NEW: The changes Hamas endorses to the hostage-ceasefire proposal are minor, say 2 officials. Qatar and Egypt consulted w/ CIA director Bill Burns on them. The proposal still calls for “sustainable calm,” which Israel had approved. w/ Julian E. Barnes. nytimes.com/2024/05/06/wor…

Important recognition today of imprisoned Russian writer and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, writing from the modern-day gulag, where he is jailed for the crime of telling the truth:

Putin sits at the heart of the West’s illiberal axis wapo.st/3y545wB Great analysis from my colleague Ishaan Tharoor.

Kirkus gives At the Edge of Empire a starred review! 'Fascinating, ambitiously textured narrative....Wong capably interweaves intimate details with broader truths. A well-written, multilayered work...poignant...' kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/e… Pre-order now: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602734/a…

This #WorldPressFreedom Day, we're highlighting our conversation with Susan Jakes and Ian Johnson at @asiasocietyny featuring journalists who have overcome great challenges to report on China: ⁦Annie Jieping Zhang, Li Yuan袁莉, and 江雪. asiasociety.org/new-york/china…

When the U.S. left the INF Treaty in 2019, the Pentagon quickly adapted existing weapons to create mobile missile launchers it can use to threaten a Chinese invasion of Taiwan nytimes.com/2024/05/03/us/…

NEW: Seven months into the Israel-Gaza war, US and Israel are further apart than ever on visions for how the war ends. Biden and Blinken focus on the hostages, a ceasefire and a Palestinian state. Netanyahu wants a major assault on Rafah. w/ Isabel Kershner. nytimes.com/2024/05/02/wor…

My eyewitness account of Biden and Xi shooting hoops in the mountains of southwest China is in my book — At the Edge of Empire — out June 25. Pre-order here: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602734/a… And read to the bottom of this The New York Times dispatch from Dujiangyan in 2011: nytimes.com/2011/08/22/wor…

NYPD officers raided the Columbia University campus at the request of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik on Tuesday evening, April 30. The officers also forcibly removed journalists, myself included, who were covering the raid. Photos by me for The Associated Press

Reporting from Jordan and Israel — The first trucks with aid entering Gaza through the Erez crossing from Jordan are supposed to roll across there today. Secretary Antony Blinken saw one being loaded outside Zarqa, Jordan. He’s in Israel now for meetings. My story: nytimes.com/2024/04/30/wor…

We just landed in Tel Aviv with Secretary Antony Blinken. He has a full day of meetings tomorrow with Israeli officials. He plans to discuss the proposed hostage/ceasefire deal offered to Hamas, the need for more humanitarian aid in Gaza, and Bibi’s stated aim of doing an offensive in Rafah.

China wants to pull off the same type of agreement it helped to forge between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

I made an interactive map, my latest for The New York Times with Edward Wong John Ismay - A New Pacific Arsenal to Counter China nytimes.com/interactive/20…

.Secretary Antony Blinken is now flying from Saudi Arabia to Jordan and Israel. Here’s our story on Israel lowering its demands of Hamas for the release of hostages — Israel is now willing to accept 33 civilians for a Palestinian prisoner swap and a 6-week ceasefire. nytimes.com/2024/04/29/wor…

Reporting from Riyadh: Secretary Antony Blinken is in Saudi Arabia for meetings with Arab & European officials on the Israel-Gaza war. They'll discuss humanitarian aid, reconstruction, hostages and a political solution, as Israel prepares to invade Rafah. Story: nytimes.com/live/2024/04/2…

I’m traveling now with Secretary Antony Blinken to the Middle East as officials in the region grapple with the horrors of the Israel-Gaza war, more than a half-year after the start. We’re taking off for Riyadh. Here’s my story on the latest developments: nytimes.com/2024/04/27/us/…

University authorities should not equate support for Palestine/ criticism of Israeli govt as hate speech/ anti-semitism. If they’re not protecting rights to peaceful protest/ free speech then what is ‘higher learning’? ⁦louis charbonneau⁩ ⁦Human Rights Watch⁩ hrw.org/news/2024/04/2…

🚨President Biden has enhanced U.S. deterrence against potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan with bases, specialized Marines, and advanced weapons, signaling high costs to China for attempting to overthrow Taiwan's elected government.

🎁No paywall. Gifted. nytimes.com/interactive/20…

NEW: Stunning The New York Times story with a deep look at how Biden and the US are doing a military buildup with allies around China to deter a potential invasion of Taiwan. Blinken just raised issues with Xi in Beijing. A team effort w/ John Ismay Pablo Robles. nytimes.com/interactive/20…

a bit jarring to read Secretary Blinken, after visit to NYU Shanghai, calling on Chinese government to ensure 'a free and open discussion of ideas... confidence in the safety, security, and privacy of the participants'