Podcasts about foreign affairs

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Afghanistan: Existential moment for leaderless Al Qaeda. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ayman-al-zawahri-killed-taliban-say-they-didnt-know-al-qaeda-leader-was-in-kabul/

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Eswatini: #PRC threatens. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini https://eturbonews.com/eswatini-caught-between-taiwan-and-china-means-great-danger/

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Taiwan: #PRC Xi's  frustrated demonstration. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.ft.com/content/1db5c90e-32cf-4548-8eb0-bed27335f4e3

After a week of extensive Chinese military exercises, the US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, says that China will not be allowed to isolate Taiwan. Democratic Congressman and Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks travelled with her to Taiwan last week, and tells us they have absolutely no regrets. Also in the programme: a BBC investigation has uncovered a system of organised torture in Russia's prison system; we speak to the UN's Special Rapporteur on Torture. And why are children in London being offered the polio vaccine? (Image: U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, answers questions during a news conference about the recent Congressional delegation trip to the Indo-Pacific region, with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. August 10, 2022 / Credit: Reuters / Evelyn Hockstein)

When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the White House's new strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, he referenced Afrobarometer polling data to validate Washington's renewed emphasis on democracy promotion. The following day, in criticizing the new U.S. policy towards Africa, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also used Afrobarometer data to make the case for Beijing's engagement strategy on the continent.What's interesting is that they're both right. The Afrobarometer polling data undermines the simple narratives that too often frame the discourse about how Africans view their ties with these two powers.Afrobarometer CEO Joseph Asunka joins Eric & Cobus to discuss what's behind these seemingly contradictory perspectives and which direction public opinion towards the U.S. and China is trending.SHOW NOTES:Afrobarometer: Africans welcome China's influence but maintain democratic aspirations: https://bit.ly/3Ac39FtAfrobarometer: China has invested deeply in Africa. We checked to see whether that is undermining democracy: https://bit.ly/3vSjNr2JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @joeasunkaFacebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectFOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC:Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChineعربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfrJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaprojectSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Germany: EU: Reopen the coal faces and import coal from Australia. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/germany-is-firing-up-old-coal-plants-sparking-fears-climate-goals-will-go-up-in-smoke/ar-AA10aXr9

James M. Lindsay sits down with Ali Wyne, senior analyst of Global Macro-Geopolitics at Eurasia Group, to discuss great power competition and the growing rivalry between the United States and China, and Russia.   Mentioned on the Podcast   Ali Wyne, America's Great Power Opportunity, 2022   Gerald Segel, “Does China Matter?,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 1999   Nadège Rolland, “China's Southern Strategy: Beijing Is Using the Global South to Constrain America,” Foreign Affairs, June 9, 2022   Bonny Lin and Jude Blanchette, “China on the Offensive: How the Ukraine War Has Changed Beijing's Strategy,” Foreign Affairs, August 1, 2022   Suzanne Mettler and Robert C. Liberman, Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy, 2020   Suzanne Mettler, “Democracy Tested: Democratic Crises in U.S. History,” The President's Inbox, August 3, 2022

The second part of this Raisina Podcast on India-Africa trade relations continues with the preceding discourse on food security and mechanization of production. People-centric approach holds the key to leapfrog towards sustainable economic growth, claim experts. “If you combine India and Africa and look at the population that we contribute, under-development is going to cost us very highly as a world, as a globe. Therefore we can only invest in development first because if we put development first, we can develop sustainably.”, states Usta Kaitesi, CEO, Rwanda Governance Board, Rwanda So, what nature of transformation in leadership is required to achieve the development goals set for the two continents? How can strategic partnerships in technology drive the abatement of climate change and its impact on food production? What challenges lie ahead in the threatened multilateral system for free trade and protection? How will all of it impact connectivity and commerce with other global partners? Join the final part of the ‘Out of Africa: Leading on Trade and Economic Integration' podcast to analyze these fundamental questions and draw on potential technology agreements to push agricultural innovation. Speakers: Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Deputy Minister Political and Economic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, India Usta Kaitesi, CEO, Rwanda Governance Board, Rwanda Moderator: Omneya Ghamry, Programme Manager, Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Egypt The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media and civil society are hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy matters. The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs. For More ORF Podcast Click Here: www.orfonline.org/podcasts/

Russian President Putin met with Turkish President Erdogan in Sochi on Friday, making this the leaders' second meeting in just over two weeks. The meeting comes as Russia is turning to Turkey and other potential new trading partners as it tries to circumvent Western sanctions - reportedly setting off alarms that the Kremlin could strengthen economic ties with a NATO country that has not joined in on imposing sanctions on Moscow. Also, a top priority for Erdogan going into this meeting was also securing a green light from Moscow for a Turkish military incursion into northern Syria. Expert Alan Makovsky joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the main takeaways from this latest meeting between Erdogan and Putin, break down Western concerns over the deepening economic ties between the two countries, and look at the feeling in Washington as these developments unfold.Alan Makovsky is a senior fellow for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress, and has worked on Turkey and the region in several capacities, including as a senior staff member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House of Representatives and at the State Department.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Russia turns to Turkey, other trading partners to blunt sanctions' impactPutin hosts Erdogan for talks on trade, Ukraine, SyriaGrief over fire at Istanbul's Balikli Greek HospitalVartholomaios laments ‘blow' to Greek diasporaElpidophoros vows diaspora help in restoring Istanbul hospitalGreece's intelligence chief resigns amid spyware scandalGreece: Spy chief quits amid Predator spyware furor

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #PRC: #Syria: Israel: Louis Dugit-Gros, a 2021-2022 Visiting Fellow at The Washington Institute, is a French diplomat and member of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères). Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/how-respond-chinas-growing-influence-gulf https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-years-of-blooming-trade-some-see-israel-china-relationship-start-to-sour/ https://breakingdefense.com/2022/07/new-chinese-aid-for-syria-sets-off-alarms-in-israel/

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #UN: #Israel: Galit Baram- Galit Baram is the Special Emissary for Community Outreach, North America Division, at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-713941 https://mondoweiss.net/2022/07/the-un-is-investigating-the-root-causes-of-violence-between-israelis-and-palestinians/ https://mondoweiss.net/2022/07/un-commission-of-inquiry-chair-defends-colleague-against-antisemitism-smears/ https://www.tv7israelnews.com/israel-un-inquiry-anti-semitic/ https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-713568

China mounted an intercontinental media response throughout the Global South this week to rage against U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Managing Editor Cobus van Staden and Francophone Editor Geraud Neema break down why developing countries, including several in Africa, who have repeatedly said they want to stay out of the U.S.-China standoff, decided to weigh in on this controversy.Plus, a preview of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming Africa tour and what a Tesla battery deal with Chinese suppliers reveals the realities facing the U.S. and other governments that want to get China out of their strategic supply chains.JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Twitter: @ChinaGSProject| @stadenesque | @eric_olander | @christiangeraudFacebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProjectFOLLOW CAP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC:Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChineعربي: www.akhbaralsin-africia.com | @AkhbarAlSinAfrJOIN US ON PATREON!Become a CAP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CAP Podcast mug!www.patreon.com/chinaafricaprojectSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow  #PRC: #Taiwan:Xi gambles and loses. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwans-defence-ministry-china-aims-threaten-key-ports-cities-with-drills-2022-08-02/

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #AfterAfghanistan: #AlQaeda: Fighting the last war in Kabul. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.reuters.com/world/little-known-modified-hellfire-likely-killed-al-qaedas-zawahiri-2022-08-02/

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022. Today we’ve got drama overseas, as Nancy Pelosi defies China’s warnings, in her visit to Taiwan… Then close to home, the DOJ sues Idaho over law imposing a ‘near total ban on abortion’... this and more on this news brief…. But first: Dropwave Do you have a podcast, or thinking about starting one? Does your church have a podcast feed for sermons? The Dropwave.io is for you. Cancel culture is like walking on a thin glass bridge over the Grand Canyon. Every step you take could get you killed, I mean canceled. Since the beginning CrossPolitic has been working on being antifragile, so no matter what happens, our content can still be delivered to your tv and to your podcast. This past year, the Waterboy and his friend Jeremi, have been working on building a podcast hosting solution for rowdy platforms like CrossPolitic, so that you can be confident your podcast will never fall through that glass bridge. Dropwave offers seamless onboarding for shows that have been around for years to easy to use solutions for starting your own podcast. Dropwave will track all your show’s downloads by city, state, and country, and it offers network and enterprise packages for solutions like the Fight Laugh Feast Network. Free to speak, Free to podcast, free to start your journey now at www.Dropwave.io. Alright, back to China… they’re not happy with Nancy Pelosi… who is though? https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-furious-pelosi-lands-taiwan-promises-all-necessary-measures-defend-itself China furious after Pelosi lands in Taiwan, promises 'all necessary measures' to defend itself The People's Republic of China released a lengthy statement Tuesday condemning the arrival of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island of Taiwan. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the statement, in which the Chinese government accuses Pelosi, D-Calif., of undermining U.S.-China relations and encouraging the "separatist forces for ‘Taiwan independence.’" Pelosi landed in Taiwan late Tuesday night local time, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island since Newt Gingrich in 1997. "This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote. "There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China." The People's Republic of China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, the relatively narrow strip of ocean between the island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The Chinese military has frequently sent planes into the area, testing Taiwan's air defense zone. The USS Ronald Reagan and a strike group are currently positioned near Taiwan after they left a port in Singapore on Tuesday. A Navy spokesperson confirmed the news but said it was a planned trip. Pelosi is traveling with a House delegation that includes Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Mark Takano of California, Suzan DelBene of Washington, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Andy Kim of New Jersey. Here’s more from Fox News on this developing situation: China issues new threats after Pelosi lands in Taiwan-Play 0:52-2:30 The world awaits… it’s going to be interesting to see what our Lord has in store through this situation developing in Taiwan… Let’s shift our eyes back to the U.S. as Idaho is in the news… https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/doj-sues-idaho-over-state-law-near-total-abortion-ban DOJ sues Idaho over law imposing 'near-total ban' on abortion The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Idaho over the state's law banning abortion after six weeks, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Tuesday. The legal filing marks the first time President Joe Biden's Justice Department launched a challenge against a state for abortion restrictions since the landmark June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overturned a half-century of abortion access precedent, which the president decried as a "realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court." The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, contends that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act preempts the state law. The federal law requires physicians to perform medically stabilizing abortions in an emergency. Garland explained there are circumstances in which abortion is "necessary" if a patient is undergoing an unstable condition during pregnancy. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, who leads the reproductive rights task force, said the DOJ is seeking a declaratory judgment that Idaho's law "violates the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution and is preempted by federal law where it conflicts with EMTALA." The federal agency's lawsuit noted that the state has "passed a near-absolute ban on abortion,” which after taking effect on Aug. 25 will make it a criminal offense to perform an abortion “in all but extremely narrow circumstances.” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra also released a statement following the DOJ's announcement, saying the department will continue to partner with the DOJ to enforce federal laws protecting healthcare "including abortions." Meanwhile, the Idaho Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments Wednesday on challenges over its near-total abortion ban, according to the Idaho Press. Attorneys for Idaho will seek to protect three separate restrictive abortion laws passed by the state. Ladies and gentleman, please keep our state in your prayers as a legal battle takes center stage. We wish to see this abomination of abortion brought down in Idaho, and this would be a huge step. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/01/health/california-newsom-state-of-emergency-monkeypox/index.html Elsewhere in the US, California and Illinois declare states of emergency over monkeypox outbreak This is from CNN. The governors of California and Illinois declared states of emergency to bolster their monkeypox vaccination efforts as the virus spreads nationwide. Monday's declarations come as more than 5,800 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in the US. California had more than 800 cases Tuesday, while Illinois had more than 500, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, the Biden administration has not issued a nationwide public health emergency declaration. California is the third and largest state to issue a statewide declaration related to the disease. New York was the first to do so. California's move allows emergency medical services personnel throughout the state to administer FDA-approved monkeypox vaccines, expanding the pool of people able to inoculate residents against the virus even as a vaccine shortage persists. Illinois' declaration also will make more resources available to combat the virus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. The Chicago and state public health departments announced Illinois' first presumptive case June 2. Monkeypox is a poxvirus, related to smallpox, that usually causes pimple- or blister-like lesions, as well as flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills and respiratory symptoms, according to the CDC. And guys, great news, I found out a great way to avoid Monkey Pox, here it is… don’t be gay! Be heterosexual, and find a godly man or woman to marry, and you’re home free! Yes I realize it’s probably not that simple. But anyways… California has received more than 61,000 vaccine doses so far and distributed more than 25,000, according to the governor's news release. Los Angeles County has received its own vaccine allocation, and state officials said California will make additional allocations in the coming weeks. Last week, Sodom… oh wait I mean, San Francisco became the first major US city to declare a local health emergency on monkeypox. Now hidden towards the bottom of CNN’s article is this following paragraph: “A large number of cases in this outbreak have been in men who have sex with men, including gay and bisexual men, and public health officials are focusing their prevention efforts on this group. The virus is not unique to this community, but the nature of its close-contact spread has led to a disproportionate impact.” Following the emergency declaration in California, Equality California, a major LGBT rights nonprofit organization, applauded the governor's move, noting in a statement that the virus "continues to disproportionately affect gay, bisexual and queer men here in California and across the country." Hey speaking of gays, are you being discriminated against at your work place because you hold to the Bible? Then you need to talk to my friends at RedBalloon.work. Redballoon Not so long ago, the American dream was alive and well. Employees who worked hard were rewarded, and employers looked for people who could do the job, not for people who had the right political views. RedBalloon.work is a job site designed to get us back to what made American businesses successful: free speech, hard work, and having fun. If you are a free speech employer who wants to hire employees who focus on their work and not identity politics, then post a job on RedBalloon. If you are an employee who is being censored at work or is being forced to comply with the current zeitgeist, post your resume on RedBalloon and look for a new job. redballoon.work, the job site where free speech is still alive! www.redballoon.work Alright, enough of that happy stuff from our friends at reballoon, let’s get back to our corrupt society! https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/01/phillip-magness-facebook-recession-fack-check/ ‘Orwellian Hellscape’: Top Economist Says Facebook Fact-Checked Recession Claim To Cover For White House A top economist slammed Facebook’s “Orwellian” fact-checking system after he was given a “partly false” rating for stating the U.S. entered a recession. Dr. Phillip Magness, the research and education director at the American Institute for Economic Research, shared a screenshot of a recent post from July 24 that Facebook fact-checked. “Independent fact-checkers reviewed the photo and said it was partly false,” the fact-check read. “Facebook added a notice to the post.” Magness called the fact-check “Orwellian.” “We live in an Orwellian hell-scape,” Magness posted. “Facebook is now ‘fact-checking’ anyone who questions the White House’s word-games about the definition of a recession.” Magness furthered his assertion in a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) op-ed that the U.S. is, in fact, in a recession, and that the Biden administration is trying to cover it up by “playing word games.” Newly released data shows the real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 0.9% in the second quarter of 2022, marking the second consecutive quarter of negative GDP growth. While the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) uses several factors to determine whether the U.S. is in a recession, economist Julius Shiskin wrote in 1974 that two consecutive quarters of declining GDP is a good rule of thumb to define a recession, with that definition becoming somewhat of a standard. The White House has gone out of its way to deny that the economy is in a recession, with President Joe Biden declaring Thursday the state of the economy “doesn’t sound like a recession.” The White House also posted a blog that said the NBER indicated there is a “strong growth in the U.S. economy” and therefore the current state of things does not indicate a recession. Things have become so confusing that Wikipedia had to place a pause on editing the term “recession” after the definition was altered 41 times within roughly one week. Users repeatedly deleted the technical definition that described a recession as having two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. So, you guys know me… I love to end my segments with my favorite topic, sports! Well today I’m not going to talk about sports, I’m going to talk about NASCAR. Oh zinger! Now I know… I know… your body goes through a lot of stress in NASCAR, I get it… let’s just get into the story… Ty Dillon After Getting Run Over By Kyle Larson: “Luckily The Good Lord Was Keeping An Eye Out For Me, Keeping Me Safe” Ty Dillon thanked God for keeping him safe after Kyle Larson slammed into during the events of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson ran over Dillon going around 170 mph coming into the sharp right hand turn 1. As Larson attempted to make the corner with Dillon on his outside, he launched over the curb into Dillon’s door. Kyle Larson has issue, slams into Ty Dillon at Indy- Play 1:35-2:26 Well Thank God both drivers were okay. As I’ve said before you can find all of the articles and sources for our newsbriefs in the show notes, and you’ll be able to see the crash for yourselves, and it could have been a lot worse. This has been your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief… If you liked the show, hit that share button for me would ya? If you want to sign up for a club membership, sign up for our conference, or become a magazine subscriber, you could do all of that at fightlaughfeast.com, and if you want to reach out to me about corporate partnerships, our conference, or just a news story you want me to cover, email me at garrison@fightlaughfeast.com… For CrossPolitic news, I’m Garrison Hardie. Have a great day, and Lord bless.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Russia: #Germany: #Ukraine: Out of time and ideas in Berlin. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/scholz-visit-nord-stream-1-gas-turbine-germany-2022-08-02/

GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Dr Stephanie Seneff is a Senior Research Scientist at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. She has a BS degree from MIT in biology and MS, EE and PhD degrees from MIT in electrical engineering and computer science. Her recent interests have focused on the role of toxic chemicals and micronutrient deficiencies in health and disease, with a special emphasis on the pervasive herbicide, glyphosate, and the mineral, sulfur. Since 2008, she has authored over three dozen peer-reviewed journal papers on these topics. She is the author of a book on glyphosate, titled "Toxic Legacy: How the Weedkiller Glyphosate Is Destroying Our Health and the Environment", which was released by Chelsea Green publishers on July 1 2021. This book was selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best non-fiction books of 2021. GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: The Honorable Matthew Robson is an Auckland barrister, and a former cabinet Minister of the New Zealand Parliament. In the Labour-Alliance coalition government of 1999 to 2002, he was Minister of Disarmament, Minister of Corrections, Minister for Courts, Minister for Land Information, and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (with responsibility for foreign aid).

Tento týden vysíláme speciální díly Vinohradské 12. Získali jsme pět dlouhých článků z pěti různých světových médií. Třetí text je z amerického časopisu mezinárodních vztahů Foreign Affairs. O tom, co kdyby se válka na Ukrajině vymkla z rukou a jak se připravit na nezamýšlenou eskalaci.

Tento týden vysíláme speciální díly Vinohradské 12. Získali jsme pět dlouhých článků z pěti různých světových médií. Třetí text je z amerického časopisu mezinárodních vztahů Foreign Affairs. O tom, co kdyby se válka na Ukrajině vymkla z rukou a jak se připravit na nezamýšlenou eskalaci.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022. Today we’ve got drama overseas, as Nancy Pelosi defies China’s warnings, in her visit to Taiwan… Then close to home, the DOJ sues Idaho over law imposing a ‘near total ban on abortion’... this and more on this news brief…. But first: Dropwave Do you have a podcast, or thinking about starting one? Does your church have a podcast feed for sermons? The Dropwave.io is for you. Cancel culture is like walking on a thin glass bridge over the Grand Canyon. Every step you take could get you killed, I mean canceled. Since the beginning CrossPolitic has been working on being antifragile, so no matter what happens, our content can still be delivered to your tv and to your podcast. This past year, the Waterboy and his friend Jeremi, have been working on building a podcast hosting solution for rowdy platforms like CrossPolitic, so that you can be confident your podcast will never fall through that glass bridge. Dropwave offers seamless onboarding for shows that have been around for years to easy to use solutions for starting your own podcast. Dropwave will track all your show’s downloads by city, state, and country, and it offers network and enterprise packages for solutions like the Fight Laugh Feast Network. Free to speak, Free to podcast, free to start your journey now at www.Dropwave.io. Alright, back to China… they’re not happy with Nancy Pelosi… who is though? https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-furious-pelosi-lands-taiwan-promises-all-necessary-measures-defend-itself China furious after Pelosi lands in Taiwan, promises 'all necessary measures' to defend itself The People's Republic of China released a lengthy statement Tuesday condemning the arrival of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island of Taiwan. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published the statement, in which the Chinese government accuses Pelosi, D-Calif., of undermining U.S.-China relations and encouraging the "separatist forces for ‘Taiwan independence.’" Pelosi landed in Taiwan late Tuesday night local time, making her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island since Newt Gingrich in 1997. "This is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It has a severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote. "There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China." The People's Republic of China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, the relatively narrow strip of ocean between the island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The Chinese military has frequently sent planes into the area, testing Taiwan's air defense zone. The USS Ronald Reagan and a strike group are currently positioned near Taiwan after they left a port in Singapore on Tuesday. A Navy spokesperson confirmed the news but said it was a planned trip. Pelosi is traveling with a House delegation that includes Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Mark Takano of California, Suzan DelBene of Washington, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Andy Kim of New Jersey. Here’s more from Fox News on this developing situation: China issues new threats after Pelosi lands in Taiwan-Play 0:52-2:30 The world awaits… it’s going to be interesting to see what our Lord has in store through this situation developing in Taiwan… Let’s shift our eyes back to the U.S. as Idaho is in the news… https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/doj-sues-idaho-over-state-law-near-total-abortion-ban DOJ sues Idaho over law imposing 'near-total ban' on abortion The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Idaho over the state's law banning abortion after six weeks, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Tuesday. The legal filing marks the first time President Joe Biden's Justice Department launched a challenge against a state for abortion restrictions since the landmark June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overturned a half-century of abortion access precedent, which the president decried as a "realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court." The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, contends that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act preempts the state law. The federal law requires physicians to perform medically stabilizing abortions in an emergency. Garland explained there are circumstances in which abortion is "necessary" if a patient is undergoing an unstable condition during pregnancy. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, who leads the reproductive rights task force, said the DOJ is seeking a declaratory judgment that Idaho's law "violates the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution and is preempted by federal law where it conflicts with EMTALA." The federal agency's lawsuit noted that the state has "passed a near-absolute ban on abortion,” which after taking effect on Aug. 25 will make it a criminal offense to perform an abortion “in all but extremely narrow circumstances.” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra also released a statement following the DOJ's announcement, saying the department will continue to partner with the DOJ to enforce federal laws protecting healthcare "including abortions." Meanwhile, the Idaho Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments Wednesday on challenges over its near-total abortion ban, according to the Idaho Press. Attorneys for Idaho will seek to protect three separate restrictive abortion laws passed by the state. Ladies and gentleman, please keep our state in your prayers as a legal battle takes center stage. We wish to see this abomination of abortion brought down in Idaho, and this would be a huge step. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/01/health/california-newsom-state-of-emergency-monkeypox/index.html Elsewhere in the US, California and Illinois declare states of emergency over monkeypox outbreak This is from CNN. The governors of California and Illinois declared states of emergency to bolster their monkeypox vaccination efforts as the virus spreads nationwide. Monday's declarations come as more than 5,800 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in the US. California had more than 800 cases Tuesday, while Illinois had more than 500, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, the Biden administration has not issued a nationwide public health emergency declaration. California is the third and largest state to issue a statewide declaration related to the disease. New York was the first to do so. California's move allows emergency medical services personnel throughout the state to administer FDA-approved monkeypox vaccines, expanding the pool of people able to inoculate residents against the virus even as a vaccine shortage persists. Illinois' declaration also will make more resources available to combat the virus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. The Chicago and state public health departments announced Illinois' first presumptive case June 2. Monkeypox is a poxvirus, related to smallpox, that usually causes pimple- or blister-like lesions, as well as flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills and respiratory symptoms, according to the CDC. And guys, great news, I found out a great way to avoid Monkey Pox, here it is… don’t be gay! Be heterosexual, and find a godly man or woman to marry, and you’re home free! Yes I realize it’s probably not that simple. But anyways… California has received more than 61,000 vaccine doses so far and distributed more than 25,000, according to the governor's news release. Los Angeles County has received its own vaccine allocation, and state officials said California will make additional allocations in the coming weeks. Last week, Sodom… oh wait I mean, San Francisco became the first major US city to declare a local health emergency on monkeypox. Now hidden towards the bottom of CNN’s article is this following paragraph: “A large number of cases in this outbreak have been in men who have sex with men, including gay and bisexual men, and public health officials are focusing their prevention efforts on this group. The virus is not unique to this community, but the nature of its close-contact spread has led to a disproportionate impact.” Following the emergency declaration in California, Equality California, a major LGBT rights nonprofit organization, applauded the governor's move, noting in a statement that the virus "continues to disproportionately affect gay, bisexual and queer men here in California and across the country." Hey speaking of gays, are you being discriminated against at your work place because you hold to the Bible? Then you need to talk to my friends at RedBalloon.work. Redballoon Not so long ago, the American dream was alive and well. Employees who worked hard were rewarded, and employers looked for people who could do the job, not for people who had the right political views. RedBalloon.work is a job site designed to get us back to what made American businesses successful: free speech, hard work, and having fun. If you are a free speech employer who wants to hire employees who focus on their work and not identity politics, then post a job on RedBalloon. If you are an employee who is being censored at work or is being forced to comply with the current zeitgeist, post your resume on RedBalloon and look for a new job. redballoon.work, the job site where free speech is still alive! www.redballoon.work Alright, enough of that happy stuff from our friends at reballoon, let’s get back to our corrupt society! https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/01/phillip-magness-facebook-recession-fack-check/ ‘Orwellian Hellscape’: Top Economist Says Facebook Fact-Checked Recession Claim To Cover For White House A top economist slammed Facebook’s “Orwellian” fact-checking system after he was given a “partly false” rating for stating the U.S. entered a recession. Dr. Phillip Magness, the research and education director at the American Institute for Economic Research, shared a screenshot of a recent post from July 24 that Facebook fact-checked. “Independent fact-checkers reviewed the photo and said it was partly false,” the fact-check read. “Facebook added a notice to the post.” Magness called the fact-check “Orwellian.” “We live in an Orwellian hell-scape,” Magness posted. “Facebook is now ‘fact-checking’ anyone who questions the White House’s word-games about the definition of a recession.” Magness furthered his assertion in a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) op-ed that the U.S. is, in fact, in a recession, and that the Biden administration is trying to cover it up by “playing word games.” Newly released data shows the real GDP decreased at an annual rate of 0.9% in the second quarter of 2022, marking the second consecutive quarter of negative GDP growth. While the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) uses several factors to determine whether the U.S. is in a recession, economist Julius Shiskin wrote in 1974 that two consecutive quarters of declining GDP is a good rule of thumb to define a recession, with that definition becoming somewhat of a standard. The White House has gone out of its way to deny that the economy is in a recession, with President Joe Biden declaring Thursday the state of the economy “doesn’t sound like a recession.” The White House also posted a blog that said the NBER indicated there is a “strong growth in the U.S. economy” and therefore the current state of things does not indicate a recession. Things have become so confusing that Wikipedia had to place a pause on editing the term “recession” after the definition was altered 41 times within roughly one week. Users repeatedly deleted the technical definition that described a recession as having two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. So, you guys know me… I love to end my segments with my favorite topic, sports! Well today I’m not going to talk about sports, I’m going to talk about NASCAR. Oh zinger! Now I know… I know… your body goes through a lot of stress in NASCAR, I get it… let’s just get into the story… Ty Dillon After Getting Run Over By Kyle Larson: “Luckily The Good Lord Was Keeping An Eye Out For Me, Keeping Me Safe” Ty Dillon thanked God for keeping him safe after Kyle Larson slammed into during the events of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson ran over Dillon going around 170 mph coming into the sharp right hand turn 1. As Larson attempted to make the corner with Dillon on his outside, he launched over the curb into Dillon’s door. Kyle Larson has issue, slams into Ty Dillon at Indy- Play 1:35-2:26 Well Thank God both drivers were okay. As I’ve said before you can find all of the articles and sources for our newsbriefs in the show notes, and you’ll be able to see the crash for yourselves, and it could have been a lot worse. This has been your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief… If you liked the show, hit that share button for me would ya? If you want to sign up for a club membership, sign up for our conference, or become a magazine subscriber, you could do all of that at fightlaughfeast.com, and if you want to reach out to me about corporate partnerships, our conference, or just a news story you want me to cover, email me at garrison@fightlaughfeast.com… For CrossPolitic news, I’m Garrison Hardie. Have a great day, and Lord bless.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Iran: #Russia; #Turkey: #PRC: Eurasia powers in the 21st Century. Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-russia-turkey-meetings-in-iran-aim-to-reshape-region-analysis/ar-AAZMUi5

Tento týden vysíláme speciální díly Vinohradské 12. Získali jsme pět dlouhých článků z pěti různých světových médií. Třetí text je z amerického časopisu mezinárodních vztahů Foreign Affairs. O tom, co kdyby se válka na Ukrajině vymkla z rukou a jak se připravit na nezamýšlenou eskalaci.Všechny díly podcastu Vinohradská 12 můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

In this episode Katrina Burrus interviews Salomé Trambach who provides coaching and advice to leaders & entrepreneurs by elevating and empowering them so they can create more of an impact in life across cultures. What have you learned about leadership from working in 7 very different countries and cultures across the globe? How can leaders show up authentically in their day-to-day leadership role? Why is self-awareness important for leadership success? What questions should leaders be asking themselves daily to develop self-awareness? Salomé Trambach Salomé Trambach offers years of extraordinary success in a series of high level roles at top tier companies that include HybridLedelse.dk, Mentoring Club, LifeX, Softbank's Emerge Accelerator, China Experience, PriceWaterHouseCoopers Mexico, P.20, Gaia Solar, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Being the Founder for Salomé Trambach Leadership Coaching & Training, she provides coaching and advice to leaders & entrepreneurs by elevating and empowering them so they can create more of an impact in life. Salomé has dedicated herself and her vision as a leader who engages in projects with a committed attitude. Salomé has 8 years experience in leadership at International NPOs and Start-ups. Her experiences extends across many countries including Australia, Denmark, U.S.A., France, U.A.E, Ghana, Mexico & China. Excellent Executive Coaching Podcast If you have enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. We would love for you to leave a review. The EEC podcasts are sponsored by MKB Excellent Executive Coaching that helps you get from where you are to where you want to be with customized leadership and coaching development programs. MKB Excellent Executive Coaching offers leadership development programs to generate action, learning, and change that is aligned with your authentic self and values. Transform your dreams into reality and invest in yourself by scheduling a discovery session with Dr. Katrina Burrus, MCC to reach your goals. Your host is Dr. Katrina Burrus, MCC, founder and general manager of www.mkbconseil.ch a company specialized in leadership development and executive coaching.

On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan, marking a major escalation of U.S. aggression towards China. While this may not on it's face seem alarming, the reality is that the U.S. is playing with fire. 1979 was the last time that a U.S. head of state or member of the ruling party visited Taiwan. Since the 70's the official policy of the U.S. has been the One China policy, and this visit undermines this very policy. China's statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “These moves, like playing with fire, are extremely dangerous. Those who play with fire will perish by it.”In order to understand the unfolding situation, we are joined by Ken Hammon, Professor of East-Asian and Global History at New Mexico State and activist with Pivot to Peace.Support the show

Welcome to a special bonus episode celebrating the 29th ANNUAL CANADIAN GRAND PRIX NEW PRODUCT AWARDSSylvain and I are thrilled to be a sponsor of these prestigious awards for the third year in a row and have the chance to hand out the hardware on the stage to the winners in person for the first time!We had the opportunity to meet and get to know many fantastic food innovators and entrepreneurs, creators and makers - from consumer brands to private retail labels.   These are their stories.In this episode, meet  Mary Peluso, Director, Private Label Grocery, SobeysThanks for joining us on this special bonus episode of The Food Professor. Stay tuned for plenty of great interviews of the finalists from the Retail Council of Canada's Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards. And stay tuned for our regular full-length episodes available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google - wherever you enjoy your podcasts today.  About MaryA highly motivated, energetic individual with an extensive background in buying, planning and omni merchandising. I have led successful teams in both the retail and wholesale markets. My diverse background has given me commodity experience in all industries including : health and beauty, grocery and hardlines.About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability. He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star. Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada's top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  ,      The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext!  You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest adventure for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

WHAT'S NEW // CBS Dorrespondent Steven Portnoy on Al Queda leader who was killed. // SCENARIOS!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Africa has had a distinguished history in global trade right from discovering commercial trading routes in ancient times to establishing landmark trade agreements like AfCFTA. Sharing similar demographics and substantial history with Asia, it is interesting to analyze how the changing economic tides will impact bilateral commerce between these two parties.In the post-pandemic world, how can the two continents leverage their growing technologies to improve agricultural productivity and mechanize the agro sector? With new partnerships revolutionizing global value chains, can a ‘development first' approach help foster integration between Africa and India? How can India act with African countries on climate response to build enterprising economic models? Can diversity and inclusion hold the key to resilient economic recovery?Tune into the first part of this deep dive into Indo-African trade relations as our experts analyze their growing contribution to the new economic order.Speakers: Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, NigeriaKwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, Deputy Minister Political and Economic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, GhanaDammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, IndiaUsta Kaitesi, CEO, Rwanda Governance Board, Rwanda Moderator: Omneya Ghamry, Programme Manager, Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, EgyptThe Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media and civil society are hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy matters.The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs.#Raisina2022 #RaisinaDialogue #RaisinaDialogue2022 #ORF #trade #economy #AfricaEconomy #Africa #Asia #connectivity #commerce #internationaltrade

The topic of this episode is, “What role should Congress have in foreign affairs?” My guest is Alissa Ardito, the author of the book Machiavelli and the Modern State: The Prince, the Discourses on Livy, and the Extended Territorial Republic (Cambridge University Press, 2015). She has had a rich and varied career in governance, and she has thought deeply about legislatures and policymaking. Dr. Ardito has served as a general counsel at the Congressional Budget Office, and as an attorney advisor with the Administrative Conference of the United States. She received a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University, a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a B.A. from the University of Virginia—all of which makes her wise in the ways of statecraft. Kevin Kosar: Welcome to Understanding Congress, a podcast about the first branch of government. Congress is a notoriously complex institution, and few Americans think well of it, but Congress is essential to our republic. It's a place where our pluralistic society is supposed to work out its differences and come to agreement about what our laws should be. And that is why we are here: to discuss our national legislature and to think about ways to upgrade it so it can better serve our nation. I'm your host, Kevin Kosar, and I'm a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank in Washington, DC. Welcome to the podcast. Alissa Ardito: Thank you, Kevin. It's great to be here. Kevin Kosar: Let's start our inquiry with the Constitution, the foundation for our system of national self-governance. What constitutional powers does Congress have over foreign affairs? Alissa Ardito: Well, actually, if you look at the text of the Constitution, Congress has quite a lot of power over foreign affairs. The issue is that they are littered in various different parts of Section 8 and Section 10 of Article 1. I'll just mention a few. Actually, the first is Clause 1 of Section [8], tax and spend—the “Power To lay and collect Taxes…pay the Debts, and provide for the common Defence.” Congress also has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations; establish uniform rule of naturalization; define and punish piracies on the high seas; the great war power of Section 8, Clause 11, “To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.” And then it even moves in, arguably, to everything about raise and support armies, provide and maintain a navy, regulate and call forth the militia. And then you get into—I think [it's] fascinating—I would argue that Section 9, Clause 7, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law,” also constitutes a foreign affairs power. Then you get into all the limitations in Section 10 on states. The real concern was at the time of the Framing that they were exercising foreign relations independently. And then you can even move into Article 2 and the powers in the Senate, the treaty power and advise and consent on nominations as well. So, taken together, that's actually a pretty robust set of powers. Kevin Kosar: Yes, and these powers were, as you alluded to, scraped away from executive authority and scraped away from state authority and centered in the first branch: Congress. Now, Congress's authorities, we should probably also mention, go beyond those explicitly enumerated in the Constitution. Obviously there are a whole number of statutes that assign powers to Congress over foreign affairs, such as the War Powers Resolution, but additional legislative powers exist beyond that. For example, senators and members of the House can use their positions to raise the salience of issues, such as when Congress allows leaders of foreign nations to address it, or when legislators engage in legislative diplomacy and make trips abroad to meet with heads of state. There seems to be so much that Congress can do in foreign affairs. Is that right?...

President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping are exploring meeting in person, a senior administration official said after the leaders spent more than two hours Thursday talking through the future of their complicated relationship, with tension over Taiwan once again emerging as a flashpoint. Biden conducted the telephone call from the Oval Office, where he was joined by top aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The official declined to be identified to talk about the private conversation. When Biden was vice president, he spent long hours with Xi in the United States and China, an experience he often recalls as he talks about the two countries' opportunities for conflict and cooperation. However, they have not met in person since Biden became president last year. Xi has left mainland China only once, to visit Hong Kong, since the COVID-19 pandemic began. However, he's been formally invited to Indonesia in November for the next G20 summit of the world's leading economies, making the conference a potential location for a meeting with Biden. The latest strain over Taiwan is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit to the island, which has governed itself for decades but China asserts as part of its territory. Xi emphasized those claims during his call with Biden, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Those who play with fire will perish by it,” the ministry said. “It is hoped that the U.S. will be clear-eyed about this." The White House released its own description of the conversation about Taiwan, saying that Biden "underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” The goal of the call, which began at 8:33 a.m. EDT and ended at 10:50 a.m. EDT, was to “responsibly manage our differences and work together where our interests align,” the White House said. As usual, China left no doubt that it blames the U.S. for the deteriorating relationship between the two countries. “President Xi underscored that to approach and define China-US relations in terms of strategic competition and view China as the primary rival and the most serious long-term challenge would be misperceiving China-U.S. relations and misreading China's development, and would mislead the people of the two countries and the international community,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. While Beijing's warning about playing with fire over Taiwan generated attention Thursday, it didn't represent an escalation of Xi's usual diplomatic rhetoric, U.S. analysts said. “There's a whole lexicon of Chinese threat speech that he hasn't touched yet," said John Culver, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's China Hub. Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center think tank, noted that both countries said the conversation covered a wide range of topics, from the pandemic to climate change. She described that as “more positive than the two leaders informing each other, well, we're going to stick to our positions on Taiwan.” She also suggested that Xi may have an incentive to tamp down tensions as he seeks a third term as president. “They cannot afford to have the relationship with the United States ruptured,” she said. The call with Xi took place as Biden aims to find new ways to work with China and contain its influence around the world. Differing perspectives on global health, economic policy and human rights have long tested the relationship — with China's refusal to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine adding further strain. Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan has created another pressure point. Beijing has said it would view such a trip as a provocation, a threat U.S. officials are taking with heightened seriousness in light of Russia's incursion into Ukraine. “If the U.S. insists on going its own way and challenging China's bottom line, it will surely be met with forceful responses,” Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, told reporters earlier this week. “All ensuing consequences shall be borne by the U.S.” Pelosi would be the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to travel to Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he was House speaker. Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was “not a good idea” for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, said Wednesday that it was important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base. “The president wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to,” Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing. “There are issues where we can cooperate with China on, and there are issues where obviously there are friction and tension.” Biden and Xi last spoke in March, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “This is one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in the world today, with ramifications well beyond both individual countries,” Kirby said. Biden has moved to shift U.S. reliance off Chinese manufacturing, including final congressional approval Thursday of legislation to encourage semiconductor companies to build more high-tech plants in the U.S. He also wants to marshal global democracies to support infrastructure investments in low- and middle-income nations as an alternative to China's “Belt and Road Initiative,” which aims to boost China's trade with other global markets. Biden has kept in place Trump-era tariffs on many Chinese-manufactured goods in order to maintain leverage over Beijing. But he is weighing whether to ease at least some of them to lessen the impact of soaring inflation on American households. U.S. officials have also criticized China's “zero-COVID” policy of mass testing and lockdowns in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 in its territory, labeling it misguided and fretting that it will further slow global economic growth. Other points of strain include China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims, which the U.S. has declared a genocide, its militarization in the South China Sea and its global campaign of economic and political espionage. - by Chris Megerian, Zeke Miller and Ellen Knickmeyer, APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.