Day: May 17, 2026

How Xi Handled the Barbarian Who Went Home Empty-Handed Ready to Sell Out Taiwan

We begin with Trump claiming he had a “successful” summit with Xi in China even though it clearly was not fruitful and as far as the main issue of Taiwan is concerned, it appears Trump is ready to sell them out since he considers the arms sales to Taiwan the US has agreed to “a very good bargaining chip” to get other concessions out of China. Joining us is Kent Harrington, a former senior CIA analyst who served as National Intelligence Officer for East Asia and Chief of Station in Asia. He has an article we discuss at his Substack First and Second Thoughts, “Trump and America’s Asian Allies: The Not So Long Goodbye.”

The US Offers $100 Million in Aid to Cubans Suffering Collective Punishment As They Run Out of Oil From a Total US Blockade

Then with Cuba having run out of oil and diesel for electrical generators as the US offers up a paltry $100 million in aid while enforcing a crippling embargo that amounts to collective punishment of the Cuban people, we will speak with William LeoGrande, a professor of government and former dean of the American University School of Public Affairs. He is a specialist on Latin American politics and has been a frequent adviser to congress on issues of U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America including as a staffer to the Democratic Policy Committee of the United States Senate. He has written five books, including most recently, Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana and he has a recent article at Responsible Statecraft, “In Cuba a deadlock is more likely than a deal.” 

Republicans Fight Against Imaginary Problems Like Cultural Marxism Because They Have Nothing Real to Offer 

Then finally we look into how the Republicans avoid discussing any issue of substance because they don’t have a leg to stand on but continue to throw out made up distractions like “Critical Race Theory, Antifa and Cultural Marxism.” Joining us is A.J.A. Woods, an intellectual historian who recently received a PhD from the Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism at Western University in Canada. Their writings on conspiracy theories and reactionary politics have been translated into four languages and appeared in Open Democracy, Patterns of Prejudice, and Marx & Philosophy Review of Books. They are the author of the new book, just out, The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West.