The Biggest Threat

CCP China remains the top threat of Americans despite a drop in polling. Also, financial scorecard for Idaho shows affordability struggle and more on Biden/Media bias.

Last week, Reuters reported on solar panel inverters from China with backdoor ‘kill switches’, potentially compromising swaths of our power grid. These invasive ‘games’ (recall the spy balloon that was shot down after crossing the nation two years ago) are not new but should continue to be wake-up calls for Americans as to the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that runs China.

The delicate negotiations between the CCP and the Trump administration, particularly with the heavy tariffs Trump has imposed, are on-going. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been leading trade talks with China and spoke positively of progress last week, but talks have been volatile in the past and firm agreements have yet to be reached. While the US relies less on exports than does China, China is not without significant leverage in its negotiations with the US. They monopolize several key products such as ball bearings, magnets, and batteries, which not only have consumer impact but military impact as well.

Meanwhile, recent polling by Pew Research shows that Americans, while still considering China to be the largest foreign threat to the US, have softened their view on that threat. This seems out of touch with recent reports from the CIA:

"China is the existential threat to American security in a way we really have never confronted before," ~ Deputy CIA Director Michael Ellis

Another report (p9-16) from the Intel Community warns that a ‘hot war’ with China could see cyber strikes not just on our military but on civilian networks as well. The disruption could generate widescale chaos.

A question for readers - given the list of complaints below about CCP controlled China from this op-ed in The Hill two years ago, do you believe these issues and the threat China poses have increased, decreased or remain unchanged since?

• stolen intellectual property

• supply chain stranglehold

• domestic oppression of Christians, Muslims and Buddhists

• building of militarized islands in the South China Seas

• building a navy larger than the US

• ‘belt and road’ initiative, impossible loans to developing countries

• influence over US universities

• investment in US land

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Over 40% of Idaho Families Struggling Financially

Source: UnitedForAlice.com

The annual ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed) report classifies family income compared to the cost for basic needs, similar to the consumer price index (CPI). 10% of Idaho’s 720,000 families are below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) but another 30% are above FPL but unable to cover costs for essentials such as housing, childcare and food. The number dropped slightly from last year, but the report shows the effects of inflation have been felt harder in Idaho than the rest of the country. The ALICE report is provided by United Way of Treasure Valley but covers the entire state.

AEI - Alice Essentials Index

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Media Mea Culpa Over Biden Decline

Source: FoxNews

The release this past week of the interview that then President Joe Biden had with Special Counsel Robert Hur in October of 2023 created a new surge in demanding accountability from key media personalities. While the transcript of the interview was released previously, the audio more starkly reveals the former President’s decline.

Hur interviewed Biden over his handling of classified documents, a potential felony. The evidence was compelling enough to force Hur to defend his decision not to prosecute Biden, saying he would not be able to get a conviction because jurors would be sympathetic to his mental state.

CNN host Jake Tapper was a vocal critic of anyone that criticized Biden’s mental acuity, and in the link below, Megyn Kelly presses Jake Tapper for his admitted mishandling of his coverage of Biden.