Capitol Report Full Broadcast (April 8)

Good evening. Tonight on Capitol Report, the White House announcing the time and place of in-person Iran negotiations, saying media outlets have picked up on the wrong 10-point plan. It's very important for the American media to be honest with the American people on this particular issue. As the ceasefire with Iran continues to hold, the U.S. saying all military objectives have been achieved, and drawing a red line on the fate of Iran's nuclear dust. They know this agreement means that they will never, ever possess a nuclear weapon. And the U.S. demanding that Iran completely reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of the new ceasefire deal, the latest on the crucial waterway. And this is a case of what they're saying publicly is different privately. We have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today. Good evening. I'm Steve Lance, and welcome to the Capitol Report. The White House announcing that Vice President J.D. Vance will be leading the U.S. delegation for Iran peace talks on Saturday, this coming as President Trump declaring a big day for world peace. And the White House says Iran has agreed to a ceasefire proposal with the United States. We go now live to NTD's White House correspondent, Mari Otsu, standing by at the White House. Mari, good evening. Hey, Steve. Good evening. That's right. The White House announcing today that President Trump will be dispatching his negotiating team led by Vice President J.D. Vance and also including Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner to go to Islamabad, Pakistan this Saturday, where they'll begin in-person negotiations with Iran. And the White House is also declaring that Iran has agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Press Secretary Levitt saying today that President Trump's maximum pressure campaign and the leverage from Operation Epic Theory is what ultimately led to the Iranian regime asking for and then agreeing to a ceasefire proposal with the U.S. Take a look. Privately, we have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today. And I will reiterate the president's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely. That is his expectation. It has been relayed to him privately that that is what's taking place. And these reports publicly are false. This coming as the White House says Iranian uranium enrichment is a red line that's top of the priority list for the president. Right now, their dust is deeply buried and watched 24-7 overhead. The president has been clear from the beginning there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons. Period. Full stop. President Trump declaring, quote, there will be no enrichment of uranium and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried B-2 bombers nuclear dust. It is now and has been under very exacting satellite surveillance space force. Nothing has been touched from the date of attack. The Pentagon saying any material the Iranian regime should not have will be removed immediately. On the uranium, we're watching it. We know what they have and they will give it up and we'll get it and we'll take it. If we have to, we can do it in any any means necessary. Meanwhile, President Trump saying that authorities are determining whether a crime was committed by CNN for issuing a, quote, false and dangerous statement pretending it came from the upper levels of the Iranian government, calling it very dangerous and saying results of the investigation will be announced in the near future. He adds that, quote, numerous agreements, lists and letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the USA Iran negotiation. They will be rapidly exposed after our federal investigation is completed. There is only one group of meaningful points that are acceptable to the United States and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these negotiations. What Iran says publicly or feeds to all of you in the press is much different than what they communicate to the United States, the president and his team privately. Never underestimate President Trump's ability to successfully advance America's interests and broker peace. This coming as the White House condemns American media outlets for what it calls falsely reporting on the Iranian regime's first 10 point plan as acceptable upon the White House calls fundamentally unserious that I've seen various organs in New York Times, CNN, others pick up and run the original 10 point proposal based on little more than a random Yahoo and Iran submitting it to public access television in the country of Iran and then them saying that somehow represents the negotiating position of the government. It doesn't make an ounce of sense. And Steve, President Trump's also announcing that any country that supplies military weapons to Iran will be tariffed immediately at 50 percent on any goods sold to the US. And meanwhile, President Trump today met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte here at the White House. That's as the president today said, that NATO was, quote, tested and they failed amid their lack of support to the US during Operation Epic Fury. Back to you. And to these Mario, it's alive at the White House. Thank you, Mark. And U.S. officials saying all military objectives have been achieved in the war against Iran. And as the ceasefire with Iran continues to hold, America's top generals saying U.S. troops remain steady to resume combat operations. Smoke was seen rising from an Iranian oil refinery on Wednesday, just a day after a two-week ceasefire was announced between the U.S., Israel and Iran. The truce appears to be holding, as Secretary of War Pete Hexeth says, quote, Iran begged for this ceasefire. In last night's wave of more than 800 strikes, we finished completely destroying Iran's defense industrial base. Their command and control is so decimated they can't really talk and coordinate. So they still may shoot here and there, but that would be very, very unwise. But they can no longer build missiles, build rockets, build launchers or build UAVs. UAVs are attack drones. And Secretary Hexeth says that U.S. forces have destroyed the factories that make them. You see, in less than 40 days, one of our combatant commands, Central Command, CENTCOM, using less than 10 percent of America's total combat power, dismantled one of the world's largest militaries. The world's leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable. Secretary Hexeth adding that together with Israeli forces, America's military achieved all of its objectives, striking over 13,000 targets. He also highlighted the success of the recent rescue operations, which included U.S. boots on the ground to recover two U.S. pilots on enemy territory. Zero American casualties. The Iranians humiliated and demoralized. We control their fate, not the other way around. That's why they came to the table. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Cain, honoring the 13 U.S. troops who died in the war, and also commenting on the ceasefire. As the Secretary said, we hope that Iran chooses a lasting peace. But as Secretary Hexeth said, let us be clear, a ceasefire is a pause, and the Joint Force remains ready, if ordered or called upon, to resume combat operations. However, the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon continues, as that conflict was not included in the ceasefire. And on Wednesday, Israel reported striking more than 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites across Lebanon within a 10-minute time frame. On the same day, an Israeli general vowed to protect the citizens of Israel from the Iran-backed group. Jason Perry, MTV News. And joining me now to unpack the latest developments in Operation Epic Fury is U.S. Air Force Reserve Colonel Josh McConkie. Josh, Colonel, great to have you with us. So, here's a short list of the Iranian assets that were destroyed. 80% of their defense systems, 90% of their regular Navy fleet sunk, along with 50% of their small boat fleet, 95% of naval mines destroyed, and over 2,000 command centers taken out. This is the report from General Dan Cain, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Here's a clip from the general. It is, and we know this, incredibly frustrating right now to be a lower-level Iranian commander trying to fight your fight. And perhaps most importantly, we've destroyed Iran's defense industrial base. Their ability to reconstitute those capabilities for years to come. Colonel, we have the stats on that military production damage as well. 90% of their weapons factories have been hit, destroying 80% of their missile facilities, 20 shipbuilding facilities also damaged and destroyed, and now 80% of the nuclear industrial base. So, this is really remarkable. Talk to us about what it took to pull off a victory of this scope. Well, I would agree with the general. General Cain, it was operationally a huge success. When you look at those types of numbers and what it takes, all hands on deck, Navy, Air Force, Marines, just the tactical brilliance that this has been able to display, no one else on planet Earth can do that. Now, I also agree that this ceasefire is going to offer more of a reality check, because this is clearly not an end. This is going to give them this temporary pause. You can't change the ideology. So, even though operationally it was a huge success, when you look at it strategically, to overcome 47 years of indoctrination of a radical regime, all the proxies that they have throughout the world, them being that state, the largest state sponsor of terrorism, that's going to be the bigger question is strategically, how does that play out? The nuclear objectives were incredibly important. There's 80 to 90% of that was destroyed, but what about the scientists? What about the expertise and certainly the will? So at the end of the day, this isn't the end of the conflict. This is just the transition to the next phase. To that point, it really is an excellent point. We've also seen multiple layers of the Iranian defense industrial complex, if you will, be taken out with that one strike that took out Soleimani initially, many, many, over 50 of the top folks there, and we've been hitting them heavy. What do you think the morale is like right now inside of Iran, and does the ceasefire present an opportunity to gather intelligence and maybe allow us to regroup and see who's in charge to perhaps go after them if indeed the ceasefire doesn't stick? So what they're portraying internationally, the strength and the resolve is not there. We have decimated them, their leadership, 50 to 80 of their entire top line of leadership is gone, erased off the map. So when you look at that command and control, who's making decisions from here? So they certainly, again, it comes down to that, just the will and the ideology of 47 years of that regime. So strategically, that's going to be the big question is, do they do they break down? Do they join the Iranian people and try to bring their country into the future, or do they just hold to that ideology to the death? You know, it's going to be interesting to see. So this two week pause is going to show us where they're going to be. Well, let's talk a little bit more about the future. Here's White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt on the peace negotiations earlier today. The Iranians originally put forward a 10 point plan that was fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded. It was literally thrown in the garbage by President Trump and his negotiating team. Many outlets in this room have falsely reported on that plan as being acceptable to the United States. And that is false. They put forward a more reasonable and entirely different and condensed plan to the president and his team. President Trump and the team determined the new modified plan was a workable basis on which to negotiate and to align it with our own 15 point proposal. Colonel, with that said, what are likely the U.S. essentials in any peace plan at this point that's put on the table? And I think there's definitely an interesting point there, both the president and Secretary Rubio have been very clear, they don't carry out diplomacy in these types of negotiations in public. So a lot of that reporting has just not been correct. The things that they have to hold to, I think number one is that nuclear, the will, you know, they've got the expertise, they've started to enrich that uranium. They have to demonstrate without a doubt that they do not want to pursue nuclear weapons. That has to be number one. That was strategically the biggest reason for going into Iran in the first place. And then just the drone technology, the weapons and that all has to stop as well. So they haven't demonstrated that over 47 years. They've shown tremendous resiliency. So I think it's going to take a lot to really move the needle and show that they really mean it, because they're going to tell you one thing. But behind closed doors, we go all the way back to that, the nuclear agreement under Obama, if they're very two faced, they had no intention of stopping that program. Now, the press secretary also saying that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire, which has now been made clear to all parties, this is Israel continues to pound Lebanon. How does this impact the dynamic diplomatically and militarily, if at all? Well, it shouldn't surprise the Iranians, they made that crystal clear. And when you look at Israel's security objectives, you know, Hezbollah and Lebanon has been a thorn in their side for decades and decades, and they continue to be the bad actor in that region is launching missiles into civilian targets. So Israel has every right to defend themselves and neutralize that threat. So that was completely off the table. That should not be a surprise for the Iranians. That was discussed up front. To your previous point, the nuclear being the most important item on that 10 point plan, what does the US need to do to ensure that Iran will never develop a nuclear weapon? Well, removing the capability, the facilities, you know, early on, the Trump administration had offered if you want medical grade, you know, for for for nuclear energy, we'll supply it, we'll do it for you. And it won't cost you a dime. I mean, that was part of the initial negotiations. They had no interest in that. When you get 60 percent enriched uranium, it doesn't take that much more to get it to weapons grade. So the facilities have to be completely destroyed, dismantled. And having the international investigators and the whole committee that comes in and evaluates those, they have to let those those people in. I think they had shut them out over the last several years and clearly were pursuing nuclear weapons. So that's going to be important. Lastly, you are a U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel. Talk to us, if you could, about what air superiority means over Iran, generally speaking, and right now as we speak. Well, they've certainly demonstrated that air superiority. I mean, you haven't seen any any fighter engagements from them. Everything has been some air defense, some missiles. They've really destroyed that capability. So their air defense capabilities, more than 90 percent has been destroyed. They can operate rather freely. You will still have some some lucky shots, you know, shoulder fired mission missiles and in small arms fire, especially for the rotor wing aircraft. We saw how much danger the rescue teams were in. I had served on as medical director for some of those rescue teams. And I flew two rotor wing operations in Iraq in 2007. And, you know, certainly they shot down eight aircraft in a two week span when I was there in 2007. That was all with Iranian technology. So, you know, there's there's always those dangers. But essentially, we have complete domination of the air. U.S. Air Force Colonel Josh McConkie, greatly appreciate you joining us. And you're looking right now at a live shot of the White House in Washington, D.C., lawmakers reacting to the ceasefire in Iran, what they're saying and how the American people are feeling about the news. Tired of struggling with that heavy leaf blower, introducing the bullseye power blower. 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White House Press Secretary Caroline Levin on Wednesday highlighting the importance of reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz. President Trump taking to social media, saying the United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action, just like we are experiencing in the U.S. This could be the golden age of the Middle East. According to ABC News, the president says he's considering starting a joint venture with Iran, charging ships passing through the Strait. Levin commenting on the report. It's an idea the president has floated, as you know, and it's something that will continue to be discussed over the course of the next two weeks. But the immediate priority of the president is the reopening of the Strait without any limitations, whether in the form of tolls or otherwise. Data indicates that the Strait of Hormuz is already reopening on Wednesday. Tracking service Marine Traffic posted footage showing that one Greek and one Liberia flag vessel managed to pass through the Strait. Various nations are now working to reopen the passage fully. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. It's our job to work with other countries in the region, not only on the cessation of hostilities, but also on opening the Strait of Hormuz. But many operators from across the globe are still expressing doubts. Starmer says he also heard concerns from the British shipping sector. But in order for them to feel safe to move through the Strait of Hormuz, they need to know there are diplomatic and political confidence behind what they're doing. We're here to build that. And a spokesman for the German government saying Berlin appreciates the ceasefire, while adding that things won't go back to normal right away. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz will take time and will not immediately restore the situation to what it was in February. It will take time for shipping to return to pre-war levels. Shipping giant Maersk also says that the ceasefire can open some opportunities for vessels in Hormuz, but that it's not yet providing enough security certainty to resume normal operations. Ariane Pasdar, NTD News. Meantime on Capitol Hill, Congress is weighing its next move as the U.S. enters the ceasefire with Iran. One lawmaker looking back at the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. NTD's Chris Bobb reports. A two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran is now in place, opening the door to possible peace talks as soon as Friday. Lawmakers from both parties are already reacting, even as Congress remains out of session until April 14th. The pause comes after weeks of escalating conflict, with questions now turning to whether this window can lead to a longer-term agreement. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham took to X following the announcement on Tuesday, saying in part, quote, That's why a congressional review process like the one the Senate followed to test the Obama-Iranian deal is a sound way forward. Fair and challenging questions with a full opportunity to explain and a healthy dose of sunlight Later Wednesday, he added, quote, Congress never approved the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also called the Iran nuclear deal, but it also did not block it. Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, lawmakers reviewed the deal, but opponents couldn't get enough votes in the Senate to advance a resolution of disapproval. Without that, and lacking the numbers to override a veto, the deal moved forward. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling for the fourth time for the passage of a War Powers Resolution. GOP Senate and House leaders have not so far issued statements on the ceasefire. Chris Bobb, NTD News. So as the U.S. and Iran agree to a ceasefire, is this an outcome of President Trump's peace through strength approach? And as the president deliberates whether to withdraw from NATO, has the alliance lived up to its original mission? NTD's Sam Wong was out in the National Mall right here in D.C. to ask the people. Do you think the ceasefire is a product of the president's peace through strength policy? I do. I do. Because when he went in on day one and took care of the matter, I think he definitely was able to bring strength through peace in a certain way. So I'm hoping that that can actually transfer into a peace deal, which I'm very confident he'll be able to do so. I would wager to say there's more behind the scenes that we're aware of, and things are just falling into place as planned. Just like with children, you've got to set the rules and keep the consequences. You have to be tough. I like that he's taking steps to help. I mean, I really think it will make a difference and it will change the face of the world, but I think it will be positive in the end. I care for the people of Iran, and I want to make sure that they are protected and they are liberated. I hope that they came to some sort of agreement towards peace and towards the people of Iran being safer. President Trump has previously threatened to withdraw from NATO. What do you make of that? Do you think NATO has been living up to its original purpose? I think NATO has drifted from the original purpose and that we need to get everybody back on track. I don't think he has any other choice, or the whole thing will just end up being not NATO, but the European Union. Not knowing its full extent of what their original mission was, I know that we contribute a lot of money to that, and that should ensure that we're all linked arms to protect those defending our liberty throughout the world. Right now, I think NATO isn't living up to their mission right now, especially with the handling of Iran, their stances, their different process of how they believe they should go across with handling Iran. I think that overall it's more of a threat, basically, to bring them to the table, to understand and get them to realize the viewpoint of where we need to go as a country and what they need to go to as an organization with handling with Iran. So I think it's just bringing them to the table, understand what's going on, and get them on board. I think we've helped so many countries in the past, and they're not helping us. So I think that's why he's going to pull out. You know, on the instructions on the airplane, if it's going down, you have to put your mask on first before you help your child. We've got to take care of ourselves first before we start helping the whole world. And a billion-dollar American sea mining merger, this all aimed at breaking China's grip on critical minerals. How the United States and its allies are racing to secure rare earths before China. Find out more tonight on China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 8 p.m. Eastern. And right now you're looking at a live shot of the White House again as President Trump announces a two-week ceasefire with Iran. What could the U.S. demand in a future peace plan? Madeline Somerville and Aaron Evans will join us just after the break. I'm Amy Grant, and I want to talk to you from my heart about the heart. I would have been the last person on the list to say this woman has a problem with her heart. So no, there was nothing about my life that said, you have a ticking time bomb in your chest. But I did. I wound up in the office of a cardiologist because I was there with my husband. And at the tail end of that, the cardiologist looked at me and said, I want to see you. No one was more surprised than I was to learn I was living with a rare heart condition. 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I'm grateful for the American Heart Association. Their research gave me more time to do the things I love with the people I love. So listen to your heart. I'm here today because I did. Please call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org now to become a monthly donor and help save even more lives. Thank you. Hey, boss. Yeah, I'm good. You sure? I said I'm fine. Since I was little, it was only like me and my parents. You think you created family out of characters? Yeah. Of course, when you take that and make it into a song. Hey, son. Hey, Pop. Come talk to me. It's been really really good. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. The Trump administration today calling out media inaccuracies in their reporting of the ceasefire with Iran. To react to the latest developments in Operation Epic Fury, we're joined by Madeleine Somerville, National Trial Attorney and former Democratic speechwriter, and Aaron Evans, President of Winning Republican Strategies. Great to have you both on the program. So the Trump administration today calling out media for inaccurate reporting on the Iran ceasefire. Here he is. I think it's very important for the American media to be honest with the American people on this particular issue because it affects not just, you know, the normal issues of public policy, it actually affects peace and war. I've seen various organs, the New York Times, CNN, others, pick up and run the original 10-point proposal based on little more than a random Yahoo in Iran submitting it to public access television and then them saying that somehow represents the negotiating position of the government. Madeleine, it's hard to sort of see through the fog of war and filter out what's true and what isn't. What should our approach be to Iranian sources that are coming out? And is what the vice president pointed out problematic in your view? So the point of what the president is pointing out is similar to what we've heard from places like Russia where the equivalent of the advisor there here is Bannon, right? It's Alexander Dukin. And he has told all of us that the point of... Sorry. No, please continue. The point of his rhetoric is to educate people about the fact that if you don't tell people what exactly is true, then they won't know. And that's better for you because then you can come in and provide certainty. The whole point is to undermine the truth that's coming out. The vice president is wrong. The sources that The New York Times had said that this was a piece of negotiation. They didn't make the claims that he said that they did. The point is to confuse us as to what's true. In fact, there's reports coming out right now that there are 47 people who've died in ICE custody. There are reports coming out now that Israel has leveled Beirut. We aren't seeing much of that from Republican news sources. But those are all true things that if their voters knew would make them doubt their positions now. So the only option that they have is to use this Dukin strategy just to confuse people about what's true and what's not so that they won't know. Please don't buy it. Aaron, your reaction? No, I mean, look, it's... With all respect, I'm confused just listening to what your argument is at this point. I mean, I think that, you know, look, war is... War is a difficult thing. And, you know, war is hell. People die in war. Buildings are blown up in war. And so, you know, I think, you know, the news that buildings are being leveled is actually, I think, what everyone would expect to hear and see in what's going on right now. But the bottom line is... The bottom line is, regardless of anything that President Trump does, Democrats are consistently betting on failure, betting on betting against the president. This is the point. So that if I tell you true things, you won't believe me no matter what I say. Well, the bottom line here is... Go ahead. I'm sorry. No, I just want to get Madeline's thoughts here. Just breaking moments ago, FBI announcing the arrest of a former SOCOM employee who supported top-level military warfighters. For allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media. What responsibility does the mainstream media have when it comes to responsibly reporting on this conflict and keeping service members out of harm's way? Yeah, I mean, there's a big element of not revealing too much of the strategy. When you're reporting on something that's already happened... I'm sorry if what I said was confusing before there was an audio that I couldn't hear in the background. What I'm saying is that they are deliberately trying to confuse us about what's true and what's not. Because if the Republican voters knew what the truth was, they would very, very likely not support it. If we've got leaks that are coming from the administration, which we've had many of, like they're firing the chief of staff in the Defense Department or the Department of War. They're all saying this for reasons. Retired army chiefs of staff and retired generals are coming out and saying that HECCP is going against war laws. Madeline, who is deliberately trying to confuse the American people? J.D. Vance, in his statement there, when he said that The New York Times was reporting things that aren't true. That's false. He's trying to confuse you about what's true and what's real on purpose. Because then we won't know, and then the president can come in and provide us with certainty. And I look like a crazy person, and everybody gets to say that I have TBS because I'm telling you true things. They win either way. Aaron, talk to us about... Madeline's making a point that The New York Times... But there's no doubt that we're in an age of disinformation in general. 100%. But never have we been in a conflict such as this, that's essentially a proxy war against our greatest adversary and arguably our most capable adversary when it comes to disinformation, China. So when you have their proxy, Iran, losing a war, losing control, their self-interest at stake, losing the cheap oil, 90% of Iran's oil, 20% of China's oil coming from Iran right now. Iran also a formidable player in the disinformation sphere when it comes to pumping out disinformation online. And you mix that with Russia, who could care less who wins as long as they're separating and dividing the American people. Where is the disinformation actually coming from? And look, I think you've hit it on the head. And I have zero questions about my colleagues' motives. And I think both of us could sit off camera and talk about how much we both love America. The bottom line, though, is we have foreign enemies that absolutely want to divide America, absolutely want to weaken America, and they don't want us to win on the foreign stage or in domestic. And look, it's been proven, the foreign funds and the foreign activities. I mean, there was just recently a report that came out talking about, you spoke about Russia, and China's a major actor in this, but where Russia was literally funding social media that was on the same exact topic, pushing both sides, the Democrats and Republicans, to fire us up, to make us hate one another. And the entire focus of this disinformation is not pro-Republican or pro-Democrat. It's anti-America. And frankly, when we look at conversations happening in the media every single day, it's effective, because they're making us question one another, hate one another. And there's a massive disinformation campaign. China's one of the global leaders on this. And Iran, when you look at their budget, and the amount of money that, I mean, the millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars that they have spent on foreign influence and propaganda. And I would even say, when we're dealing with this specific conflict, they don't have a policy. They've got a PR program. And they're using the media to try to, that's their entire focus, their entire agenda, while we're trying to have real policy discussions. And I think that's something we've got to step back and realize. Madeline, I do have an example here that sort of falls in line with the mainstream media spreading disinformation with conflicting reports about the Strait of Hormuz. Here's the White House press secretary on the issue. Again, this is a case of what they're saying publicly is different privately. We have seen an uptick of traffic in the Strait today. And I will reiterate the president's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly, and safely. That is his expectation, and it has been relayed to him privately that that is what's taking place, and these reports publicly are false. Madeline, your thoughts on this, and on the president's demand that Hormuz be opened as the condition of the ceasefire? So, two things. I think that it's very difficult to establish global relationships and to maintain our status within the global community as a democracy when they see what kind of leadership we have where the president is holding the whole world hostage and affecting people's lives everywhere by doing this because he, in my opinion, wants to prove a point. But I think here, when it comes to the misinformation aspect of it, there's two things, right? There's the factual piece of it, which is that there's two separate negotiations going on. There's the IRGC and there's the current regime, and then there's the one that we hope will usurp that one. And I understand that, and there could be different reports coming from either. But again, they benefit, just as my colleague said, they benefit when we are confused. And it's not necessarily that any side lied, but you have to ask yourself, qui bono, who benefits if we believe facts? Who benefits if we believe that there was never a ceasefire? Who benefits if we believe that we do? This is a very important mechanism where you can ask yourself, who benefits if I believe what they want me to believe? And your answer for it to be a good policy or for that to be a good statement should always be the American people. And it should not serve to divide us, just like JD Vance did when he said, get that liberal media again so that if the liberal media does come out and tell the truth, it'll be us crying wolf. And so it makes it impossible for the, quote unquote, liberal media to ever get a fact out there that the other side can believe. Well, and with all fairness on that, if I can, you know, I mean, I shared a Fox News article on Facebook even just this week about a foreign influence story. And I mean, and I've got a lot of Democrat friends over the years and all of my Democrat friends were just bashing the post because I would dare quote Fox News. So again, this is happening on both sides of the aisle. This is not just a one sided issue. If it comes from Fox, the left immediately, that's Fox, it's propaganda. And frankly, if it comes from the New York Times, we can say the same thing. But I think ultimately it is on us and I think as leaders, as Americans, we do have to be wise and we have to inspect what we're putting our faith and belief in. And look, and you and I will agree on the fact that our leaders have an extra level of responsibility to some of the rhetoric that has gotten way out of control on both sides of the aisle. Madeline, the Democrats have not given the president much grace on this war in terms of giving it some time to breathe and see where things go. We saw sort of a knee jerk reaction with Venezuela. A lot of people were theorizing about how awful this could be. It's turned out to be maybe not a bad thing for our hemisphere. Do you think it would be wise for the Democrats to take a step back? And is there a possibility that things wind up much better here with a much safer Iran and a situation that winds up benefiting the region? Even if there is a little bit of pain in the short run, could there be egg on a lot of people's face? So Ali, I'll take your first question first. I do think the Democrats need to take a step back because here are two truths. The people who live in the United States who came from Venezuela are very happy that Maduro is gone. He's an evil dictator. Secondly, people who live in the United States who are from Iran are very happy that the Ayatollah is gone. They've forgotten that he murdered 40,000 people in the span of two days. The people who are screaming, free Iran, aren't remembering all of the evil that was taking place there. However, as a strategist, you have to look at both sides. If my goal is to obtain as many energy resources and rare earth minerals as possible, then the easiest place for me to go in is a place where they already don't want their leadership. They didn't want their leadership in Venezuela and they didn't want their leadership in Iran. So that's the easiest place for me to have an excuse to say, you know what, we can go in there and we can make this happen because the people don't want them anyways. Meanwhile, though, the problem is that the administration is lying to us about why they're doing it and I don't like that. To me, it's not like an I don't care thing. It's like, don't tell me that you're trying to help the protesters and the people of Iran when you're killing people every day. When we're not reporting on what Israel is doing as our partner in bombing Beirut, we're not even talking about that. How is the administration lying, though, Madeline? How are they lying? In what way? I'm happy to answer that. So in the first place, we actually started this iteration of the war with Iran in December of 2025. Scott Besant said that they created a dollar shortage purposely in Iran so that they could tank the value of the Riyadh, which would then drive protesters into the streets. He said that that was his exact plan. He said it in front of a congressional body and he said it at a conference in New York. But that was the plan. The protesters went out into the streets and 40,000 people died and we use that as an excuse to go into Iran. So I don't like that. Look, if you have a plan, tell us your plan, right? And don't pretend like you're going in to save people when your plan is to use their resources and gain money. I don't like it. And I don't think any person should stand for it. I think human rights should come first every time. And I think there's quite a jump. I mean, you basically immediately go to questioning motives and they're totally comfortable with people dying and with all of these things happening. Even giving you the first part of your argument, it's very possible that... And look, if we did do things to incite protests with a regime that was trying to take over the country, a regime that's already killing innocent people and one of the most repressive regimes in the world, the number one global sponsor of terror. Even Kamala Harris, I defended her on Newsmax or Fox or whatever it was months ago during the presidential election because she had made the comment about how dangerous Iran was and Republicans were giving her a hard time. And I defended her statement because I agreed with her then. I agree with President Trump now on Iran being a real problem. And so, you know, I think totally support any efforts that we did or would have done to destabilize a terroristic regime that is unsafe for the world, that is... I mean, many of the former Trump administration admin members were on hit lists for the last six to eight years and not to mention all the terror activity around the world. So, you know, now, is it possible that we did that and it backfired and maybe, you know, that's also very possible. But at the end of the day, President Trump has got the courage and the focus right now to address an issue that Kamala talked about and acknowledged as being one of our greatest threats that Biden agreed with being a big problem. I mean, every Democrat or Republican president has acknowledged since Jimmy Carter that Iran is a problem, but no one has addressed it. And at the end of the day, you know, they were getting closer to nuclear capabilities, they're in bed with China, they're supplying drones to Russia to attack, you know, our allies in Ukraine. And so there's multiple strategic reasons for us to be doing what we're doing right now. And so I would just say, you know, again, if we're going to talk about rhetoric, I wouldn't jump to, you know, accusing the absolute moral conscience of the motives behind why we're doing what we're doing. Unfortunately, we do have to leave it there. I'm sorry, we are out of time. We are out of time. I apologize. Aaron Evans, Madeleine Somerville, greatly appreciate you both. Coming up, the Justice Department launching a sweeping crackdown on fraud. Thousands of cases already underway with billions in taxpayer dollars at stake. This land, 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. Please 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. There is a road laid out for me Boxes everywhere. And this is gonna be Addie's room. You're gonna like it. I hope so. I know this road is there for me First night here, but Amy seems cool. Waste down by. Take me down to the river and wash me. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance, the Justice Department ramping up efforts to tackle what it's calling a growing fraud crisis across the nation. A new nationwide enforcement effort underway to track down increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes. The Justice Department is launching what it calls the most aggressive anti-fraud crackdown in US history targeting criminals accused of stealing billions from taxpayers. The American people deserve an end to the crisis of fraud. At the center of it all, a new national fraud enforcement division bringing together prosecutors and investigators across multiple agencies in every state. Officials say 93 additional prosecutors will now be deployed across the country focused specifically on fraud. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says that there are already around 8,000 cases under investigation but warns that that's just a fraction of what he calls a massive and growing problem. Who exactly are you targeting? Doctors? Owners? When it comes to hospice fraud specifically? Yes, exactly. I mean, everywhere that participates in it. That fraud is, the question was about hospice fraud and that's the purest form of stealing from the American people's pockets in that it is a lot of money designed to help the most vulnerable among us. And officials say that the results are already rolling in. This week alone, the DOJ announcing enforcement actions totaling more than half a billion dollars in alleged fraud. In Florida, an insurance brokerage accused of enrolling vulnerable patients in unnecessary health plans pocketing more than $140 million in subsidies. In California, a man pleading guilty to a nearly $270 million Medicaid fraud scheme. And over in Nevada, a business owner sentenced to prison for stealing close to $100 million in COVID-era tax credits. With over a trillion dollars at stake every single year, threatened by increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters the time for this comprehensive and coordinated approach is now. The crackdown extends beyond the DOJ with a White House task force led by Vice President J.D. Vance signaling a broader multi-agency push. The administration says that this is just the beginning of a sweeping effort to track down fraudsters and recover taxpayer dollars. For NTD News Washington, I'm Jack Bradley. And turning our attention now to space. NASA sharing a new look at the Milky Way from the Artemis 2. This while a crew in the Pacific Ocean is already preparing for the ship's splashdown on Friday. NTD correspondent Jason Blair has more. The crew also took an image yesterday of the Milky Way which is stunning. A new photo shared by NASA shows the latest view of the Milky Way galaxy from near the moon. The photo was taken on day 7 of the 10 day mission. NASA says the Artemis astronauts received photography training before the flight. And the Monday eclipse photos from the far side of the moon were not easy to take. And after some good and bad days, the issue with the only toilet on board remains mostly resolved. The toilet remains operational. The challenge that we're working through is evacuating the waste water tank. The vent is a lot less than we were expecting and so we're having to fall back to some other alternate means. Crews have been already setting up on the Pacific Ocean for when the Artemis 2 will return to Earth. I'm currently at sea aboard the USS John P. Martha with the joint NASA and military team who are ready to safely recover the crew once they splash down off the coast of California. The splash landing is scheduled for 8.07pm Eastern on Friday. Jason Blair, NTD News. And that is all we have for you tonight on the Capitol Report. For around the clock original coverage, be sure to visit NTD.com and download the NTD mobile app. From the nation's capital, I'm Steve Lance. Have a great evening. See you back here tomorrow.