National Security | The Ohio Star

American Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan Returning to Washington as Tensions Heighten

April 21, 2021April 20, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

United States Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said Tuesday that he was returning to Washington for “consultations” with top American officials as tensions increase between the two countries.

The former deputy secretary of state and appointee of former President Donald Trump said that “it is important for me to speak directly with my new colleagues in the Biden administration in Washington about the current state of bilateral relations between the U.S. and Russia.”

Sullivan added that he was returning to see his family, and that he would “return to Moscow in the coming weeks before any meeting” between President Joe Biden and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Trump National Security Official Says Evidence for Wuhan Lab Error ‘Far Outweighs’ Other Theories

February 22, 2021February 21, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

Matt Pottinger, who served as deputy national security adviser under former President Donald Trump, said Sunday that the evidence that the coronavirus resulted from human error in a Chinese lab “far outweighs” other theories about the origins of the pandemic.

“If you weigh the circumstantial evidence, the ledger on the side of an explanation that says that this resulted from some kind of human error, it far outweighs the side of the scale that says this was some natural outbreak,” Pottinger said in an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

Commentary: Biden Signals Pivot Back to China with Controversial National Security Council Pick

January 29, 2021January 28, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

President Joe Biden is signaling a pivot back to China with his most recent choice to sit on the National Security Council, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell.

Campbell wrote the book, “The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia,” where he argued, “While the Asian Century detoured to the Middle East in the years following the September 11 attacks… the United States has led a ‘Pivot’ (or ‘rebalancing,’ as many prefer) of American diplomacy toward the nuanced yet demanding tasks of engaging a rising Asia. The Pivot is premised on the idea that the Asia-Pacific region not only increasingly defines global power and commerce, but also welcomes U.S. leadership and rewards U.S. engagement with positive returns on political, economic, and military investments.”

Second Judge Blocks TikTok Ban in Latest Setback for Trump Administration

December 9, 2020December 8, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A federal judge blocked the Department of Commerce’s proposed restrictions on Chinese-owned social media app TikTok in an order Monday evening.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols’s order is the latest setback in the Trump administration’s attempt to effectively ban TikTok from the U.S. over national security concerns, according to Reuters. Nichols is the second federal judge to block the Department of Commerce’s TikTok restrictions after Judge Wendy Beetlestone blocked them on Oct. 30.

Commentary: America Needs a Stable Bipartisan Consensus on National Security

December 5, 2020December 4, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Those of us who remember the years before Vietnam remember when, in foreign policy matters, “partisanship ended at the water’s edge.” There wasn’t much foreign policy in the United States until a rending national debate over participating in the League of Nations in 1919 and 1920. President Woodrow Wilson invented the League and asserted that, in entering World War I, the United States was waging “a war to end war and to make the world safe for democracy.”

Michigan: Ground Zero for Biden-Led Chinese Acquisition of Automotive Manufacturer with National Security Implications

October 30, 2020October 29, 2020 Laura Baigert

A key presidential election battleground state of Michigan is also ground zero for a Chinese company’s acquisition of an automotive manufacturer with direct involvement by one of Hunter Biden’s businesses.

The transaction gave Chinese companies direct control of technology with possible military applications and, therefore, has national security implications.

U.S. Bans WeChat, TikTok from App Stores Citing Security Risk

September 18, 2020September 18, 2020 The Associated Press

The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores on Sunday and will saddle the apps with technical restrictions that could seriously limit their functionality in the U.S.

The order, which cited national security and data privacy concerns, follows weeks of dealmaking over the video-sharing service TikTok. President Donald Trump has pressured the app’s Chinese owner to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to a domestic company. It is not clear how the latest prohibitions will affect a deal recently struck by California tech giant Oracle aimed at satisfying U.S. concerns over TikTok’s data collection and related issues.

Commentary: Chinese Market Meddling in Pebble Mine Threatens National Security

September 16, 2020September 15, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

One of America’s foremost energy experts is raising alarms over China’s latest meddling in U.S. mineral production. Dan Kish, a distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute for Energy Research, says the attempt by a dubious Chinese investment firm to undermine Alaska’s Pebble Mine is one of many “war tactics” China is using against the United States.

President Trump Says He Plans to Ban TikTok by Executive Action

August 2, 2020August 1, 2020 Ben Kolodny

President Donald Trump said he will take action as soon as Saturday to ban TikTok, a popular Chinese-owned video app that has been a source of national security and censorship concerns.

Trump said he could use emergency economic powers or an executive order to enforce action on TikTok.

President Trump to Mark Completion of Border Wall’s 200th Mile

June 23, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Yuma on Tuesday to mark the completion of the 200th mile of the border wall system between the U.S. and Mexico.

Americans Overwhelmingly Favor a Pause on Immigration During Coronavirus Pandemic

April 14, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

A vast majority of Americans – 8 in 10 – now favor dramatic restrictions on immigration amid the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey has found.

American attitudes about the coronavirus and its impact on our way of life has changed dramatically over the course of one month, a USA Today/ Ipsos poll discovered. The survey had asked voters questions about their feelings on the coronavirus March, when the virus first began spreading through the U.S., and then posed the same questions roughly one month later.

With more than 95% of the country under lockdown orders, millions filing for unemployment benefits, and more than 22,000 deaths from the virus, the U.S. population is, by leaps and bounds, more willing to implement strong measures to combat the pandemic.

Border Patrol Catches Child Sex Offender Attempting to Illegally Enter the US

April 6, 2020April 5, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Border Patrol agents on Thursday apprehended a 29-year-old Honduran national after he unlawfully entered United States territory via the Arizona-Mexico border.

Rudy Chirinos-Hernandez was arrested by agents patrolling the desert near Sells, Arizona, according to a press release by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Following his apprehension, agents conducted a records check and discovered that Hernandez had been convicted of sexual assault against a minor — a felony offense — in 2012 in Dallas, Texas.

DHS Chief Calls Out Double Standard From Border Wall Opponents

January 21, 2020January 20, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), accused many border wall critics in Congress of having a double standard, noting how many of them became opponents during the Trump administration.

Rep. Gonzalez’s Bill to Fight Fake Internet Videos Called ‘Deepfakes’ Passes Unanimously in House

December 10, 2019December 9, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Congressman Anthony Gonzalez’s (R-OH-16) bill to combat manipulated media content known as “deepfakes” passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday with unanimous support.

Commentary: The Genius of Trump’s Terrorist Designation for Mexican Cartels

December 2, 2019December 1, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

President Trump last week signaled his intention to designate the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTO). In doing so, he takes the most aggressive step yet toward addressing the brutal violence that plagues Mexico and is fueling a migrant crisis at the southern U.S. border.

Sources: US Opens National Security Probe of TikTok Owner’s Acquisition

November 4, 2019November 3, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

NEW YORK / BEIJING / WASHINGTON – The U.S. government has launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co.’s $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media app Musical.ly, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Trump Administration Rolling Out a Plan to Collect DNA from Migrants

October 22, 2019October 21, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to collect DNA samples from asylum seekers, a policy intended to crack down on immigration-related crime and fraud at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Commentary: ‘Orange Man Bad’ Becomes Foreign Policy

October 21, 2019October 20, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

Have you noticed an uptick in the appearance of a specific talking point from the political and military elite about President Trump’s recent drawdown in northern Syria? It goes something like this: Yes, the president was in a tight spot in Syria – caught between Turkey, a NATO ally, and the Kurds, who we were allied with against ISIS. But the president was wrong to pull U.S. forces out of northern Syria the way he did. Very often, these detractors say the president ordered the precipitous drawdown of U.S. forces in Syria without “consulting the Pentagon.”

Commentary: National Security Doesn’t Care About Your Feelings

October 18, 2019October 17, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

Ben Shapiro has become famous for the line: “Facts don’t care about your feelings!” Neither does strategy. And the last week should serve as a lesson in how to do strategy properly, and how to serve the national interest: clinically and without emotion.

President Says He’d Rather Focus on the Southern Border Than Northern Syria Border

October 15, 2019October 15, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

President Donald Trump said he would rather focus efforts on the U.S. southern border than the northern Syria border in a Monday tweet.

The Tennessee Star Report: ‘Transnational Crime is the Real Threat to America’, says Former Director of Special Ops Division Derek Maltz

September 30, 2019September 29, 2019 Julie Carr

On The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was in Washington, D.C. last week talking to Derek Maltz who is the former Director of the Special Ops Division with 28 yrs in…

Commentary: Deficits Are Secondary to What You’re Paying For

September 3, 2019September 2, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

“I am not worried about the deficit,” Ronald Reagan famously said. “It is big enough to take care of itself.”

If you pay attention to the libertarian purists, President Reagan earns mixed reviews on his economic policies. After all, in 1983, the federal budget deficit exceeded 6 percent of GDP. But Reagan was untroubled by federal budget deficits for at least two reasons, and in both cases he has been vindicated by history.

Democrats Join Forces to Urge the Supreme Court to Block the Southern Border Barrier Based on ‘the Environment’

July 23, 2019July 22, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Kevin Daley Environmental groups and House Democrats urged the Supreme Court not to disturb a lower court order blocking the reallocation of military funds for border wall projects. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to put that ruling on hold while litigation continues July 12. Granting that request — called…

Senator Tom Cotton Fires Back at Fellow Senator Chuck Schumer: ‘Democrats Have A Radical, Open-Borders Position’

June 24, 2019June 23, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Jason Hopkins Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton had a response of his own after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the president of threatening to “tear families apart” with his upcoming illegal immigration raids. “When things aren’t going well, [President Donald Trump] plays to his base. Instead of putting…

Bernie Sanders Stands by ‘Fake Border Crisis’ Comments, Criticizes Trump’s Deal with Mexico

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Jason Hopkins Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders dodged questions Sunday when explicitly asked if he would call the situation at the U.S.-Mexico a “crisis.” CNN host Dana Bash asked Sanders on CNN’s “State of the Union” about a tweet he sent Wednesday in which he called the situation at the…

Commentary: President Trump’s Immigration Pitch Has Real Merit

May 21, 2019May 20, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Rachel Bovard President Trump on Thursday rolled out his administration’s first, substantive take on immigration reform, and the reactions have been what you’d expect. Democrats and some Republicans immediately panned the proposal because it doesn’t provide amnesty to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (otherwise known as President Obama’s illegal executive…

Analysis: The Exploitation of the U.S. Asylum System

May 21, 2019May 20, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Andrew Kerr Tens of thousands of apprehended migrants from the Central American countries driving the border crisis exploit loopholes in the immigration system by making false asylum claims, according to data, experts and surveys. The loopholes allow “people with suspect asylum claims … to make their way into…

Border Wall Going Up in National Monument, Wildlife Refuge

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

The U.S. government plans to replace barriers through 100 miles of the southern border in California and Arizona, including through a national monument and a wildlife refuge, according to documents and environmental advocates. The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday again waived environmental and dozens of other laws to…

Nearly 100 Indicted, 50 in Custody After ICE Uncovers Large-Scale Marriage Fraud Scheme

May 14, 2019May 13, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Jason Hopkins Fifty people have been arrested and 98 have been indicted after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) busted an enormous marriage fraud operation allegedly taking place in Vietnam and Houston. A months-long Homeland Security Investigations probe uncovered a criminal operation that enabled numerous foreign nationals to fraudulently…

Commentary: The Democrats Are Humanitarian Frauds on the Border

May 6, 2019May 5, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Rachael Bovard The evidence that Democrats are now an unapologetically open borders party is piling up, and Republicans need to start calling them on it. From opposing expanded detention facilities, actively blocking legislation to fix family separation policies, and even voting against legislation that would prohibit illegal immigrants…

Commentary: Mr. President, Close the Border

April 2, 2019April 1, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by CHQ Staff We have said on a number of occasions that the Constitution is not a suicide pact and that a dysfunctional or politically gridlocked Congress should not be able to use specious separation of powers arguments to put the sovereignty of the United States and the lives…

Senator Rand Paul Will Vote Against Trump’s National Emergency Declaration

March 4, 2019March 3, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Henry Rogers Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said he will vote against a resolution in an attempt to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency for border wall funding. Paul will join a group of three Republicans who have expressed their concerns with Trump’s declaration for a national emergency, saying…

Border Patrol Chief Agrees With Trump That There Is a Border Crisis

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Jason Hopkins U.S. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost broke down in testimony to Congress why the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border qualifies as a national security crisis. “There is an ongoing debate as to whether this constitutes a border security crisis or a humanitarian crisis. Let me be…

Border Patrol Wives Who Rebuked Nancy Pelosi Speak Out

January 29, 2019January 29, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Nick Givas Two wives of border patrol agents who rebuked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared on “Fox & Friends” Monday to explain the letter they wrote to her. “I just felt that it was really important that our leaders come here and see what’s happening firsthand. It’s important…

Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer Commentary: Terror Attack in France Is a Fresh Reminder of Why We Need the Wall

December 14, 2018December 13, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

By Lt. Col Tony Shaffer (Ret.) The terrorist attack on a French Christmas market should serve as a wakeup call to America. The stakes are too high for Congress to keep playing political games with border security. We need to build the wall. Americans awoke Wednesday to yet another…

Authorities: Muslim Migrant in Ohio Tried to Get ISIS Training and Start ‘Civil War’ in U.S.

October 27, 2018October 27, 2018 Anthony Accardi

For the second time this week, a Muslim was arrested in Ohio and charged with attempting to provide material support to an overseas terrorist organization. In the latest case, Naser Almadaoji, an Iraqi-born 19-year-old who had obtained U.S. citizenship, was arrested Wednesday at the Columbus airport. The FBI says Almadaoji, who lived in…

Sherrod Brown Voted Against Homeland Security, Wanted ‘Department of Peace’ Instead

October 26, 2018October 25, 2018 Anthony Accardi

From devastating hurricanes and natural disasters to terrorism and breaches in cyber security, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s job is to protect the homeland from all manner of threats and keep Americans safe. The department was created in the aftermath of 9/11, when Islamic terrorists killed nearly 3,000 Americans in coordinated attacks…

Legal Immigrant Explains How to Enter America the Right Way and Says Illegals are a ‘Threat to National Security’

October 23, 2018October 22, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

by Nick Givas A U.S. immigrant from Nicaragua explained how she legally came to the United States, on “Fox & Friends” Monday, and said those who are coming in illegally are a “threat to national security.” Amapola Hansberger referred to the caravan of migrants headed for the U.S. southern…

Trump Says US Will Pull Out of Intermediate Range Nuke Pact with Russia

October 21, 2018October 20, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would pull the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty because Russia had violated the agreement, but he provided no details of the violations. The 1987 pact, which helps protect the security of the U.S. and its allies in Europe and the…

LeFevre Art Gallery Exhibit at Ohio State University Showcases Images of Mexico Border Walls, Fences

September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 Admin

The U.S. border wall with Mexico is frequently in the news, but few people have a chance to visit it up close, or to see details of the various sections. Kenneth Madsen, an Ohio State University geography professor and border wall expert, hopes his new photo exhibit will help bring…

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Welcomes 44 New US Immigration Judges

September 11, 2018September 10, 2018 Admin

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions welcomed 44 new immigration judges, the largest class of immigration judges in U.S. history according to the Justice Department. The event took place as the Trump administration struggles to reunite families separated at the border after its “zero tolerance policy” resulted in unprecedented numbers of…

Twenty-Five Straight Minutes Of People Illegally Crossing The US Border Through Arizona Ranch

September 7, 2018September 7, 2018 Admin

by Will Racke Arizona rancher John Chilton’s 50,000-acre spread along the U.S.-Mexico border is allegedly ground zero for human smugglers, drug cartel members and illegal immigrants, and he has videos showing trespassers sneaking through his property. A fifth-generation cattleman, the 79-year-old Chilton has long warned the government about the…

Jim Jordan Tells Republicans How They Can Keep House Majority: ‘Build The Wall’

September 6, 2018September 5, 2018 Admin

by Nick Givas GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said Republicans must fund and build a southern border wall if they hope to maintain their congressional majority this November. “We should do what we said. What was probably the single biggest promise Republicans made to the voters in 2016?…

President Trump Decries ‘Coalition of Open Borders Extremists’

August 22, 2018August 21, 2018 Admin

by Steve Herman President Donald Trump is referring to opposition lawmakers, as well as local and state officials who oppose his immigration control agenda, as “a coalition of open borders extremists.” Trump at the White House on Monday afternoon accused opponents of waging “an unprecedented assault on American law…

President Trump Expects to Revoke DOJ Official Bruce Ohr’s Security Clearance

August 18, 2018August 17, 2018 Admin

President Trump said Friday he plans to revoke the security clearance of Bruce Ohr, a Justice Department official whose wife was employed at the company that was involved in producing the dossier on Trump’s links to Russia. Trump called Ohr a “disgrace” outside the White House and said, “I suspect…

Prosecutors: Reality Winner Faces ‘Longest’ Sentence Ever Imposed For Media Leak

August 17, 2018August 16, 2018 Admin

by Chuck Ross Former National Security Agency contractor Reality Winner’s 63-month prison sentence will be the “longest” ever served by a federal employee in a case involving leaks to the media, prosecutors said Tuesday. Winner, who worked for an NSA contractor based in Augusta, Georgia, pleaded guilty in June…

US Navy’s Top Admiral Cites Increased Threat in Ocean Nearest Washington

August 7, 2018August 6, 2018 Admin

by Carla Babb Chinese military vessels are now operating in the Northern Atlantic, and Russian submarines are prowling those same waters at a pace not seen since the end of the Cold War, the Navy’s top admiral told VOA in an exclusive interview. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John…

China’s Unconventional Multi-Front War on the United States

July 25, 2018July 24, 2018 Admin

by Printus LeBlanc China has a strategy unlike any the U.S. has faced. In the Cold War with the Soviet Union, it was military force versus military force. China learned a lesson from the USSR and is taking an asymmetrical approach in dealing with the U.S. Yes, China is…

Senior CIA Official: China Threatens US Interests ‘Far More Significantly By Any Extreme’ Than The Russians

July 22, 2018July 21, 2018 Admin

by Ryan Pickrell A senior CIA official warned of the dangers of China’s rise Friday, stressing that Beijing is determined to see China replace the U.S. as the world superpower. Arguing that China is fundamentally waging a “cold war” against the U.S., Deputy Assistant Director for the CIA’s East Asia…

President Trump Looks Forward to More Talks with Vladimir Putin

July 20, 2018July 19, 2018 Admin

by Steve Herman U.S. President Donald Trump, amid the uproar over his initial summit this week with Russia’s president, is indicating there could be a second such meeting with Vladimir Putin. Trump, writing on Twitter, called Monday’s summit in Helsinki “a great success, except with the real enemy of…