Republican Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke ripped President Joe Biden’s administration for not immediately shooting down the Chinese balloon that is hovering over the state he represents in a Friday interview with the Daily Caller. Zinke , a former NAVY Seal, weighed in on the news that broke Thursday evening that the Department of Defense is tracking a Chinese surveillance balloon that appears to be collecting data on sensitive sites inside the United States. China on Friday confirmed that the balloon is theirs, as a spokesperson claimed it is a civilian research airship. The Montana Republican had a very simple solution to getting rid of the Chinese balloon, telling the Caller: “We should have shot it down. It’s embarrassing. Because the US faces clear and present danger with the Chinese and we can’t shoot down a balloon over rural Montana?” Zinke also mentioned the area in which the balloon was over, saying Roosevelt County is not a populated area at all, so there is no reason … [Read more...] about EXCLUSIVE: ‘Shoot It Down’ — Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke Rips Biden Admin For Not Taking Out Chinese Balloon Over His State
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Suspected Spy Balloon Fuels Kristi Noem’s Push to Block CCP Land Purchases
A suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States fueled South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) call to pass legislation that would ban the Chinese Communist Party from buying up land in South Dakota. “Now more than ever, states need to step up and defend our people from the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. This is exactly why we need to pass SB 185 and SB 189,” she said on Twitter Friday morning: Now more than ever, states need to step up and defend our people from the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. This is exactly why we need to pass SB 185 and SB 189. pic.twitter.com/XppeQzEEVj — Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) February 3, 2023 On Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement that the United States has “detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now.” Ryder added: The U.S. government, to include NORAD, continues to track and monitor it … [Read more...] about Suspected Spy Balloon Fuels Kristi Noem’s Push to Block CCP Land Purchases
Former F.B.I. Agent Gets Life in Prison For Years as a Spy
See the article in its original context from May 11, 2002 Section Page Buy Reprints View on timesmachine TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The former F.B.I. agent Robert Hanssen was sentenced today to life in prison for spying for Moscow during and after the cold war, bringing to a close one of the most lurid and damaging espionage cases in American history. Appearing before Chief Judge Claude M. Hilton of United States District Court in Alexandria, Va., this morning, Mr. Hanssen publicly apologized for the first time for betraying both his country and his family, saying he was shamed by his own behavior and adding, ''I have opened the door to calumny to my totally innocent wife and family.'' Yet despite his display of contrition, many of the government's top counterintelligence experts still believe that Mr. Hanssen has not told them the whole truth about his long career as a Russian spy, which spanned more than … [Read more...] about Former F.B.I. Agent Gets Life in Prison For Years as a Spy
U.S. to Boost Military Role in the Philippines in Push to Counter China
The United States is increasing its military presence in the Philippines, gaining access to four more sites and strengthening the Southeast Asian nation’s role as a key strategic partner for Washington in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan. The agreement, announced on Thursday, allows Washington to station military equipment and build facilities in nine locations across the Philippines, marking the first time in 30 years that the United States will have such a large military presence in the country. The deal comes as Washington has tried to reaffirm its influence in the region amid a broader effort to counter Chinese aggression, reinforcing partnerships with strategic allies and bolstering relations that have soured in recent years. Fears have also grown over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its territory. Among the five treaty allies that the United States has in Asia, the Philippines and Japan are the most geographically … [Read more...] about U.S. to Boost Military Role in the Philippines in Push to Counter China
Black Atlantans Terrorized by Memphis PD Chief’s Old Unit Speak Out: ‘They’d Beat Your Ass’
When the video of Tyre Nichols’ brutal beating by Memphis police was released to the public a week ago, many—including Nichols’ family—applauded Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis’ swift action in firing the officers involved in his beating, calling it a blueprint for police accountability moving forward. Davis had recently been seen as a figure willing to speak out for police reform, even to the Senate , following the murder of George Floyd and as a president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. But to some Atlantans, the beating of Nichols by members of Davis’ newly created (and now disbanded) SCORPION unit in Memphis reminded them of their own violent experience at the hands of another unit Davis commanded in the early 2000’s: the REDDOGs. And others have questioned whether she had learned from past mistakes when she created the SCORPION unit in Memphis to crack down on violence. “She took that same intent down… there and created a whole … [Read more...] about Black Atlantans Terrorized by Memphis PD Chief’s Old Unit Speak Out: ‘They’d Beat Your Ass’
U.S. Stood By as Indonesia Killed a Half-Million People, Papers Show
BANGKOK — It was an anti-Communist blood bath of at least half a million Indonesians. And American officials watched it happen without raising any public objections, at times even applauding the forces behind the killing, according to newly declassified State Department files that show diplomats meticulously documenting the purge in 1965-66. In one of the documents , released on Tuesday , an American political affairs counselor describes how Indonesian officials dealt with prisons overflowing with suspected members of the Indonesian Communist Party, known by the acronym P.K.I. “Many provinces appear to be successfully meeting this problem by executing their P.K.I. prisoners, or by killing them before they are captured,” said the cable sent in 1965 from the American Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, to the State Department. Another cable describes how clerics from an influential Muslim organization in Indonesia advised their flocks that atheist “P.K.I. members are … [Read more...] about U.S. Stood By as Indonesia Killed a Half-Million People, Papers Show