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In rare move top Republicans back Biden’s airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen: ‘overdue but welcome’

In rare move top Republicans back Biden’s airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen: ‘overdue but welcome’

Senior Republicans are showing support for President Biden’s decision to launch coordinated airstrikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.  “I welcome the U.S. and coalition operations against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists responsible for violently disrupting international commerce in the Red Sea and attacking American vessels,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. “President Biden’s decision to use military force against these Iranian proxies is overdue.” “I am hopeful these operations mark an enduring shift in the Biden Administration’s approach to Iran and its proxies. To restore deterrence and change Iran’s calculus, Iranian leaders themselves must believe that they will pay a meaningful price unless they abandon their worldwide campaign of terror,” he added. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul, R-Texas, who said he was meeting with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the strikes were called, also praised the actions. He also called on Biden to restore the Houthis’ terror designation. “I’m pleased the president, in coordination with our allies, finally took action against the Iran-backed Houthis following weeks of instability in the Red Sea. Tonight, with these strikes, we are beginning to restore deterrence. The administration must acknowledge it was a mistake to rescind the Houthis designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and re-list them immediately,” he said. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, similarly called the action “overdue” and accused the Biden administration of contributing to the increasingly hostile situation in the Red Sea, but said the strikes were “a good first step toward restoring deterrence in the Red Sea.” FETTERMAN BLASTS SOUTH AFRICA ‘GENOCIDE’ CASE AGAINST ISRAEL AMID SLAYINGS OF WHITE FARMERS “I appreciate that the administration took the advice of our regional commanders and targeted critical nodes within Houthi-controlled Yemeni territory. It is important that we follow this action in close consultation with our Saudi partners to ensure they are with us as the situation develops,” Wicker said. “This strike does not change the basic facts: for weeks, the Houthis have launched drones and missiles at our sailors, while the Biden administration has trumpeted a maritime task force…It is time to dispense with the hollow talk of ‘joint resolutions’ and ‘maritime task forces.’ This strike should be a warning to the Houthis and other Iranian proxies that they will suffer catastrophic consequences from escalation in the region.” US INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS WARN HEZBOLLAH MAY TARGET MAINLAND US DURING WAR IN ISRAEL: REPORT  President Biden announced in a statement that the U.S. led a coordinated airstrike in Yemen with the U.K. and support from Canada, Australia and Bahrain. He said the targets were “used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., an ally of former President Trump’s, said he was “very supportive of the Biden Administration’s decision to strike Houthi rebels who have been harassing international shipping and trying to attack Israeli and American interests.” “It’s long past time to let Iran know that we will hold them accountable for the actions of their proxies – in this case, the Houthi rebels. The only language radical Islamic groups understand is force. I hope the Biden Administration understands that their deterrence policy has completely failed,” Graham wrote on X. TOP BIDEN ADVISER VISITS BEIRUT AS ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH NEAR ALL-OUT WAR Even rank-and-file Republicans have been issuing cautious and rare praise for the move. Rep. John James, R-Mich., a military combat veteran who served in Iraq, told Fox News Digital, “The Houthis are a terrorist organization. They have been striking at U.S. military personnel since late last year and must be destroyed.” “I pray for the safety of our brave military personnel engaging,” James said. Top Democrats in Congress are also backing Biden’s move, while some further to the left are angry with him for bypassing Capitol Hill to do it. “While I support these targeted, proportional military strikes, I call on the Biden Administration to continue its diplomatic efforts to avoid escalation to a broader regional war and continue to engage Congress on the details of its strategy and legal basis as required by law,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said however, “The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict.” 

‘A country but not a country’: Taiwan prepares to vote in China’s shadow

‘A country but not a country’: Taiwan prepares to vote in China’s shadow

Taipei, Taiwan – Taiwan’s more than 19 million eligible voters will cast their ballots on Saturday for the island’s next leaders and lawmakers amid domestic economic challenges and China’s continued threats against the self-ruled island. There are three candidates in the running for the top job: William Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s current vice president who represents the ruling Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); New Taipei mayor Hou Yu-ih of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT); and ex-Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je of the newer Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). Many in Taiwan face skyrocketing housing prices and stagnating wages, but beyond the economic issues that are key to elections everywhere, people on the island must also contend with a more existential question – that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants to take control of the island, by force if necessary. In the run-up to the polls, it has sent military aircraft and balloons around the island while its officials have urged voters to make the “right choice”. Brian Hioe, founding editor of Taiwan-focused magazine New Bloom, notes that while not the only factor, “the largest issue in Taiwanese presidential elections traditionally is the decision between independence and unification”. Protesters in Taiwan dress up to depict authoritarian China, which has tried to influence the outcome of Saturday’s election with military threats, diplomatic pressure, fake news and financial inducements [Ng Han Guan/AP Photo] Beijing insists Taiwan is part of China, but in recent years, the people of Taiwan, many of whom have grown up in one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies and known nothing else, have become increasingly assertive about their own sense of identity. According to National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center, 62.8 percent of people identified as Taiwanese as of June 2023, while 30.5 percent said they were both Taiwanese and Chinese, and only 2.5 percent identified as Chinese. ‘Our identity is being eradicated’ Aurora Chang, now 24, long questioned her identity and sense of belonging because “I knew that I was Taiwanese but also felt that I wasn’t solely just Taiwanese – but didn’t know what the other things were”. At the end of her first year as an undergraduate, however, she came to a decision. “Being Taiwanese was really a conscious choice that I made,” she told Al Jazeera, referring to her epiphany. “I wanted to connect more to my roots and to understand what it meant and to feel my connection with the land and my family and my history,” she said. “Our identity is actively being eradicated by a power much larger and much more international influence than us,” she added. According to Taiwan’s Central Election Commission, more than 30 percent of voters are aged between 20 and 39. Hioe, who is also a non-resident fellow at the University of Nottingham’s Taiwan studies programme, notes that “identity concerns are certainly part of what sets Taiwanese young people apart from other Asian youths – in that most youth do not face an existential threat to their national identity”. Chen Yi An, a 27-year-old medical worker from Taipei, is also proud to call herself Taiwanese. “Taiwan is the place I grew up, the land that raised me. I am Taiwanese,” she said, adding that the way she defines where is from “should not be controversial”. But not all young Taiwanese are so rooted in their sense of identity, and some do see themselves as Chinese. Ting-yi Zheng, a 27-year-old student from Tainan, Taiwan’s historical city, has lived in China for seven years and is currently studying for a doctoral degree in Beijing. China has increased political, military and economic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016. She cannot run for a third term [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP] He told Al Jazeera he had no plan to return home to vote. Last time around he backed KMT candidate Han Kuo-yu, but now he worries about the state of Taipei’s ties with Beijing and the effect on the island’s economy. China has raised political, economic and military pressure on Taiwan ever since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016, despite her early offer of talks. Zheng says he does not want the island to go to war with Beijing. “I hope the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can be peacefully unified,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that both peoples needed to know each other more. Liz Li, now 27, says she learned at school that Taiwan was an “independent country” but says she came to have doubts after doing more of her own reading. “The older you get, the more news and history you see, and you will think to yourself: Are we really a country?” Li said, referring to the international community’s understanding of Taiwan’s state as “a country but not a country”. Whatever her thoughts on identity, however, it will not be what motivates her decision at the ballot box. Values to live by Li dreams of buying her own home on the island, but prices are so high she is thinking of working overseas – getting a job as a UX designer in Japan or the United States – so she can earn and save enough money to make it a reality. She thinks that as Taiwan grapples with economic issues such as affordable housing, it needs new ideas and an alternative to the two parties – the DPP and KMT – that have dominated politics since democratisation. Li plans to vote for the TPP’s Ko for the sake of “who will give us a better and more stable life.” Ko has attracted support from many similarly disillusioned young people who are attracted by his outsider status, and for whom economic issues are more of a concern than the rumbling from across the Taiwan Strait. “The thing about China is that it is an existing problem for us,” she said, explaining that she did not think it was an issue where ordinary people could have much impact, unlike the economy. Chiaoning Su, associate professor in the Department of Communication, Journalism and Public Relations

Democrats slam Biden for bypassing Congress to strike Yemen

Democrats slam Biden for bypassing Congress to strike Yemen

Some House Democrats are frustrated with the Biden administration for striking Houthi positions in Yemen without Congressional approval on Thursday night. “The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wrote on X. “That is Article I of the Constitution. “I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House,” he added. TOP BIDEN ADVISER VISITS BEIRUT AS ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH NEAR ALL-OUT WAR President Biden announced in a statement that the U.S. led a coordinated airstrike in Yemen with the U.K. and support from Canada, Australia and Bahrain. He said the targets were “used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.” “These airstrikes have NOT been authorized by Congress. The Constitution is clear: Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts. Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorization, regardless of party,” Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., wrote on X. FETTERMAN BLASTS SOUTH AFRICA ‘GENOCIDE’ CASE AGAINST ISRAEL AMID SLAYINGS OF WHITE FARMERS Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., warned that bypassing Congress could risk getting the U.S. into more foreign conflicts. “The United States cannot risk getting entangled into another decades-long conflict without Congressional authorization. The White House must work with Congress before continuing these airstrikes in Yemen,” Pocan wrote on X. Senior Republican lawmakers, however, have shown rare praise for Biden over the move. “I welcome the U.S. and coalition operations against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists responsible for violently disrupting international commerce in the Red Sea and attacking American vessels. President Biden’s decision to use military force against these Iranian proxies is overdue,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a statement. US INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS WARN HEZBOLLAH MAY TARGET MAINLAND US DURING WAR IN ISRAEL: REPORT  Biden said of the strikes, “These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.” “These attacks have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation. More than 50 nations have been affected in 27 attacks on international commercial shipping,” he said in a statement. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been launching attacks against southern Israel and ships in the Red Sea since soon after Israel’s war with Hamas began in October. Since then the topic of Israel has driven a wedge in the Democratic Party, with hardliners and progressives more critical of U.S.-Israel relations and its military response in Gaza, while mainstream Democrats remain committed to the Middle Eastern ally.

House joins Senate, strikes down Biden EV charger rule protecting Chinese companies

House joins Senate, strikes down Biden EV charger rule protecting Chinese companies

The House voted Thursday evening to strike down President Biden’s decision to waive “Buy America” requirements for taxpayer-funded electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. In a 209-198 vote, the chamber passed a resolution reversing the president’s actions with two House Democrats, Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Donald Davis of North Carolina, joining 207 Republicans who voted in favor and two House Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Tom McClintock of California, joining 196 Democrats who voted against.  “I voted to overturn Joe Biden’s pro-Communist China rule that would undermine American businesses that have made significant investments into EV manufacturing,” House Republican Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said in a statement. “Biden’s waiver of the Buy America requirements empower our foreign adversaries like Communist China by pouring hard-earned American taxpayer dollars into foreign markets.” “Joe Biden and his America Last agenda would sooner invest taxpayer money into Communist Chinese EV chargers than American-made products,” she continued. “The Buy America provision is meant to support American businesses and bolster U.S. manufacturers, neither of which this pro-Communist China Administration is interested in.” STUDY CASTS DOUBT ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES’ CLIMATE, COST BENEFITS: ‘WON’T ACHIEVE THE GOALS INTENDED’ The vote Thursday comes two months after the Senate passed the resolution — which was authored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and introduced in July — in a 50-48 vote with Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., joining Republicans. The resolution will now make its way to Biden’s desk, though the White House has stated the president will veto it. MARCO RUBIO LEADS EFFORT TO BLOCK CLEAN ENERGY CREDITS FROM AUTOMAKERS THAT OFFSHORE JOBS Rubio’s joint resolution would overturn the president’s Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers. Rubio, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and other Republican lawmakers argued the waiver would ultimately benefit Chinese manufacturers who dominate the EV charger supply chain. In February 2023, the Transportation Department (DOT) unveiled the final Made in America EV charger waiver rule which axed more stringent requirements and pushed certain deadlines back months in a major victory for green energy industry groups. The waiver governs manufacturing and assembly requirements for EV charging companies to be eligible for millions of dollars in federal subsidies. The waiver rules revised a stricter proposal put forth by DOT in August 2022. The four-phase proposed waiver would have immediately scrapped all requirements; then required EV charger companies to assemble all products in the U.S. beginning Jan. 1, 2023; manufacture chargers with no less than 25% American-made components by cost beginning July 1, 2023; and manufacture chargers with no less than 55% American-made components by cost beginning Jan. 1, 2024. The finalized waiver knocked it down to a two-phase process and pushed key deadlines. It requires EV charger companies to ensure final assembly of chargers is in the U.S. and that the cost of American-made components in chargers represents 55% of total product costs beginning on July 1, 2024. The waiver notably scrapped the 25% domestic component requirement. FORD DRAMATICALLY SCALES BACK EV PLANT AMID PLUMMETING SALES IN BLOW TO BIDEN’S GREEN ENERGY GOALS “The bottom line is this: if we’re going to spend $5 billion of taxpayer money to build electric vehicle charging stations for the United States, it should be made by Americans in America using American products,” Rubio said in a floor speech in November. DOT’s waiver was finalized as part of Biden administration’s push to both expand EV manufacturing and the network of chargers nationwide needed to fuel zero-emissions vehicles. Biden has set goals of constructing an EV charging network of 500,000 chargers along U.S. highways and ensuring 50% of all new car sales are electric by 2030. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the massive infrastructure package Biden signed in 2021, earmarks $7.5 billion for EV charging programs while the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act expands tax credits for EVs and charger installations.

Washington state Democrats propose additional tax for ‘privilege of using ammunition’

Washington state Democrats propose additional tax for ‘privilege of using ammunition’

Washington state Democrats are proposing an additional tax on residents for “the privilege of using ammunition” in an effort to decrease gun violence.  Fifteen state Democrats recently introduced House Bill 2238, citing the health and safety threat posed by gun violence throughout the state. The legislation was referred Tuesday to the state’s legislature’s committee on finance. If passed, the bill would impose a use and sales tax on the retail sale of ammunition. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT GRANTS MARYLAND’S PETITION FOR FULL COURT TO CONSIDER HANDGUN LICENSING LAW “A use tax is levied on every person in this state for the privilege of using ammunition as a consumer at the rate of percent of the selling price,” the bill states. The text of the bill describes ammunition as “projectiles with their fuses, propelling charges, or primers designed to be fired from firearms. ‘Ammunition’ includes any shotgun shell and any rifle, pistol, or revolver cartridge.” The proposed tax would be in addition to the federal, state, and local sales and use tax imposed on sales of goods and services. However, it would not apply to sales to state, local, or tribal governments for the purposes of supplying law enforcement agencies, the bill notes.  GUN OWNERSHIP HITS RECORD HIGH WITH AMERICAN VOTERS, POLL FINDS The National Rifle Association said it plans to oppose the bill from becoming law.  “This is a clear unconstitutional assault aimed at penalizing law-abiding citizens in Washington,” Aoibheann Cline, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) Washington director, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The NRA stands strong and will fight this absurd legislation.” State Rep. Jim Walsh, who serves as the chair of the Washington State Republican Party, said the “arrogance and sanctimony of anti-2A (Second Amendment) extremists will be their undoing, even in ‘blue’ states.” “Washington HB 2238 is a poorly-conceived and sloppily-drafted piece of work,” he told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It’s also politically tone-deaf, as Washington residents from all points on the political spectrum and all corners of the state are currently rejecting state tax hikes.” Walsh said the “real kicker” in the bill’s text is the reference to “the privilege of using ammunition.” COLORADO GUN GROUP SUES STATE OVER ‘GHOST GUN’ BAN “This amateurish rhetoric exposes any legislator who might support the bill to deserved ridicule,” he added. “Under both the federal and state constitutions, owning and using firearms are rights, not privileges. Article 1, Section 24, of the Washington state constitution reads: ‘The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired….’ That language, unlike HB 2238, is clear.” The Democrats behind the legislation cited the threat posed by gun violence, which remains a persistent health and safety threat for people across our state, according to the proposed legislation. One person is killed by a firearm every 14 hours and nearly half of all suicides are from firearms, the bill states. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Revenue from the proposed tax would be used to fund suicide prevention programs and programs to reduce firearm-related domestic violence.  Fox News Digital has reached out to the Washington State Democratic Party. 

Democrat Justin Jones, one of ‘Tennessee Three’ lawmakers, says he was booted from committee

Democrat Justin Jones, one of ‘Tennessee Three’ lawmakers, says he was booted from committee

One of Tennessee’s previously expelled state lawmakers said Thursday that he had been stripped of a committee position. “Today the Speaker announced that I was stripped from being on House Education Admin Committee, as they prepare to push their unpopular school voucher program,” Rep. Justin Jones (D) posted on X. “My Republican colleagues know voters do not want their ‘Education for Profit’ scheme and are trying to stifle dissent.” Jones made another post earlier on Thursday stating that his Republican colleagues voted to give more discretionary power to Speaker Cameron Sexton in their new rules package, and voted to silence him during debate. “This Speaker has repeatedly abused his position to silence dissent and continues to erode our democracy in Tennessee,” Jones posted.  EXPELLED TENNESSEE DEMOCRAT LAWMAKERS WIN BACK SEATS AFTER COVENANT SCHOOL SHOOTING PROTESTS Jones, who was part of the so-called “Tennessee Three,” was expelled last April from the Legislature for his role in a state capitol protest calling for gun control following the Covenant School shooting in Nashville that killed six people, including three children.  TENNESSEE STATE REP CLAIMS JASON ALDEAN SONG NORMALIZES ‘RACIST VIOLENCE’: ‘LYNCHING ANTHEM’ House Republicans said that their actions were in violation of House rules, and voted to expel Jones and Justin Pearson (D). Jones and Pearson, both Democrats, won back their seats in August.