Timcast IRL · August 19, 2021 · 2h 0m
Timcast IRL #354 - China Vows To DESTROY US Troops In Taiwan, Take Island w/Posobiec & Forrest Cooper
Episode Recap
Timcast IRL episode 354 aired on August 19, 2021, with Tim Pool and co-hosts discussing the escalating tensions between the US and China regarding Taiwan. The show opened with discussion about Senator John Cornyn's claim that the US has 30,000 troops stationed in Taiwan, which fact-checkers quickly debunked as inaccurate. China responded to this alleged security leak by warning through state media that they would invoke their Secession Act and immediately invade and destroy US forces if found in Taiwan. The hosts discussed how this incident occurred during a period of American weakness following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The panel also covered Palantir's announcement that they were investing $50 million in gold as preparation for a potential black swan event, with hosts speculating about what data the company might have seen. Joe Biden's decision to return to Wilmington for a long weekend amid the Afghanistan crisis was criticized as poor optics. Guest Forrest Cooper, a former Ranger Battalion team leader who served in Afghanistan and trained Afghan special forces, was introduced. The show also touched on food shortages affecting both the US and UK, including Nando's closing 50 UK locations due to chicken shortages.
TL;DR
- →Senator John Cornyn's claim about 30,000 US troops in Taiwan was debunked, but China responded by threatening to invoke their Secession Act and destroy American forces if present
- →The hosts discussed how the Afghanistan withdrawal chaos has made the US look weak internationally, emboldening adversaries like China
- →Palantir announced a $50 million gold investment as protection against potential black swan events, prompting speculation about what data they analyzed
- →Joe Biden faced criticism for planning to return to Wilmington for a long weekend during the Afghanistan crisis, with the FAA confirming his travel
- →Guest Forrest Cooper, a former Ranger Battalion team leader, was introduced as someone who trained Afghan special forces and is familiar with Kabul
- →The panel discussed food shortages hitting both the US and UK, including restaurant chain closures due to supply chain disruptions
Key Moments
- 0:00OpeningIntro and discussion of Senator Cornyn's Taiwan troops claim and China's warning
- 30:00Afghanistan ImpactAnalysis of how Afghanistan withdrawal weakness emboldens China
- 60:00Gold Investment NewsPalantir's $50 million gold purchase and black swan event preparation
- 90:00Guest IntroductionForrest Cooper introduced as former Ranger Battalion team leader who served in Afghanistan
- 120:00Food ShortagesDiscussion of supply chain issues affecting US and UK food sectors
Notable Quotes
“China says that would be a declaration of war. They would invoke the Secession Act and immediately invade and destroy US forces if they were in Taiwan.”
— Tim Pool · opening discussion
“At a time when there's chaos in Afghanistan and the U.S. is looking particularly weak, and then this happens, well, this happened probably because China's taking advantage of the fact that we look weak.”
— Tim Pool · main discussion
“It's interesting you phrased it. The time you spent there, you were trying to teach the people. Measures of success. What was that like?”
— Ian Crossland · interview
“So we're going to talk about Afghanistan because the big news is what the ripple of Afghanistan means for the rest of us because of the failure in the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
— Tim Pool · debate
“We got the expert on China. We got the expert on Afghanistan. We got the Navy and the Army representing. I'm stoked.”
— Ian Crossland · panel