Vigilant News

Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty.

Ryan DeLarme

CPAC Straw Poll Determines Donald Trump Strongest Choice for President Among Conservatives

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The top choice among conservatives for president in 2024 was determined via straw poll this weekend at CPAC Dallas, and former President Donald Trump maintains a strong lead at 69%.  

Other polls conducted nationally are showing strong for Desantis, most of them having Desantis and Trump neck and neck. However, the poll conducted at CPAC shows him trailing Trump by less than half at 24%. The next in line behind Desantis is Ted Cruz with a meager 2%.

Liz Cheney sits with Chris Christy and Marco Rubio at 0%.

When asked whom people would prefer to see as President Trump’s Vice President pick in 2024, the poll shows DeSantis in the lead with 43%. Kristy Noem was a second-place pick with only 9%.

It is now more clear than ever that Donald Trump has the most energy behind a hypothetical albeit likely 2024 bid, but he has not yet officially announced whether he’ll be running. Trailing conservatives like Ted Cruz are going to “wait and see” whether Trump declares before making a decision on potentially running.

This straw poll comes after threats from the Republican establishment against Trump in what seems like a last-ditch effort to maintain control of the party. The GOP leadership has recently said that they will no longer pay for the former President’s legal fees if he announces that he’s running in 2024.

The Daily Mail reports:

Republicans will stop paying Donald Trump‘s legal expenses if he announces he’s running for president in 2024, according to a new report published on Thursday.

The Republican National Committee has shelled out millions of dollars to law firms representing the former president amid government investigations and probes of his business interests.

But officials also worry that Trump could hurt the party’s midterms prospects if he announces a presidential run before this year’s elections.

An RNC official told ABC News that Trump would lose financial support as soon as launch a campaign because of the party’s ‘neutrality policy’ that bars it from taking sides in primaries.

RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel spelled out the stance in an interview in January.

‘The party has to stay neutral,’ she said. ‘I’m not telling anybody to run or not to run in 2024.’

There has been a serious bifurcation in the Republican party since the advent of Donald Trump and others like him. His presidency lead to what’s being colloquially referred to as “America First” politicians, who claim to be decidedly separate from their “Rino” counterparts.

North Korea Allies With Russia, Offers 100,000 Troops As Zelensky Cozies Up With China

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As Russia gains ground in its invasion of Ukraine, North Korea offers up 100,000 “volunteers” to help with the war effort. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky petitions for China to help rebuild Ukraine once the war is over.

Though it’s being reported that Ukraine has offered stiff resistance, Russia has been steadily moving forward with its ambitions in the war-torn country. Russia is being largely decried by most of the UN and NATO-aligned nations, but they do have some allies in Belarus, China, and now North Korea.

China has offered financial help, buying Russian oil to keep the country afloat while its military operations continue amid heavy western sanctions. Now, North Korea has offered 100,000 “volunteers” to go to Russia and help with the war effort, according to Russian state TV.

In addition to military help, reports indicate Russia has invited North Korean “builders” to repair Russian-occupied Donbas. Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to North Korea, said in an interview in July:

 “Korean builders who are highly qualified, hardworking and ready to work in the most difficult conditions, will be a very serious part in building the destroyed infrastructure in Donbas.”

This news comes as President Zelensky petitions China, Russia’s biggest ally, for money to rebuild the war-ravaged Ukraine. Zelensky told the South China Morning Post on Thursday that he would like to discuss his country’s war against Russia with the leader of Russia’s closest ally, Xi Jinping, “directly,” and invited China to help rebuild Ukraine once the war is over.

These fundraising efforts in China come despite monumental amounts of tax-payer-funded military and foreign aid packages that have been sent to Ukraine since the invasion began. The US has given many billions to Ukraine with another $1 Billion expected this week.

Zelensky’s pleadings to the Chinese Communist Party come despite the fact that China has been one of the primary financiers of the war against Ukraine by buying cheap Russian oil.

Breitbart Reports–

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the South China Morning Post on Thursday that he would like to discuss his country’s war against Russia with the leader of Russia’s closest ally, Xi Jinping, “directly,” and invited China to help rebuild Ukraine once the war is over.

Zelensky’s discussion with the Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, was the first with an Asian news outlet since Russia escalated its eight-year-old war against Ukraine into a full-scale invasion in February. Zelensky used the opportunity to request a personal discussion with Xi, a genocidal communist dictator who is largely bankrolling the invasion of Ukraine through large purchases of cheap Russian oil and gas.

Ukraine is a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global program to trap poor countries in predatory loans to China that they cannot afford. The loans are nominally meant to pay China for massive infrastructure projects

Kari Lake Wins AZ Republican Gubernatorial Primary

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The vote has finally been tallied, despite setbacks,  and Kari Lake has been officially declared the winner of Arizona’s Gubernatorial Primary for the Republican Party.

Kari Lake is a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and the America First agenda. Despite being outspent 10 to 1 by opponent Karrin Taylor Robson, Lake came back and won every single county in AZ.

It took Arizona two days after the vote to finally declare Lake the winner. Maricopa county held off on declaring her the winner but in the end, she won even in Maricopa. She is a rising star in the Republican party with an excellent record and a platform of election integrity and immigration, she also has a great chance of defeating the Democrats’ nominee, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in November.

Lake took a late-night flight to Texas to join Steve Bannon on The War Room on Friday morning at CPAC Dallas.

Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit Causes China to Sanction Her, Cease Climate Talks with US

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Reports indicate that China will be suspending negotiations with the U.S. on both military relations, climate change, and other issues in the wake of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week.

This move should come as no surprise, as China threatened retaliation immediately after Pelosi announced her visit to Taiwan. China claims that Taiwan is Chinese territory and has been increasingly vocal about that position as the island tries to exert its own independence.

On Thursday, China began conducting aggressive military exercises just off of Taiwan coasts that are scheduled to run at least through this Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

The exercises have included firing missiles over the island toward Japan. China regularly opposes the idea that Taiwan is self-governing and independent, despite the fact that the small island nation has its own military contacts with foreign governments.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Ministry has said that all dialogue between the U.S. and Chinese regional commanders and defense department officials would be canceled, including talks on military maritime safety.

In addition, the ministry has also said that cooperation on criminal investigations, returning illegal immigrants, transnational crime, illegal drugs, and climate change will all be suspended.

The sentiment in Taiwan is divided about Nancy Pelosi’s trip, some government officials met with her while certain civic groups, politicians, and business and industry representatives on the island of Taiwan began protesting Pelosi’s visit.

Though many believe that it was only a matter of time before China invaded Taiwan, it seems as though Pelosi’s trip may have accelerated these plans. At least the people of Taiwan got to hear this powerful speech from the House Speaker:

Today it was reported that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol refused to meet with Nancy Pelosi, not wanting to cut his vacation short, and opting instead to hold a 40-minute phone call with Pelosi, during which they discussed the US-South Korean alliance, foreign policy, and other issues, his office said.

Potential 2024 Presidential Hopeful Liz Cheney Takes Another L

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The January 6th Select Committee has decided not to make a criminal referral to the Department of Justice for former President Donald Trump. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney is reportedly furious over the decision.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss), the chairman of the committee, was asked by a reporter if the committee would be sending criminal referrals for Trump and others, to which he replied:

“No, you know, we’re going to tell the facts. If the Department of Justice looks at it and assumes that there’s something that needs further review, I’m sure they’ll do it,”

When pressed further, he explained:

“No, that’s not our job. Our job is to look at the facts and circumstances around January 6, what caused it, and make recommendations after that.”

Needless to say, this is not what Cheney and her fellow committee members wanted to hear. In a statement of her own, Cheney said:

“The January 6th Select Committee has not issued a conclusion regarding potential criminal referrals. We will announce a decision on that at an appropriate time,”

A spokesperson for the committee spoke to CNN, saying: 

“the Select Committee has no authority to prosecute individuals, but is rather tasked with developing the facts surrounding the January 6th riot at the Capitol. Right now, the committee is focused on presenting our findings to the American people in our hearings and in our report. Our investigation is ongoing and we will continue to gather all relevant information as we present facts, offer recommendations and, if warranted, make criminal referrals.”

As we reported previously, this comes as the testimony of Cheney’s star witness has come under heavy criticism. The witness was a former aide to ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows named Cassidy Hutchinson.

RELATED: It’s All Bogus: How Surprise Witness Cassidy Hutchinson Completely Delegitimized the J6 Committee

RELATED: More Leaked Private Chats Destroy what’s left of Jan. 6th Committee’s Credibility

In the immediate wake of Hutchinson’s testimony, many of her claims were refuted by people directly involved in the events that she claimed happened. You can see a list of the refuted claims HERE. Much of the testimony has been called “second-hand information and hearsay”.

Her most notable claim was that Donald Trump grabbed the steering wheel of the presidential limo after being told that he could not go to the Capitol on January 6, 2020, as well as grabbing for the throat of Secret Service agent Bobby Engel. Within hours of her testimony, Engel said that the incident she spoke of never happened.

A third official, former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann, disputed Hutchinson’s claim that she wrote a note for Trump to read on January 6. Herschmann claims the note was written by him, not Hutchinson.

A spokesperson for Herschmann said:

“The handwritten note that Cassidy Hutchinson testified was written by her was in fact written by Eric Herschmann on January 6, 2021… All sources with direct knowledge and law enforcement have and will confirm that it was written by Mr. Herschmann.”

Cheney has chosen to stand by Hutchinson despite almost all of her allegations being rebuked and disputed. Consequently,  a poll found that Cheney’s down a whopping 30 points to Hageman.

Despite the string of bad news, and that she appears likely to lose her seat in Wyoming, Cheney has teased the possibility of Presidential run in 2024, saying: 

“At this point, I haven’t made a decision on 2024 …. I’ll make a decision on 2024 down the road… But I do think as we look towards the next presidential election, as I said, you know, I believe that our nation stands on the edge of an abyss and I do believe that we all have to really think very seriously about the dangers we face and the threats we face and we have to elect serious candidates,”