Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Kathy Hochul | Aug. 11, 2021

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

With Cuomo out, Kathy Hochul will become New York's first female governor

Hochul might not be a household name, but she is no newcomer to politics.

Aug. 11 - New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is poised to take over running the state government after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned Tuesday following a report from the attorney general that alleged he sexually harassed multiple women, including employees, and violated state and federal law.

The future governor called Cuomo's decision "the right thing to do and in the best interests of New Yorkers" in a brief statement after his announcement.


​"As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York State's 57th governor," she said...     more
Kathleen Courtney Hochul (/ˈhoʊkəl/ HOH-kull; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer serving as lieutenant governor of New York since 2015. She is set to serve as the 57th governor of New York following Andrew Cuomo's resignation, scheduled for August 24, 2021, which will make her the first female governor of New York.[1]

Hochul was a lawyer and legislative aide before serving as a member of the Hamburg Town Board from 1994 to 2007. She served as the county clerk of Erie County, New York, from 2007 to 2011, having served as the deputy county clerk from 2003 to 2007.


In May 2011, Hochul won the four-candidate special election to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Republican Chris Lee,[2][3] becoming the first Democrat to represent the district in 40 years. She served as the U.S. representative for New York's 26th congressional district from 2011 to 2013. Hochul was defeated for reelection to Congress in the 2012 elections by former Erie County Executive Chris Collins after the boundaries and demographics of her district were changed in the decennial reapportionment process.

After leaving Congress, she worked as a government relations specialist with Buffalo-based M&T Bank.[4] In 2014, Governor Cuomo selected Hochul as his running mate in the 2014 New York gubernatorial election; after they won the election, Hochul was appointed Lieutenant Governor of New York. Cuomo and Hochul were reelected in the 2018 New York gubernatorial election.     from Wikipedia
Kathy Hochul is to become the first female governor of New York, after Andrew Cuomo resigned over sexual harassment allegations - which he denies.

Kathy Hochul: Who is New York's first female governor?

Aug. 11 - Ms Hochul will take over as the top politician in the fourth most populous US state in just two weeks' time.

But who is she?

Described by her predecessor as "smart and competent", the 62-year-old is a centrist Democrat from the Buffalo area of New York state.

She joined the governor's team in 2014, and has held the largely ceremonial role of lieutenant governor.


Ms Hochul is from a family of steelworkers, and her grandparents fled poverty in Ireland before making New York their home.
One of six children, she gained an undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, and a law degree from Catholic University of America. From there, she started off working as an aide on Capitol Hill and worked in local positions before being elected to Congress.

​Ms Hochul has been an advocate for women facing domestic and sexual violence throughout her career. She led Mr Cuomo's "Enough is Enough" campaign to fight sexual assault on college campuses...     more

AUGUST 10, 2021
President Biden and Vice President Harris on Passage of Infrastructure Deal
​President Biden and Vice President Harris made remarks at the White House after the Senate approved the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. In addition, the president answered reporters' questions on a range of topics, including COVID-19 vaccines, the Delta variant, the situation in Afghanistan, and the resignation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D). 

Remarks by President Biden on the Senate Passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

AUGUST 10, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKSEast Room

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you, Madam Vice President.

First of all, I want to thank the group of senators — Democrats and Republicans — for doing what they told me they would do.  The death of this legislation was mildly premature, as reported.  They said they were willing to work in a bipartisan manner, and I want to thank them for keeping their word.  That’s just what they did. 

After years and years and years of “Infrastructure Week,” we’re on the cusp of an infrastructure decade that I truly believe will transform America.

As you all know, just a short while ago the United States Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — the very legislation I ran on when I announced my candidacy for the nomination for President — a historic investment in the nation’s roads and highways, bridges and transit; in our drinking water systems; in broadband, clean energy, environmental clean-up; and making infrastructure more resilient and the climate crisis much more in our minds as to how do we deal with it...     more

美再炒南海议题 中方:美国没资格说三道四!20210810 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Aug 11, 2021

China’s Nuclear Threat Against Japan: Hybrid Warfare and the End of Minimum Deterrence

Aug. 7 - A video recently released by Chinese media directly threatens Japan with a nuclear first strike. The video states, "When we liberate Taiwan, if Japan dares to intervene by force, even if it only deploys one soldier, one plane and one ship, we will not only return reciprocal fire but also start a full-scale war against Japan. We will use nuclear bombs first”. This is a serious threat against a non-nuclear state coming from a power with a long declared ‘no first use’ nuclear policy. This clearly signals a departure from a strategy of minimum deterrence...     more

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Infrastructure Bill | Aug. 10, 2021

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

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)

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

  • 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

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  WH keeping public in dark on what Biden demanded of China’s Xi over arming Putin​ Mar. 18 - The White House was tight-lipped Friday about ...