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Secretary Rubio Criticizes China’s Bullying for Detaining DOZENS of Panama-Flagged Cargo Ships

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Rubio decries China’s bullying

Panama’s ships caught between the rock and a hard place.

While the Russia-Ukraine war brings danger to the Black Sea, the military conflicts in the Middle East brought about Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

But we’d do well not to forget about the vital Panama Canal and the geopolitical consequences of Donald J. Trump’s administration shutting China out of its infrastructure.

Last Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called out China’s ‘bullying’ for ‘detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships’.

Even though the ships were held for a short period of time, it comes as a retaliation after Panama seized control of two ports on the Panama Canal from a Hong Kong-based company.

China denies the bullying allegations.

Associated Press reported:

“Panama has been caught in a broader rivalry between the United States and China after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Beijing last year of running the Panama Canal. The Trump administration sees the critical maritime trade route as strategically important, both commercially and militarily, and Trump has talked about retaking the Panama Canal since his campaign.

‘China’s decision to detain or otherwise impede Panama-flagged vessels engaged in lawful trade destabilizes supply chains, raises costs, and erodes confidence in the global trading system’, Rubio said on social media. ‘The United States stands with Panama against any retaliatory actions against its sovereignty and will always support our partners in the face of bullying’.”

No less than 75% of the ships detained for inspection in Chinese ports in March – 92 vessels – were Panama-flagged.

“The Panama-flagged ships were typically detained for a few days — as short as one day or as long as 10 days — before being released.

That is up drastically from the previous two months, when 19 out of 45 ships — or more than 40% — held in February were Panama-flagged, and 23 out of 71 — or over 30% — in January hung the Panama flag.”

Read more:

FBI Warns Congress of ‘Major’ Cyber Hack Involving China That Could Threaten National Security

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WATCH: Dramatic Video Shows Suspect Setting Multiple Fires Inside Ontario Mills Mall in California Before Cops Take Him Down Inside True Religion Store

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Image showing a True Religion store, a mugshot of a man, and a scene with police responding to an incident in a shopping area.

Image showing a True Religion store, a mugshot of a man, and a scene with police responding to an incident in a shopping area.

A 28-year-old man from Rancho Cucamonga was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly set multiple intentional fires inside the busy Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario, California, forcing a full evacuation and temporary closure of the shopping center.

The crazy scene was captured on video by witnesses.

Ontario Police officers responded around 10:30 a.m. on Friday to reports of a suspicious male carrying a lighter and a backpack who was intentionally igniting fires inside the mall.

Callers described the suspect actively setting blazes in several stores, including the True Religion outlet and Nordstrom Rack.

Officers quickly located the suspect, identified as Luis Javier Gallegos Jr., inside the True Religion store.

Footage shared on social media shows flames burning in the store as police confront and take Gallegos into custody after he failed to comply with commands.

WATCH:

According to a press release from the Ontario Police Department, “One officer received non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and was later treated and released from a local medical center. ”

Gallegos was also injured and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

After medical clearance, Gallegos was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on an arson-related felony charge.

Explosive detection K-9 teams swept the mall as a precaution, but no additional threats were found.

Fire crews extinguished the fires with no reported injuries to shoppers or mall employees.

The mall remained closed for the rest of the day.

No motive has been released by authorities, and the investigation remains ongoing.

This incident comes days after a separate large warehouse fire in Ontario that led to arson charges against another suspect, though police have not linked the two cases.

The post WATCH: Dramatic Video Shows Suspect Setting Multiple Fires Inside Ontario Mills Mall in California Before Cops Take Him Down Inside True Religion Store appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Iran’s New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Reportedly Left Crippled and Disfigured by Airstrike That Killed His Father

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Portrait of a man with glasses and a beard, set against a fiery background, conveying intensity and seriousness.Portrait of a man with glasses and a beard, set against a fiery background, conveying intensity and seriousness.Mojtaba is reportedly recovering from terrible wounds – Wiki Commons

The prolonged absence of Mojtaba leaves room for different rumors.

Ever since the start of the military confrontation between the US and Israel against Iran, a mystery surrounds the situation regarding the new Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

In his absence, a flurry of rumors and reports is going around saying that he is dead, or else very gravely wounded; he is also said to be gay and disowned by his late father.

Today, a new report arises that Mojtaba is ‘recovering from severe facial and leg injuries’ that he suffered in the airstrike that killed his father, sources in his inner circle told Reuters.

Reuters reported:

“Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, all three sources said.

The 56-year-old is nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and negotiations with Washington, two of them said.”

The New York Post reported:

“The question of whether Khamenei’s health allows him to run state affairs comes during Iran’s moment of gravest peril for decades, with high-stakes peace talks with the United States opening in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday.

[…] Khamenei’s whereabouts, condition and ability to rule still largely remain a mystery to the public, with no photo, video or audio recording of him published since the air attack and his subsequent appointment as his ​father’s replacement on March 8.

[…] Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, brother-in-law ⁠and sister-in-law were among other members of his family killed in the strike.”

Read more: MOJTABA KHAMENEI MYSTERY: Iran’s New Supreme Leader, Rumored Dead or Wounded in Airstrike, Now Reportedly Taken to Moscow for Surgery

The post Iran’s New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Reportedly Left Crippled and Disfigured by Airstrike That Killed His Father appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WATCH: 62-Year-Old Michelle Obama Says America is in a ‘Janky’ Era Under Trump, While Wearing Her Hair in Pigtails

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Michelle Obama speaking passionately during a podcast interview, gesturing with her hand while discussing important topics, with a microphone in front of her.

Michelle Obama speaking passionately during a podcast interview, gesturing with her hand while discussing important topics, with a microphone in front of her.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama, 62, took to her podcast this week to trash-talk America under President Donald Trump, calling the country “janky,” while weirdly sporting a pair of childish pigtails.

In the latest episode of her “IMO” podcast, co-hosted with her brother Craig Robinson, Obama sat down with comedian Hasan Minhaj and declared that the United States is currently living through a “janky” 2.0 version of itself under Trump.

“That’s the 2.0 of life, and when we talk about how do you feel about the country? You know, there are versions of the country that happen, right? And the new version doesn’t make the old one bad. It’s necessary for growth. And I think we’re in just a janky version,” Obama declared.

“Sh-t is jank right now. It’s super jank,” Minhaj replied.

WATCH:

Obama tried to spin the “janky” current state as some sort of necessary growing pain, praising what she called “powerful” community resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota, which included riots and two agitators being shot while trying to impede agents.

The former first lady seemed to suggest that these clashes were a healthy sign of the country’s “growth.”

“Right now, I’m kind of digging the way folks are beginning to respond, right? I mean, Minnesota, powerful stuff. I mean it was a powerful reminder of what a community of people can do and are willing to do to protect one another,” Obama said.

Americans were “taking things for granted,” Obama claimed.

“When you’re not so janky, you don’t have to prove that, right? And so we haven’t been this janky for a while,” Obama said. “And I think our muscle of understanding our truth just got a little lax. We started taking things for granted, right.”

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE:

While the former first family lectures and complains about ICE from her luxury bubble, everyday Americans are happy to see record-low illegal border crossings.

The post WATCH: 62-Year-Old Michelle Obama Says America is in a ‘Janky’ Era Under Trump, While Wearing Her Hair in Pigtails appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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