Guests - Lee Smith, Kimberly McAllister, Daniel Butierez, Mandy Gunasekara, Betsy Smith

Trump Administration Making Waves in Foreign Affairs

Lee Smith, author of the forthcoming book "The China Matrix, The Epic Story of How Donald Trump Shattered a Deadly Pack," joined Win Tucson to discuss recent geopolitical developments. Smith, an investigative journalist, shared insights on President Trump's approach to international affairs.

Over the weekend, President Trump issued what Smith characterized as "a last warning to Hamas to accept the deal that's on the table." When asked if Hamas would comply with the President's demands, Smith was unequivocal: "Well, no. The Israelis just wiped out Hamas leadership."

Smith explained that Trump's ultimatum to release the 48 hostages was effectively issuing their death warrant, as Hamas would lose their only negotiating leverage. "What Trump was saying is you're all going to die. And that's effectively what happened this morning with Hamas leadership," Smith noted, referring to events in Doha.

He views these developments as positive for the United States, representing "a massive reset, nearly a quarter of a century after 9/11, where we're no longer confusing allies with terrorists." Smith rejected prioritizing aid to Gaza, stating, "It's all of Gaza that's responsible for what happened. I know that people like to separate Hamas from the Palestinians, but we've all seen the footage." He emphasized that with American hostages still being held, flooding aid into Gaza would be "obscene."

China's Role in Global Anti-US Coalition

When asked about China's involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts, Smith identified China as "the leader of an increasingly powerful anti-US bloc, which includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Iran's proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah."

Smith believes confronting China is a cornerstone of Trump's legacy: "He can't possibly leave the United States vulnerable to the Chinese Communist Party." He anticipated that beyond the current trade war, the Trump administration would implement additional initiatives to weaken the Chinese Communist Party.

The morning's events in Doha, Smith suggested, strengthen America's position globally: "It shows people that they shouldn't second guess Donald Trump. When Donald Trump says something, his words have weight. If you think he's bluffing, then you may be next."

Smith's upcoming book, "The China Matrix," addresses American corruption and "how corrupt US elites have coordinated with Beijing to really damage our peace and prosperity here at home." The book covers 50 years of corruption dating back to "Nixon and Kissinger's opening to Beijing" which Smith describes as "a terrible idea at the beginning."

He criticized figures from both parties, including "Henry Paulson, George W. Bush's treasury secretary" and "Joe Biden when he was vice president to Barack Obama," characterizing Trump as "the first American president who's really taken this particular bull by the horns."

On US-China relations, Smith stated that "winning looks like isolating China from the rest of the world" because "the CCP can't change." When asked about the 600,000 Chinese students in the US, Smith expressed concern, noting that "a lot of these people are working at very sensitive labs, including US nuclear labs."

Smith praised Trump's leadership: "We're living in historic times with a historic president right now." He lamented that Washington leadership has "become so corrupt and crazy" that Trump's commonsense approach to American interests seems revolutionary.

CDO High School Bathroom Controversy

Kimberly McAllister from The Bridge Church joined Win Tucson to discuss a situation at Canyon del Oro (CDO) High School involving bathroom access policies. McAllister explained that the school is "under the misperception that they have to provide this accommodation for this young man who's identifying as a woman," resulting in female students being "displaced" to use the nurse's office bathroom.

McAllister questioned why the transgender student couldn't be directed to use the nurse's bathroom instead, keeping the girls' facilities accessible to the hundreds of female students. She indicated that the principal "really does seem to believe that this is Arizona policy and that she has to adhere to this policy."

Winn mentioned she had consulted state legislator Rachel Keshel and Attorney General Tom Horn, both of whom indicated no such policy exists. She characterized the situation as "nonsensical" and emphasized it wasn't about targeting the transgender student but about accommodating the many female students being affected.

McAllister added that "the boy is confused and he needs help. He needs the right kind of help. Not this."

Winn later clarified that "Arizona does not have a rule that requires boys to be allowed in girls bathrooms. In fact, the state superintendent, Tom Horn has said schools shouldn't allow it and should offer single-use restrooms instead." She suggested the principal's position might stem from "the district's own inclusion policy or fear of title nine civil rights complaint if they deny access."

Winn criticized Governor Katie Hobbs on this issue, claiming "her husband is a doctor, and he provides the medicines to transition kids." She connected this to pharmaceutical industry interests: "This is about the abuse of the pharmaceutical industry now trying to find a new way into our lives and into our families to destroy the next generation."

CD7 Congressional Race Update

Congressional candidate Daniel Butierez joined the program to discuss the upcoming special election in Congressional District 7, scheduled for two weeks later. The conversation highlighted voter registration issues after a constituent texted Boutieras saying she was unable to confirm her voter registration despite having registered in 2024.

According to Butierez, the voter was told by officials that "they got the information from the secretary of state that I was no longer a resident in Pima County and I lived in a different county," despite having lived in Pima County for years.

Winn emphasized the importance of voting in this special election, which will determine who completes former Congressman Grijalva's term. She clarified that this election is on September 23rd, not in November, and noted Republicans could make "national news" if turnout is strong.

When asked about voters' primary concerns, Butierez identified crime: "They don't feel safe." He mentioned that while campaigning in places like San Luis, Douglas, Sierra Vista, and Bisbee, he encountered Democrats who were considering voting for him because they felt their communities had stagnated under previous leadership.

Butierez outlined his priorities if elected: "The first thing I'm going to do on day one is get some resources here to secure our border, stop the drugs, and address the homeless crisis." He emphasized that the election is for a shortened term of approximately 15 months.

Environmental Policy and the "Green New Scam"

Mandy Gunasekara, former chief of staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump and author of "Y'all Fired: A Southern Belle's Guide to Restoring Federalism and Draining the Swamp," discussed environmental policy.

Gunasekara characterized climate change concerns as "the green new scam," saying its proponents warn that "if you don't adopt these really egregious and backwards facing policies under the umbrella of the green new deal, that it's going to cause catastrophic climate change or serious injury to public health and the environment. None of that's actually true."

She cited President Trump's characterization of climate activists as "modern doomsayers and perennial prophets of doom" who claim "the world will end unless you adopt my policies." According to Gunasekara, these policies include "pushing wind and solar energy into energy grids where it simply doesn't make sense, resulting in higher cost electricity that's less reliable" and "forcing Americans into vehicles either they can't afford or can't rely on."

Gunasekara identified California as "exhibit A" for problematic climate policies, claiming these regulations are "one of the main reasons that a lot of people and companies are leaving California." She criticized "renewable portfolio standards" that force integration of wind and solar "regardless of cost, regardless of energy output and regardless of its impact to the state's ability to reliably deliver energy."

When asked if solar energy would survive without subsidies, she suggested "solar has a better chance of surviving than wind" but maintained that without federal support, renewable energy sources "cannot survive in a marketplace where they need to compete with other energy sources that do a much better job providing reliable and affordable energy."

Gunasekara identified the forces behind climate policies as "two groups of individuals" – scientists dependent on federal grants and investors in green technology companies. She compared this dynamic to what occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, where "the donors or investors, big pharma companies" benefited from government policies.

National Police Association Insights on Charlotte Stabbing

Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, discussed recently released footage following a fatal stabbing in Charlotte, North Carolina. The incident involved a "black career criminal mentally ill man who had been ordered to have a mental health examination" who "stabbed to death the Ukrainian immigrant in Charlotte, North Carolina on public transportation."

Smith emphasized the importance of situational awareness, noting the victim "gets on public transportation, she has her earbuds in so she can't hear what's going on around her. And then she's looking at her phone and she sits right in front of this man."

Smith criticized media coverage of the case, claiming "the far left legacy media basically ignored this case" until conservative commentator Charlie Kirk highlighted that the perpetrator had mumbled "I got that white girl" after the attack. Smith asked listeners to consider how coverage would differ "if this was reversed."

The spokesperson expressed concern about bystander inaction: "Not a single person moves to help her even after the offender steps away." Smith connected this to the case of Daniel Penny, a Marine who intervened in a subway incident and was subsequently charged (though later acquitted): "The National Police Association warned everybody about this... We said, this is going to keep good Samaritans from helping people."

Smith praised Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's announcement that the Department of Transportation would investigate the Charlotte incident, with potential consequences for federal funding if public transportation policies were found to endanger riders.

The conversation touched on local law enforcement issues, with Smith criticizing prosecutors and judges who are "more worried about the criminal than they are the crime victim." She also highlighted a recent Supreme Court ruling that upheld Immigration and Customs Enforcement's authority to make immigration stops based on reasonable suspicion, overruling a California judge who had attempted to restrict such practices.