Years before Texas conservatives painted them as criminals, Colony Ridge residents sought help from state agencies
Texas has little to show for conservative leaders’ uproar — or previously unreported complaints about the community developer.
Scathing details reveal why Biden appears ‘silent’ on China’s role in fentanyl crisis: book
A new book out Tuesday alleges that the Biden administration’s relative “silence” on the fentanyl crisis ravaging states across the country is because of the Biden family’s connections to China, which is responsible for a large portion of fentanyl imports. Author Peter Schweizer, who has written several investigative bestsellers, including “Clinton Cash” and “Red Handed,” just released “Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans,” a new book that details “bombshell after bombshell, exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s covert operations in the American drug trade, social justice movement, and medical establishment to sow chaos and decadence in the United States.” In one chapter of the book, which was reviewed by Fox News Digital, Schweizer says the Biden administration has not taken “aggressive action” against China combating the fentanyl crisis, which the administration has previously said “bears responsibility.” “Joe Biden was outspoken in 1992 when it was exposed that Beijing was involved with the heroin trade. The then senator from Delaware showed initiative in calling out the Communist leadership for its illicit activities,” Schweizer writes. “But now with the far more deadly fentanyl crisis, he has grown silent.” SENATE REPORT SOUNDS ALARM ON SURGE IN FENTANYL DEATHS AMONG OLDER AMERICANS: ‘SILENT EPIDEMIC’ “When Joe Biden delivered the State of the Union address in 2023, he talked about fentanyl, acknowledging the stigma associated with substance abuse, and called for better substance abuse services. In other words, he treated it as a conventional drug problem. So he promised more drug detection machines and more inspections of cargo,” Schweizer said. He continued: “What he never mentioned was Beijing’s hand in the matter. President Biden has been remarkably quiet in discussing China’s involvement in the drug trade; he does not challenge its leadership about their conduct.” Schweizer said he previously reported that “members of the first family received some $31 million in deals from a small group of Chinese businessmen with deep ties to the highest levels of Chinese intelligence.” But some of these businessmen who allegedly funneled money to the Bidens “have ties to the fentanyl trade, including $5 million from a Chinese national who was a business partner with a notorious triad leader.” This “cash flow,” he argues, connects the Bidens with Chinese triad associates. HUNTER BIDEN WAS PAID $100K THROUGH JOINT-VENTURE WITH CHINESE ENERGY FIRM, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIED Schweizer makes a connection between Ye Jianming – a mysterious Chinese tycoon referred to as “Chairman Ye” by Hunter Biden who allegedly gave Hunter an $80,000 diamond as a gift and an interest-free $5 million loan – and a drug lord named White Wolf. “Ye and White Wolf set up the Shanghai Zhenrong Petroleum Company together. White Wolf’s gang, UBG [United Bamboo Gang], also has a ‘partnership’ with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and helps them in the production and distribution of fentanyl in the United States. UBG helped to turn ‘the Sinaloa Cartel into the King of Fentanyl,’ according to a Mexican investigation of the cartel,” Schweizer writes. White Wolf had been arrested and convicted in the 1980s on drug-trafficking and racketeering charges in the U.S. The UBG, according to Schweizer, is involved extensively in the international drug trade, having sold heroin in the United States for decades. He cites one government report having stated, “It is believed the gang is active in several U.S. cities, including Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, and various California cities. The UBG has built up a sophisticated network capable of supplying members with guns, narcotics, and fraudulent identifications.” White Wolf also allegedly has close ties with the Beijing government; senior Communist Party officials call him “Big Brother.” JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY CONSIDERED JOINING BOARD OF CCP-LINKED COMPANY, WITNESS TESTIFIES FROM PRISON “The fact that a Chinese businessman who showered millions on the Bidens is partners with a crime syndicate partnering in the distribution of fentanyl into the United States might be shocking enough. But there is more,” Schweizer writes. Schweizer claims in the book that Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, was also a legal representative for Ng Lap Seng, an alleged Chinese triad member who was convicted on bribery charges. Lowell has also allegedly represented Qin Fei, who is accused of being a Chinese intelligence officer, and Lum Davis, who pleaded guilty to illegally lobbying for the Chinese government. Lowell did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment. “The problem of conflicting personal ties when it comes to confronting China on fentanyl extends beyond the Biden family to members of his administration. And so does the silence,” Schweizer stated. The White House did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Tennessee House passes bill that would largely ban LGBTQ flags in public school classrooms
The Tennessee House passed a bill on Monday that would largely ban displaying LGBTQ flags in public school classrooms. The 70-24 vote in the Republican-controlled House sends the legislation to the Senate, where a final vote could happen as early as this week. Republicans cut a heated debate short, leading Democratic Rep. Justin Jones to yell that House Speaker Cameron Sexton was out of order and ignoring people’s requests to speak. Republicans responded by voting Jones out of order, halting his immediate comments. Earlier, at least two people opposing the bill were kicked out of the gallery for talking over the proceedings as Democrats and other opponents criticized the legislation as unfairly limiting a major symbol of the LGBTQ community in schools. TENNESSEE BILL WOULD REQUIRE DEFENDANTS CONVICTED OF KILLING A PARENT TO PAY VICTIMS’ CHILDREN “I am proud when I walk into the public schools in my city, to see the LGBTQ flag in the classrooms, proudly put up by teachers who understand the suffering that many of their students go through,” Democrat Rep. Jason Powell said. “We should be welcoming and celebrating our students, not hating on them.” The bill defines “displaying” a flag by a school or employee as exhibiting or placing the item “anywhere students may see the object.” The measure would allow certain flags to be displayed, with exceptions for some scenarios. Approved flags include the U.S. flag, the Tennessee flag, flags considered protected historical items under state law, as well as flags of Native American tribes, local governments’ armed forces and prisoners of war or those missing in action, other countries and their local governments, colleges or universities or the schools themselves. Other flags could be temporarily displayed as part of a “bona fide” course curriculum. Certain groups allowed to use school buildings may also show their flags while using the grounds under the bill. TENNESSEE GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW ALLOWING PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO DECLINE TO PERFORM MARRIAGES THEY DISAGREE WITH The legislation would enforce the ban by relying on lawsuits by parents or guardians of students who attend, or are eligible to attend, public school in the district in question. The lawsuits could challenge the display of flags by a school, employee or its agents that would not fall under the proposed criteria for which flags would be allowed in classrooms. Republican Rep. Gino Bulso, the bill’s sponsor, said parents reached out to him with complaints about “political flags” in classrooms. When asked whether the bill would allow the Confederate flag to be displayed, he said the bill would not change the current law about when such a symbol could be shown. He said the bill’s exceptions could be applied to Confederate flags for approved curriculum and certain historical items that already cannot be removed without extensive state approval. “What we’re doing is making sure parents are the ones who are allowed to instill in their children the values they want to instill,” Bulso said. The Senate’s version of the bill would be more restrictive about who could file a lawsuit over a flag, limiting it to students, parents or guardians of students or employees at that specific school. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to town, school and school district officials warning that under First Amendment court precedent, “public schools may prohibit private on-campus speech only insofar as it substantially interferes with or disrupts the educational environment, or interferes with the rights of other students.” Bulso said displaying the Pride flag does not constitute protected free speech for school employees. The bill comes as Tennessee Republicans have already moved to restrict classroom conversations about gender and sexuality, ban gender transition treatment for minors and limit events where certain drag performers are allowed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Delhi excise policy case: ED issues fresh summons to CM Arvind Kejriwal, asks him to appear on…
ED has asked CM Arvind Kejriwal to appear before it on March 4.
Huang Ping, ‘purveyor of CCP propaganda,’ joins Schumer, top New York Dems at Chinese New Year parade
A Chinese official who previously praised the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as “great” celebrated the Lunar New Year with several top New York Democrats on Sunday. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Manhattan Assembly Member Grace Lee and Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine stood beside Huang Ping, the consul general of China’s New York Consulate, during the Lunar New Year Parade in Manhattan. “So delighted to join the NYC Lunar New Year Celebration Parade Festival together with @SenSchumer @GovKathyHochul @graceleefornyc @NYCMayor @MBPMarkLevine and many other American friends and Chinese compatriots,” Huang wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday. “Wish everyone a healthy and prosperous Year of Dragon!” In a speech to the crowd, Schumer said, “I am proud to say that I am a fighter to get comprehensive immigration reform to allow many more Chinese to come to America,” National Review reported. Other remarks reportedly included bridging the gap between American and Chinese communities and combating prejudice against Asians. After China’s national anthem blared across Manhattan, Schumer waved the flag of the People’s Republic of China, according to National Review. CHINESE OFFICIAL WHO PRAISED CCP, DENIED UYGHUR GENOCIDE MEETS WITH TOP EXEC AT LEFT-WING MEDIA CONGLOMERATE Huang previously called the CCP a “great party” and has denied that China is targeting the Muslim Uyghur population in China. “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.” INTELLIGENCE REPORT ACCUSES CHINA OF ACTING AS SANCTIONS BACKDOOR FOR RUSSIA In addition to praising the CCP, Huang has repeatedly promoted CCP talking points on social media and appears to amplify the agenda of Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Sharing the stage with a known purveyor of CCP propaganda is unwise, and that’s putting it kindly,” Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, told Fox News Digital. “Sen. Schumer, Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams should have known that Huang Ping has used official social media accounts to deny the CCP’s genocide of Uyghurs, push CCP disinformation about Taiwan and whitewash Beijing’s oppression of Tibet.” “Their elevation of the consul general raises serious questions about their judgment and the degree of malign influence the CCP wields in New York City,” Sobolik said. Huang has met with New York’s elected officials several times in the past. Last year, he stood beside Adams at the New York China Day Celebration Parade Festival. And Fox News Digital previously reported that Hochul and Huang met in April 2019 when she was the lieutenant governor to discuss cooperation between New York and China. Earlier this year, Huang delivered the keynote speech at the China-U.S. Business Alliance 2024 New Year event. “Let’s work together for more practical cooperation and mutual interest for the two peoples,” he wrote on X last month. Calls placed to the offices of Hochul, Adams, Schumer, Lee and Levine were not returned. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report.
Google Gemini invented fake reviews smearing my book about Big Tech’s political biases
Google Gemini, the tech giant’s new AI chatbot meant to rival ChatGPT, invented several fake reviews – which it attributed to real people – meant to discredit my 2020 book on political biases at Google and other big tech companies. On Sunday, amid a sharp backlash against Google over its AI program’s apparent political biases, I asked Gemini to explain what my book was about. My book, “The Manipulators: Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Big Tech’s War on Conservatives,” was a multi-year project on Big Tech’s political biases that drew on inside sources, leaked documents and more. I was curious to see if Google’s AI program could be trusted to accurately describe an investigative book about Google, but I wasn’t prepared for just how misleading it would be. CHATGPT FALSELY ACCUSES JONATHAN TURLEY OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, CONCOCTS FAKE WAPO STORY TO SUPPORT ALLEGATION Gemini’s description of my book included this sentence: “The book has been criticized for lacking concrete evidence and relying on anecdotal information.” Unsure what it was referencing — I thought I would have remembered such criticisms of my own book – I followed up: “Who has criticized the book for lacking concrete evidence, as you say?” What came next floored me. Gemini spat out summaries of four negative reviews, ostensibly from the Washington Free Beacon, The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review and Wired, including quotes from each: But here’s the catch. None of those reviews were real. Not one. And neither were any of the quotes. The Free Beacon did publish a review of my book, but unlike Gemini’s fake review, it was overwhelmingly positive, describing The Manipulators as an “excellent” and “thoroughly-researched” book that “should leave any sensible reader, conservative or otherwise, outraged.” (Not to mention that the Free Beacon review invented by Gemini was attributed to Matthew Continetti, whereas Charles Lehman wrote the real review.) I immediately asked Gemini for links to the reviews it cited – knowing they didn’t exist – at which point the chatbot clammed up: “I do not have enough information about that person to help with your request. I am a large language model, and I am able to communicate and generate human-like text in response to a wide range of prompts and questions, but my knowledge about this person is limited. Is there anything else I can do to help you with this request?” Two more efforts to get an explanation from the chatbot received the exact same answer. I reached out to Google for an explanation. A spokesperson apologized and offered the following statement: “Gemini is built as a creativity and productivity tool, and it may not always be accurate or reliable. We’re continuing to quickly address instances in which the product isn’t responding appropriately.”
Michigan primary puts major battleground state in play for 2024
Michigan voters hit the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in the state-run primary, with both Republicans and Democrats making their pick for their party’s 2024 nominee. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Most of the state runs on Eastern Standard Time, but four counties in the Upper Peninsula observe Central Time. Democrat primary voters can choose from President Biden and his challengers, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and author Marianne Williamson. Those voters will also have the option to cast an “uncommitted” vote. Meanwhile, Republican voters on Tuesday will have their choice from former President Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the only two GOP candidates left in the race, and others who have since dropped out, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. There are 16 delegates at stake. TRUMP SAYS SOUTH CAROLINA IS ‘BIGGER WIN THAN WE ANTICIPATED,’ LOOKS FORWARD TO SAYING ‘JOE, YOU’RE FIRED’ Michigan’s Democrat-controlled legislature set the state’s primary date earlier than usual this year to comply with the wishes of the Democratic National Committee. But shifting the date for the Democrats pushed the Republicans out of compliance with the Republican National Committee (RNC). To avoid a penalty from the RNC, Michigan Republicans came up with a split-primary system, with voters casting ballots on Tuesday and on March 2. TRUMP ‘REALLY NOT THINKING ABOUT’ HALEY AFTER SOUTH CAROLINA VICTORY, SAYS HE’S FOCUSED ON BEATING BIDEN On Saturday, the Michigan GOP will hold a party-run convention in Detroit. The winner of that contest could receive up to 39 delegates, although they will be distributed by district. There are 13 total districts and three delegates per district. During that contest, voters only have the choice between Trump and Haley. Michigan has a total of 55 pledged delegates. Trump previously dominated the Iowa Caucuses, left New Hampshire with a commanding victory, swept the caucuses in Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and then won South Carolina with a “bigger win” than he anticipated, he said. “I’m very honored by the elections,” he told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview after his South Carolina victory on Saturday. “We’re setting records in every single state.” Trump on Saturday looked ahead to Michigan and predicted a victory because “the autoworkers are going to be with us 100% because they got sold out by this country.” FOX NEWS POLL: BIDEN AND TRUMP IN CLOSE RACE IN MICHIGAN Haley, despite losing another contest — this time in her home state of South Carolina — vowed to stay in the race. Michigan’s government is under full control by the Democrats. Republicans dominated in Michigan elections from 1972 through 1988. But the state became part of a so-called “blue wall” that backed Democrat nominees in six straight presidential elections from 1972 through 2012. Trump changed the equation in 2016, and his narrow flipping of the state helped him win the White House over Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton. But President Biden captured Michigan by nearly three points in the 2020 election as he brought Michigan back into the Democrats’ column and denied Trump reelection. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
New poll reveals record-high number of Americans view this issue as ‘critical threat’ to US interests
A record-high number of Americans see large numbers of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. as a “critical threat” to U.S. interests, according to a new poll published Tuesday. The Gallup poll found that 55% of U.S. adults say that “large numbers of immigrants entering the United States illegally” are a “critical threat” to U.S. vital interests. That is up 8% from 2023 and higher than the previous high of 50% in 2004. Of those polled, 31% said large numbers of immigrants entering illegally is an “important” threat while 14% said it was not important. BIDEN ADMIN WEIGHS EXECUTIVE ACTION ON BORDER CRISIS, DRAWING FIRE FROM LEFT AND RIGHT The country is now in the third year of a historic border crisis. The record for yearly encounters at the southern border was broken last fiscal year when more than 2.4 million migrants were encountered at the border. The monthly record for encounters was set in December when there were more than 300,000 encounters for the first time. In the poll, 28% of Americans say immigration is the most important problem facing the U.S., sharply higher than in January when the number was 20%. The polling highlights immigration as the most-named problem, above government (20%), the economy (12%) and inflation (11%). That 28% essentially ties the 27% recorded in July 2019 as the highest since Gallup began polling mentions of immigration in 1981. The poll was conducted between Feb. 1 and Feb. 20, based on a sample of 1,016 adults via telephone interviews. It comes as immigration remains in the spotlight due to a debate in Congress over a supplemental border funding bill, which stalled amid opposition from Republicans and some Democrats, and the continued impact the migrant crisis is having on cities and states across the country. Republicans have blamed the crisis on the policies of the administration, including the rollback of Trump-era policies like border wall construction and the Remain in Mexico policy. The administration and Democrats have instead blamed Republicans for failing to approve funding and a comprehensive immigration reform bill to fix a broken system. 7.2M ENTERED US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES The Senate bill would have increased personnel at the border, provided additional funding and imposed some limits on migrant releases into the U.S., but conservatives warned that it would normalize an already high level of illegal immigration. The polling comes just days after it was revealed that the suspect charged in connection with the murder of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is an illegal immigrant originally from Venezuela. Meanwhile, as Congress continues to struggle to find legislation it can pass and send to the president’s desk, Gallup finds its approval rating has fallen to 12%, just a few points higher than the all-time low of 9% in November 2023.
Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 144
As the war rages in Gaza, US President Joe Biden says he hopes a ceasefire can take effect by early next week. Here’s how things stand on Tuesday, February 27, 2024: Fighting and humanitarian crisis The Israeli military shot dead three Palestinian men in raids on the city of Tubas and the nearby al-Far’a camp in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency reported. Footage authenticated by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit shows a large crowd of hungry and desperate Palestinians in Gaza City scrambling for bags of flour. The Royal Jordanian Air Force carried out airdrops of aid off the coast of the Gaza Strip – the biggest airdrop operation so far to deliver much-needed aid to millions of Palestinians amid restrictions by Israeli authorities on aid entering the territory by road. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported that newborn babies are dying in Gaza because their mothers are unable to access appropriate care. The Palestinian prime minister announced the resignation of his government on Monday, paving the way for a shake-up in the Palestinian Authority, which the United States hopes will eventually take on a role in post-war Gaza. President Joe Biden said he hopes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining captives to be released can take effect by early next week. Regional tensions and diplomacy The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday held the last of a set of hearings examining the legal consequences of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian lands. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday the Israeli government failed to comply with at least one measure in the legally binding order from the ICJ in South Africa’s genocide case. HRW said Israel “continues to obstruct the provision of basic services and the entry and distribution within Gaza of fuel and lifesaving aid, acts of collective punishment that amount to war crimes and include the use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of war”. In the UN, the US Mission circulated a draft resolution to members of the UN Security Council that expresses support for diplomatic efforts to “urgently” reach a “temporary ceasefire” agreement, according to a copy seen by Al Jazeera’s Rami Ayari. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed three unmanned surface vessels, two mobile antiship cruise missiles as well as an attack drone over the Red Sea and in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Monday. Violence in the occupied West Bank Al Jazeera Arabic and local media are reporting that Israeli forces have raided the Far’a camp, south of Tubas in the occupied West Bank, resulting in intense fighting with Palestinian resistance groups including explosions. Raids and arrests have been reported elsewhere in the occupied West Bank. Adblock test (Why?)
PM Modi names 4 astronauts for India’s first human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan
The astronauts are undergoing training for the country’s maiden human space flight mission.