Trump can end Ukraine war, Secret Service is not underfunded and other commentary

Foreign Ministry: Trump can end the Ukraine war

Experts claim that if re-elected, Donald Trump “will cut off aid to Ukraine, cede territory, negotiate directly with Vladimir Putin and impose a disgraceful ‘peace’ on the country.” Observes David J. Urban and Mike Pompeo of The Wall Street JournalBut there is “no evidence” that this is the case; rather, there is “plenty of evidence to the contrary.” Trump lifted Obama’s arms embargo on Ukraine, sent Javelin missiles that proved crucial, and supported House Speaker Mike Johnson’s approval of additional aid to Kiev. As president, he could “unlock America’s energy potential,” eat into Russia’s “war crimes budget,” impose “real” sanctions, “build up” the U.S. defense industry, reinvigorate NATO, and lift restrictions on Ukrainian arms. “This would re-establish a position of strength and make Putin understand that he has to end the war.”

Libertarian: The Secret Service is not underfunded

“Following the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, there will likely be a lot of criticism. [Secret Service] “We don’t have much water because we don’t have enough resources.” Reason’s Joe Lancaster argues: In testimony to Congress, former USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle “suggested that understaffing was the problem,” but “before lawmakers pull out their federal checkbooks and react,” she points out that, according to Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute, “actual Secret Service expenditures are growing from $2.34 billion in 2014 to $3.62 billion in 2024,” a 55% increase over a decade. Lancaster goes on to say, “It’s clear that the Secret Service’s problem isn’t underfunding, and lawmakers should resist calls to pump more taxpayer money into it.”

From the right: Cam is just another radical leftist.

Kamala Harris is ‘Bernie Sanders with lipstick’ Liz Peake argues in The Hill:Her record as a “progressive leftist” includes “supporting Medicare for All when it was trendy and supporting the Green New Deal before billions of dollars were spent on the unpopular electric vehicle mandate.” She also supports “the right to abortion anytime, anywhere, regardless of the viability of the fetus, without the need for a licensed physician to perform the procedure.” On crime, she supports “California’s Proposition 47 decriminalized many crimes, but the result was a state that is rife with crime, and my city of San Francisco is now one of the most blighted.”

VP Candidate Spotlight: Shapiro-Harris’ Best Bet

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pennsylvania) is the leading contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. National Review’s Jim Geraghty explains:“The equation is simple.” If Harris wins “two or three of the ‘blue wall’ states (Michigan, Wisconsin and Shapiro’s Pennsylvania) she “has a very good chance of winning over 270 electoral votes. If she doesn’t, she’s almost certain to lose.” And Shapiro’s “approval rating is 1.5%.” [his] Shapiro said Harris still has a high chance of winning the electoral vote (57%) and has much more support from Republicans and independents than the average Democrat. Shapiro would also make history as the first Jewish vice president. But all of her other qualifications, like barrier-breaking and governance and foreign policy experience, are secondary to her main task: getting Harris 270 electoral votes. For now, it looks like Shapiro will be the one to handle that task.

Tech Beat: Strengthening Cybersecurity Together

“Today, we must encourage companies to implement proper cybersecurity and not hesitate to impose heavy fines when negligence puts consumers at risk.” The Hill’s Steve Wiseman warnsBeyond the recent CrowdStrike debacle, “the threat of large-scale computer attacks by cybercriminals or foreign nation states is now commonplace, yet each time it happens, we seem to learn very little.” For example, in a “mandated regulatory document,” AT&T “disclosed that it had suffered a significant data breach affecting nearly all of its 109 million customers.” Apparently, it “must take steps to protect the security of its data, networks and systems,” including “enforcing strong, unique passwords for all accounts” and “multi-factor authentication to prevent cybercriminals from accessing accounts even if a password is compromised.” — Compiled by the Post Editorial Board