Podcasts about international narcotics

Former Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Todd Robinson spent much of his career under fire, of one kind or another. Listen to his candid views on corruption in Guatemala, blowing up ships without due process, and how to stop fentanyl from killing Americans.

China's Inroads In The AmericasIn this episode of GREAT POWER PODCAST, host Ilan Berman speaks with Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College about what China (as well as Russia and Iran) is up to, politically and strategically, south of the U.S. border.BIO:Dr. R. Evan Ellis is Latin America Research Professor with the U.S. Army War College, where his research is focused on China's engagement with Latin America and other regional security issues. In the first Trump administration, he served on the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff as the official responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as International Narcotics and Law Enforcement issues.

In  this enlightening episode of The Criminologist Podcast, host Joseph Arvidson sits down with Arshad Mahmood, a seasoned criminal justice professional with over 20 years of experience. Arshad has worked with various national and int4ernatiiona organizations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Penal Reform International (PR) and the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in Pakistan. Arshad shares his journey from heading the Punjab Probation and Parole Service to becoming a consultant, specializing in probation, juvenile justice, and protecting vulnerable populations.  His extensive background in policy development, management, and advocacy offers a unique perspective on the role of probation officers as community designers.  Join us as we delve into an array of topics, uncovering valuable lessons from Arshad's international experiences and his vision for systemic social change! Stay connected with The Criminologist Podcast: Email: thecriminologistpodcast@gmail.com Facebook and Instagram:  @thecriminologistpodcast Twitter: @crimmediagroup Linked In: Joseph Arvidson You Tube" The Criminologist Remember to subscribe, like and share, and leave us a review if you enjoyed this episode Together, we can continue to grow, learn, and make a positive impact on the world of criminal justice. Listen now and discover how we can design our communities for the better!      

Col. Grant Newsham, Senior Research Fellow at Japan Forum for Strategic Studies     I spoke with Colonel Grant Newsham about the challenge we are currently facing in terms of our various threats from the Chinese Communist Party. We explored their increasing efforts to use, naval power and their vast presence in ports and various shipping operations around the world to control freedom of the seas at our expense and that of our friends and allies and freedom more generally. Robet Charles, Former Assistant Secretary of State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author of "Eagles and Evergreens"  I visited with Robert Charles about a speech he made about the turning point action People's Convention, concerning the famous speech Ronald Reagan made about Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall, and why it is a call to our time as well. Dede Laugesen, Executive Director at Save The Persecuted Christians & Daniel Schmid Associate Vice President of Legal Affairs at Liberty Council   We spoke about the persecution of Christians around the world, but also in our country. We examined a series of court cases and their repercussions, as well as that of some federal policies for the demeaning and prejudicial control of Christians and their religious beliefs.

Robert Charles, Former Assistant Secretary of State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author of "Eagles and Evergreens".    Robert Charles and I discussed the dangers of an open border and the extent to which it's contributing to lawlessness.  We also discussed the insertion of potential fifth-column operators from the People's Liberation Army in China and others. We explored the contribution being made to the immense loss of life by our poorest frontier thanks to Chinese efforts to insinuate fentanyl and otherwise cultivate marijuana inside our country. Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Waller, President and CEO of the Center for Security Policy Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Waller and I discussed the extent to which our critical infrastructure, notably the electric grid, are at grave risk of being harmed by saboteurs, cyber warfare operatives, and others.

Robet Charles, Former Assistant Secretary of State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author of "Eagles and Evergreens".    We visited at length with Robert Charles about law-fare in America, the corrosion it is having on the rule of law, and respect for it. The consequences of Joe Biden's compromise by the Chinese Communist Party with highly corrosive effects and The dangers associated with policies that the Biden administration is pursuing. We also talked about the extent to which at this point our country and its challenges require the close attention of the American people.

Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Waller, President and CEO of the Center for Security Policy The impending threat of a geomagnetic disturbance has the potential to do serious harm to our electric grid. Explored the cost-effective steps that could be taken to diminish significantly the threat of geomagnetic disturbance and why they need to be taken. Robert Charles, Former Assistant Secretary of State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author of Eagles and Evergreens An at-length conversation about the mutation of language describing, if not invaders, certainly illegal aliens coming into our country, from just migrants into now new Americans. In some 18 states, there are offices to supply their every need, including, in many of those cases, the opportunity to cast votes in our future elections. Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch The Biden administration's determination to align itself with the terrorist organization known as Hamas Is the Biden administration working both with the jihadis and against Israel to achieve the strategic defeat by Hamas of the Jewish state? 

BILL WALTON, Host, The Bill Walton Show The impact on U.S. supply chains from the Baltimore ship crash Analyzing attacks on U.S. infrastructure Does China have the capability to “cut off” power to ships? A meeting between U.S. CEOs and Xi Jinping CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS, Nine-time international award-winning journalist and television producer, Former federally appointed Director, Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Former Appointee, Office of Religious Freedom in Foreign Affairs, Author, “The Challenge of Modernizing Islam” A recent UN Security Council vote on a ceasefire in Gaza How the Israel-Hamas war is a “global issue” A “sabotage” against Israel ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA The importance of U.S. sovereignty How freedom of speech ties into protecting U.S. sovereignty

DR. BRADLEY THAYER, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy The importance of deterrence in the United States' tension with China The need to acknowledge Chinese violations of Taiwanese sovereignty What does the CCP think of Joe Biden? Assessing potential election interference in the 2024 U.S. presidential election DAVID WURMSER, Senior Analyst for Middle East Affairs, Center for Security Policy, former Middle East Advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, retired, US Navy Reserves Lieutenant Commander How the new U.S. port in Gaza could impact U.S.-Israeli relations What is U.S. policy on the Israel-Hamas war? Is the U.S. trying to achieve a “regional” deal with Iran? Is there a food shortage in Gaza? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA How the Biden administration has “clamped down” on the fossil fuel industry A new report by Rep. Barry Loudermilk on January 6

Did you see the movie BlacKkKlansman? If so you will love this episode. Host Jerry Ratcliffe chats with his mate Jim Rose, a former narcotics officer and senior advisor to the US State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Rose was also the real-life white cop in BlacKkKlansman. He discusses his experience infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a young undercover officer and his subsequent work in Central America. He also talks about the challenges and successes of implementing intelligence-led policing and community-oriented strategies in countries like El Salvador. Rose emphasizes the importance of proactive leadership and institutionalizing best practices to create safer and more secure communities.

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA Charles' personal experience in the Soviet Union Analyzing the death of Alexei Navalny Chinese "grow houses" discovered in Maine STEVEN MOSHER, President, Population Research Institute, Author, “Bully of Asia: Why China's Dream is the New Threat to the World,” @StevenWMosher The importance of Taiwan's Matsu island chain Chinese incursions into Taiwanese sea and airspace A history of the relationship between China and the Soviet Union Is China's "window of opportunity" to invade Taiwan closing? BILL WALTON, Host, The Bill Walton Show A preview of CPAC 2024 How much does the U.S. contribute to the funding of the World Health Organization (WHO)? China's role in the WHO

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA A "disconnection" between the federal government and the average American How the border crisis is impacting U.S. national security Can individuals who have already entered the U.S. via the southern border be tracked? What are "conflicts of laws"? Increased politicization of circuit and district courts DEDE LAUGESEN, Executive Director, Save the Persecuted Christians FAITH MCDONNELL, Leading Christian rights activist, Broadcaster, Author A preview of the upcoming International Religious Freedom Summit An "othering" happening to Christians in the U.S. Is the U.S. tracking Christian persecution taking place in Africa?

KEVIN FREEMAN, Host, Economic War Room, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy, Author, “Game Plan: How to Protect Yourself from the Coming Cyber-Economic Attack” and “Secret Weapon: How Economic Terrorism Brought Down the U.S. Stock Market and Why It Can Happen Again,” Founder, Globaleconomiwarfare.com, @SecretWeaponUSA: The creation of "Natural Asset Companies" (NACs) What is "economic slavery"? A new "power-grab" by the CCP and large American companies A "revolutionary" new method of paying with gold STEPHEN BRYEN, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy An update on the Russia-Ukraine war Weighing the military options for Ukraine Ukrainian soldiers that have gone into hiding What is Putin's main "goal" in this war? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA Is private land threatened by NACs? Attempted "federal overreach" by the Biden administration How local governments are trying to remove presidential candidates from their ballots

SAM FADDIS, Former Clandestine Operations Officer, CIA, Former Congressional Candidate, Editor, ANDMagazine.com, Author, “Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of the CIA,” @RealSamFaddis The recent conviction of Peter Navarro Is the United States losing “rule of law”? Who is Emily Drabinski? The American Library Association's impact on America's youth ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA How long has the threat of Marxism existed in the United States? Is the U.S. military prepared to “fight and win”? The still-present threat of terrorism in the U.S. What to expect in the 2024 presidential election

GEORGE RASLEY, Editor of Conservative HQ: DAVID WURMSER, Director, Center for Security Policy's Program on Global Anti-Semitism, former Middle East Advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, retired, US Navy Reserves Lieutenant Commander ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA

Today, we welcome John Cassara. John started his career as a CIA covert operations officer, then moved to the US Treasury as a special agent, where he worked in counter-terrorism and financial intelligence. During that time, he was also detailed to the State Department's INL or International Narcotics and Law Enforcement to support counter-terrorism finance and anti-money laundering. John also worked at US Customs on counter illicit trade and illicit arms smuggling.  John is also a board member of Global Financial Integrity and the Coalition against Illicit Economies and a guest instructor at George Mason University for the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center.  Additionally, John Cassara published the book: Specified Unlawful Activities in China's illicit economy.    One Podcast aims to inspire people interested in working on-ground to forward U.S. foreign policy.  We bring in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences and recommendations for working the "last three feet" of foreign relations. ​Have a story to tell? Email us to either speak or guest-host at: capodcasting@gmail.com One CA Podcast is a product of the Civil Affairs Association: https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/    Links: Book: Specified Unlawful Activities: https://www.amazon.com/China-Specified-Activities-Transnational-Laundering/dp/B0BW2S2SKN John Cassara bio: http://www.johncassara.com/ CIA covert operations officer program: https://www.cia.gov/stories/intelligence-operations/ US Treasury as a special agent program: https://home.treasury.gov/about/offices/terrorism-and-financial-intelligence State Department's INL or International Narcotics and Law Enforcement: https://www.state.gov/about-us-bureau-of-international-narcotics-and-law-enforcement-affairs/ US Customs, counter illicit trade and illicit arms smuggling program: https://www.cbp.gov/about Global Financial Integrity: https://gfintegrity.org/ Coalition against Illicit Economies: https://icaie.com/ George Mason University for the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center: https://traccc.gmu.edu/   Music: Thank you to DJ WhiteShark from Barranquilla, Columbia. The album is Urban Beats, Vol. 1. DJ WhiteSharks SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/whitesharkmusic. Music retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMcNiB_Wvmc&authuser=0

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA What will the down-steam impact be of Donald Trump's indictment? Comparing Joe Biden and Donald Trump's handling of classified documents Remembering the importance of D-Day BRADLEY THAYER, Director of China Policy, Center for Security Policy, Author, How China Sees the World  Analyzing the "existential" threat China poses to the United States Why did the U.S. intelligence community "miss" the rise of China? Is the Biden administration "embracing" elements of the CCP? Why has China advanced its aggression in recent months?

The State Department's modernizing program includes a news emphasis on data, what is called, Data for Diplomacy. State gives annual awards to employees who advance the use of data to improve things. Federal Drive host Tom Temin's guest was recognized for how he identified challenges in collecting data about foreign assistance. Lenny Lantsman is the Program Advisor in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The State Department's modernizing program includes a news emphasis on data, what is called, Data for Diplomacy. State gives annual awards to employees who advance the use of data to improve things. Federal Drive host Tom Temin's guest was recognized for how he identified challenges in collecting data about foreign assistance. Lenny Lantsman is the Program Advisor in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://westminster-institute.org/events/understanding-chinese-engagement-in-latin-america/ Dr. R. Evan Ellis is a research professor of Latin American Studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, with a focus on the region's relationships with China and other non-Western Hemisphere actors, as well as transnational organized crime and populism in the region. Dr. Ellis has published over 400 works, including the 2009 book China in Latin America: The Whats and Wherefores, the 2013 book The Strategic Dimension of Chinese Engagement with Latin America, the 2014 book China on the Ground in Latin America, and the 2018 book Transnational Organized Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. He most recent book is China Engages Latin America: Distorting Development and Democracy? Dr. Ellis previously served on the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff (S/P) with responsibility for Latin America and the Caribbean (WHA), as well as International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) issues. Dr. Ellis has also been awarded the Order of Military Merit José María Córdova by the Colombian government for his scholarship on security issues in the region.

The annual war authorization (NDAA) is an excellent opportunity to examine our military's roles and goals in the world. In this episode, learn about how much of our tax money Congress provided the Defense Department, including how much of that money is classified, how much more money was dedicated to war than was requested, and what they are authorized to use the money for. This episode also examines our Foreign Military Financing programs with a deep dive into a new partner country: Ecuador. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! View the shownotes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd269-ndaa-2023-plan-ecuador Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD244: Keeping Ukraine CD243: Target Nicaragua CD230: Pacific Deterrence Initiative CD229: Target Belarus CD218: Minerals are the New Oil CD191: The “Democracies” Of Elliott Abrams CD187: Combating China CD176: Target Venezuela: Regime Change in Progress CD172: The Illegal Bombing of Syria CD147: Controlling Puerto Rico CD128: Crisis in Puerto Rico CD108: Regime Change CD102: The World Trade Organization: COOL? World Trade System “IMF vs. WTO vs. World Bank: What's the Difference?” James McWhinney. Oct 10, 2021. Investopedia. The Profiteers: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World. Sally Denton. Simon and Schuster: 2017. Littoral Combat Ships “The Pentagon Saw a Warship Boondoggle. Congress Saw Jobs.” Eric Lipton. Feb 4, 2023. The New York Times. “BAE Systems: Summary.” Open Secrets. Foreign Military Sales Program “Written Testimony of Assistant Secretary of State Jessica Lewis before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing on the ‘Future of Security Sector Assistance.'” March 10, 2022. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Ecuador “Ecuador - Modern history.” Encyclopedia Britannica. “Ecuador Tried to Curb Drilling and Protect the Amazon. The Opposite Happened.” Catrin Einhorn and Manuela Andreoni. Updated Jan 20, 2023. The New York Times. “Ecuador: An Overview,” [IF11218]. June S. Beittel and Rachel L. Martin. Sep 9, 2022. Congressional Research Service. “Ecuador: In Brief,” [R44294]. June S. Beittel. Updated Feb 13, 2018. Congressional Research Service. “Ecuador's 2017 Elections,” [IF10581] June S. Beittel. Updated April 20, 2017. Congressional Research Services. Debt Default “Ecuador's Debt Default: Exposing a Gap in the Global Financial Architecture.” Sarah Anderson and Neil Watkins. Dec 15, 2008. Institute for Policy Studies. “Ecuador: President Orders Debt Default.” Simon Romero. Dec 12, 2008. The New York Times. Violence and Drugs “Ecuador's High Tide of Drug Violence.” Nov 4, 2022. International Crisis Group. “Lasso will propose to the US an Ecuador Plan to confront drug trafficking.” Jun 8, 2022. EcuadorTimes.net. “‘Es hora de un Plan Ecuador': el presidente Lasso dice en entrevista con la BBC que su país necesita ayuda para enfrentar el narcotráfico.” Vanessa Buschschluter. Nov 4, 2021. BBC. “Ecuador declares state of emergency over crime wave.” Oct 19, 2021. Deutsche Welle. Mining “An Ecuadorean Town Is Sinking Because of Illegal Mining.” Updated Mar 28, 2022. CGTN America. “New Mining Concessions Could Severely Decrease Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Ecuador.” Bitty A. Roy. Jun 19, 2018. Tropical Conservation Science. Foreign Infrastructure Investments “Ecuador prioritizing 4 road projects involving more than US$1bn.” Nov 28, 2022. BNamericas. “USTDA Expands Climate Portfolio in Ecuador.” May 27, 2022. U.S. Trade and Development Agency. “Ecuador's controversial and costliest hydropower project prompts energy rethink.” Richard Jiménez and Allen Panchana. Dec 16, 2021. Diálogo Chino. “Ecuador's Power Grid Gets a Massive Makeover.” Frank Dougherty. Mar 1, 2021. Power. Fishing “China fishing fleet defied U.S. in standoff on the high seas.” Joshua Goodman. Nov 2, 2022. Chattanooga Times Free Press. “Report to Congress: National 5-year Strategy for Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (2022-2026).” October 2022. U.S. Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing. “United States Launches Public-Private Partnership In Peru And Ecuador To Promote Sustainable, Profitable Fishing Practices.” Oct 7, 2022. U.S. Agency for International Development. “US Coast Guard Conducts High Seas Boarding for First Time in the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization Convention Area.” U.S. Coast Guard. Oct 5, 2022. Diálogo Americas. “Walmart, Whole Foods, and Slave-Labor Shrimp.” Adam Chandler. Dec 16, 2015. The Atlantic. South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Cutter Ships 22 USC Sec. 2321j, Update “Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress,” [R42567]. Ronald O'Rourke. Updated August 30, 2022. Congressional Research Service. Julian Assange “How Julian Assange became an unwelcome guest in Ecuador's embassy.” Luke Harding et al. May 15, 2018. The Guardian. “Ecuador Expels U.S. Ambassador Over WikiLeaks Cable.” Simon Romero. Apr 5, 2011. The New York Times. Chevron Case “Controversial activist Steven Donziger is a folk hero to the left, a fraud to Big Oil.” Zack Budryk. Dec 27, 2022. The Hill. Venezuela “Ecuador: Lasso Calls for Increased Pressure on Venezuela.” Apr 14, 2021. teleSUR. China Trade Deal “Ecuador reaches trade deal with China, aims to increase exports, Lasso says.” Jan 3, 2023. Reuters. “On the Ecuador-China Debt Deal: Q&A with Augusto de la Torre.” Sep 23, 2022. The Dialogue. “Ecuador sees trade deal with China at end of year, debt talks to begin.” Alexandra Valencia. Feb 5, 2022. Reuters. Business Reforms “Will Ecuador's Business Reforms Attract Investment?” Ramiro Crespo. Mar 3, 2022. Latin American Advisor. U.S. Ecuador Partnership “Why Ecuador's president announced his re-election plans in Washington.” Isabel Chriboga. Dec 22, 2022. The Atlantic Council. “USMCA as a Framework: New Talks Between U.S., Ecuador, Uruguay.” Jim Wiesemeyer. Dec 21, 2022. AgWeb. “US seeks to bolster Ecuador ties as China expands regional role.” Dec 19, 2022. Al Jazeera. “As China's influence grows, Biden needs to supercharge trade with Ecuador.” Isabel Chiriboga. Dec 19, 2022. The Atlantic Council. “The United States and Ecuador to Explore Expanding the Protocol on Trade Rules and Transparency under the Trade and Investment Council (TIC).” Nov 1, 2022. Office of the United States Trade Representative. “A delegation of U.S. senators visits Ecuador.” Oct 19, 2022. U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Ecuador. Referendum “Guillermo Lasso Searches for a Breakthrough.” Sebastián Hurtado. Dec 19, 2022. Americas Quarterly. State Enterprise Resignation “Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso asks heads of all state firms to resign.” Jan 18, 2023. Buenos Aires Times. Lithium Triangle “Why the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act Could Benefit Both Mining and Energy in Latin America.” John Price. Aug 22, 2022. Americas Market Intelligence. Colombia “Latin America's New Left Meets Davos.” Catherine Osborn. Jan 20, 2023. Foreign Policy. “How Colombia plans to keep its oil and coal in the ground.” María Paula Rubiano A. Nov 16, 2022. BBC. “Colombia: Background and U.S. Relations.” June S. Beittel. Updated December 16, 2021. Congressional Research Service. Tax Reform “In Colombia, Passing Tax Reform Was the Easy Part.” Ricardo Ávila. Nov 23, 2022. Americas Quarterly. “U.S. Government Must Take Urgent Action on Colombia's Tax Reform Bill.” Cesar Vence and Megan Bridges. Oct 26, 2022. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Letter from ACT et. al. to Sec. Janet Yellen, Sec. Gina Raimondo, and Hon. Katherine Tai.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Relationship with U.S. “Does glyphosate cause cancer?” Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Jul 8, 2021. City of Hope. “Colombian Intelligence Unit Used U.S. Equipment to Spy on Politicians, Journalists.” Kejal Vyas. May 4, 2020. The Wall Street Journal. “Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides and risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A meta-analysis and supporting evidence.” Luoping Zhang et al. Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research Vol. 781, July–September 2019, pp. 186-206. “Colombia to use drones to fumigate coca leaf with herbicide.” Jun 26, 2018. Syria “Everyone Is Denouncing the Syrian Rebels Now Slaughtering Kurds. But Didn't the U.S. Once Support Some of Them?” Mehdi Hasan. Oct 26, 2019. The Intercept. “U.S. Relations With Syria: Bilateral Relations Fact Sheet.” Jan 20, 2021. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. “Behind the Sudden Death of a $1 Billion Secret C.I.A. War in Syria.” Mark Mazzetti et al. Aug 2, 2017. The New York Times. “Arms Airlift to Syria Rebels Expands, With Aid From C.I.A.” C. J. Chivers and Eric Schmitt. Mar 24, 2013. The New York Times. Government Funding “House Passes 2023 Government Funding Legislation.” Dec 23, 2022. House Appropriations Committee Democrats. “Division C - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2023.” Senate Appropriations Committee. Jen's highlighted version “Division K - Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023.” Senate Appropriations Committee. Laws H.R.2617 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 H.R.7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 Jen's highlighted version Bills H.R. 8711 - United States-Ecuador Partnership Act of 2022 S. 3591 - United States-Ecuador Partnership Act of 2022 Audio Sources A conversation with General Laura J. Richardson on security across the Americas January 19, 2023 The Atlantic Council Clips 17:51 Gen. Laura Richardson: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that has been ongoing for the last over a decade in this region, 21 of 31 countries have signed on to this Belt and Road Initiative. I could take Argentina last January, the most recent signatory on to the Belt and Road Initiative, and $23 billion in infrastructure projects that signatory and signing on to that. But again, 21 of 31 countries. There are 25 countries that actually have infrastructure projects by the PRC. Four that aren't signatories of the BRI, but they do actually have projects within their countries. But not just that. Deepwater ports in 17 countries. I mean, this is critical infrastructure that's being invested in. I have the most space enabling infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere in Latin America and the Caribbean. And I just caused question, you know, why? Why is all of this critical infrastructure being invested in so heavily? In terms of telecommunications, 5G, I've got five countries with the 5G backbone in this region. I've got 24 countries with the PRC Huawei 3G-4G. Five countries have the Huawei backbone infrastructure. If I had to guess, they'll probably be offered a discount to upgrade and stay within the same PRC network. And so very, very concerning as we work with our countries. 20:00 Gen. Laura Richardson: What I'm starting to see as well is that this economy...the economy impacts to these partner nations is affecting their ability to buy equipment. And you know, as I work with our partner nations, and they invest in U.S. equipment, which is the best equipment, I must say I am a little biased, but it is the best equipment, they also buy into the supply chain of spare parts, and all those kinds of things that help to sustain this piece of equipment over many, many years. So in terms of the investment that they're getting, and that equipment to be able to stay operational, and the readiness of it, is very, very important. But now these partner nations, due to the impacts of their economy, are starting to look at the financing that goes along with it. Not necessarily the quality of the equipment, but who has the best finance deal because they can't afford it so much up front. 24:15 Gen. Laura Richardson: This region, why this region matters, with all of its rich resources and rare earth elements. You've got the lithium triangle which is needed for technology today. 60% of the world's lithium is in the lithium triangle: Argentina Bolivia, Chile. You just have the largest oil reserves -- light, sweet, crude -- discovered off of Guyana over a year ago. You have Venezuela's resources as well with oil, copper, gold. China gets 36% of its food source from this region. We have the Amazon, lungs of the world. We have 31% of the world's freshwater in this region too. I mean, it's just off the chart. 28:10 Gen. Laura Richardson: You know, you gotta question, why are they investing so heavily everywhere else across the planet? I worry about these dual-use state-owned enterprises that pop up from the PRC, and I worry about the dual use capability being able to flip them around and use them for military use. 33:30 Interviewer: Russia can't have the ability to provide many of these countries with resupply or new weapons. I mean, they're struggling to supply themselves, in many cases, for Ukraine. So is that presenting an opportunity for maybe the US to slide in? Gen. Laura Richardson: It is, absolutely and we're taking advantage of that, I'd like to say. So, we are working with those countries that have the Russian equipment to either donate or switch it out for United States equipment. or you Interviewer: Are countries taking the....? Gen. Laura Richardson: They are, yeah. 45:25 Gen. Laura Richardson: National Guard State Partnership Program is huge. We have the largest National Guard State Partnership Program. It has come up a couple of times with Ukraine. Ukraine has the State Partnership Program with California. How do we initially start our great coordination with Ukraine? It was leveraged to the National Guard State Partnership Program that California had. But I have the largest out of any of the CoCOMMs. I have 24 state partnership programs utilize those to the nth degree in terms of another lever. 48:25 Gen. Laura Richardson: Just yesterday I had a zoom call with the U.S. Ambassadors from Argentina and Chile and then also the strategy officer from Levant and then also the VP for Global Operations from Albermarle for lithium, to talk about the lithium triangle in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile and the companies, how they're doing and what they see in terms of challenges and things like that in the lithium business and then the aggressiveness or the influence and coercion from the PRC. House Session June 15, 2022 Clips Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA): The GAO found that the LCS had experienced engine failure in 10 of the 11 deployments reviewed. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA): One major reason for the excessive costs of LCS: contractors. Unlike other ships where sailors do the maintenance, LCS relies almost exclusively on contractors who own and control the technical data needed to maintain and repair. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA): Our top priority and national defense strategy is China and Russia. We can't waste scarce funds on costly LCS when there are more capable platforms like destroyers, attack submarines, and the new constellation class frigate. A review of the President's Fiscal Year 2023 funding request and budget justification for the Navy and Marine Corps May 25, 2022 Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense Watch full hearing on YouTube Witnesses: Carlos Del Toro, Secretary, United States Navy Admiral Michael M. Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations General David H. Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps Clips Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS): I think the christening was just a few years ago...maybe three or so. So the fact that we christened the ship one year and a few years later we're decommissioning troubles me. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS): Are there not other uses, if there's something missing from this class of ships, that we would avoid decommissioning? Adm. Michael Gilday: We need a capable, lethal, ready Navy more than we need a larger Navy that's less capable, less lethal, and less ready. And so, unfortunately the Littoral combat ships that we have, while the mechanical issues were a factor, a bigger factor was was the lack of sufficient warfighting capability against a peer competitor in China. Adm. Michael Gilday: And so we refuse to put an additional dollar against that system that wouldn't match the Chinese undersea threat. Adm. Michael Gilday: In terms of what are the options going forward with these ships, I would offer to the subcommittee that we should consider offering these ships to other countries that would be able to use them effectively. There are countries in South America, as an example, as you pointed out, that would be able to use these ships that have small crews. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary ofDefense Lloyd J. Austin III Remarks to Traveling Press April 25, 2022 China's Role in Latin America and the Caribbean March 31, 2022 Senate Foreign Relations Committee Watch full hearing on YouTube Witnesses: Kerri Hannan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Policy, Planning, and Coordination, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State Peter Natiello, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Latin America and Caribbean Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development Andrew M. Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Margaret Myers, Director of the Asia & Latin America Program, Inter-American Dialogue Evan Ellis, Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies Clips 24:20 Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA): Ecuador for example, nearly 20 years ago, former President Rafael Correa promised modernization for Ecuador, embracing Chinese loans and infrastructure projects in exchange for its oil. Fast forward to today. Ecuador now lives with the Chinese financed and built dam that's not fully operational despite being opened in 2016. The Coca Codo Sinclair Dam required over 7000 repairs, it sits right next to an active volcano, and erosion continues to damage the dam. The dam also caused an oil spill in 2020 that has impacted indigenous communities living downstream. And all that's on top of the billions of dollars that Ecuador still owes China. 56:40 Peter Natiello: One example that I could provide is work that we've done in Ecuador, with Ecuadorian journalists, to investigate, to analyze and to report on the issue of illegal and unregulated fishing off Ecuador's coast. And we do that because we want to ensure that Ecuadorian citizens have fact-based information upon which they can make decisions about China and countries like China, and whether they want their country working with them. 1:23:45 Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA): There are 86 million tons of identified lithium resources on the planet. On the planet. 49 million of the 86 million are in the Golden Triangle. That's Argentina, Bolivia, Chile. So what's our plan? 1:54:10 Evan Ellis: In security engagement, the PRC is a significant provider of military goods to the region including fighters, transport aircraft, and radars for Venezuela; helicopters and armored vehicles for Bolivia; and military trucks for Ecuador. 2:00:00 Margaret Myers: Ecuador is perhaps the best example here of a country that has begun to come to terms with the challenges associated with doing business with or interacting from a financial or investment perspective with China. And one need only travel the road from the airport to Quito where every day there are a lot of accidents because of challenges with the actual engineering of that road to know why many Ecuadorians feel this way. Examining U.S. Security Cooperation and Assistance March 10, 2022 Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Watch Full Hearing on YouTube Witnesses: Jessica Lewis, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State Mara Elizabeth Karlin, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, U.S. Department of Defense Clips 1:23:17 Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): According to one study, the DoD manages 48 of the 50 new security assistance programs that were created after the 9/11 attacks and out of the 170 existing security assistance programs today, DOD manages 87, a whopping 81% of those programs. That is a fundamental transition from the way in which we used to manage security assistance. And my worry is that it takes out of the equation the people who have the clearest and most important visibility on the ground as to the impact of that security assistance and those transfers. Sen. Chris Murphy: We just spent $87 billion in military assistance over 20 years in Afghanistan. And the army that we supported went up in smoke overnight. That is an extraordinary waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars, and it mirrors a smaller but similar investment we made from 2003 to 2014 in the Iraqi military, who disintegrated when they faced the prospect of a fight against ISIS. Clearly, there is something very wrong with the way in which we are flowing military assistance to partner countries, especially in complicated war zones. You've got a minute and 10 seconds, so maybe you can just preview some lessons that we have learned, or the process by which we are going to learn lessons from all of the money that we have wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jessica Lewis: Senator, I'll be brief so that Dr. Karlin can jump in as well. I think we do need to learn lessons. We need to make sure, as I was just saying to Senator Cardin, that when we provide security assistance, we also look not just at train and equip, but we look at other things like how the Ministries of Defense operate? Is their security sector governant? Are we creating an infrastructure that's going to actually work? Mara Elizabeth Karlin: Thank you for raising this issue, Senator. And I can assure you that the Department of Defense is in the process of commissioning a study on this exact issue. I will just say in line with Assistant Secretary Lewis, it is really important that when we look at these efforts, we spend time assessing political will and we do not take an Excel spreadsheet approach to building partner militaries that misses the higher order issues that are deeply relevant to security sector governance, that will fundamentally show us the extent to which we can ultimately be successful or not with a partner. Thank you. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): You know, in Iraq, last time I was there, we were spending four times as much money on security assistance as we were on non-security assistance. And what Afghanistan taught us amongst many things, is that if you have a fundamentally corrupt government, then all the money you're flowing into the military is likely wasted in the end because that government can't stand and thus the military can't stand. So it also speaks to rebalancing the way in which we put money into conflict zones, to not think that military assistance alone does the job. You got to be building sustainable governments that serve the public interests in order to make your security assistance matter and be effective. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activity in North and South America March 8, 2022 House Armed Services Committee Watch full hearing on YouTube Witnesses: Melissa G. Dalton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs Office of the Secretary of Defense General Laura Richardson, USA, Commander, U.S. Southern Command General Glen D. VanHerck, USAF, Commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command Clips 17:30 General Laura Richardson: Colombia, for example, our strongest partner in the region, exports security by training other Latin American militaries to counter transnational threats. 1:20:00 General Laura Richardson: If I look at what PRC (People's Republic of China) is investing in the [SOUTHCOM] AOR (Area of Responsibility), over a five year period of 2017 to 2021: $72 billion. It's off the charts. And I can read a couple of the projects. The most concerning projects that I have are the $6 billion in projects specifically near the Panama Canal. And I look at the strategic lines of communication: Panama Canal and the Strait of Magellan. But just to highlight a couple of the projects. The nuclear power plant in Argentina: $7.9 billion. The highway in Jamaica: $5.6 billion. The energy refinery in Cuba, $5 billion. The highway in Peru: $4 billion. Energy dam in Argentina: $4 billion, the Metro in Colombia: $3.9 billion. The freight railway in Argentina: $3 billion. These are not small projects that they're putting in this region. This region is rich in resources, and the Chinese don't go there to invest, they go there to extract. All of these projects are done with Chinese labor with host nation countries'. U.S. Policy on Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean November 30, 2021 Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Watch full hearing on YouTube Witnesses: Brian A. Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State Todd D. Robinson, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State Clips 1:47:15 Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX): I'd like to start with Mexico. I am increasingly concerned that the Mexican government is engaged in a systematic campaign to undermine American companies, and especially American energy companies that have invested in our shared prosperity and in the future of the Mexican people and economy. Over the past five months, Mexican regulators have shut down three privately owned fuel storage terminals. Among those they shut down a fuel terminal and Tuxpan, which is run by an American company based in Texas, and which transports fuel on ships owned by American companies. This is a pattern of sustained discrimination against American companies. And I worry that the Mexican government's ultimate aim is to roll back the country's historic 2013 energy sector liberalisation reforms in favor of Mexico's mismanaged and failing state-owned energy companies. The only way the Mexican government is going to slow and reverse their campaign is if the United States Government conveys clearly and candidly that their efforts pose a serious threat to our relationship and to our shared economic interests. 2:01:50 Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ): Mr. Nichols, can you can you just be a little more specific about the tactics of the GEC? What are some of the specific activities they're doing? And what more would you like to see them do? Brian A. Nichols: The Global Engagement Center both measures public opinion and social media trends throughout the world. They actively work to counter false messages from our strategic competitors. And they prepare media products or talking points that our embassies and consulates around the hemisphere can use to combat disinformation. I think they do a great job. Obviously, it's a huge task. So the the resources that they have to bring to bear to this limit, somewhat, the ability to accomplish those goals, but I think they're doing vital, vital work. 2:13:30 Todd D. Robinson: We are, INL (International Narcotics and Law Enforcement) are working very closely with the Haitian National Police, the new Director General, we are going to send in advisors. When I was there two weeks ago, I arrived with -- they'd asked for greater ability to get police around the city -- I showed up with 19 new vehicles, 200 new protective vests for the police. The 19 was the first installment of a total of 60 that we're going to deliver to the Haitian National Police. We're gonna get advisors down there to work with the new SWAT team to start taking back the areas that have been taken from ordinary Haitians. But it's going to be a process and it's going to take some time. Sen. Bob Menendez: Well, first of all, is the Haitian National Police actually an institution capable of delivering the type of security that Hatians deserve? Todd D. Robinson: We believe it is. It's an institution that we have worked with in the past. There was a small brief moment where Haitians actually acknowledged that the Haitian National Police had gotten better and was more professional. Our goal, our long term goal is to try to bring it back to that Sen. Bob Menendez: How much time before we get security on the ground? Todd D. Robinson: I can't say exactly but we are working as fast as we can. Sen. Bob Menendez: Months, years? Todd D. Robinson: Well, I would hope we could do it in less than months. But we're working as fast as we can. Global Challenges and U.S. National Security Strategy January 25, 2018 Senate Committee on Armed Services Watch the full hearing on YouTube Witnesses: Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Chairman of Kissinger Associates and Former Secretary of State Dr. George P. Shultz, Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University and Former Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage, President, Armitage International and Former Deputy Secretary of State Clips Dr. George Shultz: Small platforms will carry a very destructive power. Then you can put these small platforms on drones. And drones can be manufactured easily, and you can have a great many of them inexpensively. So then you can have a swarm armed with lethal equipment. Any fixed target is a real target. So an airfield where our Air Force stores planes is a very vulnerable target. A ship at anchor is a vulnerable target. So you've got to think about that in terms of how you deploy. And in terms of the drones, while such a system cannot be jammed, it would only serve to get a drone—talking about getting a drone to the area of where its target is, but that sure could hit a specific target. At that point, the optical systems guided by artificial intelligence could use on-board, multi-spectral imaging to find a target and guide the weapons. It is exactly that autonomy that makes the technologic convergence a threat today. Because such drones will require no external input other than the signature of the designed target, they will not be vulnerable to jamming. Not requiring human intervention, the autonomous platforms will also be able to operate in very large numbers. Dr. George Shultz: I think there's a great lesson here for what we do in NATO to contain Russia because you can deploy these things in boxes so you don't even know what they are and on trucks and train people to unload quickly and fire. So it's a huge deterrent capability that is available, and it's inexpensive enough so that we can expect our allies to pitch in and get them for themselves. Dr. George Shultz: The creative use of swarms of autonomous drones to augment current forces would strongly and relatively cheaply reinforce NATO, as I said, that deterrence. If NATO assists frontline states in fielding large numbers of inexpensive autonomous drones that are pre-packaged in standard 20-foot containers, the weapons can be stored in sites across the countries under the control of reserve forces. If the weapons are pre-packaged and stored, the national forces can quickly deploy the weapons to delay a Russian advance. So what's happening is you have small, cheap, and highly lethal replacing large, expensive platforms. And this change is coming about with great rapidity, and it is massively important to take it into account in anything that you are thinking about doing. Foreign Military Sales: Process and Policy June 15, 2017 House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Watch the full hearing on YouTube Witnesses: Tina Kaidanow, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State Vice Admiral Joseph Rixey, Director, U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency Clips 14:40 Tina Kaidanow: Arms Transfers constitute an element of foreign policy. We therefore take into account foreign policy considerations as we contemplate each arms transfer or sale, including specifically, the appropriateness of the transfer in responding to U.S and recipient security needs; the degree to which the transfer supports U.S. strategic foreign policy and defense interests through increased access and influence; allied burden sharing and interoperability; consistency with U.S. interests regarding regional stability; the degree of protection afforded by the recipient company to our sensitive technology; the risk that significant change in the political or security situation of the recipient country could lead to inappropriate end use or transfer; and the likelihood that the recipient would use the arms to commit human rights abuses or serious violations of international humanitarian law, or retransfer the arms to those who would commit such abuses. As a second key point, arms transfers support the U.S. Defense industrial base and they reduce the cost of procurement for our own U.S. military. Purchases made through the Foreign Military Sales, known as the FMS, system often can be combined with our Defense Department orders to reduce unit costs. Beyond this, the US defense industry directly employs over 1.7 million people across our nation. 20:20 Vice Admiral Joseph Rixey: FMS is the government-to-government process through which the U.S. government purchases defense articles, training, and services on behalf of foreign governments, authorized in the Arms Export Control Act. FMS is a long standing security cooperation program that supports partner and regional security, enhances military-to-military cooperation, enables interoperability and develops and maintains international relationships. Through the FMS process, the US government determines whether or not the sale is of mutual benefit to us and the partner, whether the technology can and will be protected, and whether the transfer is consistent with U.S. conventional arms transfer policy. The FMS system is actually a set of systems in which the Department of State, Department of Defense, and Congress play critical roles. The Department of Defense in particular executes a number of different processes including the management of the FMS case lifecycle which is overseen by DSCA (Defense Security Cooperation Agency). Technology transfer reviews, overseen by the Defense Technology Security Administration, and the management of the Defense Acquisition and Logistics Systems, overseen by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, and the military departments. This process, or a version of it, also serves us well, in the DoD Title X Building Partnership Capacity arena, where the process of building a case, validating a requirement and exercising our U.S. acquisition system to deliver capability is modeled on the FMS system. I want to say clearly that overall the system is performing very well. The United States continues to remain the provider of choice for our international partners, with 1,700 new cases implemented in Fiscal Year 2016 alone. These new cases, combined with adjustments to existing programs, equated to more than $33 billion in sales last year. This included over $25 billion in cases funded by our partner nations' own funds and approximately $8 billion in cases funded by DOD Title X program or Department of State's Appropriations. Most FMS cases move through the process relatively quickly. But some may move more slowly as we engage in deliberate review to ensure that the necessary arms transfer criteria are met. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

GRANT NEWSHAM, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy, Senior Research Fellow, Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, Contributor, Asia Times, @NewshamGrant What are the Biden family's connections to China? What is the Chips Act? Have U.S. lawmakers historically been soft on China? BILL WALTON, Host, The Bill Walton Show How much money did Hunter Biden make from the Chinese? How vulnerable is the U.S. electric grid? What would happen is the electric grid went down for an extended period of time? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA Did the FBI play a role in suppressing the Hunter Biden story from Twitter? Charles' first-hand experience working with Chris Wray

BRADLEY THAYER, Director of China Policy, Center for Security Policy, Author, How China Sees the World  Is the Biden family compromised by the CCP? The notion of “elite capture” in the United States The great influence of the Chinese Communist Party throughout U.S. politics DR. ORLANDO GUTIERREZ BORONAT, Author, Cuba: The Doctrine of the Life An overview of Cuba: The Doctrine of the Life Examining the origins of totalitarianism Totalitarianism at work in Latin America today ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA What will the new Congress focus on the improve American security? The need to improve political discourse in the U.S. A “readiness” problem across the U.S. Defense Department

Initiatives of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Todd Robinson, assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the State Department, discusses the mission of his bureau and its efforts to combat the international drug trade, support Ukraine and train law enforcement officials   Copyright Claims Board launched in July Suzy Wilson, general counsel and associate register of copyrights at the U.S. Copyright Office, discusses the new claims board to improve accessibility of the copyright system to everyone in the U.S.

USIP, the Simon Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the U.S. State Department hosted a discussion of the newly released U.S. Strategy to Anticipate, Prevent and Respond to Atrocities — as well as a look at the work the Atrocity Prevention Task Force has done over the past year as documented through its 2022 report to Congress as part of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act. Speakers Welcoming Remarks Lise GrandePresident and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace Naomi KikolerDirector, Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Theodora Klayman Holocaust Survivor Merrick B. GarlandAttorney General of the United States of America Panel 1: Institutionalizing Atrocity Prevention Nidhi BouriActing Senior Director, Development, Global Health and Humanitarian Response, U.S. National Security Council Robert J. FaucherPrincipal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State Robert JenkinsAssistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization, USAID Michelle Strucke Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Partnerships, U.S. Department of Defense Ambassador Beth Van SchaackAmbassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State Naomi Kikoler, moderatorDirector, Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Panel 2: Operationalizing Atrocity Prevention Toby BradleyDeputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State Scott BusbyPrincipal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State Katrina FotovatSenior Official, Office of Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State Allison Lombardo Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, U.S. Department of State Rosarie TucciDirector, Center for Democracy, Human Rights and Governance, U.S. Agency for International Development David W. Yang, moderator Vice President, Center of Thematic Excellence and Gandhi-King Global Academy, U.S. Institute of Peace

On June 29, USIP hosted a conversation on the vulnerabilities of gender and sexual minorities in conflict settings and the path toward their meaningful inclusion in peacebuilding. The discussion looked at how protection of LGBTQ+ persons can be integrated into broader initiatives on civilian security and violence mitigation and prevention — including engagement with security sector actors — as well as the challenges facing peacebuilders on the ground. Speakers Lise Grande, opening remarksPresident and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace Jessica Stern, introductory remarksU.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Persons Kathleen Coogan Senior Advisor for Atrocities Prevention and Gender, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State Jay Gilliam Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator, USAID Neela Ghoshal Senior Director, Law, Policy and Research, OutRight Action International David W. Yang, moderatorVice President, Applied Conflict Transformation Center, U.S. Institute of Peace For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.usip.org/events/protecting-gender-and-sexual-minorities-peacebuilding

KYLE SHIDELER, Director/Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at Center for Security Policy: Assessing possible rioting following the SCOTUS ruling on Roe v. Wade What role will "Jane's Revenge" have in these riots if they take place? An update on the January 6 hearings TOMMY WALLER, Director of Infrastructure Security, Center for Security Policy, Lieutenant Colonel, US Marine Corps Reserves, Secure the Grid Coalition, Twitter: @Secure_the_Grid A recent sun spot that is pointed towards earth Is the U.S. federal government committed to protecting our electric grid? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA An update on the SCOTUS Roe v. Wade ruling What is Carson v. Makin?

GUEST OVERVIEW: Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police Detective. Most of his career, he worked Mexican organized crime and street gangs with his agency. He started his career in late 1981, so he was at ground zero when the crack cocaine epidemic hit his city and the associated violence. He was a patrolman in inner city Phoenix. By the mid-80s, he was working in an undercover narcotics unit buying street-level drugs to start. He eventually transferred to a team working with the DEA, buying multi-kilos of cocaine and multi-ounce purchases of heroin. Robert Arce also worked an undercover police property sting operation; they would set up a fake pawn shop, body shop, or some other fake business and run fencing operations buying stolen cars, firearms, and burglary loot. He later worked the gang unit at the street level; then gang investigations, including drive-by shooting/homicide cases. Later he was assigned to the FBI for five years on a Violent Street Gang Task Force, primarily doing wiretap investigations on street gangs tied to Mexican drug cartels. During his last two years, he worked on human smuggling and kidnapping investigations with Arizona DPS and ICE. Robert Arce retired in 2005 and worked ten years outside the U.S.A. on various contracts. Those contracts included three years in Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia as an organized crime advisor for DOJ. He then did two years in Tal Afar/Mosul, Iraq as a police advisor, and another two years in Port au Prince, Haiti, running an anti-kidnapping team for the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations. He finished with three years in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico as the program manager for the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program for the U.S. Department of State for northern Mexico. After leaving Mexico, he wrote for the Cartel Chronicles for 2 1/2 years at Breitbart News. He has also done freelance work with Sara Carter from Fox News on the opioid crisis. Robert Arce now works as a full-time contributor for Americano Media as a law enforcement subject matter expert. Americano Media is the first nationwide conservative Spanish-speaking media outlet that launched in March of this year.

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA The potential for violence surrounding the leaked Roe v. Wade decision How much influence does the WHO have on American life? DR. EVELYN GRIFFIN, Physician, double board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as lifestyle medicine Dr. Griffin explains the recent ruling in Louisiana requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for students Dr. Griffin's personal experience with COVID patients BRADLEY THAYER, Founding Member, Committee on the Present Danger: China, Author, How China Sees the World , Currently teaches international economics in graduate school program in Global Development at Palm Beach Atlantic University China's export of the China Model on the U.S. Assessing rumors of Xi Jinping's health

ROBERT SPALDING, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, Author of War Without Rules: China's Playbook for Global Domination and Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elite Slept, Former Special Assistant to the U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff: The doctrine of "Unrestricted Warfare" used by the Chinese Communist Party Various ways in which the CCP wages this type of warfare against the United States A preview of General Spalding's new book, War Without Rules: China's Playbook for Global Domination TOMMY WALLER, Director of Infrastructure Security, Center for Security Policy, Lieutenant Colonel, US Marine Corps Reserves, Secure the Grid Coalition, Twitter: @Secure_the_Grid Recent activities of "space weather" that have taken place around the world How do "solar events" affect life on earth? What is the federal government doing to protect the electrical grid from solar events? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, “Eagles and Evergreens,” @RCharles4USA What role did Nancy Pelosi play in January 6? A history of various "boards of misinformation" What is the "digital gulag"?

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA HANS VON SPAKOVSKY, Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and Senior Legal Fellow, Messe Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, The Heritage Foundation, Co-Author, "Who's Counting?: How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk," and "Who's Counting?: How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk" @HvonSpakovsky REP. JIM BANKS, Supply Corps Officer, US Navy Reserves, Chairman, Republican Study Committee, Member, House Committee on Armed Services, Veterans' Affairs, Education and Labor, Ranking Member, House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, Co-Chair, Future of Defense Task Force, @RepJimBanks

BILL WALTON, Chairman, Resolute Protector Foundation, Host, The Bill Walton Show, Senior Fellow, Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth, Poverty and Morality, @billwaltonshow Will the international community threaten to cut off Russia from the SWIFT system  again should they continue to display aggression towards Ukraine? What effects is China's Zero Covid Policy having on international trade? GORDON CHANG, Contributor, Gatestone Institute, Newsweek, Author, “The Coming Collapse of China,” “Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes the World, “Losing South Korea,” and “The Great US-China Tech War,” @Gordongchang What role is the International Olympic Committee playing in coercing counties to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games? Will the Biden administration ever formally endorse an end of war declaration between North and South Korea? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles: “China is moving all around the world, it's not just here. They've had a roughly tenfold increase in the acquisition of the most, not just arable, but productive farmland in the world” Robert Charles: China has a “strategic intent” to monopolize global good production Charles talks about the U.S. response to Russian aggression towards Ukraine: “The time for deterrence is over and gone”

KYLE SHIDELER, Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Center for Security Policy, Author, "Unmasking Antifa: Five Perspectives on a Growing Threat," @ShidelerK Kyle Shideler: Known of those who participated in the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021 have been charged with insurrection for a reason Movement Catalyst, one of the group's behind the Candle Light Vigil for Democracy, is headed by a woman with direct ties to Shutdown DC, an organization whose members encouraged protestors to occupy federal buildings during the 2020 election Why American's are feed up with the mainstream Jan. 6th narrative ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles talks about why it is incorrect to call the events of Jan. 6th an insurrection Charles talks about the future of the filibuster and its uncertain future in the U.S. Senate LANCE CRAYON, former Senior News Editor, Global Times (US edition), former Video Journalist, China Radio International, former Senior Editor, People's Daily English News app Crayon talks about why all eyes need to be on Taiwan this year Xi Jinping's seat within the Chinese government's Standing Committee will expire this March - How will Xi sway public opinion within the Chinese Communist Party to secure his tenure for another five years? Crayon talks about the expansion of Chinese “advertorials” in U.S. newspapers like the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, etc.

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Are we witnessing a “gathering storm”? Robert Charles: The Left's embrace of “tribalism” is based on false premises  ANN MCLEAN, Founder and Head, Hunter Classical Christian School Ann McLean: For years, we heard “fear no art” from the Left, and now they are launching a cultural revolution in the U.S. McLean talks about the controversial decision to tear down the statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia ZACH VORHIES, Former Senior Software Engineer, YouTube and Google, Author, "Google Leaks," @Perpetualmaniac and Zachvorhies.com Zach Vorhies talks about Google's real time monitoring system, real time events, which looks for signals on the internet and processes them to determine when a topic is trending, and how to control the narrative Is Google polarizing American society? Vorhies: “The game of protecting your privacy is pretty much coming to an end” If Google Ads are supposedly not effective, how does Google make money?

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles talks about the Biden administration's decision to reinstitute President Trump's remain in Mexico policy Charles: “[The Biden Administration] has now discussed the idea very directly, and I think very persuasively on their part, that they would like to politicizing the Supreme Court” Charles: “Don't you think for a minute” that China isn't watching Putin's troop massing along the Ukrainian border BILL WALTON, Chairman, Resolute Protector Foundation, Host, The Bill Walton Show, Senior Fellow, Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth, Poverty and Morality, @billwaltonshow "Are You Investing In America's Destruction?" Is the “bloom coming off the roses” for Chinese tech firms? Bill Walton talks about whether Chinese ride sharing giant Didi will prosper on the Hong Kong stock exchange Report: Consumer Group Warns 10 States With Most Pension Dollars Invested in China-Connected BlackRock GORDON CHANG, Contributor, Gatestone Institute, Newsweek, Author, “The Coming Collapse of China,” “Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes the World, “Losing South Korea,” and “The Great US-China Tech War,” @Gordongchang Gordon Chang talks about Chinese belt and road initiative projects around the globe and their possible dual use capabilities Why did the Obama and Trump administrations fail to safeguard U.S. space-based assets? Report: 44% of Urban Chinese women do not intend on getting married

RUSSEL VOUGHT, President, Center for Renewing America, Former Director, Office of Management and Budget, @russvought Russel Vought talks about President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda and act: “This bill would have an $800 billion impact on the deficit in just the first 5 years” Vought reacts to Biden's decision to nominate Jerome Powell to serve as Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve for a 2nd term What is the Center for Renewing America doing to prevent “systemic voter fraud”? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles talks about the “hyper-politics” at play throughout the Kyle Rittenhouse trial Charles talks about the Jan. 6 House Select Committee and the subpoena of War Room: Pandemic host Steve Bannon: The use of a federal subpoena for political purposes sets forth a dangerous precedent TRAYCE BRADFORD, Vice President, Christians Engaged, Issue Chair for Human Trafficking, Eagle Forum National, Candidate for Governor, Texas Trayce Bardford talks about electoral integrity efforts underway in Texas What is the Texas legislature doing to help curd human trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border?

JAMES JAY CARAFANO, Vice President, Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, The Heritage Foundation, Author, "Brutal War," @JJCarafano James Carafano talks about President Joe Biden's recent virtual summit with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping: "...here you have a tremendously weakened President...he has a three-hour meeting with America's most important adversary in the world and he doesn't hammer [China] on COVID, he doesn't hammer them on...the Uyghur genocide..." How will President Biden be portrayed at home and abroad after his virtual meeting with Xi? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles: Is the mainstream media covering up Biden's supposed lackluster performance at the White House's virtual summit with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping? Charles: Like China, Iran always "leans forward into weakness" LAWRENCE PECK, Advisor, North Korean Freedom Coalition Lawrence Peck responds to H.R. 3446, the so-called Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act: "I believe it would probably be more accurately named..."The Undeserved Gift Dream Come for Kim Jong Un Act" H.R. 3446 calls for the U.S. government to enter into peace negotiations with the North Korean regime and to begin the process of opening a liaison office in the North

GRANT NEWSHAM, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy, Senior Research Fellow, Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, Contributor, Asia Times, @NewshamGrant What does the Chinese Communist Party's ongoing plenum have in store for Xi Jinping and the rest of Chinese society? Will the Japanese ever accept the honest truth about their precarious military standing against China? Grant Newsham: The U.S. military needs to engage in serious cooperation with Taiwan How is China beefing up its overseas power projection? ROBERT SPENCER, Director, Jihad Watch, Weekly Columnist, PJ Media and FrontPage Magazine, Author, "Mass Migration in Europe: A Model for the U.S.?," and "Islamophobia and the Threat to Free Speech," @jihadwatchRS  French Poll: Two-Thirds Believe Christians ‘Threatened with Extinction' by mass Muslim migration Biden's nominee for ambassador-at-large for religious freedom, Rashad Hussain begins his Senate confirmation process In what ways is the Biden administration “reviving” Obama-era Muslim Brotherhood policies? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA What has become of the around 38,000 credentialed Americans still trapped in Afghanistan? Robert Charles: If you don't incentivize rule following, then the reverse happens

NICK BALLASY, Senior Correspondent, Just The News, @NicholasBallasy Although the war in Afghanistan has come to an end, defense spending continues to rise How is the voting rights agenda going for the Democrats? What does the John Lewis Voting Rights Act entail? DUSTIN CARMACK, Research Fellow, Center for Technology Policy, Heritage Foundation, Former Chief of Staff, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Former Chief of Staff, Congressman John Ratcliffe (TX-04) and Congressman Ron DeSantis (FL-06), @DustinCarmack Can the U.S. still compete with China in the realm of Artificial Intelligence? Dustin Carmack: The FBI is opening a new investigation into Chinese espionage once every 10 hours Frank Gaffney: Did the Obama administration's “reset” with Russia provide it, as well as other U.S. adversaries, with the technological knowhow to wage war against us? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles: There is a “constitutional prerogative” that gives the Congress the authority to oversee the Executive - a power that cannot legally be used for political persecution Charles: We don't use our governing power to “ring political vengeance” in this country A tribute to the late Colin Powell

ROBERT SPENCER, Director, Jihad Watch, Weekly columnist, PJ Media and FrontPage Magazine, Author, "Mass Migration in Europe: A Model for the U.S.?," and forthcoming, "Islamophobia and the Threat to Free Speech," @jihadwatchRS  Robert Spencer talks about U.S. aid deals with Afghanistan: “According to Sharia, it is the responsibility of non-Muslims to pay for the upkeep of the Muslims” - The Taliban sees the U.S. as “paying its dues” Are some Afghan refugees staying in a vacation hotel in England? How and why is the Biden administration kowtowing to Iran? SAM FADDIS, Former Clandestine Operations Officer, CIA, former Congressional Candidate, Editor, ANDMagazine.com, Author, “Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of the CIA,” @RealSamFaddis Are we developing a vaccine against a disease that is now extinct?  What do vaccine mandates have in-store for the rest of society? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles: Talk is cheap - if we lose an interest in defending freedom in Taiwan, we give up the notion that freedom matters Charles: “We [The United States] are more like France in 1939” Charles: Attorney General Merrick Garland knows what he is doing is illegal

ROBERT SPENCER, Director, Jihad Watch, Weekly columnist, PJ Media and FrontPage Magazine, Author, "Mass Migration in Europe: A Model for the U.S.?," and forthcoming, "Islamophobia and the Threat to Free Speech," @jihadwatchRS  Robert Spencer: Women in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are limited to domestic servitude - The mainstream media fell for the Taliban's “promises” The Polish government is preventing Muslim migrants from crossing their borders ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles talks about the Department of Justice's recent decision to intervene in public school board meetings: Using the power of the federal government to chill peoples' speech Charles: Aggregation of power starts with aggregation of information Charles: The abdication of responsibility is at a level we have never seen before GEN. (RET.) WILLIAM G. BOYKIN,Executive Vice President, Family Research Council, original Member, U.S. Army's Delta Force, @GenBoykin Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin: We are seeing these same people that started their careers towards the stars…under Barack Obama…reaching the pinnacle of leadership within the DoD” Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Boykin: Either he [Joe Biden] is lying to the public or he really doesn't remember. Either way, we got a huge problem - Very reminiscent of Rep. MaxineWater's “impeach 45” campaign

SAM FADDIS, Former Clandestine Operations Officer, CIA, former Congressional Candidate, Editor, ANDMagazine.com, Author, “Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of the CIA,” @RealSamFaddis Sam Faddis: "It [The U.S. Armed Forces] only works if the men and women who are putting their lives on the line believe not just the cause but in their leaders” - The gap between “uniformed bureaucrats” in Washington and active duty soldiers deployed across the world is widening Faddis: Gen. Mckenzie asserted that the War on Terror is not over - He's right Faddis talks about Lt. Col. Schelle's uncertain future ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA How many Americans are really currently inside Afghanistan? Frank Gaffney and Robert Charles delve into the litany of examples for President Joe Biden's apparent “wrecking operation” against the United States of America What is the current state of the U.S. Armed Forces? BILL WALTON, Chairman, Resolute Protector Foundation, Host, The Bill Walton Show, Senior Fellow, Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth, Poverty and Morality, @billwaltonshow Bill Walton talks about John Thornton's, China-US Financial Roundtable Co-Chair and former Co-President of Goldman Sachs, 6-week trip to China Talking your portfolio: Trying to stir the market to further your economic interests - Black Rock, Goldman Sachs, etc. are doing this now in regards to China Why are America's leading CEOs and entrepreneurs “making cause with Ibram X Kendi?”

SAM FADDIS, former Clandestine Operations Officer, CIA, former Congressional Candidate, Editor, ANDMagazine.com, Author, “Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of the CIA,” @RealSamFaddis Sam Faddis on the Biden administration's response to the situation in Afghanistan: “You don't know whether to laugh or cry” Faddis: Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is convinced the Taliban may respond to U.S. diplomatic messages and demands Faddis: Already hundreds of Chinese officials in Afghanistan assisting the Taliban hunt down opponents to the new regime Will the Taliban turn on their backer, Pakistan? And what does a destabilized Pakistan mean for international security? EDWARD TIMPERLAKE, Former Director of Technology Assessment, International Technology Security, Former Representative, National Counterintelligence Executive Committee, US Department of Defense, Captain (ret.), US Marine Corps (1969-1975), Author, Year of the Rat Ed Timberlake: When you surrender a fighting force, the next era of horror begins - The international press core needs to keep their focus on the events that will transpire in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal Timperlake on why China is wrong to “mock the ranks” of the U.S. military: Those who stayed in the military after Vietnam gave us Desert Storm Will Biden's surrender in Afghanistan beget a hot war with China? ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles talks about the one thing that all Americans need to know about the situation in Afghanistan: “We still have Americans in that country” Charles: When push comes to shove, the U.S. must continue to be the voice of civil liberties around the world

ROBERT CHARLES, Spokesman, Association of Mature American Citizens, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles: Runaway spending in Washington has caused the passage of unprecedented trillion-dollar bills China has gone over and above in Latin America to instill its influence either by training Cuba's black berets, signing mining deals, etc. What are the two greatest and most misunderstood threats to the U.S. today? Charles: The bigger concern is not a virus or vaccine, it's the indoctrination of our troops TREVOR LOUDON, Creator/Author, The Enemies Within (Documentary and Book), @TrevorLoudon1 Trevor Loudon: A classic recruitment operation was underway in the case of Eric Swalwell's relationship with Fang Fang “The Enemies within the Church”: Exposing a clear line between previous Communist infiltrations of the Catholic Church and its connections to the woke movement today VICTORIA COATES, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy, President, USAGM's Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc., former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Middle Eastern and North African Affairs, National Security Council, Author, "David's Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art," @VictoriaCoates What is the future of open and free transit through the Strait of Hormuz? Victoria Coates: China is going to use Iran as a gas station as much as it can Coates: Iran's new President, Ebrahim Raisi, isn't even going to pretend being a moderate anymore

George is recognisable to Channel 4 audiences for his role in Hunted & Celebrity Hunted. Utilising his skills as a former senior Detective in the Metropolitan Police Service to track down fugitives. George joined the police force at 16 as a Police Cadet, at a time of growing conflict between the police and the black community. He was one of the very few black policemen in the force. Over 31 years George worked in all areas of policing. As a uniform officer he was at the 1981 Brixton Riots and preceding the riots George policed the New Cross march across Blackfriars Bridge where he was seriously injured. George went on to be a Detective Inspector, head of a specialist unit in the Serious and Organised Crime Command, based at New Scotland Yard. During the rise of 'Black on Black' crime in London George attended murder/crime scenes, interviews and worked as family liaison. As a result of the racial murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, George worked closely with the Lawrence family and then at the highest level, trained UK's Senior Investigating Officers and Chiefs of Police in investigating racially motivated crimes, police perceptions and behaviour, media appeals and dealing with grieving families. George also worked as a Hostage and Crisis Negotiator, dealing with kidnap & ransom cases. Whilst in the police George also designed and managed a youth empowerment programme in the London Borough of Westminster, Hackney and Haringey. George also established the Black Police Association and drove diversity change throughout the police service. He won several awards for this innovative programme, which is now established in the police service as a community strategy to connect with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. George consistently boxed competitively for the British Police Boxing Team. Since his retirement from the Met, George went on to work in the USA for the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INLA). George was selected by the INLA as Team Leader of an international team of law enforcement experts to work on sensitive matters in Mexico. George received a commendation for his work from the US Secret Service. ** A Word Of Caution Please be aware some this episode contains descriptions of racial abuse, racist language, descriptions of self-harm and bullying and at around 1 hour and 40 minutes there is some description of the 7/7 bombings that some listeners may find upsetting. I'll jump in and give you a heads up before that section**

REP. MO BROOKS, Representative for Alabama's 5th Congressional District, U.S. House of Representatives, Former Alabama State Legislature, Former Commission, Madison County Alabama, Former Prosecutor, @RepMoBrooks Rep. Mo Brooks talks about his recent interview with Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a Chinese defector and coronavirus expert Rep. Brooks: It's very disappointing to hear that the federal government actually put in money that eventually was used at the Wuhan Bio-Weapons lab Rep. Brooks: The Chinese Communist Party knows how to move its pawns across the chess board Rep. Brooks: The nations of the world should be demanding reparations from Communist China RABBI YEHUDA GLICK, President, Shalom Jerusalem Foundation, Former Likud Member, The Israeli Knesset Rabbi Yehuda Glick: When Biden came into power, his administration sought to tolerate terrorists, such as the Palestinian Liberation Organization Biden is not promoting peace in the Middle East Rabbi Glick: Dividing Jerusalem will not lead to peace ROBERT CHARLES, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles: Critical race theory is a direct attack on Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln There was a time when no one thought Venezuela could be anything but a developed country - What changed? Robert Charles: Marxism is about justice coming through the barrel of a gun

PETER HUESSY, Director of Strategic Deterrence Studies, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Admiral Charles Richard: The Chinese are going to at least double their nuclear weapons in the next decade Huessy: The Chinese could have twice as many warheads on alert than the U.S. has in its arsenal Huessy: The arms control push for Global Zero misses the idea of strategic stability TODD BENSMAN, Senior National Security Fellow, Center for Immigration Studies, former Department of Homeland Security official, Author,  "America's Covert Border War: The Untold Story of the Nation's Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration," @BensmanTodd U.S. Customs and Border Patrol apprehensions in May 2021 were the highest in 20 years Todd Bensman: The U.S. is one of the most accommodating countries for illegal immigration - “Catch and Bus” What is the future of Peru? ROBERT CHARLES, Former Assistant Secretary, State at the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author, "Eagles and Evergreens," @RCharles4USA Robert Charles: Should news of the Cuban protests make it to China's more isolated provinces, the Chinese Communist Party could have an uprising on their hands Charles talks about his time working in Latin America and why the region's future matters more today than ever before Charles: For the first time since 2003, the Western Pacific is naked Charles: There is not a single city that shrunk its police budget last year that hasn't witnessed a spike in crime

Join us as we speak to Irvin Hicks Junior, a Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Advisor Hicks Jr. has had State Department assignments in Nigeria, Brazil, Djibouti, Burundi, New Guinea, and many other locations. Today, we talk about his work as the president of the Thursday Luncheon Group as well as the future of Africa.

On-site at the 6th Annual Drug Prevention Summit. Thom Browne about what is added to drugs to make them more potent and lethal. He has a master's degree in criminal justice, is the President and CEO of the global criminal justice and demand reduction consulting firm Rubicon Global Enterprises. He created treatment systems and prevention programs in over 70 countries on five continents during his 25-year career at the U.S. Department of State/Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

About the speaker: Charles Snyder, a career intelligence officer and Africanist, has served in many different positions within the government. After serving for 22 years in the Army, finishing with the rank of LTC, Mr. Snyder served as National Intelligence Officer for Africa, where he provided a detailed forecast of the potential impact of HIV/Aids. Previous to this project, Mr. Snyder worked as Senior Political-Military Advisor to the Africa Bureau, where he served on the team that mediated the Tripartite Agreement between Cuba, Angola, and South Africa. Other positions Mr. Snyder has held include: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; Director of the Office of Regional Affairs in the Africa Bureau; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civilian Police and African, Asian, European and Middle East Programs; and Senior Advisor to State Department's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL). At IWP, Prof. Snyder teaches US-African Relations.