At 98 years old, Bob Dole is dead. He ran for president against Clinton in 1996. After losing, Clinton awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Chris Cuomo, also known in some food establishments and to the late Rush Limbaugh as “Fredo”, has been fired from CNN.
Tomorrow marks the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack from Japan. Today, things are very different as Japan looks together with the US toward defending against China. Seeing China as Japan’s adversary, however, has not changed. Bitter roots remain between the two, and those roots will sprout if China tips the apple cart by invading Taiwan.
Big in the West is that naming “Taiwan” fits more in Western news than it did even a month ago. And, Japan is also involved, as it was 80 years ago, when Bob Dole was 18. He went off to war, as many young Americans may do soon.
Russia is amassing troops near the Ukraine. In the context of China’s aggression toward Taiwan, we can expect Russia not to come to China’s defense, but to bust a move while the world is distracted with poster boy “Taiwan” more than with forgotten poster boy “Ukraine”.
This global mayhem is easier to sustain with two variants of COVID, with lockdown, quarantine, and vaccine requirements increasing. It is in this worldwide situation of sustained chaos and control that China and Russia are ready to bust a move. That will awaken the West.
Republicans
Bob Dole, giant of the Senate and 1996 Republican presidential nominee, dies // CNN
News Media, Journalism & Free speech
Lawyer: Chris Cuomo accuser was disgusted by ‘hypocrisy’ // AP
Pandemic
More omicron detected as hospitals strain under delta surge // AP
America and Europe choose divergent pandemic paths as Omicron spreads // Axios
COVID-19: Vaccines mandatory in some sectors // Taipei Times
Australia Confirms Community Transmission of Omicron Variant // Bloomberg