Politics
Air Force Commander Prepares California Desert Community for Pearl Harbor-Like Strike by China
In May, the commander of Edwards Air Force Base, California, talked openly about the need for local leaders to prepare for a Pearl Harbor-like strike on his base and others inside the United States.
Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert delivered “a sobering assessment of China’s growing military capabilities” in a briefing to community leaders, according to an Air Force press release. Wickert, commander of the 412th Test Wing, spoke at Antelope Valley College on May 7.
Edwards Air Force Base is in the Mojave Desert, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
According to the press release, Wickert referenced the 1941 attack on Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in his briefing, drawing parallels to warnings about Pearl Harbor’s vulnerability before the attack.
Such frank talk about the possible impact on a community around a U.S. military base, in the event of a war with China over Taiwan, is rare.
Notably, Wickert’s comments appear to be fully endorsed and approved by the Department of Defense, signaling a changing attitude.
“Taiwan’s presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a reason. United States’ presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a distracted America. Xi’s team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025.”
A Wake-Up Call for Community Leaders
Wickert’s audience consisted of local community leaders, the leadership of critical infrastructure providers to the base, and members of Congress.
Wickert compared Edwards, a massive facility focused on testing, research, and development, to its counterpart in the Chinese air force.
He presented intelligence data on the rapid modernization and “staggering” growth of the Chinese army, the press release states. Using Google Earth imagery, he pointed to Dingxin Test and Training Base in the Gobi Desert, China’s equivalent to Edwards.
“The base sits next to a full-scale two-dimensional replica of Taiwan’s Taichung International Airport,” according to the release.
Wickert said, “It’s kind of clear what their intention is.”
A third facility close by is the General Atomics-owned Grey Butte Field Airport, used for drone production, training, and research.
“If I was Chairman Xi and it’s time to go [to war], guess what I’m going to target first?” Wickert asked. “So like it or not, we’re all in this together.”
Critical Infrastructure Attacks
Critical infrastructure disruptions through cybermethods are likely the first way in which Chinawill target the domestic U.S. military base environment.
Department of Defense military facilities are largely dependent upon local communities for power, water, sewage, information technology network connectivity, counter-drone efforts beyond the fence line, and many other basic services. U.S. military bases, for the most part, are not capable of extended continuity of operations without these local community partners, a key reason Wickert asked that community leaders be in attendance.
Coinciding with the identification of “Volt Typhoon”—a China-linked cyberespionage campaign—the United States passed its 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, including Section 1088, which directed a national tabletop exercise to assess “the resilience of domestic critical infrastructure and logistical choke points necessary for the United States Armed Forces to respond to a contingency involving Taiwan.”
Wickert may have been describing the role of his staff in the Section 1088 series of exercises when he described a recent week-long combat readiness exercise at Edwards Air Force Base.
Preventing War With China
Military preparedness is one aspect of deterring a conflict with China, Wickert pointed out.
“The more ready that we are, the more likely that we’re going to change Chairman Xi’s calculus,” he said.
However, thinking holistically and leveraging the complete spectrum of the United States’ instruments of national power—economic, financial, diplomatic, and military tools used to influence other countries—is critical, according to the general.
“The only way to win the next war is to prevent it from happening in the first place,” Wickert said.
The great power struggle between China and the United States is, first and foremost, a battle for economic dominance. It’s a battle to determine which country encumbers the world reserve currency chair.
The Trump team has an opportunity to use the economic, financial, and diplomatic instruments of national power to degrade Chinese unrestricted warfare. It it takes advantage of that opportunity, it will minimize the likelihood of having to use the military instrument of national power to engage and defeat China in a war.
All viewpoints are personal and do not reflect the viewpoints of any organization.
This article first appeared in Epoch Times and was reprinted with permission, with minor editorial adjustments for clarity and formatting.
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Dr. Ben Carson is the newest member of the Trump administration.
On Wednesday, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, was sworn in as the national adviser for nutrition, health, and housing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins shared that Carson’s role will be to oversee Trump’s new Big Beautiful Bill law, which aims to ensure Americans’ quality of life, from nutrition to stable housing.
After being sworn in, Carson shared, “Today, too many Americans are suffering from the effects of poor nutrition. Through common-sense policymaking, we have an opportunity to give our most vulnerable families the tools they need to flourish.”
WATCH:
BREAKING Dr. Ben Carson has been sworn in as the National Nutrition Advisor to Make America Healthy Again
THIS IS A HUGE WIN pic.twitter.com/Dr5AsSDkRM
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) September 24, 2025
Per USDA:
Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., was sworn in as the National Advisor for Nutrition, Health, and Housing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“There is no one more qualified than Dr. Carson to advise on policies that improve Americans’ everyday quality of life, from nutrition to healthcare quality to ensuring families have access to safe and stable housing,” said Secretary Rollins.
“With six in ten Americans living with at least one chronic disease, and rural communities facing unique challenges with respect to adequate housing, Dr. Carson’s insight and experience is critical. Dr. Carson will be crucial to implementing the rural health investment provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill and advise on America First polices related to nutrition, health, and housing.
“As the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the first Trump Administration, Dr. Carson worked to expand opportunity and strengthen communities, and we are honored to welcome him to the second Trump Administration to help lead our efforts here at USDA to Make America Healthy Again and ensure rural America continues to prosper.”
“Today, too many Americans are suffering from the effects of poor nutrition. Through common-sense policymaking, we have an opportunity to give our most vulnerable families the tools they need to flourish,” said Dr. Ben Carson. “I am honored to work with Secretary Rollins on these important initiatives to help fulfill President Trump’s vision for a healthier, stronger America.”
On Sunday, Dr. Carson was one of the many speakers at the memorial service of the late TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk.
During the memorial service, Carson highlighted that Kirk was shot at 12:24 p.m. and then continued to share the Bible verse John 12:24, which reads, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
WATCH:
Ben Carson reads John 12:24 at the Charlie Kirk’s funeral. Charlie was shot at 12:24.
It reads: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”
God is moving and speaking. pic.twitter.com/0ZbVTAwwYl
— Danny Botta (@danny_botta) September 21, 2025
The post President Trump Taps Dr. Ben Carson for New Role — A HUGE Win for America First Agenda appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Politics
LEAKED MEMO: Deep State Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia Claim There Isn’t Enough Evidence to Convict Comey Amid Reports of Imminent Indictment
On Wednesday evening, disgruntled officials in the Eastern District of Virginia leaked contents of a memo explaining why charges should not be brought against James Comey.
As reported earlier, former FBI Director James Comey is expected to be indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia in the next few days.
Comey will reportedly be charged for lying to Congress in a 2020 testimony about whether he authorized leaks to the media.
Officials in the Eastern District of Virginia are still fighting to stop Comey from being charged after Trump fired US Attorney Erik Siebert.
President Trump last week fired Erik Siebert as the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia because he refused to bring charges against Letitia James, Comey, Schiff and others.
On Saturday evening, President Trump announced that he had appointed Lindsey Halligan – his personal attorney who defended him against the Mar-a-Lago raid – as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Now, with just days to go before the statute of limitations runs out to charge Comey for lying during a September 30, 2020 testimony, Lindsey Halligan is reportedly gearing up to indict Comey.
Prosecutors reportedly gave newly sworn-in Halligan a memo defending James Comey and explaining why charges should not brought against the fired FBI Director.
Per MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian:
Two sources familiar with the matter tell me prosecutors in the EDVA US attorney‘s office presented newly sworn US attorney Lindsey Halligan with a memo explaining why charges should not be brought against James Comey, because there isn’t enough evidence to establish probable cause a crime was committed, let alone enough to convince a jury to convict him.
Justice Department guidelines say a case should not be brought unless prosecutors believe it’s more likely than not that they can win a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two sources familiar with the matter tell me prosecutors in the EDVA US attorney‘s office presented newly sworn US attorney Lindsey Halligan with a memo explaining why charges should not be brought against James Comey, because there isn’t enough evidence to establish probable…
— Ken Dilanian (@DilanianMSNBC) September 24, 2025
The post LEAKED MEMO: Deep State Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia Claim There Isn’t Enough Evidence to Convict Comey Amid Reports of Imminent Indictment appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Politics
Nearly 8 in 10 Voters Say the United States is in Political Crisis After the Assassination of Charlie Kirk
Nearly eight in ten voters believe that the United States is in a political crisis in the wake of the assassination of conservative icon Charlie Kirk.
According to a Quinnipiac University national poll of registered voters released on Wednesday, a massive 93 percent of Democrats, 84 percent of independents, and 60 percent of Republicans said the nation is in a political crisis.
“The Kirk assassination lays bare raw, bipartisan concerns about where the country is headed,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said of the poll results.
Quinnipiac reports:
Seventy-one percent of voters think politically motivated violence in the United States today is a very serious problem, 22 percent think it is a somewhat serious problem, 3 percent think it is a not so serious problem, and 1 percent think it is not a problem at all.
This is a jump from Quinnipiac University’s June 26 poll when 54 percent thought politically motivated violence in the United States today was a very serious problem, 37 percent thought it was a somewhat serious problem, 6 percent thought it was a not so serious problem, and 2 percent thought it was not a problem at all.
Nearly 6 in 10 voters (58 percent) think it will not be possible to lower the temperature on political rhetoric and speech in the United States, while 34 percent think it will be possible.
Over half, 54 percent, of voters believe the US will see increased political violence over the next few years. Another 27 percent said they think it will stay “about the same,” while just 14 percent believe it will ease.
A 53 percent majority also said they are “pessimistic about freedom of speech being protected in the United States.”
Surprisingly, a 53 percent majority also believes the current system of democracy is not working.
“From a perceived assault on freedom of speech to the fragility of the democracy, a shudder of concern and pessimism rattles a broad swath of the electorate. Nearly 80 percent of registered voters feel they are witnessing a political crisis, seven in ten say political violence is a very serious problem, and a majority say this discord won’t go away anytime soon,” Malloy added.
The vast majority, 82 percent, said the way that people discuss politics is contributing to the violence.
“When asked if political discourse is contributing to violence, a rare meeting of the minds…Republicans, Democrats, and independents in equal numbers say yes, it is,” Malloy said.
The survey was conducted from September 18 to 21 among 1,276 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points.
The post Nearly 8 in 10 Voters Say the United States is in Political Crisis After the Assassination of Charlie Kirk appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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