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Reposted by Noah Barkin

Sander Tordoir @sandertordoir.bsky.social · 10h

German auto summit tomorrow.

The sole focus on the EU combustion engine phase-out, which is 10 years away, is baffling because German cars have a demand problem today

Berlin worries a new EV subsidy scheme would be fiscally too expensive.

But demand-side support is a fiscal no-brainer here.

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 12h

Gaining momentum across Europe. Kill the monster

Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 15h

🚨🚨 #Denmark aims to ban #socialmedia for children under 15. PM Mette Frederiksen says "We have unleashed a monster" to Danish lawmakers. 🧵https://www.politico.eu/article/denmark-mette-frederiksen-partially-ban-social-media-children-under-15/

Denmark aims to ban social media for children under 15, PM says

“We have unleashed a monster,” Mette Frederiksen tells Danish lawmakers.

www.politico.eu

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 15h

Merkel might have limited the considerable damage to her legacy by admitting mistakes in her handling of Russia and China. Instead she has compounded the damage by doubling down on her misguided policies and blaming others for the consequences.

www.politico.eu/article/ange...

Angela Merkel’s non-apology tour

The former chancellor refuses to reckon with her fraught legacy on the war in Ukraine, instead invoking Covid and a missed chance for talks.

www.politico.eu

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 1d

I'll make an effort to cheer everyone up next month

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 1d

"Europe is the only market they can come to”

www.reuters.com/business/ret...

China bets on Europe for self-driving tech expansion

Blocked from the U.S. market, Chinese self-driving technology firms are accelerating their push into Europe, setting up headquarters, striking data deals, and road-testing - prompting alarm from local rivals over competition concerns.

www.reuters.com

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Reposted by Noah Barkin

Henry Foy @henryjfoy.ft.com · 1d

Brussels to curb the travel of Russian diplomats within the EU, in response to a surge in sabotage attempts that intelligence agencies say are led by spies operating under diplomatic cover.

Czech-led initiative backed after Hungary drops its veto. With @andybounds.bsky.social

on.ft.com/46Umr0T

EU to curb Russian diplomats’ travel as suspected spy attacks mount

[FREE TO READ] Intelligence agencies say sabotage operations are often led by spies posing as diplomats

on.ft.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 1d

I suppose the tectonic plates could shift, ripping them apart, in a 100 million years or so

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 1d

Too slow, too timid, too wedded to a rulebook that others have torn up. In Brussels, officials now acknowledge that the China strategy of the past years has failed to deliver. What comes next? And crucially, are members states on board? All in my latest WCIE for GMF

www.gmfus.org/news/watchin...

Watching China in Europe—October 2025

www.gmfus.org

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 2d

Matt Pottinger on US China policy under Trump 2.0: “Beijing is in a sweet spot right now. The White House seems
unaware that its TikTok policy and its weakening restrictions on
chip exports are massive, unilateral concessions to the Chinese
Communist Party"

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China Hawks Grow Queasy Over Trump’s Push for Deals With Beijing

President Donald Trump rewrote Washington’s rules for dealing with China in his first presidency, embracing confrontation, launching a trade war and upending decades of policy. In his second term, Chi...

www.bloomberg.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 2d

Let them eat Chef Boyardee

on.ft.com/46BiEXE

EU backs Italy in Trump’s pasta tariff war

US threatens to apply tariffs of up to 107% on Barilla and other makes of Italian staple over alleged dumping

on.ft.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 2d

Keir Starmer’s government fatally undermined an investigation into Chinese spying to protect the UK’s commercial and diplomatic relations with Beijing, senior UK officials tell the FT

on.ft.com/4nyFGUX

UK government undermined China spying probe to protect Beijing ties, say officials

Prosecution case collapsed after senior security advisers said they would not testify that China was an ‘enemy’

on.ft.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 3d

It feels like the terms “hard left” and “populism” are being thrown around rather liberally here. Is opposition to oligarchy and the crushing of the lower/middle class really that radical?
on.ft.com/3WlO2TQ

The rise of America’s hard left

Economic populists offer an alternative to the authoritarian right, but they have to balance the righteous with the practical

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Noah Barkin

Rob Archer @robarcher.bsky.social · 4d

A Washington Post poll finds 61% of American Jews say Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, and about 4 in 10 say it’s committing genocide. wapo.st/42kNv8o

Sept. 2-9, 2025, Washington Post Jewish Americans poll

Results from a nationwide survey of Jewish Americans on views of Israel, Gaza and other topics.

wapo.st

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 4d

This is a stunning statistic: Three-quarters of American youth do not meet the minimum requirements to serve in the military amid poor test scores, high obesity rates and a rise in mental health problems.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/u...

This Program Rescued Army Recruiting

www.nytimes.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 4d

The politics in Europe is getting very challenging. After the Dutch and French governments collapsed & a hard-right president was elected in Poland, populist Andrej Babis looks set to return to power in Czechia. He would join Orban & Fico as CEE thorns in the EU’s side

www.rferl.org/a/czech-elec...

Former Czech PM Babis Makes Comeback With Election Win, Tough Coalition Talks Loom

Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has made a dramatic political comeback, winning parliamentary elections four years after losing power, but now faces tough talks on forming a governing majority in a vote that’s being watched internationally for its impact on Prague’s policy on Ukraine.

www.rferl.org

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 4d

Does Europe have the stomach to venture out of its rules-based cocoon? Good piece from @fbermingham.bsky.social on the search for chokepoints in Brussels.

www.scmp.com/news/china/a...

Europe hunts for chokepoints it can weaponise in a new age of economic warfare

Bureaucrats look for leverage against coercion from Beijing and Washington but what would it take for Brussels to act?

www.scmp.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 4d

Let’s hope this sentiment translates into concrete policy measures in the months ahead. Europeans can blaze a new trail by severely limiting what Tiktok, Meta and X are allowed to do in their market.

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 4d

President Macron:
“We were very naive to leave our public space to social media networks controlled by US or Chinese companies that don’t share our interests and not interested in survival of our democracies.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MggN...

French President Macron Speaks at German Unity Day Ceremony | WION LIVE

YouTube video by WION

www.youtube.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 5d

We have seen cheap Chinese exports devastate the European solar, steel & wind sectors. Machinery, chemicals & autos appear to be next in line. Germany is shedding manufacturing jobs on a massive scale. Should we sit tight and ignore this? I find this argument deeply problematic

on.ft.com/42kC4xn

How I learnt to stop worrying about China’s surplus

Lessons from economic history point to the benign effects of ‘overcapacity’

on.ft.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 5d

Is Trump irresponsible enough to fall for this? China’s leadership must think so

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China Pushes Trump to Drop Curbs as It Dangles Investment Pledge

China is pushing the Trump administration to roll back national-security restrictions on Chinese deals in the US, dangling the prospect of a massive investment package as part of a proposal that would...

www.bloomberg.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 5d

Becoming more like China and Russia seems to be the overarching aim

Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: ICE is planning to hire a team of nearly 30 people to surveil social media 24/7, build dossiers on people, and flag them for arrest and deportation. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-so...

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team

Documents show ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.

www.wired.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 5d

Söder exemplifies much of what has been wrong with Germany for decades

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 5d

A damning signal for Europe that in a time of growing external threats, an 8-year-old Franco-German plan to build a future combat jet are on the verge of collapse.

www.lemonde.fr/internationa...

Le projet franco-allemand d’avion de combat du futur plus menacé que jamais

Huit ans après son lancement par Emmanuel Macron et Angela Merkel, ce symbole de la souveraineté européenne en matière de défense est au bord du néant. En cause, les exigences de son maître d’œuvre, D...

www.lemonde.fr

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Reposted by Noah Barkin

Andreas Landwehr @andreaslandwehr.bsky.social · 5d

Beijing has built more structures resembling Taiwan’s key government buildings at its military base in Inner Mongolia, according to satellite images, a move that suggests more systematic training for a potential conflict across the strait
www.scmp.com/news/china/m...

New mock Taiwan government buildings spotted at mainland Chinese military base

Japanese media report says simulated Taiwanese government compound for training PLA soldiers has expanded nearly threefold since 2020.

www.scmp.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 7d

A real test of whether Europe is prepared to shed its paralyzing risk-aversion and send a strong message to Moscow

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/w...

Moscow Indicates Retaliation if Europe Uses Russian Assets for Ukraine

www.nytimes.com

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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 7d

What disdain for the US military to summon top commanders from around the world, only to shower them with tired old grievances about Joe Biden, the elusive Nobel Peace Prize and whatever else happened to flash into his head

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...

Trump Gave the Military’s Brass a Rehashed Speech. Until Minute 44.

www.nytimes.com

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