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Chinese National Accused of Voting in U.S. Election Skips Hearing, Prompting Bench Warrant

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A Chinese national accused of voting in the 2024 election in Michigan now faces a bench warrant after he failed to attend a hearing last week.

Haoxiang Gao, a 20-year-old Chinese national with a green card, was supposed to show up for a hearing in district court on Thursday but never appeared, prompting Judge J. Cedric Simpson to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. Simpson decided to issue the bench warrant after conferring with Gao’s lawyer, K. Orlando Simón.

Gao’s legal ordeal began back on October 27 at the University of Michigan, where he apparently registered to vote and cast a ballot on the same day. He used his UM student ID card to prove local residency, Michigan Enjoyer learned after submitting several public information requests about the incident.

He must have had some misgivings about his actions because he then called the Ann Arbor clerk’s office, inquiring about whether green-card holders were eligible to vote. When the staff member explained that green-card holders were ineligible to vote, Gao allegedly claimed he knew of someone who had voted using their green card at the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

Gao then called the clerk’s office back 20 minutes later and admitted that he was the person who had voted and that he had “lied on the forms and attested to being a U.S. citizen,” according to an email from Ann Arbor clerk Jacqueline Beaudry. (Read more from “Chinese National Accused of Voting in U.S. Election Skips Hearing, Prompting Bench Warrant” HERE)

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Treasury Secretary Reveals ‘Interaction’ With Chinese Counterpart Amid Trade War

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On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed that he interacted with his Chinese counterpart this past week, a contact that comes as the United States and China are engaged in a trade war.

Beijing has denied there were trade talks with the United States, but President Donald Trump insisted to reporters that there were meetings with China.

On ABC’s “This Week,” Bessent told anchor Martha Raddatz, “This was IMF World Bank week in D.C., as you know, and I had interaction with my Chinese counterpart, but it was more on traditional things like financial stability, global economic early warnings.”

The United States has increased tariffs on China to 145% in bid to stop what the Trump administration says are unfair trade practices. China responded by raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.

Trump indicated last week that tensions could be easing, saying the tariffs against China come down “substantially” — but not to “zero.” He also said that he has spoken “many times” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, although he did not clarify if those discussions happened after escalating tariffs. (Read more from “Treasury Secretary Reveals ‘Interaction’ With Chinese Counterpart Amid Trade War” HERE)

Trump Signals Step Back On China Tariffs, Says They’ll ‘Come Down Substantially’

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President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday evening from the Oval Office that the U.S. will ease tariffs on China, saying they’ll “come down substantially” but won’t be eliminated entirely.

On April 2, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on several countries, with higher rates for nations like China due to their own trade barriers against the U.S. When asked Tuesday about the tariffs against the foreign country, Trump said that the 145% hit would not last forever.

“It’ll come down substantially, but it won’t be zero. It used to be zero,” Trump said. “We were just destroyed. China was taking us for a ride and just not going to — it’s not going to happen. We’re going to be very good to China. I have a great relationship with President Xi, but they would make billions and billions and billions of dollars a year, and they were building a military out of the United States on what they made.”

By April 10, the White House said that Trump’s announced 125% tariff would actually total 145% on all Chinese imports, according to The New York Times. The administration said the 125% would be added on top of a previously announced 20% tariff already in place on goods from China, the outlet reported.

“So that won’t happen. But they’re going to do very well, and I think they’re going to be happy, and I think we’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together. So I think it’s going to work out very well, but, no, it’s at 145%. It will not be anywhere near that number,” Trump said. (Read more from “Trump Signals Step Back On China Tariffs, Says They’ll ‘Come Down Substantially’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Report: AI Company DeepSeek ‘Funnels’ American User Data To Red China

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The Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek is allegedly syphoning American user data to China’s communist government, according to a new congressional report.

Released on Wednesday by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the 16-page analysis contends that the China-based AI firm “collects detailed user data, which it transmits via backend infrastructure that is connected to China Mobile.”

A state-owned telecommunications giant, China Mobile was flagged by the Pentagon earlier this year for having ties to Beijing’s military. In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) prohibited the firm from operating within the U.S. over concerns that “unauthorized access to customer … data could create irreparable damage to U.S. national security.”

The FCC subsequently added China Mobile to its list of “national security threats” in 2022, according to ABC News.

“While the extent of data transmission remains unconfirmed, DeepSeek’s integration with China Mobile infrastructure raises serious concerns about potential foreign access to Americans’ private information,” the House analysis reads. “By relying on China Mobile’s infrastructure, DeepSeek ensures that Americans’ data is stored and transmitted through networks controlled by the Chinese government.” (Read more from “Report: AI Company DeepSeek ‘Funnels’ American User Data To Red China” HERE)

New Pentagon Chairman: U.S. Lacks Ability to Deter Adversaries

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The new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has warned that the U.S. military currently is unable to deter China and other adversaries and called for urgent defense reforms.

Gen. Dan Caine, who was sworn in as chairman on Monday, stated in recent Senate testimony that the weaknesses include an inability of the military system to support and respond rapidly to a conflict.

“The U.S. does not have the throughput, responsiveness, or agility needed to deter our adversaries,” Gen. Caine stated in written answers to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The disclosure comes as the U.S. military is facing potential conflict with China in the Taiwan Strait where the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has said China has been rehearsing for large-scale military operations against a key U.S. partner, Taiwan.

Adm. Sam Paparo, the commander, told a Senate hearing last week that China is engaged in “unprecedented aggression” against Taiwan. (Read more from “New Pentagon Chairman: U.S. Lacks Ability to Deter Adversaries” HERE)

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Rare Earth Minerals Affected by China Export Ban Used in EVs, Green Energy, and Military Tech

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China has restricted the export of several crucial rare earth minerals to the United States in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff increases.

The restrictions come up short of a total ban, but they will probably slow the delivery of minerals needed by defense, energy, and electronics companies.

The term “rare earth minerals” is sometimes used broadly to refer to all valuable or unusual minerals, but in fact it refers to a specific list of 17 metallic elements. Fifteen of them are lanthanides, meaning they occupy a specific region of the periodic table of the elements that begins with lanthanum (atomic number 57). The lanthanides all share similar atomic structure and chemical behavior, so the grouping is not arbitrary.

The other two rare earth minerals are scandium and yttrium. They are collectively known as “rare earths” simply because the scientists who first discovered them believed they must be rare in nature, as they were difficult to identify. For example, the name of lanthanum comes from a Greek word that means “hidden,” and it was discovered by a chemist who was studying strange impurities in another mineral.

Explorers over the past 150 years discovered that some of the “rare earths” can actually be found in abundance by digging into the Earth’s crust. Many of those abundant deposits are under the control of Communist China – affording China a near-monopoly on processing and refining these metals. (Read more from “Rare Earth Minerals Affected by China Export Ban Used in EVs, Green Energy, and Military Tech” HERE)

China Hits Back With 125% Tariffs, Accuses U.S. Of ‘Bullying And Coercion’

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China announced further retaliatory measures against the United States on Friday, raising tariffs on American goods to 125% as the trade war between the two countries continues to escalate.

The action comes after President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised tariffs on China to 125% in addition to a 20% tariff he had placed on the communist nation, citing its role in the fentanyl trade. American products expected to be most impacted by the new tariffs include soybeans, pharmaceutical drugs, and airplanes.

While Trump has said that China has taken advantage of the United States for decades through unfair trade and warned the country not to retaliate, Chinese leaders have accused America of “bullying” in its latest round of tariffs.

“The U.S.’s imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China seriously violates international economic and trade rules, basic economic laws and common sense, and is completely a unilateral bullying and coercion,” China’s Ministry of Finance said on Friday, according to a translation. (Read more from “China Hits Back With 125% Tariffs, Accuses U.S. Of ‘Bullying And Coercion’” HERE)

China Acknowledges Its Role in Years of Cyberattacks Against U.S. Over Support of Taiwan: Report

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Chinese officials shocked their American counterparts during a secret meeting where they allegedly revealed Beijing was behind a series of cyberattacks against the US due to Washington’s support of Taiwan, according to a new report.

Officials from China and the former Biden administration met in secret last December in Geneva, Switzerland amid growing tensions over threats to Taiwan’s sovereignty — with Beijing dropping all pretenses and revealing that they played a role in hacking attacks on US ports, water utilities, airports, and other targets dating back years, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The extent of Beijing’s role was left ambiguous, but US officials interpreted it as a clear threat regarding America’s support of Taiwan as an independent nation, officials familiar with the meeting told the outlet.

The secret meeting was held with top officials from both nations and led by Nate Fick, the then-US ambassador-at-large for cyberspace and digital policy, along with Wang Lei, a top cyber official with China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials said.

While China had previously blamed all claims of cyberattacks and espionage on rogue hackers, such as the Volt Typhoon group, Wang made it clear that the hacks were a direct result of the situation in Taiwan, which Beijing insists will be annexed in the coming years. (Read more from “China Acknowledges Its Role in Years of Cyberattacks Against U.S. Over Support of Taiwan: Report” HERE)

China Floats Possibility Of Killing More Americans In Response To Tariffs

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Two bloggers linked to China’s government floated the idea of upping the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. in retaliation to President Trump’s tariffs, CNBC’s Eunice Yoon reported Tuesday.

Both Niu Tanquin and a blogger known as Rabbit Chairman posted messages on Chinese social media suggesting the state was preparing to end cooperation with the U.S. on fentanyl, according to screenshots which Yoon posted to X.

Two bloggers linked to China’s government floated the idea of upping the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. in retaliation to President Trump’s tariffs, CNBC’s Eunice Yoon reported Tuesday.

Both Niu Tanquin and a blogger known as Rabbit Chairman posted messages on Chinese social media suggesting the state was preparing to end cooperation with the U.S. on fentanyl, according to screenshots which Yoon posted to X.

The bloggers shared a set of virtually identical bullet points outlining six policy responses China was preparing to counter Trump’s tariffs. Among the points were plans to slap tariffs on US soybean imports, ban US poultry imports and ban US films in China.

(Read more from “China Floats Possibility Of Killing More Americans In Response To Tariffs” HERE)

How China Has Amped up Its Factories and Is Threatening to Crush U.S. Industry With a New ‘Tsunami’ of Cheap Products

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A $1.9 trillion “tsunami” is headed for American industry — and it’s coming from China.

The Communist country of 1.3 billion people has shifted that much cash into amping up its factories in just four years in an effort to overwhelm manufacturers around the world with an influx of cheap goods.

President Trump’s 125% tariff on all Chinese imports into the US — which he announced Wednesday as he paused steep duties on most other countries — is actually just the latest protective measure against China.

The European Union, Brazil, Mexico and Thailand have either imposed new tariffs in the last few months, or are considering such measures to protect their own industries from Chinese imports.

“The tsunami is coming for everyone,” said Katherine Tai, trade representative for former President Joe Biden, told The New York Times. (Read more from “How China Has Amped up Its Factories and Is Threatening to Crush U.S. Industry With a New ‘Tsunami’ of Cheap Products” HERE)