text: DEMS SEEK CHANGES TO EV TAX CREDIT RULES: Democrats led by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) are seeking to change rules to federal tax credits for electric vehicles. Stabenow shared her “serious concern” that the tax credits would be useless as long as rules in place prohibit their use in purchasing vehicles with components sourced from China. (AC: It appears that the electric vehicle tax credit found in the Inflation Reduction Act won’t be useful for years. Ford, GM, and other electric vehicle manufacturers are lobbying Congress to change the language in the bill, however, Stabenow warned that “none of the auto companies will able to offer that credit to consumers” due to the language in the bill, which is unlikely to be changed due to efforts to fast track it’s passing. – M.S.)￼FOOD & AG: NSTRENERGY: NSTRJOURNALIST ENCOURAGES UBER DRIVERS TO REPORT ON CPAC: A Dallas, Texas-based investigative journalist is encouraging Uber drivers to inquire about their riders’ affiliation with the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) being held this week in Dallas. In a social media post, the journalist said he would amplify any stories drivers can share with him. (AC: The journalist is presumably scouting for potentially embarrassing or politically damaging information to discredit CPAC or conservative politicians. – M.S.)￼DEFENSE DEPARTMENT EXPANDS BIOCHEMICAL DEFENSE PROGRAMS: Citing an increased threat, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense programs Deborah Rosenblum called for a “radical transformation” in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) preparedness. She announced initiatives that will provide new and advanced equipment, including wearable bio-chemical sensors, increased training, and integration of CBRN considerations into the day-to-day operations of U.S. Forces. (AC: CBRN threat indicators are present in China’s continued exploration of bio-chemical technology with a dual-use application, and their doctrine of “unrestricted warfare”. Additional indicators include Russia’s use of chemical and radiological agents and the announcement of a new disease research lab in the Congo. Renewed interest in CBRN defense is also likely to impact the civilian sector, expanding emergency response and healthcare capabilities needed to handle future occurrences of terrorism, industrial accidents, and pandemics. – R.P.)CHINA IN DOMINANT POSITION IN BLOCKADE OF TAIWAN: China announced Tuesday a series of military exercises and related restricted travel zones that essentially form a blockade of Taiwan through at least the next week. Chinese authorities published international warnings which prohibited air and sea travel through those restricted areas and are conducting live-fire exercises with naval surface combatants, aviation strike packages, hypersonic missiles, and starting yesterday, ballistic missiles in the vicinity of Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s Economy Ministry, the island nation maintains a natural gas stockpile that would last 10-11 days, enough crude oil to last 146 days, and enough coal to last 39 days. (AC: Should China choose to extend the military exercises and emplace a full air and sea blockade, Taiwan could be expected to last 30-45 days before suffering a significant loss of energy production; at 90 days, the military would likely be combat ineffective. The lack of more robust energy stockpiles and the inability to resupply the island in the face of a Chinese military blockade makes Taiwan vulnerable to a coercive reunification effort by China. -M.M.)NEW NATO DOCTRINE BOLSTERS ALLIED AIR DEFENSE : NATO forces in Europe have launched a new air defense doctrine called “Air Shielding.” Under this plan, previously disjointed air and missile defense units from member states are combined under NATO command to form a “near-seamless shield from the baltic to the Black Sea.” The units will operate independently of existing NATO air policing missions combining rotational deployments of U.S.