Author | Lightnews

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Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 14m

CNN's Clarissa Ward tracked down and confronted a top advisor to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who held American journalist Austin Tice after his capture in 2012.

"Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead," he said in a video captured on hidden cameras. www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/politi...

The road that led, 13 years later, to hearing: ‘Austin is dead’ | CNN Politics

The mystery of what happened to Austin Tice has plagued multiple US administrations. Since the Assad regime fell in December 2024, witnesses have emerged, including many who point to one man that CNN tracked to an apartment in Beirut.

www.cnn.com

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 30m

Caught between China and the US, Europe stumbles towards its independence day

My long-read on the latest EU push to break free from the chokeholds that threaten to snooker its geoeconomic revival

Caught between China and the US, Europe stumbles towards its independence day

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is leading a growing chorus for action but progress remains slow.

www.scmp.com

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 29m

We did it. We finally found the limits of executive-power accounting.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 31m

Q: Should the White House now be able to find some funding for the SNAP program since they've done it for all those other ones?

MIKE JOHNSON: They certainly tried

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MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 1h

No "assurance" that Xi offers can be trusted (nor Trump's assurances for that matter), as any reading of his devolution into one-man sovereign will show. Any assertion to the contrary is a political act.

This commentator makes a living from diminishing victims of violence and threats. Beware.

Stephen Wertheim @stephenwertheim.bsky.social · 3h

Trump and Xi should exchange assurances — ideally in a new U.S.-PRC joint communiqué — to stabilize cross-strait relations and reduce military activities around Taiwan. My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/towar...

Toward a Taiwan Truce

How Trump and Xi can pull back from the brink.

www.foreignaffairs.com

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 43m

We’re at the ‘watering-down-soap-Clorox-and-Windex’ part of the economic cycle. 😔

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...

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Gary Sands @yangguizi.bsky.social · 43m

⛏️ Control over rare-earth minerals gives China the advantage. (34 percent)

⚖️ China and the U.S. have about the same amount of leverage in these negotiations. (33 percent)

💵The strength of the U.S. dollar gives Trump the edge. (33 percent)

(Foreign Policy survey of readers)

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Klaus Bardenhagen @taiwanreporter.bsky.social · 1h

Most foreigners living in Taiwan do work that's much more important than mine. But they are being treated worse, have less rights and almost no long-term perspectives.
I had a chance to tell a room full of Taiwanese and German academics and politicians what I think. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L2c...

My rant: Taiwan's immigration policies are WRONG

Support my reporting from Taiwan: https://www.patreon.com/taiwanreporter Most foreigners living in Taiwan don't look like me, and the work they do is more important for this society than mine. But…

www.youtube.com

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MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 57m

Such an important, honest and clear-eyed presentation. The truth about Taiwanese discrimination against Southeast Asian residents is sometimes best delivered by the person from whom the government most wants to hear praise.

This talk has outsize potential in effecting precious reforms.

Klaus Bardenhagen @taiwanreporter.bsky.social · 1h

Most foreigners living in Taiwan do work that's much more important than mine. But they are being treated worse, have less rights and almost no long-term perspectives.
I had a chance to tell a room full of Taiwanese and German academics and politicians what I think. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L2c...

My rant: Taiwan's immigration policies are WRONG

Support my reporting from Taiwan: https://www.patreon.com/taiwanreporter Most foreigners living in Taiwan don't look like me, and the work they do is more important for this society than mine. But…

www.youtube.com

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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 57m

Got this from the folks in Japan. Here, the new PM is performing a heavy metal song

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Sense Hofstede @sensehofstede.nl · 1h

Citing Biblical story, Taiwan President Lai says Israel is a model for island’s defence – Reuters: ‘Attending a Monday night dinner in Taiwan of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Lai, who has also been courting conservative U.S. media in an effort to win support from the White House, …’

Citing Biblical story, Taiwan president says Israel is a model for island's defence

Israel is a model for Taiwan to learn from in strengthening its defences, President Lai Ching-te said in remarks released on Tuesday, citing the Biblical story of David versus Goliath on the need to stand up to authoritarianism.

www.reuters.com

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Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️ @pacstandardtw.bsky.social · 59m

These are not all necessarily anti-elite-capture accounts but many people in this list have their eyes open to the CCP threat and are all worth following for Taiwan-centered perspectives. Would be a good place to start:
bsky.app/profile/did:...

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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 1h

The detention by ICE of British journalist and commentator Sami Hamdi solely for his views while on a speaking tour in the U.S. is a blatant assault on free speech.

These are the tactics of the Thought Police.

ICE detains British journalist after criticism of Israel on US tour

Trump ally Laura Loomer took credit for Sami Hamdi’s detainment in move denounced as ‘affront to free speech’

www.theguardian.com

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Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️ @pacstandardtw.bsky.social · 1h

🚨 Several articles coming out this week show there's a coordinated PR campaign to shift US public opinion on China rolling out AT THE EXACT SAME TIME Trump is meeting Xi and seems to be weakening the US backbone against the China threat.

The MSS knows how to spend its money: you're the target 👀👀

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Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️ @pacstandardtw.bsky.social · 1h

But FWIW, it's Foreign Affairs magazine, and I have come to expect nothing less than sensationalism—and an unrepentant showcase for the soft bigotry of American ignorance paraded as "expertise" from this publication, so make of it what you will...

Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️ @pacstandardtw.bsky.social · 1h

Disqualified in the first paragraph bro

"Taiwan, under President Lai Ching-te, has asserted its sovereignty in new and destabilizing ways.."

1,000% not true.

Stephen Wertheim @stephenwertheim.bsky.social · 3h

Trump and Xi should exchange assurances — ideally in a new U.S.-PRC joint communiqué — to stabilize cross-strait relations and reduce military activities around Taiwan. My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/towar...

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Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️ @pacstandardtw.bsky.social · 1h

Disqualified in the first paragraph bro

"Taiwan, under President Lai Ching-te, has asserted its sovereignty in new and destabilizing ways.."

1,000% not true.

Stephen Wertheim @stephenwertheim.bsky.social · 3h

Trump and Xi should exchange assurances — ideally in a new U.S.-PRC joint communiqué — to stabilize cross-strait relations and reduce military activities around Taiwan. My proposal in @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/towar...

Toward a Taiwan Truce

How Trump and Xi can pull back from the brink.

www.foreignaffairs.com

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CHRD人权捍卫者 @chrdnet.bsky.social · 1h

据维权网报道，10月17日，云南基督徒 #李贵文被移送检察院审查起诉。
wqw2010.blogspot.com/2025/10/blog...

2025年8月2日，他被以涉嫌 #组织非法聚集罪刑拘；
2025年9月8日，被以同罪名逮捕。

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Sense Hofstede @sensehofstede.nl · 1h

Canadian government set to drop tariffs on EVs from China – The Wire China: ‘he potential pivot comes as President Donald Trump’s trade war is wreaking havoc on the deeply integrated U.S.-Canada auto supply chain, and as Canada looks for ways to negotiate down trade barriers’

Canada Set to Side With China On EVs - The Wire China

Canada is considering dropping 100 percent tariffs on imports of EVs from China, in a potentially major break with the U.S. approach.

www.thewirechina.com

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Global Voices @globalvoices.org · 1h

Across the African continent, from Madagascar to Morocco, young people known as Generation Z, are taking to the streets demanding social justice, and their voices to be heard.

A global Gen-Z revolt: African youth mobilize against corruption and neo-colonialism

Across the African continent, from Madagascar to Morocco, young people known as Generation Z, are taking to the streets demanding social justice, and their voices to be heard.

globalvoices.org

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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 2h

“The strongest storm in Jamaica’s modern history is just hours away from landfall, and doesn’t appear to be losing any strength. Cat 5 Hurricane Melissa, still at her unfathomable 175 MPH, 901 MBAR peak intensity, has narrowed down her landfall area to the SW corner of the island.” BackpirchCrew

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 3h

“.. If a court comes to that conclusion, and also determines that Halligan acted alone in securing the indictments of Comey and James, those indictments “become invalid because she didn't have lawful authority” to bring them, Berry said.

@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

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Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 2h

How cool to see Yellow Peril Books carrying YOU MUST TAKE PART IN REVOLUTION! The bookshop curates Asian American lit. I'm an American from Hong Kong and Taiwan; @badiucao.bsky.social is from Shanghai, now in Australia. Ours is a transnational diasporic Asian project. We couldn't be prouder!

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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 2h

"Games don't become classics without efforts like Will Klein's...Into the Dodgers' clubhouse strode Sandy Koufax, who at 89 years old looked no worse for the wear at 12:48 a.m. Koufax walked up to Klein, stuck out his hand, looked him in the eyes and said: 'Nice going.'"
www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/...

Passan: 18 innings, 11 runs, a walk-off homer -- and an epic Game 3

The Dodgers won an instant classic featuring 18 innings, 11 runs, 19 pitchers and more history from Shohei Ohtani.

www.espn.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 2h

Kids: Study game theory

Patrick LaForge @palafo.bsky.social · 3h

I don’t think the Republicans have fully gamed out what it will mean for the current administration down the road if presidential pardons can be invalidated www.cnn.com/2025/10/28/p...

GOP-led Oversight Committee says Biden pardons signed by autopen are ‘void’ in final report | CNN Politics

Former President Joe Biden experienced such “cognitive decline” while in office that it remains a serious question as to whether he was aware of the substance of the various pardons and commutations s...

www.cnn.com

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2h

".. But in the last quarter, something changed. Lenders shifted their focus .. to securing high levels of lien-subordination protection -- the term that governs who gets paid first when everything falls apart."

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/opinion/a-pr...

Opinion | A Private-Credit Winter Is Coming

Lenders quietly rewrite their collateral rules, which suggests a crisis waiting to happen.

www.wsj.com

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2h

Damn.

@wsj.com $UPS
www.wsj.com/business/log...

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