Conservative Conversation and Community
I had an epiphany today which seems mundane in hindsight. More
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President Trump has fired his national security advisor, John Bolton.
MoreI informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.
The Democrat-Deep State-Media Cover-Up that Protected the Russiagate Narrative — Revisiting the Awan Cybersecurity Scandal with Luke Rosiak Luke Rosiak is an investigative reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation where he broke arguably one of the biggest scandals in the history of the federal government — one the media refused to cover and the […]
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For this week’s Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten podcast, my guest was Rich Higgins. Higgins, an expert in unconventional warfare and combatting terrorism with over 20 years experience at senior levels of the Defense Department, and early supporter of President Trump, served as director for strategic planning in President Trump’s National Security Council (NSC). More
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I just came across this interview by The Epoch Times with Rosemary Gibson, co-author of the book China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine, which outlines yet another very discouraging and horrifying example of our complete insanity on being dependent on China for our basic, critical needs: Interview: ‘China RX’ Author […]
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Judith Miller joins City Journal managing editor Paul Beston to discuss the life of Michael A. Sheehan, who passed away last month at age 63. A 40-year veteran of the U.S. counterterrorism community, Sheehan served as a top official for the State Department, the Pentagon, and the New York Police Department. As a military officer on the National Security Council staff for Presidents George H.W. Bush […]
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No president is perfect, else we would allow unlimited terms. I support President Trump’s actions towards Russia, am not discomforted by the Helsinki summit, and believe the upcoming DC summit to be a good thing. I also recognize that the relentlessly hostile network and cable news media make the islands of apparently friendly forums attractive. With all those qualifications, I was jarred by the President’s response to Tucker Carlson on “Montenegro.” I am concerned because of history and because it is clear “Montenegro,” in Tucker’s agenda, is not Montenegro. A quick look at the map shows what I mean.
Nicaragua is spiraling down because commie dictators gotta be commie dictators. But, it is not doomed to follow Venezuela, as there is a strong student movement for democracy. The population is unarmed, like the Democrats want to make Americans, but they are not collapsing in the face of being shot by government goons. President Trump […]
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Today I’m launching a new podcast, Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten, and I’d like to ask for some help from the Ricochet community in making it as successful as possible. Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten features compelling long-form conversations with exceptional thinkers and doers — primarily though not exclusively of a conservative/libertarian bent — on the most critical ideas […]
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President Trump knows more about structural steel than any president since the great civil engineer Herbert Hoover. Media of every flavor took the President’s comments, about requiring the use of US steel in petroleum pipeline construction, at face value, as only a jobs program. While “free” trade advocates got the vapors about protectionism and warned of harm to the US economy from artificially high prices, no one bothered digging into the critical assumption.
A year later, President Trump threatened to impose steel tariffs. There was much back-slapping and hand-wringing, all having to do with the price of steel and supposed resulting gains and losses in jobs. In the midst of this noise, Mark Davis, a Texas radio talk show host, took a call from a welder. (Starts at 23:50.)
MoreRichard Epstein contrasts two recent actions by the Trump Administration — the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum, and the blocking of a foreign company’s attempts to take over an American tech firm — to demonstrate when national security concerns justify restrictions on trade … and when they don’t. More
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Richard Epstein parses the memo recently released by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, a document that they claim shows impropriety in the FBI’s investigation of the Trump campaign. More
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Richard Epstein reviews how the new film The Post portrays the Supreme Court’s free speech jurisprudence in the Pentagon Papers case. More
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I found the National Security Strategy (NSS) publication timing and the setting of President Trump’s speech both significant. Publication within the first year of the Trump Administration is remarkable. The timing shows he recognized the importance of this document to drive change across agencies and shows the competence of his senior national security team. The speech setting both evoked Reagan and pointed to serious support for the full set of instruments of national power.
The setting was not a military base or DHS, rather it was the Ronald Reagan Building, whose tenants include USAID, Commerce, Trade, and CBP as well as the Woodrow Wilson Center. That reinforced the new President’s intent to use the informational and economic tools of national power. So, while President Trump was addressing multiple audiences with his words, his physical presence delivering the speech also underscored his intent.
MoreIn this AEI Events Podcast, Vice Admiral (Ret.) Mark Fox and Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Trask discuss how Iran pursues its foreign policy goals and conducts warfare in the Middle East. Both guests, along with AEI’s Frederick W. Kagan and J. Matthew McInnis, explain how they expect to see Tehran expand its methods in coming […]
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I’m having real mental problems observing McMaster and his recent actions, firing Trump supporters and retaining and protecting Obama(supposedly) supporters on the NSC staff. Part of my problem is my thinking that those he is protecting are likely some of the leakers that have not been outed. Looks as if this is at least partially […]
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This AEI Events Podcast features the release of AEI’s new report, “Kingpins and Corruption: Targeting Transnational Organized Crime in the Americas.” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) delivers opening remarks and discusses with AEI’s Roger F. Noriega how Congress and the executive branch can proactively address the threats posed by transnational organized crime. Following Sen. Rubio’s remarks, […]
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It’s probably too early to say anything definitive following the revelations of Rep. Nunes yesterday, but I would like to revisit some statements made repeatedly by Prof. @richardepstein on various Ricochet podcasts.
One of his main defenses of the current data collection regime of the NSA and other law enforcement groups was that there seems to be a real security need and that there are enough checks in place to prevent the misuse of that data.
More
Donald Trump announced his choice for National Security Advisor this afternoon. Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster has a long and distinguished record of service, and wrote a detailed critique of the strategy employed by the US military during the war in Vietnam. The reaction to McMaster appears to be much more positive, with many notable Trump […]
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Washington Free Beacon reporting that Victoria Coates, late of Team Ted Cruz, will be joining the NSC as Senior Director for Strategic Assessments. Hardcore #NeverTrumper, our own @jaynordlinger interviewed her on Q&A a year ago. Highly recommended. Also pick up her fine, fine book David’s Sling wherever fine books are sold. More
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