Capitol Report Full Broadcast (April 6)

Good evening. Tonight on Capitol Report, two American airmen now rescued from deep in Iran, the heroism it took to pull off the mission, and the difficult choices along the way. Iranians are still asking themselves right now, how did the Americans do this? And President Trump escalating his threats to devastate Iran if a deal isn't reached by Tuesday night, where he's putting pressure on the regime. The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night. The Artemis 2 crew, currently on the far side of the moon and out of contact with Earth, will bring you the moment they crest back into range tonight. On the far side, relatively in the middle, is an unnamed crater, and we would like to suggest it be called Integrity in the future. I'm Iris Tao, and for Steve Lance tonight, President Trump declaring Tuesday a power plant and bridge day if Iran doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz. This asks if President Trump officials celebrate the historic rescue of two American airmen whose F-15 was shot down over Iran last week. NTD's White House correspondent Mario Ciu brings us the details. This is a critical period. We're giving them until tomorrow, 8 o'clock Eastern time, and after that, they're going to have no bridges, they're going to have no power plants. Stone ages, yeah. President Trump now vowing to wipe out Iran's power plants and bridges if it does not reach an agreement with the U.S. to end the conflict and open the Strait of Hormuz. The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night. This ultimatum coming from the president at a briefing on the historic rescue of two American airmen from Iran. And the president celebrating the search and rescue as one of the most complex missions ever attempted by the U.S. military, and the mission successfully locating the pilot of the downed F-15 and a badly wounded weapons system officer who evaded capture on the ground in Iran for nearly 48 hours. Despite the peril, the officer followed his training and climbed into the treacherous mountain terrain and started climbing toward a higher altitude. He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, treated his own wounds and contacted American forces to transmit his location. The Pentagon hailing the two operations as a testament that the U.S. military, quote, leaves no one behind, while the CIA director John Radcliffe touts what he calls, quote, the deception campaign to confuse the Iranians who were hunting for the two American airmen. Shot down on a Friday, good Friday, hidden in a cave, a crevice all of Saturday and rescued on Sunday, flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday. We deployed both human assets and exquisite technologies that no other intelligence service in the world possesses to a daunting challenge comparable to hunting for a single grain of sand in the middle of a desert. Our intelligence reflects that the Iranians were embarrassed and ultimately humiliated by the success of this audacious rescue mission. This coming as President Trump threatens to find and jail the journalist who first reported that a U.S. troop was awaiting rescue after his plane was downed in Iran last week, unless the journalist reveals his source. We have to find that leaker. We're going to find out it's national security and the person that did the story will go to jail. They put this mission at great risk. They put that man at great risk and they put the hundreds of people that went in looking for him. Meanwhile, President Trump emphasizing that the Iranian people yearn for freedom while voicing his frustration with certain groups who were given U.S. military aid but failed to use it effectively. We've had numerous intercepts. Please keep bombing. And these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding. They want freedom. We sent some guns that were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs. You know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them because they said, what a beautiful gun. I think I'll keep it. So I'm very upset with a certain group of people. And just a couple of days ahead of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte here at the White House, President Trump is doubling down on calling out NATO countries as well as several other countries today, including South Korea, Japan, and Australia for not helping U.S. forces in Operation Epic Fury. Reporting from the White House, Mari Otsu, NTD News. President Trump today talking about the heavy decision he had to make risking 100 lives to save two American airmen stranded deep inside Iran to ensure no Americans was left behind. Joining me now to discuss these latest developments is Scott Brown, former U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and former U.S. senator from Massachusetts, as well as John Stolidis, a senior fellow for Global Risk and Center for the National Interest. Thank you both for joining us tonight. Thank you for having me. So first, let's start with a clip from Trump today at the press briefing today at the White House. Let's take a look. I ordered the U.S. armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home. A risky decision because we could have ended up with 100 dead as opposed to one or two. It's a hard decision to make. But in the United States military, we leave no American behind. The flight crews and warfighters aboard those aircraft took extraordinary risks to rescue their fellow service members. So first, Ambassador, talk to us about the difficult decision that President Trump, as the commander in chief, had to face to send in the rescue forces to really rescue the two, not just one, of the U.S. airmen that was left behind. Well, first of all, thank you for being on, John. It's good to see you. And respectfully, that's what the commander in chief does, especially this commander in chief. There's no way he's going to leave somebody in Iran who could potentially be used as a tool, a propaganda tool, and tortured and worse. So I'm glad he did it. It was a highly, highly executed, a top-secret mission. And we're seeing more and more of these with this administration. I think I've really enjoyed under the Department of War right now is there's no leaks, aside from what the president referenced with a potential reporter putting out some information. There's been no leaks that would put these types of operations in jeopardy. And you also referenced in your opening that, you know, the secretary general is coming. Well, it's about time. And the fact that our allies, they're like friends who know the whole life, oh, can I borrow this? Can you help me with that? Can you do this? Can you do that? Then when you ask them for their help, they're never there. That's what's happening right now in Europe. So shame on them. And what goes around comes around. And listen, I want to congratulate, obviously, the president, the men and women who pulled out this mission. It was really something that you would read about. And I'm a little, I'm very disappointed in the Democrats for not even commending the president and the folks that did this and saying, attaboy, great job. We need to do better in times like these. John, many do find very remarkable the heroism displayed in the rescue, both by the leadership and Pentagon, as well as the commander in chief, but also the U.S. service members who are directly involved as well. What message do you think this rescue operation sends to not only people inside the U.S., but also around the world? It's a very important question that you raised there, Iris. First of all, let me just say that it's absolutely remarkable and historic. As the president said, as Ambassador Brown has reiterated here, but for us Americans so proud of our American service men and women, it's utterly unsurprising. They practice, they exercise for years to be able to carry out these types of extraordinarily difficult and intense operations successfully. And I think it was a very high risk decision, unsurprisingly again by President Trump, to send in as many as 100 service men, because the life of every American service men and women, especially in theaters of combat, are extraordinarily precious to the American people, as opposed to the Iranian regime, which guns down 35,000 to 45,000 innocent civilians simply for protesting and wanting a change in government. So the contrast couldn't be sharper, the value that we Americans place in the life of every American citizen and every American soldier, and the complete disregard for the human life and dignity of the citizens of Iran by the Islamic Republican or Revolutionary Guard Corps. I think it also sends a very important message to the Iranian authorities, complete American air dominance over the skies of Iran, and it's a complete humiliation of whatever authorities are existing in Iran, that the Americans were able to operate such a massive operation for extended periods of time without being captured at all by Iranian surveillance equipment. Well, it's certainly incredible that the rescue crews were able to fly in broad daylight for, like you mentioned, an extended period of time to rescue them. Ami, well, let's talk about what it really took to pull off this mission. We know that all of them today at the White House said it was a very high risk operation. Let's take a look. They were high risk, high stakes missions conducted in the heart of enemy territory. This was not just barely into Iran, this was deep into Iran, involving coordinated strikes to suppress threats, deception tactics to protect our teams, and full synchronization across air, ground and special operations. The Iranians are still asking themselves right now, how did the Americans do this? Ambassador, talk to us about what impression you were left with this. What does this show about the status of Operation Epic Fury right now between the U.S. and Iran? Well, first of all, don't forget it took Obama, what, two years, three months, 11 days to get bin Laden, 30,000 missiles and bombs dropped. It took, President Trump's been at it in his team 38 days, not only through Epic Fury, but what he's doing now to make sure that we can neutralize the Iranian threat, whether it's having nuclear materials to make nuclear weapons or be a big bully in that region and destabilizing that region for these fantastic countries. Because I've been to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Dubai, Jordan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, know the region, worked with a lot of the ambassadors as a senator and as an ambassador. And I'll tell you what, they want stability, they want security so they can grow and be prosperous and not always kind of looking over their shoulder. This is a textbook operation. They will be writing about this in the academies once it's declassified. And quite frankly, I thought I was watching maybe a Tom Clancy novel, a Dale Brown novel, the way that it was precisely done in the middle of the night, basically finding, as they said, a grain of sand in a mountaintop. It's Herculean. And I'm so, so proud as someone who served all those 40 years to think that there are folks like that who give up life and liberty to pursue happiness and make us safe and secure is so, so humbling. And I wish them well. I hope the president finishes the mission, i.e. gets the straight open, because that's the only leverage they have. If I were recommending and I was advising them, which I don't know what you'd say, but I'd say, sir, escort them through. Whenever you see something, go shoot it up. Let's go. Let's just open this thing up. It's time. Well, certainly a very powerful display of military prowess here during this operation. Meanwhile, John, we have heard from the CIA director today at the White House as well about how the CIA managed to really trick the Iranians during this whole thing and really took a whole coordination of forces across the whole U.S. military and intelligence department to really make sure this operation was successful. The president, very impressed with the contingency planning of alternate aircraft used to extract these rescue forces once they realized original planes wouldn't work. What stood out to you the most during this whole debriefing of the operation today? I think it's critical to note that historically deception is a critical part of successful military operations, right? Keep the enemy confused in chaos, display a sense of unpredictability. And if you see the president today from the news conference he had, but also generally his composure and the manner in which he has conducted public negotiations with Iran or seeming to reach out to the Iranian government, he's displayed no rush to open the Strait of Hormuz, I think deliberately to the ambassador's point, to demonstrate to the Iranians that that leverage is having minimal effect on him, even as it is sowing supply shocks in oil, gas, petrochemicals, and fertilizers in other countries that are much more exposed than is the United States. We're a self-sufficient, food and energy abundant, natural resource rich country. He's also in no rush to end the war. And he's willing to assault relentlessly the Iranian industrial infrastructure, the ballistic missiles, the fast attack boats, drone factories, everything he needs to. And what's interesting also is that Iran has almost zero support from the so-called Middle East Street that we used to hear about for years and for decades. It's a completely isolated country, except possibly, of course, through the Communist Party of China, which has been providing data surveillance to Iran. And now we find out from open source intelligence that a Chinese company has been providing very clear, precision-guided intelligence and targeting technology to Iran. As soon as they publish areas that are very sensitive for the United States, our bases in the Gulf, or those of our Gulf Arab allies, the Iranians seem to be able to strike at them within hours. None of this takes place without the permission of the Chinese Communist Party. And I anticipate that President Trump will bring this up with General Secretary Xi, either over the phone in the days ahead, or if they're still meeting in middle of May in Beijing. Well, it's certainly a very important point. We know that the CCP has been propping up the Iranian regime for decades. I mean, while speaking of the regime itself, we know that time appears to be running out for the Iranian regime. Take a look at these clips from today. The entire country can be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night. Per the president's direction, today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one of this operation. Tomorrow, even more than today. And then Iran has a choice. Choose wisely. Because this president does not play around. So, John, President Trump is threatening to strike Iran's bridges and power plants. Would this take them back to what the president calls stone ages, if Iran doesn't come to an agreement by the deadline tomorrow? Well, we'll have to see to what extent whatever governing authorities remain in Iran, because every time somebody becomes the leader of a political organization, a military organization, or an intelligence organization, the Israelis are able to execute that person within two to three days. So I think they're all in deep, deep undercover position right now. They're unable to communicate with one another because their government shut down the internet 30, 35 days or so ago. But I think what's going to be very telling here is I think President Trump wants General Kaine and our military to just finish the list of targets that they entered the war with now six weeks ago. The president thought this might be three to four weeks. And I think once they feel like they've gotten through the 15 or 18 or 20,000 targets that the military thinks they need to completely attrit the Iranian military, then to Ambassador Brown's point, then I think they feel that it's safe enough to start sending, especially destroyers and other naval vessels into the Strait of Hormuz. Hopefully the Iranians by then will have fewer rockets, fewer missiles, fewer drones, fewer fast attack boats. And then we can have the U.S. military, hopefully with the allied forces of the navies of other countries in Europe and in East Asia, escorting tankers to get essential energy, petrochemicals and fertilizers out of the Gulf, back into world markets and the disruptions, and hopefully prevent any calamitous operations later on this year. Well, either a big turning point for Iran or a big catastrophe for the country as the regime brings the whole country into its fate tomorrow if the deadline is passed. Ambassador, any final thoughts before we wrap up here? Yeah, listen, John was right in terms of us doing and opening up the Strait. Respectfully, I'm kind of, I'm kind of figuring that out. We've done our job. Our allies have done nothing. And shame on them. And they need it more than we do. I like what the president said. Why don't you go do it now? Well, the bottom line is they can't. So we will be forced to do it. But don't forget, actions or lack thereof have consequences. And the president is not going to forget. And neither are the American people, quite honestly. We have contracts. We have bases. They can't pick and choose to tell us when to use our bases, especially when we're out there working for the world. Well, lots to watch for in the two, in the upcoming two days when the deadline is set for tomorrow and Renato Chief is set to visit the White House on Wednesday. Ambassador Scott Brown, as well as John Stolides, thank you both for sharing your time and expertise with us today. Appreciate it. The crew of the Artemis II breaking a record today. Earlier, the four astronauts set a new record for the farthest distance anyone has traveled from the Earth. NDB correspondent Jason Blair has the update. This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood. The late Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell sends a pre-recorded message to the Artemis II crew ahead of their trip around the moon. I'm proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon and clear the groundwork for missions to Mars. Day six of the Artemis II space mission has been the most eventful. It's the first time humans have flown close to the moon in over 50 years, as well as breaking a spaceflight record. We're really gearing up now for what's going to be an exciting lunar flyby. The crew's seven-hour lunar flyby started at 2.45 p.m. eastern on Monday. The course is set to fly around the moon clockwise, then head back toward Earth. During the flyby, the crew became new record holders, traveling more than 252,000 miles from Earth, farther than anyone ever has, as well as seeing the Oriental Basin, a large multi-ring impact structure that's never been fully seen before. The flight has largely been smooth so far, but hasn't been without issues. The only toilet on board has been taken offline a few times to work out some kinks, but is working again as of late. But we are still trying to figure out the wastewater vent line problem. It's kind of a complex engineering issue when you expose a liquid to vacuum. After the flyby is complete, the crew has four more days to get back to Earth and is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. Jason Blair, NTD News. And you're now looking at a live shot of NASA streaming the Orion spacecraft making its way across the dark side of the moon. Astronauts on board are experiencing a communications blackout. We'll bring you to the moment they crest back into range, and give you a look at what it's like in deep space just after the break. They tried to silence us. But 5,000 years cannot be erased. A lost world reborn. Divine. Witness the revival. Experience the extraordinary. Live on stage. Returns to David Koch Theater March 25th through April 12th. Get your tickets now at shenyun.com. Whispered across generations, a hidden secret unveils the essence of longevity and vitality. A timeless legend regarding energy and wonder. Rooted in ancient health wisdom, we proudly introduce Puritang Black Ginseng, a 100% natural organic energy drink made from premium six-year-old Korean ginseng. It takes 2,260 days and nights from seed to growth, undergoing a meticulous nine-step process of steaming and drying. Black Ginseng reaches its full potency, enriched with ginsenicide RG3, and enhanced absorption efficiency. 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Yours free. And it all comes with free shipping. Order now. Call 1-800-209-2313 or go to bullseyeblower.com. That's 1-800-209-2313 or order online at bullseyeblower.com. Order now. Kids love it. Parents trust it. Obviously. Explore GJW Plus Kids Series and Gone Deal Campus courses led by expert educators. This is spectacular. Children will learn values like respect, responsibility, and knowledge in language, science, and more. Wow. All while having fun. Subscribe today at GJW Plus Kids, where learning meets fun. Welcome back. I'm Iris Tao. Right now, as we speak, the Artemis 2 and its 4-person crew is just about to reconnect with NASA Mission Control. And here's a live view of what it's like in deep space. Let's take a look. The situation reports include how the crew is positioned, any missed targets, or anything unexpected they saw. They're also including lunar target descriptions, any hardware issues, and their emotions and reactions. Again, we are standing by to acquire signal from the Orion spacecraft. We're in the Artemis Mission Control Room at Johnson Space Center getting our preliminary contact with Orion, that acquisition of signal coming after a 40-minute loss of signal during which the crew was flying behind the moon, out of contact with anyone on Earth. And that's the NASA livestream showing crew of four on the Orion spacecraft returning from the far side of the moon and re-establishing contact with Earth on their historic mission. Joining me now to discuss these latest developments are our panelists, Ashwani Jain, Democratic Strategist and former Obama White House official, and Ashley Ridge-Stevenson, President of Axe Advocacy. Thank you both for joining us. So, as we are just seeing right now, the astronauts aboard Artemis II are about to crest around the far side of the moon and re-establish connection with people on Earth. I want to play two clips from an interview with the crew on Saturday and a clip from NASA from today. That is the dark side. That is something we have never seen before. We must be, no kidding, like Reid said, somewhere between the Earth and the moon, getting a and putting on something that has meant so much to so many cultures, scientifically, spiritually, culturally, for so long. On the far side, relatively in the middle, is an unnamed crater, and we would like to suggest it be called Integrity in the future. So first, Ashwani, are we in a new era of space exploration and competition? These are definitely new developments that we are seeing today. Yeah, and it's great to be on with you, Iris. I think we are and I hope so. And I think what Artemis proves, to me at least, is that when we invest in science, in education, in innovation, America can still lead the world, right? I think the problem is that we don't always bring that same mindset to our domestic policy where too often ideology usually comes over evidence or facts. But the fact that this NASA mission included a very diverse crew also sends a message that the future of this country and just general space travel is diverse, it is dynamic, and I think that's what real progress looks like, and I'm very excited about all of it. Ashwani, what are your thoughts on Artemis 2 and the significance of their mission? Well, first of all, Iris, thank you for having me. What a great couple of days, if not going to be the whole rest of the year to celebrate the American Space Program. I agree that this is something that all Americans can get behind and, quite frankly, should just be so proud of. It's absolutely remarkable that these astronauts are seeing parts of the moon that even the Apollo astronauts were, one, unable to see. So it's just an exciting time and something I'm certainly very proud of to be an American, and it's one of those moments where we don't have to be partisan, which is really quite refreshing. Well, definitely a refreshing topic for all of the Americans and ordinary people around the world who are interested in space, for sure. Meanwhile, going back to domestic politics here, we have heard from the president today at the White House talking about the operation in Iran, and meanwhile, the president today saying that authorities are now investigating who leaked information to the media that one American airman in Iran was still missing last Friday while the other one was successfully rescued. And here's the clip. Because when they did that, all of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life. And it also made it much more difficult for the pilots and for the people going in to search for him. So what the administration is saying here is that Iran got to know from American media because of this leaked information that there's still one American airman that was out there in Iran. That's why they made it more difficult for U.S. forces to really find them. Ashwani, should there be consequences for whoever leaked this information in the first place? Of course. But there also needs to be an understanding that our troops should never have been put in this position in the first place. The problem is the inconsistency. President Trump said first Iran posed a threat to our homeland and then later said that no threat ever existed. He says the war is complete, but then Hegset says it's just the beginning. Last year, Trump claimed that he destroyed Iran's facilities, but now says that they still had it. And now he's also allowing Iran to get $14 billion in oil revenue by easing sanctions. None of this makes America stronger or keeps our troops safe. And that's the inconsistency that puts our troops at greater harm. So today at the press briefing, actually, the president was asked about this. Some reporter asked him, is the war winding down or is it stepping up? As of course, we have heard the president's new threats against Iran with the deadline of tomorrow. And the president says, I'm not telling you what I'm going to do next as this is a war and we are being strategic here. Ashwani, what's your response? What do you think about the president's approach when it comes to both the war as well as the latest operation here? Well, first of all, today was a reset moment for the war with Iran. Again, celebrating what's happening in terms of just the greatest military in the entire world, the ability to go in and rescue the way that we were able to do so and not lose anybody else through that is something that's simply remarkable. And who gets the benefit of that? The commander in chief, which happens to be President Trump. I also think that it was very good today that he was direct with the press and spoke about where we are and is operating from a position of strength and certainly not weakness, unlike in the Obama years, which you would remember when he sent billions of dollars in cash to the Iranians. We have been at war with them for nearly 50 years and we need to eliminate the ability for Iran to have a nuclear weapon or to continue to be a state sponsor of terror that could potentially hurt our allies in the Middle East or Americans here at home. Meanwhile, today, head of the CIA John Ratcliffe spoke about the success of this operation, saying the leaders were on a continuous call for 45 hours, 56 minutes. That's a long call during all of this. Here's a clip from him. And to the American people, your confidence should be boosted by knowing that the security of the nation is in the hands of a president who's willing to take on problems that have confounded both sides of the political aisle. For nearly half a century, it is an honor to serve under a leader who just proved that you can believe him when he says, no matter what, we will leave no one behind. So first, Ashwani, of course, besides the foundation of this war, which remains debated between the two sides of the aisle right here, but from this very successful operation to take and rescue these two American airmen, how are Americans viewing this moment? Well, I mean, of course, we're happy that that we rescued those airmen, but Americans do not have confidence in this president or this administration. Look, the solution to all of this was simple. International cooperation, strict monitoring and real limits on Iran's nuclear program without raising gas prices or putting these American troops at risk. The sad part is we already had that with the Obama deal. But instead of keeping that deal, President Trump tore it up and replaced diplomacy with war. And now we're also being told that we cannot afford health care because of this. That's not leadership. That doesn't project strength. That's why Americans, majority of them disapprove of President Trump and his and his actions. And that's a failure of priorities on his part. So, Ashley, the administration says that Iran was very close obtaining a nuclear weapon and destroying a lot of not only country, but also people and property in the Middle East, if not for Operation Midnight Hammer, as well as the Operation Epic Fury that we just saw over the past few weeks. Are we seeing a swelling of American pride under President Trump during this operation? What do you think about the overall morale, both, of course, in the military as well as across the board in the U.S.? Well, first, Harris, the polling that's come out from the American public on the Iran war has been a bit of a mixed bag. Just last week, we saw in the Harvard-Harris poll that a little bit more than half of all Americans thought that we did the right thing by going into Iran and 76 percent thought that we were going to win the war. I think it's too early to tell how public opinion is going to react to these last couple of days. But I think, as you heard directly from CIA Director Ratcliffe, as he just communicated, and the president himself today, this is a moment to be very prideful and thankful for our military who's going in and going to have a mission accomplished. And the president has also been clear. This is not a war that's simply going to drag on and on. We're going to go in, take care of what needed to be done. And we've been at war again for almost 50 years with Iran and eliminate them continuing to be sponsoring state terrorism among those who want to see Americans less safe across the globe and here at home. Well, certainly a lot to look for in the coming days and weeks, potentially, to see how this operation ends up next. Ashwani Jain and Ashley Rich Stevenson, thank you both for insights and time tonight. Appreciate it. Coming up, while Congress is out of town, a seven-week DHS shutdown looms over their return. Lawmakers will face funding battles for ICE and the military operations in Iran. The latest from The Hill. This is how I keep my joints happy. Omega XL is a powerful natural supplement backed by 40 years of clinical research. Take control of your pain like Cynthia Bailey. My knees in particular started giving me pain issues all the way back to my modeling days from just running through airports, photo shoots. After taking Omega XL, I really started to notice how less stiff I was, especially my knees and my hip. Has Omega XL changed my life? Yes. I barely notice my joint pain anymore. Now I'm like literally sprinting through the airports. My secret is Omega XL. 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But when lawmakers return, they'll take up funding for key immigration agencies, the ongoing efforts in Iran, and the Safe America Act. We're talking about doing the future through reconciliation. Reconciliation allows the Senate to pass budget-related legislation with a simple majority, bypassing the filibuster. Republican leaders say they want a focused bill, blocking in long-term funding for immigration and customs enforcement and border protection, rather than reopening the broader DHS funding fight. But that strategy could run into resistance from within the party, as some House Republicans are pushing to expand the bill to include election integrity measures from the Safe America Act and funding tied to ongoing military operations in Iran. Over the weekend, U.S. Special Operations Forces carried out a high-risk mission inside Iran, rescuing two American airmen using air and ground forces. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, taking to ExitPost, thankful that the second Air Force officer whose fighter jet was shot down in Iran, has been heroically rescued by U.S. Special Operations. What a blessing on Easter Sunday morning. May God continue to watch over our troops. Senator Katie Britt also praised the operation, posting, Let's be clear. The rescue of two of our brave servicemen overseas was nothing short of remarkable, and could not be executed by any other nation in the world. God bless America. But lawmakers remain divided over what comes next. Senator Elizabeth Warren offering a view shared by her colleagues adverse to broader military spending tied to Operation Epic Fury, saying instead of spending billions bombing Iran, Donald Trump should be lowering costs here at home. Senator Lindsey Graham writing in part, President Trump is right to insist that any negotiated deal meets our military and strategic objectives. This war must end in a fashion, either through diplomacy or military action that prevents Iran from going back to their old ways. Lawmakers return April 14th. Republican leaders say they want a reconciliation bill on the president's desk by his June 1st deadline. Chris Babb, NTD News. In a daring operation this weekend, American troops successfully rescuing an injured airman stranded deep in enemy's territory. With Iranian troops on his trail, the soldier sustained heavy injuries but managed to survive in a mountain crevice. What does this story say about our military and the values we stand for? NTD's Sam Wong was out on the National Mall in D.C. to hear from the people. What's your reaction to the rescue operation that took place this weekend? I think it's an incredible story of perseverance and survival. I know that Iran would have loved to have gotten their hands on a U.S. soldier but he worked his hardest to evade capture. The next big story is which Wilson will end up playing him in the movie adaptation afterwards. I'm happy they saved him and I'm happy he found a way to save himself at the same time. The young men and women that are in our military are doing this and they're taking the orders and they're doing the best they can to protect our liberties and our freedom. So I think no matter what side of the aisle you're on is you have to support our military specifically those people. I mean if we would have left them behind they would have made a martyr out of him and done something to him that none of us would have wanted to do that. So I think the fact that we go in and do that I'm okay with it and bringing him back. The fact that he was shot down on Good Friday and he was rescued on Easter sends a very wonderful message. What does this say about our country and our military given the fact that we dedicated so much manpower and so much resources into saving this one person? I have lots of friends that are military personnel and ex-military personnel that really aren't ex but they're just retired personnel so I'm all about whatever the military does and I'm happy that they're safe. I think we have to do what we have to do to bring them all home. That's one of the things that as an American serviceman that always we leave no man behind and I know that we had that capability better than most most countries to get in and get out especially with like special forces you know and so forth. Maybe I'm speaking as a mother whose son is in the military but I would hope they would do that to my son. American lives matter and we can rebuild airplanes, we can make new machines but preserving life and liberty is important for fighting for. It might only be one man but that one man is someone's son, someone's brother, someone's you know husband, father. Once they you know decide to take the oath of the military and fight for our country we have an obligation as a country to protect them and try to save them in this case as much as possible so I think that shows a lot about what our military is capable of. Coming up the first message from the stranded U.S. airman behind enemy lines in Iran was God is good. How significant is it for War Secretary Pete Hecsef to hold up faith as a guiding light? We'll discuss with Troy Miller the President of National Religious Broadcasters after the break. I'm Amy Grant and I want to talk to you from my heart about the heart. I would have been the last person on the list to say this woman has a problem with her heart so no there was nothing about my life that said you have a ticking time bomb in your chest but I did. I wound up in the office of a cardiologist because I was there with my husband and at the tail end of that the cardiologist looked at me and said I want to see you. 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It's infused with copper and silver to help your body get the restorative sleep it needs. And our MyPillow encased coil mattresses. I personally helped develop these mattresses to make sure they have everything needed to give us great sleep. Plus they're made right here in the USA and they ship right to your front door absolutely free. So go to MyPillow.com or call the number on your screen. Use this promo code to get MyPillow mattresses and toppers for as low as $99.98 and free shipping. The first message from the stranded U.S. airman behind enemy lines in Iran was God is good. War Secretary Pete Hecht said today sharing the details of the dangerous rescue operation to bring the airman to safety on Sunday. To discuss these development, NDD Steve Lance spoke with Troy Miller, President of the National Religious Broadcasters. Troy Miller, thanks so much for joining. Thanks for having me today. It's great to have you, Troy. I want to start with a powerful moment from the Secretary of War Pete Hecht said today sharing about the airmen who were rescued from Iran behind enemy lines over the weekend. When he was finally able to activate his emergency transponder, his first message was simple and it was powerful. He sent a message, God is good. In that moment of isolation and danger, his faith and fighting spirit shone through. Troy, I have to get your thoughts. Powerful testimony from the Secretary of War. What do you take away from his statements? Yeah, incredible testimony and incredible on that. You know, weapons officer, you know, as I said, they said he, you know, he had to evade the enemy. He had the he had the climate. I think they said almost 7000 feet injured, rough weather and everything. And his first words are God is good. You know, testimony to our military today and the president for really restoring. I think they've done a great job of restoring faith in the military. There was a and I don't mean by our faith in the military. I mean, the people of the military having faith and being able to exercise their faith and to know that, you know, it is God, our creator. That's where our strength comes from. And that's where his strength came from. And and he knew God was with them. And that was the first person he he thanked. And what a powerful testimony again on the secretary talking about that, talking about you know, the professionalism, the strength and just the excellence of our military today to pull off this kind of operation. Kudos to all of them. Congratulations, especially to his family that he's coming home to very soon. To your point, Troy, Secretary of War Hegseth highlighting this really as an example of leadership and holding up faith as a guiding light. How important is that in the military? He's come under a lot of fire for sort of projecting his faith from the podium, if you will. How important is it? It's very important when I served back in the 1980s and when we were in the Persian Gulf, you know, when you're there and you're in that combat theater and you don't know what's going to happen at any point in time. And, you know, all those questions and the purpose of life and why am I here? All of those things can go through your head. You know, it's often said there's no atheists in foxholes, but I think, you know, what the secretary has done and from what a lot of people that I've talked to in the military is he's really restored that it's OK to be a person of faith in the military. Not only that, it's really preferred that strength that comes beyond us is the strength that gives us courage on the battlefield. So, again, I just thank him, thank all the Joint Chiefs and all those in there who have removed all of those barriers or a lot of those barriers that our military was seen under previous administrations. Now, a recent study here from Pew Research Center highlighting that roughly half of U.S. adults listen to religious audio content, including radio, podcast streaming. Now, NRB, your organization is really the largest association of Christian communicators, but it goes beyond to all faiths. Tell us what issues or topics do most listeners care about right now? Well, the top ones that people were were tuning into for when we asked this in the survey set was really encouragement. They're looking for some positivity in the culture today. I think we have a culture that is so negative and so constantly pushing division on the American public and really that kind of thing. They're looking for that. But both of these studies, the Pew study that was just finished and the Barna study also had another thing in common. One of the reasons they were tuning into Christian media was to figure out how to have better and more stable and more authentic relationships. We live in this such a virtual world today and this world with really, especially for the under 40s, this world that's kind of in this social media competition, you know, this fake sort of facade world where everybody just puts all their good stuff out there in there. They really want to have meaningful, deep, purposeful relationships. And that's what's drawing a lot of people to Christian media. I mean, a significant portion of non-Christians, about 39 percent, as well as religiously unaffiliated 18 percent adults. These are adults also are listening to your content, this, you know, Christian based content. What does it mean that this media is reaching beyond the expected audience? Yeah, which was a real encouragement for us, especially for our programmers who are out preaching the gospel and get the evangelistic message out there. But that was a number I think that surprised us, caught us a little off guard that nearly is, as you said, 39 percent of non-Christians, somebody that could be of other faith, but they weren't of the Christian faith, but they were tuning into Christian media, trying to get those questions answered. Again, what's Christianity about? What's the Bible about? Who is Jesus Christ? And then 19 percent of the atheists and agnostics tuning in. So again, Christian evangelism, the message of the gospel, especially coming out of Easter, is still a strong message. And it's a message that people really want to hear. Troy, President Trump established upon his inauguration in his second term something called the Religious Liberty Commission. Sadly, this was because, you know, religion came under attack in our own country. What do you make of this administration's efforts on protecting faith? And what is the current situation? Is there still a ways to go, or is this commission making a dent? Oh, no, I think this commission is making a dent. And he also had the Justice Department was looking into the weaponization in particular that the government did. I think both of those two efforts have made a huge dent into what was going on in the previous administration. And weaponization was right. You know, we had the FBI showing up at our Catholic brothers and sisters' homes simply because they had been part of the pro-life movement. And the Catholics have led in that movement. We had them, you know, arresting people under the FACE Act was used. I think it was over 1,000 times during the last administration for people of faith, but never on the other side of the aisle. So there was a real weaponization and a real threat there. And I think we've seen 180 degree turnaround. This is an administration that not only has it put an end to those, but it has been extremely supportive of the Christian community and Christian causes that we're working through throughout society and government. President of the National Religious Broadcasters, Troy Miller, really appreciate you joining us. Thanks for having me. New developments in the case of two Chinese Americans charged with attempting to bomb a Florida military base. Both were born to illegal immigrants. Find out more tonight on China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 8 p.m. Eastern time. And that's all we have for you tonight on The Capital Report. For round-the-clock original news coverage, visit us at ntd.com slash live or download our NTD app. From the nation's capital, I'm Iris Tao. Have a nice evening and we'll see you back here tomorrow.