China’s playing dirty in the AI arms race — and Americans appear to be helping them change US minds

What the proof shows

The New York Post assertion closely mirrors a June 2026 Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) report (authored by Sam Lyman). BPI documents 21 local campaigns across 14 states involving the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and concludes those campaigns “delayed, scaled back, or blocked approximately $23.6 billion” in proposed AI/data-center investment, and describes tactics such as rallies, door‑knocking, petitions and packed hearings. BPI’s report is the primary source for the dollar figure and state count and it links PSL to entities funded by Neville Roy Singham; House committee letters and prior New York Times reporting independently document Singham’s financial ties to a network of nonprofits. Important context the Post’s short claim omits: BPI counts proposed project dollar values (publicly reported estimates) for projects that were stalled, withdrawn or scaled back — not actual spent/recouped losses — and BPI itself repeatedly notes PSL was sometimes one actor among broader coalitions and does not claim opposition is wholly astroturfed. Also, allegations about foreign-state direction remain under investigation (media reports of a DOJ grand jury probe exist) and Singham has publicly rejected claims that he acted on behalf of any government. Taken together, the Post’s headline summary is supported by the BPI report but lacks key methodological and attribution caveats that matter for interpretation.