As the world’s largest economy, military power, and a major cultural force, the U.S. has been the dominant global hegemon since the Berlin Wall fell in 1990.

Its foreign policy plays a key role in shaping geopolitics. Despite the complexity of international relations, we can see where the U.S. prioritizes its influence by analyzing the data.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, shows the countries U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has visited most since his term started in January 2021. Data is sourced from the State Department, last updated on September 27th, 2024.

All the Countries Secretary Blinken Has Visited At Least Five Times

Secretary Blinken has visited Israel 18 times during his term—by far the most for any one country.

Ten of those visits have taken place since October 2023, following Hamas attacks which killed nearly 1,000 Israeli civilians.

In the year since the area has devolved into a major conflict zone. Israel has repeatedly bombed the Gaza strip, leading to the death of over 43,000 Palestinians, of which more than one-fourth are children.

Retaliatory rocket launches from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have, in turn, led to Israeli airstrikes hitting Lebanon and Yemen.

Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken has visited both Qatar and Egypt nine times so far—two other mediators in the war. He’s also been to Saudi Arabia: part of a longer-term plan to normalize relations between the House of Saud and Israel.

Finally, Blinken has visited the West Bank four times—most recently to reiterate U.S. support for a Palestinian state.

These visits to the Middle East stand in sharp contrast to Ukraine, where Secretary Blinken has made just five trips, also in a show of American support as the country battles a Russian invasion.

The Middle East currently has a concentration of multiple rival military powers. Check out the Biggest Armies in the Middle East for a breakdown.

Authored by TJ Muscaro and Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times,

Former President Donald Trump and previous members of his administration say that claims made by former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly are “patently false.”

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, worked for the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. He has spoken out multiple times against Trump during the election—most recently in interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic.

In those interviews, Kelly said Trump fitted the general definition of a fascist and alleged that the former president said he wanted “German generals,” like Nazi leader Adolph Hitler had.

Several members of the Trump administration, including former Vice President Mike Pence’s former chief of staff, Mike Ayers, have sharply disputed the claims.

“I’ve avoided commenting on intra-staff leaks or rumors or even lies as it relates to my time at the White House but General Kelly’s comments regarding President Trump are too egregious to ignore,” Ayers said on X.

“I was with each of them more than most, and his commentary is *patently false.*”

Mark Paoletta, general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), also spoke out against Kelly, writing on X:

“I don’t believe a word he says. He was a terrible chief of staff who dishonestly kept information from the President to pursue his own agenda.”

Trump himself denounced the stories on Oct. 23, saying Kelly “made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred.”

“Even though I shouldn’t be wasting my time with him, I always feel it’s necessary to hit back in pursuit of THE TRUTH,” Trump said on Truth Social and X.

Both of Kelly’s interviews came out less than two weeks before Election Day, at a time when early voting is underway across several states, and Trump is starting to take the lead in battleground state polls.

Vice President Kamala Harris followed Kelly’s two stories by stating at a CNN town hall that she believed Trump to be a fascist.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded directly to these comments on X, saying, “This is the kind of inflammatory poison that divides our nation and inspires assassins.”

The Atlantic also claimed Trump made disparaging remarks about a dead military servicemember and balked over her funeral expenses.

At a news conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25, the former president also strongly denied making those claims.

“If they didn’t get the military funding, I was going to fund it myself,” Trump said about the funeral for Vanessa Guillen, 20, who was murdered in 2020 while stationed at an Army base in Texas that was then called Fort Hood.

Guillen’s slaying and dismemberment led to an outcry over sexual harassment at U.S. military bases, resulting in changes to laws and discipline of 21 Army personnel; some were faulted for allowing the prime suspect in her killing to escape and commit suicide.

On Friday, Trump thanked Guillen’s family for publicly denouncing The Atlantic’s allegations. The family came to show support for Trump as he addressed reporters at Million Air Austin, a private airplane service.

“The beautiful thing is that these people [Guillen’s relatives] were willing to come out and say it didn’t happen… they didn’t have to do this,” Trump said.

Guillen’s sister, Maya Guillen, and the family’s attorney, Natalie Khawam, made social media posts and TV appearances asserting that the article contained inaccuracies and misrepresentations.

Trump pointed out that the Atlantic’s article was timed to appear just before the Nov. 5 election, increasing the likelihood that a certain percentage of readers would believe what the magazine reported and hold it against his candidacy.

“So I talk about it because it was a terrible thing,” Trump said about the article after touching on multiple other topics, including illegal immigration and election integrity.

The Epoch Times has sought comment from The Atlantic.

From backyard barbecues to Sunday night football, beer is deeply woven in the fabric of American culture. It’s the choice alcoholic beverage for North and South Americans, according to WHO data.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, visualizes the annual per capita ethanol consumption of beer in gallons in 2022 by U.S. state. The data comes from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which measures alcohol consumption in ethanol volume.

For reference, the average six-pack of beer has 0.025 gallons of ethanol.

Consumption figures only include residents age 14 or older, and is based on alcoholic beverage sales data collected by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS), the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, and from various reports produced by beverage industry sources.

Which States Consume The Most Beer?

Below, we show each state’s annual per capita ethanol consumption of beer in gallons in 2022.

Northeastern states, particularly New Hampshire (1.66 gallons) and Vermont (1.58 gallons) have some of the highest beer consumption rates in the country.

New Hampshire doesn’t have state sales tax, making alcohol prices considerably lower than neighboring states. This likely drives higher alcohol sales rather than necessarily higher consumption.

More than half of sales at New Hampshire liquor states come from out-of-state customers, according to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.

Many of its state-owned liquor states are also strategically located near state borders.

When comparing global per capita consumption, European countries far outdrink the U.S. when it comes to beer.

As a whole, the beer industry in America is experiencing a decline. U.S. beer shipments reached their lowest level in 25 years, according to data from the Beer Marketer’s Insights.

The small and independent brewers’ industry in the U.S. is also experiencing a decline, with overall beer production and imports down 5% in 2023, and craft brewer sales down 1%, according to the Brewers Association.

To learn more about beer consumption worldwide, check out this graphic that shows which countries drink the most beer according to Kirin Holdings.

Update(1320ET): Iranian sources are confirming some of the first known deaths from the overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic, which focused on missile and military sites, and not nuclear or oil facilities.

Four members of the Iranian army have been reported killed. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has also issued a fresh statement Saturday, warning there are “no limits” when it comes to defending the country. Israel too is warning against a potential Iranian counterstrike, but for now the quite limited Israeli operation is over and the situation looks contained in terms of avoiding bigger regional war.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres says he’s “deeply alarmed” by the overnight strikes, and is urging “maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war and return to the path of diplomacy.” And President Biden has expressed hope that “this is the end” following the Israeli strikes on Iran in a Saturday statement.

Reports emerging that the number of Army Air Defense Force troops killed by the Israeli attack has risen to four (No ranks given so far).

Their names are:

– Mohammad Mehdi Sharokhi

– Hamzeh Jahandideh

– Sajad Mansoori

– Mehdi Naghvi https://t.co/Vs3QU27D0h

— Farzan Sabet (@IranWonk) October 26, 2024

* * *

The Israeli ‘retaliation’ attack against Iran, which occurred in the overnight and early morning hours, appears to be complete, with Israel’s military (IDF) having declared the response “concluded” after locations in three provinces of the Islamic Republic were hit.

Some 100 Israeli warplanes were sent, primarily across Jordanian airspace, for the unprecedented attack which reportedly included strikes on key missile, drone, and other military sites – including air defense installations. However, Iranians are mocking it as if it didn’t even happen, and there’s an emerging consensus among Western pundits that this was remarkably limited in scale. The attack did not involve Iranian nuclear or oil sites, according to Israeli military officials.

IDF Spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said overnight – following at least two or three waves of attacks – “I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attack against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran, thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.”

And Hagari’s words concluded with the threat of new major escalation if Iran decides to respond militarily, “If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond. All those who threaten the State of Israel and seek to drag the region into wider escalation will pay a heavy price.”

Local reports of explosions near Tehran emerged at around 2:15 local time, with strikes later being reported also in the Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz areas. Israel’s military said it hit around 20 sites over the several hours across the three provinces.

“If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond,” the Israeli military said.

Israeli media indicated that while the first wave of warplanes took out anti-air defense sites, follow-up waves targeted ballistic missile and drone manufacturing facilities, as well as launch sites. Israeli officials say the operation sought to degrade Iran’s capability to launch another attack such as occurred on April 14 and October 1.

Footage shows Iran’s air defence systems intercepting projectiles in the early hours of Saturday in Tehran.

Israel’s military announced that it had launched an attack on Iranian military targets as explosions were heard in the city. pic.twitter.com/KtUf0vsBZJ

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 26, 2024

The operation was declared complete within a few hours of reports of initial explosions: 

The Israeli military said at 6 a.m. that the assault had been completed, with “all goals achieved” and all aircraft returning safely home. It dubbed the campaign “Days of Repentance,” a reference to the recent Yom Kippur holiday. It said dozens of IAF aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, participated in the “complex” operation some 1,600 kilometers from Israel.

Iran has only confirmed that “limited damage” resulted at some bases and asserted that its air defenses countered many of the attacks, a narrative which has been rejected by Israel.

Israel’s air force touted that it gave it pilots “wider freedom of aerial action in Iran” – and yet still the whole operation looked significantly less intense than Iran’s Oct. 1st attack on Israel.

The reality is that air-to-surface missiles, which Israel focused on in its assault, don’t tend to be as destructive or as large in impact compared to ballistic missiles. It remains that Israel’s surface-to-surface ballistic missile capabilities are not as established as its air-launched capabilities.

There are vague reports out of Syria that some locations inside the country were hit during the broader Iran assault, and possibly including sites in Iraq as well.

Some pro-Iran and pro-Syria accounts mocked the quite limited attack, calling it a “nothingburger” as it unfolded, or else saying the Israelis merely started some brush fires 1,000 miles away in Iran.

Iranian social media accounts are widely mocking the Israeli operation:

Many people mocked Israel’s failed attack on Iran by making videos or memes. You can also make some contents and share them with us in the comments to this post. We will repost 2 of the best. pic.twitter.com/wYcaSMsggE

— Iran Military (@IRIran_Military) October 26, 2024

Iranian state TV reported at one point that “The loud blasts heard around Tehran were related to the activation of the air defense system against the actions of Zionist regime which attacked three locations outside of Tehran city.”

However, an Israeli official told Ynet news that the Iranian claim of interception was “a lie. It was a total failure, [there were] zero interceptions“—as reported in Times of Israel.

While radar shows that airspace was totally cleared over the Islamic Republic, state media still tried to claim that the country’s main international airports, including in Tehran, were operating as normal.

The Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi comments as follows…

The Israeli attack is over, but the outcome remains unclear. Tehran is downplaying it – even mocking it – which may be more reflective of their desire to de-escalate than a true assessment of the damage Israel inflicted on Iran. Just as Israel kept the damage of Iran’s Oct 1 strikes secret, Iran will likely not disclose the full picture of Israel’s strike. But if Iran chooses to exercise restraint, as it did after Israel’s limited strikes in April, then this chapter may be closed, yet the conflict will remain very much alive.

A prominent pro-“resistance axis” account on X, Hadi Nasrallah, had this to say: “So, after Iran totally roasted Israel’s military bases and airports putting them on blast in front of the whole world, Israel thought it’d be badass to send some pops to Tehran, like that’s gonna distract us from their their crushing losses in Lebanon a day before.”

On Saturday, Iranian state media is full of headlines outright mocking the somewhat muted Israeli attack…

Indeed, it seems that after taking this long to telegraph its response well over three weeks since Oct.1st, Israel’s attack was more about theater than inflicting real and lasting damage on Iran. This was as many expected by design, appearing to really be all about sending a message while seeking to carefully avoid escalation. There are even reports saying that Israel notified Tehran ahead of time of the impending strikes, saying the Iranians must not hit back. The hawks are surely disappointed.

Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

We have reached a moment in history that none of us will forget.  We are literally standing on the precipice of the unthinkable, and most people don’t even realize it.  Of course horrific wars have a way of erupting when most people are not expecting them.  Hardly anyone expected a global war to erupt in 1914, but then tens of millions of precious souls died over the next four years.  Hardly anyone expected a global war to erupt in 1939, but then tens of millions of precious souls died over the next six years.  This time around, what is happening should be glaringly obvious to everyone.  Personally, I have been specifically warning about what is taking place right now for more than a decade.  If we do not change course, billions of precious souls could die during the nightmarish global wars that are rapidly approaching.

At this moment, most Americans have no idea that a war between the United States and China is coming.

Just a few days ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping boldly talked about “preparation for war” as he was dressed in military fatigues…

On Thursday Chinese Communist Dictator Xi Jinping commanded troops to strengthen their preparedness for war while visiting his People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force following last week’s drills of surrounding the sovereign country of Taiwan.

“Xi said the military should ‘comprehensively strengthen training and preparation for war, (and) ensure troops have solid combat capabilities,’ CCTV reported,” according to the AFP and reported on Barrons Saturday.

Why would China need to prepare for war?

Needless to say, nobody is planning to attack China.

The truth is that the only reason that China would need to prepare for war is if it was planning to invade Taiwan.

Because the moment that China invades Taiwan, the U.S. and China will be at war.

In recent days, the Chinese have been getting very aggressive with Taiwan…

On Monday, Beijing had deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan — its fourth round of large-scale war games around the democratic island in just over two years.

China’s communist leaders have insisted they will not rule out using force to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control.

Meanwhile, western leaders continue to publicly discuss sending NATO troops to Ukraine.

The latest example of this came from the foreign minister of Lithuania…

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement to Politico on Monday that European Union countries should return to the idea of putting boots-on-the-ground in Ukraine to fight Russia.

The idea comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that sending Western troops to Ukraine is not ‘ruled out’ for the future plans in war against Russia, according to the AP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shut down that plan for the time being however.

“If information about Russia’s killing squads being equipped with North Korean ammunition and military personnel is confirmed, we have to get back to ‘boots on the ground’ and other ideas proposed by [French President] Emmanuel Macron,” he said in written comments, Politico reported on Monday.

One of the reasons why this has came up again is because there are reports that soldiers from North Korea are being equipped and sent to fight for Russia on the front lines of eastern Ukraine…

North Korean soldiers have been filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training ground in Russia’s far east, appearing to confirm reports from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that 1,500 soldiers have been shipped over for military training to be deployed in Ukraine.

The North Korean troops are thought to be receiving training before being sent to the front line in Ukraine, in what is thought to be a clear sign of the ever-warming relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Both sides just continue to escalate matters.

It appears to be just a matter of time before we find ourselves in a direct conflict with the Russians, and that is a really, really bad idea.

North Korea has been making all sorts of noise lately.  In addition to sending troops to fight in Ukraine, the North Koreans are also threatening to invade South Korea…

North Korea has said it had found the remnants of a South Korean military drone and that any further “violation” of its territory would result in a “declaration of war.”

Tensions between the two sides of the peninsula have escalated since May when the North began flying balloons carrying garbage across the border to the South, prompting Seoul to respond by restarting loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.

This week, North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang on three occasions this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again.

The North Korean military is vastly superior to the South Korean military.

If North Korea invades, the only way that South Korea will survive is if we intervene.

But right now the U.S. military is focused on the Middle East, because that conflict could spiral completely out of control at any moment.

On Sunday night, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari warned that Israel would soon begin targeting any financial institutions that aid Hezbollah…

“In the past 24 hours, dozens of projectiles have been fired at northern Israel,” he began. “In the next minutes, we will issue an advance evacuation warning to residents of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon to evacuate locations being used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activities. I emphasize here: Anyone located near sites used to fund Hezbollah’s terror activities must move away from these locations immediately.”

“We will strike several targets in the coming hours and additional targets throughout the night.

“In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah’s terror activities by using civilian institutions, associations, and NGOs that act as fronts for terrorism.”

And it certainly did not take long for that to start happening.

Last night, branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank were hit by Israeli airstrikes…

Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of targets in Beirut and other areas of southern Lebanon overnight, including branches of a bank accused of holding funds used by Hezbollah.

The military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had earlier in the night issued several evacuation orders for buildings throughout southern Lebanon he said were in the vicinity of facilities belonging to the U.S.-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank.

Most people in the western world have absolutely no idea how chaotic things have become over there.

It is being reported that there is “widespread panic” in Beirut at this moment…

Jeanine Hennis, the United Nations’ special coordinator for Lebanon, said that after the IDF issued its evacuations, said there was “widespread panic” in Beirut.

“A brief window to escape to safety. Intense blasts reverberate across the night sky. With each day, Lebanon suffers more. But even amid the escalating violence, solutions remain available. If only opportunities would be seized,” she said.

Could the U.S. soon find itself involved in 4 major global wars?

Let’s hope not, because we are not even prepared to fight one…

The US Army’s outgoing top commander in the Pacific region has warned that the US can “ill afford” another war because its military is vastly overstretched.

According to Defense One, Gen. Charles Flynn said that the US’ authoritarian rivals — Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea — had been placing increasing pressure on American military resources.

Speaking at the AUSA conference in Washington DC last week, Flynn described the technology and military alliances between the authoritarian states as a “very dangerous combination.”

The U.S. military is not the overwhelming global force that it once was.

While other major powers have been feverishly preparing to fight World War III, our military has been rapidly becoming a politically correct joke.

Now a day of reckoning is upon us, and we are not ready.

*  *  *

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

McDonald’s announced Friday that it has “indefinitely” halted onion sourcing from Taylor Farms’ Colorado plant as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigate a severe E. coli outbreak. The outbreak has already sickened at least 75 people and resulted in one death.

“While McDonald’s removed all slivered onions produced from this facility as of October 22, 2024, due to broad concern and our unwavering commitment to food safety we have made the decision to stop sourcing onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility indefinitely,” MCD wrote in a statement. 

A spokesman for MCD told CBS News that about 1 million Quarter Pounders were sold nationwide during the E. coli outbreak. The majority of illnesses occurred in the western half of the country. 

Here are states with cases:

• Colorado
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Michigan
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• Oregon
• Utah
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Bloomberg published a visual showing the outbreak. 

MCD spokesman noted that burgers are cooked at 175 degrees – the level needed to kill E. coli bacteria. However, he said the diced onions are raw, adding, “If that is the source, it will be the first time onions have been a carrier for this strain of E. coli.” 

In markets, MCD shares in New York slid on the week, down 7.5%, the worst five-day stretch since March 2020. 

In addition to MCD, food supplier US Foods issued a recall to thousands of restaurants that it supplied Taylor Farms’ onions. Yum! Brands restaurants—such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC—also removed fresh onions from their menus in response to the E. coli outbreak.

No evidence has emerged identifying the source of the E. coli outbreak at Taylor Farms. However, there’s a huge need to scrutinize the influx of unvetted migrant workers employed by mega-farms and the processed foods industrial complex.

Police in the 2024 battleground state of Pennsylvania are investigating some 2,500 voter registration forms that were submitted in two massive batches — and investigators say that 60% of the forms they’ve checked so far are fraudulent. All of the ballots were submitted in Lancaster County, but two other counties are scrutinizing similarly suspect batches. While officials say it’s the work of a “large-scale canvassing operation,” they’re not yet saying who’s behind it. 

The roughly 2,500 applications landed at or near Pennsylvania’s Oct 21 registration deadline; some observers are speculating that the timing may have been tactical, with the intent of exploiting time-pressure administrators would be under ahead of the Nov. 5 Election Day. However, as they examined the massive heap of forms, application processors were immediately alarmed by what they saw:

• Multiple applications with the same handwriting and signatures
• Many forms filled out on the same day
• Applications for previously-registered voters whose signatures on the forms did not match the ones on file 

That prompted a police investigation, and Lancaster County detectives soon confirmed many of the applications were fraudulent. Indications of fraud included: 

• Inaccurate addresses
• False personal identification information
• False names
• Names that didn’t match the Social Security Number on the form

In many cases, forms had accurate data, but the supposed applicants told detectives they had neither requested nor completed the forms, and confirmed that the signatures were not theirs. In all, 60% of the applications that have been vetted so far were found to be fraudulent.   

“It’s believed that the fraudulent voter registrations are connected to a large-scale canvassing operation for voter registrations that date back to June,” said Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams in a Friday press conference. “The majority of applications received are dated August 15 and after. Those canvassing for voter registrations were employed and paid to obtain voter registration applications.“

Adams declined to provide details about the canvassing organization, or the names of individual suspects. The fraudulent forms included registrations for both Democrats and Republicans. However, “for the general election, [the party affiliation of a bogus registration] really wouldn’t matter,” noted Adams. She did note that the canvassing operation primarily took place at shopping centers, parking lots, parks, grocery stores, sidewalks and businesses. The fraudulent activity took a variety of forms, from completely bogus applications to ones where a real voter had started registering but then decided not to move forward, only to have an application submitted for them anyway. 

“Forgery of an application, which we have seen evidence of, would be a felony of the third degree punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine,” said Adams, adding that one provision of the legal code would also enforce a 10-year loss of voting privileges.  

Adams said they had all available detectives assigned to the case, who are working under pressure of the approaching Election Day. “[The fraud] appears to be an organized effort at this point,” she said, and noted that two other Pennsylvania counties are investigating similarly suspicious batches of registration applications. She declined to name them, but the Berks County DA told the Philadelphia Inquirer “We believe we have some and will be looking into them.” Pennsylvanians can check their own voter registration status at this link. 

“The description of paid canvassers approaching voters on the streets of Lancaster City and mentioned boroughs does not meet the description of GOP and affiliated campaign volunteers,” Lancaster County GOP chair Kirk Radanovic told Lancaster Online. In a more narrowly-worded distancing from the alleged crimes, vice-chair of the Lancaster County Democrats said, “We have no reason to believe it was affiliated with any Democratic candidate’s campaign in the county.”

Most of the 2,500 applications were submitted in the name of people who live in the City of Lancaster, the Keystone State’s 10th-most populous city. Per the 2020 census, about 40% of its 58,000 residents are Latino, 39% white, and 13% black.

Florida State University election law expert Michael Morley told the Inquirer that canvassing operations that center on per-application payments and quotas incentivize bogus registrations. However, he says it’s rare for those registrations to culminate in fraudulent votes. “Even if it gets through, that’s sort of the end of the line. It’s not part of a bigger picture plot to steal the election,” he said. 

With its 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is the biggest prize among the seven swing states that also include Georgia (16), North Carolina (16), Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10) and Nevada (6). In 2020, Joe Biden officially won the state by only 80,555 votes out of more than 6.8 million counted statewide. Two million of Biden’s 2020 Pennsylvania votes came via mail, compared to just under 600,000 for Trump.  

The revelation from Lancaster County comes in the same week that at least a dozen Mesa County, Colorado ballots were found to have been stolen and mailed in — and three of them are going to be counted anyway. However, despite that and the far bigger story now unfolding in the most valuable swing state, please repeat the establishment mantra: Organized voter fraud is just a right-wing conspiracy theory.  

By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com

The European Union and China agreed on Friday to continue discussions on a possible alternative to the EU import tariffs on China-made electric vehicles, a week before the levies are set to come into force, the European Commission said.

The European Commission’s Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, initiated a video call today with Chinese Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao, to discuss the EU investigation on imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China and ongoing negotiations about price undertakings.

Early this month, the European Commission received enough support from the EU member states to impose hefty tariffs of up to 45% on imports of electric vehicles from China due to unfair subsidizing.

The EU and China have been negotiating a potential alternative solution to the tariffs, but if they do not reach an agreement, the import duties will come into force at the end of this month.

Talks with China on an alternative to the EU tariffs will continue even after the high import duties are imposed next week, the Commission has said.

After the EU-China call on Friday, the Commission said “The principals took stock of the progress made during eight technical negotiating rounds, as well as significant remaining gaps.”

Both parties “reaffirmed their political commitment to finding a mutually agreeable solution, which would need to be effective in addressing the level playing field in the EU market and WTO-compatible,” the Commission said, adding that “The principals agreed that further technical negotiations would take place shortly.”

The provisional EU tariffs, in force since July, have led to a reaction in China, which is proceeding with anti-dumping investigations of EU imports, targeting brandy and pork imports from the bloc, likely aimed at Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

Several EU member states, including Germany, and Germany’s giant automakers have expressed concern that the tariffs could lead to a wider trade spat and retaliatory tariffs from China.

Western and NATO defense officials have said that the US and Germany are blocking Ukraine’s request to join the North Atlantic alliance, something which has remained a central part of President Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’.

Zelensky has demanded an immediate invitation, but it comes at a moment enthusiasm and support for Kiev has waned in the West given Russian forces have the clear upper hand in eastern Ukraine. There has also long been an atmosphere of war fatigue. 

Politico has reported the following this week: “Germany and the U.S. are among the major powers slow-walking Zelenskyy’s call for an immediate invitation to join NATO, according to four U.S. and NATO officials and diplomats who were granted anonymity to share the latest internal discussions.”

Hungary and Slovakia are the other obvious powers which are not just slow-walking but have been actively blocking a Ukraine path to NATO membership. They have consistently warned that it would put Europe on the path to World War 3 with Russia.

But Germany has been the main source of recent friction for Kiev:

In an interview with POLITICO, outgoing U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith underlined the American position. “The alliance has not, to date, reached the point where it is prepared to offer membership or an invitation to Ukraine,” she said.

Zelenskyy acknowledged that Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz — a major military provider for Ukraine, with weapons deliveries second only to America’s — won’t back him on the rapid NATO membership invitation.

“I have a very good relationship with Scholz. I am grateful that Scholz is helping. Germany is second in terms of support,” Zelenskyy told reporters earlier this week. “But the fact that the German side is skeptical about our joining NATO is a fact … We will all have to work a lot with the German side. But still, the United States will have an influence on it.”

And yet neither is Washington rushing to ‘influence’ the European allies in this direction. Zelensky has meanwhile said that Germany is too afraid of Russia’s reaction, in being so hesitant and reluctant.

One unnamed NATO official issued a damning quote to Politico, saying that “Countries like Belgium, Slovenia or Spain are hiding behind the U.S. and Germany. They are reluctant.”

A second official described that countries “support it in the abstract but once it gets closer to materializing” they will become more publicly and vocally resistant to the idea of membership.

However, hawks in eastern Europe have remained quite vocal in supporting Zelensky’s vision of a fast track to membership, including Poland and the tiny Baltic countries, or NATO’s ‘eastern flank’.

Via Middle East Eye

Social media was abuzz after reports that the long-awaited video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – which is being released Friday – will not be available in Kuwait. 

Reports that Kuwaiti authorities had blocked the release of the popular first-person shooter game days before its global launch on October 25 were confirmed by production studio Activision in a statement.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has not been approved for release in Kuwait. At this time, the title will not be available for release in [the] region,” Activision said. “As a result, all preorders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase. We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”

Set during the first Gulf War, Black Ops 6 is the newest entry in the Call of Duty franchise, and revolves around a clandestine force infiltrating the CIA.

The trailer for the game opens with clips of former US President George W Bush saying: “The Soviet Union is no more,” followed by a series of archival footage interspersed with digitally altered footage and shots of historic figures including Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher and Saddam Hussein.

While no official reason was given by Kuwaiti authorities, social media users speculated that the backdrop of the war, which began with Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, was the reason behind the ban.

Middle East Eye contacted Kuwaiti officials for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. “Interesting to see how political sensitivities influence entertainment,” one user posted on the decision. 

“I could see them going for a ‘monster of their own doing’, essentially framing Saddam [Hussein] as a byproduct of unchecked US support towards western friendly dictatorships and US willingness to sell the chemical precursors to Iraq’s chemical weapons program during the Iran-Iraq war,” one Redditor shared, as gamers tried to guess what could have led to the launch delay.

“I want to see how they’re going to capture the story. Will it be the real version or will they – as usual – make one up, portraying themselves as the heroes saving the world?” one Saudi gamer said on TikTok.

Kuwait has banned the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 over “progressive propaganda” as the video game features Saddam Hussein and the first Gulf War. Curious. pic.twitter.com/r6rhSAWLfS

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) October 20, 2024

One gaming analyst told the New Arab: “The move to block this game may seem theatrical because people will find ways to buy this game if they really want it, whether via VPN or pay a premium price in the black market. What’s more interesting here is the motivation of the authorities to block a game set in what was a traumatic period for Kuwait – the Gulf War.”

“Kuwait, to this day, has difficulty engaging with that specific moment in history, for good or ill,” he added. 

The Gulf War remains a deeply sensitive chapter in Kuwaiti history, with the effects still felt today. Under then-president Saddam Hussein, Iraq invaded the country with around 100,000 troops in hopes of controlling its vast oil resources. 

The war lasted for 42 days, with a US-led coalition of 42 countries forcing Iraqi troops out of Kuwait, while carrying out an intense bombing campaign on Iraqi units in Iraq and Kuwait.

An estimated two million landmines are believed to have been placed in Kuwait at the time, and reports indicate that the country’s desert areas “remain contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance”, affecting and killing civilians to this day.  

Images of burning oil fields in the COD trailer are reminiscent of how Iraqi troops set fire to some 700 wells, causing a massive ecological and economic blow to the country.

This is not the first time the franchise has faced controversy or been banned in countries. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II included a mission targeting an Iranian military leader named “Ghorbrani” – one very similar to the real-life assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, which drew criticism online.

In 2021, Activision came under fire for a scene in Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Zombies, in which pages from the Quran, the Islamic holy book, were scattered on the floor. At the time, many social media users called for a boycott of the game, which they called Islamophobic. The US-based studio issued an apology and removed the content.