🇺🇸 Surgical Strike

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Good morning and happy Wednesday! Minutes after touching down in Taiwan yesterday the Washington Post published an Op-ed from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about why she chose to visit the island. It's behind a paywall but she said the trip was necessary to "honor our commitment to democracy: reaffirming that the freedoms of Taiwan — and all democracies — must be respected." Keep reading (Subscription Required)

Plus, what happens in Vegas… in this case was $100 worth of energy drinks, 100 mph, and pepper spray.

Also, try this Flag Find so you don’t have to wrestle with the extension cord.

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📉 President Biden Job Approval: Approve 43, Disapprove 54 (Rasmussen Reports)

🐘 2024 Republican Presidential Nomination: Trump 52, DeSantis 19, Pence 7 (Harvard-Harris)

🐴 Generic Congressional Vote: Republicans 40, Democrats 44 (USA Today/Suffolk)

TRENDING

Left: Trump Endorsed an Election Denier Named Eric. He Didn’t Specify Which One. (Mother Jones)

Left: Sandy Hook Parent Testifies: Alex Jones’ Apologies ‘Are Worthless’ (Huffington Post)

Left: Election deniers could soon be one election away from running Arizona (Vox)

Right: Democrats rely on misleading messaging to sell Manchin-Schumer bill (Fox News)

Right: BLM activist Shaun King spent more than $40K of donor money on dog: Report (Washington Examiner)

Right: Abbott invites sanctuary city mayors to see border crisis up close and personal (The Blaze)

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QUICK CLICKS

Scrambled Jets, Vaccine Demand, Return of Loose Cough

World: Taiwan's defense ministry: reports of China's Su-35 jets crossing Taiwan Strait are false (Reuters)

US: Monkeypox vax demand outpaces doses (Axios)

World: Biden continues to test positive, has 'return of a loose cough': Doctor (ABC)

US: Biden Justice Department sues Idaho over state's abortion restrictions in first post-Dobbs lawsuit (CNN)

US: Senate reaches deal on bill for veterans with toxic exposure illnesses (The Hill)

US: Veteran NYC epidemiologist lambastes city's PC monkeypox messaging, takes aim at botched COVID-19 handling (Fox News)

US: Biden administration task force reunites 400 migrant families separated under Trump (NBC)

World: Why the UN chief says we are 'one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation' (NPR)

World: Russia threatens to break off diplomatic relations with US; Brittney Griner's sentencing due 'very soon' (USA Today)

World: Putin’s reported girlfriend Alina Kabaeva hit with US sanctions (The Guardian)

Sports: Dolphins hit with huge NFL penalty for tampering with Tom Brady (NY Post)

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Surgical Strike

Late Monday word broke that the US military had killed Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan over the weekend with a drone air strike. He had been al-Qaeda’s highest-ranking member and allegedly helped organize a series of deadly terror attacks.

News Coverage from the Right: Inside the decades-long hunt to kill al Qaeda terror chief, 9/11 mastermind (New York Post)

News Coverage from the Left: Who was Ayman al-Zawahiri? The al-Qaida leader who helped plot its deadliest attacks (The Guardian)

From The Flag: al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama Bin Laden after his death in May of 2011. He was born in Egypt before becoming an eye surgeon and Muslim theologian. Here’s the latest from both sides concerning both his death and Islamic terrorism.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Al-Qaeda is Left Reeling as US Hits Mark Despite Military Pull-Out

• This is a major development in that al-Qaeda has been severely weakened and a murderous terrorist has been eliminated.

• US military intelligence succeeded in pursuing high-profile terrorist targets despite last year’s chaotic and awful military withdrawal.

• The killing of al-Zawahiri shows President Biden is following through on his promise to keep the pressure on al-Qaeda even though the US military left Afghanistan.

“Elimination of Al-Qaeda Leader Is a Moment to Celebrate” The Editors, Bloomberg: “Like Osama bin Laden, his predecessor as leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri had the blood of thousands of innocents on his hands. His death, announced by the White House on Monday, should be welcomed not just in the United States but everywhere his terrorist organization has wrought havoc over the past decades. … There was no doubt he had it coming. In addition to helping plot the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — which he called a 'victory” in 2002 — Zawahiri had a hand in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 200 people; the 2000 attack against the USS Cole, which took the lives of 17 U.S. sailors; the 2005 London transit bombings, which killed 52 civilians; and numerous other atrocities. Few terrorists of his generation were responsible for more bloodshed.”

“Evil man gone: The just killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri” Editorial Board, New York Daily News: “After Navy SEALs dispatched Bin Laden in 2011, al-Zawahiri became the sole leader of Al Qaeda. Now the last head of the snake has been severed. Others will surely try to seize the mantle. The group will live on and could well become more dangerous. And it’s not lost on us that Al Qaeda itself, having sparked many offshoots, isn’t the singular menace it once was. Still, the demise of this monster in the tortured land of Afghanistan is welcome, coming a full year after American troops completed their chaotic and shameful withdrawal, ceding to the Taliban. Though the GI boots exited, the eagle’s eye stayed focused and found its target. Good riddance. May his life inspire no one and his death make those who would follow in his footsteps think again.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Biden Keeps a Promise With His Zawahiri Strike David Rothkopf, The Daily Beast Opinion

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

al-Zawahiri’s Death Signals Progress, but Danger Remains

• This is an encouraging development but dangerous terrorists continue to operate in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• While Afghanistan was making steady progress under former President Trump, that was derailed by Biden’s disastrous pullout in 2021.

• It’s possible this was a major national security win, but the timing is suspicious from a political perspective.

“Justice for al Qaeda’s Zawahiri” Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Biden praised the operation as a triumph of US intelligence, but Zawahiri eluded detection for more than two decades. … Perhaps he let his guard down after the Taliban captured Kabul and drove the US out of Afghanistan last August. A Taliban spokesman condemned the strike, but Zawahiri’s discovery in Kabul suggests close collaboration between the Taliban and al Qaeda. The Taliban provided sanctuary to al Qaeda before Sept. 11, 2001, and it’s impossible to believe that Taliban officials didn’t know Zawahiri was in their midst. The Taliban are giving safe harbor to jihadists even if they aren’t joining their plots to strike the US. … It’s encouraging that the U.S. could pull off the operation after the loss of listening posts on the ground. But it’s no guarantee that the U.S. can track the many al Qaeda and Islamic State camps and agents still operating in the country.”

“Looking beyond the killing of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri” Rajan Laad, American Thinker: “Under President Trump, Afghanistan had seen some progress, despite the Afghan government's considerable inadequacies and corruption. It was relatively peaceful, and there was some economic growth. Women were relatively safe and could go to work. … The US government spent less than before, and there were no US soldier casualties for over a year. Biden's surreptitious, ill planned, and abrupt withdrawal has undone all progress, and Afghanistan is back to being a safe abode for terrorists. …the Biden administration left behind billions of dollars' worth of US advanced weaponry… These arms are obviously in the custody of the worst and most dangerous terrorists in the world, who have made Afghanistan their home. … The killing of Al-Zawahiri could be regarded as a symbolic victory, but it will have very little impact on the ground in Afghanistan or Pakistan, where terrorists have easy access to advanced US weaponry.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Al Qaeda leader Zawahri's death and questions that need answers Fred Fleitz, Fox News Opinion

FLAG THIS

Tracking the Global War on Terrorism

Polling released late last year revealed nearly 4 in 10 Americans can’t identify when the “war on terror” began. Just 35% linked the term to the September 11, 2001 attacks (Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation).

In a separate poll, 50% said the US war on terrorism has been “somewhat successful,” while a quarter said it had been “somewhat unsuccessful” (CBS/YouGov).

FLAG FINDS

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Under the Arctic, Wake Up Smiling, Colorful Eggs

On August 3, 1958, the US nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplished the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole. Above is the launching of Nautilus.

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