In this episode, hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso welcome National Review senior political correspondent & Washington Post columnist Jim Geraghty for a wide-ranging discussion that moves from how intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced that Beijing covered up COVID-19's laboratory origins to China's heavy influence on U.S. and international institutions to America's shifting global media strategy under Donald Trump.

Geraghty, who began investigating COVID's origins in March 2020, discusses recent German intelligence reports confirming an 80-95% likelihood that COVID-19 escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. He explains why this matters beyond the pandemic: "I'm trying to think of anything any government has done that is more harmful than the ultimate effect of the COVID pandemic." The conversation explores how China's cover-up cost the world "a year of our lives" and why real accountability remains elusive.

The discussion examines how the WHO fumbled its COVID response, with China effectively having "veto power" over declaring a global pandemic. Geraghty argues that international health institutions may never recover the trust they lost during the pandemic, creating dangerous vulnerabilities for future health crises.

From Hollywood's Transformers movies featuring heroic Chinese military scenes to NBA censorship of Hong Kong support, Geraghty details how China has successfully influenced American institutions. "We didn't bring our values to China. We're bringing their values here," he explains, describing how American organizations increasingly behave with Chinese-style authoritarianism.

With 90% of Radio Free Asia's staff facing layoffs and Voice of America's future uncertain, the hosts and Geraghty discuss the strategic implications of dismantling America's global media presence. While Russia and China invest billions in propaganda, the US is "disarming" its information warfare capabilities just as authoritarian influence operations intensify.

The conversation turns to how Trump's unpredictable approach affects Indo-Pacific allies, with Australia's recent elections influenced by concerns about potential US abandonment. Geraghty warns that allies watching Trump's treatment of Ukraine and Canada are asking: "That could happen to us."

Geraghty describes the emerging "axis of A-holes" - Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea - working together against Western interests, citing examples like Houthis avoiding attacks on Chinese and Russian vessels in the Red Sea.

This episode provides essential analysis for anyone following US-China relations, pandemic accountability, and America's evolving role in global information warfare.

Follow Jim Geraghty on X, @JimGeraghty, and at the National Review or Washington Post

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