Free Republic

The Trump Justice Department has arrested a California technology-company owner accused of smuggling more than $300 million in restricted American computer servers to China. Prosecutors say the operation used false paperwork and stops in other countries to get around U.S. export controls. That is the central issue here: a shipment’s first destination is not necessarily its final customer. The national-security division announced the arrest while emphasizing the strategic importance of the chips involved: California Man Arrested for Smuggling More Than $300 Million in Export-Controlled Computer Servers to China“SI is the defining technology of the era,” said Assistant Attorney General John...

A San Gabriel Valley woman pleaded guilty to defrauding over $150 million from the U.S. Postal Service. Lijuan “Angela” Chen, 51, of Walnut, carried out the scheme by using counterfeit postage to ship tens of millions of packages, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. From November 2019 to May 2023, Chen and her accomplice, Chuanhua “Hugh” Hu, 51, owned and operated a package shipping business in the City of Industry.

Once in a while, almost by accident, the California Legislature sets aside pettiness and venality and does the right thing. It happened last week, although you won't find any official record, when legislation that would have changed a city's redevelopment powers in ways that could lead to widespread abuse was quietly killed without a committee hearing. Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, dropped the bill that the City of Industry was promoting after getting an earful of complaints from other local governments, especially Los Angeles County, and redevelopment reformers. Redevelopment, for those who aren't familiar with it, is the process by...