The 2024 Republican Party Platform No Longer Supports Statehood for Puerto Rico

I had posted in July and August about the weakening of the Republican Party’s Platform on the right to life because of the wishes of its nominee, Donald Trump, but there was another noteworthy change. The GOP Platform also dropped its longtime support for statehood for Puerto Rico. The status of the territory, which is currently a commonwealth, has long been the major political issue on the Caribbean island. Although the three million residents of Puerto Rico are United States citizens, only the citizens of States and the Federal District of Columbia may vote for presidential and vice presidential Electors, and only States are fully represented in Congress with voting Representatives and Senators, as the residents of territories do not pay federal taxes. But millions of Puerto Ricans who reside in America are eligible to vote in the State or District of their residence in federal and state elections. Congress may approve legislation for another plebiscite for Puerto Rican residents to decide whether to become a State, remain as a commonwealth, enter into free association with the U.S., or become independent. Puerto Rican voting in American will be looking for direction from either of the two major political parties, now that the Republicans have opened the door for the Democrats to gain support from this issue.

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to Co-Chair the 250th American Independence Celebration

Former United States Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama co-chairing the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026. Through their joint bipartisan leadership of the anniversary celebration, the conservative Republican Bush and liberal Democratic Obama hope to unify Americans who have been extremely divided in recent years because of ideological differences and disinformation from hostile foreign powers that weakens America by undermining their beliefs in its founding principles of equality, liberty and representative government, and by exacerbating the divisions. Bush and Obama will have the opportunity to remind Americans of their shared, fundamental values.

Foreign Digest: Iraq and Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela and France

Iraq and Syria: United States and Iraq conducted a joint raid in Iraq last week against a cell of the Islamic State terrorist organization. U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces, the main opposition militia that is backed by the U.S., captured in Syria an Islamic State leader who had led a raid on a prison that had freed other I.S. terrorists. The I.S. is an offshoot of al-Qaeda, the Sunni Islamist terrorist organization that was responsible for the deadliest acts of terrorism in world history, the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America. The I.S. had seized large swaths of Iraq after the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international coalition that had overthrown the tyrannical terrorist-sponsoring Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, and Syria, after the start of the ongoing rebellion against the Syrian Baathist tyrant, Bashar Assad. The U.S. has led another international coalition that has deprived the I.S. of its territory and continues to target the Islamist terrorists for destruction. Nicaragua: The United Nations High Commissioner for human rights reports a serious worsening of the human rights situation in Nicaragua since last year, citing particularly a growing number of reports of torture and rape of detainees. The Central American State is led by a Marxist Sandinista, Daniel Ortega who had been a dictator since seizing power in a revolution in 1979, was voted out of office after being pressured to allow free and fair elections in 1990, and was elected back into office as President in 2007 and then breaking his promise not to rule as a dictator again. United States last week was able to obtain the release of well over a hundred political prisoners who then arrived in Guatemala on their way to being resettled in America Venezuela: The Socialist dictatorship of Venezuela issued an arrest warrant for the opposition’s winning presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a conservative former diplomat who won the election in July in a landslide, but whose victory the regime refuses to recognize. Seven Latin American States denounced the warrant in a joint statement. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, also denounced and appealed to the intervention of the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. The Colombian Parliament approved a motion unanimously to refer the Socialist dictator to the ICC. Uruguay announced that it will file a complaint this week and Argentina asked the ICC for arrest warrants for the Socialist dictator and other key regime leaders. With the threats and persecution, Gonzalez sought asylum in the Spanish Embassy and was granted safe conduct to Spain, where he will continue to increase international pressure against the Socialist regime. The Venezuelan dictator meanwhile moved the observation of Christmas to October 1. The Catholic bishops of Venezuela objected to the move and condemned the state repression and persecution in general, especially the detention of political prisoners, including minors, without due process, and the repression of the opposition. The Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America issued a devastating report on the violations of liberty and representative government. The United States had mediated an agreement between the regime and the opposition for free and fair elections, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, but with the Socialist dictatorship’s gross violations of free and fair elections, according to international observers, the U.S. has begun to reimpose sanctions and is recognizing Gonzalez as the President-elect of the South American State. France: The President of France asked a conservative former Member of Parliament and European Union negotiator late last week to serve as Prime Minister and form a government. In the French parliamentary elections two months ago, the anti-migrant far right and the left made gains of votes and seats at the expense of the ruling centrist coalition formed by the President, who has two more years in his term. But the centrists and the center-right won enough seats to keep the not only the nationalist far right, but the far left, which was part of the leftist bloc that won the most seats, from gaining a majority and being able to govern on their own. The Head of State is a powerful figure in the Fifth French Republic and governs through his premier. France is a great power ally of the United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Foreign Digest: Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, Argentina and Italy

Cuba: The United Nations agency for ongoing forms of slavery has issued a report that Communist Cuba engages in forced labor, even for political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Nicaragua: The Marxist Sandinista dictator of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has banned more non-governmental organizations. The latest bans of charities, evangelical Christian churches brings the total to over 5,600, including civil, religious and business organizations. Nicaragua seizes the organizations’ assets. Venezuela: Venezuelans took to the streets last week to mark one month since the presidential election for a six-year term in which the results obtained by the center-right candidate of the united opposition easily won, but which the Socialist-regime declared its leader reelected, without publicizing the precinct tabulations. There is growing international pressure against the Socialist dictator to release the results or to step aside and allow a transition to representative government. The United States recognizes the opposition candidate, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, as the president-elect, as do many Latin American and European States. The Socialists came to power 25 years ago and became increasingly authoritarian to remain in power. The U.S. mediated a deal between the opposition and the regime to allow free and fair elections, in exchange for the lifting of some economic sanctions, but the Socialists violated it and failed to follow the standards for a free and fair election, according to the few international observers allowed in the South American State. Venezuela is an ally of Communist Cuba, imperialist Russia and Islamist Iran. Meanwhile, the U.S. has restarted its humanitarian program for refugees who had already arrived from Communist Cuba, Marxist Nicaragua, Socialist Venezuela, and crime-ridden Haiti with greater screening measures implemented against fraudulent claims of asylum. Argentina and Italy: Argentina has arrested and will extradite to Italy a Red Brigades fugitive who has been wanted since 1980 after being sentenced to 27 years in prison for a kidnapping three years before. Argentina revoked the amnesty granted the Marxist militant in 2004. The Red Brigades were the main contributor to Italy’s “Years of Lead” from the 1970s to the 1980s of militant violence. Militants from the extreme left and right were given safe harbor by various leftist-led States in Europe and Latin America. Italy has been actively seeking their arrest and extradition, with some success in recent years.

Foreign Digest: Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ukraine, Estonia and Syria

Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela: The Freedom House issued a report last week on how authoritarian regimes around the world restrict the freedom of movement of their own citizens as a form of repression of dissent: No Way In or Out: Authoritarian Controls on the Freedom of Movement | Freedom House The report highlights particularly such repression by Communist Cuba, Marxist Nicaragua and Socialist Venezuela, which try to prevent dissidents from leaving their countries and punishing exiles. Meanwhile, the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights condemned the closure of many more non-governmental organizations in Nicaragua. Thousands of civil, business, education, charity and religious NGOs have been closed, as I have posted. Now the long-time Sandinista Nicaraguan tyrant is taxing donations to church and religious organizations. He has particularly repressed the Catholic Church. The United States and several Latin American States across the political spectrum rejected last week’s ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Court certifying the presidential election results late last month for another six-year term in favor of the Socialist dictator as lacking impartiality and credibility and shall not recognize his victory, but instead that of the united opposition candidate, the center-right former diplomatic, Edmundo Gonzales Urrutia. The Organization of American States, several European States and the European Union expressed similar opinions. The United Nations also rejected the ruling. Spain and Mexico are calling for the full reporting of the results, which the Socialist regime claimed was prevented by a cyberattack, an argument relied upon by the dictatorship-supporting Venezuelan high court. The Carter Center, which said there was no evidence of any cyberattack, and the U.N. were the only international observers allowed for the elections. Both found the elections beneath the standard for being free and fair and the U.N. has stated that the Venezuelan Supreme Court is not independent and impartial. Gonzalez has called for an international audit of the results. The number of political prisoners in the South American State has increased many-fold. There have been thousands of arrests and dozens of deaths as the Socialist dictatorship does not tolerate freedom of peaceful assembly. It was announced yesterday that the rector of the regime-loyal Venezuelan electoral council, which had certified the election results in favor of the dictator without publicizing the totals from each precinct, had defected beforehand. He had criticized the unilateral decisions of its leader and the arrests of opposition leaders. The opposition had obtained the documentation from most precincts that clearly showed an overwhelming opposition victory. Ukraine and Estonia: The Ukrainian parliament has banned the Ukrainian Russian Orthodox Church because its ties to the pro-Kremlin Moscow Patriarchate are a portal for Russian Federation influence. The Russian Federation has engaged in aggression against the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine, as Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence agent, is attempting to restore the Soviet Empire, which he has done with the enthusiastic support of the Russian Orthodox Patriarch. As I had posted, the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church had become autocephalic like most other national churches, with the support of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople, a move opposed which Russia, which is trying to deny Ukrainian cultural identity. Similarly, the Estonian Russian Orthodox Church is now separating itself from the Russian Patriarchate to form the self-governing Estonian Orthodox Church, in communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate. Meanwhile, Ukraine observed its independence day yesterday, while it has resisted Russian aggression for a decade and a full-scale invasion for over two and a half years, with support from the United States and many allies in Europe and around the world. Syria: The United States killed a leader of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, in a victory in the ongoing War on Terrorism. The U.S. has continued to target Islamist terrorists in Syria, such as al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the Islamic State. The former committed the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America that killed nearly 3,000 people, which is the most in world history.

The Philippines Has Agreed to Host a United States Visa Processing Center for Afghan Allies; Update Re: Afghanistan

Filipino-American Agreement for a U.S. Visa Processing Center for Afghan Allies: The Philippines has agreed to host a visa-processing center for a few hundred Afghan refugees who had worked for the United States while the U.S. and its allies had backed the Afghan Government against the Islamist Taliban regime that had harbored the al-Qaeda Islamist terrorists. Al-Qaeda was responsible for the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on American that killed nearly 3,000 people, which was the deadliest act of terrorism in world history. The U.S. led an international coalition, together with Afghan allies, to overthrow the Taliban and attack al-Qaeda, and then supported Afghanistan’s government against the Islamists, but after the disastrous Trump-Biden premature withdrawal from Afghanistan that I have posted about, the Taliban returned to power and many Afghans became refugees. Thousands of Afghans who worked for the American have been scattered around the world wherever they could find asylum with their Afghan-issued passports. The Afghans who will undergo visa processing in the Philippines have already passed security and medical checks. After they receive their visas in a few months, they will be resettled in America, where they will join 161,000 other Afghans the U.S. was able to rescue before the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, and then resettled them in America. The Taliban targets Afghans who worked for the U.S. for persecution and murder. Instead of protecting the Afghan allies of the U.S., Trump undermined American security by implementing duplicate processes in the security checks and then cutting the budget and staff to process the visa requests. The Philippines, which was granted independence by the U.S. in 1945 after it had been liberated from Spain during the Spanish-American War and again from the Japanese Empire during the Second World War, had taken in refugees from Communist Vietnam and Jews from the Holocaust. Filipino-American relations have improved since populist President Rodrigo Duterte “the Filipino Trump” left office and amidst growing assertiveness by Communist China of territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. Update on Afghanistan: Meanwhile, Afghan National Resistance Front (NRF), which is the successor to the U.S.-backed Afghan allies committed to liberty, representative government and respect for all ethnicities, is sending a petition signed by more than a quarter million Afghans to the U.S. Congress, urging it to pause humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to ensure none of it falls into the hands of the Taliban, as over 10% of the $2.8 billion in American aid has. The NRF is also asking that their leader testify before Congress about the increased presence in Afghanistan of al-Qaeda, which is intertwined with the Taliban.

Islamist Iranian Attempted Interference in American Elections Is Reminiscent of Russia’s Successful Interference for Donald Trump

The Islamic Republic of Iran hacked into the presidential campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump and stole information and leaked it to major American professional media outlets, which have not published the information, and attempted to hack the campaigns of Democratic President Joseph Biden and Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamla Harris, according to United States intelligence agencies. The agencies last week reported that Iran, like the Russian Federation, attempts to divide Americans and influence elections. The Trump campaign complained of the Iranian cyberattacks and stated that Americans, not foreigners, should be deciding the outcome of U.S. elections, which is right, but inconsistent with their acceptance of Russian interference on behalf of Trump, both during the Republican nomination in 2016 and the 2016 and 2020 general elections, which I have posted about. In 2016, Russia hacked into the Democratic National Committee, stole information and publicized it through its cut-out, Wikileaks, during the general election campaign, which was then widely reported by the professional media, with the Trump campaign, of which it had received advanced notice, coordinating its messaging with Wikileaks’ serial publications. Trump then openly invited Russia to search for information on the Democratic presidential nominee, which it started to do within minutes. A Republican special counsel and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee both confirmed the Trump campaign’s acceptance of Russian interference that had been determined by the U.S. intelligence agencies, in addition to the overt and covert Russian interference in American politics, including election interference on Trump’s behalf in both the primary and general elections in 2016. Trump then denied Russian interference in the election on his behalf and his supporters minimized it, hiding behind the special counsel’s rejection of the use of the word collusion because it is not a criminal term and thus not relevant to his criminal investigation, despite the Trump campaign’s welcoming of Russian interference and its more than one hundred unreported contacts with Russians during the campaign and that the special counsel found there was obstruction of his criminal probe, including by Trump, for which he recommended Congress impeach him. Trump had deceived the voters by fraudulently claiming he was not trying to engage in business with Russia during the campaign. Americans should reject foreign interference in their politics, especially covert election interference by hostile, authoritarian regimes like Islamist Iran and imperialist Russia, and stand for their independence.

Follow-up Thoughts on Donald Trump’s Weakening of the Republican Platform on the Right to Life

I had posted last month about how Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had weakened the GOP’s Platform on the right to life, which no longer includes a call for a constitutional amendment to defend this most basic human right, among other changes: Donald Trump Dilutes the Republican Platform's Pro-Life Language, https://williamcinfici.blogspot.com/2024/07/donald-trump-dilutes-republican.html. But I wanted to place the dilution of the platform language within the larger context of Trump’s inconsistency, in which he sometimes opposes protecting — or is even hostile to — innocent human life. When he held the presidency, Trump’s nativist policies prevented refugees fleeing for their lives or liberty from seeking asylum in America or sent refugees who had made it to United States soil legally to their deaths through deportation. Trump pardoned a war criminal who had been convicted in a military court for murdering innocent civilians. He praised the policy of the populist President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, “the Filipino Trump,” of calling for citizens to kill other citizens whom they suspected of being drug dealers, which, in practice, led to the murder of innocent people. And those are only the examples of Trump’s hostility to innocent human life that he was able to implement, unlike, for example, his campaign statement that the family members of terrorists be murdered, or any of the other illegal and immoral proposals his former staff say he routinely would make, but which they were able to avoid having to carry out. There are additional examples of his inhumanity or callous disregard for life. The demagogic Trump deported migrants who had been judged to be in America illegally, but who were not a threat, even when their deportation would lead to their certain deaths, instead of making a reasonable exception to protect human lives, but he granted asylum to a family from Germany, which is a free country. Another example is Trump’s ban on travel from predominately Muslim States barred entry even to organ donors. While the liberal Democratic Party is pro-abortion, the Republican Party, though at least somewhat anti-abortion, is failing to contrast itself with a consistently pro-human life platform or presidential and vice presidential ticket. As I have posted before, the association of the pro-life movement with the misogynistic authoritarian Trump undermines the pro-life message of respect for life for love of all human beings and for liberty.

Foreign Digest: Belarus and Venezuela

Belarus: The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada issued a joint statement last week calling for Belarus to release over 1,400 political prisoners, criticizing its dictatorship for corruption and disrespect for representative government, and expressing solidarity with the Belarusian people in advocating for liberty The statement was issued on the fourth anniversary of the fraudulent 2020 elections, in which the Belarusian dictator claimed victory for another five-year term. The statement also threatened more sanctions both for suppressing freedom and representative government and for Belarusian military support for the Russian Federation’s aggression against neighboring Ukraine. Russian troops invaded Ukraine from Belarus, which, like Ukraine is a former Soviet Republic. Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin is an ex-Soviet intelligence officer who is trying to restore the Soviet Union. The U.S. announced targeted sanctions on certain Belarusians for military support of Russian aggression. Venezuela: United Nations observers late last week condemned Venezuela’s presidential elections for a five-year term earlier this month as not meeting the standard for being free and fair to represent the will of the voters. Along with the Carter Foundation, who I had posted also found the elections not to be free and fair, they were the only international observers allowed in the South American State. Also late last week, the Organization of American States overwhelmingly approved a resolution on the Venezuelan elections sponsored by the United States and several allies calling for respect for human rights and the popular will and the impartial verification of the electoral results that guarantees transparency, credibility and legitimacy in the electoral process. As I have posted, the Socialists have ruled Venezuela for 25 years after being elected and then becoming increasingly authoritarian. The united opposition, led by center-right candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a former diplomat, had obtained documentary proof from 80% of polling places of a landslide victory, but the regime claimed a narrow win without providing the tabulations of each polling place, which has led to international doubts of the Socialists’ claim of victory or even recognition of the opposition leader as the President-elect. The Socialist dictatorship, which had already held many political prisoners, during the campaign barred from office and arrested opposition leaders, prosecuted vendors that served the opposition campaign, and did not allow equal access to state-controlled media, as well as vandalizing local opposition offices, among other intimidation and harassment, thereby violating a U.S.-brokered agreement to allow presidential elections in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions. The opposition staged mass protests this weekend in 380 cities across Venezuela, Latin America and five continents, including in America as international pressure. Anti-American Socialist Venezuela is an ally of Communist Cuba, imperialist Russia and Islamist terrorist Iran.

Update: Pro-Impeachment Conservative Republican U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse Will Advance to the General Election Versus a Trumpist

United States Representative Dan Newhouse, a Republican of Washington, received one of the two nominations in the non-partisan primary for re-election, along with a Trumpist Republican who was one of two Republican candidates in the primary endorsed by Donald Trump. The longtime conservative Congressman is one of two remaining GOP House members out of 10 who voted to impeach Trump for leading an insurrection against Congress, which was certifying the votes of the Electoral College, based on his lies that his Electors had won the 2020 presidential election. It was the most bipartisan presidential impeachment in American history, as was the votes of the Senate for conviction by 7 Republican Senators, although the result was short of the required two-thirds majority. Several of the pro-impeachment GOP members of both chambers had opted not to seek re-election, but while several of the Republican Senators who voted to convict Trump are still serving their six-year terms, the only other pro-impeachment Representative beside Newhouse is David Valadao of California, who was not challenged in the GOP primary. In Washington’s “jungle” primary, in which candidates of any party compete, the two candidates who receive the most votes will be on the ballot for the General Election in November. Because the district has many more Republicans, the result was not surprising. Newhouse will rely on Democrats, independents and third-party members, including many moderates or conservatives who fled the party because of Trump and Trumpism, to win re-election.

American and Western Hostages and Russian Dissidents Were Freed in a Multi-State Prisoner Exchange for Admitted Russian Criminal Agents

A multi-State prisoner exchange last week involving 24 people, including Americans and citizens of 6 foreign States, freed multiple American and Western hostages in exchange for Russian criminals. The exchange involved the United States, Germany, Slovenia, Poland and Norway on the one side and Russia and Belarus on the other. It was the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Two American citizens, including a reporter for a conservative newspaper and a former U.S. Marine, who had been falsely accused of espionage and one Russian-American journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the U.S. international news services were released, as were several Russian political prisoners. Two of the dissidents I had posted about, namely opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Russian-Briton who is a U.S. resident who had twice been poisoned by Russia, and Oleg Orlov, the founder of a Nobel Prize-winning human rights organization were freed, as were several associates of the late opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison earlier this year where he had been maltreated before the exchange could be made. Several of the dissidents and the Russian-American journalist had been persecuted for opposing the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Exchanged for the hostages and dissidents were Russian cyber attackers, spies, and a murderer convicted in Germany in 2021 for killing a Chechen-Russian exile on the orders of the Russian government. After having denied it, Russia admitted the criminals were its intelligence agents. The deal mediated by Turkey a member of the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Such prisoner exchanges with despotic regimes are common, in which a dictatorship takes foreigners hostage and falsely accuses them of crimes and exchanges them for its agents who were duly convicted of crimes in free States, but not usually on such a scale or ever with this many States involved. These exchanges, which sometimes are not of equal numbers, often encourage dictators to kidnap more hostages to protect their spies and criminal agents. But this exchange was different, not only because Russia had to admit its agents commit cyberattacks and attack and kill people on foreign soil, but because several prominent Russian dissidents had to be released along with the foreign hostages, which spared them from the same fate as Navalny. Although they are no longer in Russia, they can continue to raise international awareness about Russian tyranny and corruption from abroad and try to unite the fragmented Russian opposition to ex-Soviet intelligence officer, Vladimir Putin, the tyrant who was elected to office and then took away Russians liberty and who does not permit free and fair elections, or they could even secretly return to Russia to continue their work for freedom for Russia at the risk of imprisonment and death, like Navalny did.

The Congressional Budget Office: Immigration Will Add Trillions of Dollars in Economic Growth

Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan research arm of the United States Congress, issued a study in which it calculated that immigration will add $8.9 trillion to the American gross domestic product (the total value of goods and services produced) in the next decade. The economic growth generates tax revenue that, in turn, boosts the federal budget. I had posted last month that the bipartisan Federal Reserve, the central bank of the U.S. led by a Trump appointee, had issued a report finding that immigration was boosting the American economy without adding to inflation. Study after study from different ideological perspectives have demonstrated both that immigration is an economic and fiscal benefit and that migrants commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born Americans. But ignorant and bigoted nativists, fomented by the demagoguery of Donald Trump, continue to make false claims otherwise to scare fellow Americans to oppose immigration. Regardless of the financial aspect, the Founders believed that America should be a refuge for those seeking liberty. Republicans and conservatives like President Ronald Reagan have long believed in the benefit of immigrants and especially refugees seeking asylum from persecution, to American because of their greater appreciation of liberty and were proud that people risk their lives to come to America, in contrast to having to risk their lives to flee tyrannies.

Venezuelan Presidential Election Update: More International Calls for Transparency and Recognition of the Election of the Center-Right Candidate

As more evidence emerges, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the center-right opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a former diplomat, easily won the Venezuelan presidential election last week, despite the Socialist regime’s declaration that the dictatorial President had been reelected to a third six-year term and its many violations of the electoral process, including repression of opposition leaders. The Carter Center, one of the few international observers permitted by the Socialist regime, also denounced the lack of transparency. The expert election observers reported that they could not verify the re-election of the Venezuelan dictator, observing the elections did not conform to democratic standards at any stage or even to Venezuelan law. The Venezuelan opposition to the Socialist dictatorship is confident it can prove that its candidate won more than twice as many votes as the dictator because it had access to the documented results from over 80% of the polling places. Protests have broken out across Venezuela. The Socialist regime responded with its usual deadly repression and mass arrests. The regime has even indicted the popular opposition leader, whom it had banned from holding office, and declared the opposition’s attempt to prove that it won the election a “coup” backed by foreigners. Under international pressure, the Socialist dictator agreed to ask the Venezuelan Supreme Court to audit the election results, but like the national election body, the high court is also stacked with regime loyalists. The United Nations Secretary General called for transparency in the vote-counting process in the South American State. The Organization of American States, of which the United States is one of the 35 members, declared that the results of the Venezuelan presidential elections cannot be trusted and should not be recognized without documentary support for the Socialist dictator’s victory, as declared by the national election commission. The OAS, citing repression by the Venezuelan regime, documented abuses and illegalities in this and the previous election in 2018 and observed that the electoral commission was biased toward the incumbent and at its service in denying the will of the Venezuelan people. The Group of Seven industrial powers, which includes the U.S., Canada, Japan and four Western European States, also called for transparency in the election tabulation process and for restraint in respect for elective representative government. The U.S., several Latin American States across the political spectrum, and other Western States expressed doubts about the election result, but as more evidence emerged from the polling place records, the U.S. and several Latin American States have now has expressed certainty that Gonzalez won the most votes. The U.S., which had mediated a deal in which the elections would take place, has threatened to re-impose sanctions it had temporarily lifted for the elections having been scheduled because the conduct of the elections violated the agreement for free and fair elections. Venezuela expelled all the diplomats from eight Latin American States across the political spectrum that had questioned the legitimacy of the Socialist election victory. Brazil had to take custody of some of their embassies, including Argentina’s, where some Venezuelan opposition leaders had sought asylum, for which Argentina expressed gratitude. The Socialists have ruled for 25 years since taking power through an election and then becoming increasingly authoritarian, causing many millions of Venezuelans to flee in the largest mass exodus in history, including to America, which is placing a strain on other South American States. The anti-American Socialists have encouraged socialist revolution in Latin America and have established close relations with Communist Cuba, imperialist Russia and Islamist and terrorist Iran.

Foreign Digest: Hungary, Georgia, and Lebanon

Hungary: Hungary announced last week that it is making it easier for Russians to acquire visas. The European Union expressed concern that it opens the door to espionage, especially considering the visa-free travel within the EU. Russian Federation agents have also attacked and even killed exiles in Europe and have been conducting sabotage against European States opposed to Russian aggression against Ukraine. As I have been posting, Hungary is led by a far-right anti-migrant autocratic President who is pro-Russian. Georgia: Georgia The United States suspended aid to Georgia last week over its foreign agents law that criminalizes professional media and non-governmental organizations that receive a certain percentage of funds from abroad. The unpopular law is modeled on one in Russia that has been used to repress opponents of the tyrannical Russian regime. The former Soviet Republic of Georgia was invaded by Russia in 2008 and still maintains troops there, but the current Georgian Government has been moving closer to the Russian orbit, contrary to the wishes of Georgians. Lebanon: Lebanon Israel killed the longtime military leader of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shi’ite Lebanese terrorist organization in an attack in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon last week. He was the most wanted terrorist in the world and had murdered many, including Americans in Lebanon in 1983. His killing is a significant victory against terrorism and militant Islamism.

Anti-Trump Conservative Republican United States Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington Is Facing Trumpist GOP Primary Challengers

Dan Newhouse, a conservative Republican United States Representative from Washington is one of two remaining GOP members of the House who voted to impeach Donald Trump for insurrection in 2021. Ten Republican House members impeached Trump and 7 GOP Senators voted to convict him after Trump incited a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the congressional certification of the votes of the Electoral College for his opponent, based on false and disproven allegations of election fraud in the 2020 General Election for the Electors for President and Vice President. The votes were the most bipartisan in the history of presidential impeachments. The pro-life and pro-right to keep and bear arms Newhouse was the only pro-impeachment Republican House member to seek reelection and survive a Trumpist primary challenge in 2022. This year, the longtime Congressman is facing two Trumpist challengers on Tuesday August, 6 in the Republican Primary Election, including one endorsed by Trump. As I have been posting, the demagogic, disloyal and unfit Trump, who has non-conservative views and authoritarian tendencies, is a cancer on the conservative movement and a mortal threat to the Republican Party. He and his supporters must be defeated at every opportunity in GOP primary elections, as well as in general elections, and Trumpism (populist protectionism, isolationism, and nativism) must be completely vanquished for there to be any restoration of the party and advancement of true conservative principles.

The Center-Right Opposition Won the Venezuelan Presidential Election

The united opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a former diplomat, easily won the Venezuelan presidential election yesterday with 65-70% of the vote, according to two exit polls and the tabulations from the opposition at 40% of polling places to which it had access. The previously little-known center-right candidate, who was a last-minute stand-in for the popular conservative candidate the ruling Socialists had barred from office, overwhelmingly won in every State in Venezuela, despite the oppression from the dictatorship that I have been posting about that rendered the elections for a six-year term not free and fair, and the rejection by the Socialists of most international observers. The anti-American Socialists have ruled for 25 years after being elected and then becoming increasingly authoritarian. Venezuela has suffered tyranny, corruption, crime, poverty, inflation, and energy shortages. Millions have fled the South American State, including to America. The national election council, controlled by the President, declared the incumbent the winner with just over 51.% of the vote, but without publicizing the particular results. In my last post, I had said that the opposition would win a free and fair election, but that it was doubtful the Socialist dictatorship would accept the results and cede power. The opposition has declared Gonzalez the president-elect and even some Latin American States led by the center-left have joined those on the right side of the spectrum in questioning how the results could possibly reflect the will of the Venezuelan people. States ruled by the far left and tyrants who do not permit free elections themselves have recognized the Socialists as the winners, despite the lack of transparency, which the United States and its Western allies also doubt. The U.S., which had mediated the deal in which the elections would take place and eased some economic sanctions for it having been scheduled, stands by the Venezuelan people and offers assistance in providing some protection for members of the Socialist regime to escape prosecution for human rights violations in exchange for giving up power. The dictatorship had violated the agreement in many ways in repressing the opposition, which creatively found means to work around it. The Socialist dictator had threatneed a “bloodbath” if he lost. The popular opposition is encouraging the Venezuelan military to uphold the true results of the election. The U.S. and much of the international community will continue to pressure the Venezuelan regime to be transparent in publicizing the results, and are otherwise not likely recognize the Socialist dictator as the legitimate ruler of Venezuela and will use sanctions as leverage to force him to accept the will of the Venezuelan people and give up power.

Foreign Digest: Hungary, Syria, Communist China and North Korea

Hungary: The European Union Commission’s annual report on the rule of law found that there has been no progress in Hungary on corruption, bribery, conflicts of interest, lobbying, political party and campaign funding, the independence of the media, and allowing a secure place for civic organizations. The EU report also cited uncertainty for businesses because of state intervention into the free market. The EU had frozen funds to Hungary for its infractions. Some EU funds had been unfrozen only because of changes to the Hungarian judicial system. Hungary delayed defensive aid to Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression and the self-described “illiberal” Hungarian President, Viktor Orban, whom the EU identified as autocratic and who is ruling by decree, engaged as rotating EU Commission President in a visit to Russia that appeared to be appeasement, thereby provoking a boycott of informal meetings held by Orban or hosted in Hungary by the other EU Commission members. Orban also visited on his appeasement tour Donald Trump, who admires the anti-migrant Orban and who opposes American aid to Ukraine because of his favorable relationship with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer who is trying to restore the Soviet Union. Trump’s chosen running mate is also an admirer of the authoritarian Orban. The center-right European People’s Party, an EU parliamentary group, had suspended Orban’s party, which later withdrew to join a nationalist group. A center-right party has emerged as the leading opponent to Orban, who has ruled for 14 years, in the 2025 presidential elections. Syria: United Nations last week condemned the tyrannical Syrian regime of Bashar Assad for gross human rights violations. Syria has been in civil war since Syrians revolted against the dictatorship in 2011. Several hundred thousand people have been killed and millions fled. The Assad regime, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist ally, Hezbollah, as well as the Russian Federation, have targeted civilian areas with bombings, including with chemical weapons. Communist China and North Korea: United States last week sanctioned Chinese citizens for supporting Communist North Korea’s missile and space program. The U.S. also charged last week in abstentia a North Korean military intelligence officer for leading cyberattacks in 2021 that targeted hospitals, thereby interrupting patient care, for which ransom was received, as well as the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, military bases and defense and energy companies, including in South Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and even Communist China, even though it is an ally of North Korea. Secret defense capabilities were exposed. The ransom, which was laundered by the officer through Communist China to fund more attacks, was recovered. Although the arrest of the suspect is unlikely, the charges will enable economic sanctions to be imposed that will make it harder for North Korea to collect ransoms from hospitals again. Today, the U.S. announced the establishment of a joint military command in Japan to respond more quickly than from the current American headquarters in Hawaii, to any invasion of Taiwan by Communist China or South Korea by Communist North Korea.

The Center-Right Opposition Would Win a Free and Fair Venezuelan Presidential Election

Venezuelans vote today in the presidential election, amidst repression by the Socialists who have ruled for more than 20 years after being elected and then becoming increasingly authoritarian. The united center-right opposition, led by former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, would win if the election were free and fair, and may still prevail nonetheless, but whether the dictatorial President would concede power is doubtful. I have been posting of the harassment of the opposition, including arrests of campaign officials, and various other repressive acts while Venezuela suffers tyranny, corruption, inflation, energy shortages, and crime. I had posted that the European Union’s election observers were denied entry. Now Brazil and Colombia have withdrawn their election observers after the Socialist dictatorship criticized the electoral systems of Venezuela’s South American neighbors. And Venezuela rejected the entry of two Chilean Senators to serve as observers. Under the anti-American Socialists, Venezuela has been close to Communist Cuba, the imperialist Russian Federation and Islamist terrorist-sponsoring Iran as part of what I call the Axis of Rogues.

Update on the Venezuelan Presidential Election

Thirty former Heads of State across Spain and Latin America have denounced the repression of the ruling Socialists in Venezuela that is preventing the upcoming elections from being fully free and fair, thus jeopardizing representative government and human rights. As I have been posting, the dictatorship has been arresting opposition leaders, closing opposition offices, prosecuting business that are hired by the campaign for basic services, and denying the opposition access to state media. The center-right opposition has united around former Ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia against the Socialists who have been ruling for over two decades in an increasingly authoritarian manner after being elected freely. The Socialists have banned public gatherings ahead of the Venezuelan presidential election a week from today on July 28. The South American State suffers from inflation, poverty, power outages, corruption, and tyranny, which has caused millions to flee the country. Venezuela is part of what I call the Axis of Rogues, together with Cuba, Russia and Iran, with which it has warm relations, and is unfriendly to the United States.

Latest Developments Re: The European Union and Russia

The European Union has rebuked the Hungarian President’s appeasement of Russia. Hungary currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency. The Hungarian President, Viktor Orban, an anti-migrant nationalist who describes himself as “illiberal” and who rules by decree and whom the 27-member EU describes as an autocrat, went on a tour earlier this month immediately after assuming the EU presidency to advance his proposals for appeasement of the Russian Federation without consulting with the EU or making it clear that he was not visiting Russia and other capitals, as well as the Russian-backed American presidential candidate, Donald Trump, in his capacity as EU President. Orban, who had been pro-Russian, did not support Russian aggression against Ukraine, but has not sent arms to Ukraine, unlike the other EU members, and has consistently opposed supporting Ukraine with military aid to defend itself against Russia. His peace proposals are likely the typical ones of appeasement of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer intent on restoring the Soviet Union, by letting him keep some of the Ukrainian territory he has conquered, in violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which Russia had recognized. Such appeasement would reward aggression, move Russian forces closer to Europe, and only whet the Russian czar’s thirst for more territory. The EU has withheld funds to Hungary because of its increasing authoritarianism and the main center-right EU parliamentary group, the European People’s Party, which Hungary later left, had suspended Hungarian membership for the same reason. In an unprecedented move, the EU Commission announced that it will boycott informal meetings hosted by the Hungarian President because of his appeasement tour. The European Parliament last week reiterated its continued military aid to defend Ukraine by a vote of a large majority, as the new center-right-led coalition with centrists, the center-left and Greens was elected to the offices in the EU with ample votes in favor. The coalition, which supports the EU itself and favors human rights, the transatlantic alliance with the United States, and defending Ukraine, keeps out both the far left and the far right. German Ursula von der Leyen, of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party, was re-elected to another five-year term with a larger vote than her first term. Meanwhile, the United States last week sanctioned Russian hackers who had targeted critical infrastructure in America for cyberattacks. The hackers had previously targeted Ukraine and the States and private companies that are supporting it.

The Federal Reserve Finds Immigration Is Boosting the American Economy

The Federal Reserve of the United States, the bipartisan central bank chaired by a Republican appointed by Donald Trump, reports that the recent surge of immigration is boosting the American economy and is not contributing to inflation. The leading American business organization, the Chamber of Commerce, has long argued that the excessively restrictive policy on migrants, based on nativism from several decades ago, has contributed to the labor shortage, with the unemployment rate remaining near the 4% rate of full employment, which is one of the contributing causes of inflation. The excessive restrictions incentivize irregular (legal, but unauthorized; or illegal) migration, such as refugees seeking asylum from persecution, because there are insufficient regular pathways for immigrants or migrant workers. Refugees are legally permitted to enter if they have a credible fear of persecution, either at ports of entry, as preferred, or wherever they can, to save their lives or liberty. A good example is Cubans sailing on boats to Florida to escape Communism. Nativists make false claims that refugees have entered “illegally,” that the borders are “open,” and the professional media also often erroneously reports that they have, and that migrants are damaging to the economy and commit a higher share of crime. But conservatives, especially since Ronald Reagan, who proudly observed the contrast of people risking their lives to flee tyrannical regimes and risking their lives to come to America, have favored immigration, and, like the Founding Generation, have favored allowing refugees to live in freedom, as they have a greater appreciation of liberty because of having suffered under tyranny. The U.S. does not admit nearly enough migrants legally to satisfy the demand of American employers. A mass deportation of migrants, which would cost tens of billions of dollars, including many who have lived in America without posing any threat or committing crimes, would exacerbate the labor shortage and cause inflation to skyrocket, particularly for some industries, like agriculture. Furthermore, families would either be split up or forced to emigrate. In short, none of the justifications claimed by xenophobes about migrants are true and implementing even more nativist policies than already exist would not solve the problems blamed on migrants and cause far more problems instead.

Donald Trump Weakened the Republican Platform’s Pro-Life Language

The Republican National Convention (RNC) today adopted the GOP Platform that is less expressly pro-life and pro-marriage than before. It abandons the commitment to a human life constitutional amendment and for extending the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection of the right to life to the pre-born and for a federal ban on abortions after 20 weeks gestation. Instead of a federal ban on abortion after 20 weeks gestation, the proposed Republican platform leaves it totally up to States to permit abortion. It also abandons the statement that marriage is between one man and one woman. The language was weakened at the behest of Donald Trump in closed-door meetings, unlike televised ones previously, and was rushed through. Eighteen of the 102 Convention Delegates signed an informal minority report, which was not a formal one because it fell shy of the 25% threshold. A group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, Advancing American Freedom, were among the conservative pro-life leaders who urged Delegates to restore the stronger pro-life language to the GOP platform. There were pro-life protestors at the RNC. In 2016, the only part of the Republican Platform the Trump campaign opposed was language calling for defensive military aid for Ukraine against Russian aggression. The language was removed from the document. The purpose of party conventions is to nominate candidates for president and vice president of the United States, but in recent decades, the primary election process has supplanted the role of Delegates, most of whom are elected in primary elections by the voters, as has the practice of presumptive nominees choosing their own running mates, even though by the rules it is completely the choice of the Delegates, as a nominee may choose not to recommend anyone and the Delegates are free to choose another candidate, even if he does. But the last vestige of any role for the Delegates has now been eviscerated by the Republican Party. Instead of nominating candidates who represent its views as expressed in its platform, it is allowing its presumptive nominee to change the platform to represent his views, as the leader of the party, even before he is nominated. Thus, the representative model of governance of the Republican Party has now been supplanted by an autocratic one. Meanwhile, several Republican U.S. Senators who are not supporters of Trump are planning to skip the RNC.

The Right Ways to Defend Against the Threats to Security and Freedom from Donald Trump

I have often posted about the unique threats posed to American and global security, public health, and freedom because of the poor character of Donald Trump and because of his enablers who decline to keep him from power or hold him accountable for deception, intimidation, corruption, cruelty and authoritarianism, and the hostile foreign power who has been backing him. And I have expressed concern of the dangers of Trump and the populism and demagoguery of Trumpism also to the Republican Party and the conservative movement. But I have consistently been trying to use the dissemination of information and persuasion to counter the Trumpist threat, instead of using the same evil methods of ad hominem attacks, dishonesty, inconsistency and abandonment of civility typified by Trump supporters who have victimized with harassment and death threats every prominent conservative or Republican who even mildly criticizes him, as well as other political opponents, professional media, law enforcement officials, witnesses, prosecutors and judges; and have committed violent attacks on the United States Capitol, the husband of the Speaker of the House at the Speaker’s private home, and a Federal Bureau of Investigation office, among other attacks and attempts. These attacks are in addition to Trumpist conspiracy theory-inspired attacks on a restaurant, a synagogue, and various other targets. The intimidation from Trumpists, instead of being persuasive, undermine freedom of expression. I continue to believe that the best way to defend against Trumpism is not to act like Trumpists who have few principles and have no regard for civic responsibility, but to hold fast to first principles and to have the courage to speak the truth civilly and convincingly. And the best way to defeat Trump and Trumpism is not through violence of like kind or other violations of liberty and acts of election fraud that are as unpersuasive as the violence committed by Trumpists, but through the more meaningful and persuasive casting of free votes. Defeat Trump through the free votes of the electorate for candidates for public office (including members of the Electoral College and Congress), the votes of the Electoral College for President and Vice President, the votes of Congress to declare Trump and certain other supporters ineligible to serve in federal office because of their complicity in insurrection or to impeach and convict him for any of his numerous high crimes and misdemeanors, and the votes of juries of his peers to convict him of federal and state crimes for which he has been indicted by the votes of grand juries.

Pennsylvania Has Balanced Its 2024-25 State Budget without Raising Taxes

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has balanced its budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, without raising taxes after the Democratic-controlled state House of Representatives and Republican-led state Senate came to an agreement with the Democratic Governor. The budget carries over some business tax cuts and allows students to deduct loan interest. At over $48 billion, Pennsylvania’s budget spends $700 million less than the Governor proposed, but still uses $3 billion of the nearly $11 billion surplus from one-time revenues, instead of reserving it for the structural deficit. The budget increases public education spending, but also more for tuition for private and cyber charter schools, while making the state higher education system more affordable. Pennsylvania’s is one of the least affordable in America. Among other provisions, the budget also increases mass transit funding. It did not address “skill games” or relay on legalizing recreational marijuana, as the Governor had proposed.

Foreign Digest: Venezuela and Cuba

Venezuela: The Organization of American States, of which the United States is an America, urged Socialist-led Venezuela last week to put an end to persecutions and allow free and fair elections. The OAS cites a lack of independence of prosecutors that undermines the rule of law and violations of the freedom of expression. It notes there are 50 opposition leaders held as political prisoners by the authoritarian Venezuelan regime and that some local opposition meeting places have been closed and that the opposition is not afforded time on public radio and television. The opposition has united around a center-right former ambassador in the presidential elections later this month. The Socialists came to power over twenty years ago through elections and have become increasingly authoritarian. They are not permitting international observers for the elections. Communist Cuba: Non-governmental organizations report there are over 1,100 political prisoners in Communist Cuba, including many minors. The political prisoners suffer poor conditions and every one of them needs medical care. Many of them were arrested for peaceful protests in 2021, the largest since the Communist revolution in 1959.