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.

Chinese Communist Party

Communist China

New York City

Socialism

Zohran Mamdani

Two Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly working on behalf of a Chinese intelligence agency to recruit members of the United States military to betray America, the Justice Department announced.
The Justice Department said Tuesday that the FBI on June 27 had arrested 38-year-old Yuance Chen, a Chinese national who has legal permanent residency in Oregon, and 39-year-old Liren “Ryan” Lai, a Chinese national who entered the country on a tourist visa in April. Both were charged with operating within the United States as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the attorney general.
The criminal complaint against them says that they were working on behalf of the Ministry of State Security (MSS), Communist China’s primary foreign intelligence service. Specifically, they are accused of attempting to recruit members of the Navy to be assets for the MSS.
“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/justice-department-charges-two-individuals-acting-agents-prc-government">said</a> Attorney General Pam Bondi. “The Justice Department will not stand by while hostile nations embed spies in our country – we will expose foreign operatives, hold their agents to account, and protect the American people from covert threats to our national security.”
In January 2022, the pair facilitated the leaving of a backpack containing $10,000 from MSS in a locker at a recreational facility in Livermore, California, in a dead-drop payment in exchange for national security information on the United States, according to the Justice Department.
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“The FBI arrested two Chinese nationals who were allegedly attempting to recruit U.S. military service members on behalf of the PRC,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on U.S. soil, utilizing spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources.”
The two also allegedly worked together to obtain recruitment information from a Naval installation in Washington and a Navy recruitment center in San Gabriel, California. Chen stole personal recruitment information and sent it to an MSS agent in China, the Justice Department said.
Chen allegedly met with MSS intelligence officers in April 2024 and March 2025 to discuss his assignments and what he would be paid. If convicted, the pair of Chinese nationals could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

AG Bondi, FBI Director Patel Hold Press Conference In Florida After Drug Seizure

Chinese Nationals Arrested Over Plot To Recruit American Military Personnel

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Crime

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Spying

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GE Appliances announced this week that it&#8217;s moving even more of its production from China to Kentucky, and investing nearly half-a-billion dollars.
The company is moving most of its washing machine production to Kentucky, spending $490 million in the process, and creating at least 800 full-time jobs. The move is expected to be completed by 2027.
&#8220;We are bringing laundry production to our global headquarters in Louisville because manufacturing in the U.S. is fundamental to our ‘zero-distance’ business strategy to make appliances as close as possible to our customers and consumers,&#8221; GE Appliances President and CEO Kevin Nolan <a href="https://pressroom.geappliances.com/news/ge-appliances-doubles-down-on-u-s-manufacturing-with-490-million-laundry-plant-investment-at-its-global-headquarters-in-louisville-kentucky">said</a> in a statement.
&#8220;This decision is our most recent product reshoring and aligns with the current economic and policy environment,&#8221; Nolan said, adding that the investment &#8220;positions&#8221; GE &#8220;to become the biggest American washer manufacturer.&#8221;
The announcement comes amid President Donald Trump using tariffs on a host of countries, including China, to help restore what he views as fair trade, American manufacturing, and also address national security issues, like illegal immigration and fentanyl.
Additionally, under Trump, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/11/cpi-inflation-may-2025.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflation has cooled</a> and gas prices have hit a <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/summer-gas-prices-hit-lowest-level-4-years-despite-middle-east-tensions">four-year low</a>.
GE&#8217;s Appliance Park, a massive industrial complex located in Louisville, already employs around 8,000 workers, the company said. Additionally, GE has invested $3.5 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations over the past ten years.
&#8220;This investment will move production of more than 15 models of front load washers to Building 2 at Appliance Park – bringing the total area of clothes care production to the equivalent of 33 football fields,&#8221; a statement from the company said.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, praised the move from GE.
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“Today’s announcement further secures Louisville as the global headquarters of GE Appliances, a Haier company, and brings more world-class, unparalleled appliance manufacturing back to the United States,” he said in a statement on Thursday. 
“This new investment strengthens one of our vital Kentucky assets and underscores our state’s reputation as America’s destination of choice for advanced manufacturing and job creation,&#8221; he added.
A number of companies have committed to investing in the U.S. since Trump took office, including South Korean-based car manufacturer Hyundai, which is <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/03/president-trump-is-remaking-america-into-a-manufacturing-superpower/">investing</a> $21 billion in U.S. onshoring, including a $5.8 billion steel plant in Louisiana. Pharmaceutical giant Johnson &amp; Johnson, too, announced plans to invest $55 billion in U.S. manufacturing. And in February, tech company <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-manufacturing-domestic-tariffs/">Apple</a> committed to spending more than $500 billion on U.S. manufacturing capabilities over the next four years.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ted-cruz-exposes-chinas-plot-to-undermine-american-energy-a-coordinated-assault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ted Cruz Exposes China’s Plot To Undermine American Energy: ‘A Coordinated Assault’</a>

Trump/GE

GE Appliances Moving Production From China To Red State

General Electric Moves Production From China To Red State

Donald Trump

Economy

Kentucky

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) &#8211; China&#8217;s auto industry has inflated car sales for years through a burgeoning government-backed grey market that registers new cars right off the assembly line and then ships them overseas as &#8220;used&#8221; vehicles.
These so-called &#8220;zero-mileage&#8221; cars have never been driven but they are being exported as used to markets like Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East, allowing Chinese automakers to show growth and to dispose of cars that it would be difficult to sell domestically, according to a Reuters review of government documents and interviews with five auto dealers and car traders.
&#8220;This is the outcome of an almost-four-year price war that has made companies desperate to book any sales possible,&#8221; said Tu Le, Michigan-based founder of consultancy Sino Auto Insights.
The practice only gained national attention after the boss of Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor criticized the sale of zero-mileage used cars within China in May. On June 10 the People&#8217;s Daily newspaper condemned the sale of zero-mileage used cars domestically.
The paper, which often signals the positions of China&#8217;s top Communist Party leaders, blamed these fake used cars for driving down prices amid a withering domestic price war and called for &#8220;tough regulatory action&#8221; to restore order.
But the export and sale of fake used cars is actively encouraged by regional governments in China, according to a Reuters review of state media reports and government documents.
Local governments have embraced the practice as vital to meeting ambitious targets for economic growth set by Beijing, according to a Reuters review of local policy documents and state media articles.
Reuters has identified 20 local governments in China &#8211; including major export hubs like Guangdong and Sichuan &#8211; that have described their support for the export of zero-mileage used cars in publicly available government documents.
The tactics include creating extra licenses for the export of zero-mileage used cars, fast-tracking tax rebate claims, investing in export infrastructure, and funding networking events to encourage zero-mileage used-car exports, the government documents showed.
The zero-mileage used car export market works like this: as a fresh car emerges from the assembly line, an exporter buys the car either directly from the automaker or from a dealer, registers it with a Chinese license plate, and then immediately marks it as a second-hand car for shipping abroad. Along the way, the automaker books the car as sold and logs the revenue.
The support for the practice from local governments would make little sense anywhere outside China&#8217;s centrally planned economy. But here, showing rapid growth in sales and employment can bring about promotion or unlock new funding while missing economic targets that trickle down from Beijing can lead to demotions of local officials.
Because these export firms both purchase and sell a single car, the transaction value is double that of new or used-car purchases, so local governments court them to set up shop on their turf to quickly and artificially boost their GDP statistics, two Chinese auto industry executives said.
The tactic is only one sign that China&#8217;s car industry – the world&#8217;s largest – is allowing production to outpace demand, driving a protracted domestic price war and spurring accusations of automotive &#8220;dumping&#8221; abroad.
Cui Dongshu, the secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association, praised the practice earlier this month during an online panel discussion hosted by Tencent’s news portal, saying it was an alternative channel for automakers in China to access certain markets overseas that they may not be able to access due to rising trade barriers globally.
He added that it also helped to satisfy overseas demand for China-made cars in countries where Chinese brands had yet to enter.
Reuters contacted all the local governments mentioned in this article for comment but none responded. China&#8217;s State Council and commerce ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China&#8217;s foreign ministry referred queries on the practice to &#8220;the department in charge,&#8221; without elaborating.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Local government support has taken various forms, from simplifying paperwork, to allocating extra quotas for local vehicle registrations, to setting up free warehouses for zero-mileage used cars close to China&#8217;s land and maritime borders, the Chinese documents showed.
In February 2024, the planning commission of the southern city of Shenzhen, one of China&#8217;s richest cities and a tech hub that is home to Huawei and Tencent, pledged to expand the export of zero-mileage used cars as part of efforts to reach an annual target to export 400,000 vehicles of all kinds.
Nearby, the southern Chinese metropolis Guangzhou announced earlier this year it had created a mechanism to support and accelerate the export of zero-mileage gasoline vehicles by allocating extra quotas for local registrations that are otherwise capped to mitigate traffic congestion and air pollution in the city.
Xinmi, a district of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of China&#8217;s third-most populous province of Henan, said in February that it helped local firm Xinjiasheng Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd to &#8220;promote zero-mileage used car exports, in order to use exports to drive domestic sales.&#8221;
Reuters found a dozen local governments were boosting the export of zero-mileage used cars as part of their strategy or core to their plans for growth.
Sichuan province, one of China&#8217;s most important economic engines, said in October in a policy document it had supported the creation of an &#8220;online export ecosystem for zero-mileage used NEVs&#8221; by promoting e-commerce platforms like Alibaba International, where 100 Sichuan-based used-car sellers are now active.
Xinjiasheng Supply Chain Management and Alibaba did not respond to requests for comment.
MARKET SHIFTS
The practice began sometime after 2019 when China allowed used cars to be exported to other countries. Now thousands of traders are involved in passing off new cars as used to qualify for the channel, according to Wang Meng, a consultant for the China Automobile Dealers Association.
Of the 436,000 used passenger and commercial vehicles exported by China in 2024, 90% are estimated to be &#8220;zero-mileage,&#8221; Wang said.
China overtook Japan to become the world&#8217;s largest exporter of new cars in 2023 and exported 6.41 million vehicles last year, according to the China Passenger Car Association. Of these, about 6% would have actually been zero-mileage used cars, according to Wang&#8217;s estimates.
Two dealers and two industry experts said the majority of zero-mileage used cars are gasoline powered and thus less desirable in the Chinese market. But electric vehicles, which are subject to generous government-funded purchase subsidies, also make up a significant portion.
Huanyu Auto, a used-car seller in China&#8217;s west metropolis of Chongqing, expanded to the zero-mileage used-car business in 2022.
The returns were so good in 2022 and 2023 that they were able to earn 10,000 yuan ($1,400) in profit off an electric sedan that they had purchased in China for 40,000 yuan by selling it in Central Asia, said William Ng, director of the firm&#8217;s international market division.
Criticism has started to mount. On June 7, Zhu Huarong, chairman of Chinese automaker Changan called for a crackdown on exports of zero-mileage used cars at a Chinese auto conference, saying the practice could &#8220;enormously damage Chinese brands&#8217; image&#8221; abroad. Changan did not respond to a request for further comment.
Xing Lei, the Massachusetts-based founder of consultancy AutoXing which provides insights on Chinese EV companies to foreign investors, said the practice could cause foreign investors to assess Chinese automakers&#8217; sales skeptically.
&#8220;How many are real or inflated? No one knows,&#8221; he said.
&#8216;DUMPING&#8217; CONCERNS
The proliferation of new cars being shipped for sale with &#8220;used&#8221; tags is reinforcing fears that China is dumping subsidized vehicles overseas, at a time when Beijing is scrambling to find export markets outside the United States, now heavily protected by tariffs.
Some countries, concerned that the influx of cars will crowd out local dealers and confuse consumers, are starting to push back.
&#8220;We&#8217;re definitely seeing friction and tension in markets where there are already manufacturers on the ground there,&#8221; said Michael Dunne, a consultant who closely follows the China auto industry.
Russia in 2023 issued a government decree effectively banning zero-mileage used cars from brands that already had official distributors in the country. The commerce bureau of Heihe, a Chinese city that sits on the China-Russia border, said last November on its website that this applied to Chinese brands such as Chery, Changan, and Geely.
Geely declined to comment while Chery and Changan did not respond to requests for comment.
Other countries&#8217; market regulators, including Jordan, are finetuning their definition of used cars by mandating a longer period after a vehicle&#8217;s licensing or production before it is classified as used.
Ng, of Huanyu Auto, said growing competition from new entrants such as mom-and-pop stores and even TikTokers selling zero-mileage used cars was causing the trade to become less lucrative.
&#8220;They used to sell vases, wine and are now selling cars in the same way,&#8221; he said of the new entrants. &#8220;This is chaos.&#8221;
(Reporting by Beijing and Shanghai newsrooms; Additional reporting by Gleb Stolyarov in Tbilisi; Editing by Mike Colias and Michael Learmonth)

Employee repairs a second hand car at a used car market in Beijing

Smoke & Mirrors In China’s Auto Industry: New Cars Exported As ‘Zero-Mileage Used’ To Inflate Sales

Automobiles

Business

China

An ex-Army Sergeant faces up to ten years in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempting to give American military secrets to China. 
Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, last stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, pled guilty on Wednesday to charges of attempting to deliver national defense information and retention of national defense information. He will be sentenced in September by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour. In addition to prison, Schmidt could be hit with a $250,000 fine.  
Schmidt was an active duty soldier from January 2015 to January 2020 and mainly worked with the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. During his military service, he had access to information designated as secret and top secret, according to the Justice Department. 
After leaving the military in January 2020, Schmidt emailed the Chinese Consulate in Turkey and the Chinese security service, offering to provide them with national defense information. 
In March 2020, Schmidt flew to Hong Kong, where he attempted to give Chinese security officials intelligence he had kept from his time in the military. According to the Justice Department, he produced multiple documents detailing the “high level secrets” he had in his possession and offered to give a device that allows access to secure military computers to the Chinese. 
He flew back to the United States in October 2023 when he was arrested in San Francisco. 
“Joseph Daniel Schmidt was once a trusted guardian of our nation’s secrets and swore an oath to defend and protect U.S. national security,” Assistant Director Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division said in October 2023 when Schmidt was indicted. “As alleged by the government, Schmidt betrayed his promise and potentially placed our nation at risk in his attempts to pass national defense information to Chinese security services.”
In recent years, the FBI has made a number of arrests involving former American soldiers accused of attempting to give sensitive military information to China. 
Earlier this year, former Army intelligence officer Korbein Schultz was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-army-intel-officer-sentenced-after-selling-u-s-military-secrets-to-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to seven years in prison for selling critical military documents to an individual believed to be tied to the Chinese government. Schultz was paid $42,000 for information on American military exercises and technical equipment manuals.
Just last month, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/active-duty-and-former-us-army-soldiers-arrested-theft-government-property-and-bribery">announced</a> that Jian Zhao and Li Tian, both active duty Army soldiers also stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and former soldier Ruoyu Duan had been charged with stealing U.S. military secrets. They were accused of taking top-secret hard drives, information on weapon systems, and documents on missile defenses to sell to individuals based in China.

TOPSHOT-ASIAD-2022-2023-HANGZHOU-OPENING

Ex-U.S. Army Soldier Admits Plot To Provide China With Sensitive Military Intel

Ex-U.S. Army Soldier Admits To Plot To Provide China With Sensitive Military Intel

Military

Politics

U.S. Army

Washington

The State Department will resume granting student visas, but with heightened social media protocols to monitor possible support for terrorism or &#8220;a history of political activism&#8221; associated with violence or anti-American views. 
The department announced Wednesday that it would soon start scheduling student visa application interviews after all new applications were frozen last month. Potential exchange students will be asked to make their social media profiles public to allow for vetting. 
“We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security,” the department said. “Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants.”
The Trump administration has expressed concern about foreign students who have engaged in disruptive anti-Israel protests at campuses across the country, as well as Chinese students connected to the Chinese Communist Party. 
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the State Department said. “The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”
A cable to American diplomats <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/18/social-media-screening-student-visas-00413160" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained</a> by POLITICO revealed that they were instructed to search the social media accounts of students for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States,” “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security” and “support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”
One specific terrorist group they were urged to watch out for was Hamas.
The diplomats were also told to determine if “applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism” associated with violence and asked to “consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States.”
The cable added that the diplomats should “take screenshots to preserve the record against possible later alteration or loss of the information.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States does not want to import anti-American activists to disrupt and undermine the education system.
The resumption of student visa application interviews comes after President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-unveils-terms-of-done-trade-deal-with-china">announced</a> last week that the United States would continue to allow Chinese students into the country as part of a trade deal. That came after Rubio said that he would aggressively revoke the student visas of Chinese students, especially those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

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New State Dept Measures Unveiled: How Foreign Students Will Be Screened For U.S. Entry

Education

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Marco Rubio

State Department

President Donald Trump will give TikTok’s owner more time to comply with a federal law mandating that it cannot be owned by a Chinese company because of national security concerns. 
The extension will give ByteDance, the Chinese-based company that owns TikTok, another 90 days to find an American buyer. TikTok was first set to go dark in January 2025, but Trump has extended that deadline multiple times. 
&#8220;As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. &#8220;This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”
Trump has previously expanded the deadline twice, once in January and then again in an April <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/extending-the-tiktok-enforcement-delay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> that directed the Justice Department not to enforce the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” until June 19. 
TikTok will now have until September to facilitate a deal with an American company or investor. 
During his first term in office, Trump first moved to ban TikTok via executive order, a move that was later blocked. Several years later, President Joe Biden signed a bill mandating the sale of TikTok into law in April 2024 after broad Congressional support. 
Days before Trump took office in January, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-allows-tiktok-ban-to-take-effect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that Congress was justified in passing the ban because of concerns about the Chinese government using TikTok to harvest the private data of millions of Americans. 
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the court wrote. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
The court was unconvinced that the ban amounted to restrictions on free speech. 
“It is not clear that the Act itself directly regulates protected expressive activity, or conduct with an expressive component. Indeed, the Act does not regulate the creator petitioners at all. And it directly regulates ByteDance Ltd. and TikTok Inc. only through the divestiture requirement,” the court wrote.

Chinese Social Media App TikTok To Be Banned Unless Sold To US Company

White House Says Trump Will Extend TikTok Ban Deadline For 3rd Time

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FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Tuesday that the FBI had uncovered documents pertaining to an &#8220;alleged Chinese plot to create fake mail-in ballots&#8221; ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Patel shared a screenshot of a headline from Just the News that read, &#8220;FBI gives Congress intel on alleged Chinese plot to create fake mail-in ballots in 2020&#8221; — along with his own comment confirming that the FBI had, in fact, turned such information over to Congress for additional scrutiny.
&#8220;The FBI has located documents which detail alarming allegations related to the 2020 U.S. election, including allegations of interference by the CCP. I have immediately declassified the material and turned the documents over to the Chairman Grassley for further review,&#8221; Patel posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The FBI has located documents which detail alarming allegations related to the 2020 U.S. election, including allegations of interference by the CCP.
I have immediately declassified the material and turned the documents over to the Chairman Grassley for further review. <a href="https://t.co/sBVNUgN2BJ">pic.twitter.com/sBVNUgN2BJ</a>
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1934797478609477704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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According to the <a href="https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/fbi-gives-congress-intel-alleged-chinese-plot-create-fake-mail">report</a> published by Just the News, the alleged scheme involved the mass production of fake American driver&#8217;s licenses. The intelligence reports that raised the concern were from August of 2020 — and have now been declassified by Patel and turned over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
Grassley knew of the intelligence reports, and had been concerned that they had never been properly investigated at the time. Instead, after President Joe Biden took office in January of 2021, his newly confirmed Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines declassified an <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ICA-declass-16MAR21.pdf">intelligence report</a> in March stating that there had been no attempt by Communist China to interfere in the outcome of the election.
That report, declassified on March 10, 2021, stated in part, &#8220;We have no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 US elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results.&#8221;
With regard to China, the report said, &#8220;We assess that China did not deploy interference efforts and considered but did not deploy influence efforts intended to change the outcome of the US Presidential election.&#8221;
The report also determined that Iran had made attempts to influence the election in Biden&#8217;s favor, but had not been successful in doing so.

Kash Patel

Kash Patel Reveals China May Have Plotted To Flood U.S. With Fake Mail-In Ballots In 2020

Election 2020

Election Fraud

Elections

kash patel

Mail-In Voting

The United States and China agree to a trade framework, slashing tariffs and unlocking rare earth minerals. Inflation finally cools  — but L.A. remains hot. We break down the latest on the economy and the political unrest. And, as chaos erupts on the L.A. streets, the real battle is for the narrative – who’s winning the PR war?
It’s Thursday, June 12, 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>Trade War Finale: We Have A Deal</h2>
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Topline: President Donald Trump announced that the United States has reached a trade deal with China. The news comes amid an uneasy truce after a series of retaliatory tariffs.
Early Wednesday morning, Trump shared on Truth Social that “Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me.” This followed two days of negotiations between top economic officials from both countries in London. Trump said that the deal, as it stands, would impose 55% tariffs on Chinese goods entering the United States, but just 10% for American goods in China. China has also agreed to resume shipping magnets and rare earth minerals to the United States.
“Rare earths power $7 trillion US dollars of consumer goods every year,” Shaun Rein, the founder of the China Market Research Group, told The Daily Wire. “Without Chinese rare earths, our iPhones aren&#8217;t going to work. Our cars aren&#8217;t going to work. And importantly, our military defense weapons aren&#8217;t going to work. So without Chinese rare earths, America&#8217;s in a lot of trouble. What also people don&#8217;t realize is that about 95% of antibiotics actually [are] manufactured in China. And then all straight down everything you get out of Walgreens or CVS, whether it&#8217;s Advil or Tylenol, a lot of that is made in China.”
China is the second-largest economy in the world and is a major market for many American goods – $143.5 billion of U.S. goods were exported to China in 2024, although American imports of Chinese goods were far higher at $438.9 billion. Tariffs of 55% are comparatively high but much lower than the 145% imposed before the agreement was reached. The deal will allow Chinese students to resume attending American colleges and universities.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that this agreement would conclude trade negotiations with China and that deals from many other countries are close to locking in their own deals with the United States.
“We’re in good shape with lots of countries, but good shape isn&#8217;t good enough for the United States of America,” Lutnick told <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1932819395077710148">CNBC</a>.”We want great deals that are fundamental to America, we can get them, we can get them done.”
And&#8230; Inflation rose just 0.1% in May compared to April — it’s now sitting at 2.4%, near a four-year low. 
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<h2>Anti-ICE Riots Spread As Politicians Spar</h2>
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Topline: The clash between President Trump and California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom escalated Wednesday, as anti-ICE riots continued to spread across the country. 
Protests continue to pick up steam nationwide:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">By Wednesday night, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Seattle joined the growing list of cities being hit by demonstrations, many of which turned violent. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott mobilized the National Guard before protests across the state turned violent, with officers in a number of cities left hospitalized. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">In Atlanta, hundreds of rioters lobbed fireworks at police and attempted to shut down a highway — authorities responded with tear gas and finally got the crowd under control. </li>
</ul>
California is still the epicenter of the unrest. Demonstrations continued Wednesday night, as rioters defied curfews and clashed with police. At least one rioter, Emiliano Galvez, has been charged with attempted murder. Galvez, a previously deported Mexican national, allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at police in Los Angeles County. 
&#8220;Since June 6, there have been 330 illegal aliens that have been arrested as part of these riots in Los Angeles,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1932853233954836599">told</a> reporters. “113 of those illegal aliens had prior criminal convictions.&#8221;
Governor Newsom has<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n77NFjDlBI"> voiced his support</a> for the demonstrations, telling Americans that it was time to “stand up” to President Trump, whom he blamed for provoking the unrest: “Donald Trump without consulting California law enforcement leaders commandeered 2000 of our state’s National Guard members to deploy on our streets illegally and for no reason. This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation…The founding fathers didn’t live and die to see this moment. It’s time for all of us to stand up.”
These anti-ICE protests aren’t likely to die out anytime soon — organizers are planning “No Kings” demonstrations in cities across the country on Saturday, June 14. That event will coincide with President Trump’s 79th birthday, along with a massive parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday. 
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to be celebrating big on Saturday,” President Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1932480100026511650">said</a>. “And if there&#8217;s any protester that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force… These are people that hate our country. They will be met with very heavy force.”
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<h2>Protests &amp; PR</h2>
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Topline: As Los Angeles and other cities contain the anti-ICE riots, Democrats, Republicans, and the media battle over shaping the narrative.
Democrats and Republicans on the national stage have made the ongoing unrest a central part of their messaging since ICE raids began in L.A. last week. Democrats have slammed Trump for deploying troops against American citizens and blame his actions for sparking the riots, arguing that the threat of a militarized response escalated tensions on the ground and tracks with a broader pattern of authoritarianism.
Republicans, especially the president, have taken the opposite tack – decrying Democrats for being complicit in the ongoing violence and lawlessness and insisting that Trump&#8217;s quick and decisive deployment of troops was necessary to prevent further destruction.
“What&#8217;s going on looks really bad to the average American,” Mark Hemingway, Senior Writer at RealClearInvestigations, told The Daily Wire. “This is a very different time than 2020. And we went through months of riots in 2020. And I think now Americans have a very good and clear sense that these are not organic riots necessarily, these are not spontaneous.”
Hemingway seemed skeptical of the proposition that a majority of Americans would view the deployment of troops as escalatory.
“I think the American people are broadly sympathetic to Trump,” Hemingway said. “Trump campaigned on mass deportations. His immigration policy is still <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/stories/analysis/trumps-immigration-policies-remain-popular-polls">broadly popular</a>. And the idea that Democrats are attaching support of violent riots to that, or trying to make Trump look like the extremist, it&#8217;s just, this is not five years ago…at this point in time, I think the average American would, you know, trust the first 700 Marines in the phone book at 29 Palms over the elected leadership of Los Angeles to do what&#8217;s right for the people of that city.”

MRN 6.12.25 Thumbnail_V1

Morning Brief: A China Trade Deal And More Riots

Howard Lutnick

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Inflation

Media

Morning Wire

Riots

Tariffs

Trade War

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States and China had negotiated a trade deal, awaiting only &#8220;final approval&#8221; from him and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 
The agreement includes provisions on rare earth minerals, tariffs, and allowing Chinese students to study at American universities. Trump said that a 55% tariff would be placed on Chinese goods coming into the United States, while a 10% tariff would be levied on American goods going to China. 
“OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME. FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!),” Trump posted on Truth Social. “WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!”
The announcement comes after American and Chinese officials have been meeting in London to discuss trade. On Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/11/us-china-agree-on-framework-to-implement-geneva-trade-consensus-.html">said</a> that the two countries had “reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents,” though the details were unclear. 
Last week, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-hails-very-good-trade-call-with-chinas-xi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> to Xi for about 1.5 hours in a conversation that included discussions about rare earth minerals and trade. He had posted on Truth Social that Xi was &#8220;VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!&#8221;
At the height of the trade war, Trump imposed tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods while China hit the United States with 125% tariffs. The two countries later agreed to significantly lower the tariffs while negotiations moved forward. 
Trump’s announcement about Chinese students comes as his administration has cracked down on foreign nationals&#8217; access to American universities. Last week, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/an-unacceptable-risk-trump-signs-proclamation-to-stop-foreign-students-from-enrolling-at-harvard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a proclamation to restrict international students from being eligible to attend Harvard University. 
The administration has also blocked all new student visa interviews in preparation for upcoming social media vetting requirements for all international students. At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-promises-to-aggesively-target-students-tied-to-chinese-communist-party?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Rubio+Promises+To+‘Aggressively’+Target+Students+Tied+To+Chinese+Communist+Party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he would aggressively revoke the student visas of Chinese students, especially those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

US-GERMANY-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP-MERZ

Trump Unveils Terms Of ‘Done’ Trade Deal With China

Economics

trade

Xi Jinping

A Chinese national from Wuhan studying for a PhD was arrested on Sunday for attempting to smuggle &#8220;biological materials&#8221; into a laboratory at the University of Michigan, the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/alien-wuhan-china-charged-making-false-statements-and-smuggling-biological-materials">announced</a> on Monday.
The arrest of Chengxuan Han at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport is the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-arrest-chinese-scholar-for-attempting-to-smuggle-pathogen-used-for-agroterrorism-into-u-s">second time</a> this month that a Chinese citizen with connections to the University of Michigan has been charged with smuggling potential biological threats into the country. According to the United States Attorney&#8217;s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Han sent four packages containing &#8220;concealed biological material&#8221; from China to the United States. The packages were all addressed to people &#8220;associated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan,&#8221; the DOJ said in a press release.
“The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China—to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory—is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security. The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”
Han is studying at a university in Wuhan — the city where the COVID virus likely leaked from a lab before it shut down the world&#8217;s economies and killed millions of people. The Chinese PhD student was questioned by Customs and Border Protection officers at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Sunday. During the questioning, Han &#8220;made false statements about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the United States,&#8221; which she later admitted to the FBI, according to the DOJ.
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Han also allegedly told the FBI that she had previously sent the packages and said that they contained biological material related to <a href="https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2023/bioluminescence-may-shine-light-on-roundworm-secrets/#:~:text=Even%20though%20roundworms%20are%20nearly,crop%20losses%20worldwide%20each%20year.">roundworms</a>, a parasitic worm that can &#8220;pose major problems in corn, soybean, peanut and other crops,&#8221; according to the U.S. government. There are many species of roundworms, many of which are uncommon in the United States. Some can cause health issues for humans, such as abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea, if they get into the digestive system, the Cleveland Clinic <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15240-roundworms">states</a>.
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed last week that a Chinese scholar at the University of Michigan was arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States that could be used for agricultural terrorism, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-arrest-chinese-scholar-for-attempting-to-smuggle-pathogen-used-for-agroterrorism-into-u-s">reported</a>.
According to federal prosecutors, Michigan scholar Yunqing Jian, along with her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, tried to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/chinese-nationals-charged-conspiracy-and-smuggling-dangerous-biological-pathogen-us">smuggle</a> Fusarium graminearum into the United States. Fusarium graminearum can cause “head blight,” a disease that can wipe out wheat, barley, maize, and rice crops and “is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.” The pathogen can also cause “vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.”

U.S. – China biohazard

‘Alarming Pattern’: Another Chinese National Arrested For Smuggling ‘Biological Materials’ Into U.S.

Michigan

University of Michigan

While the Trump administration has been negotiating with Iran about eliminating its capacity to enrich uranium and thus develop nuclear weapons, Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ammonium perchlorate — a chemical compound which functions as a ballistic-missile ingredient — from China.
<a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/iran-orders-material-from-china-for-hundreds-of-ballistic-missiles-1e874701" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported that, according to its sources, the shipments “are expected to reach Iran in coming months and could fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles.” The sources named an Iranian company, Pishgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co., as having ordered the chemicals from Hong Kong-based Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd.
In early April, the Times of London <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/iran-arming-proxy-forces-iraq-long-range-missiles-5wpdx0w82">reported</a>, “Iran has transferred long-range missiles to its proxy forces in Iraq for the first time &#8230; The Times has learnt that Tehran has been bulking up its presence in the region by supplying a new batch of weapons to powerful Shia militias in Iraq &#8230; It was the first time long-range surface-to-surface missiles had been in the possession of an Iran-allied militia in Iraq.”
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“Ammonium perchlorate makes up 70% of the standard fuel load of most of Iran’s solid-fueled ballistic missiles,” The Maritime Executive has <a href="https://maritime-executive.com/article/second-shipload-of-ballistic-missile-fuel-nears-iran">noted</a>. “Iranian ballistic missiles which use ammonium perchlorate include medium range Khybar-Shikan and Fattah missiles, and the shorter range Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles. In original and variant form, these have been widely exported to Russia and Axis of Resistance allies, and have been used to attack shipping at sea and targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel and Ukraine, as well as in the attacks causing injuries to American service personnel at Al Asad in Iraq.”
At the end of April, the Treasury Department designated “six entities and six individuals based in Iran and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for their role in a network procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”
“This network has facilitated the procurement of sodium perchlorate and dioctyl sebacate from the PRC to Iran,” the Treasury Department <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0116">pointed out</a>. “Sodium perchlorate is used to produce ammonium perchlorate, which is controlled by the <a href="https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-international-security-and-nonproliferation/releases/2025/01/missile-technology-control-regime-mtcr-frequently-asked-questions">Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)</a>, a multilateral political understanding among states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology.  Both ammonium perchlorate and dioctyl sebacate are chemicals usable in solid propellant rocket motors, which are commonly used for ballistic missiles.”
“In November 2022, U.S. naval forces said they intercepted a vessel in the Gulf of Oman carrying over 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate on a route commonly used by Iran to send weapons to the Houthis in Yemen,” The Wall Street Journal wrote.

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