Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.
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Any Meeting Between US-Putin Is a Waste of Time – Biden said many good things. He raised cybersecurity and cyberattacks on critical U.S. infrastructure, the situation with Navalny, Russian support for Assad, and Russian aggression in Ukraine. However, it remains to be seen if this tough talk will translate into tough policies. Admittedly, we are less than five months into a four-year term, but so far it has been a mix bag on Russia. The meeting was a great propaganda victory for Putin. In the eyes of the Russian people, Putin looks like a co-equal on the global stage with the President of the United States. This summit was a reminder that any meeting between a U.S. President and Putin is a waste of time. As long as Putin remains in the Kremlin, Russia cannot be a credible partner for the U.S. Heritage expert: Alexis Mrachek
G-7 gives world three Biden lessons -- here are the surprising things we've learned – One thing made abundantly clear at the meeting: the president is most interested in foreign policy initiatives that add legitimacy to his domestic agenda aiming to transform America into a progressive la-la land. The administration, for example, reentered the Paris Accord, a climate change pact that can be used to justify radical energy and economic policies such as those in the Green New Deal. Similarly, he used the summit to endorse a global minimum corporate tax rate—a move that will be used to demand higher corporate taxes here at home. Heritage expert: James Carafano
The Biden Administration Signs America on to a Global Tax Cartel – Under the new 2021 G7 agreement, multinational companies will be subject to a minimum 15 percent tax rate. If this agreement takes effect, the G7—led by the United States—will have created an international tax cartel that will hurt workers and help no one. If cartels created by private companies are harmful to the people, cartels created by government and enforced by law are an abomination. Congress should be skeptical of any international agreements that are, too often, back doors to sneak laws passed Congress and past the American people, who are the rightful sovereigns of the United States. Heritage expert: Peter St. Onge
Protect DC Students From Critical Race Theory’s Racial Bias, Congressman Says – In states such as Idaho, Texas, and Oklahoma, legislators have adopted proposals meant to protect children from those ideas. State lawmakers there have rightfully been concerned for children’s well-being. Such proposals must be carefully designed so that teachers and students are kept safe from critical race theory’s racist applications while allowing educators to warn children of the philosophy’s discriminatory principles. Parents, teachers, and school leaders—in that order—are responsible for teaching children what racism is and why such behavior is not only wrong, but utterly incompatible with America’s promise of freedom and opportunity for everyone. With discerning proposals that block compelled speech and align with the Civil Rights Act’s condemnation of racism, state and federal lawmakers can help Americans out of another bleak period marked by a new form of racial bias. Heritage expert: Jonathan Butcher
Critical Race Theory Will Destroy Our Military – The U.S. military is the epitome of opportunity, shared purpose, and constructive idealism—the very things America was built on and that have driven it to become the best example of what is possible. This is why so many people from around the world have flocked to our shores since our founding, to participate in our ongoing great experiment. Critical race theory is as great an insult to our men and women in uniform as their shared service and identity is the best example of what it means to be an American. The leaders of our military, both uniformed and civilian, must not lose sight of this. All Americans should demand that the Biden administration put an end to indoctrination of our military with critical race theory. Heritage expert: Dakota Wood
Sino-Vatican Cooperation a Threat to Religious Liberty – The Vatican’s persistent détente with Beijing raises some troubling concerns. For starters, it continues even as the Chinese Communist Party continues to spearhead an ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minorities. To make matters worse, despite the agreement, the condition of Catholics in China has not improved. Further, while the pastoral intent of the Holy See is understandable, in reality it is not possible to clearly distinguish the pastoral from the political in China. The Vatican’s deal gives political legitimacy to the Chinese regime. If the new administration is as committed to religious liberty as it claims it is, and if it is as serious about pushing back on Beijing’s “wolf-warrior” diplomacy as it claims, then the U.S. needs to double-down on pressing the Vatican to get on the right side of the China’s flagrant abuses. In short, we need more moral clarity from both Washington and Rome. Heritage expert: James Carafano
US Navy Punts on Building a Fleet to Compete with China – Shipbuilding, recruitment, and training are long-lead elements of naval power. This budget delays tackling those challenges and turns a blind eye to the danger posed by China’s rapidly growing fleet of over 360 warships. The Navy’s false choice of investing in future capability misses the reality facing it today. America must invest in both growing today’s fleet in numbers and staying ahead of our competitors’ technologies. Our national security demands that we sustain our critical network of allies and compete with China and Russia. The administration’s proposed Navy budget does neither. Let us hope Congress will act more responsibly and deliver a budget that responds to current challenges and the dangers ahead. Heritage expert: Brent Sadler