President Donald Trump tore into Canada again on Monday, threatening to prevent the opening of a bridge connecting Ontario to Michigan — a project finally nearing completion after almost eight years of construction.
Trump blasted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for holding trade talks with China as Canada continues to levy tariffs on U.S. products. The president said that Canada must treat &#8220;the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,&#8221; and until that happens, he will not allow the bridge to open.
&#8220;The Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable, putting our Farmers at great financial risk. I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116043090074364624">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY.&#8221;
The bridge, which is named after Detroit Red Wings hockey legend Gordie Howe, would connect Windsor, Ontario, to the Motor City. The Canadian government paid for its construction and would jointly own the bridge with the state of Michigan, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/09/trump-threatens-to-block-gordie-howe-international-bridge-from-opening-michigan-ontario-canada/88597688007/">reported</a>.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is slated to open sometime this year, but Trump&#8217;s threat could throw a wrench in those plans. While the bridge would be partly owned by Michigan, Trump could prevent the bridge from being operational by declining to staff the port of entry with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, however, promised Michigan&#8217;s Democratic senators last year that the crossing would be staffed.
Trump complained that Canada constructed the bridge &#8220;with virtually no U.S. content,&#8221; adding, &#8220;They own both the Canada and the United States side.&#8221; Trump also criticized former President Barack Obama for &#8220;stupidly&#8221; granting Canada a waiver &#8220;so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel.&#8221;
Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who met with Trump in the Oval Office last year, wasn&#8217;t concerned with the bridge&#8217;s grand opening being pushed back because of Trump&#8217;s comments.
&#8220;It&#8217;s going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting,&#8221; a Whitmer spokeswoman said on Monday. The spokeswoman said the Gordie Howe Bridge is &#8220;a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation.&#8221;
The bridge would allow people to cross the border by bike, on foot, or in a vehicle. There are currently two ways for vehicles to cross from Detroit into Windsor, or vice versa: through the Windsor Tunnel, which runs under the Detroit River, or across the Ambassador Bridge, a 96-year-old suspension bridge. The Gordie Howe International Bridge would help with traffic congestion at the U.S.-Canada border crossing while also providing a more direct connection between I-75 and Ontario&#8217;s Highway 401.
Last month, Canada and China reached a preliminary agreement on trade that would lower some tariffs, including on Chinese electric vehicles shipped to Canada. After Prime Minister Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping held trade talks, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115950424403894234">threatened</a> to increase U.S. tariffs on Canadian products to 100% if the two countries reached a deal. Trump also warned Carney against allowing China to use Canada as a &#8220;drop off port&#8221; to send its goods into the United States.
&#8220;China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.&#8221;
On Monday, Trump warned that if Canada agrees to a deal with China, &#8220;The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.&#8221;

Donald Trump/Gordie Howe International Bridge

Trump Rips Canada, Threatens To Shut Down Grand Opening Of Bridge Connecting Ontario To Michigan

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China

Donald Trump

Michigan

trade

The latest release of FBI files reveals little evidence that Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex-trafficking ring, Vice President JD Vance becomes the highest-ranking American official to visit Armenia, and a Hong Kong court sentences pro-democracy CCP critic Jimmy Lai to prison.
It’s Tuesday, February 10, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">FBI’s Epstein Files Findings</h2>
Analysis of newly released Epstein documents shows that the FBI found little evidence that Jeffrey Epstein was running a sex-trafficking ring for powerful individuals. According to an analysis of millions of documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the FBI found insufficient evidence that Epstein was operating a sex-trafficking ring involving other wealthy or influential people. While the files confirm that Epstein sexually abused underage girls, there was not enough evidence to prove that he supplied minors to other powerful men. These conclusions are based on media reports of released DOJ and FBI documents, such as internal memos, and the DOJ has not issued an independent statement confirming these findings. Some politicians and commentators say there are far too many redactions and not enough of the documents have been released. The DOJ says many documents could not be made public for several reasons, including victim privacy.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Vance’s Historic Armenia Trip</h2>
Vice President Vance became the first president or vice president in American history to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-beginning-jd-vance-signs-nuclear-deal-in-historic-visit-to-armenia?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98A+New+Beginning%E2%80%99%3A+JD+Vance+Signs+Nuclear+Deal+In+Historic+Visit+To+Armenia">travel</a> to Armenia this week. He met on Monday with Armenia’s Prime Minister, who signed a document reaffirming Armenia’s commitment to peace with Azerbaijan. The peace was negotiated six months ago by President Donald Trump after more than 30 years of conflict. The vice president also announced a deal for the United States to sell Armenia $11 million in drone technology, and that the two countries are working on a civil nuclear agreement. Stepan Sargsyan, a former Armenian governor who works closely with the prime minister, spoke to The Daily Wire about Armenia’s geopolitical importance: “The United States has a strategic interest into region because, both Armenia and Azerbaijan, being in the South Caucasus, represent an important corridor which serves as a bridge between East and West, be it for various oil and gas pipelines or trade between China and Europe.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Jimmy Lai Sentenced</h2>
In what’s being seen as a major blow to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, British businessman Jimmy Lai was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hong-kong-court-sends-ccp-critic-pro-democracy-publisher-jimmy-lai-to-prison-for-20-years">sentenced</a> to 20 years in prison on Monday. Lai’s newspaper, Apple Daily, was widely seen as the last free press outlet in Hong Kong. Lai is now 78 years old, which means he could very likely spend the rest of his life in prison. His chances of escaping now lie with President Trump, according to Robert Sirico, a Catholic priest and longtime friend of Lai. Trump has previously pushed for Lai’s release, and he has another meeting scheduled with Xi Jinping, head of China&#8217;s ruling Communist Party, in April. That could be where a deal for Lai is negotiated. Sirico told The Daily Wire in December, after Lai was convicted, that Lai’s release should be a top priority, despite the complexity that bargaining over Lai’s life would cause in international relations. “We are being judged by this, the way we react to this man. This man needs to be a Solzhenitsyn. He needs to be a Mandela. He needs to be seen in that light,” said Sirico.

US-POLITICS-JUSTICE-EPSTEIN

Morning Brief: The FBI’s Epstein Findings, JD Vance In Armenia, & Jimmy Lai Sent To Prison

Armenia

Hong Kong

JD Vance

Jeffrey Epstein

Jimmy Lai

Morning Wire

Pro-democracy newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong on Monday under a national security law imposed by Beijing and widely used to crack down on critics of the Chinese Communist Party. 
Lai, a 78-year-old Chinese-born British citizen and media tycoon, was convicted in December 2025 of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious material. His newspaper, Apple Daily, was published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021, when authorities froze its assets and arrested top executives, forcing it to shut down.  
China governs Hong Kong as a special administrative region, but Beijing has tightened its grip in recent years, imposing the law used to prosecute and sentence Lai.
Lai was accused of supporting the massive pro-democracy protests that broke out in Hong Kong in 2019 and has been detained since his arrest in August 2020, spending more than 1800 days in solitary confinement. He was held under the 2020 National Security Law, which punishes speech or conduct that the government claims threatens its authority. 
“We welcome the court’s heavy sentence of 20 years for Jimmy Lai. It highlights his role as the mastermind and behind-the-scenes manipulator,” Hong Kong police official Steve Li after the sentencing on Monday. 
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/08/world/jimmy-lai-sentenced-hong-kong">reported</a> that Lai smiled and waved to supporters in the courtroom gallery after his sentencing. Six former Apple Daily employees were also sentenced Monday, receiving prison terms ranging from six to ten years.  
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper <a href="https://x.com/FCDOGovUK/status/2020740332262961171">said</a> Lai’s prosecution was “politically motivated” and that he was punished for expressing his viewpoints. 
&#8220;For the 78-year-old, this is tantamount to a life sentence. I remain deeply concerned for Mr Lai’s health, and I again call on the Hong Kong authorities to end his appalling ordeal and release him on humanitarian grounds, so that he may be reunited with his family,” she said. 
Claire Lai, Jimmy Lai’s daughter, called the sentence “heartbreakingly cruel.” 
“If this sentence is carried out, he will die a martyr behind bars,” she said. 
Sebastian Lai said that his father had &#8220;decided to dedicate his life to defending the freedoms of Hong Kong&#8221;.
&#8220;For that heroism, he&#8217;s being punished, he&#8217;s essentially getting a death sentence for that,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cq5yv581e9yt">told</a> the BBC. &#8220;Surely a man who has given so much for liberty, for freedom, deserves a bit of it himself.&#8221;
The State Department condemned the sentencing and called for Lai&#8217;s release. 
&#8220;The Hong Kong High Court’s decision to sentence Jimmy Lai to 20 years is an unjust and tragic conclusion to this case. It shows the world that Beijing will go to extraordinary lengths to silence those who advocate fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, casting aside the international commitments Beijing made in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration,&#8221; Marco Rubio said. &#8220;After enduring a trial lasting two years, and detention in prison for more than five, Mr. Lai and his family have suffered enough.  The United States urges the authorities to grant Mr. Lai humanitarian parole.&#8221;
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), the chair of the House Select Committee on China, said that the sentencing was the “latest stain on the human rights record of the Chinese Communist Party.” 
“Lai and his Apple Daily colleagues are being punished for exposing the truth about the CCP&#8217;s attacks on the rights of Hong Kongers,” he said. “President Trump made it abundantly clear to General Secretary Xi in October that Lai should be freed and allowed to leave Hong Kong to be with his family.”

China Imposes National Security Law In Hong Kong

Hong Kong Court Sends CCP Critic, Pro-Democracy Publisher Jimmy Lai To Prison For 20 Years

Beijing-Imposed Law Sends 78-Year-Old CCP Critic, Pro-Democracy Publisher To Prison For 20 Years

Chinese Communist Party

Democracy

Media

United Kingdom

World

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Friday that any new U.S. nuclear treaty must reflect the rapid expansion of China&#8217;s nuclear arsenal. 
Rubio’s comments come a day after the New START Treaty, which limited deployed strategic nuclear weapons in the United States and Russia, officially expired. He argued that any replacement framework should address a new era beyond the Cold War model, one that recognized both Russia and China as nuclear peers. 
“A treaty requires at least two parties, and the choice before the United States was to bind itself unilaterally or to recognize that a new era requires a new approach. Not the same old START, but something new. A treaty that reflects that the United States could soon face not one, but two, nuclear peers in Russia and China,” he <a href="https://statedept.substack.com/p/the-next-era-of-nuclear-arms-control">wrote</a> on the State Department’s Substack page. 
Rubio said China&#8217;s nuclear stockpile has nearly tripled since 2020, growing from the low 200s to almost 600, with projections topping 1,000 warheads by 2030. 
“China’s rapid and opaque expansion of its nuclear arsenal since New START entered into force has rendered past models of arms control, based upon bilateral agreements between the United States and Russia, obsolete,” Rubio wrote. “An arms control arrangement that does not account for China’s build-up, which Russia is supporting, will undoubtedly leave the United States and our allies less safe.”
President Donald Trump has accused China of conducting secret nuclear tests. Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno <a href="https://x.com/UnderSecT/status/2019714341344362507">said</a> Friday on X that China had used a technique called &#8220;decoupling&#8221; to mask nuclear explosive tests by reducing the effectiveness of seismic monitoring, including one conducted on June 22, 2020.
Rubio also criticized Russia, noting that Moscow announced in 2023, amid its war with Ukraine, that it would stop recognizing the New START Treaty. Although Russia later said it would continue observing the treaty&#8217;s limits, the agreement capped deployed nuclear warheads at 1,550. 
“Russia and China should not expect the United States to stand still while they shirk their obligations and expand their nuclear forces. We will maintain a robust, credible, and modernized nuclear deterrent,” Rubio wrote. “But we will do so while pursuing all avenues to fulfill the President’s genuine desire for a world with fewer of these awful weapons.”
Ahead of New START’s expiration, President Donald Trump said he wanted a broader nuclear agreement that could include other countries like China. In a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116019511106186158">post</a> on Thursday, Trump criticized the Obama-era deal as poorly negotiated.
“Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ (A badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future,” Trump wrote.

President Trump Meets With Visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

Rubio Warns China’s ‘Rapid’ Nuclear Buildup Is Making U.S. ‘Less Safe’

Global Politics

Marco Rubio

Nuclear Weapons

Politics

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State Department

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that multiple Chinese nationals and American citizens had been charged with carrying out a marriage fraud scheme targeting members of the U.S. military. 
The scheme involved recruiters paying Americans tens of thousands of dollars to enter into “sham” marriages with Chinese nationals for immigration purposes, according to the Justice Department. In one instance, investigators said that a female member of the Navy married and met a Chinese national on the same day at a wedding service in Las Vegas. 
The charged individuals were Anny Chen, Sha Xie (China), Linlin Wang (China), Jiawei Chen (China), Yafeng Deng, Hailing Feng, Kiah Holly, Xionghu Fang (China), Tao Fan (China), Jaden Bullion, and Kin Man Cheok (China). None of the defendants, except Bullion, had lawyers listed to represent them. They could not immediately be reached for comment. 
The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday and said that conspirators “preferred to recruit U.S. citizens who were members of the U.S. armed forces to join the conspiracy and marry Chinese nationals.” 
The entire conspiracy stretched from March 2024 to February 2025 and took place in Florida, New York, and Nevada, according to the indictment. In general, a recruiter would promise to pay an American $10,000 to marry a Chinese national, $20,000 after a valid ID was issued to the Chinese national, and another $5,000 after they divorced. 
The eleven named in the indictment are alleged to have worked with Raymond Zumba (former Navy reservist), Brinio Urena (former Navy recruiter), Jacinth Bailey (Navy), and Morgan Chambers (Navy). Lawyers for Bailey and Chambers declined to comment. 
In July, Zumba <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/naval-reservist-pleads-guilty-paying-bribe-obtain-department-defense-identification">pleaded guilty</a> to attempting to bribe the spouse of an individual working in the personnel office of the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. Zumba hoped to obtain ID cards in exchange for cash. 
In March 2024, investigators said that Anny Chen and another conspirator recruited Zumba to marry Sha Xie, a Chinese national. The marriage took place in Brooklyn in April of that year, and wedding photos were taken to perpetuate the scheme, according to the indictment. Zumba allegedly received $10,000 from Chen for the marriage. 
Zumba was then accused of recruiting Urena in May 2024 to “enter into a sham marriage with a Chinese national in exchange for a cash payment.” 
In another example of the conspiracy, the Justice Department said that Chambers met and married Jiawei Chen in Las Vegas on October 4, 2024, according to the indictment. She was allegedly paid $10,000 in a restaurant restroom by Chen for the marriage.
The others were alleged to have engaged in similar activities and messaged about plans to participate in the scheme.

U.S. Secretary Of State Antony Blinken Visits Shanghai

Marriage Scam Exposed: DOJ Busts Chinese Scheme Targeting U.S. Military

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Military

U.S. Military

President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about instability in China after purges of its military reached inside President Xi Jinping’s inner circle.
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s one boss in China. That’s President Xi. That’s the president I’m dealing with,” the president <a href="https://x.com/RedWave_Press/status/2017942149577224459">told</a> reporters on board Air Force One on Saturday.
In response to a reporter, Trump said he is not concerned about Beijing’s “stability” after the government announced a corruption investigation into its top ranking military official and a close Xi ally.
“I think President Xi is the boss. I watch it very closely, and he’s highly respected in China. He’s the boss,” said Trump.
China’s Ministry of National Defense <a href="https://www.news.cn/legal/20260124/33406074879940878fd3102178790920/c.html">announced</a> on January 24 that General Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission that controls China’s military, is suspected of “grave violations of discipline and the law.” General Liu Zhenli, the head of the military’s Joint Staff Department, is also under investigation, according to the announcement.
Investigations under China’s authoritarian government almost always result in guilty verdicts. Officials that fall under investigation are often never heard from again. Zhang and Liu have both disappeared from the public recently, though their absences alone had not been enough to rouse suspicion that they had become targets in the ongoing shakeup of China’s military, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/world/asia/china-top-general-xi-military-purge.html">The New York Times</a>.
The allegations against Zhang are especially noteworthy because of the vaunted position and deep level of trust Zhang was previously assumed to enjoy in Xi’s inner circle. Zhang and Xi are childhood friends. Each of their fathers were revolutionaries in Mao Zedong’s army. Zhang was second only to Xi in the hierarchy of the Chinese state.
The investigations into Zhang and Liu are just the latest in an ongoing purge of top military officials since 2023. Beijing has characterized the purge as an effort to root out corruption in the military. The campaign has taken down officers and personnel up and down the military hierarchy, as well as civilian executives of military arms manufacturers. Many of those targeted had been handpicked into their positions by Xi.
Zhang and Liu’s forced absences mean that of the six generals Xi appointed to the Central Military Commission in 2022, only one is left: General Zhang Shengmin.
“Xi may have purged them because he saw them as undermining his leadership and military objectives,” says an <a href="https://understandingwar.org/research/china-taiwan/xi-jinpings-military-purges-leave-him-increasingly-powerful-but-isolated/">analysis</a> from the Institute for the Study of War. “The CMC purges consolidate Xi’s control over the military but risk isolating him or surrounding him with sycophants, which in turn risks military miscalculations.”
The military purges have taken place as concerns grow that Beijing may attempt a military takeover of Taiwan, a nation to which Beijing has already made territorial claims.

Donald Trump, Xi Jinping

Trump Dismisses Concerns About China’s ‘Stability’ After Purge Of Top Military Official

Taiwan

Xi Jinping

As tensions rise with China, Russia, and other global rivals, the Department of War has unveiled its 2026 National Defense Strategy, mapping a path for the United States to remain the world’s most formidable fighting force.
The <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2026/Jan/23/2003864773/-1/-1/0/2026-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY.PDF">strategy</a> emphasizes strengthened deterrence, homeland protection, and long-term competitive advantage, noting that “President Trump in his first term and since reentering office in January 2025 has rebuilt the American military to be the world’s absolute best—its most formidable fighting force.”
The strategy frames a world of heightened competition and risk, with major state actors driving instability. China is identified as the primary strategic competitor, pursuing military modernization and regional dominance in the Indo-Pacific. 
“Our goal is simple: To prevent anyone, including China, from being able to dominate us or our allies,” the document states. Russia remains an acute threat through aggression in Europe, while Iran and North Korea are advancing missile and nuclear capabilities, and violent extremist organizations continue to pose global risks.
The strategy highlights three integrated priorities: defend the homeland, deter strategic attacks — particularly nuclear — and deter aggression while preparing to win if conflict occurs. It underscores the recent strikes on Venezuela as a return to the historical foreign policy of the U.S. under the &#8220;Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine,&#8221; which is to “actively and fearlessly defend America’s interests throughout the Western Hemisphere… guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain, especially the Panama Canal, Gulf of America, and Greenland.”
Implementation is guided by four lines of effort, &#8220;prioritizing the missions that matter most for Americans’ security, freedom, and prosperity.&#8221; 
First, strengthening homeland defenses. Protecting the U.S. from multi-domain threats, including drones, cyber intrusions, and attacks on critical infrastructure, is central. The strategy stresses defending “America’s borders and maritime approaches” and countering unmanned aerial threats through initiatives like Golden Dome for America.
Second, deterring China in the Indo-Pacific. The strategy frames deterrence through capability and posture rather than confrontation. “Our goal in doing so is not to dominate China; nor is it to strangle or humiliate them,” it notes.
Third, reinforcing alliances and partnerships. Burden-sharing is emphasized, with allies expected to take the lead against threats less severe to the United States, while the U.S. provides “critical but more limited support” and makes clear the urgent need for allies to do their part.
Fourth, supercharging the defense industrial base. Domestic production and innovation are a priority, and the strategy stresses the need to “return to being the world’s premier arsenal, one that can produce not only for ourselves but also for our allies and partners at scale, rapidly, and at the highest levels of quality.” The document specifies domestic production of semiconductors, rare-earth elements, and munitions.
Over the next 12 months, the U.S. plans to expand its Pacific deterrence efforts, including investments in naval assets in the region, missile systems, and enhanced coordination with allies to counter China&#8217;s activities. 
The strategy also highlights emerging technologies used by our rivals: hypersonics, drones, cyber operations, and space systems. As such, in 2026, homeland security measures will focus on counter-drone technologies, cyber resilience, and border-related defense capabilities.
Allied engagement will push for increased defense spending, particularly contributions from NATO and Indo-Pacific partnerships. Defense industrial initiatives aim to onshore production and streamline acquisition, supporting U.S. manufacturing and job growth. This is paired with a drive for accelerated research and development in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and unmanned systems on American soil. 
Nuclear modernization programs will advance, ensuring that deterrence remains robust. 
The strategy concludes that the U.S. must “defend the homeland, deter aggression abroad, and maintain enduring advantages in the technologies, industries, and forces that make victory certain.” 
Overall, the new National Strategy positions the military for a leaner, more focused posture, prioritizing core warfighting readiness over expansive overseas commitments for the coming years.

Hegseth

‘Most Formidable Fighting Force’: 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy Eyes China, Emerging Threats

U.S. Sets 2026 Military Priorities, Eyes China And Emerging Threats

Defense Spending

Department of War

Pete Hegseth

Longtime Daily Wire readers are no doubt familiar with Xi Van Fleet — an activist, scholar, and survivor of Mao&#8217;s Cultural Revolution. Xi has done more than most to shed light on the horrors of Chinese communism and to sound the alarm about the rising threat of socialism in the United States. We were proud to publish her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-lived-in-the-communist-world-zohran-mamdani-dreams-of-its-worse-than-you-could-imagine">scathing portrait</a> of Zohran Mamdani and her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/erasing-history-the-real-cultural-marxism?author=Xi+Van+Fleet+and+Sasha+Gong&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Erasing+History%3A+The+Real+Cultural+Marxism">five-part series</a> “American Maoists: Warnings From The Cultural Revolution.”
Today, we&#8217;re honored to bring you an exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming book “Made in America: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Enabled Communist China and Created Our Greatest Threat.” Co-authored with Chinese dissident Yu Jie, the book explores how American academics, writers, and politicians helped Communist China become a global superpower.
In the excerpt below, Xi and Yu examine three little-known American journalists who helped sell Mao&#8217;s lies to the world — and warn that Xi Jinping is working to do the same with American journalists today. — Tim Rice
***
Edgar Snow, Agnes Smedley, and Anna Louise Strong — three Americans from the Midwest — were collectively known in China as the “Three S’s,” the leading Western journalists who made an immeasurable contribution to the Chinese communist cause, with Snow regarded as the most influential of the trio.
In 1984, the Smedley-Strong-Snow Society of China was established under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to honor their contributions. The society organizes commemorative events, preserves archives, and promotes research on their roles in advancing the Chinese Communist movement. And all three of the S’s were individually featured on postage stamps issued in China.
Because Smedley and Strong were openly Communist and connected to the Communist International, their work was often dismissed in the West due to its overt ideological slant. Snow, by contrast, was seen as an independent voice. This perceived neutrality gave his work greater credibility in the West, making it arguably more deceptive and dangerous.
Today, the CCP is actively seeking new “Snows” for Xi Jinping’s “new era,” those who can fulfill a similar role as Edgar Snow in promoting China’s narrative on the global stage. In 2021, the CCP media outlet China Daily launched the Edgar Snow Newsroom, aimed at recruiting foreign reporters to engage in propaganda work for the CCP. Evidently, there is no shortage of candidates for the CCP to choose from.
The widespread popularity of the work of the Three S’s can be attributed to the historical context of the 1930s. During this time, the United States was still recovering from the Great Depression, which had deeply shaken confidence in capitalism. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal introduced socialist policies, reflecting a broader leftward shift in American society.
Interestingly, Edgar Snow noted in Red Star Over China that Mao Zedong held a favorable view of President Roosevelt, even expressing interest in learning about FDR’s New Deal. Mao was likely inspired by FDR’s large-scale government initiatives aimed at rapid economic transformation.
In this historic environment, writings that glorified and promoted Chinese Communism unsurprisingly found a receptive audience among American readers, who were increasingly exploring alternative economic and political ideologies.
Later, Edgar Snow’s 1936 visit to China and extensive interviews conducted with Mao Zedong  marked the beginning of the CCP’s campaign to cultivate allies among American influencers, particularly journalists and writers. From there, the party steadily expanded its network of “old friends” to encompass government officials, military leaders, politicians, policymakers, and, eventually, the upper ranks of major corporations and business elites.
One might argue that these influencers were merely deceived by the Chinese Communists. But the truth is far less forgiving: they were deceived because they wanted to be. They saw not what was real but what they longed to see. They heard not the truth but what confirmed their ideals and fed their convictions.
Though they came from diverse backgrounds, they shared one defining trait: a left-leaning political orientation, ranging from liberal sympathizers like Edgar Snow to committed communists like Agnes Smedley and Anna Louise Strong. History has shown, time and again, that the ideological leap from liberalism to communism is often alarmingly short.
These bleeding-heart liberals helped legitimize and elevate a regime that would go on to unleash unimaginable human suffering. Safely removed from the consequences, they never lived under the tyranny they helped glorify. Many never paused to reflect on the reality that every word they wrote in praise of the Communist Party came at the cost of real human lives — millions of them.
Words can kill, and the pen can be as deadly as any bullet. This tragic chapter of history must not be forgotten.
***
Xi Van Fleet and Yu Jie are authors of the forthcoming <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/xi-van-fleet/made-in-america/9781546009368/?lens=center-street__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!1EyvEl-uC7TIK0rLvarrOO6odKbstFnL9S29IBgVjHSqp0YOI8tvg6cjDHu8PbAkTnVdBtVmyN0Y7CGdUt-84os$" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/xi-van-fleet/made-in-america/9781546009368/?lens%3Dcenter-street__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!1EyvEl-uC7TIK0rLvarrOO6odKbstFnL9S29IBgVjHSqp0YOI8tvg6cjDHu8PbAkTnVdBtVmyN0Y7CGdUt-84os$&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1769179679063000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3JTdRuew3QefD102CqMml8">book</a> “Made in America: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Enabled Communist China and Created Our Greatest Threat.”
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Untitled design (100)

The Three American Journalists Who Fueled The CCP’s Rise 

Journalism

Leftism

Chinese tech giant ByteDance has reached a deal over ownership of TikTok for the social media platform to stay active in the United States.
TikTok <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/announcement-from-the-new-tiktok-usds-joint-venture-llc?lang=en">announced</a> the deal on Thursday evening after a six-year campaign to ban the app under Chinese ownership from the United States. Congress passed legislation over a year ago that could have spelled the end of TikTok in the United States, but President Donald Trump postponed the ban from going into effect beyond the bill’s stated grace period to reach a deal.
Since 2019, a conglomeration of people and entities have sought legal action against TikTok, while a bipartisan group of lawmakers has sought an outright ban over concerns that the platform was being used by China to steal from and spy on Americans.
The effort to ban TikTok was resisted by social media influencers who have used the platform to further their careers, as well as Trump, who prioritized negotiating with ByteDance to sell off the platform to allow it to continue to operate in the United States.
Under the terms of the deal, a new U.S. version of the app will be created, which will be 80% owned by international investors.
TikTok’s Thursday statement listed the new group of international owners. The largest owners outside of ByteDance itself are the software giant Oracle, the Emirati investment firm MGX, and U.S.-based investment firm Silver Lake. ByteDance will retain 19.9% ownership of the U.S. version of the platform while the other big three will each have 15%.
“Completing the full consortium of investors are: Dell Family Office, the investment firm of Michael Dell, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies; Vastmere Strategic Investments, LLC, an affiliate of Susquehanna International Group, LLP; Alpha Wave Partners; Revolution; Merritt Way, LLC controlled and managed by partners of Dragoneer; Via Nova, an affiliate of General Atlantic; Virgo LI, Inc., investment arm of a foundation established by Yuri and Julia Milner in support of science; and NJJ Capital, the family office of Xavier Niel, a French entrepreneur and pioneer in telecommunications,” the statement from TikTok explained.
Oracle will become the manager of all U.S. user data on the platform.
“TikTok USDS Joint Venture&#8217;s mandate is to secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures. It will safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem through robust trust and safety policies and content moderation while ensuring continuous accountability through transparency reporting and third-party certifications,” the announcement stated.

TikTok

TikTok Strikes Deal To Stay Active In U.S., Ending Years-Long Battle Over Chinese Ownership

Big Tech

Communist China

United States

My office decorations are mostly standard-issue: pictures of my family, a diploma, a couple of concert posters to trick people into thinking I’m fun. But no one notices them at first, as everyone’s eyes inevitably go to the portrait above my desk.
It’s impossible to miss: a big, professionally-framed picture of a Joey Chestnut, smiling triumphantly behind a pile of hot dogs after reclaiming the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest championship from Takeru Kobayashi on July 4, 2007.
Joey came into my possession courtesy of my first boss in Washington, who in the midst of an office redecorating effort reluctantly decided to part with what he called a symbol of American triumph.
I think about that every time I glance up in the middle of the day and see the champ looking back at me, tongue sticking out and eyes wide with the thrill of victory. So you can imagine my disappointment when I learned China had bought Nathan’s.
On Thursday, Smithfield <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nathans-famous-hot-dogs-smithfield-merger-9927a1f0fde1ff32c2f95dc4949d3dfd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would purchase the iconic hot dog franchise for $450 million. Of course, “Smithfield” isn’t really Smithfield anymore. The Virginia-based meat producer was itself purchased in 2013 by the Shuanghui Group, which has since renamed itself the more innocuous sounding WH Group.
The WH Group is a Chinese company through and through, which means it is, for all intents and purposes, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party. Its leadership is full of <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/25/chinese-communist-party-landowner-pork/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CCP bigwigs</a>, who have put the company at the forefront of China’s efforts to purchase American farmland — a major <a href="https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/national-security-threat-of-china-dominated-u.s-agricultural-sectors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national security threat</a>. At its peak, WH Group owned around 150,000 acres of American land across 29 states.
WH Group has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/07/08/us-china-farmland-ban-national-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reduced</a> its American land holdings in response to the Trump administration’s push to ban Chinese companies from buying up American farms. But it still has around 85,000 acres of this country in its possession, a collection to which it can now add Nathan’s original Coney Island location, still standing where it was built in 1916.
It’s fitting that the first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty will be sponsored by the CCP. America’s biggest foe wrapping its tentacles around a symbol of American freedom founded by a Polish Jew. Ms. Rachel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ms-rachel-says-she-liked-free-america-from-the-jews-comment-by-accident?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Ms.+Rachel+Says+She+Liked+%E2%80%98Free+America+From+The+Jews%E2%80%99+Comment+By+Accident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">must be thrilled</a>.
It never ends well when foreigners take over American institutions — just look what happened when the Belgians <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-tries-to-woo-back-customers-with-new-commercial-starring-shane-gillis?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bud+Light+Tries+To+Woo+Back+Customers+With+New+Commercial+Starring+Shane+Gillis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bought</a> Anheuser-Busch.
When my old boss called the Joey Chestnut picture a portrait of American triumph, he wasn’t just talking about an American reclaiming the title from a Japanese competitor. He was talking about an American dominating in an extremely American pastime, at a quintessentially American location, on the day we celebrate American independence.
Nathan’s is about as American as it gets. Nathan Handwerker opened his Brooklyn stand in 1916, four years after coming to America. He gained a foothold by selling cheaper products than his competitor and grew his little stand into a global empire. By the time Major League Baseball named Nathan’s its <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/nathan-s-famous-is-official-hot-dog-of-mlb-c221240194" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official hot dog</a> in 2017, they had already become synonymous with ball games, barbecues, and the American dream.
When at the height of the Second World War E.B. White <a href="https://www.npr.org/2012/11/07/164631081/author-e-b-white-on-the-meaning-of-democracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> that democracy was “the mustard on the hot dog,” he was almost certainly envisioning one of Nathan&#8217;s Famous kosher-style franks.
Even liberalism’s court stenographer, Aaron Sorkin, understands the centrality of Nathan’s to the American image. In a 2002 episode of “The West Wing,” the White House Chief of Staff defends the president’s decision to assassinate a terrorist leader by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSxwFtBNww" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling his emissary</a>: “To sweep all fifty states, the President would only need to do two things: blow the sultan&#8217;s brains out in Times Square, then walk across the street to Nathan&#8217;s and buy a hot dog.”
It’s impossible to watch that scene now and not think of President Donald Trump’s now famous declaration that he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose voters. It’s also hard to think that our first outer borough president relishes the sight of China taking over a beloved American institution.
The overarching goal of Trump’s political career has been to reverse American decline by any means necessary. He’s touched on this aim in merely every speech he’s ever given, including his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/remarks/2025/01/the-inaugural-address/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Second Inaugural Address</a>:
<blockquote>From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.</blockquote>
Whether striking narcoterrorists or purchasing Greenland, Trump has shown he’ll stop at nothing to revive American greatness. Keeping Nathan’s in American hands seems like an easy way to advance his America First agenda and put the Red Dragon at bay. Surely it doesn’t hurt that Trump once called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nathans-hot-dogs-faces-backlash-over-trump-fundraiser-report-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nathan’s chairman</a> Howard Lorber one of his two best friends.
So come on, Mr. President. What’s one more volley in the trade wars if it means saving an American institution? Imagine that swooping green logo towering over the first American hot dog stand in Nuuk. This is our time for choosing.

Joey Chestnut (L) of San Jose, Californi

American Travesty: A Chinese Company Just Bought Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.

Greenland

New York City

Zohran Mamdani

On Tuesday, the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection held a hearing titled, “Defense through Offense: Examining U.S. Cyber Capabilities to Deter and Disrupt Malign Foreign Activity Targeting the Homeland.”
Chairman Andy Ogles (R-TN) opened the hearing by declaring that the United States can no longer rely solely on a defensive posture. Citing recent breaches like Salt Typhoon (targeting Congressional staff) and Volt Typhoon (targeting critical infrastructure), Ogles argued that adversaries — primarily China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea — operate with impunity because they face no meaningful consequences.
The consensus among the subcommittee and the witnesses was that the U.S. must shift toward a proactive, &#8220;industrial-scale&#8221; offensive strategy to alter the risk calculus of state-sponsored actors.
Joe Lin, the CEO of Twenty Technologies, Inc., provided a blunt assessment: the United States is currently losing the cyber war because it treats offensive operations as &#8220;bespoke,&#8221; elite activities while adversaries operate at &#8220;machine speed.&#8221;
Lin called for codifying operator tradecraft into automated software systems. He argued that one operator should be able to manage hundreds of targets simultaneously to match the scale of Chinese campaigns. He emphasized that &#8220;patching&#8221; alone will never secure critical infrastructure. Deterrence requires the demonstrated ability to impose asymmetric costs upstream before attacks reach U.S. soil.
Emily Harding, the vice president of the defense and security department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), focused on the &#8220;escalation ladder,&#8221; noting that adversaries currently control it because U.S. responses have been muted.
CSIS war games revealed that senior U.S. officials often freeze during cyber crises due to a lack of a shared framework for what constitutes an &#8220;act of war.&#8221; Harding proposed several key shifts: treating cyber-attacks that imperil life as kinetic attacks, flipping risk tolerance so that the default answer for an operation is &#8220;yes,&#8221; and creating a dedicated Cyber Force to consolidate talent.
Frank Cilluffo, the director of the McCrary Institute, argued that the U.S. has allowed adversaries to define its strategy. He pushed for &#8220;operational collaboration,&#8221; where the private sector — which owns the vast majority of infrastructure — is treated as a partner in active defense rather than a passive victim. He noted that campaigns like Salt and Volt Typhoon are &#8220;pre-positioning&#8221; efforts designed to be triggered during a future kinetic conflict (e.g., a Pacific contingency).
Drew Bagley, the chief privacy officer at CrowdStrike, offered a nuanced view, reinforcing the necessity of defense while supporting targeted offense. While he cautioned against a &#8220;federated&#8221; or &#8220;vigilante&#8221; hack-back regime due to risks of collateral damage, he supported more persistent disruption of malicious infrastructure. He recommended that CISA and the private sector maintain a prioritized list of threat actors to be dismantled systematically through coordinated law enforcement and military action.
The subcommittee discussed the severe workforce shortage. Witnesses noted that while thousands of personnel were lost during recent agency &#8220;right-sizing&#8221; (DOGE-related shifts), the solution isn&#8217;t just &#8220;more bodies.&#8221; AI is being used by the PRC to automate espionage; the U.S. must adopt &#8220;Agentic AI&#8221; to defend and counter-attack at the same speed. Suggestions included a &#8220;Cyber Reserve&#8221; (similar to the National Guard) and a &#8220;Teach for America&#8221; style program for cyber professionals to serve in rural areas in exchange for loan forgiveness.
Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) raised the critical issue of undersea cables, through which 95% of global data flows. There is currently no &#8220;single home&#8221; in the government for undersea cable security. Harding and Bagley called for an increase in repair ships and the use of AI-driven maritime surveillance to identify &#8220;anomalous&#8221; ship patterns (like &#8220;fishing&#8221; vessels lingering over cable lines) before they can sabotage infrastructure.
A major takeaway was the need to move past &#8220;tit-for-tat&#8221; cyber responses. Witnesses argued that if China hits a U.S. water plant, the U.S. shouldn&#8217;t necessarily hit a Chinese water plant; it should use diplomatic, economic, or kinetic tools to hit a &#8220;pain point&#8221; that the adversary actually values.
Ogles concluded by signaling a &#8220;forward-leaning&#8221; posture, emphasizing that the Monroe Doctrine now extends into the digital realm. The subcommittee intends to pursue &#8220;operational collaboration&#8221; between the private sector and government to ensure that any breach of American digital boundaries carries a significant, punishing price.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LZkm35vQv68?si=KYHJSUF6_LaMvLZS" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Faceless hackers and malware hackers use laptops with dangerous digital code on binary code background.

Beyond Defense: Congress Wants To Industrialize U.S. Cyber Offense

Congress

Cybersecurity

Christians in Syria saw the largest increase in persecution among any country in the world last year as regime change and terrorism threw the Islamic nation into chaos, according to the Christian organization Open Doors, which published its annual persecution watch list Wednesday morning.
The Open Doors <a href="https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">2026 World Watch List</a> revealed that Syria jumped up to No. 6 in overall Christian persecution, after coming in at No. 18 in last year’s list. Syria is now only behind North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, and Eritrea.
Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown told The Daily Wire that the recent political turmoil in Syria is the main contributing factor to the increase in persecution.
“With the fall of the Assad regime and as HTS [Hay&#8217;at Tahrir al-Sham] came into power, it created a lot of vacuums of control and authority,” Brown said. “The rule of law is weak in a number of areas, and in that, there’s just been a number of extremists that have just stepped into those voids.”
Brown pointed to multiple recent Islamic terror attacks targeting Syrian Christians, such as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jihadist-suicide-bomber-kills-20-wounds-dozens-more-at-orthodox-church" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suicide bombing</a> in June, when a terrorist opened fire on worshipers and then detonated a suicide vest, killing more than 20 Christians and wounding over 50 more. Christians in Syria are more likely to come under attack from Islamic terrorists who are fighting for control of certain areas in the unstable country, not from the government, which is now led by former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.
“The church is coming under attack especially in these areas where the government is not having a strong rule of law as part of this transition,” Brown added. “Traditionally, in some of these areas in Syria where the rule of law has not been strong, the tribalism becomes the ruling force and provides safety. Christian converts from Islam are typically rejected from these tribal infrastructures.”
It remains to be seen if al-Sharaa, a former terrorist leader, will tolerate Christians in Syria if he establishes a firm grip on the country. So far, the new Syrian leader has been actively seeking to take out Islamic terrorists that remain in Syria.
President Donald Trump met with al-Sharaa at the White House as he seeks to broker peace in the Middle East. The meeting marked the first time a Syrian leader and former jihadist met with the President of the United States.
Brown said the 12-spot change in Syria&#8217;s ranking between 2025 and 2026 was the largest year-over-year move for any country on the persecution watch list in more than a decade.
Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, Libya, and Iran round out the top 10 of countries where Christians experience the most persecution, meaning that eight out of the top 10 countries on the 2026 World Watch List are majority Muslim nations.
<h3>Nigeria Was The ‘Epicenter’ Of Violence Against Christians In 2025</h3>
More Christians in Nigeria, which came in at No. 7 on the list, were killed for their faith than in any other country. Open Doors reported that 3,490 Nigerian Christians were killed last year, which was an increase from the estimated 3,100 killed in 2024. For comparison, 1,359 Christians are estimated to have been killed for their faith in all other countries combined in 2025.
Brown told The Daily Wire that Nigeria didn’t rank No. 1 on the persecution list because Open Doors considers multiple factors, not just violence, when ranking countries.
“The World Watch List looks at danger, but looks at a number of other factors as well. Nigeria would be the deadliest place to be a Christian, not necessarily the most difficult because there are places in the country where Christians are able to freely worship,” Brown said. “But Nigeria continues to be an epicenter of violence in parts of the country, in parts of the middle belt as well as in the northern parts of the country.”
Recent violence against Christians in Nigeria <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-next-peace-push-focuses-on-nigeria-and-sudan-where-christians-are-killed-by-the-thousands?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+Next+Peace+Push+Focuses+On+Nigeria+And+Sudan%2C+Where+Christians+Are+Killed+By+The+Thousands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gained the attention</a> of President Trump, who has pressured the Nigerian government to do more to protect Christians and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-completely-wipe-out-the-islamic-terrorists-killing-nigerian-christians?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Threatens+To+%E2%80%98Completely+Wipe+Out+The+Islamic+Terrorists%E2%80%99+Killing+Nigerian+Christians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened</a> to take out terrorists in the country if they continue to target them.
<h3>Iran Increased Pressure On Christians During Internal Turmoil And Conflict With Israel And U.S.</h3>
Iran, which ranks No. 10 on the World Watch List, has ramped up its crackdown on Christians in the country as they are viewed as “enemies of the state” and “agents of the West,” Brown explained.
The Iranian regime has arrested numerous Christians in recent months as it seeks to keep control amid growing tensions. The regime believes that Christians are influenced by the West and, therefore, plotting the overthrow of the government, and recent events have likely made the regime’s crackdown on Christians even harsher. Iran was humiliated in 2025 in its war with Israel and then by the United States, when President Trump ordered the U.S. military to strike Iranian nuclear sites.
Iran is in the midst of massive demonstrations as protesters have taken to the streets, mainly over the regime’s failure to address an economic collapse. Trump has warned that he could take more action against Iran if it massacres protesters. One report indicates that the Iranian government has killed at least 12,000 demonstrators.
<h3>China Continues To Target Christianity</h3>
China dropped from No. 15 on the list in 2025 to No. 17 this year, but the communist country remains brutal toward Christians. In September, the Chinese government began to monitor the online activity of Christians, especially clergymen, more closely.
“This was in continuation to the churches they closed down the previous year — there’s been an increase in that — but now looking to clamp down on some of the online activity of Christians in the area, making it difficult for them to communicate or to worship,” Brown said.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-escalates-persecution-of-christians-with-more-shocking-arrests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this month that China arrested more prominent church leaders, detaining at least seven Christians affiliated with the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, a city in southwestern China.
Brown said that people in China also face persecution from their local communities when they convert to Christianity, adding that many converts lose out on job or school opportunities, while some get their water or electricity cut off.
See the full list, and read a detailed report on each country in this year&#8217;s list <a href="https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/countries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Suicide Bombing Targets Church In Damascus, Leaving 20 Dead And Dozens Injured

2026 Watch List Reveals Biggest Increases In Christian Persecution Across The Globe

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