'Walz claims China may have world’s ‘moral authority’ after Israel attacks Iran'

  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz astoundingly claimed Friday that one nation may have the “moral authority” to de-escalate the conflict between Iran and Israel after the Jewish state carried out airstrikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities and eliminated key military leaders.

“It might be the Chinese,” Walz suggested to ex-Biden White House official Neera Tanden during an event at the Center for American Progress (CAP). “And that goes against everything they say they’re trying to do in terms of the balance of power.”

Earlier, Walz had asked: “Who is the voice in the world that can negotiate some type of agreement in this? Who holds the moral authority, who holds the ability to do that? Because we are not seen as a neutral actor and we maybe never were.”

China’s record of human rights abuses against its Uyghur Muslim population has been well-documented by government watchdogs, in congressional inquiries and through the work of other international aid and advocacy organizations.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made an astounding claim Friday about which nation has the “moral authority” to de-escalate the conflict between Iran and Israel.CSPAN/X

The US Intelligence Community has also drawn attention to coordination between Beijing, Moscow and Tehran to “exacerbate divisions in US society for their own benefit.”

During the 2024 campaign, Walz caught flak for fibs he told about his own visits to China, some of which occurred while he was an active US military service member.

The governor was also believed to be a prime “target” for Communist Party influence operations, a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower revealed last year in the weeks before Election Day.

Walz, 61, worked as an English teacher and briefly dated a Communist Party official’s daughter in China years before his first run for public office.

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“It might be the Chinese,” Walz suggested to ex-Biden White House official Neera Tanden during an event at the Center for American Progress (CAP).AP

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Merrill Sherman / NY Post Design

He chose to marry his wife, Gwen, on the fifth anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre — which she claimed was done so he would “have a date he’ll always remember,” according to a report in the Guardian.

Walz also spoke fondly of his experiences under China’s economic system in 1991, telling the Alliance Times-Herald newspaper in his home state of Nebraska: “It means that everyone is the same and everyone shares.”

“The doctor and the construction worker make the same. The Chinese government and the place they work for provide housing and 14 kg — or about 30 pounds — of rice per month. They get food and housing.”

CAP hosted the failed VP candidate “to offer ideas on how to respond to this moment,” as one of several “leaders who can govern effectively and break through the noise to connect across political lines.”

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CAP hosted the failed VP candidate “to offer ideas on how to respond to this moment,” as one of several “leaders who can govern effectively and break through the noise to connect across political lines.”AP

“Here we are with the, with the Middle East back on fire in a way that has now expanded,” Walz said of Israel’s targeted strikes eliminating at least 20 senior Iranian military officials and six scientists connected to its nuclear program.

“Iran has to retaliate, in their mind, I’m sure,” he added — which the regime did by launching 150 missiles at the Jewish state.

Walz noted that he was in Congress when former President Barack Obama’s administration agreed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to relax economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on their uranium enrichment.

President Trump withdrew from that deal in 2018, but last month, UN investigators discovered that Iran had been in violation of the non-proliferation agreement regarding its nuclear program, leading to a formal censure in the international body by France, Germany and the UK.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/13/us-news/former-dem-vp-pick-tim-walz-claims-china-may-have-worlds-moral-authority-after-israel-attacks-iran/

Trump Admin Reportedly Pressuring Mexico To Prosecute, Extradite Politicians Suspected Of Cartel Ties

The Trump administration is reportedly pressuring Mexico to ramp up the prosecution and extradition of local politicians suspected of having ties with cartels if they have to answer to criminal charges there.

Concretely, Reuters detailed that the State Department brought up the issue at least three times in bilateral meetings. Officials called for action against politicians from the party led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Morena, and threatened with imposing additional tariffs should their demands not be met.

The outlet quoted sources saying that five Morena officials and a former senator were mentioned, including Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Avila

Avila and her husband, a former congressman, recently had their U.S. visas revoked. Ávila, a member of Morena, did not indicate a specific reason for the U.S. decision but characterized the situation as part of a "complex binational context" requiring "composure and prudence."

Mexico's Foreign Ministry rejected the report in a social media post, claiming that it is "absolutely false that in the meetings with Secretary Rubio or his team at the State Department, that requests have been made to investigate, prosecute or extradite any Mexican official."

However, recent reports noted ties between certain Mexican politicians and cartels. One of them is José Ascensión Murguía Santiago, former mayor of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, who was arrested following an investigation that uncovered an alleged network of criminal ties between officials of the rural Jalisco community and the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

Murguía is now being accused of working directly with cartel leaders in operations involving kidnappings and the disposal of human remains at the Izaguirre Ranch — an infamous property allegedly used by the CJNG as a training camp, detention center and execution site.

The country's most emblematic case is that of former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, who was sentenced to pay over $2.4 billion in damages for their involvement in a vast corruption and money laundering scheme that siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from the Mexican government.

In a related criminal case, García Luna was convicted in February 2023 by a U.S. federal jury in Brooklyn on charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, international cocaine distribution conspiracy, and making false statements. He was sentenced in October 2024 to 38 years in federal prison and fined $2 million for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, facilitating the transportation of over a million kilograms of cocaine into the United States.

García Luna remains the highest-ranking Mexican official to ever be convicted in the United States. Judge Brian M. Cogan, who presided over the trial, told García Luna that "Aside from your pleasant demeanor and your articulateness, you have the same thuggishness as El Chapo."

https://www.latintimes.com/trump-admin-reportedly-pressuring-mexico-prosecute-extradite-politicians-suspected-cartel-ties-584859

Florida State's Novel Civics Program

 by Mike Sabo via RealClearEducation,

“Liberty is the lifeblood of America, but it flourishes only when citizens understand the ideas that sustain it,” says Ryan Owens, the director of the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University.

The problem according to Owens is that the serious study of civics has been neglected in recent years. He relates the story of a business leader who recently told him that his biggest personnel problem is younger workers fighting over partisan politics. This is borne out by a recent survey IGC conducted, which is part of its distinctive foundation in social science. It discovered some alarming results.

The survey found that nearly 45% of young adults “would not want someone of the opposite political party to marry into their family.” A quarter said they would refuse to socialize with someone from across the aisle. Sizable percentages of both Democrats and Republicans “would refuse to sell goods to opposite partisans.”

Pointing to these findings, Owens argues that the “next generation needs to understand more about how American institutions operate, the citizen’s role in those institutions and the marketplace, and how to interact with others who hold different views.

Enter the Institute for Governance and Civics. Building a culture that prizes a rigorous study of civics and social science, paired with inculcating the virtues of civil society, is at the heart of the Center’s mission.

Established through legislation in 2023, Owens says that the IGC “seeks to become the nation’s premier policy institute for cultivating effective citizens and responsible leaders.” A faculty partner of the Jack Miller Center, which Owens calls a “force multiplier for civic reform,” the ICG aims to advance “constitutional liberty, economic liberty, conscience liberty, and educational liberty through bold research and transformative teaching.”

“The Institute for Governance and Civics is both a policy institute and a civic thought institute,” Owens notes. “We seek to produce students who understand civic thought and also have the social science skills to compete effectively in a marketplace that demands them. To create the next generation of effective citizens and responsible leaders, students must understand civic thought and social science skills.”

In addition to directing IGC, Owens is a professor of political science and an affiliate faculty member in the FSU College of Law. He calls himself an empirical legal scholar who looks to “apply statistical modeling to answer important normative questions.” His own work focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate courts, and judicial behavior. His recent book “Cognitive Aging and the Federal Circuit Courts” won the 2025 C. Herman Pritchett Award for the best book on law and courts written by a political scientist.

The IGC’s focus is on constitutional liberty, economic liberty, conscience liberty, and educational liberty. “We promote rigorous scholarship and teaching on the architecture of American government and the rationale for liberty,” Owens reports. “We conduct data-driven research to inform policy discussions. And we strengthen the fabric of our civic life by inviting intellectually diverse perspectives—fostering dialogue where others fear discussion.”

The IGC’s “dynamic agenda to encourage civic education” includes an undergraduate degree program in Civics and Liberty Studies, where students will supplement classes on civic thought with courses in social science.

The Institute also features a First Amendment Law Clinic in the College of Law. There, students will litigate First Amendment cases pro bono and will learn the ins and outs of how these cases wind their way through the judiciary.

Awards and scholarships are available to students as well. In 2025, FSU students read and analyzed the main points of Yuval Levin’s newest book, “American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation – and Could Again.” The IGC gave three scholarships to students who wrote the best papers and three additional scholarships to students who exhibited public leadership.

Owens notes that showcasing “intellectually diverse perspectives on campus” and modeling “respectful dialogue” is of paramount concern. The IGC has hosted North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, who shared her harrowing escape from tyranny and human trafficking and emphasized the crucial importance of the rule of law. Jess Bravin of the Wall Street Journal and Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist engaged in a fruitful discussion about the Supreme Court. Owens says that these and other events have had a very good turnout, drawing hundreds of students.

Amidst a focus on civics education in the states, Owens wants to have the IGC “become the hub of the wheel for data related to civics and K-12 reform.” As he notes, “States across the country are taking bold steps through civics reforms to address” the lack of civic knowledge among students. The Institute is currently conducting polls to identify the state of civic knowledge in America. Owens says that the IGC plans on making this information available so it can inform broader policy discussions. Plans are also in place to host a treasure trove of data for researchers looking to examine K-12 education and civics more broadly.

Even though it was recently founded, the Institute for Governance and Civics is already making a notable impact in the important mission of reforming civic education across the nation.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/florida-states-novel-civics-program

Two Former USPS Employees Indicted For Stealing $80 Million In Treasury Checks

 Missing your tax return check and living near Philadelphia? We might have an idea of what's gone wrong...

That's because two former employees of the U.S. Postal Service in Philadelphia have been indicted for their roles in a scheme involving the theft of over $80 million in U.S. Treasury checks, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

According to federal prosecutors, Tauheed Tucker, 23, and Saahir Irby, 27, both previously employed as mail processing clerks at the USPS Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center, are accused of stealing thousands of envelopes containing Treasury checks, according to NBC Philadelphia.

The indictment further alleges that Tucker and Irby sold the stolen checks to two other individuals—Cory Scott, 25, of Ardmore, and Alexander Telewoda, 25, of Clifton Heights. Scott and Telewoda are said to have advertised the checks for sale via the messaging app Telegram.

NBC Philadelphia writes that once payments were received from interested buyers, Scott and Telewoda allegedly mailed the checks out. According to prosecutors, those buyers then attempted to cash the checks, unaware they had been stolen.

Officials report that while the total face value of the stolen checks exceeded $80 million, approximately $11 million worth were successfully negotiated at banks by the buyers.

All four men—Tucker, Irby, Scott, and Telewoda—face charges including conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government property, and mail theft. Each could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

In addition, Irby is facing separate charges of mail theft in connection with another incident involving stolen Treasury checks

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/two-former-usps-employees-indicted-stealing-80-million-treasury-checks

Planned Parenthood Under Investigation From DOGE Panel for Misusing Taxpayer Dollars

 A congressional panel led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood, probing whether the nation’s largest abortion business has misused federal taxpayer funds.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee, chaired by Greene under the House Oversight Committee, initiated the probe on Friday, targeting Planned Parenthood’s handling of billions in federal dollars. Greene sent a letter to Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, questioning whether the nonprofit is commingling federal funds for unpermitted purposes, despite the Hyde Amendment’s prohibition on using federal money for abortions.

“Planned Parenthood has received billions in taxpayer dollars while offering almost no prenatal care and pushing late-term abortions,” Greene said in a statement. “The American people deserve to know if their money is being used to fund grotesque experiments or ideological agendas.”

The investigation comes amid renewed scrutiny of Planned Parenthood’s finances.

According to a 2023 Government Accountability Office report, the organization and its affiliates received $1.78 billion in federal and state funds from 2019 to 2021, including $90.14 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans meant for small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pro-life critics, including Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., argue these funds were misallocated, as Planned Parenthood, with over 16,000 employees, did not qualify as a small business.

Planned Parenthood’s 2022-2023 annual report revealed the organization performed a record 402,237 abortions, a 5% increase from the previous year, while its net assets grew to over $2.5 billion.

Pro-life groups have accused Planned Parenthood of prioritizing abortion over other health services, noting a 71% drop in cancer screenings and an 80% decline in prenatal services since 2010. They say taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize an organization that kills over 1,000 unborn babies every day.”

The DOGE probe also questions Planned Parenthood’s mutilating kids with trans hormones, including hormone therapy at 45 affiliate health centers, which Greene alleges may obscure the true extent of such procedures under vague reporting categories like “other procedures.” Pro-life advocates argue that these services, alongside abortions, divert resources from genuine women’s healthcare needs.

The investigation has reignited calls to defund Planned Parenthood, a priority for pro-life lawmakers and activists. Redirecting these funds to the 14,000 community health centers that outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities 20 to 1 would better serve women and protect unborn lives.

https://www.lifenews.com/2025/06/13/planned-parenthood-under-investigation-from-doge-panel-for-misusing-taxpayer-dollars/

Trump says Nippon-US Steel deal has resolvable national security risk

 Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel poses a national security risk, but those concerns can be mitigated if the companies fulfill certain conditions laid out by the Trump administration, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a executive order on Friday.

"I additionally find that the threatened impairment to the national security of the United States arising as a result of the Proposed Transaction (JO:NTUJ) can be adequately mitigated if the conditions set forth in section 3 of this order are met," Trump said in the order released by the White House.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/trump-says-nipponus-steel-deal-has-resolvable-national-security-risk-4095841

Re: Iran — Sounds crazy but it’s true

By M. Walter

Democrats trust Iran with nukes more than they trust you, their fellow Americans, with guns.

That’s not hyperbole.  That’s not theoretical.  That’s factually true.  By their actions, their policy, their votes, we shall know them, and they voted for Obama’s Iran deal while at the same time, Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder was doing everything possible — the sneakier and the slimier the better — to keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding Americans, or intentionally arming criminals.  (See: Operation Chokepoint, Fast and Furious, etc.)

All honest observers at the time knew Obama’s precious 2015 Iran Deal was a ten year glide path to nukes not a proscription from them — and here we are, ten years later, in 2025, and America’s chess pieces were, this week, being shifted around in the region in anticipation of… something.  Late last night, we found out what:  Israel would carry out targeted strikes on Iranian leadership.

Right on time.

Embassies and other American operations present in the region were either placed on high alert or emptied out. We don’t know much more than that, as regards our response, in kinetic terms, either in the short or long term, but we do know that President Trump spent a night at Camp David — which he hates — last Sunday night.  (It’s too “rustic” for our gilded Commander-in-Chief, lol.)  He had extremely private meetings with his very, very closest advisors, chief among them Marco Rubio, who is wearing so many hats now I’ve lost count.  (Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, etc.)

Now, bearing all this in mind, read Eric Holder’s X post from late last week, Friday the 6th of June.  He’s not a heavy user of X, so when he does post, it’s notable.

The word “appeasement” jumped out at me; Here, Holder’s referring to President Trump’s righteous civil rights battle with higher education to do something about the observable, inarguable tide of antisemitism rising on their campuses.  Of course the left is framing it all as a “free speech” issue but these young adults, as we’ve all seen, aren’t just holding signs and marching.  They’re terrorizing Jewish students, taking over and vandalizing buildings, and even taking janitors hostage!

“Appeasement” is a word we traditionally use when talking about terrorists or terrorist countries, notably Iran.  “Extremists” is a word they, the Obama administration, popularized to describe anyone who disagreed with them about, well, anything.

“Enough. No policy of negotiation, appeasement or capitulation is going to work with these dishonest, morally bankrupt extremists.”

If you saw that sentence all by itself, completely out of context, you might think, reasonably, it was directed at the Iranian mullahs, not your fellow Americans.  All Trump wants is for the Jew-hating to stop.

That’s it.

Just knock it off with terrorizing Jews.  That’s all they gotta do. But nooooo…

It will be interesting to see what both Eric Holder and Barack Obama post about the Israeli strikes inside Iran last night.  Thus far, they have been silent.

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/06/re_iran_sounds_crazy_but_it_s_true.html