In harrowing testimony before Congress on Thursday, a Stanford University junior detailed a sophisticated and terrifying campaign of transnational repression she says was orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on American soil.
Elsa Johnson, editor-in-chief of the Stanford Review, told lawmakers that she and her family are currently being physically monitored by foreign agents — a threat she claims her university has met with &#8220;reluctance&#8221; and indifference.
Johnson, an East Asian studies major who grew up in a Chinese-language immersion school, explained that her ordeal began during her freshman year while she was working as a research assistant for the Hoover Institution. A man identifying himself as &#8220;Charles Chen&#8221; contacted her via social media, using a profile curated with Stanford-related imagery to build a veneer of legitimacy.
What began as inquiries into her background quickly escalated into a high-pressure intelligence operation. Chen attempted to lure Johnson to Shanghai with a pre-paid flight itinerary and insisted she move their communications to WeChat, an app notoriously monitored by Chinese state security.
The situation took a chilling turn when Chen publicly commented on Johnson’s Instagram in Mandarin, demanding she delete screenshots of their conversation — information he should have had no way of knowing she possessed.
The FBI later told Johnson that &#8220;Chen&#8221; was likely an operative for China’s Ministry of State Security and may have targeted at least ten other female students since 2020.
After Johnson published an investigation on the incident, she said the intimidation escalated. She described receiving &#8220;intimidation calls&#8221; in Mandarin, including one in which the caller referenced her mother.
This past fall, the FBI warned Johnson that she and her family were under physical surveillance by the CCP.
Despite the gravity of the threat, Johnson testified that Stanford University has been largely missing in action. When asked by lawmakers about the university’s response, Johnson noted that while administrators sent a perfunctory email claiming to take the matter seriously, they ultimately told her &#8220;there’s nothing they can really do about it.&#8221;
When asked whether Stanford&#8217;s Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Equity, Access, and Community — a DEI-focused department — offered any assistance, Johnson said it did not.
&#8220;I was a freshman navigating a foreign intelligence operation with no institutional support,&#8221; Johnson told the committee, noting that the university failed to refer her case to law enforcement, prompting her to seek out the FBI on her own.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Meet <a href="https://twitter.com/elsajohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElsaJohnson</a>, an American undergraduate junior at Stanford University who faced transnational repression (as well as her family!) from the Chinese Communist Party including online and physical surveillance on campus. 
Our universities have become soft targets for foreign… <a href="https://t.co/pOc5GuJrND">pic.twitter.com/pOc5GuJrND</a>
&mdash; Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepStefanik/status/2037192323994398893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Johnson called for American universities to establish secure, anonymous reporting mechanisms for transnational repression, warning that without them, students remain &#8220;vulnerable&#8221; to foreign adversaries. &#8220;American universities are supposed to be places where people can think and speak freely,&#8221; Johnson concluded. &#8220;Right now, for many students, they are not.&#8221;

Stanford

WATCH: Stanford Student Tells Congress Chilling Story About Chinese Communist Party Targeting Her

Chinese Communist Party

Espionage

Stanford University

What makes America great?
Some attribute American greatness to the brilliant system of government inaugurated two and a half centuries ago. The first groups that came to this continent were Christians, and so were most of the Founding Fathers. Fifty-three out of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Christians who believed that “God who gave us life gave us liberty” and endowed us “with certain unalienable rights” as Thomas Jefferson so eloquently stated. They developed a political and economic system that reflected this Judeo-Christian belief.
For the first time in human history, there existed a nation where freedom not only guaranteed the rights of citizens but also ensured the smooth operation of a market economy. Individuals, regardless of their origin or social status, could attain the American Dream by applying themselves in exercising their God-given talents to the fullest extent. Thus, our political and economic structures helped build this great nation. Rightly so.
As someone who grew up in China, I, however, have another perspective. America is great because for many decades her immigrants came from a similar cultural background that bore a heavy Christian influence.
For two centuries, the majority of immigrants came from Western countries whose civilization was based on Judeo-Christian beliefs. In this new environment where they shared the same traditions, they didn’t experience severe cultural clashes. In fact, American freedom enhanced and protected the Christian values that had already been observed in their mother countries. Consequently, most of the immigrants naturally embraced the culture of their new country. The fusion of freedom and Christianity has produced — in addition to unprecedented prosperity — citizens who feared God, were honest, compassionate, hardworking, independent, and law-abiding.
Together, they made America great.
<h3>The Rise Of Multiculturalism</h3>
However, America&#8217;s immigration policy underwent a significant shift in the 1960s. On October 3, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Hart-Celler Act, abolishing the &#8220;country-of-origin&#8221; quota system, which favored immigrants from Western countries. This change was most likely influenced by the civil rights movement, aiming at eliminating the perceived discriminatory practice in immigration. In subsequent decades, it led to an increase in immigration from outside the West, drastically altering immigration patterns and the demographic makeup of the United States. Ultimately, it contributed to the rise of multiculturalism.
<div id="attachment_1049789" style="width: 856px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049789" class="size-large wp-image-1049789" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-615297060-846x576.jpg" alt="President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Immigration Bill of 1965 on Liberty Island in New York Harbor with a view of the New York City skyline in the background. Next to the president on his right are First Lady Lady Bird Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. To the president's left are Senator Edward Kennedy (third from right) and Robert Kennedy (second from right). (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)" width="846" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-615297060-846x576.jpg 846w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-615297060-300x204.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-615297060-768x523.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-615297060.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 846px) 100vw, 846px" />President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Immigration Bill of 1965 on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)</div>
Those on the Left believe that there is no good or bad culture. Every culture is equal.
I strongly disagree. They mistake the concept of the individual with the notion of culture. While individuals who are made in the image of God have innate value and rights regardless of which culture they are from, culture, on the other hand, is a complex system of learned behavioral patterns deriving from outside influences. Not all behavioral patterns are the same, and some clearly should be condemned and rejected, as the various wicked nations surrounding Israel described in the Hebrew Scripture.
In addition, culture is a powerful force that dictates and controls individuals’ thoughts and behavioral patterns; even those who strive to go against the flow often feel compelled to comply with the socially endorsed behaviors. If culture had not had such a strong pull, then God would not have commanded the Israelites to painstakingly separate themselves from the surrounding nations.
For nearly two millennia, since the death and resurrection of Christ, Western civilization has implemented a new set of behaviors and social expectations centered on the gospel message. This Western shift toward Christianity radically diverged from other non-Western cultures. It was on this Christian foundation that America was established.
<h3>Coming To America</h3>
When I first arrived in America, I could tell immediately that American culture differed fundamentally from that of China. I noticed how free Americans were; even young children could candidly express their thoughts without worrying about being silenced by adults. I also noticed how Americans, by and large, demonstrated a strong sense of law and order and right from wrong.
In contrast, in the province where I grew up, the concept of individual value and rights was totally absent. No one could exist apart from a group. Thus, who you knew was more important than who you were. The intricate interpersonal social structure and the lack of individual rights made it impossible to execute law and order successfully. Practicality often preempted rules and morality.
<div id="attachment_1049825" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049825" class="size-large wp-image-1049825" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2188546758-864x576.jpg" alt="BEIJING, CHINA - DECEMBER 06: Large images of the late former leader Mao Zedong hang behind a vendor as a customer looks at items at a stall at the Panjiayuan Market on December 6, 2024 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2188546758-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2188546758-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2188546758-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2188546758.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</div>
Corruption has been a common practice throughout Chinese history. It’s ironic, though, that quite a number of individuals in Chinese history have stood up against the dominant culture, championing integrity and honesty. They were hailed and are still remembered as heroes and role models for the Chinese people to emulate. Nonetheless, it takes culture to transform beliefs into behaviors. That is why being upright and incorruptible has never become part of Chinese culture, only a quality to be admired. The impact of those role models, thus, remains minimal.
By no means do I suggest that every aspect of American culture — and by extension Western culture — is preferred and that all features outside of Western civilization are questionable. However, from the perspective of cultural expectations — the shared beliefs about how people should behave in society — the difference between the two groups remains unbridgeable.
For instance, take corruption. Though not all Americans are honest, and corruption does occur among American citizens and politicians, it is widely condemned by society and has not become a cultural phenomenon.
In contrast, in many non-Western countries, bribery, fraud, and dishonest dealings are often given tacit consent, even by those who despise such practices. This is why the Chinese government’s repeated attempts to crack down on corruption are more of a show than a sincere effort. It is ultimately unattainable.
Under no circumstances do I disapprove of immigrants from outside the Western world. I am one of them. What I oppose is the notion of multiculturalism, which differs from the concept of multiethnic societies.
<h3>Multiculturalism Vs. Multiethnic Societies</h3>
A multiethnic society comprises people from different cultural backgrounds who are united by a set of essential beliefs, analogous to conservative Christian denominations that share the orthodox Christian core doctrines and moral principles, while still able to retain non-essential elements in their practices.
Multiculturalism, on the other hand, is an attempt to form a co-existence of different cultures that do not share a basic conviction and whose ideologies are irreconcilable, comparable to a church encompassing Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists. The ideological incompatibility will eventually result in the dominance of one group with the extinction of the other two.
Is a multiethnic society achievable in America? My own experience says, yes. Most immigrants from a non-Western country do not ponder and analyze their own cultures before immigrating to America. They will, however, perceive the cultural differences once arriving in the United States. In a way, America’s freedom and Christian values — the core of American culture — function as a mirror, reflecting the condition of an immigrant’s own culture. Those immigrants who truly love America and treasure what she stands for would be inclined to assimilate into the American culture, relinquishing the elements in their culture that are contrary to the core beliefs of America. They would want to live in conformity with the features that have made America great — freedom, individual rights, personal responsibility, self-reliance, honesty, compassion and other Christian principles. The prerequisite of a multiethnic society is assimilation.
<div id="attachment_1050899" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1050899" class="size-large wp-image-1050899" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1460709041-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 28: People holding national flags of the United States attend a parade celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, at Chinatown on January 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by I RYU/VCG via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1460709041-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1460709041-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1460709041-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-1460709041.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />I RYU/VCG via Getty Images</div>
My own assimilation experience has not reduced my ethnic identity. Rather, it has in some way enhanced it. Take the concept of The Middle Way, for instance. It’s a prominent Chinese philosophical concept that advocates making compromises so as to find the more effective, appropriate, and harmonious path in a given situation. In a free society where excess tends to be the norm, an active pursuit of equilibrium through balance is especially practical. For me, the benefit of The Middle Way was more acutely felt after I immigrated to the United States. Indeed, while living in America, I have been able to practice many of the positive features of Chinese culture.
Even so, I am keenly aware that I am an American now and must abide by her fundamental beliefs. While I can still speak Chinese, enjoy Chinese food, and celebrate Chinese New Year, I must treasure freedom and be ready to fight to preserve it. While I can still visit the country of my origin, I must give America my first allegiance and live as the host and owner of the country, not as a guest. I must also be attentive to the events in society, knowing my constitutional rights and striving to contribute to her greatness, instead of taking advantage of her magnanimity.
Unfortunately, not every immigrant from outside the Western world shares my conviction.
<h3>Leftist Multiculturalism Courts Disaster</h3>
What Nick Shirley exposed about the Somali fraud in Minnesota may shock us, but it should not be a surprise. Aside from the green light given by the Democrat run state government, our immigration policy that encourages and enables mass immigration from a non-Western culture should also bear responsibility. This practice, in accordance with the multiculturalism of the Left, courts disaster by allowing immigrants — whose ideology is worlds apart from ours, and who love neither America nor what she stands for — bind together as a group, and thus permitting them to live as Somalians on American soil and openly and shamelessly steal American taxpayers’ money. Perhaps for them, America feels like heaven, whose welfare system has offered them such an auspicious opportunity to do what their culture is inclined to. It would have been a genuine shock if they had not stolen so much already.
<div id="attachment_1024577" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1024577" class="size-large wp-image-1024577" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2249632399-864x576.jpg" alt="MINNEAPOLIS, MN. - DECEMBER 2025: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during a press conference to address the media following reports that the Trump administration will be targeting Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities, held at City Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. Behind Frey is Minneapolis city council member Jamal Osman." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2249632399-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2249632399-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2249632399-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2249632399.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images</div>
Multiculturalism — people of different races, religions, and traditions living together — is a mirage, looking attractive only from a distance. No nation can afford multiculturalism, for diverse religions and traditions can never co-exist. One will eventually dominate the others. If we allow the idea of multiculturalism to progress, America soon will repeat the fate of Turkey and Egypt, which once were major Christian centers but were tragically replaced by Islam.
Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
America is good because her culture — centered around Judeo-Christian values and freedom — is good. Multiculturalism poses an existential threat to our culture. In contrast, a multiethnic approach protects the integrity of American culture by welcoming immigrants from diverse backgrounds, Western or not, but demanding assimilation.
* * *
<a href="https://stream.org/author/chenyuansnider/">Chenyuan Snider</a> was raised in Communist China and majored in Chinese language and literature in college. After immigrating to the United States and studying at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Duke Divinity School, she became a professor at Christian colleges and seminaries. She and her husband live in Northern California and have two grown children.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Shadows of People on the road and Flag of China concept picture

I Came From China — And I’ve Seen How This Ends For America

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Constitution

Founding Fathers

Illegal Immigation

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A man who once worked for the current mayor of a California city was sentenced to four years in prison for covertly spreading Chinese Communist Party propaganda.
Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, was sentenced to 48 months in prison on Monday by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner for acting as an illegal agent for China from 2022 to 2024. Sun once worked on the city council campaign of Democrat Eileen Wang, the current mayor of the Southern California city of Arcadia.
“For years, Sun received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening its interests as part of a campaign of intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg. 
“His conduct represents a brazen violation of our national sovereignty. This sentence reflects our commitment to prosecuting those who would extend the authoritarian reach of the Chinese government on U.S. soil,&#8221; he added.
During his time working as an agent for China, Sun submitted reports to Chinese officials highlighting his work to counter the Falun Gong minority and pro-Taiwanese independence forces and “helping to elect a like-minded individual (&#8216;Individual 1&#8217;) to political office in Southern California,” according to the Justice Department sentencing memo.
While “Individual 1” was not identified in court documents, both the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-02-10/sentence-chinese-spy-helped-elect-council-member">Los Angeles Times</a> and the <a href="https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2026/02/09/chino-hills-man-advisor-for-arcadia-leader-sentenced-to-prison-for-acting-as-unregistered-agent-for-china/">Pasadena Star-News</a> reported sources confirmed this person was Wang. Campaign documents <a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-election-interference-california-yaoning-mike-sun-d514395039bea63a8c7b8814d29d1aaa">listed</a> Sun as Wang’s campaign treasurer. Wang, who has not been charged with any crimes, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While her position is officially non-partisan, filings show that Wang switched from identifying as a <a href="https://laserfiche.arcadiaca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=866849&amp;dbid=0&amp;repo=CityofArcadia">Republican</a> to a <a href="https://laserfiche.arcadiaca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=866847&amp;dbid=0&amp;repo=CityofArcadia">Democrat</a>. The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-21/who-is-the-politician-at-the-center-of-the-latest-chinese-influence-scandal">reported</a> the switch was motivated by housing policies.
In one of his reports to Chinese officials, Sun said that he had “orchestrated and organized my team to win the election for city council” for “Individual 1,” whom he described as a “new political star.”
“Throughout 2022, defendant also worked as the campaign advisor for Individual 1, who was running for City Council in a Southern California city. Individual 1 was elected to the City Council in November 2022,” the sentencing memo said.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Sun was Wang’s fiancé and that he helped bring in donations from sources tied to the Chinese government. Wang previously said she ended her romantic relationship with Sun about eight months before he faced federal charges.
“We broke up the fiancé relationship,” Wang <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-02/china-allegedly-tried-to-influence-this-politician-she-says-shes-not-going-anywhere">said</a> in April 2025. “We keep the friendship.”
Additionally, Sun spied on then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in April 2023 when she visited the United States, and he published a website “targeting the local Chinese-American population&#8221; at the direction of PRC Consulate officials, according to the sentencing memo.
Investigators said that Sun worked with John Chen, a “high-level member of the PRC intelligence apparatus,” who previously pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent for China. Chen was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/california-man-sentenced-acting-illegal-agent-prc-government-and-bribery">sentenced</a> for his efforts to repress U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong, a persecuted religious minority in China.
In one report submitted to Chinese officials, Sun said he had been in the United States since 1996 to “persist in resisting any hostile forces that undermine the friendship of US-China relations.&#8221;
The House Select Committee on China said the sentencing should serve as a warning for the United States.
&#8220;This case is what the Select Committee has warned for years: the Chinese Communist Party is actively targeting U.S. political systems, all the way down to local elections,&#8221; the committee <a href="https://x.com/ChinaSelect/status/2021270689332764734">said</a>. &#8220;A China-directed agent orchestrated efforts to elect a city council candidate, pushed CCP propaganda through a fake local news outlet, and reported directly to PRC officials, all while on U.S. soil.&#8221;

A US and a Chinese flag wave outside a c

Man Who Worked For California Mayor Sentenced To Prison For Spreading CCP Propaganda

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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

Democracy

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Jimmy Lai

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With just days to go before the launch of one of the largest school choice programs in the country, Texas officials are fighting to ensure that no taxpayer funds go to institutions tied to the Chinese Communist Party or radical Islam.
On Saturday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/opinion-files/opinion/2026/kp-0509_2.pdf">legal opinion</a> confirming the ability of acting state Comptroller Kelly Hancock to deny participation to schools tied to America’s adversaries in the Texas Education Freedom Account program. Hancock, who is overseeing the school choice program, told The Daily Wire that his office has identified “more than a handful” of schools with problematic ties.
“There were several schools in Texas that are connected to the Chinese Communist Party, and those that hosted events [with] or are potentially connected to [the Council on American Islamic Relations],” Hancock said.
CAIR, a self-described civil rights organization with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-welcome-in-our-state-texas-governor-designates-radical-muslim-groups-as-foreign-terrorists?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘Not+Welcome+In+Our+State’%3A+Texas+Governor+Designates+‘Radical’+Muslim+Groups+As+Foreign+Terrorists">designated</a> as a terrorist organization in November by Governor Greg Abbott.
Hancock said that his office’s “priority was protecting taxpayer dollars to make sure that they didn&#8217;t end up in the hands of groups that support terrorist activity” or were “hostile” to the United States.
The Republican official is overseeing the rollout of Texas’ school choice program, which will allocate $1 billion in funding for parents to use for approved education expenses, including tuition at private schools. His office is responsible for approving schools that participate in the program and has greenlit 1,457 schools across the state.
As part of this approval process, Hancock said his office wanted to make sure that no schools with ties to CAIR or the CCP would benefit from state dollars.
“We saw some stories breaking in other states that have school choice,” Hancock told The Daily Wire. “I never lost sleep because we were ahead of the game and protecting those taxpayer dollars.”
Many of the schools flagged with problematic ties were accredited through Cognia, an accreditation nonprofit that vets many charter and private schools across the country. Hancock initially paused all approvals for schools accredited by Cognia, including some private Christian schools. But, with the legal opinion from Paxton, many Cognia-accredited schools are now being registered with the state, assuming they have no ties to foreign adversaries.
“We do want to make sure that we run it like a business, and try to protect taxpayer dollars on both sides of it,” Hancock said, asking people to be patient while his office vetted participants.
Hancock told The Daily Wire that the vetting and investigation of schools was still ongoing.
Some examples flagged by his office included the accrediting of potential providers by an agency that had hosted events alongside CAIR and another school that appeared to be owned by a group with an adviser linked to the CCP.
CAIR Texas suggested that it might sue Hancock if he scrutinizes schools that “once hosted an educational lecture from a civil rights organization that Greg Abbott happens to dislike.”
&#8220;Comptroller Hancock cannot bar private schools from this program because of their real or imagined interactions with CAIR-Texas, especially since Attorney General Paxton has sworn to a federal court that the governor&#8217;s unconstitutional proclamation targeting CAIR does not apply to any of its CAIR-Texas chapters,” the organization said. &#8220;Comptroller Hancock must permit private Muslim schools to participate in the program without facing any discrimination, heightened scrutiny or further delays in the application process.”
Abbott <a href="https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/2015479262355079329">praised</a> Paxton’s opinion, saying it would ensure that taxpayer “dollars will not be used for schools connected to groups like CAIR or countries like China that I have designated as foreign terrorist organizations.”
Parents can start applying for education scholarships on February 4, and the application period runs until March 17.

Texas Governor Abbott Signs ERCOT Reforms Legislation Into Law

Texas Bans Schools Tied To ‘America’s Adversaries’ From Education Freedom Program

CAIR

Education

Greg Abbott

Ken Paxton

School Choice

Texas

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.

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The Three American Journalists Who Fueled The CCP’s Rise 

Journalism

Leftism

Xi Jinping

Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. This is the fourth installment in a five-part series from Xi Van Fleet and Sasha Gong — both activists, scholars, and survivors of Mao’s communist uprising. In this piece, the authors explain how Democrats’ cringeworthy embrace of foul language is actually a tried-and-true strategy of revolutionary movements — one that Maoists used to frightening effect.
After the 2024 election, Democrats convinced themselves that their problem was not their embrace of divisive radical ideology or failed policies, but poor communication with the people — particularly working-class voters.
Their conclusion was simple: Donald Trump had won over working-class and minority men through vulgarity. If Trump could toss out blunt, unpolished lines, then they believed they could surpass him — and regain an electoral edge — by lacing their speeches with profanity.
Their experiment over the past few months has been awkward at best. Many Democrats now spit out curse words with visible discomfort, as if swearing were a foreign tongue.
With the exception of lawmakers like Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett — a lawyer who seamlessly flits between courtroom diction and a less polished vernacular — most Democrats can’t pull this off. Audiences have noticed the fakery and have been quick to mock the lawmakers and their newfound “edge.”
But something more sinister is afoot with Democrats’ sudden embrace of profanity.
In Mao’s China, where both of us grew up, the first casualty of the Cultural Revolution was not lives, but language. For millennia, Chinese tradition prized harmony, and criticism was expressed through subtlety, suggestion, and indirection.
Then, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution with a short essay in the People’s Daily in which he branded his opponents “poisonous.”
“They have puffed up the arrogance of the bourgeoisie and deflated the morale of the proletariat,” Mao wrote. “How poisonous!” He demanded their purge, hinting even at their physical destruction. Red Guards, intoxicated with revolutionary zeal, followed his lead. And to prove their proletarian authenticity, they laced every sentence with the Chinese equivalent of the F-word, reducing a once-elevated language to a blunt weapon of class struggle.
Crudeness soon became a prerequisite for joining the Red Guards, while proper speech was denounced as bourgeois and unworthy of the revolution. Almost overnight, vulgarity filled big-character posters, leaflets, even newspapers and magazines.
The belief was simple: the cruder the words, the closer one stood to the “chosen people” of the revolution — workers, peasants, and soldiers.
Obscenity fused seamlessly with violence. Students became mobs, hurling profanities as they smashed classrooms, beat teachers, and paraded “class enemies” through the streets. Language collapsed into humiliation, torture, and public killing. For 10 years, Mao’s China lived under obscenity and terror. A generation had its soul poisoned; a civilization’s fabric was shredded.
The revolutionary tradition carries on in China today. More than once, the current Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping has warned that China’s enemies will be reduced to fen shen sui gu — literally, “a body ground into powder and bones smashed to pieces.” If you wonder why Xi speaks with such brutal bluntness and violent vocabulary, the roots lie with Mao.
The Chinese Communists believed that vulgar language could rally the masses into revolutionary action. In practice, it mobilized the worst elements of society. The tragedy was that it never reflected the authentic voice of the working class. Real working people in China, though they might not speak the “King’s Chinese,” cherished the hope that their children would. They understood that education and refinement elevate one’s status. Coarse language, by contrast, chained people to the bottom. As George Bernard Shaw showed in “Pygmalion” —later adapted into the hit musical “My Fair Lady” — speech is the passport to opportunity.
Like Mao, Democrats operate on the same false assumption about their base. Instead of lifting the working class, they trap voters in a linguistic and cultural ghetto, telling themselves that this is what the people want and deserve — all while pretending to champion them.
By forcing obscenities into their speeches, Democratic leaders sound neither authentic nor loyal. They sound desperate.
They have also badly misread Trump. Pseudo-intellectuals assumed the president’s appeal lay in coarseness. In reality, it lay in candor. Trump does not speak from consultant-written scripts. He speaks with raw, sometimes jarring honesty that working people recognize. He stands with the average Joe because, culturally, he is one of them — not by wealth or pedigree, but by instinct.
He talks about jobs, factories, borders, and national pride. He despises management jargon and academic euphemism. His voters love him not for his rough edges, but for his faithfulness to what they live and feel. Democrats may try to imitate populists, but until they truly understand them, they cannot be believed.
Language can heal, elevate, and liberate. Or it can poison, debase, and destroy. In their anti-Trump frenzy, Democrats have humiliated themselves, degraded voters, and poisoned the young. They must stop — or be stopped.
READ MORE:
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/license-to-kill-what-turns-normal-people-to-political-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Maoists, Part I: License To Kill: What Turns Normal People To Political Violence?</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-wheel-of-misfortune-victims-victimhood-and-victimization?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Xi+Van+Fleet+and+Sasha+Gong&amp;category=Opinion&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=The+Wheel+Of+Misfortune%3A+Victims%2C+Victimhood%2C+And+Victimization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Maoists, Part II: The Wheel Of Misfortune: Victims, Victimhood, And Victimization</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/from-red-guard-to-blue-hair-why-leftists-destroy-womanhood?author=Xi+Van+Fleet+and+Sasha+Gong&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=From+Red+Guard+To+Blue+Hair%3A+Why+Leftists+Destroy+Womanhood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Maoists, Part III: From Red Guard To Blue Hair: Why Leftists Destroy Womanhood</a>
<h4><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=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Erasing+History%3A+The+Real+Cultural+Marxism">American Maoists, Part V: Erasing History: The Real Cultural Marxism</a></h4>
Xi Van Fleet is a survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, an activist, and the author of “Mao’s America: A Survivor’s Warning.”
Sasha Gong is a writer, scholar, journalist, and filmmaker. A dissident in Mao’s China, she holds a PhD from Harvard University and was previously Director of the China Branch at Voice of America.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Best Of 2025: Like Communists, Democrats Want To Trap Voters In A Linguistic Ghetto

Communism

Democrats

Profanity

With growing threats to higher education and state government, Wisconsin Republicans have a plan to put the Badger State at the forefront of combating Chinese Communist Party influence.
Five Wisconsin Republicans unveiled a series of bills this week to keep CCP influence out of state government and institutions of higher education. If the legislative package is passed, national security experts say that Wisconsin would become a state leader in combating China. 
“We can all agree and should be able to rally around the fact that we should not be supporting or doing anything to support organizations, such as the Chinese Communist Party, that seek to undermine the foundational things that make America exceptional,” Senator Patrick Testin told The Daily Wire. 
The bills would block partnerships between the University of Wisconsin system and China, prevent state agencies from contracting with companies controlled by China, ban critical telecommunication companies from using equipment manufactured by foreign adversaries, crack down on transnational repression, target illegal organ harvesting, and protect genetic data from countries like China.
The lawmakers behind the legislative package include Testin, Senator Cory Tomczyk, Representative Daniel Knodl, Representative Clint Moses, and Representative Alex Dallman.
Testin said that the CCP wants “to embed themselves in every element and sector” to “essentially extend their tentacles and their influence.”
The higher education bill would ban the University of Wisconsin from entering into “a collaboration agreement, academic partnership, or research partnership with a college or university based in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, or Qatar,” according to a draft shared with The Daily Wire. 
There would be an exception if a federal law enforcement agency performs a national security assessment. 
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
A recent House <a href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/press-releases/new-investigative-report-uncovers-billions-in-taxpayer-money-used-to-fund-chinese-military-apparatus">report</a> listed over a dozen Pentagon grants to the university worth tens of millions of dollars that raised concerns over links to China. The university also has relationships with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250929185535/https://tc.seu.edu.cn/jt_en/2017/1230/c16823a206389/page.htm">Southeast University in Nanjing</a> and <a href="https://alc.wisc.edu/2019/06/18/uw-madison-celebrates-40-year-relationship-with-nanjing-university/">Nanjing University</a>, both of which have been <a href="https://www.civitas.org.uk/content/files/The-Strategic-Dependence-of-UK-Universities-on-China-.pdf">assessed</a> to have medium to high risk in terms of Chinese defense ties. 
Another bill would stop state agencies from contracting with organizations that are headquartered in certain countries, like China, or are controlled or majority-owned by the Chinese government or the CCP. 
A third bill would prohibit “telecommunications providers from purchasing, renting, leasing, obtaining, or maintaining critical telecommunications infrastructure that includes equipment manufactured by a foreign principal of a foreign adversary.”
Another bill aims to protect the genetic data of Americans. It would ban “the use of genetic software from foreign adversaries in medical and research facilities, the storage of any human genome sequencing data within the borders of a foreign adversary.”
State Rep. Clint Moses told The Daily Wire that the intent of that legislation was to ensure that genetic data was not being used for biological warfare or other “nefarious” purposes. 
Another measure part of the package would prohibit “coverage of organ transplantation and related care under health insurance policies and the Medical Assistance program if the organ is transplanted in or originates from a country known to have participated in forced organ harvesting.”
There are between 25,000 and 50,000 people in China every year whose organs are harvested against their will, according to some estimates. 
“When you start looking at what some of these countries are doing, particularly in China, where they’re getting organs for transplant usage, obviously from inmates, prisoners,” Moses said. “I think, [Americans] would find that absolutely shocking and atrocious, because it’s a humanitarian issue. It’s a crime against humanity.”
The final bill in the package would give more teeth to law enforcement in punishing those engaging in transnational repression. Other bills aiming to prevent foreign adversaries from owning land in Wisconsin and to keep Chinese software off state devices are also working their way through the legislature. 
Michael Lucci, the founder of the national security advocacy group State Armor, said that Wisconsin would become the model in the Midwest for targeting China if all of the proposals pass. He said states need to take increasingly strong action to safeguard themselves. 
“Over time, the breadth and scale of the threat has become more apparent and it has grown. It&#8217;s become clear it&#8217;s quite large,” he told The Daily Wire. “Therefore, the American response, which is both federal and state, needs to expand and become more forceful.”

TOPSHOT-CHINA-EXPO2010

Crouching Badger, Hidden Dragon: How Wisconsin Republicans Are Fighting China

University of Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Days after Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, I asked Xi Van Fleet — an activist and survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution — to offer her thoughts on the socialist upstart.
“The danger of Communism is not that it comes all at once,” Van Fleet <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-lived-in-the-communist-world-zohran-mamdani-dreams-of-its-worse-than-you-could-imagine?author=Xi+Van+Fleet&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=I+Lived+In+The+Communist+World+Zohran+Mamdani+Dreams+Of.+It%E2%80%99s+Worse+Than+You+Could+Imagine.">wrote</a> in July, “but that it creeps in gradually. I’ve seen where that road leads. And I’m here to say: don’t go down it.”
Now that Mamdani is poised to be the next mayor of New York City, and his future in Democratic politics all but guaranteed, this warning is more important than ever. That’s why The Daily Wire is proud to introduce a new series of essays this week from Van Fleet and Sasha Gong, a scholar and survivor of the Cultural Revolution.
“American Maoists: Warnings From The Cultural Revolution” lays bare the similarities between Chinese communists and American Leftists on everything from political violence to gender insanity.
The result is a chilling and timely warning about the state of American politics. — Tim Rice
*** 
On September 10, the world was shaken by the brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a bright star of the conservative grassroots movement. He was gunned down by a 22-year-old man while doing what he always did: engaging students in open debate on a college campus.
An even darker reality followed. While legacy media outlets scrambled to whitewash the murder, social media platforms, especially TikTok, were flooded with posts openly celebrating this unspeakable act of political violence.
How did we reach such a point where assassination is not only excused but openly applauded? And where will this path of legitimized violence take us next? We, two immigrants from China, have seen this descent before. And tragically, we know all too well where it leads.
August 1966 in Mao’s China is forever remembered as Red August, also called the month of Red Terror. Less than three months into the Cultural Revolution, Mao’s indoctrinated Red Guards — youths ranging from college students to even elementary school children — unleashed a wave of political violence against “class enemies” in Metropolitan Beijing.
The Red Terror claimed more than 1,772 lives. Many victims were randomly picked by the mob. This was only the beginning. The violence soon swept across the nation, and by the end of the Cultural Revolution, as many as 20 million had perished.
You may wonder how Mao turned children into killers overnight. But the truth is, he didn’t.
It took nearly two decades of relentless indoctrination in schools and universities — 17 years from the time the communists seized power in 1949 — to mold a generation ready to carry out Mao’s will. At the core of this indoctrination was a single lesson: to love the Party with absolute devotion and to hate its ‘class enemies’ with equal passion — even if those enemies were one’s own parents.
Showing loyalty was the only path to societal recognition and status elevation. The more extreme, the better.
Some in the West may remember Bo Xilai — once a promising contender for the CCP’s top job, until his rival Xi Jinping put him in prison for life. The son of Vice Premier Bo Yibo, Bo Xilai became one of the earliest Red Guard organizers when he was only 17. After so many ordinary people were killed by the Red Guards, Mao turned against his political opponents, the true target of the Cultural Revolution. Among them was Bo’s father. To prove his loyalty, the son took part in the public humiliation and beating of his father, and reportedly broke three of his father’s ribs.
In America, the Left has had even more time — far longer than Mao’s seventeen years — since taking control of the educational system and the media. Their relentless indoctrination and propaganda have now borne the bitter fruit they labored so hard to cultivate.
Although America has not experienced anything on the scale of China’s Cultural Revolution, the soil has been made disturbingly fertile for it. Both the CCP and American Leftists use the same Marxist operating system: pitting the oppressors against the oppressed to divide people and define enemies. Simply by labeling their opponents Hitler, Nazi, Fascists, KKK — all extremists on the left of the political spectrum — they are able to empower the indoctrinated army to take the step to eliminate the threat to their “our democracy.”
When a society accepts, justifies, and even cheers political violence, the license to kill has been granted. In just the past few years, we have witnessed the 2020 BLM and Antifa riots that burned cities and cost dozens of lives, assassination attempts on President Trump, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and escalating attacks on ICE.
The survival of our republic and our civilization depend on us taking away that license to commit violence. Otherwise, we will descend into something akin to Mao’s China.
Xi Van Fleet is a survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, activist, and author of “Mao’s America: A Survivor’s Warning.&#8221;
Sasha Gong is a writer, scholar, journalist, and filmmaker. A dissident in Mao&#8217;s China, she holds a PhD from Harvard University and was previously Director of the China Branch at Voice of America.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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License To Kill: What Turns Normal People To Political Violence?

Political Violence

Zohran Mamdani

Communism may sound appealing to those who have never lived under it. It promises fairness, equality, and justice. But behind the slogans lies a brutal reality: misery, scarcity, and repression. I know this, because I lived it.
Zohran Mamdani, who just won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, is not merely another progressive. He is a full-fledged Communist, as revealed in a recently resurfaced video where he uses unmistakably Marxist language to outline his vision for the city.
This is his plan: seizing the means of production, elevating class consciousness, government-controlled housing, state-run grocery stores, and the redistribution of wealth and “dignity.”
To many, this may sound like abstract political theory. But to me, it’s the nightmare I lived through in Mao’s China.
Take Mamdani’s call to “seize the means of production.” Most Americans have no idea what that really means. It means the government takes ownership of everything: businesses, factories, land, resources, and capital. It means that no one owns anything — not their homes, not their labor, not even their lives. In Maoist China, we were stripped of property and turned into mere tools of the state.
Over time, we became the property of the Communist Party itself. It didn’t just own the “means of production.” It owned us.
<div id="attachment_942335" style="width: 395px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-942335" class="size-large wp-image-942335" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/IMG-2613-385x576.jpg" alt="" width="385" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/IMG-2613-385x576.jpg 385w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/IMG-2613-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/IMG-2613-768x1150.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/IMG-2613-1026x1536.jpg 1026w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/IMG-2613-1368x2048.jpg 1368w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/IMG-2613.jpg 1440w" sizes=" (max-width: 385px) 100vw, 385px" />The author dressed as a &#8220;little red guard,&#8221; holding Mao&#8217;s &#8220;little red book&#8221; during the Cultural Revolution (Xi Van Fleet)</div>
Mamdani talks about redistributing wealth — a notion that may sound noble, but in practice leads to ruin. Socialism excels at redistribution but utterly fails at creating wealth. In Mao’s China, the state eventually ran out of resources to distribute, and we were all made equally poor. Yet we were taught to celebrate that poverty, because wealth was portrayed as evil and exploitative — just as Mamdani now claims there should be no billionaires in America.
But poverty was never equal. The Party elites were never hungry, and never deprived. They lived in comfort while the rest of us endured scarcity and fear. That’s what Communist “equality” truly means: enforced misery for the many, privilege for the few. Mamdani grew up enjoying the comfort made possible by the American dream. Now he seeks to dismantle that very dream — not just for New Yorkers, but for all Americans.
He also speaks of “redistributing dignity” — as if dignity is something the government can grant or withhold.
This is a core Communist belief. In America, we understand that dignity does not come from the state; it is inherent, endowed by our Creator, as affirmed in the Declaration of Independence. Just as there is no dignity in slavery, there is none under Communism.
In Mao’s China, we were constantly told to be grateful to the Party for every crumb we received. We were not seen as individuals with rights, but as human resources — tools to be exploited by the state. From a very young age we were taught that each of us was just a tiny screw, and that true happiness came from accepting whatever role the Party assigned us in the big socialist machine. It is hard to speak of dignity under Communism when its very goal is to erase individuality.
In Mao’s China, housing was granted by the state. My family of five was assigned one and a half small rooms. We shared a kitchen and toilet with multiple other families — and we were the lucky ones. Most families had no plumbing at all. There was no privacy. There was no choice. That is what government-run housing looks like — not the idealized version Mamdani promises, but a system in which the state decides what you deserve and where you live.
Mamdani’s plan for government-run grocery cooperatives closely mirrors what I experienced under Communism. In Mao’s China, food distribution was centralized and strictly rationed. The result was chronic scarcity. Shelves were often bare, and long lines were a part of daily life. When the state controls the food supply, it controls people. Hunger becomes a tool of obedience, and survival depends on loyalty to the regime.
What alarms me most is not just how radical a Communist Mamdani is, but that New York City voters chose Communism, knowingly or unknowingly. The voting results show that the majority of his supporters are educated white liberals. They have been indoctrinated by the American education system to reject capitalism and view socialism as compassionate — a cure for all the problems in their city.
My message to them is simple: while capitalism does not guarantee wealth for everyone, socialism guarantees poverty for all — except those in power.
In 2024, the American people rejected Communism by electing President Donald Trump. But the fight is far from over. Communism — disguised as Wokeism — continues to take root, especially in New York.
One of the most prominent Socialists from New York is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In 2022, self-proclaimed socialist Kristen Gonzalez won the state senate seat in District 59. In her victory speech, she declared, “Today we really proved that socialism wins. We are not going anywhere, and we will not stop until we see a socialist slate across this city.” Three years later, we see a socialist poised to become the mayor of the greatest capitalist city in the world.
More than 30 years ago, I escaped Communism by coming to America. I came here for freedom — the very freedom Mamdani now seeks to dismantle. The danger of Communism is not that it comes all at once, but that it creeps in gradually, wrapped in words like “justice” and “equity.” I’ve seen where that road leads. And I’m here to say: don’t go down it.
Let my experience serve as your warning. Communism always promises paradise. But it always delivers misery.
Xi Van Fleet is a survivor of Mao&#8217;s Cultural Revolution, an activist, and author of &#8220;Mao&#8217;s America: A Survivor&#8217;s Warning.&#8221;
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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New York City Mayoral Candidates Campaign Ahead Of Primary Election

I Lived In The Communist World Zohran Mamdani Dreams Of. It’s Worse Than You Could Imagine.

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Socialism

Elon Musk and fiscal conservatives are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s new budget bill, warning it could add trillions to the national debt. The White House has officially replaced Pride Month with “Title IX Month,” focusing on protecting women’s sports and spaces. And, two Chinese nationals were arrested for attempting to smuggle a dangerous agricultural pathogen into the United States.
It’s Thursday, June 5, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
 
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Budget Battles &amp; The &#8216;Big Beautiful Bill&#8217;</h2>
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Topline: The Senate takes up debate of Trump’s budget bill – while Musk raises concern over the massive debt.
 Elon Musk made waves this week with his criticism of President Trump’s big, beautiful bill, and budget hawks couldn’t be happier. 
On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the big beautiful bill would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. The Trump administration says this estimate is wrong — Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought says the CBO is “not using a realistic current policy baseline” and that the bill would actually reduce the debt by $1.4 trillion over 10 years.
Musk, who just stepped back from his government post last week, said Tuesday that the bill was a “disgusting abomination.” Republicans who opposed the bill, like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quickly joined Musk in slamming the bill. Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee took a different tack, saying that the bill that passed the House was flawed and that the Senate can improve it.
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Democrats joined the fight, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=530108">highlighting</a> that even “Trump’s buddy” doesn’t like his spending bill. “If even Elon Musk, who’s been part of the whole process and who’s Trump’s buddy, says the bill is bad, you can imagine how bad this bill is.”
Trump defended the bill but stopped short of slamming Elon, instead turning his ire on Senator Paul, saying: “Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas. His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him. This is a BIG GROWTH BILL!”
Meanwhile, the White House sent Congress a $9.4 billion rescission package. This bill codifies a number of DOGE cuts, including federal funding for PBS and NPR. Members of the House Freedom Caucus are demanding a vote on this package immediately, and both House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) say they’re eager to call a vote on the bill as quickly as possible.
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<h2>Trump Administration Rebrands June</h2>
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Topline: Instead of Pride Month, the Trump White House announced that June will be dedicated to highlighting the protection of women’s spaces.
It’s June in Washington, D.C., but the Pride flags that have become ubiquitous in many of the city’s public spaces are notably absent. Under President Joe Biden’s administration, the White House issued an annual Pride proclamation celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex Pride Month. It hosted a now-infamous Pride celebration on the White House lawn, where a trans-identifying activist drew some serious backlash for posing for topless photos and videos. The White House was heavily decorated with rainbow-colored decor, and Biden and his wife, Jill, mingled with pro-trans activists. 
This year, however, things are looking different. The Daily Wire broke the news that the Department of Education would declare June “Title IX Month” rather than Pride Month. That move is intended to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Title IX’s passage, and the Education Department plans to spend June highlighting what the Trump administration has done so far to reverse the Biden administration’s weaponization of Title IX. 
And the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating two significant cases that developed under Biden. One of those deals with a little girl who was allegedly forced to share a bed with a boy who identifies as a girl on an overnight trip. The other deals with a boy joining a sorority at the University of Wyoming, living in the sorority house, and ogling girls in their towels.
“The Biden administration just really muddied the waters on Title IX, tried to get all kinds of different things passed through relative to gender identification,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told The Daily Wire. “That has now been rolled back.&#8221;
The Pentagon announced in January that “identity months” are dead at the Defense Department, and it specifically said Pride Month would not be celebrated anymore. This week, sources tell The Daily Wire that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would order the renaming of a U.S. Navy ship named after gay rights activist Harvey Milk, a Navy veteran who was assassinated in 1978 after being elected to San Francisco&#8217;s Board of Supervisors. He has been repeatedly accused of grooming young boys.
The FBI also startled the world on Monday when it announced that it’s looking for tips on any hospitals, clinics, or practitioners performing transgender surgeries on minors. The bureau promised in a tweet: “We will protect our children and hold accountable those who mutilate them under the guise of gender-affirming care.”
Meanwhile, other Republicans are aggressively messaging against Pride Month and for celebrating traditional values. On Tuesday, Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-gop-resolution-declares-june-family-month-instead-of-pride-month">introduced a resolution</a> declaring June “Family Month.&#8221; 
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<h2>Chinese Nationals Arrested For Smuggling Pathogen</h2>
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Topline: Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for allegedly smuggling a dangerous pathogen into the United States.
This week, we learned that the FBI has arrested two Chinese nationals accused of attempting to smuggle Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous biological pathogen, into the United States. 
One of those individuals, Yunqing Jian, worked as a researcher at the University of Michigan. The FBI says she has expressed loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and has received funding from Beijing in the past to study similar pathogens in China. The other individual, her boyfriend Zunyong Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducted similar research. 
According to the DOJ, Liu “made false statements&#8221; to federal authorities &#8220;about the purpose of his visit to the United States, and his knowledge of the existence of the biological pathogen in his possession.” But he later admitted that he planned on using his girlfriend’s access at the University of Michigan to conduct research. 
The two have now been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. 
Fusarium graminearum is a noxious fungus that scientists consider a potential agroterrorism weapon. It causes head blight, a fungal disease that spreads among wheat, barley, maize, and rice crops, causing plants to shrivel and die, leaving behind infected kernels that can blow away and spread to the next field. The fungus is responsible for billions of dollars in ruined crops each year. Also, it poses a significant risk to humans and animals, causing vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects if accidentally ingested. 
FBI Director Kash Patel called the incident a “sobering reminder that the CCP is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences… putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.”
While it’s not yet clear if this was part of a broader effort to unleash a bioweapon on American crops, it is clear that China is using students and researchers to steal American research from universities. In 2019, a Chinese professor at UCLA was convicted of trying to illegally obtain semiconductors with military applications so he could smuggle them back to China. Then, a year later, a Chinese national at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/harvard-university-professor-and-two-chinese-nationals-charged-three-separate-china-related">Harvard</a> was caught attempting to smuggle 21 vials of cancer research from a medical lab back to China. Similar arrests have been made at the University of Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas A&amp;M.

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Morning Brief: Trump Cancels Pride Month & Elon Musk Trashes Trump’s Bill

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

Morning Wire

Politics

Pride

Pride Month

On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Committee on Homeland Security advanced a number of bills to combat terrorism, strengthen security at the border, and counter the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts against America.
“I am proud of this Committee’s work to advance legislation that protects Americans from growing threats to our homeland and our way of life,” Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) stated. “For far too long, the CCP has tried to influence American higher education, target and harass dissidents on U.S. soil, and infiltrate our critical infrastructure and government networks. Today, this Committee stood up to China, advancing bills from Chairman Pfluger and Rep. Ogles to counter the real and growing threat they pose in our own backyard.”
“We also will not forget the serious threats sparked by the Biden-Harris administration’s historic border crisis. That’s why Committee Republicans advanced bills from Reps. [Marjorie Taylor] Greene and [Clay] Higgins to demand transparency on the number of Special Interest Aliens encountered at our borders and enhance efforts to detect deadly drugs like fentanyl at our land ports of entry,” he continued. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to swiftly pass these bills to increase transparency and give Custom (sic) and Border Protection (CBP) more enforcement tools.”
Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee Chairman Rep. August Pfluger’s (R-TX)  bill, H.R. 881, the “DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act,” would restrict DHS from funding American universities that host a Confucius Institute and require &#8220;certain disclosures related to Chinese entities of concern.&#8221;
Rep. Pfluger also introduced H.R. 2158, the “Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025,” which would establish a dedicated transnational repression working group with DHS, thus protecting Chinese and Iranian dissidents who voice criticism of their countries’ despotic governments.
Rep. Clay Higgins’ (R-LA) bill, H.R. 1569, the “CATCH Fentanyl Act,” would further empower CBP to test and evaluate new technologies for deployment at U.S. points of entry.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) bill, H.R. 275, the “Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2024,” would require DHS to publicly release information monthly on the number of special interest alien encounters.
Rep. Morgan Luttrell’s (R-TX) bill, H.R. 1327, the “Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act, would ensure the Department of Homeland Security conducts an assessment of terrorist threats the United States posed by individuals in Syria with an affiliation to a foreign terrorist organization or a specially designated global terrorist organization.
Rep. Andy Ogles’ (R-TN) bill, H.R. 2659, the “Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act,” would target the escalating cybersecurity threats from the Chinese Communist Party and its state-sponsored cyber actors. oil.”

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