Donald Trump, along with his worst enablers, must be tried for their crimes against our nation and Constitution. Any further abuse of the sacred pardon power to shield criminals would itself be obstruction of justice, and any self-pardons would be illegal.Like Caesar, Trump now must fight for victory or lose everything. Come January 2021, will Donald Trump decide to cast the die and cross the Rubicon? He might.
'We're not leaving': Trump security advisor says Washington committed to deterring Beijing amid S. China Sea dispute
President Donald Trump's national security advisor Robert O'Brien has reiterated the US' commitment to back the Philippines and Vietnam over Beijing's territorial claims in the potentially energy-rich South China Sea.
The two states have been engaged in a long-running row with Beijing over sovereignty in the contested South China Sea, of which China claims 90 percent.
O'Brien said the way to deter China is the "peace-through-strength message" and reinforced Washington's military commitment to the region.
"Our message is we're going to be here, we've got your back, and we're not leaving."
The national security advisor reaffirmed that the US stands firmly behind the Philippines in building a deterrent against Chinese expansionism, adding that the sub-sea resources claimed by the Philippines belonged to its people and future generations.
"They don't belong to some other country just because they may be bigger than the Philippines...that's just wrong," he said.
In 2016, the dispute over the territory and exploration rights went to the Hague, where a court ruled in favor of the Philippines against China. However, Beijing rejected the ruling, with President Xi Jinping saying it would not impact his country's "territorial sovereignty and marine rights."
In October this year, the Philippines lifted a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, which may allow for both it and China to undertake joint operations in the area.
The South China Sea remains largely unexplored in regard to hydrocarbons, but estimates suggest there are 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil in proven and probable reserves.There may be even more in fields that are yet to be discovered.
Relations between the US and China have deteriorated significantly throughout 2020 as Washington increasingly stepped up pressure on Beijing.
Earlier on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing would enact a "necessary" response after an admiral of the US Navy made an unannounced visit to Taiwan over the weekend.
Zhao said China "resolutely opposes" any diplomatic or military relations between Washington and Taiwan.
The Pennsylvania Legislature passed, and Gov. Wolf signed, Act 77 which included amendments to Pennsylvania election laws — including a provision that expanded the availability of absentee voting on a "no excuse" basis.Here is the issue as presented by the Complaint — the Pennsylvania Constitution sets forth the basis upon which voters ("electors") may cast an absentee ballot, and Act 77 did not "amend" the State Constitution as has been done in the past when changes were made to the Absentee Ballot provisions.
Republicans argued before the election that Pennsylvania's decision to allow the counting of ballots received after election day violated the state's constitution.
In a 4-4 decision in October, the US Supreme Court allowed these late-arriving ballots to be counted and, in a follow-up order, asked that they be segregated from the rest. The Trump campaign hoped that this order would pave the way for these ballots to be discounted, but when the nation's highest court met on Monday, it decided not to take action on the case.
The court's order list on Monday made no mention of the case. While the court could hear it when its justices meet again in December, Pennsylvania's counties must certify the results of the election on Monday. States must certify their vote tallies by December 8, before the Electoral College votes a week later.
Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, Trump's attorneys, wrote that they would seek an "expedited appeal" with 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, which has a conservative majority. Should the 3rd Circuit fail them, Giuliani and Ellis still have options, with Giuliani writing on Saturday that the Pennsylvania defeat helps the campaign "in our strategy to get expeditiously to the US Supreme Court."
Comment: If you ever needed a better illustration: The elites aren't afraid of the virus, they don't care about the rules they make everyone else follow and they will continue to be blatantly hypocritical, even after getting caught. Your suffering means nothing to them - it's literally a joke.
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