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Former California mayor admits secretly working for China, spreading Beijing propaganda in US

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The former mayor of a Southern California city admitted in federal court Friday that she acted as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, formally pleading guilty in a case prosecutors have described as a brazen effort to spread Beijing-backed propaganda inside the United States.

Eileen Li Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, California, pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying U.S. authorities, a felony offense carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 special assessment fee.

Federal prosecutors allege Wang acted “at the direction and control” of Chinese government officials between 2020 and 2022, coordinating with individuals in the United States to distribute pro-Beijing messaging without registering with the U.S. attorney general as required by law. The conduct described in the case occurred before Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in 2022 and later became mayor through the city’s rotating system.

Wang appeared in court Friday wearing a navy suit with gold buttons and was accompanied by her attorneys. Although the court provided a Mandarin interpreter, Wang chose to proceed in English throughout the hearing.

CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS

Before accepting the plea, the judge placed Wang under oath and questioned her extensively about her state of mind and understanding of the proceedings. Wang then waived her right to a grand jury indictment and her right to a jury trial.

A Justice Department attorney reviewed the charge against Wang, knowingly acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying U.S. authorities, and outlined the maximum penalties she faces. Wang told the court she understood she was pleading guilty to a felony offense and understood the potential consequences, including the conditions of supervised release.

Prosecutors also reviewed the constitutional rights Wang would be giving up by entering the plea, including certain appeal rights. The judge then asked Wang a series of questions to verify she understood those waivers.

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At one point, defense attorneys attempted to waive the government’s reading of the factual basis supporting the charge, but prosecutors insisted the facts be read aloud in open court.

When the judge asked how she pleaded, Wang responded: “Yes, guilty.”

The judge accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Oct. 6, 2026, at 9 a.m. local time. Wang was released on bond pending sentencing and will have an opportunity to address the court before her sentence is imposed.

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The guilty plea marks the latest development in a case federal officials have pointed to as a warning about Chinese government efforts to influence American institutions and public discourse through covert operations inside the United States.

According to court documents, Wang worked alongside Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a convicted Chinese agent already serving a four-year federal prison sentence, to operate a website posing as a local Chinese-American news outlet.

Prosecutors described the website as a propaganda arm for the Chinese Communist Party that published content supplied directly by Chinese government officials.

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In one exchange detailed in court filings, a Chinese government official sent Wang a pre-written article denying allegations of forced labor and genocide in China’s Xinjiang region. Prosecutors said Wang posted the article online within minutes and sent the official a link to the published piece. The official allegedly responded: “So fast, thank you everyone.”

In another instance, prosecutors said Wang made edits to content at Beijing’s request and later responded, “Thank you leader.”

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Authorities also allege Wang communicated with convicted Chinese operative John Chen, a figure prosecutors say has ties to China’s intelligence apparatus and connections to Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to court documents, Wang asked Chen to distribute messaging and wrote, “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send.”

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“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said when the charges were announced.

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“It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all.”

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called the case part of an ongoing effort to counter Chinese influence operations in the United States.

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“Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” Essayli said. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.”

FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said Wang’s conduct should serve as a warning to others who seek to influence American politics on behalf of foreign governments.

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“By her own admission, Eileen Wang secretly served the interests of the Chinese government,” Rozhavsky said. “Let this serve as a clear warning individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments to influence our democracy will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice.”

Wang resigned from the Arcadia City Council and mayor’s office after federal charges were announced. City officials have maintained that the conduct described by prosecutors occurred before Wang took office and said an internal review found no city finances, staff or decision-making processes were involved.

“The allegations at the center of this case, that a foreign government sought to exert influence over a local elected official, are deeply troubling,” the city previously said in a statement. “We take them seriously.”

Fox News’ Alex Rego and Matt Finn contributed to this report.

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Giants’ Jaxson Dart Reveals Why He Introduced Trump At Rally

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‘This is not the New York City I knew’: Jews, Muslims and Christians unite at anti-Mamdani rally

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NEW YORK — Hundreds of protesters waving Israeli and American flags gathered Tuesday night just steps from Gracie Mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side to rally against Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Speakers at the rally accused the mayor of failing to protect the city’s Jewish population and ignoring antisemitism. The protest featured a long list of speakers, including former “Big Time Rush” star James Maslow, artist Scott LoBaido, Lawfare Project founder Brooke Goldstein, along with several pro-Israel activists.

The rally was organized by #EndJewHatred, a grassroots group focused on combating antisemitism.

In between the speeches, the crowd broke into chants of “remove Mamdani” and “USA, USA,” and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

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“This is not the New York City I knew and loved,” Ari Ackerman, an entrepreneur and outspoken pro-Israel advocate, told Fox News Digital.

“There’s a different ideology that has taken over by the man who’s living in that house right over there,” he continued while pointing at Gracie Mansion, “and it’s not good. It’s changed everything.”

Mamdani’s friction with the city’s Jewish community came into focus during his campaign, as some questioned his stance on Israel, refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” and ties to activists like Hasan Piker and Mahmoud Khalil.

Antisemitic incidents have surged in New York City since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. Recently, there have been anti-Israel protests outside Jewish institutions and synagogues.

Since taking office in January, tensions have remained high, with many Jewish New Yorkers saying that they do not feel safe in their own city. New York City is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside Israel.

Some speakers argued that the mayor’s rhetoric and actions reflected a deeper failure to confront antisemitism.

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Rabbi Yaakov Menken, executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, told Fox News Digital that while antisemitism has persisted for thousands of years, he believes Mamdani embodies its modern form.

“Rabbis have been studying antisemitism for thousands of years. We know what it is, we know how to recognize it, and Zohran Mamdani represents it in the here and now,” Menken said.

“On day one of taking office, Mamdani, what did he do? He gets rid of the definition of antisemitism,” influencer and activist Lizzy Savetsky said, causing the crowd to boo the mayor. “If we can’t define it, how can we even fight it?”

While much of the rally focused on antisemitism, several speakers emphasized they were gathered to oppose a mayor who they see as a threat to Americans, not just Jews. The speakers represented several different backgrounds, including Christians and Muslims.

“This is not about antisemitism. This is about who we are as Americans,” Goldstein told Fox News Digital. “Do we believe in the rule of law? Do we believe in civil rights? Do we believe in equal protection?”

“We are demanding equal protection under the law. The truth is on our side, the law is on our side,” she added.

HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH FLAGS FLY AT ANTI-ISRAEL PROTEST MINUTES AFTER MAMDANI CONDEMNS TERROR PLOT AGAINST JEWS

Abraham Hamra, a Syrian Jew who was forced to escape his home country with his family as a child, said that Mamdani represented a larger threat to Americans.

“What’s coming here, me and my family escaped,” he said. “For every New Yorker, for every American watching this, this is not a threat to the Jewish community. This is a threat to you and your way of life as Americans.”

Hamra encouraged Americans to “stand up tall” against radical Islam and socialism.

Mamdani drew attention recently when he announced that he would not march in the Israel Day Parade, which is scheduled for May 31. Since 1964, every sitting mayor has attended the parade. This year, it comes amid a rise in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel protests outside Jewish institutions.

“He’s not attending the Israel Parade, so we’re going to bring the parade to his door,” influencer Zach Sage Fox told Fox News Digital.

Anila Ali, president of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council, joined the protest just days before she was set to make history. Ali is slated to lead the first Muslim group to march in New York City’s annual Israel Day Parade, which has taken place for over 60 years.

Ali noted at the beginning of her speech that the rally coincided with the start of Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest holidays in Islam, which commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as a demonstration of his faith in God.

“The Abrahamic prophets did not teach hate, and if Mayor Mamdani says he’s a Muslim, then this hate on Jewish New Yorkers is un-Islamic, un-American and immoral,” Ali declared.

She went on to accuse Mamdani of “using Islam to divide Muslims, Jews, Christians and all of us.” Ali also said that the mayor was using his faith to push his ideology.

While some focused on what they saw as Mamdani’s failures with public safety and his impact on the future of the city, others brought up current situations in which they saw the mayor falling short.

“He’ll condemn a swastika drawn on a building, but he won’t condemn Hezbollah flags and Hamas flags that are being paraded around the streets daily now in New York,” Fox told Fox News Digital.

Fox added that Mamdani represented a larger phenomenon in the U.S., in which many people “hate Jews, but they mask it under Zionism.”

The rally highlighted broader frustrations many of Mamdani’s critics have expressed, with speakers repeatedly voicing their concerns about public safety, antisemitism and the future of New York City.

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.

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Former Giant Will Clark slams team for doing hip thrusts in the outfield with a losing record

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I can’t remember the last time a celebration took over social media the way the San Francisco Giants’ outfield hip-thrusting sessions have.

And I definitely can’t remember a time that those celebrations were being busted out by a team that is well under .500.

According to former Giant and six-time All-Star Will Clark, it’s a bad look, and he made it very clear that he’s not a fan of the thrusting.

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“The dance where they’re doing the f–king pelvic thrust or something like that,” Clark said in a clip from his “Deuces Wild” podcast that has been making the rounds on social media. “I’m like ‘What the f–k is this?’ You’re 20 and 30, you don’t have the luxury of doing that kind of s–t out there. It looks like chicken s–t. Go back, high-five each other, ‘Nice job, we won one. Let’s keep the train running.’

“But the train has been off the tracks a little bit. I hate it.”

I mean… he has a point.

What’s so funny to me about this whole celebration is that if you showed someone who wasn’t following baseball, they’d see it and think that the San Francisco Giants are on top of the world and on cruise control until they win the NL pennant as a mere formality and dominate the World Series.

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That is not the case.

I guess you could make the claim that they’re trying to get the most mileage out of their celebrations since they haven’t been able to do them a lot this season.

Still, if I were playing on a team that was struggling at the bottom of the standings, I wouldn’t celebrate like that.

It’s just weird. Like when a football team is getting blown out, but they get a late touchdown and celebrate like it just put them ahead, when in reality it’s still like a three-possession game.

Maybe read the room.

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