<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukrainian</a> Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had some choice words for critics of his country&#8217;s counter-offensive against Russia: Shut up.
“Criticizing the slow pace of, uh, counter-offensive equals to spitting into the face of a Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day moving forward and liberating one kilometer of Ukrainian soil after another,&#8221; Kuleba said Thursday. &#8220;I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimeter by themselves.&#8221;
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“Criticising the slow pace of the counter-offensive equals to spitting into the face of a Ukrainian soldier.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, told critics of Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russia to “shut up”. <a href="https://t.co/bDJfcb3PGJ">pic.twitter.com/bDJfcb3PGJ</a>
&mdash; Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) <a href="https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1697269405132959858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
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His remarks come as The Wall Street Journal reported that the counter-offensive has <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukrainian-counteroffensive-pierces-main-russian-defensive-line-in-southeast-9441e204" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supposedly pierced</a> Russia’s defensive line several hundred miles northeast of Crimea after months of struggling to make any advances at all.
The Journal noted that &#8220;any breakthrough&#8221; would be a welcome sign for Ukraine, which has struggled since it began the counteroffensive earlier this summer. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported earlier this month that an estimated 500,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have died in the war.
The ultimate goal of the counter-offensive is to retake Crimea and sever the landbridge with Russia, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/17/ukraine-counteroffensive-melitopol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by The Washington Post earlier this month. But even U.S. intelligence has said that such a move seems unlikely anytime this year.
Since that report came out, the U.S. has shifted its tone with reporters about what its objectives are with Ukraine.
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&#8220;We need to finish this job,” a senior State Department official <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/us-uk-case-ukraine-retaking-crimea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters. “It’s in our fundamental interest to see and have Ukraine maintain its territorial integrity and for Europe to maintain its stability as our largest trading partner &#8230; [and] the most important partner, in terms of our projection of our power and our influence around the world, on global issues that span much broader than Europe.”
Since the war began, Americans have been left wondering what  the Biden administration means when it says it will support Ukraine &#8220;as long as it takes.&#8221;
“It&#8217;s very important that Ukraine win this war,” the State Department official added. “And by &#8216;win,&#8217; I mean as President Biden said, Russians leave all of Ukraine.”
How long will that take? Nobody has given a definitive answer, and Russia has indicated that giving up all territory taken so far is a non-starter.
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Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister To Critics: ‘Shut Up’

Ukrainian Foreign Minister To Critics: 'Shut Up'

Global Politics

Russia

Ukraine-Russia War

United States

World

The Biden administration has reportedly reached a deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world&#8217;s leading state sponsor of terrorism, to free five imprisoned U.S. citizens in exchange for freeing convicted Iranian criminals and the unfreezing billions of dollars of Iran&#8217;s oil revenue that has been locked up due to sanctions.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/us/politics/iran-us-prisoner-swap.html">reported</a> that the five Iranian American dual citizens, who have been wrongfully imprisoned on trumped-up spying charges for the last two years, have been released into house arrest at a hotel that is being guarded by Iranian officials, according to Jared Genser, one of the lawyers for the imprisoned Americans.
“While I hope this will be the first step to their ultimate release, this is at best the beginning of the end and nothing more,” Genser said. “But there are simply no guarantees about what happens from here.”
The Biden administration will release several Iranian nationals that have been convicted of evading U.S. sanctions and will transfer &#8220;nearly $6 billion of Iran’s assets in South Korea, putting the funds into an account in the central bank of Qatar,&#8221; the report added.
Qatar will control the money and will only let Iran access the funds to pay for &#8220;humanitarian purchases,&#8221; the sources claimed to the Times.
The Americans will only be allowed to leave once the funds have been transferred to the Qatari account. They will be flown to Qatar&#8217;s capital city of Doha since the country was key in negotiating the arrangement.
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President Joe Biden faced intense backlash last year after agreeing to free convicted Russian terrorist Viktor Bout in exchange for WNBA player Brittney Griner.
Bout was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-biden-offers-to-release-notorious-russian-terrorist-in-exchange-for-brittney-griner-report-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> on terrorism charges back in 2011 for trying to sell tens of millions of dollars worth of missiles to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for the purpose of shooting down U.S. Military helicopters.
This report has been updated to include additional information.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN

Biden Reaches Deal With Iran To Free Americans In Exchange For Iranian Prisoners, $6B In Funds

Biden Administration

Iran

Prisoners

Come for Morning Wire’s Afternoon Update’s straight news, but stay for the rapid reaction analysis. The following five stories, and more, can be heard on today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update podcast. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/biden-administration-appeal-twitter-threatens-legal-action-afternoon-update-7-6-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to listen</a>. 
1. Zelensky Demands NATO Entry
World leaders are meeting in Lithuania for NATO&#8217;s annual summit to discuss a range of issues, including whether or not Ukraine should be allowed into the group. Monday evening, the NATO secretary general <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/zelensky-calls-nato-plan-for-ukraine-membership-absurd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;I am absolutely certain that we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine.&#8221; However, Tuesday morning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed NATO for not moving faster to welcome his country into the alliance and for setting no clear timetable as to when it will be allowed in. 
Rapid Reaction: Zelensky has been banging the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zelensky-almost-plunged-us-all-into-world-war-iii-again-enough-already" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World War III</a> war drum for months now. Ukraine entering NATO would undoubtedly result in direct conflict between the West and Russia. At the same time, the Biden administration has made it clear that it has no interest in peace. The longer this war goes on, the more people will die. Meanwhile, the U.S. is running low on ammunition, according to our own commander-in-chief.
Instead of crafting an off-ramp, NATO, the U.S., and Ukraine are looking to prolong the war. As Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-rundown-dont-forget-the-fbi-botcheds-larry-nassar-case-money-is-always-the-dems-answer-and-more-stories-to-know-about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday, this course of action is &#8220;dangerous.&#8221;
2. Trump&#8217;s Legal Team Calls For Delay In Classified Docs Trial Until After 2024
Former President Trump’s <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/trump-wants-delay-classified-documents-141812074.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal team</a> is calling for a delay in the classified documents trial until after the 2024 election. Trump’s lawyers <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/11/trump-classified-documents-trial-date-2024-00105565">said</a> in a court filing Monday night that, “Proceeding to trial during the pendency of a Presidential election cycle wherein opposing candidates are effectively (if not literally) directly adverse to one another in this action will create extraordinary challenges in the jury selection process and limit the Defendants’ ability to secure a fair and impartial adjudication.”
Rapid Reaction: Perhaps the best explanation of why this is a good move came from Fox News&#8217; Mark Levin. On Tuesday, Levin explained, &#8220;This is a thoroughly rational and appropriate motion by President Trump&#8217;s lawyers.
Levin continued, &#8220;This trial should be delayed until after the election, if not dismissed altogether by the way (I assume there will be subsequent motion filings in this regard, as suggested by Trump&#8217;s lawyers).&#8221;
The attorney by trade also noted, that &#8220;if the DOJ/Garland/Smith object, it will definitively prove that among the primary purposes of this persecution is to interfere with the presidential election.&#8221;
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This is a thoroughly rational and appropriate motion by President Trump&#39;s lawyers, one that I suggested on Life, Libert &amp; Levin.  This trial should be delayed until after the election, if not dismissed altogether by the way (I assume there will be subsequent motion filings in…
&mdash; Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) <a href="https://twitter.com/marklevinshow/status/1678755878399295490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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3.  U.S. Destroys Chemical Weapons
The last of the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-destroys-last-chemical-weapon-pentagon-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chemical weapons</a> stockpile was destroyed last week at a Kentucky munitions plant, the Pentagon announced this week. In 1986, Congress ordered the destruction of America’s chemical weapons, and over a decade later, the U.S. joined 192 countries in the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997, requiring the weapons’ complete elimination by September 30 of this year. Chemical weapons were first used on a large scale in the trenches of Europe during World War I, causing horrifying deaths through suffocation and devastating the nervous system.
Rapid Reaction: After so many lies from the federal government for decades — Iraq&#8217;s WMDs, COVID, NSA spying, Pentagon officials openly bragging about giving Trump incorrect information, and so many more — can you really trust that the U.S. destroyed all of its chemical weapons?
4. Watchdog Group Files Complaint Against Biden Joint Chiefs Nominee Over ‘Race-Based Hiring’
A watchdog group on Monday filed a complaint against President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Biden</a>’s nominee for Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman over his previous comments on “diversity.&#8221;
The American Accountability Foundation <a href="https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/blog/2023/07/10/breaking-aaf-files-inspector-general-complaint-against-biden-joint-chiefs-nominee/">filed a complaint</a> against Air Force General C.Q. Brown over his promotion of quote “race-based hiring” ahead of a Senate hearing on Tuesday to consider his nomination. The complaint <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watchdog-group-files-complaint-against-biden-joint-chiefs-nominee-over-race-based-hiring">cites</a> comments  Brown has made about hiring “for diversity” and referring to the military as a “white boys club.” 
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🧵1/ BREAKING: Biden&#39;s pick to be the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is so obsessed with race he explicitly says he wants to &quot;tweak the screening process&quot; to favor diverse candidates for promotion.
Here is a thread of his SHOCKING statements
1/ &quot;I hire for diversity&quot; <a href="https://t.co/knYacawIbk">pic.twitter.com/knYacawIbk</a>
&mdash; American Accountability Foundation (@ExposingBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/ExposingBiden/status/1673835758048915457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Rapid Reaction: As previously discussed, contrary to what his critics may claim, President Joe Biden is moving at blazing speed in transforming the federal government into a tool for advancing the principles of Critical Race Theory — diversity, equity, and inclusion — across America.
His picks for high positions in the federal government reflect his ideological agenda. It&#8217;s good that groups are fighting back against those who would place diversity over merit.
Readers should keep in mind that in March 2023, he signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/02/16/executive-order-on-further-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> that will create an army of equity bureaucrats who will be difficult to fire while the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-white-racism-is-all-the-rage-amongst-big-business-banks-unions-and-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-white ideology</a> seeps into the U.S. government.
Russell Vought, former Office of Management and Budget director under President Donald J. Trump and president of the Center for Renewing America, told The Daily Wire that the Biden administration has become a bit of an expert in racial discrimination.
“‘Equity’ policies are routinely used to justify making decisions based on race, gender, and other identity characteristics,” Vought told The Daily Wire.“This Administration has turned government-funded racism into an art. This is dangerous and exactly the type of woke and weaponized government we are trying to defund.”
5.  Oregon County&#8217;s Drug Kit Plan Halted
An Oregon county’s controversial plan to distribute tin foil and straws for fentanyl users and glass pipes for methamphetamine and crack users has been halted. The pause comes after Portland&#8217;s mayor and other officials sounded the alarm over the new program. In a statement to <a href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/multnomah-county-pauses-tin-foil-straws-fentanyl-users-plan/283-75270749-1ffa-47fb-ac90-4f4338e68e80">KGW-TV</a>, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said, “Our health department went forward with this proposal without proper implementation protocols. And in that light, I am suspending the program pending further analysis.”
Rapid Reaction: If these Oregonians really wanted to solve the fentanyl problem, they would demand that Biden do two things: 1) get tough on China and 2) close the border.
Fentanyl was the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/record-number-of-americans-died-from-drug-overdoses-in-2021-cdc-data-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">main contributor</a> to America’s 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021.
Much of that fentanyl comes <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fentanyl-us-mexico-border/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">through the southern border</a> after being synthetically made in China. The drug cartels then pay or coerce smugglers known as “mules” to sneak it into America, where it is transported deep into the interior. The U.S. has had some success in slowing down such fatalities — but that’s in spite of Biden’s border policies — not because of them.
Congressman David Trone (D-MD) said in late December, &#8220;Our success right now on slowing or stopping the movement of fentanyl across the border is close to zero. We are failing because we have two partners, China and Mexico, who have chosen not to participate in any meaningful way to help us.&#8221;
To listen to the audio version of Afternoon Update, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky

The Rundown: Zelensky Demands NATO Entry, Oregon County’s Drug Kit Plan Halted, And More

The Rundown: Zelensky Demands NATO Entry, Oregon County's Drug Kit Plan Halted, And More

Donald Trump

Drugs

Fentanyl

Joe Biden

Morning Wire

Oregon

Volodymyr Zelensky

China is accusing the United States of pushing Taiwan toward a disaster, claiming the recent sale of military equipment to the island nation has turned it into a “powder keg.”
Last week, the U.S. State Department <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-state-dept-oks-two-possible-military-sales-taiwan-pentagon-2023-06-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> the sale of $440 million in military equipment to Taiwan, including 30 mm ammunition, small arms, combat weapons systems, and other equipment, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-china-us-military-sales-4730400c993d2e32e85ad8cf718be583" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Associated Press. On Wednesday, China’s Defense Ministry responded to the approval by accusing the U.S. of putting Taiwan on a path toward destruction. 
“This is tantamount to accelerating the transformation of Taiwan into a ‘powder keg’ and pushing the Taiwanese people into the abyss of disaster,” Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Col. Tan Kefei said in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-china-us-military-sales-4730400c993d2e32e85ad8cf718be583" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. 
The statement on the defense ministry’s <a href="http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/CHINA_209163/TopStories_209189/16235186.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> said the communist nation is “firmly opposed” to any arms sales from the U.S. to Taiwan, claiming the U.S. “disregarded” Chinese concerns and interfered in internal relations. The ministry also accused the U.S. of “deliberately” escalating tensions along the Taiwan Strait. 
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Taiwan defense ministry <a href="https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4936252" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detected</a> 26 Chinese military aircraft and four naval ships from around the island. Nine of those aircraft crossed the air defense identification zone, <a href="https://www.mnd.gov.tw/Publish.aspx?p=81664&amp;title=%e5%9c%8b%e9%98%b2%e6%b6%88%e6%81%af&amp;SelectStyle=%e5%8d%b3%e6%99%82%e8%bb%8d%e4%ba%8b%e5%8b%95%e6%85%8b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the ministry. 
Taiwan, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-could-invade-taiwan-within-the-next-year-u-s-navy-chief-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officially</a> the Republic of China, has been independently governed since 1949. China holds a “One China” policy, asserting that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States doesn’t recognize Taiwan&#8217;s formal independence and instead has <a href="https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diplomatic relations</a> with Beijing.  
Even so, the U.S. <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title22/chapter48&amp;edition=prelim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vowed</a> under the Taiwan Relations Act, <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/taiwan-relations-act-statement-signing-hr-2479-into-law" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, &#8220;to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character.” On Friday, in response to the U.S. Department of State approving sales to Taiwan, the country’s defense ministry <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-state-dept-oks-two-possible-military-sales-taiwan-pentagon-2023-06-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it would help protect against “severe threats” by China’s &#8220;expanding threats of military and grey zone tactics.” 
Similarly, the U.S. State Department said the sale of the equipment “serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”
Taiwan has been continuously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-could-invade-taiwan-within-the-next-year-u-s-navy-chief-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provoked</a> by China, especially since the election of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, whose Democratic Progressive Party is more in favor of independence from China. After Tsai met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in California in April, the Chinese military <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-simulates-precision-strikes-on-key-targets-in-taiwan-after-presidents-u-s-visit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conducted</a> three days of drills, even rehearsing an “encirclement” of Taiwan. 
“Under the unified command of the theatre joint operations command center, multiple types of units carried out simulated joint precision strikes on key targets on Taiwan island and the surrounding sea areas, and continue to maintain an offensive posture around the island,” Chinese state TV <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-says-it-is-monitoring-chinas-drills-around-taiwan-closely-2023-04-08/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time. 
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While the State Department’s <a href="https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-taiwan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official policy</a> on Taiwan opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side,” President Joe Biden in September appeared to make a major shift in U.S. policy, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-could-invade-taiwan-within-the-next-year-u-s-navy-chief-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claiming</a> his administration would seek to defend Taiwan if “there was an unprecedented attack.” That comment was later walked back by the White House, and administration officials have since clarified that the United States is not in favor of independence for Taiwan. 
&#8220;We do not support Taiwan independence,&#8221; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-state-antony-j-blinkens-press-availability/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month. &#8220;We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences. We remain committed to meeting our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act, including making sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself,&#8221; he added.

Taiwan Flags

China Claims The U.S. Is Turning Taiwan Into A ‘Powder Keg,’ Pushing Taiwanese Toward ‘Abyss Of Disaster’

China Claims The U.S. Is Turning Taiwan Into A ‘Powder Keg,’ Pushing Them Toward ‘Abyss Of Disaster’

China

Taiwan

weapons

The following is a transcript excerpt from a special edition of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/sound-of-freedom-7-3-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morning Wire</a>.
Child trafficking remains a very real problem on both sides of the border. Now Angel Studios brings us “Sound of Freedom,” a film which tells the true story of federal agent Tim Ballard who rescues a young boy from child traffickers in Colombia. Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley sat down with actor and producer of the film Eduardo Verastegui for a special episode of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/sound-of-freedom-7-3-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morning Wire</a> to talk about the hurdles he faced making the movie and why it’s so important. 

JOHN: Joining us now is Eduardo Verastegui, one of the film’s producers and stars, who plays a key role. Eduardo, thanks for joining us. First, you’ve had a massively successful career as an actor in Mexico – for the sake of our American audience, would you give us a little background on what you’ve done leading up to your role in producing and starring in “Sound of Freedom?”
EDUARDO: Well, I started my career when I was 18, almost 19 years-old. I&#8217;m from a very small town in northern Mexico called Xicoténcatl, Tamaulipas. This is in northern Mexico below Texas. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer, so I went to law school, but I was not passionate about being a lawyer. So when I was 18, I left college after two semesters, and I moved to Mexico City to pursue my dream. I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be a singer. So I started singing in a boy band for three and a half years and we became a very successful, touring all over Mexico and Latin America. After three and a half years singing with that boy band, I left music because I wanted to start an acting career. And at that time, if you wanted to make a living as an actor, you didn&#8217;t have so many options. You either do soap operas … or soap operas. And that&#8217;s what I did for almost three and a half years too. After that, I moved to Miami to record my first solo album in Spanish. And one day I was flying from Miami to Los Angeles with my manager and I met someone, who was sitting next to my manager on the plane, and he happens to be the VP for casting directors at 20th Century Fox. To make a long story short, he invites me to do an audition for a film. I did the audition and I got the part in a movie called “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0323572/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chasing Papi</a>.”
After that movie, it was 10 years of working really hard — music, soap operas, and music again. Finally, that big dream that I had when I was very young of one day moving to Hollywood and making my first American film in English — it was a big dream — and now I was doing it with agents and managers and publicists and lawyers and 20 people working with me. It was the American dream. But then, on the one hand, I thought I had everything, but on the other hand, I had nothing. I was very empty. Something was missing in my life, I was not happy and I was very confused because I didn&#8217;t know what was missing. 
Then, meeting my English teacher, Jasmine, she not only taught me English, she not only helped me with my auditions and with my accent. She also went deeper than that. She started using this Socratic method, asking me questions like, &#8220;Eduardo, what is the purpose of your life? What do you wanna gain in your life? And why? How are you using your talents? Are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution? Do you realize that very few times do you see Latinos having an opportunity of being heroes, — but not like Superman or Spider-Man — but the everyday hero, the man who comes to this country to work really hard. Men of integrity, virtuous men. And Latina women as well, reduced to objects, sex symbols. You know, who, who are you, Eduardo, who is your family?&#8221; And I answered, &#8220;Well, my family is everything to me. I have three younger sisters and they&#8217;re the best part of the family — my sisters and my mother. They are the heart of the family. They&#8217;re full of wisdom. They&#8217;re beautiful. They&#8217;re smart.&#8221; &#8220;Okay,&#8221; she said, &#8220;So let me ask you one more time: The media influences how people think. Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?&#8221;
And that&#8217;s when I realized that I was part of the problem. So I made a promise to God and to my parents that I will never work again in anything that will offend my faith, my family, or my Latino culture. And after I made the promise, brother, I ended up not working for four years and I lost everything. Everything. But you know, I gained everything that really matters in life. But I was tired of waiting for a role that would portray a man as a real man. Until someone advised me, &#8220;Eduardo, you&#8217;re gonna be waiting forever. Why don&#8217;t you become a producer so you can have the power to control the message?&#8221; And that&#8217;s how — with <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1920049/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alejandro Monteverde</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2053925/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leo Severino</a>, the three of us — we started this production company. We had one goal: Let&#8217;s make movies that matter — movies that, when people see them in theaters, they will leave the theater not only entertained, but hopefully wanting to love more, wanting to forgive more, wanting to complain less, wanting to become the best. The best version of themselves, because art has the power to change people&#8217;s lives for good or for bad. And the first fruit of that mission was a little film that has changed the lives of so many people, it won at the Toronto Film Festival in 2006, and changed my own life, a movie called “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482463/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bella</a>.” It was the first movie that I produced in my life. And after that, we did “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1810683/?ref_=nm_knf_t_3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Little Boy</a>.” And after that, eight years ago, I met Tim Ballard, an American hero.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/sound-of-freedom-7-3-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LISTEN: Hear the full Morning Wire Interview with Eduardo Verastegui.</a></h4>
JOHN: This film is powerful and inspiring – offering hope and direction. But it’s obviously a very difficult topic. Why did you take on this particular project?
EDUARDO: Well, I&#8217;m always looking for projects, but somehow this project found us. We were in Los Angeles, California, when we met Tim Ballard, a true American hero, and he introduced us to his friends – ex-FBI agents, CIA agents, ex-Navy Seals. These guys travel around the world undercover, rescuing children who are kidnapped for sex exploitation. And when they explained to us the details of what these children are going through, the pain that they&#8217;re going through, the suffering, I was very inspired by meeting heroes like them. But I was depressed. I couldn&#8217;t sleep for days, it was horrible, it was like a nightmare. And I couldn&#8217;t look the other way. I couldn&#8217;t remain silent. And Alejandro and I, we said, well, we have a weapon of mass instruction and inspiration: film, movies. Movies can move people – we can make a movie. I asked Ballard, &#8220;Okay, so this is a global problem, right?&#8221; And he said, &#8220;Yes, especially in the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. is the number one consumer of child sex in the world and Mexico is the number one provider.&#8221; So I asked him, &#8220;How come if the United States is the most powerful country in the world, you have the intelligence, you have the army, the police, you have the technology, you have everything. How come we don&#8217;t finish this problem?&#8221; And he said to me, &#8220;Because it&#8217;s not a priority. And we are not the solution, Eduardo. I can be the solution for one child and of course, if I save one child, you save the world. Thank God we have been able to save and to rescue many children, thousands of children, but this is beyond us. It&#8217;s too big.&#8221;
We&#8217;re talking about millions of children that are kidnapped for sexual exploitation. These kids are being raped 10 to 15 times a day for many years. We need a movement. And I believe that this movie can start this movement. The number one and most important step is to raise awareness, because if people don&#8217;t know that this problem exists, they cannot be part of the solution in the first place. So we need to tell people through this movement that this is real, this is happening here, next door — everywhere, schools everywhere. And if we put enough pressure from the media, from our society to the government, we can turn this into a priority – and then, and only then, I have no doubt that by working together we can end this terrible reality.
And that&#8217;s when I decided to stop everything that I was doing in my life at the time so I can dedicate my life to ending child trafficking. I made a promise to God that I will dedicate everything to join this army of brave people who are not afraid to raise their voices, to defend those who [don&#8217;t] have a voice, who defend those who can[not] defend themselves. That&#8217;s my motivation. Let&#8217;s protect every child. God&#8217;s children are not for sale.
JOHN: Now, this is a film that took several years to get to audiences, with a lot of roadblocks. Can you tell us about some of those challenges – what made making this film so difficult?
EDUARDO: Well, everything was difficult from day one. When I shared the idea with my friends and some investors they said, &#8220;Why? Why this one? This is too dangerous, this is too dangerous.&#8221; I said, &#8220;Yes, it is very dangerous, but it&#8217;s more dangerous not to do it in the long term. And what if this is your son? What if this is your daughter?&#8221; And I dream that one day we don&#8217;t have to rescue any more children because this thing is over. It doesn&#8217;t exist anymore, but we need to start now. &#8220;What do you mean it&#8217;s too dangerous, man? Come on, we need to do this.&#8221; But right there, it was rejection from people that I went to, knocking on their doors asking them for support. &#8220;No, we don&#8217;t wanna get involved in this.&#8221; So there were obstacles, but thank God, we knocked on the doors of the right people who said yes, even though it was months of many nos – no, no, no, we&#8217;re not gonna support this. Finally, someone says yes. You can never give up when you are working on a project that is designed to save lives. This is a calling. This is a mission. This is so profound. So, finally we raised the funds and we made the movie. We went to Colombia because this is a true story. When I asked him, Ballard, I said, &#8220;It&#8217;s very hard to make a movie about you because you need a hundred episodes — but this is a two-hour film. So tell me, what&#8217;s the most difficult rescue mission you&#8217;ve ever done in your life?&#8221; And he told Alejandro and me: Cartagena, Colombia, the first one. It was very dangerous. It was very difficult, but it was very successful because at the end, the kids are crying with tears in their eyes, singing, and celebrating their freedom. It was like this beautiful sound of freedom. And that&#8217;s when we look at each other, Alejandro and I, okay, that&#8217;s the movie and that&#8217;s the title. So after we finished the movie, it was five years of work, then every studio passed. We went to Netflix, we went to Amazon. I didn’t know why, but they said, &#8220;This is not for us, this is not a good business for us.&#8221; But this is not about business, this is about saving lives, saving children. This is the greatest evil. I mean, there&#8217;s nothing more evil than this. What do you mean this is not for us? The kids cannot wait any longer. I need to do something.
So I started doing this tour in Mexico where I asked each governor from each state to host a private screening for leaders of that state and then after the film we invited the media too, and the press and leaders of that state. And then we signed an agreement, a commitment to end child trafficking in that state. And that&#8217;s how I survived with this movie. It was two years of tours all over Mexico, until finally, I was praying for an angel to come to rescue this movie. And guess what? Angel Studios came and rescued this film. And because of them, now millions of people will see this film. Now, there is going to be an opening on July 4th. What a symbolic day, because it&#8217;s Independence Day, right? We&#8217;re celebrating freedom. And yes, we should with one hand, but with another hand we should bring freedom back to those children who are not free right now.
JOHN: Well Eduardo, thank you so much for joining us and for all the work you’ve done raising awareness for this extremely important issue.
EDUARDO: God bless you, brother. Thank you.
JOHN: That was &#8220;Sound of Freedom&#8221; producer and star Eduardo Verastegui and this has been a special edition of Morning Wire.

XIV World Congress of Families Mexico 2022

‘God’s Children Are Not For Sale’: An Interview With Eduardo Verastegui About His New Film ‘Sound Of Freedom’

'God’s Children Are Not For Sale': An Interview With Eduardo Verastegui About His New Film 'Sound Of Freedom'

Child Sex Abuse

Hollywood

Human Trafficking

Mexico

Movies

Readers Pass

Sex Trafficking

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/28/business/air-travel-woes/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Air Travel Woes</a>
U.S. air travel was thrown into disarray this morning as there were nearly 2,000 flight delays and at least 700 cancellations on the east coast. The Federal Aviation Administration blamed a range of issues—weather, overcrowded airports, and issues with staffing—for the headaches. The FAA says that Thursday, June 29 will be the heaviest travel day, so prepare accordingly if you’re flying somewhere for the Fourth of July.
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/28/titan-sub-debris-implosion-wreckage-oceangate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Debris From Titanic Sub Returned</a>
Debris from the lost submersible Titan has been brought back to the surface after a fatal implosion during its voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic. Officials say the submersible debris will be investigated in hopes of finding out what caused the implosion. The Coast Guard is leading that investigation. On June 22, just days after the vessel went missing, officials announced that the submersible had imploded and all five people on board had died.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-hate-speech-bill-would-make-it-a-felony-to-make-someone-feel-threatened" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Hate Speech Bill Advances</a>
A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan</a> hate speech bill that has passed the state House and is now in the hands of the Senate is alarming conservatives, people of faith, and legal experts. 
The bill is part of a package of legislation that would <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/06/20/michigan-house-oks-new-hate-crime-church-synagogue-cemetery-desecration-penalties/70337842007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replace</a> Michigan’s existing Ethnic Intimidation Act and make it a hate crime to cause someone to “feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened.” Under the bill’s framework, “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” are included as protected classes. Violators guilty of a felony could be punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
Many conservatives have voiced concerns that the bill infringes on Americans’ First Amendment rights. Distinguished Professor Emeritus William Wagner, a former federal judge and legal counsel in the U.S. Senate, told The Daily Wire, “Make no mistake about it. Those advocating for this legislation will wield these policies as a weapon capable of destroying conservative expression or viewpoints grounded in the sacred.”
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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daniel-penny-pleads-not-guilty-to-charges-over-jordan-neelys-death" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Penny Pleads Not Guilty</a>
U.S. Marine Veteran Daniel Penny pleaded not guilty today to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Penny was charged after a viral video appeared to show the 24-year-old place a subway vagrant named Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold. The case continues to receive national attention.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/first-locally-transmitted-cases-of-malaria-found-in-u-s-in-two-decades" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malaria Returns To The US</a>
For the first time in two decades, people in the U.S. have contracted malaria from mosquitoes inside the country, prompting the CDC to issue a health alert. Four people in Florida and one person in Texas have contracted the disease in the U.S. from mosquitos, and the CDC said the patients appeared to be in stable condition and health officials were monitoring the situation. Experts say to be mindful of mild symptoms like headaches, fever, and muscle aches, as well as more severe symptoms like changes in mental status, and lung and kidney failure.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sues-e-jean-carroll-for-defamation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump Sues E. Jean Carroll</a>
Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> is suing writer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/e-jean-carroll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">E. Jean Carroll</a> for defamation in their protracted legal fight. Trump’s lawyers <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.543790/gov.uscourts.nysd.543790.171.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed a counterclaim</a> on Tuesday in New York federal court, listing various instances over the years when Carroll accused Trump of raping her. The court <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/03/11/carroll-trump-lawsuit-rejected/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously rejected</a> Trump’s bid to countersue last year, but the fresh attempt comes after the judge allowed Carroll to amend her <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/13/politics/e-jean-carroll-damages-trump-cnn-town-hall/index.html#:~:text=E.%20Jean%20Carroll%20arrives%20for,2023%2C%20in%20New%20York%20City.&amp;text=A%20federal%20judge%20will%20allow,at%20a%20CNN%20town%20hall." target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> earlier this month with new comments from Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-brings-rigged-election-fight-to-cnn-town-hall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denying that he knew Carroll</a> and <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-allows-jean-carroll-amend-pending-defamation-lawsuit/story?id=100052469" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling her allegations</a> a “hoax and a lie.”
To listen to the audio version of this podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Wednesday

Wednesday Afternoon Update: U.S. Air Travel Woes, Michigan Hate Speech Bill Advances, Malaria Returns

Air Travel

Bud Light

Disease

General

Hate Speech

U.S.

The Kakhovka dam’s collapse on Tuesday set off speculation and finger-pointing between <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukraine</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a> in a scene reminiscent of the aftermath of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nord-stream-pipeline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nord Stream</a> pipeline attack last year.
On Tuesday, Moscow and Kyiv immediately blamed each other for the dam collapse. Moscow said Ukraine struck the dam and a nearby hydroelectric plant in a barrage of missiles in order to cut off the water supply of Russian-occupied Crimea. Kyiv said Russian agents blew the dam and power plant “from inside,” violating the Geneva Convention.
A similar scene played out in September when explosives punctured three gaping holes in Nord Stream pipelines 1 and 2 lying at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Moscow blamed Kyiv, and vice versa, but no clear-cut evidence was available to support either claim. Instead, the event set off an international investigation led by Germany, Sweden, and Denmark into one of the most significant attacks on civilian infrastructure since World War II.
Initial suspicions from European officials focused on Russia. Some <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/qa-nord-stream-gas-sabotage-whos-being-blamed-why-2022-09-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posited</a> that Russia may have blown the pipelines to intimidate Europe and show off Moscow’s capabilities at hitting critical infrastructure, though that meant losing major leverage and control of Europe’s energy supply. Beyond conjecture, not much evidence has surfaced to support pinning the blame on Russia.
Other theories suggested that Ukraine or the United States could be to blame. Recordings surfaced of President Joe Biden earlier pledging to “bring an end” to Nord Stream 2 should Russia invade Ukraine. Biden’s comments echoed the United States’ longstanding opposition to the pipeline, believing that Europe’s reliance on Russian natural gas was a national security threat that gave Russian President Vladimir Putin too much leverage over the continent.
In February, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, who has <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2004/05/sly-sy-john-j-miller/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced</a> scrutiny over his journalistic methods and dubious claims made in his past work, published an article on Substack alleging that the United States orchestrated the destruction of the pipelines. The story received quick and unambiguous denials from all implicated, but it set off renewed speculation that the U.S. may have had a role in blowing up Nord Stream.
Ukraine, largely dismissed as a suspect early on, received new scrutiny this week after leaked classified documents suggested that Ukraine’s military leadership was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ukraine-made-plans-to-sabotage-nord-stream-pipelines-months-before-attack-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plotting</a> to destroy the pipeline months before it was blown. The CIA learned about the plot in June 2022, and the details of the plan bear striking resemblances to what investigators suspect may have taken place.
For instance, the Ukrainian plan was to be carried out by a group of special operatives using fake names. German investigators found that a group of six men using fake passports rented a yacht and sailed into the Baltic Sea before Nord Stream was blown.
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A similar cycle has taken over the Kakhovka dam failure. Putin has <a href="http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/71311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the dam’s destruction a “barbaric action” that caused a “large-scale environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.” Strong denunciations from an autocrat with a history of brutality mean little to Western officials who are pointing the finger back at him.
“The destruction of the Kakhovka dam today put thousands of civilians at risk and causes severe environmental damage,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/western-leaders-russia-war-crime-nova-kakhovka-ukraine-dam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Tuesday. “This is an outrageous act, which demonstrates — once again — the brutality of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Ukraine has largely escaped scrutiny from the West, though some are pointing out that Ukraine is far from being cleared. Tucker Carlson, who is negotiating his exit from Fox News, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-returns-with-new-show-tucker-on-twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> the first episode of his new show Wednesday on Twitter, focusing on the dam’s failure and Ukraine’s interest in seeing it fall.
“Blowing up the dam may be bad for Ukraine, but it hurts Russia more. And for that reason, the Ukrainian government has considered destroying it,” Carlson said. Last year, as the two sides were fighting for control of Kherson on the Dnieper River downstream from the dam, Ukraine considered blowing the dam to flood the river and disrupt Russian supply lines. The plan was never carried out, but also never taken off the table. It was kept as a “last resort,” according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/ukraine-offensive-kharkiv-kherson-donetsk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>.
The dam&#8217;s destruction flooded communities downriver, forcing Ukrainian and Russian emergency response teams to evacuate thousands of civilians from Kherson and the surrounding area. The depleted Kakhovka reservoir and offline hydropower plant supplied water and energy for millions of people in southern Ukraine and Russian-controlled Crimea. The reservoir also supplied water to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, now forced to rely on an artificial lake that is expected to run dry in a few months.
“When the facts start coming in, it becomes much less of a mystery what might have happened to the dam. Any fair person would conclude that the Ukrainians probably blew it up, just as you would assume they blew up Nord Stream. … In fact, the Ukrainians did do that, as we now know,” Carlson said.

Kakhovka Dam

Questions Around Kakhovka Dam Collapse Echo Mysterious Sabotage Of Nord Stream

Conflicts

Disasters

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran</a> is building weapons to kill American service members in Syria while working with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a> to push the U.S. out of the country altogether, according to classified documents.
The U.S. intercepted transmissions that appear to be between militia groups in Syria and Lebanon. The communications show that Iran’s Quds Force, a <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/irans-revolutionary-guards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">branch</a> of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that works with militia groups across the Middle East, led research and testing on a weapon capable of breaching heavy armor, such as that on Humvees and tanks, according to documents reviewed by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/01/discord-leaks-iran-russia-syria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>.
Middle East militia groups have used similar weapons before. Explosively formed penetrator, or EFP, weapons are similar to roadside bombs commonly used by terror groups and were used against U.S. forces during the invasion of Iraq. The weapon tested by the Quds Force in conjunction with Lebanon’s Hezbollah is capable of piercing nearly three-inch thick armor plating at a range of 75 feet.
The weapon testing marks an escalation in Iran’s use of force against the U.S. According to the documents, at least one attempt to use the weapon against Americans was seemingly thwarted in February by the United States’ Kurdish allies in Syria. Kurdish fighters confiscated three EFPs.
Other documents suggest Iran is working with Russia to push the U.S. out of the Middle East. Iran is backing Moscow in its war in Ukraine and supplying the Russian military with drones, as well as other armaments. Russia recently made use of dozens of drones in a series of attacks against Ukraine, focused particularly on Kyiv.
Over the weekend, Ukraine’s air defense <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drones-shot-down-over-homes-of-moscows-elite-after-russia-shells-ukraine-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">downed</a> 52 of 54 drones that dropped across the country, the Ukrainian military said. Forty of those drones targeted Kyiv, and the downed devices caused light damage and set fires across the city. One person reportedly died from falling debris.
Russia is working with Iran on a more aggressive approach to U.S. forces in the Middle East. In November, high-ranking military officials with Russia, Iran, and Syria met and agreed to establish a “coordination center” to work on building grassroots opposition to U.S. forces stationed in Syria, according to the Post.
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U.S. President Joe Biden early in his term attempted to renegotiate the Iran deal put in place under former President Barack Obama. Former President Donald Trump severed the agreement after it was criticized as unenforceable and unable to complete its designed goal: to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Talks to revive the scuttled deal froze last year. Biden, on the sidelines of an election rally in November, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/20/biden-iran-nuclear-deal-dead-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the agreement was “dead,” but added that the United States would not make an official announcement calling it such.

U.S. Forces

Iran, Russia Working To Oust U.S. Forces From Syria, Classified Docs Say

Syria

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> snubbed the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> over the weekend, rejecting a request from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pentagon</a> for a meeting between the top military officials of Washington and Beijing.
In early May, the Department of Defense offered a meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore. Beijing rejected a meeting with Li, but U.S. officials remained hopeful of the possibility of a meeting between lower-level officials, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-rebuffs-pentagon-chief-blunting-push-for-rapprochement-dd78d9bf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
“Overnight, the [People’s Republic of China] informed the U.S. that they have declined our early May invitation,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Monday. “The Department believes strongly in the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication between Washington and Beijing to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”
Beijing said that Washington must “correct its mistaken actions” before any meeting between Austin and Li could take place, according to the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3222245/us-says-china-declined-request-defence-chief-li-shangfu-meet-pentagon-head-lloyd-austin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South China Morning Post</a>. The Chinese pointed out that the United States have imposed sanctions on Li since 2018 when he oversaw China’s Equipment Development Department and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/20/politics/russia-china-sanctions-caatsa-state-dept/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">purchased</a> military weapons from Russia.
China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that the U.S. would have to create “necessary atmosphere and conditions” for a meeting to take place.
“Washington should earnestly respect the sovereignty, security and interests of China and immediately correct its mistaken actions to show its sincerity [to talk],” she said.
U.S.-China relations have grown frosty in recent months following the detection of a Chinese spy balloon that flew over the continental United States before it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. The relationship has been further upset by tensions over Taiwan.
During President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Japan, the president <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/05/21/remarks-by-president-biden-in-a-press-conference/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predicted</a> that U.S.-China relations would begin to “thaw” soon.
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“We should have an open hotline. At the Bali conference, that’s what President Xi and I agreed we were going to do and meet on. And then this silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars’ worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shot down, and everything changed in terms of talking to one another,” said Biden. “I think you’re going to see that begin to thaw very shortly.”
Beijing’s refusal to hold a meeting with the United States’ top defense official throws Biden’s optimism into question, though a couple other bilateral meetings between top U.S. and Chinese officials have taken place recently. National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo each held meetings with their Chinese counterparts earlier this month.

Lloyd Austin

Beijing Snubs U.S., Rejects Meeting Between Top Military Officials

Department of Defense

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> is moving closer to allowing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukraine</a> to have F-16 fighter jets, an about-face after pushing off similar requests earlier this year.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the United States and Europe for months to supply his besieged military with F-16 fighter jets to counter Russian control of the skies over Ukraine. Biden rejected the request earlier this year, saying that the Ukrainian military did not need the fighter jets at that point. U.S. officials have also considered giving Ukraine fighter jets too escalatory in the war with Russia.
Biden seems to have reconsidered his prior stance, saying over the weekend that he had received assurances from Zelensky that, should Ukraine receive F-16s, the jets would not be used over Russian soil. Zelensky promised that the fighter jets would be used “wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area,” Biden said, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/g7-summit-ukraine-biden-idCAT9N37C00O" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>.
On Friday, Biden said that Ukrainian pilots could train on how to operate the American fighter jet in the U.S. — Biden’s change of mind came less than a week after the U.K. gave Ukraine a similar offer.
The U.S. has held out on approving F-16s for Ukraine against lobbying from Ukraine as well as European countries that support the idea. The United States is not the only country with F-16s, but because other countries received their jets from the United States, giving Ukraine the planes requires U.S. approval.
Moscow has warned against providing Ukraine F-16s, saying that such escalation would be a “colossal risk.”
“We see that western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. It involves colossal risks for themselves. In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the goals we have set,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/20/providing-ukraine-with-f-16-jets-a-colossal-risk-for-west-russia-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Alexander Grushko, Russia’s deputy foreign minister.
Following Biden’s decision to allow Ukrainian pilots to train on the F-16 in the United States, Zelensky issued a statement thanking the U.S. president.
&#8220;I welcome the historic decision of the United States and @POTUS to support an international fighter jet coalition. This will greatly enhance our army in the sky,” Zelensky said on Twitter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I welcome the historic decision of the United States and <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> to support an international fighter jet coalition. This will greatly enhance our army in the sky. I count on discussing the practical implementation of this decision at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G7?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#G7</a> summit in Hiroshima.
&mdash; Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1659590726840197123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Russia claimed to have captured the Eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut over the weekend, the site of some of the heaviest combat of the Ukraine-Russia war. Ukrainian Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/moscow-claims-control-of-bakhmut-while-kyiv-denies-it-has-lost-city-bfdd8296?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> to confirm the reports from Russia until Zelensky later <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65662563" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> the reports at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
On Monday, Russia said that a group of Ukrainian commandos crossed into Russian territory in its Belgorod region. Ukraine said the force was acting independently and did not enter Russian territory on orders from Kiev, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-gains-ground-outside-of-bakhmut-as-russia-consolidates-control-in-city-d41e6885" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.

Biden Moves Toward Greenlighting F-16s For Ukraine

A United States convoy was reportedly attacked in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nigeria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nigeria</a> this week, resulting in three people being kidnapped and four others being killed.
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/africa/nigeria-us-convoy-attack-intl-afr/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the attack took place in the southeastern Anambra state and that local officials confirmed to the network that the assailants “murdered two police operatives and two staff of the US consulate and set their bodies and their vehicles ablaze.”
The incident reportedly happened approximately 40 miles away from the state capital in the town of Atani, according to a <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/gunmen-attack-us-convoy-southeast-nigeria-2-policemen-99375265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Associated Press. Officials have pinned the blame on separatists who want to start their own country and whose leader is currently on trial for terrorism.
John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said that none of those who were killed were Americans.
“No U.S. citizens were involved and therefore there were no U.S. citizens hurt,” he said. “We are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed.”
Local police officials told CNN that no Americans were even in the convoy.
“The security of our personnel is always paramount, and we take extensive precautions when organizing trips to the field,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack by any groups. Islamic terrorism is prevalent throughout Nigeria and the entire continent of Africa.
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Attackers carried out a separate attack in Nigeria&#8217;s central Plateau state on Tuesday, killing at least <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/at-least-30-people-killed-in-clashes-in-central-nigeria-govt-6170a31c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 people</a>, most of whom were <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/armed-attackers-nigeria-kill-20-mostly-women-children-2023-05-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> as women and children.

TOPSHOT-NIGERIA-UNREST-DEMONSTRATION-KIDNAPPING

U.S. Convoy Attacked In Nigeria, 4 Killed: Report

Africa

Nigeria

Terrorism

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United States</a> is reportedly fast-tracking a $500 million military aid package to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/taiwan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taiwan</a> as top officials grow concerned about the pace of Chinese aggression against the island nation.
The Biden administration is planning to use authority that it has relied on to expedite aid to Ukraine, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-05/us-sets-500-million-for-taiwan-arms-on-ukraine-style-fast-track?leadSource=uverify%20wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>. The Defense Department will take from stockpiles of U.S. weapons and ammunition under the Presidential Drawdown Authority to give to Taiwan.
The package would be the first sent to Taiwan using the drawdown authority. The Biden administration is looking to streamline U.S. aid to Taiwan because of assessments that China is undeterred in its ambition to retake the island nation.
The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act allocated $3 billion in annual military aid to Taiwan, according to <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2023/04/06/pentagon-to-use-new-taiwan-arms-transfer-authority-similar-to-ukraine/#:~:text=Congress%20greenlighted%20%243%20billion%20in,Pentagon%20and%20the%20State%20Department." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defense News</a>. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that the Pentagon intends to send $1 billion in aid to Taiwan with the Presidential Drawdown Authority.
The Biden administration has already sent tens of billions of dollars-worth of aid to Ukraine using the fast-track authority since Russia&#8217;s invasion last year. Between January 2022 to February 2023, the United States has committed nearly $80 billion in aid to Ukraine, according to a tracker at the <a href="https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kiel Institute for the World Economy</a>. About $48 billion of that aid is military, $4 billion is humanitarian, and $27 billion is economic.
Diplomatic relations between Beijing and Washington have grown strained in recent years, souring even further after a Chinese spy balloon was identified over Montana and floated across the continental United States in February before the U.S. military shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean.
The Chinese foreign ministry <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/04/us/politics/chinese-spy-balloon-shot-down.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the balloon saga “totally accidental” and expressed “strong discontent” at the U.S. shooting down the spy apparatus.
“In these circumstances, for the United States to insist on using armed force is clearly an excessive reaction that seriously violates international convention,” Beijing said in a statement. “China will resolutely defend the legitimate rights and interests of the enterprise involved, and retains the right to respond further.”
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While the U.S. and China have grown increasingly hostile, China and Russia have made moves to strengthen their ties. The cooperation between Beijing and Moscow has fueled concern that the world is moving closer to broader instability and conflict, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-05/us-sees-a-new-era-of-nuclear-risk-dawning-in-china-russia-cooperation?leadSource=uverify%20wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>.

U.S. To Fast-Track $500M Military Package To Taiwan: Report

Foreign Policy

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