On Day 57, a timid-looking Secretary of State Antony Blinken “confronted” the CCP—flanked by a purple-haired staffer.

China Bullies Biden’s Buddies.

The U.S. and China held their first face-to-face meeting of the Biden presidency in Alaska on Thursday.

Video of a tense exchange between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CCP foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi went viral online. Blinken, flanked by a woman with purple hair, raised concerns about China’s aggression toward the U.S., and Yang responded by pointing out human rights “challenges” in the United States, “such as Black Lives Matter.”

Blinken responded, “I have to tell you, what I am hearing is very different from what you described. I am hearing deep satisfaction that the United States is back, that we are reengaged with our allies and partners. I am also hearing deep concern about some of the actions your government has taken.”

Yang replied:

“I think we thought too well of the United States. We thought that the US side would follow the necessary diplomatic protocol. So for China it was necessary that we make our position clear. So let me say here that in front of the Chinese side the United States does not have the qualification to say that it wants to speak to China from a position of strength.”

China has also accused U.S. officials of violating diplomatic protocol by speaking too long in opening remarks.

A Joint Address… Sort Of.

There’s reportedly been a spree of demotions and resignations in the Biden-Harris White House of staffers who admitted to past marijuana use on SF-86 forms.

Some staff were led to believe that it would be overlooked during the extensive vetting process that all staff undergo during onboarding. The Daily Beast reports:

The policy has even affected staffers whose marijuana use was exclusive to one of the 14 states—and the District of Columbia—where cannabis is legal. Sources familiar with the matter also said a number of young staffers were either put on probation or canned because they revealed past marijuana use in an official document they filled out as part of the lengthy background check for a position in the Biden White House.

In some cases, staffers were informally told by transition higher-ups ahead of formally joining the administration that they would likely overlook some past marijuana use, only to be asked later to resign.

Under the last administration, the White House enforced restrictions on prospective hires who had recently used any marijuana, including delaying their start date by months, former White House staff confirm.

During the 2020 election cycle, then-candidate Kamala Harris joked about prior marijuana usage and expressed support for cannabis legalization. As a prosecutor in California, Harris oversaw nearly 2,000 cannabis-related convictions, resulting in a few dozen incarcerations.

White House Tallies Up The Misfires.

On Day 57: