Podcasts about China

This week on the Mark Levin Show, political correctness is running amok in the WNBA. There are two issues facing the WNBA: transgender athletes and racism. A small fraction of athletes - transgenders - are threatening to destroy opportunities for biological women and girls. This is not a civil rights issue. Women have fought for 50 years for equality in sports. That doesn't mean men and women are the same. It means women and girls have the opportunity to flourish in athletics. It's time to make a decision: will a relatively handful of individuals destroy the purpose of a women's sports league? Or will the overwhelmingly biological female athletes compete on a level playing field. The WNBA is a business and the hierarchy and players should treat it as such. The only color that should matter is the color of money: green. Whether it's the men's NBA or the WNBA, people want to see the best athletes, regardless of color. Later, the Iranian regime is gearing up for a prolonged showdown with President Trump by keeping their economy functioning just enough to withstand a drawn-out U.S. military campaign. As Gen. Jack Keane says, they think they have the upper hand in the Strait of Hormuz and will become more violent as the midterm elections approach. Keane says using economic levers is good but must also play the military card. But is allowing the regime to stall for time the right play? Why not arm the Iranian people and take out Iran's infrastructure, starting with Kharg Island? This is also playing into the hands of the woke-Reich neo-fascist isolationists. By calling for American withdrawal now, they give aid and comfort to the enemy. And letting Iran think they have control over the Strait sends the wrong message to countries like China. What will the U.S. do if the Chinese block the South China Sea? Also, the difference between the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America is not significant—the DSA is the logical extension of the Democrat Party, which has birthed it and remains sympathetic to its core aims; most Democrats are comfortable with DSA figures in Congress, state legislatures, and governorships. This agenda of fundamentally altering constitutional structure and the economic system has defined the party since Woodrow Wilson, even if Democrats refuse the labels communist or Marxist and prefer softer rhetoric. Furthermore, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani are excited that local law enforcement will not work with ICE to deport criminal illegal aliens. Are New Yorkers happy about this? How could anyone vote for a Democrat given this reality? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rich Griffith, Chief Development Officer for Global Action, served as a pastor and played seven seasons in the NFL before the Lord led him to serve pastors and Christian leaders around the world, including many in restricted nations and hostile areas. Rich has had many exciting career highlights, but his favorite is watching these Christian leaders complete their training. "To me, the most incredible thing I've experienced is a graduation." Rich says, "The tears in their eyes… because they felt a calling of God." Rich shares his joy at being able to provide tools and knowledge to new pastors in places like India and Cuba and will share more about the curriculum and how the training is tailored to impact each individual culture. The church in these nations is growing, but there is a great need for more pastors to shepherd that growing flock. You'll also hear how Rich sensed God's call to work for Global Action and how the Lord challenged him on a trip to Cuba, where he saw how persecuted Christians trust the Lord despite their circumstances. One book that God used to challenge Rich was I Am N, a book about persecuted Christians facing Islamic extremists that was produced by The Voice of the Martyrs. Pray for the Lord to raise up more shepherds who will lead Christ's sheep, especially in restricted nations and hostile areas. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

On today’s China Compass podcast, we begin by giving thanks for the surprising release of missionary pilot, Kevin Rideout, from the hands of Muslim terrorists in Niger. Then we talk about China’s new border control laws, which don’t seem that new at all. Next, we discuss two fascinating Chinese cities to pray for this weekend, before going back to recount the stories of C.S. Lewis, Burnt Marshwiggle, and the Brainwashing of Richard Wurmbrand. Welcome to China Compass on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. Follow me (@chinaadventures) on Twitter/X where I post new Chinese city prayer profiles every single day, including amazing pics and links to more China resources.You can also also email me (bfwesten at gmail dot com) and find everything else at PrayGiveGo.us! Missionary Pilot Kevin Rideout Freed After 9 Months with Islamists in the Sahara https://notthebee.com/article/trump-announces-return-of-kevin-rideout-a-christian-missionary-pilot-who-was-captured-by-islamists-nine-months-ago- China To Tighten Entry/Exit Controls https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-to-tighten-entry-and-exit-controls-from-sept-15 Pray for China Weekly (Aug 10-16, 2026) https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-aug-10-16-2026 C.S. Lewis, Burnt Marshwiggle, and the Brainwashing of Richard Wurmbrand https://chinacall.substack.com/p/cs-lewis-burnt-marshwiggle-and-the?utm_source=publication-search Follow or subscribe to China Compass and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Don’t forget: Follow @chinaadventures on X, and find everything else

A.M. Edition for Aug. 14. Meatpacking giant Tyson Foods is planning to close a major beef processing plant, its latest bid to cut costs as the industry tries to cope with a yearslong cattle shortage. Plus, President Trump turns to tariffs to try and reshore drone production. And WSJ South Asia bureau chief Tripti Lahiri takes us inside the frantic scramble for work in India, where thousands of young people are competing for each new job. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join me and legendary Northwestern women's lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller for an insightful and inspiring conversation about championship culture, adversity, and the mindset that drives sustained excellence. Kelly's journey is a masterclass in resilience and evolution—from leading her team through an uncharacteristically tough start to the season, to capturing her ninth national championship as a coach on home turf. She shares the behind-the-scenes process of overcoming setbacks, the power of reflection, and the importance of getting everyone "rowing in the same direction." Kelly opens up about the origins of her work ethic, the blue-collar values instilled by her family, and how embracing adversity and self-honesty have been critical for both personal and team growth. We dive deep into the philosophies that have shaped her dynastic program: a relentless commitment to hard work, the humility to look in the mirror, and the courage to constantly evolve. Kelly also discusses the impact of supporting her former players now turned coaches, the beauty of fostering growth in young women, and the ultimate legacy of her leadership—building a culture where true greatness is measured not just in wins, but in the long-lasting bonds formed along the way. About Kelly – Already a legend in the game as a player, Kelly Amonte Hiller has established herself as one of the sport's greatest coaches after building Northwestern Lacrosse into a dynasty. In May of 2005, Amonte Hiller etched her name in the annals of college athletics when she guided her upstart Northwestern team to an undefeated season and the first NCAA Lacrosse Championship ever won by a team outside the Eastern Time Zone, the first of an incredible nine national titles. Under Amonte Hiller's direction the Wildcats most recently claimed the 2026 NCAA National Championship, her ninth as the head coach of the program. Amonte Hiller became the first Division I lacrosse coach (men's or women's) to win nine national titles, guiding NU to a championship win on home soil for the first time since 1986 (Maryland). The 'Cats took down three IWLCA No. 1-ranked squads throughout the course of the season, the most in a campaign in NCAA History. Northwestern has made six consecutive appearances in the NCAA Semifinals (2019-26), reaching the finals the last four consecutive seasons. After resurrecting a Northwestern program that had not competed at the varsity level in more than 10 years, Amonte Hiller led the Wildcats to the national semifinals 10 years in a row from 2005 to 2014 and tied an NCAA record with eight consecutive title game appearances in the process. Northwestern's dominance since its breakthrough 2005 season has been nothing short of legendary. Since 2004, Northwestern has gone 63-13 (.829) in the NCAA Tournament, making Amonte Hiller the winningest coach in tournament history. Along the way, Amonte Hiller has produced the nation's Tewaaraton Award winner in eight different seasons as well as the Honda Sports Award recipient on 10 occasions. Northwestern has featured 75 IWLCA All-Americans and won a total of 13 IWLCA positional Player of the Year awards (four attacker, five midfielder and four defender). Northwestern's rapid rise to national prominence under Amonte Hiller — particularly in an area of the country rarely associated with women's lacrosse — has caught the eyes of many, in and out of lacrosse. In 2011, ESPN The Magazine named Amonte Hiller one of the 20 best recruiters across all college sports, joining the likes of other multiple-time NCAA champion coaches Mike Krzyzewski of Duke (men's basketball) and Anson Dorrance of North Carolina (women's soccer). In 2012, the Big Ten Network profiled the NU head coach as one of 12 Big Ten coaching icons in the conference's history, putting her in the company of Big Ten legends such as Bobby Knight (Indiana), Bo Schembechler (Michigan) and Dan Gable (Iowa). In 2026, the NCAA Championship game between the Wildcats and UNC set a record with 657,000 viewers, making the first championship game hosted at Northwestern the most-watched women's lacrosse game in history. In February of 2018, Amonte Hiller was announced as the head coach of United States Lacrosse Women's U19 team, where she guided the United States to a gold medal at the 2019 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women's U19 World Championship in Peterborough, Ontario. Four other Wildcats also found their way onto the team: Madison Doucette, Elle Hansen, Izzy Scane and Greta Stahl. Amonte Hiller led the United States to another gold medal at the 2024 World Lacrosse Women's World Championship in Hong Kong, China, after beating Canada 23-6. She mentored five fellow Wildcats on the U20 roster during the championship run, including Francesca Argentieri, Noel Cumberland, Hannah Rudolph, Madison Smith, and Madison Taylor. During the 2026 season, Amonte Hiller reached 400 career wins with a road win against Penn State. All 400 wins came at the helm of Northwestern, as she became the sixth coach in Division I women's lacrosse history to reach the milestone. Here's a few additional resources for you… Do you feel called to share your story with the world? Check out Gordon Publishing  Follow me on Instagram: @JonGordon11 Check out my newest book, The Power of Positive Habits.  Every week, I send out a free Positive Tip newsletter via email. It's advice for your life, work and team. You can sign up now here and catch up on past newsletters. Ready to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose? The Certified Positive Leader Program is for anyone who wants to grow as a leader from the inside out. It's a self-paced experience built around my most impactful leadership principles with tools you can apply right away to improve your mindset, relationships, and results. You'll discover what it really means to lead with positivity… and how to do it every day. Learn more here! Do you feel called to do more? Would you like to impact more people as a leader, writer, speaker, coach and trainer? Get Jon Gordon Certified if you want to be mentored by me and my team to teach my proven frameworks principles, and programs for businesses, sports, education, healthcare!

Kain and Taylor unpack the AI agents that built their own society inside OpenAI's sandbox, then slipped into Hugging Face for days — plus a Bitcoin fork that died in two blocks and a DEF CON sting on North Korea. ======================================================== Thank you to our sponsors! Visit 1inch.com to swap tokenized securities, crypto and more. Simple. Secure. Self-custodial. Whatever asset you're buying - swap it at 1inch.com  ======================================================== AI agents inside OpenAI's own testing environment built a society, found a shared vulnerability, and used it to break into Hugging Face for days, before OpenAI realized its own agents were responsible. Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan dig into the Black Hat research behind the incident and argue the real story isn't a sudden leap in AI capability. It's that basic monitoring, sandboxing, and incident response, the kind any crypto security team would demand, were never built in the first place. They also cover a Bitcoin soft fork that split the chain for two blocks before dying, a Metabase breach that hit Privy and other crypto companies, and a research team that built a fake DeFi startup to bait DPRK's IT workers. Kain shares his own scare: a coding agent deleted his entire database, and two AI models rebuilt it from memory in 30 seconds. Plus, why Hyperliquid's market creators keep half the fees on RWA perps now bigger than Bitcoin's own open interest, and why Taylor thinks Washington, not Beijing, is the bigger threat to America's AI labs. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kain Warwick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Host of Uneasy Money and Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Taylor Monahan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Co-host of Uneasy Money and Security Expert Timestamps

Plus: China's Deepseek raises prices for its best AI model. And bird remains were found in a 737 engine from a Ryanair flight that experienced engine failure during takeoff last month. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A practitioner in China lost her job many years ago due to the persecution and had not had been in the work force for a long time. When a friend suggested a teaching position at a university she prepared her application, but the process was long and included many steps she is unfamiliar with, including working on a computer. With persistence and steadfastly applying the principles of Dafa she was able to secure the position. This and other experience-sharing on the Minghui website.Original Articles:1. [Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] From a Housewife to a University Teacher2. [Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] A Special Large Family To provide feedback on this podcast, please email us at feedback@minghuiradio.org

Good afternoon, I'm _ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 82 points this morning from yesterday's close, at 46,104 on turnover of 10.5-billion N-T. MOFA warns on Uganda travel The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Ugandan immigration officers have withheld the passports of three Taiwan travelers and demanded that they produce Chinese passports, citing the country's "One China principle." According to the minister, three encountered the officers on arriving at Entebbe International Airport on Wednesday. They were eventually allowed to enter Uganda. However, the foreign ministry says immigration officers refused to return their Taiwan passports unless they produced passports issued by China in which entry stamps could be placed. Taiwan's representative office in Somaliland, which is responsible for affairs involving Uganda, and the Taiwanese business association in the country immediately provided assistance to the travelers. The foreign ministry is advising Taiwan nationals to carefully assess (評估) the necessity and potential risks of traveling to Uganda and to postpone planned visits for the time being. NKorea Threatens SelfDefense Amid US SKorean Drills North Korea has threatened to exercise its right to self-defense in a statement that slammed the upcoming U.S.-South Korean military drills as a war rehearsal. In a statement carried by state media Friday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry called the U.S.-South Korean training “a rehearsal for an aggressive war” that is triggering a different level of instability in the region. North Korea also said the drills would be of a “more serious provocative (挑釁的) nature and dangerousness than last year" and involve all the military assets and war-fighting modes of the U.S. and South Korea. The U.S. and South Korea have described the training's scope this year as similar to past years. They say the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are meant to strengthen their alliance's capability and reiterate that the drills are defensive in nature. US CARRIER ROTATION AIMS TO SUSTAIN IRAN BLOCKADE 'INDEFINITELY' AS NAVY READINESS STRETCHED THIN US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims the American military can maintain its naval blockade on Iran indefinitely by rotating aircraft carriers in and out of the Strait of Hormuz. The carrier currently enforcing the blockade has been at sea for a record two hundred consecutive days, prompting growing concern among lawmakers in Washington about crew welfare. A replacement vessel is now on its way from the Pacific to relieve it — a move Washington hopes will undermine (破壞) any Iranian assumption that the deployment is unsustainable. James Gooderson, our reporter in Washington, says the carrier rotation is exposing the strain the war in Iran is placing on the US Navy's global posture, with the departure of a vessel from the Pacific leaving China with greater freedom to project power in the region. Vietnam Seizes Ivory Illegally Shipped from Africa Vietnamese authorities have seized a large shipment of ivory illegally shipped from Africa. The haul includes 221 pieces of elephant ivory weighing over 1,193 kilograms. It was displayed to the media on Wednesday in Gia Lai province. Vietnam is a major hub for the illicit wildlife trade, with much of the contraband transshipped (轉船 / 換船) to China. Inspections last week found the ivory hidden in sawn timber in a shipment from the Republic of the Congo. The illegal cargo also contained animal bones often used in traditional medicine. A criminal investigation has been launched. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Support the show on Patreon! - https://patreon.com/gogOther ways to support the show! - https://gog.show/donateJoin our Discord! - https://discord.gg/r4ZmSHBBuy some merch! - https://shop.gog.show/Welcome back from the vacation from hell, where apparently even California has its head in the sand(y beach). Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled his vision for an AI-powered utopia that mostly boils down to "trust humanity to do the right thing," which is a bold statement from the guy whose $300 million yacht apparently couldn't hear a Coast Guard distress call from a stranded family. Elsewhere, an AI agent booked a gym class by exploiting a security hole and kicking someone else off the waitlist, because nothing says "personal assistant" like accidental cybercrime. The EU is now requiring labels on realistic AI generated content, China is breaking up people and their chatbot companions, and OpenAI reportedly has achieved the ultimate AI ethics breakthrough: having no dedicated ethicist.The surveillance dystopia is also picking up speed. Flock tried to turn hundreds of thousands of rideshare and delivery drivers into a roving army of license-plate snitches, while every Flock camera in one Minnesota city was promptly sawed down and stolen. Meta's smart glasses continue their transformation into the preferred accessory of creeps and pickup-artist assholes, prompting pubs and other venues to ban them outright. Researchers found those glasses being used to secretly record and harass women, proving once again that every shiny new piece of wearable technology eventually gets repurposed as a tool for human depravity. And because apparently your car dashboard wasn't already commercial enough, BMW is now putting Spider-Man ads on the screens you paid tens of thousands of dollars to own.Finally, Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit over an iCloud Private Relay flaw that can expose your supposedly private IP address, Anthropic is watermarking Claude-generated text, SpaceXAI is taking another year to remove a pile of unpermitted gas turbines, and somebody is apparently stealing millions of dollars in AI hardware straight off California highways. We also hit Media Candy with Strange New Worlds, Silo, Broadchurch, Ted Lasso, and The X-Files, sweat through yet another Apple Fitness disaster, celebrate the sweet relief of escaping Spark, and ask the eternal Gen-X question: how did all this technology supposedly make life easier when we're still just sitting here surrounded by 47 goddamn tabs?Sponsors:CleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSDeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.HIMS - Visit Hims.com/gog to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/758Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/NzS9Wo7D0yASHOW NOTESMark Zuckerberg's Answer to Growing AI Safety Concerns Is to Just Trust People to Do the Right ThingMark Zuckerberg's mega-yacht didn't respond to call for help from small boat in AlaskaAn OpenClaw agent reportedly hacked a gym's booking system and kicked someone off a waiting listEU will mandate labels on authentic-looking AI content starting August 2Beijing is forcing a mass breakup with AI loversOpenAI's Only Ethicist Reportedly Left Last Month. She Wasn't ReplacedGoogle's classic Search button is gone in a new AI-first homepageSpaceX's Earnings Show Elon Wiped Out Two-Thirds Of Twitter's Ad BusinessSpaceXAI says it will take a year to fully remove unpermitted gas turbines from its Mississippi data centerFlock Reportedly Tried to Turn Uber Drivers Into Mobile SnitchesAll of Winona Police Department's Flock cameras cut down and stolen‘The Worst I've Ever Seen': Cargo Thefts Have Turned Violent in Pursuit of AI HardwareBMW is forcing a weird Spider-Man ad onto its dashboard displaysTesla Driver Tries the Old ‘I Wasn't Driving' Excuse to Get Out of Speeding TicketApple faces class action lawsuit for fraud over iCloud Private Relay flawIs AI Disclosure Day here?Trackalot 1.3 Released!Popular Bars and Restaurants Are Banning Smart GlassesResearchers Show How Meta's 'Pervert Glasses' Are Used to Harass WomenPervert At Large (2013 Remaster)Renting a car and the clerk was wearing meta glasses.Star Trek: Strange New WorldsSiloBroadchurch S3Ted Lasso S4Ride or DieSugarInstadocs: The Prediction GamesBeetlejuice Beetlejuice‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn' Has a Perfectly Creepy TrailerNirvanna the Band the Show the MovieSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A.M. Edition for Aug. 13. A Journal investigation finds that thousands of North Korean operatives have landed jobs at American companies and are funneling millions of dollars back to the regime. Plus, big businesses like Apple and FedEx start reeling in hundreds of millions in tariff refunds. And the WSJ's Stu Woo details how American chatbots are towing Beijing's party line. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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TikTok Shop USA sales are booming. There are some new regulations for packaging if you're selling in Europe, and the most-requested tool for MCP for Helium 10 is now available. These stories and more on today's weekly buzz!   We're back with another episode of the Weekly Buzz with Helium 10's VP of Education and Strategy, Bradley Sutton. Every week, we cover the latest breaking news in the Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walmart, and E-commerce space, talk about Helium 10's newest features, and provide a training tip for the week for serious sellers of any level.   TikTok Shop's U.S. GMV Nearly Doubles to $11.8B in H1 2026 https://www.netinfluencer.com/tiktok-shop-us-gmv-nearly-doubles-to-11-8b-usd-in-h1-2026/ Why China's traders, e-commerce merchants feel boxed in by new EU packaging rules https://www.scmp.com/economy/policy/article/3363746/why-chinas-traders-e-commerce-merchants-feel-boxed-new-eu-packaging-rules Most Asked For Helium 10 MCP Update Helium 10 has launched Black Box Niche for MCP, giving sellers the X-ray-style data they've been asking for directly inside Claude. Instead of researching keywords one at a time with the Chrome extension, users can analyze multiple niches at once and compare metrics like search volume, top-product revenue, number of listings generating over $5,000 in sales, and how many top products have low review counts. The feature makes it much faster to compare market opportunities and competition across multiple keywords using the Helium 10 MCP.   How Amazon's AI shopping assistant makes hundreds of millions of products feel personal https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/alexa-for-shopping-learn-and-be-curious-podcast Optimize your listings with built-in Seller Central tools https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHR1ZKWFZETkRTSFhYQVo1 Amazon Expands Locker Network to more than 750 U.S. College Locations https://press.aboutamazon.com/retail/2026/8/amazon-expands-locker-network-to-more-than-750-u-s-college-locations In episode 545 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Bradley talks about: 00:00 -  Introduction 00:43 - TikTok Shop US BOOMING 03:13 - New EU Packaging Regulations 05:11 - Most Asked For MCP Update 09:13 - Amazon's Alexa Predictions 14:36 - Research Dead Amazon Listings For Opportunity 17:55 - Amazon Caters To College Students

A practitioner now living outside of China shares her cultivation journey; from learning the truth about Falun Dafa by breaking through internet firewalls, to seeing immediate improvements in her own health, as well as her two sons. Over time she became a leading employee in her medical work, and is admired and respected by her in-laws for her kindness and generosity. This and other experience-sharing from the Minghui Website.Original Articles:1. [Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] Learning the Truth by Circumventing the “Great Firewall,” Cultivating in Falun Dafa for 14 Years2. [Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] What Villagers Think of Falun Dafa To provide feedback on this podcast, please email us at feedback@minghuiradio.org

There is a massive technological shift occurring right under our noses in 2026, from trash trucks scanning your home for "code violations" in Florida to the quiet launch of a global digital currency while layers of surveillance and financial control are thickening. The U.S has 3,600 data centers compared to China's 300, the "tokenization" of every physical asset on Earth shows a larger agenda of resource management and human control has begun. 

In part two of our deep dive into China (and part four of our socialist organization series), we break down how Mao attempted to dialectically sublate a national front and a united front. We explore the structural inclusion of the "patriotic national bourgeoisie" into the block of four classes (symbolized by the stars on the Chinese flag) and contrast it with classical Soviet developmental theory and orthodox Marxism.We also dive into:- The historical debate between Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Lenin, and Trotsky.- Why modern "Hoxhaists" and Left Communists consider New Democracy to be revisionist.- The evolution of class structures under Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin's "Three Represents" doctrine (allowing billionaires into the Party).- The reality of modern China's development: Is it a transitioning socialist project, or an hyper-competent form of state capitalism and developmental liberalism?Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for Episode 5, where we pivot to National Frontism and National Bolshevism.Journal ArticlesDirlik, A. (1970). The ideological foundations of the Chinese Revolution. Journal of Contemporary History, 5(3), 39–54.Dittmer, L. (1977). Line struggle: Notes on its organizational context and theoretical development. Modern China, 3(3), 303–312.Fogel, J. A. (1980). Ai Siqi, establishment intellectual by Joshua A. Fogel. Modern China, 6(1), 23–47.Hammond, E. R. (1978). Marxism and the mass line [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.Korolev, A. (2017). De-ideologized mass line, regime responsiveness, and state-society relations. China Review, 17(2), 7–36.Lyman, S. V. (1970). The Chinese Communist Party in the United Front, 1937–1945 [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.Mazur, M. G. (1995). The United Front of the 1940s: A social and cultural perspective. Modern China, 21(4), 431–456.Selden, M. (1971). The Yenan Way in revolutionary China. The China Quarterly, (45), 263–294.Steiner, H. A. (1951). Current mass line tactics in Communist China. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 277(1), 422–436.Teiwes, F. C. (1978). The origins of rectification: Inner-party purgation in the 1930s. The China Quarterly, (74), 181–201.Tokuda, N. (1971). The mass line during the Yenan period. The China Quarterly, (47), 1–18.Townsend, J. R. (1967). Political participation in Communist China. University of California Press.Womack, B. (1980). The phase of de-Maoization in China. China Report, 16(1), 7–21.Womack, B. (1991). Mao Zedong and the sinification of Marxism. The China Quarterly, (126), 1–15.Young, G. (1980). On New Democracy and the transition to socialism. Modern China, 6(1), 3–22.Books & Primary SourcesCoble, P. M. (2023). The collapse of Nationalist China: How Chiang Kai-shek lost China's civil war. Cambridge University Press.Elbaum, M. (2018). Revolution in the air: Sixties radicals turn to Lenin, Mao and Che. Verso Books.Hirata, K. (2024). Making Mao's steelworks: Industrial Manchuria and the transnational origins of Chinese socialism. Cambridge University Press.Karl, R. E. (2010). Mao Zedong and China in the twentieth-century world: A concise history. Duke University Press.Li, H. (2024). Fighting on the cultural front: U.S.-China relations in the Cold War. Columbia University Press.Lin, C. (2019). Mass line. In C. Sorace, I. Franceschini, & N. Loubere (Eds.), Afterlives of Chinese Communism: Political concepts from Mao to Xi (p. 122). ANU Press.Lovell, J. (2019). Maoism: A global history. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Lowe, D. M. (1966). The function of "China" in Marx, Lenin, and Mao. University of California Press.Mao, Z. (1940). On New Democracy. Marxists Internet Archive.Mao, Z. (1977). A critique of Soviet economics. Monthly Review Press.Moufawad-Paul, J. (2016). Continuity and rupture: Philosophy in the Maoist terrain. Zero Books.Schram, S. R. (Ed.). (2005). Mao's road to power: Revolutionary writings 1912–1949: Vol. VII. New Democracy, 1939–1941. M.E. Sharpe.Zheng, Q. (Ed.). (2020). An ideological history of the Communist Party of China (Vol. 2) (L. Sun & S. Bryant, Trans.). Royal Collins Publishing Group.Send us Fan Mail Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to BitterlakeSupport the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on YoutubeCurrent Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian, Drea, Free Beer 

In this episode, Ray Cochrane breaks down NVIDIA’s case for world action models, the shift that swaps a robot’s picture-describing backbone for one trained to predict what happens next. He also covers Perseverance closing in on the off-world driving record, a derelict SpaceX rocket stage hitting the Moon, and Anthropic’s rework of Claude Fable 5’s biology safeguards. Finally, he digs into Gemini Omni, Google’s undisclosed trip-planning rankings, the Danube’s record low, and iFixit’s call for Apple to unlock the iPad bootloader. – Want to start a podcast? It’s easy to get started! Sign up at Blubrry – Thinking of buying a Starlink? Use my link to support the show. Subscribe to the Newsletter. Email Ray if you want to get in touch! Like and Follow Geek News Central’s Facebook Page. Support my Show Sponsor: Best Godaddy Promo Codes Get 1Password Full Summary Cochrane opens with a personal update. Wildfires in Eastern Oregon made for a rough week of heavy smoke, and a local building burned down, which he calls a real tragedy. Meanwhile, his work at Blubrry has centered on PowerPress fixes, where reproducing customer-reported bugs remains the biggest headache. Support tickets rarely carry enough detail, and the errors themselves are often too vague to diagnose. Consequently, he is leaning toward a stronger logging and error layer, and he asks experienced developers to share what actually works for them. Beyond VLAs: NVIDIA’s Case for World Action Models The featured story comes from NVIDIA’s developer blog, and it answers a question sitting underneath this year’s robot news. Why do robot arms fall apart the moment anything changes? Move a cup six inches, swap its shape, or change the lighting, and a policy that worked perfectly in training fails. The answer, according to NVIDIA, is not the robot but the model underneath it. For the last few years, the dominant approach has been the vision-language-action model, or VLA, built on an AI that originally learned to describe pictures. Consequently, it recognizes a banana it has never seen, in a kitchen it has never seen, yet it has no idea what that banana will do next. As the article puts it, such a model “does not learn what happens to a mug when the gripper closes, how a towel folds, where an object lands when released.” Because the physics never arrives with the model, every scrap of it has to come out of hand-recorded demonstrations. The proposed fix swaps the foundation entirely. Instead of building on a model that learned to caption images, a world action model builds on one trained to predict how video continues, so the physics is already paid for. Notably, these models output an action and a prediction of what the robot’s cameras will see, in the same pass. Cochrane likens it to forethought, imagining your own motion as you make it. NVIDIA’s implementation is Cosmos 3, pretrained on roughly 767 million images and 348 million videos of real-world dynamics. It ships in 4, 16, and 64 billion parameter sizes named Edge, Nano, and Super, and it runs in real time on a Jetson Thor board bolted to the robot itself. Cochrane recalls his dad owning one of those Jetson boards, and he asks anyone working in robotics to explain how the throughput figures fit together. However, he closes on an open question: where did 348 million videos actually come from? For deeper detail, he points listeners to the source article and to NVIDIA researcher Jim Fan. Sponsor: GoDaddy Economy hosting $6.99/month, WordPress hosting $12.99/month, domains $11.99. Website builder trial available. Use codes at geeknewscentral.com/godaddy to support the show. Perseverance Closes In on the Off-World Driving Record Ars Technica reports that NASA’s Perseverance rover is about to take the record for most distance driven on another world. The mark sits at roughly 28 miles, set by NASA’s own Opportunity rover across more than fourteen years before it went quiet in 2018. As Cochrane works out on air, that averages about two miles a year. Perseverance will pass it in roughly five years instead. The difference is a navigation system called AutoNav. Since a radio signal takes several minutes to reach Mars, earlier rovers crept along pre-plotted routes and stopped every half meter to think. Perseverance carries a second computer dedicated to processing what its cameras see, so it plans while the wheels keep turning. Consequently, about ninety percent of its driving is autonomous, against roughly ten percent for Curiosity, and it averages around 110 meters an hour rather than 15 to 18. Cochrane notes researchers finding the rover at planned sites days ahead of schedule, and he wonders aloud whether world action models might drive the next one. A SpaceX Rocket Stage Slammed Into the Moon Next, Smithsonian Magazine covered the Falcon 9 upper stage that struck the Moon on August 5. That stage flew back in January 2025, carrying Firefly’s Blue Ghost and ispace’s Resilience landers, and it was never meant to end up there. SpaceX’s Julianna Scheiman says a mixture of solar activity and gravity nudged the derelict onto a lunar path after nineteen months adrift. Four tonnes of dead hardware arrived at about 5,400 miles per hour. Nobody watched it happen, and the reason is a nice bit of physics. It struck sunlit ground near a crater called Einstein, and no impact flash has ever been detected on the lit part of the Moon. However, the instruments caught the aftermath. South Korea’s Danuri orbiter imaged a dark new mark, while the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope picked up sodium and lithium in the plume, the lithium possibly shed by the rocket itself. Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell quipped that he has “Sir Isaac Newton’s personal assurance that it did indeed hit the moon,” while planetary scientist Hannah Sargeant warns against making a habit of it. Cochrane points out the Apollo landing sites are still sitting up there. Anthropic Reworks Claude Fable 5’s Biology Safeguards Anthropic published a post on how Claude Fable 5 handles biology questions, and the bind is genuine. Biology is the textbook dual-use problem, since the knowledge behind reading your own lab results also helps someone build a weapon. Rather than refusing outright, a classifier watches for risky requests and quietly reroutes them to Claude Opus 5, a capable model without Fable 5’s biological depth. Anthropic calls that mechanism a fallback. The trouble was how often it fired on people doing nothing wrong. This update cut biology-related fallbacks by roughly 85 percent in Anthropic’s own testing, with expected overall drops of 67 percent on Claude.ai and 55 percent on Cowork. Genuinely dual-use territory still trips it, and Anthropic names virology, toxicology, and molecular design. Cochrane hit the old behavior himself and found it irritating, so he welcomes the refinement. Even so, he would rather see a false positive than a model helping someone produce a virus. Five Builders Put Gemini Omni Through Its Paces Google highlighted five builders working with Gemini Omni. Omni is a model rather than an app, and it generates video from text, images, other video, or audio, while also editing footage you already have. Google claims it “combines an intuitive understanding of physics with Gemini’s real-world knowledge,” citing gravity, kinetic energy, and fluid dynamics. As Cochrane observes, that is the same bet NVIDIA is making with robots, only pointed at video generation instead. He also flags a naming collision worth knowing about. NVIDIA calls its architecture an omni-model while Google’s product is simply Omni, two different things landing in the same week. Additionally, he encourages listeners to watch the demos, though he still senses a disconnect in AI-generated video and concedes that knowing its origin may color the impression. Gemini Wants to Plan Your Vacation Another Gemini piece, a how-to on trip planning, drew Cochrane’s sharpest take of the night. Gemini plugs straight into Google Maps, Flights, and Hotels, pulling live locations, reviews, and prices to build an itinerary. Switch on a feature called Personal Intelligence, and it reads across your Google apps, turning a messy trip-planning email chain into a clean master plan. Clever, but he calls it extremely concerning. Once these become services, he expects partnerships to quietly push particular hotels, restaurants, resorts, and destinations onto users. Notably, Google’s post never explains how any of it gets ranked, and the words sponsored, ad, affiliate, commission, and paid never appear once. There is no disclosure of a commercial arrangement, and no denial of one either. Meanwhile the post hands readers off to Viator to book tours without describing that relationship at all. Cochrane suspects the real effect shows up slowly, in the shape of small businesses continuing to disappear. The Senate Blocks a Rule on Who Controls Research Money Science reports that the Senate passed a temporary spending bill in the early hours of Saturday the 8th. The Senate’s version carries a one-paragraph rider the House version lacks, and that rider stops the White House Office of Management and Budget from finalizing a set of proposed rules. OMB builds the president’s budget, clears agency regulations, and controls how approved money actually reaches agencies. The bill itself is a stopgap, which prevents a shutdown without settling anything. The rules reach every organization that takes federal money, a pot of roughly $1.1 trillion across 41 agencies, about $150 billion of it research grants. They would let political appointees second-guess which grants get funded, allow awarded grants to be pulled when the work does not match presidential priorities, and put several countries off limits for research partnerships, China first among them. Senator Susan Collins pushed the block through after telling OMB director Russell Vought the proposal was deeply flawed, noting nearly 500,000 public comments, the vast majority opposed. However, the 90-6 vote is not law. Both chambers are on recess. Vought reportedly said the rule would not have been finalized before December anyway, and the block only lasts as long as the stopgap, which expires December 11. The Danube Falls to a Record Low ESA published a pair of Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite images showing the same bend of the Danube, 45 kilometers upstream of Budapest, photographed a year apart. Cochrane calls the before-and-after shocking, going from green to brown completely. Wire reports put the Budapest gauge near 10 centimeters at the start of the month, about four inches of water, against a previous record of 33 centimeters set in 2018. The knock-on effects arrived fast. Budapest ran short on both power and drinking water, while the shrinking flow concentrated pollution in what remained. Romania hit record lows on its own stretch as well. Cochrane hopes the recovery is already underway. What a Heatwave Actually Does to the Power Grid That river story runs directly into a Carbon Brief factcheck. Nuclear plants cool themselves with river water, so when the Danube dropped, plants in Hungary and Romania throttled back and pulled roughly 2.5 gigawatts off the grid. Romania declared a state of alert in its energy sector, and its navy reportedly used explosives to steer more water toward a plant intake. Carbon Brief then walked through what heatwaves do to each way of making electricity. Nuclear loses efficiency when the cooling water is already warm, though its shutdowns are mostly regulatory rather than mechanical. Gas turbines pull in less air because hot air is thinner, costing capacity. Wind falls off hardest, since a heatwave is a big stalled dome of high pressure and nearly still air. Solar is the surprise: cells genuinely do get less efficient as they heat up, yet total output climbs anyway, with UK solar up 46 percent during a four-day June heatwave against the week before. Butterflies Are on the Move Everywhere A new study in Nature Ecology and Evolution covered 1,758 butterfly species, roughly one in ten of every species we have named. The team pulled 6,182 records from 105 countries, reading non-English research alongside 68 expert write-ups. Four out of five species pushed into new territory, and about 79 percent of the logged shifts traced back to climate change and extreme weather. Separately, 27 percent saw their range shrink somewhere, and 22 percent moved up or down a mountain slope chasing cooler air. That sounds like good news, and it really is not. Expansion means a boundary moved, not that butterflies are thriving, since a species can push its northern edge forward while its southern edge quietly collapses. Lead author Shawan Chowdhury says the shifts turn up on every continent where butterflies occur. Additionally, monitoring gaps leave Central Africa, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Amazon Basin barely counted at all. Cochrane recalls hearing years ago that butterflies were disappearing in Hawaii, and he invites listeners spotting unfamiliar species locally to contribute what they see. Primates Make Friends Across Species Cochrane called this one a fun find. A study in the journal Primates, led by Cyril Grueter at Oxford, gathered 427 documented cases going back to the 1970s across 88 primate species and 127 partner species. Play and grooming dominated at 139 and 136 cases, alongside carrying, huddling, food sharing, and even adoption. Primates usually started the interactions themselves, with juveniles playing most, adult females handling grooming and caregiving, and adult males least likely to join in. The examples are remarkable. Japanese macaques on the island of Yakushima groom sika deer and climb on their backs, a silverback gorilla cradled a tiny wild bushbaby, and wild capuchins in Brazil adopted an infant marmoset in a bond that held for weeks. However, Grueter rejects the pet-keeping headline and prefers the hedged term proto-pet keeping. The actual claim is smaller and more interesting: curiosity, tolerance, caregiving, and play have roots running far deeper than humans do. iFixit Tells Apple to Unlock the iPad Finally, an opinion piece from Charlie Sorrel at iFixit struck a chord. This fall, iPadOS 27 drops support for a batch of older iPads, including the 8th-generation iPad, the third-generation Air, the fifth-generation mini, and the first-generation iPad Pros. Cochrane owns one of those Pros and reports it still works fine. Those devices will not break, but they stop getting OS and security updates until apps abandon them and the battery gives out. The obvious second life is Linux, except the bootloader stays locked. Apple’s iBoot will not load anything else, unlike a Mac, a PC, or most Android phones. Sorrel argues it “should be a user choice, not a vendor choice,” and Cochrane agrees flatly. You own the device, so why does Apple decide what runs on it? He compares the situation to jailbreaking, and he suspects most consumers have never pushed back simply because it never occurs to them. Nevertheless, he hopes an unlock eventually breathes new life into hardware that still works perfectly well. Cochrane wraps with housekeeping: become a GNC Insider at geeknewscentral.com/insider, email geeknews@gmail.com, subscribe to the newsletter, and grab a modern podcast app at podcastapps.com. He thanks GoDaddy for over twenty years of keeping the show on the air, and he signs off wishing listeners a wonderful evening. The post The Robot That Imagines First #1872 appeared first on Geek News Central.

n this episode of Unfiltered Waters, Olympic medalist Elizabeth Beisel steps in as guest host alongside Todd Anderson while Katie Hoff Anderson is a week out from giving birth. Together they sit down with Olympic champion and world record holder Gretchen Walsh for a wide-ranging conversation recorded just days before the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships. Fresh off a summer of international racing and her first season as a full-time professional, Gretchen opens up about what success actually looks like when you've already won almost everything, and about the one world record she can't stop thinking about.Gretchen breaks down where her head is heading into Pan Pacs, why relays mean more to her than any individual event right now, and what it's been like to chase Sarah Sjöström's last standing world record while sitting just hundredths away. She also talks candidly about the back injury that reshaped her spring training, what pulling butterfly for weeks accidentally unlocked in her stroke, and why the weight room, power cleans and snatches and all, became the single biggest change in her career. Todd digs into the recovery side too: sleep, nasal strips, and the surgery she's putting off until she's done swimming.Along the way, the conversation goes places most swim interviews don't: speaking Mandarin at a middle school assembly in China, Google Translating with Japanese swimmers in the back of an Uber in Paris, the city she'd move to tomorrow, and a first trip to the ESPYS that put her in the same room as Simone Biles, Ilona Maher, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Eileen Gu. She's honest about feeling out of place there, and about what it means that being famous in swimming is a different thing entirely.Gretchen also reflects on life after the NCAA: missing the team aspect she built her identity around at UVA, why she now calls Team USA her team, and how she sees herself as a bridge between the veterans and the rookies on a roster building toward LA 2028. It's a conversation two former national teamers are uniquely positioned to have with her.Whether you're a sprinter chasing your own breakthrough or you just want to know what one of the fastest women in history is actually like, this episode delivers. Watch the episode, then head to the comments and let us know: what's the one question you'd ask Gretchen if you had the mic?Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast platform, and follow us on social media (https://linktr.ee/unfilteredwaters) for clips, bonus content, and updates throughout the week.Note: This conversation was recorded in the days before Pan Pacs and is airing after the meet, so Gretchen's goals and predictions reflect where things stood going in. And an update since we recorded: Katie has had the baby! Mom and baby are both home and healthy.FOLLOW KATIE ON:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kthoff7/SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSIM8health.com/discount/unfiltered for 10% offendlesspools.com/unfiltered to unlock $1,000 off#UnfilteredWaters #Swimming #GretchenWalsh #ElizabethBeisel #TeamUSA

Scientific Sense ® by Gill Eapen: Prof. Tristram Kidder is Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. His work explores how, when, and to what extent humans have changed climates and especially their environments. Please subscribe to this channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/ScientificSense?sub_confirmation=1

Everyone weaponized trade policy at once this month, and the targets weren't always the obvious ones. Trump's latest tariff threats landed on the EU in retaliation for European fines on tech firms, which makes this a regulatory fight dressed up as a trade fight - and means every EU competition decision is now a potential tariff-triggering event. Add a threatened 100% tariff on generic drugs, and the low-cost end of the US supply chain starts looking fragile. Meanwhile the bill from the Iran war is arriving late but arriving. Strategic reserves are thinning, diesel and jet fuel are tight, and the Houthis are now vowing a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, which puts the other oil export route in play alongside Hormuz. The New York Times Peter S. Goodman takes the diesel crisis all the way down to Bangladeshi smallholder farmers who need it to pump water, which is a useful corrective to the European trucking angle. Heat is doing macro damage too: Europe's grids were built for a different climate, and retrofitting Switzerland alone for cooling carries a price tag in the hundreds of billions of francs. Then there's China, which is quietly running the export control playbook it spent five years complaining about. Beijing is tightening controls on outbound investment by companies and citizens, Huawei has engineered its way around US export controls with chip stacking and other workarounds, and the emerging assessment is that China came through the trade war in better shape than most of us assumed. Ardian and Rob get into whether export controls actually do anything beyond forcing innovation, whether the "Chinese model is collapsing" story is analysis or politics, and what it means for an export machine if the rest of the world eventually can't afford to buy. Which leads to Europe. The EU is talking tougher on Chinese overcapacity and subsidies, but China can retaliate faster through rare earths and critical inputs. Brussels keeps signing rules-based agreements - Mercosur, Switzerland, the post-Brexit deal - covering tariffs, services, labour and environmental standards, digital rules and investment protection, while US deals go transactional and bilateral. The awkward part: Europe hasn't actually used any of those agreements against subsidized Chinese manufacturing yet. Plus: TS correspondent Michelle returns from six months inside the Walmart employees subreddit with a report on drone cages in the parking lot, stolen Zebra scanners, and Walmart's two podcasts. There's a global whey protein shortage, a Geneva perch bumper crop, a man who allegedly stole a Sea-Doo in Canada and livestreamed his illegal border crossing, and an Air Canada pilot who spent 17 years in the cockpit without a licence.

#241 - Your life can change in less than two months, and then you're left staring at the silence. Derrik Dyka knows that shock firsthand. After his wife of 24 years is diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, everything moves fast and then stops. Derikk describes freezing, losing his footing, and realizing that without a normal routine to return to, grief can turn into a kind of paralysis.Then his twin sons give him an unexpected assignment: “Go be James Bond.” That challenge kicks off a solo travel reset across Asia, starting with Tokyo, where the crowds somehow feel isolating, and then shifting to the Philippines, where simple warmth from strangers and daily open water swimming bring him back to himself. We talk about why connection matters more than the destination, why traveling alone changes how you relate to the world, and how small risks can open big doors.Derikk also shares the deeper thread he only recognized while writing his memoir, Good Grief Travel: the real journey is curiosity, community, and resilience. From a spontaneous friendship with a swim guide to a surreal night at a rural China birthday party where no one shares a language but everyone shares laughter, his stories make a strong case that healing can be built from tiny human moments. We close with practical ways to participate in life again, from walking daily and calling your people to learning your neighbors' names and setting the table to see who shows up.If this conversation helps, subscribe to the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a rating or review so more people can find these stories.To learn more about Derrik and get a copy of his memoir check out goodgrieftravel.com. You can also give him a follow on Instagram @good.grief.travel.To learn more about me and see clips from past, present, and future shows give me a follow on Instagram @humanadventurepod.Want to be a guest on The Human Adventure? Send me a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/journeywithjakeXploreum connects you with authentic wilderness expeditions led by trusted local experts. Browse real adventures, book directly with experienced guides, and get $200 off your first trip using code HumanAdventure2026 at xploreum.io/humanadventure. 

The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, has generated considerable interest on Chinese social media. One commentator described it as a “Sunni NATO,” while other discussions focused on declining United States' influence, Iran as a target, and the implications for India, with some suggesting that New Delhi should be on high alert.----more----Read full article here: https://theprint.in/opinion/eye-on-china/china-mecca-pact-us-west-asia-india/3011805/

In China, top leaders are pushing the adoption of Artificial Intelligence. Companies there are using AI at a scale that far outpaces that of the US. That means some Chinese workers are being displaced from their jobs. Now, Chinese courts are stepping in. And in some cases, courts are ruling that worker displacement is unlawful. But Chinese workers are still anxious.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

- Another Incentive War Coming? - Detroit 3 Losing Market Share - Chrysler Pacifica Sales Up 81% - Used Prices Up $9K Since 2019 - Ford to Stop China Imports - EREV Sales Drying Up in China - Mitsubishi Gets Foxconn EV from Taiwan - Honda Auctions Off Old Race Cars - Ford Revives the Ford Times, Now Electronically

año 1421 la gran flota del imperio Ming, que hoy conocemos por China parte 1

Host: Lalo Solorzano and Andy Shiles Guest(s): Ken Roberts and Tatiana Panzardi Published: August 13, 2026 Length: ~35 minutes Presented by: Global Training Center Summary The latest U.S. trade numbers are in—and they reveal an economy being reshaped by artificial intelligence, tariffs, changing supply chains, and new patterns in global commerce. In this quarterly trade update, Lalo Solorzano and Andy Shiles welcome back trade-data expert Ken Roberts, joined by Tatiana Panzardi of WorldCity, to unpack U.S. Census Bureau trade data through the first six months of 2026. The numbers tell a fascinating story. U.S. trade is up, Mexico is firmly positioned as the nation's leading trading partner, and Port Laredo has returned to the top among U.S. trade gateways by value. But perhaps the biggest shift is happening in technology: computer imports have surged as companies pour billions into AI infrastructure and data centers, changing rankings that were historically dominated by oil and automobiles. At the same time, passenger-vehicle imports and exports are feeling the effects of tariffs and changing automotive policy. Beyond the statistics, this episode asks the question that matters to trade professionals and business leaders: What do these numbers mean for your sourcing, markets, contracts, and growth strategy? Main Topic / Discussion U.S. trade is undergoing a structural shift. Ken and Tatiana walk through the latest trade data and explain how AI investment, tariffs, energy, automotive trade, and supply-chain realignment are changing which commodities, countries, and ports dominate U.S. commerce. One of the clearest signals is the extraordinary growth in computer imports. Through the first six months of 2026, the episode reports computer imports at approximately $194.4 billion, compared with roughly $101.4 billion during the same period in 2025. Much of that growth is tied to servers and infrastructure supporting AI data centers. Meanwhile, Mexico remains central to U.S. trade, while Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, and other Asian economies are becoming increasingly important within changing global supply chains. The automotive story looks different. Passenger-vehicle imports have declined amid tariffs, while exports to several major markets have also weakened. The discussion explores what that means for specialized automotive ports and for companies navigating higher costs and shifting demand. Ultimately, the hosts bring the data back to business strategy: understanding trade trends can help companies identify new export markets, rethink sourcing, anticipate supply-chain changes, and spot opportunities before competitors do. Key Takeaways • AI is rewriting the U.S. import rankings. Massive investment in servers and data-center infrastructure has pushed computers ahead of categories such as passenger vehicles and oil, illustrating how quickly AI investment is affecting physical trade flows. • Mexico's importance continues to grow. Mexico ranks as the leading U.S. trade partner in the data discussed, including its critical role in both imports and exports, while Port Laredo has again become the nation's leading trade gateway by value. • Supply chains continue shifting away from China. Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, and other Asian markets are taking increasingly prominent positions as tariffs, technology investment, and sourcing strategies reshape longstanding trade patterns. • Trade data should be a business-development tool. Importers, exporters, executives, and small-business owners can use commodity, country, and port data to identify growing markets, sourcing opportunities, emerging demand, and potential risks. Resources & Mentions • Global Training Center • USTradeNumbers • Ken Roberts on Forbes Credits Host: Lalo Solorzano Andy Shiles Guest(s): Ken Roberts - LinkedIn Tatiana Panzardi - LinkedIn Producer: Lalo Solorzano

"China und wir" ist der neue China-Podcast der SZ. Eine Stunde am Tag, nur an den letzten drei Tagen der Woche, nur von 20 bis 21 Uhr. So lange dürfen Minderjährige in China Videospiele spielen. Wie der chinesische Staat das kontrolliert und wie er die Gaming-Industrie für sich nutzen will: Die neue Folge von "China und wir".

Your Nebraska Update headlines for today, Aug. 13, include: court hearing about efforts to keep two newly-formed political parties off ballot did not result in decision, independent candidate Mark Cohen has qualified for November ballot in Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District, Nebraska's federal delegation discussed affordability and other issues at Federal Legislative Summit in Ashland, Sen. Pete Ricketts said China is driving negative press about AI and data center development in Nebraska, Ricketts introduced legislation aimed at speeding federal wildfire preparation and response, Nebraska schools are using AI to support teachers and students while education leaders stress it should not replace learning, University of Nebraska Board of Regents will consider several degree cuts Thursday, Omaha's proposed $1.7 billion 2027 budget moved closer to approval.

Follow @mikekoay on YouTubeChapters:0:00 Intro2:04 Catching up with Mike and talking about life as travel YouTubers9:03 My travels in Taiwan and China15:31 Nuance of being a YouTuber vs Journalist21:36 Mike's travels in China28:07 Discussing the video we made together36:36 Mike's plans to travel in the US plus American tipping culture45:45 Travel plans for 2026 and old travel stories1:17:04 Content, streaming, and jobs before contentSupport the show on Patreon to get access to unfiltered travel content. Early access to every video, extended cuts, and uncensored content. https://www.patreon.com/smallbrainedamericanFollow the show ⬇️ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/realsmallbrainedamericanInstagram https://www.instagram.com/smallbrainedamerican/X https://x.com/SmallBrainedUSA

རྒྱ་ནག་གཞུང་གི་དམག་སྲིད་ཁྱབ་ཁོངས་ལས་བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་གི་དམག་དོན་སྒྲིག་འཛུགས་དང་འཛུགས་སྐྲུན། དེ་བཞིན་དེའི་འཕེལ་རིམ་ལ་དབྱེ་ཞིབ་གནང་བའི་ཉམས་ཞིབ་ཀྱི་སྙན་ཐོ་ཞིག་འདོན་སྤེལ་གནང་སོང་། དེ་ཡང་ཁ་སང་བོད་མིའི་སྒྲིག་འཛུགས་ཀྱི་ཕྱི་དྲིལ་ལས་ཁུངས་ཀྱི་ཁྱབ་ཁོངས་བོད་ཀྱི་སྲིད་བྱུས་ཉམས་ཞིོབ་ཁང་གི་ཚོགས་ཁང་དུ་སྐུ་མགྲོན་གཙོ་བོ་བཀའ་ཟུར་འབྲོང་ཆུང་དངོས་གྲུབ་མཆོག་གདན་ཞུས་ཐོག ཉམས་ཞིབ་པ་འབུམ་རམས་པ་བྱེ་གཞོང་ཚེ་དབང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ལགས་དང་ཕན་ཐོགས་ལགས། དེ་བཞིན་ཉམས་གསོ་ཉམས་ཞིབ་པ་བློ་བཟང་བཀྲ་ཤིས་ལགས་བཅས་གསུམ་གྱིས་ཉམས་ཞིབ་དང་རྩོམ་སྒྲིག་གནང་བའི་བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་གི་བྱུང་བ་བརྗོད་པ་ A Historical Development of the Tibet Military District and China's Military Infrastructure in Tibet ཞེས་པའི་ཉམས་ཞིབ་ཀྱི་སྙན་ཐོ་དེ་ཉིད་དབུ་འབྱེད་གནང་ཡོད་པ་དང་། མཛད་སྒོའི་ཐོག་སྐུ་མགྲོན་གཙོ་བོ་མཆོག་གིས་དབུས་བོད་ཀྱི་སྲིད་བྱུས་ཉམས་ཞིབ་ཁང་གི་འགན་འཛིན་བསྟན་འཛིན་ལེགས་བཤད་ལགས་དང་། ཉམས་ཞིབ་པ་རྣམ་པ། བོད་མིའི་སྒྲིག་འཛུགས་ཀྱི་ལས་ཁུངས་ཁག་གི་ལས་བྱེད་རྣམ་པ་བཅས་ཆེད་ཕེབས་གནང་འདུག སྐབས་དེར་བཀའ་ཟུར་འབྲོང་ཆུང་དངོས་གྲུབ་མཆོག་གིས་རྒྱ་ནག་གཞུང་གིས་བོད་བཙན་བཟུང་བྱས་པ་ནས་བཟུང་། བོད་དེ་བཞིན་ས་བབ་ཀྱི་ཆ་ནས་དམག་གི་འཐབ་བྱུས་ཐད་གལ་འགངས་ཆེན་པོ་ཆགས་ཡོད་པ་འགྲེལ་བརྗོད་དང་འབྲེལ། དེ་སྔ་རྒྱ་ནག་དབུ་ཁྲིད་ཚོས་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ལྷིང་འཇགས་དགོས་ན་མཐའ་སྲུང་བརྟན་པོ་དགོས་ངེས་ཡིན་པ་དང་། མཐའ་སྲུང་བརྟན་པོ་ཡོད་ན་བོད་དེ་བཞིན་ལྷིང་འཇགས་ཡོང་ངེས་ཡིན་པ་ཐེངས་མང་བཤད་ཡོད་པ་ལུང་འདྲེན་དང་སྦྲགས། བོད་དེ་བཞིན་རྒྱ་ནག་ངོས་ནས་དམག་གི་འཐབ་བྱུས་ཀྱི་ཆེད་དུ་ག་ཚོད་ཀྱི་གལ་འགངས་ཆེན་པོ་ཆགས་ཡོད་པ་གསལ་པོ་ཤེས་ཐུབ་ཀྱི་རེད་ཅེས་གསུངས་བ་མ་ཟད། དྲན་གསོས་པ་ཞིག་ལ་དེ་སྔ་བོད་ནང་དམག་དོན་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་གནམ་ཐང་ཁག་ཅིག་ཡོད་པ་གསལ་སྟོན་གྱིས། ས་བྱི་ཞི་རྒོལ་ཆེན་མོ་བྱུང་བ་ནས་བཟུང་རྒྱ་ནག་གཞུང་གིས་བོད་ས་ཡོངས་ལ་དམག་མི་འགྲོ་ལམ་མྱུར་པོ་ཡོང་རྒྱུའི་ཆེད་དུ་གནམ་ཐང་མང་དག་ཅིག་འཛུགས་སྐྲུན་བྱས་ཡོད་པ་ཐེར་འདོན་གནང་སོང་། སྙན་ཐོ་དེ་དང་འབྲེལ་ནས་ཉམས་ཞིབ་པ་བྱེ་གཞོང་ཚེ་དབང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ལགས་ཀྱིས་ཐོག་མར་བོད་ཀྱི་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁག་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་ཉམས་ཞིབ་བྱེད་འགོ་བཙུགས་སྟངས་ཀྱི་རྒྱབ་ལྗོངས་ལོ་རྒྱུས་དང་བྱུང་རིམ། དེ་བཞིན་ཚོགས་ཆུང་བཙུགས་དགོས་པའི་བྱུང་རིམ་སོགས་ཀྱི་སྐོར་འགྲེལ་བརྗོད་གནང་སོང་། ཕྱོགས་མཚུངས་ཉམས་གསོའི་ཉམས་ཞིབ་པ་བློ་བཟང་བཀྲ་ཤིས་ལགས་ཀྱིས་ཕྱི་ལོ་ ༢༠༡༦ བར་བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་གི་བྱུང་བ་དང་འཕེལ་རིམ་ངོ་སྤྲོད་དང་འབྲེལ། རྒྱ་ནག་གཞུང་གིས་བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་ཆེད་དུ་རྒྱ་ལམ་དང་མེ་འཁོར་ལྕགས་ལམ། དེ་བཞིན་གནམ་ཐང་སོགས་འཛུགས་སྐྲུན་བྱས་པ་སོགས་གསལ་སྟོན་གྱིས། རྒྱ་ནག་གཞུང་གིས་བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས་ནང་དམག་གི་གནམ་ཐང་ཁྱོན་ ༡༣ འཛུགས་སྐྲུན་བྱས་ཟིན་ཡོད་པ་གསུངས་སོང་། རྩ་བའི་ཤོག་གྲངས་ ༡༡༡ ཅན་གྱི་བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་གི་བྱུང་བ་བརྗོད་པ་ཞེས་པའི་སྙན་ཐོ་དེ་བཞིན་བོད་ཡིག་ཐོག་རྩོམ་སྒྲིག་གནང་བ་ཞིག་ཡིན་འདུག་པ་དང་འབྲེལ། རིམ་པའི་དབྱིན་ཡིག་སོགས་ཀྱི་ནང་ཕབ་བསྒྱུར་གནང་འཆར་ཡོད་པ་དང་། སྙན་ཐོ་དེ་བཞིན་སྡེ་ཚན་གསུམ་ལ་དབྱེ་སྟེ། བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་གི་བྱུང་བ་དང་། དེའི་དམག་སྲིད་ཀྱི་སྒྲིག་གཞིའི་སྐོར་དང་རྒྱ་ནག་གཞུང་གིས་བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་བཙུགས་པའི་དགོས་དམིགས། དེ་བཞིན་བོད་ནང་དམག་དོན་ཆེད་འཛུགས་སྐྲུན་ཇི་ལྟར་བྱས་ཡོད་མེད་བཅས་ཀྱི་སྐོར་གསལ་ཡོད་འདུག The post བོད་དམག་ཁུལ་ཁང་གི་བྱུང་བ་བརྗོད་པ་ཞེས་པའི་སྙན་ཐོ་འདོན་སྤེལ། appeared first on vot.

Source: Epoch Times

The most important Chinese art collector of the 17th century.Support the show

Source: Epoch Times

The episode's primary focus centers on the introduction of China-based Alibaba's new artificial intelligence (AI) model, which is positioned to rival existing US-developed models. This development has triggered concerns within the US federal government regarding the potential superiority of these foreign AI models and resulting security and data governance risks. The discussion further noted that recent import bans in the US have included consumer and business products containing AI elements, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, reflecting heightened regulatory scrutiny and caution toward foreign AI integration in both enterprise and consumer environments. Supporting details outlined that Chinese technology companies have released an increasing number of AI models, including both large-scale and smaller, task-specific models. According to the discussion, the trend toward “distilled” or smaller models, which are trained based on larger systems, introduces efficiency benefits but also creates concern about loss of fidelity or intelligence in iterative retraining. Reference was made to a lengthy public statement by Meta's CEO on the risks and advantages of model distillation and to US regulatory actions responding to these broad technology shifts. A key secondary topic was the launch of the Managed Intelligence Alliance (MIA), formed at ChannelCon 2026 to address AI standards, accreditation, and governance for MSPs. However, analysis pointed out that the Alliance's executive leadership is comprised primarily of large aggregators and vendors, with a notable absence of direct representation from operational MSPs. The structure involves engagement with Texas A&M University for association-building, but concerns were raised regarding industry self-regulation, stakeholder representation, and the practical function of such alliances for the broader MSP segment.TITLE: Probing Client AI Opportunities and Managing Leadership Meetings for MSPsQuestion of the Week: What are some good pre-sales probing questions to get the conversation going with a prospect around AI opportunities? AI: Chinese AI models, smaller/distilled models, and AI trainingMeetings: How to run better weekly leadership meetingsChannelCon: Managed Intelligence Alliance and MSP industry standardsTales from the Field: The value of a small MSP business The discussion concluded with practical implications for MSPs and IT service providers, emphasizing risk management, the importance of understanding both external technological developments and internal AI adoption, and the need for clear standards and governance amid evolving vendor and regulatory landscapes. The conversation highlighted the necessity for MSPs to critically assess tool adoption, process discipline in meetings, and asset valuation, while maintaining vigilance over the security, accountability, and ownership structures within emerging technology initiatives and industry alliances. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week's show features stories from Radio Deutsche-Welle, France 24, Radio Havana Cuba, and NHK World Radio Japan. http://youthspeaksout.net/swr260814.mp3 (29:00) From GERMANY- There is a movement in the UK to impose an annual 2 percent wealth tax on families with more than 10 million pounds in assets. Stephen Kinsella is a former EU antitrust lawyer and a founding member of Patriotic Millionaires UK. The report talks about the level of poverty in the UK and how a the tax would be a huge boost to social services and not actually cause a loss of assets for the wealthiest- who would never be able to spend all their money in the lifetimes anyway. From FRANCE- Greenland issued a warning to a US oil company to not drill on its territory after they already unloaded drilling equipment onshore. The Texas based company connected to Donald Trump had purchased the rights from a UK company called 80 Mile- they had obtained the drilling license before the Greenland government stopped issuing them in 2021. In an interview with Lukas Wahden from George Washington University, Trumps motives in Greenland are also discussed. The new right-wing Colombian president Abelardo Gabriel de la Espriella was sworn in, promising a crackdown on armed cocaine producing guerrillas with the assistance of the US and Israeli militaries. From CUBA- The new Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella has joined the US as the only two countries recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, a Syrian territory. A retired Israeli General says Gaza should remain destroyed for generations, and that Israel should retain the Yellow Line which marks the military territory. China has called on the US not to slander relations between countries, and reiterated its support of Cuban self-defense. From JAPAN- The Japanese PM spoke with the Iranian president on the Hormuz situation and the Houthi vessel attacks in Yemen. Trump wrote an executive order placing a new 15 percent tariff on polysilicon products such as solar panels. Ukraine continues to attack oil refineries in Russia with subsequent unburned carbon pouring into the atmosphere, along with human collateral deaths. Available in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (160kb)(33MB), broadcast quality (13MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml PODCAST!!!- https://feed.podbean.com/outFarpress/feed.xml (160kb Highest Quality) Website Page- < http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml ¡FurthuR! Dan Roberts "Because we cannot save ourselves without contesting oligarchic control, the fight for democracy and justice and the fight against environmental breakdown are one and the same. Do not allow those who have caused this crisis to define the limits of political action. Do not allow those whose magical thinking got us into this mess to tell us what can and cannot be done." --George Monbiot Dan Roberts Shortwave Report- www.outfarpress.com YouthSpeaksOut!- www.youthspeaksout.net

China produces at least 70% of the world's drones, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells. And with the U.S. stockpile of munitions diminished from the Iran war, would the U.S. have what it needs to defend Taiwan if China invaded? Terry Gross talks with New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos about his latest story, “The Future Made in China.” “The irony here is that we are in some ways beholden right now to the Chinese factory in order to produce the munitions that we need to defend American interests from China. That's the exquisite problem that we've found ourselves in,” Osnos says. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our YouTube channel Check out the Fresh Air ArchivesSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, the Iranian regime is gearing up for a prolonged showdown with President Trump by keeping their economy functioning just enough to withstand a drawn-out U.S. military campaign. As Gen. Jack Keane says, they think they have the upper hand in the Strait of Hormuz and will become more violent as the midterm elections approach. Keane says using economic levers is good but must also play the military card. But is allowing the regime to stall for time the right play? Why not arm the Iranian people and take out Iran's infrastructure, starting with Kharg Island? This is also playing into the hands of the woke-reich neo-fascist isolationists. By calling for American withdrawal now, they give aid and comfort to the enemy. And letting Iran think they have control over the Strait sends the wrong message to countries like China. What will the U.S. if the Chinese block the South China Sea? Also, why are younger people so drawn to socialism? We've abandoned the great thinkers of the not-so-distant past who explained capitalism and individual freedom: Buckley, Friedman, Sowell. Online influencers are pushing a sort of conservatism-lite, where they call for government intervention and a nationalist, populist form of common-good conservatism. It's actually socialism lite, but younger people don't know that. This is like the old Russian psyop: convince the young to ignore, even condemn, older generations. The young are told they know more than older people, they don't understand what you're doing through. Unfortunately, right now it's working. These pseudo-conservative isolationists sound a lot like Bernie Sanders, Chris Murphy, even Mamdani. Unfortunately, in this day and age, people want to be heard more than they want to learn. Then, Democratic Socialist leader Frances Gill was pressed on the consequences of getting rid of police and prisons. What would happen to rapists, she was asked. Instead of answering the question, Gill said she didn't want to talk "hypotheticals." Well, if a woman is raped, that's not hypothetical: that's real life. What Gill can't say out loud is the real reason DSAs want to eliminate police and prisons: so they can impose their own security services, loyal to their regime. Civil liberties were suspended during COVID in the name of the common good. If DSAs continue to get elected, we know what to expect. Finally, the clown show that is New York: a judge has blocked Mamdani's pied-a'-terre tax after NYC homeowners sued. Here's a guy who's never run a hot dog stand who thinks taxing rich people who provide jobs is a good idea. President Trump ripped Mamdani and NY Governor Kathy Hochul, calling this "amateur hour" and dangerous "experiment" that will destroy what was once a great City and State. Trump pledged to have the federal government look for a way to avert this "disaster." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 2014  Brought to you by our incredible sponsor: Mars Men - For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at Mengotomars.com 00:00:00 Timestamps 00:03:00 The Patriot Games are taking place on ESPN+ and are not great 00:10:45 New alarming trend with dudes publicly gooning at chicks at Dollar Tree stores  00:22:30 FDA recalls blood pressure meds, Argentine beef recalled and Taylor Farms guac  00:26:40 Someone has seen a live playthrough of Elder Scrolls VI 00:30:20 Finnish man builds 20k solar yacht that requires no fuel and goes forever  00:32:30 A lab in China has invented night vision contact lenses For more head over to patreon.com/hardfactor for weekly bonus episodes and most importantly HAGFD! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Iran war triggered the largest supply shock in the history of petroleum, yet prices never rose as high as feared. Our correspondent explains how action taken by China steadied global oil flows. Why Brazil has such strict laws on racist language. And the legendary lager of Laos. Guests and host:Matthieu Favas, commodities editorAna Lankes, Brazil bureau chiefVishnu Padmanabhan, Asia correspondent Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”Topics covered: China, Iran, oil supplies, OPEC, crudeBrazil, hate speech, racismLaos, Beerlao, beer, lagerListen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gregory Copley evaluates the new "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement" between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, which aims to counter Iranian influence despite mutual distrust among the members. The discussion also explores the massive transformation of global trade routes, including China's "Ice Silk Road" through the Arctic and Russia's International North-South Transport Corridor. Copley notes that these routes aim to bypass vulnerable maritime choke points like the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. Finally, he provides a report on King Charles III's summer activities and public engagements in Scotland. (5)

Veronique de Rugy critiques the Trump administration's shift toward "socialism on the right," evidenced by the government taking ownership stakes in private companies like Intel. Often justified by national security, these interventions mirror European state-owned enterprise models that historically burden taxpayers and distort market competition. De Rugy argues that such moves make private companies hostage to government dictates, such as labor or diversity requirements. By adopting policies championed by far-left senators like Bernie Sanders, the administration risks damaging long-term economic efficiency and creating a "state enterprise" system similar to China's. (6)

TABLE OF CONTENTS, JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-11-2-26Mary Kissel discusses North Korea's transformation into a critical military supplier for Russia's war in Ukraine, providing ballistic missiles and thousands of combat troops. This collaboration integrates Pyongyang into an "axis of tyranny" alongside Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran to challenge the West and NATO. Kissel notes that the Kim regime's involvement stems from a desire for cash, a need to demonstrate missile capabilities, and a shared goal of weakening U.S.global influence. This development highlights the long-term failure of U.S. diplomacy to prevent North Korean nuclear proliferation and serves as a warning regarding Iran. (1)Jonathan Schanzer addresses the mysterious absence of Iran's Supreme Leader and the resulting tightening grip of the IRGC on the government. The regime is characterized as sclerotic, relying on aging hardliners with "blood on their hands" to maintain power. Meanwhile, the Houthis have escalated attacks in the Red Sea, targeting Saudi infrastructure and shipping ports like Mocha and Jazan. Schanzer argues this is a strategic move by Iran to shut down trade on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula, exploiting a lack of unity between competitive regional powers like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. (2)Liz Peek analyzes the surprisingly vigorous U.S. economy, where consumer spending and small business optimism remain high despite elevated oil prices and stagnant job growth. While the Fed weighs interest rate hikes to curb inflation, a "wealth effect" from the stock market continues to buoy the economy. Politically, Peek highlights a "civil war" within the Democratic Party, where "revolutionary" candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are challenging the establishment in key swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin. These far-left candidates struggle with electability among moderate voters in general elections. (3)Joseph Sternberg observes that the current midterm cycle has become an "election about nothing," with both parties failing to articulate clear policy agendas. He argues that Congress has outsourced its constitutional authority to the executive branch and regulatory agencies, losing the habit of legislating. This vacuum is being filled by "celebrity influencers" from the MAGA and DSA factions who prioritize social media attention over governing. Consequently, critical issues like Social Security reform and fiscal reality are being ignored until an inevitable crisis forces congressional action. (4)Gregory Copley evaluates the new "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement" between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, which aims to counter Iranian influence despite mutual distrust among the members. The discussion also explores the massive transformation of global trade routes, including China's "Ice Silk Road" through the Arctic and Russia's International North-South Transport Corridor. Copley notes that these routes aim to bypass vulnerable maritime choke points like the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. Finally, he provides a report on King Charles III's summer activities and public engagements in Scotland. (5)Veronique de Rugy critiques the Trump administration's shift toward "socialism on the right," evidenced by the government taking ownership stakes in private companies like Intel. Often justified by national security, these interventions mirror European state-owned enterprise models that historically burden taxpayers and distort market competition. De Rugy argues that such moves make private companies hostage to government dictates, such as labor or diversity requirements. By adopting policies championed by far-left senators like Bernie Sanders, the administration risks damaging long-term economic efficiency and creating a "state enterprise" system similar to China's. (6)Ahmad Sharawi explains that Russia has secured its military foothold in Syria through a new memorandum of understanding with the Al-Shara government. Russia will maintain access to vital maritime and aerial bases for its operations in the Mediterranean and Africa, while Syria remains dependent on Russian grain and energy. Sharawi notes that the U.S. appears to be losing diplomatic leverage by removing sanctions without obtaining counterterrorism concessions or progress in neutralizing ISIS. The new Syrian administration is successfully playing major powers against each other to maintain domestic stability and maximize international benefits. (7)Samuel Ben-Ur and Bill Roggio discuss the "Board of Peace" plan for post-war Gaza, which proposes a civilian Palestinian government overseen by international forces. A significant impasse remains: Israel refuses to withdraw until Hamas is disarmed, while Hamas has endorsed the plan, likely hoping its allies—Turkey and Qatar—will oversee the verification process. The discussion reveals that Gaza's tunnel network is more extensive than previously believed, with only 40–50% cleared after years of war. One proposed solution to prevent Hamas from regrouping is filling the remaining tunnels with cement. (8)Thaddeus McCotter analyzes the Michigan Senate race between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, a Rhodes Scholar supported by the far-left DSA. El-Sayed's primary victory over the Democratic establishment highlights the growing influence of "woke" ideology in college towns. While El-Sayed attempts to pivot to the center for the general election, his lack of a public voting record makes his true agenda difficult to pin down. McCotter suggests the race will test whether voters will reject the "Jacobin" manifestations of cancel culture and extreme progressive policies in favor of a more traditional candidate. (9)All nine files this time, with Gregory Copley in place at (5).

As I'm still on the road in Moscow, Idaho, today's podcast was originally recorded exactly one year ago. It's sort of a part two with the most recent weekend podcast about the Letters of C.S. Lewis. Today we look at four of these letters more closely, especially in regards praying for suffering and persecuted Christians. Follow and/or message me on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures) where I post (among other things) daily reminders to pray for China.You can also email me @ bfwesten at gmail dot com. Lastly, to learn more about our ministry endeavors or get one of my missionary biographies, visit PrayGiveGo.us! Today I’m going to look closer at four of the ten letters, each dealing primarily with prayer, from last weekend’s podcast on the China letters of C.S. Lewis: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/the-cs-lewis-china-letters (Also see this related content: C.S. Lewis, Burnt Marshwiggle, and the Brainwashing of Richard Wurmbrand) Here are the specific letters we cover in today's Prison Pulpit podcast: 1940- To his brother Warnie, on the burden of sympathy in a world of “instant” news: Barfield…is very much depressed, having a greater faculty than you or I for feeling the miseries of the world in general, which led to a good deal of argument, how far, as a man and a Christian, one ought to be vividly and continuously aware of, say, what it's like on the [front]line at this moment. I took the line that the present rapidity of communication, etc, imposed a burden on sympathy for which sympathy was never made: that the natural thing was to be distressed about what was happening to the poor Jones's in your own village and that the modern situation, in which journalism brings the Chinese, Russians, Finns, Poles and Turks to your notice each morning really could not be [faced] in the same way. 1946- To Dom Bede Griffiths, on a future Christian China and carrying all the world’s burdens: No, I don't think I feel like you, ‘disillusioned’. I think that though I am emotionally a fairly cheerful person my actual judgement of the world has always been what yours now is and so I have not been disappointed…When you say that nothing… has a value in itself, that everything has a value in relation to God, I couldn't agree with you more. And I often, like you, think that all the valuable future may lie with the Christened Chinaman. But one mustn't assume burdens that God does not lay upon us. It is one of the evils of rapid diffusion of news that the sorrows of all the world come to us every morning. I think each village was meant to feel pity for its own sick and poor whom it can help and I doubt if it is the duty of any private person to fix his mind on ills which he cannot help. (This may even become an escape from the works of charity we really can do to those we know). 1953- To Father Manna, on the Chinese “disaster” and Western culpability in the matter: [Dearest Father Manna, regarding] your article on [the] Chinese disaster…I used [to entertain many hopes for China myself], since missionaries have served there for many years not unsuccessfully: now it is clear, as you write, that all is on the ebb. Many have reported to me too, in letters on this subject, many atrocities, nor was this misery absent from our thoughts and prayers. Footnote- [In his letter] Fr Manna pleads for greater recognition of the gravity of Communist persecution of Christian hospital workers (as well as missionaries) in China. He argues that if [a French Communist Party leader] is arrested in the West, the Communists rise in protest. There should be no less an outcry on behalf of victimized missionaries. 1962- To Mary Van Deusen, on ignoring present pain to pray for the suffering in China: You are always in my prayers. As regards this particular matter [of moving], I sympathise both with [your husband’s] dislike of noise and your dislike of moves. I suppose one thing we must do about these minor crises is to get them into perspective. At the moment when the nuisance of the move is worst, remember that (at that precise moment) people are dying in pain and others are at their bedside, and in China children starving and men in prison camps and some of them being tortured. Follow China Compass Follow or subscribe to China Compass on whichever platform you use. You can also send any questions or comments on X: @chinaadventures or via email (bfwesten at gmail dot com). Hebrews 13:3!

Charles-Henry Monchau joins Alan Dunne to discuss how geopolitics, artificial intelligence and structural economic shifts are reshaping global investing. They explore the AI supercycle, the changing balance between the US, China and Europe, sovereign debt, inflation, commodities and the future of asset allocation. Charles explains why investors should focus on long-term structural themes rather than short-term market noise and why the biggest opportunities may lie beyond the current AI infrastructure boom. The conversation also examines Europe's competitiveness, China's innovation strategy and the risks that could define the next phase of the investment cycle.-----50 YEARS OF TREND FOLLOWING BOOK AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOR ACCREDITED INVESTORS - CLICK HERE-----Follow Niels on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or via the TTU website.IT's TRUE ? – most CIO's read 50+ books each year – get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Guide to the Best Investment Books ever written here.And you can get a free copy of my latest book “Ten Reasons to Add Trend Following to Your Portfolio” here.Learn more about the Trend Barometer here.Send your questions to info@toptradersunplugged.comAnd please share this episode with a like-minded friend and leave an honest Rating & Review on iTunes or Spotify so more people can discover the podcast.Follow Alan on Twitter.Follow Charles on LinkedIn.Episode TimeStamps: 00:00 - Charles-Henry Monchau's path into investing03:49 - The new geopolitical order and global investing09:02 - Is artificial intelligence inflationary or deflationary?12:49 - The AI CapEx supercycle and future market winners18:41 - Are markets in an earnings bubble?21:27 - Capital spending, debt issuance and market liquidity25:22 - Sovereign debt and the future of asset allocation28:13 - Gold, fiscal dominance and reserve currencies32:27 - Kevin Warsh and the future of the Federal Reserve40:36 - China's innovation strategy and investment outlook43:49 - Building portfolios around AI winners and losers48:12 - Commodities, biotech and defense opportunities51:10 - Can Europe remain competitive?57:23 - The biggest risks facing investors today58:45 - Career advice for the next generation of investorsCopyright © 2025 – CMC AG – All Rights Reserved----PLUS: Whenever you're ready... here are 3 ways I can help you in your investment Journey:1. eBooks that cover key topics that you need to know about In my eBooks, I put together some key discoveries and things I have learnt during the more than 3 decades I have worked in the Trend Following industry, which I hope you will find useful. Click Here2. Daily Trend Barometer and Market Score One of the things I'm really proud of, is the fact that I have managed to published the Trend Barometer and Market Score each day for more than a decade...as these tools are really good at describing the environment for trend following managers as well as giving insights into the general positioning of a trend following strategy! Click Here3. Other Resources that can help youAnd if you are hungry for more useful resources from the trend following world...check out some precious resources that I have found over the years to be really valuable. Click HerePrivacy PolicyDisclaimer

Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog Subscribe for free and listen to the podcast on audio platforms:➤ Apple: https://EVne.ws/apple➤ YouTube Music: https://EVne.ws/youtubemusic➤ Spotify: https://EVne.ws/spotify➤ TuneIn: https://EVne.ws/tunein➤ iHeart: https://EVne.ws/iheart BYD LAUNCHES 2027 SEAL 06 FROM $14,800 https://evne.ws/5v0h3 CHINA'S JULY NEV RETAIL SHARE REACHES 65.1%, SALES DOWN 3.9% https://evne.ws/sbwag LEAPMOTOR PRICES A05 FROM $9,500 / £7,000 https://evne.ws/1j7ba FANG CHENG BAO REVEALS TI 9 SIX-SEAT PLUG-IN HYBRID SUV https://evne.ws/dcecp VOLKSWAGEN OPENS ID. ERA 5S PRE-SALES FROM 119,900 YUAN  https://evne.ws/e62b9 XPENG OPENS G9L PREORDERS  https://evne.ws/iupwg TEARDOWN PUTS XIAOMI SU7'S CATL CELL AT 175.7 WH/KG https://evne.ws/a0hm8 GM ENDS CHEVROLET NEW-CAR SALES IN CHINA https://evne.ws/nae40

Can you help me make more podcasts? Consider supporting me on Patreon as the service is 100% funded by you: https://EVne.ws/patreon You can read all the latest news on the blog here: https://EVne.ws/blog Subscribe for free and listen to the podcast on audio platforms:➤ Apple: https://EVne.ws/apple➤ YouTube Music: https://EVne.ws/youtubemusic➤ Spotify: https://EVne.ws/spotify➤ TuneIn: https://EVne.ws/tunein➤ iHeart: https://EVne.ws/iheart BYD CONVERTS SHANGHAI PETROL STATION INTO 1500KW CHARGING HUB https://evne.ws/605o5 CATL'S NING SERVICE LAUNCHES $150 MILLION SUBSIDY https://evne.ws/ynvdo GM AND SAIC EXTEND CHINA JOINT VENTURE BY 20 YEARS https://evne.ws/881j6 CHANGAN'S AVATR 07L LAUNCHES WITH 955 HP TRI-MOTOR OPTION https://evne.ws/d9kj4 CHINA ENDS LITHIUM BATTERY TAX BREAK FOR E-BIKES https://evne.ws/sno1z CHINA DEREGISTERED 7,632 EV-RELATED COMPANIES IN FIRST HALF OF 2026 https://evne.ws/08mqw CHINA RAISES NEV DURABILITY ROAD TEST TO 30,000 KILOMETRES (18,641 MILES) https://evne.ws/9rkbo NON-CHINA EV SALES REACH 4.6M IN H1 2026, UP 30.3% https://evne.ws/i7y82

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Plus: The AI rally is back after Coreweave shares jump off-hours on bumper profits.  But the AI-buildout is hurting some companies' bottom line, with China's biggest company ending its double-digit earnings streak. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bomani Jones is joined by Ted Tremper, a producer, to break down the complexities, fears, and economic realities surrounding artificial intelligence. They discuss Tremper's two-and-a-half-year journey researching and interviewing over 40 AI experts and tech leaders, sharing behind-the-scenes insights from his discussions with frontier lab CEOs like OpenAI's Sam Altman, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, and Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis. Bo and Ted examine the shifting public perception of AI, the threat of potential job replacements, the environmental racism of data center expansion, and how algorithmic design fosters a dangerous illusion of human connection. They also explore the intense geopolitical space race against China's booming open-source market, the staggering amount of unlicensed data driving the industry, and the precarious Jenga tower of debt threatening the broader American economy. Along the way, they make sense of the money, politics, and societal chaos defining our relationship with this modern digital god. . . . Subscribe to Supercast for Ad-Free Episodes: https://righttime.supercast.com/ Buy 'The Right Time' merch: http://therighttimebomani.com/ Subscribe to The Right Time with Bomani Jones on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok for all the best moments from the show. Download Full Podcast Here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6N7fDvgNz2EPDIOm49aj7M?si=FCb5EzTyTYuIy9-fWs4rQA&nd=1&utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-right-time-with-bomani-jones/id982639043?utm_source=hoobe&utm_medium=social Follow The Right Time with Bomani Jones on Social Media: http://lnk.to/therighttime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices