How a U.K. Firm Helped China Crack Down on Hong Kong Democracy
Plus: Mr. Biden Goes to Moscow
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ELLEN BORK: How a U.K. Firm Helped China Crack Down on Hong Kong Democracy
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS WARNED American businesses operating in Hong Kong that they face ānew and heightenedā risks as Beijing brings the cityās legal and political regimes into alignment with the mainland. The September 6 advisory from the U.S. Departments of State, Agriculture, Homeland Security, Commerce, and Treasury updated a 2021 warning of the āreputational, regulatory, financial and in certain instances, legal risksā to American companies in the city. According to the advisory, even ordinary business activities may run afoul of the territoryās national security legal regime.
The advisory should have highlighted how companies may come under pressure to do the Hong Kong governmentās dirty work. Consider the case of U.K.-based multinational BDO, the worldās fifth-largest accounting firm, which helped the Hong Kong government liquidate Next Digital Limited, the parent company of the popular pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.
NATHAN MCDERMOTT: Mark Robinson: Black Americans Were āAt Their Highestā Under Jim Crow
NORTH CAROLINA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE and current lieutenant governor Mark Robinson, already under fire for a series of racist remarks, once waxed nostalgically about the Jim Crow era of intense segregation.
āDuring Jim Crow, you can go back and you can look at it and the record will show you, thatās when black folks were at their highest in this country,ā Robinson said in a speech in 2020. āWhen the times were the toughest, thatās when they were highest. And why? Because they knew they had to rely on themselves.ā
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CATHY YOUNG: Mr. Biden Goes to Moscow
JOE BIDENāS POLITICAL CAREER in the United States might be coming to a close, but heās about to begin a career as a TV comedy star in Russia. Not the actual Joe Biden, of course. Played by veteran Russian actor/singer Dmitriy Dyuzhev, the American president is about to appear as the main character of a series called Goodbye (not a translation; the title is the English word transliterated into Russian), which is going to air on the national entertainment channel TNT.
The premise: Biden travels to Russia incognito to find out why U.S. sanctions arenāt working, then gets stranded in enemy territory after losing his papersāand is befriended by a patriotic Russian P.E. teacher who eventually opens his eyes to the wonder and goodness that is Russia. Meanwhile, in a classic (or hackneyed) ādoubles switching placesā plot twist, the Russian lookalike whose identity Biden is using, a retiree named Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov, is flown to the United States by the hapless CIA agents who lost the real Biden, and so ends up in the White House.
ZANDY HARTIG: āEvilā Comes to an End
THE FIRST THREE SEASONS OF EVIL were inventive, entertaining, and devilishly fun, which makes it all the more disappointing that its fourth and final season ended with a whimper and not a demonic howl. Even though the acting and production design remained consistently excellent, the showās captivating tension, compelling characters, and intricate plotlines fizzled in the end.
šØOVERTIMEšØ
Happy Friday! The weather here is beautiful, but too dry, and nearing a 129-year record high. Hope you have fun plans set for this weekend. Itās never too hot for Oktoberfest.
In the old neighborhoodā¦ Early voting has begun, and the totals have already surpassed 2020.
Gov. DeWineās NYT op-edā¦ Is nice, but he still supports these guys? Not enough.
Ohioās Catholic Bishops speakā¦ In a letter that doesnāt explicitly name Senator Boss Baby, a member of their flock, but pretty clearly puts him on blast:
āToday, our nation is divided by partisanship and ideology, which blind us to the image of God in our neighbor, especially the unborn, the poor, and the stranger. These negative sentiments are only exacerbated by gossip, which can spread quickly across social media with no concern for the truth or those involved.ā
Georgia goes YOLOā¦ With the elections board proposing likely illegal new rules that will probably cause chaos.
Viva el punto azulā¦ The Omaha blue dot looks likely to remain this cycle. (Omaha World-Herald)
#ElonOwesMe100Bucksā¦ In 2017, I paid Cards Against Humanity $15. It was part of their āCards Against Humanity Saves America.ā 149,999 other people and I bought this pack, not knowing what theyād do with the money. One of the days, they bought some land in Texas to protect a pristine plot of border land. The idea being they wouldnāt let Trumpās border wall run through it. Alas, Elon Musk decided to turn this land, and othersā land, without permission, into a trash dumping spot. So, āCardsā is suing Musk for $15 million, to deliver each of us up to $100 in damages. If I get the $100, Iāll frame it like I did the $1 of Ben Steinās Money that I possess. Pay up and get off our land, Mr. Musk.
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