Any significant build-up on Kanton, located 1,864 miles southwest of Hawaii and U.S. military bases there, would offer a foothold to China deep into territory that had been firmly aligned to the U.S.
Shocking audio of the exchange was released in a New York Times podcast, and comes as the Democratic governor faces whirlwind allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.
Loujain al-Hathloul, who pushed to end a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to almost six years in prison in December last year.