Capitol Report Full Broadcast (Oct. 2)

Good evening and welcome to the Capitol Report on Entity Television. I'm Steve Lance. Here's a look at what's coming up. The White House hinting that some government agencies will be slashed. What the president says about meeting with his OMB director, Russell Vought. And Democrats are pushing to roll back parts of the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill to reopen the government, while Republicans warn it would create loopholes for illegal immigrants to access taxpayer-funded health care. And authorities say violence outside of ICE facilities continues to rise. They're gearing up to increase federal manpower unless local leaders provide more support. We'll hear from Jim Hayes, a former senior official with the Department of Homeland Security. And our panel tonight, Trump incentivizing universities to adopt policies like capping foreign students and upholding only two genders. We'll discuss with Josh Lapisan and Matt Klink. This is Capitol Report, live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. And the political messaging war continuing as the government shutdown reaches day two. The White House signaling that certain government agencies will be permanently cut. We go now live to NTD's Washington correspondent, Mari Otsu, who is live at the White House. Good evening, Mari. So what is the White House saying about some of these potential layoffs? Steve, good evening. The White House today is saying that thousands of workers, federal workers, could be laid off. And the president says that he's meeting today with Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and that the two will discuss both temporary and permanent cuts to Democrat agencies that the president calls a political scam. Here's Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt this morning saying which agencies they'll look into. Watch. Look, we're going to look at agencies that don't align with the administration's values, that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar. And so the president wants to be a good steward of the American taxpayer dollar during a time when our balance sheet is looking very grim because the Democrats chose to shut the government down. This is just the latest action in line with the administration's broader push to cut down on federal workers and slash government spending. And Russ Vought on Wednesday told House Republicans that mass firings of federal workers would start in just a day or two. And President Trump has said that while a shutdown is the last thing that he wants, he also can't believe that, quote, radical left Democrats are giving him what he calls an unprecedented opportunity to get rid of certain agencies. Steve. So Mari, the administration also appears to be doubling down on its message to universities. Give us more insight about the letters that were sent out this week. Sure, Steve. On Wednesday night, the White House sent out letters to nine elite universities around the country, offering them priority access to federal funds if they agree to the administration's demands. And those demands include creating a better environment for conservatives on campus, cutting departments that spark violence against conservatives and conservative ideas, freezing tuition for five years and banning the use of race or sex in admissions and hiring. The Trump administration has for months now battled universities over anti-Semitism and concerns. Both Columbia and Brown University have recently struck multi-million dollar deals with the administration. And here's the president earlier this week talking about a deal with Harvard. Watch. I guess we reached a deal with Harvard today, so we'll see how that all you have to do is paper it, right? Yes, paper it out. This would be a giant trade school, a series of trade schools that would be run by Harvard. Now, this is something that we're close to finalizing. We haven't done it yet. But they put up five hundred million dollars interest and everything else would go to that account, meaning go to the trade school. So we're soon expecting new details about that five hundred million dollar Harvard, Harvard settlement, which could require it to start its own network of trade schools. Steve, back to you. Mario to live at the White House. Thank you, Mark. And on day two of the government shutdown, the House and Senate are not voting on either bill or any bill for that matter. Both Republicans and Democrats appear dug in in their positions. Our Washington correspondent Louise Martinez has an update. They have made a decision that they would rather give taxpayer funded benefits to illegal aliens than to keep the doors open for the American people to keep vital services, veteran services, health care and nutrition for women, infants and children. They would rather not pay the troops and TSA agents and Border Patrol agents. They would rather stop services of FEMA in the middle of a hurricane season than to do the right thing. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson detailed how the Democratic proposal to reopen the government would repeal parts of the one big, beautiful bill that closed the loopholes allowed for noncitizens to access taxpayer sponsored health care. Donald Trump and Republicans shut the federal government down because they don't want to provide health care to working class Americans. Democrats have not shied away from publicly stating that they forced a government shutdown because Republicans who are in the majority in the House and in the Senate would not acquiesce to their policy demands. The reason we're having this government shutdown is because Democrats are standing up for health care for Americans and their families, and Republicans are refusing to change direction. Republicans are open to the extension of health care tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, but not while the government is shut down. All the pressure should be on the 44 Democrats who were dug in to try to pander to the far left corner of their base. That's what this is. How important is it to appeal to the radical left of your base and hurt Americans? Because if they drag this on through the weekend, more and more people will be hurt. Some 750,000 federal workers are at risk of being furloughed and thousands are at risk of losing their jobs altogether if the administration is forced to enact reductions in force of agencies and departments if the government shutdown continues. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. Two people killed and three more seriously wounded today in an attack on the synagogue in the British city of Manchester. Authorities say they identified the suspect as Jihad al-Shami, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. British authorities have declared the incident a terrorist attack. At this time, we know that a car was driven directly at members of the public outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumsell, in Manchester. The driver of the car was seen then to attack people with a knife. He was wearing about his body a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device. There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack. Earlier today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews and attacked Britain because of our values. Well, it's obviously very, it's a bit eerie, obviously. No one knows the full story of what's going on yet, but we know the basics and it's devastating to hear on the holiest day of the Jewish community. I think just everyone's concerned, everybody's worried, everybody's scared, and we shouldn't be scared to feel or believe in what we believe. The attacker killing two members of the local Jewish community. Three other men remain in the hospital with serious injuries. Police shot and killed the attacker. They also arrested three other people suspected of either commissioning, preparing, and investigating this act of terror. There are also two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. The UK's senior counterterrorism officer saying an investigation currently underway. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemning the attack saying he was appalled. He cut short his visit to Denmark to chair an emergency response meeting in London following the attack. Prime Minister saying the UK must defeat rising antisemitism vowing to do everything to keep the Jewish community in the UK safe. He added that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country. And the Department of Justice says that groups that appear to be well funded have been causing problems outside ICE facilities in Portland and Chicago. The Department of Homeland Security says it's getting ready to send more agents to the Portland facility as assaults continue to increase. NTD correspondent Jason Blair reports. In a memorandum titled ending political violence towards ICE, Attorney General Pam Bondi says that groups posted outside of ICE facilities in Portland and Chicago quote have been well organized and appear to be well funded. The document says near Chicago rioters arrived with boxes of fireworks, N95 masks, gas masks, goggles, knee and elbow protection, and large quantities of food and water. More than 200 violent rioters were at a Chicago ICE facility chanting arrest ICE, shoot ICE. The memorandum continues. Likewise, rioters in Portland, Oregon have repeatedly attacked and laid siege to an ICE processing center. Anyone who threatens or assaults our federal officers will be arrested and charged federally, not in some liberal state court. Same goes for anyone who's funding and aiding these extremists. The acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement says that the department is ready to send more agents to Portland. He tells Fox News that officers are facing antifa linked violence on a nightly basis. But we're out there every night battling, you know, people that are bringing sticks, bats, shields, throwing their own CS grenades at us. So it's not, it's not a peaceful situation. It's not First Amendment. Lyons says that they've called on local and state officials to help but haven't received much and are ready to act themselves. They're planning right now and I think we're holding to kind of see what Portland's going to do, but we're prepared to go ahead and protect our men and women of ICE. Portland Police Chief Bob Day says that the police are working closely with their federal partners but says the area outside of the ICE building is just one small area of the city. The facility itself is managed and governed by the Federal Protective Service and they have responsibility for that and the incidents you speak of, for example, last night occurring on their property. But Portland is very much engaged and once again this is just one small block in a big city that we're trying to manage for all the Portlanders. There are social media videos circulating showing assaults and violence happening outside of the ICE building in Portland. One reporter from the Postmillennial Katie Davis Court was seen getting struck by a pole while working, resulting in a black eye. Jason Blair, NTD News. Department of Homeland Security telling NTD that on Tuesday night over 100 rioters stormed an ICE facility in Portland. They assaulted law enforcement, even putting one member of law enforcement into the hospital. DHS tells us that they also faced blinding strobe lights and that six arrests were made on charges including assaulting law enforcement. And a journalist in Portland, as we just saw, says she was left with a black eye after an Antifa-affiliated protester struck her with a flagpole outside of an ICE facility. She says she ran to a Portland police officer for help but the police refused to make any arrests. The department says an officer tried to speak with the suspect but the suspect fled. To discuss the realities on the ground, we're joined live by Jim Hayes, former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security. Jim, great to have you back with us now. Antifa protests are often violent. Many have legal observers who document police actions, later using those records to challenge law enforcement. Are local police handicapped when it comes to Antifa because of potential legal action? And how should law enforcement be navigating this situation? Well, it's good to be with you. And what we've seen here is in certain jurisdictions, they are handicapped by the elected officials there. It's one thing to say that the Federal Protective Service has responsibility for that footprint, that physical footprint. But these protests, these activities are often taking place surrounding several blocks of federal facilities. And look, in any other circumstance, let's say that it wasn't a federal building, it wasn't an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, the local police, the local law enforcement would generally be much more cooperative in those situations. So it's clearly a situation where they've been told to stay away from these areas. And essentially, in these jurisdictions, let these people protest, let these people incite violence, let them cause a lot of damage to federal properties and potentially law enforcement officers, reporters, as well as detainees, as we saw in the shooting in Dallas. Jim, Antifa as an entity or organization, it's being argued that it's decentralized and difficult to track, making leadership hard to pinpoint and target. Is that the case? Is Antifa sort of this loosely managed organization that will make it difficult to track people down affiliated with it? And with President Trump designating it as a terrorist organization, how do you see the administration approaching this? So from everything I've read and people I've spoken to, that is an accurate definition of how the group operates. And it is, when you think of it in the context of the president's designation, it has a lot in common with some of the other terrorist groups that are international terrorist groups. And I think the president's designation is going to do two things. One, it's going to allow the Joint Terrorism Task Force to have a unit, just like they had a unit dedicated to identify individuals who are associated with Al Qaeda and Hezbollah, and be able to identify these people. Because look, they don't walk around with a name tag saying that they're part of Antifa. But the other thing that it's going to allow them to do, Steve, it's going to allow them to attack and identify the financial support that this organization is receiving. And that's been very effective with international terrorist groups. And it's also been very effective here in just this short term. In 2025, we saw that once the FBI and federal agencies said in Los Angeles that they were going to work to identify who was supporting the people who were involved in the violent protests there, the protesters left. That situation cleared up very quickly. And with the prospect of being able to not just arrest people for terrorism acts, but also charge them with material support to terrorism, now you're talking about asset forfeiture, seizure of homes, seizure of conveyances. It's a very, very strong law that would allow for a significant deterrence of any group that's operating in that manner in the United States. Jim, federal immigration officials say they're preparing to deploy agents, more agents, to Portland in response to Antifa-linked attacks. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons saying yesterday, it's been a consistent battle every night with Antifa in Portland, adding that they haven't received help despite repeated calls for local and state support. What is the reality on the ground like from what you're hearing? Well, we've seen this in a number of different cities, Portland being the most recent, but also the most sustained with over a month long of daily, nightly protests, flags burning, other types of violence being incited. You saw it in Chicago earlier this week, over the weekend, where the administration sent the Border Patrol into Chicago to protect the facility there. And this is a responsible approach from ICE leadership. It's something that is his responsibility to protect the men and women of the agency. And where a situation presents itself, that's unusual. And certainly these situations are right now, where you have violent protesters and hundreds of protesters at ICE facilities, then he's got a responsibility, the secretary has a responsibility that they're taking seriously to send in additional manpower to make sure that one, operations can continue unaffected, that they can carry out the enforcement of the laws of the United States, and that they can do it safely, both for themselves, the people that are in their custody, as well as even, we don't often think about this, the people who may be subject as part of that protest to that same violence. So there's a number of different things that are going to be protected by sending additional manpower. Now, Attorney General Pam Bondi commenting on crime in other cities, particularly Memphis, this says the government shutdown enters day two. Let's have a quick listen. Shutdown does not affect our program at all, because they can play politics, they can shut down the federal government, but President Trump knows crime doesn't stop, and we don't stop. Jim, as a longtime veteran of the Department of Homeland Security, how have past shutdowns impacted law enforcement, and are ICE officers out there still working, regardless of if they're paid or not? There's going to be very little impact to from the area of DHS. So I've spoken with people who I am friendly with at Customs and Border Protection, and with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and they are 100% active, they are on board, they have not suspended any of their duties. Now, when you look at the mechanics of the shutdown and how it affects funding, it can be personally very painful for these officers and agents that put their lives on the line every day, because they won't be receiving a paycheck for the work that they're doing until the government reopens. So there's a lot of collateral damage in the way of how these employees have to worry about finances potentially in that short term. But from a law enforcement perspective, from a mission perspective, all of those people are on duty, they're at full staff, and they are going to continue carrying out the mission. Jim Hayes, really appreciate your insights. Thank you. And a former school superintendent in Des Moines, Iowa, now charged with possessing firearms as an illegal immigrant. ICE arresting Ian Roberts last Friday, he was found with a loaded handgun wrapped in a towel in his vehicle, along with a hunting knife and $3,000 in cash. In addition, court filings suggest authorities discovered four firearms during a search of his home. According to ICE, Roberts was born in Guyana, later coming to the United States on a student visa in 1999. Immigration officials say he was working in the country without documentation and was ordered to be deported by a judge last year. Just yesterday, hundreds of students in Des Moines staging walkouts and demonstrations calling for Roberts' release. Roberts resigned as the superintendent on Tuesday. And coming up, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs calling out, being called out for accepting campaign funds linked to the CCP. How does the CCP target U.S. officials to support bills in favor of China? We'll have on Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armor, to break it down. And protests and criticism didn't stop the city of Philadelphia from raising a CCP flag. What Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano has to say about the incident. More on that after the break. Hi, my name is Brady. When I was born, my parents thought everything was okay. My mom and dad were so excited to take me home. I still get goosebumps telling this story. Several days in, his skin started to become very cold and clammy. We noticed that he had become blue around his mouth. And something was just very off. Packed up as fast as we could. Brady stopped breathing twice on the way to the pediatrician. And that was one of the number one things that just haunts me to this day. I was born with a congenital heart defect called aortic coarctation. If my parents waited just one more hour to drive me to the hospital, I would not be here today. But thanks to research funded by the American Heart Association, I had heart surgery that saved my life. But not every kid is as lucky as me. Which is why we need your help. Just call the number on the screen or go to helpheart.org. For only $19 a month, just 63 cents a day, you can help get people trained in CPR, get more hospital certified in high quality cardiovascular care, and help fund the next medical breakthroughs to help save kids like me. When you donate to the American Heart Association, you're helping save lives like my son. And now, my son is happy and healthy thanks to the support of people like you. When you call with your $19 a month, you'll get this really cool t-shirt as a thank you. Many children die from congenital heart defects. I can't wait to grow up to become a heart surgeon and fix baby's hearts. But until then, I'll keep helping the American Heart Association. So please join me. Just call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org to become a monthly donor and help save lives. I'm excited to announce that we're having our biggest three-in-one sale ever. With a limited edition product, a back in stock special, and a closeout deal you won't find anywhere else. So go to mypillow.com or call the number on your screen. Use your promo code to get our MyPillow bed sheets. Only $29.88. Any color, any style, any size, even kings. Regular $119.98, only $29.88. Once they're gone, they're gone for good. How about our MyTowels? They're finally back in stock, but not for long. Get a six-piece MyTowel set, regular $69.98, now only $39.98. And for the first time and the only time ever, get our limited edition premium MyPillows. They're made with Giza cotton and designer gusset, queen $17.98, kings only $19.98. So go to mypillow.com or call the number on your screen. Use your promo code to get the best offers ever. Clients are extremely limited, so order now. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. Philadelphia raising the flag of the Chinese Communist Party at their city hall this week, despite criticism and protests from human rights activists and legislators. NTD's Arlene Richards has more. On Tuesday, the city of allowed an event to go forward that included the raising of a communist flag, despite strong pushback from community leaders. The event, which was co-organized by a group with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, commemorated the CCP's National Day, the anniversary of when the Communist Party declared its rule in China in 1949. Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano said it was a terrible idea to raise a flag that represents the CCP. What kind of madman thinks it's a great idea to raise a flag of a country that has 100,000 deaths on their hands, up to 400 million aborted babies, almost half a billion babies aborted with the one-child policy, a regime that continues to attack Christians and attacking and arresting pastors, destroying churches, going after the Uyghurs, the Muslim majority out West, going after Falun Gong, any ethnic majority that are reaping the organs of many prisoners such as Falun Gong, a billion-dollar organ industry they're doing, the mass surveillance of their country. Philadelphia resident Dr. Jessica Russo said she thinks it's insulting that the city raised the flag. She said there are a lot of city residents who escaped persecution in China. As a board member of Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, Russo believes the flag represents mass murder. This is a regime that's killed over 80 million people since it took over China in 1949. We have so many hospitals in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and throughout the United States that are working with China, that are training Chinese physicians who will likely go back and do these transplants. We have pharmaceutical companies that are doing clinical trials in China. There are just so many ways that the U.S., and Philadelphia in particular, is tied into China. This is not the first time that Philadelphia, site of the Constitution's signing, has raised the five-star flag of Communist China. It held a similar event in 2019. Mastriano said this event impacts America's credibility on human rights. This does endorse and promote the policies and ongoing activities of the Communist China Party within China. It acknowledges the fact that we're going to ignore the atrocities and overlook this, all in the goal of having better cultural ties. What does that even mean? I just don't know what's going on. Arlene Richards, NTD News. Joining us now to discuss the raising of the CCP flag in the great city of Philadelphia, and the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party here in the United States, is Michael Lucci, founder and CEO of State Armour. Michael, great to have you back on. It seems sort of insane that we're having this discussion, but what is your reaction to the CCP's blood-red flag being raised in Philadelphia? Philadelphia is the last place where the Communist Party flag should be raised. That flag represents genocide, human rights abuses, tens of millions of Chinese slaughtered by their own government, and it was raised in the city that represents American freedom, Philadelphia, the birthplace of the American Revolution. It's the last place that that flag should fly, but we should say it shouldn't fly anywhere in the United States, especially on an official United States government property that has no place in the United States. It is a flag of tyranny. It is a flag of genocide. It is the correct color because it's communist red, and it's soaked in blood. Michael, if you could, give us a primer on the United Front. This is sort of a new term that's being cast into the discourse for good reason. When it comes to the Chinese Communist Party's United Front groups using their influence on American soil. When Americans think of United Front, think of political warfare and intelligence gathering all in the same bucket. It also involves itself in criminality. United Front entities are involved in the fentanyl trade and killing all kinds of Americans through that. United Front entities are involved in stealing intellectual property. But think of it as a broad, expansive entity for peddling influence, buying influence, paying off political candidates here in the United States of America, and perpetuating influence operations and political warfare. That's the main idea, political warfare against the United States. There's really no city or state, for that matter, in the United States that's immune to the CCP's influence, in large part due to the United Front. Your organization, State Armor, just issuing a statement calling out the governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, for accepting campaign funds linked to the CCP. How widespread is this beyond Arizona? Why is this such a concerning issue for our national security? Well, let's start with Arizona. The governor of Arizona, Katie Hobbs, accepted money from a Chinese Communist Party member. It's not just kind of a loose affiliation. It's a Chinese Communist Party member donated money to Katie Hobbs. And what did Katie Hobbs do this year? She vetoed four pieces of legislation that were specifically designed to protect the state of Arizona from China's military. There was one bill so that they don't buy technologies in the state of Arizona that give the Chinese military the backdoor into their systems. Another bill to protect Arizona genetic information from the military. Another bill to protect Arizona's land around Luke Air Force Base from China's military again. And then finally, a bill to protect critical infrastructure that China's military is constantly trying to compromise and take down. It would protect all of these assets from the Chinese Communist Party and its military. She vetoed all of them. And then all of a sudden, at the end of the second quarter of this year, she receives money from a Chinese Communist Party member. Now, we've also seen that the same Communist Party member is giving money to a governor candidate in Virginia right now and a governor candidate in New Jersey right now. One of those is a former CIA member, should absolutely never take money from the Communist Party. Another one, the candidate for governor of New Jersey, she's actually sitting on the House Select Committee for the Chinese Communist Party and then taking money from a Communist Party member. None of it makes sense. Everyone should take this money. Don't give it back to the Communist Party. Give it to the victims of Communism Memorial Fund. Give it to the Human Rights Watch. Give it to the groups that are exposing the travesty and genocide that's being conducted by the Communist Party. Governor Hobbs, could be just one example. You listed quite a few more. More broadly, how does the CCP target U.S. officials and entice them with money to support bills favorable to China and beyond? Well, what we're describing here is the most open, just giving you money as you're vetoing bills. That looks pretty directly like pay for play by the Chinese Communist Party, but they also facilitate trips to China. So these really grand junkets, they bring state and local officials over there. They also sometimes help them raise money. We've seen in the city in New York, criminals actually tied to the Communist Party help candidates raise money in the city of New York. Same thing happens in San Francisco. They'll support in any number of ways through business ties, investment relations, actual campaign contributions, get out the vote mechanisms, as we saw in the city of New York as well. So they will do anything they can to support candidates that, say, oppose Taiwan's independence and to crush candidates who are against the Communist Party. Michael, what steps can the United States take to stop this kind of CCP infiltration? One idea that I've heard is reciprocity. Basically, anything they do here, we do to them. But much of what they do here, we can't because of the nature of their government. I mean, step one is no one should be allowed to take money from the Communist Party itself. Imagine taking money from Vladimir Putin. Everyone would understand that that's crazy. Imagine taking money from Kim Jong-un in North Korea. Everyone would get that that's crazy. Imagine taking money from the Castros in Cuba. Imagine taking money from the Politburo of the Soviet Union back when they were still around. Everyone would understand that that's absolutely crazy. Somehow, the Chinese Communist Party, through their elite capture, through their influence operations, has convinced Americans that they are not as big of a threat as all those other groups. They're actually the largest by far and most existential threat that the United States has ever faced. And the fact that they are skating past, as they're peddling money directly and openly in our American political system, shows you what a threat they are. On the one hand, they're making political contributions. On the other hand, they're killing 100,000 Americans a year through fentanyl, amongst all the other things they do. There's something very wrong here. We need a broad wake up and understand the same people giving money to your campaign are killing your neighbors with fentanyl. We need to cut it all off. Michael Lucci, really appreciate you highlighting these very important issues. Thank you. US federal agents revealing they've disrupted a China-linked plot aimed at crippling cell phone networks in New York City, a scheme involving hundreds of SIM servers and hundreds of thousands of SIM cards. Officials warning the threat is on an unprecedented scale. You can find out more tonight on China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 9 p.m. Eastern. And coming up, no more hostility toward conservatives on campus, capping foreign students at 15 percent, and committing to merit-based admissions. Will President Trump's incentives for universities to change campus culture bear fruit? We'll discuss with Josh Lafazan and Matt Klink just after the break. When I arrived in the U.S. at 19, I struggled to find job opportunities without a high school diploma. My name is Ariel and my entire life changed when I took a chance and I got my high school diploma at age 22. Everything I have, my education, my career, my marriage, I owe to the adult literacy center and my teachers. They were with me every step of the way, helping with my English and math, making sure I pushed through all the challenges. We made this year look for you. Your achievement has set an example for so many students. Most importantly, your daughter. Education was the key that allowed all my opportunities. When you graduate, they graduate. Visit finishyourdiploma.org to find free and supportive adult education centers near you. I was a quarterback at Hardaway High School. College first round draft pick. On and off the field, we were taught to not show any signs of weakness. During the football season, I would stop eating. But I didn't know I was depressed. I thought that something was wrong with me. For 20 plus years, it was physical, physical, physical. We didn't have any education behind what mental health was. I started to learn it starts here first. If this is together, I'll be better as a father, as a man, and as a husband. Put the importance on your mental health. I'm not scared to talk about it anymore. The first tool is therapy. The second one is positive self-talk. Then journaling, putting your thoughts on paper. We have to redefine what being a strong man is and heal, love your mind. I am so glad you ladies are here. You each have your own rooms. Thank you. Get settled in. I'll call you for dinner. Adopting teen sisters, it's a lot. Girls, you're gonna be late. You want breakfast? No thanks, we're good. They're always in their own world. Twice the work, twice the surprises. Just try it. But if you think of it that way, they're also twice as fulfilling. I think you should ask her. Is it okay to call you mom? Of course you can. And welcome back to the Capitol Report on NTV television. President Trump is incentivizing universities to reshape their campus culture. Will it ultimately work? To discuss, we welcome Democratic strategist Josh Lapisan and Republican strategist Matt Klink. Great to have you both on, as always. So the Trump administration is offering nine universities priority funding. This if they pledge to certain policies linked to merit-based admissions, capping foreign students at 15%, and not allowing hostility toward conservative ideas, as well as protecting women's sports, among a slew of other things. Josh, do you think the schools will ultimately agree to some of what I just laid out? I do. And Steve, Trump and the government right now has leverage, right? And so in this order, I think the most important part of this order actually is something you didn't mention, which is that this order says if colleges don't cap the increases in tuition, they're going to lose federal funding. And I'll say as a Democrat, when Trump is right, he's right. And if Democrats can't acknowledge it, we're going to keep ourselves in political irrelevance here, right? The cost of college, including tuition and fees, has increased by 1,200% since 1980. Yet in that same timeframe, American wages have gone up about 19%. So this is a five alarm fire, and America cannot sustain itself as the dominant economy in the world without an educated populace. The only way we're going to do it, the only way we have a chance is with the weight of the federal government, right? American taxpayers, you and me, we pony up $60 billion every year for these colleges. And these colleges say thank you by greedily keeping their money in endowments, 870 billion, rather than lower tuition. So personally, I'd love to eventually see free public college. But if the government is going to go ahead and cap the tuition increases, this is a good thing. And it's a good moment for students, for parents, and everyone in the country. Matt? Yeah, Steve, on this issue, Josh is a wise man. He nails it. Look, I think that freezing tuition for five years, I know Purdue University has led the way when Mitch Daniels was in charge of Purdue. The other things are, I mean, how are these even remotely controversial? Only in wacko progressive universities are they controversial. Capping enrollment of international students, committing to a strict definition of gender, protecting women's sports. I mean, getting rid of the shout down veto that exists on college campus, or heaven forbid, that results in violence like what happened to Charlie Kirk. Already, we've seen Gavin Newsom come out and say that any California university that agrees to this will lose state funding. Look, it just goes to show you, Gavin Newsom is on the crazy side of the Democratic Party on these issues. Again, masterful of Trump. He gets the Democrats on these 80-20 issues, where he is the 80 and the Democrats are the 20, and they scream bloody murder, and the rest of the United States is just going, okay, that makes total sense. I got to get both of your opinion on the major issues separating Democrats and Republicans, depending on where you stand. Some Democrats jumping on board with the Republicans to stop the government shutdown. Let's play a clip from the White House Press Secretary Caroline Levin. We believe that layoffs are imminent. They are, unfortunately, a consequence of this government shutdown. Matt, President Trump today posting on social media that he's meeting with his OMB director, Russ Vought, to determine which federal agencies or programs might get cut. Will layoffs actually materialize, do you think? Ironically enough, Steve, the Democrats, by their desire to shut down the government because they want to spend $1.5 trillion more for a seven-week extension, they may actually do more to help Donald Trump downsize government than Donald Trump could do on his own. Absolutely, his OMB director, Mr. Vought, is going to look at what bureaus and agencies they can get rid of that don't fit with the Trump administration's mission. And I wouldn't be surprised if pig slips show up and they can go to court and fight it out, but it's going to take months for that to happen. And Donald Trump said he was going to downsize a bloated federal bureaucracy. And this just may be—well, let me put it this way. He may be able to do more than Doge did because the Democrats decided to shut down government. So, Josh, some have likened this scenario to a chess match combined with a marketing campaign. Ultimately, who's going to win the messaging after the chess match? What is the Democrats' play, do you think, right now? Sure. The good news is that flash polling across different outlets have shown that by about a 20-point margin, more Americans blame Republicans than Democrats for the shutdown, which makes sense when you consider that Republicans control the entire government and Democrats are right now in not control of anything. But really, Democrats have to be very clear. And no one's ever accused the Democratic Party of being great messengers. You know the old phrase, I'm not a member of an organized political party, I'm a Democrat. It reigns true here. So Democrats have to explain what we're fighting for. We're fighting to keep the Obamacare subsidies without them funding for people's health care. Their monthly premiums can go up 100, 200, 300 percent, right? We're fighting the 17 million people who don't get kicked off Medicaid and the poorest in this country don't have to choose between putting food on the table and going to a doctor, right? We're fighting for preservation of the social safety net so people in this country in need can get the help they do. If we're very clear on that, we'll maintain the advantage here, but we'll see what our Democratic leaders in Congress do. If Democratic leaders in Congress, in my opinion, resembled Gavin Newsom more and maybe a little less Schumer, I think Democrats would be in a better place right now. House Speaker Mike Johnson commenting on the Democrats' proposed continuing resolution today. Here's a look. Now, why are we saying that they want to return and restore taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens? Because that's exactly what they did. When they rejected the clean CR that we sent over, the Senate filed, the Senate Democrats, Chuck Schumer, filed a counterproposal. Now, what was in that counterproposal? I'd like you to turn in your Section 2141. It is there in black letter. They filed this. This is not a talking point. This is what they proposed. Josh, I'll let you respond. Yeah, well, color me shocked that the House Speaker actively blocking the release of the Epstein files is once again engaging in a mistruth. Consider me shocked and chagrined. Let's be very clear about the facts here, which are indisputable and independently verifiable, federal law has barred undocumented immigrants from Medicaid since 1996. Most of the non-citizens in Mike Johnson's table in his book are lawfully present immigrants. They are green card holders, refugees, Cuban and Haitian, entrant COFA citizens. They're not illegal aliens. States like New York may choose to spend state dollars to cover more people, but that's not the same as paying benefits to undocumented immigrants. Separately, a child born to two undocumented immigrants is a citizen for the 14th Amendment, and thus they're entitled to CHIP and Medicaid. The child's parents, however, are not entitled to receive the same benefits. That's the distinction the Republicans never like to admit. It's why they say immigrant households as opposed to immigrant persons. The 200 billion claim for Mike Johnson is misleading in my opinion. It rolls in legal immigrant coverage and state choices, and then it rebrands it all as illegal alien subsidies. That's not what section 71109 of what Mike Johnson's referring to, and it's not what federal Medicaid law says actually. Matt, if you could please reply to Josh in terms of healthcare for illegal immigrants, as well as address what you think the Democrats' big picture play is here. Oh, absolutely. Thank you, Steve. Josh, that explanation was clear as mud. Let's be very clear. Here's what's happened. In 2021 and COVID, a Democrat-only vote voted to expand Obamacare subsidies for middle and upper-middle income Americans. They were temporary. That's how they were sold to the public. In 2024, under Joe Biden and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats again extended those temporary expenditures. Only in Washington, D.C. does temporary mean permanent. The Republicans want to stop the temporary expenditure and expansion of Obamacare. Then what Speaker Johnson did today and what has been confirmed on multiple other networks, he listed out the specific accounts where the Democrats spend money on illegal immigrants, and it comes out to almost $200 billion. Now, Josh can say, well, that the states can spend the money, but it's really not federal money. The bottom line is money is money. Just look at Gavin Newsom in California. He put all illegals on the Medi-Cal rules, and it got so expensive, he had to pull it back. This is a scam for the Democrats to surreptitiously cover illegal immigrants. Ultimately, what's going to happen? I could see after the clean CR passes, I could easily see a vote taken in Congress, up or down, to extend the Obamacare subsidies that were temporary, but maybe both parties will agree to extend them. Right now, Donald Trump, he's going to get ready. He's going to cut the massive amounts of federal bureaucracy. Then ultimately, the Democrats are going to come crawling back to the table. They'll get a vote on the expenditures later, or the temporary extending them, modeled that one pretty well. But again, the Republicans have all the cards right now. Josh, I'll give you the last word, 30 seconds. Sure. Democrats in this moment will either show that they're fighting for the American people, or that they're fighting for their corporate donors. I understood why Chuck Schumer kept the government open in March. If the Democrats right now cave and they pull a taco like Mr. Trump here, the Democratic base is going to lose all of the enthusiasm. Democrats have been winning special elections. We've been overperforming Kamala. Democratic voters are begging Chuck Schumer and Democrats, please fight for us. Do not cave. If they do, I don't see how Chuck Schumer remains leader in 2027. $1.5 trillion for a seven week extension. That's what the Democrats want. Josh Lapis and Matt Klink, appreciate you both. Coming up, amid the shutdown, the White House canceling nearly $8 billion in federal funding for energy projects, many of them for renewable energy, aiming to slash wasteful spending. That and more after the break. Hunger in America is a crisis. Let's end it together. Our America, built on hard work, determination, and grit. Sometimes the days run long, but hope, it never runs out. Even when the food does for America's veterans, working parents, even kids, because in every corner of every town, even yours, millions of hardworking neighbors are facing a hunger crisis. Many for the very first time in this land of plenty, affording food shouldn't require second jobs and third shifts or choosing between your groceries and bills. Today, you can help change that. Call or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org and give $19 a month, less than 63 cents a day to help every neighbor get the food they urgently need. Because taking care of each other is what makes America strong. We're Feeding America, not just a name, but an action. Working with over 200 local food banks like the ones in your community, and demand is soaring. You go to the grocery store, you spend $100 and $100 is a new $20 bill. Even with two full-time jobs, it's hard to make ends meet. These are tough times, but when we stand together, we become the very best of a strong America. Call or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org. Just $19 a month can feed a family today, and your first gift can double in impact. Plus, we'll send you this free canvas bag as a reminder of the hope you're delivering. When it comes down to it, it's about taking care of your family first and the loved ones that you need to provide for. Because you're not just giving food, you're fueling resilience for people across the nation. You're Feeding America. Call or go online today to helpfeedingamerica.org and your gift can double in impact. I can't get a hold of my mom. I'm sure it's nothing. I've called her five times. I'm sure she's fine. Is grandma okay? Help, I've fallen and I can't get up. Don't worry ma'am, we're sending help right now. Hello? Hello, this is Life Alert. Your mother had an emergency and we dispatched paramedics to her home. Oh my gosh, what happened? She had a fall, but don't worry, she is safe and the paramedics are helping her right now. Thank you. Life Alert saves a life every 11 minutes. With one simple touch of a button, Life Alert sends help immediately. Whether it's to report a fall, a medical emergency, or an intruder, Life Alert sends first responders fast. For a free brochure, call 800-382-9846. 800-382-9846. That's 800-382-9846. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. The White House canceling nearly $8 billion in federal funding for hundreds of energy projects. That's as the Trump administration says it will use the government shutdown as an opportunity to slash wasteful spending. And today's Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley, has more. The White House is issuing major funding cuts across several federal agencies in an attempt to slash wasteful spending amid a government shutdown. The Department of Energy announced that it's cutting $7.6 billion in energy projects. Those projects are in 16 states, including California and New York, and many of them are for renewable energy projects like wind and solar. In total, 320 awards are being canceled, and of those, get this, over 25 percent were issued after Election Day and before Inauguration Day, those alone totaling over $3 billion. Energy Secretary Chris Wright took to X Thursday saying, quote, President Trump promised to protect taxpayer dollars and expand America's supply of affordable, reliable, and secure energy. These cancellations deliver on that commitment. Russ Vogt, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, likewise wrote on X, quote, nearly $8 billion in green news scam funding to fuel the left's climate agenda is being canceled. And all of this comes after a late Wednesday night when President Trump took to Truth Social saying, Republicans must use this opportunity of the Democrat forced closure, referring to the government shutdown, to clear out dead wood, wastes, and fraud. Billions of dollars can be saved. These cuts come as the Department of Transportation's cutting race-based policies. The department issued an interim final rule barring federal grants from going to diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, programs. Programs like the department's disadvantaged business enterprise program, which has for years downgraded certain races while upgrading others that are deemed disadvantaged. This has allowed women and minority business owners to receive more access to this program solely based on their race or gender. In the same statement, the Department of Transportation says that it's freezing around $18 billion in funding to two major projects in New York City. It's to review whether these projects are practicing DEI. The projects impacted include the Hudson Tunnel and the 2nd Avenue subway extension, which the department says are arguably the two largest projects of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. For NTD News, I'm Jack Bradley. And that is all we have for you tonight on the Capitol Report. For round-the-clock original coverage, be sure to visit us at ntd.com and download the NTD mobile app. From the nation's capital in Washington, D.C., I'm Steve Lance. Have a great evening. See you back here tomorrow. Say goodbye to harsh, bitter coffee and hello to a delicious, smooth brew. With specialty-quality beans expertly roasted in-house, you'll taste the difference with every sip. Fermented with a blend of 50 enzymes, today's coffee delivers a rich brew like no other. Made with the highest-grade specialty beans available, you're sure to taste the difference. Elevated