Capitol Report Full Broadcast (July 15)

Good evening. Tonight on the Capitol Report, the Department of Justice and the Office of National Intelligence about to get a new look. President Trump's nominees Todd Blanch and Jay Clayton in Senate confirmation hearings today, what they had to say. We watched the Justice Department turned against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public's faith in justice. We are fixing that. And the U.S. military ramping up its pressure on Iran, hitting the regime with multiple waves of strikes. President Trump touting billions of new investments in America's defense industrial base. They don't like what we're doing, and they do want to settle. We'll find out whether or not we settle with them or we just finish it off. And stopping widespread fraud at the source. Journalists Nick Shirley and James O'Keefe testifying on Capitol Hill today and how to catch it before it all happens. Talk about fraud. We are talking about money that is being stolen from hardworking, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens. This is Capitol Report, live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. In the United States, hitting Iran with fresh strikes in a renewed naval blockade. And at Pennsylvania's Defense and Innovation Summit, President Trump announcing $10 billion in new investments to supercharge the nation's defense industrial base. We now go live to NTD's White House correspondent Mari Otsu, standing by at the North Lawn. Mari, good evening. Hey Steve, good evening to you. That's right, Central Command today hitting Iran with multiple new waves of strikes, one of them in broad daylight. Now that's the first time we've seen that since February when Operation Epic Fury began. And Steve, this is now the fifth consecutive days of strikes after Iran repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement by hitting commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Yesterday, the US reimposing that naval blockade on Iranian ports. Today, Central Command announcing that it's already turned back three ships that violated that blockade. Now, President Trump says that the strikes will only end when he's had enough. And he's reporting this from the regime today. Take a look. Received a call just as I was coming here. They want to meet. They always want to meet. President Trump, though, saying every time a deal is made, Iran breaks it. He's calling the regime's leadership lying, violent, malicious and taking Iran down the path of total destruction as he threatens to hit their power plants and bridges next week if a deal isn't made. They don't like what we're doing and they do want to settle. We'll find out whether or not we settle with them or we just finish it off. The country is booming and we'll have Iran defeated soon. They'll be defeated very soon. And then I guess it'll be even better. The president making those remarks at the Defense and Innovation Summit in Pennsylvania, which is bringing together key leaders in defense and major global investors, such as the CEOs of JPMorgan, Lockheed Martin and Boeing to highlight national security and identify investment opportunities. President Trump announcing nearly $10 billion of new investments in the state's defense industrial base, which will create more than 4000 jobs. As an example, you could say the Patriot, which is so heavily sort of the Tomahawk missile. So we want to have it not where you have to wait a year to get something or a year and a half or two years. We want to have it where you wait a week or maybe less. And we're going to have that very soon. So we've got a different department, a different moment. And thank God we have a different president who rebuilt the military once. He's doing it again and is willing to make a historic investment, one point five trillion dollar investment in the War Department to ensure that we outcompete without question every other nation on planet Earth. And Steve, tomorrow night, President Trump is set to address the nation at 9 p.m. Many reports now saying that it's about foreign interference in the 2020 election, particularly from China. Now, President Trump has confirmed that the speech will be in part about free and fair elections, but he is holding back the details, teasing, though, the news. It doesn't get better than this, but that's he wants to save it for tomorrow night at nine. Back to you. All eyes will be on that address from the president and to be carrying it live with special coverage following the president's address entities Mario to live from the North Lawn. Thank you. And House Republicans have released the framework for a ninety five billion dollar reconciliation package, one that will bypass the filibuster. The resolution includes billions for election integrity, a subject the president has hoped to implement through the Save America Act. Joining us now to discuss his Republican representative from the state of Utah, Mike Kennedy. It's great to have you with us, Congressman. Speaking of election integrity, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans met with the vice president, J.D. Vance, to discuss the reconciliation bill. Here's the vice president discussing why he thinks this is the best way to pass the Save America Act. It's a shame that the Democrats aren't going to help us get this done, given that a majority of Democrat voters actually want us to have election integrity in this country. But we've got a good piece of legislation to support the troops, support the farmers and get Save America Act passed. Congressman, what is your reaction to the vice president? Steve, thanks for having me on. And the vice president came to visit with our Republican conference, and it was inspiring to listen to him. And sadly, because Democrat colleagues will not come along with us and help us to fund national security in the form of this reconciliation package, the only way we have to move forward with these sort of provisions is Reconciliation 3.0. We had to fund Custom and Border Patrol and ICE with our 2.0 reconciliation package, and one big beautiful bill was number one. And in this case, we're working on number three, because we just can't get Democrats to come along with us for common sense provisions that focus on protecting the American people. So as you've mentioned, we're talking $75 billion for national defense, another $13 to $15 billion for agriculture. Our farmers have been suffering as a result of the war in Iran. And for us to also have $10 billion estimated coming out of this budget resolution that will be focusing on the Save America Act, which it's an 80-20 issue that when you're talking about the election fraud that can go on and the fact that we always should be working on securing our elections is to put our money where our mouth is and have in this reconciliation package a provision that's going to help us to move the aspects of Save America Act, which President Trump and the Republicans support, but the Democrats will not get behind. You know, I've talked to a lot of very smart people, people with great knowledge on the issue and a lot of sources, and they just cannot wrap their head around why certain Republican senators can't get on board with Save America Act. The bill here we're talking about does include $10 billion for election integrity. Do you think that this will help institute the safeguards included in the Save America Act? We on the House side have voted three times to support the Save America Act, which is just common sense provisions like you need to be a citizen to vote in a federal election and you need to have a photo ID to prove that you are who you say you are. I can't drive a car, nor can I get on a plane without a photo ID. The idea that we can have elections without some sort of semblance of protection to make sure that we only have citizens that are voting in elections is common sense. And as to what my Senate colleagues are deciding and why they make those decisions about whether they're going to support this or not, I can't explain that, and I think a lot of their constituents are going to ask them questions on the campaign trail as to why is it that the Senate can't seem to move this forward. But the House has already three times supported these provisions, and I think they're common sense and that we all should get behind them. And sadly, our Democrat colleagues, when you talk about proving you're an American citizen and having a photo ID to vote, that they won't support that. And that's something that all of their constituents, the Democrat, my colleagues in the Democrat House will have to go back to their voters and also say and defend the vote as to why they don't think it's necessary that we prove that you're an American citizen, that you have a photo ID associated with your vote in a federal election. I'd love to have a camera there when the constituents ask the question, because if they get an answer, it would be breaking news. You know, on another issue, the Democratic Party's leftward shift continues with the DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America, doubling its membership over the past 18 months. Here's Mayor of New York City Zoran Mondani discussing his ambitions to expand the movement across the country. Of course, it's couched in the feel-good language socialists are known for. My goal is to make America a place that every American can afford. And frankly, what we see is, while that is an especially challenging goal here in New York City, the nation's most expensive city, I know it's an issue that every working person across the country is facing. And what we need is a politics that puts working people back at the heart of what we focus on and what we fight for. Now, the DSA has more than 120,000 members and is targeting primaries in deep blue districts. Do you think capturing seats in urban areas will enable them to influence the Democratic Party's platform? And what is the feeling on Capitol Hill where you are from your moderate Democratic colleagues? We're already seeing the fact that that the tail is wagging the dog. These individuals say that they're socialists, but they are very clear. Some of the leaders of this Democrat socialist movement are clear that their goal was ultimately communism. These are people that want to defund police, defund ICE. They want to cancel the Senate. They want to eliminate the Senate. They want open borders and they want amnesty for every illegal individual in this country. And these are the kind of provisions when they talk about working class people and marketing for them, they're actually talking about seizing the mechanisms of production, seizing companies. This is what Fidel Castro did in Cuba many decades ago and what Chinese Communist Party talks about and actually executes on. So let's be clear, communism is the goal for many of these people. And this is something that we as constitutional focused individuals, as people that enjoy the liberties of the United States of America in the 250 years we can celebrate, the fact that Ronald Reagan fought and defeated communism, it still is rearing its ugly head in today's, particularly today's young people. And we should rise up and make sure that we are voting in favor of those that stand with our American system of constitutionalism. So yeah, we are seeing actually people like Chuck Schumer are now looking more moderate every day as these radical individuals that follow Zoran Mondani are being promoted in these Democrat primaries. And as a result, the Republican looks even better on the other side. So we are very hopeful that this November, the American people will be able to see through this socialist guise that these individuals put on and actually vote in favor of Republicans that are focused on the American principles that have made us so successful over the prior 250 years of our country's existence. I want to focus on something important I think you just said right there toward the end of your answer, which is you hope the American people see through. The problem with socialist ideology, which is ultimately the precursor to communism, is the ideas sound great on paper, but in practice and in reality, it never comes to that point. So to the American people that are on the Democratic side that might hear a socialist talking about it, because there's many of them now, and it sounds reasonable, and times are tough and they're making these promises, how to really penetrate and let them see that this is not all it's cracked up to be and could ultimately lead to something much worse than where we are now. We need as American citizens to look very carefully at those that run for elections. We need to ask them questions directly. We need to expect sincere and open answers. And when we hear this sort of pablum that's associated with how they soft pedal these terrible communist principles that ultimately they're talking about, I'm wiping my hand on an American flag just to get my hands clean, says one of these individuals that was promoted in a Democrat primary in New York. These are individuals that not only do not like the United States of America, but are opposed to our fundamental concepts. And so for the American people, and I'll just say Graham Platner is not the kind of person that I would ever support for any elected official, and the Democrats in Maine promoted that individual, and now throwing him overboard, and now they're struggling to try to find somebody else. So I have friends on the Democrat side in my state, as well as in the United States House of Representatives. The people that I want to work with, that I see, these are sensible people that actually do love America, but they are concerned, rightfully concerned, about these individuals that are being promoted throughout the country by these ideologically radical individuals who are promoting socialism, which is just a front for communism. So my hope is, and American people have been successful for 250 years, somehow we get it right. And I think we're going to see that this November when Republicans are actually going to win. And they're going to win big when it comes to these areas where people are going to see through the failed policies that these people, these socialists slash communists are promoting. Carson, Mike Kennedy, really appreciate your insights on this. Thank you. And President Trump's nominee to become the next Attorney General, spending nearly five hours before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch facing tough questions from both Republicans and Democrats on everything from his relationship with President Trump to abortion policy in the Justice Department's future. Entity's Chris Bobb reports. In recent years, we watched the Justice Department turned against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public's faith in justice. We are fixing that. At his confirmation hearing, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch defended the Trump administration's record at the Justice Department, pointing to less violent crime, major fentanyl seizures, and more arrests of child predators. Attention then turned to two closely watched Judiciary Committee Republicans whose votes will help determine whether Blanch's nomination advances. Texas Senator John Cornyn, who recently lost his Republican primary after President Trump backed his challenger, and retiring North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis both pressed Blanch. Cornyn questioned a Justice Department settlement involving President Trump's tax records. The President of the United States, who was a plaintiff in this lawsuit, has not agreed in writing to delete the weaponization fund. It is a moot issue, meaning there is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. It's not moving forward. But I've talked extensively with you and other colleagues about potentially codifying so there's no weaponization fund, which is certainly something that could be done. And I very much are okay with that. Senator Tillis pressed Blanch on the events of January 6th. Can you tell me definitively that you think that any Capitol police officer who was harmed on January the 6th was a victim of a heinous crime at the hands of the person who did it? Yes, and should have been prosecuted and was. Supporters of the nomination also argued that Blanch's years of public service have been overshadowed by his work for President Trump. He spent nearly a decade in what is recognized as one of the best prosecuting offices in the country, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted drug traffickers and violent criminals. In fact, this career dedicated to justice and the rule of law started even before that. He started at the Department of Justice as a paralegal. The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote next on whether to advance Blanch's nomination to the full Senate, where Republicans are expected to have the votes needed for confirmation. Chris Bobb, NTD News. And be sure to dive in deeper on day one of the high stakes confirmation hearing of Todd Blanch, President Trump's former personal lawyer, now acting Attorney General. Will he win over enough senators to become the permanent head of the Department of Justice? Attorney Mark Muser joins Tiffany Meyer with analysis. That's on Tiffany Meyer tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. And also in the Senate for his confirmation hearing today, President Trump's pick for the next director of national intelligence to fill former DNI Tulsi Gabbard's shoes, Jay Clayton, in his testimony, saying he'll approach this job, quote, mission focused and team oriented. If confirmed, I will work to strengthen the coordination and communication between the intelligence community and the people we serve. I will focus on enhancing the trust of the American people in the DNI, the intelligence community and our federal government generally. Clayton is currently serving as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He led the prosecution of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and has overseen cases on terrorism and espionage. Clayton also serving as the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2017. President Trump announcing his nomination last month. This came after former DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard said she would be resigning from her post to support her husband, who was diagnosed with cancer. And right now you're taking a live look at the United States Capitol. Independent journalists Nick Shirley and James O'Keefe testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on how to stop widespread fraud before it even happens. What they said when we come back. Looking to update your dining room? 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Brady stopped breathing twice on the way to the pediatrician and that was one of the number one things that just haunts me to this day. I was born with a congenital heart defect called aortic coarctation. If my parents waited just one more hour to drive me to the hospital, I would not be here today. But thanks to research funded by the American Heart Association, I had heart surgery that saved my life. But not every kid is as lucky as me, which is why we need your help. Just call the number on the screen or go to helpheart.org. For only $19 a month, just 63 cents a day, you can help get people trained in CPR, get more hospitals certified in high quality cardiovascular care, and help fund the next medical breakthroughs to help save kids like me. When you donate to the American Heart Association, you're helping save lives like my son. And now my son is happy and healthy thanks to the support of people like you. When you call with your $19 a month, you'll get this really cool t-shirt as a thank you. Many children die from congenital heart defects. I can't wait to grow up to become a heart surgeon and fix baby's hearts. But until then, I'll keep helping the American Heart Association. So please join me. Just call the number on your screen or go to helpheart.org to become a monthly donor and help save lives. I never graduated from high school. I realized I wanted to go back to school because I didn't want to work these back-breaking jobs the rest of my life. With the help of my father and having my son, that was all the motivation that I needed to come back to school. I felt accomplished. It made me feel that I could take on whatever challenges life throws at you. Find free adult education classes near you at finishyourdiploma.org. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. Following a string of major criminal fraud cases in federal programs, Senate lawmakers hearing from investigative journalists and watchdogs on how to stop billions in taxpayer fraud before it ever happens. Entity correspondent Jason Blair has some key takeaways. When a fraudster commits fraud, he or she steals from all of us. The Senate Homeland Security Committee is looking to tackle widespread fraud being exposed across the country. Chairman Rand Paul compares the federal government to private businesses that verify payments upfront. Washington pays first and asks questions later if it asks them at all. No private business would survive this way. A bank confirms an account exists before wiring the money. A credit card company flags suspicious changes in seconds. Paul highlighted major criminal cases in Minnesota. Prosecutors have now charged 15 people in Minnesota with schemes involving more than $90 million. One autism services scheme alone, $46.6 million. The Justice Department calls it the largest Medicaid autism fraud case in its history. Independent journalist Nick Shirley, whose investigations helped expose those Minnesota cases, tells the committee the problem is nationwide. Now the highest government-funded daycare in Minnesota has pleaded guilty to daycare fraud, and the largest autism bust in America history has been exposed. If we as Americans do not stand up to protect our country, we will lose our country. Journalist James O'Keefe describes undercover work that contributed to a federal prosecution. We recorded a woman named Brown handing over cash as payment in exchange for a homeless person to register to vote in a federal election. Now that is a federal crime. Ranking member Gary Peters describes bipartisan legislation he helped pass to stop conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies. After learning that a company was being paid with tax dollars to advise the government on oversight of the pharmaceutical industry, while simultaneously being paid by pharma companies to help market their drugs. Shirley urged lawmakers to take stronger action while Senator Joni Ernst highlighted a new package of anti-fraud bills she hopes can move to the Senate floor soon. Reporting on Capitol Hill, Jason Blair, NTD News. And with Nick Shirley and James O'Keefe testifying on the Hill today, what do the fraud findings ultimately mean for the American taxpayer? Joining us now to discuss is Jim Trustee, former federal prosecutor. Jim, great to have you back with us. So the Senate's holding this hearing today on taxpayer fraud, featuring testimony from those independent journalists we just saw, Nick Shirley and James O'Keefe. Let's have another listen. Unfortunately today, America's good faith has been abused by others, often foreigners, who seek to harm, rob and cheat America. Through my efforts, I've exposed billions of dollars of fraud and helped save America hundreds of billions for years to come. Jim, that was Nick Shirley there. We've seen a lot of momentum from the Trump administration when it comes to cracking down on fraud. What do you make of the numbers coming out of these investigations in the billions? How did we get to this point? And more importantly, how to make sure it doesn't happen in the future? Yeah, great questions. I mean, we got there through government lethargy, through an unwillingness to really look hard or devote the resources. I mean, we really shouldn't have to have independent journalists like Nick Shirley and James O'Keefe uncovering massive fraud. They've done a fantastic job. They've been incredible in terms of blowing the whistle. And sometimes their message is viewed as politically inconvenient, like in Minnesota. So they are dismissed by the political hacks that are OK with fraud. But the scale of it is staggering. And we as taxpayers are all the losers in these things, not just people in Minnesota. You know, we shouldn't have to rely on independent journalists. We should have watchdogs within government, within state, local and federal government that administer these programs in the aggressive way. And they go out and find the leering center themselves rather than some guy with a video camera. And another point worth making, Steve, it's not just that they're politically inconvenient. So you see people from the left attack O'Keefe and Nick all the time. It's also violence. I mean, these guys testified today about how they were assaulted because they were videotaping and asking questions about criminal activity, whether it was voter fraud or health care fraud. And so that's just not something we should stand for. It shouldn't be an outlier moment for a couple of journalists. It should be a systemic approach to cut down the billions into something that we can live with. To your point, it wasn't just health care or other sectors. We're seeing voter fraud. James O'Keefe, he went undercover, I believe, in Los Angeles, posing as a homeless man as part of an investigation into alleged voter registration fraud. Here's what he had to say. In February of 2026, I disguised myself as a homeless person and approached a petition circulator on Skid Row near San Pedro and South 6th Street in downtown L.A. I saw cash clipped to his shirt, which I thought was odd. The petition circulator told me, we're going to need 14 signatures and we're going to pay you $2. One of our reporters disguised as a heroin addict with track marks on his arm asked the homeless, what's going on here? They all replied with one word. That's dedication to the craft, serious investigative work there he's outlining. Jim, California Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bassett both acknowledge the voter registration fraud that we just heard about. But so far, we haven't seen much movement from them when it comes to prosecutions or reform. What tools does California have to hold those responsible accountable? I mean, prosecution, you know, whether it's a state attorney general or a DA's office or even the U.S. attorney's office, when you start talking about bribing people to affect local elections or general elections, federal elections, then you've got some civil rights type statutes on the table that you can play with. I mean, it's really kind of absurd. They talk about sometimes money, sometimes marijuana being handed out for these petitions, for these signatures. And they even would provide addresses for people that no longer had a good L.A. address. So if you have a serious law enforcement culture in the guise of Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom, we'd run out of these stories quickly. They'd say this is off limits. We're not going to tolerate it. It's a threat to democracy to have fraud in the offing when it comes to going to Skid Row. And unfortunately, sometimes, these local elections, including ballot initiatives, are determined by just a handful of people. So these can be difference makers when you go out to the homeless population, to the homeless camps, and get these signatures for a couple of bucks. That can actually change the law in California. So, again, serious law enforcement is an easy answer here. You can put stuff down very quickly, have some high-profile prosecutions of people that did it. But I don't hear that coming from L.A. or from California on the whole. Jim, it appears as though the president doesn't appear. It is going to happen. He's going to give an explosive address to the nation tomorrow at 9 p.m. NTV will be carrying that for our viewers. He's going to be talking to the American people with potentially conclusive evidence that election fraud took place in 2020. What will it take for folks on both sides of the aisle to accept this? Because there are a lot of Republicans that don't believe that anything happened. And if, indeed, the evidence is undeniable, what does it mean if we find out that the president in the 2020 election, that would be President Biden, was illegitimate or a sitting senator, for that matter, in Georgia that we're hearing about? Yeah, I mean, look, I think like all of us, we have to take a genuine wait-and-see attitude. What is it that he's presenting? Why now? What's the significance of the sourcing? Where is this information coming from? But look, there were certainly a lot of question marks in terms of bellwether counties, for instance, all tilting in the way of President Trump, but still somehow losing the state. The late tabulation of absentee ballots is a red flag at times, signature verification process. I mean, there's a lot of stuff. And what you had originally was people defending it, saying President Trump and his minions are just making things up. There was no fraud. And then eventually they got to a point where they said, OK, well, there's fraud, but it wasn't material. In other words, it didn't affect the overall outcome of the election. That, to me, is the battleground. There's absolutely no doubt that fraud occurs. It's not necessarily some grand conspiracy. It could be low-level poll workers for any party that decide they're going to take it upon themselves to throw out a few of the ballots or to have a stricter signature compliance requirement from their position if they don't like what they're seeing. I mean, there's a lot of room for mischief on a very local level, localized level. But yeah, I think we have to wait and see and hear what he has to say. And yeah, I'm sure it's connected to pushing the Save America Act to try to have some reforms here. But I think reasonable people should agree that things like voter identification are just overdue and make sense. And the idea that minorities in America don't have identifications or can't get one is a patronizing racist trope. It's just not true. I mean, so I think that's the interesting part is how much of this is political messaging and how much of it is going to be hardcore evidence. And we won't know that till Thursday at about 930. And we'll all be watching. That is for sure. Former federal prosecutor Jim In the United States, a Coast Guard has deployed forces near China as Washington seeks to counter Beijing's maritime pressure in the region. You can find out more tonight on China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 930 p.m. Eastern. And now you're taking a live look at the White House. President Trump saying ICE should continue conducting traffic stops to catch illegal immigrants. Our panelists Steve Scully and Aaron Evans will join us to unpack just after the break. Every day, thousands of kids start vaping. And I can't let this happen to my kid. Of course, it's awkward to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping. Hey, bestie, how sketchy. It's hard to get their attention. Ready? Go. Yes. Look at that. Yeah, you can turn yours over. So if you want to talk to kids about the dangers of vaping, you have to get it trending. Right, backpack kid? Let's do it. First, invite your kid to do the big talk. Let's try this. Why is he here? I gotta get it trending. Honey, can we talk? Yeah, what's up? I see a lot of your friends. Visit talkaboutvaping.org for tips on when and how to have the big talk. 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 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. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance, President Trump taking to social to order that ICE continue to conduct traffic stops in order to catch illegal immigrants. This overturns a temporary pause on pursuing suspects in vehicles after a series of deaths from individuals fleeing ICE. Joining us now to discuss is Steve Scully, host of the briefing with Steve Scully and Aaron Evans, President of Winning Republican Strategies. Great to have you both with us. So the President defended traffic stops and described them as an effective tool for immigration enforcement, saying, quote, Biden allowed 25 million people to pour into our country unchecked and unvetted. Many were criminals. We have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough and smart. We cannot give up one of ICE's most important and effective crime fighting tools, the traffic stop. Steve, the cases that prompted the pause initially are still being investigated. Was pausing these traffic stops nationwide an excessive measure, given we don't know the full story yet? No, I actually think politically it's going to hurt the president in Maine. If you keep in mind what happened in Maine and what happened in Houston, they were not the individuals ICE was looking for. Certainly Alex Pretty, Renee Good were not illegal immigrants. And I'm with Tom Homan on this. I'm not with the president, because I think when you have ICE agents who first do not have body cams, which they should, we thought we had that resolved after Minneapolis. And now our ICE agents, as opposed to police officers who tried to deescalate the situation. What we know from Senator Angus King and what we know from Houston officials in the situation last week is that the two people who were killed were not the targets. Now, did they do something wrong? Perhaps they should have been, you know, taken in, but not murdered. And they were killed. So I think I think the president is callous on this. And I think politically in Maine, it's going to hurt Susan Collins because she supported the funding for ICE. And so I think politically it's damaging. And just on a human level, I think it's callous. So, Aaron, is the president making sure we don't weaken ICE ultimately and compromise law enforcement based on media pressure? What do you make of sort of the reverse? Ultimately, we didn't mention it, but overturning his secretary of DHS, Mark Wayne Mullen's decision to halt them. Now, look, I mean, I think that you've got immense media pressure happening and you've got a massive pressure campaign across the board really creating a tinderbox for ICE to begin with and encouraging people to track where ICE agents are, what weapons they have, what vehicles they're driving and literally instigate with ICE around the country. And, you know, it's a very dangerous thing that's being promoted by many of the progressive groups. And so it really creates this tinderbox situation. And I think it's important to also step back and look at, you know, we want to look at statistics and obviously, you know, any life lost is tragic. But ultimately, just in Houston alone, for example, according to in one month in one field office, you had over 1,711 conviction carrying criminal illegal aliens, 735 criminal illegal aliens carrying 1,711 convictions who were taken off the streets because of some of these tactics. And, you know, and I think it comes back to it's the same thing we've talked about with law enforcement across the board. My dad retired from over 20 years in law enforcement. And, you know, if it really goes down to accountability and training, and, you know, it's not stopping something that is taking seasoned hardened criminals off our streets who should not be here to begin with. And I think that, you know, President Trump is trying to balance that where, you know, he's got a job to do, the American people elected him to do. Largely American people support what he's doing across the board. And obviously we, you know, we want and President Trump even said that he demands judicious, fair and smart, you know, execution of the duties that ICE is doing. But, you know, I think that he also has to make tough decisions that don't just follow the media narrative that's largely being instigated and created by these progressive groups who are trying to make this tinderbox situation occur to start with. But Steve, because the fact is, there's no question that you should get these illegals who are out there doing the crimes. Nobody's going to deny that. And nobody's going to deny that the floodgates were open under the Biden administration. Clearly, that was a mistake. But just take the instance of the 52 year old man from Mexico, Mexican national in the US for 35 years. He had a valid driver's license. He had a construction company. He employed people, had a totally clean record. He did not deserve to die. That's the point. So you can't conflate what happened with these illegals who were committing crimes. Yes, they should be taken in. Yes, they should face the law. But in this case, ICE killed based on what we know in Maine and in Houston, two individuals who had totally clean records and were not even the targets of what ICE was all about. That is the problem. It's also important, though, to both of those instances, and I'm not defending because, again, we don't have all the facts yet. But those are both being investigated. And you can be a totally innocent person. And you handle something totally wrong and put yourself in peril as well, because they have to protect themselves. So again, we don't know all the details. And I think we're kind of jumping to very accusatory positions on ICE's assassinating people, which I think is probably not the case when all the facts come out. So when you look at the thousands, they've deported nearly a million criminal aliens removed since January of 2025. And we're talking on one hand of some of these situations that we're debating on what actually happened here. So I think it's also important to remember we've got some of the finest ICE agents out there. And so we need to step back and realize there are investigations happening. And look, I think accountability should happen. If they cross the line, if they didn't follow training, if they're at fault for a death that should not have occurred, then obviously we should have accountability for that. But we also shouldn't jump to conclusions and just have a verdict that ICE is out here killing people. Speaking of these investigations, Tom Homan, Border Czar, recently spoke about these ongoing investigations into these shootings that we're speaking of. Here's what he had to say. I'll wait for an investigation to come out and see what the report says because there's a lot of misinformation out there. I read he's a U.S. citizen and he's not. So I'm just going to rely on the investigation. I don't stick my nose in the investigations because I certainly don't want to sway any decision. Steve, again, all of these investigations are pending. You mentioned Rene Goode initially when video came out. It looked one way and then we got another angle. It looked different way. Are these incidents being unfairly weaponized against ICE? Yes and no. I mean, yes, they are because they do feed into a certain media narrative. But based on the information, and look, it came up today with Todd Blanch in his nomination for attorney general. Will they release? Will they be transparent? It's now been, what, six months since the shooting took place in Minneapolis. So, you know, to your earlier point, yes, people can look at that video and look at two different things. At the end of the day, though, neither individual deserved to die. So you could arrest Rene Goode. You could arrest Alex Preder. You can arrest the Mexican national. You can arrest a Colombian individual. But don't shoot to kill. That is the problem. And again, I would go back to two points. One is, we're the body cams. We thought we had that resolved. It shouldn't take that long for ICE agents to have body cams. And secondly, police are trained to de-escalate the situation. And I think what we've seen in these cases, again, to your point, we want to get the full information and all the facts out. But it seems in these cases that there was perhaps an overreaction. I want to point to one thing. KHOU was able to track the driver of the 52-year-old man who died last week. And you had somebody chasing him without lights, without any sense of who this was. So, of course, he's going to be frightened and scared, doesn't know who's after him. And then he was shot and killed in the driver's seat. So we'll get more information, but don't kill these individuals. Yes, arrest them if there's a suspect, but they don't deserve to die. But Steve, I would just push back and say that in both of those cases, it appeared that that's what the officers wanted to do, at least detain them, to talk to them. But when Rene Goode pulled off in the officer's direction and clipped the side of his leg, they weren't willing to be questioned or arrested. Well, I'm talking about the situation just last week in Houston, Texas. But with Rene Goode, then injure her, then shoot the tires, stop her, but don't shoot her in the head. That's my point. Yeah, Aaron- With all respect, I think you've watched way too much Hollywood. With all respect, you've watched too much Hollywood movies. Look, you've got milliseconds when these guys, because our ICE agents also don't deserve to get run over in the street, and they don't deserve to get shot either. And so they have milliseconds to make a decision, and you don't shoot a tire. They're not trained to shoot tires. If they have to use the firearm, it's a life or death situation, and they're shooting to neutralize the threat. And that's why there are multiple things that they do before that. But if somebody's trying to run you over with a car, somebody's got a gun and they're trying to shoot you, you're not shooting somebody in the leg. That's Hollywood nonsense. No, but she wasn't trying to run him over. If you look at the video, she was not trying to do that. In fact, before, she said, look, I don't want to cause any harm. So she didn't seem like a real threat. Again, you're right, they have to act in milliseconds, but trained like police officers do what they normally do. The lady in her passenger seat just had threatened him. I mean, we see that in the video. And again, we can armchair quarterback this stuff, but literally, I would encourage you, go ride with any law enforcement for one night and see what they have to deal with, with these life and death decisions that happen in milliseconds. And at the end of the day, look, I've been pulled over. I mean, I've sped and different things. When I'm pulled over, my hands are on the wheel. It's yes, sir, yes, ma'am. And I hire a lawyer if I need to hire a lawyer. But when I'm on the side of the street, that's not the time to show my butt. It's not the time to hide my hands or pull a gun or be stupid, because that's what results in bad things happening. Because those guys are- Which is why when you're pulled over- They're commissioned to go home. Right. When you're pulled over, you have a police officer who has a body cam. That hasn't happened with ICE. That needs to change overnight. It's not that complicated. I'm here, I'm not. Every locality doesn't have body cams. Unfortunately, guys, we do have to leave it there. Really appreciate the discussion. Steve Scully, Aaron Evans, thank you both. And you're looking at another live shot of the United States Capitol, where lawmakers are examining how your tax dollars are helping China's military. More on federal agencies overseeing billions in research funding after the break. 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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Call 1-800-624-6556 for your free information and your free gift. That's 1-800-624-6556. 1-800-624-6556. Call now. MyPillow's second annual mega sale is finally here. Get our patented premium MyPillows that adjust to your exact individual needs to give you the best sleep of your life. When I got MyPillow, I'm asleep almost immediately. I stay asleep at night, and I wake up more well-rested in the morning. Now for the lowest price ever, King's, $19.98. Queen's, only $18.98. And Gee's A Dream bed sheets, the best sheets in history, for as low as $29.98. Luxpear six-piece towel sets, towels that actually dry you, what a concept, now only $39.98. And are made in the USA, mattresses and mattress toppers, as low as $99.98. So go to MyPillow.com or call the number on your screen. Use your promo code to take advantage of our second annual mega sale. But that's not all. Order right now, and we'll ship your order absolutely free. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance. American taxpayer-funded research is helping China's military. Today, lawmakers questioning top officials from federal agencies overseeing billions in research funding. Entities Washington correspondent Jack Bradley reports. China's theft and diversion of American technology and research is not theoretical. It is documented through criminal prosecutions, intelligence assessments, congressional investigations, and the Chinese government's own public strategies. House lawmakers are pressing federal agencies on why American taxpayers are funding research that benefits China's military. I have zero tolerance for the CCP stealing what American scientists build, and so do the career officials in front of us. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party brought in top officials from agencies that oversee billions of dollars in federal research grants, questioning if they're doing enough to stop the Chinese regime from accessing US-funded research. Our investigation into the Department of Energy identified roughly 4,350 publications involving Chinese entities. The department has a longstanding layered approach to ensure that we have a managed research environment to mitigate risks posed by these types of collaborations, types of interactions. The National Science Foundation says more changes are on the way. Beginning next year, they will ban foreign funding to companies on the US restricted entity list. Institutions will be responsible for ensuring funds are not used to support prohibited collaborations and for maintaining appropriate oversight. But until then, those agencies will continue working with groups accused of espionage and human rights abuses. These are already on entity lists that the federal government has designated to be dangerous for the United States. Why wouldn't you have a policy on that? We are currently reviewing the NSF policy, right? It was just announced last week. This is something that we're definitely discussing, particularly after seeing NSF's policy come out. The Pentagon has already taken action on this, blacklisting several Chinese-linked firms. The committee chair, Congressman John Molinar, says that any China-based entity poses a threat due to China's 2017 national security law, which requires its citizens to hand over sensitive information on demand. Now, lawmakers are expected to consider additional legislation to tighten those safeguards in the coming months. For NTD News, Washington, I'm Jack Bradley. A sophisticated cross-border drug tunnel connecting Tijuana, Mexico, to Ota Mesa, California, now dismantled. It stopped more than 2,200 pounds of suspected cocaine from entering the United States. NTD's Christina Corona reports. Federal investigators say they've dismantled a sophisticated drug smuggling tunnel connecting Tijuana, Mexico, to the Bifurles Warehouse in Ota Mesa, California, after a months-long investigation. Authorities say agents surveilled the warehouse for nearly six months before stopping multiple vehicles on May 29, seizing well over a ton of suspected cocaine worth an estimated $45 million and arresting four suspects. These are the tools that they're using to break in and out of stuff. This is what they actually use to actually poke and kind of carve their way through these little areas. This is almost like a cemented sandstone, so it's pretty solid. Officials say the tunnel was hidden beneath a storage room floor and stretched nearly 1,933 feet, reaching depths of 55 feet. It was equipped with reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation, and an electronic rail system. This is where their vent system starts, and we just tapped into it with the U-Line, and we ran our own air, so it supplied clean air throughout the whole entire tunnel. And so what you see here with these 90-degree turns is them trying to correct themselves to get back to be able to get to the location that they want to come out from. Federal prosecutors charged Gregorio Hernandez Lopez, 29, of San Diego, Jose Jimenez, 32, of San Diego, Brandon Escalante Sandoval, 26, of Mexico, and Antonio Cortez, 18, of Mexico. Hernandez Lopez also faces charges related to using the cross-border tunnel, while all four are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Officials say this is the 99th cross-border tunnel discovered in Southern California since 1993, and the 28th they consider sophisticated. Christina Corona, NTV News. Stepping in to save lives. Despite negative coverage of immigration enforcement, officers are coming to the rescue, both on and off duty. The latest happening in Missouri, where ICE officer Kirtland Sawyer was driving home when he witnessed a violent crash. The ICE officer rushed to the wreck, stopped the driver's life-threatening bleeding, and remained with the injured driver until paramedics arrived. And in Wisconsin, ICE agents were preparing for an enforcement operation when they witnessed a rollover crash. They pulled a woman from the vehicle, performing first aid. And in Florida, an ICE officer jumping into a swimming pool to rescue a six-year-old child before performing life-saving CPR. The Department of Homeland Security says the rescues underscore the professionalism of ICE officers, answering the call when lives are on the line. And that is all we have for you tonight on the Capitol Report. To stay connected to the stories that matter to you, visit NTD.com and download the NTD mobile app. From the nation's Capitol, I'm Steve Lance. Have a great evening. See you back here tomorrow.