Biden to Make Unprecedented Middle East War Zone Visit Amid Ongoing Israel–Hamas War

Hello, welcome to the Capitol Report on Entity Television. I'm Steve Lance. And coming up, President Biden heading to Israel. Where are the goals and risks of his visit to an active war zone? And how new developments on the ground are affecting his plans. On Capitol Hill, no House speaker yet. This after Jim Jordan falling short of the votes needed on the first ballot. What's next on the quest for a House speaker? As Israel prepares for a ground offensive against Hamas, President Biden will pay a high stakes wartime visit to Israel. Joining us now live is Entity's White House correspondent, Iris Tao. Good evening, Iris. What's the latest about Biden's trip, one which Israel says will have strategic importance for the entire Middle East? Good evening to you, Steve. So President Biden is scheduled to leave the White House today, though the White House has not announced an exact timing. And we know that Biden is scheduled to be in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to talk to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He's also scheduled to leave Israel then, and then for Jordan next, to meet with Jordan, Egyptian, and Palestinian leaders. But we know that this high stakes trip also comes with risk and now a lot of uncertainties. First, Hamas is still firing rockets targeting Israel, which forced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with Netanyahu yesterday, to shelter in place in a bunker during a meeting because air sirens were going off in Tel Aviv. And now we know that in addition to security risk, there's now increasing diplomatic uncertainty after a Palestinian official claimed that some 500 people were killed in an airstrike that they claimed to be Israeli airstrike that fell on a hospital Tuesday. And now we know that Palestinian leader is now reportedly canceling his meeting with President Biden. But Israel has since come out to clarify and claim that, in fact, that was because of a failed rocket launch by Hamas. And that's why the hospital has an explosion. So it really remains to be seen how the latest development on the ground could affect President Biden's upcoming visit to the Middle East. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday, while in Israel, says that Biden will send a very clear message. Watch. He's coming here at a critical moment. President Biden will again make clear, as he's done unequivocally since Hamas' slaughter of more than 1,400 people, including at least 30 Americans, that Israel has the right and, indeed, the duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks. And Blinken says Biden will have four goals while he's there. First is to, of course, demonstrate US solidarity with Israel and to show support during this critical time. The second goal is to work with Israel to secure the release of just some 200 hostages that Hamas now says they have in hand. And third is to work with them to, of course, learn more about their specific wartime strategies in this war. And last but not least is to warn surrounding countries to not get involved and try to widen this war. Back to you. NTV's Iris Tao reporting from the White House. Iris, thank you. At a press conference today, a group of Senate Republicans demanding the Biden administration freeze the $6 billion payment that was part of a prisoner swap with Iran. Here's Senator Marsha Blackburn leading the call. We know that Iran bankrolls Hamas, and yet it is perplexing why this administration refuses to issue a formal decision to freeze the $6 billion. The initiative was first introduced just two days after Hamas terrorists launched their bloody assault on the Israeli soil. The Biden administration last month transferring Iran's frozen assets to a bank account in Qatar. The move was made in exchange for the release of five U.S. citizens detained by Iran. Lawmakers are now calling on the State Department to transfer those funds to other bank accounts while working with Qatar to freeze the money immediately. And Senator Tom Cotton wants to deport foreign students who support Hamas. This comes as former President Trump weighs in on whether to allow refugees from Gaza into the United States. Trump made his position clear while speaking in Iowa last night. We aren't bringing in anyone from Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, or Libya, or anywhere else that threatens our security. Next, we'll implement strong ideological screening of all immigrants to the United States. No longer will we allow dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots, and maniacs to get residency in our country. If you empathize with radical Islamic terrorists and extremists, you're disqualified. You're just disqualified. If you want to abolish the state of Israel. Trump added that if he becomes president again, people who support communist or Marxist ideologies would also be barred from residency in the United States. Trump's saying he would achieve that by re-implementing and expanding the travel ban that was in effect during his presidency. At the time, it affected Iran, Iraq, Somalia, and several other nations based on national security concerns. Meanwhile, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton is urging the Department of Homeland Security to immediately expel foreign nationals who endorse Hamas and its violent attacks on Israel. That includes individuals in the U.S. on student visas. Cotton was a captain in the U.S. Army and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says that the recent explosion of anti-Semitism in the U.S. should disturb anyone who shares American values. He added that no foreign national has a right to advocate for terrorism in the United States. And House Republicans are yet again forced to vote multiple ballots to elect a House speaker. The first official vote failing to give GOP nominee Jim Jordan the gavel. And today's Melina Wisecup has some updates from Capitol Hill. So Melina, walk us through how the vote turned out today. Well, Steve, Jim Jordan fell short of about 17 votes that he would need to secure the gavel. He got 200 votes. The Democrat leader, Hakeem Jeffries, took 212, which could be embarrassing for Republicans, the fact that the Democrat leader actually secured more votes than the Republican nominee. But that's because there were 20 people who refused to vote for Jordan. And of those 20, the majority of those votes went to either Steve Scalise or former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the two leaders in the party. And with that being said, we did catch up with some of them who are still committed to supporting Scalise. For example, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart says he's upset with the process. We'll show you what he had to say about his choice to vote against Jordan today, along with Kim Buck, who also is not willing to support Jordan anytime soon. Look, the reason we are in the position that we are is because of a very small group of Republicans. Let's not forget, while we are where we are, coordination with the more radical elements of the Democrats got together, and they got rid of the Speaker that had been elected by the majority. The Republicans got together, and we had an election. In that election, Mr. Scalise won. I'm voting for the person who won the election. Who do you want to see take the position? I think we've got to come together in a conference, and I'll support the candidate that comes out of the conference that can meet certain issues that I care about. One is the Ukraine funding issue, and another is the acknowledgement that Donald Trump lost. Melina? So, as for what's next, Steve, and whether or not... Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. No, I was just gonna ask you, so, you know, do folks still think that Jim Jordan has a shot to get to 217? Well, at this point, it depends on who you ask. What's very important about this is that those who are sticking with Jim Jordan, especially those key players like former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, he's still optimistic, and he's actually encouraging people to continue to stick by Jordan, no matter how long it takes. And at this time, as far as what's next, you know, some Republicans, interestingly enough, the ones who actually are opposing Jim Jordan actually are trying to encourage the House to immediately return back to the floor for a second round of voting to hash this out, even though some are accusing them of holding up the process. So, that's what we've seen from some of the members who are opposing Jordan so far. We'll show you how members were feeling coming off of the floor today after that vote. Take a look. I'm expecting another vote to take place, and we still won't have enough 217, but hopefully we'll get to somewhere between 2-6 and 2-10. I know some conversations that Mr. Jordan has been having with some folks who did not vote for him, seeing if he can move any of those individuals. And then, if he can, great. If he can't, then we probably have to move on. And Jordan was actually himself pretty optimistic coming off the floor, saying that he was actually expecting the vote to turn out the way that it did. He is vowing to hold a second vote at some point today. Some are saying that it could happen around 6 p.m. when all members are returning at that time, which earlier there was a member who was absent. So, some are saying that Jim Jordan will wait until he comes back to take the vote there. But it is important to note here actually how much Jordan did, how many members Jordan did win over since Friday. He won about 35 more votes since that internal vote on Friday. The only question now is how many ballots will it take on the floor for Jim Jordan to secure that gavel. Steve? NTD's Melina Wisecup reporting for us from the Capitol. Melina, thank you. And coming up, former President Trump once again in a Manhattan courthouse to submit an ongoing fraud trial. A notable absence, his ex-attorney, Michael Cohn. And President Biden expanding his campaign into unknown territory. The Biden-Harris campaign is now posting on Trump's social media platform. Find out why and more when we return. Hi, everyone watching at home. We're here to remind you that if you or someone you know were injured in an accident that was not your fault, listen up. We have live agents available right now to answer your questions and tell you how much your case is potentially worth. Hi, I'm Gina Belich here with spokesman and TV personality Tom Mustin with us in the Help Center. So, Tom, phones are really busy over there. Tell us what kind of calls you're seeing. Well, Gina, first off, thank you for having me here in the call center with you. We always enjoy talking to the viewers and getting folks the compensation that they deserve. You know, we're seeing calls about all kinds of accidents, but the most common by far has been car accidents. So, if you or someone you know were injured in an accident that was not your fault, give us a call right now. You'll speak with a live person. They'll answer any questions you have and tell you if you have a case and how much your case is potentially worth. Thanks, Tom. All right, folks at home, you heard it. Take advantage of this opportunity and call now. A friend of mine, she told me about Bonatti. He was the only one to address all four deaths as quickly as possible, and if you're to that point where you can't take it anymore like I was, do your research, find out who the best is, and get it done. Bonatti succeeds where others fail. There are 16 million children struggling with hunger in America. This is a serious problem, but one we can solve. Visit feedingamerica.org to help. Together, we can solve hunger. Together, we're feeding America. You have one new message. Dr. Bonatti, this is Norm Evans. I played to the dolphins and the sea hogs. Anyway, I was just calling to say thank you to you again because I'm feeling great. No more back or neck problems after all these years, and I'm doing well thanks to you. I just wanted to say thank you and let you know I was thinking about you, and I always do. Okay, God bless you, friend. Keep up the good work. Visit askbonatti.com. What do you do when your tire goes flat and there's no air anywhere? You reach for Bullseye Pro, the smarter, faster, hands-free way to fill it up with air. Bullseye Pro is equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion power plant so fast and so convenient. It's like the power of an air compressor in the palm of your hand. Look, you can inflate all four tires on a single charge. It has a built-in smart pressure digital sensor that gauges and automatically stops when the set tire pressure is reached. Easily inflate pool toys, exercise balls, and more. Call or go online now and get the complete Bullseye Pro inflation system for the factory direct price of just $79.99. Plus, we'll ship your entire order free and we'll give you a 50% discount on a second one. Order now. To order, call 1-800-984-7221. That's 1-800-984-7221, or go to getbullseyepro.com. Welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. Former President Trump today, once again returning to a Manhattan courthouse. This marks his fourth appearance in New York City amid his ongoing civil fraud trial this month. Attorney General Letitia, that went out and campaigned on I will get Trump. I will get Trump no matter what. I'll get Trump, I promise I'll get him. She should be allowed to be attorney general. She's defrauded the public with this trial. Trump was initially set to collide with the star witness in this case, his former attorney, Michael Cohn, but Cohn delayed his testimony due to a preexisting medical condition. He said that he will testify at the earliest opportunity. The former president is not required to show up in the courtroom, but he does say that he's planning to return for the next proceeding this Wednesday. And the Biden campaign is expanding to Truth Social. This is the social media platform founded by former President Trump after being banned from Twitter and Facebook. Now Biden is testing the waters on truth. The Biden campaign's first post came on Monday, stating, well, let's see how this goes. Converts welcome. The Truth Social account might look like a parody to some. The deputy manager of Biden's campaign explained the satirical approach in a post on X, writing, we just joined Truth Social mostly because we thought it would be very funny. And as Israel's potential ground offensive into Gaza looms, we take a closer look at the difficulties the operation could face. Joining us now is Darren Gob, a retired lieutenant colonel of the US Army who had four deployments to the Middle East. He's now the co-founder and national spokesperson for Restore Liberty. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Darren Gob, thank you for joining us again. Steve, always good to see you and good evening. You as well, Colonel. The President of the United States heading into a war zone, Israel. You've operated in many war zones, both in the air and land. What strikes you about this? How dangerous is this? Well, Steve, the first thing that struck me about this was it's unusual, to say the least, to advertise presidential travel into the Middle East, especially into a conflict zone. I mean, I've been on the ground in Bagram and other places around the Middle East where Air Force One has shown up. And though some of us may have known generally that it was going to happen on a certain day just because of the jobs that we had, it doesn't mean that we knew the specifics. So I was surprised that then, that Blinken announced that Biden was coming into Israel specifically on a Wednesday. That goes against everything we know about operational security and specifically with the President. And to your point, as you mentioned, usually when a President does visit a war zone, it is a surprise visit, especially in the Middle East. However, does such a visit from your past experience as well send a message to the world that the U.S. is here and not afraid, whether you voted for Biden or not, he is the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military in the world? Yeah, and I think that's the intent here, of course, is to show a solidarity between Israel and Washington, D.C. Now, whether that message is truly heard based on what's been going on under the Biden administration for the last few years remains to be seen. But I think regardless, the Israelis will take this as a positive sign of America standing behind them. And everything that I've seen here in this country is that America really does stand behind them. Most of our people's concern, though, remains that we've had a chain of command in the U.S. that's been actually going after our military pretty hard for a while. So we'll see where it leads, but it's a start, and I think it's the right step for now. Darren, I wanna get your thoughts on the tactical side as well. There's a serious hostage situation, as we know, estimated between 200 to 250. How delicate is the Israeli offensive right now, and do you anticipate any negotiations? What might Hamas want in return? Well, Steve, I do anticipate there being some sort of negotiations, and I'm sure they're already going on. Now, I doubt they're being done directly between the IDF and Hamas, of course. I would suspect that there's actors involved anywhere from Turkey, Qatar, Iran, who really knows, engaging with Hamas and potentially acting as an intermediary. I don't know how successful that would be given everything that is going on, but it does factor into Israel's decision on what they do and when they do it. Is he gonna have upwards of 200 or more hostages spread throughout the Gaza Strip? That has to be factored in if Israel decides to move in by the ground, and they're gonna be extremely difficult to recover. Now, I don't know. We obviously pray and hope that they're alive, but if they're not, either way, Hamas would also use this as a public relations stunt, potentially dragging somebody out into the street if a building is bombed and saying, hey, look, Israel did this. Now, what would Hamas want? Some sort of concessions, probably unreasonable type, humanitarian assistance potentially, or just sheer financial gain. So this is a tough decision for Israel and specifically Netanyahu to where he may have to say, we have to continue with the operation despite the hostage situation. Indeed, it just seems like such a tough and complicated situation. Talk to us a little bit about urban warfare, which seems inevitable right now. What does this look like? How difficult is battling an asymmetrical war? Well, Steve, this is the most difficult in combat environment on the planet. Urban warfare in general is that way. Now, what makes it even harder is when you've turned many buildings across the Gaza City into rubble, and now you've taken streets that are normally passable, vehicles can go down those, and you filled them up with all this rubble, made everything more difficult to move. That's both above ground and underground. So imagine the worst combat environment in the world, and you've made it even harder by what's going on in Gaza City. That doesn't mean you don't move. It just means you have to account for it. And I would say that Israelis are gonna have to have quite a lot of engineering, equipment, and experience move in there should they decide to go all the way in, and they're gonna have to clear some streets and just make way. It's essentially what you've done is you've turned an entire city into a giant bunker for Hamas to hunker down in and fight from. Colonel Darren Gaube, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your insights. All right, thanks again, Steve. Have a good evening. So what kind of role will the Chinese regime play in the conflict in the Middle East, and what should we expect from Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing today? Joining us now to discuss, we have Bradley Thayer, Director of China Policy at Center for Security Policy. Bradley Thayer, thank you so much for joining us. Well, thank you. It's my pleasure to join you today. Happy to have you on again, Bradley. The greatest threat to the world, arguably or not, the Chinese Communist Party, whether it be by proxy or directly, take how they unleashed the COVID virus on the world for an example. What should the U.S. be watching from China with regard to this conflict in the Middle East? Well, the U.S. should be watching the following things. First, that the CCP would order an attack, the Chinese Communist Party or CCP would order an attack against Taiwan or the Philippines or additional aggression in the South China Sea or East China Sea against Japan. So it's quite likely the CCP is going to jump through this window of opportunity that it's been provided by the fact that the United States has to be concerned with Ukraine, has to be concerned now with the war between Israel and Hamas to advance its interests to the detriment of ours. Secondly, we should expect the tightening of alliances that we saw Putin is in Beijing today, and we should see that Beijing is the dominant partner in these alliance relationships, but the alliance relationships between China and Russia or between China and Iran, between China and other countries will be tightening. That is, those countries will become more dependent on China as a result of this conflict. And then thirdly, we need to be cognizant of the risks of escalation. Of course, this could escalate horizontally. That is, the war between Israel and Hamas could escalate horizontally, bringing in other countries, whether that would be Lebanon and Hezbollah or Iran, but also escalate vertically if China, for example, chooses to attack Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Guam, or even the United States itself, given that it does have a window of opportunity at this time. Bradley, you raised a lot of very important points, and it's almost like we've seen this movie before. After 9-11, U.S. intel agencies, rightfully so, tied up and distracted fighting the war on terror, all the while the CCP growing their influence in the U.S. and around the world. So given this conflict that we're seeing unfold in the Middle East, as you just mentioned, Putin is in Beijing, probably not gonna get a lot of airtime in media throughout the world. It probably won't, but of course, it's a very important meeting, again, as he is a subordinate now to Xi Jinping, and he has to live in fear that Xi will execute regime change against Putin, that maybe Xi Jinping would consider that there's a better Russian leader than Vladimir Putin and put pressure on, essentially, the security community in Russia to replace him. But that meeting also is quite likely to authorize from China an intensified war against Ukraine, as well as additional arms flows, as well as a tightening in that, again, as I mentioned, alliance relationship between Moscow and Beijing that has a nuclear element, that is that both of China and Russia have significant nuclear capabilities and growing nuclear capabilities, and would be seeking, certainly, to make mischief for the United States, fundamentally, as a result of that meeting. Bradley, in what ways do you think the U.S., and specifically Taiwan, can prepare for the possibility of a surprise attack by the Chinese Communist Party, especially considering the lessons that Israel and the U.S. have just learned from this Hamas attack on Israel? Right, which shows that surprise works, and it pays big dividends if you're able to pull it off successfully. What should we heed is, first, that the bandwidth of the U.S. intelligence community is limited. It's stressed by its global demands, and then it was, further demands were induced by Ukraine, and now the war between Israel and Hamas, and the likelihood that that will escalate. So, there's only so much bandwidth in the United States intelligence community, and there are only so many military capabilities the U.S. possesses. All of that is being terribly stressed now, which provides that window of opportunity for Xi Jinping to exploit. This is a time where he very well likely will choose to expand against partners like Taiwan or India, or allies like the Philippines and Japan, because he knows the intelligence community of the U.S. is stressed, and our capabilities are as well. Our focus, we'd be hard-pressed in the Cold War to do this, but now we're even in a worse situation. So, an attack against Taiwan should be first and foremost what we expect coming in the near term, in the months, the year to come, as a result of these conflicts. Bradley Thayer, really important insights. Thank you so much for joining. Thank you, it was my pleasure. That is all we have for you tonight on the Capitol Report. Thank you so much for watching. From Washington, D.C., I'm Steve Lance. Have a nice evening. See you back here tomorrow.