Capitol Report Full Broadcast (April 2)

Good evening and tonight on the Capitol Report, Todd Blanche now taking over as acting attorney general. What Pam Bondi says about her next venture in the president's statement about the shakeup. And President Trump with a harsh warning for Iran as 40 nations now coming together to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the strategy to reopen the critical waterway. We've seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage. And a plan, a new plan to fund the DHS gaining traction in Congress. How Republicans plan to bypass the Senate filibuster. I think that you know the budget reconciliation bill that does the funding in the out years so we don't have to deal with this crisis again in the future. And the health department now saying microplastics are everywhere including in our organs and our bloodstream. How a new national program is taking a closer look. We are focusing on three questions, what is in the body, what's causing the harm and how do. This is Capitol Report live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. And President Trump warning Iran there's more to follow after the U.S. destroys the Middle East's largest bridge. It's coming a day after the president's prime time address to the nation on the progress of Operation Epic Fury. We now go live to NTD's White House correspondent Mari Otsu standing by at the North Lawn. Mari, good evening. Hey Steve, good evening. That's right, President Trump today posting to Truth Social a video of Iran's B1 bridge severed by U.S. airstrikes with the description quote, the biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again, much more to follow. The president says that it's time for Iran to make a deal before it's too late and there is nothing left of what he says should become a great country. And Steve, this is coming just a day after President Trump's prime time address on updating progress on Operation Epic Fury. Take a look. I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly, very shortly. We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong. President Trump saying he's negotiating with a new, more reasonable regime, but listing off targets if no deal is reached, including around oil and energy plans, which he says will be hit simultaneously. The president also urging countries that depend on oil from the Hormuz Strait to instead buy oil from the U.S. and build what he calls the delayed courage to secure the critical shipping lane. This comes as he says he's strongly considering pulling the U.S. out of NATO ahead of an expected meeting with NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte next week in Washington. The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won't be taking any in the future. The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it. President Trump saying the conflict is nearly over. The core strategic objectives are nearing completion while repeating his vow to never let Iran obtain a nuclear weapon. So why do they continue to refuse to turn over 60% enriched uranium? There's only one reason, and that is because they want to hold it and keep it to one day use it to build a bomb. That's the only way. And they were going to hide behind all of these missiles, all of these drones, their Navy and their Air Force. Every American can look forward to a day when we are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the specter of nuclear blackmail. Meanwhile, Steve, on the anniversary of Liberation Day, President Trump today adjusting his national security tariffs on aluminum, steel and copper imports to cut duty rates on derivative products that are made with these metals. President Trump also, in a move to secure drug supply chains, is also imposing tariffs on imported patented pharmaceuticals, hitting most of those with a 100% rate while also offering zero or 20% rates to companies that agree to onshore production in the U.S. or to sign favorable pricing deals with the U.S. government. Steve. Mari, certainly a lot happening on this one year anniversary of Liberation Day, the day the president rolled out rolling and sweeping tariffs to many nations. With that said, President Trump today announcing that his Attorney General Pam Bondi is out. What's the latest on Sure, Steve. So in that statement announcing that the president also called her both a loyal friend and a great American patriot. He also praised her for overseeing a crime crackdown that he says has brought murders down to their lowest level since 1900. The president says that she'll now be transitioning to a very important private sector role. And in the meantime, the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, will be taking on the role as acting attorney general. And Pam Bondi is responding, saying that she's eternally grateful to President Trump for entrusting her with making America safe again over this past year, and that she'll be working to transition the deputy attorney general to his new position over the next month. And meanwhile, Steve, also today, the president's announcing that he'll soon be signing an order to resume pay for the Department of Homeland Security. Back to you. Certainly seems like a more amicable departure by this attorney general than the previous two that he had in his first term. Jeff Sessions, Bill Barr, Mariotsu, live at the White House. Thank you. And around 40 nations today coming together to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian regime is forcefully keeping closed. The international efforts coming just a day after President Trump says securing the vital waterway is a job for the entire world. And today's international correspondent, Ariane Pasdar, reports. We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage. The foreign minister of the UK on Thursday hosting talks aimed at forming a coalition of countries to explore ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 40 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and others, joined the virtual meeting. And that Iranian recklessness towards countries who were never involved in this conflict, which we and 130 countries across the world have strongly condemned at the United Nations, is not just hitting mortgage rates and petrol prices and the cost of living, it is hitting our global economic security. Thursday's meeting ended without any specific agreements. Next week, military planners will meet for the next stage of the talks to discuss potential mine clearing work and more. The talks come just one day after President Trump said securing the Strait is a job for the entire globe, not just for the US. The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait. The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage. Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves. The president added that another option for the countries who need oil would be to buy it from the US. And France says that the group of seven countries and Gulf nations will also hold a meeting next week to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Our goal is to have an impact and achieve results, namely the restoration of the smooth flow of traffic. He added that the G7 and the Gulf nations are not considering taking back the Strait by force, but rather wait for the fighting to stop. Arian Pasdar, NTD News. And now here to unpack what's next for Iran, our panel, retired Marine Intelligence Officer Hal Kemper and Army veteran Stefano Rittendale. Great to have you both on the program. I want to address the question of what comes next in Iran or what might come next. Here's the president in his address to the nation last night. We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong. We have not hit their oil, even though that's the easiest target of all, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding. Hal, I think a lot of folks, even, you know, Americans watching the address last night were, you know, surprised. They don't know where the president stands, which is, you know, some say that's a strength and a tactic that he uses so that the enemy ultimately doesn't know where he stands. What are the different ways the U.S. could ramp up the operation in Iran? Well, Steve, there's a number of things we could do. Obviously, we could bomb the power plants, as President Trump has alluded to, when he talks about bombing them back to the stone age. Well, if you turn off the power and there's no power in major cities or anywhere else in the country, that would definitely make things a lot more primitive. So I think that's what he's alluding to. But that would be an escalation that Iran would respond and probably hit things like desalination plants in the Gulf. So there's a trade-off with that. The other thing is looking at some of these islands. If you look at the Strait of Hormuz, there's a bunch of islands that are out there. Some of those islands are actually claimed as sovereign territory by the UAE. Of course, Cork Island is famous because that's where 9% of the oil comes from. And we have the force. We've got the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. We've got lead elements of the 82nd Airborne Division. We have the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit coming in. So there is a possibility of doing amphibious raids, maybe taking some of these islands. And then if you want to keep the two to three-week timeline, you might want to turn those over to, say, our Gulf allies like the UAE and Saudi Arabia as an occupation force until we can affect whatever in Tehran is needed to be affected. Stefano, is HAL onto something there? If the President were to order to have those power plants struck taking out the power, would we see a likelihood of a combined ground effort? And if we were to ultimately have boots on the ground, what would you expect that to look like? Well, first, thank you so much for having me. If President Trump does order ground troops into Iran, there's a lot of options that he has that can execute this. One, obviously, is the areas around the Straits of Hormuz, such as the Qeshm Island, which is a key island that Iran has used to basically do this unofficial toll in tracking tankers and other maritime vessels that's going through the Straits of Hormuz. As the Colonel alluded to, also, there are the three islands further west from the Straits of Hormuz that belong to the UAE that the international community recognizes as part of the UAE that President Trump can seize and leverage to reduce Iran's influence in the Straits of Hormuz, as well as Karg Island. The other areas that I would also focus on is the Iranians, most of their oil are produced in an area called Khuzestan. Khuzestan is a province in western Iran that borders Iraq. It's logistically probably a lot easier to conduct operations compared to Karg Island, these other islands near the Straits of Hormuz. President Trump can leverage U.S. military forces to seize it. The thing that I think is important to note is that the U.S. military does have a lot of options with the forces that they have available to conduct operations to really hurt the Iranians' ability to reconstitute and rebuild their economy. We can really put a lot of hurt on there and seize these territories, enabling President Trump to leverage this for negotiation purposes to force Iran to acquiesce to U.S. demands. Now, the president also addressed what might come next for the Strait of Hormuz, that corridor that carries one fifth of the world's oil through it, which Iran has ultimately been holding hostage. Let's take a look. When this conflict is over, the Strait will open up naturally. It'll just open up naturally. They're going to want to be able to sell oil because that's all they have to try and rebuild. So, Hal, Iran is now implementing and actively enforcing a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, where at the narrowest point, it's about two miles wide of water off of the coast of Iran that's actually navigable for ships. What practical steps can we take to avoid or minimize the impact of these tolls outside of, you know, going there and physically securing the area ourselves? Well, Steve, the thing we have to do is we have to reopen those sea lanes. You know, if you go up to, like, up at the north end, Hormuz Island, then you got Qeshm, and anyway, it creates a little containment area where the ships are going through, and they're using that like a toll booth. But that's, that is a, it's a sea lane, but it's not the primary sea lane by which traffic goes normally. It's a little bit south of there. But we don't know what the status is. The question is, have they mined that sea lane? It's not that deep. It's very possible. They certainly have the mines. They have midget submarines. They have a lot of other capabilities. So that's a big problem. So when you talk about, you know, opening it up or keeping it open, dealing with the toll booth thing, it has to be to keep that sea lane safe. And to do that initially, you have to run a lot of naval units through there, but particularly minesweepers. That's something the U.S. does not have a lot of, is minesweepers. And that's something where our allies have a lot of minesweepers, European allies. Japan has quite a few. Others have quite a few. And I think that's what he's kind of referring to is a natural coalition, maybe. I don't know, naturally is kind of an interesting term, but a natural coalition of those who rely on the strait would come together to develop some sort of ability to clear the strait and keep the strait clear in order to ensure freedom of navigation. Stefano, you're actually the chief intel officer at Artorias. How are you right now reading the situation inside of Iran, particularly when it comes to the opposition, which, you know, just prior to this conflict was really making a big fuss inside of Iran, causing the regime there to be concerned enough to round up many and then eventually killing tens of thousands from what we understand. What is the situation right now? Do you think there's the capacity for an opposition to gain any steam? I mean, I think that's a great question. And what I would highlight is one of the things that we're tracking is inside of Iran, we are seeing the Islamic Republic having internal tensions and fracturing. One of the things that I think we focus a lot on in U.S. media is how the U.S. domestic politics influences our ability to conduct operations in Iran. But we're not really seeing the same standard or analytical traits against Iran itself. And we're seeing, for example, the Iranian president is basically becoming a figurehead who's very ineffective and has little to zero influence in regards to this current war. We're seeing how the IRGC is trying to solidify themselves as the main power inside of Iran. But we're also seeing cliques inside the hardliners and different groups within the IRGC trying to buy for all their power. And I think that's a key aspect that's not really getting analyzed enough, is this idea that in Iran, the assumption many people are making is they're operating as one public government effort that are trying to, you know, fight the United States. But I think it's getting very much ignored that what really is happening and what we're really seeing is that the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, there's various factions inside each camp that are trying to come up on top. And they're really more fighting against each other, necessarily, than the United States. And they're really hindering their ability to conduct legitimate and real negotiations with the United States. And that's enabling President Trump to conduct additional strikes with the Israelis to really hamper not only their military capabilities, but the viability of their Islamic Republic state from an economic and political and social perspective for the Iranian people as well. Now, the U.S. doesn't depend on Hormuz for oil, thankfully. But we are impacted by the hike in global prices of oil. When watching the market CEO of JP Morgan earlier this week, Jamie Dimon, saying we need to keep the big picture in mind, let's take a look at what he said. It's much more important that this be successfully completed than what the market does. I hear some people say, you know, they weren't an imminent threat. Threat means I'm threatening you, I might do something bad. These people have been doing something bad for 47 years. Colonel Kemper, is it more important that this mission is successful than what the market does at this point, as he suggests? I actually think they're interrelated. I think it's actually, you know, we can look at the market, we can be sensitive to what the market's doing. But looking at long-term, long-term risk and long-term strategic risk management, I do think it's absolutely critical that we kind of finish the mission, either directly or indirectly. I'm not quite sure what's going to end up a month or two months from now, but that we finish the mission. And the thing with it, and I go back to the Strait of Hormuz, you know, yes, we produce enough oil in the U.S. for ourselves, but we are all paying the global price. The price for direct crude is not, you know, U.S. and the world, it's all the same price. So if the world's short of oil, then we're paying a high price to the pumps. Same thing with natural gas, liquefied natural gas comes out of there, that's a huge problem. And then things like fertilizer, remember fertilizer, a lot of fertilizer came from the Black Sea region of Ukraine and Russia, that got shut down. Markets shifted to buying more from the Persian Gulf, now the Persian Gulf is shut down. And then even things in high tech like helium, which has become the gas of choice in semiconductor fabrication, that largely comes from a cutter as a byproduct of natural gas drilling, and they have really locked that market in. So there are second and third order effects globally on the market that have to be considered. So it is important to not just, you know, not just get out of there in two and three weeks, but to make sure that there's a mission accomplished, that's going to keep our global economic engine running. Stefano, in an operation such as this, Epic Fury, one that was preemptive in nature, what are some of the metrics or what will history use to measure whether or not this was successful? So I think history would leverage the degradation overall of the uranium military capabilities. That's something that the Trump administration has really been trying to push. And I think that's a good metric to use. I mean, just today, for example, we've seen these Israeli Defense Force announced that a significant missile commander out of Kermanshah was killed, in addition to his three battalion commanders. And we're also seeing that the Iranian Air Force, Navy, Missile Command Force, and even their normal military and besieged forces have suffered significant degradations outside of other objectives such as the nuclear facility. And I think that is going to be a key measure of history to leverage this, because at the end of the day, the Islamic Republic is always going to claim victory. They're always going to claim to their people and to the international community that they're winning. But the reality of the fact is, we have to look at their military capabilities. Iran has spent decades trying to build a blue water navy, an expeditionary force, either through the IRGC could force or others. And they've really spent years trying to professionalize and maximize their ballistic missile force. And what we've seen is the United States has really targeted that, and in many ways, not only degrade, but in many instances, destroy those capabilities. And so Iran after this war, regardless of what the regime is, is going to have a very limited military capability that's going to be much more inward focus than external focus. And that's going to enable a lot of countries in the Middle East and the United States to expand their influence and their ability to project power in the Middle East. Retired Marine intelligence officer, Colonel Hal Kempfer, and Army veteran and CEO of Artorias, Stefano Rittendale, greatly appreciate you both joining us. And you are looking at a live shot of the United States Capitol, where Republicans are solidifying a plan to fund the DHS by working around the Senate filibuster. More on that just after the break. I'm Jonathan Lawson. If you're 50 to 85, please listen closely. The lock I want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. It's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees that once you're insured, your rate can never go up at any time for any reason. Many policies you see don't have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock from Colonial Penn. This plan was designed for people on a fixed income with coverage options that start at $9.95 a month. That's less than 35 cents a day. Your rate is locked in for life. Coverage can never be canceled, and your acceptance is guaranteed. You cannot be turned down because of your health. See for yourself. Call for an information kit and gift. Both are free, no obligation. Call 1-800-624-6556 for your free gift. 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It's hard to get their attention. Ready? Go. Yes, look at that. Yeah, turn yours over. So if you want to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping, you have to get it trending, right, backpack kid? Let's do it. First, invite your kid to do the vape talk. Let's try this. All right. Why is he here? I gotta get it trending. No. Come on. Honey, can we talk? Yeah, what's up? I see a lot of your friends vaping. Visit talkaboutvaping.org for tips on when and how to have the vape talk. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance, President Trump getting the go-ahead for the grand ballroom at the White House. The National Capital Planning Commission today giving its final approval for the project. The 12-member commission is in charge of approving construction on federal property throughout the Washington, D.C. area. This comes just two days after a federal judge ordered a halt to construction unless Congress approves it. The judge's decision impacts construction activities, but not the planning process. The Trump administration is appealing that ruling. The planned ballroom will occupy 90,000 square feet of space in the east wing of the White House. The president says it will be able to hold 1,000 guests and be, quote, the finest ballroom of its kind anywhere in the world. And an end to the longest DHS shutdown in history could be on the horizon. President Trump and congressional GOP leaders have rallied behind a two-pronged approach to bypass Senate Democrats on immigration funding. Antony Malina-Weiskopf reports. Under a new Republican plan, lawmakers want to fund most of the DHS in the coming days, and Republicans plan to go it alone to fund ICE and the Customs and Border Protection Agency in a party-line package that will come in the next few months. The two immigration agencies, though, are currently funded through the One Big Beautiful bill that President Trump signed into law last year. And the president emphasized this point when he endorsed this new two-track approach yesterday, writing, Immigration enforcement will continue, and our border will remain secure. President Trump wants this immigration enforcement funding to be on his desk no later than June 1, though this round of funding will not include any of Democrats' demands on changes to ICE policy. Majority Leader John Thune previously warned Democrats that this was coming if they didn't agree to a deal. Republicans are planning to extend this ICE and CBP funding with no reforms through the end of President Trump's term to completely remove Democrats' leverage on this for the next three years. In the words of House Speaker Mike Johnson, we cannot allow Democrats to any longer put the safety of the American public at risk through their open border policies. As for the timeline ahead, Senate Majority Leader John Thune this morning paved the way for House lawmakers to take swift action to get most of the DHS reopened, but House lawmakers aren't due back until April 13. Speaker Johnson may ask members to return sooner, saying that they'll act in the coming days. As for the second part of this immigration enforcement funding, Senator Lindsey Graham says he already started the process, which could take months to unfold. The last such party-line mega-bill took around five months to complete. But if Republicans are able to keep this package small, there is a chance they'll be able to move this quickly and possibly meet President Trump's deadline of June 1. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Melina Weiskopf, NTD News. And a major cultural performance shut down in Canada after what police are saying was a fake bomb threat. Organizers say it's part of the Chinese Communist Party's intimidation and transnational repression targeting New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts. NTD Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has more. A fake bomb threat in Toronto targeting New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts led to a series of canceled shows. Police have deemed the threats not credible, and the organizer is blaming the Chinese Communist Party using the empty threat to stop Shen Yun from performing. We believe these threats are part of a broader campaign by the Chinese Communist Party to silence Shen Yun, a performance that showcases China before communism and highlights ongoing human rights abuses in China today. This is not just about This is about whether a foreign mafia regime can influence what Canadians are allowed to see. The fake bomb threats were sent via email to multiple people at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre, threatening to blow up the theatre if the show went on. After police swept the theatre multiple times, they deemed the threats not credible. It really hurts me to know this in my beautiful city of Toronto. The threat worked. If it was the intent was to shut down the show, then they were successful in doing that. Oh, I'm disappointed. I mean, I see it advertised on television. It looks like a fantastic show. Several Canadian officials condemning the Chinese Communist Party following the threat. We know that Shen Yun has been targeted because of its effort to showcase traditional Chinese culture. Art can be provocative, and it can challenge existing power structures, and the suppression of art should not be something we tolerate here. Shen Yun has reportedly received over 150 fake bomb and death threats over the past two years, and they're always found to be hoaxes. This is just the first time such a hoax has led to the cancellation of their performances. Shen Yun presents the beauty of China before communism and brings to light modern day human rights abuses happening in China. I never imagined that the same political pressure my family experienced in China could reach all the way to a free society like Canada. We want to give a voice to those who are still voiceless today. The Chinese Communist Party uses threats and coercion to prevent people from seeing our performances. One Shen Yun MC recalls when her parents were sentenced to a forced labor camp and brainwashing center in China because they practiced Falun Gong, a spiritual practice heavily persecuted in China. After school, I watched as my classmates were picked up by their parents one by one. I waited for a long time, but no one came for me. As it began to get dark, my aunt finally arrived to take me home. My grandfather passed away. My mom was still imprisoned and was not allowed to see him one last time or attend his funeral. Despite the setback, the performers say that they remain undeterred, continuing their global tour and bringing their message to audiences in nearly 200 cities around the world. For NTD News Washington, I'm Jack Bradley. And for a closer look at the transnational repression that the CCP has carried out on U.S. soil, you can watch our new documentary, Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun. It follows the story of two brothers from ordinary American childhoods to the world-class stage and their resilience in the face of the CCP's underhanded tactics. Watch it at ntd.com slash unbroken. And a big win for America in the critical minerals race against China. How a mine deep in Africa is helping the United States secure its own supply chain. Find out more on that tonight on China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 8 p.m. Eastern. And that's a live look at the White House one year into President Trump's tariff strategy. How things stand now, we'll discuss with our panel coming up. 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If this can happen to me, it can happen to you. It can happen to anybody. Your donation can literally help save a life. Please call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org now to become a monthly donor. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. Today, the one-year anniversary of President Trump's global tariffs, otherwise known as Liberation Day. Here to assess how it's all going are our panelists, Nicole Brenner-Schmitz, Democratic strategist, and Tim Graham, the Executive Editor of Newsbusters. Great to have you both with us. Tim, we'll start with you. How do you assess the President's tariff policy one year in? Certainly a lot has happened. Well, I mean, I think that there was so much media speculation about how these tariffs were going to be horrible, that they were going to be inflationary. That hasn't really worked out. Although right now, obviously, inflation looks pretty bad, at least with the gas prices. But obviously, sometimes these tariffs work in driving trade deals, and sometimes they provide some sort of chaos that makes investors uneasy. Yeah, I mean, prior to the war, the tariffs didn't seem to be affecting inflation. If anything, it seemed inflation was easing. Nicole, last year, Japan and South Korea agreed to invest $900 billion into the U.S. economy in exchange for a cap on tariffs. Would you say that this might be an example of driving up investment and leveraging tariffs to incentivize manufacturing in the U.S.? I mean, I think if you hold the countries to a certain set of standards, it absolutely can. I mean, I think, unfortunately, when the White House and this administration announced these tariffs, it was suddenly seen as very partisan. And the reality is that tariffs can be an extremely bipartisan issue. It is something that can be utilized. It's something that you find a lot of labor unions talking about how to use them well, and make sure that we're having goods made in America, and that we're profiting and selling those here. So, I mean, certainly tariffs are something that we can continue to look at and continue to have fair trade agreements. But unfortunately, we haven't really seen a huge effect of these yet. A lot of it is because they get tangled up in courts, and things have been pulled back, and the White House changes the dates a lot. So it would be great if there was some bipartisan communication about this, and we could really work together with the two parties to put America first. Tim, you know, the President had often stated that he was using tariffs as a national security tool, not pleased with the Supreme Court when they ruled against that. What would you say are some of the biggest drawbacks right now in the current status, if you will, when it comes to the President trying to leverage tariffs? Now he has to, circumvent that and go a more long and drawn out process. It could take up to a year. Yeah, well, I mean, again, this is something that the President and his team could or should have anticipated because every policy that President Trump tries to put in, they're going to get involved and try to sue him. Some federal judge is going to get in there and mess with him. In this particular case, there was a real dispute about how much can the President set tariff policy without Congress when tariffs are taxes, and they want to say, well, Congress should be the one enacting taxes. Obviously, now there are statutory ways in which the President can still impose these tariffs. But he has to deal with the technicalities because people who oppose the President are going to figure out how to use those. Nicole, the President has really changed the global economy. Some might say the global order is in the process of a major overhaul. At this point, is it a step backwards if we were to go back to embracing globalization? Well, look, I mean, Democrats have fought for a long time to make sure that there are fair trade agreements. And I think this is actually one of those points where you almost saw sort of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders meet up on it. And it was very different from an Obama White House, right? Sanders and Trump both opposed a lot of what happened with TPP and NAFTA. And you had a group of moderates in both sides of the aisle who were very supportive of those. So I think this really is, again, finding where the two parties can come together and create trade agreements that ensure that American jobs are being not only saved, but growing and that we're not just simply shipping out the industries to the Philippines and Mexico. Call centers are a great example of this, right? Having call centers that exist in the U.S. so when you call and you can talk to someone who's here as opposed to talking to somebody who's located in India. And there's bills out there right now, bipartisan bills. There's tax incentives for these companies to keep the call centers here in America. And there's consequences if they move them. And these are the kinds of things that we just need both sides of the aisle to realize are good for the American people. They're good for our economy. They have bipartisan support and push forward. Switching gears a bit, Senate Majority Leader John Thune outlining a plan to keep ICE and other DHS agencies funded. Let's have a listen. We were talking about doing the future through reconciliation, knowing that everything was pre-funded from last year's reconciliation bill. And so all those agencies, or I should say, ICE and CBP are funded at the end of the fiscal year. In the case of ICE, well beyond that, the other agencies weren't, which is why we had to move through the normal appropriations process to address that. But I think that, you know, the budget reconciliation bill that does the funding in the out years so we don't have to deal with this crisis again in the future. Nicole, do you think a budget reconciliation bill will prevent a similar shutdown from occurring in the future? I'm not sure that it will. I mean, the Democrats really, I think, are not going to walk away from the core principles of what they wanted in the DHS, the ICE specific part, the getting rid of the mask, having the warrants. I mean, this just isn't something that they're going to leave on the table. They've always been in agreement that TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard should have been funded and that we could have really carved out and had a debate around ICE. But I don't think that they're going to walk away from those principles at any point that they have a chance to make a stand on it. So I think we can look to have this fight multiple times as funding comes up in Congress. Tim, how do you think this arrangement ultimately enables the president to continue carrying out his immigration and border policy? Well, I mean, obviously some of the House members, the House Freedom Caucus wasn't happy with this deal at all, but it looks like they're coming to an agreement on it. But part of the dynamic on this is always we have a news media that doesn't punish the Democrats for holding this stuff up. So if you're standing in a line at an airport for four hours for the TSA, they're going to say, well, the two parties can't come to an agreement instead of saying the Democrats are this committed to legal immigration that they're willing to shut down Americans and have them stand in a line for four hours because they're that committed to illegal immigration. So I mean, now I don't expect them to exactly use that partisan spin, but we know very well from past experience when the Republicans are seen as the party that's shutting the government down or some part of the government down, our media blames the Republicans up one side and down the other. They just haven't done that at all in this case, and it causes dysfunctional government. Nicole Brenner-Schmitz, Tim Graham, appreciate you both. Coming up, Health Secretary RFK Jr. announcing his plans to tackle the growing concern over microplastics found inside of the human body. Take a closer look after the break. 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And one in seven people in America face hunger. It's tougher than ever for too many of us. But the simple truth is, ending hunger is possible and it starts with you. Call or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org and give $19 a month, just 63 cents a day, to help families in your community facing hunger. Feeding America works from coast to coast with partner food banks, food pantries, and meal programs. Your monthly gift delivers food where it's needed most, puts fresh food on the table, and helps kids have healthy meals all year round, even when school is out. You can see the difference with the kids when they're full. Food is everything. Please call the number on your screen or go online to helpfeedingamerica.org. Give $19 a month. Your first gift can double in impact and we'll send you this free canvas grocery bag as a reminder of how you're helping to end hunger for good. 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. Food donations help me tremendously and I'm very grateful for the food bank. I have hope. The simple truth is ending hunger in America is possible. You can help make it happen. The need is urgent. Call or go online now to helpfeedingamerica.org and your gift can double in impact. And welcome back to the Capitol Report on NTD Television. I'm Steve Lance. Numerous studies showing microplastics are accumulating inside of our bodies. The HHS now wants to know what they're doing to us and how to get them out. NTD correspondent Jason Blair has more about a new program just announced by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We are launching STOMP which stands for Systematic Targeting of Microplastics. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. along with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announcing a new national program to better understand and measure microplastics and how to get them out of the human body. We are focusing on three questions. What is in the body? What's causing the harm? And how do we remove it? Secretary Kennedy references a study that estimates that the average person ingests tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year through food water and air. Another study reports concentrations in the brain equivalent by mass to roughly a spoonful of plastic in every human brain. Kennedy says that studies have shown them to be in human blood, lung tissue, livers, kidneys, and placentas. In a study of 62 placentas, every single sample contained microplastics, evidence that exposure begins before birth. And he says not all microplastics behave the same. Different materials accumulate in different organs and appear to drive different biological effects. Lee Zeldin announcing new steps to safeguard U.S. drinking water from contaminants including microplastics and pharmaceuticals. This is a direct response to the concern of millions of Americans who have long demanded answers about what they and their families are drinking every day. And Zeldin says it's the first time in history the EPA is designating microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminant groups. Reporting in Washington D.C., Jason Blair, Entity News. And as the EPA is moving to regulate microplastics in drinking water, how are everyday folks feeling about the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again initiative? Entity's Sam Wong was out in the National Mall right here in D.C. to hear from the people. Do you know that microplastics exist in many human tissues, including lungs, your kidneys, and even human brains? It's shocking, but I just recently learned that. And it's kind of appalling. At this point in time, though, I don't know, you know, what do you do? You know, it's huge. I don't know a lot about it, but I would say, you know, looking at some of the research, it certainly seems like that's a problem. Our DNA trace going forward is going to be nothing but plastic because they're put in everything. So when we're growing and our kids grow up, they're not going to have the taste of real food. Look at the chemicals that they spray on top of our fruit and vegetables. It's all chemical. So what is chemical? Plastic. Yeah, what do they say? We have so many ounces of it in our brain from everything that we, you know, we ingest daily. Look at the plastic sea out there that's destroying the oceans from all this plastic garbage out there. When I grew up, we had glass bottles. You know, why can't we now? What do you make of the fact that the HHS, I guess, under RPA Junior's leadership is looking into the issue of microplastic in our food supply? I feel like if this is going to be a positive and it's a real cause for change, then I support it, if that's what it's really about. But is it going to be his choice or is it going to be the administration's choice? You know, fundamentally, if you look back to what he's accomplished, it's really refocusing us on the right things. And perhaps we've taken our eye off the ball. I think he's been very focused on some key things. And that's why I would view his performance so positive so far. Yes, definitely. Definitely. Especially for your younger generations, because that's all it is, disposable plastic. And it's all for the companies to make money off of. It's not to help you or I out. It's for their bottom dollar of what the CEOs are going to make. He's bringing attention to the poisons in the food that we eat and the dangers in vaccine. The fact that he's in as secretary and he's actually, I mean, he's still fighting against money and it's still difficult. But the fact that he's there and he's able to hopefully, you know, address this and save the next generation, like we're pretty thrilled about. And a major federal operation targeting health care fraud, leading to multiple arrests across Southern California. Authorities say the suspects turned hospice care into a multimillion dollar scheme. Entities Christina Corona reports. Federal authorities in Los Angeles have arrested eight people during several raids across Southern California, dubbed Operation Never Say Die. According to the Justice Department, 15 individuals are charged in a hospice health care fraud scheme worth nearly 60 million dollars. Prosecutors say those charged include nurses, a psychologist and a chiropractor who allegedly exploited Medicare and private insurance. The FBI served arrest warrants in Covina, Anaheim, Glendale and Lakewood, California, and as far away as Idaho. Investigators say some suspects ran fake hospice companies, enrolling patients who were not terminally ill to bill for unnecessary care. Medicare reimbursed these companies for services that were intended to go to patients dying from a terminal illness. Instead, these defendants recruited beneficiaries who were not terminally ill and paid them to pose as patients receiving hospice care. An Anaheim nurse is accused of filing fraudulent claims totaling more than nine million dollars, running a hospice that discharged most of its patients alive. When you go to hospice, you're usually going to, you're going there to die. You're not supposed to have an 85 survival rate coming out of your hospice facility. That is five times more than the national average of 17 percent. Authorities say some patients were offered cash or gifts to sign up. In another case, prosecutors say a repeat offender received 4.2 million dollars from Medicare. Nita Palma, 76 years old, three-time convicted health care fraudster, who's actually in federal prison. She's charged a new case because she perpetuated a new hospice fraud while she's in prison. Officials say the schemes not only cost taxpayers millions, but also put vulnerable patients at risk. The human cost should not be forgotten. If you're willing to steal money from the American people, from patients, you're willing to sacrifice their health and you're willing to give up their life. If convicted, the suspects face up to 10 years for health care fraud and up to 20 years for wire fraud. Christina Corona, NTD News. And we end tonight's program with a big reward for a good deed. That's what happened for an Idaho pizza delivery driver who went the extra mile for a customer. A customer, Brian Wilson, now leading a GoFundMe campaign to repay Dan's kindness and help him in retirement. On a busy Friday night, the pizza place ran out of Diet Coke, couldn't fill Wilson's order for the soda. Dan went out of his way to stop at a store and buy a Diet Coke out of his own pocket. Wilson was so impressed with Dan's care and kindness, wanted to tip Dan, but was out of cash. Dan said he was retiring after 14 years of delivering pizzas as a second job. So Wilson then went and started a GoFundMe to help Dan start retirement on the right foot. This helped raise more than $28,000. And Wilson wrote, quote, let's show Dan that his kindness didn't go unnoticed. Let's help him step into retirement feeling appreciated, supported, and celebrated. That's all we have for you tonight on The Capitol Report. For around the clock original coverage, be sure to visit us at 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.