John Kerry: ‘No-One is Exaggerating When They Call This an Existential Threat’

Four days before the U.N.’s latest climate megaconference opens in Glasgow, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry in a speech on Thursday characterized the battle ahead as one in which “the stakes could not be higher,” and said that “no-one is exaggerating when they call this an existential threat.”  Read

On Eve of Audience With Biden, Pope Says Life of ‘Every Child Conceived … is Sacred and Inviolable’

Shortly before meeting with a Catholic president who according to the White House “supports a woman’s right to choose” to abort her baby or carry it to term, Pope Francis publicly reaffirmed the church’s teaching that the life of “every child conceived … is sacred and inviolable.” Read

Biggest US Foreign Aid Beneficiaries Voted With US at the UN 30.4% of the Time in 2020

The 12 biggest beneficiaries of U.S. foreign assistance in 2020 – most of them Islamic nations – voted in line with positions taken by the United States in the U.N. General Assembly an average of just 30.4 percent of the time last year.  Read

Joint Chiefs Chairman: ‘China is Clearly the Most Significant Geostrategic Threat We Face’

 “China is clearly the most significant geostrategic threat” the United States faces today, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said in comments broadcast on Wednesday, describing Beijing’s rise as one of the biggest “historical pivot points” the world has seen.  Read

Israel Outlaws Palestinian ‘Rights’ Groups Over Alleged Terror Links; Sending Team to D.C. to Explain

The Israeli government is sending a delegation to Washington to explain a controversial decision to outlaw six Palestinian non-governmental organizations operating in the disputed territories.  Read

Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Afghanistan Intend to Attack the US, Pentagon Official Tells Senators

The U.S. intelligence community assesses that the Afghanistan-based terrorist groups ISIS-K and al-Qaeda intend to attack the United States, and could have the ability to do so in as little as six months in the former case, and within “a year or two” in the latter, a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers on Tuesday.  Read

Communist China, Celebrating 50 Years in UN, Slams US Support For Taiwan's Participation

 As Beijing’s communist government on Monday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the vote that handed it the “China” seat at the United Nations, its mood was soured by a U.S.-led push in favor of meaningful Taiwanese participation at U.N. forums.  Read

US Opening Up to Fully Vaccinated Foreign Visitors, But Millions Won’t Be Eligible

The new international travel rules outlined by the Biden administration could have an oversized impact on prospective visitors from Russia, where the only Moscow-approved COVID-19 vaccines are not among those required for any non-U.S. citizen wishing to visit the United States.  Read

September SW Border Apprehensions: Haitians +132%, Russians/Turks +89%, Indians +82%

The record-breaking figures for “encounters” with migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally at the southwest border during fiscal year 2021 include sizeable month-on-month increases in September in the number of apprehended migrants from Haiti, Russia, Turkey, India, Ukraine, and China, even though the overall total was somewhat down, from 209,840 in August to 192,001 in September.  Read

Ex-Envoy: ‘Conditions-Based’ Deal With Taliban Gave Way to a ‘Calendar-Based’ Approach

Former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, in his first interview since resigning, repeatedly drew a distinction between the “conditions-based” agreement he signed with the Taliban early last year and the “calendar-based” approach that ultimately governed the chaotic end of the U.S. military engagement there.  Read

Omar-Schakowsky Bill Would Create Special Envoy, Require State Dep’t to Report on ‘Islamophobia’

Three months after urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a letter to create the post of special envoy to monitor and combat “Islamophobia,” Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) on Thursday introduced legislation to achieve that aim.  Read

China Calls Tough Words From U.S. Ambassador-Nominee ‘Arrogant,’ ‘Little More Than Political Theater’

The Chinese foreign ministry slammed President Biden’s nominee for ambassador to Beijing for critical statements on China’s behavior, but state media said he was likely just talking tough to secure Senate confirmation in a climate where bashing China has become a requirement.  Read

SW Border ‘Encounter’ Numbers for September Still Not Released, But FY2021 Expected to Set Record

 Almost three weeks into October, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) still has not publicly released the number of “encounters” with migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally at the southwest border in September.  Read

Progressive Rift: Climate Warriors Call for Jewish Groups to be Purged From ‘Voting Rights’ Coalition

As progressives prepare for a “voting rights” rally in Washington on Saturday, a youth-led climate advocacy group has sparked a kerfuffle by declaring it will not take a speaking slot at the event because of the participation of “Zionist” groups.  Read

US-Sanctioned Regimes at UN Push Back Against ‘Rules Based Order’

Unhappy with the U.S. and allies’ focus on upholding a “ruled-based order” in international affairs, China and Russia are helping to spearhead a response at the United Nations by mobilizing like-minded nations around the flag of purportedly upholding the U.N. Charter.  Read

With Beijing Olympics 15 Weeks Away, Still No US Decision on Calls to Boycott

The opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics is now just 15 weeks away, but as the Olympic flame was handed over to the Chinese organizers at a ceremony in Greece on Tuesday there was still no indication from the Biden administration on whether it will support a full or diplomatic boycott of the games. Read

Rep. McCaul: Reported Chinese Hypersonic Missile Test Is a ‘Sputnik Moment’ For US

The White House, Pentagon and State Department declined to comment Monday on reports that China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile over the summer, but the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee described the alleged test as a “Sputnik moment” and a “wake-up call” for the United States.  Read

Moscow Accuses NATO of Hyping the ‘Russia Threat,’ Shuts Down Remaining Channels of Engagement

Retaliating against a NATO decision to expel eight Russian diplomats from Moscow’s observer mission to the alliance in Brussels, Moscow on Monday went beyond reciprocity.  Read

Terror Probe Underway in UK After Killing of Pro-Life, Pro-Israel, Iran-Critic Lawmaker

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lead lawmakers in paying tributes on Monday to Sir David Amess, the Conservative lawmaker stabbed to death in a killing which police are investigating as a terrorist attack.  Read

Beijing Responds to Hypersonic Missile Test Reports: ‘China Is Narrowing the Gap’

Reacting to weekend reports of China having tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile over the summer, a state media outlet stopped short of confirming them, but touted what it called “the unstoppable trend that China is narrowing the gap with the U.S. in some key military technologies.”  Read

US Wins Fewer Votes in Human Rights Council Election Than Autocratic, Rights-Abusing Regimes

Somalia, Qatar, Cameroon and Kazakhstan – undemocratic regimes with poor human rights records – all received more votes than the United States when the U.N. General Assembly in a secret ballot election on Thursday filled 18 seats on the Human Rights Council.  Read

Uzbekistan, Russia Shoot Down Reports of ‘Over-The-Horizon’ Options for US Military

 Russian and Uzbek officials on Thursday disputed that Uzbekistan was considering allowing U.S. forces to use its territory for “over-the-horizon” surveillance and counterterror operations in Afghanistan, with Russia saying no government in the region has indicating an interest in doing so.  Read

Israeli FM on Iran: ‘There are Moments When Nations Must Use Force to Protect the World From Evil’

Israel reserves the right to take action against Iran at any time to prevent the development of nuclear weapons, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in Washington on Wednesday.  Read

Only 5 of 18 Candidates for UN Human Rights Council Deserve Seats, Says NGO

Only five of the 18 countries standing for election onto the Human Rights Council on Thursday deserve to get seats on U.N.’s top human rights body, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization that closely monitors the council said on Wednesday.  Read

Iran-Backed Militias Are the Big Losers in Iraq’s Election

Voters in Iraq have handed a resounding defeat to Iran-backed groups, slashing the number of parliamentary seats held by the “Fatah” alliance of Shia militias from 48 seats to just 14 – a reversal of the 2018 election when the then-new bloc emerged as the second-largest in parliament.  Read

China Lectures US Over Afghanistan: ‘Imposing One’s Own Ideology on Others, Arbitrarily Interfering…’

China used a G20 virtual summit on Afghanistan on Tuesday to argue that the countries which “caused the current predicament” should learn lessons from their policies and take responsibility to help prevent a humanitarian and refugee crisis.  Read

Pakistan PM: Engage With the Taliban; It’s the ‘Best Bet to Get Rid of ISIS’

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is leading a push to persuade the international community to accept the Taliban regime, argues that the terrorist group that seized power in Afghanistan is “the best bet to get rid of ISIS.”  Read

Kerry Optimistic China Will Join Effort to Achieve Climate Goals in Glasgow; Xi May Not Attend

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks unlikely to attend the upcoming U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, but U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is optimistic that China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, will cooperate in the global effort he is championing.  Read

Taiwanese President: ‘Nobody Can Force Taiwan to Take the Path China Has Laid Out For Us’

“The motherland must and will be reunited,” a Chinese government spokesman declared on Sunday, responding to a National Day speech by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in which she described the situation facing the island democracy as “more complex and fluid than at any other point in the past 72 years.”  Read

Pelosi: ‘Science, Science, Science … Science is an Answer to Our Prayers’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a meeting of lawmakers in Europe that the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has “launched the most ambitious climate plan in our history” and was now working on “something that President Biden calls Build Back Better.”  Read

US Delegation Holds ‘Candid and Professional’ Talks With UN-Sanctioned Taliban Terrorists

U.S. officials have held two days of “candidate and professional” talks in Doha, Qatar with representatives of the Taliban, including U.N.-sanctioned terrorists, for the first time since the terrorist group seized power in Afghanistan in August.  Read

Pakistan, China Object as UN Human Rights Council Votes to Monitor Abuses in Afghanistan

The U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday adopted a resolution establishing a “special rapporteur” to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan over the next year, but not before China offered amendments designed both to water down the text and to point fingers at the United States.  Read

Arab, Islamic Leaders Say Rabbi’s ‘Quiet’ Prayer on Temple Mount Will Provoke the World’s Muslims

A local Israeli court finding in favor of a Jewish Israeli who quietly prayed on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount has prompted a clamor among Arab and Islamic critics, who charge that the move will provoke the world’s Muslims.  Read

NATO Expels Russian Diplomats From Brussels; Move Reportedly Linked to Malign Activities in Europe

NATO confirmed Wednesday that it is expelling eight Russian diplomats from Moscow’s observer mission to the alliance in Brussels, a move reportedly linked to spying and malign Russian activities in Europe including a deadly 2014 explosion in the Czech Republic.  Read

UK Officials Engage With Taliban, Which Claims ‘Diplomatic Relations’ Were Discussed

After Britain became the first western democracy to engage openly with Taliban leaders in Kabul, a Taliban spokesman claimed Wednesday that discussions focused on “reviving diplomatic relations between both countries.”  Read

Afghanistan IG: ‘No One in the Government Has Been Held Accountable’

The special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction told lawmakers on Wednesday that his office has issued 11 reports and 600 audits since its creation in 2008, but that despite “all of the reports we’ve done, no one in the government has been held accountable.”  Read

China Takes Dig at US – the Biggest UN Funder By Far – Over Arrears

The Chinese government took its antagonism towards the United States into a U.N. budgetary committee meeting this week, criticizing the U.S. – though without naming it – for payment arrears, while stressing that China always pays its dues to the world body on time, and without setting conditions. Read

Haley: Biden Has Done More ‘to Improve Russia’s Economic and Strategic Standing Than Trump Ever Did’

President Biden “has done more to improve Russia’s economic and strategic standing” in eight months than his predecessor ever did, former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said on Tuesday night.  Read

Record Low Number of Refugees Resettled in the US in FY 2021

 Despite a last-minute escalation during the final month of the fiscal year, the Biden administration in FY 2021 oversaw the smallest resettlement of refugees since the modern-day refugee admissions program was established in 1980.  Read

China Flies More Fighter Planes Near Taiwan; Will ‘Crush All Attempts’ at Independence

The United States must “stop supporting and emboldening separatist forces” in Taiwan, China’s foreign ministry said Monday, in response to administration statements of concern about an unprecedented level of Chinese warplane activity in the skies near the island.  Read

In 2022, Only 31.9% of UN Human Rights Council Will Be ‘Free’ Countries

Fewer than one-third of the seats in the U.N. Human Rights Council next year will be occupied by “free” democracies – for the first time in the 16-year history of the body.  Read

Swedish Cartoonist Who Faced Death Threats From Islamist Radicals Killed in Highway Crash

 A special prosecutor investigation is underway in Sweden after a controversial cartoonist, living under police protection because Islamists threatened to kill him for blaspheming Mohammed, was killed in a collision Sunday between unmarked police car and a truck.  Read

As Warplanes Scramble, Beijing Paper Calls Taiwan’s Govt ‘an Evil Force the Mainland Must Crush’

 Chinese warplanes operating in the skies near Taiwan in record numbers prompted a statement of concern from the State Department on Sunday, as a Chinese Communist Party media outlet hailed what it called “a clear and unmistakable declaration of China’s sovereignty over the island.”  Read

Rep. Gallagher on Kabul Evacuation: ‘If That’s a Success, Then What The Hell Does Failure Look Like?’

Assessing two days of congressional testimony on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) on Thursday challenged the notion that the operation had been a “logistical success,” saying that while he expects “spin” from President Biden he does not expect it from the nation’s top military leaders.  Read

China to US: If Australia Can Have Highly-Enriched Uranium, Why Can’t Iran, North Korea?

If the United States and Britain help Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines requiring highly-enriched uranium then how can they oppose Iran or North Korea having HEU, China’s foreign ministry asked on Thursday.  Read