"Everything that went wrong with the reflecting pool, including the damage to the pool itself and the fabricated charges against Hearn, went wrong for two reasons: Trump’s unprecedented corruption and his rush to include the reflecting pool in his Narcissistic hijacking of the Nation’s celebration."

emptywheel@emptywheel.bsky.social · yesterday

None of the apparently Pirro-sourced columns about what happened with her and Trump have bothered to mention that she, like Trump, was rushing to get something done by July 4. emptywheel.net/2026/08/04/t...

people love a "Chinese versus American" story so much. Zhong Shu has had all her education since high school in the US and is doing a PhD in political philosophy (specialisation in classics) in an American university.

UK--based friends: Hoper's Base, a Hong Kong Yellow Economic Circle member famed for its siu mei (Cantonese roast meats), will open soon in London! I expect it to be fully booked ASAP during its soft opening but do consider going there after it opens for real! uk.hopersbase.com/softopening

"Authorities also began a region-wide censorship campaign, shutting down Mongolian WeChat groups and removing Mongolian-language books from the shelves of retail outlets. ... if you lose your language, you lose everything," Mr Togochog, director of SMHRC said." www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...

'Cultural genocide': China's new laws set to wipe out 55 ethnic groups

China's new ethnic unity law is threatening to make the languages and culture of 55 different ethnic groups extinct.

abc.net.au

When you think about it, HKers are actually being forced to pay for the people and weapons used to repress them, which is all sorts of effed up. Same in a lot of other places as well.

The Economist@economist.com · 4d ago

Hong Kong’s police seem eager to justify the HK$18bn ($2.3bn) spent on national security since the pro-democracy protests in 2019. And authorities want to please a watchful China

An excellent review of @rianthum.bsky.social and Hale Eroğlu’s new(ish) books from @bennoweiner.bsky.social and @maqianyu.bsky.social on the historical roots of Hui identity, the history of Islam in China, and how the past can help us read the present crisis. lareviewofbooks.org/article/isla...

The Fate of China’s Muslims | Los Angeles Review of Books

Two recent books track the history of China’s Muslim minority during a period of suspicion and suppression.

lareviewofbooks.org

happy to see that the review essay written by @maqianyu.bsky.social and myself for LARB has been published. It discusses two important recent books about Chinese Muslims (Hui) by @rianthum.bsky.social and Hale Eroglu.Thanks go out to @bspivey.bsky.social @jwassers.bsky.social tinyurl.com/yckc5bbd

The Fate of China’s Muslims | Los Angeles Review of Books

Two recent books track the history of China’s Muslim minority during a period of suspicion and suppression.

tinyurl.com

We (correspondents based in #China) have covered the new “ethnic unity” law quite a bit but the test will be in following up, with reporting on how it’s being implemented, the actual impact on the ground for the country’s ethnic minorities.

A good read from an expert in the field. The new ethnic unity law has received some coverage in the press but it’s important to recognize the ways in which it is an escalation of an existing assimilative trajectory in ethnic policy.

Foreign Affairs@foreignaffairs.com · 6d ago

China’s new ethnic unity law codifies, “under the guise of civic inclusion,” a requirement that Mongols, Tibetans, and Uyghurs “become part of a single, party-defined Chinese identity,” write James Leibold and Tenzin Dorjee.

"A concentration camp, in its most basic definition, is a place where a targeted civilian population, not necessarily accused of a crime, is detained and at least some of their basic rights are suspended," writes @jwashing.bsky.social. "That’s precisely what’s happening in the United States today."

Don’t call them ICE detention centers. Call them camps | John Washington

I’ve spent a decade reporting on immigration enforcement. The word ‘camp’ best captures the political function of these facilities

theguardian.com

Read the words in the post and then look at the photos. Does this look like a normal, non-police state to you?

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP@hongkongfp.com · last wk.

Last Friday, police conducted a cross-departmental joint counter-terror exercise named "Greatwill" at Hong Kong's Central Library. Over 150 personnel were mobilised. Students were invited to witness the drill, according to the police force. Photo: HKPF.

A thing that’s often hard for anyone outside of HK (and Taiwan?) to wrap their head around is that no opposition would be caught dead calling themselves “the left”, even if the policies pursued are “leftist” in any other place. The reason should be obvious if you think about it for even 2 seconds

Your Friend Temporary Michigander@trt311.bsky.social · 2w ago

Also Taiwan is economically progressive and has universal healthcare! It’s not some right wing anti-lefty island lol

This is something that I’ve noticed with growing frequency over the last few years. I would strongly urge any educators to be a bit more circumspect about what participating in these kinds of visits would mean before accepting them.

New Bloom@newbloommag.net · 2w ago

"Why Has China Targeted Educators with Sponsored Trips to Xinjiang?" by @brianhioe.bsky.social

Because of the attack on Yuen Long MTR, it often forgotten that a lot happened on the 21st July 2019 in Hong Kong @niaocollective.bsky.social covers many of the events & occurrences in this 🧵 here Really grateful for all Niao's work keeping memories alive when the HK gov't trying to suppress them

Niao Collective@niaocollective.bsky.social · 2w ago

7 years ago today, HKers had proof the police was colluding with the triad. The gang attack on commuters at Yuen Long MTR station (a mild form of state-sponsored terrorism?) was a step-up in the government's reaction to the pro-democracy protests and would cause some interesting ripples. Waves even.

Bring back one Muppet per team for extra time.

Oli@oliaworth96.bsky.social · 2w ago

“Football reminds us of what we all have in common” uh, that we hate fifa?

Important (obligatory) plug for interesting work being published in @nationalitiesp.bsky.social

Chenchen Zhang 🤦🏻‍♀️@chenchenzhang.net · 3w ago

discussed similar discursive-affective mechanisms here www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

I know this week marks the 7th anniversary of the Yuen Long attacks, but that whole night was messy so this is going to take a while

Niao Collective@niaocollective.bsky.social · last yr.

There have also been, er, enterprising 'real estate agent ads'. "Smart home- 24 hr surveillance, Chinese cops in charge of quarantine, re-educated community." (777 is on of Carrie Lam's many nicknames) "Usable area: 721' Built area: 831' " Source: Telegram

In this post, I summarize why Trump's new restrictions on foreign students are harmful and unjust, relying in large part on excellent analyses by @davidjbier.bsky.social and @mclem.org: reason.com/volokh/2026/...

Trump's Harmful and Unjust Restrictions on Foreign Students

They are likely to damage the US economy and deny many people valuable educational opportunities for no good reason.

reason.com

The US built the greatest talent magnet ever, attracting the smart, skilled, and striving. They’d come to study, then stay and build things here, or leave with positive impressions and fruitful connections. Helped make the US wealthy and powerful. Then America chose to throw it away. And for what?

Ben Allen@evodynamics.bsky.social · 3w ago

Congrats we just made it impossible to come here for a PhD www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/16/m...

Full-Spectrum Propaganda in the Social Media Era by @noupside.bsky.social & @joshagoldstein.bsky.social in Security Studies (2025) #SummerReading

Full-Spectrum Propaganda in the Social Media Era

How do states wage propaganda campaigns in the social media era? Existing studies often investigate either covert fake accounts on social media platforms or overt propaganda on traditional broadcas...

tandfonline.com

Ironically Pep vs. Tuchel in the Champions League final in ‘21 is maybe a similar example.

George Pearkes@peark.es · 3w ago

Hard to remember such an obvious tactical screw-up from a manager in a game with these stakes. It wasn't working, there were massive warning signs, and he doubled down on it. Really wild.

Note though that Gui Minhai was ABDUCTED by Chinese agents in Thailand. But yes, it's not the first time Hong Kong booksellers have been arrested in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong police. The first time was actually earlier this year -- to the owner and staff of Book Punch.

Absolutely heart-breaking to see more bookstores get raided & owners / staff be detained.

Hong Kong independent bookstore owners and staffers are amazing, and deserve our support and admiration.

Johnson, Ching-Yin Yeung 楊政賢@hkjohnsonyeung.bsky.social · 3w ago

Her T-Shirt says, "I am a staff of a bookstore". Two more independent bookstores are raided today in #HongKong. According to Inmedia, one of the book seized is @emilyzfeng.bsky.social 's Let only Red Flowers Bloom.

"Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong’s second national security case will be transferred to the High Court, where he may face life imprisonment if convicted." LIFE IMPRISONMENT. A reminder: Joshua Wong is 28 years old/young. 😢

CFHK Foundation @thecfhk.bsky.social · 12mo ago

#JoshuaWong's second national security case - he is accused of collusion with foreign forces and could face life in prison if convicted - is to be transferred to #HongKong's High Court hongkongfp.com/2025/08/08/h...

Nor is this the first time booksellers have been arrested, it should be noted. www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-a...

Gui Minhai: Hong Kong bookseller gets 10 years jail

Gui Minhai, who has Swedish citizenship, has published books on the personal lives of Chinese leaders.

bbc.co.uk

YTSL@ytsl.bsky.social · 3w ago

For those for whom this is a learning moment about Hong Kong: before they arrested booksellers, the Hong Kong authorities were also arresting schoolchildren and speech therapists, journalists and so many more.

For those for whom this is a learning moment about Hong Kong: before they arrested booksellers, the Hong Kong authorities were also arresting schoolchildren and speech therapists, journalists and so many more.

YTSL@ytsl.bsky.social · 3w ago

Screen-shotting in case they block me.

"Hong Kong Diaspora Recreate New and Old Traditions to Keep Memories Alive" by @helenli.bsky.social

Hong Kong Diaspora Recreate New and Old Traditions to Keep Memories Alive | New Bloom Magazine

In the rainy darkness of Taipei’s 228 Memorial Park’s amphitheatre, echoes of songs rang out…

newbloommag.net

Nice read by @helenli.bsky.social on the Hong Kong diaspora in Taiwan

New Bloom@newbloommag.net · 3w ago

"Hong Kong Diaspora Recreate New and Old Traditions to Keep Memories Alive" by @helenli.bsky.social