Capitol Report Full Broadcast (Sept. 17)

Good evening. Tonight on Capitol Report, President Trump signals major progress toward a permanent U.S. Army base in Poland. What this means for the nation's role in Europe. Democrats and Republicans united to codify President Trump's anti-fraud division. Former federal prosecutor Jim Trustee tells us how it could impact the fight against fraud. The late Senator Lindsey Graham's Russia sanctions bill has reached the President's desk. What it means for pressuring China ahead of next week's summit. China and India, to you, you better clean up your act, buy your oil and gas somewhere else. This is Capitol Report, live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. I'm Fiona Ji, in for Steve Lance tonight. President Trump is signaling a major expansion of the U.S. military presence in Poland. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley joins us now. Jack, tell us, how does this fit into the administration's broader strategy when it comes to Russia and China? Yeah, Fiona, this is pretty timely. It comes amid Russian strikes on Ukraine, right on Poland's border. So President Trump's announcing major progress toward a permanent U.S. Army base in Poland. In a Truth Social post, he credited the Polish president, saying the location will be announced soon, and he's calling it a historic step for the U.S.-Polish alliance. Now Poland already hosts about 10,000 American troops, but they're on rotation. They go in and out every nine months or so. But Warsaw wants to make that permanent. They want a permanent U.S. base, so they're stationed there, and has even offered to fund most of the infrastructure. So this comes just earlier this week. Russia struck a train in Ukraine, but it was within a couple miles of the Polish border, sending NATO allies on alert. Warsaw responded immediately by scrambling its jets and closing its airports temporarily. And meanwhile, the House has just passed bipartisan legislation on this front. It would put penalties on Russian officials, and it would also give President Trump authority to slap up to 100 percent tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil. So this essentially gives President Trump Congress's blessing to put 100 percent tariffs on China. China is the largest purchaser of Russian oil. So this bill is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed this cause while he was around in the Senate. Take a look. This is a big friggin' deal. We did good. It will ensure America's adversaries, not only Russia but also China and Iran, suffer for their coordinated campaign of aggression. Now that bill passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support last month. It's on the president's desk awaiting a signature right now. Fiona. Well, Jack, shifting gears here a little bit, the White House is also highlighting 250 victories for people of faith under President Trump. So what exactly are some of those key actions that the White House is pointing to here? Sure. This is timed up with America's 250th anniversary. So this list of 250 accomplishments credits President Trump with creating the first White House faith office, a religious liberty commission over at the DOJ, a task force on anti-Christian bias, the first ever national school choice program, a ban on federal funding for gender procedures on minors, and efforts to combat anti-Semitism and protect religious expression in school and at the workplace. So the president, in his second term in doing so, had to overturn many Biden administration policies. Take a look. Literally zero people got religious exemptions for taking the COVID vaccine. Think about that. We fired Navy SEALs, people who are willing to sacrifice their life, what they do for a living for our country, and the Biden administration fired them. The president said anybody who would like to come back will reinstate you with back pay. And any moment now, the president will be hosting a dinner at the White House Rose Garden, hosting over 100 hunters, anglers, recreation industry leaders. He just signed executive orders about an hour ago, opening more federal land and waterways, making them available for hunting, fishing and recreation. They're also reversing certain Biden era restrictions. So we'll stay tuned for that, Fiona. All right, Jack. Thank you. And to your point there, President Trump is now speaking at the White House Rose Garden. Let's tune in live to the White House. Now it's in beautiful shape. It's in better shape now than when they built it in 1792. Can you believe it? But tonight, I'm thrilled to welcome to the White House a group of true American patriots, our great hunters, fishers and outdoorsmen. I think I got 99% of your vote. And why the hell wouldn't I? You're going to vote for Kamala? I don't think so. I don't think she's into the world of hunting. But I want to thank Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, who is, by the way, doing a fantastic job. Where is Doug? You up there? Stand up, Doug. He is great. He's doing great. You know, he's fixed along with all work together, 82 statues, monuments, fountains outside and all over Washington. They were elected for 40, 50 years in some cases. We had one that was over 70 years. They were terrible. They had pretty stained. They were had grass growing through the cracks. They're horrible ----. And embarrassment. Now they're beautiful. Eighty two. The number at this point, and that's a lot. You're just about running out. But it's incredible what you've done. You've been a great interior secretary. We appreciate you being here, along with Representatives Addison McDowell, August Fluger and Bruce Westerman. Stand up, fellas. You guys have been fantastic. Thank you. Good job. Three warriors. They're warriors. That's what they are. And they fight for you. Thanks as well to the founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris, who's a fantastic guy. Great businessman. And Johnny, stand up, Johnny. Come on. What a job he's done. Built a nice golf complex, too. Built a beautiful golf complex and what a job he's done. Thank you very much. A friend of mine, NASCAR icon Richard Childress, he's won so many races, he can't even tell me how many. How many did you win? I have no idea. He won so much. Richard, stand up. Great job. Really an amazing competitor. Thank you. And executive vice president, CEO of the National Rifle Association, Doug Hamlin. Doug, thank you very much. Good job. We're keeping the Second Amendment going. You know that, Doug. And you think it's easy, Doug. He thinks it's easy. We haven't made a change to it, but boy, oh, boy, it's a fight. You know that, right? We've done a good job working along with you. And we have many other outdoors industry people, champions, many champions, incredible champions at this event. We're honored, very honored to have you. A special thanks to make this very strongly to to the president of the Congressional Sportsman's Foundation, Jeff Crane, who will be retiring in December after 25 years of doing a fantastic job. So, Jeff, congratulations. You're a young guy. What the hell? He's retiring. But what about me? I'm a little older than you. You're going to retire 25 years. You look like you're 45 years old. It's ridiculous. But you'll go into other things. I guess you got a lot of time left to have. Just a short time ago, I signed two executive orders that deliver something that everybody at this event was fighting for for years. And it's historic victories for the American sportsman. The first order, we're opening up millions of acres of federal land for our hunters and fishers and his group really worked hard on it. This builds on our actions in August that opened up another 90 in acres of federal land there. Does it have any idea, you know, they own two acres and everyone says, well, he's really rich. Ninety two million acres of federal land have been opened up by the Trump administration. We believe the public lands belong to the people and to the public and hunters, fishers and outdoorsmen should be able to access them. And they weren't able to. They'd be arrested if they walked onto certain property. And this order also protects the use of affordable, you know, well, this is pretty good. Is that I never knew this was a problem. Doug, you're going to have to educate me. But you put it in lead ammunition is ammunition that ammunition was a problem. Is it better than other ammunition? I assume that's pretty good. I don't know what the hell that means, but I know one thing. You wanted it. And I'm here for you. So it orders it. So the order protects the use of affordable, traditional lead ammunition. That sounds good to me. As president, I will always protect your Second Amendment. On day one, I ended Joe Biden's war on gun owners. That was a war and National Rifle Association. We worked together, but we all worked together. Everybody together was terrible, but it was an absolute war. I abolished Biden's so-called zero tolerance policy that put law abiding gun dealers out of business. They were out of business. And I eliminated the 200 dollar federal tax on suppressors. I restored gun rights to more than 70,000 American veterans and I terminated America's involvement in the United Nations Globalist Register of Conventional Arms, which is an absolute disgrace. And the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed on at all. And we have orders in that are so strong that even somebody someday following me is going to have a hard time breaking it. So congratulations, everybody. And we have that signed right here. And nice signature. Do you recognize the signature that's signed right here? I thought I'd bring it down, Doug. You want to take this? Here you go, Doug, you deserve to take it. I have another one coming up to the second order I signed today eliminates absurd federal regulations on our saltwater anglers, boaters, charter captains and coastal community, something you've been after for, they say, 28 years. I don't know why. Twenty eight. Why is it so accurate? But they had a long time ago, a little restriction, and then they opened it and then they restricted it for many, many years. The Biden administration tried to bludgeon the boating and maritime industry with a ridiculous boating speed limit of no more than 10 miles per hour. That doesn't sound very exciting. You're going out 20 miles, 10 miles, and I saw that. I saw it recently where some boat owners came up to me and they thanked me so profusely. Ten miles. I said, tell me, what's 10 miles an hour in a boat? He said, slow, very slow, would take them six hours to get to their fishing location. And by the time they got there, they were exhausted. They wanted to come back. It is crazy. Well, I guess they had 10 miles. They didn't want to hurt something in the water. Some they didn't want to hurt sharks. It's unbelievable. Ten miles per hour. But just as I promised you in the campaign, we're eliminating those restrictions and we're doing it immediately. And the American boaters can now once again enjoy the open ocean and you can go slightly faster than 10 miles an hour, like 120 miles an hour if you're crazy. But you can go as fast as you want. We have that order. It's all signed, sealed and delivered. You're all set to have it. And so congratulations. I hope. Don't hurt yourself. Don't go too fast. Don't go too fast, Johnny. Keep them slow, Johnny. But it's an honor to do this. You know, it's common sense. We won with common sense. This stuff is common sense. They also, as you know, they wanted to make all boats electric, only electric. And you remember doing the campaign because I went to a great boat owner and boat company in South Carolina and stopped by and they make boats, midsize boats. And I said, so what's your problem? They talked about, well, the speed limit. And at that point, it was three miles an hour. They wanted to go three miles an hour. And after you got like 25 miles out, you could go a little bit faster. I said, that's crazy. What's your bigger problem? They said they want all boats to be electric. I said, how does that work? Not well, because electric is about three times heavier than your similar power if it were operated by gas or gasoline. And they said, well, let me ask. And I got myself into a lot of trouble. The fake news said, why does he say a thing like that? I was only kidding, but not really. I said, what's the biggest problem? He said, the weight is enormous. We can barely carry that much weight because, you know, electric is a much heavier form of propulsion. And they said, the weight is enormous. I said, let me ask you a question. If you get a little leak and the water starts coming in your boat and you're in electric, do you get electrocuted or not? He said, you know, nobody's ever asked me that question. And I said, so here's my question. You remember this? I used to say it during the campaign, driving the press crazy, but people found it sort of amusing. I said, so if I'm in an electric boat and I see I'm going down and the water is pouring in. So I know I'm going to be electrocuted. But five yards away, there are sharks. Do I take the electrocution or do I go swimming with the sharks? And you know what my answer was? I'll take the electrocution, OK? I'll take the electric. But he didn't know how to answer the question. He said, no idea. And but what I did do is it didn't matter because I ended that nonsense. That was another mandate. They had to have all boats be electric. And I asked the guy simply, I said, well, is it good? He said, no, it doesn't work, sir. So when he said that, that was good enough for me. We opened it up and now you have the best of all worlds. You have any kind of. And by the way, if you want to buy an electric boat, you can buy an electric boat. But you're going to go traditional and you have no restrictions. This order also expands fishing seasons and fishing quotas, undoing another Biden disaster. That means you can sell a lot of fishing rods, Johnny. You're going to sell a lot of rods. I could have made it so you couldn't sell. You couldn't sell anything. I could have banned fishing. I'll tell you what. The power of this office is crazy. I could have banned fishing and driven Johnny right the hell out of business, OK? I think I'm going to do that just maybe just a quick order just for a day or two till he calls me and he says, please, President, please, you're putting me out of business there anyway. But since I took office, we've delivered historic levels of funding and wildlife and sport fishing restoration grants. We gave tremendous grants to for restoration, wildlife and sports fish and approved all state permits for the 2026 Red Snapper season approved way ahead of schedule. And we also strongly support your duck hunters. The duck country hunters thing is a big deal. And they came to us and they met with my people and they came to me, my people. And we are fully in favor of our duck hunters. Who would think that's a big deal? I hear I got 100 percent of the duck hunters vote, right? What did I get there? A hundred. If there was 150, I would have gotten 150 percent. I mean, the competition wasn't that tough. But America's outdoorsmen have not had a better friend in the Oval Office for many, many years. I probably the late, great President Theodore Roosevelt was very good. And my first term, I was proud to sign the Great American Outdoors Act, the single largest investment in our nation's national parks and public lands in American history. That's the biggest investment in American history. And I look forward to signing. Thank you. And I look forward to signing the Great American Outdoors Act, too. So that's 2.0. At some point in the very near future, we're working out the final details. It's going to be something that's going to make you very happy. But I'm not doing it to make you happy. I'm doing it to do what's right. It was crazy what they were doing. These people had no idea, they had no clue what they were doing to you. And so many people was just terrible and terrible for our country. And we'll continue to work with farmers and ranchers to strengthen habitat and conservation efforts. And for generations, our hunters and fishers and outdoorsmen have been part of a tradition older than our nation itself, actually substantially older than our country itself, 250 years. From Davy Crockett to Daniel Boone to Teddy Roosevelt, we've always been a nation that loves the outdoors. And with patriots like you, it'll continue for a long time. So I just want to congratulate you all on your tremendous success is tremendous success on this beautiful stone surface. There's tremendous success and you've done an incredible job. And we're going to hand you a little coin is emblematic of your visit. And again, if you want, you can walk over, check out the new helipad. If you don't like it, let me know. I won't do a damn thing about it. Everybody loves it. Actually, people are talking about it all over the country. It's really taken on a whole it's really taken on a whole life, the size of it, the beauty of it, the stone cutting. It's really special. But also, and very importantly, for those that want to come later and just walk in and see the beautiful Oval Office, you'll be my guest. So thank you all. And congratulations on really doing a fantastic job in life. Thank you. And Doug, thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. All right. And they're live just then, President Trump making a speech ahead of that dinner with all of those outdoorsmen at the White House Rose Garden, inviting all of those outdoorsmen to come into the Oval Office to take a look as well. All right. And let's switch gears now. One hundred and forty Democrats have joined Republicans to help pass legislation codifying the Trump administration's anti-fraud division as the House passed multiple bills to lock in the administration's anti-fraud work. Joining me now to discuss is former federal prosecutor Jim Trustee. Jim, great having you on tonight. Good evening. Let's talk about this. Right. Before we get into the details too much of this bill, what did you think of the president's speech there? You know what I was struck by, Fiona, was not so much the substance and talking about what he's done to kind of open up the outdoors for outdoor sportsmen, but man, what a great state of mind he was in. He was in a really good kind of silly, humorous mood, making jokes about, you know, I'm going to outlaw fishing just to shut down the, you know, his friends that have outdoor sporting goods stores. I mean, he just it's funny. I mean, a guy that's like working 20 hours a day, that's got us involved in really difficult things internationally like Iran and Ukraine, and he's got a sense of humor that just lives through all of it. So I was kind of happy to see him in good spirits. Yeah. And I'd love to keep talking about President Trump's potential standup comedy career there. But let's get into this bill. Right, Jim. We've got this bill. Would it make Trump's fraud enforcement division, you know, it would, sorry, rather make this a permanent division of the DOJ. What does that mean for the future of fraud enforcement and also for protecting taxpayer dollars here? Yeah, I mean, it's a it's a pretty momentous move. You know, there have been elements of the Department of Justice that are devoted to fraud. But this is a much better funded machine with more agency buy in. It's got a different kind of supervisory chain, too. It answers to the chief executive more than it does directly to the attorney general. But I think they've kind of proven that they're up to the task. You know what they're finding across the country, whether it's health care fraud or or, you know, hiring centers slash leering centers, misappropriation of federal funds. I think they're finding a vacuum where the states are not doing a good enough job enforcing against fraud. And it's a really target rich environment for a dedicated group of prosecutors and investigators on the on the federal side. So, you know, they're getting pretty darn good results. I think you have to acknowledge that and that that bodes well. So this will create kind of a separate entity with a separate chain of communication and command, but a lot of resources devoted to it and it will make it essentially permanent. You know, you can't create divisions like that without congressional buy in. He seems to have it on a bipartisan level. Maybe that's part of his good mood today. And, you know, you're going to see, I think, continued results of indictments and good sentences and recouping money that has been stolen by people that are just ingenious in the ways they come up with different frauds. And building off of that, I mean, the bill, it calls on the assistant attorney general to investigate, prosecute and remedy fraud and this across the federal government and all federally funded programs. What does this specifically mean for combating voter fraud? Yeah, the voter fraud part of it is another area of, I think, longtime neglect by the Department of Justice. So, you know, whether it's entirely in the guise of the National Fraud Division, which is what we're talking about, or still somewhat decentralized within U.S. attorney's offices and FBI agents and postal inspectors, you know, this is an area that just has never been aggressively pursued, to my knowledge, by the federal government. So we're starting to see these prosecutions of voter fraud. What I'd like to see is kind of crossing over from the individualized fraudsters, the foreign citizen who has no right to vote but claims they do, or at least pretends they do, to the more systemic public corruption, voter fraud, you know, the bundling abuses where someone would go out and throw money at homeless people and get 20 people to suddenly theoretically fill out a ballot. I think there's still plenty of room to grow that kind of law enforcement industry and hopefully between the National Division becoming real and or being permanent. And again, just the new emphasis within DOJ, we'll see some results there. And building off of that, Jim, I do have a couple of specific individual cases here. We've got seven people recently charged with voter fraud in Texas. We've also got a woman from Nigeria who was charged with illegally voting in Massachusetts. What is letting these ineligible voters slip through the cracks like this? Yeah, that's a great question, Fiona, because it's a combination. I mean, sometimes it's systemic problems like you can use a matricular card issued a dime a dozen in Mexico to get a driver's license in California that then allows you to vote. You know, there are systemic things that are problems, but you also just have fraudsters that are determined to make an effect in American elections wrongly. And I think the heart of the problem is not like some international conspiracy or macro level problems with the voting system. It tends to be very localized. It's corrupt precinct people. It's folks that are supposed to be taking, identifying information from a potential voter, but kind of turning their head the other way because they want to be seen as inclusive. They want this person to vote, even if we have real questions about their eligibility. So, again, I think it's great to have these cases. We're seeing them, as you said, Texas, Massachusetts, several other states, Wisconsin. But, you know, those are kind of drops in the bucket. I'd like to see the more corrupt angle of complicity at a motor vehicle administration or in a local precinct. And I think it's out there. So it'll be interesting to see over the next couple of years and particularly after we get through these midterms, whether cases bloom from that midterm election. Yeah, well, we've also got that other anti-fraud bill, the Proof Act, which it would require states to share data from programs like SNAP and Medicaid. I mean, we've heard from, I believe, a little while back from Vice President J.D. Vance at a fraud roundtable saying, you know, a problem right now for the federal government is this money goes out to states and then the federal government doesn't know what actually happens to that money afterwards. Do you expect pushback from states that are less willing to cooperate with these federal authorities? I do. I mean, Fiona, we have the phenomena of sanctuary states. We have people announcing we will not obey federal law, which to me is a fundamentally insane concept and an unlawful one and a wrong one. You know, politicians are supposed to be stewards not just for the protection of their communities, but for the protection of their money. And that kind of attitude doesn't doesn't speak well to that. So, yeah, I think there'll be resistance from various states. There's people that want to run for president that don't want their state to be exposed as being a lax on fraud. And that's really the common denominator of that proof that is they're looking around and saying we've got money we're pouring into state hands, even if it's our money, it's for the state to administer. Sometimes it's a combination of state funds and federal and we're just not seeing any sort of accountability for blatant mismanagement. I mean, it's really like that Minnesota case with the Somali fraudsters in the center. How hard would it have been for an investigator to do what a journalist did and walk up to the address that's receiving millions of dollars and find there's no kids and they can't even spell the word learning? You know, there's equivalence of that taking place state by state. And I think this bill reaches into that world and says, you know what, enough of hoping the states will do the right thing with their enforcement powers. We're going to be the leads. We're going to build cases on the backs of negligent states. And expose fraud. And so far, it's a target rich environment. They're finding, you know, million dollar, multimillion dollar frauds and different types of almost slush funds for local politics to fund causes they like that are, again, being abused by the ultimate recipients to the tune of millions or perhaps billions of dollars. All right, Jim, trustee, as always, thank you for coming on tonight, appreciate your time and expertise. Very good to see you. Coming up, harsh words from a Democratic senator for China and India for helping Russia evade sanctions and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's ties to streamer Hassan Piker take a turn. Our panelists, Nate Lerner and Larry Ward, will join us for analysis after the break. Appliances break down, home systems fail, which means I show up at everyone's door because I'm inevitable. Unfortunately, something expensive is about to happen. Is it the heat, plumbing, electrical, wiring, garage door, oven? But we already have homeowners insurance. Actually, home insurance is for the unexpected disasters. A home warranty is for the everyday wear and tear that will cause your home systems and appliances to fail. So give the people at First American a call. First American has had my back for years to save me hundreds. Just one call and they send a prescreened qualified contractor. Every home system and appliance fails. There's absolutely no avoiding it. But when the day comes, First American has your cover. Home breakdowns are inevitable, but the expense that's optional. Call First American for a free quote that could save you thousands on inevitable home breakdowns. Call 800-423-1231 or visit FAHW.com. For nearly a decade at NTD, I've specialized in China news. And the more I've reported on it, the more I've realized so many stories that seem far away are actually affecting our lives right here at home. From the COVID-19 outbreak and the regime's cover up to bigger national security threats. These issues aren't distant. They impact our economy, our security and our future. America needs a show right now that doesn't just chase headlines, but helps you truly understand what's happening and why it matters to you. Every night at 8, we'll connect the dots. We'll break down national security issues in a clear, digestible way. And we'll keep a sharp eye on the biggest threats abroad, especially China and how they affect us here at home. With so much information everywhere, access isn't the problem anymore. Understanding is. We'll cover the biggest stories of the day, but we'll do it in a way that's smart, respectful and actually enjoyable because news doesn't have to feel like homework. At the end of the day, there's more that unites us and divines us. Welcome back to Capitol Report. I'm Fiona G in for Steve Lance. The House is in recess until after the midterm elections in November, but still it managed to pass multiple bills aligned with the president's agenda. Joining me now to discuss our Democratic strategist, Nate Lerner and Larry Ward, chair of the Constitutional Rights PAC. Thank you both so much for being here today. Let's start off with this. I want to play this clip from Senator Richard Blumenthal. Here's what he had to say to nations like China, which he says is helping Russia evade sanctions. Watch. China and India to you. You better clean up your act, buy your oil and gas somewhere else. All right, Nate, so let's start off with you. Russia sanctions, you know, they typically typically been a bipartisan issue. This bill would give the president the power to use tariffs against nations like China that help Russia evade sanctions by buying its oil. Is this a useful tool to have, especially with the president set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week? Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, one of the few times I actually agree that tariffs are effective is in cases like this, when they're being used strategically against China for security or economic purposes or against Russia for security or economic purposes. What's been frustrating is the tariffs have kind of been used as an odd vendetta tool that are kind of broadly applied to our allies and countries across the world, really kind of at random. That's devastating for our economy and the world's economy. This bill would be a strategic way to do that, and I would fully support it. I have been frustrated with how Trump has approached Russia in the past. You know, I thought he'd be ending the war by now, as he promised. He has not done that. He's really been extremely soft and weak with Putin since his first term. So it'd be nice if he turned a corner there and was actually firm with Putin. So, Larry, building off of what Nate is saying there, China buys about half of Russia's total crude oil exports. Do you think giving President Trump this tariff power over China's ability to import this Russian oil could ultimately finally help bring an end to this war? No, I don't. But but here's the thing, you know, you know, the Democrats are all like, you know, tariffs are bad when Trump does it, but when he does it for things that we want, it's all good. Well, two thumbs up for Donald Trump. And it's funny that Senator Blumenthal is like, you better be careful if you keep buying that Russian oil. Big brother Trump is going to come and punish you with with these tariffs. And look, at the end of the day, you know, Russia is obviously needs to sell its oil. But to be honest, 100 percent tariffs on China is is not going to stop Russia's prosecution of this war. Quite frankly, almost nothing is going to except for, you know, Putin deciding it's enough. This war can go on and on and on, which is why I don't think that we should be involved in it. Well, we could also talk about this on and on and on. But I want to switch gears for a second here. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul Al-Sayed, he recently pushed back on streamer Hassan Piker, who claimed in an interview with Axios that America commits more terror than Al-Qaeda. This comes, you know, after Al-Sayed had defended his ties to the streamer by pointing to Piker's large audience. Nate, Al-Sayed is now trying to rally support among sitting Democratic senators, even if he doesn't agree with everything Piker says, does associating with him in the first place open Al-Sayed up to more scrutiny? Yeah, I mean, I'm not a fan of Hassan Piker, you know, I think let's be clear, his audience is primarily men under the age of 21. He's a Twitch streamer. That's like where people play video games. He really was kind of useful in the primary for reaching younger voters. But, you know, he's clearly, you know, continues to say absurd things. He really is not a reflection of the Democratic Party or its values. And I think he'd be wise for Al-Sayed to push away. But at the same time, you know, where is this push for? You know, Republicans do the same thing with Donald Trump, whenever he says something insane or insulting, like, for example, when he posted the video on Twitter of the Obamas as monkeys. Or we recently had with a railroad commissioner in Texas who was insulted that so many minorities were in attendance at the University of Texas football game. Like, you know, it's insane that, you know, we have one person on the left who's, you know, says extreme and wrong things to get a reaction. And, you know, it's the end of the world suddenly. But you had the MAGA movement for the last eight years, 12 years has really been saying the most outrageous and extreme things up and down the ticket. You know, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, like so many lunatics saying outrageous, doing outrageous things. And suddenly we have one person at the end of the world. You know, let's get real here. Well, Larry, Al-Sayed only won Michigan Senate primary by a thin margin there. Do you think his association with Piker could push moderate Democrats to cross party lines in November? Look, I think I think Hassan Piker could absolutely push Democrats, not just Hassan Piker, but Al-Sayed. He is a he is a radical Democratic socialist. No matter what he says now that he's on this side of the primary, he's a Democratic socialist. He's he's an Islamist. And quite frankly, you know, it's crazy that, you know, Nate saying, of course, we've had these crazy things that Trump says. Well, you know, the MAGA Republicans are apologizing for what Trump says. But the Democrats now all of a sudden they see this race in jeopardy. They see Mike Rogers, you know, storming and probably going to win this race. And now now all of a sudden they're distancing themselves from from Piker, which which, of course, is funny because they were all wrapping arms around him up until the up until the primary ended. Well, speaking of elections here, we've got fundraising platform ActBlue being accused of covering up fraudulent political donations and a misleading Congress on its security standards. One report found that internal trainings told ActBlue's fraud prevention team to look for reasons to accept contributions rather than scrutinizing them for signs of fraud. And Nate, this report alleges ActBlue, for example, it verifies passport numbers just by character count and not whether the number itself is actually valid. Does that amount to a failure of due diligence on ActBlue's part? Sure, you can be critical of that, of ActBlue, I think, you know, that it's a pretty minor policy fix, I think, encouraging, you know, the fraud team to try to make it easier for people to donate because ActBlue accepts billions of donations every year. I use ActBlue with all my clients. I will say, though, this is this is a you know, I hate to use the word witch hunt, but that's exactly what this is. You have the why are there no investigations of any of the fundraising platforms on the right? And if you really want to get down to hypocrisy, like let's really talk about protecting election financing. Look at the FEC. The FEC currently does not have a quorum right now. They do not have the correct number of committee members in order for them to actually conduct investigations. So for literally the last 500 days, that's not literally been 500 days. They have not been able to conduct any investigations into election financial fraud or election misconduct whatsoever. They have a pile up now, like 300 cases. And this happened entirely under Donald Trump. And it happened entirely under Donald Trump in his first term as well. So if you actually care about election fundraising integrity, like let's start with the actual solution, which is making sure the FEC has a quorum. Larry, I'll let you respond to Nate, but also I want to add that the report also says ActBlue ignored red flags like prepaid cards, mismatched IP and billing addresses. If wrongdoing is proven here, who benefits when fraudulent campaign donations are not caught? Democrats, Democrats always benefit from fraud. Look, the Democrats have the most the most extensive money laundering operation on the And if you want to see proof of how bad the money launder operation got, as soon as ActBlue was called out for these fraudulent donations, the Democrat Party fundraising dried up. The DNC is broke. The DNC had to get loans to basically run their campaigns in 20 in 2026. So, look, the the ActBlue was a beneficiary of the USAID was sending all this money overseas to these NGOs that were funneling money back to Democratic candidates. It's clear as day what was going on. And I'm so glad that the Trump administration is focusing on this fraud and focusing on leveling the playing field in the elections. All right, Nate Lerner, Larry Ward, thank you both so much for being on today. Thank you. Coming up, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks on chronic disease prevention and vaccine safety. We'll hear from him at his first public event with the organization he founded since joining the Trump administration. We said we'd never give in to a meltdown. Babysit with a screen. We said we'd never let the toys take over. Never leave the house looking out of our sight. Cars get hot fast and kids can be at risk. Before you leave the call, we stop, look, lock. My mom and dad were traditional Asian parents. Now my father would go to work before I woke up in the morning and then he would come home too tired to play with me. I tell my son, I love you every single day. Now, my dad has never said that to me, not because he doesn't love me, but because culturally it was uncomfortable for him. So I teased him the other day and I said, how come you never say that to me? And he said, you're too old now. Now that he's a grandfather, he says I love you to my son every time he sees him. My advice to all the fathers out there, forget the material things, forget the cultural restrictions. They grow up way too fast for you to waste even a single precious minute or moment. Hi, I'm Ryan Blaney, a third generation race car driver, and we dedicate a lot of our time to going as fast as possible. But when my grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it was a very unexpected bump in the road for us. It's important to notice if older family members are acting differently, experiencing problems with their memory or having trouble with routine tasks. Early detection of Alzheimer's can give your family time to explore support services, make a plan for the future and access available treatments. If you or your family are noticing changes, it could be Alzheimer's. Talk about seeing a doctor together. Adopting you is the best decision in our life, and I am so proud to call you my son. You can talk to me if you're feeling sad. Thanks for hearing me out, bro. Whenever you need to talk, I'm here, OK? Welcome back to Capitol Report. I'm Fiona G. And for Steve Lance, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., calls for prevention centered health care while speaking at a Children's Health Defense Conference in Washington, D.C. This is his first public event with the group since joining the Trump administration. NTD correspondent Jason Blair has more. When I was a kid, we had the healthiest children in the world in our country. Today, we have the sickest health secretary. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., projects optimism about turning around the U.S. chronic disease epidemic during a talk at a Children's Health Defense Conference in Washington, D.C. I think we can restore science and restore trust in our public health agencies and we can build a health system that puts prevention at the center of health care. Children's Health Defense says the conference is meant to spotlight officials and advocates pushing for more transparency and accountability in public health. The group's stated mission is to protect kids by cutting exposure to environmental toxins. Kennedy founded the organization. He's no longer officially with the group, but returned Thursday as a keynote speaker. Last year, we reinstituted the task force on safer childhood vaccines. Congress created that task force in 1986. It went dormant in 1998. We brought it back. Kennedy says he's obligated to ask the tough questions. We have not taken vaccines away from anyone. We have preserved access. We have started asking the questions that you and millions of American parents have been asking for years. Last week at the Republican midterm convention, Kennedy commented on why he left the Democratic Party. I realized that many of the foundational values of the Democratic Party had found a new home and it was called the Republican Party. And neither my father nor my uncle would recognize the Democratic Party of today. And how Charlie Kirk played a critical role in his relationship with President Trump. Charlie believed that people from all different political traditions could find common ground in their love of country. He helped build the bridge that President Trump and I walked across that day. And in Washington, Kennedy closes his speech by saying he believes the chronic disease epidemic can be ended and that American children can grow up healthy, strong and free from preventable disease. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair and TD News. The Department of Homeland Security sending a warning letter. On Tuesday, the DHS wrote to the American Immigration Lawyers Association and cautioned them to not abuse the immigration system or face the consequences. And to these Arlene Richards reports. There's frivolous asylum claims and there's fraudulent asylum claims. Both are a huge problem in the system because of frivolous asylum claims, many of which are fraudulent. Our immigration court system suffers from a massive backlog. That's what the Department of Homeland Security's general counsel, James Percival, says in a letter to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. On Tuesday, Percival warning the association that meritless asylum claims delay what will ultimately result in the asylum seeker being deported. He says an alien develops ties to a community where he or she may not legally remain. For the rare alien with a meritorious claim, the alien remains in limbo for years, waiting in line behind millions of people who are exploiting our immigration system. According to Percival, as of July 2026, there were almost two point three million asylum claims pending before the immigration courts. He told America First Legal in June that people file claims just to get a work permit and run out the clock so they can stay as long as possible. In his letter to the association, Percival points out that immigrants facing economic hardship or difficult situations are not eligible for asylum where there is no proof that the government is persecuting them. He also says the widespread abuse is undermining our immigration system. In June, Percival said many of those claims are fraudulent, for example, the hockey stick story that they get the same exact story from one Indian national after another, which basically says that somebody put them in a prison in India and beat them with a hockey stick. Percival warns in the letter that Homeland Security will vigorously pursue all available remedies against attorneys that file frivolous claims, along with imposing penalties against them. Arlene Richards, NTD News. Coming up, as Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping prepares for his state visit with President Trump, the son of persecuted and imprisoned pastors has a message for the president and hope for a turning point. Gao Pu, whose parents have been detained for a year, will join us with his story. 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 hunger, 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 250 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. Nine out of 10 seniors say they want to live in their homes as long as possible. And a walk in bathtub can help us age in place. Thousands of seniors are injured just trying to take a bath. And many of these falls are life altering. And sometimes they'll have to move into assisted living centers or nursing homes, hospital stays and often weeks of rehab. I don't want to move into an assisted living center. There are so many benefits of a walk in tub. With a wide door, it's so easy to get in and out. But more importantly, it's safe. It was far more affordable than I expected. Plus, when you install your new walk in tub, you'll instantly save two thousand dollars. So call right now and schedule your free in-home consultation. 1-800-949-0536. Welcome back to Capitol Report. I'm Fiona G in for Steve Lance. Just before the House left for a lengthy recess, lawmakers passed two bipartisan bills, one aiming at expanding sanctions on Russia and Iran and another to address the rising electricity costs from data centers. NTV's Melina Wisecup has the details. Several lawmakers described this bill as putting maximum pressure on Russia to negotiate an end to the war. Try to channel my inner Lindsey Graham. This is a big friggin deal. The sanctions bill was championed by late Senator Lindsey Graham prior to his unexpected death in July. It essentially aims to put economic pressure on Russia and Iran from the Russian aspect that sanctions nearly all of the top government and military officials. But the big focus is to target Russia's revenue stream from oil and gas sales. It does this not only through direct American tariffs, but it would also allow President Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the top five countries that import Russian oil that directly targets China, since the regime is the top importer of Russian crude oil. This actually gives the president a workaround with regards to tariffs on China after the Supreme Court ruled to limit his authority in February. Giving President Trump the tools today to end this senseless war, to hold Putin accountable. It's the most significant international action taken so far to bring the unjust war to an end over there. It also extends sanctions on Iran, restricting funding for Tehran's weapons and energy sectors through 2031. The bill passed the Senate already, so the next step is for President Trump to sign it into law, which he said he would do. The House also took action to target the rise in energy costs due to data centers popping up across the nation. It was a very strong bipartisan vote. Only three lawmakers voted against it under this bill. AI and other data centers would be made to foot the bill of electricity used by their centers. It comes as, of course, data centers have been rapidly built and needing huge amounts of electricity have put strains on supply. This originated with the president's ratepayer protection pledge, and it's going to make sure that we have a pathway forward to build out critical infrastructure necessary to protect Americans' data from foreign influence. But it's also going to protect our neighbors' pocketbooks and it's going to keep their electric rates low. Although the House passed the bill, it still needs Senate approval before it can take effect. It comes as data centers are top of mind for voters this election cycle. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Weiskopf, NTD News. That's all we have for you tonight on the Capitol Report. Stay connected to the stories that matter. Visit us at NTD dot com slash live or download our NTD app from the nation's capital. I'm Fiona Gee. Have a nice evening and we'll see you back here tomorrow. I've devoted my life to combining cutting edge science with biblical wisdom, and I believe healing leaves tea is the Bible's best kept health secret. In Revelation 22, the Bible reveals the tree of life and declares the leaves are for the healing of the nations. Amazingly, science confirms what scripture declares. 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