Good morning, readers!

Today, we spotlight two contrasting protests. Each mirrors the spirit of its nation.

One whispers, the other roars.

Can you guess the countries?

Today’s hotspots

Silent Chinese protest.

China is mourning a leader who never was. The death of former Premier Li Keqiang has unleashed a wave of grief and nostalgia among the Chinese people.

However: many are also using this opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with the current leader, Xi Jinping, and the direction he has taken the country.

🐾 The sidelined premier.

Once eyed for China’s top job, Li Keqiang landed as Premier instead—China’s second in command. Yet, Xi’s centralizing grip and departure from collective leadership overshadowed him.

Li’s legacy? One of Communist China’s most powerless Premiers.

🐾 The alternative vision.

Li Keqiang, to many in China, embodied a different vision—less dogmatic, more open to reforms and global connections. An economist at heart, Li was viewed as a learned reformist who stood for the underprivileged.

🐾 The venting of discontent.

Tributes for Li unveil a decade-long discontent with Xi’s iron grip, dwindling freedoms, and relentless Mao-esque campaigns.

They also echo frustrations over Xi’s three-year zero-Covid rule that hammered the economy and put millions under constant testing, quarantine, and lockdown. These harsh restrictions ended abruptly following nationwide protests.

🐾 The challenge for the regime.

With dissent squashed and punished, public grief becomes an outlet for discontent. The Party, now more watchful under Xi, is back on the warpath, controlling and molding tributes for a recently fallen leader, both online and offline.

• Writing commemorative comments on social media? Blocked.

• Want to press the “like” button for Li’s obituary post online? Blocked.

• Searching for songs related to Li’s passing? Blocked.

Despite these drastic measures, personal notes and bouquets are being spotted at various spots across the country.

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇺🇸 United States:

Biden sends War Powers Act to Congress after Iran strikes.

After ordering airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria, Biden has sent a letter to Congress, as required by the War Powers Act.

In it, he states he acted in self-defense and to deter further attacks on US troops, while also doubling down on his stance that he will “take further action” to combat further threats.

✱ NOTE: The War Powers Act was passed in 1973 to limit the president’s power to wage war without congressional approval.

🇺🇸 United States:

Blinken’s testimony disrupted by Gaza protesters.

It was a chaotic scene at the House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin faced repeated interruptions from activists demanding an end to the violence in Gaza. Some shouted slogans, others raised their hands painted red to symbolize blood.

They were part of CODEPINK, an organization that opposes US military intervention.

✱ NOTE: The hearing was about the Biden administration’s request for $106 billion in supplemental funding, which includes $14 billion for Israel.

🇹🇷 Turkey:

Turkey wants to ditch the UN and create its own global club.

Forget the UN, Turkey has a better idea. On the 100th anniversary of its republic, Turkey announced its plans to form a new international organization that would rival the UN and its Security Council.

You would think Russia would agree to this, right? Nope. It shut the idea down.

✱ NOTE: Turkey’s president has been using the slogan “The world is bigger than five” to criticize the UN’s permanent members.

🇬🇧 Untied Kingdom:

US and UK team up on AI safety.

The two allies are announcing a “close collaboration” on AI safety this week, following the White House’s new executive order on regulating powerful AI systems.

The collaboration will involve sharing information and research through new AI safety institutes in both countries. The goal is to ensure AI is developed with positive and manageable effects and to avoid risks such as bias, discrimination, misinformation, and of course… catastrophe.

✱ NOTE: The UK’s AI safety institute will have “privileged access” to the models of leading American AI companies like Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and OpenAI.