Capitol Report Full Broadcast (May 15)

Good evening. Tonight on Capitol Report, President Trump departing Beijing, this after talks with Xi Jinping. What the president told the CCP general secretary behind closed doors and a sign of distrust as the U.S. delegation leaves China. That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, I don't talk about that. And the CIA sharing photos of CIA director John Ratcliffe meeting with Cuban officials in Havana. What President Trump and Secretary Rubio say as the last communist regime in the Western Hemisphere hangs on by a thread. You talk about a declining country. They are really a nation or a country in decline. And the nation's first de-transitioning clinic is taking shape in Texas. How the Trump Department of Justice is pressuring a children's hospital to reverse its approach to gender transition procedures for minors. This is Capitol Report live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. And the Supreme Court rejecting Virginia's bid to restore a congressional map favoring Democrats. It's the latest twist in the nation's mid-decade redistricting battles. The justices allowing a ruling by Virginia's top court to stand. In that ruling, the Virginia court blocked a pro-democratic map for the 2026 midterms saying the Democratic-controlled legislature did not go through the correct procedure. The latest Supreme Court order means Republicans will likely retain their current share of Virginia's congressional seats, currently a six to five Democratic edge. And President Trump arriving back in Washington after talks with the Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping. The president keeping his cards close to his chest on arming Taiwan as the United States says its policy on the self-governing island remains unchanged. We now go live to entities White House correspondent Mari Otsu, who's at the North Lawn. Mari, from what I understand, the president has just arrived. Hey Steve, good evening to you. That's right. Just about seven minutes ago to be exact, President Trump arrived back here at the White House on the South Lawn. I might be taking questions from reporters just now, but we do know that on his way back to Washington aboard Air Force One, President Trump said that he'll be making a determination, a quote, in a short period of time about whether he's going to approve that $14 billion weapons sale to Taiwan. He says that he wants to speak to the Taiwanese president first. Now, this is coming as the Trump administration just back in December approved that then a record-breaking $11 billion weapons sale package to the self-governing island. The Taiwanese president then thanking the US for helping them strengthen their defense capabilities just before the Beijing summit. President Trump also sharing with reporters on Air Force One that he stayed quite tight-lipped on this question when he was asked it behind closed doors with Xi Jinping. Take a look. Would the US defend Taiwan if it came to it? I don't want to say. I'm not going to say that. There's only one person that knows that. You know who it is? Me. I'm the only person. That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, I don't talk about that. That says Secretary of State Marco Rubio states that US policy on the self-governing island has not changed, even as Xi Jinping warns of clashes and conflicts if the issue is not handled in the way he'd like it to be. Anything that would compel or force a change in what we have now would be problematic. And that we would certainly, our policies on that have not changed. We think it would be a terrible mistake to force that through force or anything of that nature. There would be repercussions for that globally, not just from the United States. Meanwhile, President Trump saying he and Xi Jinping agree on wanting the Strait of Hormuz open and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. However, that's as China has not pulled back its support for Iran, with experts saying to assess the CCP's actions rather than their words. Did President Xi make any firm commitment to put pressure on the Iranians to reopen the Strait of Hormuz? I'm not asking for any favors, because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return. We don't need favors. We've wiped out their armed forces, essentially. Try to look at the tectonic plates of actions more than the words. And on the plates, China hasn't pulled back from its support for Iran or Russia yet. It could in theory, but it hasn't yet. And while President Trump is announcing that China has agreed to purchase 200 Boeing jets and billions of dollars in soybeans, a history of broken commitments from the CCP says only time will tell if they hold up their end of the deal. Xi says he's gonna be open for business. Does he mean it? No, he doesn't mean it. And I think Donald Trump knows it. Trump understands that words are a way to communicate information, but they can also be weapons, strategic weapons. So China's making promises it's not going to keep, but Trump understands that. That's the important thing. Experts saying President Trump is uniquely positioned to see through these tactics, having experienced them firsthand in 2017, when the CCP signed a 100-day trade deal and then failed to abide by it. He is trying something new, which is almost Chinese in its approach, to flatter Chairman Xi or President Xi to, on the surface, pretend to be a great friend of China, but then to have a list of things we want from China and to make sure we get them. Now, this has not been tried by any president before. Even President Trump in his first term, remember he had Bob Lighthizer, they had a 100-page trade agreement, spent two years negotiating every word, and then the Chinese just walked away from the trade agreement. So that didn't work. And Steve, as the U.S. delegation was leaving Beijing on the tarmac there, a White House correspondent's describing the scene, saying that nothing from China was actually allowed on board the plane. A reporter saying that American staff took everything that Chinese officials had given them, including their credentials, burner phones for the White House staff, delegation pins, and tossed them in a bin at the foot of the stairs before they boarded Air Force One there. And that's after the White House press pool did encounter repeated conflicts with Chinese officials, limiting or restricting their press freedom, same thing with Secret Service, over the two days of this summit. So we'll see if the optics of that departure there on the tarmac signal anything about the level of trust in that relationship. Back to you. And to these, Mari Otsu, live from the White House. Thank you, Mari. And joining us now to assess the president's meeting, we have Bradley Thayer, founding member of the Committee on Present Danger China. Bradley, great to have you with us. Really looking forward to get your perspective. President Trump just arriving back to the White House after meeting with the CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. Here's a clip from before he boarded Air Force One on his way home. Would the U.S. defend Taiwan if it came to it? That was the president on Air Force One. Bradley, what do you make of his tone here? Does it appear that any of Xi's rhetoric or messaging gained any traction with the president? Well, Steve, it's great to join you again. I don't think so in terms of Xi's influence on President Trump. President Trump and Secretary Rubio, Secretary of State Rubio, have not conveyed any change to the foundation, if you will, that we have with Taiwan. That would be the three communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act and the six assurances that Ronald Reagan gave to Taiwan in 1982. What I see President Trump doing is maintaining the ambiguity, which for a generation has surrounded the Taiwan issue from the United States point of view. That is that we're not saying that we're going to defend Taiwan, but we're also not saying that we're not going to defend Taiwan. So in that light, I see his remarks as being in accord really with the history of the last generation of our relationship with Taiwan. His remarks also about the $14 billion arms sales to Taiwan, Steve, this is something really to watch in terms of whether that moves ahead or whether it's delayed. And I think that will be a key indicator in terms of whether President Trump is making a change or whether he's not. Bradley, leading into our interview in Mari's reporting, we saw there from Michael Pillsbury, who had an interesting comment that it appears as though China might be using attack that the Chinese often do despite these diplomatic niceties of the visit. The president's actions could be speaking much louder than his words, as you mentioned. We'll have to watch closely for that. Is there a case to be made that President Trump is sort of pretending to be friendly with China while remaining firm on America's interests? I think that's clearly the case in terms of what happened over the two days in Beijing. President Trump did not yield to any of Xi's entreaties. Xi really made two huge mistakes from my perspective in his relationship with President Trump. First, calling attention to the Thucydides trap argument, and then secondly, saying explicitly that the Taiwan issue must not be mishandled. Those are direct insults to the U.S. position and to President Trump. President Trump didn't yield on any of those. He didn't engage. It was almost stealthy, Steve, in terms of how President Trump handled those issues. Not really engaging, not becoming excited, not agitated to those provocations. I think we'll see now that he's returned, he's back in the United States, we'll see in the next day or so, the next three days potentially, the issue really starting to firm up. And I think that we'll see President Trump take a very different tone with Xi Jinping now that the visit is over. Bradley, where might this strategy of flattery get us? And what do you say the idea of the most important thing that we need right now is time, particularly when it comes to nearshoring critical mineral refining in those rare earths that China has a monopoly on? That's certainly a key issue. And pharmaceuticals, active pharmaceutical ingredients are still points of leverage that the communist Chinese have with the United States. However, at the same time, the United States has many more points of leverage with Xi Jinping and the Chinese regime. So with the onshoring effort that's continuing, and it certainly is, the Trump administration is doing everything that it can do to advance that, as well as with active pharmaceutical ingredients. So I don't think the flattery issue is a way of dealing with, I think, some irreconcilable differences, if you will, some profound problems, of course, that the United States has with the Chinese regime. So I don't think that that's going to come to have much effect. President Trump, at the same time, does not want to, again, give any leverage to Xi Jinping. Again, so he really has that stealthy strategy of hearing what Xi Jinping has to say, and then really pairing, deflecting from that. But again, to stress the point, the Taiwan arms sales deal is going to be a key point here to watch. Certainly, if you were to go down the list, the list of irreconcilable differences would be quite large in perspective. Back in 2020, Bradley, China promised to purchase roughly an extra $200 billion in U.S. goods, but they fell over 40 percent shy of that, surprise, surprise. Given the CCP's unreliability and just simply not being an honest broker, which the president, I'm sure, is aware of, what do you think his goals are right now? I think his goals are to work assiduously to onshore, to cover those vulnerabilities while using our points of leverage with Xi Jinping, recognize that we can employ tariffs, more tariffs. He still needs access to our market because the economy is in the doldrums, right? The communist Chinese economy is in the doldrums. Xi Jinping is looking for a way out, and that way out is going to be artificial intelligence. And secondly, it's going to be the U.S. market. And we have great leverage in both of those areas. Chip sales are another major point of leverage that the United States has. I also see President Trump shoring up our relationship with Japan, right? Besant went to Japan right away from Beijing. President Trump has said very nice things about the Japanese prime minister. The military relationship with Japan remains very strong. It does with South Korea and with the Philippines and expanding with Australia. So a lot is going on that may not receive much attention but deserves to be noted. Bradley, you mentioned the issue of China's economy. Clearly, the CCP, we saw it in Xi Jinping's speech trying to compare China as a great power to the United States. Talk to us about what the economic situation is in China and some of those struggles that they have and have been having. Well, by definition, communists can't run an economy, right? They always run an economy into the ground. That's from the Bolsheviks in 1917 to Xi Jinping in 2026. Whenever communists are in power, the economy is going to tank. The Chinese economy suffers from profound problems, Leninism. Secondly, there are tremendous structural problems in that economy with banking, et cetera, with real estate has been noted and stressed many times, of course. But the fundamental issue is that Xi Jinping doesn't have a way out. He's looking for artificial intelligence to boost his productivity as well as to serve his surveillance state very effectively. China, of course, the Chinese Communist Party is a surveillance superpower, which goes hand in glove with suppressing the Chinese people. So it's the US which is going to give him a way out if we choose to do so. And that is far more important than rare earth processing or active pharmaceutical ingredients, no matter how important those are. Xi Jinping is looking for the US for assistance. And that gives President Trump, as I've said consistently in the last few days, he's really got a royal flush hand. And of course, how he chooses to play that is going to be very important to watch with respect to Japan, other allies, but also sustaining pressure on Xi Jinping. Bradley Thayer, as always, really appreciate your insights. And President Trump is coming back from China with new trade deals. But how reliable of a trading partner has the CCP been with the United States? NTV's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley reports more on China's track record. The Chinese Communist Party's track record reveals an ongoing history of broken trade deals and failed promises. Looking back at what was called the phase one trade deal in 2020, China promised to purchase an extra $200 billion in U.S. goods over two years, but they fell over 40% short. And when U.S. officials pressed China on this at the time, there really was no accountability. It's pretty clear that China has not been meeting its agricultural purchasing or intellectual property commitments in that phase one agreement. We have fought very, very hard to secure accommodations from China for the shortfalls that are apparent in the trade data. So far, as I've noted, the conversations have been very difficult. Now, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative under the Trump administration back in October conducted an investigation into China's implementation of that deal, finding they fell far short, saying China's lack of compliance with the phase one agreement appears to have undermined the conditions of competition for U.S. companies seeking to trade with and operate in China. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization. But until this day, the CCP ignores their rules on state owned enterprises. China still heavily subsidizes key sectors like semiconductors, steel, electric vehicles, solar, you name it, and creates overcapacity, producing far more than the market needs and flooding global markets with cheap goods, undercutting other nations' manufacturers. China also continues to use the title of developing nation status, even as it became the world's second largest economy, allowing them longer timelines to comply with world trading rules and more flexibility on subsidies and tariffs. Beyond trade, the CCP also violated its treaty with the United Kingdom when it took back control of Hong Kong. Hong Kong was supposed to be granted autonomy until 2047, but the CCP crushed the city's freedoms 27 years early, imposing a draconian national security law and arresting political dissidents. In 2015, Xi Jinping told former President Obama in the White House Rose Garden that China wouldn't conduct cyber theft of American intellectual property for commercial gain. Yet China continues large scale cyber espionage, contributing to an estimated $15 trillion in stolen U.S. IP. So following these new trade agreements from China after this U.S. delegation returns from Beijing, the question on many people's minds are, can they really be trusted? For NTD News, Washington, I'm Jack Bradley. And while both sides emphasize stability, the Trump-Xi talks exposed sharp fault lines between the world's two largest powers, from political prisoners to tariffs and Taiwan. Find out more tonight on China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 8 p.m. Eastern. And officials from the United States This is the latest sign that an agreement could be brewing between the two nations. President Trump also responding to reports that former Cuban communist leader Raul Castro is going to be indicted by the United States. NTD correspondent Jason Blair reports. CIA Director John Ratcliffe led a team to meet with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday. The agency posted photos of the meeting on X, and the Cuban government stated that the meeting was with Cuba's Ministry of the Interior. The CIA has not yet provided any public updates on this meeting. NTD has reached out to the CIA for comment. The meeting came after President Trump posted on Tuesday that, quote, Cuba is asking for help and we are going to talk. The communist country's energy crisis worsened drastically after Venezuela's leadership changed and oil supplies from Venezuela to Cuba were disrupted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the situation earlier in May. Cuba used to get free oil from Venezuela. I used to give them a bunch of free oil. They would take like 60 percent of that oil and resell it for cash. It wouldn't even go to benefit the people. Their economic model doesn't work. And the reason I can't fix it is not just because they're communists. That's bad enough. But they're incompetent communists. Cuba's energy minister said on Wednesday that the country has ran out of fuel and doesn't have any reserves. He also said that power outages are happening regularly, impacting millions. Protests in Cuba have been reported in response to the crisis. There are also unconfirmed reports saying that the U.S. plans to indict Cuba's former communist leader Raul Castro in relation to a 1996 incident when Cuba shot down planes operated by a humanitarian group. President Trump was asked about it on Friday. I don't want to comment on it, but they need help, as you know. And you talk about a declining country. They are really a nation or a country in decline. The meeting in Havana is another sign that a deal could likely be developing between Cuba and the U.S. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, NTD News. And so how are everyday Americans reacting to the turmoil in Cuba and the potential end and collapse of communism in the Western Hemisphere? NTD Sam Wong was out in the National Mall right here in D.C. to hear from the people. Seems like Cuba is on its way out. What do you make of that? Yeah, and it should. I mean, it's been horrible for the Cuban people. I'd love to see them have a chance to live a more free life. The same way it was with Venezuela. We didn't see anything different. We saw all the talking, all the people, you know, divided. But at the end, you know, they were liberated. And I think Cuba is ready for liberation. So I feel confident that President Trump is going to do what he's going to do. Cuba was basically in the fold back in the 50s and 60s. It was a nice country to go and visit. When Castro took over, it kind of changed and they became communists. But the people there, they want democracy. So I'm all for Cuba and getting a democratic government in there. I saw something today that they want to indict Raul Castro for stuff that he had done before. I know that they cut off the oil and everything else to them and they're trying to freeze them out, you know, starve them out. Another thing that should have been done 30 years ago. They used to bring Castro up, Fidel Castro, up into New York City. I'm from New York. They'd bring him up to New York City to the U.N. and he's charging up hundreds of thousands of dollars on, you know, with dinners and everything else while everybody's glad-handing him. Then he walks out and the bill goes back to Cuba and laughs at us. And talking about Cuba, talking about Venezuela, it seems like communism's on its way out from the Western Hemisphere. What do you think about that? No one wants communism. That's why people flock to come to America, because it's the best country in the world. Communism is linked to so many other things. They want to infiltrate our schools. They've gone so far to infiltrate our churches. So no, we don't want communism in America. It's great to see that it's on its way out in the Western Hemisphere in countries like Venezuela and Cuba. And it's also taking over in states like New York and Massachusetts. People in this country aren't learning that lesson between socialism and communism. It doesn't work. Marco Rubio said so eloquently, I'll take our system over any others. It's not perfect. We've got our problems and challenges, but I'd much rather have ours than communism or extreme socialism. And right now you're looking at a live shot of the United States Capitol. Coming up, with Cuba in darkness, will the United States make the next move? More from our panel just after the break. In the design studio by Mathis Home, when our suppliers offer us special discounts, we pass the savings on to you. Since we're one of the top Bernhardt dealers in the country, right now you can save an extra 20% off our everyday low prices line-wide. Even custom orders. Choose from the nation's largest in-stock selection of Bernhardt at the lowest prices. Plus enjoy complimentary delivery and design services. Don't miss your chance to save an extra 20% on Bernhardt at the design studio by Mathis Home. Hi, I'm Jane Seymour, and I spent years on TV playing a doctor. But I learned about the heartbreaking reality of heart disease and stroke when they touched my own life. My father nearly died before having a quadruple bypass and valve replacement that saved him. And my mom, who was my inspiration, suffered a stroke that took away her speech, her ability to move, and ultimately her life. To see someone so vibrant, so positive, who'd survived so much in life, be debilitated by a stroke, it was devastating. And also a wake-up call. And that's why I'm so passionate about supporting the American Heart Association. They're doing more every day to stop needless deaths. But they simply can't do their life-saving work without you. So please call now or go to helpheart.org. And for only $19 a month, just 63 cents a day, your donation will go to work to do amazing things like fund the next medical breakthrough, get the next person trained in CPR, and the next hospital certified in high quality cardiovascular care. I hope that you'll open your heart right now and join me. Please call now or go to helpheart.org, give $19 a month, and we'll send you this special t-shirt that you can proudly wear to show that you're part of a community of monthly donors who are helping save lives. A healthy heart is the spirit of life. It makes it possible to do the things that you love, to spend time with your friends and family, and fulfill your life's dreams. But so many won't have that chance. Heart disease is America's number one killer, and the number one killer of women. And that's why I'll do whatever I can to make sure others don't die from heart disease before their time. So please join me. Please call or go online to helpheart.org, become a monthly donor, and for a limited time only, your first month's gift will be matched. We said we'd never give in to a meltdown. Never leave the house looking, well, them out of our sight. Cars get hot fast, and kids can be at risk. Before you leave the car, always stop, look, lock. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. Tennessee's only Democrat in Congress is retiring at the end of his term. Congressman Steve Cohen will not be on the primary ballot after state lawmakers with redrawing that congressional map. Memphis is my home, and that's what I fight for, and I want to do it again. If I get the chance, I'll do it. But otherwise, I'll be retiring from Congress and coming back as Republican. Cohen has represented the 9th District, which includes Memphis, for nearly 20 years. But the Memphis District has been redrawn and is now more favorable to a Republican. The Supreme Court ruling last month that districts cannot be drawn based on race, leading to a wave of redistricting around the nation. And CIA Director John Ratcliffe meeting in Cuba with regime leaders there as the island has run out of oil and gas. Joining us now, two guests, Mally Smith, Democratic strategist and former Harris campaign North Carolina political director, and David Pollack is an attorney and host of David Pollack Primetime on the One America News Network. Great to have you both with us. So the CIA director at a meeting in Cuba, this says the nation's energy reserves have run dry. Here's Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing how the U.S. wants to help. Cuban people should know there's $100 million of food and medicine available for them right now. And the only reason it's not reaching the Cuban people. No strings attached. The only string attached is it has to be distributed by non-government. I don't want non-governmental organizations. This can't be humanitarian aid that the government steals for itself. Cubans are successful everywhere in the world except one place, Cuba. And so that's what we want. We don't want we want Cubans not to have to leave that island in order to be successful. But they can't because the current model they have is it's not just it's broken. It doesn't work. Mally, why is it that the regime in Cuba can't be trusted to provide for its own citizens? And what do you think are the next steps in that communist nation? Yeah, I mean, I think just looking at the history of that country, you can see pretty easily that the government can't be trusted to help serve the people. And, you know, you you've had me on a lot and I rarely say this, but Marco Rubio is right. We can't let the government distribute this aid because there would be no guarantee that the aid would get to the folks that it needs to get to. And what I'm hoping for is that as the pressure continues to ramp up, we can eventually see an opportunity for a democratically elected government. I think what we'll need to be prepared to do, though, is to step in with a lot of humanitarian aid and logistical and technical assistance to make sure that transition from communism to democracy goes successfully. Because as we know, unfortunately, with our adventures in the Middle East, it's much easier to dispose of a government than necessarily setting up one that works well. And with Cuba being so close to us, we don't want a refugee crisis. So I'm hoping that we can get to a point where the Cuban government, the Cuban communist government dissolves, and then we can step in and really help make sure something better takes its place. David, what do you make of CIA Director Ratcliffe going to the remaining and only communist nation in the western hemisphere while the president of the United States is across the pond at the largest one in China? Symbolic? Coincidence? And how do America's adversaries like China benefit from the regime currently in power? I mean, it is historic and it really is an example of really this downroad doctrine that we've been talking about for a while, this realignment in our hemisphere with Trump prioritizing American interests. And there's multiple pieces to this. And China was such an important trip and was an example of how this policy is working. First Venezuela, then you have Iran, and now we have this oil embargo on Cuba. And yeah, the lights are out in Cuba and then the regime has more pressure on it than it's had in what, 50, 60 years? And it's all because Trump is being really smart, really, with the way we go about these geopolitical realignments. And with China agreeing to buy U.S. oil, China agreeing to help step in with the Strait of Hormuz, this is all part of a much larger plan. And this communist government in Cuba is the last big piece to fall. And the end result is people will be living in freedom in a lot more places. And certainly the West will shine as an example against the Far East and China as a way for people to thrive in a democracy. And so I think this is wonderful. Can't help but think it's strategic, David, especially not too long ago during the Cold War, Cuba played a pivotal role in that in terms of the Soviet Union and whatnot. We have China waiting in the wings. So pivoting right now to the Supreme Court, a recent ruling implicating trucking carriers that hire illegal immigrants or drivers who are not qualified to be on the road. The ruling says freight brokers can be sued for hiring unsafe trucking companies. Here's an industry expert with more on it. If you're hiring a carrier with a questionable safety rating, you are hosed because whether or not you can demonstrate you did nothing negligent, the fact that you have this information that's public that the FMCSA offers you and you disregard it is going to mean that you are liable for that in the courts. Mally, we've seen a string of illegal immigrants that have been granted CDL licenses and licenses that have killed innocent Americans in car accidents. If a broker hires a carrier that has truckers who don't speak the language and can't read road signs and are illegal, quite frankly, should they be held accountable for putting other law-abiding citizens at risk? Sure. And I think just putting aside whether they're illegal or not, I don't think a broker should be able to, or a carrier should be able to hire a company and outsource this work simply to cut corners and put everyone's safety at risk. We're talking about it in the sense of someone who might be undocumented and they won't speak English or they haven't done the right tests to make sure they're safe drivers. But that can apply to American citizens who might not be passing the same test to be safe drivers as well. And we see corporations do this all the time that they'll contract something out and they'll say it's for X, Y, or Z. Well, really it's because they don't want to have the legal liability when things go wrong. And I'm not against contractors at all times, but I do think there are instances like this where we see the system and it's mostly a way to shield liability from big corporations from when they do something wrong. And I think pretty much all Americans can agree that is unacceptable. David, there have been numerous instances of illegal immigrants with commercial driver's licenses causing fatal accidents. Should states be held accountable as well for putting these people on the road? I mean, they should be, but that would be a much more challenging sort of prospect in holding companies liable for hiring an agent essentially with a shady record to put those drivers on the road. Yeah, I mean, I'd love to see states held responsible. I mean, I'd like to see states like California not give illegal aliens driver's licenses and allow them to drive to places like Florida where they kill people. You saw Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins go and apprehend an illegal alien from California and bring it back to Florida for justice. So as far as states being liable, I think that would be, from a legal standpoint, a challenging sort of prospect for people to sue a state. But we can certainly hold these drivers accountable criminally, and certainly that should be happening. I think the Supreme Court ruling is a big one for accountability, and I'm glad to see it. I'm agreeing a lot with the other guests here on a things he's saying, because yeah, I mean, this makes perfect sense. A lot of this stuff is common sense stuff. Cuba bad, people driving trucks that shouldn't be driving trucks hurting people, and people being responsible for it, good. I think we're on the same page here. Common sense is prevailing today. Well, there's a sign. There is hope for the nation. There is some common ground still. Mellie Smith, David Pollack, really appreciate you both. Coming up, a children's hospital in Texas agreeing to pay $10 million in damages and establish America's first detransitioning clinic. This comes amid allegations of illegal gender transition procedures on minor children. Hi, I'm Ryan Blaney, a third-generation race car driver, and we dedicate a lot of our time to going as fast as possible. My Grandpa Lou is the reason why my dad and I started racing, and I'm really proud to follow in his tracks. But when my grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it was a very unexpected bump in the road for us. I've learned a lot on this journey with my Grandpa Lou, and the memories of my grandpa will always be with me. And in our family, we're used to getting involved, and I encourage you to do the same, especially when it comes to caring for your loved ones. When I think about Alzheimer's and the impact it had on my family, I recognize that losing a race isn't such a bad day after all. It's important to notice if older family members are acting differently, experiencing problems with their memory, or having trouble with routine tasks. Talking about Alzheimer's can be really tough, but if you notice something, have a conversation with your loved one. Encourage them to see a doctor or offer to go with them. Early detection of Alzheimer's can give your family time to explore support services, make a plan for the future, and access available treatments. If you or your family are noticing changes, it could be Alzheimer's. Talk about seeing a doctor together. Being a cowboy, I don't know anything different from when I was 34 years old. I did tough things. I thought everybody needed to do tough things, and if you didn't, I didn't have time for it. I had a very successful career at a very young age, and life was fast. I was preparing physically. I wasn't doing anything mentally on the inside, and then I got hurt. I wanted to be better as a person, and I really dug into mental health. I start my day with 20-minute workouts. I live life eight seconds at a time. Horses are so therapeutic. They know what you're feeling. When you're nervous, they're nervous. You won't say it back, but we're pals. I take a lot of responsibility in taking care of my kids, my family, being there for them. You're gonna have tough days. Everybody does. Find a place to stop and just breathe. Love, you're mine. There is a road laid out for me. Boxes everywhere, and this is gonna be Addie's room. I think you're really gonna like it. I hope so. Yeah. I know this road is there for me. First night here with Amy seems cool. Take me down. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. America's first detransition clinic, Texas Children's Hospital agreeing to pay $10 million in damages and establish this new clinic, this to resolve a case with the Department of Justice. And today's Jason Perry has the details. In a landmark settlement on Wednesday, Texas Children's Hospital agreed to pay the state of Texas $10 million in damages connected to its alleged involvement in performing gender transition procedures on minors. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also accused the hospital of using false diagnosis codes to build Texas's Medicaid program for illegal gender transition interventions. Texas Children's Hospital entering into agreements with state and federal authorities not to provide gender transition procedures or drugs. Paxton saying that the settlement also compels Texas Children's to establish America's first ever detransition clinic to quote, provide medical care to patients who are subjected to gender transition procedures. And for the first five years of the new detransition clinic, all services will be free of charge to patients and funded by Texas Children's Hospital. Paxton also saying that Texas Children's has agreed to terminate five doctors who allegedly performed what he called harmful medical interventions on Texans. The Department of Justice notes that the claims in the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. In a statement, Texas Children's Hospital says they have complied with all laws, cooperated fully with state and federal authorities, and agreed to the settlement to protect its resources from costly litigation. Jason Perry, NTD News. And President Trump has made fighting fraud a cornerstone of his administration. Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday speaking in Maine about the levels of fraud in which he's found and how many people have become victims. Joining us now to discuss is former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, now president of Young America's Foundation. Former Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, great to have you with us. My pleasure. Governor, Vice President J.D. Vance, he's continuing to campaign against fraud. He's been appointed to that position. The frauds are, if you will, by the president, taking time to describe how it negatively impacts the American people. Here's a clip. Fraud is the ultimate non-victimless crime. There are multiple victims in fraud. What we think about when somebody steals your tax dollars and goes and spends it on something that's not supposed to be spent on, we think of you all as the victim. So, Governor, talk to us about how fraud has taken from the American people and why previous administrations, you think, have neglected to address it. Well, I think a lot of them are just lazy. They don't want to get in the thick of it. They don't want to get called racist and all the other attacks. It's not that. It really is two key problems to it. One, it's bilking the taxpayers. The hardworking people of this country are having the money that they pay for government not only wasted, but literally fraud in a criminal sense, not being used for the purpose they sit for. Secondly, it's not just the taxpayer who's a victim here. It's people who have legitimate needs. There are that many fewer dollars in the mix for people who might have a legitimate, either based on age or physical disability or whatever it might be, who actually needs that assistance. And I know before I was a governor, they used to limit how many people could get Medicaid assistance. We dropped the limits down to poverty. We've cleaned up the fraud. And we're actually able to care for everybody truly living in poverty for the first time in our state's history. That's what I hope J.D. Vance and this administration and President Trump are able to do. In another example of the administration tightening up law enforcement and the enforcement of laws, the Justice Department has just launched an investigation into Virginia's Fairfax County prosecutor. Preferential treatment for illegal immigrants. He allowed a repeat offender out the next day after committing a crime who then went on to rape and murder a minor. We actually have a soundbite of a repentant prosecutor, the gentleman here. Let's have a listen. Ms. Minter, I am deeply sorry for your loss. And I say that not only as a prosecutor, but as a parent of a daughter, I'm sorry for what you're having to do. And I promise that my office is doing everything we can to prosecute the man responsible. Do you think his apology is going to be enough for those parents? And what can prosecutors or judges do to make sure this doesn't happen? And how can they be held accountable if it does? No, I would certainly not accept this guy's apology. The guy's a prosecutor. He should have slammed the book down on these folks. They're already in the country illegally. When you add to that a history of criminal offenses before that, whether they're citizen or non-citizen, if you're violating the law, you're a threat to the public. Don't let these people out early. This is the problem with George Soros-funded prosecutors across the country. It's early release. It's a threat to us. It's just a real, real problem. But I was just with Speaker Mike Johnson the other day. He said the difference coming up in November is between crazy and common sense. This is one of those prime examples. What we saw there is crazy. There's no way this person should have been out. For the family members, their loved one would be alive right now if it weren't for the crazy, radical behavior of this prosecutor and so many other liberals that are aligned with him. Now, you are now the president of the Young America's Foundation. Talk to us about some of the trends you're seeing with the youth right now, and what direction do you think they'll be heading in November? Yeah, YF.org, so Young America's Foundation, we do polling all the time. One of the things we've consistently seen in the last three or four years is for college-age students and voting-age high schoolers, they're number one concern without a doubt, two to one ahead of any other issue. The media will say, oh, it's about abortion. It's about climate. No, it's not even close. It is cost of living. They saw how bad things were for gas, for housing, for taxes, for health care under Joe Biden. They want it to get better. I think they understand when you see things like those last two stories about the fraud and about the craziness out there, they don't trust liberals, but they're also a little suspect of everybody in office. And so conservatives need to get out and lay out a very clear plan for how to deal with the cost of living concerns. In most cases, it's about getting government out of the way. Lower taxes, get the permitting process out, make it easier to get affordable housing, make it easier to get transparency in health care, make it easier to lower utility bills. Those are the things that young people care about overwhelmingly all across the country. When it comes to the issue of gas prices and Iran, the war, how do Republicans message the threat? Because one of the things that you hear progressives and Democratic naysayers of the president say is that the American people never wanted this war, but nobody really knows what threat was there that the president is getting in his intelligence briefings to protect the American people, which is his responsibility. So how to message the importance of that operation for America's safety versus these high gas prices that are being attributed to it? Right. A couple of things. One, let's be clear, the American people, the polls overwhelmingly show this. On one hand, don't want endless wars. That's something the president made clear in his campaign. But they also don't want Iran, one of the largest terrorist entities in the world, to have access to a nuclear weapon. And so you can have both those concerns at the same time. I think for the president and his allies in Congress and across the country, we've got to continue to make the case that we don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. It's not just a concern to Israel. It's ultimately a concern to us and the freedom-loving people around the world. But we need to get this done effectively and efficiently and quickly to get through this process. Not to rush it. The last thing you want to do is what happened, remember, with Saddam Hussein, where they didn't get the job done and then it flared up later. We want to get this done right and then move on. People forget, though, four years ago in my state, I remember I've got a picture of it, June 22nd, or June 10th, I should say, 2022. At my quick trip, I filled up gas. It was over $5 a gallon. By the fall, it was a buck and a half cheaper. Those are the things I think you're going to see by the fall if gas prices are down, both a combination of going from summer to the fall, but also hopefully by then, well past this war in Iran, I think you'll see a different picture and that'll help the president and his allies. Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, really appreciate it. Thank you. And that's another live look at the U.S. Capitol, where lawmakers are set to tackle ICE and CBP funding next week, their strategy after the break. I'm Amy Grant, and I want to talk to you from my heart about the heart. I would have been the last person on the list to say this woman has a problem with her heart. So no, there was nothing about my life that said you have a ticking time bomb in your chest, but I did. I wound up in the office of a cardiologist because I was there with my husband. And at the tail end of that, the cardiologist looked at me and said, I want to see you. No one was more surprised than I was to learn I was living with a rare heart condition. He said, Amy, this condition, you'll be fine, fine, fine. And then catastrophic. A few months later, I had an open heart surgery that saved my life. And I owe it to the research and life-saving medical breakthroughs developed by the American Heart Association. That's why I'm asking you to join me and become a monthly donor to the Please call now or go to helpheart.org. For only $19 a month, just 63 cents a day, you can help fund the next medical breakthrough, get the next person trained in CPR, and get the next hospital certified in high-quality cardiovascular care. If this could happen to me, it could happen to anybody. Heart disease is America's number one killer, but your support can save your life or the life of someone you love. Give $19 a month with your credit card and we'll send you this special t-shirt you can wear to show you're part of a community of monthly donors working to help save more lives like mine. I'm grateful for the American Heart Association. Their research gave me more time to do the things I love with the people I love. So listen to your heart. I'm here today because I did. Please call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org now to become a monthly donor and help save even more lives. Thank you. I can't get a hold of my mom. I'm sure it's nothing. I've called her five times. I'm sure she's fine. Is grandma okay? Help, I've fallen and I can't get up. We're sending you help right now. Hello? Hello, this is Life Alert. Your mother had an emergency and we dispatched paramedics to her home. Oh my gosh, what happened? She had a fall but don't worry, she is safe and the paramedics are helping her right now. Thank you. Life Alert saves a life every 11 minutes. With one simple touch of a button, Life Alert sends help immediately. Whether it's to report a fall, a medical emergency, or an intruder, Life Alert sends first responders fast. For a free brochure, call 800-382-9846. 800-382-9846. That's 800-382-9846. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. Congress moving full speed ahead on government funding. The House of Representatives has now passed its first fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill. This has lawmakers gearing up for a separate reconciliation package focused on border security and DHS funding. At the same time, a new effort is underway to prevent future government shutdowns. Antony's Chris Ball reports. Reconciliation 2.0 legislation, which has been developing now to fully fund the immigration enforcement and border protection for three years through the rest of the Trump administration. Republicans moving on reconciliation next week, funding homeland security including $30 billion for ICE and roughly $3.5 billion for CBP, along with money for deportation operations and coordination with state and local law enforcement. Republicans have to do it on our own, and we will do that next week and finally get that done. The push comes as lawmakers look ahead to another potential government funding fight later this year. Earlier this week, Senator John Kennedy advanced a resolution with unanimous Senate support that would withhold senators' pay during shutdowns. Kennedy says lawmakers should feel the same impact as federal workers when government closes. After we finally got out of that 43-day shutdown, we shut down the Department of Homeland Security. It was shut down for 76 days. We ought to hide our heads in a bag. He also warned shutdowns could become political heading into election season. I'm very concerned that my Senate colleagues on the Democratic side are going to try to shut down government yet again right before the elections to try to create chaos to affect the midterm elections. Democrats are criticizing parts of the Republican package, including $1 billion for Secret Service upgrades tied to the White House East Wing project. In a May 13th press release, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote, quote, New Yorkers want lower costs, not a gold-plated ballroom. Funding for the White House ballroom's construction, including any gold plating, has been handled by private contributions. Meanwhile, the Senate parliamentarian has ruled several immigration provisions violate reconciliation rules, forcing Republicans to rewrite parts of the bill ahead of a June 1st deadline set by President Trump. Despite constant skepticism around here from the press that we can't perform, we are getting it done. We get it done every week. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to take up its reconciliation recommendations Tuesday. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Chris Bobb, NTD News. And we end tonight with a story that reminds us how kindness can show up when it's most needed. What started as a routine sales visit in Texas turned into a heartfelt connection when a kind salesman met a woman who was struggling and really needed some encouragement. It started when Caleb Kilof knocked on a door of Melinda Patotsky, a woman facing serious health challenges, who reminded him of his grandmother. Patotsky then opened up about her health struggles, saying she could eventually need a kidney transplant. This Instagram video capturing the tender moment when Kilof gave her a hug after learning she had recently lost her husband. He prayed for her healing and protection. And just a few days later, he returned with another surprise. His employer, Texas Home Improvement, agreed to complete her home repairs completely free of charge. Patotsky then told local media, I think I'm going to have to invite him to be my grandson. And that's all we have for you tonight on The Capitol Report. For around-the-clock original coverage, be sure to visit NTD.com and download the NTD mobile app. From the nation's capital, I'm Steve Lance. Have a great evening. See you back here on Monday.