By The FirstChina’s military shake-up may be exposing deep cracks in Xi Jinping’s rule. Mike Baker speaks with Steve Yates of The Heritage Foundation about China’s sweeping purge of top generals and what it reveals about Xi Jinping’s grip on power. Is the Chinese leader facing cracks within his own ranks—or could he even be at risk of being deposed?
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Ryan McBeth On Why Iran Should Be Scared Of Saudi F-35s
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Mike speaks with author Gordon Chang about the sharp turn in relations between China and Japan after a recent statement from Tokyo triggered an aggressive response from Beijing. They explore what China found so provocative, why Chinese officials escalated their rhetoric so quickly, and how this dispute fits into a larger pattern of China pressuring its neighbors. Chang breaks down Beijing’s strategic motives, Tokyo’s growing security posture, and why this moment could mark a more confrontational phase in the China-Japan relationship.
The Economic Trap Keeping Putin in the War
Mike sits down with author and sanctions expert Edward Fishman to break down the mounting economic pressure on the Kremlin. They discuss how Western restrictions on Russian oil exports are cutting deep into Moscow’s revenue, why the sanctions regime is proving more durable than many expected, and how the strain on Russia’s finances is creating a political trap that makes it far harder for Vladimir Putin to wind down the war in Ukraine—even if he wanted to. Fishman lays out what the numbers show, how the Kremlin is attempting to adapt, and why the economic squeeze could shape Putin’s next moves on the battlefield.
Iranian Exile Explains Why a Water Shortage Could Bring Down the Mullahs
Iran is running out of water—and the crisis may do what protests and sanctions couldn’t: threaten the survival of the regime. As reservoirs hit historic lows and rationing spreads across major cities, public anger is rising. Iranian exile and National Council of Resistance of Iran spokesman Shahin Gobadi explains why the country is approaching “water bankruptcy,” how decades of mismanagement created the disaster, and why the mullahs are more vulnerable to this crisis than they want the world to believe.
US Navy Admiral Reveals Beijing’s Most Likely Plan to Break Taiwan
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