Author | Lightnews

Reposted by MW Hyde

Mark Harrison @mhar4.bsky.social · 12h

Good from @gideonrachman.bsky.social, getting a proper read on what an invasion of Taiwan by China actually means regardless of the US position and placing agency where it belongs, with Xi Jinping.

In truth, the crisis would never end, as Japan learned in 1930.
www.ft.com/content/f2de...

Trump, Xi and the danger for Taiwan

The US president has unnerved Taiwan. But the island can still resist Beijing

www.ft.com

7 6

Reposted by MW Hyde

Michael Turton @michaelturton.bsky.social · 1h

Excellent idea.

Sense Hofstede @sensehofstede.nl · 2h

Taiwanese foreign ministry launches global initiative on security of undersea cables – Focus Taiwan: ‘The project will be known as “RISK,” […], and knowledge building, [the foreign minister] said at the seminar titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.”’

Taiwan launches global initiative on security of undersea cables - Focus Taiwan

Taiwan's government on Tuesday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the wo...

focustaiwan.tw

1 1

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 3h

Of which I am one. He's a Hong Kong hero and a world-class artist. Met him once; a sweet man with a heart of gold.

YTSL @ytsl.bsky.social · 5h

This one's for the Anthony Wong Chau-sang fans.

Anthony Wong, his co-stars, and the director and producer of "Finch & Midland" (Hong Kong-Canada, 2025)

Screen before the start of a Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2025 screening of "Finch & Midland".

2

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 3h

Nor should he be. Trump is mercurial, greedy and treacherous, but the Taiwan Relations Act remains the law of the land and will survive the Trump era, and likely be a reservoir for tougher action against Beijing thereafter.

RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 5h

Taiwan's foreign minister has said he was not worried that US President Donald Trump would "abandon" the island in his meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea

Taiwan-US ties 'very stable', ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

Taiwan foreign minister Lin Chia-lung has said that he was not worried that US President Donald Trump would "abandon" the island in his meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Kor...

www.rte.ie

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 6h

A snippet of a speech that screams louder than anything I have seen for a long time.

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 13h

“Tell your children who the cowards were.”

1 1

Reposted by MW Hyde

Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 12h

The last line sent a shiver down my spine.

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 13h

“Tell your children who the cowards were.”

1 2

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 6h

And to this day! The guy knows how to schmooze and how to disarm media alertness. And yes, it still hurts, and there's a whole lotta people who need to apologise for this.

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 6h

People worry about 2028. Trump won't last that long.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 11h

Trump being guided through a room by the Japanese PM

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 6h

Time to go after Alexander Huang. Good and hard.

Michael Turton @michaelturton.bsky.social · 10h

New KMT Chair opposes increased military spending, something Taiwan can easily afford.
www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/...

DPP knocks new KMT head’s budget opposition - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

www.taipeitimes.com

1 1

Reposted by MW Hyde

Niao Collective @niaocollective.bsky.social · 8h

Me, when trying to cut back on the calories: Your snack habits are pro-CCP, you should be ashamed of yourself

2 9

Reposted by MW Hyde

Ruth Ben-Ghiat @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social · 8h

Inevitable and tracks with the cycles of regimes

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 11h

🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.

Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_
BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in:

- Los Angeles
- Phoenix
- Philadelphia
- Denver
- El Paso
- San Diego
- Seattle/Portland
- New Orleans

Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both.

Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed.

Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino.

ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year.

I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations.

I am hearing from both sides of this friction.

One senior DHS official tells me:

"ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?".

Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me:

"What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table."

It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there.

Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results.

Official statement to
@FoxNews
via
@TriciaOhio
:

"While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country."
7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025
·
29.6K
Views

14 160 460

Reposted by MW Hyde

Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 19h

I have a very bad feeling about this...

1.7K 9.3K 50K

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 6h

Thirty ... years.

Disgrace without end. The ALP elite and rank-and-file should be utterly ashamed, but their capacity to project a national conscience beyond the Australian border is exhausted.

Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 8h

First instalment of Australia’s $2.5bn deal with Nauru triggered as first man arrives on island

Deal between federal government and Nauru expected to last 30 years and apply to around two dozen people released under high court’s NZYQ ruling * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia has commenced its $2.5bn deal with Nauru to offload more than 350 people from the NZYQ cohort after the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, confirmed the first arrival had landed on the tiny Pacific island last week. Burke said Nauruan authorities had confirmed the arrival on Friday, as reported by the ABC, triggering the first yearly instalment of $408m. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

1

Reposted by MW Hyde

China Media Project @chinamediaproject.bsky.social · 9h

A Japanese scholar accused the China Times of fabricating his analysis of Taiwan's KMT election and inventing quotes he never wrote. How did the story unfold?

Read our latest Flash Report on Lingua Sinica: lingua-sinica.org/talking-head...

Talking Heads in Taiwan - Lingua Sinica

A Japanese political scientist accuses a paper in Taiwan of fabricating quotes in its coverage of Taiwan's KMT leadership election.

lingua-sinica.org

2 3

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 6h

This is the nub. Everything the US needs to change its policy of handling China with kid gloves is right here. It's the law of the land.

܀𓂃 Kaori Fujisawa ‎𓈒𓏸𑁍 @layla1988.bsky.social · 12h

The TRA plainly states that “the US decision to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC rests upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means” (emphasis added).

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 15h

*sow* panic...

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 20h

Trump cannot be trusted on Taiwan, no question.

But there are formidable forces arrayed against China that still have Trump's ear. He may "sell out", but – and however this manifests itself – to *act* on it could cripple his standing with the military and sew panic in Japan/Korea/Philippines.

܀𓂃 Kaori Fujisawa ‎𓈒𓏸𑁍 @layla1988.bsky.social · 20h

@mwhyde.bsky.social Trump’s record?Ignored constitutional checks
Threatened allies
Undercut deterrence with transactional loyalty tests
Imagine that mindset handling Taiwan — in a crisis he’d likely auction.Trump has long since sold Taiwan out. The chap's a businessman—all he knows is making deals

Reposted by MW Hyde

܀𓂃 Kaori Fujisawa ‎𓈒𓏸𑁍 @layla1988.bsky.social · 20h

Taiwan is of great importance to Japan. If 🇯🇵PM underscores to Trump how important the preservation of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is to Japan, and how important 🇹🇼security is to Japan, then maybe that will influence his thinking about how he deals with Taiwan when it is raised by Xi,

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 20h

Trump cannot be trusted on Taiwan, no question.

But there are formidable forces arrayed against China that still have Trump's ear. He may "sell out", but – and however this manifests itself – to *act* on it could cripple his standing with the military and sew panic in Japan/Korea/Philippines.

܀𓂃 Kaori Fujisawa ‎𓈒𓏸𑁍 @layla1988.bsky.social · 20h

@mwhyde.bsky.social Trump’s record?Ignored constitutional checks
Threatened allies
Undercut deterrence with transactional loyalty tests
Imagine that mindset handling Taiwan — in a crisis he’d likely auction.Trump has long since sold Taiwan out. The chap's a businessman—all he knows is making deals

2 2 3

Reposted by MW Hyde

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 22h

Why did American policing get so big, so fast? The answer, mainly, is slavery. This is one of those key facts about US history that you won't find in high school history books, and that MAGA rewrites of history are keen to suppress. Jill Lepore's piece from 2020.

The Invention of the Police

Why did American policing get so big, so fast? The answer, mainly, is slavery.

www.newyorker.com

7 17

Reposted by MW Hyde

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 21h

RFK Jr. will eliminate as many vaccines as he can.

Every step he takes at the CDC is in service of this aim, as well as undermining public health infrastructure overall.

He cannot tolerate scientists who know more than he does, so they must go.

Another great piece by @melodyschreiber.com.

Threat to US vaccines as CDC staff supporting key advisory panel laid off

Critics say scientists ‘held hostage’ by RFK Jr as changes mean vaccine development and guidance in peril

www.theguardian.com

23 110 230

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 20h

Trump cannot be trusted on Taiwan, no question.

But there are formidable forces arrayed against China that still have Trump's ear. He may "sell out", but – and however this manifests itself – to *act* on it could cripple his standing with the military and sew panic in Japan/Korea/Philippines.

܀𓂃 Kaori Fujisawa ‎𓈒𓏸𑁍 @layla1988.bsky.social · 20h

@mwhyde.bsky.social Trump’s record?Ignored constitutional checks
Threatened allies
Undercut deterrence with transactional loyalty tests
Imagine that mindset handling Taiwan — in a crisis he’d likely auction.Trump has long since sold Taiwan out. The chap's a businessman—all he knows is making deals

1 2

Reposted by MW Hyde

Matthew Brooker @mbrooker.bsky.social · 23h

Those Hong Kong parallels keep coming thick and fast. It gives me the weird sensation that this is all connected and part of the same phenomenon. Which in a sense, I suppose, it is. Just the march of autocracy, everywhere

1 2 4

Reposted by MW Hyde

Matthew Brooker @mbrooker.bsky.social · 23h

“Conservatives used at least nominally to argue that it was important to protect civil society from the depredations of government, and many genuinely believed it. Some still do, but now, the dominant figures in political conservatism want to use government to weaponize and suborn civil society”

Henry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 23h

What is civil society, and why should we care?
Ernest Gellner on the conditions of liberty.
www.programmablemutter.com/p/what-is-ci...

What is civil society, and why should we care?

Ernest Gellner on the conditions of liberty.

www.programmablemutter.com

1 5 5

Reposted by MW Hyde

Min Chao @wordsfromtaiwan.bsky.social · 22h

A high school student has captivated the #Taiwanese internet by writing 12 literary works — including in the style of contemporary prose, classic Chinese ode, modern English poetry — dedicated to one rude and unremorseful white SUV driver who splashed the 17-year-old on a rainy New Taipei City day.

4 11

MW Hyde @mwhyde.bsky.social · 21h

In any case, it is important to oppose any United Front narrative that Taiwan's position becomes untenable even if Trump undermines his own mandate under the Taiwan Relations Act.

There is no fait accompli in the Taiwan Strait. Anyone who suggests otherwise is carrying water for Beijing.

Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️ @pacstandardtw.bsky.social · 21h

"Even if Trump is tempted to go along with that kind of notion, as part of a “deal” with Xi, wiser heads in Washington would probably talk him out of it — just as he was persuaded not to completely abandon Ukraine."

Trump, Xi and the danger for Taiwan

The US president has unnerved Taiwan. But the island can still resist Beijing

www.ft.com

3 6

Reposted by MW Hyde

Magnus Fiskesjö @magnusfiskesjoe.bsky.social · 1d

Insightful. Also applies to the elites around the world now being captured and subdued like Hong Kong's elites, not wanting to admit to themselves "We are next."

All the more remarkable because in the CCP's view, population-wise Australia is just another 20 million, like Taiwan.

@mhar4.bsky.social

1