

Russia Aims To Recover Downed US Drone

United States

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) said during an interview on Sunday that when he approached President Joe Biden about using the U.S. military to take out Mexican drug cartels, the president rebuffed him and said that it was a &#8220;bad idea.&#8221;
Kennedy made the remarks on &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; with host Shannon Bream when discussing former Attorney General William Barr&#8217;s recent <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-us-must-defeat-mexicos-drug-cartels-narco-terrorism-amlo-el-chapo-crenshaw-military-law-enforcement-b8fac731">op-ed</a> in The Wall Street Journal urging the Biden administration to use the military against the cartels.
“Look, the cartels, we know who they are,” Kennedy said. “They are killing Americans on both sides of the border. And the fact is that the American military could partner with the Mexican military and the Mexican police, and we could wipe out the cartels.”
“But President Lopez Obrador in Mexico refuses to do that. And when Senator [Lindsey] Graham and I talked about the issue this year, this week rather, President Biden said it’s a bad idea. And the truth is that President Biden believes in open borders, but the cartels don’t seem to bother him. And President Lopez Obrador can answer for himself, but I don’t get why he would turn down American help with killing cartels that are killing our people.”
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sen. John Kennedy: This took my breath away" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AhwyhKTPIqg?start=589&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/significant-safety-threat-spring-breakers-should-avoid-travel-to-mexico-texas-authorities-say">&#8216;Significant Safety Threat&#8217;: Spring Breakers Should Avoid Travel To Mexico, Texas Authorities Say</a>

John Kennedy

Senator John Kennedy: Biden Told Me ‘It’s A Bad Idea’ To Use The Military To Take Out Mexican Cartels

Senator John Kennedy: Biden Told Me 'It's A Bad Idea' To Use The Military To Take Out Mexican Cartels

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Executive

Joe Biden

In a memorandum to all Department of Defense personnel regarding the foreign threats to America, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made sure he mentioned the importance of “diversity” in the armed forces. Austin also made sure to mention the “transnational challenges such as climate change.”
Austin started by referencing the “2022 National Defense Strategy,” asserting that it “articulates how we will achieve our goals through integrated deterrence, campaigning, and building enduring advantages.” After mentioning the “pacing challenge from the People&#8217;s Republic of China,” the “acute threat of Russian aggression,” and “threats from Iran [and] North Korea,&#8221; he segued into his “diversity” pitch.
“We will continue to recruit and sustain a uniformed and civilian workforce that embodies the diversity and dynamism of our great democracy,” he wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NEW: <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> Lloyd Austin issues &quot;Message to the Force&quot;
&#8211; Calls <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a> &quot;a generational challenge&quot; &#8211; Vows to tackle &quot;the Acute <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Russia</a>|n Threat&quot; &#8211; Calls for vigilance re <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NorthKorea?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NorthKorea</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a>, terror groups &#8211; Warns of security implications of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/climatechange?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#climatechange</a>
1/2 <a href="https://t.co/KxzHUWDeSJ">pic.twitter.com/KxzHUWDeSJ</a>
&mdash; Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) <a href="https://twitter.com/jseldin/status/1631355698419228679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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As far back as 2019, the head of the House Armed Services Committee, Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, made it clear that in 2020 he would push for legislation in Congress to permit trans-identifying troops in the military, a perspective which the Trump administration had generally opposed.
Smith stated, “Even if we know (Senate Armed Services Committee chairman) Sen. Jim Inhofe and Donald Trump won’t change their minds, do we want to take another run at it and how? We’ll be discussing that with a lot of people,” as <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/12/30/new-in-2020-another-battle-about-transgender-troops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Military Times</a> reported.
In March 2019, the Defense Department approved a policy largely barring trans-identifying troops and military recruits who were transitioning to another sex from joining the military. A United States Court of Appeals had <a href="https://notransmilitaryban.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/doe-v-trump-dc-circuit-ruling-1-4-19.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed a claim</a> by a lower court that the policy implemented by the Department of Defense under former Secretary of Defense James Mattis had constituted a blanket ban on trans-identifying people in the military.
After the court rendered its decision, Pentagon spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/01/04/circuit-court-backs-dod-transgender-service-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, “The department remains bound by three other court orders that require continued implementation” of the Obama administration policy that permitted trans-identifying personnel to serve openly. She added that the Department of Defense “is consulting with the Department of Justice on next steps in the litigation. We look forward to continuing to press our case in the courts.”
In August 2021, the U.S. Army&#8217;s top sergeant major, Michael Grinston, who formerly served as the senior enlisted member of the largest U.S. Army command, tweeted a tribute to Women&#8217;s Equality Day and diversity in the army, writing, “Diversity is a number — do you have people that don’t look or think like you in the room? Inclusion is listening [to] and valuing those people. #Women’s Equality Day reminds us we’re smarter and more lethal when we come together as an inclusive, cohesive team. Our values demand it.”
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Diversity is a number &#8211; do you have people that don’t look or think like you in the room? Inclusion is listening and valuing those people. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensEqualityDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WomensEqualityDay</a> reminds us we’re smarter and more lethal when we come together as an inclusive, cohesive team. Our values demand it. <a href="https://t.co/b72l2EcIn0">pic.twitter.com/b72l2EcIn0</a>
&mdash; SMA Michael Grinston (@USArmySMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/USArmySMA/status/1430875976142106624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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In May 2022, it was reported that the U.S. Army was considering a policy called “compassionate reassignment,” permitting soldiers to request a transfer to a different area if they feel state or local laws discriminated against them because of their gender, <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/05/19/soldiers-facing-discrimination-state-laws-could-request-transfers-under-draft-army-policy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Military.com</a> reported.

BELGIUM-NATO-DEFENCE-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT

Biden’s Sec Def Sends Message To All Defense Personnel, Mentions Diversity, Climate Change

Biden's Sec Def Sends Message To All Defense Personnel, Mentions Diversity, Climate Change

Department of Defense

Diversity

Lloyd Austin

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said late last week that the criteria that Democrats look for when entering into weapons treaties with America&#8217;s adversaries effectively allows the other countries to grow stronger militaries while knee-capping the U.S. armed forces.
Cruz made the remarks during an episode of his podcast &#8220;Verdict.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s nothing Democrats like more than a treaty that ties our hands, makes us weaker, and that lets the Russians and Chinese get stronger,&#8221; Cruz told co-host Ben Ferguson. &#8220;Now, here&#8217;s an amazing thing. I&#8217;m going to read you a headline from January 31, 2023. So not too long ago. &#8216;U.S. says Russia violating New START nuclear arms control treaty.&#8217; So finally, the Biden administration was forced to admit that Russia was in violation because among other things, they refuse to allow inspection activities on its territory.&#8221;
&#8220;And by the way, this is the same problem with the Obama Iran nuclear treaty, where Obama trusted Iran to inspect itself and under the terms of the treaty, the inspectors could not go into military facilities. Well, guess what? That&#8217;s where the Iranians put their nuclear research in military facilities, like Fordo, a research lab buried in a mountain, declared off limits,&#8221; Cruz added. &#8220;So this is a pattern. It&#8217;s a pattern from Obama. It&#8217;s a pattern from Biden. It’s a pattern from Democrats that they enter into agreements that weaken the U.S. militarily and that allowed the Russians and also allow the Chinese and also allow the Iranians to cheat and build up their military.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
There&#39;s nothing Democrats like more than a treaty that ties our hands makes us weaker. And that lets the Russians and Chinese get stronger. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Verdict?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Verdict</a> <a href="https://t.co/FwRLS3GYPA">https://t.co/FwRLS3GYPA</a> <a href="https://t.co/NsBg2Si5mq">pic.twitter.com/NsBg2Si5mq</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1629637367622430721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCRIPT:
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): There&#8217;s nothing Democrats like more than a treaty that ties our hands, makes us weaker, and that lets the Russians and Chinese get stronger. Now, here&#8217;s an amazing thing. I&#8217;m going to read you a headline from January 31, 2023. So not too long ago. “US says Russia violating New START nuclear arms control treaty.” So finally, the Biden administration was forced to admit that Russia was in violation because among other things, they refuse to allow inspection activities on its territory. So they say, ‘Nope, you can&#8217;t inspect it.’ By the way. This is the same problem with the Obama Iran nuclear treaty, where Obama trusted Iran to inspect itself. And under the terms of the treaty, the inspectors could not go into military facilities. Well, guess what? That&#8217;s where the Iranians put their nuclear research in military facilities, like Fordo, a research lab buried in a mountain, declared off limits. So this is a pattern. It&#8217;s a pattern from Obama. It&#8217;s a pattern from Biden. It’s a pattern from Democrats that they enter into agreements that weaken the US militarily and that allowed the Russians and also allow the Chinese and also allow the Iranians to cheat and build up their military. And if you believe in peace through strength, you want the opposite. You want us stronger, and them weaker. The Biden approach. They&#8217;re stronger and we’re weaker.
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U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Mandel And Senator Ted Cruz Hold ‘Faith & Freedom’ Rally

Ted Cruz Explains The Criteria That Democrats Seek When Entering Into Weapons Treaties

Ted Cruz

Verdict with Ted Cruz

The U.S. government this week unveiled a new framework for the military use of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">artificial intelligence</a> it hopes will be adopted by other countries as AI technology becomes more advanced. 
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/state-department" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State Department</a> put out its “Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy,” at a conference in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/the-netherlands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Netherlands</a> that took place on Wednesday and Thursday. 
“The aim of the Declaration is to build international consensus around how militaries can responsibly incorporate AI and autonomy into their operations, and to help guide states’ development, deployment, and use of this technology for defense purposes to ensure it promotes respect for international law, security, and stability,” the office of the State Department spokesperson <a href="https://www.state.gov/building-consensus-on-the-u-s-framework-for-a-political-declaration-on-the-responsible-military-use-of-artificial-intelligence-and-autonomy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
The guidelines are not legally binding, but the U.S. said it hopes that other nations will adopt similar practices. The <a href="https://www.state.gov/political-declaration-on-responsible-military-use-of-artificial-intelligence-and-autonomy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declaration</a> put out by the U.S. laid a number of recommendations including keeping human control over decisions regarding nuclear weapons, having senior officials overseas weapons systems that use AI, ensuring that military AI tech has clear documentation, that AI tech has a clear purpose, and putting safeguards on AI tech to avoid major disaster if the technology fails.
The guidelines also ask that measures are put in place to avoid “unintended bias in military AI capabilities,” though it is unclear what kind of bias is being referenced. 
The State Department hopes that all nations, not just key U.S. allies, will voice support for the guidelines. 
“We would like to expand that to go out to a much broader set of countries and begin getting international buy-in, not just a NATO buy-in, but in Asia, buy-in from countries in Latin America,” a State Department official <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2023/02/us-woos-other-nations-military-ai-ethics-pact/383024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Defense One. “We&#8217;re looking for countries around the world to start discussing this … so they understand the implications of the development and military use of AI … Many of them will think ‘Oh this is just a great power competition issue,’ when really there are implications for the entire international community.”
The guidelines come as U.S. officials have expressed concern about the use and development of AI by China and Russia. Russia <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-technology-china-the-hague-artificial-intelligence-d49c5fb442fa825e0a7a7419d6f04469" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> excluded from the conference while the Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands was present. 
“We think that we have an opportunity to get ahead in a way and establish strong norms of responsible behavior now,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. “Neither China nor Russia have stated publicly what procedures they&#8217;re implementing to ensure that their military AI systems operate safely responsibly and as intended.”
According to the Netherlands, about 2,000 people <a href="https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-affairs/events/reaim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from</a> 100 countries were at the conference, with many governmental representatives present.

soldier using tablet computer closeup pixelated

U.S. Promotes International Framework For ‘Responsible’ Military Use Of AI Technology

Artificial Intelligence

State Department

The Netherlands

President Joe Biden ordered U.S. officials on Monday to create an interagency team to investigate &#8220;unidentified aerial phenomena&#8221; after recently ordering military officials to shoot down four flying objects through North American airspace over the last ten days.
&#8220;The president, through his national security adviser, has today directed an interagency team to study the broader policy implications for detection, analysis, and disposition of unidentified aerial objects that pose either safety or security risks,&#8221; National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a White House <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?526029-1/white-house-briefs-chinese-spy-balloon-program">press briefing</a>.
The announcement from NORAD comes amid national security concerns after U.S. officials shot down four objects over North America this month, including a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina and three similar objects in Alaska, Michigan, and Canada.
&#8220;Every element of the government will redouble their efforts to understand and mitigate these events,&#8221; Kirby added.
None of the three most recent objects American forces shot down posed a threat, Kirby said, adding that no signs of communication or &#8220;maneuvering or had any propulsion capabilities&#8221; had come from the objects.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) questioned why the Biden Administration would create an agency he helped establish in 2021.
&#8220;Why is the White House creating a new &#8220;interagency team&#8221; to monitor, investigate &amp; report on unidentified aerial objects when we already have @DoD_AARO which we helped create over two years ago?&#8221; Rubio said on <a href="https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1625223811267166208">Twitter</a>.
Department of Defense officials <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3100053/dod-announces-the-establishment-of-the-all-domain-anomaly-resolution-office/">announced</a> last year the establishment of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, which partners with other U.S. federal departments and agencies to detect, identify and attribute objects of interest, including anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged, and transmedium objects, in several areas of interest.
Rubio, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/504183-senate-panel-urges-pentagon-to-compile-public-analysis-of-ufo-reports">proposed</a> a bill in 2021 that called for the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force after reports indicated objects were flying over the top of U.S. military installations.
“My thing is very simple, we don’t know what that stuff is that’s flying over the top of our installations,&#8221; Rubio told <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/03/23/senator-marco-rubio-ufos-military-installations-aliens/">TMZ</a> at the time. &#8220;Let’s find out.”
Kirby said during the press conference on Monday Biden conducted the first-ever daily intelligence briefing session devoted to this phenomenon in June of 2021 after noting that such unidentified aerial phenomena had been reported for many years without explanation or deep examination by the government.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday as reported by <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/white-house-announces-interagency-team-address-objects-sky-rcna70416?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma">NBC</a> that Biden Administration officials are scheduled to brief all U.S. Senators on classified material about the unidentified objects on Tuesday morning.
Kirby said that U.S. officials are still determining the nature and origin of the three most recent objects.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these crafts,&#8221; added Kirby.
U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-u-s-air-force-general-makes-shocking-remarks-about-unidentified-objects-shot-down-by-u-s-military">told</a> reporters Sunday he has not ruled out &#8220;anything at this point&#8221; when asked if extraterrestrials were involved with the objects.

White House Holds Press Briefing

Biden Orders Creation Of Interagency Team To Investigate ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena’

Biden Orders Creation Of Inter-Agency Team To Investigate 'Unidentified Aerial Phenomena'

Biden Administration

Chinese Communist Party

Military

The unidentified object that the U.S. military shot down over <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alaska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alaska</a> on Friday reportedly had a &#8220;cylindrical shape&#8221; and was about the size of a small car.
A U.S. official <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/10/military-shoots-down-high-altitude-object-over-alaska-00082367" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Politico that the object did not appear to have any &#8220;observable surveillance equipment.&#8221;
President Joe Biden was reportedly notified quickly that the object had crossed into U.S. air space late on Thursday night and the decision was made to shoot it down.
Officials have not confirmed if the object was another Chinese spy balloon. The object was reportedly flying around 40,000 feet, making it a threat to civilian aircraft.
“We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose or origin,” said Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. “The object was about the size of a small car, so not similar in size or shape to the high-altitude surveillance balloon that was taken down off the coast of South Carolina.”
The news comes after the U.S. military used an F-22 Raptor last week to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean using a single air-to-air AIM-9X Sidewinder missile that was fired at an altitude of approximately 58,000 feet. The decision to shoot down the spy balloon came after President Joe Biden allowed it to fly thousands of miles over the continental U.S. last week.
This latest breach of U.S. airspace happened late Thursday night over Alaska, the report said. Because of how quickly events unfolded, officials were not able to confirm to reporters whether the object was from a foreign nation.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said that he was pleased that the Biden administration shot down the object and did not let it travel further into U.S. airspace like it did the Chinese spy balloon.
“As I’ve been doing for the past week, including in a classified briefing with senior Pentagon officials yesterday, I strongly encouraged the NORTHCOM Cmdr this morning to shoot down this latest unidentified intrusion into Alaska air space. I commend them for doing so today.”
This is a developing news story; refresh the page for updates.

F-22

New Information Released About Object U.S. Military Shot Down Over Alaska

Alaska

U.S. Military officials said Tuesday that the United States European Command has begun sending aid to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/turkey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Turkey</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/syria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Syria</a> after two massive earthquakes rocked both nations within the past 24 hours, killing thousands of people.
&#8220;Using a whole of government approach, we remain in close contact with our Turkish Ally to determine what assistance is needed to help those affected by the disaster,&#8221; Marine Lt. Col. Garron J. Garn said in a statement to <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2023/02/07/us-government-begins-sending-earthquake-aid-to-turkey/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=tw_at" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Military Times</a>.
Two earthquakes, which reached 7.8 and 7.5 magnitudes, devastated parts of Turkey and Syria, leaving an estimated 3,000 structures destroyed and approximately 7,200 people dead.
Around 1,500 have been found dead in Syria, and more than 5,400 were killed in Turkey as rescue workers continue to search for survivors following the worst natural disaster to hit the region since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake that killed more than 30,000 people.
The region is situated on major fault lines. In the area affected by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/turkey-syria-earthquake-death-toll-surpasses-3600" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earthquake</a>, the dire situation is compounded by the presence of millions of refugees displaced by years-long civil war in Syria who were taking refuge on both sides of Turkey and Syria’s border.
Garn said the command is coordinating with the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, and other U.S. interagency partners to establish what capabilities are needed and available to support requests by the government of Turkey.
President Joe Biden told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey the United States stands ready to provide &#8220;any and all needed assistance&#8221; to the NATO Ally in response to the tragedy.
Biden said that &#8220;U.S. teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items,&#8221; a readout of Biden&#8217;s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/02/06/readout-of-president-bidens-call-with-president-erdogan-of-turkiye/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conversation</a> with Erdogan said on February 6.
The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, and the U.S. Air Force have sent the first round of aid from Dover, Delaware.
&#8220;Airmen from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron processed U.S. humanitarian assistance Feb. 7, 2023, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, in support of search and rescue efforts in [Turkey],&#8221; according to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HQUSAFE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> page.
President Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces on Tuesday that were impacted by the devastating earthquakes.
&#8220;We have decided to declare a state of emergency to ensure that our [rescue and recovery] work can be carried out quickly,&#8221; Erdogan said, Al Jazeera <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/7/turkey-declares-3-month-emergency-in-10-quake-hit-provinces" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The Epoch Times <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/earthquake-death-toll-crosses-5000-as-turkey-experiences-285-aftershocks_5039212.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that international aid for Turkey and Syria in the Damascus region has poured in from all over the world.
Teams from Netherlands, U.K., and Romania have dispatched crews to Turkey, while Israel, Germany, and France have reportedly said they would also offer assistance. India sent a 99-member medical team with X-ray machines, an oxygen generation plant, and cardiac monitors to set up a 30-bed medical facility.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/earthquake-turkey-syria-live-updates-rcna69449" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC</a>, that a team of 77 British search and rescue personnel arrived in the city of Gaziantep in Turkey today with specialist equipment and dogs in response to a request from the Turkish government and would start assisting with the rescue effort.
World Health Organization (WHO) officials warned that the death toll could rise to approximately 20,000 as rescue teams continue search operations in the coming days.
&#8220;It&#8217;s now a race against time. Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes,&#8221; World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-briefing-on-earthquake-in-turkiye-and-the-syrian-arab-republic-at-the-152nd-session-of-the-executive-board" target="_blank" rel="noopener">briefing</a> Tuesday.
Zach Jewell contributed to this report.

Thousands Dead After Earthquake Hits Turkey And Syria

U.S. Officials Send Earthquake Aid To Turkey, Joining International Support Response

Disasters

Natural Disaster

Syria

Turkey

The people of North Dakota saw the Chinese plan for opening a corn mill near a sensitive military base and took matters into their own hands, blocking the project.
In the wake of what was reputedly a Chinese spy balloon being shot down after it floated over sensitive U.S. military installations, the Grand Forks City Council, aware that the U.S. military did not have jurisdiction to kill the project, voted unanimously on Monday to block Chinese food producer Fufeng Group from building the mill only 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base. Last spring three North Dakotans sold the land for millions of dollars; the town’s mayor, Brandon Bochenski, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/01/chinese-purchase-of-north-dakota-farmland-raises-national-security-concerns-in-washington.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed out</a> that the proposed $700 million plant would create more than 200 jobs but also admitted there were national security concerns.
“The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) considered an October 2022 filing by the Fufeng Group to acquire certain assets in the vicinity of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Grand Forks Air Force Base is the center of military activities related to both air and space operations,” U.S. Air Force Assistant Secretary Andrew P. Hunter <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11704309/Air-Force-shoots-Chinas-plan-build-corn-15-miles-North-Dakota-base.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> North Dakota senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer in January.
“While CFIUS concluded that it did not have jurisdiction, the Department’s view is unambiguous: the proposed project represents a significant threat to national security with both near and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area,” he added.
“With regard to Fufeng, if you’re going to strategically decouple, that means we don’t want their investment,” Cramer <a href="https://www.am1100theflag.com/show-episodes/48874-6-03-22-whats-on-your-mind-hour-2">said</a> last June.
Prior to that, last April Air Force Major Jeremy Fox <a href="//A01EC18D-6786-4FC4-8AD0-5DB3687FBB3E/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote a memo</a> stating, “some of the most sensitive elements of Grand Forks exist with the digital uplinks and downlinks inherent with unmanned air systems and their interaction with space based assets,” adding, “if proximal access were given to our adversaries, and their collections were directed at us, it would present a costly national security risk causing grave damage to (the) United States’ strategic advantages.&#8221;
&#8220;Passive collection of those signals would be undetectable, as the requirements to do so would merely require ordinary antennas tuned to the right collecting frequencies. This introduces a grave vulnerability to our Department of Defense installations and is incredibly compromising to US National Security,” he <a href="https://www.jamestownsun.com/opinion/columns/hennen-new-threats-from-the-proposed-chinese-investment-in-grand-forks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued</a>.
The Monday meeting featured comments from members of the public before the vote. One citizen <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11720609/Air-Force-chief-begs-North-Dakota-not-let-Chinese-company-build-corn-secret-base.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snapped</a>, “Why would an individual, or individuals, or a company be involved with somebody that is aggressive to the United States, especially if they&#8217;re an adversary against us? The only conclusion I come is up with is money, black mail prestige, power, sedition, treason. I&#8217;m not understanding, why would you advocate for it? How can you defend yourself against a foreign enemy against the United States? Those are questions that need to be asked.”

Flight Crew on Alert

North Dakotans Take Matters In Their Own Hands, Block Chinese Mill Near Military Base

Communist China

North Dakota

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