Guests - Ava Chen, Nate Foster
China's landscape of influence is rapidly shifting as two major stories dominate the global stage: the election of America's first Pope and a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade negotiations that could reshape international relations for years to come.
The selection of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Provost, represents more than just an ecclesiastical milestone. As Ava Chen from the New Federal State of China explains, this appointment signals a critical pivot in the ongoing struggle between democratic values and communist influence within one of the world's most powerful institutions.
"This is a war of political influence," Chen emphasizes. The Vatican, with its 1.4 billion followers, has been a battleground for competing ideologies. The Chinese Communist Party had secured a secret deal with the Vatican in 2018, paying initially $1.6 billion annually, then escalating to $2 billion in subsequent renewals. The latest agreement, signed for four years rather than the previous two-year terms, has remained shrouded in secrecy.
The new Pope's American heritage and rapid selection process – completed in just one day – suggests a decisive shift away from CCP influence. Born in Chicago to a World War II Navy veteran father and a Creole mother from Louisiana, Pope Leo XIV brings a distinctly American perspective to the papacy. His love of sports, particularly tennis, and his Chicago White Sox fandom make him accessible in ways his predecessors were not.
"People are calling the new Pope to release the terms of the secret deal that they signed with the CCP and then to repeal the secret deal," Chen reveals. This demand comes from groups like the Committee on the Present Danger, which held a webinar titled "The Vatican's Suicide Pact with the CCP: Review the Deal, Repeal the Deal."
Chen views the papal selection through the lens of unrestricted warfare – not a shooting war, but a battle using economic weapons and unconventional tactics. The stakes couldn't be higher: the choice between an international law-based system represented by the United States and the authoritarian model of the Chinese Communist Party.
Tariff Wars and Strategic Negotiations
The weekend's dramatic trade negotiations between President Trump and Xi Jinping revealed both the complexity of U.S.-China relations and Trump's sophisticated understanding of economic warfare. According to exclusive intelligence shared by Chen, Trump secured four critical concessions from Xi Jinping that mainstream media has not reported.
First, China committed to opening its financial markets – a promise made when China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001 but never fulfilled. This includes not just financial markets but also insurance sectors, with a commitment to participate in structural economic reforms. This effectively forces the CCP to accept American involvement in reforming their kleptocratic system, where a handful of families control the nation's wealth.
Second, Xi Jinping agreed to continue selling rare earth elements and precious metals to the United States. This is crucial given that China controls the vast majority of global rare earth production, with Xi Jinping's family alone controlling 99% of China's rare earth industry. The agreement also allows American companies to invest in these strategic sectors and create joint ventures with Chinese companies.
Third, and perhaps most surprisingly, Xi promised not to launch a gold-backed digital currency during Trump's four-year term. This commitment addresses a direct threat to the U.S. dollar's status as the world's reserve currency.
Fourth, China agreed to collaborate with U.S. law enforcement to significantly reduce fentanyl exports to the United States. This represents a major concession in what Chen describes as the "chemical warfare that the CCP has been waging against America."
The tariff adjustments reveal Trump's strategic brilliance. While reducing the reciprocal tariff from 125% to 10%, Trump retained a 20% punitive tariff on top of existing tariffs from his first term. The total effective tariff on most Chinese goods stands at 50%, while China charges only 10% on American imports. Certain strategic sectors, including car parts and aluminum, remain at even higher rates.
"Trump is buying America precious time," Chen explains. "America cannot afford complete decoupling at this time without hurting yourself." The pharmaceutical sector illustrates this vulnerability perfectly – 91% of generic drugs come from China, and even drugs manufactured in India rely on Chinese precursors.
Xi Jinping's Desperation
Chen reveals that Xi faces severe internal pressures that forced him to accept these unfavorable terms. His top four concerns are:
His personal safety, health, and political security as Communist Party Secretary General
Changes in U.S.-Taiwan relations and increased American support for Taiwan
The safety of his family and their business interests
Social stability and economic development in China
"There's a 60% chance he dies on his own term due to health conditions, and a 40% chance he will be eliminated from someone within the Communist Party," Chen states. Economic collapse, social unrest, and pressure from other CCP families whose interests are threatened have created a perfect storm of vulnerability.
Xi's strategy appears to be stalling – hoping to outlast Trump's four-year term and betting on America's democratic pendulum to swing back. "They understand every four years you have something called election," Chen notes. "They're betting on the opposition party coming back."
The Broader Strategic Picture
These developments represent more than isolated events – they're part of what Chen describes as unrestricted warfare between competing global systems. The CCP and their globalist collaborators seek to subvert and destabilize the current world order led by the United States.
Trump's approach demonstrates a clear understanding of this dynamic. Rather than resorting to military conflict, he's using America's economic power as leverage. His immediate pivot to the Middle East after securing the China deal shows his determination to counter CCP influence globally, where China has been cultivating relationships for decades.
The 90-day timeline for hashing out details of the agreement will likely be extended as China employs delaying tactics. However, the commitments secured represent significant victories for American interests, even if enforcement remains uncertain.
"The devil's always in the details," notes Kathleen Winn, highlighting the challenge of trusting CCP commitments. History shows the Communist Party rarely honors agreements, making verification and enforcement mechanisms crucial.
Looking Forward
Both the papal election and trade negotiations represent critical moments in the global struggle between democratic values and authoritarian control. The Vatican's potential rejection of CCP influence and America's strategic economic victories suggest a shifting tide.
However, challenges remain immense. China's control over critical supply chains, from rare earth elements to pharmaceuticals, gives them significant leverage. The social and economic pressures within China create both opportunities and dangers as Xi Jinping fights for survival.
As Chen concludes, "This is a war, and we have to get updated intel frequently just to understand what's going on." The coming months will reveal whether these agreements represent genuine breakthroughs or merely temporary truces in an ongoing conflict that will define the 21st century.
The success of these initiatives depends not just on agreements signed but on sustained pressure, verification, and the willingness of democratic nations to stand firm against authoritarian encroachment. With Trump "stopping what could be really devastating for the entire world," the stakes for humanity couldn't be higher.
Tucson's Crime Crisis and Law Enforcement Breakdown
While international power struggles unfold, Tucson faces its own battle – a devastating surge in crime coupled with a police force at historic lows. The city's deterioration serves as a cautionary tale for communities across America about the consequences of underfunding and demoralizing law enforcement.
Nate Foster, President of the Tucson Police Protective League, paints a grim picture: "We've gone from 1,100 officers to about 700 – we're at 1970s staffing levels." For a city that should have 1,200 officers based on its population, this represents a crisis of public safety.
The human cost became starkly apparent when two people were attacked with a hatchet at a bus stop near Sabino Canyon and Tanque Verde. Frank Rick Lopez, 42, assaulted his victims after attempting to steal a phone – one suffered a laceration to the arm, another was struck in the head. This wasn't some crime-ridden area but a middle-class neighborhood near Udall Park, voting centers, and local businesses.
"This is not some terrible neighborhood. This is a terrific neighborhood in Tucson," emphasizes Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association. The fact that such violence has spread to previously safe areas demonstrates how far the crisis has progressed.
Foster explains the systemic failure: "When you call 911 in Tucson, there's a very good chance the police will not come. They have to be very particular about the crimes that they respond to." The department now relies heavily on Community Service Officers (CSOs), who make up nearly 50% of field services but cannot respond to crimes in progress.
The Root Causes
The crisis stems from multiple factors converging into a perfect storm. The Black Lives Matter movement and subsequent anti-police sentiment created what Foster calls "intentional" damage to the profession. "It was well-funded through NGOs. This wasn't some grassroots thing they pretended to be."
Between 2019 and 2023, police resignations increased 47% nationally. In Tucson, the situation is even more dire. Upper-level command staff are leaving en masse, finding success as chiefs in other cities. Officers are retiring only to join other agencies, while many simply transfer laterally to departments that value their service.
"Their experience is valued," Foster notes, pointing out that Oro Valley Police Department now consists of about 10% former TPD officers. These neighboring cities offer better pay, stronger political support, and communities that appreciate law enforcement.
The Fentanyl Factor
Compounding the crisis is a new, deadlier form of fentanyl called carfentanil – 100 times more potent than regular fentanyl. Pima County has issued bulletins warning of its presence, creating dangers not just for users but for first responders who might encounter it in powdered form at accident scenes.
The drug crisis directly fuels property crime and violence. Foster explains the vicious cycle: "Those fentanyl abusers commit crimes as part of their lifestyle and to feed their habit." Bus stops have become particular flashpoints, serving as gathering places for users who then prey on regular citizens.
The city's response has been inadequate at best, counterproductive at worst. Despite the obvious connection between free bus transportation and crime concentration, the city resists implementing basic measures like charging fares or enforcing loitering laws.
The Prosecution Problem
Even when police make arrests, the justice system fails to support their efforts. Foster describes the frustration: "When you take someone to jail, they're just going to be released." This revolving-door justice particularly affects lower-level crimes that, left unchecked, escalate into serious violence.
"People that are committing minor crime, misdemeanor crime, or possession crime – those people need to spend time in jail," Foster argues. Not as punishment, but as intervention. "They're not capable of really starting to come off of the drugs and rehabilitate until they've been clean for about a month. This is scientific."
The contrast with Oro Valley is striking. There, shoplifting or other crimes that would be ignored in Tucson result in jail time and cash bonds. Criminals quickly learn to avoid Oro Valley and concentrate their activities in Tucson.
National Police Week's Bitter Context
Against this backdrop, National Police Week takes on particular poignancy. The week honors officers like Brandon Mendoza, the Mesa police officer killed by an intoxicated illegal immigrant driving the wrong way. His mother, Mary Ann Mendoza, became one of the original "angel moms" advocating for immigration enforcement.
The National Peace Officers Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., will add 345 names this year, approaching 25,000 total. Shockingly, the memorial is running out of space – something planners never anticipated when believing better training and equipment would reduce officer deaths.
Nationally, 342 police officers were shot in the line of duty last year, 50 fatally – a 9% increase. Seventy-nine officers were shot in ambushes. The violence isn't abstract statistics but real people leaving behind devastated families and communities.
Trump's Police Support
President Trump's National Police Week proclamation specifically called out the previous administration's "reckless soft on crime policies" that hampered police work. This represents a dramatic shift from what Smith describes as the Obama administration's anti-police stance, which she traces back to the Cambridge police incident and beer summit.
"Barack Obama... literally took him a matter of a few months to show his real stripes in how he felt about law enforcement," Smith recalls from her time as an Illinois officer. His Report on 21st Century Policing planted seeds of division that continue to bear bitter fruit.
The 18,000 police departments across America face a supply and demand crisis. With nine out of ten departments short-staffed and only 750,000 officers policing the entire nation, agencies have resorted to "pirating each other's police officers." This creates a spiral where troubled departments lose their best people to agencies that offer better conditions.
Fear and Reality on Tucson Streets
The violence has become so pervasive that citizens now must take extraordinary precautions. One caller described encountering shopping carts full of trash blocking traffic lanes, while encampments overflow into streets. The city's response? Officers are directed to treat these hazards as "worldly possessions" requiring careful handling rather than immediate removal.
Foster reveals a particularly troubling detail: Gospel Rescue Mission has empty beds, but the city won't allow homeless individuals to be brought there. "I think it's political by the city," he explains, suggesting the Christian organization's religious nature creates friction with city leadership.
The human cost extends beyond statistics. Foster shares the emotional weight: "On Mother's Day when we're celebrating mothers, I'm telling a mother that she lost her son." A recent case saw an officer brutally assaulted with cans at a QuikTrip, nearly losing his life until citizens intervened to save him.
Solutions Exist but Require Political Will
The path forward isn't mysterious – it requires political courage to implement proven solutions. Foster outlines practical steps:
Charge bus fares and strictly enforce loitering laws
Prosecute lower-level crimes with meaningful jail time
Use incarceration as detox opportunity, not just punishment
Leverage sentencing to encourage treatment acceptance
Purchase available facilities (like Marana's vacant prison) for secure treatment
"There's a lot of good that could be done," Foster emphasizes. But current leadership lacks the will to act. The city's failure to enforce lesser crimes leads inevitably to serious violence where "the debt to society isn't repayable when you kill someone."
Oro Valley: The Alternative Model
The contrast with Oro Valley couldn't be starker. When that city's leadership attempted to renege on promised pay raises for officers, citizens packed a council meeting in standing-room-only support of their police. The community's message was clear: public safety isn't negotiable.
Oro Valley represents what Tucson could be – clean, safe, with officers who respond to every call. But as Foster notes, it takes consistent support and adequate funding. When Tucson serves as the "cautionary tale," other cities learn to avoid its mistakes.
The Choice Ahead
With city council elections approaching, Tucson faces a critical decision. Three seats could shift the balance, but only if voters reject the "extreme liberal people who will not honor the citizens of Tucson."
"The definition of insanity is to continue to put in extreme liberal people who will not honor the citizens of Tucson," Winn declares. The recent defeat of Proposition 414 shows citizens recognize mismanagement when they see it.
Foster's closing message resonates beyond police week: "At what point are we willing to stand up as a society and fight for what's right?" The answer will determine whether Tucson continues its descent or begins the hard work of restoration.
As Tucson's crisis deepens, its example serves as a warning to other cities: public safety isn't just another budget item but the foundation of civilized society. When that foundation crumbles, everything built upon it falls. The question remains whether Tucson will recognize this truth before it's too late.