freebeacon--2020-05-29--Unsealed Court Docs Show Planned Parenthood Execs Knew of Fetal Tissue Sales

Activist : 'No longer any reasonable doubt that Planned Parenthood sold fetal body parts' Newly unsealed court documents show that top executives at Planned Parenthood were familiar with its organ-harvesting operations and privately discussed lucrative deals even as the abortion giant publicly denied profiting from the sale of body parts obtained from aborted babies .
A video from the Center for Medical Progress , founded by undercover pro-life journalist David Daleiden , compiles testimonies from Planned Parenthood representatives who admit to planning to sell fetal organs , alongside documents showing the organization profited from selling the tissue .
Selling fetal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law , although it is unclear how much companies can charge for shipping and handling the tissue .
Planned Parenthood has denied having illegally sold fetal tissue , instead pointing to logistical costs as justification for money it received for fetal tissue .
In one deposition , an administrator at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast admitted to writing an email saying she would `` move forward with '' a sale of fetal organs .
The unsealed documents also show an email exchange providing a price for fetal livers .
The chief medical officer of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a biospecimen lab that purchased fetal parts from Planned Parenthood .
A third Planned Parenthood administrator , the senior director of medical services , said under oath she was aware that a Los Angeles Planned Parenthood was receiving payments for fetal tissue .
Additionally , the documents revealed that in 2012 , the organization charged a biospecimen company almost $ 25,000 for fetal tissue .
Daleiden , who published a series of undercover videos exposing the trade in 2015 , said the previously sealed documents contradict Planned Parenthood 's public statements .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to Congress , but now there is no longer any reasonable doubt that Planned Parenthood sold fetal body parts , commodifying living children in the womb and treating pregnant women like a cash crop , '' he said in a statement .
Planned Parenthood has been successful in combating Daleiden in court .
Last year , a California jury ruled that he must pay the abortion provider $ 2.2 million in damages because of harm done to the organization .
Daleiden has begun fighting back in court .
He is suing Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a prospective vice presidential candidate , alleging that as California attorney general she targeted the Center for Medical Progress to protect political allies , including pro-abortion activists .
The activist is also calling on federal investigators to more aggressively enforce existing federal law against organ harvesting .
`` The U.S. Department of Justice must escalate the enforcement of laws against fetal trafficking to the highest level of priority , '' he said in a statement .
The new videos arrive as Planned Parenthood confronts controversy over its handling of the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for applying for and accepting loans from the Paycheck Protection Program , which was designed to help small businesses affected by the pandemic .
Planned Parenthood defended the loans by saying that its smaller affiliates , which did fall under the program 's requirements , were the ones that applied for relief .
A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood called the video `` baseless '' and part of a `` malicious campaign . ''
`` These baseless claims from a discredited source are not new ; this is nothing more than repackaged lies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The Center for Medical Progress intentionally broke the law in a multi-year , malicious campaign to advance their goals of banning safe , legal abortion in this country , and preventing Planned Parenthood from serving the patients who depend on us . ''
This post has been updated to include a response from Planned Parenthood .

Newly unsealed court documents show that top executives at Planned Parenthood were familiar with its organ-harvesting operations and privately discussed lucrative deals even as the abortion giant publicly denied profiting from the sale of body parts obtained from aborted babies.
A video from the Center for Medical Progress, founded by undercover pro-life journalist David Daleiden, compiles testimonies from Planned Parenthood representatives who admit to planning to sell fetal organs, alongside documents showing the organization profited from selling the tissue.
Selling fetal tissue for profit is illegal under federal law, although it is unclear how much companies can charge for shipping and handling the tissue. Planned Parenthood has denied having illegally sold fetal tissue, instead pointing to logistical costs as justification for money it received for fetal tissue.
In one deposition, an administrator at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast admitted to writing an email saying she would "move forward with" a sale of fetal organs. The unsealed documents also show an email exchange providing a price for fetal livers. The chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte confirmed the collaboration with a biospecimen lab that purchased fetal parts from Planned Parenthood. A third Planned Parenthood administrator, the senior director of medical services, said under oath she was aware that a Los Angeles Planned Parenthood was receiving payments for fetal tissue.
Additionally, the documents revealed that in 2012, the organization charged a biospecimen company almost $25,000 for fetal tissue. Daleiden, who published a series of undercover videos exposing the trade in 2015, said the previously sealed documents contradict Planned Parenthood's public statements.
"Planned Parenthood lied to the public and to Congress, but now there is no longer any reasonable doubt that Planned Parenthood sold fetal body parts, commodifying living children in the womb and treating pregnant women like a cash crop," he said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood has been successful in combating Daleiden in court. Last year, a California jury ruled that he must pay the abortion provider $2.2 million in damages because of harm done to the organization. Daleiden has begun fighting back in court. He is suing Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), a prospective vice presidential candidate, alleging that as California attorney general she targeted the Center for Medical Progress to protect political allies, including pro-abortion activists. The activist is also calling on federal investigators to more aggressively enforce existing federal law against organ harvesting.
"The U.S. Department of Justice must escalate the enforcement of laws against fetal trafficking to the highest level of priority," he said in a statement.
The new videos arrive as Planned Parenthood confronts controversy over its handling of the coronavirus. The billion-dollar abortion giant is facing criticism for applying for and accepting loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, which was designed to help small businesses affected by the pandemic. Planned Parenthood defended the loans by saying that its smaller affiliates, which did fall under the program's requirements, were the ones that applied for relief.
A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood called the video "baseless" and part of a "malicious campaign."
"These baseless claims from a discredited source are not new; this is nothing more than repackaged lies," she said in a statement. "The Center for Medical Progress intentionally broke the law in a multi-year, malicious campaign to advance their goals of banning safe, legal abortion in this country, and preventing Planned Parenthood from serving the patients who depend on us."
This post has been updated to include a response from Planned Parenthood.


freebeacon--2020-05-30--Amid New Cold War, Congressmen Bet Big on Beating China at Science

New legislation circulating in Congress would pour tens of billions of dollars into American research and development , in a move that one Republican sponsor characterized as critical to a new `` Cold War '' against China .
The Endless Frontiers Act would radically overhaul the National Science Foundation , giving it $ 100 billion over five years to fund innovation in high-tech fields including artificial intelligence , quantum computing , and cutting-edge engineering .
That would undo decades of declining federal R & D spending which has been dropping since the fall of the Soviet Union .
Doing so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R. , Wis. ) told the Washington Free Beacon in an interview , is not just about increasing domestic investment—it 's about ensuring that the next generation of world-shaping technology is made in America , not China .
`` In my view , playing defense is not enough to ensure that America remains the world 's preeminent leader in science and technology , and that the U.S. and not the CCP invents the critical technology standards of the future , '' Gallagher said .
`` So just as we did at the beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Cold War we have to substantially increase the federal investment that 's critical for our strategic competition and national survival . ''
The bill—introduced by Gallagher , Sen. Todd Young ( R. , Ind . )
, and Democratic counterparts Sen. Chuck Schumer ( N.Y. ) and Rep. Ro Khanna ( Calif. ) —has attracted excitement among former NSF officials and university administrators .
Schumer 's support may help move the idea from proposal to the floor of Congress , although some are likely to blanch at the price tag amid a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bipartisan basis does , however , signal the growing resolve on both sides of the aisle to not only counter China , but take aggressive steps to curb its bid for global hegemony—a stance for which voters are increasingly agitating .
Endless Frontiers would see the National Science Foundation transformed into the National Science and Technology Foundation , adding a new directorate specifically tasked with spending $ 100 billion over five years on `` fundamental research related to specific recognized global technology challenges with geostrategic implications for the United States . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including AI , `` advanced communications technologies , '' and robotics .
A further $ 10 billion would go toward the Department of Commerce to fund regional technology hubs , helping to spread the benefits outside of the major centers of private R & D like California and New York .
That money would represent a boost to federal research and development spending , which has declined on and off for decades .
Just 9.7 percent of discretionary dollars were earmarked for R & D in FY 2020 , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That 's down substantially from the peak of almost 18 percent in 1965 , the height of the space race .
Samuel Hammond , a policy expert at the Niskanen Center who has worked extensively on innovation , told the Free Beacon that R & D spending began waning as the Soviet Union imploded .
`` The threat of being overtaken by a geopolitical adversary is a great motivator for investments in science and technology , '' Hammond said .
`` While the CCP does not have the same imperial ambitions as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China becoming a global superpower , and are intent on reshaping the world order .
That has reawakened lawmakers to the importance of innovation policy . ''
While U.S. investment has flagged , China has moved aggressively , spending big to move from simple manufacturing to complex technological innovation .
The CCP 's `` Made in China 2025 '' plan aims to make China a `` global powerhouse '' in high-tech industries such as robotics , aviation , and information technology .
There is an `` almost total overlap , '' Gallagher said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Endless Frontiers and the focuses that appear in `` Made in China 2025 . ''
He and his fellow sponsors are concerned about the prospect of America losing the technological upper hand .
`` We do n't realize the power it would give them to be able to flip the export control script on its head and use it against us , '' Gallagher said .
`` Imagine a world in which there are no Huawei competitors come 2025 when it comes to 5G , 6G , or wherever we are at that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gung-ho about a standoff with China , the bill 's bipartisan support sends a signal about the broader attitude in Congress .
Particularly of note is the backing of Schumer , the Senate minority leader , who is often hostile to Republican initiatives but whom GOP colleagues have called strong on China .
That makes Endless Frontiers part of the broader thirst for anti-China moves in Congress at large .
Both chambers , for example , were nearly unanimous in their support for the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the abuse and detention of China 's Uyghur Muslim population .
That legislative push in turn reflects the growing hostility toward China among both Democratic and Republican voters .
Americans , Gallagher argued , need to move from seeing China as a bad actor to seeing it as a new Soviet Union , to be countered in the same manner .
`` We could do a lot worse than following Reagan 's strategy for how the Cold War ended , which is : We win , they lose , '' Gallagher said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that way , we are far more likely to bumble our way into the Chinese end state , which is : They win and we die . ''

New legislation circulating in Congress would pour tens of billions of dollars into American research and development, in a move that one Republican sponsor characterized as critical to a new "Cold War" against China.
The Endless Frontiers Act would radically overhaul the National Science Foundation, giving it $100 billion over five years to fund innovation in high-tech fields including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cutting-edge engineering. That would undo decades of declining federal R&D spending which has been dropping since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Doing so, bill cosponsor Rep. Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.) told the Washington Free Beacon in an interview, is not just about increasing domestic investment—it's about ensuring that the next generation of world-shaping technology is made in America, not China.
"In my view, playing defense is not enough to ensure that America remains the world's preeminent leader in science and technology, and that the U.S. and not the CCP invents the critical technology standards of the future," Gallagher said. "So just as we did at the beginning of the Cold War, in this new Cold War we have to substantially increase the federal investment that's critical for our strategic competition and national survival."
The bill—introduced by Gallagher, Sen. Todd Young (R., Ind.), and Democratic counterparts Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.)—has attracted excitement among former NSF officials and university administrators. Schumer's support may help move the idea from proposal to the floor of Congress, although some are likely to blanch at the price tag amid a soaring budget deficit.
The bill's bipartisan basis does, however, signal the growing resolve on both sides of the aisle to not only counter China, but take aggressive steps to curb its bid for global hegemony—a stance for which voters are increasingly agitating.
Endless Frontiers would see the National Science Foundation transformed into the National Science and Technology Foundation, adding a new directorate specifically tasked with spending $100 billion over five years on "fundamental research related to specific recognized global technology challenges with geostrategic implications for the United States." The bill suggests 10 key areas for targeting, including AI, "advanced communications technologies," and robotics.
A further $10 billion would go toward the Department of Commerce to fund regional technology hubs, helping to spread the benefits outside of the major centers of private R&D like California and New York.
That money would represent a boost to federal research and development spending, which has declined on and off for decades. Just 9.7 percent of discretionary dollars were earmarked for R&D in FY 2020, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. That's down substantially from the peak of almost 18 percent in 1965, the height of the space race.
Samuel Hammond, a policy expert at the Niskanen Center who has worked extensively on innovation, told the Free Beacon that R&D spending began waning as the Soviet Union imploded.
"The threat of being overtaken by a geopolitical adversary is a great motivator for investments in science and technology," Hammond said. "While the CCP does not have the same imperial ambitions as the Soviet Union, they do see China becoming a global superpower, and are intent on reshaping the world order. That has reawakened lawmakers to the importance of innovation policy."
While U.S. investment has flagged, China has moved aggressively, spending big to move from simple manufacturing to complex technological innovation. The CCP's "Made in China 2025" plan aims to make China a "global powerhouse" in high-tech industries such as robotics, aviation, and information technology.
There is an "almost total overlap," Gallagher said, between the 10 investment targets in Endless Frontiers and the focuses that appear in "Made in China 2025." He and his fellow sponsors are concerned about the prospect of America losing the technological upper hand.
"We don't realize the power it would give them to be able to flip the export control script on its head and use it against us," Gallagher said. "Imagine a world in which there are no Huawei competitors come 2025 when it comes to 5G, 6G, or wherever we are at that point."
Although Gallagher seems particularly gung-ho about a standoff with China, the bill's bipartisan support sends a signal about the broader attitude in Congress. Particularly of note is the backing of Schumer, the Senate minority leader, who is often hostile to Republican initiatives but whom GOP colleagues have called strong on China.
That makes Endless Frontiers part of the broader thirst for anti-China moves in Congress at large. Both chambers, for example, were nearly unanimous in their support for the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, which compels the president to sanction Chinese leaders for the abuse and detention of China's Uyghur Muslim population. That legislative push in turn reflects the growing hostility toward China among both Democratic and Republican voters.
Americans, Gallagher argued, need to move from seeing China as a bad actor to seeing it as a new Soviet Union, to be countered in the same manner.
"We could do a lot worse than following Reagan's strategy for how the Cold War ended, which is: We win, they lose," Gallagher said. "And if we don't think that way, we are far more likely to bumble our way into the Chinese end state, which is: They win and we die."


freebeacon--2020-05-30--Andrew Cuomo: ‘This Virus Came From Europe’ Not China

New York governor Andrew Cuomo ( D. ) said on Friday that the coronavirus came to the United States from Europe and not China .
`` We were all told about the China virus , the China virus .
This virus came from Europe , '' Cuomo said on MSNBC .
`` We were all looking west , and the virus came from the east .
Nobody talked about the virus coming from Europe . ''
The virus 's origin in Wuhan , China , became a politically fraught topic when President Donald Trump and others faced criticism for saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese government evaded responsibility for the pandemic .
China has decried language describing the virus as `` Chinese '' and has tried to promote the unfounded theory that the virus was brought to Wuhan from America .
In an attempt to stop the virus 's spread , Trump barred entry to non-U.S. citizens flying in from China on January 31 .
On March 12 , as the coronavirus showed no signs of stopping and cases rose in Europe , he attempted to further curtail it by banning all flights from Europe , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland .
Cases from Europe , however , were still enough to seed New York with the virus .
`` We had 3 million … people coming from Europe—January , February , and March—and that 's where the virus came from , '' Cuomo said .
Since the coronavirus 's spread , many Republican members of Congress have sought to hold China responsible for not containing the outbreak or communicating forthrightly about the virus 's severity .
Rep. Jim Banks ( R. , Ind . )
has argued that China should be held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice over its handling of the virus .

New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D.) said on Friday that the coronavirus came to the United States from Europe and not China.
"We were all told about the China virus, the China virus. This virus came from Europe," Cuomo said on MSNBC. "We were all looking west, and the virus came from the east. Nobody talked about the virus coming from Europe."
The virus's origin in Wuhan, China, became a politically fraught topic when President Donald Trump and others faced criticism for saying the coronavirus is Chinese, while the Chinese government evaded responsibility for the pandemic. China has decried language describing the virus as "Chinese" and has tried to promote the unfounded theory that the virus was brought to Wuhan from America.
In an attempt to stop the virus's spread, Trump barred entry to non-U.S. citizens flying in from China on January 31. On March 12, as the coronavirus showed no signs of stopping and cases rose in Europe, he attempted to further curtail it by banning all flights from Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Cases from Europe, however, were still enough to seed New York with the virus.
"We had 3 million ... people coming from Europe—January, February, and March—and that's where the virus came from," Cuomo said.
Since the coronavirus's spread, many Republican members of Congress have sought to hold China responsible for not containing the outbreak or communicating forthrightly about the virus's severity. Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) has argued that China should be held responsible by the U.N. International Court of Justice over its handling of the virus.


freebeacon--2020-05-30--NASA Launches First Man-Based Space Mission Since 2011

NASA launched its first man-based space mission since 2011 on Saturday , revitalizing America 's domestic space program which has remained largely dormant over the last decade , as Russia and China have sought to militarize the domain above Earth .
The launch , which will send two astronauts to the International Space Station , marks the first American space mission using a commercially constructed rocket designed by SpaceX , owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk .
It also marked the first American-based space trip since the NASA shuttle program was abandoned in 2011 .
Since that time , NASA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the ISS , paying upwards of $ 50 million a seat on that country ’ s rocket systems .
The Trump administration is seeking to shift the paradigm , bringing both space exploration and defense back into America ’ s domain .
In addition to Saturday 's joint commercial launch with NASA , the administration marked the first successful launch of its Space Force military program earlier this year .
These efforts , officials said , are meant to counter the growing influence of Russia and China in space , where both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` President Trump and Vice President Pence have reinvigorated America ’ s leadership in space , '' NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told the Washington Free Beacon ahead of the scheduled launch .
`` From establishing the Artemis program , which will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024 , to restoring human spaceflight by once again launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil for the first time since 2011 . ''
Commercial space exploration , Bridenstine said , will not only bolster the U.S. economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader in space as traditional foes like Russia and China race to militarize it .
`` As commercial markets in space grow , American economic security requires physical security , '' Bridenstine said .
`` President Trump established the Space Force to achieve that end .
President Trump has kept his promise to restore the United States as the preeminent spacefaring nation . ''
President Trump was in Cape Canaveral , Fla. , to attend Saturday 's launch .
The launch marks a new era for American space exploration , which had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without commercial companies such as SpaceX .
As NASA budgets expanded and the space program became increasingly expensive , the government began looking for viable commercial alternatives to not only spur innovation , but also cut costs .
The U.S. space program was dismantled in part during the Obama administration , when it canceled the Constellation program , a Bush administration effort to reach the moon and Mars .
When the Trump administration moved into the White House , it advocated for $ 25 billion in new NASA funding to help spearhead the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The administration ended up signing the largest budget increase for NASA in decades , and invested in around 500 various space companies , the majority of which are based in the United States .
The Trump administration also restored in 2017 the National Space Council , which had previously been disbanded during the George H.W .
Bush administration in 1993 .
This task force comprises defense , civil , science , and diplomatic officials and seeks to take a holistic approach to U.S. endeavors in space .
The Trump administration also built on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made moves to open up the space sector to commercial developers like SpaceX , and Trump has worked to significantly cut regulations and red tape hindering this public-private partnership , according to Dean Cheng , a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation who focuses on military and space issues .
`` What has happened under the Trump administration is a much more focused , much more systematic effort '' to harness the private sector ’ s focus on innovation , Cheng said .
`` This administration ’ s big move has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ If commercial does it better , let ’ s go with commercial entirely . '
'' On the military front , Trump 's Space Force is an effort to catch up to nations like Russia and China , which have focused their efforts on militarizing space , Cheng noted .
U.S. officials with knowledge of NASA and the revamped space program told the Free Beacon that previous administrations had a different view of space ’ s utility for the United States .
`` The past administration was particularly problematic in that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role for a U.S. based program as important to the country , '' said the senior administration official , who was not authorized to speak on record .
`` It was literally impossible for the military to talk about space as a war fighting domain '' because such views were deemed politically incorrect .
In addition to the military issues relating to space , the U.S. economy relies heavily on satellites and other technologies placed in the Earth ’ s orbit .
This includes military systems that help lower casualties in war and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercial GPS systems used for every-day navigation .
Much of America and the globe ’ s financial systems also rely on space-based technologies to operate .
`` We wouldn ’ t imagine going back to an era without space systems , '' the official said .

NASA launched its first man-based space mission since 2011 on Saturday, revitalizing America's domestic space program which has remained largely dormant over the last decade, as Russia and China have sought to militarize the domain above Earth.
The launch, which will send two astronauts to the International Space Station, marks the first American space mission using a commercially constructed rocket designed by SpaceX, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk. It also marked the first American-based space trip since the NASA shuttle program was abandoned in 2011. Since that time, NASA has relied on Russia for its trips to the ISS, paying upwards of $50 million a seat on that country’s rocket systems.
The Trump administration is seeking to shift the paradigm, bringing both space exploration and defense back into America’s domain. In addition to Saturday's joint commercial launch with NASA, the administration marked the first successful launch of its Space Force military program earlier this year. These efforts, officials said, are meant to counter the growing influence of Russia and China in space, where both countries are seeking a military advantage.
"President Trump and Vice President Pence have reinvigorated America’s leadership in space," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told the Washington Free Beacon ahead of the scheduled launch. "From establishing the Artemis program, which will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024, to restoring human spaceflight by once again launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil for the first time since 2011."
Commercial space exploration, Bridenstine said, will not only bolster the U.S. economy, but also ensure America remains a leader in space as traditional foes like Russia and China race to militarize it.
"As commercial markets in space grow, American economic security requires physical security," Bridenstine said. "President Trump established the Space Force to achieve that end. President Trump has kept his promise to restore the United States as the preeminent spacefaring nation."
President Trump was in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to attend Saturday's launch.
The launch marks a new era for American space exploration, which had been wholly handled in the past by NASA without commercial companies such as SpaceX. As NASA budgets expanded and the space program became increasingly expensive, the government began looking for viable commercial alternatives to not only spur innovation, but also cut costs.
The U.S. space program was dismantled in part during the Obama administration, when it canceled the Constellation program, a Bush administration effort to reach the moon and Mars.
When the Trump administration moved into the White House, it advocated for $25 billion in new NASA funding to help spearhead the current program and other space-based efforts. The administration ended up signing the largest budget increase for NASA in decades, and invested in around 500 various space companies, the majority of which are based in the United States.
The Trump administration also restored in 2017 the National Space Council, which had previously been disbanded during the George H.W. Bush administration in 1993. This task force comprises defense, civil, science, and diplomatic officials and seeks to take a holistic approach to U.S. endeavors in space.
The Trump administration also built on some Obama-era initiatives. The Obama administration made moves to open up the space sector to commercial developers like SpaceX, and Trump has worked to significantly cut regulations and red tape hindering this public-private partnership, according to Dean Cheng, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation who focuses on military and space issues.
"What has happened under the Trump administration is a much more focused, much more systematic effort" to harness the private sector’s focus on innovation, Cheng said. "This administration’s big move has been to reduce regulation and really say, ‘If commercial does it better, let’s go with commercial entirely.'"
On the military front, Trump's Space Force is an effort to catch up to nations like Russia and China, which have focused their efforts on militarizing space, Cheng noted.
U.S. officials with knowledge of NASA and the revamped space program told the Free Beacon that previous administrations had a different view of space’s utility for the United States.
"The past administration was particularly problematic in that they didn’t really see a strong role for a U.S. based program as important to the country," said the senior administration official, who was not authorized to speak on record. "It was literally impossible for the military to talk about space as a war fighting domain" because such views were deemed politically incorrect.
In addition to the military issues relating to space, the U.S. economy relies heavily on satellites and other technologies placed in the Earth’s orbit.
This includes military systems that help lower casualties in war and track American soldiers, as well as commercial GPS systems used for every-day navigation. Much of America and the globe’s financial systems also rely on space-based technologies to operate.
"We wouldn’t imagine going back to an era without space systems," the official said.


freebeacon--2020-05-31--Churches Press Supreme Court to Lift Pandemic Restrictions on Worship

The Supreme Court rejected legal challenges to pandemic-related restrictions on religious assemblies in California and Illinois in a pair of late Friday orders .
Two Christian churches , one in San Diego and one in Chicago , asked the justices to block state rules that set limits on attendance at liturgies , even as both states have made concessions to houses of worship in recent days .
Both churches asked the Court to act as quickly as possible so that they could resume regular attendance and warned that houses of worship around the country plan to revert to regularly scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roberts joined with the liberal bloc on a 5-4 vote to reject the challenge from California .
The Illinois church ’ s appeal was rejected without dissent .
In a rare move , Roberts explained his rationale in a short separate opinion .
`` Our Constitution principally entrusts ‘ the safety and the health of the people ’ to the politically accountable officials of the states , '' Roberts wrote in a separate opinion .
`` When those officials ‘ undertake to act in areas fraught with medical and scientific uncertainties , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Where those broad limits are not exceeded , they should not be subject to second-guessing by an ‘ unelected federal judiciary , ’ which lacks the background , competence , and expertise to assess public health . ''
President Donald Trump , elected in part on the strength of his support from religious believers , pressed local authorities to accommodate houses of worship even before the California and Illinois churches turned to the Supreme Court .
The Centers for Disease Control released new reopening guidelines for houses of worship on May 22 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` essential '' during a press conference .
Attorney General William Barr issued a memo in April directing U.S. attorneys and a senior Justice Department official to monitor state and local pandemic responses for violations of the First Amendment .
The disputes reached the Court as the justices weigh other pressing questions concerning religion and public life .
By summer , the justices will decide on the scope of a religious exemption from employment nondiscrimination laws , the Trump administration ’ s sweeping conscience exemption from the Obamacare birth control mandate , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools .
There are no state level prohibitions on worship in 30 states , according to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty .
Twenty states do have such restrictions .
In California , South Bay Pentecostal Church is challenging guidance Gov .
Gavin .
Newsom ( D ) issued Monday that allows worship to resume at 25 percent sanctuary capacity or with a maximum of 100 congregants , whichever is lower .
The state says the new rules are a reasonable accommodation , particularly since it is in the early phases of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's unfairly being held to a higher standard than other sectors of the population .
`` A review of California ’ s sector-specific guidelines shows that the only two industries with percentage caps are retail and houses of worship and retail is set at a 50 % cap , '' a supplement to the church ’ s application reads .
`` Offices , manufacturing , food packaging , museums , and every other sector has no percentage cap . ''
The church also notes that California ’ s reopening plan contains numerous exceptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interfere with religion , but only if they are neutral and apply to everyone .
Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker was enforcing a ban on assemblies over 10 persons until Thursday , when a state agency relaxed the restriction .
The Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Chicago nonetheless asked the justices to bar reversion to the old policy .
Lawyers for the state countered that worship services are an especially dangerous vector for infection .
They feature large numbers of people in a confined space for an extended period , during which time there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respiratory droplets that could contain the virus .
The lawyers pointed to a southern Illinois county that experienced a surge in coronavirus cases , most of which were connected to a local church .
Courts have generally taken an unassuming approach to the coronavirus pandemic .
In a foundational 1905 case , the Supreme Court recognized that local officials may take such steps `` as the safety of the general public may demand '' during a public health crisis .
But as infections subside , judges are likely to take a more assertive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have already divided the federal courts .
In a short , unsigned opinion , the divided Ninth Circuit panel said it was satisfied with California ’ s guidance .
The decision invoked the famous construction of Justice Robert Jackson , who warned that the Constitution is not a `` suicide pact . ''
Judge Daniel Collins , a Trump appointee , dissented .
The Sixth U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals went the other way , and allowed a Baptist church in Kentucky to hold drive-thru services .
`` Restrictions inexplicably applied to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little to further these goals and do much to burden religious freedom , '' the unsigned decision reads .
`` Assuming all of the same precautions are taken , why can someone safely walk down a grocery store aisle but not a pew ? ''
`` While the law may take periodic naps during a pandemic , we will not let it sleep through one , '' the decision adds .
Justice Brett Kavanaugh endorsed that view in a short dissent in the California case .
Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trusts its residents and any number of businesses to adhere to proper social distancing and hygiene practices .
The state can not ‘ assume the worst when people go to worship but assume the best when people go to work or go about the rest of their daily lives in permitted social settings , ’ '' he wrote , citing the Sixth Circuit opinion .
The Supreme Court generally takes up legal questions over which multiple courts disagree .
The cases are No .
19A1044 South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ v. Pritzker .

The Supreme Court rejected legal challenges to pandemic-related restrictions on religious assemblies in California and Illinois in a pair of late Friday orders.
Two Christian churches, one in San Diego and one in Chicago, asked the justices to block state rules that set limits on attendance at liturgies, even as both states have made concessions to houses of worship in recent days. Both churches asked the Court to act as quickly as possible so that they could resume regular attendance and warned that houses of worship around the country plan to revert to regularly scheduled liturgies this weekend.
Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the liberal bloc on a 5-4 vote to reject the challenge from California. The Illinois church’s appeal was rejected without dissent. In a rare move, Roberts explained his rationale in a short separate opinion.
"Our Constitution principally entrusts ‘the safety and the health of the people’ to the politically accountable officials of the states," Roberts wrote in a separate opinion. "When those officials ‘undertake to act in areas fraught with medical and scientific uncertainties,’ their latitude ‘must be especially broad.’ Where those broad limits are not exceeded, they should not be subject to second-guessing by an ‘unelected federal judiciary,’ which lacks the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health."
President Donald Trump, elected in part on the strength of his support from religious believers, pressed local authorities to accommodate houses of worship even before the California and Illinois churches turned to the Supreme Court. The Centers for Disease Control released new reopening guidelines for houses of worship on May 22, after the president deemed religious spaces "essential" during a press conference. Attorney General William Barr issued a memo in April directing U.S. attorneys and a senior Justice Department official to monitor state and local pandemic responses for violations of the First Amendment.
The disputes reached the Court as the justices weigh other pressing questions concerning religion and public life. By summer, the justices will decide on the scope of a religious exemption from employment nondiscrimination laws, the Trump administration’s sweeping conscience exemption from the Obamacare birth control mandate, and state tax credit programs that support church-affiliated schools.
There are no state level prohibitions on worship in 30 states, according to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Twenty states do have such restrictions.
In California, South Bay Pentecostal Church is challenging guidance Gov. Gavin. Newsom (D) issued Monday that allows worship to resume at 25 percent sanctuary capacity or with a maximum of 100 congregants, whichever is lower. The state says the new rules are a reasonable accommodation, particularly since it is in the early phases of its reopening plan. The church says it's unfairly being held to a higher standard than other sectors of the population.
"A review of California’s sector-specific guidelines shows that the only two industries with percentage caps are retail and houses of worship and retail is set at a 50% cap," a supplement to the church’s application reads. "Offices, manufacturing, food packaging, museums, and every other sector has no percentage cap."
The church also notes that California’s reopening plan contains numerous exceptions. The Court tolerates state rules that interfere with religion, but only if they are neutral and apply to everyone.
Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker was enforcing a ban on assemblies over 10 persons until Thursday, when a state agency relaxed the restriction. The Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Chicago nonetheless asked the justices to bar reversion to the old policy.
Lawyers for the state countered that worship services are an especially dangerous vector for infection. They feature large numbers of people in a confined space for an extended period, during which time there is speaking or singing, thereby spreading respiratory droplets that could contain the virus. The lawyers pointed to a southern Illinois county that experienced a surge in coronavirus cases, most of which were connected to a local church.
Courts have generally taken an unassuming approach to the coronavirus pandemic. In a foundational 1905 case, the Supreme Court recognized that local officials may take such steps "as the safety of the general public may demand" during a public health crisis. But as infections subside, judges are likely to take a more assertive role. Questions over restrictions on worship have already divided the federal courts.
In a short, unsigned opinion, the divided Ninth Circuit panel said it was satisfied with California’s guidance. The decision invoked the famous construction of Justice Robert Jackson, who warned that the Constitution is not a "suicide pact." Judge Daniel Collins, a Trump appointee, dissented.
The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals went the other way, and allowed a Baptist church in Kentucky to hold drive-thru services.
"Restrictions inexplicably applied to one group and exempted from another do little to further these goals and do much to burden religious freedom," the unsigned decision reads. "Assuming all of the same precautions are taken, why can someone safely walk down a grocery store aisle but not a pew?"
"While the law may take periodic naps during a pandemic, we will not let it sleep through one," the decision adds.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh endorsed that view in a short dissent in the California case. Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch joined the Kavanaugh opinion.
"California already trusts its residents and any number of businesses to adhere to proper social distancing and hygiene practices. The state cannot ‘assume the worst when people go to worship but assume the best when people go to work or go about the rest of their daily lives in permitted social settings,’" he wrote, citing the Sixth Circuit opinion.
The Supreme Court generally takes up legal questions over which multiple courts disagree.
The cases are No. 19A1044 South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom and No. 19A1046 Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church v. Pritzker.


freebeacon--2020-05-31--Review: Foretelling the End of Capitalism

`` Big structural change '' is back in vogue .
The 2010s saw the return of the left ’ s boldest claim : that history ’ s wheel would finally turn and capitalism would at long last end .
From the fervor surrounding Occupy Wall Street emerged a flurry of books arguing capitalism had exhausted itself ( like David Wallerstein ’ s Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism ) or rewriting basic economic principles ( like Thomas Piketty ’ s much-publicized Capital in the Twenty-First Century ) .
Not since the 19th century have expectations of broad and rapid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at the opening of a new decade , the disappointment that met the previous century ’ s predictions of `` big structural change '' is already creeping in , at least in the United States .
Bernie Sanders ’ s `` political revolution '' fell flat , legislative attempts to take advantage of the coronavirus for progressive ends have come off as pork-barrel politics , and amid a health crisis Americans hope not for socialized medicine but for the return of the economic stability of the late 2010s .
While activists soldier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another long period of disappointment .
Francesco Boldizzoni , a political economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology , has written Foretelling the End of Capitalism to throw cold water on left-wing hopes .
Himself a social democrat rather than an all-out Marxist , Boldizzoni was already disinclined to expect revolution .
Nevertheless , his book ’ s pessimism , as well as its blind spots , may anticipate where the left is headed .
Foretelling is half history , half social commentary .
It speeds through 150 years of `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future social trends and systems—summarizing dozens of economists and social critics from Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill to Wallerstein and Slavoj Zizek .
It turns out that even on the left , forecasts of capitalism ’ s immediate demise have been rare .
Apart from the last decade , they were most in vogue in the early days of the social sciences .
Nineteenth-century social scientists , Marx among them , took to heart the idea that there exist scientific laws of human affairs , akin to the law of gravity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not only describe but predict social motion .
On this basis , Marx extrapolated his dicta about capitalism ’ s `` overproduction '' and `` the tendency of the profit rate to fall '' to predict a breaking point at which the system ’ s internal contradictions destroy it .
Mill , meanwhile , anticipated that economic and moral progress would reach a `` stationary state of capital and wealth '' at which resource limits make further growth impossible but everyone ’ s material needs are met and humanity transcends the `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the end of capitalism tended to fall along those two lines : It would implode due to internal contradictions , or reach an immovable limit and then transform .
But capitalism just wouldn ’ t die .
Every time it seemed to reach a limit—market saturation , resource limits , etc.—it found ways to adapt and continue expanding .
And leftists ’ attempts to speed its demise started looking futile , or worse .
By the 1910s , Marxist intellectuals were having difficulty winning over the working classes in Western Europe and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1930s , they couldn ’ t ignore Stalin ’ s bloodthirst .
Western Marxists , not so much mugged by reality as stood up by history , adopted a new vision of the future .
Instead of revolution , they began to aim for a `` controlled capitalism '' in which humane experts would use political tools to organize economic life in a rational way—a project that required the help of universities , media , and of course the state .
After the Second World War , this `` social democratic '' vision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convergence '' : that socialism and capitalism would unite in a single system defined by the welfare state .
It has remained influential—it ’ s why Bernie always makes sure to qualify `` socialist '' with `` democratic '' and `` revolution '' with `` political . ''
And though social democracy isn ’ t quite a theory of `` the end of capitalism , '' Boldizzoni gives it pride of place in his narrative .
Yet while it was successful in building welfare programs across Europe and in the United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met with disappointment .
Boldizzoni can ’ t quite admit it .
He blames the post-1970 retreat of social democracy on `` opportunistic politicians '' ( Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher , presumably ) and deflects accusations of government inefficiency with cursory anecdotes .
Readers shouldn ’ t let him get off so easily .
The political and fiscal problems that have accompanied redistributionism in Europe are too numerous .
Generous welfare states in Scandinavia face uncomfortable questions about immigration , the government-funded French health care system has to shut down rural hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Boldizzoni dismisses these fiscal and political problems to defend social democracy on the level of culture and values .
The commentary sections of Foretelling chide Marxists ’ insensitivity to the importance of culture .
Boldizzoni argues that capitalism is more deeply rooted in Western cultural values— '' individualism '' and `` hierarchy '' —than foretellers of its demise understand .
The myth that society operates according to ironclad scientific laws has kept them consistently blind to the cultural reasons for capitalism ’ s longevity .
The best we can do is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital through a redistributionist state— '' the only system that recognized the needs of human beings , freed them from dependence on the benevolence of others , and guaranteed them dignity . ''
But this aspect of `` organized capitalism '' has drawn equally devastating criticism from left and right .
The idea of an ideologically driven few organizing every aspect of society—not to mention placing in their hands responsibility for human needs , freedom , and dignity—sounded particularly unappealing to leftist Frankfurt School thinkers uprooted by the Nazis .
They argued that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their quest for an `` administered society , '' only succeeded in extending a repressive technical rationality into those noneconomic parts of life .
There ’ s another approach Boldizzoni acknowledges but does not address .
He calls it `` cultural involution '' and identifies it with Joseph Schumpeter and Daniel Bell , but one can also find it in the work of Russell Kirk , Irving Kristol , and countless other modern conservatives .
Kristol summarizes it in a 1970 essay : Capitalism promises people wealth , freedom , and virtue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a virtuous life and a just society , was subverted by the dynamics of capitalism itself , as it strove to fulfill the other two—affluence and liberty . ''
Immoderate pursuit of wealth and consumption undermines the cultural foundations of capitalism : virtuous people and just institutions .
Boldizzoni mistakenly classifies this view as an instance of forecasting—its proponents have tended to argue that `` the cultural contradictions of capitalism '' were already present in their own time .
But these thinkers differ from the others in Foretelling in a more important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs , freedom , and dignity to be addressed by total `` systems '' but by organic networks of civil society , family ties , and religion .
A single bureaucracy taking the place of the social ecosystem ( consider the 2012 Obama campaign ’ s `` Life of Julia '' ) only reinforces individual atomization and establishes a stark hierarchy between administrators and the administered .
While left-wing foretellers of the end of capitalism see their hopes again disappointed , new groups of conservative legislators have taken up the `` cultural involution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the `` common good '' or `` American nationhood , '' they advocate for limits on `` individualism '' and `` hierarchy , '' not to uproot capitalism but to preserve its foundations .
They would , in Edmund Burke 's words , `` preserve consistency by varying [ their ] means to secure the unity of [ their ] end . ''
Although by no means representative of all conservatives , their social vision is far more nuanced than that of Boldizzoni and today 's left .
Social democracy has lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @

"Big structural change" is back in vogue. The 2010s saw the return of the left’s boldest claim: that history’s wheel would finally turn and capitalism would at long last end. From the fervor surrounding Occupy Wall Street emerged a flurry of books arguing capitalism had exhausted itself (like David Wallerstein’s Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism) or rewriting basic economic principles (like Thomas Piketty’s much-publicized Capital in the Twenty-First Century). Not since the 19th century have expectations of broad and rapid change been so popular.
But now, at the opening of a new decade, the disappointment that met the previous century’s predictions of "big structural change" is already creeping in, at least in the United States. Bernie Sanders’s "political revolution" fell flat, legislative attempts to take advantage of the coronavirus for progressive ends have come off as pork-barrel politics, and amid a health crisis Americans hope not for socialized medicine but for the return of the economic stability of the late 2010s.
While activists soldier on, progressive academics brace themselves for another long period of disappointment. Francesco Boldizzoni, a political economist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, has written Foretelling the End of Capitalism to throw cold water on left-wing hopes. Himself a social democrat rather than an all-out Marxist, Boldizzoni was already disinclined to expect revolution. Nevertheless, his book’s pessimism, as well as its blind spots, may anticipate where the left is headed.
Foretelling is half history, half social commentary. It speeds through 150 years of "social forecasting"—the practice of predicting future social trends and systems—summarizing dozens of economists and social critics from Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill to Wallerstein and Slavoj Zizek. It turns out that even on the left, forecasts of capitalism’s immediate demise have been rare. Apart from the last decade, they were most in vogue in the early days of the social sciences. Nineteenth-century social scientists, Marx among them, took to heart the idea that there exist scientific laws of human affairs, akin to the law of gravity, such that a careful student of society could not only describe but predict social motion.
On this basis, Marx extrapolated his dicta about capitalism’s "overproduction" and "the tendency of the profit rate to fall" to predict a breaking point at which the system’s internal contradictions destroy it. Mill, meanwhile, anticipated that economic and moral progress would reach a "stationary state of capital and wealth" at which resource limits make further growth impossible but everyone’s material needs are met and humanity transcends the "struggle for riches." Nineteenth-century predictions about the end of capitalism tended to fall along those two lines: It would implode due to internal contradictions, or reach an immovable limit and then transform.
But capitalism just wouldn’t die. Every time it seemed to reach a limit—market saturation, resource limits, etc.—it found ways to adapt and continue expanding. And leftists’ attempts to speed its demise started looking futile, or worse. By the 1910s, Marxist intellectuals were having difficulty winning over the working classes in Western Europe and the United States; by the late 1930s, they couldn’t ignore Stalin’s bloodthirst. Western Marxists, not so much mugged by reality as stood up by history, adopted a new vision of the future. Instead of revolution, they began to aim for a "controlled capitalism" in which humane experts would use political tools to organize economic life in a rational way—a project that required the help of universities, media, and of course the state. After the Second World War, this "social democratic" vision was associated with the theory of "convergence": that socialism and capitalism would unite in a single system defined by the welfare state. It has remained influential—it’s why Bernie always makes sure to qualify "socialist" with "democratic" and "revolution" with "political." And though social democracy isn’t quite a theory of "the end of capitalism," Boldizzoni gives it pride of place in his narrative.
Yet while it was successful in building welfare programs across Europe and in the United States, even this tamer version of the left met with disappointment. Boldizzoni can’t quite admit it. He blames the post-1970 retreat of social democracy on "opportunistic politicians" (Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, presumably) and deflects accusations of government inefficiency with cursory anecdotes. Readers shouldn’t let him get off so easily. The political and fiscal problems that have accompanied redistributionism in Europe are too numerous. Generous welfare states in Scandinavia face uncomfortable questions about immigration, the government-funded French health care system has to shut down rural hospitals and underpay nurses, and so on.
Boldizzoni dismisses these fiscal and political problems to defend social democracy on the level of culture and values. The commentary sections of Foretelling chide Marxists’ insensitivity to the importance of culture. Boldizzoni argues that capitalism is more deeply rooted in Western cultural values—"individualism" and "hierarchy"—than foretellers of its demise understand. The myth that society operates according to ironclad scientific laws has kept them consistently blind to the cultural reasons for capitalism’s longevity. The best we can do is to redirect preexisting property, production, and capital through a redistributionist state—"the only system that recognized the needs of human beings, freed them from dependence on the benevolence of others, and guaranteed them dignity."
But this aspect of "organized capitalism" has drawn equally devastating criticism from left and right. The idea of an ideologically driven few organizing every aspect of society—not to mention placing in their hands responsibility for human needs, freedom, and dignity—sounded particularly unappealing to leftist Frankfurt School thinkers uprooted by the Nazis. They argued that social democrats, by enlisting noneconomic institutions in their quest for an "administered society," only succeeded in extending a repressive technical rationality into those noneconomic parts of life.
There’s another approach Boldizzoni acknowledges but does not address. He calls it "cultural involution" and identifies it with Joseph Schumpeter and Daniel Bell, but one can also find it in the work of Russell Kirk, Irving Kristol, and countless other modern conservatives. Kristol summarizes it in a 1970 essay: Capitalism promises people wealth, freedom, and virtue, but "the third promise, of a virtuous life and a just society, was subverted by the dynamics of capitalism itself, as it strove to fulfill the other two—affluence and liberty." Immoderate pursuit of wealth and consumption undermines the cultural foundations of capitalism: virtuous people and just institutions.
Boldizzoni mistakenly classifies this view as an instance of forecasting—its proponents have tended to argue that "the cultural contradictions of capitalism" were already present in their own time. But these thinkers differ from the others in Foretelling in a more important respect. They did not expect human needs, freedom, and dignity to be addressed by total "systems" but by organic networks of civil society, family ties, and religion. A single bureaucracy taking the place of the social ecosystem (consider the 2012 Obama campaign’s "Life of Julia") only reinforces individual atomization and establishes a stark hierarchy between administrators and the administered.
While left-wing foretellers of the end of capitalism see their hopes again disappointed, new groups of conservative legislators have taken up the "cultural involution" thesis. Whether in the name of the "common good" or "American nationhood," they advocate for limits on "individualism" and "hierarchy," not to uproot capitalism but to preserve its foundations. They would, in Edmund Burke's words, "preserve consistency by varying [their] means to secure the unity of [their] end." Although by no means representative of all conservatives, their social vision is far more nuanced than that of Boldizzoni and today's left. Social democracy has lost sight of what makes us social.


freebeacon--2020-05-31--Arizona’s Mark Kelly Sat on Advisory Board of Company That Partnered With Chinese Tech Giant

Senate candidate Mark Kelly ( D. , Ariz. ) sat on the advisory board of and held a significant financial interest in a Colorado company that partnered with a Chinese state-financed tech giant to bring supersonic aerospace technology to China in 2018 , according to his financial disclosure reports .
Kelly , a former NASA astronaut , served on the advisory board for Boom Technology , a high-speed aircraft company in Colorado from 2015 to 2019 and owned private stock in the company worth between $ 115,000 and $ 300,000 as of last year .
In 2018 , Boom Technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Group Limited , formerly known as Ctrip , to help `` bring supersonic flight to China , '' according to a joint announcement from the companies .
Ctrip has also been a key player in the Chinese government ’ s ongoing `` Belt and Road Initiative , '' a massive multi-country infrastructure project that the U.S. government has described as a global security threat .
Kelly , who is challenging Republican incumbent Martha McSally for an Arizona Senate seat , has faced scrutiny for other China-linked business interests and investments .
World View @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holds investments in , received funding from Chinese tech company Tencent , the Washington Free Beacon reported last October .
Tencent has been accused of espionage and of censoring antigovernment sentiment on its WeChat app .
A Kelly spokesman said the candidate was an adviser to Boom but never sat on the company ’ s board , calling this a `` misleading '' attack by supporters of Kelly ’ s Republican rival Martha McSally .
`` Senator McSally ’ s allies continue to make inaccurate and misleading political attacks .
Mark was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an adviser with a limited role advising primarily on technical matters given his expertise as a former combat pilot , test pilot , and astronaut .
He had no role in investments , '' said Kelly ’ s communication director Jacob Peters in an email to the Free Beacon on Friday .
Peters declined to comment on Kelly ’ s duties as an advisory board member .
Typically advisory boards exist alongside a company ’ s formal corporate board and provide strategic advice to leadership .
A spokeswoman for Ctrip declined to comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chinese government or provide details on its partnership with Boom .
In a financial disclosure report filed with the Senate last year , Kelly wrote that he was an `` Advisory Board Member '' at Boom from Oct. 2015 to Feb. 2019 .
He also disclosed between $ 115,000 and $ 300,000 in investments he held in the company , including corporate stock options and nonpublic stock .
A spokesperson for Boom confirmed that Kelly was a Boom adviser from 2015 until February 2019 when he resigned .
She told the Free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's board of directors and had no voting or governance input .
She also confirmed Ctrip 's partnership with Boom .
`` CTRIP made a minority investment in Boom in 2018 but had zero voting or governance rights , which is standard Boom protocol for any foreign investors .
There was no involvement nor contact with anyone in the Chinese government as part of the CTRIP investment , '' said Megan Young , Boom 's vice president for marketing .
`` Regarding the Belt and Road initiative : Boom has never had any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Chinese officials related to the initiative , '' she added .
Ctrip , which was founded in 1999 , is the largest online travel company in China with a virtual monopoly over the travel booking industry .
The company disclosed in 2003 that one of its primary shareholders was the Shanghai municipal government , according to Securities and Exchange Commission records .
Ctrip is also deeply involved in the Chinese government ’ s Belt and Road Initiative .
The company entered into strategic partnerships with the Italian and Hungarian governments last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on to the initiative .
Ctrip has pledged its support for the Xi Jinping administration plan and also publishes an annual report on the state of Chinese international travel as it relates to Belt and Road .
The nationalistic initiative involves setting up Chinese-built ports , roads , high-speed railroads , airports , and other infrastructure projects in countries that enter into agreements with the Beijing government .
U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts have called it a global security risk , noting the potential for Chinese `` debt traps , '' espionage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ctrip announced that it had made a `` strategic investment '' in Boom Technologies to develop the company ’ s Mach-2.2 airliner , a supersonic aircraft capable of traveling over 1,400 miles per hour .
`` Ctrip offers valuable expertise in the Chinese travel market , and we ’ re excited to work with their passionate , entrepreneurial team to bring supersonic travel to the region , '' Boom CEO Blake Scholl said in a press release .
Ctrip `` holds near-total control of the Chinese travel market , '' according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ctrip joined Tencent and other major Chinese companies in boycotting the NBA after the general manager of the Houston Rockets tweeted his support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong .
Kelly was publicly silent on the controversy at the time , the Free Beacon reported .

Senate candidate Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.) sat on the advisory board of and held a significant financial interest in a Colorado company that partnered with a Chinese state-financed tech giant to bring supersonic aerospace technology to China in 2018, according to his financial disclosure reports.
Kelly, a former NASA astronaut, served on the advisory board for Boom Technology, a high-speed aircraft company in Colorado from 2015 to 2019 and owned private stock in the company worth between $115,000 and $300,000 as of last year.
In 2018, Boom Technology partnered with the Shanghai-based travel company Trip.com Group Limited, formerly known as Ctrip, to help "bring supersonic flight to China," according to a joint announcement from the companies.
Ctrip has also been a key player in the Chinese government’s ongoing "Belt and Road Initiative," a massive multi-country infrastructure project that the U.S. government has described as a global security threat.
Kelly, who is challenging Republican incumbent Martha McSally for an Arizona Senate seat, has faced scrutiny for other China-linked business interests and investments. World View Enterprises, a company he cofounded and holds investments in, received funding from Chinese tech company Tencent, the Washington Free Beacon reported last October. Tencent has been accused of espionage and of censoring antigovernment sentiment on its WeChat app.
A Kelly spokesman said the candidate was an adviser to Boom but never sat on the company’s board, calling this a "misleading" attack by supporters of Kelly’s Republican rival Martha McSally.
"Senator McSally’s allies continue to make inaccurate and misleading political attacks. Mark was not a ‘board member.’ He was an adviser with a limited role advising primarily on technical matters given his expertise as a former combat pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. He had no role in investments," said Kelly’s communication director Jacob Peters in an email to the Free Beacon on Friday.
Peters declined to comment on Kelly’s duties as an advisory board member. Typically advisory boards exist alongside a company’s formal corporate board and provide strategic advice to leadership.
A spokeswoman for Ctrip declined to comment on the company's financial relationship with the Chinese government or provide details on its partnership with Boom.
"The deal was made more than two years ago," said Ctrip spokeswoman Wendy Min in an email. "For further inquiries, please contact Boom."
In a financial disclosure report filed with the Senate last year, Kelly wrote that he was an "Advisory Board Member" at Boom from Oct. 2015 to Feb. 2019. He also disclosed between $115,000 and $300,000 in investments he held in the company, including corporate stock options and nonpublic stock.
A spokesperson for Boom confirmed that Kelly was a Boom adviser from 2015 until February 2019 when he resigned. She told the Free Beacon Kelly was not on the company's board of directors and had no voting or governance input. She also confirmed Ctrip's partnership with Boom.
"CTRIP made a minority investment in Boom in 2018 but had zero voting or governance rights, which is standard Boom protocol for any foreign investors. There was no involvement nor contact with anyone in the Chinese government as part of the CTRIP investment," said Megan Young, Boom's vice president for marketing.
"Regarding the Belt and Road initiative: Boom has never had any involvement with that initiative or any contact with Chinese officials related to the initiative," she added.
Ctrip, which was founded in 1999, is the largest online travel company in China with a virtual monopoly over the travel booking industry. The company disclosed in 2003 that one of its primary shareholders was the Shanghai municipal government, according to Securities and Exchange Commission records.
Ctrip is also deeply involved in the Chinese government’s Belt and Road Initiative. The company entered into strategic partnerships with the Italian and Hungarian governments last year, in concert with the countries signing on to the initiative. Ctrip has pledged its support for the Xi Jinping administration plan and also publishes an annual report on the state of Chinese international travel as it relates to Belt and Road.
The nationalistic initiative involves setting up Chinese-built ports, roads, high-speed railroads, airports, and other infrastructure projects in countries that enter into agreements with the Beijing government. U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts have called it a global security risk, noting the potential for Chinese "debt traps," espionage, and military encroachment.
In April 2018, Ctrip announced that it had made a "strategic investment" in Boom Technologies to develop the company’s Mach-2.2 airliner, a supersonic aircraft capable of traveling over 1,400 miles per hour.
"Ctrip offers valuable expertise in the Chinese travel market, and we’re excited to work with their passionate, entrepreneurial team to bring supersonic travel to the region," Boom CEO Blake Scholl said in a press release.
Ctrip "holds near-total control of the Chinese travel market," according to researchers at Berkeley University. Last year, Ctrip joined Tencent and other major Chinese companies in boycotting the NBA after the general manager of the Houston Rockets tweeted his support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Kelly was publicly silent on the controversy at the time, the Free Beacon reported.


freebeacon--2020-05-31--Georgetown Professor Laments D.C. Rioters’ Failure to Attack Trump Hotel

Georgetown University professor and former NPR editor Kitty Eisele lamented on Sunday that protesters in Washington , D.C. , had not attacked the Trump International Hotel .
`` Shame they are n't noticing the Trump Hotel which costs more and has a more problematic clientele , '' she responded to a tweet noting the vandalism of the Hay-Adams , a luxury hotel near the White House .
The Trump Hotel , also located near the White House , is a popular hangout spot for Trump administration members and allies .
Formerly the Old Post Office and Clock Tower , Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and opened it in 2016 .
Eisele , an adjunct professor at Georgetown since 1999 , is a former editor of NPR 's Morning Edition and All Things Considered .
She said in another tweet that she believed white supremacists were responsible for the violent uprising in the nation 's capital , and she jokingly said she was not a good `` ally '' of the protesters because she hoped they would leave the Hay-Adams alone .
Eisele wants to `` live in that hotel , '' she wrote .
Washington is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see civil unrest stemming from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody .
Angry protesters smashed windows and set fires Saturday night , and Secret Service agents repelled demonstrators lobbing projectiles at the White House .

Georgetown University professor and former NPR editor Kitty Eisele lamented on Sunday that protesters in Washington, D.C., had not attacked the Trump International Hotel.
"Shame they aren't noticing the Trump Hotel which costs more and has a more problematic clientele," she responded to a tweet noting the vandalism of the Hay-Adams, a luxury hotel near the White House.
The Trump Hotel, also located near the White House, is a popular hangout spot for Trump administration members and allies. Formerly the Old Post Office and Clock Tower, Donald Trump developed the property into a hotel and opened it in 2016.
https://twitter.com/RadioKitty/status/1266947412188377088?s=20
Eisele, an adjunct professor at Georgetown since 1999, is a former editor of NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She said in another tweet that she believed white supremacists were responsible for the violent uprising in the nation's capital, and she jokingly said she was not a good "ally" of the protesters because she hoped they would leave the Hay-Adams alone. Eisele wants to "live in that hotel," she wrote.
But who is doing this? Opportunistic white supremacists is my bet. — Kitty Eisele (@RadioKitty) May 31, 2020
Near, apparently alley. My favorite place in all DC and if that makes me a bad ally, so be it. I want to live in that hotel. — Kitty Eisele (@RadioKitty) May 31, 2020
Washington is one of dozens of U.S. cities this week to see civil unrest stemming from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Angry protesters smashed windows and set fires Saturday night, and Secret Service agents repelled demonstrators lobbing projectiles at the White House.


freebeacon--2020-05-31--Omar: Minneapolis Protesters Were ‘Terrorized’ by National Guard and Police

Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D. , Minn. ) said Sunday that Minneapolis protesters who defied the governor 's curfew orders Friday and Saturday night were `` terrorized '' by the National Guard and police enforcing the governor 's orders .
`` There really was also many people who chose to demonstrate and not abide by the curfew , who felt like they also were terrorized by the presence of tanks , by the presence of the National Guard and a militarized police , '' Omar said on ABC 's This Week .
The Minneapolis protests , which started last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black man held in police custody , took a violent turn Wednesday night when protesters burned and looted cars and businesses .
On Thursday night , rioters set the Minneapolis Police Department 's Third Precinct on fire .
On Friday , Minnesota governor Tim Walz ( D. ) ordered an 8 p.m. curfew and pleaded with protesters to abide by it , hoping to separate those who wished to incite violence from peaceful protesters .
By Saturday morning , after repeated nights of violent clashes between police and protesters , Walz said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuing destruction rather than justice .
`` Let 's be very clear , the situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd .
It is about attacking civil society , instilling fear , and disrupting our great cities , '' the governor said .
Many did not obey the governor 's curfew Friday or Saturday , but increased National Guard presence Saturday night prevented the damage from being as severe as the previous two nights .
The killing of George Floyd , an African-American man and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a white Minneapolis police officer , sparked a national outcry and protests in cities nationwide against police brutality this week .

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) said Sunday that Minneapolis protesters who defied the governor's curfew orders Friday and Saturday night were "terrorized" by the National Guard and police enforcing the governor's orders.
"There really was also many people who chose to demonstrate and not abide by the curfew, who felt like they also were terrorized by the presence of tanks, by the presence of the National Guard and a militarized police," Omar said on ABC's This Week.
The Minneapolis protests, which started last week in response to the death of a black man held in police custody, took a violent turn Wednesday night when protesters burned and looted cars and businesses. On Thursday night, rioters set the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct on fire.
On Friday, Minnesota governor Tim Walz (D.) ordered an 8 p.m. curfew and pleaded with protesters to abide by it, hoping to separate those who wished to incite violence from peaceful protesters. By Saturday morning, after repeated nights of violent clashes between police and protesters, Walz said in a press conference that the protests were pursuing destruction rather than justice.
"Let's be very clear, the situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd. It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear, and disrupting our great cities," the governor said.
Many did not obey the governor's curfew Friday or Saturday, but increased National Guard presence Saturday night prevented the damage from being as severe as the previous two nights.
The killing of George Floyd, an African-American man and Minneapolis resident, by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, sparked a national outcry and protests in cities nationwide against police brutality this week.


freebeacon--2020-06-01--Let It Xi: Former Beatles Manager Paid Millions to Boost Chinese Regime in U.S.

The Beatles manager who orchestrated the ill-advised wedding between John Lennon and Yoko Ono is now the Chinese government 's pointman to build ties between Beijing and American journalists and officials .
Peter Brown , who managed the world-famous band until its disbandment in 1970 , now uses his public relations skills to advance the interests of the Chinese regime .
Brown , through his firm BLJ Worldwide , has arranged dozens of American reporters to visit China on all-expenses-paid trips and placed pro-Chinese op-eds in top U.S. outlets .
The Chinese embassy in the United States and the China-U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign agent with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party—have paid nearly $ 4 million to Brown 's firm since 2016 .
As part of the contract with the embassy , Brown 's team provided media training to Chinese diplomats , monitored news reports about China , and assisted `` crisis communications '' on key issues such as the trade war and the annual Communist Party Congress .
`` The protectionist and economically nationalist approach leads to no solution .
A trade war is absolutely a wrong choice , which will only destroy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Time magazine op-ed written by Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai .
Brown 's firm helped place that op-ed in the magazine .
Rep. Jim Banks ( R. , Ind . )
, who sits on the GOP China Task Force , blasted Brown 's decision to work with Beijing as `` shameful . ''
`` Peter Brown profited off of America 's openness and now does the bidding of totalitarian communists who never would have tolerated a band like the Beatles .
It 's shameful , '' Banks told the Washington Free Beacon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Back in the U.S.S.R. ' a little too seriously , but the song ‘ Money ' probably gets closer to his motivations . ''
Brown did not respond to a request for comment .
This is not Brown 's first rodeo with an authoritarian government .
He has rubbed shoulders with the leaders of dictatorial regimes worldwide , working with controversial clients , including the family of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and Libya 's late dictator Muammar Gaddafi .
Brown has embraced the notoriety—and the millions—that comes with aiding dictators abroad .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a client , '' he once told the Financial Times in 2011 .
`` There are areas of commonality that ought to be exploited . ''
Brown , who took over as the Beatles manager after his predecessor 's untimely death in 1967 , was intimately involved in the personal life of its members , serving as the best man for Lennon and Ono 's wedding .
The former manager continued to capitalize on the band 's fame after it disbanded , publishing an explosive tell-all book in 1983 that People magazine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
In the book , Brown revealed many dark secrets about the band—such as the existence of Paul McCartney 's illegitimate 19-year-old son—enraging the band members .
Brown launched his public relations outfit in 1983 , the same year he published his tell-all book .
BLJ Worldwide has grown into a high-end boutique P.R .
firm , raking in millions of dollars by participating in an illicit `` black ops '' smear campaign on behalf of Qatar 's soccer World Cup bid , placing photoshoots of Bashar al-Assad 's wife in Vogue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit to U.N. headquarters .
The U.S. branch of the company has taken on several Chinese clients in recent years , signing off on a deal with CUSEF in 2016 and the Chinese embassy in 2017 .
BLJ Worldwide 's latest lobbying disclosures—signed by Brown himself in 2019—show that the two Chinese entities are the only foreign government clients for the firm 's U.S. operations .
The disclosures show that CUSEF has paid Brown 's firm $ 3,341,156 in consulting fees and expenses since 2016 , while the Chinese embassy paid $ 624,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment , referring all questions to its lobbying disclosures .
CUSEF , which was established to promote `` constructive dialogue '' between the United States and China , has faced accusations that it is a conduit of Chinese influence operations in the United States .
Such allegations mostly stem from the fact that the nonprofit is led by former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa , who also serves as the vice chairman of the Chinese People 's Political Consultative Conference , one of the highest political bodies in the Chinese government .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ CUSEF 's ties to the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP ) are an issue of grave concern , '' Sen. Ted Cruz ( R. , Texas ) wrote in 2018 .
The lobbying disclosures reveal how Brown 's firm has helped CUSEF overcome its controversial origins and befriend American journalists .
Since 2016 , BLJ Worldwide has helped organize trips to China for journalists working for more than a dozen outlets , including the New Yorker , CNBC , Vox , and Financial Times .
The company offered similar CUSEF-backed trips to at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arranged meetings on behalf of CUSEF with 11 other media organizations , such as the Washington Post , Associated Press , the Economist , and the Atlantic .
CUSEF did not respond to requests for comment .
Some of these trips have resulted in favorable coverage of the authoritarian country .
In 2018 , a Vox journalist participated in a CUSEF-sponsored trip to China , which took place during President Donald Trump 's summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un .
He wrote an article that declared China `` the big winner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who BLJ helped make available to reporters .
When the Trump administration took over in 2017 and pivoted toward a more confrontational China policy , the Chinese embassy turned to CUSEF to manage its public outreach efforts .
Brown 's team helped amplify the voice of Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai , placing his op-eds in CNN and Time magazine .
The firm also offered at least six media-training sessions for Chinese diplomats and provided `` talking points '' and `` advice '' about trade and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The company also surveys the internet on behalf of the Chinese embassy , submitting twice-daily social media monitoring briefs and once-daily end-of-day media monitoring reports .
BLJ Worldwide also runs the social media accounts for the regime , overseeing the launch of the embassy 's Facebook page in 2017 .
The Chinese embassy did not respond to requests for comment .
`` BLJ has endeavored to provide the Embassy with constant monitoring of key issues , and conduct crisis management and communications when necessary , '' read the August 2019 disclosure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded to requests for comment .

The Beatles manager who orchestrated the ill-advised wedding between John Lennon and Yoko Ono is now the Chinese government's pointman to build ties between Beijing and American journalists and officials.
Peter Brown, who managed the world-famous band until its disbandment in 1970, now uses his public relations skills to advance the interests of the Chinese regime. Brown, through his firm BLJ Worldwide, has arranged dozens of American reporters to visit China on all-expenses-paid trips and placed pro-Chinese op-eds in top U.S. outlets.
The Chinese embassy in the United States and the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (CUSEF)—a registered foreign agent with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party—have paid nearly $4 million to Brown's firm since 2016. As part of the contract with the embassy, Brown's team provided media training to Chinese diplomats, monitored news reports about China, and assisted "crisis communications" on key issues such as the trade war and the annual Communist Party Congress.
"The protectionist and economically nationalist approach leads to no solution. A trade war is absolutely a wrong choice, which will only destroy trade itself," read a 2018 Time magazine op-ed written by Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai. Brown's firm helped place that op-ed in the magazine.
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.), who sits on the GOP China Task Force, blasted Brown's decision to work with Beijing as "shameful."
"Peter Brown profited off of America's openness and now does the bidding of totalitarian communists who never would have tolerated a band like the Beatles. It's shameful," Banks told the Washington Free Beacon. "Maybe he took songs like 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' a little too seriously, but the song 'Money' probably gets closer to his motivations."
Brown did not respond to a request for comment.
This is not Brown's first rodeo with an authoritarian government. He has rubbed shoulders with the leaders of dictatorial regimes worldwide, working with controversial clients, including the family of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and Libya's late dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Brown has embraced the notoriety—and the millions—that comes with aiding dictators abroad. "I would love to take on Iran as a client," he once told the Financial Times in 2011. "There are areas of commonality that ought to be exploited."
Brown, who took over as the Beatles manager after his predecessor's untimely death in 1967, was intimately involved in the personal life of its members, serving as the best man for Lennon and Ono's wedding. The former manager continued to capitalize on the band's fame after it disbanded, publishing an explosive tell-all book in 1983 that People magazine said was teeming with "malodorous spirit." In the book, Brown revealed many dark secrets about the band—such as the existence of Paul McCartney's illegitimate 19-year-old son—enraging the band members.
Brown launched his public relations outfit in 1983, the same year he published his tell-all book. BLJ Worldwide has grown into a high-end boutique P.R. firm, raking in millions of dollars by participating in an illicit "black ops" smear campaign on behalf of Qatar's soccer World Cup bid, placing photoshoots of Bashar al-Assad's wife in Vogue magazine, and organizing Gaddafi's 2009 visit to U.N. headquarters.
The U.S. branch of the company has taken on several Chinese clients in recent years, signing off on a deal with CUSEF in 2016 and the Chinese embassy in 2017.
BLJ Worldwide's latestForeign Agents Registration Act (FARA) disclosures—signed by Brown himself in 2019—show that the two Chinese entities are the only foreign government clients for the firm's U.S. operations. The disclosures show that CUSEF has paid Brown's firm $3,341,156 in consulting fees and expenses since 2016, while the Chinese embassy paid $624,000 since 2017. BLJ Worldwide declined to comment, referring all questions to its FARA disclosures.
CUSEF, which was established to promote "constructive dialogue" between the United States and China, has faced accusations that it is a conduit of Chinese influence operations in the United States. Such allegations mostly stem from the fact that the nonprofit is led by former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, who also serves as the vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, one of the highest political bodies in the Chinese government.
"Operating as a pseudo-philanthropic foundation, CUSEF's ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are an issue of grave concern," Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) wrote in 2018.
The disclosures reveal how Brown's firm has helped CUSEF overcome its controversial origins and befriend American journalists. Since 2016, BLJ Worldwide has helped organize trips to China for journalists working for more than a dozen outlets, including the New Yorker, CNBC, Vox, and Financial Times. The company offered similar CUSEF-backed trips to at least five former members of Congress and arranged meetings on behalf of CUSEF with 11 other media organizations, such as the Washington Post, Associated Press, the Economist, and the Atlantic. CUSEF did not respond to requests for comment.
Some of these trips have resulted in favorable coverage of the authoritarian country. In 2018, a Vox journalist participated in a CUSEF-sponsored trip to China, which took place during President Donald Trump's summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. He wrote an article that declared China "the big winner of the Trump-Kim summit," citing quotes from a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who BLJ helped make available to reporters.
When the Trump administration took over in 2017 and pivoted toward a more confrontational China policy, the Chinese embassy turned to BLJ to manage its public outreach efforts. Brown's team helped amplify the voice of Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai, placing his op-eds in CNN and Time magazine. The firm also offered at least six media-training sessions for Chinese diplomats and provided "talking points" and "advice" about trade and tariffs issues, according to the disclosures.
The company also surveys the internet on behalf of the Chinese embassy, submitting twice-daily social media monitoring briefs and once-daily end-of-day media monitoring reports. BLJ Worldwide also runs the social media accounts for the regime, overseeing the launch of the embassy's Facebook page in 2017. The Chinese embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
"BLJ has endeavored to provide the Embassy with constant monitoring of key issues, and conduct crisis management and communications when necessary," read the August 2019 disclosure.
Neither Ono nor the surviving Beatles members responded to requests for comment.