Category Archives: Nation States

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Daily Broadside | If Your Kids Are Using TikTok They Are Probably Exposed to Chinese Influence Operations

So you know that I strongly oppose any more aid to Ukraine and am deeply unhappy with the $95 billion slush fund that was just passed by the U.S. House on Saturday. If I had to find a silver lining it would be this:

After weeks of being bogged down, legislation that could lead to a ban on TikTok is being fast-tracked by Congress.

The US House on Saturday approved a bill that would require the popular social media platform’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell TikTok to a buyer deemed fit by US officials. The measure, which was attached to an aid package for Ukraine and Israel, now moves to the Senate.

While some oppose forcing a sale or an outright ban, there seems to be some evidence that the Chinese are using it for psychological warfare against the U.S., and particularly teens and young adults.

The bill is aimed at forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok to a buyer that American officials are OK with, as well as guaranteeing that ByteDance no longer has access to US user data or control over the TikTok algorithm that decides what videos American users see. 

TikTok is the international version of Douyin, the short-form video platform introduced in 2016 and owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. More than 150 million Americans—almost half the U.S. population—use the app. But there’s evidence that TikTok (in particular, but part of the larger impact of social media) is having a corrosive effect on the mental state of younger generations.

Concerns about the hugely popular Chinese-owned video app have been bubbling for years. Besides its effects on young people’s mental health, lawmakers, security officials, and experts have sounded the alarm that the app’s data can be accessed by Beijing and that the communist regime could use the app to run influence campaigns and spread disinformation.

[…]

Geoffrey Cain, a journalist and technologist, said the mental health of Generation Z in the United States is suffering, and a great deal of that stems from an addiction to TikTok.

By comparing the content exposure of a fake 13-year-old with parental control settings across various social media platforms, his research discovered that such users had the easiest access to harmful content on TikTok.

However, his team’s tests showed that the same harmful content available to 13-year-old American TikTok users isn’t accessible by 13-year-olds who use Douyin, China’s version. Instead, Chinese users see a Ministry of Public Security warning of inappropriateness when they try to view the same videos.

“So, clearly, the Chinese government knows that this is extremely harmful content,” Mr. Cain told The Epoch Times. “Considering that they essentially control ByteDance, why do they allow TikTok to show this in America, whereas, in China, this same material is all banned?

“They know that it has a horrible effect on kids, yet they’re okay with it being shown here.”

No. I refuse to believe it! I shan’t! The same country that’s facilitating the U.S. fentanyl crisis is intentionally dumping psychologically damaging video content on Americans, too? Tell me it ain’t so!

At a Senate hearing earlier this year, FBI Director Christopher Wray affirmed that ByteDance owns TikTok’s algorithm and that the only way the algorithm could work is if ByteDance also has access to the data collected by TikTok.

TikTok has repeatedly maintained that it is independent from its Chinese parent company. According to TikTok, its U.S. customer data are stored in Virginia and backed up in Singapore, and it has never, and will never, share its U.S. data with the Chinese regime.

However, leaked audio of internal TikTok meetings held in September 2021 mentioned a Beijing-based engineer as a “Master Admin” with access to all data, according to a BuzzFeed report. A recent article in Fortune said that a senior data scientist at TikTok reported to a ByteDance executive in Beijing in 2022.

Oh. Never mind.

It seems that TikTok could actually be a nefarious influnce operation aimed at undermining our society.

In March 2023, the Chinese regime’s Ministry of Commerce spokesperson strongly objected to any sale, citing a technology export issue. Recently, Chinese authorities also signaled to ByteDance that Beijing would choose a ban in the United States over a forced sale, according to The Wall Street Journal. Reuters reported that the CCP took a similar stance in 2020.

All this suggests that the CCP treats the algorithm like a “state secret,” according to Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, a think tank.

“To me, that’s indicative of what their true interests are here. It’s not to provide a platform for commercial activity; it is to create a platform as an influence operation,” he recently told The Epoch Times.

Lots more at the link including a section on “Cognitive Warfare.”

Know what your kids are absorbing on social media because it’s possible it’s wrecking their minds.

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Daily Broadside | A Confidential Source Says the Bidens Were Bribed to Protect Burisma

I feel like a truant high schooler when I miss more than a day of posting, but the truth is that my life is just packed this summer with all kinds of projects and a wedding in the fall. I really want the Daily Broadside to live up to its name, so I’ll keep pushing to figure out how to do better.

Thanks to those of you commenting, and hello to some new suscribers. Glad to have you.

Did you see that Sen. Chuck Grassley released a document today in which a confidential human source (CHS) says that the Ukrainian oligarch who allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden, was “coerced” into sending them money?

Burisma founder Mykola Zlochevsky, the Ukrainian oligarch who allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden, was “coerced” into sending them money, according to an FBI FD-1023 form released Thursday by Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Zlochevsky and the confidential human source (CHS) allegedly participated in a phone call after the 2016 presidential election, in which Zlochevsky said he was “pushed to pay” the Bidens and did not want to send the money, according to the form.

“CHS asked Zlochevsky whether he was concerned about Burisma’s involvement with the Bidens. Zlochevsky stated he didn’t want to pay the Bidens and he was ‘pushed to pay’ them,” the FD-1023 form reads.

“(CHS explained the Russian term Zlochevsky used to explain the payments was ‘poluchili’ (transliterated by the CHS), which literally translates to ‘got it’ or ‘received it,’ but is also used in Russian-criminal-slang for being ‘forced or coerced to pay’,” the form continues.

“CHS then stated, ‘l hope you have some back-up (proof) for your words (namely, that Zlochevsky was ‘forced’ to pay the Bidens). Zlochevsky replied he has many text messages and ‘recordings’ that show that he was coerced to make such payments,” the form adds.

“Zlochevsky asked whether it would make any (legal) difference whether he voluntarily made such payments, or if he was ‘forced’ to make them,” the form continues.

The Ukrainian oligarch said he had a total of “17 recordings” involving the Bidens including two featuring Joe Biden, according to the form. The other 15 recordings allegedly only feature Hunter Biden, who served on Burisma’s board beginning in April 2014 until he left the position in 2019.

The FBI sat on this information to protect “the Big Guy.” Replace the name “Biden” with “Trump” and the ink wouldn’t even be dry on the leak to the press before the articles of impeachment were drafted. Yet this scummy agency and Merrick Garland’s DOJ do NOTHING about this clear threat to national security.

Congress and Granny Box Wine impeached Trump twice with little more than hearsay, yet the evidence is overwhelming that the Biden family has been involved in criminal, if not treasonous, activity to enrich themselves and to hell with what it means to the country.

CHS was made aware of Hunter Biden’s position on the Burisma board of directors during the initial meeting, where he was told Hunter Biden was hired to “protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems,” while Joe Biden was serving as vice president, according to the FBI form. Burisma wanted additional assistance with the U.S. acquisition because they did not believe Hunter Biden was smart, the FBI form continues.

But Joe considers Hunter the smartest guy he knows.

At the Austria meeting, the CHS allegedly told Burisma it would be difficult for the IPO to take place while then-Ukrainian Prosecutor General (PGO) Viktor Shokin was investigating the firm. Zlochevsky told the source, “Hunter will take care of all of those issues through his dad,” according to the FBI form.

Oh. So a protection racket. But the Resident swears he never discussed business dealings with his son backed by his word as a Biden.

How much money did the Ukrainian pay the Bidens?

After an investigation of Burisma by Ukraine Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin was disclosed in 2016, the source told Mykola Zlochevsky, owner of Burisma, that the disclosure would have a negative effect on the prospective initial public offering. Mr. Zlochevsky replied that Mr. Hunter Biden “will take care of all of those issues through his dad,” according to the document.

Mr. Zlochevsky was also cited as saying that it cost $5 million to pay one Biden and $5 million to pay another Biden.

The source replied that payments to the Bidens would complicate matters and that the Bidens didn’t have experience with the oil and gas sector, according to the document. Mr. Zlochevsky said that despite his low opinion of Mr. Hunter Biden’s intelligence, Mr. Zlochevsky needed to keep him on the board “so everything will be okay.” He also said both Bidens had told him that Mr. Hunter Biden needed to remain on the board.

At about the same time, Mr. Joe Biden, U.S. vice president at the time, was pressuring Ukrainian officials to fire Mr. Shokin.

“‘We’re leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor’s not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” Mr. Joe Biden said at a public event about the interaction, referring to a $1 billion loan guarantee he threatened to withhold. “Well, son of a [expletive]. He got fired.”

Mr. Shokin has said that the threat was cited when he was ousted. He said in a sworn statement that then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked him to resign because of “pressure from the U.S. presidential administration, in particular from Joe Biden.”

The FBI source told the bureau that he gleaned from the conversation that payments had already been made to the Bidens, presumably to deal with Mr. Shokin.

The Bidens are a corrupt, malicious, self-gratifying crime family. While they use their positions of power and proximity to power to enrich themselves and lie about everything to maintain their grift, they destroy the country they swore to serve. Well, only Brandon swore, but he and his family are suckling at the teats of the great American sow.

If our government now protects the corrupt and prosecutes the innocent, looking for a crime that fits the man, we no longer have a “democracy” or a “republic.” We have an unaccountable, lawless criminal enterprise that is hellbent on keeping its power and protecting itself.

The colonies of the 1700s rebelled over much less.

Have a good weekend.

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Daily Broadside | The Queen of England Dies While the Mayor of Washington Cries

Daily Verse | Ezekiel 43:12
“This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple.”

Friday’s Reading: Ezekiel 44-48
Saturday’s Reading: Daniel 1-3

Friday and sincere condolences to our cousins in the UK on the passing of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth. It’s a remarkable loss given that she was the longest reigning monarch in British history at 70 years (1952-1922), and the second-longest in world history behind only French King Louis XIV, who ruled for 72 years (1643–1715).

Entire generations of Brits have grown up knowing only Queen Elizabeth as the head of British royalty. Heck, even I’ve only known Queen Elizabeth during my lifetime. I once spent a year in London during my college days and saw her in a motorcade passing by while the crowd cheered and waved. I consider myself fortunate to have lived during her remarkable reign.

I understand that she was a woman of strong faith. Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son, said, “Queen Elizabeth once said, ‘I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel'” and that, “she was a true friend of the Christian faith.”

I hope that’s true. May she rest in peace.

In other news, from the category of “I can’t even,” there’s this gem: DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declares emergency over migrant buses from Texas, Arizona.

Bowser’s emergency declaration will set aside funding to accommodate migrants as well as create the Office of Migrant Services. The OMS will be tasked with providing temporary accommodations, urgent medical needs, transportation” and other services for migrants.

“We’re putting in place a framework that would allow us to have a coordinated response with our partners,” Bowser said Thursday. “This will include a program to meet all buses, and given that most people will move on, our primary focus is to make sure we have a humane, efficient, welcome process that will allow people to move on to their final destination.”

“Regardless of the federal response — which I think has been lacking in some respects — that the District of Columbia would continue to work with partners to advance what we need and ensure our systems in D.C. are not broken by a crisis that is certainly not of our making,” Bowser added.

Oh, it’s a crisis? You’re going to move people “on to their final destination”? You mean you’re not going to keep them there? You’re not going to shower them with free education, medical care and put them up in the best hotels? You’re instead going to pass them on to some other fair city?

If I was a red state city complaining like Bowser, I’d be called racist, xenophobic, intolerant and a hater of brown people.

You know how many illegal aliens have been bussed to Washington, D.C. so far? About 9,400. You know how many illegal aliens have been caught crossing the border since Angry Hitler was installed as Resident? 5 MILLION. (Graphic linked to article at dailymail.com.)

That’s basically dumping the whole country of Ireland into the U.S. if they were Latino and spoke some language other than English. Which, if you’ve ever heard the Irish brogue, sometimes sounds like a foreign language.

Don’t forget that Bowser talked big when she thought no one was going to call her on it.

Well, that’s changed now. Washington, D.C. is no longer a “sanctuary city” but a “border town.”

“In many ways, the governors of Texas and Arizona have turned us into a border town. We don’t know how long this will take to resolve. We don’t know how long they will continue bussing,” Washington DC Councilmember Brianne Nadeau said.

She doesn’t mean “border town” as a positive thing. But why? What’s wrong with being a border town? You’re the ones that wanted this. Her and the mayor’s support of open borders and refusal to cooperate with ICE has created this “crisis.”

Talk about being cluelessly woke with no sense of irony. H8ter!

It’s absolutely precious to see these anti-American morons get a taste of what red states like Texas and Arizona have been dealing with for years because of progressive Leftist policies like Brandon’s open borders policy.

It’s all part of a plan to sow chaos in the United States and dilute the cohesion of what once held us together as a society. With lawlessness becoming sanctioned by the state, I wonder how long it will be before the same state decides to declare two weeks of martial law to flatten the curve.

Have a good weekend.

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Daily Broadside | So Glad We’re Back to a Stable World

Daily Verse | Exodus 12:40-41
Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt.

Monday’s Reading: Exodus 15-18

Monday and we’re now into the first full week of Brandon’s second year as Resident as Russia! Russia! Russia! threatens to invade Ukraine at the invitation delivered last week by the dunce in the White House; “minor incursion” and all that. Do you know that Trump was the only president in the last 30 years to not start or escalate existing foreign conflicts or war? Barring some kind of intervention, that’s all about to change as our military service members in their high-heels, pregnancy flight suits and vaccines prepare to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression and mockery of our woke civilian military.

The US and its allies will deliver a “swift, severe and united response” if Russia invades Ukraine, the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, warned on Sunday amid rising tensions.

Maybe. I don’t trust anything that Blinken says nor the administration’s competence to deliver or sustain a smack-down on the Russians. Perhaps their attitude is the same as Megamind’s:

The only reason Russia is even making the move on Ukraine is that Brandon is an empty suit who reads whatever is put on his teleprompter. He’s certainly not a geopolitical genius, as his catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan showed us. Effects of the invasion could be harsh for the U.S.

Treasurys are a traditional haven during periods of geopolitical and economic stress. A rally in Treasurys would pull down yields, which move in the opposite direction of prices. A Treasury selloff has pushed up yields, with the 10-year Treasury rate TMUBMUSD10Y, 1.778% finishing near 1.77% Friday after hitting a nearly two-year high earlier in the week.

The Swiss franc, another popular haven, could also rally, with the euro/Swiss franc EURCHF, 0.12% currency pair likely to fall to CHF1.03 “on a frozen rope if Russia moves,” Donnelly said. The euro bought 1.043 francs Friday.

Also:

If Russia invades Ukraine, inflation-weary Americans will likely pay even higher prices at the pump.Oil prices have already shot up to seven-year highs in recent days. A conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which the White House has warned could be imminent, would have the potential to drive them much higher.That’s because Russia is the No. 2 oil producer on the planet, behind only the United States. And Ukraine is a key energy transit hub, where a large amount of Russian natural gas exports to Europe flow through.

An invasion of Ukraine would trigger immediate fears of sanctions from Washington on Russia’s vast energy resources, damage to the region’s energy infrastructure and raise the specter of Vladimir Putin weaponizing exports of natural gas and crude oil.

Investors would buy first and ask questions later.

What does Russia want?

The Kremlin wants what it says: an end to NATO expansion, a rollback of previous expansion, a removal of American nuclear weapons from Europe, and a Russian sphere of influence. However, Putin may accept less. The Kremlin’s primary goal is a guarantee that Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia will never belong to a military or economic bloc other than the ones Moscow controls and that Russia will be the ultimate arbitrator of the foreign and security policy of all three states. In essence, this conflict is about whether 30 years after the demise of the Soviet Union, its former ethnic republics can live as independent, sovereign states or if they still must acknowledge Moscow as their de facto sovereign.

The G7 is threatening harsh economic sanctions that would severely hurt Russia, so it’s possible that an invasion can be avoided. But maybe not:

The United States has ordered the families of all American staff at the US Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country amid heightened concern that Russia, which has massed troops on the border, is about to invade.

In a statement on Sunday, the State Department also said that non-essential embassy staff could leave Ukraine at government expense and that all Americans should consider departing immediately.

[…]

The US Embassy in Kyiv warned that “military action by Russia could come at any time and the United States government will not be in a position to evacuate American citizens in such a contingency, so US citizens currently present in Ukraine should plan accordingly.”

Take them at their word, embassy staff.

A Russian invasion could lead to a much bigger conflict and pull focus away from Brandon’s problems at home and perhaps trigger aggression by China and Iran, two other foes who have, respectively, designs on Taiwan and avenging the loss of top commander Qasem Soleimani who died by a US drone strike two years ago. If either of them act while we’re dealing with Russia, all bets are off.

But at least the tweets are nice, right NeverTrump?

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MORNING LINKS | 22 Apr 20

Happy Hump Day! It’s week six of the Peking Lung Pox and there are some encouraging signs that some of the country might emerge soon from the lock down. Wu Hu!

Your links today include an article from Harvard Magazine examining the so-called “risks for children—and society—in homeschooling.” If the cover illustration is any indication—and it is—you won’t be surprised to learn that the answer is government regulation. In other news, Trump suspends immigration to the U.S. for 60 days; Nancy Pelosi steps on a rake full of ice cream; China may be preparing for total war; and Kevin D. Williamson gives his perspective on recent judicial appointments in Washington State.

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A New Axis of Evil?

CURIOUS AND WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON. 11 Iranian Military Boats Swarm U.S. Naval Ships; China Might Be Testing Nukes; Russia, North Korea Show Military Aggression, According To Various Reports

America’s top four nation-state enemies in the world have all shown signs of increased military aggression against the United States over the last 24 hours.

Earlier today, 11 Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) boats swarmed several U.S. naval ships that “were conducting joint integration operations with U.S. Army AH-64E Apache attack helicopters in the international waters of the North Arabian Gulf,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.

The Navy said that the Iranian boats got within 10 yards of the U.S. vessels and did not respond to “five short blasts from the ships’ horns and long-range acoustic noise maker devices.”