Dem Exposed as Chinese Spy, NYC Protest Explodes, DC Renovation Controversy | 5/13/26 FIRST LOOK

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[00:00:04]Hey everybody, I'm Dave Rubin and this is First Look. It's Wednesday, May 13, 2026. We've got a packed show for you today. A California mayor resigns after federal prosecutors say she secretly worked for the Chinese Communist Party.

[00:00:20]Anti-Israel protesters clash with Jewish counterprotesters outside a Brooklyn synagogue as tensions continue boiling over in New York City.

[00:00:30]Democrats and activist groups melt down after President Trump moves to renovate the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool ahead of America's 250th birthday. Let's dive in. We start with a truly stunning story out of California and honestly one that feels like it should be getting far more national attention than it is. A sitting California mayor has now resigned after federal prosecutors accused her of secretly working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. Former Arcadia Mayor Eileene Wang has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the People's Republic of China and has agreed to plead guilty. According to the Justice Department, Wang worked directly under the direction and control of Chinese government officials from at least 2020 through 2022, all while operating inside the United States and never informing the US government. She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a possible $250,000 fine, and potentially deportation if she's not a US citizen. Now, here's where the story gets even more disturbing. Federal prosecutors say Wang helped operate what appeared to be a local Chinese American news website. But according to investigators, the site was actually functioning as a propaganda outlet for the Chinese Communist Party.

[00:02:01]Officials say Chinese government handlers would literally send Wang pre-written probeijing articles and she would immediately publish them online.

[00:02:12]One example involved propaganda denying allegations of forced labor and genocide against Weaguer Muslims in Shinjang.

[00:02:21]According to prosecutors, a Chinese official sent Wang the article. Wang posted it within minutes, then sent the official the live link. The official reportedly responded, "So fast. Thank you, everyone." And Wang allegedly replied, "Thank you, leader."

[00:02:40]That's not subtle. In another exchange, prosecutors say Wang coordinated messaging directly tied to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She reportedly worked alongside convicted Chinese operative Yao Ning Mike Sun, who is already serving a 4-year federal prison sentence. She also allegedly communicated with another convicted operative tied to Chinese intelligence networks connected to Xi Jinping himself. Now, remember, this woman later got elected to public office in California. She won a seat on the Arcadia City Council in 2022 and eventually became mayor through the city's rotating mayoral system. Now, prosecutors say the conduct occurred before she took office, and city officials insist no city resources were compromised, no city decisionmaking was affected, and no other officials are under investigation.

[00:03:38]But let's be honest, the bigger issue here is obvious. The FBI says this case is a warning about foreign governments trying to infiltrate and influence American institutions at every level, including local politics. Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg said, "Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent."

[00:04:06]Seems like common sense, but apparently we're now at a point where it actually needs to be said out loud. And politically, this feeds directly into growing concerns conservatives have raised for years about Chinese influence operations inside universities, media, tech companies, research institutions, and now apparently local government, too. Meanwhile, the same political class that spent years screaming about Russian disinformation often treated concerns about Chinese influence as paranoia or xenophobia. Turns out those concerns were very real. And this case may only be the beginning. Now to New York City, where anti-Israel protests continue escalating. This time erupting into chaos outside a Brooklyn synagogue Monday night. At least three people were arrested after anti-Israel demonstrators clashed with pro-Israel counterprotesters near the Young Israel Senior Services Synagogue in Midwood.

[00:05:08]The synagogue was hosting an event promoting real estate opportunities in Israel in the West Bank and anti-Israel activists showed up in force. The crowd chanted, "Palestine is ours alone."

[00:05:20]Others carried banners reading, "Israel is killing children." And things quickly turned physical. Video obtained by the New York Post showed a masked protester yanking a young girl by the hair, nearly throwing her into a parked car, multiple screaming confrontations in the street, and at one point a man aggressively charging toward a group holding an Israeli flag while yelling obscenities.

[00:05:47]Police say two pro-Israel teenagers were detained. One anti-Israel protester was also arrested and all three had allegedly thrown objects during the clashes. Now, this wasn't an isolated event. The protest mirrored another major anti-Israel demonstration last week outside Manhattan's historic Park East Synagogue. Both protests were organized by PalaNYNJ, a radical activist group that openly promoted the rallies using slogans like no settlers on stolen land. The organization later defended the demonstrations, claiming New Yorkers should not tolerate what they called the sale of stolen Palestinian land. Now, here's the broader issue. Jewish congregants attending religious and community events in New York City increasingly require police protection just to safely enter synagogues. And after repeated demonstrations targeting Jewish institutions, city council speaker Julie Menon proposed a new buffer zone law requiring security perimeters around houses of worship during anticipated protests. That law already passed, but according to reports, the NYPD still hasn't submitted its implementation plan despite a 45day deadline. And honestly, this is becoming one of the defining failures of progressive city leadership. Instead of enforcing basic public order, cities like New York increasingly tolerate chaos until things spiral out of control. And once again, religious institutions, specifically Jewish institutions, are being directly targeted while political leaders struggle to respond decisively. And finally, Democrats, activist groups, and the media are now completely melting down over President Trump renovating the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.

[00:07:47]Seriously. Ahead of America's 250th birthday celebration on July 4th, 2026, the Trump administration launched a major renovation project to restore the iconic reflecting pool in Washington DC.

[00:08:02]The project includes repairing major leaks, fixing aging infrastructure, cleaning up the pool's algae problem, and repainting the bottom in what's being called American flag blue to give the water a cleaner, brighter appearance. And apparently, this has triggered a national crisis for the resistance crowd. An activist organization called the Cultural Landscape Foundation has already filed a lawsuit trying to stop the renovations.

[00:08:33]They're accusing Trump of desecrating the landmark, altering its historic character, and bypassing federal review procedures. Meanwhile, the New York Times published a negative story complaining about rising project costs.

[00:08:48]The renovation is now expected to cost around $13.1 million, up from an original estimate of about $1.8 million.

[00:08:58]But here's the part many critics conveniently left out. The Obama administration already spent roughly $35 million renovating the exact same reflecting pool between 2010 and 2012.

[00:09:14]adjusted for inflation. That's more than $53 million in today's dollars. And despite all that money, the project largely failed. Within weeks of completion, tourists were already complaining the pool looked green, dirty, swampy, and full of algae. Again, one tourist at the time literally said, "It looks like nothing was done. It's real nasty." Reports later showed the pool was still leaking around 16 million gallons of water per year. Trump responded to the criticism on Truth Social by blasting the New York Times for ignoring the Obama era failures entirely. And he also pointed out something important. His administration's renovation is specifically designed to avoid a full replacement of the pool, which officials estimate would cost nearly $400 million and take about four years to complete.

[00:10:12]Instead, Trump says this restoration will stop the leaks, improve the appearance, and preserve the landmark for decades. He wrote, "It won't leak, it will shine, and be the pride of Washington DC for decades to come." And honestly, the reaction here perfectly captures modern politics. Obama spends tens of millions on a project that doesn't work. Barely a scandal. Trump spends less than half that amount trying to actually fix it. Suddenly, it's authoritarian desecration.

[00:10:47]At this point, the opposition reflex is so automatic that Democrats and activist groups seem incapable of admitting Trump could improve literally anything, even a leaking reflecting pool. And that's your first look this Wednesday. Quick recap.

[00:11:04]A California mayor resigns after prosecutors say she secretly worked for the Chinese Communist Party. Anti-Israel protests erupt into chaos outside a Brooklyn synagogue, and the left melts down after President Trump moves to restore the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool ahead of America's 250th birthday.

[00:11:25]We'll keep following all of it. I'm Dave Rubin. Thanks for starting your day with First Look. See you tomorrow.