US News President Joe Biden said he is considering a temporary gas tax holiday. The tax reduction would cut gas prices by 18.4 cents per gallon. [Link] Biden said rebate cards are also being considered. [Link] Miami police were offering $50 for handguns, $100 for shotguns and $150 for “high-powered” rifles such as AK-47s or AR-15s in a gun buyback drive. The city says it will transfer the weapons to Ukraine to aid the war effort. [Link] Space X is working with the Department of Defense on a rocket-launched troop movement system that can deploy forces anywhere in the work within hours....
Australia
‘They Took Our Guns’: A Perspective From Down Under
To the rest of the world, the United States has a gun problem. Mass shootings, especially inside of schools, are national tragedies in the USA. When a non-American asks the question “Why a private citizen needs an ‘assault rifle’?" the pro-gun response is rarely helpful. Non-Americans assume it’s the “gun crazy” culture of the U.S. and to Americans, the rest of the world isn’t free because without a Second Amendment liberty is non-existent. Misunderstandings persist and innocent lives are lost while governments use tragedy and fear to grow. “Unarmed Australia” “Australian civilians now...
News Roundup 6/18/2022
Assange British Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday signed an extradition order to send Julian Assange to stand trial in America. [Link] Julian’s wife Stella vowed to fight the order. "We're going to fight this. We're going to use every appeal avenue," Stella Assange told reporters, calling the decision a "travesty". "I'm going to spend every waking hour fighting for Julian until he is free, until justice is served." [Link] Assange's brother said the Assange legal team's appeal to London's High Court of the decision to extradite him to the United States would include new information...
News Roundup 6/17/2022
US News The Senate Armed Services Committee has added $45 billion to President Joe Biden’s military spending plans in its annual defense policy bill. This week’s boost brings the bill’s topline budget figure to $847 billion. [Link] A major bill expanding health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic military burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan passed the US Senate. [Link] The House Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee approved a budget of $2.9 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), $417 million higher than the White House’s original budget...
Lindsey Graham Spearheads U.S. Regime Change Effort in Russia
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has whipped up U.S. opposition against Vladimir Putin like a would-be Stonewall Jackson. Even before the invasion, on February 22, 2022 Graham announced he’d be working with his Democratic colleagues to “create a task force of the Department of Justice, Department of State, Treasury, and maybe DOD to go after [Russian] oligarchs,” adding, “I want to see cops take apartments, fine art, and seize yachts from a bunch of thugs and crooks. I want to put money on the table to have more weapons for Ukraine to...
UK Wants ‘Global NATO’ Capable of Defending Pacific
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said her government favors the creation of a “global NATO” that is able to guarantee the defense of Taiwan and the broader Pacific region, calling for preemptive action against would-be aggressors.
Zelensky Says Biden Dragging Feet on Military Assistance as US Pledges $300 Million in Lethal Aid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted the US and other Western allies for “playing games” with weapons transfers to his country, questioning the motives of Kiev’s foreign benefactors while pleading for additional support.
‘Not Just Sending Our Prayers’: Australia Announces New Military Aid to Ukraine
Australia is set to transfer Bushmaster armored vehicles to Ukraine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, fulfilling a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made just one day prior.
News Roundup 3/29/2022
US News The Department of Justice is seeking $34 million to hire over 100 prosecutors for 1/6 cases. [Link] The Space Force is seeking to increase its budget by 40%. [Link] The US will integrate space and cyber capabilities with Australia. [Link] The new Pentagon budget calls for getting rid of the A-10 aircraft in the coming years. [Link] The budget includes $34.4 million to accelerate nuclear modernization and $1 billion to close Red Hill fuel storage tanks. [Link] Canada announces a plan to buy 88 F-35s. [Link] The Honduras Supreme Court approves the extradition of its previous...
News Roundup 3/28/2022
US News The Supreme Court removes a lower counts ruling that prohibited the Pentagon from altering the deployment of unvaccinated Navy SEALs. [Link] The Biden administration will request an $813 billion war budget in 2023. [Link] Russia Australia sanctions the president of Belarus and his family. Canberra also blacklisted several media organizations including Russia Today and the Strategic Culture Foundation. [Link] The US and EU reach an agreement that would reduce the bloc’s imports of Russian energy. [Link] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had his term extended for another year....