Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
August 24th, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
‘An enormously valuable trove’: America’s race against Afghan data . . . U.S. officials racing to evacuate Afghan allies have limited time before another threat comes into play: vast digital data stores that will expose Afghans’ ties to American operations on a massive scale once in Taliban hands. Telecom companies store reams of records on who Afghan users have called and where they’ve been. Government databases include records of
foreign-funded projects and associated personnel records. And stashes of biometric data like fingerprints make people easy to identify. “There’s almost no doubt that they’ve gotten their hands on an enormously valuable trove of information that they can exploit at their leisure,” said Thomas Warrick, a former Department of Homeland Security counterterrorism official.
The rapid takeover of Kabul left large stores of data open for exploitation inside Afghan businesses and government offices. That gives today’s technologically adept Taliban tools to target Afghans who worked with the U.S. or the deposed Afghan government with unprecedented precision, increasing the danger for those who don’t get out on evacuation flights. Much of the attention has been on the race to scrub data off the internet: The U.S. government has taken down videos,
stories and photos of Afghans from its sites, as have many Afghan businesses. Social media companies including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are to help limit who sees Afghan users' profiles, posts and connections. But those efforts don’t touch the huge collections of data sitting in Kabul. Take call logs. Telecommunications companies keep a record of nearly every phone call placed and to whom. U.S. State Department officials used the local cell networks to make calls to those who were
working with the United States. Politico
DHS Braces for Terror Threat on Southern Border . . . The Taliban's release of prisoners throughout Afghanistan poses a security threat on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to senior Department of Homeland Security officials and national security experts. The Taliban freed thousands of prisoners, many of whom either worked directly with or had ties to al Qaeda and ISIS, when it captured Bagram Air Base on Aug. 15. Afghan soldiers
surrendered the base with virtually no resistance, leaving U.S. intelligence officials with little ability to track suspected terrorists. The crisis at the southern border could prove an inviting target for terrorists, according to the DHS official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Washington Free
Beacon
Think about this: technologically adept Taliban terrorists, armed with the massive data trove -- biometrics and all -- that fell on their lap, as a result of Joe Biden's bungled troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, are coming over to our country through the Southern Border.
Americans will be living with the threat, that senile and incompetent Joe Biden has created, for years to come.
Most voters don't want Biden or Trump to run in 2024, poll finds . . . The majority of registered voters do not want the next presidential election to be a rematch of the 2020 contest, according to a new poll conducted by Echelon Insights/Washington Examiner.
Only about a third of registered voters would like either President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump to run again in 2024, according to the poll of 1,016 registered voters. On Trump, 59% said no to a third campaign, while 33% said yes, and 8% were unsure. For Biden, 51% said no to a reelection bid, while 34% said yes, and 15% were unsure. Washington Examiner
Taliban Issues Direct Threat To Joe Biden . . . The Taliban won’t accept President Joe Biden’s potential extension for withdrawing in Afghanistan, a spokesperson told Sky News. The U.S. appeared caught off guard by the swift Taliban takeover, sending in more troops to control the Kabul airport and aid in evacuation efforts earlier in August. With the withdrawal deadline of Aug. 31 inching closer, Biden is considering extending that date
if more people still need to be evacuated – but Taliban spokesperson Dr. Suhail Shaheen said “it’s a red line.” Daily Caller
Imagine what would happen if Taliban said that to DJT?
While Taliban flourish on Twitter, social media giants restrict U.S. conservative voices . . . While the Taliban and Iranian mullahs still enjoy Twitter privileges, a growing number of Americans, mostly of conservative persuasion, face a range of restrictions imposed on their accounts by U.S. social media platforms. The list of Americans who have seen their social media reach limited is topped by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who
has been banned indefinitely on Twitter and for two years on Facebook. More recently, Georgia GOP Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene was temporarily silenced by Twitter. The firebrand freshman congresswoman was suspended earlier this month for seven days for what Twitter called "misinformation" for arguing COVID-19 masks and vaccines are "failing," as more fully vaccinated Americans are contracting the virus's highly contagious delta strain. Her account was put in read-only mode for a week
for what Twitter called repeated violations. Just the News
‘This Is A Massive F*** Up’ . . . Team Organizing Private Flights Out Of Afghanistan Says The Biden Administration Has Been An ‘Impediment’ To Their Evacuations. The Biden administration has been an “impediment” to a private effort to get people out of Afghanistan, Robert Stryk, who is arranging privately chartered flights to get Americans and vulnerable Afghans out of the country. “The Brits and South Africans have been fucking awesome
and heroic in getting people through the Mil Gate,” Stryk told the DCNF. Daily Caller
Trump becomes most vocal ex-president since Teddy Roosevelt: Over 400 statements since WH exit . . . As the chaos in Afghanistan unfolded, people around the world were clamoring to hear from President Biden, who was on vacation at Camp David. What they got in his absence was a steady drumbeat of statements from his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, who gleefully carped from the sidelines about the catastrophe. More than a
half-dozen press releases boiled down to one sentiment that Mr. Trump delivered in characteristic capital letters: “MISS ME YET?” Washington Times
Kathy Hochul sworn in as New York’s first female governor . . . Kathy Hochul was sworn in as the 57th governor of New York at midnight Tuesday — making history as the first woman to be the state’s chief executive. The 62-year-old longtime public servant was sworn in by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore at a private ceremony in the state Capitol building. Hochul, a Buffalo native, succeeds disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo after serving
under him as lieutenant governor since 2015. New York Post
|
|
House Intel Democrats express doubts about completing Afghan evacuation by deadline . . . Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee expressed doubt Monday that the U.S will be able to evacuate its remaining citizens and Afghan allies before an Aug. 31 deadline. “I think it's possible, but I think it's very unlikely given the number of Americans who still need to be evacuated, the number of [Special Immigrant Visa holders], the number
of others who are members of the Afghan press, civil society leaders, women leaders,” Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters, nodding to Afghan SIV holders who assisted the U.S. military. The Hill
Emboldened Iran To Hold War Drills With Russia and China . . . Iran is set to hold a series of war drills with Russia and China, as the hardline regime celebrates the United States' bungled evacuation in Afghanistan and boosts its enrichment of nuclear weapons-grade uranium to historically high levels. Iranian and Russian leaders announced on Monday that their countries, along with China, will hold joint maritime war exercises in the
Persian Gulf later this year or early in 2022. The announcement comes as the rogue countries step up their involvement in war-torn Afghanistan amid a hurried effort by the Biden administration to evacuate U.S. personnel from the country. Iran, Russia, and China have all expressed an interest in replacing the United States as a powerbroker in the nation and working with the newly installed Taliban government. Washington Free Beacon
Russia begins constructing nuclear submarines amid increasing friction with West . . . Russia has begun building new nuclear submarines capable of carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles as part of a wide-reaching military modernization effort amid rising tensions with the United States and other Western powers. Russian President Vladimir Putin personally announced the new construction, delivering orders via a video call Monday for
two ICBM-armed nuclear submarines, as well as two diesel-powered subs and two corvettes at shipyards in Severodvinsk, St. Petersburg and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. There was no immediate reaction from the Biden administration, although Mr. Putin‘s statements coincide with rising concern in Washington over Russia‘s futuristic weapons development. The concerns are undergirded by warnings from U.S. officials about growing great power competition with both Russia and China. Washington Times
|
|
The Biggest Winner Of The War In Afghanistan Wasn’t The Taliban . . . The U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan concluded with the Taliban taking control of the Middle East country as it had prior to the 2001 invasion, but the biggest winner of the conflict may not have been the Islamist militant group but instead China. China is in a more favorable strategic position now that its top geopolitical rival is departing
Afghanistan, and a more cooperative Taliban has made it likely that Beijing will gain access to the country’s economic resources and even get assurances that the militant group will not promote Islamist terrorism in China’s western regions. Daily Caller
Daily Caller is killing it today. Lots of good stuff. Go, Tucker!
Afghanistan minerals: a monkey trap for aspiring miners . . . The graveyard of empires is a rich cradle of resources. Positioned on the Tethyan belt, Afghanistan is well endowed with gold, copper, gems and lithium, prompting suggestions regime change will improve access. Some experts have seen the war-torn country as literally sitting on a gold mine, with total mineral deposits of $1tn — a 2010 figure dismissed by
geologists and other less buccaneering types as hopelessly optimistic. In truth, any number is a shot in the dark. Much of the data hark back to the 1980s, based on exploration carried out under the Russians. Still, rich seams of industrial and other metals exist. But It is wildly optimistic to imagine resources will be any easier to exploit under a new iteration of the Taliban than under previous regimes. Even if economics could, quite exceptionally, beat politics here, logistics are
fraught. Afghanistan is a landlocked region with a threadbare railway network. Extraction of some minerals, such as lithium and rare earth metals, requires sophisticated technology. Pentagon talk of “the Saudi (Arabia) of lithium” was wide of the mark. Financial Times
|
|
Boos for Trump show scale of vaccine challenge . . . Former President Trump was booed at a rally on Saturday after he encouraged his supporters to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The offending remarks were mild. “I believe totally in your freedoms, I do…but I recommend: take the vaccines,” Trump said in Alabama, adding that the shots were “good.” Heckles immediately broke out. The moment was a remarkable one, given the
ferocious loyalty of the former president’s base. Trump supporters apparently found his endorsement of COVID-19 vaccinations a bridge too far. The crowd’s reaction was also a microcosm of the enormous difficulty public health officials face in the ongoing effort to reach the roughly 85 million eligible Americans who remain unvaccinated even as the delta variant rages. The Hill
Florida schools forcing face masks deny parents’ rights . . . Leon County Schools has joined a growing list of districts in Florida that are outright rebelling against Gov. Ron DeSantis and his executive order prohibiting the forced face-masking of students returning to the classrooms. It’s really a rebellion against parental authorities, though. Break it down more and it’s really a defiance of the power of the family, of
individualism, of self-determination — of even God’s creation. Opinion. By Cheryl Chumley. Washington Times
Years from now, Americans will wake up and ask themselves: "How did this happen? When did we lose all our rights? And why didn't we stop this?"
|
|
Pelosi forced to retreat on $3.5T spending bill after pushback from moderate Dems, delays vote . . . A cadre of moderate House Democrats forced Speaker Nancy Pelosi to retreat from holding an initial vote on President Biden’s $3.5 trillion expansion of America’s social safety net. Mrs. Pelosi, a California Democrat, attempted to strong-arm lawmakers into voting for a vague and ambiguous congressional rule to advance the
package on Monday. The move, however, was opposed by 10 moderate Democrats, who argued that the House should instead take up Mr. Biden’s recently passed $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal. With Mrs. Pelosi only being able to suffer three defections in the narrowly divided House, the moderates effectively blocked the legislation. Washington Times
Biden’s new ‘death tax’ threatens family farms, small businesses . . . President Biden’s proposal for a new death tax to help pay for his $3.5 trillion social welfare expansion is hitting resistance from members of Congress, including a top farm state Democrat, who warns that the tax will hurt family farms.
The proposal would change the way capital gains are calculated on inherited assets worth more than $1 million, taking a bigger bite out of inherited stocks, real estate, businesses and farms.
Of all the proposed tax increases to help pay for Mr. Biden’s bigger welfare state, this one would have the greatest impact and rake in an estimated $800 billion in revenue. Washington Times
|
|
The Secret Rise of Transgender Children: The New ‘Social Contagion’ . . . In the midst of the isolation that ensued due to COVID-19 quarantines and school lockdowns, some parents have described how a new “social contagion” crept quietly into homes to infect and transform their children. It was given a name in a 2018 study: rapid-onset gender dysphoria. Now, parents are sounding the alarm. In September 2020, January
Littlejohn of Tallahassee, Florida, was shocked when her 13-year-old daughter inadvertently revealed a secret. School officials wanted to know which bathroom she preferred to use “as a result of her requested name change.” More shocking was her discovery of a plan devised during a private meeting held with her daughter and school officials without her knowledge or consent. These kids claiming transgender identities out of the blue have no idea of the scope or scale of what they are
saying, things they are asking for in terms of hormones and surgery. It’s like they’re asking to get a nose ring or their hair dyed or a piece of clothing they know their parents are going to reject. In many ways, this has become a new source of teenage rebellion, but the long-term consequences are much more severe.” Epoch Times
Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt formally exonerated . . . U.S. Capitol Police have formally exonerated an officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6. “USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officer’s conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the
officer’s own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury,” Capitol Police said in a statement. The officer, who remains unidentified, will not face disciplinary action. The Hill
Andrew Cuomo Abandons Dog as He Departs the Governor's Mansion . . . Outgoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) left his dog, Captain, behind in Albany as he departed for his sister's house in Westchester County. Cuomo was reported by the Albany Times Union to have asked staff members at the governor's mansion last week if any of them wished to take his dog. One staffer took the canine, which has a history of biting people, but returned it a
few days later. Cuomo's spokesperson Richard Azzopardi slammed the report, telling the Albany newspaper that the dog's relocation would only be "temporary" because the governor will be taking a vacation following his official resignation Monday night. Townhall
Facebook to bring voice and video calling to main app . . . Facebook Inc. is letting some users make voice and video calls within its main app on a trial basis, aiming to make it easier to place calls without opening its standalone Messenger app.
The social media giant spun out Messenger from its main app years ago, meaning users would have to download a separate app in order to send messages and make calls. Facebook has been trying to tie together messaging across its suite of apps and first enabled it between Instagram and Messenger last September. The move enabled users of each service to find, message and hold video calls with contacts on the other without needing to download both apps. Fox Business
Henri Deluges Northeast With Rain . . . Crews worked to restore power across Rhode Island, and forecasters warned of heavy rain and flash floods Monday as Henri weakened while moving east. Henri, which struck the Northeast on Sunday as a tropical storm, had been downgraded to a posttropical cyclone by Monday afternoon as maximum sustained winds slowed from 30 miles an hour to 25 miles an hour, the National Weather Prediction Center
said. Flash-flood watches and warnings were in effect in parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New England. The National Weather Prediction Center said heavy rainfall could cause more flooding, with up to 3 inches of rain in some areas, though flooding risk will decline by Tuesday. Wall Street Journal
|
|
How To Spot A Loyal Follower Of The One True President Trump . . . How does one recognize a faithful follower of the One True President Trump? They may have been scattered, but they are not defeated. Trump has preserved for himself a faithful remnant, and they will someday return with the armies of MAGA to usher in the second term of President Trump. So how do you spot a loyal servant of the king? The outward clues are
very subtle, so we have created this handy guide to help you find your scattered allies across America!
AR-15 surgically installed in right arm;
Bald Eagle punched on shoulder;
|
|
Do you love Cut to the News? Let your family and friends know about it! They'll thank you for it. Spread the word . . .
By Email - use the message that pops up or write your own. On Facebook - On FB, write your own message
Thank you for doing it.
Have a great day.
Rebekah
Rebekah Koffler
Got this from a friend? Subscribe here and get Cut to the News sent to your Inbox every morning.
|
|
|
