text: Good morning. Here’s your Early Warning for Wednesday, 08 December 2021.TODAY’S BRIEFING:India’s Defense chief dies in helicopter crashBiden mandates struck down in nationwide rulingEPA warns of biofuels impact on food supplyCanada’s Huawei deal threatens U.S. intelligence sharingCongress funds Pacific Defense Initiative, eyes China.In Focus: Ukraine-Russia updateFar Left Activity Rollup & OutlookSITUATIONAL AWARENESSINDIA DEFENSE CHIEF DIES IN HELICOPTER CRASH: India’s Defense Chief General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 other people were killed after a military helicopter they were traveling in crashed in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has said. Rawat was India’s first defense chief after the position was established in 2019. He was seen as being close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Analyst Comment: It is too early to tell how the death of Rawat will impact India’s defense posture along its disputed border with China or its counterinsurgency battle in Kashmir. Rawat recently oversaw the fielding of the 30,000-man strong, U.S. supplied, Mountain Strike Force now deployed along the Line of Actual Control on the border with China. India is a key partner with the U.S. in the QUAD Indo-Pacific security alliance.- M.M.) MANDATE: Federal Judge Stan Baker from Georgia’s southern district blocked the Biden administration’s vaccination mandate for federal contractors nationwide. The ruling said the federal government cannot “act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends.” The national injunction is due to the Associated Builders and Contractors construction association’s presence across the country, creating “extreme economic burdens.” Judge Baker said, “Simply put, EO [Executive Order] 14042’s directives and resulting impact radiate too far beyond the purposes of the Procurement Act and the authority it grants to the President.” (AC: The administration’s executive mandates are unlikely to be upheld in the three separate federal lawsuits and subsequent injunctions. The judge’s direct indictment of the President’s authority strikes another blow to the perceived legitimacy and exercised authority. Without specific legislative changes from Congress, the administration continues to overstep its constitutional authority. – D.M.) BIOFUEL & FOOD: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is beginning to raise concerns over biofuel production levels. Soybean oil is a primary input during biofuels production. The EPA is concerned that prioritizing biofuel production “could lead to diversion of feedstocks from food and other current uses.” The EPA says biofuel production will have “adverse impacts on ecosystems and wildlife habitat,” consequences to water quality and supply, and will likely contribute to “increased prices for agricultural commodities and food prices.” (AC: Inflation, transportation costs, and labor shortages have contributed significantly to price pressures on food experienced by consumers throughout 2021. Unlike these contributors, biofuel production’s adverse effects on the food supply can be reversed via solutions such as tax incentives or an increase in government subsidies. – T.W.)