logo
Ukraine's Drone Attack Points to a U.S. Vulnerability

Ukraine's Drone Attack Points to a U.S. Vulnerability

Imagine this: Beijing launches a surprise invasion of Taiwan. As U.S. forces mobilize to respond, something far worse unfolds here at home.
Sleeper agents—Chinese operatives who entered the U.S. months or years earlier—activate. In basements and garages across the country, they've been quietly assembling first-person-view drones from commercially available parts for a few hundred dollars each.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

2 Chinese nationals accused in separate pathogen smuggling cases appear in court
2 Chinese nationals accused in separate pathogen smuggling cases appear in court

CBS News

time2 hours ago

  • CBS News

2 Chinese nationals accused in separate pathogen smuggling cases appear in court

Two of the Chinese nationals charged with trying to smuggle dangerous pathogens into Michigan appeared before a judge Friday in a federal court in Detroit for detention hearings. Chengxuan Han, 28, walked in handcuffed and shackled, only answering basic questions through her Mandarin translator, but could be seen sniffling with tears falling down her face throughout the hearing. Chenqxan Han Carole Kabrin Han's original hearing was set after her public defender asked for more time to review her charging documents. They said Han's choice to remain in detention came after weighing a number of factors, including the criminal charges she faces, the impacts on her career and the language barrier. 33-year-old Yunqing Jian appeared about 30 minutes later, with her newly appointed private counsel. Initially, Jian refused to consent to being detained without bond indefinitely, speaking privately with her attorneys multiple times. Yunquing Jian Carole Kabrin After some confusion, Judge Elizabeth Stafford explained the speedy trial process, including how this gives prosecutors time to build their case and show probable cause that Jian committed the crime. Stafford also reminded Jian of her right to be able to ask for a detention hearing or a preliminary hearing at any time. She then agreed to remain detained. In the decision to keep them in custody, prosecutors said they had concerns that both women would flee the country if they were released on bond. A third Chinese national is accused of smuggling biological material into Michigan, Jian's boyfriend, 34-year-old Zunyong Liu. Liu faces charges of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, but authorities believe he has returned to China. After the hearings, both women's attorneys declined to offer any comment. Han's preliminary hearing is set for June 30, while Jian's is yet to be determined.

Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts
Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts

Fox News

time2 hours ago

  • Fox News

Israel's drone strikes in Iran show why US must halt China's land grab here: experts

National security and China experts are warning that Israel's attack on Iran is an example of why Beijing's efforts to purchase land and other assets within the United States need to be stopped immediately. After the initial attacks began on Friday, news reports began surfacing indicating that Israel had secretly built a drone base on Iranian soil that it used to launch its attacks. The operation was years in the making, one Israeli security official told the Jewish Chronicle, adding that weapons systems and soldiers had been smuggled into the country ahead of time. "Look at the ways Israel penetrated Iran for sabotage operations. Now look at the Chinese companies and assets permeating the US power grid (solar converters), local law enforcement (DJI drones), and social media (TikTok)," China policy expert Michael Sobolik wrote in a post on X. "The CCP is preparing to paralyze us in a crisis." Gabriel Noronha, president of Polaris National Security, also drew parallels between the China land grab in the United States and the recent Ukrainian drone strike that decimated a significant portion of Russia's air fleet. The attack reportedly involved drones smuggled into Russia and released near airfields. "After Ukraine's drone operation in Russia and Israel's operation in Iran, it is obvious that America's enemies will try to replicate that playbook on our soil," Noronha said. "It is increasingly dangerous to allow Chinese companies and individuals to own land - especially near our military bases and critical infrastructure. Left unchecked, we are opening our land to host clandestine Chinese military bases to launch all sorts of attacks and cripple our nation in wartime." Officials in the United States have been sounding the alarm for years now about China's efforts to purchase land near military bases, and other strategic assets that could help them sabotage the country. Just recently, the Arizona legislature passed a bill meant to block Chinese entities from obtaining more than a 30% stake in Arizona real estate, but it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs. According to the bill's sponsor, China had recently been trying to lease property near a major Air Force base in the state. Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats, warned Friday that if the United States does not get serious about interrupting China's asset grab, it risks losing a war with them. He said land grabs are just the "tip of the iceberg." "CCP land ownership is bad but it's tip of the iceberg," Lucci said. "Their industrial property holdings are worse, as is their port access. Perhaps worst of all is their deep penetration of critical infrastructure and govt systems." "I now understand the potential problem of the Chinese government owning land in America," added writer and podcast host Jamie Weinstein.

US adversaries fuel disinformation about LA protests
US adversaries fuel disinformation about LA protests

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

US adversaries fuel disinformation about LA protests

Russia, China and Iran are amplifying disinformation about protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles, researchers said Friday, adding to a surge of domestically generated falsehoods and conspiracy theories. The findings from researchers at the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard illustrate how foreign adversaries of the United States are exploiting deep divisions in American society as a tactic of information warfare. NewsGuard said Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state-affiliated sources have published around 10,000 posts and articles about the demonstrations that recently erupted in Los Angeles, advancing false claims framing the city as "ground zero in an American apocalypse." Seizing on the political rift between President Donald Trump and Governor Gavin Newsom, pro-China accounts on X and Chinese platforms such as Douyin and Weibo have peddled unfounded claims that California was ready to secede from the United States and declare independence. Meanwhile, Tehran-based newspapers have peddled the false claim that popular Iranian singer-songwriter Andranik Madadian had been detained by the National Guard in Los Angeles, in an apparent effort to portray the United States as an authoritarian state. NewsGuard quoted Madadian, better known by his stage name Andy, as denying the claim, stating: "I am fine. Please don't believe these rumors." Russian media and pro-Russian influencers, meanwhile, has embraced right-wing conspiracy theories, including the unfounded claim that the Mexican government was stoking the demonstrations against Trump's immigration policies. "The demonstrations are unfolding at the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities such as eroded trust in institutions, AI chatbots amplifying false claims about the unrest, political polarization, and a rollback of safety and moderation efforts by major platforms," McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, told AFP. "As a result, foreign actors have a wide-open playing field to flood the zone with falsehoods at a faster rate and fewer barriers compared to previous moments of unrest," she added. The apparent alignment across the three countries was noteworthy, Sadeghi said. "While Russia, China, and Iran regularly push their own unique forms of disinformation, it's less common to see them move in such a coordinated fashion like this," she said. "This time, state media outlets have escalated their messaging to advance their geopolitical interests and deflect attention from their own domestic crises." The disinformation comes on top of false narratives promoted by US-based influencers. In recent days, conservative social media users have circulated two photographs of brick piles they claimed were strategically placed for the California protesters to hurl at police and inflame violence. The photos were cited as proof that the protests were fueled by nonprofit organizations supported by George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who has long been a bogeyman for the far right. But AFP's fact-checkers found that one photo was lifted from an online marketplace, where a Malaysian hardware dealer uploaded it years ago, while the other was snapped near a construction site in New Jersey. "Every time there's a popular protest, the old clickbaity 'pallets of bricks' hoax shows up right on cue," the Social Media Lab, a research center at the Toronto Metropolitan University, wrote on the platform Bluesky. "The fact that these types of fake images are used isn't a coincidence. It's part of a pernicious (and) persistent narrative that protests against government policies are somehow inauthentic." ac/sla

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store