NEW YOR K | DC EDITION
0 0
In the News
NEWS
The Federal Reserve is
warning that the U.S. economy
is a long way from recovery as
the resurgence of COVID-19
weighs on economic activity
and the labor market. ... A2
Then-Acting FBI Direc-
tor Andrew McCabe was
aware of crucial exculpatory
evidence regarding the firing
of FBI Director James Comey
when he opened an investi-
gation into President Donald
Trump over Comey’s removal,
documents show. ... A3
Facebook has hired Roy
Austin, former Obama admin-
istration official and a member
of President Joe Biden’s tran-
sition team, as the company’s
vice president of civil rights
and deputy general counsel,
the agency says. ...A2
A memorandum by the
Biden administration halting
most deportations for 100
days affects 85 percent of all
criminal alien deportations,
a new analysis shows. ... A4
A landlord suffering eco-
nomic hardship is suing Los
Angeles over its pandemic-
related moratorium prevent-
ing the eviction of commercial
tenants for non-payment of
rent. ... A3
The Supreme Court has
denied a request to reimburse
a non-union member whose
fees were unconstitutionally
extracted by a government
union. ... A7
Apollo Global Manage-
ment CEO Leon Black is
stepping down from his posi-
tion after an investigation into
his ties to sex offender Jeffrey
Epstein. ... A7
A lawmaker in Texas has
introduced a measure that
would allow state residents
to discuss, debate, and vote
on independence from the
United States. ... A8
Turkey and Greece have
resumed talks aimed at ad-
dressing long-standing mari-
time disputes, ending a five-
year hiatus after months of
tension in the eastern Medi-
terranean. ... A10
BUSINESS
Roughly four times the num-
ber of global working hours
were lost last year due to the
pandemic, compared to those
lost in the 2009 financial cri-
sis, the International Labour
Organization says. ...A18
Working from home has
been surprisingly successful
for global banks during the
first year of the coronavirus
pandemic but is losing its
effectiveness, prominent in-
dustry executives say. ... A18
OPINION
Lawrence Solomon: How to
Reform Big Tech... A13
Patrick M. Wood: Decoding
Social Media Censorship by
the Issues... A14
Michael Walsh: Our Pan-
demic Fears Are Killing What
Makes Life Worth Living...A16
FEATURES
Bitter flavors make food
interesting. These recipes—
from a cuisine that has long
embraced bitterness—prove
it. ...B1
For a reminder of life in
winter, seek out local mush-
rooms—or better yet, grow
your own. ...B3
DON’T DELAY.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY.
READEPOCH.COM
Published in New York,
Washington, Houston, Chicago,
Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
| T H U R S D A Y, J A N . 2 8 , 2 0 21
NATIONAL SECURITY
Beijing Building Military Drones
to Rival US in War: Leaked File
Document from China’s Ministry of National Defense details plan
to develop and produce long-range drones that can rival top US models
BY EVA FU
T
he Chinese regime has
been actively growing its
fleet of unmanned air-
craft to spy on and com-
pete with adversaries such as the
United States, a leaked document
from China’s Ministry of National
Defense reveals.
The July 2017 document, supplied
to The Epoch Times by a trusted
source, describes Beijing’s ambi-
tion to dominate what it called “full
dimensional warfare”—referring to
control over sea, land, air, space,
and the electromagnetic spectrum
where military equipment commu-
nicates—by developing advanced Continued on A9
CCP VIRUS
China Sought
Animal, Human
Samples in CCP
Virus Origin Probe:
Leaked Documents
BY AMBER LI
Since the CCP virus first emerged
from Wuhan city in late 2019, the
Chinese regime has been reluctant
to share information about its re- Continued on A9
Health workers in protective gear walk out from a blocked off area after spraying dis- ments through the actions of po- ance on “Fox News Primetime,”
infectant in Shanghai’s Huangpu district on Jan. 27, 2021.
PENTAGON
Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn Tapped to Head US Army Pacific
BY TOM OZIMEK
Pentagon officials announced that
Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, the younger
sibling of former national security
adviser Michael Flynn, is being as-
signed to head U.S. Army Pacific.
The chief of staff of the Army made
the announcement as part of a range
of general officer assignments, ac-
cording to a Jan. 25 statement from
the Department of Defense.
Flynn, who was previously ap-
Accuracy The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 as an independent newspaper with the goal to restore accuracy and
integrity in media. We have received numerous awards for our reporting, including from the Society of Professional
& Integrity Journalists, the Society for News Design, and the New York Press Association.
Truth & Tradition
A NASA Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone aircraft, is stored inside
a hangar at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., on Sept. 10, 2013.
military drones.
To accomplish that goal, the re-
gime detailed a plan to design one to
two types of small, long-range mili-
tary drones and establish a factory
to produce 1,000 drones per year.
The document stated there would
be a 130 million yuan (about $20
million) investment to create the
drone-making firm that would be-
gin production by the end of 2018.
“Implementation of the program
will arm our national defense with
the latest combat power in future
vertical warfare and make it ca-
pable to contend with U.S. military
weapons, giving it marked military
significance,” the document states.
search on the origin of the virus,
or allow outside investigators to
conduct their probes.
The Epoch Times obtained leaked
documents that show the Chinese
regime sought to investigate the
source of the virus via testing ani-
mal and human biological samples.
Said investigation and its results
have not been previously disclosed
to the international community.
This comes to light as the Chinese
regime faces criticism for its lack
of transparency and delaying the
arrival of international experts into
STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
proved for promotion to four-star
general, has been serving as deputy
chief of staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army.
Under the new assignment, Flynn
will be posted at the headquarters of
the U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter,
Hawaii, where he will serve as com-
manding general.
The U.S. Army Pacific is the Army
component unit of the U.S. Indo–Pa-
cific Command and provides over-
sight and control of Army operations
in its area of responsibility, with the
VOL . X V I I I | NO. 2,885 $1.
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
BORDER SECURITY
Biden Promptly
Dismantles
Trump’s Border
Security
Measures
A quick reversal of the
Trump administration’s
policies loosens border
security, enforcement
BY CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON
WASHINGTON—The Biden admin-
istration has been swift to bring
its immigration and border secu-
rity pledges to fruition in the White
House.
White House press secretary Jen
Psaki said during a Jan. 21 briefing,
“Immigration, we consider, is part
of racial equity—which is a broad
issue, but that’s how the president
has spoken about that crisis over the
past several months.”
Psaki said President Joe Biden is
focused on addressing four crises,
including the pandemic, unemploy-
ment resulting from lockdowns, the
climate, and racial equity.
On day one, the administration
signed executive orders and issued
memos to temporarily suspend de-
portations of illegal aliens, reverse
former President Donald Trump’s
ban on travel from terror-prone
SCREENSHOT VIA THE EPOCH TIMES countries, halt border wall con-
struction, stop adding people to the
“Remain in Mexico” program, pre-
serve and fortify the Deferred Ac-
tion for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
program, and release a sweeping
immigration package to Congress
that includes amnesty for millions
of illegal immigrants.
Biden’s actions took place as a
caravan of 9,000 Hondurans clashed
with the Guatemalan army in a bor-
der province.
‘Remain in Mexico’ Stopped
The change that will likely have the
An illustration of the military drone as biggest impact on border security
outlined in a leaked document from Chi- and illegal crossings is Homeland
na’s Ministry of National Defense, dated Security’s order to stop adding illegal
July 2017. Continued on A5
US–CHINA
Pompeo Calls on Biden to Acknowledge
CCP’s Role in Pandemic After Memo Release
BY ISABEL VAN BRUGEN to the COVID-19 pandemic by the
geographic location of its origin,”
Former Secretary of State Mike the document states.
Pompeo is calling on the Biden “Such statements have stoked
administration to acknowledge unfounded fears and perpetuated
the role of the Chinese Communist stigma about Asian Americans and
Party (CCP) in the COVID-19 pan- Pacific Islanders and have contrib-
demic, hours after the White House uted to increasing rates of bullying,
released a memoran- harassment, and hate
dum condemning the crimes against AAPI
use of references “by I’ve called it the persons.”
the geographic loca- While the memo
‘Wuhan virus’
tion of its origin.” doesn’t directly name
The remarks on Jan. almost ever since its former President Don-
26 followed shortly af- inception. ald Trump, Biden
ter President Joe Biden Mike Pompeo, has  been critical of
signed the memo that former secretary of state his predecessor for
condemns rising rac- calling COVID-19 the
ism, xenophobia, and intolerance “China virus.” He said it has led to
against Asian Americans and Pa- racial discrimination against Asian
cific Islanders in the United States. Americans.
“The Federal Government must “I’ve called it the ‘Wuhan virus’
recognize that it has played a role in almost ever since its inception,”
furthering these xenophobic senti- Pompeo said during an appear-
litical leaders, including references Continued on A6
ENERGY
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
exception of the Korean Peninsula. SUED OVER BAN ON LEASING
In recent years, Flynn command- “The law is clear.
ed the 25th Infantry Division in Ha- Presidents don’t
waii, after which he became deputy have authority to
command general of the U.S. Army ban leasing on
Pacific Command, according to his public lands,”
biography. Western
Flynn is a graduate of the U.S. Na- Energy Alliance
val War College, where he earned President
master’s degrees in national secu- Kathleen
rity and strategic studies. He also Sgamma said.
obtained a master’s degree in joint Read more on A3
Continued on A4
A2 | NATION
Facebook Hires Biden Transition,
Obama-Era Official as VP of Civil Rights
PETR SVAB
Facebook has hired Roy Austin,
an Obama administration vet-
eran and a member of President
Joe Biden’s transition team, as
the social media company’s vice
president of civil rights and dep-
uty general counsel.
Austin had been a civil rights
prosecutor and served as a De-
partment of Justice (DOJ) super-
visor before becoming a deputy
assistant to President Barack
Obama in the Office of Urban
Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity
in 2014. In 2017, he went into pri-
vate practice as a criminal defense
and civil rights attorney at Harris,
Wiltshire & Grannis.
In November, Biden named
him as one of the volunteers on
the Agency Review Team for the
DOJ in his transition.
It isn’t clear what Austin’s spe-
cific responsibilities will be at
Facebook; the company didn’t
immediately respond to a request
by The Epoch Times for further
details, and an attempt to reach
Austin for comment was unsuc-
cessful.
“I am delighted to welcome Roy
to Facebook as our VP of Civil
Rights. Roy has proved through-
out his career that he is a passion-
ate and principled advocate for
civil rights—whether it is in the
courtroom or the White House,”
Jennifer Newstead,  Facebook’s
general counsel, said in a Jan. 11
release.
“I know he will bring the same
wisdom, integrity, and dedication
to Facebook. It’s hard to imagine
anyone better qualified to help
us strengthen and advance civil
rights on our platform and in our
company.”
Austin’s appointment under-
scores the closeness of Facebook
to the Biden administration.
Former Facebook associate gen-
eral counsel Jessica Hertz, who
was the Biden transition’s general
counsel, is his new White House
staff secretary. Jeffrey Zients—
Biden’s coronavirus czar—served
on Facebook’s board of directors
from 2018 to 2020. Austin Lin, a
former program manager at Face-
book, was on one of Biden’s agen-
cy review teams before reportedly
being tapped for a deputy role at
White House’s Office of Manage-
ment and Administration. Erskine
Bowles, a former Facebook board
member, reportedly advised the
transition team.
Hertz, Zients, and Lin used to
hold roles in the Obama admin-
istration. Bowles served as Presi-
dent Bill Clinton’s chief of staff.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark
Zuckerberg gave $500 million to
election officials ahead of the 2020
Fed Sets Cautious Tone as Economic Momentum Slows
EMEL AKAN
WASHINGTON—The Federal
Reserve said on Jan. 27 that the
U.S. economy is a long way from
recovery as the resurgence in
COVID-19 cases has weighed on
economic activity and the labor
market.
After the conclusion of the cen-
tral bank’s two-day policy meet-
ing, Fed officials announced
that they would hold the tar-
get range for the federal funds
rate at zero to 0.25 percent, as
the pandemic continues to pose
“considerable risks to the eco-
nomic outlook.”
“The pace of the recovery in eco-
nomic activity and employment
has moderated in recent months,
with weakness concentrated in
the sectors most adversely affect-
ed by the pandemic,” the Federal
Open Market Committee (FOMC)
statement read.
The Fed released its economic
forecasts last month, upgrading
its outlook for the labor mar-
ket and the economy. Since the
Employees work in Facebook’s “War Room,” in Menlo Park, Calif., on Oct. 17, 2018.
Austin’s appoint-
ment under-
scores the close-
ness of Facebook
to the Biden
administration.
election for measures such as bal-
lot drop boxes and mail-in voting,
described as tools to make vot-
ing safer amid the CCP (Chinese
Communist Party) virus pan-
demic. The grants violated elec-
tion laws and were distributed un-
evenly, favoring Democrat-heavy
areas, according to The Amistad
Project of the Thomas More So-
ciety, a constitutional litigation
organization.
Austin, who is to be based in
Washington, was to start his role
at Facebook on Jan. 19, the com-
pany said.
“I am excited to join Facebook
at this moment when there is a
national and global awakening
happening around civil rights,”
Austin said in the release.
“Technology plays a role in near-
ly every part of our lives, and it’s
important that it be used to over-
come the historic discrimination
and hate which so many under-
represented groups have faced,
Fed’s Dec. 16 meeting, however,
the economy’s momentum has
reversed due to resurgence of
the virus, which has prompted
a series of renewed lockdown
measures.
The economy lost 140,000 jobs
and retail sales declined for the
third consecutive month in De-
cember. Weekly initial jobless
claims also remain elevated as
companies struggle to recover,
especially in the leisure and hos-
pitality sector.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell
set a cautious tone about the near-
term outlook, given concerning
virus trends in the United States.
“A resurgence in recent months
in COVID-19 cases, hospitaliza-
tions, and deaths is causing great
hardship for millions of Ameri-
cans and weighing on economic
activity and job creation,” Powell
said at a virtual press conference
after the FOMC meeting.
He noted that the economy is a
long way from the Fed’s employ-
ment and inflation targets, and
hence the central bank “will con-
rather than to exacerbate it. I
could not pass up the opportunity
to join a company whose products
are used by so many and which
impacts the civil rights and liber-
ties of billions of people, in order
to help steer a better way forward.”
His referral to “underrepresent-
ed groups” raises the specter of
political bias, as the underlying
reasoning has been tied to tech
companies enforcing their con-
tent rules unevenly.
Facebook moderators were told,
for instance, that prohibited “hate
speech” against certain groups
was to be left alone, as long as it
aligned with the company’s agen-
da, according to a 2018 memo to
moderators working at Cognizant,
a firm that at the time contracted
with Facebook to shoulder part of
the content policing.
“Anything that is DELETE per
our Hate Speech policies, but is
intended to raise awareness for
Pride/LGBTQ” was to be tempo-
rarily allowed, the post stated,
specifying that “this may occur
especially in terms of attacking
straight white males.”
In 2019, Facebook updated its
policy to allow “threats that could
lead to death” against those on the
company’s list of “Dangerous In-
dividuals and Organizations.”
Aside from groups such as the
Ku Klux Klan and individuals tied
tinue to deliver powerful support
to the economy until the recovery
is complete.”
The central bank doesn’t pre-
dict any interest rate increases
through 2023, according to its
previous statements.
To reduce the economic dam-
age caused by the pandemic, the
central bank has been buying
at least $80 billion per month
in Treasuries and $40 billion in
mortgage-backed securities since
June last year.
Last month, the committee ad-
opted qualitative outcome-based
guidance for its asset purchases.
The central bank announced that
it would continue to increase its
asset holdings at the current pace
“until substantial further prog-
ress has been made toward the
Committee’s maximum employ-
ment and price stability goals.”
Medium-term prospects have
substantially improved with the
rollout of the vaccines, but Powell
reiterated that it’s “premature” to
talk about tapering off asset pur-
chases.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Roy Austin, then-White House deputy assistant to the president for the Office
of Urban Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity, in Washington on Feb. 11, 2015.
to Nazism, Facebook also placed
people on the list such as populist
commentator Paul Joseph Watson
and conservative activist Laura
Loomer.
Facebook quietly responded
to backlash by removing the ex-
ception from the publicly avail-
able version of its policy, but this
change was never communicated
to its content moderators, and, in
practice, the exception remained
in place, according to Zach McEl-
roy, who used to work as a Face-
book moderator at Cognizant.
Facebook isn’t the only tech
“We’ll need to see actual prog-
ress. And when we see ourselves
getting to that point, we’ll com-
municate clearly about it to the
public. So nobody will be sur-
prised when the time comes,” he
said.
Powell also raised concerns
about the slowness of the rollout
of the vaccines and the arrival of
new virus strains.
“There’s nothing more impor-
tant to the economy now than
people getting vaccinated,” he
said. “We have not won this yet.”
Restrictions on bars and restau-
rants throughout the country due
to the pandemic caused nearly
400,000 job losses in December.
“Although there has been much
progress in the labor market since
the spring, millions of Americans
remain out of work. The economic
downturn has not fallen equally
on all Americans, and those least
able to shoulder the burden have
been the hardest hit,” Powell said.
The Fed’s revised forecasts re-
leased in December show that
the median projection for the
NOAH BERGER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES
company that seems to interpret
its own policies unevenly.
Google tweaked its products
to promote what the company
considered the interests of “his-
torically marginalized” groups,
according to insider documents
and recordings.
The approach aligns with the
tenets of the quasi-Marxist criti-
cal theory, which divides society
into oppressors and the histori-
cally oppressed based on charac-
teristics such as race and gender
along the lines of Marxism’s class
division.
unemployment rate for the end
of 2021 was reduced to 5 percent
from 5.5 percent projected in
September.
Gross domestic product is ex-
pected to grow by 4.2 percent
(median) this year, compared to
a 4.0 percent growth projected
in September. The central bank
expects the economy to expand
by 3.2 percent and 2.4 percent in
2022 and 2023, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Fed’s inflation
projection rises to 1.8 percent in
2021, from 1.2 percent last year,
and reaches 2 percent in 2023.
When asked about Janet Yel-
len, who was sworn in on Jan. 26
as secretary of the Treasury De-
partment, Powell said, “I have the
highest respect and admiration
for Secretary Yellen. And I’m sure
that we’re going to have a good
working relationship together.”
Powell said he didn’t discuss
emergency lending programs
with the Treasury Department
yet, but reiterated that Fed’s emer-
gency lending tools will remain
available if the need arises.
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Los Angeles
County Sued Over
Commercial Eviction
Moratorium
MATTHEW VADUM
A small landlord suffering eco-
nomic hardship is suing the county
of Los Angeles over its pandemic-
related moratorium preventing the
eviction of commercial tenants for
nonpayment of rent.
The lawsuit, Iten v. County of Los
Angeles, which was filed Jan. 19 in
U.S. District Court for the Central
District of California, alleges the
county is violating the contracts
clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Former Marine and Vietnam
veteran Howard Iten is a retired
auto mechanic who depends on
rental income from his sole com-
mercial property, which is located
in the City of Lawndale in Los An-
geles County.
The problem is his current ten-
ant is an auto repair franchisee
who has refused to pay much of
his rent during the current pan-
demic, even though his business
has been fully open  the entire
time; the tenant is several thou-
sand dollars in arrears.
“I think it’s wrong that the bur-
den is placed on property own-
ers, while tenants can take advan-
tage of the situation,” Iten said in
a statement provided by his law-
yers at Pacific Legal Foundation, a
public interest law firm headquar-
tered in Sacramento.
“At least I owned my property free
and clear. I sympathize with those
McCabe Aware of Exculpatory Evidence
Before Opening Obstruction Probe Into
Trump, Documents Show
IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
Then-Acting FBI Director Andrew
McCabe was aware of crucial ex-
culpatory evidence regarding the
firing of FBI Director James Com-
ey when he opened an obstruc-
tion of justice investigation into
then-President Donald Trump
in mid-May of 2017 over Comey’s
removal, according to documents
declassified by Trump during his
last days in office.
Trump fired Comey on May 9,
2017, roughly three weeks after
Comey told Congress that the
FBI was investigating Russian
interference in the 2016 elec-
tion, as well as alleged links be-
tween Moscow and the Trump
campaign. McCabe opened an
obstruction of justice investiga-
tion into Trump a week later, on
May 16, 2017, citing Trump’s pub-
lic comments about the firing as
well as Comey’s memos, which
stated, among other things, that
the president had asked the FBI
director for loyalty.
But McCabe was aware, from a
conversation with then-Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
four days earlier, on May 12, 2017,
that the Justice Department had
been planning to fire Comey since
January that year, according to a
memo by McCabe obtained by
Just The News.
“The DAG stated that based on
conversations he had with the AG
as early as January 2017, he knew
Director Comey was going to get
fired,” McCabe wrote in the memo.
One day after McCabe approved
the opening of the investigation
into Trump, Rosenstein appointed
Robert Mueller as special coun-
sel to investigate allegations of
collusion between the Trump
campaign and Russia. Muel-
ler completed the investigation
nearly two years later, finding no
evidence to establish that anyone
in the campaign colluded with
Russia. In addition, then-Attorney
General William Barr concluded
landlords who hold a mortgage.”
Iten and his wife jointly own a
one-half interest in an approxi-
mately 2,600-square-foot commer-
cially zoned rental property. From
the late 1970s to the mid-2000s, he
operated a successful auto repair
shop on the site. Following his
retirement and his son’s running
of the business for a few years, he
decided to lease the property, and
in August 2015, he entered into a
five-year standard commercial
lease agreement with an auto re-
pair company.
In September 2016, that lessee
entered into a sublease with an-
other auto repair company, which
does business as a franchisee of
a nationally recognized auto re-
pair firm. It has fewer than 10
employees.
In March 2020, the county issued
a residential and commercial evic-
tion moratorium on an emergency
basis. The eviction moratorium,
which took the form of an ordi-
nance, has been extended and
amended several times, including
in September, October, and No-
vember, and most recently on Jan.
5 of this year. The current eviction
ban runs through the end of Feb-
ruary and is likely to be extended.
In its current form, the moratori-
um forbids the charging of interest
or late fees on rents or amounts that
come due during the moratorium
period. It provides that commer-
Then-Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe listens during a Senate Intelligence
Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 11, 2017.
The DAG stated that
based on conversa-
tions he had with the
AG as early as Janu-
ary 2017, he knew
Director Comey was
going to get fired.
Andrew McCabe,
then-acting FBI director
that the evidence Mueller col-
lected was insufficient to estab-
lish that Trump had obstructed
justice.
Among the newly declassified
memos is a set of typed notes, in
which McCabe described the May
16, 2017, meeting during which
he revealed the existence of the
Trump probe to Rosenstein. A
more redacted version of the
memo was previously obtained
by Judicial Watch in 2019. The
notes had shown that Rosenstein
offered to wear a wire to record
Trump; Rosenstein has since said
he made the offer in jest.
The newly declassified portion
of the memo shows that Rosen-
A woman wearing a mask walks past a wall bearing graffiti asking for rent forgiveness amid the COVID-19 pandemic,
on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles on May 1, 2020.
cial tenants that have fewer than
10 employees have 12 months from
the end of the moratorium period
to pay rent that came due during
the moratorium.
This means Iten can’t even try to
recover the overdue rent until 12
months after the moratorium’s ex-
piration—currently, Feb. 28, 2022.
In April 2020, Iten’s tenant in-
formed him that it was adversely
affected by the pandemic and was
unable to pay the rent. Iten want-
ed to terminate the tenancy but
couldn’t because of the moratori-
um, so when the lease and sublease
expired in the fall, he negotiated a
new five-year lease with the tenant
to increase the chances of someday
recovering the past-due rent.
Damien M. Schiff, a senior attor-
ney at PLF handling the lawsuit,
expressed optimism about the case
AP PHOTO/JACQUELYN MARTIN
stein had made the decision to
appoint a special counsel a week
prior to May 16, 2017, and that the
execution of the appointment was
thrown off by Comey’s firing. In
another declassified portion, Mc-
Cabe wrote that Rosenstein had
looked into removing Trump via
the 25th Amendment and had
assumed he might have had the
support of Attorney General Jeff
Sessions and Homeland Security
Secretary John Kelly.
Trump had considered hiring
Kelly for the FBI director position,
another newly declassified por-
tion of the memo shows.
McCabe wrote: “The President
had requested that they interview
Sec. Kelly. The DAG informed the
AG that he did not believe Sec.
Kelly would be a good candidate
for many reasons and stated that
making him FBI Director would
be a strategy of disruption. The
DAG told me that if Sec. Kelly were
placed in the job, the DAG would
request Sec. Kelly’s resignation.”
An internal review by the De-
partment of Justice’s Office of In-
spector General determined that
McCabe authorized a self-serving
leak to the press and then lied
about the matter to cover it up.
during an interview with The Ep-
och Times.
The moratorium itself is unfair to
landlords, he said.
“There is no mechanism in the or-
dinance to assure any sort of partial
income stream to landlords, mean-
ing that if a tenant says ‘I can’t pay
because of COVID, I don’t have to
show documentation, I just simply
say I can’t pay, then not only can
you not evict me but also I don’t
have to pay rent, and there is no
way that you can force me to pay
you anything during the morato-
rium period.’
“So for a lot of landlords who
are small like Mr. Iten, being de-
prived absolutely of the right to
an income stream is a huge im-
pairment of the economic value
of these lease contracts.”
Lawsuits against various mora-
Biden Administration Sued for Halting
Oil, Gas Leasing on Federal Lands
JACK PHILLIPS
The Biden administration was
sued on Jan. 27 over its executive
order to halt oil and gas leasing on
federal lands and waters.
The lawsuit was filed in  the
U.S. District Court in Wyoming
by the Western Energy Alliance,
a group representing fossil fuel
producers on federal lands. They
say President Joe Biden exceeded
his authority with the recent order.
“The law is clear. Presidents don’t
have authority to ban leasing on
public lands. All Americans own
the oil and natural gas beneath
public lands, and Congress has di-
rected them to be responsibly de-
veloped on their behalf,”  Alliance
President Kathleen Sgamma said
in a statement, according to The
Washington Times. “Drying up
new leasing puts future develop-
ment as well as existing projects at
risk. President Biden cannot sim-
ply ignore laws in effect for over
half a century.”
The executive order, Sgamma
said, violates the Mineral Leasing
Act, the National Environmental
Policy Act, and the Federal Lands
Policy and Management Act.
The lawsuit argues that the
administration’s suspension of
the federal oil and gas leasing pro-
gram is “an unsupported and un-
necessary action that is inconsis-
tent with the Secretary’s statutory
obligations” and is “both arbitrary
and capricious.”
The Biden executive order sets
up a “pause on entering into new
oil and natural gas leases on pub-
lic lands or offshore waters to the
extent possible” and will launch
a “rigorous review of all existing
leasing and permitting practices
related to fossil fuel development
on public lands and waters,” ac-
cording to the White House.
The White House said the move
is an attempt to “tackle the climate
crisis.”
Republicans and industry lead-
ers said the order would harm the
U.S. economy and result in thou-
sands of job losses.
Dan Naatz of the Independent
NATION | A3
VALERIE MACON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
toriums “have all been focused on
residential moratoriums, and by
and large, the reason why they’ve
all lost so far is because the courts
see a fairly close connection be-
tween fighting the pandemic by
stay-at-home orders and eviction
moratoriums to keep people in
their homes.”
“No court has yet to address
whether the connection between a
commercial eviction moratorium
and pandemic efforts is now too
attenuated. Just because a com-
mercial tenant is evicted does not
mean that there is necessarily or
even likely going to be a person on
the streets or put into substandard
housing.”
The Los Angeles County Coun-
sel’s office didn’t immediately re-
spond to a request by The Epoch
Times for comment.
DOUG MILLS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
President Joe Biden speaks in the
State Dining Room of the White
House on Jan. 26, 2021.
Petroleum Association of Amer-
ica said in a separate statement:
“Do not be fooled, this is a ban
[on drilling]. The Biden admin-
istration’s plan to obliterate the
jobs of American oil and gas ex-
plorers and producers has been
on clear display.”
What’s more, according to Sgam-
ma, the order would also put at
risk $8.8 billion in conservation
revenue that is funded in part by
mineral development on federal
property.
“Biden’s ban is an overreach
meant to satisfy the environ-
mental left, but it would seriously
harm the livelihoods of tens of
thousands of westerners and put
at risk millions more as state ser-
vices become unfunded,” she said.
The order doesn’t affect existing
oil and gas leases, which can last
10 years, officials have said.
The Interior Department stated
the pause “won’t impact existing
operations or permits for valid, ex-
isting leases, which are continuing
to be reviewed and approved.”
Republicans in Congress have
signaled they will work to stop
Biden’s agenda.
“Pie-in-the-sky government
mandates and directives that re-
strict our mining, oil, and gas in-
dustries adversely impact our en-
ergy security and independence,”
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-
Wash.), a member of the GOP’s
leadership in the House, said in a
statement this week.
A4 | NATION
Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, Brother of Michael
Flynn, Tapped to Lead US Army Pacific
CONTINUED FROM A1
campaign planning at the Na-
tional Defense University.
His awards and decorations in-
clude the Distinguished Service
Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze
Star, and the Defense Meritorious
Service Medal.
Flynn, along with other Pen-
tagon staff, faced scrutiny in
recent days over the deploy-
ment of National Guard troops
to the U.S. Capitol as a mob
breached the building on Jan.
6. Washington city officials and
the Capitol Police have claimed
that the Pentagon was slow in
responding to a request for
help from the National Guard
in quelling the violence. Flynn
told The Washington Post he
was in the room for several
minutes during a call when lo-
cal officials made the request
for National Guard support.
Then-Capitol Police Chief Ste-
ven Sund, who has since resigned,
told The Washington Post in a Jan.
10 interview that a top Army of-
ficial on the call, later identified as
Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, the direc-
tor of Army staff, said, “I don’t like
the visual of the National Guard
standing a police line with the
Blinken Makes First Calls as Secretary of State
IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
Secretary of State Antony Blink-
en made the first calls of his ten-
ure on Jan. 26, speaking with his
counterparts in Canada, South
Korea, Mexico, and Japan, ac-
cording to the Department of
State.
The U.S. Senate confirmed
Blinken earlier the same day. He
made the first call to Canadian
Foreign Minister Marc Garneau.
According to a readout of the
call, Blinken “looks forward to
working closely with Foreign
Minister Garneau to revitalize
our economies and strengthen
the broader North American
partnership and to address
shared challenges, including
COVID-19 and climate change,
among many others.”
Blinken said for-
mer President
Donald Trump
‘was right in tak-
ing a tougher ap-
proach to China.’
“Secretary Blinken highlighted
the importance of continued tri-
lateral U.S.-ROK-Japan coopera-
tion, underscored the continued
need for the denuclearization of
North Korea, and stressed Presi-
TRUTH CAN BE BLOCKED BUT NEVER STOPPED
Refer your friends and family today! Please visit:
* This referral program is only valid online at ReadEpoch.com/friends. As we can’t currently process check payments for this program, your understanding is appreciated.
Capitol in the background.”
Piatt, in a follow-up statement
to The Washington Post, denied
making that statement during the
call, while other Pentagon offi-
cials also denied that Piatt had
expressed reservations about
deploying the National Guard,
members of which arrived sev-
eral hours after the call to help
secure the Capitol.
“I did not make the statement
or any comments similar to what
was attributed to me by Chief
Sund in The Washington Post ar-
ticle—but would note that even in
his telling he makes it clear that
neither I, nor anyone else from
[the Pentagon], denied the de-
ployment of requested person-
nel,” Piatt told The Washington
Post in the statement.
Flynn told The Washington Post
he left the room before the meet-
ing was over, expecting that then-
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy
would soon order the National
Guard to be deployed.
“I entered the room after the
call began and departed prior
to the call ending as I believed a
decision was imminent from the
Secretary and I needed to be in
my office to assist in executing the
decision,” Flynn told the outlet.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in
Washington on Jan. 27, 2021.
dent [Joe] Biden’s commitment
to strengthening U.S. alliances,”
the readout states.
In the call with Mexican For-
eign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard,
the pair discussed cooperation
around the CCP virus pandemic.
Blinken also emphasized “our
shared interest in security and
economic integration, as well
as our focus on an orderly and
humane approach to migration.”
In his calls with the Republic
of Korea Foreign Minister Kang
Kyung-wha and Japanese For-
eign Minister Toshimitsu Mo-
tegi, Blinken emphasized the
importance of the alliances for
Pass it on, one friend at a time
In a time when lies and subversive,
treasonous tactaics threaten our Republic
- when ‘truth’ is threatened as a beacon to
freedom - The Epoch Times has been a
welcome and refreshing antidote that
re-instills sanity and rationality, as well as
sanctity for human life.
U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. SCOTT D. LONGSTREET
Lt. Gen. Charles A. Flynn and his staff during a base visit in Poznan, Poland,
on Dec. 16, 2019.
CARLOS BARRIA/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
preserving “peace, security, and
prosperity for a free and open
Indo-Pacific region and across
the world.” He also stressed the
importance of the trilateral U.S.–
Japan–South Korea alliance.
Blinken, a longtime aide to
Biden, was approved by a vote of
78–22 in the upper chamber. His
predecessor is former Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo.
His confirmation was wel-
comed by most Democrats and
some Republicans, as well as the
U.S. Foreign Service political as-
sociation.
“Leadership of the Depart-
ment of State, our nation’s old-
— NE AL BOGOSIAN
ReadEpoch.com/Friends
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
est cabinet agency, represents a
great responsibility,” the Ameri-
can Foreign Service Association
(AFSA) said in a statement after
he was confirmed. “As we have
done for his predecessors, AFSA
extends our congratulations and
welcome to Secretary Blinken.
We wish the secretary and his
team the best of luck in the years
ahead. AFSA and its members
pledge to work alongside them
to strengthen the career For-
eign Service and protect and
enhance the institution that is
American diplomacy.”
Blinken, during his confirma-
tion hearing in the upper cham-
ber last week, told senators he
would reengage with Congress
on key foreign policy initiatives.
Regarding the Chinese Com-
munist Party (CCP), which
Pompeo has described as the
greatest threat to the United
States, Blinken said former
President Donald Trump “was
right in taking a tougher ap-
proach to China.”
“I disagree very much with the
way that he went about it in a
number of areas, but the basic
principle was the right one, and
I think that’s actually helpful
to our foreign policy,” Blinken
said. He didn’t elaborate on what
steps he would take to counter
the CCP.
Jack Phillips contributed
to this report.
REFER YOUR FRIENDS *
For each successful referral you make,
you get 2 FREE months added to your
subscription. Each friend you refer will
get 2 months of our paper for only $2!
Biden Administration
Order Would
Suspend 85 Percent
of All Criminal
Alien Deportations:
Analysis
ZACHARY STIEBER
The memorandum from President
Joe Biden’s administration halting
most deportations for 100 days affects
85 percent of all criminal alien depor-
tations, according to a new analysis.
While a federal judge in Texas on
Jan. 26 blocked the order from going
into effect, if it does ultimately sur-
vive court challenges, it would stop
immigration officers from deport-
ing about 85 percent of illegal im-
migrants, the Center for Immigration
Studies (CIS) found. Sex offenders,
domestic abusers, and fraud crimi-
nals would be among those avoiding
removal from the United States.
“Essentially, this memo is an at-
tempt to abolish immigration en-
forcement,” Jessica Vaughan, who
performed the CIS’s analysis, told
The Epoch Times.
The memo directs immigration
enforcement agencies to focus on
people who recently crossed into the
United States illegally, who are sus-
pected of terrorism or espionage, or
who were convicted of an aggravated
felony. Vaughan said the percentage
of criminal aliens who actually will
be targeted will, in reality, be less
than 15 percent because of so-called
sanctuary jurisdictions that limit
their cooperation with Immigration
and Customs Enforcement.
The order, signed by Acting Depart-
ment of Homeland Secretary David
Pekoske, will “result in a very sharp
decrease of deportations compared
to “those under former Presidents
Donald Trump and Barack Obama,”
according to Vaughan.
“I was surprised at how far he de-
cided to go because he had been
talking as if he wanted to pursue
a moderate course, obviously dif-
ferent policies, but claimed to not
want to in a radical way,” she added.
“But this is really a reckless and ex-
treme order.”
The Biden administration didn’t
immediately respond to a request
by The Epoch Times for comment.
U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton, a
Trump appointee, blocked the policy
from going into effect for two weeks,
after Texas Attorney General Ken
Paxton challenged it in court. The
judge said Biden’s administration
didn’t give “any concrete, reasonable
justification for a 100-day pause on
deportations.”
White House press secretary Jen
Psaki told reporters last week that
the order halting deportations for
some immigrants “will allow the
administration to review and reset
enforcement policies and ensure that
resources are dedicated to the most
pressing challenges, and that we have
a fair and effective enforcement sys-
tem rooted in responsibly manag-
ing the border and protecting our
national security and public safety.”
In another briefing on Jan. 25, Psaki
said the message to migrants at the
border “is that this is not the right
time to come.”
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Biden Promptly Dismantles
Trump’s Border Security Measures
CONTINUED FROM A1
immigrants to the Migrant Protec-
tion Protocol (MPP) program, also
known as “Remain in Mexico.”
The MPP program makes asylum-
seekers wait in Mexico while their
asylum case is adjudicated.
The program has been touted as a
breakthrough in stopping the phe-
nomenon of “catch-and-release,”
in which hundreds of thousands of
illegal immigrants claimed asylum
upon entry into the United States.
Before the Remain in Mexico pro-
gram was implemented, those in-
dividuals, regardless of the merits
of their asylum claim, would be
quickly released into the United
States with a court hearing often
scheduled for years down the track,
for which most failed to turn up.
The “catch-and-release” phe-
nomenon was a major driver of the
caravans and border crisis of 2019,
when 1 million illegal immigrants
entered the United States over the
southern border.
Trump introduced MPP late in
2019, which was expanded across
the southern border and now re-
sults in 90 percent of illegal border-
crossers either being quickly de-
ported, or being sent back to Mexico
to await their asylum claim. The ef-
fect has been fewer illegal crossings
and fewer meritless asylum claims.
Wall Construction Stopped
Biden signed an executive order
hours after his inauguration that
terminated the emergency declara-
tion on the southern border and put
an immediate halt on border wall
construction.
“It shall be the policy of my Ad-
ministration that no more Ameri-
can taxpayer dollars be diverted to
construct a border wall,” the execu-
tive order states. “I am also direct-
ing a careful review of all resources
appropriated or redirected to con-
struct a southern border wall.”
Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s pick
to head the Department of Home-
land Security (DHS), said he hasn’t
looked at what he’d do with the cur-
rent border wall, including the pos-
sibility of removing portions of it.
“I look forward to studying that
question, understand the costs and
benefits of doing so,” he told the
Senate Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs
during his confirmation hearing
on Jan. 19.
Congress recently appropriated
$1.4 billion for border wall con-
struction in the 2021 National De-
fense Authorization package, which
Mayorkas said he would examine
to “see what the opportunities are
to discontinue any such obligation,
if in fact, the law permits, and act
accordingly.”
Mayorkas served as head of U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration
Services during President Barack
Obama’s first term and then dep-
uty secretary of the Department
of Homeland Security during his
second term.
During the Trump administra-
tion, more than 450 miles of border
fencing were constructed along
the U.S.–Mexico border, much of
which has replaced old or ineffec-
tive barriers.
The National Border Patrol Coun-
cil, which endorsed Trump for
president, has said border fencing
is essential to slow illegal crossings
and keep agents safe.
CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES
A group of 10 Haitians illegally crosses the Suchiate River on a tube raft from
Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Hidalgo City, Mexico, on June 28, 2019.
The council’s president, Brandon
Judd, has said border agents are
grateful for the new fencing, which
comes with access roads, lighting,
and technology.
Travel Ban Rescinded
Also on day one, Biden took execu-
tive action to revoke a travel ban
that Trump had placed on several
terror-prone countries that had
consistently failed to provide “ter-
rorist, criminal, or identity infor-
mation” for their travelers.
Biden called the ban discrimi-
natory against both Muslims and
African nations and “a stain on our
national conscience.”
The countries on the travel ban
list were Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan,
Libya, Burma (also known as Myan-
mar), Nigeria, North Korea, Soma-
lia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezu-
ela, and Yemen. Each nation had
tailored restrictions. Countries such
as Somalia, for example, have had
no government for decades to issue
basic documents such as birth cer-
tificates and driver licenses, making
it impossible to vet travelers.
Under Trump, the DHS reviewed
almost 200 countries between
March and July 2017 to identify
those that needed to provide more
information with visa applications
to satisfy U.S. authorities that the
individual is not a security or pub-
lic-safety threat.
One criterion was document in-
tegrity—for example, whether a
country issued passports with an
embedded chip or not, or whether
the country could provide evidence
that their citizens are who they say
they are.
Other criteria include whether
the country is a known or poten-
tial terrorist safe haven; whether
it’s a participant in the Visa Waiver
Program; and whether it regularly
fails to receive its nationals who are
subject to orders of removal from
the United States.
The department then spent seven
weeks working with countries to
help them meet the criteria.
In September 2017, Trump is-
sued a proclamation modifying
his original order, which, after a
legal battle, was upheld by the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Biden’s order requires the State
Department to make a plan to
review the visa applications that
had been denied during the dura-
tion of the Trump administration’s
travel ban.
DACA and Amnesty
Another Jan. 20 executive order
ordered the DHS to continue the
DACA program, which Trump re-
scinded in September 2017, calling
it executive overreach and asking
Congress to grant a pathway to citi-
zenship for recipients.
“I have a love for these people, and
hopefully now Congress will be able
to help them and do it properly,”
Trump said at the time.
Congress has yet to provide a per-
manent solution, and the program
has been the subject of court wran-
gling ever since.
DACA was introduced through an
executive order by former President
Barack Obama in 2012 as a tempo-
rary measure that gave recipients a
renewable, two-year reprieve from
deportation, as well as work authori-
zation and access to social security.
“Now, let’s be clear, this is not
amnesty, this is not immunity, this
is not a path to citizenship—it’s not
a permanent fix,” Obama said at
the time.
Since its inception, around
800,000 illegal immigrants have
been enrolled in the program.
DACA recipients must have ar-
rived in the country illegally before
their 16th birthday and must have
been under 31 when they applied for
DACA status, among other criteria.
The average age of DACA recipi-
ents is over 25 and those at the
maximum age are now 39. Eighty-
one percent of the recipients are
Mexican, but some come from
countries as far flung as Pakistan
and the Philippines.
Only a few randomly selected
DACA recipients were vetted
through background checks dur-
ing the original intake, and by
2018, more than 2,100 recipients
had since had their eligibility re-
scinded due to criminal convic-
tions and gang activity, according
to the DHS.
The Congressional Budget Office
ran a cost estimate of a pathway to
citizenship for a slightly expanded
DACA cohort in response to the
introduction of the DREAM Act in
July 2017.
The bill was introduced to the
Senate by Sen. Lindsey Graham
(R-S.C.) and the DREAM stands for
Development, Relief, and Educa-
tion for Alien Minors.
The CBO estimated that 3.25 mil-
lion illegal aliens met the basic eli-
gibility criteria, but, based on DACA
application rates, about 2 million
would apply and be approved.
Using that calculation, the CBO
estimated that the DREAM Act
would have generated a net cost
of $26 billion over the ensuing 10
years.
CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES
Most DACA recipients currently
pay most taxes, but cannot receive
most federal benefits. The DREAM
Act would have generated about $1
billion in extra tax revenue, but re-
cipients would have received about
$27 billion in new benefits, such
as Obamacare subsidies, child tax
credits, Medicaid, and food stamps.
The CBO estimate excluded state
and local government budget im-
pacts.
Beyond the DACA population,
Biden has promised an amnesty
and pathway to citizenship to the il-
legal immigrants currently residing
in the United States—an estimated
11 million to 25 million people.
He also supports free health care
for illegal immigrants. Biden said he
will reverse Trump’s public charge
rule, which currently prohibits non-
U.S. citizens and permanent resi-
dents from accessing food stamps
and other welfare benefits. He also
states he would give green cards to
foreign students who obtain a doc-
toral degree in the United States.
In the event of an amnesty, stud-
ies predict at least six times the orig-
inal number of eligible individuals
would become citizens, based on
chain migration, in which citizens
can bring in family members.
The Center for Immigration Stud-
ies issued a report showing that each
new legal Mexican immigrant, for
example, sponsored 6.38 additional
legal immigrants, based on the 1996
to 2000 cohort of immigrants.
Suspending Deportations
The DHS on Jan. 21 issued a memo
to suspend deportations of illegal
aliens for 100 days, with the ex-
ception of those who have “either
engaged in or are suspected of ter-
rorism or espionage.”
DHS Acting Secretary David Pe-
koske said that instead, the depart-
ment will surge resources to the
southern border “as it is confront-
ing the most serious global public
health crisis in a century.” Biden
has tapped Pekoske as acting sec-
retary until Mayorkas is confirmed
by the Senate.
“In light of those unique circum-
stances, the Department must
surge resources to the border in
order to ensure safe, legal, and
orderly processing, to rebuild fair
and effective asylum procedures
that respect human rights and
due process, to adopt appropriate
public health guidelines and pro-
tocols, and to prioritize respond-
ing to threats to national security,
public safety, and border security,”
Pekoske said.
The memo said the department
can’t respond to all immigration
violations or remove all persons
unlawfully in the United States, and
it intends to prioritize terror threats,
illegal immigrants who entered the
United States from Nov. 1, 2020, and
those who have been convicted
of an aggravated felony who are
deemed a public safety threat.
NATION | A5
A group of
illegal aliens
is appre-
hended
by Border
Patrol after
crossing
from Mexico
into Yuma,
Ariz., on April
12, 2019.
On Jan. 22, the state of Texas sued
the Biden administration over the
action.
In the suit, Texas Attorney Gen-
eral Ken Paxton asks the federal
court to declare Pekoske’s memo
unlawful and to block the defen-
dants from executing the order.
“On its first day in office, the Biden
Administration cast aside congres-
sionally enacted immigration laws
and suspended the removal of il-
legal aliens whose removal is com-
pelled by those very laws,” the law-
suit states. “In doing so, it ignored
basic constitutional principles
and violated its written pledge to
work cooperatively with the State
of Texas to address shared immi-
gration enforcement concerns. This
unlawful reversal will cause Texas
immediate and irreparable harm if
it is not enjoined.”
Immigration and Customs En-
forcement (ICE), the agency tasked
with interior enforcement, as well
as investigations into child sex traf-
ficking and other crimes, has for
years prioritized the removal of
criminal aliens.
In fiscal 2020, ICE’s Enforcement
and Removal Operations con-
ducted almost 186,000 removals
of individuals, of whom 92 percent
had criminal convictions or pend-
ing criminal charges, according to
ICE’s end of year report.
ICE also conducted more than
103,000 interior arrests—just un-
der 30 percent fewer than in fiscal
2019, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Approximately 90 percent of those
arrested had a criminal conviction
or charge, according to the report.
Those arrested included aliens with
criminal charges or convictions for
1,837 homicide offenses, 37,247 as-
sault offenses, and 10,302 sexual as-
sault or sex offenses.
Other Actions
In a call with Mexican President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
on Jan. 23, Biden said his plan in-
cluded “increasing resettlement
capacity and lawful alternative
immigration pathways,” as well as
improved processing at the border
for asylum-seekers.
Biden on Jan. 20 signed an execu-
tive order to include illegal aliens in
the census-based apportionment of
federal funding and congressional
representation.
The president also unveiled a
sweeping immigration reform
package for Congress, which in-
cludes a mass amnesty, the broad-
ening of asylum criteria, an increase
in refugee admissions, and more
federal programs for immigrants.
It also promised a $4 billion, four-
year interagency plan to address
“the underlying causes of migration
in the region,” including by increas-
ing assistance to El Salvador, Gua-
temala, and Honduras.
Ivan Pentchoukov contributed
to this report.
 A6 | NATION
Renewed
Lockdown
Measures Slow
US Economic
Momentum
EMEL AKAN
WASHINGTON—The U.S.
economy’s momentum has
reversed in recent weeks as
spikes in coronavirus cases
have forced a series of re-
newed stay-at-home orders
and business closures.
While states such as
California, New York, and
Michigan have begun to
ease restrictions, econo-
mists are still pessimistic
over the near-term outlook.
It will be months before
access to vaccines is wide-
spread enough to help bring
the pandemic under con-
trol and allow economic ac-
tivity to rebound, according
to forecasters.
The U.S. economy shed
140,000 jobs in December
2020, the first time since
the labor market recovery
began in May 2020. Unem-
ployment claims remain
elevated as restrictions
on restaurants, bars, and
other businesses pressure
employers to slash jobs.
Another 900,000 Ameri-
cans filed for initial jobless
claims last week.
“The recent sharp rise in
initial weekly jobless claims
caused by renewed shelter-
in-place mandates and
business closures is thrust-
ing the U.S. labor market re-
covery into reverse,” Scott
Anderson, chief economist
at Bank of the West, said in
a note to clients.
Pompeo Calls on Biden to
Acknowledge CCP’s Role in
Pandemic After Memo Release
CONTINUED FROM A1
emphasizing the impor-
tance of recognizing where
the virus first emerged. It’s
common to name a virus
after its place of origin.
“It began in Wuhan. It is, in
fact, a virus that came from
that place. We know that the
Chinese Communist Party
covered that up. We know
that they disappeared doc-
tors and journalists who
wanted to write about it and
were told they couldn’t,”
Pompeo said.
“These are important
things,” he added. “The Amer-
ican people need to know
them because they matter.
They matter for our health, for
our safety, for economic pros-
perity, and for our security,
and I hope and I’m counting
on this next administration
to do what the American
people demand of them and
continue to confront the Chi-
nese Communist Party.”
PATRICK SEMANSKY/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Then-Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo speaks during a news
conference at the U.S. State
Department in Washington on
Sept. 21, 2020.
California played a big
part in the labor market
downturn last month, ac-
cording to Anderson.
The Golden State recorded
52,200 job losses in Decem-
ber, accounting for 37 per-
cent of the national total.
The unemployment rate
in California rose to 9.0
percent—compared to 6.7
percent nationwide—due
to large job losses in the ac-
commodation and foodser-
vice industries.
The surge in virus cases
and colder weather con-
ditions are causing con-
sumers to avoid shopping,
eating out, and traveling.
Retail sales were down 0.7
percent month-over-month
in December, marking the
third straight month of de-
clines. Restaurant and bar
sales saw a 4.5 percent drop
from November, and sales
were down more than 21
percent from the same pe-
riod last year.
The U.S. economy is ex-
pected to see additional
job losses in January as a
result of the slowdown in
economic activity. Ana-
lysts believe a fiscal policy
response will continue
to provide some support
until the economic recov-
ery gains steam.
Congress approved in De-
cember a $900 billion relief
package, including a $600
direct payment to many
Americans, three months
CCP officials in early De-
cember 2019 knew that the
virus had appeared in Wu-
han, but sat on the infor-
mation for six weeks. They
arrested those who tried to
warn of the danger, accusing
them of spreading “rumors,”
and employed the regime’s
rigorous censorship system
to prevent media coverage
and to delete any mentions
of it from social media.
“This virus has now de-
stroyed thousands and thou-
sands and thousands of lives,”
Pompeo continued. “Eco-
nomic toll that is unequaled
in an awfully long time, and
it began in a place—Wuhan,
China—and the CCP did ev-
erything it could to give itself
the time to respond to it on its
own terms, and it didn’t do
what it was supposed to do.”
“It [CCP] had a duty to the
world to let us know that this
[COVID-19] indeed had hu-
man-to-human transmission
and that it had begun, that
this threat had begun. That
was enormously costly to the
American people and those
are facts, so yes, I hope this
administration and everyone
in the world will acknowl-
edge where it began and
how the CCP misbehaved,”
he added.
“We have to put in place
processes to make sure that
something like this can never
emanate from China again.”
The Epoch Times refers
to the virus by the name of
the party responsible for re-
leasing it to the world: the
Chinese Communist Party.
People wait for an international flight at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Jan. 25, 2021.
of $300 weekly extra unem-
ployment insurance, and
a new round of Paycheck
Protection Program (PPP)
loans for small businesses.
In his first week in office,
President Joe Biden an-
nounced the “American
Rescue Plan,” with a head-
line value of $1.9 trillion to
kick start the next round of
stimulus talks in Congress.
The administration’s new
plan would send checks of
$1,400 to individuals.
“These protections can
lead to some generous out-
comes,” Carl Tannenbaum,
chief economist at North-
ern Trust, said in his weekly
economic commentary.
“Married households with
two children, earning up to
$150,000, would qualify for a
hefty payment of $5,600. The
majority of last year’s eco-
nomic impact payments
were saved or used to pay
down debt, and with com-
merce still restricted, this
would likely foster another
The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., on Aug. 28, 2020.
Biden Orders DOJ to End Use of
Federally Funded Private Prisons
JANITA KAN
President Joe Biden direct-
ed the federal government
on Jan. 25 to cease its reli-
ance on federally funded
private prisons, a move
that renews an Obama-era
policy.
Under the executive or-
der, the attorney general
must decline to renew
Justice Department (DOJ)
contracts with privately
operated facilities.
“To decrease incarcera-
tion levels, we must reduce
profit-based incentives to
incarcerate by phasing out
the Federal Government’s
reliance on privately oper-
ated criminal detention
facilities,” Biden wrote in
his order.
The rule would essen-
tially require the DOJ to
maintain the same policy
round of saving,” he wrote.
Economists predict that
a new round of stimulus,
even if only partially en-
acted, would boost the eco-
nomic growth forecasts for
this year.
New Threat
While a bigger fiscal stimu-
lus and faster vaccination
brighten the outlook for this
year in the United States, a
new wave of pessimism is
sweeping Europe due to
concerns about the new
variant of coronavirus and
its potential damage to the
economy.
UK Prime Minister Boris
Johnson warned last week
that the new variant might
be associated with a higher
level of mortality.
Element Capital, one of
the world’s largest macro
hedge funds, also cau-
tioned that continental
Europe could face a deep
economic blow as the vari-
ant spreads beyond UK
position on private prison
facilities as in 2016, when
then-Deputy Attorney
General Sally Yates or-
dered the federal Bureau
of Prisons to “decline to
renew that contract or sub-
stantially reduce its scope
in a manner consistent
with law and the overall
decline of the bureau’s in-
mate population.
“The goal of the Justice
Department is to ensure
consistency in safety, se-
curity, and rehabilitation
services by operating its
own prison facilities,” Yates
said at the time.
Yates’s memo was rescind-
ed in 2017 by then-Attorney
General Jeff Sessions, who
said the memo “changed
long-standing policy and
practice, and impaired the
Bureau’s ability to meet the
future needs of the federal
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
borders. The fund’s head of
markets, Colin Teichholtz,
told Financial Times that
markets and policymak-
ers should be prepared for
“a much worse” economic
outcome as the damage
from the pandemic is still
far from over.
The new virus has been
detected in more than 30
countries, including the
United States. According
to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
this variant exhibits rapid
growth and could become
the predominant variant in
the United States by March.
It isn’t clear if the current
vaccines will be less effec-
tive against the new variant.
Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s
chief economist, described
the current environment as
“a race between a mutating
virus and vaccinations.”
“And a lot depends on the
outcome of this race. So, if
we have better news on
vaccinations, faster rollout,
MICHAEL CONROY/FILE PHOTO VIA AP
correctional system.”
One of the private op-
erators of federal prisons,
Geo Group, characterized
Biden’s order as a “political
statement.”
“Given the steps the BOP
had already announced,
today’s Executive Order
merely represents a politi-
cal statement, which could
carry serious negative un-
intended consequences,
including the loss of hun-
dreds of jobs and nega-
tive economic impact for
the communities where
our facilities are located,
which are already strug-
gling economically due
to the COVID pandemic,”
a company spokesperson
said in a statement.
Over the past few months,
the federal government had
already announced that it
wouldn’t renew contacts for
SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES
then things could improve
much better,” she said in a
Jan. 26 statement.
She cautioned, however,
if virus mutations retard
vaccinations, that could
have an effect on the world
economy.
The U.S. equity markets
are trading near record
highs. Investors see the
new variant of the virus as
“a known unknown,” ac-
cording to Nick Reece, se-
nior analyst and portfolio
manager at Merk Invest-
ments.
The new variant is “likely
not going to impact the
market in the same way the
initial onset of COVID did
back in late February and
March last year,” Reece told
The Epoch Times.
“With regards to the po-
tential economic impact,
the response, both from a
health policy standpoint
and fiscal relief standpoint,
are fairly well known and
understood,” he said.
privately operated prison
facilities. Geo Group indi-
cated in a previous state-
ment that this was because
federal prison populations
have experienced a decline,
in particular, due to the
CCP (Chinese Communist
Party) virus pandemic.
“This decline and other
factors may result in future
decisions by the Federal
Bureau of Prisons to not
renew additional BOP con-
tracts,” the company said in
a separate statement.
Some critics and civil
rights groups pointed out
that the order doesn’t end
the federal government’s
reliance on immigration
detention centers that are
privately operated.
The order about private
prisons was signed along-
side three other orders
aimed to promote racial
equity. Biden and other
Democrats have long
claimed that systemic rac-
ism exists in the United
States and the president has
made addressing the issue
one of his administration’s
priorities.
Biden has signed a num-
ber of orders and measures
in what his administration
says would advance “equity
and support communities
of color and other under-
served communities.”
His other orders direct
the Department of Housing
and Urban Development
to address any discrimi-
nation in federal housing
policies, condemn cases
of racism and xenophobia
against Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders amid
the CCP virus pandemic,
and attempts to strengthen
relationships with tribal
communities.
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Supreme Court Won’t Make Government Unions
Give Back Unconstitutional Dues
MATTHEW VADUM
While Mark Janus won
a landmark legal victory
in 2018 outlawing public-
sector unions’ collection
of forced agency fees from
nonmembers, the Supreme
Court has denied his fol-
low-up request to have his
money reimbursed, without
granting him a hearing.
The new ruling in which
the high court refused to
consider the petition for cer-
tiorari in Janus v. AFSCME,
which bears the same title
of proceeding as the land-
mark ruling, came on Jan.
25. The court didn’t explain
why it acted. No justices in-
dicated they dissented from
the decision.
The ruling, which leaves
in place a decision by the
7th Circuit Court of Ap-
peals, is a victory for the
labor movement. It came
after the Supreme Court
overturned Abood v. Detroit
Board of Education (1977)
in Janus’s earlier lawsuit in
2018, holding that public-
sector unions couldn’t col-
lect forced agency fees from
nonmembers to finance
their collective bargain-
ing activities without in-
fringing the First and 14th
Amendments.
Janus sought damages
from AFSCME for the agen-
cy fees it unconstitutional-
ly extracted from him but
a U.S. district court ruled
against him, finding that
the union enjoyed a so-
called good faith defense
that shielded it from dam-
ages when it acted under the
Illinois agency-fee statute
that at the time was con-
sidered valid, according to
a summary in the petition.
The 7th Circuit affirmed
the trial court and held
that “under appropriate
Biden Appoints Former Obama Official to Key Role
in National Security Council
MIMI NGUYEN LY
President Joe Biden has ap-
pointed lawyer Maher Bitar
to be the National Security
Council’s senior director for
intelligence programs.
Bitar has served as gen-
eral counsel to Democrats
on the House Intelligence
Committee and as a top le-
gal adviser to its chairman
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
since 2017.
“I am thrilled to see him
in his new post, though we
will certainly miss him on
the committee,” Schiff told
Politico. “I can’t think of
anyone more suited to the
role than Maher.”
In 2020, Bitar played a
major role during then-
President Donald Trump’s
first impeachment, serv-
ing as a senior member in
the Democrats’ House im-
peachment team. The Sen-
ate ultimately voted to ac-
quit Trump on two articles
of impeachment.
Bitar’s latest appoint-
ment by Biden marks his
return to the NSC. He pre-
viously served as the NSC
director for Israeli and
Palestinian affairs during
the presidency of Barack
Obama.
Before that, he was  a
deputy to Samantha Power
while she was at the NSC as
the director for multilateral
affairs and human rights,
and later when she was
the U.S. ambassador to the
Union activists and supporters rally against the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME case, in Foley Square in New York on
June 27, 2018.
Janus sought
damages from
AFSCME for the
agency fees it
unconstitution-
ally extracted
from him, but a
U.S. district
court ruled
against him.
United Nations.
On detail from the De-
partment of State, he was
the foreign affairs officer in
the Office of the Special En-
voy for Middle East Peace.
Bitar previously worked
with the  United Nations
High Commissioner for
Refugees in Malaysia and
the U.N. Relief and Works
Agency for Palestinian Ref-
ugees in Jerusalem.
He graduated with a doc-
torate in law from George-
town University in 2012,
and previously graduated
from Georgetown Univer-
sity’s Edmund A. Walsh
School of Foreign Service
in 2006.
He had also received
a Master of Science in
Forced Migration from Ox-
ford University’s Refugee
Studies Centre while on a
scholarship.
In a report published by
FrontPageMag on Jan. 26,
investigative journalist
Daniel Greenfield noted
multiple indications that
Bitar has held anti-Israel
views.
Bitar was on the execu-
tive board of Georgetown
University’s  Students for
Justice in Palestine (SJP)
group, a pro-Palestinian
college organization that
has been accused of be-
ing a far-left hate group
that espouses anti-Jewish
and anti-Israel sentiments,
Greenfield noted. The SJP
group was among the main
circumstances, a private
party that acts under color
of law ... may defend on the
ground that it proceeded in
good faith” and acted “rea-
sonably” based “on estab-
lished law.”
Apart from Illinois-based
Council 31 of the American
Federation of State, County,
and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME), the respondents
were Simone McNeil, in her
official capacity as acting di-
rector of the Illinois Depart-
ment of Central Manage-
ment Services, and Illinois
Attorney General Kwame
Raoul, a Democrat.
“We are pleased with the
court’s decision,” Annie
Thompson, senior press
secretary for Raoul, told The
Bitar had served
as general coun-
sel to Democrats
on the House In-
telligence Com-
mittee and as a
top legal adviser
to its chairman
Rep. Adam Schiff
since 2017.
organizers of a  Palestine
Solidarity Movement (PSM)
conference in 2006 at the
university, he wrote, accus-
ing PSM of being an “anti-
Israel propaganda group.”
The Jewish Virtual Library
calls PSM an umbrella or-
ganization that brings to-
gether university-affiliated
anti-Israel groups with a
goal to “portray the Pales-
tinian cause as a struggle
for justice against the ‘rac-
ist’ state of Israel.”
At the 2006 conference,
Bitar ran a session  that
described how to portray
Israel as being detrimental
to the Christian population,
Greenfield wrote. Separate-
ly, Greenfield noted that a
photo in a Georgetown
University’s yearbook in
2006 appears to show Bitar
dancing in front of a banner
reading “Divest from Israel
Apartheid.”
Bitar in one paper for Ox-
ford University wrote that
Epoch Times.
But the National Right to
Work Foundation, which,
along with Liberty Justice
Center of Chicago, repre-
sents Janus, was disappoint-
ed by the ruling.
“Leaving the lower court
decisions in place allows
union officials to profit from
their wide-scale violation of
rank-and-file government
employees’ First Amend-
ment rights,” National Right
to Work Foundation Vice
President Patrick Semmens
told The Epoch Times in a
statement.
“While we are disappoint-
ed the Supreme Court de-
clined to take up this issue
... we will continue to stand
with workers across the
Israel’s “political existence
as a state is the cause for
Palestinian dispossession
and statelessness—of ul-
timate responsibility to-
ward the refugees. Israel’s
rejection of their right to
return remains the main
obstacle to finding a du-
rable solution.”
Greenfield wrote: “The job
of Senior Director for Intel-
ligence at the National Se-
curity Council is supposed
to go to an intelligence
professional. How did an
anti-Israel activist go from
helping host a conference
for an organization whose
speakers have supported
Islamic terrorism to a top
intelligence job?”
Michael Ellis, former Re-
publican political opera-
tive, previously held the po-
sition of NSC senior director
for intelligence programs.
The role involves oversee-
ing the coordination and
communications between
the White House and the
intelligence community,
including the director of
national intelligence, on
multiple issues.
The NSC serves to advise
and assist the president to
coordinate national secu-
rity matters among federal
government agencies.
The agency and the
White House didn’t im-
mediately respond to a re-
quest for comment from
The Epoch Times on Bitar’s
appointment.
DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES
country who simply want
the freedom to choose for
themselves whether or not
to fund union activities with
their hard-earned money.
“However, Monday’s or-
ders don’t stop the over a
dozen other ongoing cases
brought by Foundation staff
attorneys seeking well over
$100 million in refunds for
public workers who were
forced to fund union activi-
ties prior to Janus.  viable means of compensa-
“The fact that some of
those cases present distin-
guishing facts and that the
Supreme Court often agrees
to hear cases even after pre-
viously declining to hear
cases presenting similar is-
sues, suggests that the jus-
tices could still rule on this
Apollo CEO Leon Black
Stepping Down After Review
of Ties to Jeffrey Epstein
ZACHARY STIEBER
Apollo Global Management
CEO Leon Black is stepping
down from his position after
the conclusion of an investi-
gation into his ties to sex of-
fender Jeffrey Epstein.
The probe, conducted
by Dechert LLP, found no
evidence that Black or any
other employee at Apollo
was involved with Epstein’s
criminal activities, accord-
ing to a report on the inves-
tigation made public in a
security filing.
“There is no evidence that
Epstein ever introduced
Black, or offered to intro-
duce Black, to any underage
woman,” the report stated.
Epstein was convicted in
2008 for soliciting prostitu-
tion of a minor. He died in
prison in 2019 after being
charged with child sex traf-
ficking and other crimes.
Authorities ruled his death
a suicide.
Black’s relationship with
Epstein dated back to the
mid-1990s. They met through
a mutual friend, and Black
“was impressed” by Epstein’s
connections to prominent
figures. Black paid Epstein
$158 million from 2012 to 2017
for services including advice
on trust and estate planning
and philanthropic endeavors,
the investigation found.
Black is one of a number
of wealthy individuals who
paid Epstein for his financial
services. Chief among them
NATION | A7
issue in the future.
“And of course, these re-
fund cases are only a small
part of the Foundation’s
Janus enforcement efforts,
as Foundation staff attor-
neys are also litigating over
a dozen cases challenging
current union schemes to
restrict workers from stop-
ping union dues in violation
of the Janus precedent.”
At the same time, the
Supreme Court dismissed
other cases also seeking the
refund of forced agency fees
from unions, among them,
Mooney v. Illinois Educa-
tion Association, Danielson
v. Inslee, Ogle v. Ohio Civil
Service Employees Associa-
tion, Lee v. Ohio Education
Association, and Casanova
v. International Association
of Machinists.
The Epoch Times previ-
ously reported on one of
those cases, Danielson v.
Inslee, which came from the
9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Writing for a unanimous
three-judge panel in a 20-
page decision, Obama
appointee Jacqueline H.
Nguyen determined the
union had collected the
agency fees in good faith
and shouldn’t have to re-
turn them.
The union is “not required
to forecast changing winds
at the Supreme Court,” she
wrote.
“It is true that, under cur-
rent law, the employees suf-
fered a constitutional wrong
for which they may have no
tion if the good faith defense
prevails,” Nguyen wrote.
“Nonetheless, it would not
be equitable to order the
transfer of funds from one
innocent actor to another,
particularly where the latter
received a benefit from the
exchange.”
is Les Wexner, founder of L
Brands, who gave Epstein
power of attorney and in-
stalled him as a trustee of
his foundation.
According to Dechert,
Black “compensated Epstein
for his work in amounts that
were intended to be propor-
tional to the value provided
by Epstein.”
The men’s relationship
deteriorated beginning in
2016 because Black refused
to pay Epstein tens of mil-
lions of dollars that Epstein
thought he had earned. Black
last paid Epstein in 2017.
Epstein repaid a portion of
loans from Black in 2018 but
never repaid the balance.
They stopped communi-
cating before Epstein was
charged with sex trafficking.
Epstein tried repeatedly to
ingratiate himself to other
senior executives at Apollo,
and Black apparently helped
introduce him to the execu-
tives. But Dechert said there’s
no evidence of any other ex-
ecutive retaining Epstein.
In a Jan. 25 letter that was
also published with the fil-
ing, Black noted the report’s
findings, said he condemns
Epstein’s conduct, and ex-
pressed regret for ever being
involved with the man.
Black plans to retire as CEO,
though he will remain chair-
man of the Apollo board.
Black and others decided
to appoint Marc Rowan, co-
founder, to be CEO as soon
as Black retires.
A8 | NATION
Sen. Ernst
Demands Agencies
Stop End-of-Year
Spending Sprees
MARK TAPSCOTT
Federal agencies again went on
wasteful “use-it-or-lose-it” spend-
ing sprees in 2020 but still ended
the year with more than $800 bil-
lion in unspent funds, Sen. Joni
Ernst (R-Iowa) said on Jan. 26.
She expects a repeat of that per-
formance come September.
“The federal government ends
every fiscal year with a mountain
of unspent money. The total for
last year added up to more than
$800 billion! And 2021 is expected
to be nearly the same, with all of
that taxpayer cash sitting idle
and for no purpose,” Ernst said
in a statement naming the U.S. Of-
fice of Management and Budget
(OMB) as the latest recipient of her
monthly Squeal Award.
She selected OMB because it
refuses to make public the an-
nual spending requests and jus-
tifications that the White House
agency receives from federal
agencies. Ernst believes making
those justifications public would
be an incentive against wasteful
end-of-year spending by agency
officials who fear their budgets
will be cut by Congress if they
don’t spend it all.
“Meanwhile, these same federal
agencies that cannot find ways
to spend all the money they’ve
been given will once again come
to Congress, hat in hand, asking
for budget increases. The fiscal
insanity cycle continues.
“If these agencies already know
they’re not going to spend all the
money they’re given, why the
heck are they asking for more?”
she asked.
“Agencies submit budget jus-
tifications to Congress as part
the President’s annual budget re-
Texas Lawmaker’s Proposal Would Let State
Residents Vote on Secession
ZACHARY STIEBER
A lawmaker in Texas this week
introduced a measure that would
allow state residents to discuss,
debate, and vote on  indepen-
dence from the United States.
State Rep. Kyle Biedermann,
a Republican, filed House Bill
1359, also known as the Texas
Independence Referendum Act.
Voters would choose in a refer-
endum on Nov. 2, 2021, whether
the state should leave the United
States and “establish an inde-
pendent republic,” the act states.
If voters say yes, a committee
would be formed to study the
matter and make recommenda-
tions regarding the best way to
break away from the rest of the
country, including advice on
how to amend the state Consti-
tution to accommodate the pro-
posed nation and recommenda-
tions for issues that would have
to be negotiated with the U.S.
government such as a common
travel agreement.
“This Act simply Lets Texans
Vote. This decision is too big to
be monopolized solely by the
power brokers in our Capitol.
We need to let Texans’ voices
be heard!” Biedermann said in
a statement.
“Voters of all political persua-
sions in Texas can agree on one
thing, Washington D.C. is and
has been broken. Our federal
government continuously fails
our working families, seniors,
taxpayers, veterans, and small
business owners. For decades,
the promises of America and our
individual liberties have been
eroding. It is now time that the
People of Texas are allowed the
quest, and while the documents
don’t answer all of these ques-
tions, they do give greater insights
into how bureaucrats are manag-
ing your money,” Ernst said in her
statement.
“But in typical Washington
practice, these budget justifica-
tions are only available to a select
few, and not YOU the taxpayer ...
who actually pays the bills.”
Ernst cited three examples of
wasteful use-it-or-lose-it spend-
ing, asking why the agencies
made the following expenditures
of tax dollars:
• Why did the EPA pay $1.5 mil-
lion for unused parking spaces?
• Why were tens of thousands of
dollars sunk into an underwater
sculpture garden, nearly 60 feet
beneath the surface of the Gulf
of Mexico that will be visited by
more fish than people?
• Why was nearly $635,000 used
in part to support a study to de-
termine if chimpanzees recog-
nized themselves in a mirror?
The chimpanzee study was
funded by three separate National
Institutes of Health (NIH) grants.
Researchers involved in the study
said fewer than half of the tested
chimpanzees passed the mirror
tests under a more stringent re-
quirement for acceptable indica-
tors of self-recognition.
A senior congressional aide who
requested anonymity told The Ep-
och Times that researchers have
been conducting such tests for at
least five decades. The aide point-
ed to a January 1970 edition of Sci-
ence Magazine that described one
such study.
Ernst’s efforts were lauded on
Jan. 26 by Mackie Burr, director
Texas state Rep. Kyle Biedermann.
right to decide their own future.
This is not a left or right political
issue. Let Texans Vote!”
The lawmaker said the state
Constitution allows Texas to
remove itself from the United
States.
Specifically, Article 1, Section
2 states: “All political power is
inherent in the people, and all
free governments are founded
on their authority, and instituted
for their benefit. The faith of the
people of Texas stands pledged to
the preservation of a republican
form of government, and, subject
to this limitation only, they have
at all times the inalienable right
to alter, reform, or abolish their
government in such manner as
they may think expedient.”
The Texas Nationalist Move-
ment noted the filing, saying it
“would give Texans an oppor-
tunity to head to the polls in
November of 2021 and start the
process of reasserting our status
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 15, 2020.
of digital and grassroots develop-
ment for the White Coat Waste
Project, a nonprofit educational
foundation that opposes animal
testing.
“Taxpayers have a right to know
how much money the NIH and
other agencies waste on boondog-
gles like forcing kittens to eat cat
meat purchased from China’s wet
markets, getting animals drunk
and high in labs overseas, and
watching monkeys check them-
selves out in the mirror,” Burr told
The Epoch Times.
“Thankfully, Senator Joni Ernst’s
Squeal Award series provides
a  roadmap  of reckless govern-
ment spending that helps tax-
payers and Congress hold Uncle
Sam accountable for wasting our
hard-earned money,” Burr said.
Ernst is a co-sponsor of legisla-
tion that would require OMB to
make public the budget requests
and justifications by federal
agencies. That legislation was in-
troduced last year by Sen. Gary
Peters (D-Mich.) and Sen. Rob
Portman (R-Ohio) and is expected
to be re-introduced in the 117th
Congress.
She also succeeded in gaining
passage of two measures designed
PUBLIC DOMAIN, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
as an independent nation.”
Texas seceded from the United
States in 1861, joining the Con-
federacy, and rejoined the Unit-
ed States after the Civil War.
A number of movements in the
past few decades have attempt-
ed to secede. In 2009, then-Gov.
Rick Perry, a Republican, refer-
enced the idea when he told re-
porters: “We’ve got a great union.
There is absolutely no reason to
dissolve it. But if Washington
continues to thumb their nose at
the American people, you know,
who knows what may come out
of that?”
Even if voters decide to secede,
succession may not be allowed.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1869
that a state may not secede un-
less it has the consent of other
states, or through revolution.
And then-Supreme Court Jus-
tice Antonin Scalia, a Reagan
appointee, said in a letter in 2006
that “there is no right to secede.”
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 4, 2020.
to increase transparency and ac-
countability in government by
providing taxpayers more infor-
mation on official activities.
Ernst was a co-sponsor of the
Taxpayer Right to Know Act that
became law last month and re-
quires the federal government
to maintain and publish a con-
tinuously updated list of all fed-
eral programs and assessments of
how they are working or failing to
meet their official objectives. Sen.
House Republicans Seek Briefing on
Continued Guard Presence in DC
SAMUEL ALLEGRI
Republican House members are
seeking an explanation as to why
the National Guard will keep at
least 5,000 troops in Washington
until mid-March, as requested by
the U.S. Capitol Police.
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.)
submitted a letter along with 11
other House Republicans to Act-
ing Secretary of the Army John E.
Whitley requesting a briefing on
the deployment.
“We would like to request a
briefing on the threat assess-
ments and all relevant intelli-
gence regarding the U.S. Capitol
Complex,” the letter reads.
“Our intention is for the brief-
ing to cover the ongoing threats
to the Capitol, justification of the
decision for a significant troop
presence through mid-March,
and plans for troop utilization
during the time period.”
“As you know better than any-
one, our National Guard men and
women are deployed on short no-
tice and pulled away from their
families and jobs,” the letter states.
“Further, the Guard has endured
unprecedented stress on the force
in the past year given COVID-19,
social unrest, natural disasters, and
ongoing overseas requirements.
The National Guard should be
used as an option of absolute last
resort. We are seeking clarification
and justification on behalf of the
National Guard men and women
that have kept us safe over the past
month and year,” the request states.
More than  20,000 National
Guard troops were sent to Wash-
ington following the breach of the
U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and ahead of
President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
At least 5,000 National Guard
NICHOLAS KAMM-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
JOSHUA ROBERTS/REUTERS
James Lankford (R-Okla.) was the
primary sponsor of the measure.
Major provisions of Ernst’s Cost
Openness and Spending Trans-
parency Act (COST) were included
in the 2021 defense appropriation
bill, with a result that the Depart-
ment of Defense must disclose to
taxpayers the cost of all research
and development projects.
Contact Mark Tapscott at
Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.com
We are seeking
clarification and
justification on be-
half of the National
Guard men and
women that have
kept us safe.
Rep. Michael Waltz
members will remain in the city
through mid-March, a spokes-
man for the agency confirmed.
“As we continue to work to meet
the final post-inauguration re-
quirements, the National Guard
has been requested to continue
supporting federal law enforce-
ment agencies with 7,000 mem-
bers and will draw down to 5,000
through mid-March,” Maj. Matt
Murphy told The Epoch Times in
an email.
“We are providing assistance
such as security, communica-
tions, medical evacuation, logis-
tics, and safety support to state,
district, and federal agencies.”
The U.S. Army didn’t immedi-
ately respond to a request by The
Epoch Times for comment.
On Jan. 21, 5,000 troops were
reportedly suddenly ordered to
vacate the Capitol to take their
rest during their shifts in a nearby
parking lot with no internet recep-
tion, a single electrical outlet, and
one bathroom, as temperatures
dropped to the low 40s at night.
The move provoked sharp criti-
cism from lawmakers of both
parties.
Zachary Steiber contributed
to this report.
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 CHINA | A9
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

China Sought Animal,

Human Samples in CCP
Virus Origin Probe
CONTINUED FROM A1
China to investigate the vi-
rus’s origins.
Collecting Samples
China’s National Health
Commission issued a no-
tice on Feb. 25, 2020, to the
health commissions of all
Chinese provinces, regions,
and municipalities, as well
as the Xinjiang Production
and Construction Corps, a
CCP-run paramilitary or-
ganization with jurisdiction
over some cities and land in
far-western Xinjiang.
The notice called for coop-
eration in virus tracing by
testing wild animals, the hu-
mans who came into contact
with them, and the animals’
environment or habitat.
The sampling of close hu-
man contacts included throat
swabs and blood samples,
and those of animals includ-
ed throat and anal swabs, the
notice stated.
Blood samples were to be
sent to local Chinese cen-
ters for disease control and
prevention (CDC) for safe-
keeping until they could be
tested for COVID-19 anti-
bodies. Other samples were
to be tested using COVID-19
nucleic acid testing by local
laboratories, and the results
would be sent to local police
bureaus.
The notice was labeled “not
to be disclosed.”
In another document, dat-
ed Feb. 26, 2020, the Hebei
Province Health Commis-
sion forwarded the notice
from the National Health
Commission to the health de-
partments of all cities within
its jurisdiction, as well as the
Hebei CDC, and gave instruc-
tions on how to execute the
national authority’s directive.
The Hebei Health Commis-
sion put local health depart-
ments and police bureaus
in charge of collecting the
samples from human con-
tacts. Sample collection and
testing of wild animals and
their environment were del-
egated to local forestry and
agriculture departments.
A third document shows
that Shijiazhuang, the capi-
tal of Hebei Province, for-
warded the instructions
to the city’s county health
departments as well as the
city’s CDC on Feb. 29, 2020,
telling them to execute the
provincial directive.
China’s National Health
Commission didn’t respond
to a request for comment by
press time.
The Epoch Times previous-
ly reviewed a leaked docu-
ment from China’s national
CDC that contained detailed
testing data of samples taken
from the Huanan Seafood
Wholesale Market, a live
animal and seafood market
in Wuhan, where authorities
initially suspected the out-
break began. The CDC also
took samples from farms that
supplied the animals sold at
the market.
In the internal investiga-
tive report dated Jan. 22,
2020, the National Institute
for Viral Disease Control and
Prevention at China’s CDC
reported that 33 of the 585
samples taken from items
and floor surfaces in the sea-
food market tested positive
for the CCP virus.
The report stated that 31 of
the 33 samples that tested
positive were from the west- A man wearing protective gear walks past shops in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on May 18, 2020.
ern section of the market,
which was found to have wild Since the start of the CO- conspiracy theories about to the WHO, Garrett Grigsby,
animal trading. VID-19 pandemic in late the origin of the virus, alleg- urged China to share data
A total of 139 samples were 2019, China has been with- ing that it came from outside from studies it had conduct-
taken from bamboo rats, holding information on the of China. ed on the virus.
porcupines, turkeys, rab- virus from the international Last March, Zhao Lijian, a Grigsby pointed out that
bits, and other animals at scientific community. spokesman of China’s foreign it had been eight months
the breeding farms, as well Chen Wen, minister of the ministry, first suggested on since W HO member
as the farm environment, Chinese embassy in the UK, Twitter that the virus was states adopted Resolution
which all tested negative told the BBC in April 2020 introduced by the U.S. Army WHA73.1, which called for
through nucleic acid testing, that demands for an inde- into Wuhan. Throughout continued investigations
according to the report. pendent international in- 2020, Chinese state media into “the zoonotic source
China’s CDC previously an- vestigation into the origin blamed imported frozen food of the virus and the route of
nounced on Jan. 26 last year of the virus were “politically packaging as the cause of lo- introduction to the human
that it had picked up animal motivated” and claimed that cal outbreaks. population.” The resolution
samples from the Huanan a probe would divert atten- In January 2021, the Chi- also stated that it was cru-
market between Jan. 1 and tion and resources from deal- nese regime finally agreed cial that Chinese authori-
Jan. 12 for an investigation, ing with the pandemic. to allow a team of experts ties give the team of WHO
but never announced the test While blocking outside in- from the World Health Or- experts access to all analy-
results. The CDC didn’t men- vestigations, the regime also ganization (WHO) into the sis of animal, human, and
tion the animal testing in the required that any research country to investigate the environment samples taken
internal report. on the virus conducted by virus origins. in Wuhan as well as “care-
Chinese scientific profes- The team of experts arrived givers, former patients, and
Lack of Transparency sionals must receive ap- in Wuhan on Jan. 14, more lab workers for interviews.”
From CCP proval from a government than a year after the initial Asked about the internal
Though most experts say the task force before publication, outbreak in the city. documents about China’s
virus is likely to have origi- according to a leaked March On the first day of an an- investigation, the WHO said
nated in animals, it’s still un- 2020 notice obtained by The nual meeting of the WHO Ex- in an email: “We will provide
clear how and when exactly Associated Press. ecutive Board on Jan. 18, the more info on the work of the
the virus jumped to humans. China has also pushed head of the U.S. delegation team once we have it.”

Chinese Residents Tell of More COVID-19 Cases
than Officially Announced
NICOLE HAO
Residents in the CCP (Chi-
nese Communist Party)
virus hotspots of Shanghai
and Harbin say they know
of many more infections
than what officials have an-
nounced, according to inter-
views with The Epoch Times.
The financial hub of
Shanghai announced on
Jan. 24 that the famous
tourist site City God Temple
would be closed due to the
local outbreak. The govern-
ment also locked down more
residential compounds and
streets—though it didn’t an-
nounce any COVID-19 cases
in those regions.
This led to local suspicion
that authorities were cover-
ing up the outbreak in those
areas.
One Shanghai resident told
the Chinese-language Epoch
Times that the family mem-
ber of a nurse who works at
Yangpu District Central Hos-
pital tested positive for CO-
VID-19. It’s unclear whether
the nurse also tested positive,
but the hospital quarantined
a large number of nurses as
a preventative measure, ac-
cording to the interviewee.
A second resident said that
a piano teacher who gave les-
sons in Xuhui district was
recently diagnosed. He had
contact with more than 100
students from Jan. 10 to Jan.
18, according to the source.
All residents spoke on the
condition of anonymity,
fearing reprisal for speak-
ing to media.
On Jan. 23, director of
Shanghai’s health commis-
sion Wu Jinglei was asked
about the piano teacher
during a press conference.
Wu denied that there was
such a COVID-19 case, but
later admitted that authori-
ties had tested 82 people
identified as close contacts
of the teacher.
Shanghai has 16 districts.
Authorities have so far
only reported infections in
three of them: Huangpu,
Baoshan, and Changning.
But the above-mentioned
interviewees and other
residents spoke of infec-
tions they were aware of in
three other districts: Jing’an,
Xuhui, and Hongkou.
The government
locked down
more places
in Shanghai,
though it didn’t
announce any
COVID-19 cases
in those regions.
The Epoch Times couldn’t
independently verify the in-
formation about COVID-19
cases, but local authorities
did require that residents of
the above-mentioned areas
take COVID-19 tests.
A Shanghai netizen also
shared a video with The
Epoch Times that he said
shows a construction field
in Pudong district. The ne-
tizen explained that authori-
ties are planning to build a
makeshift hospital that will
treat COVID-19 patients.
Harbin is the capital city
of northeastern China’s Hei-
longjiang Province.
On Jan. 26, the provincial
government announced
that most of the newly di-
agnosed COVID-19 patients
were from three towns in
Suihua city.
However, the outbreak in
Harbin has worsened dra-
matically this week.
In Yutian community lo-
cated in the Limin Develop-
ment Zone—which has been
designated as a high-risk re-
gion for contracting the CCP
virus—several residents said
to their knowledge, that
there were more than 100
workers at the Zhengda food
company who tested posi-
tive for COVID-19. Most of
the workers live in Yutian.
As of press time, officials
said 79 Zhengda workers
tested positive for COVID-19.
A resident in nearby Min-
gliu Xincheng residential
compound, Li Liang (pseud-
onym), told the Chinese-
language Epoch Times that
people who don’t work for the
food company were also di-
agnosed in recent days in the
Limin Development Zone.
“All residential compounds
in the zone are locked down.
Nobody can go out. There
are people in my residential
compound were also in-
fected with the CCP virus,”
Li said.
On Jan. 26, some resi-
dents in the No. 4 and No.
5 buildings of Li’s complex
were diagnosed with CO-
VID-19 and the building
doors were sealed off after
the patients were moved
away, Li said. These cases
haven’t been disclosed by
Harbin authorities.
Li complained that his
family and neighbors had
been forced to line up in the
cold weather to take nucleic
acid tests twice. “It’s very
cold,” Li said.
On Jan. 26, the tempera-
ture in Harbin ranged from
minus 28 degrees Celsius to
minus 12 degrees (about mi-
nus 19 degrees Fahrenheit to
11 degrees), according to the
weather forecast.
Li said he didn’t know the
real scale of the outbreak,
but felt scared that the vi-
rus was quickly spreading
among his neighbors.
Beijing Building Military Drones to
Rival US in War, Leaked File Shows
CONTINUED FROM A1
While the file doesn’t re-
veal the cost for making
such drones, a 2017 direc-
tive from the Party’s Equip-
ment Development Depart-
ment described a project
that matches the descrip-
tion of the drone program,
with an estimated budget
of around 6 million yuan
($927,859) to build a proto-
type and publish a flight test
report by 2020.
The Chinese defense de-
partment document de-
scribes such drones as
critical to “whether a nation
could engage in modern-day
combat.”
“In future warfare, seizing
more information resourc-
es while controlling and
restricting other nations’
information will be a key
component for competing
with nations during peace-
ful periods, and an important
combat strategy in times of
war,” it said, citing “low
costs” and the “ability to fight
in a dangerous environment”
as some of the features that
make the drones desirable.
The project called for col-
laboration with a number
of Chinese engineering and
aeronautical universities.
Zhejiang University, one of
the schools named, houses
an institute for drone devel-
opment that has received
roughly 100 million yuan
($15.5 million) for projects
from the Chinese air force
and other state agencies.
China-made commercial
drones have dominated
the world market. Shen-
zhen-based dronemaker
DJI, which has come under
U.S. sanctions for providing
“high-technology surveil-
lance equipment” that en-
able human rights abuses
in China, holds around 70
to 80 percent of the global
market share as of October
2020, according to market
research firm Drone Indus-
try Insights.
In the combat arena, how-
ever, China has a long way
to go. The current engine
types found in Chinese
military drones, such as pis-
ton and turboshaft engines,
are unfit for long flights and
high altitude, the leaked
document stated. It fur-
ther noted that Beijing has
“made some breakthroughs
in replicating Rotax 914,” a
four-stroke, four-cylinder
turbo-charged engine built
by Austrian company BRP-
Powertrain that it said has
been the world’s leading
engine system.
Officials at BRP-Powertrain
didn’t immediately respond
to an emailed request by The
Epoch Times for comment.
The file also mentions four
drone models currently de-
ployed in the U.S. Air Force:
RQ-1A Predator, MQ-9 Reap-
er, MQ-9A Reaper, and RQ-4
Global Hawk. It described
the last one, developed by
Virginia defense tech firm
Northrop Grumman, as the
most advanced one used in
the U.S. military. That model
is known for its ability to fly at
altitudes of up to 60,000 feet
for more than 30 hours.
The new drone, the docu-
ment states, should be able
to fly for more than 24 hours
with a carrying capacity of 6
kilograms (13.2 pounds).
Two lines of Chinese mili-
tary drones, Wing Loong
and Caihong (also known as
Rainbow) made by subsid-
iaries of state-run aerospace
firm Aviation Industry Corp.
of China, also were cited in
the document. Military ex-
perts have suspected some
models to be clones of U.S.
drones due to their resem-
blance to the Predator and
Reaper models manufac-
tured by San Diego-based
firm General Atomics.
In recent months, DJI has
faced scrutiny from the
United States for copyright
infringement issues and
for security vulnerabilities,
which the U.S. Army warned
could be exploited by the
Chinese regime to control
the vehicle or hijack data.
The Justice Department
has prosecuted multiple in-
dividuals for conspiring to
export drone-related tech-
nologies to China.
In August 2017, Chinese
national Sun Fuyi was sen-
tenced to three years in
prison over a scheme to
procure high-grade carbon
fiber, which has applications
in drones and other aero-
space technologies, for the
Chinese government.
In August 2016, Califor-
nia resident Man Wenxia
was sentenced to 50 years
in prison for attempting to
export military equipment,
including a drone, on behalf
of the Chinese military.
In 2014, two Taiwanese na-
tionals pleaded guilty to their
roles in conspiracy to traffic
parts from a small drone
known as “RQ-11B”—manu-
factured by U.S. defense con-
tractor AeroVironment—and
manuals for the RQ-4 Global
Hawk drone.
A retired University of Ten-
nessee professor in 2009 re-
ceived a 48-month sentence
after admitting to illegally
exporting 15 different de-
fense materials to a Chinese
national. The data he trans-
ported involved a U.S. Air
Force project to develop an
advanced form of weapon
system drone.
A10 | WORLD
India Honors
Soldiers Killed
Fighting Chinese
at Galwan
VENUS UPADHAYAYA
NEW DELHI—On the occasion of
its 72nd Republic Day on Jan. 26,
India honored its soldiers mar-
tyred in a bloody conflict with
the People’s Liberation Army in
Galwan valley on June 15, 2020,
and for the first time ever gave
a detailed description of what
transpired between the two
armies in the trans-Himalayan
heights of Ladakh.
In the clash at Galwan that In-
dia calls Operation Snow Leop-
ard, which occurred due to an
Indian bridge project on the Gal-
wan River, 20 Indian soldiers and
an unknown number of Chinese
soldiers lost their lives.
The commanding officer of the
16 Bihar Infantry Battalion, Col.
Santosh Babu, who was stationed
along with his soldiers in Galwan,
was posthumously awarded In-
dia’s second-highest gallantry
award, the Mahavir Chakra, by
President Ram Nath Kovind dur-
A satellite image of Galwan Valley in Ladakh, India, on June 9, 2020.
Turkey, Greece Resume Talks on Maritime
Disputes After 5 Years
ANKARA/ATHENS—Turkey and
Greece resumed talks aimed at
addressing long-standing mari-
time disputes on Jan. 25, ending
a five-year hiatus after months of
tension in the eastern Mediter-
ranean.
The neighboring NATO mem-
bers are at odds over claims to
Mediterranean waters and ener-
gy rights, air space, and the sta-
tus of some islands in the Aegean
Sea. They made little progress in
60 rounds of talks from 2002 to
2016.
Plans for resuming talks foun-
dered last year over Turkey’s
deployment of a seismic survey
vessel in contested waters and
disagreements over which top-
ics they would cover. The vessel
was withdrawn to Turkish shores
last year.
Ankara and Athens agreed this
month to resume the talks in Is-
tanbul, in a test of Turkey’s hopes
of improving its relations with
the European Union, which has
supported EU-member Greece
and threatened sanctions on
Turkey.
As the talks resumed, French
Defense Minister Florence
Parly said France will present
proposals to Greece for the re-
newal of its fleet of frigates, and
had finalized a 2.5-billion-euro
($3.04 billion) deal for Greece’s
purchase of 18 Dassault-made
Rafale fighter jets.
“Under the strong leadership of
our president, the solution to all
problems, including the Aegean,
is possible and our will for this is
strong,” said Turkish presidential
spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, who
was part of the renewed talks.
Washington welcomed the
talks, saying it backed efforts
to reduce tension in the eastern
Mediterranean.
In the clash at
Galwan that India
calls Operation
Snow Leopard, 20
Indian soldiers
and an unknown
number of Chinese
soldiers lost
their lives.
ing the Republic Day celebrations
on Jan. 26.
“Col Santosh Babu was de-
ployed in Galwan Valley (eastern
Ladakh) during Operation SNOW
LEOPARD, and was tasked to es-
tablish an Observation Post in the
face of the enemy,” read the life
sketch released by India’s Minis-
try of Defense.
“Undaunted by the violent and
aggressive action by an over-
whelming strength of enemy
PLANET LABS INC/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS
TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS
Representatives of Turkey and Greece attend a meeting as part of the bilat-
eral talks on the maritime disputes in Istanbul on Jan. 25, 2021.
“The United States welcomes ...
the commitment of both govern-
ments to this process,” U.S. State
Department spokesperson Ned
Price said on Twitter.
The exploratory talks are meant
to reach common ground on dis-
puted issues to allow for formal
negotiations. But, despite agree-
ing to resume talks, Ankara and
Athens still appeared to disagree
over the topics to be covered in
the run-up to the meeting.
Athens has said it will discuss
only the demarcation of exclu-
sive economic zones and con-
tinental shelf in the Aegean Sea
and eastern Mediterranean, not
issues of “national sovereignty,”
while Ankara has said it wants all
issues, including air space and
the Aegean islands, on the table.
Greek government spokesman
Christos Tarantilis said on Jan.
25 that Greece was “attending
the talks in good faith and ex-
pects Turkey to act similarly,”
reiterating the Greek position
that the talks are unofficial and
focused on maritime zones only.
A man walks past a mural depicting portraits of Indian soldiers killed in a hand-to-hand fight with their Chinese coun-
terparts on June 15, 2020, in a market area in New Delhi on Aug. 31, 2020.
soldiers, he in the true spirit of
service before self, continued
to resist the enemy’s attempt to
push back the Indian troops. De-
spite being grievously injured, he
leads from the front, in hand to
hand combat till his last breath.”
The citation awarded to him
and available in the Indian media
said Babu and his soldiers were
involved in hand-to-hand com-
bat with the PLA soldiers. Along
with Babu, five others from the
Galwan conflict were given war-
time awards posthumously.
Meanwhile, Chinese state-
run media outlet Global Times
slammed India for awarding
what it called “perished soldiers”
during the time of military talks
between the two countries. Mili-
tary commanders on both sides
engaged in the ninth round of
corps commander-level talks
on Jan. 24. The talks ended the
next day, and the Chinese media
blamed Indian media for report-
ing about the awards after the
military talks ended.
“Many Chinese experts pointed
out on Monday that despite no
significant breakthroughs, there
The agenda for the new talks,
which lasted more than three
hours, wasn’t disclosed. Another
round of talks is expected to be
held in Athens, a Greek diplo-
matic source said, without pro-
viding any further details.
Despite the technical disagree-
ments, both sides voiced guard-
ed optimism, though they were
still trading barbs in the days
ahead of the Jan. 25 meetings.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mit-
sotakis said last week Greece
would approach the talks with
optimism but “zero naivety,”
while Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan said he hoped the re-
sumption of talks would herald
a new era.
Analysts have said an imme-
diate breakthrough is unlikely
given decades-old policy differ-
ences, but that resuming dia-
logue is an important first step
after EU pressure on Ankara.
By Tuvan Gumrukcu
& Renee Maltezou
From Reuters
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
was some positivity shown in the
ninth-round meeting. Analysts
said that as China continues to
send signs of goodwill to help
cool things down, India’s cease-
less provocative moves would
leave an impression to the world
and also the Chinese people that
they have no intention of resolv-
ing the border dispute and main-
taining peace and stability along
the border,” a Global Times ar-
ticle stated.
However, reports about the gal-
lantry awards to be given to the
Galwan heroes started appearing
in the Indian media as early as Jan.
11, when leading Indian daily Hin-
dustan Times quoted anonymous
sources on the matter.
Ahead of its Republic Day, India
also launched FAU-G (Fearless and
United Guards), a mobile action
game whose first storyline is based
on the Galwan Valley incident.
Launched on Jan. 26 by Akshay Ku-
mar, a Bollywood superhero, the
mobile game has already crossed
more than 1 million downloads
on the Google app store and had
more than 282,000 reviews on the
first day of the launch.
Putin: World Risks ‘Fight of All
Against All’ in ‘Grim Dystopia’
Amid Growing Crises
JACK PHILLIPS
Russian leader Vladimir Putin
warned that society risks a return
to world war if there’s no interna-
tional effort to ease existing global
tensions and imbalances.
Speaking at the World Econom-
ic Forum’s virtual Davos Agenda
conference on Jan. 27, he offered a
grim prediction and noted that the
current era shows parallels to the
1920s and 1930s before the “cata-
strophic World War II.”
“Nowadays, such a heated con-
flict is not possible, I hope,” Putin
said. “Because it will mean the end
of our civilization.
“But I’d like the reiterate that the
situation might develop unpredict-
ably and uncontrollably if we sit on
our hands doing nothing to avoid it.
There’s a possibility that we might
experience an actual collapse in
global development that might
result in a fight of all against all.”
Such a prospect, he said, would
result in a “grim dystopia.”
Wealth inequality, political po-
larization, and international ten-
sions will exacerbate the problem,
he said, and on top of that, the CCP
virus pandemic is placing even
more strain on society.
“The coronavirus pandemic has
become a major challenge to man-
kind, and it has accelerated struc-
tural changes, the preconditions
for which were already in place,”
he said. “We have every reason to
believe that the tensions might be
aggravated even further.
“International institutions are
weakening, regional conflicts are
multiplying, the global security
system is degrading.”
He called for an increase in dia-
logue between different nations
and groups to avoid a possible
worldwide conflict.
JEWEL SAMAD/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
It was launched as a rival to
China’s PUBG Mobile, which was
banned in India after the Galwan
incident, reported Indian media.
The app contributes 20 percent of
its revenue to the welfare of the
Indian army through a charity.
Madhav Nalapat, a New Delhi-
based strategic analyst, earlier
had told The Epoch Times in an
interview that online games are
a part of the “data war” that feeds
the metadata of the artificial in-
telligence operations of China.
“Artificial intelligence is a ma-
chine fed by metadata. So India
has been a very rich treasure
trove of metadata for the Chi-
nese, and the United States as
well,” Nalapat said.
“For example, about 80 per-
cent of the gaming industry, the
online gaming industry in the
United States, is actually con-
trolled by Chinese entities. And
when Americans click onto this
game, artificial intelligence can
give you a fairly good idea of what
makes them upset, what makes
them sad, what makes them hap-
py. And the same thing goes on
in India.”
“We need [to] ensure develop-
ment following a different path—
one that is positive, balanced, and
constructive,” he said.
Russia currently finds itself amid
growing internal tensions after
Moscow arrested Putin critic Alexei
Navalny after he returned to Russia
from Germany.
During the Davos address, Pu-
tin seemingly made reference to
sanctions and embargoes; several
countries have placed sanctions
on Russia.
“The use of trade barriers, ille-
gitimate sanctions, restrictions in
the financial, technological and in-
formation spheres—such a game
without rules is dramatically in-
creasing the risks of the unilateral
use of military force, which is very
dangerous,” Putin said.
Putin also faces an uncertain re-
lationship with U.S. President Joe
Biden, whom he spoke with earlier
this week.
After their first phone call, Putin
formally submitted a bill for the
Russian parliament to extend the
New START nuclear treaty with the
United States by five years, accord-
ing to Russian media.
“The presidents expressed satis-
faction following today’s exchange
of diplomatic notes on an agree-
ment to extend the New START
Treaty,” Putin’s office announced
after his call with Biden, TASS re-
ported.
“International topics included
the United States’ unilateral with-
drawal from the Open Skies Treaty,
problems of keeping in place the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
on the Iranian nuclear program,
Ukrainian settlement, as well as
Russia’s initiative to call a sum-
mit of the United Nations Security
Council permanent members,” the
Kremlin said.
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 WORLD | A11

UK’s Johnson Promises Plan for

Phased Easing of England Lockdown UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks
during a press conference at 10 Downing
Street in London on Jan. 27, 2021.

GEOFF PUGH - WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES

ALEXANDER ZHANG

British Prime Minister Boris John-

son has promised to publish a
plan in a month’s time for lifting
England out of the current CCP
virus lockdown.
He told Parliament on Jan. 27
that the government intends to
review the lockdown measures
in mid-February, once the most
vulnerable had been offered the
first dose of a vaccine for the CCP
(Chinese Communist Party) virus,
commonly known as the novel
coronavirus.
The government will then pub-
lish its plan for taking the country
out of lockdown when Parliament
returns from recess in the week
commencing Feb. 22.
“Our aim will be to set out a
gradual and phased approach
towards easing the restrictions
in a sustainable way,” he said in
a statement to lawmakers.
With the official death toll from
the CCP virus in the UK passing
the 100,000 mark on Jan. 26, the
government has come under pres-
sure for past and present handling
of the pandemic.
In the meantime, the govern-
ment is under pressure from some
quarters, including a group of more deadly. their consequences for jobs, liveli- tion rates, but “we do not yet have ther surge that would overwhelm
backbench Tory MPs, to provide Under the new restrictions, hoods, and most tragically of all, enough data to know exactly how the NHS,” he said.
a route out of lockdown. people may only leave home for the life chances of our children,” soon it will be safe to reopen our Johnson also said it will not be
The ongoing England-wide limited reasons, such as to shop Johnson told Parliament. society and economy.” possible to re-open schools im-
lockdown, the third since the for essentials, to work if they can’t “We will not persist for a day But he said “the overall picture mediately after the February half-
pandemic began last spring, work from home, to exercise, to longer than is necessary, but nor should be clearer by mid-Febru- term holidays.
started on Jan. 6 after the dis- seek medical assistance, or to es- can we relax too soon, because if ary,” with more information avail- He expressed hope that schools
covery of a new variant of the cape domestic abuse. we do, we run the risk of our NHS able on the effect of vaccines in could be safely reopened from
CCP virus in southeast England, Primary and secondary schools [National Health Service] com- preventing hospitalizations and March 8, “with other economic
which Johnson said is up to 70 have been closed to all pupils ex- ing under still greater pressure, deaths, as well as the effect of the and social restrictions being re-
percent more transmissible than cept children of key workers, with compelling us to re-impose every current restrictions in driving moved thereafter as and when the
the original variant. all lessons moved online. restriction and sustain those re- down infections. data permits.”
On Jan. 22, Johnson announced “I know everyone yearns to strictions for longer.” “So we will then be in a better
that evidence suggests the new know how much longer we must He said the current measures position to chart a course out of Simon Veazey contributed
variant could be up to 30 percent endure these restrictions, with all appear to have reduced infec- lockdown, without risking a fur- to this report.

India Retains Ban on 59 Chinese Apps, Including TikTok

NEW DELHI—India has decided
to retain its ban on video app Tik-
Tok and 58 other Chinese apps
after reviewing responses from
the companies on issues such
as compliance and privacy, two
sources with direct knowledge of
the matter told Reuters on Jan. 26.
When it first imposed the ban
in June 2020, India’s ministry
of electronics and information
technology (IT) gave the 59 apps
a chance to explain their position
on issues including whether they
censored content, worked on be-
half of foreign governments, or
lobbied influencers.
The companies, which include
ByteDance’s popular video-shar-
ing app TikTok, Tencent Holdings’
WeChat, and Alibaba’s UC Brows-
er, were asked in July 2020 to re-
spond to 77 questions amid rising
tensions between India and the
Chinese regime following a border
clash between the two nations.
A government panel looking into
the app ban decided, after review-
ing the responses, that there will
be no change in the country’s po-
sition for now as the ban was in the
interest of India’s national security
and sovereignty, one source said.
The government has sent notices
to the companies informing them
of its decision, the source said.
It wasn’t immediately clear until
when the ban would be in place.
The Times of India newspaper re-
ported late on Jan. 25 that the ban
is permanent.
India’s IT ministry didn’t im-
mediately respond to a request
for comment.
TikTok said in a statement it is
evaluating the notice and will re-
spond to it.
“We continually strive to com-
ply with local laws and regula-
tions and do our best to address
any concerns the government may
have. Ensuring the privacy and se-
curity of all our users remains to
be our topmost priority,” it stated.
UC Web declined to comment.
Beijing condemned the ban on
Jan. 27.
The extension of the ban comes
days after Indian and Chinese
troops were involved in a “minor
face-off” in a disputed stretch of
their shared border in the eastern
Himalayas.
The ministry’s June 2020 order
stated that the apps were “preju-
dicial to sovereignty and integrity
of India, defense of India, security
of state and public order.” It fol-
lowed a skirmish with Chinese
troops at a disputed Himalayan
border site when 20 Indian sol-
diers were killed.
In September 2020, India
banned another 118 mobile apps,
including Tencent’s popular video
game PUBG, as it stepped up the
pressure on Chinese technology
companies following the standoff
at the border.
The 118 apps continue to be
banned and no decision has been
reached on them yet.
By Sankalp Phartiyal
From Reuters

TRUTH and TRADITION

LET’S
REJECT COMMUNISM
TOGETHER TAKE ACTION TODAY

Sign the Petition Help Spread Subscribe to

to Reject the CCP the Word The Epoch Times

RejectCCP.com
A12 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

TRUTH and TRADITION

UPDATED

HELP IS JUST A CLICK AWAY!

TheEpochTimes.com/help
It’s quick and easy!
FROM THIS PAGE YOU CAN: You will never have
to wait again.
FIND ANSWERS FROM A COMPREHENSIVE FAQ SECTION
• Troubleshoot common problems
• Learn our terms and conditions

SUBMIT REQUESTS ONLINE*

• Report delivery and other subscription issues
• Provide editorial and other feedback

USE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE LIVE CHAT

• Tell us your subscription inquiries or concerns

ACCESS THE CUSTOMER PORTAL

• Manage your subscription account
*Cancellations are processed on the hotline only.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks via video conference during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 29, 2020.
How to Reform Big Tech
Regulating Facebook et al. would only make things worse
LAWRENCE SOLOMON
Republicans and Demo-
crats agree that Big Tech
has become too power-
ful and needs to be re-
formed. Even Facebook’s
Mark Zuckerberg concurs.
“At Facebook, we don’t
think tech companies should be making
so many decisions about these important
issues alone,” he testified to Congress in
October 2020. “We stand ready to work
with Congress on what regulation could
look like.”
But should the reforms take the form of
regulation? In asking for Facebook and
the rest of the tech sector to be regu-
lated, Zuckerberg is taking a leaf from
the father of monopoly regulation in the
United States, Samuel Insull, who to ev-
eryone’s shock more than a century ago
demanded that government regulate his
Chicago electric utility monopoly.
Although other U.S. electric monopo-
lies initially blanched at the thought,
they soon came to see it as pure ge-
nius. Unrestrained by competition, the
electric utilities became more dominant
than ever. Working closely with their
government regulators to set rules for the
industry, the utility monopolies kept out
competitors, guaranteed their profits,
and entrenched their power. Few ques-
tioned the legitimacy of the electric mo-
nopolies until Margaret Thatcher broke
up the UK’s monopoly in 1990, unleash-
ing lower rates and improving service
through competition.
If governments regulate Big Tech while
otherwise leaving them intact, the result
would be worse than the status quo. The
tech giants would have the stamp of gov-
ernment approval, and they would more
easily influence regulators and legisla-
tors to craft rules that effectively barred
competitors—even without a formal
regulatory regime, they have convinced
pliant politicians through lobbying and
donations to enact rules that discrimi-
nate against upstarts.
Worst of all, today’s handful of Big Tech
giants would maintain the outsized
influence over political decision-making
that they so prize.
“We’ve displayed warnings on more
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 • A13
than 150 million pieces of content that
have been debunked by our third-party
fact-checkers,” Zuckerberg proudly cited,
among other examples he provided to
Congress to demonstrate Facebook’s
record in keeping the internet safe for
those needing to be shielded from unsafe
views. “In addition, we’re blocking new
political and issue ads during the final
week of the campaign, as well as all polit-
ical and issue ads after the polls close on
election night.”
Zuckerberg reported that Facebook
took down 250 million pieces of content
that violated its policies in the first half of
2020 alone.
Big Tech’s ability to control what the
public can see, or not, would remain
that if it were regulated, due to a 1978
U.S. Supreme Court decision that held
that corporations have the right to take
wholly ideological positions unrelated to
their business interests. The 5–4 decision,
which upended 200 years of precedent,
determined that corporations were en-
titled to the same First Amendment free-
speech rights as natural persons, despite
strong dissents that proved prescient.
Supreme Court Justice William
Rehnquist, later to become chief justice,
warned of the dangers to political life
by giving corporations the right to use
their economic power to obtain benefits
unimagined in the corporate charters
that created them. Dissents by other
justices stated that governments have
been sensible in “preventing institutions
which have been permitted to amass
wealth as a result of special advantages
extended by the State for certain eco-
nomic purposes from using that wealth
to acquire an unfair advantage in the
political process.”
They also criticized the majority’s mini-
mization of the fear that “the relative
voice of corporations [could be] over-
whelming or even significant in influ-
encing referenda.”
Prescience aside, that unfair advan-
tage granted to corporations, barring
an amendment to the Constitution or
a Supreme Court reversal, is now set
in stone. Big Tech is constitutionally
entitled to wield the untoward political
power that four justices warned about
and that five justices deemed too hypo-
The U.S. Capitol in Wash-
ington on Oct. 30, 2019.
Like this article? Share it
with your friends and family.
Use the camera on your
smart-phone to scan this code
and receive a shareble link.
GRAEME JENNINGS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
SAMUEL CORUM/GETTY IMAGES
thetical to worry about.
The only way now to limit Big Tech’s
political power is for Big Tech to become
Small Tech—for Facebook, Google,
Twitter et al. to be forced to disgorge
their many acquisitions in aid of limit-
ing competition, and to be stripped of
their government-granted advantages
through deregulation, making them
small enough to no longer pose an out-
sized threat in the political arena.
These ill-earned advantages include
their ability to infringe on copyright.
“The Tech Giants have figured out a
way to use all the great music of everyone
from all time, without reporting an art-
ist’s number of plays or paying a [exple-
tive] cent to the musicians,” laments
singer Neil Young. They also include
Section 230 of the Communications De-
cency Act, which exempts the technology
sector from the liability that constrains
other publishers. And they include gov-
ernment cash and tax subsidies on a level
unavailable to others.
Cutting Big Tech companies down to
size and deregulating the pieces that
result would enable free-market compe-
tition to be tech’s disciplinarian, rather
than the government regulation that
Zuckerberg champions.
Power would then flow away from the
tech giants and, by default, to the people.
Lawrence Solomon is a columnist,
author, and executive director of the
Toronto-based Consumer Policy Institute.
A14 | OPINION
Decoding Social Media
Censorship by the Issues
PATRICK M. WOOD
Free speech is under fero-
cious attack by Big Tech
social media platforms.
This is generally viewed
as an attack against con-
servatives on that basis
alone. Consequently, the
reverse side of that coin views Big Tech as
left-wingers in cahoots with Democratic
operatives, both of whom have ganged
up to gain a political advantage.
I believe these are incorrect views
that hide the real nature of the censor-
ship problem.
Big Tech’s censorship
algorithms are issue-specific
and not person-specific.
Big Tech censorship isn’t just an Ameri-
can problem. Journalists, broadcasters,
and vocal citizens are being “disap-
peared” with equal effort all around
the world. Thus, it’s obviously wrong for
Americans to think in terms of conserva-
tive versus liberal, left-wing versus right-
wing, or Republican versus Democrat.
Looking at censorship of free speech
from a global perspective gives a different
and more accurate view of what’s really
going on. In addition, putting the cen-
sored individuals aside, examining the
issues being censored is more revealing.
So, what kind of issues are being cen-
sored?
1. COVID-19 criticism. Many experts,
scientists, and medical professionals
around the world have been critical
DILBERT
PEANUTS
RED AND ROVER
GRAND AVENUE
MUTT & JEFF
of China as being the source of the
virus, and have suggested different and
more traditional medical treatments
for those who contract COVID-19.
While the Great Barrington Declara-
tion—which advocates against lock-
downs—has attracted signatures of
727,140 citizens, 13,290 medical and
public health scientists, and 40,199
medical practitioners, any who dare to
speak against the Big Tech narrative
are immediately censored.
2. Vaccine criticism. Expect immediate
censorship for speaking or writing
about the dark side of vaccines. Dr.
Joseph Mercola’s website, for instance,
lost about 99 percent of its Google
search engine traffic for writing about
alternative medicine and the negative
effects of vaccines. Robert F. Kennedy
Jr., who founded and directs Children’s
Health Defense, sued Facebook in 2020
for censoring alternative information
about vaccines. Indeed, anyone criti-
cal of vaccine issues is destined to be
heavily censored.
3. Globalization criticism. Citizens, jour-
nalists, and broadcasters who address
the issues of globalization, such as the
World Economic Forum’s “Great Reset”
or the United Nations, can expect to be
censored. They’re quickly labeled as
“conspiracy theorists” even for quoting
text taken directly off the World Eco-
nomic Forum’s website and blog.
4. Populism. The very large political
movement that swept President Don-
ald Trump into office in 2016 is rou-
tinely censored in all its forms. It’s also
routinely attacked as extremist, hate-
promoting, and a threat to national
security.
5. Global warming. Critics of the Paris
COMICS
MARK LENNIHAN - POOL/GETTY IMAGES
A doctor draws the CCP virus vaccine into a
syringe at Long Island Jewish Medical Center
in New York on Dec. 14, 2020.
climate accord and global warming are
routinely and heavily censored, even
though large numbers of physicists,
atmospheric scientists, and climate
experts have written that man isn’t
responsible for global warming or that
it’s not a “crisis.” In addition, many
academic scandals have been exposed
over the use of corrupted and manipu-
lated climate data.
6. Hunter Biden’s Ukraine and China
dealings. During 2020, this entire affair
was deeply buried and censored across
social media and search engines. Those
who tried to bring it to light were ostra-
cized and harassed to maintain silence.
The point of listing these issues is to
demonstrate that media censorship is
about certain globalist-related issues and
not necessarily about political affiliation.
While it’s true that most of the above
issues are raised by conservatives and
libertarians, it’s not exclusively so.
To reiterate, Big Tech’s censorship
algorithms are issue-specific and not
person-specific.
If this is the case, then what do these
GARFIELD
GINGER MEGGS
BIG NATE
DRABBLE
FRANK AND ERNEST
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
issues represent in aggregate?
In short, globalization.
All companies who are deeply aligned
with globalization will do whatever is
necessary to protect and promote their
own globalist agenda. This would in-
clude almost all Big Tech companies, but
also a host of global corporations such as
banks, airlines, big box stores, insurance
companies, payment processors, and
internet service providers.
Conversely, they will censor and suppress
any opposition to their globalist agenda.
The COVID-19 narrative of control is
a global phenomenon. So are universal
vaccines, populism, and global warming.
The Hunter Biden scandal could have
exposed potentially massive corruption
in the globalization world, and was thus
seen as worthy of being covered up, if not
buried completely.
If this conclusion is correct, then
censorship isn’t merely persecution of
(mostly) conservatives, but is rather an
outright promotion of a globalist agenda
that’s necessarily destructive to the
United States.
It’s not an issue of left versus right,
conservative versus liberal, or Democrat
versus Republican. Rather, it’s anti-
American, period. And herein lies the
real threat to national security.
Patrick M. Wood is the founder and
director of Citizens for Free Speech, a
nationwide non-profit organization
dedicated to protecting and defending
the First Amendment of the U.S. Consti-
tution. He’s also the editor of Technoc-
racy News & Trends, a worldwide journal
dedicated to critical analysis of technoc-
racy and globalization. Wood has au-
thored four books, including “Technoc-
racy Rising: The Trojan Horse of Global
Transformation” and “Technocracy: The
Hard Road to World Order.”
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
SPECIAL SERIES
How the Specter of Communism
Is Ruling Our World
Sabotaging Education
The Epoch Times here serializes an adaptation from the Chinese of
“How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World,” a new book by
the editorial team of the “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.”
1. Communist Elements
in Primary and Secondary
Education
d. Psychological Manipulation
(cont.)
The Role of Teachers’ Unions
Chapter Nine of this book discussed
how communism manipulates and
utilizes unions. Teachers’ unions
have become one of the key reasons
behind the failure of American
education. These unions do not care
about raising the quality of educa-
tion, instead acting as professional
organizations that reward failure,
protect incompetence, and sacrifice
conscientious teachers who aspire to
make a contribution and who truly
dedicate themselves to teaching
students.
In the article “How Teachers’
Unions Handcuff Schools,” City
Journal editor and writer Sol Stern
gives the example of Tracey Bailey, a
former high school science teacher
who won the National Teacher of the
Year Award in 1993. At the time, the
chief of the American Federation of
Teachers called Bailey to say how
pleased he was that a union mem-
ber had won the honor. Bailey later
dropped his membership and now
believes that big teachers’ unions
are a primary reason for the failure
of American public education. He
holds that unions are simply special
interest groups protecting the status
quo and pillars of “a system that
too often rewards mediocrity and
incompetence.” [49]
Major American teachers’ unions
are well funded and have immense
influence; they are ranked among
the most powerful political lobby
groups in the country, and they have
become the primary obstacle that
hinders positive reform within the
education system. For example, the
California Teachers Association,
under the American Federation of
Teachers, uses its huge war chest
collected from members to push
for legislation and make political
donations. In 1991, California sought
to add Proposition 174 to its state
constitution, allowing families to
use school vouchers provided by the
state government to choose the best
schools for their children. However,
the California Teachers Association
blocked the proposition and even
threatened schools into revoking
their contracts with a hamburger
franchise that had donated $25,000
to support the proposition. [50]
The Exclusion of the Family From
Children’s Education
Another key goal of communism
is the removal of the child from his
or her parents as soon as he or she
is born, having the community or
nation raise the child instead. This is
not an easy feat, but things have been
quietly moving in this direction.
In communist countries, students
from the “bourgeoisie” class are
encouraged to sever their relation-
ships with their parents. In addition,
exam-centric education extends
the time that students must spend
in school, thus reducing the impact
parents can have on their children.
In Western countries, different ap-
proaches are used to exclude the in-
fluence of the family from children’s
education. These include maximiz-
ing students’ school time, reducing
the age requirement for children to
attend school, preventing students
from taking textbooks and study
materials home, and discouraging
students from sharing controversial
topics they learned in class with
their parents.
Courses such as values clarifica-
tion education attempt to separate
students from their parents. A par-
ent of a student taking the Quest
class commented: “It seemed as if
the parents were always put in a bad
light. The story would be about a fa-
ther and his son, say; and the father
was always overbearing, always too
strict, always unfair.” Oftentimes,
the subtext of such courses is “your
parents don’t understand you, but
we do.” [51]
Sometimes, due to legal require-
ments, students must first obtain
parental consent before they can
participate in certain activities. On
such occasions, teachers or admin-
istrative staff may use misleading
and ambiguous words to make it
very difficult for parents to know the
details of what they’re agreeing to. If
parents complain, school authorities
or the school district have methods
of dealing with the complaint: pro-
crastinating, shirking responsibil-
ity, or taking a superior stance. For
example, they might say that parents
do not have the professional knowl-
edge of educators, that other school
districts are doing the same thing,
that only your family is complain-
ing, and so on.
Another key goal of communism
is the removal of the child from
his or her parents as soon as
he or she is born, having the
community or nation raise the
child instead. This is not an
easy feat, but things have been
quietly moving in this direction.
Most parents don’t have the time or
resources to engage in a prolonged
argument with the school or school
district. Moreover, a concerned
parent is generally only a problem
for the few years before their child’s
graduation. In the meantime, the
child is almost held hostage by the
school, and parents don’t dare to
offend the school authorities. When
parents do protest educational prac-
tices, school authorities may label
them as extremists, troublemakers,
religious bigots, fanatics, fascists,
and so on. By doing so, school
authorities deter other parents from
voicing an objection. [52]
In the preface to her book “The
Deliberate Dumbing Down of
America,” Iserbyt argues that
America is engaged in a secret war,
in which the wagers use sophisticat-
ed tools such as “Hegelian dialectic
(common ground, consensus and
compromise),” “gradualism (two
steps forward; one step backward),”
and “semantic deception (redefin-
ing terms to get agreement without
understanding).” [53] Schlafly, in the
foreword to her book “Child Abuse
in the Classroom,” cited an invasive
Chapter Twelve
trend toward what one U.S. sena-
tor called a “therapy” approach in
education. “The promoters of this
strange ‘therapy’ education speak in
a jargon designed to prevent par-
ents from understanding either the
purpose or the methodology,” she
wrote. Examples of such jargon in-
clude values clarification, “behavior
modification,” “moral reasoning,”
“decision-making,” “higher-order
critical thinking skills,” and “hu-
manism.”  [54]
Major American teachers’
unions are well funded and
have immense influence; they
are ranked among the most
powerful political lobby groups
in the country, and they have
become the primary obstacle
that hinders positive reform
within the education system.
For decades, American educa-
tors have created a dazzling array
of terms such as constructivism,
cooperative learning, experiential
learning, deep understanding,
problem-solving, inquiry-based and
outcome-based education, person-
alized learning, conceptual under-
standing, procedural skills, lifelong
learning, student–teacher interac-
tive instruction, and so on. There
are too many to list. Some concepts
appear sensible at first glance, but
investigation into the context of the
terms and where they lead to reveals
that their purpose is to discredit tra-
ditional education and advance the
dumbing down of education.[55]
Notes
49. Sol Stern, “How Teachers’ Unions
Handcuff Schools,” City Journal,
Spring 1997.
50. Troy Senik, “The Worst Union
in America: How the California
Teachers Association Betrayed
the Schools and Crippled the
State,” City Journal, Spring 2012.
51. William Kilpatrick, “Why Johnny
Can’t Tell Right from Wrong and
What We Can Do About It” (New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1993), 39.
52. Samuel Blumenfeld and Alex
Newman, “Crimes of the Educa-
tors: How Utopians Are Using
Government Schools to Destroy
America’s Children” (Washing-
ton, D.C.: WND Books, 2015),
chap. 14.
53. Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, “The
Deliberate Dumbing Down of
America: A Chronological Paper
Trail” (Ravenna, Ohio: Con-
science Press, 1999), xvii.
54. Phyllis Schlafly, ed., “Child
Abuse in the Classroom”
(Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books,
1984), 14.
55. Valerie Strauss, “A Serious Rant
about Education Jargon and
How It Hurts Efforts to Improve
Schools,” The Washington Post,
Nov. 11, 2015.
See next edition for the next
installment.
To purchase the books, visit
EpochShop.com
OPINION | A15
Stephen Gregory, Publisher
Jasper Fakkert, Editor-in-Chief
Channaly Philipp, Life & Tradition,
Travel Editor
Chrisy Trudeau, Mind & Body Editor
Crystal Shi, Home, Food Editor
Sharon Kilarski, Arts & Culture Editor
ABOUT US
The Epoch Times is a media
organization dedicated to seek-
ing the truth through insightful
and independent journalism.
Standing outside of politi-
cal interests and the pursuit of
profit, our starting point and our
goal is to create a media for the
public benefit, to be truly respon-
sible to society.
We endeavor to educate read-
ers about today’s most impor-
tant topics, seeking to broaden
and uplift minds. We believe that
rational, balanced debate is key
for fostering a healthy democ-
racy and a compassionate
society.
As an independent media out-
let, we use our freedom to inves-
tigate issues overlooked—or
avoided—by other media outlets.
We seek to highlight solutions
and what’s good in society rather
than what divides us.
We report respectfully, compas-
sionately, and rigorously.
We stand against the destruc-
tion wrought by communism,
including the harm done to cul-
tures around the world.
We are inspired in this by our
own experience. The Epoch
Times was founded in 2000 to
bring honest and uncensored
news to people oppressed
by the lies and violence in
communist China.
We still believe journalism is a
noble vocation, but only when it
genuinely seeks to serve its com-
munities and help them to flour-
ish. In all that we do, we will hold
ourselves to the highest stand-
ards of integrity. This is our
promise to you.
CONTACT US
The Epoch Times Association Inc.
229 W. 28th St., Fl. 7
New York, NY 10001
Advertising
advertisenow@epochtimes.com
Subscriptions
TheEpochTimes.com/Help
General Inquiries
TheEpochTimes.com/Help
Letters to the Editor
lettertoeditor@epochtimes.com
SUBSCRIBE
TODAY
Get the
independent news
you won’t find
anywhere else.
Subscribe and get the
insights only The Epoch Times
can provide, delivered to your
door every week.
ReadEpoch.com
A16 | OPINION
(Left) Signs on a store front inform customers of capacity limits during the CCP virus pandemic, in New York on Jan. 20, 2021. (Right) The Broadway theater district in Manhattan stands mostly empty
and closed as CCP virus restrictions keep performances closed on Dec. 22, 2020.
Our Pandemic Fears Are Killing
What Makes Life Worth Living
MICHAEL WALSH
The unconstitutional
lockdowns provoked by
the CCP (Chinese Com-
munist Party) virus have
dragged on for almost a
year now, with little sign
of the “pandemic” letting
up. “Two weeks to slow the spread” and
“15 days to flatten the curve”—lies from
the moment they were uttered, as any-
one with an ounce of sense knew—have
molted into months and soon enough
into years.
Meanwhile, the media has been content
to celebrate—excuse me, “mourn”—the
mounting death toll attributed to CO-
VID-19 as long as it could damage the
Trump administration, now driven from
a militarily occupied Washington, D.C.
Almost everything that has happened this
past year, it seems, could be blamed on the
CCP virus, exported from Wuhan, China,
The Book You’ve Been
Waiting for...
“Extremely well “The Truth, as horrifying as it is,
researched and true.” shall set us free. This should be
on this country’s academia’s
list of required reading.”
HOW THE
SPECTER OF COMMUNISM
IS RULING OUR WORLD
The specter of communism did not
disappear with the disintegration of the
Communist Party in Eastern Europe
ORDER NOW!
EpochShop.com
CHUNG I HO/THE EPOCH TIMES
whether on purpose or by accident.
Not that it matters. The Biden ad-
ministration is no more going to hold
communist China responsible for its
malignant carelessness—or its deliberate
malignity—than Hunter Biden will ever
come clean about his business dealings
in China and Ukraine.
Indeed, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., the
new president, is more likely to thank
than blame the Chinese for helping him
to oust Trump, while the robinettes in
the mainstream media chirp happily in
the background.
Make no mistake: The thoroughly
dishonest legacy media, which now func-
tions as the apparatchik propaganda wing
of the Democratic Party, bears the brunt
of the blame for the widespread devasta-
tion caused not by the Chinese bug but in
the destructive overreaction to it.
Through its constant fear-mongering
and goalpost-moving, the media has
transformed a fairly normal herd cull (no
NOW
BIGGER SIZE,
EASIER TO READ
FORMAT
fun, of course, if you’re part of the herd
that’s culled) into an all-purpose bogey-
man to instill terror into weak-hearted
safety-firsters willing—literally—to
trade everything that makes us joyfully
human for the imaginary security of a
slave’s muzzle.
Land of the free and home of the brave,
indeed. Dissent, formerly the “high-
est form of patriotism” on the left, is
now tantamount to treason. Media and
government types are openly calling
for “re-education” of Trump supporters,
Republicans, conservatives, or anybody
who disagrees with the “progressive”
program. Anyone even vaguely associ-
ated with the events of Jan. 6 on Capitol
Hill is apparently now subject to ar-
rest. Disagreement is now insurrection.
Democrats now want not only “unity”
but unanimity—or else.
Perhaps worst of all, affecting
our very humanity, is the notion
of ‘social distancing.’
Public Life Dying
The current viral death count—as we
now know, very generously defined
as the death of anyone who dies hav-
ing tested positive on the way to the
grave—stands at roughly 420,000, which
amounts to 0.00127 of the estimated U.S.
population of 330 million. Or, to take
just “cases” (the new benchmark, which
is a function of increased testing, not
increasing infection): there have been
25.3 million cases in the United States, of
which .0166 of that number have died.
Is this “unacceptable”? If so, why? To
reverse the maxim attributed to Sta-
lin, a million deaths are a tragedy, but
one death is a statistic—and one that
has been psychologically weaponized
against the American people.
Music, art, dance, theater, motion pic-
tures—all are now closer to death than
the obese 85-year-old diabetics with heart
conditions and other comorbidities who
make up the lion’s share of deaths directly
attributed to the virus. Ditto public gath-
erings—except, of course, for the violent ri-
ots by members of Black Lives Matter and
Antifa, vengeful anarchists and fascists us-
ing the cover of the pandemic to settle old
scores or simply to break and burn stuff.
Other real victims are the hospitality
sector, including airlines, travel agents,
hotels, restaurants, and bars, which have
long been the targets of the “climate
change” lunatics and Luddites. And don’t
forget, crucially, churches and syna-
gogues, which militant atheists have long
wished to shutter, since the very thought
of a God is anathema to them.
Nearly our entire public life—the things
that make life worth living—has been shut
down, ruined, put out of business, and
burned to the ground in total defiance
of the Constitution. Not to mention the
security of our electoral system, whose
safeguards in many states were summar-
ily junked during the recent presidential
election. If and when everything reopens,
it will be under the conditions of the “new
normal,” which means that in practice,
they will never, ever, ever let us go.
In retrospect, many things cost Donald
Trump the election but the thing that most
did him in was the CCP virus and, far
worse, his decision to put the self-aggran-
dizing Anthony Fauci on national televi-
sion for weeks on end to frighten the beje-
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES
sus out of the U.S. public and pave the way
for the Stalinist conformity to which the
public is now exhorted and commanded.
Perhaps worst of all, affecting our very
humanity, is the notion of “social distanc-
ing,” which has cruelly separated both
individuals and generations, instructing
people to regard their fellow human being
not as a fellow child of God but a radioac-
tive nightmare as likely to kill you as look
at you. Children in particular have been
taught the most useful lesson the ruling
class behind this monstrous policy could
hope for: fear, obedience, and submission.
Sacrificing for What?
Has it been worth it? By any unemo-
tional and rational consideration, the
answer is no.
This seems a cruel question, to which a
cruel trade-off must be the answer. But
so what? Civilizations and societies have
been making that choice since the begin-
ning of history. The Spartans pitilessly
sacrificed their weak newborns that their
armies might remain strong. At Masada,
960 Jewish rebels holding out against the
might of Rome chose death by their own
hands rather than submit to the emperor.
During the horrific Sack of Rome in
1527, which effectively ended the Italian
Renaissance, a handful of Swiss Guards
spirited the Pope across the Tiber and
into the safety of the Castel Sant’Angelo—
Hadrian’s old mausoleum—at the cost of
most of their lives.
As I write in my new best-seller, “Last
Stands,” “if nothing is worth dying for,
then what are we living for?” After a
year of COVID, during which we have
surrendered our civil liberties and our
way of life to a handful of intellectually
mediocre and morally reprehensible bu-
reaucrats—some unelected—what have
we got to show for it? We live, effectively,
under house arrest.
To take just one example of what we’re
risking “to save just one life”: the theaters
in ancient Greece were enormous spaces,
seating upwards of 15,000 citizens. Far from
simple entertainment—that concept was
essentially unknown to the ancients—they
were the centers of the Greek polis: com-
munal, religious, cultural, and moral ritu-
als in which the whole city took part.
The Homeric stories of the interactions
between gods and men were familiar to
the spectators, but it was each playwright’s
unique handling of the material that
provided both the drama and the civic
instruction necessary to pass on the values
of Greek civilization to the next generation.
The Greeks, in their battles with the
Persians and even with other Greeks,
were prepared to sacrifice themselves for
their unique culture, which in one form
or another lasted thousands of years;
today, we are prepared to sacrifice our
culture in order to win for ourselves a
few more years of home imprisonment.
And then thank our betters for it as we
bequeath our children nothing.
This is cowardice, not courage. This is
selfishness, not altruism. This is the fruit of
an irreligious nation with a vaguely defined
“hope” for the future, but no stake in it.
This is, alas, America in the Year of Our
Lord 2021.
Michael Walsh is the editor of The-Pipe-
line.org and the author of “The Devil’s
Pleasure Palace” and “The Fiery Angel,”
both published by Encounter Books. His
latest book, “Last Stands,” a cultural study
of military history from the Greeks to the
Korean War, was recently published.
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Biden’s Keystone Shutdown Damages
an Alliance, Boosts Unemployment,
and Raises Energy Prices
CONRAD BLACK
As a number of commen-
tators who have gener-
ally praised the concilia-
tory tone of President
Joe Biden’s inaugural
address have remarked,
there were some inconsis-
tencies in the espoused goals.
Most alarming was his promise of the
pursuit of unity, while decrying the exis-
tence within the United States of a large
number of racists and various classes of
sociopaths. This incites the inference that
the unity he seeks to achieve will be by
the subjugation of those with whom he
disagrees, which isn’t in the nature or the
declared national purposes of the United
States.
Thus the goal of full employment, which
was achieved by President Donald Trump
but has been shattered by the shutdowns
most vocally demanded by the Democrats
in response to the coronavirus pandemic,
is again endorsed as a goal on the same
day that the president halted the Keystone
XL pipeline and all oil and natural gas
exploration and production on federal
lands, thus throwing more than 20,000
people out of work.
Shutting down Keystone XL also flies in
the face of the announced goal of rebuild-
ing alliances. The United States has no
closer ally, geographically or otherwise,
than Canada, and indeed, it requires a
skilled dialectician to distinguish, by
listening to them, an American from a
northern state and an English-speaking
Canadian.
In stopping the pipeline, Biden not only
assured the layoff of the 11,000 American
workers on the project, but also, with his
other actions, a reversion of the United
States into the category of energy import-
ers, inevitably to some extent from unreli-
able countries, and higher energy costs
for Americans.
Breaking Faith
He’s also breaking faith with America’s
closest neighbor, largest trading partner,
and longest-standing ally. In 1938 and
1940, it was agreed that Canada would
take every possible measure to ensure
that there could be no attack upon the
United States through Canadian airspace
or Canadian waters and the United States
undertook to come to Canada’s defense if
it were attacked. This was the first such ar-
rangement either country had made.
They fought side-by-side in Italy and at
D-Day and across Europe in World War
II; Canada was a founding member of the
United Nations and of NATO and gave aid
to Western Europe in amounts propor-
tionate to the United States through the
Marshall Plan. It was one of the first pow-
ers to respond in support of the American
position in the Korean War and Gulf War.
It abstained from the Vietnam War and
the Iraq War but there are few Americans
today who would reproach it for that.
Shutting down construction of Keystone
XL will cause the loss of more than 40,000
jobs in Canada, which is the equivalent of
approximately 320,000 jobs in the United
States. The Keystone XL pipeline itself will
be emission-neutral when and if it opens
in 2023, unlike the rail, road, and river
traffic that would attempt to move some
of the same oil at greater cost and much
greater environmental danger.
Miles of unused pipe, prepared for the Keystone XL pipeline, sit in a lot outside Gascoyne, N.D., on
Oct. 14, 2014.
A U.S. Marine (R) judges members of Canada’s Peel Regional Police honor guard during the 11th
annual honor guard competition on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 14, 2013.
This is an insane initiative. It is negative
for the American environment, for U.S.
energy costs, for the strategic and finan-
cial interests of the United States, and
it’s a severe provocation to the country’s
closest ally and largest trading partner.
They haven’t exchanged a shot in anger
since 1815. This isn’t how alliances are
rebuilt and the response in Canada is ex-
actly as it would be in the United States if
the roles were reversed. Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau has long been
friendly with Biden, and the Canadian
government and the Canadian media
left no one in any doubt that they favored
the election of Biden just as fervently as
the American media did in their almost
unanimous and vehement partisanship.
Canada Will Respond
The world will take note of how this
administration treats its closest ally, and
Canada will be obliged to respond to it. It
need hardly be emphasized that the cor-
relation of forces between the two coun-
tries is one-sided.
TC Energy, which is building the
pipeline, promises that all jobs will be
unionized and has made a generous al-
location as well as environmental reas-
surances to indigenous groups. There is
already extensive agitation in Canada to
impose tariffs on selected U.S. oil-based
products.
That would increase some costs to
Canadians but would also provide a
modest spur to the Canadian oil indus-
try, which if the termination of Key-
stone XL isn’t revisited, will be in a very
beleaguered condition. There is also
discussion in Canada of retaliating in
areas where the United States is more
vulnerable, in particular digital services.
This could be a serious inconvenience to
the United States.
This thunderbolt lands on Canada at a
time when its relations with China have
been reduced to a very fragile and snap-
pish condition by Canada detaining on a
U.S. extradition request Meng Wanzhou,
chief financial officer and daughter of
the founder of the Chinese telecom-
munications giant Huawei. The Cana-
dians could easily have failed to detain
her, fumbled, warned her, or otherwise
insured that she slipped away.
But instead, they stood by an extradi-
tion treaty (which doesn’t serve Canada’s
ANDREW BURTON/GETTY IMAGES
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
interests). And Canada is now being re-
warded for incurring the economic and
political wrath of America’s only rival
in the world by this apparently mind-
less Keystone XL shutdown, a tokenistic
gesture to the U.S. environmental lobby
that has no possible complaint against
this project and seems not to have given
a thought to its consequences.
Biden is spouting the same nonsense
that Obama did about green jobs, as
transportation secretary-designate Pete
Buttigieg did last week. Readers will
remember the Obama administration’s
$528 million boondoggle on solar power
converter Solyndra.
Reversal Possible
If the Biden administration wishes to re-
What People Are Saying
I read The Epoch Times daily.
I still like hard papers […] and
I still like to grab that paper in
my hand, but I get more printed
versions of stories than ever
before. You guys have done an
amazing job, and really—I think
there’s such a void in media,
especially newspapers. They
slant so solidly one way that
there are very few papers that
I can really feel that I can rely on,
and The Epoch Times is one.
SEAN HANNITY
Talk show host
The Epoch Times is a
great place where you can
understand traditional
values in a way and in a tone
and through content that is
accessible. It’s smart.
CARRIE SHEFFIELD
Columnist and broadcaster
Learn more at EpochSubscription.com
TRUTH AND TRADITION
OPINION | A17
think this action, it can easily and with-
out embarrassment resurrect Keystone
XL within the framework of a continent-
wide, ecologically sound energy policy.
If such an alternative were pursued, an
excellent arrangement is available, and
neither country would emerge from it
with any embarrassment at all.
But whatever Canadians think of
it, surely Americans also will wish to
know if this is the level of prudent con-
sideration that the new administration
is giving to important initiatives that
will affect U.S. employment, energy
prices, and close relations with allied
countries.
It has the appearance of internal agita-
tion from the Sanders–Ocasio-Cortez
Green New Deal claque persuading the
president that this is a relatively pain-
less way to virtue signal ecologically. It’s
nothing of the kind; it is a stupid idea
of questionable international legality
(given the arrangements between the
two countries), runs contrary to the
United States’ strategic interest in every
respect, and justifies profound discon-
certion about the new administration’s
capacity for informed decision-making.
And it dilutes the very favorable
impression Secretary of State Antony
Blinken made in his confirmation ap-
pearances at the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee last week.
Conrad Black has been one of Canada’s
most prominent financiers for 40 years,
and was one of the leading newspaper
publishers in the world. He’s the author of
authoritative biographies of Franklin D.
Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most
recently, “Donald J. Trump: A President
Like No Other,” which has been repub-
lished in updated form.
I congratulate you and
The Epoch Times for the work
you are doing, especially with
regard to keeping the menace of
the communist threat in front of us.
DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA
Military and intelligence analyst and
former deputy assistant to the president
I rely on The Epoch Times
newspaper for factual and
unbiased news coverage.
LARRY ELDER
Best-selling author, attorney,
and talk show host
It’s our favorite paper. It’s the first
one we read. Thank you so much
for your reporting of the news.
PAUL GOSAR
U.S. representative for Arizona
A18 | BUSINESS & ECONOMY
People shop at the Citadel Outlet mall in Commerce, Calif., on Dec. 3, 2020.
US Consumer
Confidence Edges
Higher; House
Prices Accelerate
WASHINGTON—U.S. consumer confi-
dence rose moderately in January while
lingering concerns about the COVID-19
pandemic led to a further deterioration in
households’ perceptions of the labor mar-
ket, raising the risk of a second straight
month of job losses.
But the survey from the Conference Board
on Jan. 26 showed consumers more than
willing to buy homes and automobiles in
the next six months, indicating that the
housing market and manufacturing indus-
try will continue to underpin the economy.
“The slow rollout of the vaccines and the
still-raging pandemic continue to depress
Fragile Recovery Seen in
Global Labor Market After
Huge 2020 Losses: ILO
GENEVA—Some 8.8 percent of global work-
ing hours were lost last year due to the pan-
demic, roughly four times the number lost in
the 2009 financial crisis, but there are “ten-
tative signs” of recovery, the International
Labour Organization (ILO) said on Jan. 25.
The losses compared with the previous
year were equivalent to 255 million full-
time jobs and included an “unprecedented”
114 million workers joining the ranks of
the unemployed, and others whose work-
ing hours were reduced due to restrictions,
the U.N. agency said.
“These massive losses resulted in an 8.3
percent decline in global labor income
(before support measures are included),
equivalent to $3.7 trillion or 4.4 percent of
global gross domestic product (GDP),” the
ILO said in its seventh report on the crisis
since March.
“This has been the most severe crisis for the
world of work since the Great Depression of
the 1930s. Its impact is far greater than that of
Working From Home Losing Its Effectiveness, Bank Execs Say
Working from home has been surprisingly
successful for global banks during the first
year of the coronavirus pandemic but is
losing its effectiveness, two prominent
industry executives said on Jan. 26 at a
virtual meeting of the World Economic
Forum.
“It’s remarkable it’s working as well as it
is, but I don’t think it’s sustainable,” said
Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley.
Mary Erdoes, who runs asset and wealth
management for JPMorgan Chase & Co.,
added, “It is fraying. It is hard.”
For employees to focus, Erodes said: “It
takes a lot of inner strength and sustain-
ability (without) the energy that you get
from being around other people.”
Staley said: “It will increasingly be a
challenge to maintain the culture and
collaboration that these large financial
LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS
consumer confidence despite the prospect
of further fiscal aid and a brighter health
situation,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief U.S.
financial economist at Oxford Economics
in New York.
The Conference Board’s consumer confi-
dence index increased to a reading of 89.3
this month from 87.1 in December. The slight
gain likely reflected nearly $900 billion in
additional pandemic relief provided by the
government at the end of December, which
lifted consumers’ near-term expectations.
The cut-off date for the survey was Jan. 14.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast
the index to be little changed at 89 in January.
the global financial crisis of 2009,” Guy Ryder,
ILO director-general, told a news briefing.
“I am pleased to say that there is some
relatively good news in all of this, that we
do see tentative signs of recovery—these
signs are fragile, they are uncertain and
the prospects are notably uneven,” he said.
But it’s “particularly concerning” that
71 percent of the job losses, or 81 million
people, came in the form of inactivity, Ryder
said. “These people have simply dropped
out of the labor market. Either they are un-
able to work, perhaps because of pandemic
restrictions, or social obligations or they
have given up looking for work,” he added.
And more hours will be lost this year and
possibly next.
“All scenarios project that working hour
losses will continue, in other words, the
financial and social distress for millions
of people will continue through 2021 and
beyond that,” Ryder said.
ILO data show that women and younger
LUCAS JACKSON/REUTERS
(Left) Barclays CEO Jes Staley takes part in the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York
on Feb. 8, 2017. (Right) Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO of J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management,
attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 24, 2019.
institutions seek to have and should have.”
He predicted that more people would
come back to offices to work, but with
flexibility to work from home.
The survey’s present situation measure,
based on consumers’ assessment of current
business and labor market conditions, fell to
a reading of 84.4 from 87.2 in December. The
expectations index based on consumers’
short-term outlook for income, business,
and labor market conditions increased to
92.5 from a reading of 87.0 in December,
suggesting households foresee conditions
improving in the near term.
Jobs are harder to get or not as
plentiful for a second month
in a row and we will see if
this means a second month of
negative payroll jobs is in store
for the markets in the report for
January due out next Friday.
Chris Rupkey, chief economist, MUFG
President Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9
trillion recovery plan from the pandemic.
The new Biden administration has pledged
to speed up and simplify the distribution
of vaccines.
More than 25 million people have been
infected by the virus, with the death toll
over 420,000 since the pandemic started
in the United States in early 2020. About
6 percent of the U.S. population has so far
been vaccinated. Economists said though
Biden’s rescue plan was facing resistance
from some lawmakers, that was unlikely
to affect the recovery from the pandemic.
“It is not likely we will see any household
and business subsidy plan passed before
March or April,” said Joel Naroff, chief
economist at Naroff Economics in Holland
Pennsylvania. “That should be early enough
to get us through the year, even if there are
significant cuts to the subsidies.”
Labor Market Still Shaky
The survey’s so-called labor market differ-
ential, derived from data on respondents’
views on whether jobs are plentiful or hard
to get, deteriorated to a reading of minus
3.2 this month from minus 1.9 in Decem-
ber. That measure closely correlates to the
unemployment rate in the Labor Depart-
ment’s employment report.
Laborers work at Hung Viet garment export factory in Hung Yen Province, Vietnam, on Dec. 30, 2020.
workers were most affected, while the hard-
est-hit sectors were accommodation, food
services, retail, and manufacturing, it said.
“There are some sectors—there are the fi-
nancial sectors, the information technology
sectors—which have actually continued
to grow in the course of 2020,” Ryder said.
Employment loss among 15- to 24-year-
olds stood at 8.7 percent compared with 3.7
percent for adults, and “highlights the all too
ARND WIEGMANN/REUTERS
Erdoes said executives believed that
part of the initial success of working from
home was due to adrenalin from having
to adapt so quickly.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
The economy shed jobs in December for
the first time in eight months.
“Jobs are harder to get or not as plentiful for
a second month in a row and we will see if this
means a second month of negative payroll
jobs is in store for the markets in the report for
January due out next Friday,” said Chris Rup-
key, chief economist at MUFG in New York.
The share of consumers expecting an in-
crease in income fell to 14.4 percent from
15.7 percent last month. The proportion an-
ticipating a drop declined to 14.2 percent
from 14.6 percent in December.
More consumers expected to purchase
homes and motor vehicles in the next six
months. Though buying plans for major
household appliances were little changed,
more expected to purchase refrigerators
and washing machines.
The pandemic has disproportionately af-
fected lower-wage earners mostly in the
services industry. It has fueled a migration
from city centers to suburbs and other low-
er-density areas as Americans seek more
space for home offices and schooling. Re-
cord-low mortgage rates are also boosting
the housing market.
But supply is failing to keep up, leading to
a surge in house prices, which economists
and realtors warn could put homeowner-
ship out of the reach of many first-time buy-
ers. A separate report on Jan. 26 showed the
S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-metro-area
house price index jumped 9.1 percent from
a year ago in November after rising 8.0 per-
cent in October.
Robust house price inflation was corrobo-
rated by a third report showing the Federal
Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) house
price index surged a seasonally adjusted
11.0 percent year-on-year in November after
increasing 10.3 percent in October.
The FHFA’s index is calculated by using
purchase prices of houses financed with
mortgages sold to or guaranteed by mort-
gage finance companies Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac.
“Demand for homes remains strong and
with inventories at historic lows, home pric-
es will likely continue to accelerate over
coming months, until supply can catch up,”
said Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist
at High Frequency Economics in White
Plains, New York.
By Lucia Mutikani
From Reuters
KHAM/REUTERS
real risk of a lost generation,” the agency said.
“While there is still a high degree of un-
certainty, the latest projections for 2021
show that most countries will experience
a relatively strong recovery in the second
half of the year, as vaccination programs
take effect,” the ILO said.
By Stephanie Nebehay
From Reuters
Now, she said, executives are facing the
likelihood that COVID-19 and its variants
might persist for a long time.
“The world is going to have to figure out
how to adapt,” Erdoes said.
Staley also told the event—which is be-
ing held virtually this year, rather than in
the Swiss ski resort of Davos, due to the
coronavirus—that the world economy
could experience a boom after the pan-
demic similar to the “Roaring 20s” that
followed the 1918 flu pandemic. Pent-up
demand was widespread and could power
growth, he said.
“You could have a robust second half to
the year,” Staley said, followed by an “ex-
plosion of demand.”
By David Henry & Iain Withers
From Reuters
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Top Oil Companies Sharply
Slow Search for New Fossil Fuels
LI HAI
The top five Western oil and gas companies
sharply slowed the search for new fossil fuel
resources last year, data from Oslo-based
consultancy Rystad Energy show.
The five companies are Royal Dutch Shell,
BP (British Petroleum), France’s Total, Exx-
onMobil, and Chevron.
Acquisitions of new onshore and offshore
exploration licenses for the top five Western
energy giants dropped to the lowest in at
least five years because of the epidemic,
Rystad Energy analyst Palzor Shenga said.
The transition of the energy
system will take a long time be-
cause of its size, complexity, and
amount of infrastructure requir-
ed to keep it running efficiently.
Darren Woods, CEO, ExxonMobil
“Acquiring additional leases comes with
a cost, and it demands some work commit-
ments to be fulfilled. Hence, companies
would not want to pile up on additional
acreages in their non-core areas of opera-
tions,” Shenga said.
Global oil demand encountered an un-
precedented collapse of 8.8 million barrels
per day in 2020, according to the Interna-
tional Energy Agency (IEA).
IEA also anticipated capital investment
in the energy sector to fall by 18 percent in
2020, with the largest drop in spending on
new oil and natural gas supply.
Of the five companies, BP saw by far the
largest drop in new acreage acquisition
in 2020. CEO Bernard Looney outlined a
strategy to reduce oil output by 40 percent
or 1 million barrels per day by 2030; the
company has rapidly scaled back its ex-
ploration team in recent months.
US Core Capital Goods
Orders Rise in Boost to
WASHINGTON—New orders for key
U.S.-made capital goods increased for an
eighth straight month in December, point-
ing to solid growth in business spending
on equipment in the fourth quarter and
likely helping to underpin the economic
recovery.
Orders for non-defense capital goods ex-
cluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for
business spending plans, rose 0.6 percent
last month, the Commerce Department
said on Jan. 27. These so-called core capital
goods orders advanced 1.0 percent in No-
vember. Last month’s increase was in line
with economists’ expectations.
Core capital goods orders surged 1.8 per-
cent year-on-year in December. Demand
has shifted away from services like travel
and hospitality towards goods like motor
vehicles, electronics, and medical equip-
ment during the COVID-19 pandemic. That
has contributed to boosting production at
factories, though output remains about 2.6
percent below its pre-pandemic level.
Manufacturing, which accounts for 11.9
percent of the economy, is also being sup-
ported by businesses rebuilding depleted
inventories. In December, core capital
goods orders were lifted by demand for
machinery and primary and fabricated
metal products. But orders for computers
and electronic products fell while bookings
for electrical equipment, appliances, and
components barely rose.
Shipments of core capital goods increased
0.5 percent last month. Core capital goods
shipments are used to calculate equipment
REBECCA COOK/REUTERS
UAW union member Carrie Attwood works at
General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck assembly
plant in Michigan, on July 27, 2011.
Energy transition, regulation, and the
electrification of cars also are consider-
ations of some big energy companies.
Last September, BP agreed to pay Equinor
$1.1 billion to purchase 50 percent inter-
est in the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind
projects from Norway’s Equinor.
“This is an important early step in the de-
livery of our new strategy and our pivot to
truly becoming an integrated energy com-
pany,” Looney said in a statement at the time.
In recent years, governments and com-
panies worldwide have announced goals
to reduce their environmental footprint
and move away from fossil fuels. Both the
spending in the government’s gross domes-
tic product measurement. They gained 0.5
percent in November.
The data came ahead of the government’s
snapshot of fourth-quarter gross domestic
product on Jan. 28. According to a Reuters
survey of economists, GDP likely increased
at a 4.0 percent annualized rate last quarter.
The anticipated sharp deceleration in
growth from a record 33.4 percent pace of ex-
pansion in the July–September period would
reflect the exhaustion of nearly $3 trillion in
pandemic relief money from the government
and a flare-up of coronavirus infections.
The government provided nearly $900
billion in additional fiscal stimulus at the
end of December, which is likely to jolt con-
sumer spending in January after it slowed
in the last two months. President Joe Biden
has unveiled a recovery plan worth $1.9
trillion, although there is resistance from
some lawmakers.
The economy contracted at a 31.4 per-
cent rate in the second quarter, the deepest
since the government started keeping re-
cords in 1947. It plunged into recession last
February. Business investment on equip-
ment rebounded strongly in the third quar-
ter after five straight quarterly declines.
Orders for durable goods, items ranging
from toasters to aircraft that are meant to
last three years or more, gained 0.2 per-
cent in December after rising 1.2 percent
in November.
Durable goods orders were restrained by
a 1.0 percent decline in orders for trans-
portation equipment, which followed a 1.9
percent increase in November.
Orders for civilian aircraft plunged 51.8 per-
cent. This was despite Boeing reporting on
its website that it had received 90 aircraft or-
ders in December, up from 27 in November.
The government recently lifted a
20-month grounding of Boeing’s best-
selling 737 MAX jets that came after two
crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Orders for motor vehicles and parts rose
1.4 percent in December after accelerating
2.8 percent in November.
By Lucia Mutikani
From Reuters
BUSINESS & ECONOMY |  A19
UK and European Union are, for example,
targeting net-zero greenhouse gas emis-
sions by 2050, CNBC reported.
Last month, Japan announced that it
would stop the sale of new gasoline-pow-
ered cars by the mid-2030s, but the sale of
hybrid gas-electric cars will still be permit-
ted after 2015.
California announced last September to
end the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-
powered passenger cars in the state by
2035, becoming the first U.S. state to com-
mit to doing so.
The European Union aims to have at least
30 million zero-emission vehicles on its
IMF: ‘Complacency’
Permeating Markets on
Continued Monetary Support
WASHINGTON—A “sense of complacen-
cy” is permeating markets as investors,
betting on continued accommodative
monetary policy, are stretching asset
prices, risking a sudden market correc-
tion, the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) warned on Jan. 27.
The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has
boosted expectations of a global recov-
ery and helped prompt a surge in asset
prices, despite rising infections and per-
sistent uncertainties surrounding the
economic outlook, the world’s largest
multilateral lender said in its Global Fi-
nancial Stability Report.
Stretched asset valuations in some
areas are largely contingent on govern-
ment lifelines. Policymakers should be
prepared for the risk of a market correc-
tion, which could exacerbate financial
vulnerabilities that have so far remained
at bay, such as rising corporate debt and
weakness in nonbank financial institu-
tions, the IMF said.
Even so, policymakers should continue
to provide support until a sustainable
economic recovery takes hold, as vaccine
underdelivery may jeopardize the global
recovery, the fund said.
“We do certainly detect stretched valu-
Oil pumpjacks are
seen at the Huntington
Beach Oil Field in Hun-
tington Beach, Calif.,
on April 20, 2020.
MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
roads by 2030.
Darren Woods, ExxonMobil’s CEO, ex-
pressed more optimism in an email deliv-
ered to all company employees in October.
“The transition of the energy system
will take a long time because of its size,
complexity, and amount of infrastructure
required to keep it running efficiently,” he
suggested.
The IEA projected that oil and gas would
remain at 53 percent of the global energy
mix in 2040, decreasing from the current
60 percent or so, Woods said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS
Traders work
on the floor
at the New
York Stock
Exchange on
May 26, 2020.
ations in some sectors and some asset
classes—in credit, and some riskier seg-
ments of credit, in many bond markets
and of course in equity markets—it is an
environment that is stretched to some
degree, but easy financial conditions
are an intended outcome of the easing
of monetary policy,” Tobias Adrian,
director of the IMF’s Monetary and
Capital Markets Department, said in an
interview.
The report also cautioned that an un-
even distribution of coronavirus vac-
cines could further exacerbate global
financial instability.
Advanced nations have prepurchased
large amounts of vaccines while de-
veloping nations “lag significantly” in
obtaining them, setting the stage for
stronger economies to lift restrictions
sooner than others.
If central banks in recovering Western
economies start to normalize monetary
policy, that could imperil capital flows
in frontier and developing markets, and
raise the cost of external financing, the
IMF warned.
By Pete Schroeder
From Reuters
A20 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

TRUTH and TRADITION

In Our Own Words The Woman Behind the Hotline (Part 2)

A Ray of Hope
Dear Epoch VIP,
To say that The Epoch Times is a special media to me
would be an understatement. It’s been there for me
ever since I was a little girl in China, and one of the few
places where I know I can read the truth, regardless of
what the government’s media outlets may say or do.
When I was nine, my parents were arrested before
my own eyes from our home in Beijing. They weren’t
criminals: just Falun Gong practitioners.
My mother, a hospital worker, had just been looking
for a spiritual practice, a way to live around her
many illnesses. My father, a professor and Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) member, followed suit after
he saw my mother’s improvement in health.
When I was younger, my mom would tell me stories
about how people would commit suicide during the
It finally seemed Cultural Revolution because they were so humiliated. And
before that, how the landlords had all of their money taken
like there was away, simply because everyone had to be “the same.”
My parents used to tell me these stories about other
someone out people, but when the Falun Gong persecution began,
there listening it finally happened to them too—even though my
dad was a Party member who taught communism,
to me—to my socialism, and Marxism in school.
In an instant, my parents were handcuffed and taken
parents—and away from me to a labor camp, to a place I had no idea
about. A place that the news never talked about. I had
hearing us. no idea what the authorities would do to my parents
and it worried me.
Teresa You I saw the brutal treatment of Falun Gong
practitioners in labor camps for the first time in the
Manager, Customer Service
Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times (via
a VPN). Though this knowledge made me extremely
scared and gave me nightmares, it also brought a sense
of security in finally knowing the kind of place my
parents were taken to and that people like my parents
were not forgotten. They wouldn’t just disappear, no
matter how much the CCP wanted them to.
Having lived through this experience, I can say
there’s no platform in China that gives a voice to the
human rights victims. For all the people who are
persecuted and their loved ones—it’s really a very
alienating experience.
But because there was a media like The Epoch Times,
I felt less alone. It finally seemed like there was someone
out there listening to me—to my parents—and hearing us.
When I was in high school, my parents (who had
returned from labor camp by then) sent me to the
United States as an exchange student. They told me
to enjoy the freedom in America since by then, we all
knew too well what a country without freedom for its
people was like.
The American people that I’ve come across since
then have been very nice, friendly, and helpful, and it’s
had a wonderful effect on me. But at the same time, it’s
always felt like some of them didn’t really know what
was going on outside of America.
In China, all of the elites and intellectuals—
including those I saw on the news when I was
younger—always said that due to differences in
ideology, sooner or later there will be armed conflict
between China and America. If you watch Chinese
state-run news, the narrative (though it fluctuates
based on the CCP’s diplomatic needs) has always
been anti-American.
It’s not the Chinese people themselves, of course,
that have something against America. But many
Chinese people live in this environment where they’re
being brainwashed, and every day they’re being told
that America is the enemy. It was so strange to me that
Americans, and the American government, didn’t
seem to have any reaction to this at all.
A media doesn’t just keep things that people know
about from being forgotten, like with my parents;
it also brings into view things that people didn’t
previously know about, that they should know. That is
why I take my job at The Epoch Times very seriously—
so that the people I’ve met in America can have the
knowledge they need to protect their freedom, and the
people living in fear in China
can have the knowledge they
need to win it back.
In Truth and Tradition,
Teresa You
The Epoch Times

What Our
Readers
I can depend on The Epoch Times to stick to the story
Say (24) until they can tell it from its beginning to its finality.
So whenever my friends discuss only the surface layers
of issues, I provide the missing details and depth needed
to give the complete view of the stories we discuss.

The Epoch Times offers solid, fact-
based journalism, honest opinion
and a wealth of useful knowledge,
keeping me informed every day. It
is such a refreshing newspaper that
covers the truth and traditions of
our American heritage.
NATHAN PARKER
Epoch Times is a refreshing, even-
handed look at current events. Plus
very interesting and informative
articles on an array of subjects.
I enjoy it so much!
DENA FARAGHER WAYMAN
I needed objective, balanced and
focused news and ET delivers! They
have broadened that to include the
arts, literature and everyday living.
I am both pleased and encouraged
that journalism is still alive and well.
WILLIAM W SIMS
This is the first newspaper I have been
willing to pay to receive and am thrilled
with its content, and the people who
write for it. I was so impressed, I have
referred all I know to it and even
purchased it for my elderly neighbor
and passed it on to an awesome WWII
vet who should be featured in this
paper. Love this paper!
JEANIE LOIACONO
I thoroughly enjoy this newspaper.
It has several interesting sections,
all of them truthful and uplifting.
I feel it is honest in its reporting.
MELISSA WEBER
I’ve been very impressed with the
discussion of topics that I didn’t
realize I wasn’t seeing in most of the
news. Often conservative issues. Also
contains items that appeal to those
of us who believe that America is
a blessed country because of her
good citizens. And that we have a
responsibility to do good in the world.
MATT RIPPLINGER
When the sensational headlines
surrounding any popular news story
burn out and all the mainstream
and global media pack up their
vans and leave, The Epoch Times
stays to uncover the facts and to
tell a complete story. I have never
experienced a news source more
committed to investigation. I can
depend on The Epoch Times to
stick to the story until they can tell
it from its beginning to its finality.
So whenever my friends discuss
only the surface layers of issues,
I provide the missing details and
depth needed to give the complete
view of the stories we discuss.
Reading The Epoch Times is like
seeing in 3D when all other reports
are flat and incomplete.
DAVID JENSEN

TRUTH AND TRADITION

 CHRIS SCHALKX/SHUTTERSTOCK
FLASH IN THE PAN THAI FOOD

The Dark Arts of Winter Bring a Taste of

Mushroom Gardens Chiang Mai to Your Kitchen
For a reminder of life in winter, seek out local Khao soi, a rich coconut-curry noodle soup, is a
mushrooms—or better yet, grow your own. Northern Thai specialty you can make at home.

See B3 See B4

GOOD EATS|RECIPES|DRINKS THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 B1

FOOD
GIULIA SCARPALEGGIA

The
Case for
Bitterness
Embrace the season’s
bitter greens, complex
and invigorating,
with three regional
Italian recipes
GIULIA SCARPALEGGIA

T
he holidays have come and
gone, as have the rich, stodgy
foods of the season. When
you’re surrounded by
Christmas lights, deco-
rations, and jolly music, all you
crave are fatty meat stews, warm-
ing creamy soups, and decadent
chocolate cakes.
But now that the festivities are
over, what are left are winter’s
frigid temperatures, cold, clear
skies, and biting winds. This
is when I find myself craving
foods that reflect the season:
crisp, clear, and bitter.
A taste for bitterness is the
last acquired in the develop-
ment of the human palate, as
in nature, bitterness is usu-
ally associated with poison-
ous foods. Babies instinctively
love anything sweet and fat,
a way of stocking up essential
calories to survive.

Continued on B2

This is when I find

myself craving foods
that reflect the season:
crisp, clear, and bitter.

Orecchiette with broccoli rabe, or cime di

rapa, is a classic Apulian dish, combining
the southern region’s typical pasta and
most representative winter greens.

Call for Food Writers

Are you an experienced food writer? We’re looking to commission
stories about unique, time-honored food traditions and recipes from
FOOD
across the country—and around the world. If interested, send your
pitch, author bio, and 2 to 3 writing samples to food@epochtimes.com S!
E FOR U
W RIT
B2
The Case for
Bitterness
Embrace the sea-
son’s bitter greens,
complex and
invigorating, with
three regional
Italian recipes
Continued from B1
As we grow up, we realize that not all
bitter foods kill us. We find they can be
interesting, palatable, and even exciting.
So, we move from milk chocolate bars to
an appreciation for dark, with a sprin-
kling of sea salt. We crave a well-brewed
coffee in the morning, or a hoppy craft
beer to end the day. Our palates become
more refined, and we gladly nibble on
walnuts and olives, no longer push away
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, dande-
lion greens, radicchio, artichokes, and
grapefruit.
Benefits of Bitter
Bitter ingredients make food interesting.
Fresh lemon or grapefruit peel balances
the sweetness of white chocolate, just
as dark caramel gives a deeper note to
a chocolate ganache. A dusting of un-
sweetened cocoa powder works magic
on fatty meat stews, not to mention how
a bitter-tart cranberry relish can uplift a
roast turkey.
Bitterness plays especially well with
umami and fat. Shavings of Parmigiano
Reggiano, for instance, are a perfect
partner for thinly sliced raw artichokes,
or a peppery, feathery salad of radicchio
and arugula. Salt-cured prosciutto or
Spanish jamón Iberico behave similarly
in balancing bitter flavors.
Fat also tames the bitterness of many
vegetables, making them easier to ap-
preciate. A creamy blue cheese, such
as gorgonzola, complements radicchio
beautifully. Stir a few pieces into a radic-
chio risotto—or swap it for a few dollops
of sweet, milky mascarpone—or toss a
bowl of pasta with stewed radicchio and
taleggio.
Nuts work as well, so be generous with
walnuts and hazelnuts when you make
your next raw kale salad.
Extra-virgin olive oil, which has a
naturally bitter note, is typically the
fat of choice for Italians. Blanched or
boiled bitter greens, such as turnip
tops, escarole, or kale, gain so much
flavor when sautéed in a garlicky, chile-
infused olive oil.
Bitter ingredients
make food interesting.
The Italian Way
Italians tolerate bitterness better than
many. Think about our love for amaro, a
bitter liqueur that often closes a meal—
Amaro Lucano or Amaro Averna, for
example—or acts as a key ingredient in
an aperitivo drink, such as Campari. We
took this love affair with the bitter so far
as to concoct Cynar, a liqueur made from
13 herbs and plants, including artichoke,
the epitome of bitterness.
Now that your CSA box is brimming
with bitter leaves, it’s the perfect moment
to delve into bitterness, the Italian way—
putting a bottle of your best extra-virgin
olive oil to good use.
Grill radicchio tardivo until nicely
charred and drench it with extra-virgin
olive oil. Dress escarole with Mediter-
ranean flavors and stuff it into a savory
pie. Twice-cook turnip greens and serve
them with fresh orecchiette, tossing it all
together with garlicky olive oil.
Bitter flavors will make these winter
days more bearable, and definitely more
interesting.
Giulia Scarpaleggia is a Tuscan born and
bred food writer, food photographer, and
author of five cookbooks, including “From
the Markets of Tuscany.” She is currently
working on her sixth. Find her online at
her blog, JulsKitchen.com
Grilling radicchio
turns the crisp,
bitter leaves
meaty and
smoky.
GRILLED RADICCHIO TARDIVO
Radicchio tardivo, with its slender, creamy white
stalks and curly, flaming purple leaves, is the
most spectacular specimen of the many Italian
varieties, hailing from the Veneto region of
northern Italy. Slightly bitter, it has a crisp, clean,
wintery flavor, with a texture that is crunchy and
juicy when raw and satisfyingly meaty when
cooked. Use it to make a risotto with a creamy
cheese like taleggio, or roast it in the oven with
orange zest.
My favorite way to use radicchio, though, is to
grill it on a scorching hot grilling pan until nicely
charred. The smokiness enhances its meaty
texture, making this not just a seasonal side dish
but a protagonist of the winter table.
Dress it with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil and a
drizzle of balsamic vinegar, whose mild sweetness
and tang are perfect complements to radicchio’s
bitterness.
SERVES 4
2 heads radicchio tardivo
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Rinse the radicchio tardivo heads under running
water, then quarter them lengthwise.
Heat a non-stick griddle pan over medium heat.
When the griddle pan is hot—it should sizzle and
hiss when you throw a few drops of water in it—
add the radicchio quarters. Grill the radicchio on
each side until wilted and nicely charred all over.
Arrange the radicchio on a large serving plate,
drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic
vinegar, then season with salt and pepper. Serve
immediately.
Radicchio tardivo is the most spectacular
specimen of the many Italian varieties.
PIZZA DI SCAROLA (ESCAROLE PIE)
Despite this recipe’s name, don’t expect a traditional
pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella. This classic
regional dish, belonging to the Neapolitan tradition,
is more like a stuffed focaccia or a savory pie, with a
fluffy crust made with a potato bread dough.
Escarole is the protagonist of the filling, its bitterness
tamed by supporting Mediterranean flavors: pine
nuts, black olives, capers, and anchovies, along with
the ubiquitous extra-virgin olive oil and chile pepper.
If you want to skip the dough, the filling is also
delicious on its own. Serve it as a side dish to a grilled
pork chop, or atop a slice of garlic-rubbed toast, all
crowned with a soft-boiled egg.
SERVES 6 TO 8
FOR THE DOUGH
2 medium potatoes (about 7 ounces total)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons water, divided
Pinch of sugar
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE FILLING
4 heads escarole
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed
3 tablespoons pitted black olives
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Salt
Red chile pepper flakes to taste
First, make the dough: Peel the potatoes and boil
them in a small pot of water until you can easily pierce
them with a knife. Drain the potatoes, then rice them,
or mash them with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Sift the flour onto a wooden surface and make a well
in the center. Add the riced potatoes. Dissolve the
Bitter escarole, tamed by a medley of Mediterranean flavors, is the protagonist of this
savory Neapolitan pie.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
ALL PHOTOS BY GIULIA SCARPALEGGIA
yeast in 3 tablespoons of warm water with a pinch
of sugar, then pour it into the well. Add the salt and
olive oil.
Knead together the dough, adding the remaining water
a few tablespoons at a time, until you have an elastic
and not sticky dough. Transfer to a bowl greased with
olive oil, cover with a damp towel, and leave to rise for
about 2 1/2 hours, until it doubles in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Rinse the escarole
under running water and separate the leaves. Bring a
large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, and blanch
the escarole for 3 minutes. Drain and squeeze well to
remove any excess water. Roughly chop the escarole
and set aside.
Pour the olive oil in a large pan along with the garlic,
anchovies, and chile pepper flakes to taste. Heat
the oil over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring to
dissolve the anchovies.
When the garlic cloves are golden, remove them from
the pan. Add the chopped escarole and toss to coat in
the oil, then add the capers, olives, and toasted pine
nuts. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
Turn the heat to medium and cook for about 20
minutes, tossing every 5 minutes or so to distribute
the ingredients evenly, until the escarole has
absorbed all the liquid and is coated with the oil. Set
aside and let cool completely.
Now, assemble the pie: When the pizza dough has
doubled in size, generously grease a deep, 10-inch
round baking pan with olive oil and preheat the oven to
375 degrees F.
Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and divide it
into two parts, one slightly bigger than the other.
Roll out the bigger half with a rolling pin so that it’s big
enough to cover the bottom and edges of your baking
pan, then transfer it into the pan. Arrange the cooled
filling on top.
Roll out the remaining dough to slightly bigger than
the pan, and cover the filling. Seal all around the edges
and trim the excess dough.
Drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil to grease the
surface, then pierce the dough all over with a fork.
Bake the pizza di scarola for about 50 to 55 minutes,
until the top is golden. Serve warm or cold.
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Cime di rapa, or turnip greens, are often called
rapini or broccoli rabe in the United States.
ORECCHIETTE CON LE CIME
DI RAPA (ORECCHIETTE
WITH BROCCOLI RABE)
Cime di rapa, turnip greens—also called rapini or
broccoli rabe—are the most representative vegetables
of the Apulian winter, piled on the market stalls and
dinner tables of this Southern Italian region.
They are the protagonists of a regional dish,
orecchiette con le cime di rapa. The flowers and
the most tender leaves are boiled along with fresh
orecchiette, the local, ear-shaped pasta made just
with semolina flour and water, and then tossed in
an anchovy and garlic-infused olive oil, spiced with
chile. Apulian olive oil is usually quite bitter, a perfect
complement to the bitter greens.
This dish is topped with breadcrumbs fried in olive oil,
which have always been considered the poor man’s
cheese. They add color, flavor, and a satisfying crunch.
If you want to go the extra mile, serve the orecchiette
with burrata, the local cheese with a filling of shredded
mozzarella and cream.
SERVES 4
1 1/2 pounds broccoli rabe
1 pound fresh orecchiette (or substitute dried)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped
Red chile pepper flakes to taste
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Salt
Clean the broccoli rabe: Remove the most rigid stalks,
then rinse under running water and rip into large
pieces.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it as you would
to cook pasta, and plunge the broccoli rabe into
the water. Submerge with a spoon and cook for 10
minutes or until soft.
Into the same pot, add the orecchiette and cook until
al dente, according to package instructions. (If using
dried orecchiette, which requires a longer cooking
time, first remove the broccoli rabe from the pot and
set aside, before cooking the orecchiette in the same
water.)
In the meantime, pour 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin
olive oil into a large pan, followed by the garlic and
anchovies. Add chile pepper flakes to taste. Heat the
oil over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, until the
garlic is golden and the anchovies melt.
Drain the orecchiette and broccoli rabe and toss them
into the pan with the garlicky olive oil.
In a smaller pan, toast the breadcrumbs with one
tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil for 5 minutes, until
golden brown.
Sauté the orecchiette with the broccoli rabe for
2 minutes over medium heat, tossing well to coat
with the garlicky olive oil. Sprinkle with the toasted
breadcrumbs and serve immediately.
This classic regional pasta dish is finished
with a toss in an anchovy- and garlic-infused,
chile-spiked olive oil.
FLASH IN THE PAN
The Dark Arts of Winter Mushroom Gardens
For a reminder of life in
winter, seek out local
mushrooms—or better
yet, grow your own
ARI LEVAUX
A
s the dark days of the year chase
us indoors, we look for ways to
stay connected to the earth.
Seed catalogs, house plants,
frozen broccoli from last
year’s garden—all reminders that life
goes on, and will come back around.
Let’s add mushrooms to the list of
wintertime ways to plug into the cycle
of life. They can be grown anywhere,
which is why small mushroom farms
are sprouting up everywhere, like
mushrooms after a rain, connected
via a large subterranean brain.
At the farmers market a few months
back, I bought mushrooms from a
serious-looking grower with a stand
full of differently shaped and colored
shroomage. They were displayed in
baskets like floral arrangements, each
type of mushroom with a different
shape and color, including lion’s mane,
chestnut, and several varieties of oyster.
The mushroom grower was noticeably
cleaner than the dirt farmers, and after
I learned a bit more about mushroom
farming, that made sense.
Mushrooms don’t
need light to grow,
which makes them
an obvious part of a
well-rounded winter
garden, and also a
bit more of a science
project.
Mushroom Growing 101
Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of under-
ground fungal mycelia, don’t need light to
grow, which makes them an obvious part
of a well-rounded winter garden, and also
a bit more of a science project.
Family farms, you could argue, are
kind like a giant compost pile, where
bacteria move freely from dirt to com-
post to crops. This is not an unsafe situ-
ation, as bacteria and fungus spores
are everywhere, and we live with
them—a truth that is especially obvi-
ous on the farm.
But mushroom growers, while riding
the same chaotic life-forces, must be
vigilant against contamination, so the
wrong spores don’t take hold. While a
farmer plants seeds in dirt that is es-
sentially an extension of the compost
pile, a mushroom grower inoculates
substrate under aseptic conditions.
There is an important distinction, our
grower shared, between commercial
mushroom varieties like white button
and portobello, which both belong to
species agaricus, and the varieties that
most small growers like himself prefer.
Agaricus grows on compost, which
could be made of a lot of different things,
including manure, which raises the
question of where the manure was col-
lected. If it’s from the stable at the track
where the racehorses do their business,
there could be antibiotics, steroids, and
other chemicals. Whether the nitrogen
comes from manure or chemical urea,
using compost adds uncertainty.
A grower’s advice: Cooking mushrooms does better justice to their flavors, and makes
their nutrients more available.
Our mushroom grower only works
with mushrooms that grow on sawdust-
based “woody substrates,” which are
dirt-free, which explains why he looked
cleaner than his dirt-farming neighbors.
Cooking Advice
As we paid, my son asked if the mush-
rooms could be eaten raw.
“I believe mushrooms should be
cooked to do justice to their flavors,
and also to make their nutrients more
accessible,” said the grower. “Mush-
room cells have rigid walls that keep
the nutrients from being absorbed, but
heat will break down these walls and
release the nutrients.”
He left us with a final tip for cooking.
If you want more of a raw feel to the
mushrooms, he suggested, give them
a light sauté in oil or butter with white
wine or balsamic vinegar, and serve
them on a salad, where you can still feel
that raw freshness while also accessing
all of the nutrients.
I was looking to serve my mushrooms
with meat, so I wanted something lustier.
I ended up cooking them in butter, with
minced onions and nutmeg, deglazing
alternatively with dry sherry and chicken
stock, and finishing with a squeeze of
lemon and a few drops of cream.
I cooked them with sliced button
mushrooms to bulk it up, like I always
do with precious or semiprecious fun-
gal fruiting bodies. You end up with
more, and it won’t dilute the flavor.
Let’s add mushrooms
to the list of wintertime
ways to plug into the
cycle of life.
Grow Your Own
Last fall, the mushroom farmer began
selling mushroom growing kits at the
indoor farmers market. The rough size
and shape of a loaf of bread, these logs
of compressed wood chips and mush-
room mycelia are wrapped in plastic
and ready to sprout when spritzed.
ALESIA.B/SHUTTERSTOCK
B3
Mushrooms
come in all kinds
of shapes and
colors.
ALESIA.B/SHUTTERSTOCK
They are fun and satisfying to grow,
like any garden. You watch it develop
and change, and you get so many
mushrooms. We brainstormed for
friends to give kits to as presents.
Wherever you are, locally grown
mushrooms and grow kits are probably
available at the local farmers market.
So keep your eyes peeled. They will
brighten your winter.
On the longest, darkest night of the
year, we left grow kits on the doorsteps
of friends. A few weeks later, a jar of
mushroom pâté showed up on our
own doorstep, made by one friend who
had successfully grown and harvested
her own mushrooms from the kit. She
said the recipe came to her in a dream,
which seems fitting. These are, after all,
the days of darkness. And these are the
dark arts.
Ari LeVaux writes about food in Mis-
soula, Mont.
PEYLA’S DREAM PATE
Smooth, thick, and meaty without the aid of
cream cheese, this pâté is lovely on toast or
crackers. If you don’t have a food processor and
have to chop, you might not achieve pâté status.
In that case, call it a mushroom salad.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
1/2 pound oyster or chestnut mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Toss the mushrooms in the olive oil, salt, pepper,
and garlic on a baking sheet, and bake for 15
minutes. Let cool.
Add the lemon juice and zest and green onions,
and puree in a food processor, or by chopping. A
blender makes it too smooth.
ARI LEVAUX
Mushroom grow kits make great gifts.
B4  THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

A Taste of
SumaTe TreeKajornSaK/ShuTTerSTocK

Chiang Mai
Khao soi, a rich coconut-curry
noodle soup, is a Northern
Thai specialty you can make
at home
Kevin RevolinsKi

Growing up in a small town in the Midwest,

my only understanding of curry was the yel-
low powder in a standard issue wedding-gift
spice rack. That powder originated in India, a
combination of seasonings that were meant
to travel well and mimic fresh curries. Many
British returning to the British Isles from the
then-colonized subcontinent hoped to bring
home flavors they had grown to love.
I never really had a hankering for the blend,
and wrongly understood “curry” to mean
just that. Years later, the world of curry as
a broader category of dishes opened up to
me. I learned that Indian, Thai, and Japanese
curries existed, and bore little resemblance
to the golden powder. My favorite of them
all, perhaps, is often referred to as Northern
Thai curry.
Khao soi, a yellow, rich, soup-like sort of co-
conut milk-based curry, is a popular dish in
the Chiang Mai region of Thailand. It’s typi-
cally made with chicken (gai), but also beef
in some cases, and served with springy egg
noodles and a crown of crispy fried noodles
on top. Its spice-heat is fairly mild, typically,
but it isn’t to be confused with the equally
yellow curry from the south, which is often Khao soi is
blisteringly hot. served with
springy egg
noodles and
Gathering Ingredients an assortment
Ironically, a cooking class in Krabi, a province of toppings,
in the south, is where I first learned to make a including a
couple of common Thai curry pastes, the so- crown of crispy
called red and green, themselves varying in fried noodles.
recipe depending on whose kitchen you are
Wanz.ST/ShuTTerSTocK
in. The golden khao soi actually begins with
the basic red paste (prik gaeng kua); its yellow
color comes from curry powder and turmeric.
If you are deep into DIY here, by all means,
you can make your own curry paste at home,
gathering a long list of ingredients that in-
cludes chiles, garlic, galangal, and ... shrimp
paste, an essential, odiferous umami bomb
you don’t want to have left over in the back of
the fridge unless you have hazmat protocols.
The process is time-consuming more than
anything. Don’t feel like you are cheating if you
buy the paste pre-made: In Thailand, home
cooks often buy the paste at a fresh market,
where it is shaped into large mountains and
is priced by the kilo.
Red curry paste is standard in most Asian
groceries—Lobo and Mae Ploy brands, for
instance. If you get to Thailand (or find a good Freshly made
importer), look for a brand called Nam Jai. I curry pastes
can always find pastes with no preservatives for sale at a
and an ingredient list that is entirely made up Thai market.
of actual foods—even without MSG, if that is
not your thing. A single 100-gram packet of
paste is perfect for a batch that serves four. Khao soi (noRtheRn thai CoConut CuRRy noodle soup)
But different brands may come in varying
amounts, so you may need to adjust in the
recipe below, based on their suggestions on ServeS 4 In a large pot or wok over medium heat, add the curry
the packaging. For the Curry paste, Thai chiles (if using), and enough coconut milk
to dilute the paste and melt it, so that it releases its
There is a learning process with curry paste. 3 to 4 tablespoons (one 3.5-ounce/100-gram aromas. Do not burn it!
Determine if it carries the spice level you de- packet) red curry paste
sire, and adjust as needed. You can always add Then add 1 cup of coconut milk and let that mix in
3 cups coconut milk (two 13.5-ounce cans will and start to bubble. Stir in the palm sugar, curry
a couple of chopped Thai chiles to the paste give you a bit more than this; you can either powder, and turmeric powder, and then add the
when you first melt it into the coconut milk. save some for the next round or add it all to your remaining coconut milk, chicken broth, and meat.
Roasted or dried chilies added in mid-cooking batch) Turn the heat down a bit to let it simmer for another
can help, too, but be careful, as they can get 15 minutes. Add the fish sauce to taste. It should be
1 to 3 Thai chiles, minced, halved, or left whole
pretty spicy. (optional, for more heat) a little salty, not bland.
My wife leaves the chiles whole or halved. Prepare your noodles according to package
I prefer to mince them completely and add 1 tablespoon palm sugar
instructions, distribute them among four bowls, and
them at the beginning, so that the heat spreads 1 teaspoon curry powder ladle in the curry.
evenly. My belief is I get more heat from fewer 1 teaspoon turmeric powder Now comes the fun part: Accessorize! Top each bowl
chiles this way (scientific studies still pend- with thinly sliced shallots, chopped pickled mustard
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (Maggi is a popular
ing). They freeze very well, and I have a good greens, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Add a bit of
brand with the Thai)
supply at all times. cilantro strewn on top, along with some crispy fried
Chicken legs are the most common form 1 pound chicken legs or cut up breast meat (or noodles for crunch.
of meat for khao soi, but I chop up breast and pork or beef, or halved fresh mushrooms)
Note: I haven’t found a satisfactory packaged option
thigh meat. Beef is an option, as are vegetarian 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or more to taste) for crunchy noodles (similar to chow mein noodles),
alternatives, such as mushrooms. Chicken 1 16-ounce package Chinese-style egg noodles
and typically will fry up fresh noodles myself. Start
of the woods (a foraged, wild mushroom) is with cheap dried egg noodles, cook them, and pat
fantastic. Vegetarians, be aware of the shrimp For Garnish them dry. Heat about an inch of oil in a deep pot until
paste and fish sauce. very hot, then place the cooked noodles, one serving
Thinly sliced shallots at a time, in the oil in a loose tangle; they’ll crisp right
In a perhaps blasphemous attempt to make
Chopped pickled mustard leaves up. Any moisture in the noodles will spatter up, so use
my curry a bit healthier, I add broccoli. But
Lime wedges
a screen for the pot. Use tongs to turn the mass of
steam it first and add it after cooking the khao noodles over once, and then, once they’re light golden
soi separately, so its sweetness doesn’t change Cilantro brown, to pull it out and lay it on paper towels to drain.
the curry flavor. Crispy fried noodles (see Note) Does it all sound complicated? Be patient: It’s worth it!
Khao soi is served with egg noodles. Buy
them fresh, dried, or even frozen. I like Twin
Marquis, a U.S.-made brand that comes frozen Kevin Revolinski is an avid traveler, craft beer enthusiast, and home cooking fan. He
at local Asian markets, in packs of four serv- is the author of 15 books, including “The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American
ings, ready after two minutes of boiling. In Teacher in Turkey” and his new collection of short stories, “Stealing Away.” He is based
desperation, we’ve used linguine. in Madison, Wis., and his website is TheMadTraveler.com
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 B5

Dive Into American Cocktail

Culture, State by State BRENT HOFACKER/SHUTTERSTOCK

2 new books guide the curious

imbiber through unique local
drinks, bars, and traditions across
the country

KEVIN REVOLINSKI

With a lock on most of the top 20 drunk-

est cities in America, Wisconsin might
know a little something about alcohol.
While many likely think this means
beer, a book recently published by the
University of Wisconsin Press focuses
on the Badger State’s love of cocktails.
“Wisconsin Cocktails” is the latest
work of state resident Jeanette Hurt,
a well-known food and drink writer.
While I often associate her with cheese,
she’s also authored the well received
“Drink Like a Woman: Shake. Stir. Con-
quer. Repeat.”
As Hurt writes in her preface, “We
have cocktails that are so unique to
Wisconsin that if we ask for them a
certain way, whether we’re in Las Vegas
or Orlando, Manhattan or Miami, the
bartender will go, ‘Oh, are you from
Wisconsin?’”
Chapter one is dedicated to the old
fashioned. Though yet to be taken up
FOOL’S GOLD
FROM JEN ACKRILL, TOP OF WAIKIKI, HONOLULU
Gaz Regan selected the Fool’s Gold for his 2015 “101
Best New Cocktails” for being “weird and wonderful,”
and I picked it for this book because the ingredients
are not easily acquired (not unlike visiting Hawaii),
and tracking them down is an adventure in itself—and
once you do, you’re in for a delicious reward.
1 ounce St. George Dry Rye gin
1 ounce Buffalo Trace bourbon
3/4 ounce Bittermens Amère Nouvelle
1/4 ounce Giffard Banane du Brésil
Garnish: lime peel
Stir the ingredients with ice until chilled; strain into a
chilled coupe glass and serve up, garnished with the
lime.
Recipe reprinted with permission from “United States
of Cocktails” by Brian Bartels. Published by Abrams.
I love discovering
new worlds, and
that happens every
time we walk into a
bar, where colorful
characters and
infinite stories await.
Cocktails: Recipes, Tales,
Brian Bartels, author, “The United
and Traditions from All 50
States of Cocktails”
The origin
stories are as
interesting as
the recipes
are delicious.
by the state government, the “offi-
cial” cocktail of Wisconsin is a brandy
cocktail, causing out-of-state fans of the
whiskey version to groan. While it’s not
the only brand used, California-based
Korbel can thank Wisconsin for con-
suming half of their total annual pro-
duction.
Hurt covers the myriad variations
on the recipe (a Milwaukee distillery
owner offers a gin-based version), the
techniques for making them, and the
“Wisconsin Cocktails” fascinating theories of the Badger State’s
by Jeanette Hurt
shunning of whiskey for brandy. A
(University of Korbel booth at the 1893 World’s Fair?
Wisconsin Press,
An abundance of German immigrants?
$29.95).
No spoilers; read and find out.
Besides the state cocktail, the bloody
mary and the batter-rich Tom and Jerry
merit their own chapters. Garnishing
bloody marys is a competitive sport in
Wisconsin: Each “comes with its own
meal on top,” notes Hurt, and a beer
chaser. The origin stories are as interest-
ing as the recipes are delicious.
Other chapters cover ice-cream drinks
to hot mixes: hot toddies and Tom and
Jerrys for those long winters, and Wis-
consin peculiarities from the brandy
Author Jeanette Hurt.
slush to the cherry bounce, a potent
tradition of soaking Wisconsin Door
County cherries in booze for a month
or six to be drunk around the holidays.
Each chapter offers a collection of great
recipes from various Wisconsin-based
mixologists, from “classic” representa-
tions of drinks to a number of modern
creations, such as a coffee julep made
with Japanese whiskey and garnished
with coffee beans.
Non-alcoholic or “virgin” cocktails are
not left out, including a no-booze old
fashioned. But if you think some of the
book’s cocktails indeed sound old-fash-
ioned, try out the many new Wisconsin
cocktails, which range from abundant
variations on classics to a few dessert-
leaning drinks from Kohler, namesake
of the kitchen and bath fi xture empire,
and home of The American Club resort
and some world-class golf courses.
“United States of The book ends with a section on cock-
tail and cheese pairings. What should
you pair with a $200/pound, 20-year-
States” by Brian Bartels old cheddar?
(Abrams, $24.99). The lovely hardcover edition, with
beautifully liquored-up photography,
looks good on a coffee table or bar top.
ment, a bucket-list bar, and several Though yet
other cocktail bars you shouldn’t miss. to be taken
Quotes and anecdotes from characters up by the
he’s met along the way stand out along- state gov-
ernment,
side the main text, and each chapter
the “official”
ends with 2 or 3 detailed recipes. cocktail of
Consider New Hampshire’s pages and Wisconsin
the Hulk Smash, a rye-based cocktail is a brandy
with chartreuse, mint bitters, and fresh cocktail.
mint and juices, a creation of Sarah
Maillet of 815, a bar in Manchester.
Georgia, famously home to Coca-Cola,
includes the Uppercut, a mix made with
bourbon, spiced rum, vermouth, and
a Coca-Cola reduction by Miles Mac-
quarrie of Kimball House in Decatur.
Hawaii unsurprisingly includes the Blue
Hawaii, but also Fool’s Gold, a recipe
from Jen Ackrill at Top of Waikiki in
Honolulu: a blend of gin, bourbon, and
two specialty liqueurs bringing banana
and bitter orange flavors.
The collection features more than 100
recipes, and an index lists the cocktails
both geographically and by their pri-
mary liquor. The introduction includes
the back story of cocktails and their
history in the United States as well as
some interesting trivia. Did you know
that bars in Michigan and Kentucky
cannot use producer-branded glass-
ware or coasters? Or that Massachu-
setts doesn’t have happy hour? (Perish
the thought!)
“I love discovering new worlds,”
Bartels writes, “and that happens
every time we walk into a bar, where
colorful characters and infinite stories
await.” Indeed, bars, clubs, taverns, and
speakeasies bring people together with
drinks, and Bartels does a fine job of
balancing recipe book with story book.
Kevin Revolinski is an avid traveler, craft
beer enthusiast, and home cooking fan.
He is the author of 15 books, including
“The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an
American Teacher in Turkey” and his
new collection of short stories, “Stealing
Away.” He is based in Madison, Wis.,
and his website is TheMadTraveler.com
KIRIENKO OLEG/SHUTTERSTOCK

Cocktails of Our Nation

Writer Brian Bartels zooms out for a
broader view of American cocktails in
his all-encompassing volume “United
States of Cocktails: Recipes, Tales, and
Bartels’ stories are a testament to how bars, Traditions from All 50 States.” (Need-
clubs, taverns, and speakeasies bring people
together with drinks.
less to say, an old fashioned glass marks
LUCKYRACCOON/GETTY IMAGES Wisconsin on the map.)
Bartels is a Wisconsinite, naturally,
and cut his teeth and limes as a bar-
tender in Madison. But for a decade, he
served as managing partner and bar
director of a bar-training program in
New York. A lot of time and travel went
into this volume: Indeed, Bartels “trav-
eled everywhere throughout the United
States to corral the information you are
about to read,” he writes in the intro,
“seeing the bars, trying the cocktails,
and talking to the locals about what
makes each state unique.”
Bartels divides the country into four
main sections: the Northeast, South,
Midwest, and West, and each state A blue Hawaii
within gets a chapter, highlighting a cocktail.
particular spirit, the oldest establish-
B6 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTED BY TOM HOUSTON

EPOCH TIMES STAFF
Across
1. Primatologist’s study
5. “April Love” singer
Boone
8. “Foxy Brown” Grier
11. In the mail
15. Algae-killing chemical
17. Trappist beverage
18. Calculus calculation
19. Act of dressing and
grooming oneself
20. Free (of)
21. Flightless bird
22. Sought by many em-
ployees, but never truly
achieved
25. One wanting
26. Swiftly
27. “Into the Woods”
(2014) director Marshall
29. Tesla Powerwall, e.g.
33. Govt. property
overseer
extra 4NUMBERS CONSTRUCTED BY C. CHANG
AT 4NUMS.COM DAILY BRIDGE CLUB
8. Protective wall
Use the four numbers in the corners, and Getting creative
9. “Arabian Nights” hero the operands (+, - X, and ÷) to build an BY FRANK STEWART, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
10. Treatable equation to get the solution in the middle.
There may be more than one “unique” so- ©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11. “Beasts and Super- lution but, there may also be “equivalent”
Beasts” author solutions. For example: 6 + (7 X 3) +1 = 28 A good defender takes all the tricks that
12. United Nations mem- and 1+ (7 X 3) + 6 = 28 are there. A great defender takes some
that aren’ t there. He creates problems for
ber since 1993 declarer.
13. The Big Apple Test your creativity. Cover today’s
14. “Witchi-___-To” (Jan South and East cards and defend as West.
When you lead the king of spades against
Garbarek-Bobo Stenson 3NT, East plays the deuce, declarer the
Quartet) eight. South surely held A-J- 8. If you lead
16. Change, as a clock another spade, he will win two spade tricks.
How do you defend?
23. Effect of gravity The actual West was world-class. He led
24. Rent the nine of hearts!
28. “Adios!”
CLUB ENTRY
30. “Alita: Battle Angel” From declarer’ s perspective, East might
Salizar have held the king of hearts and West the
31. Mine entrance Hard 1 - 2 Solutions ace of clubs. Then, if declarer finessed in
hearts, East would win and return a spade,
32. Crossbeam setting up the suit while West had the ace
33. Morgan Freeman role of clubs as an entry.
34. 1990 comedy “___ So South took the ace of hearts and
forced out the ace of clubs. He ducked
Patrol” East’ s spade return, won the third spade
35. Big name in synthe- and took his minor-suit winners but was
sizers still one trick short. When he led a heart,
West produced the king and a high spade
40. Certain conjunction, for down one.
in a poem or a text That’s creativity.
message
DAILY QUESTION
41. Promulgate You hold: {KQ10764 K9 J962
43. “Adam’s ___” y2. You deal and open two spades, a weak
45. Blow it Hard 2 - 1 Solution two-bid. Your partner responds 2NT. What
do you say?
36. Pea jacket? one 47. Bank portfolios ANSWER: Partner’ s 2NT is a conventional
37. Check 80. Hacienda hand, 48. Airport curb queue forcing inquiry. Partnerships agree on
38. Pile maker maybe 49. Stay away from various methods. For instance, opener
might artificially rebid three clubs to show
39. Gumbo vegetables 81. Guy’s date 50. Frigid a poor hand and a poor suit. In one common
42. “___ Charles” (Bark- 82. Become very thin 51. Stage signal method, opener shows a “feature”: a side
ley’s nickname) 83. Go on and on 52. Time ace or king. If that is your agreement, bid
three hearts.
44. Pastoral place 84. Conductor De Waart 56. Lithic leader
North dealer
46. Employment that 85. Able 57. Quirky N-S vulnerable
58. Put down
comes with legal 86. Chemistry Nobelist
60. Surveyor’s tool
immunity Hahn
61. Cause of sweet-clover
53. Low card 87. Established
disease Easy 1 - 2 Solutions
54. “Phooey!” 88. Half ems (print) 63. Abolishes
55. Persist 89. Lays down the lawn 66. Dust remover
56. “Arkeologist” 67. Spot
59. “Broadway Joe” after Down 68. Because
being a Jet 1. Be part of the cast of 69. Knitter’s coils
62. Goathead sticker 2. Call 73. Sister of Urania
64. Thumbs-up vote 3. Pass over 74. Deserved
65. Ease 4. Must be chewed 75. Olympic racers
70. Away 5. Pillar of the mining 77. Get ___ shape
71. Quick community 78. Neural system
72. Cautious gamblers 6. Bet 79. Fed
76. Chuck Yeager was 7. “Pretty Little Liars” 80. In favor of Easy 2 - 1 Solution

WORDSEARCH CONSTRUCTED BY TOM HOUSTON

EPOCH TIMES STAFF SUPER KAKURO CONSTRUCTED
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF

Help with Today’s Crossword Puzzle? Kakuro puzzles are like crosswords that use numbers instead of words. The goal is to fill the blank squares associated with a clue (called a “run”) with the numbers
1-9 so that the numbers add up to the corresponding clues. Like Sudoku, digits in a run cannot repeat. When the grid is filled, the puzzle is complete.

ACTIN ELIDE OKRAS SKEINS

AFFRONT EMACIATE PARAPET SLEDS
AGILE ERATO PHONE SOLIDS
ALI BABA ERITREA PIKERS STORAGE
ALIDADE MEDICABLE PITPROP BATTERY
ALTHO MELILOT RATED TALENTED
APACE MORTGAGES RECUR TOILETTE
CHLORINE NEEDER REPEALS TRAVE
EFFORTLESS- NEW YORK RESET
NESS OFFBEAT SINCE

SOLUTIONS
CROSSWORD SUPER KAKURO
4 NUMBERS
HARD 1

HARD 2

EASY 1

EASY 2
 THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 B7

SUDOKU CONSTRUCTED
BY KANNAN SANKARAN SUPERSUDOKU CONSTRUCTED
BY KANNAN SANKARAN

Fill in the boxes using numbers between 1 and 9 so that each column, each Fill in the boxes using numbers from 0 to 9 and letters from A to F so that each column, each row, and
row, and each 3x3 square contain all nine numbers only once. each 4x4 square contain all ten numbers and six letters only once.
Hard

Easy FEEDBACK@EPOCHTIMES.COM

WE HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES TO

OUR PUZZLE PAGE IN RESPONSE TO
PUZZLER’S FEEDBACK. LET US KNOW
WHAT YOU THINK!
FEEDBACK@EPOCHTIMES.COM

CRYPTIC QUOTE

EPOCH DOKU CONSTRUCTED

BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF

WORK SPACE

KAKURO CONSTRUCTED
BY EPOCH TIMES STAFF JUMBLE BY DAVID L. HOYT
& JEFF KNUREK

Kakuro puzzles are like crosswords that use numbers instead of words. The goal THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
is to fill the blank squares associated with a clue (called a “run”) with the numbers By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
1-9 so that the numbers add up to the corresponding clues. Like Sudoku, digits Unscramble these Jumbles,
*HWWKHIUHH-867-80%/(DSS‡)ROORZXVRQ7ZLWWHU#3OD\-XPEOH

in a run cannot repeat. When the grid is filled, the puzzle is complete. one letter to each square,
to form four ordinary words.
Easy
ELHVA
EPOCH ESCAPE MAZE
GNSIE

3587,1

TBINTE
Now arrange the circled letters
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC to form the surprise answer, as
All Rights Reserved. suggested by the above cartoon.

“ - ”

WORK SPACE

SOLUTIONS
SUPERSUDOKU SUDOKU: EASY JUMBLE EASY KAKURO
to — “INHABIT-TENTS”
“M*A*S*H” were home
ters seen on the TV show
The mobile living quar-
Answers:
BITTEN
TURNIP
SINGE iPhone 4
HALVE
Jumbles:
SUDOKU: HARD EPOCH DOKU

CRYPTIC QUOTE
imposed without legislation.
of taxation that can be
Inflation is the one form
B8
The Busy Parent’s Guide to
Packing Healthy Kids’ Lunches
A conversation with Laura Fuentes of MOMables
BARBARA DANZA
K
ids’ lunches have become some-
what of a moving target this past
year, as parents juggle varying
school schedules and situa-
tions. What better time than a
new year to take a fresh look at what we’re
packing—or serving at home—for lunch?
I asked Laura Fuentes, cookbook author
and founder of MOMables.com, a food blog
and family meal-planning service, for her
tips and advice on offering our kids easy
and healthy lunches. Here’s what she said.
THE EPOCH TIMES: What are the key ele-
ments of a healthy lunch for kids?
LAURA FUENTES: Regardless of dietary pref-
erences, the best school lunches are those
that are packed with nutrition, tasty, and
easy to prepare—all of which help ensure
that the lunchbox comes home empty.
I like to make sure each packed lunch is a
balance of healthy carbs, fats, and quality
protein to keep them satiated and focused
for the rest of the school day.
THE EPOCH TIMES: What are some of your
go-to strategies for ensuring your kids eat
a healthy lunch each day?
MS. FUENTES: It’s easy to grab prepackaged
lunch foods and snacks, but in the long run,
we parents know it’s not the best option.
Having a variety of lunches in place adds
variety to our kids’ meals and nutrition.
I usually plan three different lunch items
per week that include fresh ingredients
as well as leftovers. This ensures that no
food goes to waste and lunches are often
prepped ahead of time.
I’m a big fan of bulk cooking and freez-
ing, so one-time prep leads to many future
lunches!
I also recreate kid-favorite foods with
healthier ingredients. Blending veggies
into tomato soup or baking nuggets instead
of frying are some of the ways I make my
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
kids’ favorites more nutritious.
Having some of their favorites made with
fresh ingredients helps me know that they
are getting the fuel they need for the day
while enjoying what’s packed for lunch.
THE EPOCH TIMES: What are some of your
favorite choices to pack in a lunchbox?
MS. FUENTES: When it comes to making
my kids’ lunches, they love anything to do
with quesadillas, baked mini quiches, and
grilled cheese. Typical, right?! To add a little
extra nutrition, I try to add chopped veg-
gies to the quesadillas and mini quiches,
while options like the grilled cheese can
be packed with a side of vegetable soup or
raw veggies and dip.
For at-home lunches (and for adults), I’m all
about bowls built with a base of rice or lettuce,
topped with veggies and a serving of protein—
usually whatever is leftover from dinner—and
a sauce to drizzle with, of course! The best school lunches and make sure they are getting a balance.
are those that are packed Meal plan. While we often meal plan
THE EPOCH TIMES: What healthy snacks do with nutrition, tasty, and our dinners, it’s important to also plan out
you recommend for kids? easy to prepare. lunches. This is as simple as selecting a few
MS. FUENTES: Both my second cookbook, lunch ideas your family likes, with ingredi-
“The Best Homemade Kids’ Snacks on the ents similar to what you might be using for
Planet,” and my fifth cookbook, “Clean dinner so you can combine shopping lists
Treats for Everyone,” are filled with real- and spend less time cooking. In this way,
food snacks parents can easily make ahead you’ll know when to prep ingredients and
for their kids. Know what avoid that situation of figuring out what to
My kids have inspired the creation of de- make for lunch the morning of.
licious recipes like energy bites, no-bake your kids Prep ahead. Taking 1 to 2 hours at the
chocolate chip blondies, and homemade beginning of the week to chop veggies,
fruit roll-ups, for example.
like. You prep salads, and cook grains and meats
For store-bought ideas, I prefer sliced fruit know your can save so much time during the week.
and veggies with a dip, nuts, trail mixes, Instead of spending hours in the kitchen
dehydrated foods, or fruit leather. kids better every night to bring a meal to the table and
than anyone, pack lunches, it’s more like 30 minutes once
THE EPOCH TIMES: How can parents make you learn how to do healthy meal prep for
packing lunches for their kids each day as including the week.
easy as possible? Pack leftovers. There is no better way to
MS. FUENTES: Know what your kids like. which foods use last night’s leftovers than for a hot ther-
You know your kids better than anyone, in- they prefer. mos lunch! Not only does this save time,
cluding which foods they prefer. Choosing but nothing goes to waste, and hot lunches
options that are similar to foods they like Laura Fuentes, founder, are always a nice switch-up from the usual
can help you pack a variety in the lunchbox MOMables cold lunches.