Outsmarted By China, Not Protected By Biden, Retail Takes A Hit

Outsmarted By China, Not Protected By Biden, Retail Takes A Hit

WILMINGTON, CA - JUNE 2: (US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT AND NEWSWEEK OUT) A U. S. Customs and Border ... [+] Patrol official from the Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team inspects a shipment of imported Chinese textiles at a U. S. Customs warehouse June 2, 2004 in Wilmington, California. After passing through a large x-ray machine, inspectors determined the container might be carrying suspicious or possibly terrorist material. The container was moved to the Wilmington warehouse where the cargo was manually inspected and reloaded. Before 9/11, most inspections of container cargo were conducted for narcotics smuggling. With Department of Homeland Security now controlling more of the overall anti-terrorist campaign, inspections for weapons of mass destruction in ports have been stepped up. The Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach receives over 3 million containers annually. Inspectors are on the look out for dirty bombs, weapons smuggling or terrorist contraband. Surveillance of the waterways inside the port area has been stepped up. The LA-LB port facility is the west coast's energy hub for natural gas imports plus oil and gasoline refining. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) The two travelers packed their bags and carefully placed them outside their stateroom door for disembarkation. They were