Thursday, August 22, 2024

August 22, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

China watchers sound alarm on Walz's cozy relationship with Beijing . . . Lawmakers and China experts told the Daily Caller they have grave concerns about Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and his close ties with Beijing. Critics have homed in on Walz's past with China, which includes a honeymoon to the country, a wedding on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the praising of the country's communist system. "Governor Walz should answer to the American people why he took 30 trips to China, mostly paid for in part or in full by the Chinese Communist Party," Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said. Daily Caller

Comer says China may be "grooming" Walz to get a foothold in US government . . . Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, expressed his concern about a potential link between Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and the Chinese government. According to the Kentucky Republican, Walz may see the Chinese system of government as an ideal model for the United States and that China is "grooming" him with long-term goals. Breitbart

Politics

Tim Walz brings small-town gusto to DNC stage . . . Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's Midwestern charm had already won over the crowd at the Democratic National Convention before he walked onto the stage Wednesday night to accept the party's nomination for vice president. His mission was to appeal to a much larger, national audience, most of whom had no idea who he was. His selection was aimed at winning over working-class voters in the critical battleground states that will determine who wins the presidential election. Washington Times

Scratch lightly on the middle-American surface and you find what may be the most leftist individual with a chance to get near the Oval Office since Henry Wallace.

Walz bashes JD Vance for going to Yale after following long list of Yale speakers, like Bill Clinton

Oprah makes a surprise appearance . . . When a mysterious 15-minute gap appeared in the Democratic National Convention's Wednesday night programming, a rumor — quickly confirmed — began circulating that the surprise speaker would be none other than Oprah Winfrey. And when the mononymous daughter of Chicago, her chosen hometown, took the stage in the United Center here — beaming off the Jumbotron in her vivid lilac pantsuit — she was greeted with an immediate roar and standing ovation. "Who says you can't go home again?" the talk-show queen broadcast from the house of the Bulls. Washington Post

She addressed "independents and all you undecideds."

Bill Clinton says he may be unable to speak at future Democratic conventions . . . Former President Bill Clinton spoke with a raspy voice and said he may be unable to attend future Democratic conventions in a Wednesday night speech to delegates — as stunned viewers noted his hands trembling during his remarks. Clinton, 78, served as a warm-up act for vice presidential nominee Tim Walz while repeatedly reflecting upon his own mortality. "Let's cut to the chase, I am too old to gild the lily. Two days ago, I turned 78, the oldest man in my family for four generations," he said. New York Post

RFK Jr. may drop out Friday, endorse Trump . . . Close allies to Donald Trump are quietly urging independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to endorse the Republican nominee if he withdraws from the campaign for the White House as soon as this week. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., along with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and GOP donor Omeed Malik are among those who have been working behind the scenes to lobby Kennedy to drop out of the race and back Trump, according to a person familiar with the efforts. Kennedy will speak Friday "about the present historical moment and his path forward," his campaign announced. Associated Press

Trump hits back at Obamas: 'Do I still have to stick to policy?' . . . Former President Trump on Wednesday mocked allies who suggested he should not engage in personal attacks, pointing to fiery speeches a night earlier from former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic convention. "Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle," Trump told supporters at a North Carolina rally. "You know, they always say, 'Sir, please stick to policy, don't get personal,'" Trump continued. "And yet they're getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy?" The Hill

He should talk about policy. But let Trump be Trump.

Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor rally since his attempted assassination

Trump tries to upstage Harris convention limelight with southern border visit . . . Former President Donald Trump will attempt to steal the spotlight from Democratic rival Kamala Harris on Thursday with a trip to the southern border hours before the vice president accepts her party's nomination. Trump will visit the Arizona border late Thursday morning, part of a weeklong effort by his campaign to keep voters focused on the former president amid the four-day Democratic National Convention in Chicago. "America is facing our country's worst border crisis because of border Czar Kamala Harris," the Trump campaign wrote in a post on its website. Washington Examiner

Culture

Asian enrollment explodes at MIT following race-based admission ruling . . . The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's freshman class for this year has a significantly larger share of Asian American students than in previous years following a recent Supreme Court ruling, according to a first-year class profile released Wednesday. The share of Asian-American students enrolled at MIT increased from 41% in the 2024-2027 classes to 47% for the class of 2028. The enrollment data is the first since the Supreme Court struck down race-based admissions in June 2023 due to lawsuits brought up by Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Daily Caller

A little justice for kids who sacrifice and study hard.

National Security

U.S. unprepared for nuclear escalation in war with China, Pentagon-funded study warns . . . U.S. military forces are not ready to respond to tactical nuclear weapons strikes by China in a protracted war, a recent Pentagon-funded study said. China's rapid expansion of nuclear forces, coupled with the dual conventional and nuclear warhead configuration of its missile forces, means it is more likely to employ low-yield nuclear attacks. Washington Times

International

Ukraine moves to encircle Russian troops in Kursk . . . Ukrainian troops said they are moving to encircle an estimated 3,000 Russian troops that are hemmed against a river in Russia's Kursk province, seeking a fresh blow against Moscow in the third week of a surprise incursion. Ukraine's military said it used U.S.-supplied Himars rocket systems and explosive drones to strike pontoon crossings and bridging equipment as Russia scrambled to prevent the encirclement of its forces between the Seym river and the Ukrainian border. Kyiv's forces are now expanding their control along the border and striking Russian supply routes. Wall Street Journal

Money

Labor Department overestimated job growth by more than 800,000 . . . Government figures for job growth over the past year have been significantly revised after being overestimated by more than 800,000 jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that job growth throughout the 12 months ending in March would be revised downward by 818,000 jobs, a hefty drop that is roughly equivalent to 0.5% of total jobs. A downward revision of more than 501,000 would be the largest in 15 years. The drop knocks the average monthly job growth over those 12 months down from about 242,000 jobs to about 174,000. Daily Wire

Trump: Downward revision in jobs numbers reveals Biden-Harris team hid economic truth

Canada rail shutdown threatens US supply chains . . . Crucial supply chains are under threat across North America after a rail labour dispute in Canada led to shutdown of freight traffic and disrupted commuters. The country's two largest operators locked out nearly 9,300 workers after midnight on Thursday after failing to clinch a late deal with the Teamsters union. Canada sends around 75% of all the goods it exports to the US, mostly over rail. A prolonged dispute could disrupt shipments of a wide range of goods, from grains and beans to potash, coal and timber. BBC

Starbucks' new boss under fire for 1,000-mile commute . . . The newly announced boss of Starbucks, Brian Niccol, has come under fire after it was revealed he will commute almost 1,000 miles from his family home in Newport Beach, California, to the firm's headquarters in Seattle on a corporate jet. Critics have noted what they see as a discrepancy between the company's public stance on green issues and the lifestyles of its top executives, along with questions around whether Starbuck's three-day office working rule will apply to him. BBC

Anything to beat the traffic.

You should also know

PBS' Judy Woodruff apologizes for an on-air remark about peace talks in Israel . . . Woodruff, during PBS' Democratic national convention coverage on Monday, repeated a story she had read in Axios and Reuters that Trump had allegedly been encouraging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to put off peace talks until after the U.S. election in the belief that a deal could help Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign. But Woodruff said in a post on X Wednesday that she had not seen later reporting that the story had been denied by the Trump campaign and Israel. Associated Press

Video || Scarily lifelike robots on display in Beijing

Guilty Pleasures

World's oldest woman loves bananas . . . Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman, became the world's oldest living person at age 116, following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Guinness World Records. Every morning, she has a popular yogurt-flavored drink called Calpis. Her favorite food is bananas. Itooka managed the office of her husband's textile factory during World War II. She lived alone in Nara after her husband died in 1979, before entering the nursing home. She climbed the 10,062-foot Mount Ontake twice and enjoyed long hikes even after she turned 100. Associated Press

In a highly suspicious development, it turns out the previous oldest woman died when she slipped on a banana peel.

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