Guests - Ava Chen, Robert Contreras, Seth Keshel, Rick Shafton
China Watch on YouTube
St. Patrick's Day Traditions and Heritage
Kathleen Winn opens the show celebrating St. Patrick's Day, reflecting on her Irish heritage alongside Italian, English, German, and Swiss roots. The holiday honors Ireland's patron saint who brought Christianity in the fifth century, beginning as a solemn religious feast and evolving into global parades, shamrocks symbolizing the Holy Trinity, and symbols like leprechauns and rainbows. Winn notes traditions such as corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, and the Chicago River turning green. She recalls childhood activities like making shamrocks in school and dressing as leprechauns, emphasizing how America's melting pot embraces diverse customs for family and community bonds.
China Watch Wednesday with Ava Chen: CCP Strategies, Trump-Xi Meeting Risks, and Iran as Proxy
Ava Chen, from the New Federal State of China, joins for China Watch Wednesday, warning that the upcoming Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing carries hidden dangers. "We actually did a short video and we put it on another state channel... Here's the thing that has always happened... everything that we've done with NFSC... have all come to fruition." Chen stresses the CCP's "paper tiger" nature: covert tactics exploiting vulnerabilities without direct confrontation. "So Xi Jinping is really weakened, his power within the party is really weakened... he needs support, right, in order to survive and continue, he needs those people's support, so he has to prove that he is still in control."
The meeting serves CCP theater: optics to reassure party elders amid purges, while using Iran as a proxy. "Iran is a puppet... everything you need to know is the CCP is actively fighting against the United States at this moment as we speak and they just use proxies." Naval mines and unmanned underwater vehicles in the Strait of Hormuz were supplied by the CCP, targeting U.S. allies like UAE and Saudi Arabia. "80% of the naval mines directly was given to Iran by the CCP... they also provide the satellite guidance... the CCP's eye in the space."
Chen details layered attacks: civilian infrastructure, energy facilities, U.S. embassies, and oil terminals. "The CCP has been transferring those weapons... to keep the fire going... needs to keep those pressure points." This pressures Trump diplomatically, forcing UAE envoys to Beijing for protection. "American's house is on fire... you cannot count on America. You have to count on me." Chen warns of bio-weapons risks to Trump: "They have this message and they may use... cognitive decline, physical deterioration, and damage without obvious trigger." She urges decoupling: "The only way to fight addiction is with spirituality... American can be safe as soon as you decouple with them."
Robert Contreras' Marana Town Council Campaign
Robert Contreras, candidate for Marana Town Council, has qualified with over 1,000 signatures (984 validated), exceeding the 560 required. "We picked up the pace the last couple of weeks... Now we're over that minimum... looking to get the overage." His website, robertformarana.com, offers petition links, donations, and social media.
LD18 encompasses Marana's growth areas like Continental Ranch and Dove Mountain. Priorities include jobs, water management, education, and safety amid rapid expansion from 5,000 residents in 2000 to over 60,000 today. "My favorite thing about Marana is kind of the entrancing nature of driving by all the fields... but now we're kind of seeing that disappear." Contreras advocates balanced zoning: roof lines 20 feet apart for density without losing identity. "We need to prepare our area for another 50,000 or a hundred thousand people."
Seth Keshel on Election Corruption and the SAVE Act
Seth Keshel, author of The American War on Election Corruption, discusses midterms and the SAVE Act. "We're going to talk about the pandemic of electile dysfunction... the SAVE Act." He notes the Act requires 60 votes, unlikely without procedural changes. "The silver lining here is that there's going to be a serious discussion about this... Democrats standing against the 85-15 issue."
Keshel emphasizes grassroots: "What moves the voters are the people who hear these ads... taking that message and talking to their friends." Republicans must unite on issues to energize bases rather than blur differences.
Rick Shafton on Joe Kent Resignation and Virginia Politics
Rick Shafton analyzes Joe Kent's resignation from the National Counterterrorism Center. "It's already ended for him... he was a leaker." Shafton questions Kent's consistency: a former Bernie Sanders supporter turned Trump ally. "This guy was a Bernie Sanders supporter, a Trump supporter... you have to kind of wonder what."
On Virginia Governor Spanberger: "The problem that Virginia had was that they elected Glenn Youngkin... and then Youngkin picked this lieutenant governor who was the emptiest of empty suits." Spanberger's DEI-focused messaging alienated voters: "As a black woman... nobody cares. They don't care. As soon as they hear that, they don't want to vote for you."
Shafton stresses issue-based campaigns: "Democrats don't want these races to be about issues. They want them to be about what a nice person they are." Republicans must deliver strong, conservative messaging to hold bases and flip independents.