Capitol Report Full Broadcast (July 31)

done tremendous work to help us secure the border. The fact that we still need more funding to secure the border, Doug Homan will tell you that, speaks to how much help we're getting from Mexico. We don't actually have enough funding right now to actually keep our border secure. So again, the fact that it is secure, that just demonstrates how much help we have gotten from the Mexican government. So they've helped on, I should say, they've given us some concessions on both economic and non-economic issues. And I think the administration is also wise to recognize the complexities that are at play here, especially in industries like automotive, where you will have car parts or component pieces that cross the US and Mexican border literally half a dozen times before final assembly into a vehicle. And you don't want each of those border crossings to continuously hit products with tariffs and ultimately harm American consumers. I mean, well, with some other countries, we are seeing Trump's strategies of tariff pressure seemingly paying off. For example, the EU is planning to buy US energy and the Japanese market is also opening up to US cars. What would you say are the biggest wins so far for the United States? Well, the EU and Japan definitely have to be up there because these are places where for the last 80 years, this is not an exaggeration, for 80 years now, we have allowed nations in Europe and we have allowed Japan to throw up all kinds of both tariff and non-tariff barriers to keep out American competition. That has given our exporters and the workers who are in export-based industries a tremendous disadvantage here in the United States. In fact, in many cases, you just can't be competitive at any price because of things like quota restrictions, again, whether it's Japan or whether it's Europe. So the fact that the president was able to overturn literally 80 years of precedent here and give us unprecedented access to both European and Japanese consumer markets is a tremendous win that will boost demand for American exports, which also boosts the demand for American labor that makes those exports. That will lead to not only more American jobs in those industries, but also faster wage growth. And that's something we desperately need right now to claw out from the last four years of inflation here at home. I mean, while the White House says that the U.S. has now struck a tailor-made trade deals with two-thirds of its major trading partners, but there are still dozens, if not hundreds, of other countries who have yet to get a deal and are just gonna be hit with a letter potentially. Do you see any downsides with the current negotiations and potentially the uncertainty with it? Well, there's always downsides with uncertainty, but those downsides extend not only to domestic markets, but foreign markets as well. In other words, all of the uncertainty that has been caused by tariffs here at home has created as much, if not more uncertainty abroad, I would estimate. And so the result of that is it puts more pressure on foreign leaders than it puts on our own domestic ones in order to get a deal done. And part of the reason for that, I think, is that even though there are no winners in trade wars, there are only losers, not everyone loses the same. And if you look at the relationship between, let's say, Canada and the United States, it is just blatantly obvious to anyone who has gone through the numbers that China would lose, or excuse me, that Canada would lose far more in a trade war than the United States would. And so ultimately, I think that means nations like Canada, who are in that position, are ultimately just gonna have to give in to what the president's asking for. And the president could now set a new minimum baseline tariff on all goods entering the U.S., of course, starting tonight. Do you expect that to potentially go up from the current 10%? Well, it's certainly possible. I think we're gonna probably have to look at this on a case-by-case basis when it comes to trying to forecast what the president is going to do. Again, if you have nations that are negotiating in good faith, I think we're likely to see those rates not go up. I think we're likely to see, in fact, more extensions or pauses put in place so that negotiations can continue again, provided they're in good faith. But for the nations that have not been acting in good faith, I would say all bets are off. And don't be surprised if we see punitively high trade restrictions, like tariffs, put in place in those instances. And look, I'm not advocating for these things. I'm just trying to help folks understand that this seems to be the methodology with which this White House is approaching the problem. And lastly, before I let you go here, the U.S. economy just saw a 3% growth in the second quarter, more than expected. According to the Commerce Department, the rebound mainly reflects a decrease in imports. Can we read into this as an impact of the tariffs so far, or is it still too early to tell? Well, it's certainly very early to tell, but the information that we do have, in other words, the numbers for the first half of the year, tell a very clear story. We basically have a complete flip-flop from the first quarter to the second quarter. In other words, all of the impact from imports exploding in the first quarter was simply undone in the second quarter. Likewise, the massive buildup in business inventories that added in the first quarter was replaced with a huge drawdown of inventories in the second quarter. So these wild fluctuations, which clearly are from the uncertainties around tariff, virtually canceled each other out between the first and the second quarter. In fact, if you look at the combined cumulative impact on GDP between international trade and also business inventories, it amounted to just one-tenth of 1% of GDP. So it was essentially a non-issue. But what we are seeing this year, again, for the first six months, is we have seen literally no growth in government purchases. That's fabulous news. All of our increased economic activities coming from the productive private sector, and it's being driven by an increase in consumer spending as well as an increase in business investment. Again, this is very positive news and a stark change from the four years under Biden when GDP was disproportionately boosted by debt-fueled spending binges on the part of the federal government. Well, certainly a new track right now for government spending, but more changes remain to be seen with how it's gonna impact everything else when fluctuations settle down. E.J. and Tony, thank you so much for insights today. Appreciate it. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Wyckoff is in Israel where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin and Yahoo today. This comes as Israel continues to receive international scrutiny on the humanitarian aid situation in the Gaza Strip. And today's Jason Perry has the story. A motorcade in Jerusalem believed to be carrying U.S. Special Envoy Steve Wyckoff was seen arriving at the Israeli Prime Minister's office. On Thursday, Wyckoff and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks over the situation in the Gaza Strip. The White House said the U.S. will be hearing firsthand about the humanitarian situation in the territory. Tomorrow, Special Envoy Wyckoff and Ambassador Huckabee will be traveling into Gaza to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground. Their meeting also comes after both the U.S. and Israel said they are now considering alternative options to return the hostages still held by Hamas. And on the same day in Jerusalem, the mother of a hostage wiped her tears at a rally calling for the release of the remaining hostages. President Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Wyckoff, please end this nightmare for all the Israeli people. End this nightmare for all the families that cannot live anymore. End this nightmare for the hostages in the tunnels. Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, which is backed by the U.S. and Israel, said they have distributed almost 100 million meals since they began operations at the end of May. The GHF says they deliver aid directly to residents and not to Hamas. However, the United Nations has accused the GHF's method of distributing aid as, quote, inherently unsafe and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. Meanwhile, the United Nations released footage of their humanitarian aid convoy being taken over by thousands of people in the territory. Israel has said the U.N. method of delivering aid allows Hamas to steal it and then use it to support its terrorist activities. In another development across Israel's northern border, Lebanon is stepping up calls for the Hezbollah terrorist group to give up their weapons. Hezbollah has exerted much control over southern Lebanon and has told the Lebanese government that they don't plan to give up their weapons, saying this would benefit Israel. The leader of Hezbollah also said that their weapons, quote, have nothing to do with Lebanon's internal affairs. Jason Perry, NTV News. The defense budget could be slashed by $40 billion. The Senate Appropriations Committee reaches a bipartisan consensus. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez has the details on the story. You've got authoritarian regimes coordinating with each other. The North Koreans, the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranian, Iranian proxies, all communicating. And the one thing they have in common, they hate us. In a divided Congress, senators have found common ground when addressing U.S. national security threats, in particular, the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and its anti-American axis. Deterring China, standing with Ukraine, standing up to the increasing coordination of the People's Republic of China, Russia, Iran, the DPRK, and modernizing the DoD with a sense of urgency because the clock is ticking. The bipartisan consensus in the Appropriations Committee yielded a nearly $40 billion spending cut. The second year in a row that defense spending is reduced, not increased. This bill reduces waste and duplication by making hundreds of cuts to underperforming programs and realigning those billions of dollars in savings into higher-priority programs. It expands critical munitions production, including air and missile defense interceptors, long-range missiles, and next-generation hypersonic weapons developed by our most innovative firms. It funds drone and counter-drone technologies. The bipartisan bill also makes an important investment in the service members and their families. From a pay increase for service members to robust childcare funding to new investments in preventing suicide and sexual assault and conducting life-saving medical research. So I really appreciate the work that went into negotiating these important investments. The Senate Appropriations Committee has already passed half of the funding bills for fiscal year 2026, and the full Senate is expected to have a vote on a trio of appropriation bills before the August recess. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. The White House is getting a new ballroom. Take a look at these preview photos. The $200 million project will be paid for by the president himself, as well as private donors. Currently, in order to host an event of more than 200 people, the White House has to set up a tent on the lawn. The new ballroom will accommodate up to 650 people. It will replace the current East Wing, but not connect to the White House directly. The White House says it will match the theme and architectural heritage of the current buildings. Construction starts in September and is supposed to be wrapped up before President Trump's presidency ends. And coming up, a new film unpacking the Chinese regime's systematic cover-up of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sam Wong hears from the director and national security experts about the move after the break. A competitive tradition among American children is returning to public schools. President Trump restores the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, an award. That and more when we return. In gray House a wee Black sun That saved A wretch Like me Was lost But now I'm found Was blind But I see They're just young people. Hungry, homeless, and vulnerable. Abused youth often feel safer on the street. Now, more than ever, that's the most dangerous place of all. Covenant House is helping young adults facing homelessness. We're providing safe shelter to thousands. But the need is overwhelming and no young person is ever turned away. Please call or go online now with your gift of $19 a month to help a young person. You'll provide safe shelter, hot meals, and medical care. Your gift will show them they're loved. Homeless young people are afraid and alone with nowhere else to turn. You want to know that there's somewhere you can go that's safe. So the Covenant House did that for us. Please call now with your gift of $19 a month. We'll send you this blanket as a reminder of the comfort your gift provides a young person tonight. Please don't wait. Your gift is the lifeline a young person needs now. Call the number on your screen or go online to safeplacestosleep.org. Thank you for saving precious lives. Discover the ancient secret to vitality and longevity with Puritang Black Ginseng. Crafted from premium six-year-old Korean ginseng, each root is carefully nurtured for over 2,260 days, undergoing a traditional nine-round handcrafted process of steaming and drying to unlock full potency and absorption. Experience pure, natural energy with Puritang Black Ginseng. Order now at puritang.com. Focus on beauty, showcase nature, share kindness, feel brightness. Capture the beautiful moments in your eyes. Your works will be showcased in galleries and on multiple online platforms. Appreciate it and collect it. Please visit photo.ntvtv.com. Welcome back. I'm Iris Tao. A panel on Capitol Hill today discusses a new film that exposes the Chinese regime's coverup of the COVID-19 pandemic. NDD's Dan Wong has the story. I would recommend it to my whole family, the world, because everyone need to see this. I felt that what I was watching was a big giveaway with accurate details that could actually be happening today. Pages of history always turn. What side are you on will be the true heritage you leave for the generations to come. On Capitol Hill, a panel Thursday discusses a new movie titled The Unrestricted War. The film portrays how the Chinese Communist Party systematically concealed the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic which ultimately led to a global outbreak. We hope it can spark meaningful reflections and conversations and also give people the courage to make the right decision when facing a difficult situation like this. How did you even get these numbers? A drama based on true events, The Unrestricted War follows a Canadian virologist whose fear has a biotech venture in China. He is suddenly kidnapped by military agents in order to steal a sample of his own work from a Canadian lab. They both exhibit high temperatures. As people began to show signs of sickness, his conscience is put to test. This is an absolutely stunning film. We must awaken to the reality that these people are intent on our destruction. Again, the Chinese Communist Party, and they are well advanced in accomplishing it through unrestricted warfare. The film's title, Unrestricted War, comes from an actual strategy developed by a senior Chinese military officer. Its goal is to compromise nations from within through malign influence without firing a single shot. Unrestricted War takes it to you, your families, in your bedrooms, in your businesses, in your family rooms, and on the street. It's everything short of war, everything short of conventional war. There's 150 methods to weaken your enemy from within to make them capitulate and to take them out. And the people who participated in the film's production are also victims of the CCP's unrestricted warfare. We've been receiving harassments from the local government officials and warnings and threats from the National Security Office. And some of my family members' income got cut off by the local government. The Unrestricted War premieres August 8th on Gungeon World Plus. For more information, be sure to visit gjw.us slash unrestrictedwar for details. Reporting from Capitol Hill, Sam Wong, NTD News. Kept the film crew going, even as the CCP harassed their family members still in China. The film's director, Yan Ma, spoke earlier with NTD's Steve Lanz. Yan Ma, thank you so much for sitting down with us. Thank you. You have a really fantastic film, a very important film actually, titled The Unrestricted War. This was actually a concept that was developed by a senior Chinese military official. It's the actual title of your film. Talk to us about what this concept actually means or is and how it's applicable to the topic of your film. Basically means to use all, they will use all means necessary to conquer the enemy, including espionage, commercial espionage. In the beginning of working on this film, we studied closely about the risk of war of the COVID-19 pandemic. So this, our film is mainly focused on the very beginning, early stage of the pandemic and how the regime managed to manipulate basically manipulate the news and delay the information and bring the whole world into a big chaos situation. Yeah, so that's where we started our film. So it sounds like within Unrestricted Warfare, there's also, as you mentioned, espionage, commercial espionage, IP theft, bio-warfare. This is what one might argue is bio-warfare. We're now five years out since COVID, the pandemic. Why, you know, what inspired you to make the film and why now? If you watch the film, you'll see that the Chinese people, they are not the problem. They are actually deceived by the system and they don't know what happened. During the whole pandemic, they suffered the worst. So that's when, in the very beginning, when I'm looking at this topic, I want to just clarify that for all the Chinese. We also feel a responsibility to do this film because for so many brilliant Chinese filmmakers, they don't even have a chance to work on film like this. They just simply don't have the freedom to do it. And for the filmmakers in the West, and it's very difficult for them to access the information and do research behind this subject. There's also the possibility, as more details emerge, that far more people died from COVID inside of China and there's a massive cover-up by the CCP to kind of save face and look like they were on top of things. With that said, a big part of your film has been to show how efficient the CCP is in silencing dissent. How big of a part of that specific point of stifling the Chinese people was it for you to kind of give them a voice? Very big, yeah. Because I grew up in China, so I understand very well how the Chinese Communist Party used their power to manipulate people, not only through force, but also propaganda and censorship. Systematic, very systematic brainwash. So a lot of Chinese people, they never know the truth. And the price to have a different voice there is huge. Just like what happened to the whistleblower with the pandemic. To the other point that you made about not many people could actually make this film, the CCP is still a totalitarian regime. Whether you live in China or overseas, they find ways to pressure people. So a lot of people, look at Hollywood, for example. They will change things, they will do things to appease. You're taking a direct stance against the regime's narrative. How hard was it for you to do this? And what do you hope the audience will take away after watching your film? For most of our team, we have family members in China, including myself. So after we started the project, many harassments and warnings were sent to our families. They faced a huge amount of pressure for what we're doing. And one of my family members, her income got cut off by the Chinese government. It's almost two years now. So yes, it's been very difficult and upsetting. But we still decided to do it. We decided to move forward, me and my team, because we do feel like we need to make this film and shine a light on this issue that we can't really afford to ignore. That's the message we want the audience to take away. Because as someone who grew up in China, we see how the Chinese government control people. But during the COVID-19, it's like the harm didn't just stop within China. All the people around the world became victims of the authoritarian system. We have to say something. And that's why we hope this film can spark meaningful conversations and reflections about this. On a stylistic point of view, some have equated sort of the style to the film Argo or Bridge of Spies. Talk to us about what inspired you, what was your thought process in creating this film from a cinematic perspective? This is actually a big challenge for us because we have to film this in Canada as for obvious reasons, Chinese government not gonna allow us to enter the country to do that. And Argo was facing the same issue because they don't allow them to enter Iran either. So we have to figure out a way to fake it, to make it feel like it's an immersive experience, feel like they're in China. And if you pull the camera away a little bit, you will see, oh, it's actually not China. So yeah, everything I need to be very carefully designed and executed. And if people want to watch the film, what's the best way to do so? We will have a release on October 8th on Ganjing World. And after that, we will release on all the major platforms like Apple TV and Amazon Prime. People can purchase a film there. Exclusive release on Ganjing World in October? October 8th, yeah. Fantastic. Yan Ma, really appreciate you joining us. Unrestricted War. Yeah, thank you so much. Thank you. Breaking now, President Trump has just sent a new round of tariffs on countries that have yet to make a trade deal with the US. It includes 39% on Switzerland, 30% for South Africa, 20% on Taiwan and Vietnam, 19% on Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and 15% for Venezuela and Turkey. The tariff on Canada is increased from 25% to 35% now. The White House says that it's in response to Canada's inaction on fentanyl flowing into the US. It won't apply to goods included in a prior US-Canada-Mexico trade agreement. And any attempt to circumvent the tariffs by routing through another country will be charged a 40% tariff rate. And new British online safety rules are impacting free speech on the island nation and even American tech companies. The rules aim to protecting children, but their application reaches further, including limiting discussion about illegal immigration. NDD's international correspondent Malcolm Hudson has more for us from London. The UK's Online Safety Act aims to protect children from pornography and violence content online. It requires online companies to stop underage users from accessing harmful content. But critics of the act say it is seriously impacting free speech in Britain and could potentially harm and undermine its relationship with the United States. New online safety protections for children came into force in Britain on July 25th. On that day, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, I personally feel very strongly that we should protect our young teenagers, and that's what it usually is, from things like suicide sites. I don't see that as a free speech issue. I see that as a child protection. Protecting children is what every good parent wants, but many say the Online Safety Act goes too far. Users of sites like Reddit, X, Spotify, or Facebook must verify their age to see potentially sensitive content. They must provide IDs, such as a driving license or a credit card. Economist Maxwell Marlowe said the way this is being rolled out is malicious. So let's say you're criticizing illegal immigration or you're looking at the rape gangs throughout the UK, that could be flagged as harmful to children. Two issues many British citizens want fixed after years of government failures. This content shared online could be blocked for any non-age-verified users in the UK. And it's not just the more sensitive, but certainly legal topics like those either. Earlier, I was reading a menswear thread, you know, fashion. It was about the cultural history of which leather shoes to style with different suits. Now, I can't really imagine why, but even something as simple as that was censored and required age verification to view. This directly impacts the ability of people to engage in free and legal speech. And the Online Safety Act directly impacts American business. Fines up to 10% of global revenue, imagine that for Meta, you know, that could be ginormous, huge amounts of money leaving the US to go to the UK over fines for content that would be perfectly legal in the US. Marlow said it could even impact the US-UK trade deal. Totally. They'll also may blow up the free trade agreement because this is such a huge, huge thing for America. Again, as you pointed out, these social media companies, these internet providers, you know, they are based in the US. They're huge constituents of the American government and the American economy. To have the British government come in and trample all over that, they're not gonna take it. And this administration in particular is not going to allow that to happen. Given the impact, US lawyers are already preparing to defend US tech companies, big ones, as well as little ones. Malcolm Hudson, NTD News, London. The Presidential Fitness Test and Presidential Fitness Award will be restored to America's public schools. President Trump today signed an executive order that expanded the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. The Physical Fitness Test was the metric for measuring the fitness of America's school children for some, a beloved competitive tradition, for others, a day to dread. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower established it back in 1956. It includes a one-mile run, pull-ups or push-ups, sit-ups, and sit-and-reach exercises. The nation's top 15% of school kids received the Presidential Fitness Award. And now, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will administer the test. Former President Obama replaced the test back in 2013 with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. It moved away from recognizing athletic performance, providing a barometer on students' health. And coming up, as the tariff negotiations come to a head, what is the ideal outcome, and could the process backfire on the US economy? We'll discuss with our panel Bill Caruso and Ashley Rich Stephenson after the break. My name's Stacey, I'm 57, and I was adopted in 2020. We were adopted in 2019. And we were adopted in 2021. We had a house, and it sounds crazy, but it wasn't a home. The one thing that Jake and Emma brought is it became a home. When I met Dakota, he had just turned 14. You weren't there for the first this and the first that. I missed the first words, but we got a lot of other firsts. Watching her say, oh, my God, I cannot believe I got my license. And she's like, I passed. And I'm like, girl. See them grow. It is. They chose to love us. They didn't have to. They chose us. Them. You and you. Kids in the middle. What I thought was a complete life was nowhere near complete, but it is now. Learn about adopting a teen from foster care. You can't imagine the reward. Visit adoptuskids.org. My mom and dad were traditional Asian parents. Now, my father would go to work before I woke up in the morning, and then he would come home too tired to play with me. I tell my son, I love you every single day. Now, my dad has never said that to me. Not because he doesn't love me, but because culturally, it wasn't comfortable for him. So, I teased him the other day, and I said, how come you never say that to me? And he said, you're too old now. Now that he's a grandfather, he says I love you to my son every time he sees him. My advice to all the fathers out there, forget the material things. Forget the cultural restrictions. They grow up way too fast for you to waste even a single precious minute or moment. Say bye-bye, mommy. We come from a long line of farmers, and there's a sense of pride in being part of these multi-generational businesses. But there's also a significant amount of pressure. My senior year of high school, my dad made the decision that this world no longer needed him in it. I don't know if he was overwhelmed by the bills and checks that weren't gonna be coming in because of the strawberries dying off, but it breaks my heart to know that he was overwhelmed. That my dad made a permanent decision for a temporary issue. Don't feel like you have to go through it alone. Farmers have to take care of their physical and their mental health because what's a farm without a farmer? The mornings, that's my time. Watching the sun come up, I can have a cup of coffee and exercise if I want to. It helps me start the day with a sense of gratitude. Yay! Every day is a new opportunity. Don't forget to check in on yourself. Love, your mind. Welcome back, I'm Iris Tao. President Trump's reciprocal tariffs will kick in tomorrow after any countries that hasn't made a trade deal yet with the United States. Joining me now to discuss the implications is our panel. Bill Caruso works for Archer Public Affairs and is the former chief of staff for former New Jersey Congressman Robert Andrews. And Ashley Rich Stevenson is a senior political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Thank you both for joining us. Glad to be with you. So reciprocal tariffs are set to resume tomorrow for any countries that hasn't made a trade deal yet. And President Trump tonight just made such announcements, including 39% for Switzerland, 20% for Taiwan and Vietnam, 19% for Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia, as well as 35% on some Canadian goods. So my question is, for example, Ashley, what do you think is the ideal outcome of all this tariff pressure now? Look, Iris, here's the good news. We finally have an administration that is getting our trading partners to the table to actually have a conversation. We are in desperate need of new trading deals across the globe. And we've seen terrific wins because of the Trump administration in the last week out of the EU, Japan earlier that week, the Philippines. We are having great success in finally having conversations with our trading partners. And I think that that's a really good thing, not to mention that we've been in a bull economy. GDP growth, GDP has rebounded, growth is up 3% in the second quarter. So we are seeing positive impacts within at least the last three months. And Bill, how do you see this playing out? And ultimately, how could it impact everyday Americans? I share some of Ashley's optimism, but I also offer that we haven't really seen the full effect yet. There's been a lot of chaos, and this has absolutely impacted some business making decisions. But we're starting to see some signs here that some of the predictions that these costs were gonna be passed along to consumers may be coming due. Question then is gonna be, is this a short-term correction, or are these gonna be long-term issues that are gonna start looking like inflationary issues? So I'm hesitant, and a lot of people on my side of the aisle in the Democratic Party will jump and immediately start to assume bad things are gonna happen, and we've been wrong about those. So I'm being a little bit disciplined here, but we're already hearing that major retailers are starting to pass along these costs. And then the question is gonna be on a political level, how much are the American public willing to endure with these tariffs coming due and being passed along to them? Is that gonna be viewed as success? And meanwhile, as all of this is happening, we know that the White House says negotiations will continue does not mean that the end of negotiation has come. And meanwhile, countries like Mexico are simply agreeing to extend the deadline and keep negotiating. And as these negotiations draw out, there are concerns about uncertainty for investors as well as for supply chain stability. Ashley, what's your take on such concerns? Well, first I wanna address what's happening with Mexico and the good news there, and the president has had an excellent relationship with President Scheinbaum. They've had great dialogue. She said as much today as it relates to the decision to delay what's happening going on between the US and Mexico but it protects everything within USMCA, which was a key win for the first Trump administration. So that's good news that dialogue continues to happen with our most important, our biggest trading partner. And of course, I wanna be clear to address certainty. And it was already raised earlier by my other panelists. Certainty is necessary for business and especially small businesses now who can't necessarily predict what is going to happen as we start to see some supply chain issues. So are we in a little bit of the unknown? Yes, but so far everything has worked out in favor of the Trump administration. And I'm optimistic that that certainly could continue. Again, as our partners are willing to come to the table and finally have conversations about trade, which is much needed. And Bill, the deals with Japan and South Korea, for example, notably include hundreds of billions of dollars in investment pledges in the US. What does that mean for supply chains and US industries long-term? Bringing our supply chain onshore, as we saw some of the issues that arose during a pandemic by not having that manufacturing base and supply chain ability to tap into it here domestically is a problem. But trying to do that overnight, trying to do that in a very short time is chaotic at best. And the uncertainty that we've just been discussing here will only exacerbate that issue. It's really hard to plan for a future when you don't know where you're planning from. And I think over the next couple months now, we're gonna really start to see, we're gonna dig in. Listen, the president deserves some credit here, as Ashley indicated, about having these discussions and taking on these tough decisions and using the largest purchasing power in the free world as a leverage point. But at some point, push is gonna come to shove. And if those costs are passed along to the American public, are the public gonna endure those costs? The other issue is if we keep delaying these things, in addition to uncertainty, you can't become the boy that cried wolf. So at some point, if we don't move forward with them, are other nations gonna call our bluff? Well, it's certainly a lot to be seen in the coming days and weeks then. And now switching gears a bit here, the White House said today that President Trump would approve a new Gaza aid plan on Friday. And Bill, what do you hope is in this new plan here? Well, listen, the aid is part of the battle, but the problem is delivering. And the challenge there is Hamas. Hamas is an enemy of the world, of the free world and the people. And trying to even deliver aid to people that are in dire need, their people, by the way, that are there, is a difficult challenge because Hamas doesn't want that success to occur. So this is a good move. I think if you are a fan of peace, if you are a fan of helping people, this is a good move. But the execution's gonna be the key. And Ashley, Israel is blaming Hamas for stealing and disrupting eight distribution centers. How should Americans understand the images of starvation, for example, coming out of Gaza, which even the president has voiced some concerns about? Sure, well, it's awful to see. President Trump was very correct to recognize it. And we will know a lot more after tomorrow's visit to Gaza with the special envoy and Ambassador Huckabee who are being sent there at the request of the president to get a sense of what's really going on on the ground. And I think that we'll get some very important and hopefully very clear reporting after that visit that will help all of us around the globe who are watching this closely and certainly care about starvation and these issues which are unacceptable because of what Hamas is doing. So I think it's very important that we understand what Hamas is doing to get a better sense and how can we intervene and continue to work with our closest ally, Israel, to ensure that those Gazans are able to get food and aid that they need without Hamas, quite frankly, stealing it from them. And all eyes are on that plan to be released tomorrow. Meanwhile, lastly, the White House today made another announcement, which is that it's planning to build a new ballroom in the East Wing to be able to host large events without having to put up a tent on the lawn. And Bill, do you think this is a good move? I don't. I mean, listen, we're not using taxpayer money, allegedly. I think it's gonna come from private sources with its own sort of issues. But think about how this president started his term with Joj, with deep cuts to waste, fraud, and abuse. Moving forward with a bill now that's gonna balloon the deficit a little bit, but it does provide some tax cuts. But we're also making other cuts to key programs. And then juxtaposed against this, which just seems frivolous and odd, also juxtaposed against his criticism of the Fed chair and some of the largest over that. This doesn't seem like a big priority or a good move. And actually, the White House says today that President Trump himself, as well as private donors, will pay the $200 million for this renovation out of their own pockets. What do you think about that? By all means, if the national news and the press corps wants to waste time talking about what is gonna be a beautiful new ballroom, I loved looking at the images of it, and burn time up to talk about those issues instead of those that American voters care about. It's just another great distraction by the Trump administration to throw the left off their game and not be able to focus on the issues that really matter to voters. Which, by the way, this president is winning on when it comes to the one big beautiful bill that just got passed, the permanency of tax cuts. Those are the things that the mainstream media should be talking about, but I'm sure that there's gonna be plenty of time spent on this new ballroom. Although certainly we can expect scrutiny to continue after construction officially begins in September this year. Bill Caruso and Ashley Rich Stephenson, thank you so much for sharing your insights with us today. Coming up, the Securities and Exchange Commission says it's getting behind President Trump's crypto vision for America with the launch of the new project. And how restaurant owners and managers could be manipulating you out of your money. That and more when we return. Whispered across generations, a hidden secret unveils the essence of longevity and vitality, a timeless legend regarding energy and wonder. Rooted in ancient health wisdom, we proudly introduce Puritang Black Ginseng, a 100% natural organic energy drink made from premium six-year-old Korean ginseng. It takes 2,260 days and nights from seed to growth, undergoing a meticulous nine-step process of steaming and drying. 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Following a report from the White House Working Group on Digital Assets, SEC Chair Paul Atkins launches Project Crypto which will work on changing numerous laws and regulations involving cryptocurrency. The President said last week that he wants the entire world running on the backbone of American technology. So I stand ready to help get that job done. Atkins says the project will help bring crypto companies back to the US. We will reshore the crypto businesses that fled our country, particularly those that were crippled by the previous administration's regulation by enforcement crusade and Operation Checkpoint 2.0. Atkins vows to encourage innovation. President Trump has described America as a nation of builders. Under my leadership, the commission will encourage our nation's builders rather than constrain them with red tape and one size fits all rules. With Project Crypto, Atkins is directing the SEC's policy divisions to work with the crypto task force. To achieve President Trump's vision of making America the crypto capital of the world, the SEC must holistically consider the potential benefits and risks of moving our markets from an off-chain environment to an on-chain one. Another priority, Atkins says, is to allow market participants to innovate with super apps. Securities intermediaries should be able to offer a broad range of products and services under one roof with a single license. The event was hosted by the America First Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Jason Blair, Entity News. Menus without prices, careful entree descriptions, and psychological traits are what some restaurants could be using to rack up your bill. And it works. That's what industry consultants and academics say. Most diners know what they want to order in less than 90 seconds, experts say. That menu without prices, particularly upscale restaurants, are designed to profit from your quick decision-making. Or restaurants list the price after the food so that a price is second in your mind. Setting an extra high price for one menu item, known as anchoring, is another trick so all other menu items look cheaper by comparison. Extravagant dish descriptions aim to whet your appetite and play on your emotions and memories, consultants say. Other plots restaurants use include suggesting sparkling water and placing a stuffed tip jar by the register. Meanwhile, five foods could help you replace or reduce your dependence on daily multivitamins. Doctors say that. Let's find out more about them. For example, spinach is dense with nutrients and can help lower blood pressure. And that's important to boosting heart health and preventing strokes. The tropical fruit papaya is also rich in vitamins and can support cellular and immune health. Lentils contain a host of B vitamins and can boost metabolism and lower back cholesterol and inflammation. Black beans and chickpeas, for example, are other doctor recommendations for plant-based protein and gut health. Berries are powerful antioxidants which can protect cells from damage. Fatty fish, like salmon, are also full of omega-3 vitamins and support brain health. Doctors say that whole foods are the best way for healthy people to consume vitamins. And that's all we have for you tonight on the Capital Report. For round-the-clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com slash live or download our NTD app. From the nation's capital, I'm Iris Tao. Have a nice evening and we'll see you back here tomorrow.