China is not merely America’s geopolitical opponent. It is America’s geopolitical enemy — and has been since the establishment of the Chinese communist regime in 1949. For decades, American leaders and elites indulged the fantasy that this reality could be softened or reversed. Richard Nixon opened relations with China in part to split Beijing from the Soviet Union. Later, economic globalists insisted that bringing China into global markets would moderate its politics. The theory was that free trade would lead to freer people. It didn’t. China never stopped being what it has always been: a communist surveillance state with an appetite for repression at home and influence abroad. It is a historically mass-murdering regime and a government whose ambition is nothing less than the destruction of America’s global dominance. And China plays the long game. Unlike democratic nations that operate on election cycles, the Chinese Communist Party operates on decades. It can wait. It can plan. It can exploit. It has taken advantage of America’s openness — our markets, our universities, even our political institutions — to undermine us from within. Whether it’s the theft of tens of billions of dollars in intellectual property, the infiltration of American universities, or influence campaigns aimed at shaping public discourse, China has treated the United States like an enemy — because it is. That reality became impossible to ignore in 2020. China unleashed the Wuhan virus on the world while lying about the outbreak and downplaying evidence of human-to-human transmission. It misled the World Health Organization, which by that point had become so deferential to Beijing that it functioned more like a diplomatic arm of Chinese interests than an independent watchdog. The pandemic was a wake-up call, but it should not have been the first. For years, Americans have warned that the United States built supply chains through hostile territory. We outsourced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and strategic industries to a nation openly committed to replacing us. Now the question is unavoidable: What should we do? First, America must use its economic leverage to isolate China. That means cutting strong trade deals with reliable allies and strategic partners — Canada, Mexico, Europe and developing countries that may be tempted to drift into China’s orbit. The goal should be simple: Force nations to choose. Countries should understand they can either have access to American markets and investment, or dependence on Chinese manufacturing and influence. They should not be allowed to have both. Second, America must cut off China’s sources of revenue and influence. Much of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been aimed at this. Pressure against Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela was about oil revenue that strengthens China. The same is true with Iran, a major supplier of oil to Beijing. Even the war in Ukraine has implications, as Russia increasingly functions as a resource pipeline for China. Third, America must strengthen itself. One of the most dangerous vulnerabilities we face is financial dependency. China owns trillions of dollars in American debt. The implicit threat is always present: Beijing could dump U.S. bonds onto the market to destabilize our economy. China could absorb the pain. It does not fear public backlash the way democratic governments do. This is what happens when a nation becomes bloated, complacent and addicted to spending. If the United States wishes to remain a world power, it cannot behave like a decadent welfare state. Debt is not just an economic problem — it is a national security threat. Finally, America must close the doors China uses to steal, spy and infiltrate. One obvious step is also the most controversial: no more Chinese foreign exchange students. Zero. Our universities have strong financial incentives to bring them in, but national security cannot be treated like a revenue stream. We should not be importing students from hostile regimes to access American research and institutions, only for them to return home and strengthen systems that seek our destruction. Pretending geopolitical enemies will not exploit American openness is naive. They already have. The United States is still the most powerful country on Earth, but power is not permanent. It must be defended and strategically deployed. China is not a competitor playing by the rules of commerce and diplomacy. It is an adversary playing for dominance. The steps needed to confront that reality are available — and necessary. Ben Shapiro is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author.

Former host of CBS’s The Late Show, David Letterman, stopped by to visit with current and outgoing host Stephen Colbert on Thursday to rant at the network about how “pissed off” he is at the situation and how personally he takes it. Later, the duo vented some more by going to the roof of the Ed Sullivan building and throwing the show’s furniture off the roof at a CBS logo. Letterman’s self-righteous diatribe began when he quipped, “Well, you know what happened backstage. I'm standing backstage, a guy comes over, and he says he's from CBS, and then he fired me.”   David Letterman tells Stephen Colbert, "I will say, and I have every right to be pissed off so I will be pissed off a little bit—because this theater, you folks wouldn’t be in this theater if it weren't for me and Stephen wouldn't be here if it weren't for me and we rebuilt this… pic.twitter.com/n8v2G0QuI8 — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 15, 2026   He also huffed, “What is going on there? I will say, and I have every right to be pissed off, so I will be pissed off here a little bit—because this theater, you folks wouldn’t be in this theater if it weren't for me, and Stephen wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, and we rebuilt this theater, and then Stephen came, and I look at this—it's like the Bellagio, but listen, what is wrong here?” After Colbert insisted that “Nothing’s wrong, Dave!” Letterman continued with the premise that The Late Show was canceled in order to shut Colbert up, “As we all understand, you can take a man's show, but you can't take a man's voice, so that's the good news. Thank you, cheers.” Letterman further worried, “You know what I'm really worried about? What I'm worried about is what will become of the Jimmies? Are they going to be alright?” Colbert joked that "we have a plan to put them in a captive breeding program.” Later, the duo made their way to the roof, and Letterman gushed, “This brings true joy to my heart. We are up here for the wanton destruction of CBS property.”   Later, Colbert and Letterman go to the roof for some "the wanton destruction of CBS property." That starts with throwing the guests' chairs at a CBS logo. The first throw missed pic.twitter.com/NsWitQa8Md — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 15, 2026   Before any furniture hurling was to begin, Colbert claimed they needed “Something circular, like a bullseye.” Already thinking ahead, Letterman then revealed the target was a CBS logo. Colbert and Letterman’s furniture movers then tossed one of the guest chairs off the side of the building towards the target, but missed. Eventually a second guest chair hit the target that was covering a pile of children’s ball pit balls. That would be followed up with Colbert’s chair, some watermelons, and a Late Show-inspired wedding cake. Tying it all together, Letterman thanked Colbert for “everything you've done for our country.”   Finally, Colbert invited Letterman to say some goodbye to the audience and he replied, "Not necessarily to the audience but to the folks at CBS in the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night, good luck mother[bleep]." pic.twitter.com/u3Xfnjz46y — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 15, 2026   An appreciative Colbert followed up, “The feeling is mutual, Dave, thank you. Anything you would like to say to the audience before we go?” Letterman then got in one last shot at CBS, “Not necessarily to the audience but to the folks at CBS, in the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night and good luck, mother[bleep].” Here is a transcript for the May 14 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 5/14/2026 11:55 PM ET DAVID LETTERMAN: Well, you know what happened backstage. I'm standing backstage, a guy comes over, and he says he's from CBS, and then he fired me. STEPHEM COLBERT: Oh, I'm sorry. you caught a stray. You caught a stray. LETTERMAN: What is going on there? I will say, and I have every right to be pissed off, so I will be pissed off here a little bit—because this theater, you folks wouldn’t be in this theater if it weren't for me, and Stephen wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, and we rebuilt this theater, and then Stephen came, and I look at this—it's like the Bellagio, but listen, what is wrong here? COLBERT: Nothing’s wrong, Dave! LETTERMAN: As we all understand, you can take a man's show, but you can't take a man's voice, so that's the good news. Thank you, cheers. COLBERT: Cheers. There you go. That was very kind of you, Dave. LETTERMAN: You know what I'm really worried about? COLBERT: What? LETTERMAN: What I'm worried about is what will become of the Jimmies?  COLBERT: I don't know. LETTERMAN: Are they going to be alright? COLBERT: We have a plan to put them in a captive breeding program. LETTER: Wow, I don't think I've ever heard that phrase. “Captive breeding.” I like that, pretty good. … 12:19 AM LETTERMAN: But this brings true joy to my heart. We are up here for the wanton destruction of CBS property. COLBERT: I know for many years I enjoyed this as a viewer. You would throw things off Ed Sullivan building— LETTERMAN: That’s right. COLBERT:  —this is a true story when I first got this gig, one the first things they told me before we moved into the offices is that I would not be allowed to throw anything off of the roof of the Ed Sullivan building because evidently there was a problem with a previous tenant. LETTERMAN: Yes, I'm so excited about this. COLBERT: So am I. Alright, so, I was never allowed to do this. LETTERMAN: You never did it in all the time—? COLBERT: I never did it, but we are at the end here, so all bets are off. LETTERMAN: Let’s get to it. COLBERT: Let’s go. Alright. LETTERMAN: Now, this is--these are the guys who do the heavy work for us, Chris and Gene. COLBERT: Chris and Gene, guys, thanks for your help. LETTERMAN: You guys will verify this is CBS property, right? CHRIS OR GENE: 100 percent, yes. From the show. LETTERMAN: Okay, any time you're ready, Stephen. Oh my god! COLBERT: Alright. Hold on a second. Guys, before we do this, Dave, I think we should have a target, don't you?  LETTERMAN: Right down there, my friend. COLBERT: Something circular, like a bullseye. LETTERMAN: Yeah, yeah. It's all fun until somebody puts out an eye. COLBERT: That’ll do. LETTERMAN: Here we go, get ready. COLBERT: Gentlemen. LETTERMAN: Oh my god, yes, oh. Oh! We missed a target, but still, that’s fun. COLBERT: Don't worry, Dave we brought a spare. LETTERMAN: This is chair number two. COLBERT: Okay, gentlemen, let’s think about what happened last time, how are you going to adjust the throw? This is all on you. CHRIS OR GENE: Maybe go a little lighter. LETTERMAN: Yeah, you don’t—just drop it. COLBERT: Yeah, I would just go straight down, less shove. LETTERMAN: That’ll be a shame if you don’t destroy the eye. COLBERT: Wait, this man knows what he’s doing. What's your advice? LETTERMAN: I say look out for the wind and keep it closer to the building. COLBERT: Watch the wind. LETTERMAN: Yeah. Here we go. Yes! It’s unbelievable isn’t it. … LETTERMAN: The pleasure is all mine. I enjoy destroying stuff it's great, great fun. Thank you for everything you've done for our country. COLBERT: The feeling is mutual, Dave, thank you. Anything you would like to say to the audience before we go? LETTERMAN: Not necessarily to the audience but to the folks at CBS, in the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night and good luck, mother[bleep].

On Thursday, CBS Mornings echoed a TMZ report that accused Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Spencer Pratt, which accused Pratt of lying about living in a trailer in his lot that burned due to the LA Wildfires, and instead lived in a hotel. The TMZ report said Pratt “traded in the trailer for one of the swankiest hotels in LA.” Here’s an excerpt from the story:  Spencer Pratt has gained traction in his campaign for L.A. Mayor by showing what he says Karen Bass did to his family -- forcing them to live in a trailer after his home burned down. But TMZ has learned ... he's traded in the trailer for one of the swankiest hotels in L.A. ... but Spencer says he was forced to ditch the trailer because of death threats. CBS followed the TMZ story and essentially just repeated the same information and added clips from a Pratt interview with TMZ’s Harvey Levin and a previous CBS interview with the mayoral candidate.   Thursday's 'CBS Mornings' is out with a story parroting the Pod Save bros and TMZ talking points about Spencer Pratt and whether he lives in a trailer vs. a hotel room. CBSNewsmax it is not. pic.twitter.com/LZoEJKaxzv — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 14, 2026   Guest co-host Matt Gutman introduced the story: Turning now to a story involving a former reality star, Spencer Pratt, who is running for mayor in Los Angeles. Pratt lost his home during the wildfires that destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades last year. In a campaign ad, he said he's been living in a trailer since then, but a new report alleges that is not true.  Reporter Adam Yamaguchi played a clip of an ad where Pratt said, “This is where I live, They let my home burn down,” from his burned-down Palisades property.  Yamaguchi continued, “TMZ is now reporting that Pratt has actually been staying at a luxury hotel in LA, not a trailer. In an interview, he said he did spend around six days in the last month at that hotel in part due to security concerns.” A clip from a Harvey Levin interview with Pratt played, where Pratt responded to allegations, as he pointed out his house does not exist anymore because it burned down in the fires, and said, “I don't live anywhere is what I'm saying. I don't have a house. They burned it down, Harvey. I don't have a house." Yamaguchi then played clips from his previous exclusive interview, which CBS had to post in its full form due to backlash from Pratt on edits: YAMAGUCHI: In an exclusive interview last week, we spent time with Pratt, including inside his trailer. PRATT: I just got the wire to connect the power last night on the debate night. So, been waiting weeks. My neighbors, it took six weeks for one wire to connect their power. So, this idea that things are moving fast and red tape cut, it just shows you how long it takes for people to build in the city of LA. (...) The news package ended, and Gutman noted how Pratt’s ads have gained traction: “You know, in the ads that have made him very famous over the past couple of weeks, he calls himself ‘Pratt-man’, but these have been viewed dozens of millions of times.” Fill-in co-host Adriana Diaz added, “Uh. There’s a lot of questions here,” as co-host Nate Burleson nodded along. The Pratt house burned down in the LA fires. He does not have a home because of the LA wildfires that went out of control, as Bass was out of the country on a trip to Africa. The focus on Pratt's minute-to-minute living due to the security concerns that come with being a big city mayoral candidate is unimportant, as he literally does not have a home after it burned down. Instead, the focus should be on others, like Pratt, who lost their homes in uncontrolled fires. The transcript is below. Click "expand": CBS Mornings May 14, 2026 8:05:59 AM Eastern (...) MATT GUTMAN:  Turning now to a story involving a former reality star, Spencer Pratt, who is running for mayor in Los Angeles. Pratt lost his home during the wildfires that destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades last year. In a campaign ad, he said he's been living in a trailer since then, but a new report alleges that is not true.  Adam Yamaguchi has more on what Pratt is now saying. [Cuts to video] SPENCER PRATT (From Campaign Ad): This is where I live. They let my home burn down. I know what the consequences of failed leadership are. ADAM YAMAGUCHI: This is how former reality TV star Spencer Pratt made his run for mayor. The 42-year-old who lost his home last year has become one of the front-runners in the race.  TMZ is now reporting that Pratt has actually been staying at a luxury hotel in LA, not a trailer.  In an interview, he said he did spend around six days in the last month at that hotel in part due to security concerns.  HARVEY LEVIN (TMZ): Are you saying you live in that trailer? PRATT: (To Levin) I don't live anywhere is what I'm saying. I don't have a house. They burned it down, Harvey. I don't have a house. [Jumpcut] I don't need to sleep there every night. I don't need to go number two on that toilet. That is where I live. I'm from the Palisades, Los Angeles, and I'm fighting for Los Angeles, so - YAMAGUCHI:  The candidate, a registered Republican who has no political experience, is shaking up the LA Mayoral race, polling second just behind incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in a historically blue city. [To Pratt in previous interview] This is your home? PRATT: This is my forward-operating base. This is where I will be. As Mayor, I want to live here. YAMAGUCHI: In an exclusive Interview last week, we spent time with Pratt, including inside his trailer. PRATT: I just got the wire to connect the power last night on the debate night. So, been waiting weeks. My neighbors, it took six weeks for one wire to connect their power. So, this idea that things are moving fast and red tape cut, it just shows you how long it takes for people to build in the city of LA.  I truly believe I'm winning with 51 percent on June 2nd. That's how angry Angelenos are. They're not looking for the guy with - they don't want an experienced politician. They're living what experienced politicians have done to their lives, so it is time for a change. YAMAGUCHI: For CBS Mornings, I’m Adam Yamaguchi. [Cuts back to live] GUTMAN: Alright. We reached out to Pratt to get more clarification on this controversy, but he did not immediately respond.  You know, in the ads that have made him very famous over the past couple of weeks, he calls himself ‘Pratt-man’, but these have been viewed dozens of millions of times. ADRIANA DIAZ: Uh, There's a lot of questions here. NATE BURLESON: Yeah GUTMAN: A lot of questions DIAZ: But Adam’s all over it. (...)

MRC Watchdogs churn out breaking news on a daily basis. Don't miss Today's Highlights, where you can keep up with the top MRC content, whether it's the latest study on media bias, a glaring omission from the elitist media, or how the Big Tech companies are serving up the same leftist spin as the media.  Top Stories: ABC, NBC Refuse to Cover Massive White House Moves on Fighting Medicare Fraud  ABC/CBS/NBC Spend Zero Seconds on DOJ Investigation Into Soros-Backed DA  Corporate Shills: ABC's GMA Spends Over 13 Mins on Disney Upfronts, Zero on Cruise Pedos  NPR Decries Economic Chilling Effect of Trump’s Illegal Immigration Crackdown  Israel Prepares To Sue The New York Times As Rest Of Media Stay Away       ABC, NBC Refuse to Cover Massive White House Moves on Fighting Medicare Fraud  ABC and NBC provided zero coverage of this crackdown during their primary evening and morning news broadcasts.  Vice President JD Vance and Dr. Oz announced the federal government is deferring over one billion dollars in Medicare payments to California.  The administration is implementing a six month moratorium on new hospice and home health care operations to investigate widespread billing red flags.  The White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud is currently demanding that all fifty states prove their commitment to addressing welfare fraud.   ABC/CBS/NBC Spend Zero Seconds on DOJ Investigation Into Soros-Backed DA  The Media Research Center found that the three major broadcast networks have spent zero seconds reporting on this high profile investigation.  The Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into Virginia prosecutor Steve Descano for alleged preferential treatment of illegal immigrants.  Descano is accused of offering sweetheart plea deals to defendants charged with serious crimes including murder and stabbing.  The prosecutor received over seven hundred thousand dollars in campaign funding from groups linked to George Soros.   Corporate Shills: ABC's GMA Spends Over 13 Mins on Disney Upfronts, Zero on Cruise Pedos  Wednesday's Good Morning America spent nearly fourteen minutes promoting upcoming shows and projects for its parent company Disney.  The program featured gushing interviews with corporate executives while ignoring a significant controversy involving the Disney Cruise Line.  Multiple Disney Cruise workers were recently arrested on charges related to child pornography but ABC News has remained silent on the arrests. This is a form of corporate fraud that replaces hard news with syrupy advertisements for the network owner.   NPR Decries Economic Chilling Effect of Trump’s Illegal Immigration Crackdown  NPR recently published a report suggesting that aggressive enforcement of immigration laws is causing a negative chilling effect on the national economy.  The network focused on how the removal of illegal workers creates labor shortages and disrupts various industries across the country.  NPR is prioritizing the interests of illegal labor over the rule of law and the safety of American citizens.  This coverage is part of a broader media trend to frame border security measures as primarily harmful rather than beneficial to the public.   Corporate Shills: ABC's GMA Spends Over 13 Mins on Disney Upfronts, Zero on Cruise Pedos  Good Morning America spent nearly fourteen minutes promoting upcoming shows and projects for its parent company Disney.  The program featured gushing interviews with corporate executives while ignoring a significant controversy involving the Disney Cruise Line.  Multiple Disney Cruise workers were recently arrested on charges related to child pornography but ABC News has remained silent on the arrests. This is a form of corporate fraud that replaces hard news with syrupy advertisements for the network owner.   Israel Prepares To Sue The New York Times As Rest Of Media Stay Away  The Israeli Foreign Ministry plans to file a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times regarding claims of prisoner abuse published by Nicholas Kristof.  Experts have disputed the specific allegations in the report noting that some claims regarding animal behavior are physiologically impossible.  Major networks like ABC and CBS have completely ignored the brewing legal battle and the controversy surrounding The Times’s reporting.  The Times continues to stand by the article despite reports that sources have changed their stories and lack verifiable evidence.  

One of the many angry eruptions of the petulant press over Donald Trump is “he’s destroying all our political norms.” Trump is surely a disrupter of politics as usual – and more of a disrupter of the federal bureaucracy in his second term. But the Democrats have been at war with long-standing political norms for a while now. Consider Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s move in 2013 to lower the vote threshold for confirming executive branch and federal judicial nominees (except for the Supreme Court) from 60 to a simple majority. In the Trump era, the leftist lust to overturn all the norms to maximize their power has been growing every year. Trump’s re-election is always treated as the End of Democracy when it was obviously democracy’s continuation. Arrogant Democrats think democracy is only functioning when they win. Look no further than 2024 loser Kamala Harris calling for wrecking a stack of norms in an “Emergency Call” on May 13 with the group Win With Black Women. Kamala denounced the Supreme Court as “back-dooring racism” by ruling against using race in redistricting. Kamala Harris is now calling for Democrats to hold a “No Bad Idea Brainstorm” where they discuss: - Abolishing the Electoral College - Packing the Supreme Court - Making Puerto Rico and D.C. states “We’ve got to neutralize these red states from cheating!” pic.twitter.com/23MPJxn7fN — Pat Adams (@PatAdams96) May 14, 2026 She called for a “No Bad Idea Brainstorm,” but the ideas that followed were all in that Harry Reid spirit of grabbing all the power for the Left, that the only norm that matters is acquiring as much power as possible, and calling it “democracy.” So that would include: 1. Abolishing the Electoral College, since no one should care about small-population red states. 2. “Supreme Court reform,” or expanding the court from nine justices to 13, so they can install four leftists right away. . If this was accomplished, perhaps Hakeem Jeffries would stop calling the Supreme Court “illegitimate.” 3. Multi-member legislative districts, being pushed by leftist groups like the Brennan Center for Justice. 4. Rules to “penalize” potential Supreme Court justices for “lying” to the Senate Judiciary Committee about how they would vote. They would like to extract a promise to support abortion, for example. This ruins the notion that judges shouldn’t have to make campaign promises to get confirmed. 5. Statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, on the assumption that this adds more Democrats to the House and Senate. She said “we’ve got to neutralize these red states from cheating!” Cheating would be passing a policy the Left hates.  “We gotta fire with fire,” Kamala concluded, and “We gotta be ruthless, too.” Every time the Left loses in a legislative battle or a judicial ruling, the opposition is described as “ruthless.” This is how Democrats are going to campaign in 2026 and 2028. Everything is about "fighting fire with fire" by destroying all the norms, because inflamed "progressives" who speak or tweet their disappointment when Trump isn't assassinated want the Trump presidency upended immediately. The leftist media is not raising objections.  A meme on X sums up the theme in this socialist soup: “If we could just jail Trump, get rid of MAGA, end the Electoral College, stack the Supreme Court, ban voter ID, and censor free speech we could save democracy.”