The media has begun to do what it was expected to do in hit piece after piece: attack Nikki Haley.
Nothing that the former South Carolina governor has done has been spared. Some charged that she conveniently chose her first name to appear more white, although Nikki is a typical middle name in Punjabi communities in North India.
Abortion rights activists found her too right-wing because she signed a 2016 bill to ban all abortions after 19 weeks. Never mind that 13 other states at the time – Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin – had signed similar bans into law. And after the Supreme Court Dobbs decision last summer overturning a constitutional right to abortion and returning the matter to the states, 24 states have some form of abortion restriction in place. We wonder how rules that nearly half the country’s states adopt can make Haley right-wing.
Some identity-politics watchdogs grudgingly conceded that Haley was sensitive to African American priorities by signing a measure in 2015 to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state Capitol after it had flown for 54 years. The move invited mixed reactions in a proud state that gallantly fought on the losing side during the Civil War. But Haley showed that she was a leader on the issue following the mass shooting of nine members of a historically Black church in Charleston, a fact acknowledged by her state’s senior senator, Lindsey Graham. “After the horrific tragedy in Charleston, our state could have gone down one of two paths, division or reconciliation,” Graham said in a statement. “I am thankful we chose the path of reconciliation.” But no liberal complimented her forethought five long years before George Floyd.
Few liberals also praised her for appointing Tim Scott, a charismatic Black leader, to a Senate seat, in one of her first national acts as governor. Her decision was in 2013 to replace the white conservative firebrand, Jim DeMint. At the time, there had been only one other instance of a governor appointing a Black individual to the Senate (Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Ronald Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama), but replacing a Black politician with another is not particularly bold. Besides, this appointment became a considerable controversy as there were rumors that Blagojevich had been paid for his choice.
The easiest thing that Haley could have done was to appoint another white man or woman in a state that is reliably Republican. But her choice of Tim Scott launched a promising Black career as he easily won a special election in 2014 and was elected to full terms in 2016 and 2022. Scott was himself attacked by the national media when the G.O.P. selected him to deliver their rebuttal to President Biden after his first address to Congress. When Scott insisted that the new Georgia voter law was not racist and was an improvement over liberal states’ voting rights, the left ridiculed him. After the 2022 midterms, we know that more people voted than ever in Georgia and none of the “Jim Crow 2.0 allegations” that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris levied came to pass. Even habitual whiner Stacey Abrams, who rode into national prominence for being an election denier in 2018, conceded that she lost a rematch to Brian Kemp. Such is Scott’s stardom that, in irony, he may challenge Haley for the Republican nomination.
Sunday’s N.Y. Times lead political story by Katie Glueck and Lisa Lerer was another hit piece on Haley and the entire G.O.P. Focusing on identity politics as they often do, the reporters’ thesis was that Haley is facing a major test of her party’s views on sexism and female leaders. The article conveniently confused fealty to former President Trump and sexism, making it another example of poor journalism intended to satisfy the newspaper’s liberal constituency.
Scores of female leaders have made it to the highest ranks of the Republican Party. Kristi Noem, reelected as South Dakota’s governor last Fall after becoming the first woman elected to the state’s highest office in 2018, had served as the lone U.S. representative for South Dakota from 2011 to 2019. The Michigan G.O.P. last week appointed Kristina Karamo as the party’s chair. Arkansas elected its first female governor (Sarah Huckabee Sanders), and Ronna McDaniel was reelected chair of the national G.O.P. All four women are strong Trump supporters. The New York Times’ favorite Republican, Liz Cheney, failed because she tried to make a political career attacking Trump. Had she supported Trump in Congress, she could have risen to become Speaker of the House, her dream role, when Kevin McCarthy had to hold 14 ballots before being chosen. Instead, Cheney is languishing somewhere in the political wilderness.
At CPAC Dallas, Nikki Haley shared her less-than-2% popularity vote for the 2024 nomination with Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Kristi Noem, and Mike Pompeo. Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were in the lead. But 18 months before the election, it is foolish to rule Haley out as a formidable contender. Trump’s victory is not assured, and the media is angling for DeSantis to somehow trip and fall.
The Dems are scared of Haley, which is why their war room is putting out press statements each time Haley speaks. Expect the Dems’ media friends to continue attacking Haley in the months ahead.
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Geopolitics And Geoeconomics
#1. Russia Again Accuses Ukraine Of Planning ‘False Flag’ Attack – Al Jazeera
Ukraine is planning to stage a nuclear incident on its territory to pin the blame on Moscow ahead of a key United Nations meeting, Russia has alleged without providing evidence.
Radioactive substances have been transported to Ukraine from an unnamed European country, and Kyiv was preparing a large-scale “provocation,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement.
Russia has repeatedly accused Kyiv of planning “false flag” operations with non-conventional weapons using biological or radioactive materials. No such attack has materialized.
Ukraine and its allies have dismissed such accusations as cynical attempts to spread disinformation and have accused Moscow of planning incidents itself in a bid to blame Ukraine.
#2. Russia Using Decoy Surveillance Balloons As Ukraine War Tactic, British Intelligence Warns – UPI
British military intelligence officials said in a statement that Ukrainian troops spotted several balloons with radar reflectors suspended beneath them flying over Kyiv.
Yuriy Ihnat, a Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman, said that six such balloons had been shot down and each had metal triangles suspended beneath them to make them appear like an incoming missile.
“It is likely that the balloons were Russian,” the British Defense Ministry said. “They likely represent a new tactic by Russia to gain information about Ukrainian air defense systems and compel the Ukrainians to expend valuable stocks of surface-to-air missiles and ammunition.”
#3. Ukrainian Grain Shipments Drop As Ship Backups Grow – A.P.
The amount of grain leaving Ukraine has dropped, with inspections of ships falling to half what they were four months ago, and a backlog of vessels growing as Russia’s invasion nears the one-year mark.
Ukrainian and some U.S. officials blame Russia for slowing down inspections, which Moscow has denied.
Less wheat, barley, and other grain getting out of Ukraine dubbed the “breadbasket of the world, ” raises concerns about the impact on those going hungry in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia — places that rely on affordable food supplies from the Black Sea region.
#4.Chechnya’s Kadyrov Plans Mercenary Group, Praises Wagner – D.W.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said that he intends to form his own group of professional mercenaries once he no longer serves in a state office.
The pro-Kremlin strongman Ramzan Kadyrov has sent soldiers to Ukraine to help Russia, but he has been critical of Moscow’s forces.
On his Telegram channel, Kadyrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, praised the Wagner Group of mercenaries and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for “impressive results” amid the war in Ukraine.
“When my service to the state is completed, I seriously plan to compete with our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and create a private military company. I think it will all work out.”
#5. Russia Slams Emmanuel Macron For His Remarks, Says Moscow Remembers Napoleon’s Fate – WION
Russia slammed France President Emmanuel Macron over his remarks about wanting to see Russia defeated in the war against Ukraine and reminded him of the fate of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Macron had said that France wanted Russia to be defeated in Ukraine but had never wanted to “crush” it.
Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow still remembers the fate of Napoleon Bonaparte and accused the French president of two-faced diplomacy with the Kremlin.
#6. Ukraine War: Blinken Says China May Give Weapons To Russia – BBC
Mr. Blinken said that Chinese companies were already providing “non-lethal support” to Russia – and new information suggested Beijing could provide “lethal support.”
This escalation would mean “serious consequences” for China, he warned.
China has denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is yet to condemn Russia’s invasion – but he has sought to remain neutral in the conflict and has called for peace.
China’s foreign ministry said it would not accept “finger-pointing” and “coercion” from the U.S. over its relations with Russia.
#7. China Warns U.S. To Suffer ‘Consequences’ If It Escalates Balloon Incident – Reuters
China warned the United States it would “bear all the consequences” if it escalated the controversy over a Chinese balloon that the U.S. military shot down this month.
Beijing will “follow through to the end “in the event” the U.S. insists on taking advantage of the issue,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
A U.S. military jet on Feb. 4 shot down what Washington calls a Chinese spy balloon after it had crossed North America. Beijing says it was an errant weather-monitoring craft.
#8. China Says Never Interfered In Canadian Elections – AFP
China has rejected allegations it interfered in Canada’s federal elections, describing Canadian media reports that cited intelligence documents as “false” and attempts at “smearing” Beijing.
A statement from the Chinese consulate general accused Canadian media of “smearing and discrediting China,” and it expressed its “strong dissatisfaction.”
The statement followed a newspaper report citing confidential intelligence documents that said Beijing had interfered in the 2021 federal elections.
China’s government used diplomats and proxies to lead disinformation campaigns to boost certain candidates of the Liberal party — the party considered more favorable to Beijing — against their Conservative rivals, the report said.
#9. Blinken Announces $100M More In Earthquake Aid During Visit To Turkey – UPI
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to survey damage from two devastating earthquakes as he announced $100 million in funds for Turkey and Syria.
“Profoundly saddened to see firsthand the devastation of the earthquakes in Turkey. The United States remains committed to doing everything we can to help with rescue, relief, and recovery efforts,” Blinken said in a statement.
Blinken said the funds would be provided through the State Department’s Population, Refugees, and Migration Bureau and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
#10. Iran Nuclear Inspectors Detect 84 Percent Enriched Uranium, Highest Level To Date – Bloomberg
The International Atomic Energy Agency is trying to clarify how Iran accumulated uranium enriched to 84 percent purity — the highest level found by inspectors in the country to date, and a concentration just 6 percent below what’s needed for a weapon.
Iran had previously told the IAEA that its centrifuges were configured to enrich uranium to a 60 percent purity level.
Inspectors need to determine whether Iran intentionally produced the material or the concentration was an unintended accumulation within the network of pipes connecting the hundreds of fast-spinning centrifuges used to separate the isotopes.
It’s the second time this month that monitors have detected suspicious enrichment-related activities.
#11. North Korea Warns Of Turning Pacific Into ‘Firing Range’ – Reuters
North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea’s military said on Monday, as the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un warned it could turn the Pacific into a “firing range.”
The launches come just two days after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the sea off Japan’s west coast, prompting joint air exercises by the United States and South Korea on Sunday.
North Korea’s state media confirmed it fired two projectiles from a multiple rocket launcher, aiming at targets 395 km (245 miles) and 337 km (209 miles) away, respectively.
#12. Burkina Faso Announces The End Of French Military Operations On Its Land – WION
Top officers from the Burkinabe and French forces in the country conducted a flag-lowering ceremony to mark the event at a camp outside of the nation’s capital, Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso’s junta demanded the military leave within four weeks, and France said last month that it would withdraw its contingent of hundreds of soldiers stationed there.
The request was made just a few days after Burkina’s Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tembela said Russia would make a “reasonable” strong ally in the fight against jihadists.
#13. An ‘Apocalypse’: Report Warns Of A ‘Catastrophic Cyber Event’ In Next Two Years – WION
During a presentation, WEF managing director Jeremy Jurgens said that “geopolitical instability makes a catastrophic cyber event likely in the next two years.”
Jurgens said that the prediction comes from 93 percent of cyber leaders and 86 percent of cyber business leaders. “This far exceeds anything that we’ve seen in previous surveys.”
Jurgens referred to a recent cyber-attack that aimed to shut down Ukrainian military abilities but unexpectedly led to closing parts of electricity production across Europe.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
