Author: adler

By Bethany Blankley (The Center Square)
Criminal complaints have been filed against at least 44 Chinese nationals for allegedly committing crimes against American citizens or residents on behalf of the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Public Security, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced Friday.
An international non-governmental organization claims other Chinese operatives are active in Canada and the U.S., specifically in San Francisco, Houston and two Midwestern states.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York unsealed two criminal complaints that charged 44 people, including 40 MPS officers and two officials in the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), for allegedly perpetrating “transnational repression schemes targeting U.S. residents whose political views and actions are disfavored by the PRC government, such as advocating for democracy in the PRC,” the DOJ said in a statement.
Those charged allegedly created and used thousands of fake online personas on social media sites, including Twitter, to harass and intimidate PRC dissidents residing in the U.S. and abroad. They also sought to suppress free speech on a U.S. telecommunications company platform and disseminated official PRC government propaganda to counter pro-democracy speech of Chinese dissidents without the social media companies detecting it, the complaint states. Those charged are all believed to be living in China or another Asian country and remain at large, the DOJ said.
“China’s Ministry of Public Security used operatives to target people of Chinese descent who had the courage to speak out against the Chinese Communist Party – in one case by covertly spreading propaganda to undermine confidence in our democratic processes and, in another, by suppressing U.S. video conferencing users’ free speech,” Acting Assistant Director Kurt Ronnow of the FBI Counterintelligence Division said. “We aren’t going to tolerate CCP repression – its efforts to threaten, harass, and intimidate people – here in the United States. The FBI will continue to confront the Chinese government’s efforts to violate our laws and repress the rights and freedoms of people in our country.”
Related: Two NYC Residents Arrested, Charged With Operating Illegal Chinese Police Station
The two-count complaint charges 34 MPS officers with conspiracy to transmit interstate threats and conspiracy to commit interstate harassment.
Those charged are believed to be working with Beijing’s MPS bureau or are assigned to an elite task force called the “912 Special Project Working Group” to target Chinese dissidents living in the U.S. and throughout the world, according to the complaint.
“As alleged, the PRC government deploys its national police and the 912 Special Project Working Group not as an instrument to uphold the law and protect public safety, but rather as a troll farm that attacks persons in our country for exercising free speech in a manner that the PRC government finds disagreeable, and also spreads propaganda whose sole purpose is to sow divisions within the United States,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said.
An amended complaint charges 10 individuals, including a former PRC-based company employee, six MPS officers, and two CAC officials, with conspiracy to commit interstate harassment and unlawful conspiracy to transfer means of identification. All remain at large.
Related: House Republican Says If China Attacks Taiwan, He Will Call a Vote to Authorize Force
According to investigations by the Madrid, Spain-based nongovernmental organization, Safeguard Defenders, the PRC uses “illicit methods to harass, threaten, intimidate and force targets to return to China for persecution,” including through officers working in at least 102 “Chinese Overseas Police Service Centers” or “police stations,” in 53 countries. Through them, they are engaging in “persuasions to return” operations designed to “intimidate and force targets to return to China for persecution,” the report states.
It cites a Chinese report on the PRC State Council Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in 2014 announcing its plans to establish 60 police stations worldwide. Since then, 46 centers have been identified in 40 countries, according to the Safeguard Defenders report. As of 2018, these police offices were operating in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver in Canada and in San Francisco, Houston, Minnesota and Nebraska in the U.S.
In response to questions raised about purported Chinese spies operating in Houston, the FBI-Houston office issued a statement saying, “Generally speaking, the FBI conducts logical, fact-based investigations and follows the evidence wherever it may lead. We’re increasingly conducting outreach in order to raise awareness of how some countries’ governments harass and intimidate their own citizens living in the U.S. This violates U.S. law and individual rights and freedoms and will not be tolerated,” Fox 26 News Houston reported.
The FBI encourages “anyone who may have experienced this harassment or intimidation” to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov, call their local FBI field office, or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or go to the FBI’s Transnational Repressionwebsite.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
The post Criminal Complaints Filed Against 44 Chinese Operating ‘Police Stations’ In New York City appeared first on The Political Insider.

By Glenn Minnis (The Center Square)
Nearly six out of every 10 individuals say crime is at least somewhat of a significant problem in their community, up from 53% just six months earlier.
In addition, a new State Policy Network poll of 2,011 voters, conducted in partnership with Morning Consult between April 11-14, finds that 46% of respondents agree that crime in their town or city has been on the rise over the past 12 months, up from 42% who held such feelings in November 2022.
Across the country, 74% say crime has increased over the past year, a six percentage point increase from five months earlier when 68% of respondents felt that way.
“People are saying they personally see crime as a problem in their local community and numbers are even higher when you ask about the United States broadly,” SPN messaging strategist Erin Norman told The Center Square. “High profile media stories about shoplifting mobs and gun violence likely impact how Americans see crime in the nation as a whole.”
Related: Update: Woman Attacked in Chicago by Mob of Teens Speaks Out
When it comes to big cities, researchers found the view is even dimmer, with 63% saying they feel most large U.S. cities are no longer safe and even more respondents (64%) agreeing they see large retailers making the decision to leave cities due to crime as being reasonable.
Norman agrees much of what you now see and hear seems to justify the apprehension about increased crime.
“The most recent data shows that it’s not just perception – robbery and aggravated assault is up across major population centers,” she added. “People need to see cities and their police force taking steps to prevent crime and prosecute offenders. Walgreens recently announced they are closing five stores in San Francisco and Whole Foods closed their flagship store there as well. Starbucks closed a number of [Los Angeles] stores, citing crime and drugs as issues keeping the stores from becoming profitable. It appears companies aren’t moving their stores but making business decisions to close stores in areas where criminal activity has impacted profitability.”
Related: Staffer For Senator Rand Paul Reportedly Stabbed, Sustained ‘Life-Threatening’ Injuries
Walmart announced last week it is closing four stores in Chicago.
With some 34% of survey respondents now expressing apprehension about going on vacation in a major city, 59% of individuals agree people in cities have become their own worst enemy by electing politicians who do not enforce existing laws.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
The post Poll: Growing Number Of Americans Worried About Rising Crime appeared first on The Political Insider.

Representative Rosa DeLauro praised Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for his plan to invest in female crash test dummies, something she claims is an important step to fight “gender inequity.”
DeLauro is referencing Buttigieg’s current request before Congress seeking $20 million in the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposed 2024 fiscal budget to develop the dummies.
And while many people would roll their eyes at yet another virtue-signaling attempt at wokeism from the Biden administration official, DeLauro finds the push for gender-specific crash test dummies to be a watershed moment in the fight for equality.
“You also plan to make important investments to address the roadway safety crisis, including the critical funding that would accelerate the development – and this is an area that I’ve written to you about – of the use of female dummies in crash testing,” she said to Buttigieg at a House Appropriations subcommittee last week.
“This will start to fight the gender inequity among vehicle safety and crash victims.”

WATCH: Rep. Rosa DeLauro praises Transportation Sec. Buttigieg for the development of ‘female crash test dummies’
“This will start to fight the gender inequity among vehicle safety and crash victims.” pic.twitter.com/C85Ll2mQJ9
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 20, 2023

RELATED: Joe Rogan Slaps Pete Buttigieg Down For Whining About White Construction Workers, Says Hiring Based on Diversity Leads to ‘Disasters’
Female Crash Test Dummies
Just to recap, what you’re looking at above is a sitting congresswoman with purple hair, sporting a shirt and/or sweater with an orange garbage bag sheen, praising a government official who once took almost two months of paternity leave for using $20 million in taxpayer dollars to develop anatomically representative crash test dummies.
The Founding Fathers would be so proud of the government they envisioned turning into a perpetual circus.
Several social media users poked fun at both DeLauro (D-CT) and Buttigieg regarding the proposal.
“How do you know those crash test dummies are female, you transphobic hater?” actor Nick Searcy quipped.

How do you know those crash test dummies are female, you transphobic hater? @rosadelauro https://t.co/TihbuhJodr
— Nick Searcy, INSURRECTIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) April 23, 2023

Actually, that’s a pretty good question. Democrats don’t even know what a woman is – they’re not biologists after all.
Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro made a similar argument. Why are we making distinctions between the gender of crash test dummies but can’t do so for actual people?
“It’s good to have female crash test dummies if you believe in biological reality (men and women have different body types). But Democrats don’t believe that,” Shapiro said.
“So shouldn’t Rosa DeLauro stop assuming the gender of the ‘male’ crash test dummies?”

It’s good to have female crash test dummies if you believe in biological reality (men and women have different body types). But Democrats don’t believe that. So shouldn’t Rosa DeLauro stop assuming the gender of the “male” crash test dummies? https://t.co/z70UfmGbGf
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) April 21, 2023

“If there is no difference in the physique of biological males and females, why do the Dems want to spend $20 million for female crash dummies?” another user wondered.

If there is no difference in the physique of biological males and females, why do the dems want to spend $20 million for female crash dummies? https://t.co/RBJ2hryTkd
— Xena Warrior Princess (@XenaWarP) April 24, 2023

RELATED: A Train Derailed in Ohio Releasing Toxic Chemicals Into the Air, So Naturally Pete Buttigieg is Focused on White Construction Workers
Voted Against Protecting Women’s Sports
It’s such an odd dichotomy to watch Representative DeLauro praise Buttigieg for recognizing differences between the male and female body in regards to crash test dummies, when she, along with every single other Democrat in the House refuses to acknowledge those differences when it comes to women and men in sports.
In the same week she was praising Buttigieg for his female crash test dummies, DeLauro and the Democrats were voting against a bill protecting women’s sports by keeping biological males out of them.

BREAKING: The House has voted in favor of protecting women’s sports.
Zero Democrats voted for it. pic.twitter.com/gBSMZM6Tox
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 20, 2023

I mean, do we really need to spend $20 million when we can just throw a dress on the male crash test dummy, hand it a Bud Light, and call it a day?
There is some measure of logic to the proposal when one looks at it objectively. Crash test dummies were predominantly developed based on the height and weight statistics of the average male from the 1970s.
Some studies reveal that women are significantly more likely to be injured in a car wreck than men.
Still, the New York Post describes the concept as a “dum idea.”
Other initiatives championed by Secretary Buttigieg include addressing racist roads and the scourge of having too many white construction workers.
Priorities.
Roads across the country are falling apart, train derailments are nearly a daily occurrence, and the airline industry is an absolute safety tragedy waiting to happen but, damn it, Mayor Pete is going to make sure we have crash test dummies that are at least two inches shorter in the name of ‘gender inequity.’

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The post Pete Buttigieg Praised for Fighting ‘Gender Inequity’ by Investing in Female Crash Test Dummies appeared first on The Political Insider.

By Casey Harper (The Center Square)
U.S. House Republicans may get their debt limit spending bill across the finish line this week as the federal government faces a looming deadline to raise the ceiling or default on obligations.
The House Rules Committee is expected to mark up the legislation Tuesday afternoon, which means there could be a vote later this week. Reports indicate Republican leadership has been working feverishly to ensure they have the votes for the deal, which they hope will set the table for negotiations with President Joe Biden and leading Democrats.
The Treasury Department is expected to give an update this week on just how close the U.S. is to defaulting on this imminent debt limit deadline. Defaulting on debt obligations would be unprecedented and likely catastrophic for the American economy.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., pitched his bill to voters on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.”
“I cannot imagine someone in our conference who would want to go along with Biden’s reckless spending,” he said. “This is responsible, this is something we have sat down for months and everybody’s had input in. It doesn’t solve all our problems, but it gets us on the right path.”
McCarthy’s nod toward “reckless” federal spending is a driving impetus for Republicans in this fight. The U.S. debt has surpassed $31 trillion and will top $32 trillion in a few months. Biden has reduced the deficit from the pandemic era high-level spending, but both the deficit and the debt are at unprecedented highs in recent years.
Related: Biden Sending Another $1 Billion of Your Money to Other Countries – This Time to Fight Climate Change
Budget groups have warned that if something is not done soon the U.S. could be in trouble.
The Limit, Save, Grow Act, as Republicans have named it, would extend the debt ceiling either until March 31 of next year or for another $1.5 trillion, whichever comes first. Notably, that would likely put the next debt limit battle in the heart of election season.
“Our legislation accomplishes the same goal by returning the federal government to 2022 levels, and then limit the growth to spending over the next 10 years to 1% of annual growth,” McCarthy said in a speech last week unveiling the plan.
The legislation would cut back on climate and energy tax credits included in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and would put work requirements in place for some federal social programs, such as requiring Medicaid recipients to work 80 hours per month, averaging at 20 hours per week. The bill would also put Republicans’ long awaited permitting reforms in place and formally block Biden’s student loan cancellation.
McCarthy said the plan would cut $4.5 trillion in spending, a number the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said is about right.
“The Limit, Save, Grow Act also includes policy changes related to regulations, energy, and permitting, including the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which would require Congress to approve any federal rule or regulation that the Office of Management and Budget determines would have an economic impact of $100 million or more,” the group said. “It also includes the House-passed Lower Energy Costs Act, which would repeal some of the IRA’s climate provisions and rescind the funding for them, allow for additional sales of oil and gas leases, and make changes to permitting regulations. CBO estimates the Lower Energy Costs Act would add $430 million to deficits over the next decade, while there is no score yet for the REINS Act.”
Related: Inspector General: American Taxpayer Dollars, Aid Could Be Going to the Taliban
While all of these Republican provisions are unlikely to make it into the final deal, they lay out Republicans’ goals and starts the negotiations, which will likely be fervent to reach an agreement and avoid a default.
So far, Biden has said he does not want to negotiate because the risk of defaulting on the debt is too great. If Republicans pass this legislation, the ball will be in his court.
“Why won’t the president sit down to negotiate a responsible debt limit increase?” McCarthy wrote on Twitter Monday morning. “What is he afraid of?”
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
The post Republicans’ Debt Ceiling Plan Expected To Get A Vote This Week appeared first on The Political Insider.

By Casey Harper (The Center Square)
The U.S. Senate HELP Committee is expected Wednesday to vote on the nomination of Julie Su, President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Labor, sending it out of committee and to the Senate for consideration.
The Senate confirmed Su to serve as deputy secretary for the federal agency in July of 2021, but she will likely face a tougher process to lead the agency this time around.
Critics say Su’s California labor policy is too far to the left for the rest of the U.S.
“Appointing Julie Su to lead the Department of Labor would be an affront to American workers and taxpayers,” Rachel Greszler, a labor policy expert at the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation, told The Center Square. “Su’s record in California stands alone as reason to reject her nomination. As head of California’s Employment Development Department, Su failed to follow the state auditor’s advice, which resulted in massive stolen identities and billions of taxpayers’ dollars sent to criminals.”
Su faced a HELP committee hearing last week, where Republicans raised concerns about Su’s support of Assembly Bill 5 in California, a measure that would have banned independent contractor relationships in the state. The PRO Act, a similar legislative effort at the federal level, has gained support but not enough to become law.
“As secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Ms. Su was the chief enforcer of AB5 – a controversial law that dismantles the gig economy such as Uber, Door Dash, and Lyft, and removes the flexibility of individuals to work as independent contractors,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said during last week’s hearing. “Independent contractors, or freelancers, make their own hours and choose the type of work they wish to do.
“They are shielded from forced or coerced unionization that would strip that flexibility away. This has made eliminating freelancing a top priority for large labor unions who want more workers paying forced union dues.”
Related: (WATCH) Another Biden Judicial Nominee Can’t Answer Basic Legal Question
Democrats have boosted Su, pointing to her record helping American workers as deputy secretary in the Labor Department.
“Julie Su is a strong champion for workers everywhere. After years of exemplary public service to California and the nation, she is more than qualified to lead the Department of Labor,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said at Su’s confirmation hearing last week. “As deputy secretary of Labor, and now acting secretary, Su has helped the administration add a record 12.6 million jobs to the American economy since President Biden took office. I’m confident that her service will fundamentally strengthen American labor in the years ahead and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting her nomination.”
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council has vocally opposed Su’s nomination. The group sent a letter to Democratic and Republican leadership expressing similar concerns about AB5.
“Ms. Su’s actions and statements are clear in her desire to force self-employed, independent freelancers into employment relationships they do not want,” the letter said. “Small businesses – all businesses – count on individuals with independent businesses to conduct important projects and work that do not require full-time employees. Moreover, most of the entrepreneurs and free-lancers who conduct this work want to work this way – they want the flexibility and freedom that independent contracting offer.”
Related: Biden Judge Nominee Can’t Answer Basic Questions About the Constitution
Big labor union groups have expressed support for Su, drawing familiar battle lines in this confirmation process.
“What’s most impressive about Su is that she understands the nuances of labor law so thoroughly and translates that knowledge to meaningful policy that changes lives,” the AFL-CIO said in an online petition to rally public support for Su.
Whether Su will be confirmed remains to be seen.
“Moreover, Su actively supported legislation that’s destroyed jobs and small businesses in California and as head of the Department of Labor, she would take California’s failed policies nationwide,” Greszler said.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
The post Biden’s Secretary Nominee For Labor Department Faces Confirmation Battle appeared first on The Political Insider.

With regard to current President Joe Biden’s anticipated presidential candidacy announcement this week, The Washington Post discreetly delivered a “bombshell.” Reportedly, Joe Biden is seriously contemplating running against former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
The story said that Biden’s closest advisers “have quietly undertook extensive preparations for a run, holding regular meetings with the president and first lady in the White House residence since last year.”
Joe Biden will once again get protection on the campaign road from the Democratic National Committee. This time, “Basement Joe,” who was charged by his detractors of avoiding political activities during the COVID epidemic, will be exempt from participating in the Democratic primary debates.
The DNC has no plans to host a primary debate, according to the report in The Post. Some of the contributors said they anticipate being asked to plan future fundraisers for Biden’s reelection, according to the Post. The national Democratic Party has said that it would back Biden’s reelection and that it has no intentions to encourage primary discussions.

Related: Fox News Will Host First Republican Primary Debate; Rumble to Play Huge Role
This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, said that he will run as a Democrat in the 2024 election. In his announcement speech, Kennedy said, “Under normal circumstances, I would not do this. But these aren’t typical conditions. As my nation is taken from me, I watch.”
In addition, Marianne Williamson, who ran against Biden in 2020, has said that she will run once again. The Washington Post clarified the DNC’s announcement by stating that Biden is “not expected to face any serious opposition from elected Democrats for the nomination, despite concerns from some in the party about his age and dissatisfaction among some liberals who say he has not pushed their priorities hard enough.”
The 80-year-old Biden, who has avoided press conferences for weeks at a time, delivered an expected State of the Union address late, relied on humiliating crutch materials like notes and instructions, and has taken too many vacations to count, is once more facing a Democratic primary campaign that is blatantly “rigged.”

Please help me share this video of the event in Boston on April 19 where I announced my run for President of the United States. #Kennedy24 https://t.co/T47wxtkcKq
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) April 23, 2023

Related: Ron DeSantis, RFK Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard All Warn Against Central Bank Digital Currency
As the Washington Post noted, “President Biden and his team are preparing to announce his reelection campaign next week, with aides finalizing plans to release a video for the president to officially launch his campaign, according to three people briefed on the plans.”
According to the Post, “Biden and his advisers have targeted Tuesday for the release of the video to coincide with the four-year mark of his 2020 campaign launch. Those briefed on the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, warned that the official announcement could be delayed.”
Biden has been hinting at his intention to seek re-election for some time, but he hasn’t made an official declaration because he and his staff didn’t feel compelled to do so—especially after the Democrats’ stronger-than-anticipated midterm results quelled chatter of a primary challenge.
The Post’s story also said that two of Biden’s senior advisors, Anita Dunn and Jen O’Malley Dillon, had been “overseeing the reelection efforts, including interviewing staff for top roles.” The electoral landscape has been studied by the Democratic National Committee. The 2016 Democratic primaries were notoriously manipulated by the DNC to favor Hillary Clinton against socialist senator Bernie Sanders. The DNC seems to be supporting Joe Biden once again.
Reprinted with permission. View this story and more on WayneDupree.com.
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