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Donald Trump: ‘China Must Be Very Happy’ Democrats Using Coronavirus to ‘Screw up’ Election; Mike Pompeo: AG Barr Will Determine Whether to Postpone the Election

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By Breitbart. President Donald Trump said Friday that China was likely delighted Democrats were trying to implement mail-in voting in the 2020 election, which he said would lead to a “catastrophic” result.

“They’re using the China virus, China must be very happy about it, because they hit us with a virus and now they screw up an election like you will never see,” Trump said about the Democrats.

The president spoke to reporters at the White House after hosting leaders of the National Association of Police Organizations on Friday to discuss law enforcement.

Trump previewed a disruptive Election Day on November 3, noting that it would take several days or even weeks to count all the ballots.

“It’s going to be a very, very sad day for this country,” Trump said. (Read more from “Donald Trump: ‘China Must Be Very Happy’ Democrats Using Coronavirus to ‘Screw up’ Election” HERE)

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Mike Pompeo: AG Barr Will Determine Whether to Postpone the Election

By Law and Crime. President Donald Trump‘s baseless Thursday morning question about postponing the 2020 general election has been given new life. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the final decision on any such postponement hinges upon whether Attorney General Bill Barr and others at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) can find a legal justification to change the date. . .

“You are one of the most highly trained and accomplished lawyers who are part of this administration,” Kaine summarized, “Can a president delay a presidential election?”

To which Pompeo replied:

In the end, the Department of Justice, and others, will make that legal determination. We all should want–I know you do, too, Senator Kaine–want to make sure to have an election that everyone is confident in.

. . .

“It should happen lawfully,” Pompeo said–the end of his thoughts on the matter. (Read more from “Mike Pompeo: AG Barr Will Determine Whether to Postpone the Election” HERE)

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Trump Doubles Down, Warns November Will Bring ‘Greatest Election Disaster in History’

By Fox News. President Trump doubled down Friday on his warnings surrounding expanded mail-in ballots, declaring November will bring the “greatest election disaster in history” a day after he controversially suggested delaying the vote.

“They think they’re going to send hundreds of millions of ballots all over the United States and it’s gonna come out,” he told reporters at the White House following a meeting with members from the National Association of Police Organizations. “You won’t know the election result for week months, maybe years after. Maybe you’ll never know the election result. That’s what I’m concerned with – it’ll be fixed. It’ll be rigged. People oughta get smart.”

He suggested people vote in person or submit absentee ballots.

“This is going to be the greatest election disaster in history,” he continued on Friday. “And by the way, you guys like to talk to about Russia and China and other places? They’ll be able to forge ballots, they’ll forge them. They’ll do whatever they have to do.” (Read more from “Trump Doubles Down, Warns November Will Bring ‘Greatest Election Disaster in History'” HERE)

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WATCH: Dem Senator Defends ‘Respectable’ China, Says Nation Shouldn’t Be Blamed for COVID; GOP Lawmaker Demands Hearing on China’s ‘Espionage’ Into U.S. Vaccine

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By The Blaze. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) said Thursday that China is “growing into a respectable nation” during a speech cautioning America against holding the communist country accountable for misleading the global community at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We hold China as a potential trading partner, as a country that has pulled tens of millions of people out of poverty in a short period of time, and as a country growing into a respectable nation amongst other nations. I deeply believe that,” Feinstein said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

The senator’s comments fly in the face of numerous reports indicating that the Chinese Communist Party engaged in a cover-up of the origins and dangers of the coronavirus in the crucial early days and weeks of the outbreak, often silencing doctors and journalists attempting to get the truth out. . .

Also, Feinstein’s comments come amid a flood of damning reports that portray human rights abuses carried out by the communist government, namely the mass detention and forced sterilization of Uighurs, a Muslim ethnic minority in China’s Xinjiang region. (Read more from “Dem Senator Defends ‘Respectable’ China, Says Nation Shouldn’t Be Blamed for COVID” HERE)

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Rep. Jackie Walorski Demands Hearing on China’s ‘Espionage’ Into U.S. Vaccine

By New York Post. An Indiana congresswoman on Friday demanded a separate hearing on “Chinese espionage” into the US’s efforts to develop a vaccine – prompting a terse response from her colleague on the special coronavirus committee.

Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski made the request while questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci on China’s role in the spread of the virus during the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing.

“I don’t know how in the world that we could stand there and say no, I don’t think China is a threat to a vaccine for this country when we just indicted two people,” Walorski said, referring to the recent arrest of two Chinese hackers charged with trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from government agencies and private companies.

“I think we need to investigate that answer on cybersecurity. Why can’t we have a hearing in here?” she asked, before demanding a “commitment” from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) that the panel would hold a hearing. (Read more from “Rep. Jackie Walorski Demands Hearing on China’s ‘Espionage’ Into U.S. Vaccine” HERE)

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Investigation Finds Coaches at Government-Run NBA China Academies Complained of Child Abuse

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Long before an October tweet in support of Hong Kong protesters spotlighted the NBA’s complicated relationship with China, the league faced complaints from its own employees over human rights concerns inside an NBA youth-development program in that country, an ESPN investigation has found.

American coaches at three NBA training academies in China told league officials their Chinese partners were physically abusing young players and failing to provide schooling, even though commissioner Adam Silver had said that education would be central to the program, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the complaints.

The NBA ran into myriad problems by opening one of the academies in Xinjiang, a police state in western China where more than a million Uighur Muslims are now held in barbed-wire camps. American coaches were frequently harassed and surveilled in Xinjiang, the sources said. One American coach was detained three times without cause; he and others were unable to obtain housing because of their status as foreigners. . .

In an interview with ESPN about its findings, NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum, who oversees international operations, said the NBA is “reevaluating” and “considering other opportunities” for the academy program, which operates out of sports facilities run by the Chinese government. Last week, the league acknowledged for the first time it had closed the Xinjiang academy, but, when pressed, Tatum declined to say whether human rights were a factor. (Read more from “Investigation Finds Coaches at Government-Run NBA China Academies Complained of Child Abuse” HERE)

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WAR ALERT: Multiple Indicators China Preparing for Imminent Hostile Action, Setting Off Alarm Bells in U.S.

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By Bill Gertz. What intelligence agencies call “indications and warnings” — signs of potential hostile military or other actions against the United States — are being detected from inside China. Analysts suggest these movements reveal Beijing may be preparing for some type of military or covert action. . .

The account @TruthAbtChina on July 25 tweeted video from Beijing and Shanghai showing posters instructing people how to go to underground bunkers if an alarm signals a military attack . . .

Another source in Asia reported that Taiwanese ham radio operators were picking up indicators that China may be preparing to take some type of action against Taiwan’s outer islands, which are closer to the mainland than the main Taiwan island, which sits around 100 miles off the southern coast.

A third indicator comes from a businessman with contacts inside China who says locals there are reporting unusual movements of equipment and shifts in production at some factories away from producing civilian products.

There are also rumors of a major political power struggle in Beijing pitting Chinese President Xi Jinping against political elements behind former Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong — an ally of former leader Jiang Zemin and part of the Shanghai political faction. (Read more about China preparing for military action HERE)

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More Reasons China Preparing for Conflict with U.S.

By Alice Su and Tracy Wilkinson. Fears are rising on both sides of the Pacific that the U.S. and China could be headed for a total breakdown of relations and even outright conflict within the next few months.

As the two powers ordered the closure of each other’s consulates in Houston and Chengdu last week amid allegations of espionage, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo called for the end of “engagement,” a policy that has defined U.S.-China relations for nearly five decades and is considered one of the Republican establishment’s most important foreign policy achievements in recent history. . .

In addition to the consulate shutdowns, the U.S. last week charged two Chinese nationals with hacking for Chinese intelligence agencies and arrested a Chinese researcher who had been hiding in the San Francisco consulate. She was part of a long-standing network of Chinese industrial spies spanning 25 cities, the U.S. Justice Department claimed.

The two countries have also clashed in recent weeks over tech, trade, student and journalist visas, the coronavirus outbreak, the South China Sea, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong. . .

“I am extremely worried about the arrogant inflexibility of China in the South China Sea,” [said Orville Schell, director of the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations], pointing also to Xi’s stances on Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan and Hong Kong so far. To Xi, those are “core interests,” Schell said: “End of story. Shut up. No negotiation.” (Read more about China preparing for conflict with the U.S. HERE)

Republicans Concerned TikTok Could Be Used by Chinese Government to ‘Manipulate’ U.S. Elections

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Republicans are raising concerns over the expansive reach of Chinese-owned social media app TikTok and its possible effect on this year’s elections.

Sens. Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio signed onto a letter to the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday to highlight the possibility that the social media app could be used to “manipulate” the public.

“TikTok has become a popular forum for Americans—particularly younger Americans—to engage in political conversations,” the GOP members wrote. “I’m greatly concerned that the CCP could use its control over TikTok to distort or manipulate these conversations to sow discord among Americans and to achieve its preferred political outcomes.”

This isn’t the first time that federal lawmakers have called attention to TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company Bytedance and is one of the most downloaded apps in the world, over concerns about the security and privacy data of its U.S. userbase. (Read more from “Republicans Concerned TikTok Could Be Used by Chinese Government to ‘Manipulate’ U.S. Elections” HERE)

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Vatican Computers Hacked in Chinese Espionage Effort; Trump’s Ex-Chief Strategist Says US Should Seize President Xi’s Personal Assets

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By Washington Examiner. Hackers working for the Chinese Communist Party allegedly accessed the private computing network of the Vatican for several months ahead of a September meeting to discuss the appointment of bishops in the Asian country.

Analysts with Recorded Future, a Massachusetts-based cybersecurity company, said they had detected an attack on Vatican computers in which Chinese infiltrators accessed communications between high-ranking officials in the church, who openly discussed upcoming negotiations pertaining to the pope’s role in confirming bishops to the heads of Chinese churches, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

According to a Recorded Future report set for release on Wednesday, the espionage tactics began in early May. The firm outlined how one electronic file was masked in such a way that it appeared as if it was sent from the Vatican to Monsignor Javier Corona Herrera, the head chaplain of the Holy See’s Study Mission in Hong Kong. (Read more from “Vatican Computers Hacked in Chinese Espionage Effort” HERE)

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In Wake of Espionage Effort, Steve Bannon Says Go After Chinese Leaders’ Personal Assets

By Jenni Fink. Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon praised America’s strong response to China on Tuesday and said if he was the one making the call, he’d take it a step further and go after President Xi Jinping.

Bannon told CNBC’s Squawk Box that China as a country and Xi are in the United States’ “gun sights.” Along with backing off support for the Chinese Communist Party, the U.S. should target Xi and those associated with them on a personal level, he said. Bannon also advocated sanctioning Xi and his “henchmen” and seizing all of their assets. . .

Bannon added that it’s “breathtaking” how U.S. strategy morphed into an “alliance of liberty,” bringing in the United Kingdom, India and Japan. Around the world, people are standing up to China, Bannon said, and this will be the “greatest legacy of President Trump’s eight years in White House” . . .

“The truth is that our policies, and those of other free nations, resurrected China’s failing economy, only to see Beijing bite the international hands that were feeding it,” [U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently]. “Whatever the reason, today China is increasingly authoritarian at home and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Almost 24 Million People Affected by China Floods

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Torrential rains in China continued this week, threatening even worse floods after almost 24 million people have been impacted by 433 overflowing rivers, with millions evacuated and at least 142 dead as of Tuesday.

The largest of those rivers, the Yangtze, remains the focus of great concern. The third major flood of the year hit the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze on Sunday, pouring 50,000 cubic meters of water per second into its containment systems. An even larger surge was expected by Tuesday evening.

According to China’s state-run Xinhua news service, the Three Gorges Dam has discharged water nine times since July 18. Some residents living below the dam suspect there have been more unreported discharges and worry that officials could decide to vent uncontrollable floodwaters on them if the integrity of the showpiece hydroelectric dam is threatened.

The worst is yet to come, according to a statement from China’s water resources ministry on Tuesday. The ministry described the current flood control situation as “severe” and warned “the new peak may appear later,” with at least three more days of torrential rain on tap.

According to Chinese officials, the water level in the Three Gorges reservoir is currently just under 160 meters, down from a high of 164.18 meters last week. The maximum rated level for the reservoir is 175 meters. (Read more from “Almost 24 Million People Affected by China Floods” HERE)

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USDA Warns Against Mysterious, Unidentified Seeds Mailed from China to Multiple US States; “Possible Bioterrorism”

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By Emily Czachork. Kentucky is one of eight U.S. states where residents have reportedly received parcels containing unlabeled seeds, seemingly sent from China by mail.

Ryan Quarles, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, issued an alert [Sunday:] “Multiple states have opened investigations,” he wrote on Twitter, before providing residents with instructions should they receive one of the unsolicited parcels.

A photo attached to Quarles’ tweet showed six small seed bags wrapped in clear packaging. One seemed to contain a different variety of seed from the rest. Chinese characters appeared on two mailing labels pictured, as did a description listing the parcels’ contents as “jewelry” in English.

Agricultural departments in Virginia, Washington, Louisiana and Kansas shared nearly identical reports late last week. Each warned of potentially invasive species in its alert notice and encouraged residents to report any related information to the state. Residents in Utah, Arizona and Ohio have reportedly received unlabeled packages with seeds as well. (Read more about the unidentified seeds HERE)

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USDA Warns Against Chinese Seeds

By Thomson/Reuters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday warned residents against planting unsolicited packages of seeds arriving from China because they could harm the environment.

At least eight states, from Washington to Ohio, have also told residents in recent days not to put the seeds in the ground, after they arrived apparently from China in the mailboxes of people who did not order them. Officials said the seeds could be invasive species that could threaten crops or livestock.

“At this point in time we don’t have enough information to know if this is a hoax, a prank, an internet scam or an act of agricultural bioterrorism,” Ryan Quarles, Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner, said in a video posted on the department’s website. . .

The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Read more about the unidentified seeds HERE)

China Retaliates, Orders U.S. to Shutdown Consulate

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China ordered the United States on Friday to close its consulate in the city of Chengdu, responding to a U.S. demand for China to close its Houston consulate, as relations between the world’s two largest economies deteriorate.

The order to close the Chengdu consulate in southwestern China’s Sichuan province continued Beijing’s recent practice of like-for-like responses to Washington’s actions.

Beijing had threatened retaliation after the Trump administration this week gave it 72 hours – until Friday – to vacate its consulate in the Texas city, and had urged the United States to reconsider. . .

Senior U.S. officials said on Friday espionage activity by China’s diplomatic missions was occurring all over the United States, but its Houston consulate was one of the worst offenders and its activity went well over the line of what was acceptable.

A senior State Department official also linked espionage activity at China’s Houston consulate to China’s pursuit of research into a vaccine for the new coronavirus. (Read more from “China Retaliates, Orders U.S. to Shutdown Consulate” HERE)

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President Trump Hints at Closure of More Chinese Consulates; China Threatens to Retaliate

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Trump Hints at Closure of More Chinese Consulates as China Fumes

By Al Jazeera. US President Donald Trump has indicated that it was “always possible” he would order the closure of more Chinese consulates in the United States, after the US gave Beijing 72 hours to shut its consulate in Houston further souring ties between the two countries.

Trump, at a White House news conference on Wednesday, noted that a fire had been spotted on the Houston consulate’s grounds after the US Department of State ordered the closure.

“I guess they were burning documents and burning papers,” he said. (Read more from “Trump Hints at Closure of More Chinese Consulates as China Fumes” HERE)

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China Threatens to Retaliate Over U.S. Closure of Houston Consulate

By Newsweek. China’s state-backed Global Times newspaper has taken to Twitter to ask followers where Beijing will retaliate for the U.S. closure of its Houston consulate this week.

The nationalistic newspaper—owned by the People’s Daily which is the Chinese Communist Party’s official publication—asked social media users to suggest which U.S. consulate in China would be ordered closed in response to the shuttering of the Houston facility, which means all staff will be evicted by Friday.

The U.S. order—given to “to protect American intellectual property and American’s private information,” according to State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus—was met with scorn in Beijing.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Wednesday that the order constituted an “unprecedented escalation” in tensions, warning: “If the U.S. continues to go down the wrong path, we will resolutely respond.” (Read more from “China Threatens to Retaliate Over U.S. Closure of Houston Consulate” HERE)

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