Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile: Badly Needed for Deterrence

U.S. President Joe Biden, overruling his top generals and military advisors in the Pentagon, has defunded development of the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile-Nuclear (SLCM-N). They warn, correctly, that SLCM-N is vitally necessary for nuclear deterrence.

Throughout the Cold War, and today, in order to prevent nuclear war, it is foundational to the concept of deterrence that the U.S. should allow no nuclear adversary to achieve significant advantages in the balance of nuclear power.

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Terrorist accused in fatal Wisconsin Christmas parade crash changes plea to “insanity defense”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more when he allegedly drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee last year has decided to mount an insanity defense, his attorneys said Monday.

Darrell Brooks Jr. faces more than 80 charges, including six homicide counts, in connection with the Nov. 21 incident in Waukesha. He pleaded not guilty in February. During a hearing Monday one of his attorneys, Jeremy Perri, told Judge Jennifer Dorow that Brooks is changing his plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

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US parents turn to black market due to formula shortage

Mum Lauren Galvin needed to get extra milk into her baby. He was spitting up so much after nursing that he wasn’t gaining weight and had to be taken to hospital, twice.

But, with the US in the grips of a severe national shortage of infant formula, she couldn’t find any to buy.

So Lauren turned to the black market, going online to order a Dutch-made brand that is barred from import to the United States.

US authorities have repeatedly warned against buying milk that hasn’t been approved for export to the US.

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Donald Trump Is Magnificently Right About Ukraine

“… Now we have the nastiest inflation that we’ve ever seen, we have a war in Ukraine with perhaps millions and millions of people dying in the end…you’re talking about tens of thousands of people dying…and perhaps it’s going to lead to World War III because of the way we’re handling it… We just gave $40 billion on top of another $16 billion, so we’re in for $56 billion…we want to help those people—we have to also save our country, by the way—and it’s horrible, horrible what happened. But when you look at Europe, and Germany and France and all these other countries – they’ve given a tiny fraction of what we’ve given…It should have never happened. If I were president that would have never happened. One hundred percent, that would never have happened.”

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Mexico Helps Migrant Caravan Headed To U.S. Border

The largest migrant caravan to date this year has mostly dissipated, but that doesn’t mean that thousands more migrants are no longer headed to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Members of the migrant caravan initially gathered in the city of Tapachula on the Mexican side of the Mexico-Guatemala border, and set off on their march towards the United States in the second week of June. While the caravan formed in and departed from a Mexican town, the bulk of the caravan’s members were from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. There were also Haitians, Salvadorans, Hondurans, and Guatemalans in the mix. Individuals from India, Bangladesh, and some African countries were also spotted in the caravan’s ranks.

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Four of the five most expensive cities on either side of the border are Canadian: study

Four of the five most expensive cities on either side of the border when it comes to cost of living versus income are located in Canada, a new study shows.

Data released by Canadian insurance provider PolicyAdvisor suggests that New York City, Mississauga, Ont., Vancouver, Hamilton, Ont., and Toronto are the most unaffordable places to live in either country.

The study examined the 10 most populous cities in each country and compared the average cost of eight common necessities, items and services: a cinema ticket, a restaurant meal, a bottle of water, a cappuccino, a one-month gym membership, a one-way ticket on transit, a monthly pass on transit, and one month’s rent.

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Over 53K Illegal Aliens Given DACA Despite Arrest Records Including for Murder, Rape, Kidnapping

Ten years ago, in 2012, former President Barack Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program via executive order that has allowed nearly 800,000 illegal aliens to evade arrest and deportation.

Standards for the Obama program were set so low that tens of thousands of illegal aliens with prior arrest records for crimes like murder, rape, and kidnapping were able to secure DACA status

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US troops detain ‘experienced bomb maker’ who was ‘instructing others’ in Syria

U.S. troops in Syria detained a senior Islamic State leader earlier this week, and the military has since identified him as Hani Ahmed al Kurdi, known as Salim.

Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. mission to defeat ISIS, said in a statement on Thursday it was able to identify and capture Kurdi, whom they described as an “experienced bomb maker and operational facilitator who became one of the top leaders in the Syria branch of ISIS.”

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Is War Really Coming to Taiwan?

Parallels have been drawn between the war in Ukraine and a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. While these situations differ in many respects, both countries exist outside of a collective security apparatus like NATO, and both face existential threats posed by much larger and hostile neighbors. Lacking nuclear weapons and outgunned in conventional terms, both the Ukrainian and Taiwanese militaries have little choice but to wage asymmetric warfare. Yet few people truly know, let alone understand, Taiwan’s current defense policy and the path forward.

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The U.S. sees Canada in 3Ds, and that’s not good

… There are very few things Republicans and Democrats see eye-to-eye on these days so we should take note when there’s an emerging bipartisan consensus about Canada. When U.S. officials look at Canada through both red and blue lenses, three “Ds” pop out at them: dairy imports, digital taxes and defence spending.

These three “Ds” pose a particular risk to the Canada-U.S. relationship because, in each case, the White House and Congress believe Canada isn’t following through on commitments we’ve made to them. Whatever our own understanding of Canadian policies in these areas, to the Americans it looks like we’re going back on our word.

I blame Junior.

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Californians fleeing the expensive state for Mexico

Mexico’s Pacific Coast has long been a popular vacation spot for Californians who could either drive or catch a low-cost flight to relax on the beach and escape the rat race.

And Tijuana remains a must-have destination to fill up on gasoline and purchase baby formula, prescription drugs, and other overpriced items back home.

Now, the occasional trip is becoming permanent for a good portion of the 360,000 who left the Golden State last year for more affordable living conditions, a Baja California realtor told CNBC.

Probably safer under the Cartels.

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Navy fires five officers within six days over ‘loss of confidence’

The US Navy has dismissed five commanding officers in less than one week due to “loss of confidence,” a strikingly short timeframe for such disciplinary action.

On Tuesday, the Navy announced it was relieving Cmdr. Peter Lesaca — of the destroyer USS Preble — of his duties “due to loss of confidence in his ability to command.”

“Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct,” the Navy said in a statement. “They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of these standards.”

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U.S. continues to receive Russian oil via third parties, report says

Tankers laden with Russian oil are arriving at U.S. ports thanks to a loophole, industry observers say.

A “significant” share of Russian crude oil is being re-exported through refineries in India to the U.S. and Europe, according to the report from Helsinki-based think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Since Russia’s invasion in late February, global oil prices have soared, giving refiners in India and other countries an added incentive to tap oil. Moscow is offering them at steep discounts of $30 to $35 a barrel, compared with Brent crude and other international oil now trading at about $120 per barrel.

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Biden’s New Policy Funds China’s Military, Supports Slavery, Achieves Nothing

Recently the Biden administration issued new answers for Americans invested in Chinese companies with direct ties to Beijing’s military. Previously, U.S. policy was that Americans were forbidden to invest in companies included in a “blacklist” of Chinese companies directly involved in China’s military, and in producing applications used by the Communist regime to oppress its own people and threaten its neighbors. The new “answers” amount to a wholesale abandonment of a policy Americans of all political stripes supported.

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