Bipartisan lawmakers eye AI safeguards for US agriculture industry
FIRST ON FOX: Lawmakers are eyeing safeguards for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology into the U.S.’s agricultural sector. A new bill introduced by Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, and backed by both sides of the aisle aims to enforce standards for AI programs connected to everyday Americans’ food, fuel and other necessities. Feenstra, whose district is heavily rural, told Fox News Digital that AI is becoming increasingly relevant in the farming industry but that existing guardrails on new technology aren’t keeping up with that boom, he suggested. AUTHORS’ COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT AGAINST OPENAI OVER CHATGPT BEGINS “From precision agriculture to veterinary software, the latest developments in agricultural technology – including artificial intelligence – have the power to lower input costs for farmers, protect the health of livestock and poultry, and make farming operations more efficient,” Feenstra said. “We must be equally active in certifying that these new technologies, products and processes work as they should and uphold the highest industry standards.” AI COMPLICATES COPYRIGHT LAW His bill, the Farm Tech Act, would protect farmers from “faulty or misleading technologies by requiring the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) to verify the legitimacy and effectiveness of agricultural software and other technologies that are increasingly used on farms across Iowa and the United States,” he said. Bill co-sponsor Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., said, “As new technology like artificial intelligence becomes more common in our agriculture operations, we need to make sure these new tools are safe for consumers and producers alike.” WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? It’s also being co-sponsored by Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill. This year has seen a flurry of AI legislation introduced in Congress as lawmakers race to keep up with the rapidly advancing technology, but debate is still ongoing over whether and how to regulate it.
Police and soldiers killed as more violence flares in northwest Pakistan
Three attackers were also reported killed in the second attack this week on police posts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Several officers and soldiers have been killed and injured in attacks by armed men on a police station and an army outpost in northwest Pakistan, police said. The assaults came on Friday morning, extending a growing campaign of violence in former Taliban strongholds along the border with Afghanistan. Three days earlier, a suicide bomber killed 23 Pakistani soldiers in the same province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Friday’s attack on the police occurred in the Tank district of the province’s Dera Ismail Khan division. Police said two officers were killed and three others wounded. The incident also left three of the attackers dead, reports Al Jazeera’s Abid Hussain. Two were killed by police while the third blew himself up, he reported. An unexploded suicide jacket has also been found and police launched an operation to secure the compound. “Our force on guard engaged them in a gun battle for hours,” and police officers were wounded, police official Iftikhar Shah told Reuters news agency. According to Pakistan’s DawnNewsTV, Shah said all remaining officers at the post were evacuated safely and a search operation was under way after alerts of more armed men present in the area. An armed group that identified itself as Ansar-ul-Islam claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released to a Reuters reporter. However, Dawn reported that a group called Ansarul Jihad claimed the attack. The police did not verify the authenticity of the claims. According to the AP, a military post was also targeted on Friday morning. Two soldiers were reportedly killed and five wounded, local police official Salim Khan said. On Tuesday, armed men stormed a military post in the town of Daraban, about 60km (37 miles) from Dera Ismail Khan city. The fighters rammed a vehicle laden with explosives into the main gate of the police station, followed by a suicide bombing attack, the army said. That attack was claimed by the recently formed militant Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistani group, which is believed to be an offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or the Pakistani Taliban. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a rise in violence this year, with several deadly attacks taking place. In January, at least 101 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a mosque in the capital, Peshawar. The TTP has been waging a war against the state for years, seeking to overthrow the government and replace it with a harsh brand of Islamic governance. Authorities say fighters have become emboldened while living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban took it over in 2021. [embedded content] Adblock test (Why?)
Eleven security personnel killed in Iran police station attack: State TV
Several wounded in shooting in province of Sistan-Baluchestan which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. At least 11 Iranian security personnel have been killed in an attack on a police station in the southeastern border province of Sistan-Baluchestan, state television reported. Alireza Marhamati, deputy governor of the province, said on Friday that senior police officers and soldiers were killed and injured in the 2am (22:30 GMT Thursday) attack in the town of Rask, about 1,400km (875 miles) southwest of the capital, Tehran. A number of assailants were also killed in a shootout that ensued with the security forces, according to state television reports. The attack was one of the deadliest in years in the region close to Iran’s border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), a Sunni armed group, claimed responsibility for the attack, state media said. Jaish al-Adl was formed in 2012 and is blacklisted by Iran as a “terror” group. Unrest has plagued the impoverished province of Sistan-Baluchestan because of drugs-smuggling gangs, rebels from the Baluchi minority and Sunni Muslim hardliners. Security forces regularly targeted Similar attacks have previously taken place, including in July when four policemen were killed while on patrol. That attack came two weeks after two policemen and four assailants were killed in a shootout in the province, for which Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility. In May, five Iranian border guards died in clashes with an armed group in Saravan, southeast of Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan. State media reported at the time that the attack was carried out by “a terrorist group that was seeking to infiltrate the country” but whose members “fled the scene after suffering injuries”. In late May, state-run news agency IRNA quoted police official Qassem Rezaee as saying that “Taliban forces” had shot at an Iranian police station in Sistan-Baluchestan, a drought-hit region. Iran and Afghanistan have been at odds over water rights. Zahedan, one of the few Sunni-majority cities in predominantly Shia Iran, was also the site of months-long deadly protests that erupted in September last year over the alleged rape of a teenage girl by a police officer. Jaish al-Adl and its affiliate groups based in Pakistan have been accused of committing cross-border attacks against Iranian forces. Adblock test (Why?)
Adapting in the face of climate change in rural Kenya
“Will there be rain? I can’t tell. People used to come to me for advice, but now I tell them that I am also wondering what is happening,” says Clement Mangi, a traditional weather forecaster and farmer from Kenya. He uses traditional forecasting methods passed down for generations. But in recent years, most of the things that used to be definite signs of imminent rainfall are no longer reliable. Eighty percent of food produced across many communities in Africa comes from small-scale farmers like Mangi. This sector is highly vulnerable to extreme weather. While the continent is responsible for only a fraction of global greenhouse emissions, it is heavily affected by climate change. After five failed rainfall seasons, communities in the Horn of Africa were hit by what became known as the worst drought in 40 years, between late 2020 and early 2023. Seven million children under the age of five became malnourished and urgently needed nutrition assistance across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. While climate change is listed as a leading cause of the rise in global hunger, there are big gaps in weather observations and early warning services. Information that would help local farmers better prepare themselves for extreme weather and adapt their farming to secure a good harvest, is missing. In Kenya, some people are working hard to change that. Adblock test (Why?)
SC adjourns plea of Mahua Moitra against expulsion from LS, next hearing on January 3
Mahua Moitra was on December 8 expelled from the Lok Sabha after a discussion on the report of the Ethics Committee in the ‘cash for query’ that was tabled in the Lower House.
Melania Trump to speak to new American citizens about responsibility of ‘guarding our freedom’
EXCLUSIVE: Former first lady Melania Trump will speak to new American citizens on Friday about the “responsibility” of citizenship and the importance of “guarding our freedom” during a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives. Trump will reflect on her own experience and the “sense of success” she felt “immediately” after becoming a U.S. citizen, according to excerpts of prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital. The National Archives is hosting a naturalization ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday in the historic National Archives Rotunda. The ceremony will feature 25 people from 25 nations sworn in as new citizens of the U.S. before the Constitution and other founding documents. MELANIA TRUMP ROLLS OUT ‘AMERICAN CHRISTMAS’ ORNAMENTS, NFTS TO HELP FUND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FOSTER CHILDREN The former first lady will speak at the ceremony and discuss the responsibilities that come with being an American citizen. “It means actively participating in the democratic process and guarding our freedom. It also means leading by example and contributing to our society,” the former first lady is expected to say. “It is a life-altering experience that takes time, determination and sometimes even tremendous strength.” “Throughout our lives, we cross thresholds,” Trump will say. “And although obstacles often stand in the way of our goals, we persevere, as we understand that conquering them will provide great access to personal development, fulfillment and eventually self-actualization.” Ahead of the ceremony, the former first lady told Fox News Digital that she was “honored to receive the invitation to participate in the Naturalization Ceremony on Bill of Rights Day.” MELANIA FULLY BEHIND TRUMP’S 2024 CAMPAIGN, SAYS IT WOULD BE A ‘PRIVILEGE’ TO SERVE AS FIRST LADY AGAIN “I can personally relate to the wave of emotions experienced by the individuals in today’s celebration and remember the sense of success I felt immediately after becoming a United States citizen,” Trump said. The former first lady said that the “weight of this transformative moment is accentuated by the magnificence of the venue itself,” referring to the Rotunda of the National Archives. “How fortunate to be with the naturalizing individuals and their families as they recite the Oath of Allegiance and become Americans before our great nation’s founding documents,” she said. The former first lady, in a previous interview, told Fox News Digital that she supports her husband’s presidential campaign and looks forward to “restoring hope for the future and leading America with love and strength” during a possible second term in the White House. Trump said that if she has “the privilege” to serve as first lady again in 2024, she would continue to prioritize initiatives focused on the well-being and development of children, to ensure they have the “support and resources they need to reach their full potential.” Former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over the GOP primary field. During her time as first lady, Trump hosted virtual roundtables on foster care as part of her “Be Best” initiative, and focused on strengthening the child welfare system. She worked with members of Congress on legislation that secured funding for grants awarded to youth and young adults currently or formerly in foster care to help pay for college, career school or training. The bill ultimately was signed by then-President Trump in December 2020. Since leaving the White House, the former first lady also created special edition Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). A portion of those proceeds went towards her initiative “Fostering the Future” to secure education opportunities and scholarships for children in the foster care community.
Republican attorney general exposes DOJ funding to Soros-backed group that trains left-wing prosecutors
EXCLUSIVE — A Republican state attorney general is asking members of Congress to probe a Justice Department grant that he says benefits a “radically progressive” George Soros-linked group responsible for training prosecutors in ways to implement a soft-on-crime approach to their work. Missouri’s Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent letters to congress Wednesday to urge both Republican and Democrat lawmakers “to further investigate and eliminate funding for programs that are counter-productive to public safety” and that “aid or encourage prosecutors to abuse discretion by refusing to bring criminals to justice.” Bailey’s letters follow what he describes as a “galvanizing moment” in Missouri when disgraced St. Louis circuit attorney Kim Gardner – “a progressive soft-on-crime prosecutor” – let a repeat criminal out on bail who then drove his speeding car into a young girl, leaving her with injures that required the amputation of both of her legs. Gardner ultimately resigned after mounting evidence of duty dereliction and criticism from both political parties. ST LOUIS DA SHOVED ‘AGGRESSIVE’ RACIAL EQUITY AGENDAS INTO DAILY PROSECUTION DECISIONS USING SOROS-LINKED ORG “As states like Missouri are leading the fight to uphold justice and put criminals behind bars, organizations and their partners in the federal government are doing just the opposite,” Bailey wrote. “The fact is, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in lock-step with radicals like George Soros, is actively funding organizations like the Vera Institute that are turning our streets into war zones,” he said. Bailey names the Vera Institute — a Brooklyn-based advocacy group that says it wants to “transform the criminal and legal justice systems” with ties to Washington, D.C., Democrats — as a “deeply embedded” key partner in Gardner’s former office, “turning it into a catastrophic social experiment more concerned with lowering prosecution rates than convicting violent criminals.” Soros’ Open Society Foundations donated nearly $11 million to the Vera Institute in previous years. SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR MIRED IN SCANDAL RESIGNS FROM OFFICE Bailey says Gardner “bragged” that her office “partnered with the Vera Institute of Justice’s Reshaping Prosecution program to shrink the system and instigate transformational change in St. Louis” as it implemented a “new approach centered on … racial equity.” “Ms. Gardner’s partnership with George Soros and the Vera Institute, with the aim of ‘actively shrinking the criminal legal system’s footprint,’ was a disastrous experiment, and it unmoored the office from sound law enforcement practices. The Vera Institute is a far-left advocacy organization dedicated to broad and nebulous goals such as moving away from ‘case-by-case’ prosecutorial discretion (deemed to be a ‘narrow view of justice’), choosing instead to focus on ‘systemic impact of case decisions.’” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Vera said the group “entered into a partnership with then-Circuit Attorney for the City (CAC) of St. Louis Kim Gardner on a project to analyze her office data, measure racial disparities and identify areas for reform, and increase transparency with her community. The partnership helped the CAC implement policy reforms such as increased diversion programs that promote safety by addressing underlying drivers of crime and reducing recidivism.” “Vera’s role was to collect and analyze data and work with CAC staff to conceive policy solutions, which CAC leadership then decided whether to implement,” the group described. “Vera’s recommendations were based on research and data from the St. Louis community. Vera uses industry best practices to analyze local administrative data to understand how prosecutorial decisions impact public safety and racial disparities. Our research is reviewed by the Institutional Review Board and meets the highest standards. More importantly, our recommendations seek to promote public health and safety through alternatives to prosecution and incarceration that have been proven to build safer communities,” the group said. According to publicly available information provided on the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) website, the Vera Institute has been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars since at least 2009. LESLEY WOLF, PROSECUTOR ACCUSED OF WORKING TO ‘LIMIT’ QUESTIONS ABOUT ‘BIG GUY’ IN HUNTER PROBE, OUT AT DOJ In that same year, then-President Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder, gave the keynote address at Vera’s third annual Justice Address in New York City in which he thanked Vera for being an “extraordinary partner to the government in the administration of justice.” The OJP each year chooses law enforcement-related groups working to prevent and control crime to which to provide federal funding. The OJP’s budget is appropriated by Congress. In 2023, OJP’s requested budget was $6.2 billion. According to publicly available documents, Vera was awarded at least $4.5 million in grand money. “As long as state leaders are forced to fight not only progressive prosecutors and radical billionaires, but also our own DOJ using tax dollars to undermine the rule of law in our communities, the battle becomes far more difficult to wage,” Bailey wrote in his letter. Bailey sent letters to House and Senate Judiciary Committee leadership and House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership. The Department of Justice did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Top Biden aide’s spouse involved with group pushing electric vehicle transition
The spouse of a top aide to President Biden and first lady Jill Biden is involved with a group that views climate change as a national security threat and pushes for the transition to electric vehicles as part of its efforts, Fox News Digital has found. David Wade, former chief of staff to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and the husband of Elizabeth Alexander, a deputy assistant to President Biden and the spokesperson for Jill Biden, is entangled with the Washington, D.C.-based American Security Project (ASP), which views “climate security” as a critical component of its endeavors. While Alexander advises President Biden, who has directed his administration to aggressively push electric vehicles as part of its broader climate change agenda, Wade aids the ASP in similar endeavors from a national security-focused standpoint as a member of its board of directors. The ASP’s tax filings show the group also paid Wade’s clean energy consulting firm, Greenlight Strategies LLC, $11,000 last year. An ASP spokesperson told Fox News Digital his company received the payment to engage in a project aimed at “providing a forum for bipartisan discussion about climate change and its threats to national security under his LLC.” BEIJING-BACKED GREEN ENERGY FIRM IS EXPANDING IN US, POSING SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY RISK: REPORT “We see climate as an accelerant to instability in vulnerable regions. We can see the impact it is having on farming and food supplies, even here in the United States,” the ASP spokesperson said. “Our military is concerned as they are often the first sent in to address instability. U.S. military bases around the world, including right here in the United States, are affected by climate change, as can be witnessed in sea level rise.” Overall, ASP has supported an across-the-board transition to electric vehicles as part of its efforts to tackle climate change in the national security domain. JOE MANCHIN GOES SCORCHED-EARTH ON BIDEN ADMIN OVER EV ACTIONS BOOSTING CHINA In a fact sheet ASP released last year, the group said the “widespread adoption” of such vehicles will “keep the U.S. more secure by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and gas, and reduce financial incentives of petro-state autocracies like Russia.” The document further stated that transportation accounts for 29% of national greenhouse gas emissions, making it a “critical sector in achieving national net-zero climate goals, and enhancing both energy and national security” while referencing the Biden administration’s goal of “transitioning half of America’s vehicles to electric by 2030.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital, “President Biden has warned for decades that climate change is a national security threat — in agreement with experts across the political spectrum such as Trump Administration Secretary of Defense James Mattis. The president is proud to be delivering on his campaign promise to bring manufacturing jobs back to America and cut Americans’ energy costs by taking on the climate crisis, including by ensuring that the United States wins the global competition for EV manufacturing.” Shortly after taking office in 2021, Biden issued the goal of ensuring 50% of total domestic vehicle purchases are electric by 2030, a first-of-its-kind goal cheered by green energy industry groups and climate advocates. Since then, the administration has pursued various regulations that, while not explicitly mandating electric vehicles, would create strong financial incentives for manufacturers to produce more zero-carbon options and for consumers to transition to those options. In December 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized rules that targeted heavy-duty trucks it said at the time were the “strongest-ever national clean air standards to cut smog- and soot-forming emissions” from such vehicles. The new standards went into effect March 27 and will be implemented for new trucks sold after 2027. INTERNAL DEM MEMO CLAIMS GOP BILL OUTLAWING EV MANDATES MAY LEAD TO PREMATURE DEATHS In April, the EPA proposed the most aggressive federal tailpipe emissions rules on light- and medium-duty emissions ever crafted. If finalized and implemented, 67% of new sedan, crossover, SUV and light truck purchases, up to 50% of bus and garbage truck purchases, 35% of short-haul freight tractor purchases and 25% of long-haul freight tractor purchases could be electric by 2032, the White House projected. Months later, in July, the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its most aggressive fuel economy standards ever, an action critics say would increase consumer costs. And last year, the EPA also reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own emission standards and electric vehicle sales mandates, allowing other states to also adopt California’s rules. The state then approved regulations that mandated all car purchases in the state, which leads the country in annual car sales, be electric by 2035. Still, the electric vehicle industry has faced significant headwinds related to both the increasing costs associated with manufacturing and consumer hesitance around switching from gas-powered cars. “It is not an overstatement to say that the federal government is subsidizing EVs to a greater degree than even wind and solar electricity generation and embarking on an unprecedented endeavor to remake the entire American auto industry,” a recent Texas Public Policy Foundation report concluded. “Despite these massive incentives, EVs are receiving a tepid response from the majority of Americans who cannot shoulder their higher cost. “It’s time for federal and state governments to stop driving the American auto industry off an economic cliff and allow markets to drive further improvements in cost and efficiency.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Wade for comment.
Issa says passport reform ‘long overdue’ as bill moves through House committee with bipartisan backing
Legislation that would overhaul the passport processing system in order to clear out a massive backlog facing Americans has passed through a top committee with unanimous support, with the bill’s author saying it now has a good chance of becoming law early next year. The Passport System Reform and Backlog Prevention Act, which aims to reduce processing times for passports, was approved unanimously by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, with both Democrats and Republicans voting in favor. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital he now hopes the bill will make its way to the president’s desk in early 2024. GOP LAWMAKERS WANT TO ELIMINATE PASSPORT BACKLOG WITH SWEEPING REFORM BILL “It’s long overdue, but we took the time to get it right that we could get a unanimous vote,” he said. “You’re never without being surprised when you get unanimous, even on something that one would think was non-controversial.” Americans have been facing lengthy passport processing delays since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the State Department currently timing delays at around seven to 10 weeks. The bill aims to bring processing to the level of other countries, where delays are shorter and there is greater online functionality. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers this year that during the COVID-19 pandemic, “the bottom basically dropped out of the system” at the department for handling both passports and visas due to travel demand plummeting, and the agency is still rebuilding while trying to keep up with the enormous surge in demand. The bill aims to reduce renewal times to within 30 days, in part by the federal government using technology and best practices. To achieve this, it not only sets standards for the government but also allows the State Department to hire dozens of personal service contractors in each of fiscal years 2024-2026 for consular affairs. STATE DEPT WARNS PASSPORT PROCESSING DELAYED AMID ‘UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND’ The targets set include those related to cybersecurity, affordability, customer service and geographic accessibility. The bill also requires within two years the creation of a dashboard to allow congressional staff to track casework for their constituents, a system of communication for citizens to receive email and text alerts about the status of their passport renewal and an app for those communications. Within four years, it would require an internet-based submission system for first-time passports and additional software to adjudicate low-risk renewals. The legislation would also require the Government Accountability Office to review the passport issuance process and see where additional improvements could be made, including possible collaboration with other agencies. Since the bill’s introduction, Issa’s office said that there have been some changes related to timelines and requirements in order to help garner additional support from Democrats, but the overall aim of the legislation remains the same. Issa said that the bill could either be passed on its own or attached to a larger piece of legislation, but he said that he will be working to make sure it gets through the Congress — including the upper chamber — without taking anything for granted. “We know of no opposition per se in the Senate, but I’ll be working with all of the offices to see if there is any and, if there is, to head it off,” he said. “We think that’s the best path to a quick delivery to the president’s desk.” The movement forward of the bill comes at a time when Republicans and Democrats are frequently struggling to find things to agree on, and Issa said that makes victories like this all the more important. “Doing the right thing never goes out of fashion, and at a time when there is so little to come together on, these kinds of legislation are particularly important,” he said.
Chinese official who praised CCP makes another appearance at top Ivy League school: ‘Historic connections’
A Chinese official who sparked controversy for praising the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and denying human rights abuses against the Uyghurs has made several appearances at high-profile institutions over the past year and recently showed up at a Columbia University symposium. “My honor to speak at Int’l Education Symposium ‘Cross-Fertilization of Culture & Education for Common Good’, celebrating 100th anniversary of Int’l Institute of @TeachersCollege, @Columbia, with educators from China, US&beyond,” Huang Ping, consul general of the People’s Republic of China in New York, recently posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Hope to strengthen this strong historic connections!” Over the last year, Huang has appeared at several prominent universities to meet with officials despite his past statements as well as rising concerns from the American public about China’s aggressive presence in the United States. US ALARMED AS CHINA HACKS CRITICAL SYSTEMS: WHAT YOU CAN DO In late November, Huang posted online that he had “fruitful discussions” with leaders at Princeton University. A month earlier, Huang was in Pennsylvania meeting not only with officials at the University of Pennsylvania but also with Democrat lawmakers and the Chester County Economic Development Council. Huang also met in November with top brass at Condé Nast, one of the largest media companies in the United States, with the Chinese government saying that the “current mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the United States has strong momentum, deep foundation and broad space.” Huang, who’s been the consul general of China’s New York Consulate since 2018, previously called the CCP a “great party” and has denied that China is targeting the Muslim Uyghur population in China. PENTAGON ALARMED BY CHINESE RUSH FOR ‘INTELLIGENTIZED’ WARFARE, BUT EXPERTS WARN ABOUT OVERRELIANCE ON AI “There are lots of lies here, fabricated by some people with their own political agenda,” Huang said in an August 2021 interview, denying the existence of genocide and internment camps targeting Uyghurs. “As I said, there’s no genocide, not a single evidence to prove that there’s a genocide or something there. It’s just a slandering.” In addition to praising the CCP, Huang has repeatedly promoted CCP talking points on X and amplified the agenda of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Fox News Digital previously reported that Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Huang met in April 2019 when she was the lieutenant governor to discuss cooperation between New York and China. WORLD SEEMINGLY SILENT AS CHINA EXPANDS CRACKDOWN ON MUSLIMS AND MOSQUES WHERE THEY WORSHIP A post on the website of the Chinese consulate showed a picture of them standing beside each other and smiling while holding a certificate that she presented to him for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In early 2021, he called her an “old friend” in a Facebook post, featuring a video of her, and has attended other events with her. He also stood onstage beside New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, this month at the China Day Celebration Parade Festival in New York, according to a press release. The office of the consul general of the People’s Republic of China did not respond to a request for comment. Huang’s office told Fox News Digital in October that the “recent visit to Pennsylvania is just a regular consular job. We visited high schools, universities and companies, had talks with state senators, entrepreneurs and scholars, to enhance sub-national cooperation and friendly communication between China and the U.S.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Columbia University and the Teachers College for comment. Fox News Digital’s Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.