Viet-Nam..

 

President Biden visited Vietnam on Sunday to celebrate a new upgrade in Washington-Hanoi relations, despite concerns about the country’s recent authoritarian crackdown and a report that it is secretly in pursuit of an arms deal with Russia.

The trip to Hanoi was centered on the signing of a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with the Vietnamese, a symbolic but significant status long coveted by the United States. Since taking office, Mr. Biden has sought to enhance relations with several Southeast Asian nations because of their tactical value as a bulwark against rising Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.  

CNN's Jeremy Diamond asked him about whether he was "putting the US’s strategic interests above those of human rights." 
 the G 20 followed by Vietnam. Is that one success story after another?
"Vietnam in particular has a poor record as it relates to any political dissent. They are the third-largest jailer of journalists in the world. And the president said, I don’t put anything above human rights. 

UpGrade..

 

The Army announced Sept. 6 that it will no longer upgrade its old Abrams Main Battle Tank and that it will build a new fighting vehicle instead.

The Army will close out the M1A2 System Enhancement Package version 4 effort and develop M1E3 Abrams, “which will focus on making the capability improvements needed to fight and win against future threats on the battlefield of 2040 and beyond,” an Army statement said.

Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems, said: “The war in Ukraine has highlighted a critical need for integrated protections for soldiers, built from within instead of adding on.”

The Ukraine war has brought the use of loitering munitions, also called kamikaze drones, to the fore as a weapon of choice.

That was quick decision?  Just a thought.

Geeeeee..

 
The Group of 20 adopted a consensus declaration at a summit on Saturday that avoided condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine but called on all states not to use force to grab territory.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Leaders' Declaration had been adopted on the first day of the weekend G20 summit in New Delhi.

The consensus came as a surprise as G20 is deeply divided over the war in Ukraine, with Western nations earlier pushing for strong condemnation of Russia in the Leaders' Declaration, while others demanded a focus on broader economic issues.

"We call on all states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability," the declaration said.  Power is shifting...

To...

 

Time..

 

Nursing home..

 

G20---23

 

President Biden announced plans for a new rail and shipping corridor that will connect India, the Middle East and Europe — a long-term push to improve the way goods, energy and information moves across borders, that notably does not involve China.

Biden made the announcement with other world leaders at the G20 — a summit that China's President Xi Jinping chose to skip this year. Afterward, Biden clutched hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to mark the moment.

Earlier ... As a presidential candidate, Biden had said the kingdom should be made a "pariah" on the world stage because of Khashoggi's murder. 

Bam..

 

President Joe Biden's reelection bid could be facing a serious test – how might it be forced to react to the fact that his troubled son could face years in prison for lying on a federal form to purchase a firearm. 

Hunter Biden had previously reached a deal that would have made the felony gun possession charge essentially go away if he met certain conditions over a 24-month period.

However, his plea deal to resolve two tax charges fell apart in court earlier this summer, and the future of the gun deal had been left in limbo.  

It is a federal crime to lie on the ATF form that is used to conduct a background check at the time of purchase."

However, Hunter acknowledged in his memoir "Beautiful Things" that he was struggling with crack cocaine addiction at the time of the purchase. He purchased a handgun at a Delaware gun shop and owned it for about 11 days.

Fire..

 

President Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine in its fight against Russia has sparked concerns from NATO allies and an outcry from human rights activists who say it's a mistake. 

More than 120 countries have signed a convention banning cluster bombs and U.S. leaders debated the issue for months.

Is there something here that Human Rights organization, Nato Members and 120 countries can't see? 

"Against Us"..

 

You’ve heard the expression that the coverup is worse than the crime? Well, in the case of New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), the opposite might be true.

Cuomo is under bipartisan fire after an aide admitted that his administration deliberately delayed releasing information showing the true extent of covid-19 deaths in New York nursing homes, out of fears, according to the aide, that the information “was going to be used against us.”

Cuomo's administration provided inaccurate data to public health officials in real time, at the beginning of the crisis, when government scientists were desperately trying to figure out how the virus was spreading, who was most vulnerable and how to stop it. 

Instead, the Cuomo administration provided incomplete data about nursing home deaths apparently because he feared real data would hurt him politically. That is like providing false intelligence to battlefield commanders about the location of the enemy in a time of war.
  

 The Cuomo administration reported only 8,500 nursing home deaths, when the real number was about 20,000 — an undercount of at least 58 percent.