AOC in Munich: “They are looking to withdraw the United States from the entire world so that we can into an age of authoritarianism — of authoritarians that can carve out the world, where Donald Trump can command the Western Hemisphere & Latin America as his personal sandbox”

This is just unconscionable man

I think people who doubt whether US-Taiwan ties will stand the test of Trump should realize that both Lai and Xi believe that they do.

finding out that eileen gu and dasha navalnaya both being in the same sorority is kind of like this

China, right now, believes that the costs of attacking Taiwan are unacceptable, U.S. deployment or otherwise. I think it's important that the doom and gloom about deterrence and the future of the free world not come from the free world. To believe that we are doomed is to doom ourselves.

After getting back from his big meeting with Wang Hu-ning in Beijing, KMT deputy chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen had this to say about the US ambassador to Taiwan: "Raymond Greene is just a bit more than section chief, if that—he may not even be a division director." news.ltn.com.tw/news/politic...

Taiwan's air force procuring the F-CK-1, F-16, and Mirage 2000 in the 1990s:

Taiwan to purchase 102 Patriot PAC-3 MSE missiles, sources tell Liberty Times. The missiles will be purchased with the US$40 billion special defense budget.

Chinese J-16 fighters flew aggressively and simulated attacks when intercepted by Taiwan's F-16s during Exercise Justice Mission 2025, sources tell Financial Times.

Reporters and police surrounded Cardinal Joseph Zen and Jimmy Lai's wife Theresa as they left the courthouse after the media tycoon was sentenced to 20-years in prison. They got onto a seven-seater vehicle.

Zhang Shengmin is alive. (He is the man standing behind Xi Jinping here at a function to celebrate retired military and party members)

do you guys want union manufacturing jobs or not

Taiwan plans to purchase 10 C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from the US. ROCAF currently operates 19 C-130Hs and canceled its plan to upgrade them with advanced sensors and avionics due to cost. The 29 C-130s will serve in tandem, with Js deployed in more challenging conditions.

The LDP won Okinawa.

The ship's upgrades are finished and has rejoined active service. The other five Kang Ding-class frigates will undergo the same upgrade program. Taiwan purchased the ships from France without combat systems in 1989.

Image of Taiwan Navy frigate ROCS Cheng De undergoing mid-life upgrade. The most notable difference is the removal of the Sea Chaparral missile mount behind the main gun, which is now a VLS position for TC-2N surface-to-air missiles.

Taiwan enjoys NATO+ treatment in its arms sales from the US, defense minister Wellington Koo tells the Legislative Yuan. Platforms such as the M1A2T tanks, HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and MQ-9B UAVs will all be delivered this year.

It’s really cool how all the countries have their country name across the front of their jersey!

rate my pantry

Attack submarine ROCS Hai Kun conducted a test dive reaching 150 meters today. The boat is expected to move on to deeper dives soon.

@philklay.bsky.social saw this coming in his amazing novel Missionaries — which also has the scariest scene not written by Cormac McCarthy.

Literally killing one of the few things people look at this organization positively for! You’d be hard-pressed to find an American school kid who grew up in the digital age who didn’t have to use it on a project.

Fun fact: most people have no good way to tell if inflation is moderate or low or nonexistent, and that means their experience of inflation is almost entirely mediated through social narratives they encounter in politics/media.

Some interesting points in this column about how at least in terms of numbers, young voters don't matter very much in today's Taiwan. There just aren't that many of them. And they may be divided by gender politically. www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...

The American socialist won't eat the things that my mother and her Communist Party member parents ate during the actual Cultural Revolution because it's too fancy and bourgeois.

WaPo cutting international correspondents in places like China and India as the administration pursues retrenchment is cowardly. Civil society international engagement has never been more important. If the American government fails to live up to her fate as the world's leader, her people must.

The Taiwan Army is considering an in-country ATACMS live-fire in the future, military sources tell Liberty Times.

i'm all for whimsy, but snow is just too extra

DC, here's what to expect tonight: 1. Snowfall to start 4-6PM 2. Up to a half inch of snow 3. District Snow Team is already deployed and will continue to salt roads and bridges Look out for each other and be patient while traveling through the city.

"What is the main reason Taiwan's national defense is insufficient?" All Equipment: 41.4% Strength: 28.8% Intl Support: 28.6% DPP E: 60.2% S: 22.7% IS: 16.3% KMT E: 29.8% S: 33.8% IS: 35.2% TPP E: 22.7% S: 35.7% IS: 40.3% Taiwan Inspiration Association / January 7 - 11, 2026 n=1,200

During Exercise Justice Mission 2025 in December, Taiwan’s Fisheries Administration asked fishermen to report any Chinese military or official vessels they see. Normally, fishermen can report sightings (not just Chinese, but all foreign vessels) for a prize.

What will people think when they see that the party that holds the most seats in Taiwan’s legislature s against Taiwan’s national defense and is run by a woman who calls Putin a democratically-elected leader who NATO forced to invade Ukraine?

The Taiwan Navy plans to procure: 1x submarine rescue ship (2027-2033, US$418 mil) 1x Panshih-class replenishment ship (2027-2032, US$544 mil) 10x light frigates (2028-2040, US$7 bil) 2x rescue and salvage ships (2027-2034, US$690 mil) 1x Yushan-class LPD (2028-2034, US$424 mil)

Full Bad Bunny speech

Fishing vessel crews were unable to fish in their regular fishing grounds as Taiwan Navy destroyer ROCS Su Ao shadowed Chinese frigate Baoji (534) near Penghu and the center line of the Taiwan Strait, as shown in images from fishermen on 1/30.

Just finished cruising through this banger on behalf of @usniproceedings.bsky.social. A full review will appear in a forthcoming issue. BLUF: The author argues that the Corps' post-WWII survival took more than legislative battles. The decisive action was the Corps' performance in the Korean War.

The final 28 of 108 ordered M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks have finished production and will be ready for shipping to Taiwan by late March, military sources tell Liberty Times.

I don't think this letter is authentic, and its content says a lot. The letter mostly covers grievances common in Chinese dissident circles, such as universal values, democracy, and the rule of law, without delving much deeper or touching on topics we did not already know about.

this is assad’s moscow apartment block, london is far more enjoyable than bluesky

did you know: you can fit the entire central military commission of the ccp in a saddam hussein hiding spot?

CORRECTION: Zhang Shengmin was promoted to Vice Chairman of the CMC (one of two) in October 2025 after the removal of He Weidong. The other was Zhang Youxia, removed earlier this year.

Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan has passed the opposition’s supplemental defense budget. The $40 billion budget is now $12.6 billion and eliminates critical funding for the T-Dome missile defense system and air and naval drones. Funding for purchasing HIMARS and M109A7 remain.

Multiple sources: Zhang Shengmin, Secretary of CMC commission for Discipline Inspection, might be dead. Sources say he died by suicide at home. If true, Xi Jinping will be the only remaining member of the CMC.

Former Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, He Weidong, may be dead, multiple sources within China say. He was expelled from the Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army in October 2025. The rumored cause of death is suicide.

it's not the main reason i transferred, but i think pax americana has made a subsection of americans very hostile to the idea that to achieve anti-imperialism, you need more than vibes. you need anti-ship missiles and the people who build and use them. thecatalystnews.com/2026/01/30/c...

Some good commentary for those thinking about how you want this country to look www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...

Same person who said that Putin is a democratically-elected leader provoked into invading Ukraine, by the way.

The funding deal separates DHS from the other bills. An immediate DHS shutdown would be preferable, but whether DHS runs on CR or lapses, ICE & CBP continue. This puts DHS by itself — setting up a DHS-only shutdown if we don’t get enough. That’s a place of maximum strength, if Ds have the courage.

"Do you agree with KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun's statement of 'we are all Chinese'?" All Yes: 32.9% No: 66.1% DPP Yes: 7.6 No: 66.1 KMT Yes: 74.6% No: 24.8% TPP Yes: 46% No: 52.6% Taiwan Inspiration Association / January 7 - 11, 2026 n=1,200

we've claimed SS Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers → bit.ly/chengwaivers