Podcasts about Communist party

From new cancer drugs to batteries and robotics – China's top-tier growth companies are forging paths of their own rather than following in the west's footsteps. Investment manager Sophie Earnshaw names companies that have caught her eye and explains why being a long-term stock picker differs in China from elsewhere. Background:Sophie Earnshaw is a decision-maker on our China Equities Strategy and joint manager of the Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust. In this conversation, she tells Short Briefings… host Leo Kelion about a select group of Chinese companies breaking new ground, supported by the state's efforts to become self-sufficient in more of today's critical technologies and a leader in some of those of the future. Earnshaw also details how the “phenomenal rate” at which companies are born, scale and die in the country makes stock-picking a challenging task – making the access we have to company leaders, academics and other local expertise core to our mission of finding the best firms to invest in on behalf of our clients. Portfolio companies discussed include:- CATL – the battery maker whose products power electric vehicles worldwide and increasingly support the renewable energy sector- BeOne and Innovent Biologics – pharmaceutical firms developing the next generation of cancer drugs - AMEC and NAURA – semiconductor equipment makers enabling China to develop increased self-reliance in computer chips - Alibaba, ByteDance and Tencent – China's ‘big tech' companies, whose artificial intelligence tools are becoming embedded into people's daily lives- MiniMax – the AI startup rolling out video and agentic tools at a fraction of the cost of western counterparts- Horizon Robotics – the automated driving tech provider with its eye on an even bigger opportunity. Resources:Baillie Gifford podcastsChina: a tale of two storiesChina investment strategy hub (institutional clients only)House of HuaweiPrivate investor forum 2025: investing in great growth companiesTrip notes: on the road with Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust  Companies mentioned include:AlibabaAMECASMLBeOneByteDanceCATLHorizon RoboticsInnovent BiologicsJiangsu HengruiHuaweiMiniMaxSamsungNAURATencentTSMCXiaohongshu Timecodes:00:00  Introduction01:55   Joining the China Equities Strategy02:40  Intense competition04:00  The government's influence06:10   CATL, the electrification champion08:45  Investing with a 5-year time horizon10:25   Shanghai office, local expertise11:45   Regulations and geopolitics14:30   China's next Five-year Plan16:15   Innovent Biologics' new cancer drugs18:10   Lower-cost clinical trials19:45   Being selective in semiconductors21:25   Investing in chip equipment makers23:00  China's ‘big tech and AI'25:10   MiniMax making AI like ‘tap water'27:45  The road to robotics29:35  A market you can't ignore30:30  Book choice Glossary of terms (in order of mention): Third plenum: a major policy meeting of China's ruling Communist Party, often used to set big economic/political direction.Sovereign bond issuance: The government raising money by selling bonds (IOUs) to investors.Opportunity set: the range of investable companies available to choose from.Capex: capital expenditure – money spent on long-term assets like factories, equipment, or data centres.Fiscal deficit target: how much more the government plans to spend than it collects in revenue (taxes plus other income), expressed as a share of the economy.GDP: gross domestic product – the total value of goods and services a country produces in a year.Market capitalisation: the total value of a company's shares (share price × number of shares).ESG: environmental, social and governance – how a company manages environmental impact, people issues, and corporate oversight.Large-form batteries: big battery packs used in things like electric vehicles and grid storage.Energy storage systems: large batteries that store electricity for later use (helping balance the grid).Generic drugs: copies of medicines whose patents have expired; usually cheaper, same active ingredient.Bi-specific (bispecific) drugs: drugs designed to bind to two targets at once (often to direct immune cells to cancer).ADC drugs: antibody–drug conjugates – antibodies that deliver a toxic payload to cancer cells.Out-licensing: selling rights to your drug/technology to another company (often for upfront + milestone payments).EUV machines: extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment used to make the most advanced chips.Foundry: a factory business that manufactures chips for other companies.Etch and deposition: steps in chipmaking – etch removes material to form patterns, deposition adds thin layers.Picks and shovels: a metaphor for companies that sell essential tools to an industry (rather than end products).Digitalisation: moving processes and services from offline to software and data-driven systems.Compute: the processing power (chips and servers) used to train/run AI.Large language model (LLM): an AI trained on lots of text to generate and understand language.Margins: how much profit a company makes per pound/dollar of revenue (after costs).Cloud business: selling computing power/storage/software over the internet instead of on a local machine.Algorithm layer: the method or software logic that makes the AI work (as distinct from the hardware).Gross margin: revenue minus direct costs (before overheads), a rough measure of product profitability.Assisted driving: features that help a driver (lane-keeping, adaptive cruise control, etc) but don't fully replace them.Autonomous driving: a car driving itself with minimal or no human input.Software attachment rate: the percentage of customers who add paid software features and/or subscriptions.

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama have lauded the support given by Christian churches during the centenary celebrations. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Communist Party of China Central Committee has visited primary-level officials and residents in Beijing ahead of Spring Festival.

China is expected to put boosting domestic demand — especially spurring consumption — at the core of its economic agenda this year, with policymakers likely to roll out stronger fiscal support and structural reforms to further unlock the potential of household spending, a senior expert said.资深专家表示，今年我国将把扩大内需尤其是激发消费潜力置于经济工作核心位置，预计决策层将推出更有力的财政支持政策和结构性改革举措，进一步释放家庭消费潜能。Wang Wei, senior researcher and former director of the Institute of Market Economy at the Development Research Center of the State Council, said that to ensure stable economic growth during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, China needs to achieve a notable increase in final consumption as a share of GDP.国务院发展研究中心市场经济研究所原所长、二级研究员王微表示，为确保"十五五"时期（2026-2030年）经济稳定增长，我国需要显著提升最终消费占GDP比重。"That means China's future economic growth will need to rely more on domestic demand — particularly on the sustained, steady growth and innovation of consumption — to provide effective support for overall growth," Wang said during a recentexclusive interview with China Daily.王微日前接受《中国日报》独家专访时表示，这意味着未来中国经济增长需更多依靠内需，特别是消费持续平稳增长与创新，为整体增长提供有效支撑。She said China has finished the "from nothing to something" stage of household consumption over the past four decades, but the next phase — especially under high-quality development- must focus on improving consumption quality and expanding the space for development-driven consumer demand.她指出，过去四十年我国已走过家庭消费"从无到有"的阶段，下一阶段特别是高质量发展背景下，必须着力提升消费品质、拓展发展型消费需求空间。"Services consumption such as education, healthcare, culture, sports, entertainment and eldercare will have very large room for growth as people's living standards rise. With the impact of technological innovation, many new forms of innovative consumption are also entering daily life, forming new drivers of growth."随着人民生活水平提高，教育、医疗、文化、体育、娱乐、养老等服务消费将拥有巨大增长空间。在科技创新影响下，许多创新消费新形态也正进入日常生活，形成新的增长动能。Wang expects that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China's final consumption expenditure may exceed 90 trillion yuan ($12.99 trillion), accounting for around 60 percent of the country's GDP.王微预计，"十五五"期间我国最终消费支出有望突破90万亿元，占GDP比重将提升至60%左右。"The contribution of final consumption to economic growth will remain above 60 percent, and the share of household services consumption in total consumer spending will rise to 50 percent," she said.最终消费对经济增长的贡献率将保持在60%以上，居民服务性消费占消费总支出比重将升至50%。According to the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, over the next five years, China should achieve a notable increase in household consumption as a share of GDP.根据《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》，未来五年我国要实现居民消费占GDP比重显著提升。It also emphasized that special initiatives should be advanced to boost consumption, and the supply of high-quality consumer goods and services should be expanded. China should focus on easing market access and integrating various forms of business to boost consumption of services and strive to build market-leading brands, raise standards, and apply new technologies to expand and upgrade goods consumption.规划同时强调，应实施促进消费专项行动，扩大优质消费品和服务供给。要聚焦放宽准入与业态融合促进服务消费，着力打造领军品牌、提升标准规范、运用新技术拓展升级商品消费。"To that end, in 2026, consumption should remain the priority of economic development. Special initiatives to boost consumption should be further implemented, with strengthened inclusive policies directly benefiting consumers. Supply-side structural reform and policy innovations should be continuously advanced to steadily enhance consumers' spending power and willingness, promoting a stable increase and shifting the incremental economic growth to innovation-driven forms," Wang added."为此，2026年应继续将消费摆在优先位置，深入推进促消费专项行动，强化普惠性政策直达消费者，持续推进供给侧结构性改革和政策创新，稳步提升居民消费能力与意愿，推动消费稳定增长并向创新驱动型增量转变。"王微补充道。Wang said policymakers should continue to strengthen countercyclical macroeconomic policies in 2026, provide more support for services consumption, and accelerate the establishment of an institutionalized empowerment mechanism that integrates policy support, digital empowerment and industrial funds to better support the development of micro and small enterprises.她建议决策层在2026年继续加强逆周期宏观政策调控，加大对服务消费支持力度，加快建立政策支持、数字赋能与产业基金相结合的常态化赋能机制，更好支持小微企业发展。More efforts should also be made to maintain subsidies for the goods trade-in policy, support housing rentals such as providing rental subsidies for university graduates, new urban residents and migrant workers, and capitalize on the debut economy to strengthen backing for consumption innovation.同时应延续消费品以旧换新补贴政策，支持大学毕业生、新市民、农民工等群体住房租赁补贴，借力首发经济强化对消费创新的支持。final consumption /ˈfaɪnəl kənˈsʌmpʃən/最终消费domestic demand /dəˈmestɪk dɪˈmɑːnd/国内需求exclusive interview /ɪkˈskluːsɪv ˈɪntəvjuː/独家专访eldercare /ˈeldəkeə/养老服务market-leading brand /ˈmɑːkɪt ˈliːdɪŋ brænd/领军品牌supply-side structural reform /ˈsʌplaɪ saɪd ˈstrʌktʃərəl rɪˈfɔːm/供给侧结构性改革incremental /ˌɪŋkrəˈmentl/增量的countercyclical /ˌkaʊntəˈsɪklɪkəl/逆周期的debut economy /ˈdeɪbjuː ɪˈkɒnəmi/首发经济

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), conveyed the greetings while attending a gala held by the CMC for retired military officers of Beijing-based troops on Friday.Greeted with warm applause, Xi chatted with the veterans, inquiring about their health and living conditions. Together, they reviewed the extraordinary journey of the Party, the country and the military over the past year.The veterans vowed to rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and act on Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military.They pledged to gain a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and of establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They also vowed to consciously uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership.Moreover, the veterans pledged to implement the system of ultimate responsibility resting with the CMC chairman.The veterans vowed to contribute their part to achieving the centenary goals of the People's Liberation Army by 2027 and to advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces at a high standard.People's Liberation Army (PLA) /ˈpiːpəlz ˌlɪbəˈreɪʃn ˈɑːmi/中国人民解放军retired military officers /rɪˈtaɪərd ˈmɪlɪtəri ˈɒfɪsəz/军队离退休干部rally around /ˈræli əˈraʊnd/团结在……周围

Nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S. are underway in the capital of Oman, the first meeting since Washington joined Israel's 12-day bombing of Iran last June (01:01). The Chinese mainland has spoken highly of the resumption of a think tank forum between the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Kuomintang (13:36). The last nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the U.S. has expired (25:02).

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Sri Lanka's Anglican Church has called for the withdrawal of the proposed law granting sweeping powers to authorities that could undermine fundamental constitutional rights of citizens. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

A lot of the time, local news sucks. It's important, but it sucks. City council meetings, school board meetings, police board meetings… just plain boring.But every once in a while, there's a gold mine.But at Canadaland we just don't have the resources to find these little golden nuggets, these hyper local stories. We're not on the ground, our audience is national, and we don't usually get the scoops.So we asked you to call in and let us know all about them. And boy did you deliver, we've got everything from throwing shovels at city workers, to Buddhist monks in PEI with alleged ties to the Communist Party of China. Host: Sam KonnertCredits: Tristan Capacchione (Producer), Tony Wang (Executive Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Publisher)Additional music by Audio NetworkThis show is available exclusively to Canadaland supporters. To become one, go to https://canadaland.com/join/. You'll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You'll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you'll be a part of the solution to Canada's journalism crisis, you'll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Gordon, Marxist and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), discusses the current state of affairs regarding Britain's participation in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the normalisation of extreme violence meted out to black and brown people taking place through social media and mobile phone technology. Where Gordon states that we have a choice today between socialism or barbarism, he elaborates on the hypocrisy of European leaders who, while quick to disassociate themselves from any condemnation of the US kidnapping of Maduro and Flores, were inversely outraged about European nations' sovereign rights and those of Denmark the moment Trump expressed his intent to take over Greenland. Highlighting the current wars—many of which are over rare earth minerals—he historicises the links between the military-industrial complex, Big Tech and capitalism, and the ways in which these powers maintain their hold on power. Gordon also touches upon political bipartisan control over electoral politics in many Western “democracies,” which he regards as in danger of being breached as political stability continued to rise with the decline of American jobs and the decline of American industry. Observing how the British government dispensed with the need for regulated labour, he covers the thorny issue of how working-class Britons have been set against migrants, since they had become a perpetual reservoir for cheaper labour while simultaneously serving to drive down wages for skilled trades. Gordon also remarks upon Re-Arm Europe's rebranding to SAFE (Security Action for Europe) while vituperating Germany's Merz, who has recently introduced a law, the Wehrdienstmodernisierungsgesetz (WDModG) reform, requiring all men upon reaching the age of 18 to register for military service, as Europe has ideologically prepared the masses for war. Get full access to Savage Minds at savageminds.substack.com/subscribe

Gyatso, a local entrepreneur, felt immense pride when his village was named "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in October. The dramatic boost to his homestay business as a result of the designation was an unexpected but welcome bonus.当家乡村庄在10月被联合国世界旅游组织评为“最佳旅游乡村”时，当地企业家嘉措感到无比自豪。这一殊荣为他的民宿生意带来了意想不到的巨大增长，堪称意外之喜。"Guest numbers surged so much that I had to hire several fellow villagers to help run the business,"Gyatso said.嘉措说道：“游客数量激增，我不得不雇佣几位村民帮忙经营生意。”Nestled on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, Jikayi village in Danba county, Sichuan province, is a living museum of Gyalrong Tibetan culture. The Gyalrong Tibetans, an indigenous ethnic group who primarily live in western Sichuan, are known for their stone architecture and rich cultural heritage.位于青藏高原东南边缘海拔约2000米处的四川省甘孜藏族自治州丹巴县基卡依村，是格鲁藏族文化的活态博物馆。格鲁藏族作为主要聚居于四川西部的土著民族，以其独特的石构建筑和深厚的文化底蕴闻名于世。Covering 5.95 square kilometers, the village is home to 92 households and 408 residents. Despite its small size, it serves as a "cultural gene bank" for the Gyalrong Tibetans, preserving a wide range of intangible cultural heritage.基卡依村占地5.95平方公里，共有92户408名居民。虽面积不大，却是嘉绒藏族的“文化基因库”，保存着丰富的非物质文化遗产。These include national-level Tibetan watchtower construction techniques and western Sichuan Tibetan folk songs, as well as provincial-level traditions such as Tibetan liquor brewing, coming-of-age ceremonies and the Danba Guozhuang dance.这些非物质文化遗产包括国家级藏族瞭望塔建造技艺和西川藏族民歌，以及省级传承项目如藏族酿酒技艺、成人礼和丹巴郭庄舞。"Before tourism took off, life in our village was not affluent despite the fertile land," said Kelsang, the village's Communist Party of China secretary. "Household income mainly depended on women selling plums, Sichuan peppercorns and other farm products at markets, while most men worked away from home to support their families."村里的中国共产党支部书记凯桑说：“旅游业兴起之前，我们村的生活并不富裕，尽管土地肥沃；家庭收入主要依靠妇女在集市上卖李子、花椒等农产品，而大多数男人则在外打工养家。”The turning point came in 2007 when villagers began opening homestays. The trend accelerated after China proposed its rural vitalization strategy in 2017.转折点出现在2007年，当时村民开始经营民宿。2017年中国提出乡村振兴战略后，这一趋势加速发展。"Infrastructure improved significantly, attracting more tourists and encouraging villagers to run homestays and start livestreaming," Kelsang said, adding that many university graduates have also returned to start businesses.凯桑表示：“基础设施得到显著改善，吸引了更多游客，并鼓励村民经营民宿和开展直播业务。”并补充说许多大学毕业生也已返乡创业。Dekyi Tso, 30, is among these entrepreneurs. After graduating from a university in Chengdu about a decade ago, she returned to Jikayi and spent three years building a homestay that blends traditional Tibetan architecture with modern amenities.30岁的德吉措正是这些创业者中的一员。约十年前从成都某大学毕业后，她回到基卡依村，耗时三年打造了一处融合藏族传统建筑与现代设施的民宿。Since opening in March 2020, the 21-room homestay has recorded steady year-on-year growth in guest numbers. Last year, it hosted 15,000 tourists. "In the past, it was difficult to keep young people in the village. Now they can find jobs right at their doorstep," said Dekyi Tso, whose business has created employment for more than 20 local residents.自2020年3月开业以来，这家拥有21间客房的民宿接待量逐年稳步增长。去年接待游客达1.5万人次。德吉措说：“过去年轻人很难留在村里，现在他们在家门口就能找到工作。”她的民宿已为当地20多名居民创造了就业机会。She said rising incomes have been accompanied by growing confidence in ethnic culture, with more villagers voluntarily wearing traditional attire and performing ethnic songs, dances and handicrafts.她说，随着收入的增长，村民对民族文化的信心日益增强，越来越多村民自发穿着传统服饰，表演民族歌舞，制作民族手工艺品。"The UNWTO recognition is a huge encouragement for us," she said. "We believe more tourists and investment will come, making our village even better."她表示：“联合国世界旅游组织给予的认可对我们而言是巨大的鼓舞；我们相信将有更多游客和投资涌入，让我们的村庄变得更美好。”Kelsang said the key to Jikayi's tourism success lies in integrating traditional culture into development. "Houses and ancient watchtowers have retained their traditional appearance, while cultural practices such as coming-of-age ceremonies, Guozhuang dance and mountain songs have been well preserved," he said.克桑表示，基卡依村旅游业成功的关键在于将传统文化融入发展进程。他说道：“房屋和古瞭望塔保留了传统风貌，成年礼、郭庄舞、山歌等文化习俗也得到了良好传承。”More than 90 percent of households now participate in the tourism industry, with 74 families operating homestays. The village's per capita disposable income reached 41,000 yuan ($5,900) last year, up more than 20 percent year-on-year, Kelsang said. "Life is becoming more promising for everyone, and our hearts are filled with hope."目前全村90%以上的家庭参与旅游业经营，其中74户开展民宿接待。村委会主任凯桑介绍，去年全村人均可支配收入达到4.1万元（约合5900美元），同比增长20%以上。“大家的生活越来越有希望，我们心里都充满了期待”。Building on Jikayi's success, the county government has launched a comprehensive plan to develop a tourism zone centered on the village and extending to four neighboring villages. The plan includes a smart tourism platform with multilingual guides and online booking services, ecosystem diversity study programs, nighttime economy projects, and a Tibetan watchtower construction skills training center, local authorities said.在基卡依村取得成功的基础上，县政府启动了一项综合规划，旨在以该村为核心，辐射周边四个村庄，打造旅游区。据当地政府透露，该计划包含多语种导览与在线预订服务的智能旅游平台、生态系统多样性研究项目、夜间经济项目，以及一座藏式瞭望塔建造技艺培训中心。homestay/ˈhoʊm.steɪ/民宿

When Jessica Mitford (aka Decca) was eleven, in 1928, she opened a Running Away Account at Drummonds Bank. A few years later she ran away to Spain to help in the fight against Franco, and not long after that moved to the US where she became a naturalised citizen and joined the Communist Party. The Mitford sisters wrote many books and even more have been written about them, but Carla Kaplan's scholarly new biography of Jessica is a welcome addition to the ‘Mitford industry', according to Rosemary Hill, because she approaches her subject as an ‘American communist with an unusual background in the English aristocracy'. In this episode, Rosemary joins Thomas Jones to talk about Decca's eventful life, her work as a civil rights activist and writer, and her complicated relationships with the other Mitfords. When asked whether the bond with her sisters had ‘stood between her and life's cruel circumstances', Decca replied: ‘Sisters were life's cruel circumstances.' Find further reading on the episode page: https://lrb.me/mitfordpod Listen and subscribe to Rosemary Hill's Close Readings series: In Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/applesignuplr In other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/scsignuplr From the LRB Subscribe to the LRB: ⁠⁠https://lrb.me/subslrbpod Close Readings podcast: ⁠https://lrb.me/crlrbpod⁠ LRB Audiobooks: ⁠https://lrb.me/audiobookslrbpod⁠ Bags, binders and more at the LRB Store: ⁠https://lrb.me/storelrbpod⁠ Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk

① President Xi Jinping has held talks with his visiting Uruguayan counterpart Yamandu Orsi in Beijing. How can China and Uruguay expand cooperation and advance an equal world order? (00:56) ② The United States and Iran will hold nuclear talks in Istanbul. Is the threat of a military confrontation easing? (15:06) ③ The Communist Party of China and the Chinese Kuomintang Party have held a think tank forum in Beijing focusing on cross-Strait cooperation. We explore the significance of this dialogue channel's revival after a hiatus of nearly a decade. (24:58) ④ China has taken a world-first step in automotive safety. It will ban hidden door handles on cars sold domestically. What could be the ramifications of this step? (32:30) ⑤ Elon Musk's SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence business xAI, with plans underway for space-based AI data centers. Is orbit the only way to scale the massive power and computing needs of advanced AI? (42:31)

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called for efforts to leverage the country's comparative advantages, pursue progress while maintaining stability, and promote continuous breakthroughs in the development of industries of the future.中共中央总书记习近平强调，要充分发挥我国比较优势，在保持稳定中谋求发展，推动未来产业持续突破。Xi made the remarks on Friday while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.习近平在周五主持中共中央政治局集体学习时作出上述讲话。He noted that cultivating and developing industries of the future is of great significance to gaining a competitive edge in science, technology and industry, as well as to seizing initiative in development. It is also crucial to the development of new quality productive forces, the construction of a modern industrial system, the improvement of the people's quality of life, and the promotion of well-rounded human development and overall social progress, he said.习近平指出，培育和发展未来产业，对于在科技产业领域赢得竞争优势、掌握发展主动权具有重大意义。这对培育高质量生产力、构建现代产业体系、提升人民生活质量、促进全面发展和全面进步也具有重要意义。Industries of the future are characterized by foresight, strategic importance and disruptive potential, requiring scientific planning and holistic coordination, Xi emphasized, calling for efforts to strengthen industrial synergy to ensure that future, emerging and traditional industries complement and reinforce one another.习近平强调，未来产业具有前瞻性、战略性和颠覆性特征，需要科学规划和统筹协调。他呼吁加强产业协同，确保未来产业、新兴产业和传统产业相互补充、相互强化。He noted that the extent of scientific and technological breakthroughs largely determines the speed, breadth and depth of the development of future industries.习近平指出，科技突破的程度在很大程度上决定了未来产业发展的速度、广度和深度。The advantages of the new system for nationwide mobilization of resources should be fully leveraged, efforts to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields should be intensified, and the strategic, forward-looking and systematic layout of basic research should be strengthened, he said, adding that the application and commercialization of sci-tech achievements should be accelerated.习近平指出，要充分发挥全国动员资源的新机制优势，加大关键领域核心技术突破力度，加强基础研究的战略性、前瞻性和系统性布局，加快科技成果应用转化和产业化进程。"We should give full play to the role of enterprises, promote the concentration of various innovation resources in enterprises, and vigorously cultivate leading technology enterprises and high-tech companies with strong core technologies and robust innovation capabilities," Xi said.习近平指出，要充分发挥企业作用，推动各类创新资源向企业集中，着力培育具有核心技术和强大创新能力的技术领军企业和高新技术企业。He emphasized the need to improve fiscal and tax policies, vigorously develop sci-tech finance, comprehensively foster, attract and utilize talent, and promote a vibrant environment that encourages innovation across society.习近平强调要完善财税政策，大力发展科技金融，全面培育、吸引和利用人才，营造全社会创新的活力环境。It is necessary to ensure development and security as well as explore scientific and effective regulatory approaches to prevent related risks, he said, calling for deepened international cooperation and the active promotion of joint development of standards, collaborative rule-making and coordinated industrial advancement.习近平表示，必须确保发展与安全并重，探索科学有效的监管方式以防范相关风险，呼吁深化国际合作，积极推动标准联合制定、规则协同制定和产业协同发展。holistic/hoʊlˈɪs.tɪk/adj.整体的，全面的synergy/ˈsɪn.ɚ.dʒi/n.协同作用，增效作用

For Huang Xiaozhen, the future of artificial intelligence isn't about computing power or algorithmic scale, but about something far more ordinary: the quiet click of a light switch.在黄晓真看来，人工智能的未来并不取决于算力规模或算法复杂度，而在于更为日常、甚至平凡的场景——比如轻轻按下电灯开关的那一刻。As head of business-to-business operations at MiniMax Group Inc, a rising Chinese AI unicorn, Huang sees the current wave of innovation less as a technological leap than as a transition toward being ubiquitous.作为中国新晋人工智能独角兽企业MiniMax集团的B端业务负责人，黄晓真认为，当下这股创新浪潮与其说是一场技术飞跃，不如说是一次走向“无处不在”的转变。"As the technology iterates, AI will become like water, electricity or coal — the fundamental infrastructure of our existence," Huang said. "It will be everywhere in our lives and work."黄晓真表示：“随着技术不断迭代，人工智能将像水、电、煤一样，成为支撑我们生存与发展的基础性基础设施，它将无处不在，融入我们的生活与工作之中。”The vision widely shared by AI optimists has increasingly aligned with the nation's official policy.这一在人工智能乐观主义者中广泛流行的愿景，正日益与国家层面的官方政策形成高度契合。In its recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development, the Communist Party of China Central Committee called for "forward-looking plans" for future industries, urging exploration of diverse technology road maps, application scenarios, business models and regulatory frameworks.在关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划（2026—2030年）的建议中，中共中央提出要对未来产业进行“前瞻性布局”，并鼓励探索多样化的技术路线、应用场景、商业模式和监管框架。The document explicitly listed quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied artificial intelligence and 6G mobile communications as new drivers of growth.该文件明确将量子技术、生物制造、氢能与核聚变能源、脑机接口、具身人工智能以及6G移动通信等列为新的增长动能。The confidence of China's AI practitioners received a major boost in April 2025, when President Xi Jinping visited the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, one of the country's most active AI hubs.2025年4月，习近平主席考察上海大模型创新中心——这一全国最为活跃的人工智能集聚区之一，中国人工智能从业者的信心由此大幅提振。Standing among developers and entrepreneurs, Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, described artificial intelligence as "a young cause, and a cause for young people", encouraging them to align personal ambition with China's modernization drive.在开发者和创业者中间，习近平总书记将人工智能形容为“一项年轻的事业，也是一项属于年轻人的事业”，并鼓励大家将个人理想追求融入中国式现代化进程之中。According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China had more than 6,000 AI enterprises last year, while the scale of the country's core AI industry was expected to have exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan ($172.6 billion) in 2025.工业和信息化部数据显示，去年我国人工智能企业数量已超过6000家，2025年核心人工智能产业规模预计突破1.2万亿元人民币（约合1726亿美元）。The president's visit, combined with subsequent policy measures, has strengthened confidence among startups facing intense competition, according to executives working inside the ecosystem.多位业内高管表示，总书记的考察以及随后出台的一系列政策举措，显著增强了在激烈竞争环境中奋战的初创企业信心。Zhang Yun, a deputy general manager at the center, said the visit validated the pace and direction of the hub's development.该中心副总经理张云表示，此次考察充分肯定了创新中心的发展节奏和方向。"Nearly 75 percent of our workforce is under the age of 35," Zhang said. "We're seeing founders who are barely 30. As AI tools become more powerful, teams are getting smaller, younger and faster."张云说：“我们团队中近75%的员工年龄在35岁以下，一些创始人甚至刚满30岁。随着人工智能工具能力不断增强，团队正呈现出规模更小、成员更年轻、反应更迅速的趋势。”The center operates on what participants describe as a philosophy of proximity. "Upstairs and downstairs are upstream and downstream," Zhang said, referring to the close physical clustering of foundational model developers and application companies, which allows for rapid iteration and feedback.该中心运行秉持着参与者所称的“近距离协同”理念。张云解释说：“楼上楼下就是上下游”，基础模型研发团队与应用企业在物理空间上的高度集聚，使快速迭代和反馈成为可能。Yao Zhendi, CEO of Cyber Partner AI Co, said the youthfulness of the sector reflects the nature of the technological challenge itself."We're no longer doing 'one to 10' innovation, where you just improve something that already exists," Yao said.上海魂伴科技有限责任公司首席执行官姚振迪表示，该行业的年轻化正是技术挑战本身特性的体现。“我们不再是做‘一到十'的创新，只是在原有基础上改进。”他说。"We're doing 'zero to one'. There's no formula and no homework to copy. We're defining what this technology becomes."“我们做的是‘从零到一'。既没有公式可循，也没有作业可抄，而是在定义这项技术最终会成为什么。”He added that national planning documents emphasize not only AI, but the integration of embodied intelligence across industries, with a forward-looking approach to development.他补充指出，国家规划文件强调的不只是人工智能本身，还包括具身智能在各行业中的融合应用，并以前瞻性视角推动相关发展。Over the next five years, he said, AI is expected to penetrate daily life and a wide range of sectors in line with the 15th Five-Year Plan.他表示，未来五年，在“十五五”规划指引下，人工智能有望深入渗透日常生活和多个产业领域。His company is working on the convergence of the "brain", meaning large-scale models, and the "body", referring to embodied intelligence — a frontier where software meets robotics.其公司正致力于推动“脑”（即大模型）与“身体”（即具身智能）的融合，这一前沿领域正是软件与机器人技术的交汇点。Paradigm shift范式转变The national strategy outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan proposals calls for a paradigm shift in scientific research and a focus on self-reliance in breakthroughs in chips, algorithms and data.“十五五”规划建议所勾勒的国家战略，呼吁科研范式发生转变，并将重点放在芯片、算法和数据等关键领域的自主突破上。For Wang Le, CEO of Shanghai SiliconPear Technology Co, the transformation is already playing out on factory floors and toy shelves.对上海喜梨信息科技有限公司首席执行官王乐而言，这一转型已在工厂车间和玩具货架上悄然展开。Wang's company exports to more than 30 countries and uses AI to upgrade traditional manufacturing.王乐的公司产品出口至30多个国家，并通过人工智能技术推动传统制造业升级。"We're turning toys from simple manufactured goods into high-tech consumer products," Wang said."It's no longer just about branding. It's about embedding technology to upgrade the entire supply chain, which gives Chinese products a distinct global competitive edge."王乐表示：“我们正在把玩具从简单的制造品转变为高科技消费品。这已经不只是品牌问题，而是通过技术嵌入实现整个供应链的升级，从而赋予中国产品独特的全球竞争优势。”Xi's visit to the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center came after he presided over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, highlighting the need to promote the healthy and orderly development of AI in a beneficial, safe and fair direction.习近平考察上海大模型创新中心之前，曾主持中共中央政治局集体学习，强调要推动人工智能朝着有益、安全、公平方向健康有序发展。Huang, from MiniMax, said that companies across the AI value chain are directly feeling the impact of State support. From his perspective, policies aimed at supporting models and application scenarios are accelerating innovation and technical iteration across the industry.MiniMax的黄晓真表示，人工智能产业链各环节企业正切身感受到国家支持带来的影响。在他看来，围绕模型和应用场景的政策扶持，正在加速全行业的创新和技术迭代。"It's clear that more and more enterprises, scenarios and applications are moving toward AI," Huang said. "Many new startups are designing products and use cases based entirely on current AI capabilities. This looks more like a society-wide embrace of AI, and the growth of the entire industry chain is extremely fast."他说：“可以清楚地看到，越来越多的企业、场景和应用正在向人工智能靠拢。许多新创公司完全基于现有AI能力来设计产品和应用场景，这更像是一场全社会层面的AI拥抱，整个产业链的增长速度极其迅猛。”Zhou Chen, CEO of Zhejiang Dex-Robot Intelligent Technology, said Xi has explicitly called for accelerating the application of AI in technological innovation and industrial development, a signal that Zhou sees as materially beneficial for enterprises.浙江灵巧智能科技有限公司首席执行官周晨表示，习近平明确提出要加快人工智能在科技创新和产业发展中的应用，这一信号对企业而言具有实实在在的利好意义。He pointed to concrete policy measures such as subsidized computing power and pilot programs for new models. China launched a 60 billion yuan AI industry investment fund to support the development of the whole AI industrial chain.他指出，诸如算力补贴、新模型试点项目等具体政策措施正在落地实施。同时，中国还设立了规模达600亿元人民币的人工智能产业投资基金，用于支持整个AI产业链发展。"They allow companies to be bold and try things first," Zhou said."Ultimately, it helps improve human efficiency and reduce defect rates in manufacturing."周晨表示：“这些政策让企业可以大胆探索、先行先试，最终有助于提升人效、降低制造业缺陷率。”Zhou cited incentives including free or subsidized computing resources, early access to models, and funding for major research projects as mechanisms that encourage companies to experiment.周晨列举了多项激励机制，包括免费或补贴算力资源、提前接入模型以及重大科研项目资金支持，这些都有效鼓励企业开展探索性实践。He argued that China has structural advantages in pursuing such technologies: a complete industrial supply chain, a wide range of real-world application scenarios that generate data, and growing domestic computing capacity.他认为，中国在发展相关技术方面具备结构性优势，包括完备的产业链体系、能够持续产生数据的丰富现实应用场景，以及不断提升的本土算力能力。While much of the focus remains on domestic self-reliance, officials and researchers say China's AI ambitions also have an outward-facing dimension.尽管当前重点仍放在国内自主可控上，但多位官员和研究人员指出，中国的人工智能发展目标同样具有面向国际的外向维度。International public good国际公共产品Yan Weixin, chief scientist at the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, said Xi has called for AI to be developed as an international public good that benefits humanity.上海人工智能研究院首席科学家闫维新表示，习近平提出要将人工智能打造为造福全人类的国际公共产品。Yan said China has launched initiatives related to AI reinforcement learning and sustainable development, and has begun sharing algorithms and models with partner countries, including those participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.闫维新介绍称，中国已启动多项与人工智能强化学习和可持续发展相关的倡议，并开始与包括共建“一带一路”国家在内的合作伙伴共享算法和模型。These technologies are being applied to areas such as disaster warning systems and low-carbon industrial facilities overseas, he said.他说，这些技术已在海外被应用于灾害预警系统和低碳工业设施等领域。Highlighting the link between energy and computation, he said: "AI consumes energy, and energy defines computing power. In the future, there will be deep integration between new energy and dynamic computing."他强调能源与计算之间的关联指出：“人工智能消耗能源，而能源决定算力。未来，新能源与动态计算之间将实现深度融合。”Otto Heinrich Herzog, an academician of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering and a professor at Tongji University in Shanghai, said he has been struck by the speed with which policies translate into implementation in China.德国国家科学与工程院院士、同济大学教授奥托·海因里希·赫尔佐格表示，中国政策从制定到落地实施的速度给他留下了深刻印象。"When something aligns with strategy in China, it really gets implemented," Herzog said. "That's something you don't experience in the same way in Europe."赫尔佐格说：“在中国，只要一项举措符合国家战略，就会真正被执行落实。这是在欧洲难以同样体会到的。”forward-looking /ˌfɔːwəd ˈlʊkɪŋ/前瞻性的embodied artificial intelligence /ɪmˈbɒdid ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəl ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/具身人工智能value chain /ˈvæljuː tʃeɪn/价值链pilot program /ˈpaɪlət ˈprəʊɡræm/试点项目dynamic computing /daɪˈnæmɪk kəmˈpjuːtɪŋ/动态计算

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJid7TCPLm4 Dr. Ranjeet Brar exposes why the US kidnapped Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, in a shocking move orchestrated by Donald Trump. This isn't just about drugs; it's a desperate move by US imperialism to reclaim Venezuela's vast oil wealth. This is a stunning analysis of Donald Trump's latest act of aggression "Trump's Act of Piracy: Why The US Kidnapped Venezuela's President". We connect the dots from the Monroe Doctrine to the CIA's long history of destabilization in South America, revealing a century-long war against any nation that dares to resist US domination. Why was Venezuela's president kidnapped now? Because the Bolivarian revolution's success is a direct threat to the US empire. This isn't just an act of piracy; it's a declaration of war. Learn why Donald Trump's move could backfire spectacularly. Guests Info: Featuring Dr. Ranjeet Brar, a political analyst and Secretary General of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist). His expertise provides a critical perspective on US imperialism and the ongoing struggle for sovereignty in Venezuela. Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! www.thecommunists.org www.lalkar.org www.redyouth.org Telegram: t.me/thecommunists Twitter: twitter.com/cpgbml Soundcloud: @proletarianradio Rumble: rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: Each one teach one!: https://thecommunists.org/education-programme/ Join the struggle www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: www.thecommunists.org/donate/  

Listen to current week's news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.Ahead of a crucial national election in Thailand, Catholic bishops have urged people to remain vigilant against fraud and corruption. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

SHOW SCHEDULE 1-26-261808 GREAT HALL BANK OF ENGLAND Bill Roggio and Husain Haqqani discuss global turmoil and confrontation, examining U.S. policy failures in Afghanistan. The conversation addresses the ongoing consequences of American withdrawal and the resurgence of threats in the region, highlighting how strategic missteps continue to destabilize the area and embolden adversaries. Bill Roggio and Husain Haqqani examine how Africa remains unprotected from jihadists and plunderers. The discussion explores the continent's vulnerability to extremist expansion and resource exploitation, with weak governance and insufficient international attention allowing terrorist networks and predatory actors to operate with increasing impunity across multiple nations. Ernesto Araujo and Alejandro Pena Esclusa analyze Venezuela's posture of public defiance while remaining privately obedient to the Trump administration. The segment explores the contradictions in Caracas's diplomatic stance, suggesting the regime's theatrical resistance masks behind-the-scenes accommodations driven by economic pressure and political survival calculations. Ernesto Araujo and Alejandro Pena Esclusa report on a spontaneous Rio rally supporting the Bolsonaro family. The demonstration reflects continued popular backing for the former Brazilian president despite legal challenges, indicating that conservative movements in Latin America retain significant grassroots energy and organizational capacity. Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter discuss Iran's ongoing executions and mass murders. The segment details the regime's brutal crackdown on dissent, highlighting the systematic use of capital punishment against protesters and minorities as Tehran intensifies domestic repression amid international isolation and internal unrest. Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter examine Saudi Arabia's internal disagreements over a potential air campaign against Iran. The conversation explores Riyadh's strategic calculations, balancing regional security concerns against the risks of direct military confrontation with Tehran and the complexities of American alliance dynamics. Mark Simon and Gordon Chang address Hong Kong's persecution of democracy advocates through show trials. The discussion highlights Beijing's systematic dismantling of civil liberties, using the judicial system to silence opposition figures and signal that resistance to Communist Party authority will face severe consequences. Brandon Weichert and Gordon Chang analyze the PRC using ground-based nodes to influence states. The segment examines China's expanding infrastructure of political and economic pressure points, demonstrating how Beijing leverages physical assets to project power and shape foreign government policies. John Hardie reports that Russia continues targeting heat and light infrastructure in Kyiv, while Ukraine retaliates by striking Russian infrastructure. The segment examines the escalating war of attrition against civilian utilities as both sides seek to undermine morale and economic capacity through systematic attacks on essential services. Jack Burnham reveals that Chinese academics have been granted easy access to Energy Departmentsupercomputing resources used in nuclear weapon simulations. The discussion highlights alarming security lapses allowing potential adversaries to benefit from sensitive American technology with direct military applications and strategic implications. Cleo Paskal and Bill Roggio examine the PRC threat to Oceania from Guam's perspective. The segment details China's aggressive influence peddling and buying throughout the Pacific islands, as Beijing systematically works to undermine American strategic positioning and cultivate dependent relationships across the region. Cleo Paskal and Bill Roggio discuss the UK's giveaway of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, highlighting China's influence over the Mauritian government. The transfer raises concerns about Beijing potentially gaining strategic access to a critical Indian Ocean location near vital shipping lanes and military installations. Ahmad Sharawi reports that Al Sharaa continues attacking minorities in Syria, with Kurds being driven back while the U.S. stands aside. The Druze community also faces assault as the new regime consolidates power through ethnic persecution despite initial promises of inclusive governance. Janatyn Sayeh describes Iran's mass murders amid a broken economy with no communications or internet access. The segment portrays a regime in crisis, resorting to extreme violence against its population while infrastructure collapse and international isolation accelerate the government's deteriorating grip on power. David Daoud examines how Hezbollah reigns over villages in Lebanon. The segment details the organization's methods of social control, combining armed intimidation with provision of services to maintain dominance over Shia communities and enforce loyalty to the movement's political and military agenda. David Daoud explores what Hezbollah will manage if Tehran fails. The discussion considers the organization's future autonomy and survival prospects should its Iranian patron collapse, examining whether the group can sustain itself independently or faces inevitable decline without external support.

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In this episode of The PDB Situation Report: First up—new reporting says the White House is actively seeking to topple Cuba's Communist government, betting that pressure campaigns, quiet backchannels, and lessons learned from Venezuela could finally crack Havana's grip on power. Later in the show—stunning new figures out of China reveal a sweeping internal punishment campaign, with Communist Party enforcers disciplining nearly one million people in 2025 as Xi Jinping tightens control. Gordon Chang joins us with analysis. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief QUO: Make this the year where no opportunity slips away. Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to https://Quo.com/PDB  American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB.  BRUNT Workwear: Get $10 Off at BRUNT with code PDB at https://www.bruntworkwear.com/PDB#Bruntpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up—What was supposed to be a global economic summit in Davos is overtaken by geopolitics, as President Trump ramps up pressure on U.S. allies and argues Greenland is a critical national security priority. Later in the show—A staggering figure out of China, where Communist Party enforcers punished nearly one million people in 2025 as President Xi tightens his grip and demands total loyalty. Plus—Beijing escalates pressure across the Taiwan Strait, flying a military drone into Taiwan's airspace for the first time. And in today's Back of the Brief—The British government approves plans for China's largest embassy in Europe, ignoring warnings it could become a hub for espionage. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief CBDistillery: Visit https://CBDistillery.comand use promo code PDB for 25% off your entire order! QUO: Make this the year where no opportunity slips away. Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to https://Quo.com/PDB  American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The European Commission President says that the EU stands in "full solidarity" with Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark - adding that their sovereignty is "non-negotiable". Ursula von der Leyen warned there would be an "unflinching" and "united" response to the US threat to take over the island. Also: Donald Trump has condemned Britain's decision to give away the Chagos Islands as an "act of great stupidity;" The British government has given approval for China to build a super-embassy in central London, despite concerns it could be used for spying; Israeli demolition teams have begun to tear down the east Jerusalem headquarters of the UN relief agency for Gaza; rescue teams in Spain are using cranes and other heavy machinery to access the trains which crashed on Sunday. Vietnam's ruling Communist Party is meeting to pick new leaders and set key targets for the young, fast-growing economy; research in Antarctica has found that penguins are breeding up to two weeks earlier because of climate change; and the Beckham family feud has finally exploded into the spotlight.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJid7TCPLm4 Premiered on 7 Jan 2026 Dr. Ranjeet Brar exposes why the US kidnapped Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, in a shocking move orchestrated by Donald Trump. This isn't just about drugs; it's a desperate move by US imperialism to reclaim Venezuela's vast oil wealth. This is a stunning analysis of Donald Trump's latest act of aggression "Trump's Act of Piracy: Why The US Kidnapped Venezuela's President". We connect the dots from the Monroe Doctrine to the CIA's long history of destabilization in South America, revealing a century-long war against any nation that dares to resist US domination. Why was Venezuela's president kidnapped now? Because the Bolivarian revolution's success is a direct threat to the US empire. This isn't just an act of piracy; it's a declaration of war. Learn why Donald Trump's move could backfire spectacularly. Guests Info: Featuring Dr. Ranjeet Brar, a political analyst and Secretary General of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist). His expertise provides a critical perspective on US imperialism and the ongoing struggle for sovereignty in Venezuela. Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! www.thecommunists.org www.lalkar.org www.redyouth.org Telegram: t.me/thecommunists Twitter: twitter.com/cpgbml Soundcloud: @proletarianradio Rumble: rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: Each one teach one! www.londonworker.org/education-programme/ Join the struggle www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: www.thecommunists.org/donate/  

The Left has lost power in India over the 100 years since the Communist Party of India (CPI) was founded in 1925 in Kanpur. #CutTheClutter Episode 1785 looks at the decline & self-destruction of India's Left - how it ruled West Bengal & Tripura for over 30 years to now being wiped out. ThePrint Editor-In-Chief Shekhar Gupta also explains how the Left's economic ideology still rules India.----more----Watch 2024 Punjab Writings on the Wall here: https://youtu.be/ZL0g2IBXjl0

Curtis Yarvin claims key civil rights institutions were shaped by former Communist Party operatives, pointing to Stanley Levison's role advising MLK and the SCLC. He argues American political narratives often hide uncomfortable realities, comparing media control, propaganda, and mythmaking across the 20th century.

The trajectory of corruption often begins not with a grand heist, but with a simple dinner, according to the details of a case released on Sunday involving a former high-ranking official.根据周日公布的一起涉及前高官的案件细节显示，腐败的轨迹往往并非始于惊天大劫案，而是一顿简单的晚餐。Tang Ren jian, former minister of agriculture and rural affairs, admitted his corruption stemmed from ignoring the Communist Party of China Central Committee's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, according to a freshly aired anti-corruption documentary.据最新播出的反腐纪录片披露，原农业农村部部长唐仁健承认，其腐败行为源于忽视中共中央关于改进党政作风的八项规定。"My illegal acts began with dining violations," Tang said before the camera, stressing the need to "stay prudent from the start".唐仁健在镜头前坦言：“我的违法行为始于餐饮违规，”并强调“从一开始就要保持谨慎”。Coproduced by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the National Supervisory Commission and China Media Group, the four-episode series began airing on Sunday, one day before the opening of the fifth plenary session of the 20th CCDI in Beijing.由中共中央纪律检查委员会、国家监察委员会和中国媒体集团联合制作的四集系列片于周日开播，恰逢二十届中纪委五中全会在北京召开前一天。Previously vice-chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regional government and governor of Gansu province, Tang was probed in May 2024. The investigation revealed that his social circle, largely built around dining, tea and mahjong, later became thebribery channel, and what started as casual gatherings turned into "interest transfer" hubs.曾任广西壮族自治区政府副主席、甘肃省省长的唐仁健于2024年5月被立案调查。调查发现，他以餐饮、品茶、打麻将为纽带建立的社交圈逐渐演变为行贿渠道，原本随意的聚会最终沦为“利益输送”的枢纽。Tang described a psychological shift where he grew accustomed to these luxuries, eventually viewing them as "natural and deserved". As his vigilance dropped, business owners exploited the situation to seek favors.唐仁健描述了一种心理转变：他逐渐习惯了这些奢侈待遇，最终视其为“理所当然且应得的”。随着他的警惕性降低，商人们便趁机钻空子谋取私利。To avoid detection, he first wore masks and hats to hotel dinners, and then moved gatherings to private villas and apartments arranged by entrepreneurs.为躲避追查，唐仁健起初戴着面具和帽子参加酒店晚宴，后来又将聚会转移到企业家安排的私人别墅和公寓里。He also colluded with Li Yong, a Beijing antique dealer, using his shops for "power-for-money" deals. Business owners seeking Tang's influence were instructed to purchase overpriced antiques consigned by Tang through Li, disguising bribes as legitimate transactions.唐仁健还与北京古董商李勇勾结，利用其店铺进行“权钱交易”。寻求唐仁健影响力的商人被要求通过李勇购买唐某委托的高价古董，将贿赂伪装成合法交易。After becoming minister of agriculture and rural affairs, Tang created a WeChat group called "Happy Weekends" comprising his family members and business owners. He also had his son open an upscale restaurant near the ministry. The entrepreneurs funded group events by purchasing membership cards at the restaurant, with Tang organizing the events and the entrepreneurs covering the costs.唐仁健就任农业农村部长后，创建了一个名为“快乐周末”的微信群组，成员包括其亲属及商界人士。他还安排儿子在部委附近开办高档餐厅。商人们通过购买该餐厅会员卡为群组活动提供资金，由唐仁健组织活动，商人们承担费用。Starting in 2011, business owners took turns holding lavish birthday parties for him at luxury resorts across the country.自2011年起，企业主们轮流在全国豪华度假村为唐仁健举办奢华的生日派对。The documentary highlights how Tang's poor work conduct directly led to a distorted view of performance. Obsessed with "image projects" to improve his standing, he disregarded local realities in Gansu and insisted on launching chicken farming projects simultaneously in eight counties. Consequently, seven of the projects were suspended, leaving many completed facilities idle or underutilized.该纪录片揭示了唐仁健工作作风不端如何直接导致绩效评估失真。他痴迷于通过“形象工程”提升个人声望，无视甘肃省的实际情况，执意在八个县同时启动养鸡项目。结果七个项目被迫叫停，导致大量建成设施闲置或利用率低下。Tang, a long-serving official in the agricultural sector, meddled in 37 projects, 27 of which were agricultural. His influence-peddling and frequent dining with subordinates fostered an unhealthy political ecosystem. Even on the eve of being placed under residential surveillance, Tang reportedly attended a late-night drinking session.唐仁健作为农业部门资深官员，曾插手37个项目，其中27个涉及农业领域。其利用职权谋私利的行为及频繁与下属宴饮的作风，滋生了病态的政治生态。据报道，即便在被实施居住监视的前夜，唐仁健仍出席了一场深夜酒局。Expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office in November 2024, Tang was sentenced in September 2025 to death with a two-year reprieve, lifelong deprivation of political rights and confiscation of all property for accepting more than 268 million yuan ($38.4 million) in bribes.唐仁健于2024年11月被开除党籍并撤销公职，2025年9月因受贿2.68亿余元（合3840万美元）被判处死刑缓期两年执行，剥夺政治权利终身，并没收全部财产。The central discipline inspection and national supervision authorities noted that the interweaving of poor work conduct and corruption is a key issue in current efforts to improve Party conduct and combat corruption, urging the simultaneous investigation and rectification of both.中央纪委国家监委指出，工作作风问题与腐败问题相互交织，是当前推进党风建设、反腐败斗争中的关键问题，要求对两类问题同时查办、同步整改。Governing efficiency hurt治理效率受损Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of Peking University's Research Center of Public Policy, said that efforts to improve conduct and fight corruption were once fragmented. Conduct issues were considered "minor corruption", while anti-corruption efforts targeted "major corruption". The lack of synergy hurt governance efficiency.北京大学公共政策研究中心副主任庄德水指出，过去在改进作风和反腐方面存在割裂现象。作风问题被视为“小腐败”，而反腐工作则针对“大腐败”。这种缺乏协同性的做法损害了治理效能。"Many major corruption cases originate from minor misconduct, and rooting out major corruption requires addressing trivial issues first," he said.庄德水表示：“许多重大腐败案件都源于细微的违规行为，要根除重大腐败，必须先解决这些琐碎问题。”Over the past year, authorities have piloted initiatives using big data to link work conduct and anti-corruption information channels, enabling cross-verification to cut the source link between unhealthy tendencies and corruption.过去一年间，相关部门试点运用大数据技术，将工作行为与反腐信息渠道相衔接，通过交叉核查切断不良倾向与腐败行为的源头关联。However, institutional development remains insufficient. Zhuang said strengthening the top-level design of the supervision system and integrating disciplinary, supervisory, inspection, financial and audit oversight to build a unified framework is imperative.然而，制度建设仍显不足。庄表示，必须加强监管体系的顶层设计，整合纪律检查、监管、监察、财政和审计等监督职能，构建统一的监管框架。Ji Yaping, dean of the School of Administrative Law at Northwest University of Political Science and Law, noted that the core goal of simultaneous investigation and rectification is to eliminate the breeding ground for corruption at its source.西北政法大学行政法学院院长姬亚平指出，查办与整改并举的核心目标，在于从源头上消除腐败滋生的土壤。He said that unhealthy conduct induces corruption, and correcting such conduct is key to resolving corruption problems. Severe misconduct in cadre selection, for example, can breed cliques, sycophancy and even political fraudsters.姬亚平表示，不良行为会滋生腐败，纠正此类行为是解决腐败问题的关键。例如，干部选拔中的严重失职会导致派系形成、阿谀奉承，甚至催生政治骗子。Only strict, transparent standards can eradicate this problem, he added.姬亚平补充道，唯有严格透明的标准才能根除这一问题。trajectory/trəˈdʒek.tɚ.i/n.（射体在空中的）轨道，轨迹bribery/ˈbraɪ.bɚ.i/n.贿赂；收买entrepreneur/ˌɑːn.trə.prəˈnɝː/n.（尤指涉及风险的）企业家，创业者idle/ˈaɪ.dəl/adj.闲置的

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Paul Mariani, Professor at Santa Clara University and author of the new book, China's Church Divided: Bishop Louis Jin and the Post-Mao Catholic Revival. Paul unpacks the Communist Party's views on religion, how the Catholic Church navigated the turbulent politics of 1980's China, and why the Vatican has renewed a controversial deal with Beijing. 

THE EARLY LIFE OF XI ZHONGXUN Colleague Joseph Torigian. Joseph Torigian introduces the early life of Xi Zhongxun, father of Xi Jinping. Born in 1913 in poverty-stricken Shaanxi province, Xi grew up surrounded by famine and warlord violence. Torigian recounts a pivotal incident where a teenage Xi attempted to poison a school administrator during a revolutionary purge. While imprisoned for this act, he formally joined the Communist Party, motivated less by Marxist theory than by a romanticized view of revolution found in novels. NUMBER 9

THE EARLY LIFE OF XI ZHONGXUN Colleague Joseph Torigian. Joseph Torigian introduces the early life of Xi Zhongxun, father of Xi Jinping. Born in 1913 in poverty-stricken Shaanxi province, Xi grew up surrounded by famine and warlord violence. Torigian recounts a pivotal incident where a teenage Xi attempted to poison a school administrator during a revolutionary purge. While imprisoned for this act, he formally joined the Communist Party, motivated less by Marxist theory than by a romanticized view of revolution found in novels. NUMBER 9

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureCanada is having problems, they are following the green new scam, since Trump placed tariffs on Canada they are desperately trying to find trading partners.Trump shows how windmills kill birds, where are all the environmentalist. The EU is now pushing the CBDC, Trump’s economy will overshadow the rest of the world. The people of this country and others must see the criminal syndicate. Without seeing it they people would have never believed there was a criminal syndicate. Trump has the leverage, more is coming in 2026 and after the midterms Trump is going to unleash hell on the [DS]. Every crime, scam and violation of the Constitution will be exposed. Justice is coming. Economy Canada Trying to Find Trade Partners   Prime Minister Mark Carney reflects a particular reality of the problem their economy will face in 2026. It appears that Canadian government officials have finally recognized the Trump administration plans to dissolve the USMCA or what Canada calls CUSMA next year.  With that reality they have a big problem. Mexico has been working throughout the year to initiate economic policies in alignment with the United States.  However, structurally and politically this is an alignment that is impossible for Canada to do.  Like many contracting European countries, the economic policies of Canada are centered around their climate change agenda and green energy goals. In order for Canada to position their economy to be in alignment with the rest of North America (USA and Mexico), Carney would have to reverse years of legislated rules and regulations.  That is not going to happen, and Canada will always be at a disadvantage because of it.   With three quarters of their economic production tied to exports into the USA, and with the USMCA likely to be dissolved in favor of a bilateral trade agreement, Canada now has to find other markets for its products or lower all the trade barriers currently in place.  Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to find alternative markets. Carney has looked toward Europe, but that is a closed trade bloc difficult to engage.  Carney has looked to southeast Asia, but that is an export driven market with limited capabilities to import costly western products.  Carney has looked to Japan and China, but on scale there's little to be gained. The question is, where can Canada send its products if not to the USA.   The brutally honest answer is nowhere.  There just isn't any other market, or combination of markets, who could replace the consumer base of the USA.  Canada is refusing to admit this reality and 2026 is going to be a harsh awakening for the Canadian people. Source: theconservativetreehouse.com  https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/2006140340068291046?s=20  – A 2025 Trump administration initiative aims to enforce $1 million fines per bald eagle death. (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Initial Jobless Claims End 2025 Near Record Lows The number of Americans filing for jobless claims for the first time plummeted last week to 199k – the lowest since the Thanksgiving week plunge and pretty much the lowest since Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2006392860006846799?s=20   to give them a shot at winning the midterms. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2006141249045291038?s=20   went to the liquor store again and tried to buy €100 worth of booze using the government-run digital currency on your iPhone, but your transaction gets rejected. Why? Because some Eurotrash EU bureaucrat decided that it’s unhealthy for you to buy so much liquor in such a short period of time, so you gets nothing. And you have no recourse, because you have become a serf whose life is at the discretion of the government. (As an aside, single-payer, government-funded healthcare will work in synchronicity with this, deciding what is best for you health-wise, because after all it’s not fair that other citizens must pay for your cirrhosis and bad judgment.) You have been warned, Europe. Political/Rights https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/2006203195165462545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2006203195165462545%7Ctwgr%5Ebc322e2414802c704b50bc3c2955bae6d38269c1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Frusty-weiss%2F2025%2F12%2F31%2Fgavin-newsom-tries-to-keep-illegals-on-the-road-a-little-longer-sean-duffy-immediately-cuts-him-off-n2197630 including cutting nearly $160 million in federal funding. https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2006168699502215508?s=20   The Attorney General or the Deputy Attorney General can get involved in any DOJ matter they choose. It'a not a judge's job to get in the middle of those internal deliberations. That's a serious violation of the separation of powers. The American voters want violent illegals out of our country. Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr., a Nashville Obama judge, needs to get back in his lane. https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/2006046386190422054?s=20   on taxpayers, should not exploit welfare systems built by the native population, should speak the language, assimilate into the host society, respect its laws and norms, and should not receive special carve-outs like separate schools, parallel institutions or different rules. If even these minimal basics can no longer gain agreement, then there is no realistic path to fixing the system at all. DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2005795643126595959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2005795643126595959%7Ctwgr%5E813dbbc99cf3dee762087820edf11e55af9622ca%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Fjenniferoo%2F2025%2F12%2F30%2Fisis-in-texas-fbi-arrests-man-who-helped-fund-global-terrorist-organizations-n2197594   propaganda, sent cryptocurrency believing it would fund terrorist activity, and attempted to deliver materials intended for explosive devices. This is radical Islamic terrorism, and it was identified and stopped. Great work by our FBI teams @FBIDallas and great law enforcement partners. https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2006157155666182556?s=20 https://twitter.com/AAbsaroka/status/2005723457997484150?s=20 https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2006176939854196897?s=20 https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/2005961263419883887?s=20 https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/2006095673423179995?s=20 https://twitter.com/USABehFarsi/status/2005874044319436965?s=20 Courage if it were a picture…This is a black-and-white aerial photo depicting a scene from protests in Iran (likely Tehran, based on the post’s hashtags). It shows a lone individual standing defiantly in the street, holding a long pole or banner horizontally, facing a group of about a dozen uniformed security forces or riot police on motorcycles. The image symbolizes courage in the context of human rights and anti-regime demonstrations. War/Peace https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2006367551878844863?s=20 https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/2006295058492882982?s=20 https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2006107978504524105?s=20 Zelenskyy Urges Trump to Visit Ukraine to Seal Russia Peace Deal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that President Donald Trump should visit Ukraine to help close a peace deal with Russia. Zelenskyy specifically urged Trump to travel directly into Ukraine rather than entering through Poland, arguing that such a visit would demonstrate confidence that a ceasefire is within reach. Source: newsmax.com Medical/False Flags [DS] Agenda Biden Housing Scandal EXPLODES: HUD Report Reveals Over $5 Billion in Questionable Rental Aid, Including Payments to Dead People and Non-Citizens  A bombshell federal report has blown the lid off yet another massive Biden-era taxpayer scandal — this time inside the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to HUD's own Fiscal Year 2025 Agency Financial Report, more than $5 billion in rental assistance payments during the final year of the Biden regime were flagged as “questionable” or improper, exposing systemic failures, nonexistent oversight, and breathtaking incompetence at the federal level. Among the most jaw-dropping revelations: tens of thousands of payments were made to people who were already DEAD, and thousands more went to recipients who may not have even been eligible to receive taxpayer-funded housing assistance at all, the New York Post first reported. Buried in the HUD report is a stunning admission that federal systems failed to stop payments to 30,054 deceased individuals who were either still listed as active tenants or continued receiving rental assistance after their deaths. HUD officials acknowledged that only after cross-checking Treasury databases did they finally identify the scope of the problem — meaning for years, taxpayers were unknowingly footing the bill for people who no longer exist. “[Over] 30,000 dead people receiving housing isn't an accident — it was systematic fraud by Biden and the left. HUD will hold those who defrauded the American taxpayers accountable,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner wrote on X. According to the report:   “large concentration” of these questionable rental assistance funds flowed to Democrat-run strongholds, including: New York California Washington, D.C. Yet payments to deceased recipients were found in all 50 states, proving the rot was nationwide. Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2006068825272508679?s=20   to U.S. citizens. See 8 U.S.C. § 1623(a). There are no exceptions. Virginia violates it nonetheless. This court should put an end to this and permanently enjoin the enforcement of provisions of the Virginia Education Code that directly conflict with federal immigration law. Virginia Code §§ 23.1-502 and 23.505.1 explicitly classify illegal aliens as Virginia residents based on certain conditions. That classification makes illegal aliens eligible for reduced in-state tuition and state-administered financial assistance for public state colleges and universities while U.S. citizens from other states are ineligible for the reduced tuition and must pay higher out-of-state tuition rates. This is not only wrong but illegal. The challenged act's discriminatory treatment in favor of illegal aliens over U.S. citizens is squarely prohibited and preempted by federal law, which provides that “an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State . . . for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit . . . without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident.” 8 U.S.C. § 1623(a) (emphasis added). The challenged act, as applied to illegal aliens, is thus unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution. This Court should declare Virginia's law, as applied to illegal aliens, preempted and permanently enjoin its enforcement.” https://twitter.com/jonesville/status/2006273719602475506?s=20 https://twitter.com/thehoffather/status/2006240702213099815?s=20 https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2006327355166589007?s=20 https://twitter.com/MZHemingway/status/2006031707724546400?s=20 https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2006038706893836481?s=20 https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/2006393802714439774?s=20 https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2006028437899862286?s=20  Patronage System here in America AND help them successfully assimilate. https://twitter.com/HHS_Jim/status/2006136004294664464?s=20  against the blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country: 1. I have activated our defend the spend system for all ACF payments. Starting today, all ACF payments across America will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state. 2. Alex Adams and I have identified the individuals in @nickshirleyy ‘s excellent work. I have demanded from @GovTimWalz a comprehensive audit of these centers. This includes attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations, and inspections. 3. We have launched a dedicated fraud-reporting hotline and email address at https://childcare.gov Whether you are a parent, provider, or member of the general public, we want to hear from you. We have turned off the money spigot and we are finding the fraud. @ACFHHS @HHSGov https://twitter.com/DOGE_HHS/status/2006145075315929532?s=20 will expand the system to support itemized receipts and photographic evidence, and make all data/receipts, where possible, available to the public. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2006120694497857977?s=20   move to another state that is honest. Make sense? https://twitter.com/C__Herridge/status/2006091693259636775?s=20  alleges the probes were “buried” because it potentially implicated Biden Administration allies •Between late May 2025 and December 2025 FBI had 16 open investigations into approximately 32 healthcare and homecare providers accused of fraud •Described as massive, joint investigations including HHS Inspector General, Medicaid Fraud Unit, IRS, Postal Inspectors, MN Attorney General, MN Department of Education,  and others Probes Now Expanding In Minnesota, Investigators Are Exploring Nation-wide Fraud Schemes •FBI Surging forensic accountants and data analytics teams to MN •Identifying fraud, then “following the money” to see the “entire web” •Investigating potential links to elected officials and terrorist financing •Potential criminal violations include public corruption, fraud, cyber fraud, healthcare fraud, homecare fraud, money-laundering Investigations Include Federal Nutrition Programs •These investigations including day care facilities are exploring links to alleged fraud involving federal nutrition programs •The Feeding our Future probe exposed an alleged $250m fraud scheme that obtained federal funding during COVID for nutrition programs but almost NO meals were provided to children •It's alleged the monies were laundered through multiple entities to enrich the participants •78 have been indicted, 57 convicted, two found not guilty among the group. Just a heads up that Patel and Trump's FBI have been all over the Minnesota fraud thing for months, 78 people have already been indicted, and Kash is openly admitting that this was buried by the Biden admin. That’s not how FBI & DOJ work. Criminal investigations take months. Trials take years. No one knows yet if Bondi & Kash will measure up. It’s too early to tell. WATCH: Karoline Leavitt Says Trump “Not Afraid to Use Denaturalization” Against Somali Fraudsters — Search Warrants Being Executed and “People Will be in Handcuffs” Denaturalization, also known as revocation of naturalization, is the legal process by which the U.S. government revokes the citizenship of a naturalized U.S. citizen, effectively stripping them of their citizenship status. This is not a process that private individuals can initiate or “do” themselves; it is exclusively handled by the federal government through judicial proceedings in U.S. district court. It cannot be done administratively by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) alone, following a court ruling in 2000 that limited such authority. Grounds for DenaturalizationUnder the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), denaturalization can only occur based on specific legal grounds. These include: The individual did not meet statutory requirements for naturalization at the time, such as lawful permanent residence, good moral character, required periods of residence or physical presence, or attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution (INA 316 and INA 340(a)).  The person hid key information or lied during the naturalization process (e.g., on Form N-400 or in interviews), and this directly led to approval. The fact must be “material,” meaning it could have influenced the decision (INA 340(a); see Supreme Court case Kungys v. United States, 485 U.S. 759 (1988)). Within five years after naturalization, the person joins or affiliates with the Communist Party, a totalitarian party, or a terrorist organization, which is seen as evidence of lacking attachment to the U.S. Constitution (INA 313, INA 340(c), and INA 316(a)(3)). For those who naturalized based on U.S. military service, revocation can occur if they receive a discharge under other-than-honorable conditions before completing at least five years of honorable service (INA 328(f) and INA 329(c)). These grounds apply only to naturalized citizens (those who went through the full process, including application, interview, approval, and oath). U.S.-born citizens cannot be denaturalized under these provisions. The process is initiated and pursued by the government, not individuals. Here’s a high-level overview:  USCIS or other agencies (like the Department of Homeland Security) identify potential cases through audits, investigations, or tips about fraud or ineligibility. If there’s sufficient evidence, USCIS refers the case to the Department of Justice (DOJ) via the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Coordination happens through USCIS’s Office of the Chief Counsel. Judicial Proceedings: The DOJ files a complaint in federal district court under INA 340(a). The government must prove its case by “clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence” that leaves no doubt. This is a high standard, and the process can take years. Criminal Revocation: If the case involves fraud, the DOJ may pursue criminal charges under 18 U.S.C. 1425 (unlawful procurement of citizenship). A conviction automatically revokes naturalization under INA 340(e), with proof required beyond a reasonable doubt. If the court rules in favor of revocation, it issues an order canceling the Certificate of Naturalization, which the person must surrender. Citizenship is revoked retroactively to the original naturalization date, reverting the individual to their prior immigration status (often lawful permanent resident, but this could lead to deportation proceedings under INA 237). USCIS updates records and notifies the Department of State. Denaturalization is rare—historically, around 22,000 cases occurred in the 20th century, often tied to wartime or political contexts—but it has been used more in recent years for fraud cases. https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2006013185355112758?s=20   fraud in a ginormous scale. Minnesota also lets one person vouch for 8 migrant voters’ eligibility to vote WITHOUT them having to prove it! Minnesota needs to clean house, NOW. https://twitter.com/StephenM/status/2006079447922008292?s=20 President Trump's Plan  https://twitter.com/FBIDDBongino/status/2006087308404314365?s=20   disrupted (210% increase) -2,000+ kilos of Fentanyl seized (up 31%), enough to kill 130 million Americans -Nihilistic Violent Extremism arrests up 490% -Over 6,000 child victims located (up 22%) -Historic drop in U.S. murder rate. Please read the post from Director Patel for more details on the progress that has been made, and is ongoing. https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2006091717074903047?s=20 https://twitter.com/Kimberlyrja8/status/2006193599365423586?s=20 LISTEN  (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

THE REASSERTION OF ANCIENT EMPIRES Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley contends that China is reasserting its identity as an empire, with the Communist Party seeking legitimacy by connecting with imperial history despite previous rejections of the past. Similarly, he views Vladimir Putin as a nationalist attempting to restore the memory and grandeur of the Russian Empire. The segment concludes by suggesting the US might "lease" the symbolic nobility of King Charles III during state visits to borrow necessary leadership prestige. NUMBER 16 1649 CHARLES I EXECUTED BY PARLIAMENT

SHOW 12-29-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR UR THE PRINCESS'S MUSEUM AT THE DAWN OF HISTORY Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Moudhy Al-Rashidintroduces Ennigaldi-Nanna, a princess and high priestess of the moon god in the ancient city of Ur. Excavators discovered a chamber in her palace containing carefully arranged artifacts from eras much older than her own, effectively serving as a museum. A clay cylinder found there acted as a museum label, preserving the history of ancient kings to lend legitimacy to her father, King Nabonidus, and his dynasty. NUMBER 1 THE STORIES TOLD BY MESOPOTAMIAN BRICKS Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Moudhy Al-Rashidexplains how millions of mud bricks reveal the history of ancient Mesopotamia, from the construction of massive temples to the 9-kilometer wall of Uruk. These bricks were often stamped with the names of kings to ensure their deeds were known to the gods. Beyond royal propaganda, bricks preserve intimate moments, such as the accidental paw prints of dogs or footprints of children left while the clay dried in the sun. NUMBER 2 GILGAMESH AND THE BIRTH OF WRITTEN LEGEND Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Al-Rashid discusses Cuneiform, a writing system used for over 3,000 years to record languages like Sumerian and Akkadian. She details the Epic of Gilgamesh, a tale of a tyrannical king who finds wisdom and friendship with the wild man Enkidu. While Gilgamesh was likely a real historical figure, his story evolved into high poetry about mortality and leadership. The segment notes that kingship was believed to have descended from heaven. NUMBER 3 HOMEWORK AND HEARTACHE IN ANCIENT SCHOOLS Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Excavations of a "schoolhouse" in Nippur revealed thousands of practice tablets, showing the messy first attempts of children learning to write. These artifacts include literary accounts of school life, complaints about food, and even teeth marks from frustrated students. The curriculum was rigorous, covering literacy and advanced mathematics like geometry, which was essential for future scribes to calculate field yields and manage the bureaucracy. NUMBER 4 THE ALCOHOLIC TYRANTS OF THE WEST Colleague Professor James Romm. James Romm introduces Syracuse as a dominant power in the 4th century BCE under the rule of Dionysius the Elder, who rose from clerk to autocrat. Dionysius fortified the city's geography to create a secure military base and adopted the Persian custom of polygamy, marrying two women on the same day. This created a rivalrous, "unhappy family" dynamic in a court notorious for heavy drinking and "Syracusan tables" of excess. NUMBER 5 PLATO'S FAILED FIRST MISSION TO SICILY Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor Romm details Plato's background, including his connection to the Thirty Tyrants in Athens and his philosophy of "forms." Plato was invited to Syracuse by Dion, who hoped the philosopher could reform the tyrant Dionysius the Elder. However, this first visit was a disaster; Plato attempted to lecture the ruler on ethics and moral behavior, resulting in the philosopher being dismissed from the court with dishonor. NUMBER 6 THE BANISHMENT OF DION Colleague Professor James Romm. Plato returned to Syracuse to tutor Dionysius the Younger, hoping to create an enlightened monarch, but found a court defined by drunkenness and immaturity. The experiment failed when Dion, Plato's ally, sent a letter to Carthage that the tyrant interpreted as treason. Dionysiusbanished Dion and kept Plato under a form of house arrest to maintain the appearance of an alliance, while the tyrant solidified his power. NUMBER 7 A PHILOSOPHER OBSERVES A COMING WAR Colleague Professor James Romm. At the Olympic Games, Plato met the exiled Dion and learned that the tyrant had confiscated Dion's property and given his wife to another man. Despite the growing tension, Plato visited Syracuse a third time in 361 BCE to attempt reconciliation. Romm argues that Plato's harsh description of the "tyrannical man" in The Republic was directly inspired by his personal observations of living under the roof of the Syracusan tyrant. NUMBER 8 REVOLUTION, ASSASSINATION, AND CHAOS Colleague Professor James Romm. Dion launched an invasion to liberate Syracuse, but the revolution unleashed chaotic populist passions he could not control. After ordering the assassination of a rival, Dion fell into a depression and was eventually assassinated by a faction of his own army. Rommnotes that ancient historians, including Plutarch, largely protected Dion's reputation to safeguard the prestige of Plato's Academy, despite Dion's failure to become a true philosopher king. NUMBER 9 THE TYRANT WHO BECAME A SCHOOLTEACHER Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor James Romm discusses the surprising fate of Dionysius II, the tyrant of Syracuse. After the Corinthian leader Timoleonarrived to liberate the city, Dionysius surrendered and was allowed to retire to Corinth rather than facing execution. There, the former absolute ruler became a music teacher, leading to the proverb "Dionysius is in Corinth," a saying used for centuries to describe the unpredictability of fortune and the fall of the powerful. NUMBER 10 PHILOSOPHER KINGS AND THE RIVER OF HEEDLESSNESS Colleague Professor James Romm. James Romm explores Plato's Republic, arguing that philosophers make the best kings because they perceive the true "forms" of justice rather than earthly shadows. The discussion turns to the "Myth of Er," a story of the afterlife where souls travel for a thousand years before choosing their next life. Plato warns that drinking too deeply from the River of Heedlessnesserases memory, whereas philosophers strive to recall the forms. NUMBER 11 PLATO'S LETTERS AND THE WHITEWASHING OF DION Colleague Professor James Romm. The conversation examines Plato's thirteen letters, specifically the five Romm believes are genuine regarding the Syracuse affair. Platoviewed himself as a wise lawgiver capable of reforming a tyrant, though he was naive about practical politics. In the seventh letter, Plato attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of his associate Dion, spinning the narrative to portray Dion as a virtuous victim of evil rather than admitting his political failures. NUMBER 12 THE RETURN OF THE NOBLE MONARCH Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley argues that the world has reached "peak republicanism," where republics have become inefficient political battlegrounds. He defines nobility not as a class structure, but as a quality of honorable leadership that embodies the state's values. Copley suggests modern monarchies, like that of King Charles III, are reinvigorating this role by acting as apolitical symbols of unity and diplomacy, unlike elected leaders who only represent their voters. NUMBER 13 THE DANGERS OF TRANSACTIONAL NATIONALISM Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley warns that suppression in republics often leads to uncontrollable demands for liberty, citing the collapse of the Shah's Iran and the USSR. He distinguishes between "tribal nationalism," based on shared history, and "state nationalism," which is often transactional. Copley argues that transactional systems eventually fail because the state runs out of resources to trade for support, leading to corruption and the potential fracturing of society. NUMBER 14 CONSTITUTIONS, BELIEF, AND THE EMPIRE Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley describes the US Constitution as the "de facto crown" holding the American empire together, though it faces challenges from populist movements. He argues that a "faith-based electorate" or a "belief in beliefs" is essential for social unity, noting that when people stop believing in God, they will believe in anything. Monarchy utilizes mysticism and continuity to maintain this unity, a quality difficult for republics to replicate. NUMBER 15 THE REASSERTION OF ANCIENT EMPIRES Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley contends that China is reasserting its identity as an empire, with the Communist Party seeking legitimacy by connecting with imperial history despite previous rejections of the past. Similarly, he views Vladimir Putin as a nationalist attempting to restore the memory and grandeur of the Russian Empire. The segment concludes by suggesting the US might "lease" the symbolic nobility of King Charles III during state visits to borrow necessary leadership prestige. NUMBER 16

General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Communist Party of China Central Committee has stressed integrated urban-rural development and ensuring the steady increase of farmers' incomes.

STALIN VS. TROTSKY AND THE LOGIC OF THE GREAT TERROR Colleague Professor Sean McMeekin. The discussion turns to the rivalry between Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. While Trotsky was an inflexible ideologue advocating for permanent revolution, Stalin was a "savvy political operator" willing to be ideologically flexible to consolidate power. The segment details the "Great Terror" of the 1930s, distinguishing it from previous violence by noting that Stalin targeted the Communist Party itself, including high-ranking officials and military marshals. McMeekin attributes this to the inherent logic of totalitarian regimes: as economic promises failed, the regime needed scapegoats—saboteurs and wreckers—to blame for the system's deficiencies. This self-cannibalizing violence culminated in the assassination of Trotsky in 1940, though the arrests and executions continued well beyond his death. NUMBER 4

Christopher Hill was one of the leading historians of his generation. His work across more than 15 books and dozens of articles fundamentally rewrote the way we understand the English Revolution and the development of the modern British state. While his career brought many of the trappings of establishment respectability – he was both a Fellow of the British Academy and the Master of Balliol College, Oxford - he was also seen as a threat to that very same establishment. Under surveillance by the security services for decades, in the 1980s Hill was publicly accused of having been a Soviet agent during the war. His was a Cold War life, as well as a scholarly one.In this brilliant work of biography Christopher Hill: The Life of a Radical Historian (Verso Books, 2025), Michael Braddick charts Hill's development from his abandonment of the respectable provincial Methodism of his youth, through his embrace of Marxism, his membership and eventual break with the Communist Party, as well as his celebrated intellectual career. While many of his books - not least the thrilling work of historical resurrection, The World Turned Upside Down, and God's Englishman, his classic biography of Oliver Cromwell - are still widely read and admired, his intellectual reputation was damaged by sustained academic criticism in the politically-charged atmosphere of the 1980s.Braddick's judicious biography not only situates Hill's life and work in their historical context but seeks to rescue Hill for a new generation of readers. Mike Braddick is a Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Lucas Tse is an Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Christopher Hill was one of the leading historians of his generation. His work across more than 15 books and dozens of articles fundamentally rewrote the way we understand the English Revolution and the development of the modern British state. While his career brought many of the trappings of establishment respectability – he was both a Fellow of the British Academy and the Master of Balliol College, Oxford - he was also seen as a threat to that very same establishment. Under surveillance by the security services for decades, in the 1980s Hill was publicly accused of having been a Soviet agent during the war. His was a Cold War life, as well as a scholarly one.In this brilliant work of biography Christopher Hill: The Life of a Radical Historian (Verso Books, 2025), Michael Braddick charts Hill's development from his abandonment of the respectable provincial Methodism of his youth, through his embrace of Marxism, his membership and eventual break with the Communist Party, as well as his celebrated intellectual career. While many of his books - not least the thrilling work of historical resurrection, The World Turned Upside Down, and God's Englishman, his classic biography of Oliver Cromwell - are still widely read and admired, his intellectual reputation was damaged by sustained academic criticism in the politically-charged atmosphere of the 1980s.Braddick's judicious biography not only situates Hill's life and work in their historical context but seeks to rescue Hill for a new generation of readers. Mike Braddick is a Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Lucas Tse is an Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The horrific Bondi Beach attack in Australia was pulled into Israel's global information war this past week. As blame was directed towards pro-Palestine politics, media narratives blurred Jewish identity and Israeli state policy - raising urgent questions about who is put at risk when Israel's anti-Palestinian messaging travels beyond its borders. Contributors: Naama Blatman – Executive member, Jewish Council of Australia Ori Goldberg – Academic and political commentator Antony Loewenstein – Author, The Palestine Laboratory Ramia Sultan – Palestinian Australian lawyer On our radar The outspoken and irreverent Hong Kong media mogul - Jimmy Lai - was convicted this week of conspiring with foreign forces. Tariq Nafi reports on how the Chinese Communist Party is tightening its grip on Hong Kong through its media. The pervasiveness of Hindutva pop In India, Hindu nationalism, or "Hindutva", has spread into a variety of media platforms. Meenakshi Ravi explores its musical subgenre, Hindutva pop, and speaks to one of its biggest names. Featuring: Kanhiya Mittal – Musician Kunal Purohit – Author, The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars Samriddhi Sakunia – Journalist and current affairs Instagrammer

It's Monday, December 15th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus World's 5 Communist countries are cracking down on Christians Governments in the world's five remaining Communist countries are intensifying control over Christian churches, reports International Christian Concern. Churches are facing growing legal, financial and operational restrictions under regimes in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam. Authorities in China require churches to register with the state and operate under a system called Sinicization, which mandates that sermons and practices incorporate Chinese cultural elements and Communist Party ideology, In Cuba, Christian groups are also legally required to register with the government, though new registrations are seldom granted. Individuals receiving foreign funding for church-related activities may be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison under Cuban law. Christian groups in Laos must also register with the government and seek prior approval for nearly all activities. A 2023 U.S. State Department report said churches must obtain permission for services, gatherings, travel of clergy, construction of worship spaces, and distribution of religious materials. In North Korea, churches are allowed only as tightly regulated institutions that serve the regime's image abroad. North Korean citizens are expected to report anyone found engaging in religious practices outside these state-run settings or in possession of Christian materials like Bibles. Unauthorized religious activity is met with harsh penalties, including imprisonment or forced labor. Vietnam also enforces mandatory registration for Christians and reserves the right to intervene in church finances and operations. A 2024 Vietnamese law, known as Decree 95, grants the government authority to demand financial records from churches and to suspend their activities without citing specific violations. Authorities in Vietnam have detained individuals and restricted congregations that fail to comply. Galatians 6:9 promises, “ Let us not grow weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we do not faint.” The $1 billion fraud of the Somalis in Minnesota Federal investigators have uncovered and charged dozens of people in Minnesota — most of Somali, African descent — in a series of major public-benefits fraud schemes which cost the American taxpayers $1 billion, reports Fox. These schemes include two primary issues.  First, a nonprofit named Feeding Our Future claimed federal reimbursements for feeding children during the pandemic but is accused of taking hundreds of millions in funds for few or no meals. And second, there was Medicaid fraud in autism care and housing support. Prosecutors say large and rapidly growing payments to providers for autism therapy and Housing Stabilization Services were fraudulent, with fake clients and claims submitted. Appearing on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for policy, said this. MILLER: “This could very well end up being the greatest financial fraud scandal in American history.” Republican Mike Lindell running for Minnesota Governor Speaking of Minnesota, where Democratic Governor Tim Walz, has embarrassed his state nationally as the brief-lived Vice Presidential pick of Kamala Harris, MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell announced his candidacy for Minnesota's 2026 gubernatorial race last Thursday, reports The Christian Post. The 64-year-old Lindell posted on social media. "After prayerful consideration and hearing from so many of you across our great state, I've made the decision to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race.” LINDELL: “Together, we will restore respect for law and order. If you are here illegally, now's the time to leave, or you're going to be sent back where you came from.” Governor Walz is running for his third consecutive four-year term. 2 dead, 8 injured in shooting at Brown University On Saturday evening, an active shooter killed two people and seriously injured eight others at Brown University campus where a male, dressed in black, opened fire inside a building on campus, reports the Providence Journal.  The Ivy League college in Providence, Rhode Island was in lockdown as the suspected gunman remained at large following the shooting. Dick Van Dyke: “I have no idea” what happens when we die In an interview with ABC's Nightline with Dick Van Dyke, who just turned 100, Chris Connelly asked about loss and death. CONNELLY: “How have you dealt with loss in your life, when you lose somebody close to you? How have you rebounded from something like that?” VAN DYKE: “I don't know. You know, I lost my brother and my eldest daughter. Both committed suicide because of pain, and my reaction was anger, because I just think there were two deaths that didn't have to happen because they were, other than that, very healthy, except for pain.” CONNELLY:  “Have you ever thought about death?” VAN DYKE:  “I do now. I think most people don't, but when you get up around 100, it's a fact that you have to face. You know, it could happen any day.” CONNELLY: “What do you think happens when we die?” VAN DYKE:  “I have no idea. I think some people are afraid of death because they think you're aware of it. They can say, ‘Oh, darn, I'm dead.' But, you know, you're gone; you don't exist anymore. No, death doesn't really frighten me, although I like a lot more life.” Hebrews 9:27 says, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Gift of tiny home reunites veteran with his 2-year-old daughter And finally, when his 2-year-old daughter Majesty fell into the foster care system, a U.S. Navy veteran faced a significant barrier in his fight to assert custody: He did not have a permanent address, reports Good News Network. At that point, Tim had gotten his life back on track after a struggle with substance use, but his group living arrangement in that program wasn't designed for children. He said, “I just remember thinking: ‘How can I rescue my daughter?'” Providentially, a tiny blue home became available at Veterans Community Project, a nonprofit village that help residents regain parental rights of their children. Soon after, he got full custody and moved to a family unit complete with a bunk bed fit for a toddler. The key moment in Tim's transformation was the rediscovery of his Christian faith and his willingness to admit he needed help. He said, “The opposite of addiction is connection—and that's what I found.” At the rehab center, he remembers feeling “like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.” SCROOGE AFTER WAKING FROM DREAM ON CHRISTMAS DAY: “I must dress myself. So much to do.  I must not lose any time. I am as light as a feather. (laughs) I'm as happy as an angel. (laughs) I am as a merry as a schoolboy. (laughs) I'm as giddy as a drunken man. (laughs)  Merry Christmas to everyone and a happy new year!” Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, December 15th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Eleven people have been shot dead in an antisemitic shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach which targeted a Hanukkah celebration. Twenty nine people were taken to hospital including two police officers who are in a serious condition. We hear from an eyewitness, the local member of parliament, and from a senior figure in Australia's Jewish community.Also in the programme: we hear from Chile, where a Communist Party candidate is taking on the far right in the presidential run-off election today; plus the palm trees that take sixty years to flower – in spectacular fashion.(IMAGE: (L-R) NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley, NSW Premier Chris Minns and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon hold a press conference following a shooting incident at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 14 December 2025 / CREDIT: Dean Lewins / EPA / Shutterstock)

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 19th century philosophers and social theorists, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, articulated in their work The Communist Manifesto. This episode examines what Marx and Engels envision the role of the Communist Party to be in relation to leadership of, and the development of class consciousness in, the Proletariat. They also address some of the objections made against the Communist program, and set out what their particular goals are. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can find the Communist Manifesto free online here https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/

Help us keep the conversations going in 2026. Donate to Conversations with Tyler today. Dan Wang argues that China is a nation of engineers while America is a nation of lawyers, and this distinction explains everything from subway construction to pandemic response to why Chinese citizens will never have yards with dogs. His prescription: America should become 20% more engineering-minded to fix its broken infrastructure, while China needs to be 50% more lawyerly so the Communist Party can stop strangling individual rights and the creative impulses of its people. But would a more lawyerly China constrain state power, or just create new tools for oppression? And aren't the American suburbs actually sterling achievements where the infrastructure works quite well? Tyler and Dan debate whether American infrastructure is actually broken or just differently optimized, why health care spending should reach 35% of GDP, how lawyerly influences shaped East Asian development differently than China, China's lack of a liberal tradition and why it won't democratize like South Korea or Taiwan did, its economic dysfunction despite its manufacturing superstars, Chinese pragmatism and bureaucratic incentives, a 10-day itinerary for Yunnan,  James C. Scott's work on Zomia, whether Beijing or Shanghai is the better city, Liu Cixin and why volume one of The Three-Body Problem is the best, why contemporary Chinese music and film have declined under Xi, Chinese marriage markets and what it's like to be elderly in China, the Dan Wang production function, why Stendhal is his favorite novelist and Rossini's Comte Ory moves him, what Dan wants to learn next, whether LLMs will make Tyler's hyper-specific podcast questions obsolete, what flavor of drama their conversation turned out to be, and more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel. Recorded October 31st, 2025. Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Follow Dan on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Timestamps 00:00:00 - American infrastructure and suburban life 00:05:18 - American vs. Chinese infrastructure buildouts... 00:12:25 - And health care investment 00:17:52 - Chinese suburbs 00:20:10 - The existing lawyerly influence in East Asia  00:25:12 - China's lack of a liberal tradition 00:29:35 - Why China's won't democratize 00:33:49 - China's economic disfunction  00:38:44 - China's expansionism  00:41:55 - Chinese pragmatism and bureaucratic incentives 00:46:50 - Chinese cities and regional culture 00:59:44 - James C. Scott, Zomia, and elite culture 01:06:27 - A 10-day Yunnan itinerary 01:11:57 - On Chinese arts, literature, and cultural expression 01:18:23 - The Dan Wang production function 01:30:34 - Tyler's grand strategy, or lack thereof  

December 1, 1934. Leningrad mayor Sergei Kirov is assassinated by a lone gunman, giving Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin the justification to purge the Communist Party of his rivals.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.comHistory Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

December 1, 1934. Leningrad mayor Sergei Kirov is assassinated by a lone gunman, giving Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin the justification to purge the Communist Party of his rivals. This episode originally aired in 2022.Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4/8. FDR Deals with the Socialist and Communist Parties — David Pietrusza — Roosevelt expressed concern that the Socialist Party (led by Norman Thomas) and the Communist Party (led by Earl Browder) would siphon votes from the Democratic ticket. Due to Stalin's strategic pivot toward the Popular Front strategy opposing Hitler, the CPUSA, directed by Browder, tacitly supported Roosevelt by concentrating opposition fire on the Republican nominee. The Communists aligned strategically with radical organizations including the Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota. 1936 BERLIN

4/8 Persecution and Survival: The Composer Wang Xilin's Memory — Tanya Branigan — The biography of composer Wang Xilin, a zealous Communist Party member and peasant-background intellectual, illustrates the regime's betrayal of its devoted followers. Wang endured systematic persecution including multiple struggle sessions, during which he anticipated execution. Branigan documents that remembering this trauma remains acutely painful; Wangcompared his suffering to Holocaust experiences at Auschwitz. Wang demonstrates extreme anger when questioned about controversial gaps in his compositional legacy, reflecting the profound depth of his unresolved psychological trauma. 1967

7/8 The Unfilial Son and the Trauma of Informing — Tanya Branigan — This segment recounts the 1970 execution of Fu Zhong Mo, a devoted Communist Party member who was denounced following her criticism of Mao. Her seventeen-year-old son, Jiang Hong Bing, informed state authorities against his mother, subordinating filial obligation to worship of Mao Zedong. Fu was publicly executed, and her corpse was subsequently moved multiple times by authorities. Jiang lives with severe guilt, characterizing himself as an "unfilial son" and tormented by the knowledge that he and his father directly facilitated her judicial murder. 1967 SHANGHAI

The country's Communist Party leadership continues to cling to old ideals amid on-again, off-again diplomacy with America—and the people's suffering only deepens. Britain is making the most of its advantages in the burgeoning industry of quantum technology. And why conservationists' concern about a wood beloved of classical musicians may be misplaced.  Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The country's Communist Party leadership continues to cling to old ideals amid on-again, off-again diplomacy with America—and the people's suffering only deepens. Britain is making the most of its advantages in the burgeoning industry of quantum technology. And why conservationists' concern about a wood beloved of classical musicians may be misplaced.  Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The discussion turns to Joseph Stalin and his relationship with the legacy of Leninism. Stalin was a more "ideologically flexible" and savvy political operator than Trotsky, who was relentlessly focused on immediate and continuous revolution. While both Lenin and Trotsky employed political violence, the terror under Stalin was a different phenomenon because much of it was directed at high-ranking members of the Communist Party and the secret police in the Great Purge. The purges were motivated by Stalin's paranoia and the need to find scapegoats for the regime's failure to deliver prosperity and freedom. The assassination of Trotsky in 1940 is often seen as wrapping up the Great Terror, though arrests and executions continued.

Xi Zhongxun's Radical Youth and Peasant Roots. Joseph Turigian introduces Xi Zhongxun's biography, emphasizing the Confucian view that a father explains the son. Xi Zhongxun was born into a poor peasant family in Shaanxi province in 1913, an area marked by violence and poverty. At age 15, he poisoned a school administrator on orders from the local Communist Party, leading to his imprisonment, where he formally joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1928, an early mark of prestige. Xi was motivated by radicalism and a belief that only force could save China. Guest: Joseph Turigian. 1906

Legacy, Loyalty, and the Nationalist Leader. Joseph Turigian concludes with Xi Zhongxun's death in 2002 after suffering cancer, noting his epitaph speaks of a life of struggle and happiness. Xi Jinping wrote to his father, listing qualities he wished to emulate: never persecuting people and never losing faith in the cause. The suffering endured often rededicated communists to the party. Xi Jinping once told Prime Minister Abe that if he were American, he would join the Republicans or Democrats, not the Communist Party. This comment suggested to Abe that Xi Jinping is primarily a nationalist focused on power and using communism for China's rejuvenation, driven by a deep fear of chaos. Guest: Joseph Turigian. 1908 zpeking