Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Infrastructure Bill | Aug. 10, 2021

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AUGUST 9, 2021
​Defense Department Briefing
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby discussed the announcement the Defense Department would require members of the military to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Secretary Kirby also responded to questions about U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and Iran’s aggressive behavior toward ships in the Middle East

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing

AUG. 9, 2021

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby

PRESS SECRETARY JOHN F. KIRBY: So a few things off the top. Bear with me. OK, I think you've seen by now the Secretary's memo to the -- message to the force about COVID vaccines. That -- that's public now, so I'm not going to re-read it for you. I think you all can get the gist of it.

I would just point out that there's sort of three elements here to it. One is that -- that he will -- it -- request approval from the President for a waiver to make the COVID vaccines mandatory by mid-September -- he'll make the request for the waiver by mid-September.

I've seen some reporting out there that that means that all of the troops have to be vaccinated by mid-September. That's not accurate. He'll make the request by mid-September, unless or until FDA licensure occurs before that time, at which point the Secretary has the authority he needs, upon FDA licensure, to issue -- to make whatever vaccine is then given that license mandatory. I just want to clear that up. That's point number one...     more


AUGUST 9, 2021 | PART OF U.S. SENATEU.S. Senate
Senate Session (Click to listen)
​The Senate will continue work on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. They are also expected to begin debate on a budget reconciliation resolution this week.a

 Blinken delivers remarks on infrastructure investment.
Aug. 8, 2021


AUGUST 9, 2021
​Secretary Blinken Remarks on Infrastructure Investment
Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered remarks on the national security and foreign policy implications of U.S. infrastructure investments. Our domestic renewal comes first. If we do that, we’ll compete in the 21st century global economy from a position of strength," said Secretary Blinken. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) delivered opening remarks. University of Maryland in College Park hosted the event. 

U.S. Senate to vote on passage of $1-trillion infrastructure bill

Aug. 10 - The U.S. Senate has set a Tuesday vote on passage of a $1-trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that is one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities, and then will immediately begin to debate a more far-reaching $3.5-trillion bill.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced late on Monday that a week-long debate on the bipartisan bill will conclude at 11 a.m. ET (1500 GMT) Tuesday when a vote is held on passage, which is expected.

The Senate is then expected to vote to begin debate of the larger bill – a budget blueprint that is a key goal for progressive Democrats.

Documents unveiled earlier on Monday showed that it would set the stage for legislation later this year providing tax incentives for “clean” manufacturing, making community college free for two years and providing a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrant workers.

The budget plan also envisions new federal aid for social programs, including home health care for the elderly.

The first bill, which is 2,702 pages, sits atop Biden’s domestic agenda and includes $550-billion in new spending on roads, bridges and internet access.

“This is a very good day. We have come to an agreement after all the long, hard negotiating,” a smiling Schumer said of Tuesday’s vote.

The $1-trillion infrastructure bill is popular among many lawmakers in both parties because of the federal dollars it would deliver to their home states. Polls also show that Americans at large are supportive of it.

​Democrats are aiming to debate and pass the nonbinding $3.5-trillion resolution in coming days, which would serve as a framework for more detailed, binding legislation later this year. Republicans have strenuously objected to the size and cost of the follow-up package, which Democrats aim to pass without their votes through a process called “budget reconciliation”...     more

Secretary Blinken at the #SelectUSASummit: Foreign investment brings jobs and opportunities to communities across the United States. It’s a top priority for me that the State Department does everything we can – together with our partners at the U.S. Department of Commerce – to support investments that create jobs and deliver opportunity for American workers and families.
June 8, 2021

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Takeo Akiba | Aug. 10, 2021

 1 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

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  • White House denies that Security Adviser Jake Sullivan offered Brazil's Bolsonaro membership of NATO if he kicked China's Huawei out of its 5G network during visit last week

    Aug. 10 - U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned Brazil about using equipment from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei in its 5G phone network during a visit last week, the White House said on Monday.

    ​Officials also pressed Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on his repeated claims that electronic voting could throw next year's elections into doubt, according to the National Security Council's senior director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez.

    But he denied reports in local media that the visiting delegation had offered Brazil membership of NATO if it took a harder line on Huawei.

    'At no point there was a quid pro quo,' he told reporters on a conference call. 'No exchange of a favourable position on Huawei for us and for becoming a needed global partner...     more

  • Readout from NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia

    ​AUGUST 09, 2021STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
    National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke today with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia to reinforce the strong bilateral relations between our countries, international economic cooperation, and their shared support for transparent infrastructure investments in Europe and around the world. Mr. Sullivan reaffirmed the unwavering U.S. support for the security of Estonia and our other NATO Allies. He also stressed the U.S. commitment to hold the Lukashenka regime in Belarus to account for its attacks on democracy and human rights, transnational repression, and corruption.    source from

  • Thousands Flee As Taliban Eye Full Control Of Northern Afghanistan (ibtimes.com)

    Aug. 10 - The Taliban were in control of six Afghan provincial capitals on Tuesday after a blitz across the north that forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes for the relative safety of Kabul and other centres.

    The insurgents now have their eyes on Mazar-i-Sharif, the biggest city in the north, whose fall would signal the total collapse of government control in a region that has traditionally been anti-Taliban.

    Government forces are also battling the hardline Islamists in Kandahar and Helmand, the southern Pashto-speaking provinces from where the Taliban draw their strength.

    The United States -- due to complete a troop withdrawal at the end of the month and end its longest war -- has all but left the battlefield. However, its special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been sent to Qatar to try and convince the Taliban to accept a ceasefire.

    Khalilzad "will press the Taliban to stop their military offensive", the State Department said, and "help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation".

    Officials from Afghanistan's most vested neighbours -- Pakistan, China and Iran -- would also attend meetings there.
    But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said it was down to the Afghan government and its forces to turn the tide, saying there was "not much" the United States could do to help.     source from



  • An executive assistant to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has broken her anonymity and called for accountability over his alleged sexual harassment.

    Andrew Cuomo: Accuser Brittany Commisso says governor broke law

    Aug. 10 - Brittany Commisso's claims were first detailed in a report which found Mr Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.

    What he did to me was a crime," Ms Commisso, 32, said about alleged instances of groping while she worked under the governor.

    Mr Cuomo, 63, denies any wrongdoing and has so far resisted calls to resign.
    An inquiry by Attorney General Letitia James's office last week found that Mr Cuomo's alleged behaviour against women had violated state and federal law.

    The investigation took months and involved interviews with almost 200 people, including staff members making complaints against him.

    Ms Commisso, referred to in the report as Executive Assistant #1, told investigators that the governor made increasingly suggestive comments about her appearance and relationship status after she began working with him.

    She said he had inappropriately hugged her - and once kissed her on the lips without her consent.

    ​She also accused the governor of touching her bottom while the pair took a photograph together and alleged that on another occasion put his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast...     more

    Related Articles:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japan’s National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba meet in Washington on Monday

​US and Japan stress importance of peace in Taiwan Strait

​Aug. 10 - The United States and Japan say that peace in the Taiwan Strait is important to both countries. That came during a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japan’s National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba in Washington on Monday. 

​The two officials say that the US-Japan alliance is vital for maintaining an “inclusive, free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The US State Department says that the two pledged “to maintain freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea in the South China Sea and beyond.”


It also says that trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea is important for addressing a number of challenges, including the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

As Chinese military activity near Taiwan has increased, global leaders have been more vocal about their concern for cross-Strait peace. The Group of Seven (G7) nations also expressed their concern about peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait for the first time in their joint statement in June.     source from
Takeo Akiba, close aide to Suga, named Japan's top national security adviser

Date published on July 6, 2021

The government decided Tuesday to appoint former Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba as secretary-general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat to succeed Shigeru Kitamura who is stepping down for health reasons.

The 62-year-old Akiba, a close aide to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his predecessor Shinzo Abe, will take the post of the nation’s top security adviser on Wednesday.


Akiba will be responsible for beefing up the country’s alliance with the United States and forging a stable relationship with China, amid escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing.
He will also work on improving chilly relations between Japan and South Korea.

Takeo Akiba, former vice foreign minister, will become Japan’s national security adviser on Wednesday. | KYODOAfter joining the Foreign Ministry in 1982, Akiba served as vice minister between January 2018 and June this year.

Speaking at a news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said, “As (Akiba) has a wide range of work experience at the Foreign Ministry, he is just the right man for the job.”

The personnel change will see a diplomat in the post for the first time since Shotaro Yachi, a former vice foreign minister who became the first head of the secretariat in 2014 before stepping down in 2019.

The secretariat assists the National Security Council, which was launched by Abe in 2013 as the command base for Japan’s foreign and security policies. Under Abe’s administration, the prime minister’s office spearheaded matters of diplomacy.
Kitamura, 64, a former National Police Agency official, served as an executive secretary to Abe during his first stint as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 before becoming the head of the secretariat in September 2019, replacing Yachi.

​December, Kitamura was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service by the United States for his contributions to strengthening the bilateral alliance and regional cooperation under the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.     source from
U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan walk along the Rose Garden Colonnade as they arrive for a news conference at the White House on April 16, 2021 in Washington, DC.

​Biden commends Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for successful Olympics

Aug. 10 - U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday and commended him on the successful hosting of the Olympic Games and the public health measures that allowed them to be held, a White House statement said.

Biden also affirmed U.S. support for Japan’s hosting of the Paralympics, which start on Aug. 24, it said.

​“President Biden applauded the performance of all the athletes and highlighted the success of Japanese and U.S. Olympians,” the statement said, while noting “the public health measures taken so that Olympic athletes could compete in the best traditions of the Olympic spirit.”

​Suga, an important ally for Biden in pushing back against China’s increasingly assertive behavior, has suffered a dip in domestic support amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections...     

...​Blinken and Akiba also stressed the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and noted the importance of trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea to address challenges, including denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, it said.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national Security adviser, also met Akiba and discussed a range of security issues, “including the challenge of China, economic and technology security,” a later White House statement said.     source from



Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with Takeo Akiba, Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat

​AUGUST 09, 2021STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today with the Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, Takeo Akiba, to discuss shared efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship and ensure that the alliance sustains its vital role as the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world. They discussed a range of national security issues, including the challenge of China, economic and technology security, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the importance of trilateral U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea cooperation. They affirmed the importance of enhancing multilateral cooperation in the region, including with ASEAN and through the Quad. Mr. Sullivan also congratulated Secretary General Akiba on Japan’s successful hosting of the Olympic Games.     source from
欲向南海派舰队 印度“向东行动”会否随美起舞?20210807 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Aug 8, 2021

Monday, August 9, 2021

Ghaghara | Aug. 9, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

1 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Taliban Advance On Major Afghan City
Aug 9, 2021
Kunduz, a key economic hub with 300,000 people, fell to the Taliban on Sunday. This is another blow to the country's crumbling security forces, who’ve lost control of at least three cities since Friday.
Taliban Warn Biden Against Interfering in Afghan Affairs - TV Report

This comes after the Biden administration launched airstrikes on the Taliban* fighters in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, as Islamists have continued the offensive, capturing new areas amid the rapid withdrawal of US forces.

Aug. 9 - The Taliban has issued a message to the United States warning Washington against any further interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs, a spokesperson for the movement's Political Office told Al Jazeera.

"We are warning against the US interference in Afghanistan," the spokesperson for the Taliban Political Office said, stressing that no intra-Afghan ceasefire had been reached.


He also accused the Afghan government of escalating the tensions in the country by launching operations in several provinces.

On Saturday, US B-52 Stratofortress bombers struck Taliban forces in Sheberghan city, Jawzjan province, causing casualties and inflicting significant damage on the terrorists, Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman confirmed on Twitter.     source from
Afghans inspect damaged shops after fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces in Kunduz city, northern Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021

The Taliban Has Taken Key Northern Afghan Cities With Battles Raging On

Aug. 9 - Taliban fighters seized most of the capital of northern Afghanistan’s key Kunduz province on Sunday, and took another neighboring provincial capital after a monthlong siege. The advances were the latest in a series of blows to government forces as U.S. troops complete their pullout after nearly two decades in the country.

The militiamen planted their flag in the main square of Kunduz city, where it was seen flying atop a traffic police booth, a video obtained by the Associated Press showed.

​It was the fourth provincial capital to largely succumb to Taliban fighters in less than a week, as they ramp up a push across Afghanistan’s regions, and wage an assassination campaign in the capital, Kabul...   more
In this September 14, 2017, file photo, a banner erected by the Indian army stands near Pangong Tso lake near the India-China border in India’s Ladakh area.

Indian and Chinese Troops Disengage from Gogra

​The establishment of buffer zones in areas of disengagement is eating into territory formerly under Indian control.

Aug. 8 - Six months after they stepped back on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, Indian and Chinese troops have completed their disengagement from the Gogra area (Patrolling Point 17A) in eastern Ladakh.

“Both sides have ceased forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner.
 The disengagement process was carried out over two days i.e. 04 and 05 August 2021,” a statement issued by India’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.

The two sides have dismantled “all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure” erected in the area and “troops of both sides are now in their respective permanent bases,” the statement added.

​The agreement on pullback of troops in the Gogra area, which was reached at the 12th round of talks between Corps Commanders of the two sides held on July 31, “ensures that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in this area will be strictly observed and respected by both sides, and that there is no unilateral change in status quo.”
However, there is no statement from Beijing relating to the troop disengagement...     more
Ghaghara, also called Karnali (Hindi: घाघरा; Ghāghrā [ˈɡʱɑːɡrɑː]; Nepali: कर्णाली; Karṇālī [kʌrˈnɑːliː]; Chinese: 加格拉河Jiāgélāhé [t͡ɕi̯ákɤ̌láxɤ̌]) is a perennial trans-boundary river originating on the Tibetan Plateau near Lake Manasarovar. It cuts through the Himalayas in Nepal and joins the Sharda River at Brahmaghat in India. Together they form the Ghaghara River, a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. With a length of 507 kilometres (315 mi) it is the longest river in Nepal. The total length of Ghaghara River up to its confluence with the Ganges at Revelganj in Bihar is 1,080 kilometres (670 mi).[1] It is the largest tributary of the Ganges by volume and the second longest tributary of the Ganges by length after Yamuna.

Lower Ghaghara is also known as Sarayu river and finds mention in RamayanaAyodhya is situated on its right bank. The Ghaghara was also the site of the battle between Amin Khan Aitigin and Tughral Tughan Khan.[2]
欲向南海派舰队 印度“向东行动”会否随美起舞?20210807 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Aug 8, 2021


Strategic ambiguity or clarity? China’s power will crush all US’ Taiwan calculation

Aug 8 - With a policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan, Washington has not clearly pledged whether or not to help defend the island in case of an attack. Although this current strategy has been frequently discussed and questioned by strategic circles in the US, it has remained intact following the normalization of Washington's diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979... more
Chinese structures are pictured in Subi Reef in South China Sea.
Stern message to China: Indian warships head to South China Sea

Four ships, including a guided missile destroyer and a missile frigate, will be deployed for a two-month period to southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the western Pacific, the navy said in the statement. The Indian ships will take part in annual joint war drills with countries part of Quad.

Aug. 5 - ..."The deployment of the Indian Navy ships seeks to underscore the operational reach, peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain..." the navy said.

The Indian ships will take part in annual joint war drills involving the United States, Japan and Australia - the group known as Quad along with India - off the coast of Guam, the navy said. The Quad has emerged as a platform to counter an assertive China.

The mood of Indian navy has hardended following the clashes between Indian and Chinese militaries in Galwan in East Ladakh last year....     quoted from

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