* President Biden’s first foreign trip was all about messaging. As in, the U.S. is back and “tight” with Europe. As in, authoritarian Russia and China, you’re being given notice. The former most notably on cyber attacks, the latter on its global economic competition/Belt-and-Road Initiative and intellectual-property deviousness. One key American concern: looking the part of a global role model despite the Capitol insurrection and racial polarization.
* Biden’s aides previewed his European trip as one focused on “three C’s.” That’s COVID, China and Climate. Among those not making the “C” cutoff: Czar Vladimir Putin.
* The Interior Department has suspended oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The move overturns former President Trump’s controversial act during his last days in office.
* The Biden Administration has created a Ransom Ware Task Force. It helped the Department of Justice recover most of the ransom payment made to the Dark Side hackers of the Colonial Pipeline.
* The Administration has brokered an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 500 million COVID-19 vaccination doses to be donated to 92 lower income countries and The African Union over the next year. Meanwhile, a variety of vaccine bribes (oops, incentives) remains a U.S. reality.
* We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan and the Taliban.”–That was “squad” member U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, in a context we normally don’t see for the U.S.
*Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin slammed Sen. Ted Cruz for his code-word criticism of the U.S. Army. Cruz castigated U.S. troops as projecting an image of “pansies” as a result of inclusive recruiting policies. “Pansy” is a familiar slur for gays.