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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
China Spying
6 minutes ago
NatSec
World

5 Charged With Spying For China, Including Govt Aide.

Two British men and three German citizens have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Communist China. In Britain, Christopher Berry of Witney and Christopher Cash of Whitechapel have both been charged with violations of the Official Secrets Act. Cash is a parliamentary pass holder and worked as a research aid for Conservative Member of Parliament Alicia Kearns. The Crown Prosecution Service says Berry and Cash “will be charged with providing prejudicial information to a foreign state, China, and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, April 26.”

GERMAN PLOT TO EXPORT LASER TECH.

In Germany, two police raids resulted in the arrest of three German citizens. They are accused of breaching the country’s export laws. State officials say they illegally obtained and sent a laser device to China at some point prior to June 2022.

German police allege that one of the suspects acted as an agent on behalf of an employee of China’s Ministry of State Security. This individual facilitated a partnership between his Chinese handler and the other two German nationals. At the time of the arrests, the three conspirators were in the process of negotiating additional research and technology transfers to their Chinese partners.

“We are keeping an eye on the significant danger from Chinese espionage in business, industry and science,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement. She continued: “We are watching these risks and threats very closely and have warned and sensitized people clearly so that protective measures can be stepped up everywhere.”

U.S. CONTINUES EFFORTS AGAINST TIKTOK.

American lawmakers, meanwhile, are continuing their efforts to reign in TikTok. Over the weekend, Congress advanced legislation to force the Chinese technology and entertainment conglomerate ByteDance to either divest from the TikTok social media app or face its ban. TikTok is accused of having lied about its data-sharing policies, with mounting evidence showing the social media app has transferred American user data to China — something it has claimed it would not do.

The effort to reign in TikTok has received opposition from more libertarian and progressive lawmakers, as well as a major lobbying and public relations campaign backed by ByteDance.

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Two British men and three German citizens have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Communist China. In Britain, Christopher Berry of Witney and Christopher Cash of Whitechapel have both been charged with violations of the Official Secrets Act. Cash is a parliamentary pass holder and worked as a research aid for Conservative Member of Parliament Alicia Kearns. The Crown Prosecution Service says Berry and Cash "will be charged with providing prejudicial information to a foreign state, China, and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, April 26." show more
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1 hour ago
Raheem J. Kassam
Culture

Jerry Seinfeld’s New Pop Tart Movie Contains a ‘Very Funny January 6 Parody.’

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has declared that the film business is no longer the commanding force it once was in our society and culture. In an interview with GQ magazine to discuss his new Pop-Tart movie, “Unfrosted,” Seinfeld expressed admiration for the unwavering dedication of his colleagues but noted a crisis permeating the industry.

Asked what he thinks has replaced film, Seinfeld responds: “Depression? Malaise? I would say confusion. Disorientation replaced the movie business. Everyone I know in show business, every day, is going, What’s going on? How do you do this? What are we supposed to do now?”

Another pull from the interview mentions a “very funny January 6 parody,” which interviewer Brett Martin calls “a little surprising, given how apolitical [Seinfeld has] been.” The scene isn’t in the trailer (below), but will doubtless do the rounds when the movie is released in early May.

But the 69-year-old stand-up and sitcom actor refused to get drawn on the question, instead pivoting to October 7 and antisemitism in America: “Well, I’m Jewish. And you grow up learning about antisemitism, but it’s kind of in a book. It never crossed my mind that people would look at me as anything other than, ‘I like this comedian. I don’t like this comedian.’ I think most Jews of my generation never thought about antisemitism. It was from history books. And then it was something different. It was something different.”

“Unfrosted,” a comedy based on the development of the Pop-Tart and the intensifying rivalry between Kellogg’s and Post during the early ’60s, features Seinfeld alongside Melissa McCarthy. Amy Schumer plays the head of Post. Seinfeld is credited with writing the script, marking his most significant film project since his role in the 2007 animated comedy Bee Movie, where he was a writer, producer, and lead voice.

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Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has declared that the film business is no longer the commanding force it once was in our society and culture. In an interview with GQ magazine to discuss his new Pop-Tart movie, "Unfrosted," Seinfeld expressed admiration for the unwavering dedication of his colleagues but noted a crisis permeating the industry. show more
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Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Given how huge a Seinfeld fan I am (I even watched the entire show backwards, once, to get a different perspective on the character arcs), I sure hope this doesn’t suck, and that the January 6th reference isn’t cringe as all hell (it probably will be)
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Given how huge a Seinfeld fan I am (I even watched the entire show backwards, once, to get a different perspective on the character arcs), I sure hope this doesn’t suck, and that the January 6th reference isn’t cringe as all hell (it probably will be) show more
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2 hours ago
War
World

Russian Troops Storm Chasiv Yar After Speaker Mike Johnson’s Pushes Ukraine Aid Through.

The Ukrainian military confirmed on Monday that a force of between 20,000 and 25,000 Russian troops is attempting to seize the eastern town of Chasiv Yar and its surrounding area in the Donetsk region. News of the Russian offensive comes on the heels of the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine.

According to Kyiv’s top commander, the Russians aim to secure the town by May 9, which marks Soviet Victory Day in World War Two. The town holds strategic high ground in the partially-occupied Donetsk region. Its capture by Russia would bring Russian forces significantly closer to two critical Ukrainian-controlled cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

A representative for the eastern military command, Nazar Voloshyn, maintains Ukraine retains full control of Chasiv Yar. Despite the difficult situation on the ground, Voloshyn emphasized that Ukrainian forces are not only holding the line but are also expecting reinforcements. “Our defenders are both receiving reinforcement and stabilizing the line,” he said.

The Russian offensive comes as Ukraine expects potentially imminent U.S. military aid, hoped to alleviate urgent ammunition shortages. Acknowledging that the circumstances in Chasiv Yar are tough for its troops, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed optimism in a message on Telegram, stating, “receiving the necessary assistance will even out the situation.”

A $61 billion aid package for Ukraine was passed on Saturday following a complete u-turn by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, who had earlier promised not to support aid for the Eastern European country until the U.S.-Mexico border was secure.

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The Ukrainian military confirmed on Monday that a force of between 20,000 and 25,000 Russian troops is attempting to seize the eastern town of Chasiv Yar and its surrounding area in the Donetsk region. News of the Russian offensive comes on the heels of the U.S. House of Representatives' approval of a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. show more
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11 hours ago
Ed Kozak
Culture
Education

Biden’s Title IX Changes Mandate Transgender Pronouns in Schools.

Last week, the Biden government announced its latest Title IX regulations, which deliver protections for gender identity, without explicitly mentioning “transgender” terminology. These rules, set to take effect on August 1, will mean all public schools risk legal and fiscal consequences if non-compliant. While not stating so outright, the regulations are viewed as enabling transgender students access to restrooms and changing rooms of their choice and would force schools to use students’ ‘preferred pronouns.’ Biden regime officials appeared to confirm these concerns in a press call with LGBTQ activists.

“These regulations make it crystal clear that no one should have to abandon their educational aspirations due to discrimination, whether it’s based on pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other sex-based factors,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.

‘A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT WOULD BE RECOGNIZED.’

Addressing a direct question about pronoun use, another Biden official confirmed that schools could be penalized for refusing to use transgender pronouns.

“The way that we would analyze that question is to assess whether a student is experiencing a sex-based hostile environment,” the official said. “[I]f the facts meet those standards, which is if, under the totality of the circumstances, sex-based conduct that is subjectively and objectively offensive to a student and to a person in the school community and it rises to the level that it limits or denies access to education, then a hostile environment would be recognized and we would evaluate whether the school had taken sufficient steps to remedy that hostile environment.”

Critics contend these regulations infringe on First Amendment rights by mantheydating recognition of gender identity and could prove to be an issue for the Biden government in court. “There are First Amendment problems with this regulation that the agency repeatedly dismisses without addressing. This will be a problem for the Biden admin in litigation,” wrote lawyer and child advocate Julie Hamill on X (formerly Twitter).

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Last week, the Biden government announced its latest Title IX regulations, which deliver protections for gender identity, without explicitly mentioning "transgender" terminology. These rules, set to take effect on August 1, will mean all public schools risk legal and fiscal consequences if non-compliant. While not stating so outright, the regulations are viewed as enabling transgender students access to restrooms and changing rooms of their choice and would force schools to use students' 'preferred pronouns.' Biden regime officials appeared to confirm these concerns in a press call with LGBTQ activists. show more
Discuss

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Did you catch my joke in the copy?
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Did you catch my joke in the copy? show more
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12 hours ago
News
Politics

Trump May Pocket $1.25 Billion *MORE* From Truth Social.

Former President Donald Trump could be set for a $1.25 billion windfall if his social media company Truth Social can avoid significant negative volatility over the next two days. If the shares remain at or above $17.50 until the close of trading on Tuesday, Trump is due to acquire an additional 36 million company shares. As of midmorning on Monday, shares stood slightly below $36.

According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Trump Media & Technology Group–which controls Truth Social–could issue more shares to those invested in the company before its SPAC merger, including Trump himself. Awarding these shares is conditioned on the steady maintenance of an average price per share exceeding $12.50 for at least 20 of its first 30 trading days. Tuesday will mark the 20th trading day since the merger, and the share price has remained well above the stipulated figure.

If the share price stays above $17.50, 40 million additional shares will be issued. Trump, who owns most of the company’s stock, would be eligible to receive 90 percent of the newly issued certificates, which amounts to 36 million shares. At current prices, this would amount to a $1.25 billion windfall for the former President.

While Trump is currently limited in his ability to sell his shares in the Trump Media & Technology Group, the company board could lift the restrictions by a vote. This would allow the former President to tap a massive cash flow to use in his legal defense and presidential campaign.

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Former President Donald Trump could be set for a $1.25 billion windfall if his social media company Truth Social can avoid significant negative volatility over the next two days. If the shares remain at or above $17.50 until the close of trading on Tuesday, Trump is due to acquire an additional 36 million company shares. As of midmorning on Monday, shares stood slightly below $36. show more
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