Dynamic World News Collage With Geopolitical Implications
A detailed recount mixed with meme comedy to mark our times at Week 19 of 2024 featuring source material from No. 7 West Mars Street, Star Trek Lower Decks, and Hailey’s On It!
Geopolitical Shakeup - It’s All Looking Towards Beijing
Setting aside Putin’s visit with President Xi (which I will get to later in the Ukraine/Russia War Watch section), China has been the center of attention on a lot of geopolitical issues this week. Starting with heightened tensions between the UK and Hong Kong after three men have been charged under the National Security Act by local British authorities. They were accused of assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service, and allegedly conducting foreign interference. Hong Kong’s government responded forcefully in its statement that they are waiting for further response by British authorities, adding they demand “the UK government to provide full details of relevant information of the alleged matter concerned.” Both Beijing and Hong Kong authorities have rebuked the allegations of overseas activist surveillance, and the UK Foreign Office summoned the Chinese ambassador to express their condemnation over a "recent pattern of behavior" by China.
Since we are on the subject of Hong Kong, following the decision by the city’s Court of Appeal ruling in favor of the government’s application requesting the ban of the protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong," YouTube announced on Tuesday it will comply with the court’s decision and block access inside Hong Kong to 32 video links that are deemed prohibited content. The Hong Kong government has long seen the protest anthem as having seditious intent due to its anti-government message and has lobbied Google to take down “Glory To Hong Kong” as the first result whenever somebody types “Hong Kong Anthem.” It also comes with some international competitions accidentally playing the protest anthem instead of the “March of the Volunteers” (The Chinese national anthem and the official anthem for Hong Kong) because event organizers saw that song popping up as the top result in Google searches.
In the US, President Joe Biden ratcheted up trade tensions with Beijing as it sharply hiked US tariffs on $18 billion worth of Chinese EVs, semiconductor chips, solar panels, and advanced batteries. Tariff hikes for EVs will reach 100%, tariffs for solar panels will double to 50%, and import taxes on Chinese steel and aluminum will rise to 25%. It comes amidst a heated US election that gives ample room for China-bashing to woo voters at home, and the persistent pattern that Biden had maintained tariffs worth $300 billion put in place by his predecessor. Beijing has strongly condemned the tariffs and vows to take strong actions to protect its rights and interests on the matter.
TikTok’s fight for survival in the US reached a new chapter on Tuesday, as several creators who gained fame using the app have sued the US government over the potential ban, citing the First Amendment. It is the second legal challenge to the TikTok ban legislation passed into law weeks ago, and it echoes many of the talking points made by the app and its Chinese parent company ByteDance. At the same time, Canada’s intelligence chief David Vigneault warned Canadians that China can use the app to spy on them, an allegation TikTok strongly denies.
Ukraine/Russia War Watch - Kharkiv Woes & Putin’s China Tour
After Vladimir Putin sacked his former defense minister Sergei Shoigu with the civilian economist Andrei Belousov, Kyiv responded similarly by sacking the commander responsible for Kharkiv’s military operations after multiple villages had fallen to Russian control. At the same time, the US stopped buying Russian Uranium which could cut a major money pipeline for Moscow, while a military purge inside the Kremlin escalated after a senior general was detained. By Wednesday, Ukraine claimed Russian troops were “partially pushed back” from a key town, while Putin claimed the advance is “going to plan.”
At the beginning of the week, Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, the first time since Congress passed the long-delayed Ukraine aid bill, and sent a message of solidarity to Zelensky. During his Kyiv trip, Blinken used music as diplomacy by playing “Rockin’ in the Free World” with a Ukrainian music band in a basement music club, which did not play well with many Ukrainians over the song choice. With Russia’s operations in Kharkiv intensifying, Zelensky canceled all foreign trips while Blinken announced an additional $2 billion in military financing. In a plea to the US, Ukraine requested help in locating targets inside Russian territory, which they can then use their own suicide drones to attack them.
On Thursday, Putin visited China and met with President Xi Jinping for two days after agreeing to Xi’s invitation months ago. During their meeting, Xi told Putin that China-Russia ties should last “for generations,” as Putin proposed stepping up banking ties and increasing the use of national payment systems between the two countries. Regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war, Putin claimed both sides wanted to find a “political solution” to end the conflict before both sides jointly condemned the West with the US in particular. The next day, Putin visited “Little Moscow” in Harbin, a city in northern China that has a large Russian population. During Friday’s trip, Putin said Moscow’s offensive in Kharkiv aims to create a buffer zone in the region but does not want to capture the whole city.
By the end of the week, Russian gains and Ukraine’s weakening resistance in the Kharkiv region are growing more noticeable by the day. Zelensky claimed the situation was under control, but admitted he feared a second Russian attack. In a morale boost for Ukranians over the weekend, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk became the world heavyweight champion on Sunday after beating British boxer Tyson Fury.
Israel/Hamas War Watch - Rafah Indecision
This week started with great uncertainty over how Israel will be conducting its war in Rafah, especially as the insurgent Hamas has been engaged in battles against IDF troops in Northern Gaza months after Israel’s incursion. Some pro-Israel supporters have been pointing towards the UN’s OCHA for deciding to halve its estimate of women and children deaths in Gaza, which then the United Nations had to come out with and clarify the total death toll number hasn’t been changed. At the same time, the UN also noted that nearly 360,000 people had already fled Rafah. In case you need any more proof Hamas is a terrible organization, secret Hamas files showed how the terrorist group spied on its people’s political activity, online posts, and even love lives! Monday marked Israel’s independence day, which has been affected by the tragedies on October 7, and some ministers were heckled during public celebration events. Israeli protests blocked an aid convoy going into Gaza, a move that was condemned by the White House, and the protestors were arrested a day later. In the latest attempt by the US Secretary of State to deter an escalatory Rafah invasion, Antony Bliken warns of post-war “anarchy” in Gaza that would not lead to the elimination of Hamas. Israel also made its first move in getting the Palestinian Authority involved in Gaza governance, after Axios reported that Israel unofficially proposed the PA send representatives to the Rafah crossing last week to take part in operating it. Good news for South Africa, the train of Global South nations joining its case accusing Israel of genocide has gained a new member, as the Maldives announced on Monday that it is formally joining the lawsuit. In American universities, as minor protests on the Gaza war have flared out in mostly civil and apolitical commencement addresses and ceremonies, a few dozen students walked out of a speech made by famous comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel.
Outrage grew after the first international UN aid staffer was killed in an attack on a car marked with a UN flag in Rafah, as a Human Rights Watch report on Tuesday said there are at least 8 attacks on aid convoys by Israeli forces, with no warnings issued beforehand. As the IDF pushes into Rafah, eyewitnesses say they have already reached residential areas. Despite concerns over Israeli actions, President Biden still moved forward on sending $1 billion worth of weapons to Israel. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported the Biden administration is encouraging Arab nations to participate in a peacekeeping force that would deploy in Gaza once the war ends to maintain a peacekeeping presence before a credible Palestinian security force comes along. So far, Western and Arab officials tell the FT that Egypt, Morocco, and the UAE are considering the initiative. Inside Harvard University, the student encampments ended peacefully after Harvard Yard agreed to discuss student questions over its endowments related to the Gaza war and quickly process the petitions to reinstate suspended students.
Wednesday was a bitter day for many Palestinians, as it marked 76 years of dispossession commonly referred to as the “Nakba,” or “catastrophe” in Arabic. Before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes following Israel’s establishment as a state. Axios reported that day that Bibi ranted to his war cabinet a day after Biden’s warning on Rafah, proclaiming in a combative move that “We are not a vassal state of the United States!” Inside Israel’s war cabinet, the country’s defense minister Yoav Gallant heavily criticized Netanyahu over the lack of a postwar plan that would lead to a resurgence of Hamas. On the international stage, Israel’s ambassador to the UN called the international organization a “terror group” and a “collaborator of Hamas.” On social media, in the latest attempt to highlight the situation in Gaza (alongside several small-level staffers resigning over Biden’s handling of the war), TikTok users have been blocking celebrities who have stayed neutral on the Gaza war or are vocally pro-Israel. At the University of California, the union that represents academic workers and students voted overwhelmingly to strike in response to the administration’s crackdown on Gaza protests on campus.
The US announced on Thursday that the Gaza aid pier is officially finished, expected to be the port of entry for much-needed aid through the sea. For House Republicans, they did what they’re best at by delivering a symbolic vote forcing Biden to reverse the Israel arms pause, whether it will pass the Senate is an open question. In the ICJ, the justices heard arguments by South Africa requesting measures to be taken over Israel’s Rafah assault before Israel presented its arguments the next day. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the Arab League calls for the UN to maintain a peacekeeping force in both the West Bank and Gaza. At Columbia University, the embattled president Minouche Shafik was hit by a vote of no-confidence after a faculty vote condemned her methods of handling student protests for the past several weeks. We also learned thanks to reporting from the Washington Post that business leaders have used a private WhatsApp group chat created after the October 7 terrorist attack and privately urged the mayor of New York City to deploy police on Columbia protesters. While in Germany, police raided the pro-Palestine group Palestine Solidarity Duisburg after it was banned over alleged antisemitism and support for Hamas.
By Friday, the makeshift Gaza aid pier started its operation, as the US military began sending truckloads of aid through the floating pier into the mainland. During an overnight operation, the IDF retrieved three hostages who are murdered on October 7 during the Nova Music Festival event before their bodies were brought back to Gaza on the same day. Israeli opposition is also causing a headache for Biden when dealing with Saudi Arabia, as the US is working on a security pact with the Saudis to recognize Israel in exchange for a broad deal that would get Israel to commit to forming a Palestinian state. On university campuses, protestors took over the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and confronted former senator and current director Heidi Heitkamp, the UCLA faculty voted to rebuke its chancellor after the mishandling of an attack on pro-Palestine student protestors, and UC Santa Cruz was the first University of California school that voted to strike starting next Monday.
In response to the US-built pier off of the Gaza Strip, Hamas responded by issuing a statement rejecting any military presence on Palestinian land and the pier is not an alternative to opening all land crossings. The IDF retrieved and recovered Shani Louk’s body in Gaza, which was paraded on October 7 after she was killed in the Nova Music Festival. And then, there was the shocking twist on Saturday. Benny Gantz, the centrist top member of Israel’s war cabinet threatened to resign by June 8 if the government does not have a new war plan, marking the most significant potential rebellion under Netanyahu’s coalition. Axios reported on Sunday based on US and Israeli officials that Bibi blocked at least three meetings between Israel’s intelligence chiefs and US officials since the war began, while the UN made its gravest warning yet about the “apocalyptic” consequences if aid is not getting through into Rafah. Then there was the shocking news from Azerbaijan, relating to Iran. According to state media, a helicopter carrying Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi was involved in a “hard landing,” and at time of writing and publishing, nobody knows if he is dead or alive (Although the rumor mill claims Israeli and Western intelligence considers he’s dead).
The Greatest Political Drama On Earth - The Debates Are A Go
Fresh off comparing migrants to the notorious fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter, this Monday saw senators Tommy Tuberville and J.D. Vance accompanying the defendant to denounce the “sham” trial. Prosecutors brought their star witness on Day 16 of the hush money trial to the stand: Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who was sent to jail in 2019 for crimes related to the Stormy Daniels case. During testimony that day, Cohen confirmed that the hush money deal “was all about the campaign” and Trump was not thinking of his wife Melania, the Stormy Daniels story would have been “catastrophic” for the 2016 campaign, and how the hush money payment was set out. On the trial’s Day 17 list of Trump lackeys hoping to show devotion to the dear leader included Speaker Mike Johnson and former GOP presidential rival Vivek Ramaswamy, as analysts see a growing number of prominent Republicans wanting to pledge their loyalty to Trump by attending the trial and denouncing the trial as illegitimate despite personal embarrassments and conflicts. Case in point, Johnson potentially has broken court rules by attacking Cohen outside the courthouse. A similar sentiment was reflected during cross-examination by Trump’s lawyers to the former lawyer over his record of lying that sent him to jail in 2019. Unfortunately for the former president, an appeals court judge upheld Judge Merchan’s gag order on him during the Manhattan trial. As the trial went on its Wednesday break, the surrogate ploy was revealed to be a move by Trump to subvert the gag order. Tommy Tuberville directly revealed on a NewsMax interview that his appearance alongside other Trump allies is a plot, a plot to evade the gag order that would send the former president into jail if he broke it again. By Day 18 of the trial, as more Trump surrogates visited the New York courthouse like it was a pilgrimage, Trump’s lawyers continued to use the cross-examination period with Cohen to claim the former lawyer’s actions were committed due to his hatred of his former boss. Interestingly, Cohen claimed he has good relations with Chris Cuomo (formerly in CNN), Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, and Katy Tur of MSNBC. After the grilling of Cohen ended, the week’s trial ended as Trump supposedly is going to attend his son Barron’s graduation on Friday.
In a sudden move by the Biden campaign, the president on Wednesday said he would not participate in the decades-old tradition of three presidential debates in the fall, but he challenged Trump to participate in two separate debates in June and September, without the oversight of the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Just hours later, Trump accepted Biden’s offer, with the first set on June 27 on CNN. Despite many seeing Biden getting himself a win by setting the tone on debating Trump after months of taunting by the former president, some see the terms and subsequent posts on Truth Social by Trump as an indicator he might bail out of the debates at the last minute and blame it on Biden, and potentially vice versa with Biden. At the same time, Kamala Harris accepted an offer by CBS to hold a vice presidential debate during July or August.
In another New York courtroom, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez’s federal criminal trial kicked into motion on Monday. While for Hunter Biden, the president’s son is going to face a June trial on federal gun charges after a judge denied his request to delay the trial even further. In a moment of controversy for some right-wingers, Vice President Kamala Harris swore during an event celebrating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, saying “Kick that f**king door down.” On Tuesday, Maryland, West Virginia, and Nebraska held their primaries. The Maryland senate race is looking to be a tight race between the principled Republican and popular former governor Larry Hogan, versus Prince George's county executive Angela Alsobrooks after winning against David Trone, who had outspent Alsobrooks during the primary campaign. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice won the Republican nomination for a senate seat currently held by Joe Manchin. After Manchin announced his retirement, many see the seat will flip to the Republicans, making the stakes for the Maryland senate race even more intense. On Thursday, Biden used his executive privilege to block audio and video tapes of his discussions with then-special counsel Robert Hur (Who investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents and conducted a casual medical examination of the current president) from being released to the public, citing Republicans wanting to use the interview as a tool for their political benefit. Almost like clockwork, a GOP-led House panel advanced an effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt. Controversy boiled over on the Supreme Court hours after they sided with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to reject a conservative attack that claimed the CFPB is in violation of the constitution. Back in January 2021, as the Court was ruling on a 2020 election case (and they are still reviewing election-related cases right now), an upside-down flag symbolizing the Stop The Steal movement (It was adopted by Trump supporters who contest the Biden victory in 2020, and influenced the 2021 US Capitol Riots) was flown over Justice Samuel Alito’s front lawn in an obvious display of potential bias. During a late-night meeting between members of James Comer’s House Oversight Committee, the drama continued with Jasmine Crockett and Jared Moskowitz from the Democrats flinging zingers against Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene who was throwing insults to the other side. On Friday, a judge sentenced the attacker who assaulted and attempted to kidnap Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul to 30 years in jail.
Regional Fiasco - A Bowl Of European Political Mayhem
Despite fierce and consistent opposition by many Georgians and warnings by the EU, the state parliament still passed the controversial “foreign agents” bill. During the voting process, lawmakers physically fought with each other before the voting ended. It comes after weeks of massive peaceful protests by locals facing against riot police, and the EU warning the enactment and passage of the bill will imperil its chances of joining their coalition. Protestors have faced stun grenades and students have walked out from their classrooms in the run-up before the passage, all wanting Georgia to move closer to Europe and away from following the steps of Russia. True to her word, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili officially vetoed the law on Saturday, making at least a temporary remedy to this hot-buttoned issue.
Slovakia also went through a horrible week, after its populist prime minister Robert Fico was shot and seriously injured. The Slovak president Zuzana Čaputová strongly condemned the attack, and authorities say one has been detained in a politically motivated assassination plot. By Thursday, medics said Fico’s condition was stable after surgery but still “very serious” due to complications stemming from the attack. In a politically polarizing Slovakia, some are worried the assassination attempt might trigger a civil war, while members of Fico’s party blamed “progressive media” for the violence. The suspect was charged and identified as a lone wolf who did not belong to any political group. Fico had another surgery on Friday, and he remained in serious condition. That condition continued for a few days afterward but with improving health.
Meanwhile, in France, as the country deals with a massive manhunt after a ruthless assault, the country declared a state of emergency over protests in New Caledonia, and French police fatally shot a man who was trying to set fire to a synagogue.
In slightly happier news regarding encroaching fascism and authoritarianism in Europe, a German court on Monday upheld the government’s designation to classify the AfD party as a "suspected" far-right extremist organization. The move allows the country’s intelligence agency to surveil and investigate members of the party, which has already been engulfed under controversies like espousing dangerous views and alleged foreign interference. Björn Höcke, one of the most influential German far-right politicians, was convicted on Tuesday of deliberately using a Nazi slogan, and fined for invoking the language of the Nazi’s paramilitary wing. In the Netherlands, the country’s right-wing parties have reached a preliminary deal to form a government after months of gridlock, and it will exclude the populist far-right politician Geert Wilders from becoming the prime minister.
Around The World - Solar Storms On Top Of More Local Storms
In global developments, the human side saw an alarming increase in internally displaced people (IDP) due to global conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than 68 million people were displaced by the end of 2023, with natural disasters pushing the total number of IDPs to a record 75.9 million. OpenAI contributed to a growing headache for humanity, as the tech company announced the release of a new GPT-4o AI model. It was promised to be free and faster to use than the previous versions and claims to gain more features such as knowing sarcasm.
On Sunday, the Dominican Republic held its presidential and parliamentary elections. The country’s current president and leader of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) Luis Abinader is set for a first-round election win thanks to his anti-corruption crusade and catapulting the country’s economy to one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America.
In natural disasters news, flash floods, and cold lava flow have killed at least 30 people in Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, Canada’s wildfire season began this week as it triggered air quality warnings in 4 US states, and more than 60 were killed in Afghanistan after a new round of torrential rain and flash floods, while thunderstorms in Houston killed 4 people and left 870,000 people without power. Scientists found this week the heatwave that struck the Philippines in April would have been impossible without the climate crisis, researchers also found that extreme heat was made 45 times more likely in India, and 5 times more likely in Israel and Palestine. Other scientists deduced through tree trunk records an obvious conclusion: Summer 2023 was the hottest in the northern hemisphere for 2000 years. But in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would scrub the word “climate change” from state law, giving an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of climate denialism vibe.
On Earth’s magnetosphere, many parts of the northern hemisphere enjoyed the beautiful Aurora Borealis since last week’s solar storm, which was the most intense geomagnetic storm to hit our planet in 20 years. The auroras were so large they could be seen as far south as the UK, many parts of Europe, and even Florida and Alabama in the United States. However, the solar storm also disrupted GPS systems used by many farmers, affecting their planting plans. On Tuesday, the sun launched its largest solar flare in seven years, marking a high note for the solar maximum, the highest rate of periodic solar activity in 11 years. Luckily, it is not pointed towards Earth.
A Glimmer Of Satisfaction - Return Of The Meme$!
Meme stocks are back (For a few days at least)! Since “Roaring Kitty,” the mastermind of the 2021 meme stock rally suddenly returned to X (Twitter) after a three-year hiatus, Reddit and Robinhood (A stock trading app) both saw their shares climbing. GameStop, the first “victim” of the meme stock rally movement, saw shares surging up to 150% on Monday alone. AMC, another benefactor of past meme stock rallies, also saw a sudden rise of 75% in share value the same day. However, the trend quickly fizzled on Wednesday as multiple stocks like GameStop fell by 30% or more.
In other fun money-related news, White House financial disclosures for the past year were released on Wednesday, and we learned Beyoncé gifted Vice President Kamala Harris tickets to her concert tour in 2023.
All The News That’s Unfit To Meme
Bloomberg: Hong Kong International Schools' Fees to Increase, Cost More Than $35,000 a Year - Bloomberg
HKFP: Postpone waste tax, says lawmaker, as survey suggests 78% of Hongkongers want delay
HKFP: Hongkongers may face HK$2K fine and 14 days jail for hiking or surfing during extreme weather
CNBC: China consumption slows as retail sales and investment data disappoint
Reuters: China new home prices fall at fastest pace in over 9 years | Reuters
Bloomberg: China Removes Mortgage Rate Floor for Individual Homebuyers
Nikkei: Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's steely promoter, wraps up historic presidency - Nikkei Asia
Reuters: Taiwan's incoming president faces angry China, fractured parliament | Reuters
RFA: US to send delegation to Taiwan’s presidential inauguration — Radio Free Asia
AP: Taiwan’s foreign minister says China and Russia are supporting each other’s ‘expansionism’
Reuters: Taiwan lawmakers exchange blows in bitter dispute over parliament reforms | Reuters
BBC: Lee Hsien Loong: End of era as Singapore PM hands reins to Lawrence Wong - BBC Website
CNBC: Singapore’s Lawrence Wong sworn in as new prime minister — the first leadership change in 20 years
Reuters: Exclusive: Japan's military needs more women. But it's still failing on harassment. | Reuters
Yahoo: Australians stranded in New Caledonia 'running out of food' amid civil unrest
BBC: Jailed Thai activist, 28, dies after hunger strike
Reuters: Exclusive: Vietnam forfeits billions of dollars in foreign aid amid anti-graft freeze, document says
FT: Slower pace of US inflation sends Wall Street stocks to record highs
Bloomberg: US CPI Data Subset Was Inadvertently Released 30 Minutes Early - Bloomberg
WSJ: Dow Jones Industrial Average Tops 40000 for the First Time - WSJ
CNN: Dow closes above 40,000 for first time ever | CNN Business
Axios: House Democrats might not save Speaker Johnson next time
Politco: Giuliani’s 80th birthday surprise — getting served with indictment papers - POLITICO
WaPo: Biden trumpets progress for Black Americans at Morehouse College
NPR: U.S. drug deaths declined slightly in 2023 but remained at crisis levels
AP: 70 years after Brown v. Board, America is both more diverse — and more segregated | AP News
Guardian: US gives Saudis green light to try to revive peace deal with Houthis | Yemen | The Guardian
Reuters: Jordan foils arms plot as kingdom caught in Iran-Israel shadow war | Reuters
WaPo: U.S. threats led to rupture of vital military ties, Nigerien leader says
Guardian: Revealed: Rwanda genocide war crimes tribunal wraps up mission after 29 years
BBC: Migrant-smuggler arrested after BBC investigation
Guardian: Navalny ally says he will ‘never give up’ in fight against Putin
AP: Justice Department says Boeing violated deal that avoided prosecution after 737 Max crashes
Reuters: Exclusive: Musk's Neuralink has faced issues with its tiny wires for years, sources say | Reuters
Bloomberg: Tencent Beats Estimates After WeChat, Video Lift Ad Growth - Bloomberg
Reuters: China's Alibaba beats quarterly revenue estimates, profit drops | Reuters
NPR: Mercedes workers vote no to union, putting the brakes on UAW's march South
Space.com: 'That's part of space exploration': Artemis 2 astronauts unfazed by moon mission delays (exclusive)
NASA: Artemis Accords Reach 40 Signatories as NASA Welcomes Lithuania
NPR: Private mission to save Hubble Space Telescope raises concerns, NASA emails show : NPR
Space.com: Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut launch delayed again, to May 25 | Space
CNN: Blue Origin launches six tourists to the edge of space after nearly two-year hiatus
NYT: New Star Wars Plan: Pentagon Rushes to Counter Threats in Orbit - The New York Times
SCMP: China says ‘multiple espionage cases’ have been uncovered in space sector
WSJ: Flood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures - WSJ
WaPo: U.S. halts funding to virus research organization linked to pandemic probes - The Washington Post
NYT: C.D.C. Warns of a Resurgence of Mpox - The New York Times
WaPo: Ancient Chesapeake site challenges timeline of humans in the Americas - The Washington Post
AP: K-pop fans around globe rally for climate and environment goals | AP News
WaPo: Brazil wins vote to host 2027 women’s World Cup
CNN: King Charles’ first official portrait by Jonathan Yeo unveiled | CNN
Sky: First victim in Jaws has died aged 77 | World News
Your Weekly Dose Of Outstanding Journalism
New Yorker: The Other Side of the River | The New Yorker
Bloomberg: Why the World Wants to Get Back to the Moon
NYT: Alarmed by Climate Change, Astronomers Train Their Sights on Earth - The New York Times
BBC: Chang'e-6 is just the tip of China's ambitions for the Solar System
Bloomberg: The Dangerous and Lucrative Business of Space Clean-Up
NYT: Hilary Cass Says U.S. Doctors Are ‘Out of Date’ on Youth Gender Medicine - The New York Times
Conversation: What is it about Gaza? Wars are raging around the world, so why are young people so passionate about this one?
WaPo: Opinion: Will Zionism survive the war? - The Washington Post
Semafor: Have Democrats cracked the code on fending off pro-Israel groups?
FT: China-Russia: an economic ‘friendship’ that could rattle the world
Bulwark: What If Trump Wins? - by Jonathan V. Last - The Bulwark
New Statesman: The Great Stink: Britain’s pollution crisis - New Statesman
NYT: Michael Cohen and Rosie O’Donnell: A Love Story - The New York Times
Economist: America’s democratic system is not as robust as it seems
WaPo: Opinion | Protecting freedom of speech requires talking to one other
AP: One man was a Capitol Police officer. The other rioted on Jan. 6. They're both running for Congress
NYT: How Extremist Settlers Took Over Israel - The New York Times
Reuters: Tracking China's 'grey zone' balloon flights over Taiwan
WaPo: Opinion | On Gaza, Biden is right and Netanyahu is wrong
BBC: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping: No longer a partnership of equals
Video Highlights From All Sides
Journalism Monitor: The Profession’s Progress This Week
HKFP: Press can 'ask questions' but not provoke conflicts, HK leader says
HKFP: HKJA chief won't seek another term, cites pressure, smears
BBC: ‘My heart still hurts’: The personal sacrifice of revealing a K-pop scandal
NYT: How MSNBC’s Leftward Tilt Delivers Ratings, and Complications - The New York Times
New Statesman: Mehdi Hasan: “We don’t value Palestinian life” - New Statesman
Adweek: How CNN and ABC News Locked Up The 2024 Presidential Debates
NYT: How the Election Is Being Covered by the News Media - The New York Times
DCN: With 1 million subscribers, The Atlantic eyes what’s next - Digital Content Next
Popular Info: The real cancel culture
Economist: Canada’s law to help news outlets is harming them instead
New Yorker: A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It? | The New Yorker
NYT: Why a New Yorker Story on a Notorious Murder Case Is Blocked in Britain - The New York Times
WSJ: Inside Israel, It’s a Very Different War
New Yorker: An Israeli Newspaper Presents Truths Readers May Prefer to Avoid | The New Yorker
New Statesman: Gaza and the new digital divide - New Statesman
RSF: Türkiye: RSF decries draft amendment on “agents of influence” that threatens independent journalism