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Year: 2024

China promises ‘countermeasures’ to US arms sale to Taiwan

China promises ‘countermeasures’ to US arms sale to Taiwan

China’s foreign ministry lashed out at the U.S. and Taiwan on Sunday after the U.S. State Department approved a $385 million arms sale to the island. Chinese officials also criticized the U.S. for approving Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to visit Hawaii and Guam, a U.S. territory. China considers Taiwan to be its sovereign territory and routinely objects to any validation of the island’s democratically-elected government. The arms deal approved late last week sees Taiwan purchasing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of spare parts for F-16 fighter jets as well as components for radars. Chinese officials said the deal sent the “wrong signal” about relations in the Indo-Pacific. A separate statement said China “strongly condemns” Lai’s travel to the U.S. CHINA OFFICIALLY ‘DOESN’T CARE’ ABOUT TRUMP WIN; UNOFFICIALLY, EXPERTS SAY BEIJING IS RATTLED The U.S. has repeatedly signaled its support for Taiwan through military deals, operations and diplomatic interactions with Taiwanese officials. Recent years have found a cadence of U.S. officials, such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meeting with Taiwanese officials only for Beijing to react with saber-rattling. Pelosi made a rare trip to the island in 2021, and China reacted by holding live-fire military drills surrounding Taiwan. Those drills occurred again in 2023 when then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. President-elect Trump has signaled that his administration will continue America’s strong relationship with Taiwan. Trump’s nominees to serve as United Nations ambassador, national security adviser, and most importantly, secretary of state are regarded by many as “China Hawks.” TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT Trump nominated Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to be secretary of state last month. Rubio has been a leading voice in the Senate for cracking down on China and imposing sanctions. Rubio has said he will work with Trump to “continue to support Taiwan.” He is also allied with Trump on insisting Taiwan increase defense spending, a view shared by security experts, but not necessarily the majority of Taiwanese people.  Reuters contributed to this report.

Navy putting first shipborne hypersonic weapon on vessel once seen as ‘costly blunder’

Navy putting first shipborne hypersonic weapon on vessel once seen as ‘costly blunder’

The Pentagon is in the process of fitting the first-ever shipborn hypersonic missile system to a U.S. stealth destroyer once considered to be defunct. The USS Zumwalt is stationed at a Mississippi shipyard as it undergoes the retrofit. The U.S. Navy is installing missile tubes towards the vessel’s bow, where two inactive gun turrets were once positioned. The turrets had never been activated due to cost. “It was a costly blunder. But the Navy could take victory from the jaws of defeat here, and get some utility out of them by making them into a hypersonic platform,” Bryan Clark, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute, said of the Zumwalt’s retrofit. The development comes as the U.S. competes with Russia and China to develop and implement new hypersonic weapons technologies.  US WARNS RUSSIA POTENTIALLY AIDING NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IN DIRECT THREAT TO EUROPE, ASIA Hypersonic missiles hold a key advantage in contemporary warfare because they travel at such high speed that missile defense systems cannot reliably shoot them down. RUSSIA LAUNCHES ANOTHER LARGE MISSILE, DRONE ATTACK ON UKRAINE’S ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to target Ukrainian government buildings in Kyiv with hypersonic missiles last week. Such missiles are also believed to be capable of reaching the U.S. West Coast. Putin’s announcement came after President Biden approved Ukraine to use U.S.-made ATACMs missiles on targets in Russian territory. “Of course, we will respond to the ongoing strikes on Russian territory with long-range Western-made missiles, as has already been said, including by possibly continuing to test the Oreshnik in combat conditions, as was done on November 21,” Putin told a meeting of a security alliance of ex-Soviet countries in Kazakhstan. RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD NUMBER OF DRONES IN NEW ATTACK “At present, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff are selecting targets to hit on Ukrainian territory. These could be military facilities, defense and industrial enterprises, or decision-making centers in Kyiv,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Putin claims Russia’s production of advanced missile systems exceeds that of the NATO military alliance by 10 times, and that Moscow planned to ramp up production further. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Massive Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library to open in North Dakota Badlands

Massive Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library to open in North Dakota Badlands

Theodore Roosevelt is best known as the 26th President of the United States and the legendary “rough-rider” of the Spanish-American War. But much less is known about his deep connection and love for North Dakota, a state that was instrumental in shaping his larger-than-life persona, adventuring spirit and immense love for the outdoors. Now, nearly 106 years after his death, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation plans to celebrate and honor that connection between the man and the land that shaped him by opening a massive state-of-the-art presidential library built on over 90 acres in the North Dakota Badlands. “IN THE ARENA” BOOK BY PETE HEGSETH USES THE TIMELESS TRUTHS OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT’S ICONIC ‘MAN IN THE ARENA’ SPEECH The project is founded on the three Roosevelt values of citizenship, leadership and conservation. The library, built on the edge of Medora, North Dakota, will overlook Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is the only national park named after a person. In the spirit of Roosevelt, the foundation behind the project is not building just any ordinary library. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will harness the power of both technology and nature to give visitors a highly immersive experience that rather than shutting one in, inspires and pushes you to experience the joy of the outdoors as Roosevelt did. The library will not just seek to educate people about Roosevelt. Instead, it will use immersive storytelling methods, the latest technology, including augmented reality, and the surrounding nature in Medora, North Dakota, to show people of all ages what they can learn from the life and experiences of the man and president. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, OCTOBER 14, 1912, TEDDY ROOSEVELT SHOT IN CHEST, MAKES CAMPAIGN STOP MINUTES LATER In a message announcing the project, Edward O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, said, “TR famously balked at the critic, and encouraged everyone to ‘get in the arena’ of life.” O’Keefe, a North Dakota native, explained that the vision for the library is to serve as a hub for civic engagement, learning, and research. The library will include a large auditorium which the foundation envisions as a space that could host future presidential debates. Above all, O’Keefe said that the library will seek to connect people with what Roosevelt used to describe as the “strenuous life” of the North Dakota wilderness.   “North Dakota is the fulcrum of the hero’s journey in TR’s almost unbelievable life story,” said O’Keefe. “[Roosevelt] wrote that if all his memories were to be taken from him, and he was forced only one memory from his incredible life he would choose to remember ‘my life on the ranch with its experiences close to nature and among the men who lived nearest her,’” he explained. “He did not choose the memory of the Roughriders or the charge up Kettle Hill; he would not recall McKinley’s assassination and his rise from the vice presidency to the Oval Office … TR chose to remember North Dakota, and so North Dakota chooses to remember TR.” Roosevelt, who served two transformative presidential terms from 1901 to 1909, moved to the North Dakota Badlands in 1884 in his early twenties. He was suffering from a broken heart after both his wife and mother died on the same fateful day. It was in North Dakota that the broken man found comfort in the solitude and beauty of the wilderness. He later wrote that he “would not have been president had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.” With this in mind, O’Keefe said that the library “will not be a box in the Badlands with artifacts under glass,” but “like TR’s life, will be an experience.” “We want every visitor to the TR presidential library and museum to walk out understanding the role of nature as a restorative force in TR’s life, and that each of us can be the change we want to see in the world,” said O’Keefe. “This museum can be a platform for embracing civic dialogue, thoughtful debate, and inspiration around the globe.” After receiving the approval of Congress and then-President Donald Trump, the foundation completed its purchase of the land for the library from the U.S. Forest Service in 2022. The land is situated close to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Roosevelt’s famous Elkhorn Ranch. The building is designed to be able to live off the land, just as Roosevelt did. The project website states that just as “through his action, passion, and foresight, Roosevelt ushered in a new era of conservation and stewardship of the American natural landscape,” the library’s design “will reflect and expand upon those values, setting an ambitious new standard for environmental conservation and sustainability leadership.” The foundation is utilizing local contractors and constructing the library with materials that will allow the building to minimize waste and emissions as well as water and energy usage. MEET THE AMERICAN WHO WAS THE ‘WORKING MAN’ FOUNDING FATHER, IRISH IRONSMITH GEORGE TAYLOR Instead of disrupting the sloping, grassy North Dakota “burning hills,” the library’s design team from the U.S.-Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta envisioned a building that blended in naturally with the landscape. The building has an earthen roof that curves with the nearby butte. The grounds and roof will be made up of native plants and grasses so as to help restore the biodiversity of the region which has been degraded over time. Pictures shared exclusively with Fox News Digital by the foundation show that the library interior is already taking shape. Natural light flows down from glass ceiling panels, coloring a set of already completed massive, rammed-earth walls, composed of a mixture of gravel, sand, silt and clay. Right in front of the library will be a large circular hiking trail surrounding the butte with several unique viewpoints along the way that encourage visitors to explore and reflect. The library is expected to open on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America and the Declaration of Independence. Theodore Roosevelt V, a great-great-grandson

Top political courtroom moments of 2024

Top political courtroom moments of 2024

President-elect Donald Trump, President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and the billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk were among just some of the well-known political figures who were ordered to court in 2024.  The year saw a flurry of election-related lawsuits play out in swing states across the country, the winding down special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into the president-elect, and a July Supreme Court decision that expanded the view of presidential immunity–among many other things.  As this year comes to a close, here is a look at some of the top political courtroom moments of 2024. Trump trial in Manhattan President-elect Donald Trump was found guilty by a Manhattan jury in April on 34 charges of falsifying business records stemming from payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels— which he railed against at the time as a “corrupt trial” and a “disgrace.”  Trump’s sentencing hearing, originally planned for July 11, was delayed by Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan in light of the 2024 election and Trump’s status as the presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee, four days ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.  TRUMP’S AG PICK HAS ‘HISTORY OF CONSENSUS BUILDING’ His decisive victory in November added further pressure on Merchan to dismiss the charges.  Last week, Merchan granted Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss the charges, giving the president-elect’s legal team until Dec. 2 to submit the motion for dismissal—and giving Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team of prosecutors until Dec. 9 to respond. Merchan also adjourned the sentencing date for Trump from the schedule, which Trump spokesperson and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung describing it as a “decisive win” for the president-elect. Still, the trial dominated news headlines throughout the 2024 campaign, including Trump’s repeated characterizations that the case was politically motivated and that the presiding judge was “corrupt.”  Federal cases in D.C., Florida  Special Counsel Jack Smith moved to drop two federal cases against president-elect Donald Trump this week— acknowledging Trump’s return to the White House, and long-held Justice Department policy that precludes the department from investigating a sitting president.  Smith was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate both the alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his residence in Florida after leaving the White House in 2020.  Prosecutors are guided by an Office of Legal Counsel memo first filed in 2000, which upholds a Watergate-era argument that asserts it is a violation of the separation of powers doctrine for the Justice Department to investigate a sitting president. Such proceedings, the memo states, would “unduly interfere in a direct or formal sense with the conduct of the Presidency.”   In their filing, Smith and his team made clear that their winding down of both cases is based solely on these protections afforded sitting presidents, rather than a reflection of the cases themselves. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” prosecutors said in a filing. Trump, however, took to social media to revel in the outcome. “I persevered, against all odds, and WON,” he said in a post on Truth Social. Supreme Court expands presidential immunity  The Supreme Court ruled in July that Trump should be granted absolute immunity from prosecution for actions taken while exercising any of his “core constitutional powers” as president. The 6-3 decision, which split justices along party lines, expanded the notion of presidential immunity not only in Trump’s case, but for past and future presidents as well.  A presumption of immunity also applies to other actions taken while holding office, the justices said. Still, the decision did not specify whether a president is to be afforded the same level of constitutional protection for state convictions, however, and the matter has never been tested in court. HISTORY OF THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY PARDON: WHEN THE WHITE HOUSE BEGAN THE LONG-HELD HOLIDAY TRADITION Elon Musk sued over pro-Trump PAC’s $1m daily giveaways  Philadelphia’s top prosecutor, Larry Krasner, sued Elon Musk in an effort to stop his Trump-backed PAC from conducting daily, $1 million giveaways to swing state voters in the run-up to the Nov. 5 elections, describing them as an “illegal lottery” that violated Pennsylvania law. The civil lawsuit claimed that both Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, were “lulling Philadelphia citizens” and others in the Commonwealth to “give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1 million,” through its daily giveaway scheme. It also argued that the giveaways violated consumer protection laws in Pennsylvania, citing “deceptive” and “misleading” statements Musk made about the nature of the contest. Krasner’s office and Musk’s attorneys sparred over whether the case should be held in federal or state court, and when the proceedings should take place (Musk lost his bid to have the case heard in federal court). Earlier this month, Musk’s legal team admitted to Judge Angelo Foglietta that there “is no prize to be won” and winners “are not chosen at random.” Rather, Musk’s attorneys said they selected registrants who could best serve as spokespeople for the pro-Trump America PAC, and described the $1 million payments as a “salary” given to these people.  Krasner, in response, described the scheme as a “political marketing masquerading as a lottery,” and a “grift.”  Ultimately, though, the D.A.’s office requested last week that lawsuit against Musk and his America PAC be dropped.  ​​AN ‘ILLEGAL LOTTERY’: PHILADELPHIA DA SUES TO STOP MUSK’S $1 MILLION VOTER GIVEAWAYS Hunter Biden case: Testimony from exes, familial support  Hunter Biden’s criminal trial in Wilmington, Delaware, dominated headlines this summer. A jury ultimately found Hunter guilty on all charges in the case, which centered on whether he made false statements in his 2018 purchase of a firearm—but it also laid bare some