TO THE TEETH: U.S. pushes arms sales surge to Taiwan, needling China.

Pursuing seven sales at once is a rare departure from years of precedent in which U.S. military sales to the island were spaced out and carefully calibrated to minimize tensions with Beijing.

But the Trump administration has become more aggressive with China in 2020 and the sales would land as relations between Beijing and Washington are at their lowest point in decades over accusations of spying, a lingering trade war and disputes about the spread of the novel coronavirus.

At the same time Taiwan’s desire to buy weapons increased after President Tsai Ing-wen was re-elected here in January and has made strengthening Taiwan’s defenses a top priority.

Maybe what the Republic of China on Taiwan really needs is a couple squadrons of F-35s.

ACTUALLY, I’M NOT ALL THAT SHOCKED: ‘The Vow’ – Shocking HBO Doc Reveals NXIVM Sex Cult’s Links to Extreme Trump Derangement Syndrome.

OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT I HAVE SOME EDUCATED CONJECTURE ON WHAT THE TOP-SECRET NEW STEALTH FIGHTER WILL AND WON’T BE: New Stealth Fighter 6th-Gen Prototype Flies in Record Time, Invisible and Deadly.

CATCH AND RELEASE: FBI seeks accused rioter previously released by Portland Police. “According to the FBI statement about Singlestad, he allegedly resisted arrest, pulling his arms away and bashed an officer in the face with a skateboard. He was cited with felony assault of a public safety officer and disorderly conduct in the second degree, but was not booked into jail.”

SOFT ON CRIME IS HARD ON KIDS: Kamala Harris Promoted a Bail Fund That Helped a Child Rapist Get Out of Jail.

OK, CHIEF: Beijing warns it will make ‘necessary response’ to US diplomat’s Taiwan visit. “Foreign ministry calls trip by undersecretary of state Keith Krach provocative and says it encourages ‘separatist forces on the island’.”

The Republic of China on Taiwan already is separate from the Communist People’s Republic of China on the mainland, and thank goodness for that.

COLORADO: Police Stand Down Twice To Avoid Arresting Violent Felon. Guess Why. “The situation was so far out of control that the police believe it might result in someone winding up dead, but they were told to ‘stand down’ and walk away. Twice. So what led to that decision? The Deputy Chief admitted that the choice made by the police was influenced by the death of Elijah McClain in police custody last month.”

LARRY O’CONNOR: Stop Lowering Expectations for Biden’s Debate Performance. “I know it’s fun to point out all of the stupid, meandering, and incoherent ramblings Biden exhibits on a nearly daily basis, but could we please stop playing into this narrative that President Trump is going to clean his clock at the presidential debates later this month?”

Indeed.

Ann Althouse last week: “He is reasonably nimble. He can evade. He’s very evasive. You’ve got to give him that. He’s old and often seems confused, but when cornered, he’s quick to evade.”

If Biden can manage two hours of the rote fallback answers he’s been using since the 2012 campaign, it will be spun as a win.

Trump’s job — because the moderators won’t do it — will be to force Biden off-script.

ANALYSIS: TRUE. Democrats Are a Threat to the Constitution in the 2020 Elections.

VODKAPUNDIT PRESENTS YOUR DAILY INSANITY WRAP: ‘Mostly Peaceful’ Riots Most Expensive in History.

Insanity Wrap needs to know: Could John Kerry be any more wrong?

Answer: No. John Kerry could not be any more wrong if he fell up into the sun rising in the west while wearing white after Labor Day.

Before we get to the sordid details, a quick preview of today’s Wrap.

• The most nonsensical projectile word vomit from Joe Biden you’ve ever heard
• How to lose voters and infuriate people, Democrat-style.
• It’s cool when Kamala wears it, but not Melania.

And so much more at the link, you’d have to be crazy to miss it.

BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DID: Facebook and Instagram Flag Tucker Carlson Virus Posts.

ENDORSED: Help parents pay for at-home education.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEF: First Amendment Champion DeVos Is the MVP of Trump’s Cabinet. “All that DeVos has been doing is attempt to restore some basic constitutional rights on college campuses that have been cavalierly stripped away over the years by commie academics. Universities should be encouraging the free exchange of ideas. That’s difficult to do when First Amendment rights have been tossed out of the window by the bitter totalitarian shrews in academia.”

IT MIGHT BE MORE ACCURATE TO SAY THAT IN HIS DIMINISHED CAPACITY HE’S BECOME A SOCKPUPPET FOR HIS PARTY’S RADICAL WING: Joe Biden Is No Moderate. “As Peter Beinart put it in The Atlantic, ‘Despite embracing an agenda that is further to the left than that of any Democratic nominee in decades, [Biden has] avoided the specific policy proposals and catchphrases that Republicans find easiest to attack. As a result, he appears more centrist than he actually is.’ Beinart is correct about where Biden’s agenda sits on the policy spectrum, but he is wrong about Biden avoiding specific proposals. In fact, it would be difficult to present his positions on social policy issues as further to the left than he has presented them himself (or has allowed them to be presented on his behalf) on his campaign website. Biden carefully describes his proposals in coded language and in less-than-obvious places, and a compliant press allows him to avoid discussing them on the stump. But the website sets forth policies that are unambiguously extreme.”

KUDOS FOR NOT CAVING TO CANCEL CULTURE AND THE GLEICHSCHALTUNG: Spotify CEO Defends Keeping Transphobic Joe Rogan Podcasts Online. “The specific episode of the Joe Rogan Experience Ek was referring to was from July, in which Rogan interviewed Abigail Shrier, author of the book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, according to one of the sources. From the opening moments of that podcast, Shrier associates transgender youth with those with autism; Shrier and Rogan spend parts of the episode explaining that young people are being pressured into transitioning by YouTube and other media.”

CHANGE: Trump Administration Forces Qatari News Network Al Jazeera To Register As ‘Foreign Agent.’

WOEING: Boeing hid design flaws in 737 Max jets from pilots and regulators.

The 238-page report details how Boeing attempted to minimize both the regulatory testing and pilot training required to fly the new Max, which was being rushed out in an attempt to compete with the Airbus A320neo.

It found the company successfully persuaded the FAA not to classify the anti-stall system as “safety critical,” meaning that many pilots did not even know of its existence before flying the Max.

In doing so, Boeing concealed from regulators internal test data showing that if a pilot took longer than 10 seconds to recognize that the system had kicked in erroneously, the consequences would be “catastrophic.”

Read the whole thing.

AND ALMOST ENTIRELY IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT COULD LEAST AFFORD IT, BECAUSE JUSTICE OR SOMETHING: It’s Official: The George Floyd Riots Were the Most Destructive in U.S. History.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: I Watched Preteen Sexploitation Flick ‘Cuties’ on Netflix So You Don’t Have To. “If you had thought that the sexploitation of preteen girls was something Americans of all stripes could agree was a bad thing, well… welcome to 2020, when everything is politicized and anything can be used as a cudgel against conservatives.”

The rest is just for our PJMedia/Townhall VIP members.

If you’ve been thinking of becoming a member, you can do so here — and don’t forget to use that VODKAPUNDIT discount code.

LIVE TODAY AT 3:30PM EASTERN: VIP Gold Live Chat with VodkaPundit, Kruiser, and Preston.

Hot takes, cold drinks.

REMIND ME PLEASE WHAT ‘CDC’ STANDS FOR: Is the CDC Downplaying the Efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine To ‘Resist’ Trump?

WOW: Netflix Subscription Cancellations Soar After ‘Cuties’ Controversy.

I’m working on a piece about the film for later today.

NOT THE BEE: In a total cringe move, Biden played “Despacito” on his phone at a Hispanic campaign event. Wait till you read these lyrics!

HMM: Joe Biden’s 2016 call with ex-Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko is leaked.

BRYAN PRESTON: The Magnetic Genius Behind the Branding of the Abraham Accords.