Ruthless Podcast | Episode Summary

Episode Title: How China Funds the American Left + Sen. Cornyn Joins The Progrum
Date: February 12, 2026
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Special Guest: Senator John Cornyn

Overview

This episode of the Ruthless Podcast dives into two main topics:

1. The influence of foreign—specifically Chinese—funds on far-left activism and protests in the United States
2. A spotlight interview with Texas Senator John Cornyn as he faces a contentious GOP primary

The hosts blend sharp, irreverent banter with deep-dive analysis, discussing how "astroturf" activism, funded by foreign actors like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has shaped left-wing protest movements. They also kick off their midterm coverage by interviewing primary candidates, starting with Cornyn.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. China’s Influence on the American Left

A. Well-funded, Foreign-backed Protest Movements

• Michael Duncan starts by describing the protests as “well funded, well organized, essentially like riot on demand that China has built inside of America.” (00:00)
• Holmes adds that these groups are “funded in a large part by foreign influence operations... that try to attack the United States from within.” (00:10)

B. State Department Report on Chinese Funding

• Hosts discuss a new State Department report identifying groups like Code Pink and the People's Forum as CCP influence agents, spreading pro-China messages and undermining U.S. interests.
  • Holmes notes significance, saying: “...when you get that from an official spokesperson from a State Department, that's a big deal.” (12:37)
• Smug observes: “their messages are stop ICE... very, very different from what the average American is interested in...” (12:58)

C. Paid Protests and Astroturfing

• Holmes: The same far-left activists keep appearing at multiple protest sites, regardless of issue, showing “they just care about opposing Republicans... or in this case, President Trump.” (10:00-11:00)
• Duncan points to People's Forum branding on coordinated protests: “This is well funded, well organized, essentially like riot on demand that China has built inside of America specifically to divide Americans and to destroy America from within.” (15:00)

D. Historic Perspective and Funding Tactics

• Ashbrook outlines a shift starting in the Obama era, where overt astroturfing emerged and foreign actors “orchestrated” left-wing protest operations.
• Holmes and others summarize how the left learned to use dark money NGOs, often skirting disclosure rules, attracting not just domestic currency but foreign—especially Chinese and European—funding through umbrella organizations (e.g., Arabella Advisors).*
• Holmes: “As long as it is undisclosed, well, then it's not a part of an election, is it?” (21:00)

E. Concrete Examples

• Holmes reads from the State Department and New York Post: trips for left-wing activists to China, “study the revolutionary history,” and return with anti-American attitudes:
  • “They got funded on a trip to go to China and be like, wow, isn’t America an awful place?” (22:59, Duncan)
• Duncan: “Every single time ... you see somebody with a message that it's like, no normal person... is gonna get out there at 8:30 in the morning with pre made signs with this message... that's coming from China.” (28:00)

F. Spill-over to Other Policy Issues

• Environmental activism also cited as previously the domain of Chinese-funded/advocated groups.
• Rare earth mineral disputes in Minnesota and opposition to domestic energy promoted as benefiting China, making U.S. resource policy an issue of national security.

G. Congressional Hearings and Potential Remedies

• Ways & Means Chair Jason Smith is investigating the “money trails” and foreign influence cases, vowing: “for any organization allegedly breaking nonprofit tax laws, we are coming for you.” (32:11, quoting Smith)
• Smug: “I cannot wait to follow everything they're doing.” (32:12)

H. Political Consequences & Public Perception

• Hosts bemoan that these State Department findings won’t get mainstream media coverage (23:00+).
• Holmes: “This will not get covered. This is a massive deal.” (21:29)
• The drop in public support for deportations following orchestrated pro-illegal immigration protests is discussed as a symptom of these influence operations.

I. The "Useful Idiot" Phenomenon

• Running joke about the “guy with the dildo on his head” at protests as the archetypal “useful idiot,” acting on foreign-funded directives he doesn’t understand. (23:12-25:11)

2. Midterm Coverage and the Texas GOP Primary

A. Principles of the Ruthless Podcast for Primary Debates

• Holmes: “Every time there is an election... all of the candidates in a Republican primary hop on the show ... we are the fairest platform of all.” (07:38)
• Duncan: “This audience... is some of the most engaged, intelligent, conservative, grassroots and policymakers... There’s no one you would benefit more from to reach than our audience.” (09:16)

B. Preview of the Texas Senate Race

• Holmes, Smug, and others outline the candidates:
  • John Cornyn (incumbent, featured guest)
  • Wesley Hunt (coming up in a future episode)
  • Ken Paxton (in ongoing talks for an interview)
• “The most contentious primary in all of America... it’s in the great state of Texas.” (05:44)

C. Strategic Importance

• Holmes and the hosts emphasize Texas’s centrality; spending resources on Texas means less for competitive races elsewhere.
• Cornyn leverages his record, emphasizing effective legislating and the dangers of performance-only politicians (72:35).

3. Interview: Senator John Cornyn (63:50–82:25)

A. Personal Introduction & Political History

• Cornyn gifts “Baby Blue” corn whiskey from Waco, TX. (63:52)
• Discusses the early days of his Senate career and the evolution of both the chamber and GOP politics.

B. Reflections on the Senate & Stalemate

• Describes Senate as “polarized,” recounts the fights over judicial confirmations including Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett.
  • Cornyn: “Judiciary Committee ... helping confirm the president’s judges ... will be the lasting legacy really for his administration.” (66:26)

C. Texas Primary and Trump Relationship

• Cites a 99.3% Trump-aligned voting record, but notes some primary voters don’t see him as “angry enough.”
• Points to past general election wins and stresses that his staying atop the ticket helps all down-ballot Republicans:
  • “If I'm at the top of the ballot, it'll help down ballot, particularly with the five new congressional seats and we won’t have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to save me.” (69:52)

D. Critique of Performative Politicians

• “[T]oo many performance artists in politics... But then when it comes to rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work, they're nowhere to be found.” (72:35)
• Uses “workhorse, not a show horse” (quoting Phil Gramm).

E. Policy Positions

• Border Security: Describes Texas’s efforts, Abbott’s fight for federal reimbursement, and the importance of supporting ICE against rising leftist opposition. (76:27)
• NGO and Nonprofit Fraud: Focuses on foreign and domestic fraud perpetrated by NGOs, referencing the Somali daycare scandal and billions wasted (73:41).
• Legislation and Appropriations: Describes key wins for Texas and the challenge of pushing needed funds and policies past Democratic obstruction.
• Criticism of Democrats: Calls Schumer “led around by his tie” and says current Democrats are more focused on “seeking and holding power” than governing. (80:43; 80:58)

F. Electoral Message

• Cornyn’s pitch: “Effectiveness matters... If you can't explain it, you probably shouldn't do it.” (68:29 & 68:33)
• Campaign URL: johncornyn.com (82:05)

G. Tone and Farewell

• Friendly, good-natured, with an emphasis on “fair” coverage for all Republican primary candidates.
• Holmes: “We’re going to hear from everybody... there’s a lot of shit talk that is going to be... I’m going to try to prod along the way.” (82:45, paraphrased)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is well funded, well organized, essentially like riot on demand that China has built inside of America.” – Michael Duncan (00:00 & 15:00)
• “The only way to destroy America is to turn America against itself from outside.” – John Ashbrook (04:20)
• “When you get that from an official spokesperson from a State Department, that's a big deal.” – Josh Holmes (12:58)
• “There's always a Benedict Arnold, folks. Yeah, there's always the Benedict Arnold price.” – Josh Holmes (24:11)
• “The CCP is taking advantage of our tax-exempt sector... For any organization allegedly breaking nonprofit tax laws, we are coming for you.” – Jason Smith (quoted by Holmes, 32:11)
• “Cornyn’s not a show horse. He’s a workhorse. And I, I can live with that.” – Senator Cornyn (72:36)
• “Too many performance artists in politics these days. People who want to be famous and they want to get the most clicks on social media and then they want to raise money. But then when it comes to ... the hard work, they're nowhere to be found.” – Senator Cornyn (72:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–04:32 – Open; China’s funded protest infrastructure inside the US
• 10:00–17:36 – Details on NGOs, paid protests, State Dept report, Code Pink, People’s Forum
• 21:00–23:00 – How Dems embraced undisclosed foreign money
• 25:11–28:31 – Environmental activism, rare earths, foreign manipulation of domestic policy
• 29:16–32:21 – Congressional hearings: Ways & Means Chair Smith investigates foreign NGO donations
• 63:50–82:25 – Full Senator Cornyn interview
• 82:31–84:21 – Wrap-up of Texas GOP primary coverage, invitation for remaining candidates

Tone

Consistently irreverent, direct, and a blend of rowdy humor and well-informed analysis. The hosts mock “performance art” in politics, deploy inside baseball for conservative listeners, and take pride in being both entertaining and substantive.

For Listeners Who Missed The Episode

This episode exposes how foreign money, especially from China, supports disruptive activism on the American left, with extensive examples from recently released government reports. The hosts argue that these influence operations create chaos, stoke anti-American narratives, and muddy the political waters, often to benefit adversarial interests. They discuss Congressional responses and the weaknesses of permitting foreign-funded NGOs to operate with minimal oversight.

Shifting to the 2026 midterms, the Ruthless crew asserts their commitment to fair coverage for all GOP primary candidates—no-shows beware—kicking off with a candid, wide-ranging interview with Sen. Cornyn. He reflects on legislative battles, criticizes the Democratic obsession with power at the expense of policy, stresses results over showmanship, and appeals to Texas voters (and the wider conservative movement) for continued support.

Suggested Listening Segments

• China’s Influence on American Protests: 00:00–28:31
• Congressional Hearings on NGO Funding: 29:16–32:21
• Senator John Cornyn Interview: 63:50–82:25

Next Up

The hosts tease more primary candidate interviews, promising sharper contrasts, deep dives on state and national issues, and plenty of their signature banter on the Texas race and beyond.