WORLD ROUNDUPVladimir Putin Is Losing His Grip on Russia | How China Is Winning the Global AI Race | The New Critical Minerals Map, and more

After Hormuz, Southeast Asia Sees the Potential Value of Tolling the Strait of Malacca  (Joshua Kurlantzick, CFR)
After Hormuz, Southeast Asia Sees the Potential Value of Tolling the Strait of Malacca

Vladimir Putin Is Losing His Grip on Russia  (Economist)
His every move to preserve power accelerates decay, writes a former senior official in the Russian government.

U.S. Intelligence Says Iran Can Outlast Trump’s Hormuz Blockade for Months  (Warren P. Strobel, John Hudson and Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post)
A confidential intelligence community assessment delivered to the White House also finds that Iran retains a substantial missile and drone arsenal.

Authorities Scramble to Limit Hantavirus Outbreak, Trace Contacts Around Globe  (Victoria Craw and Lena H. Sun, Washington Post)
Dutch authorities said a flight attendant is being tested as the race is on to trace passengers who left a cruise ship and dozens on two flights linked to an ill woman.

How China Is Winning the Global AI Race  (Agathe Demarais, Foreign Policy)
Cutting-edge U.S. models are too expensive for much of the world.

The New Critical Minerals Map  (Christina Lu, Foreign Policy)
Fears of Chinese and U.S. trade retaliation have spawned deals that exclude both powers.

U.S. Meddling in European Domestic Politics Is Backfiring  (John Drennan and Ariane Tabatabai, Lawfare)
Hungary’s April election was the clearest test—and failure—of Trump’s Europe strategy.

Officials Found Guilty of Spying for China in First Case of Its Kind  (Ali Mitib, The Times)
Peter Wai, who worked at the Home Office, and Bill Yuen, at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, surveilled dissidents in a ‘shadow policing’ operation.