Phelim Kine
@phelimkine.bsky.social
D.C.-based China correspondent @politico ; Past @hrw.org ; Dow Jones Newswires, Phnom Penh Post; China News (Taiwan). New/old administration peeps: DMs open! Tips to pkine AT politico.com SIGNAL +1 212 810 0469
China issues a striking new regulation on its use of #ExitBans, the third one this year alone. As SD recently exposed, its use has seemingly ballooned post-COVID. Key takeaways here. safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/stat...
State Council beefs up framework for exit bans
On Friday July 31, China passed a new regulation concerning exit (and entry) bans.
safeguarddefenders.com
The original source for this appears to have more info: substack.com/@netaskari/p...
Sharp Eyes: Mass surveillance of foreigners in China - Part 1
A publicly exposed web front reveals new details on a tracking system for foreigners and delivers many insight into the capabilities of security organs to track individuals in real time.
substack.com
Phelim Kine@phelimkine.bsky.social · 3d agoChilling. "Chinese authorities aggregate vast amounts of data to monitor and analyze the behavior of foreign residents. It had fields for places they frequented, hospital visits and gas payments, as well as flights and trains taken, including seat numbers" www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/w...
“Everyone knows what the problem is: The organizations that bring young staffers to D.C. have spent the last decade prioritizing blind ideological loyalty instead of competence or intelligence. We have a generation of rabid, incompetent idiots" www.politico.com/news/magazin...
GOP Staffers Say the Party Has a Groyper Problem
Party veterans are concerned that the pipeline of young Republican talent is veering off course — and into terminally online extremism.
politico.com
On the bright side, these are getting a *lot* prettier.
Phelim Kine@phelimkine.bsky.social · 3d agoChilling. "Chinese authorities aggregate vast amounts of data to monitor and analyze the behavior of foreign residents. It had fields for places they frequented, hospital visits and gas payments, as well as flights and trains taken, including seat numbers" www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/w...
Chilling. "Chinese authorities aggregate vast amounts of data to monitor and analyze the behavior of foreign residents. It had fields for places they frequented, hospital visits and gas payments, as well as flights and trains taken, including seat numbers" www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/w...
How China Keeps Tabs on Foreigners
An unsecured police dashboard was a rare window into how the authorities track foreigners by collecting and aggregating vast amounts of private data.
nytimes.com
‘Palantir’s market capitalisation has risen to $320 billion, 150 times earnings. The 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵 has speculated that “Palantir might be the most overvalued firm of all time.”’ @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and @lucasamin.bsky.social on Palantir’s NHS contract. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Peter Geoghegan and Lucas Amin · ‘This looks absolutely rubbish’: Palantir and the NHS
A decade ago Palantir was largely unknown in the UK. It now holds public contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds...
lrb.co.uk
"The Iran conflict has compounded divisions among former rock-solid U.S. allies still smarting from the Trump administration’s aggressive foreign & trade policies geared to high tariffs, threats to invade Greenland and a fixation with making Canada the 51st state" www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
Amid escalation, US allies hang back on intervening in Iran war
Traditional U.S. partners are wary of any direct support until they receive reassurances of a lasting ceasefire — or other promises.
politico.com
“Virtually every major category of Arctic oceanographic research has potential military value — we can’t really separate the two. Under-ice acoustics and ice morphology data are just as useful to climate science as they are to a submarine warfare planner" www.politico.com/newsletters/...
The US-China polar power struggle
The Arctic has joined the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a new frontier of U.S.-China strategic competition.
politico.com
The CTA has withdrawn its official delegation from the International Association for #Tibetan Studies conference in Kathmandu after reported Chinese diplomatic concerns, though individual scholars may still attend in a personal capacity. www.indiatoday.in/world/story/...
Tibet government-in-exile to skip Nepal conference amid Chinese pressure
The Central Tibetan Administration has pulled out of the Kathmandu Tibetan studies conference after China raised concerns with Nepal. The move leaves registered Tibetan scholars free to attend private...
indiatoday.in
“A powerful El Niño already beginning to roil weather around the world may push the monthly global average temperature past 2C of warming for the first time on record, according to projections published by a University of Miami-based ocean and atmospheric research center.“
El Niño May Push Global Warming to 2C or Higher in the Short Term
There’s a 35% chance that the average temperature will hit 2C above pre-industrial levels for one month next year, projections show.
bloomberg.com
"Exposed states rarely wait. They begin preparing. They cannot replace that outside power, but they can deny an aggressor a quick victory, buy time for intervention and strengthen any eventual response" via Craig Singleton www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Trump’s unpredictability and China’s bullying force a reaction in Asia
Governments across the region are assuming more responsibility for their countries’ security.
washingtonpost.com
Every aspect of this is insane — and then they all shake hands.
Dan Diamond@ddiamond.bsky.social · 2w agoRemarkable camera angle of President Trump as he listens to Wall Street Journal reporters receiving an award for their investigation into Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — which they pursued despite Trump’s threats and lawsuit.
Trump salted his speech with one of his reflexive air-kisses to China's leader Xi Jinping. "He's a friend of mine, and he's not contributing to problems like other people contribute to problems." Never mind Beijing's support for Putin's war on Ukraine ☹️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGDT...
President Trump Full Remarks at White House Correspondents' Dinner
YouTube video by C-SPAN
youtube.com
“The Iran war just confirmed many Southeast Asian leaders’ broader worries about U.S. global leadership — within weeks we were managing higher energy prices, disrupted shipping and renewed debates about how exposed we are to any shock in the Strait of Hormuz" www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
The Iran war is testing Southeast Asia’s faith in the US
The punishing impact of the Strait of Hormuz closure and worsening hostilities has Asian governments rethinking U.S. reliability.
politico.com
Autopsies show how hard doctors tried to save babies who died after not getting a vitamin K shot: tubes inserted in their airways, blood transfusions. They’re excruciating to read because they underscore how preventable these deaths could have been. (Published May)
What I Can’t Forget About the Babies Who Died After Not Receiving a Vitamin K Shot
Babies have died after not receiving the vitamin K shot at birth. Their autopsy records underscore how preventable their deaths could have been.
propublica.org
"The Boeing deal was one of the few tangible outcomes of Trump’s summit with Xi in May — delays or impediments to the agreement could sour the mutual effort to maintain the fragile U.S.-China trade truce the two leaders reached in October" @arihawkins.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
‘Falling apart’: Trump’s Boeing deal hits turbulence with Beijing
China’s demands for parts and service guarantees to avoid the impact of possible future U.S. export restrictions has stymied a purchase agreement.
politico.com
LeakedBB, an adult forum averaging two million monthly visits, rewarded members for posting intimate imagery they claimed was leaked, hacked or obtained through blackmail. Payment records, company filings and domain data appear to link the site to one man. youtube.com/shorts/rejPc...
The Crypto Entrepreneur Linked to a Forum Trading ‘Leaked’ Intimate Images
YouTube video by Bellingcat
youtube.com
Private prison employees are now shooting protesters.
Kyle Clark@kylec.bsky.social · 3w agoNEW: Aurora Police say an ICE detention center employee shot a protester last night. She is expected to survive. 42-year-old Brandon Booth, who works for the ICE contractor GEO Group, is being held on suspicion of attempted second degree murder and other charges.
"Democrats are seizing on the lack of action against China as proof that Trump is more interested in using his accusations of an official cover-up of Beijing’s interference to punish perceived political enemies within the intelligence community" www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
Trump spares Beijing in probe of alleged Chinese election plot
Trump is expected to meet with China’s leader in Washington in September, and the White House gave no indication the topic would be on the agenda.
politico.com
Xi Jinping's new global AI initiatives (bit.ly/4wblop5) reflect Beijing's efforts to re-take control of the powerful International Telecommunications Union later this year to ensure global dominance of Chinese AI platforms and standards - my take: www.politico.com/newsletters/...
The global AI contest hits the UN
politico.com