House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday will lay out his vision for a conservative American foreign policy, addressing the interconnected global threats posed by China, Russia and Iran and the path to counter them through U.S. deterrence and hard power.
Washington
India, China Pharmaceutical Companies Face Increasing Scrutiny In Washington
An advocacy group for native generic drug producers, known as the People for Secure Medicine, says … [+]
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The pandemic revealed gaping holes in U.S. provide chains. Everybody is aware of it. Something medical-related was entrance and heart when it got here to important objects lacking in motion. The nation’s over-reliance on China and India, particularly for medical provides, particularly key generic medication, is getting Washington’s consideration. Little has been carried out to counter it thus far. That’s prone to change.
A ballot by Morning Seek the advice of carried out on behalf of the newly fashioned advocacy group People for Secure Medicine confirmed that 85% of respondents stated they had been involved concerning the drug business’s reliance on India and China. One other 70% stated that the U.S. shouldn’t be reliant on overseas sources for key generic medication.
That reliance is stark. The U.S. imports round two-thirds of its generic drugs wants, and almost 90% of generic APIs got here from labs abroad.
Essential Avenue understands the anecdotal proof of the availability chain mess.
Keep in mind once we all needed to put on masks and nobody may purchase them, so that they made semi-useless ones out of materials as an alternative as a result of China was the go-to producer of N95s and the type of masks you may see your dental hygienist sporting. Generic medication are a extra critical concern.
India stopped exporting key medication through the pandemic. The principle one was anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine and all the lively elements that go into making it (or APIs as they’re recognized). Hydroxychloroquine was being distributed in India as a option to battle Covid. All instructed, some 26 APIs had been banned from being shipped abroad.
China threatened to cease promoting key beginning supplies for APIs, and APIs as effectively – which go into the ultimate drug both in pill or liquid kind. It was revenge for the journey ban and for the Trump administration blaming them for the outbreak in Wuhan in 2020.
China by no means delivered on this menace. But it surely was sufficient to offer native drug producers a window of alternative to point out how India and China, extra usually opponents than companions, can harm the U.S. important drugs provide chain.
The federal government is paying consideration however is gradual transferring.
Two years in the past, within the fall of 2020, the Meals and Drug Administration, on the request of the Trump White Home, got here up with a listing of a whole lot of medication it deemed important that had been both produced solely overseas – particularly in Indian and European labs – or had been in brief provide in nationwide stockpiles.
Quite a few members of Congress have put fourth payments to assist produce these medicines within the U.S., however none of them have been voted on but.
In March, Senator Tina Smith’s (D-MN) Onshoring Important Antibiotics Act and Senator Jacky Rosen’s (D-NV) Strategic Planning for Emergency Medical Manufacturing Act had been unanimously permitted by a Senate committee to be a part of the PREVENT Pandemics Act. No date has been set for a flooring vote on this invoice.
The Smith modification would give $500 million in grants for home drug producers.
“We ought to have the ability to produce important antibiotics that People want right here on U.S. soil. This is a matter of public well being and nationwide safety,” Smith stated in a press release. “By strengthening our nation’s capability to fabricate and retailer important medication, we’ll have extra certainty and sources to advertise public well being through the pandemic and past.”
A sizeable portion of these surveyed say that overseas labs that had been warned by the FDA on their … [+]
People for Secure Medicine
Dangerous Medicine
Drug makers abroad are hardly ever inspected by the FDA. When an inspector finds an issue with the lab, or the processing of medication, the corporate is given a so-called Warning Letter. India API producers –comparable to Aurobindo Prescription drugs — are totally on the receiving ends of those letters. China services for key beginning supplies usually are not inspected in any respect.
Corporations which can be on the receiving finish of Warning Letters are nonetheless allowed to promote prescribed drugs into the U.S. This, too, has prompted native generic pharma corporations to push again towards this, resulting in the creation of the American for Secure Medicine group. Their Morning Seek the advice of ballot confirmed that over 80% of these surveyed both wished these medication banned or wished them inspected upon arrival in a U.S. port earlier than being given to sufferers.
Some 86% of these surveys stated they felt it was essential to have the U.S. authorities help home producers of generic medication.
Nonetheless, corporations usually get these letters and stay operational within the U.S.
On March 30, 2022, an internet site known as Premium Gentle Provider, with a San Francisco phone quantity, was despatched a Warning Letter from the FDA for promoting illicit, uninspected medication.
Though the FDA website didn’t specify the place this firm was primarily based, it’s extremely doubtless that this can be a U.S. consumer-direct-to-China e-commerce operation promoting $6 per tablet Adderall and $4 per tablet anti-depressant Celexa.
The FDA Warning Letter said:
“The straightforward availability of those stimulants by way of the Web poses further important dangers to U.S. customers. Moreover, the sale of misbranded medication, together with misbranded stimulants, poses an inherent threat to customers who buy these merchandise. Medicine which have circumvented regulatory safeguards could also be contaminated, counterfeit, comprise various quantities of lively elements, or comprise completely different elements altogether.”
Nonetheless, it seemed fairly straightforward to purchase some Percocets for $400.
This firm has obtained a warning letter from the FDA, however customers are nonetheless in a position to purchase from … [+]
Bukket display screen shot from PL Provider
The U.S. is not a generic antibiotics producer, counting on imports as an alternative. That features medicines for kids’s ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, sexually-transmitted illnesses, Lyme illness treatment like doxycycline and different infections.
“Individuals ought to know who’s making their generic medication; it’s abroad producers in China and India, and too many of those corporations are violating the FDA’s security laws,” stated Rosemary Gibson, creator of the e book China Rx. “The reply to fixing this drawback is to reshore the generic pharmaceutical manufacturing business.”
China’s pharmaceutical exports at the moment are in decline, although this is because of a shift within the nature of the SARS2 pandemic.
China has additionally tried clamping down on non-public corporations giving it a foul title, both in prescribed drugs – an business the place China sees itself as changing into world class – or in medical gear.
Monday’s event comes as European and other foreign leaders descend on Washington this week for the annual summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), whose member nations will be focused on efforts to safeguard the alliance from an increasingly aggressive Russia and further help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion. Russian missiles on Monday struck a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital, killing dozens.
This is also a fraught moment is U.S. politics, as President Biden struggles to contain mounting concerns within the Democratic Party — and among foreign allies — about his physical and cognitive fitness to win a second term in November and lead the country for another four years.
“We’ve got a lot of instability in the Middle East, in Europe and in Asia,” said Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow and defense policy expert at the Hudson Institute, who will moderate Monday’s conversation with Johnson. “And so I think there’s a real demand right now [to hear]: Does Speaker Johnson and the Republican Party, from his perspective, have an assessment, a handle, on the threats facing the country, and a way forward?”
There is a desire amid the domestic turmoil, Heinrichs said, to “see a steady hand at the helm” and a clear vision for U.S. foreign policy. “I think that this is one Republican leader who has great influence, and an ability to set a course.”
Johnson’s foreign policy views have been the subject of speculation since he assumed the House speakership in October. The four-term Republican was not widely known and had little formal foreign policy experience before moving into his leadership role.
Johnson has allied himself with Biden’s expected opponent in November, former president Donald Trump, who has contemplated withdrawing the United States from NATO. Johnson also joined Republican hard-liners in opposing aid to Ukraine, a stance he later reversed after delaying for months a House vote on billions of dollars in additional military support for the country.
Johnson, who has spoken about his support for the “peace through strength” foreign policy doctrine espoused by President Ronald Reagan, ultimately sided with Democrats and moderate Republicans to approve Ukraine aid as part of a larger emergency national security spending package. At the time, some characterized the move as an evolution in his thinking.
An aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss Johnson’s thinking, said the speaker’s initial resistance to additional Ukraine funding stemmed from a desire to better understand how the Biden administration was conducting oversight of the vast amount of U.S. weaponry being shipped to the war zone. His “views on a ‘peace through strength’ posture were then what they are now,” the aide said.
Johnson’s office said he will host a reception Monday evening for visiting leaders who are attending the NATO summit and will hold separate meetings with several of them over the course of the week, including his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Fontana and, later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Netanyahu stipulated that “any deal will allow Israel to resume fighting until all of the objectives of the war have been achieved.” A statement issued by his office suggested that the prime minister would be unwilling to fully commit to a permanent cease-fire until the complete elimination of Hamas in Gaza — something he has repeatedly described as a key aim of the war, alongside the release of the hostages and the ensuring of Israel’s security.
Netanyahu’s office also said that any deal would need to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Egypt into the Gaza and “maximize the number of living hostages” released by Hamas — rather than the return of all the hostages.
The statement was criticized by Netanyahu’s domestic political opponents as well as Israeli demonstrators campaigning for a hostage-release deal. On Sunday, opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned Netanyahu’s statement as “provocative messages,” while protesters in Tel Aviv accused the Israeli prime minister of stymying peace talks with the new conditions.
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“With his irresponsible statement, Netanyahu once again proved himself to be the one who obstructed [the deal],” said Einav Zangauker, a mother of one of the hostages, who suspended herself in a cage above the demonstration in Tel Aviv in protest.
The statement comes as the United States, Egypt and Qatar continue attempts to broker a cease-fire and hostage release deal. In May, President Biden outlined a three-phase plan that includes a six-week initial stage with a cease-fire and a surge in humanitarian aid, forming the basis of the current round of talks. On Monday, Israeli media reported that an Israeli delegation led by intelligence chief Ronen Bar would continue negotiations in Egypt.
Last week, Israel and Hamas resumed indirect talks in Doha, Qatar, sparking muted optimism after weeks of back-and-forth. According to a person familiar with the negotiations, one of the new sticking points is the transition from the first to the second phase of the proposed framework agreement.
As talks sputtered, Israel’s military said it was continuing operations in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday that troops have begun an operation in Gaza City, including in the area of the headquarters of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that aids Palestinian refugees. The IDF said intelligence indicated the presence of Hamas “terrorist infrastructure, operatives, weapons, and investigation and detention rooms” in areas of the city.
Juliette Touma, an UNRWA spokeswoman, said she had no information on operations at the headquarters, which the agency’s staff evacuated in October. It has since been used by displaced Palestinians seeking shelter, as well as by the IDF as a base of operations, she said.
Here’s what else to know
Israeli forces said they struck multiple Hezbollah military targets across southern Lebanon. In a statement Monday, the Israel Defense Forces said its fighter jets hit a weapons storage facility and other targets on Lebanese territory and fired artillery to “remove a threat” in other parts of the country’s south.
At least 38,193 people have been killed and 87,903 injured in Gaza since the war started, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and it says 323 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operations in Gaza.
If President Joe Biden drops out of his troubled re-election campaign, no Democrat candidate for president may end up on the Washington ballot in November. That would cost Democrats 12 Electoral College votes and likely hand the win to former president Donald Trump. And it all comes down to a difficult decision Biden has to make.
After Biden’s disastrous debate performance highlighting his clear and obvious age-related cognitive struggles, Democrats and left-wing media sounded alarms. An interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos last week did little to calm the frayed nerves of Democrats who now see Donald Trump as the likely winner in the November election. Panicked Democrats are now privately and publicly calling for Biden to end his re-election campaign. Concurrently, a Trump-hating media is amplifying the messages, hoping there will be another candidate who can step up in Biden’s place.
The prospects for a Democrat open convention in late August have never seemed more real. But if they get to that point, Washington’s loyal Democrat voters will be unlikely to have a like-minded candidate to support. Washington may not be the only state without a Democrat candidate either, depending on deadlines to appear on ballots.
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Is there a chance no Democrat nominee for president ends up on the Washington Ballot? Yes
Under Washington law, deadlines require a nomination certification no later than August 20, 2024. This is two days before the Democratic National Convention concludes. If there’s an open convention where various candidates duke it out for the nomination, it would not happen by the Washington deadline.
“In the unlikely event that the Democrat National Committee does not submit nominations for president and vice president, no one would be listed for that party,” a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH after being asked what would happen in an open convention where a provisional certification was not offered by August 20.
The timing of the DNC nomination was always a hurdle for Biden and Democrats.
Even if there wasn’t the prospect of an open convention, the state’s deadline was still in place. But Democrat Secretary of State Steve Hobbes agreed to accept a provisional nomination from the Democratic National Committee by August 20. It would attest that Biden will be the party’s nominee after the convention. This move is not unprecedented. It was done for both Democrats and Republicans (including Trump) in 2020.
“Anything past the August 20 deadline puts the ballot preparation process into turmoil,” former Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman exclusively explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.
The deadline and Democrat drama opens up several scenarios that could impact the presidential election.
What different scenarios could happen if Joe Biden drops out?
If Biden stays in the race, Hobbes’ office expects the provisional certification on August 20. It would be followed by an official certification by August 23 that matches the provisional one.
Biden said he’s not dropping out of the race, despite the collective Democrat freakout playing out in front of cameras and behind the scenes. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) is reportedly assembling Democrat senators to demand Biden step aside and allow another candidate to run for president. A spokesperson for the senator neither confirmed nor denied to reports. Instead, a spokesperson offered the Washington Post the statement, “Like many other people in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes these are critical days for the president’s campaign, and he has made that clear to the White House.”
If Biden drops out, and there is no singular candidate to step up, such as a deeply unpopular Vice President Kamala Harris, there would be no provisional certification by the deadline.
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What if the certifications don’t match?
It’s possible that Democrats supply a provisional Biden certification but then party drama during the convention convinces Biden to drop out. Only the president can release his delegates to vote for other candidates. Assuming he didn’t drop out before the convention, the delegates wouldn’t be free for other candidates until day two.
Hobbes’ office is giving itself some wiggle room on how to move forward if the provisional certification doesn’t match an official one.
“If the provisional certification submitted on August 20 is different than the certification submitted on August 23, we would consult with our attorneys before making any decision,” Hobbes’ spokesperson explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.
But to have a Democrat on the ballot in this scenario, it would appear that state attorneys would have to council Hobbes to simply ignore the law and his own rules.
The laws governing nomination certifications are clear, giving Hobbes the legal framework for the August 20 deadline. The intent of this administrative rule is to give the state enough time to print the ballots, particularly for military voters serving overseas. Federal law requires they be mailed 45 days before the election. Depending on how extensive and complicated the county ballots are, the process can take at least six weeks.
‘Unchartered territory’
Former Secretary of State Wyman is watching the drama unfold from a different position now. No longer subject to the deadlines as Secretary of State, the Republican who left her role to work under the Biden administration in election security before ultimately stepping aside, warned Hobbes and other secretaries of state better start planning “what if” scenarios.
“This is all unchartered territory,” Wyman explained. “There is a point where you have to move ahead with the ballot process. That’s true across the country. Litigation will ensure, no matter what happens, every day that goes past that deadline, there will be a challenge. Even Democrats might challenge if they don’t like the results of the convention.”
Wyman said election officials across the country should be looking to their existing laws and regulations to game plan next steps.
“Hobbes really should be making contingency plans. What if the nominee is different than what was on the provision certification? What if they don’t select a nominee?” she asked.
She even thinks Hobbes and others should plan for next steps “if the nominee changes between the convention and election day.”
All of this assumes that Democrats don’t hold their mid- or late-July digital roll call vote nominating Biden as the candidate, which was planned as the Ohio legislature considered legislation changing their certification deadline of August 6.
There would be a legal challenge over ballot access
If Hobbes was effectively forced to keep a Democrat nominee off the ballot, it would undoubtedly trigger a legal challenge. But it’s unclear how it would go, though you’d expect judges to err on the side of voters’ access to a major party candidate. But the timing is important. The longer the legal challenges, the tighter it could be for the state to meet printing deadlines.
There was a potential legal challenge to Trump appearing on the Washington ballot that earned some traction courtesy of cheerleading by the Seattle Times.
In a dramatically titled column, “Plot twist: WA has a law against felons running for office,” writer Danny Westneat cited a local activist lawyer who said he had clients ready to keep Trump off the ballot. The columnist cites RCW 29A.68.020 as providing registered voters the right to “challenge the right of a candidate to appear on the general election ballot after a primary.” This could apply to a candidate who was “convicted of a felony by a court of competent jurisdiction, the conviction not having been reversed nor the person’s civil rights restored after the conviction” prior to the election. Though Hobbes eventually denied this could keep Trump off the ballot, a judge would ultimately decide, possibly using the same justification to keep him on the ballot as he would with any challenge against a Democrat candidate.
It’s not necessarily clear how a judge would decide — assuming Joe Biden drops out of the race too late
Federal elections are governed primarily by the U.S. Constitution and federal laws, as established in Supreme Court decisions in Powell v. McCormack (1969) and U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1995). However, states are responsible for administering federal elections.
States are responsible for administrative tasks, such as managing voter registration, the design of ballots, and election procedures. If state law forced Hobbes to abide by the state’s law and regulations, this would be well within the state’s administrative role in administering federal elections.
If, due to the timing of certification by Democrats, ballots were not guaranteed to be ready to comply with federal law, how would a judge justify a decision in favor of Democrats? You cannot argue that it’s better to deprive voters of their right to vote than it is to keep one candidate from a ballot because of their own incompetence and in-fighting.
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Washington in play for Trump
Though it wouldn’t be easy for Trump to face any Democrat nominee in Washington, new polling shows his support steady and loyal. Biden’s support, however, is soft.
According to a May Cascade PBS/Elway poll, Biden had only 42% support (31% certain, 11% inclined to support the president but could change their minds). Trump had 34% support (25% certain, 9% inclined to support the former president but could change their minds). With media coverage so positively skewed toward Biden and against Trump, both results are surprising for voters in this deeply blue state. After Biden’s debate debacle, it’s hard to imagine support skyrocketing. With 13% of Washington voters undecided, Trump theoretically has a shot at taking the state.
Trump senior campaign adviser and Seattle native Jason Miller explained to sister station KIRO Newsradio, immediately after the presidential debate, that, “Washington state may now be in play.”
“President Trump delivered the greatest performance in debate history,” Miller said in a text message sent to KIRO Newsradio. “Millions of Americans have now been reminded what a real leader looks like, and have had their hope restored that we can turn around our economy and secure our southern border.”
Listen to “The Jason Rantz Show” on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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