Capitol Report Full Broadcast (July 21)

Good evening. Tonight on the Capitol Report, War Secretary Pete Hegseth warning that America could face critical military shortfalls without proper funding as the conflict with Iran intensifies. And over six and a half thousand non-citizens found on New Jersey voter rolls, some of them already voting. How it happened and what accountability might look like. It's unacceptable that no one in the previous administration brought this to light, demanded accountability or took action. The Smithsonian Museums in the nation's capital accused of rewriting the American story from downplaying historical artifacts to calling objectivity a white supremacist concept. What witnesses say and tonight on the show, we'll get reaction from Senator Ted Cruz. Pictures of bondage. You have some overtly sexual things up there. Ma'am, do you think that's appropriate? Do you think that is appropriate for a child to see? This is Capitol Report, live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. President Trump vowing every American soldier killed by Iran will be avenged many times over. That's as he threatens to step up strikes on Iran after three U.S. troops were killed in the past few days. Antony's White House correspondent Mari Otsu reports. Honestly, they haven't seen anything yet. We've been nice. President Trump vowing to step up strikes against Iran after the deaths of three U.S. service members over the weekend. The president declaring the regime will have to pay many times over every time they kill an American soldier. The Department of War identifying these soldiers as Sergeant Michael Swindon, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Lieutenant Tyler Thien, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Private Isabella Gonzales, just 19, of Carrollton, Texas. President Trump saying Iran wants desperately to meet, but the U.S. isn't interested until the regime's ready to meet in a meaningful way. But if they're going to shoot at commercial shipping, then we're going to hit them, as the president said, 10 times harder, which every night we're degrading them further and further. The president also vowing to bomb Iran's Pickax Mountain very soon. That's the heavily fortified underground complex near Iran's damaged uranium enrichment facility, where U.S. officials have said Iran may have moved their nuclear centrifuges. Yeah, it doesn't mean anything unless they have the material. They don't have. We follow the material. We'll be hitting that area pretty soon and very heavily. And the president saying the U.S. will take care of things in the Red Sea if Yemen's Houthis impose a blockade on energy exports coming from Saudi Arabia. That's after the Houthis' armed forces announced a maritime embargo against the Saudis. They've had no problem with us for a long period of time, including during this conflict. I think that if there is something like that, we'll just have to take care of business. This comes as President Trump welcomes Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House to discuss ways to implement the trilateral framework. That's the U.S.-backed deal between Lebanon and Israel that was recently signed in June. The agreement aims to expand the Lebanese army's control in the south, reduce Hezbollah's military presence, and pave the way for a phased Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. I think, Mr. President, this will be your legacy. It's about time for Lebanon and for the whole region to be stable and secure. And I know your vision is peace, your vision is stability. President Trump saying he will attend the dignified transfer of these fallen U.S. troops at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to pay his respects. Reporting from the White House, Mario to NGD News. And President Trump imposing an additional 50% tariff on a range of key Canadian goods. All of this in response to what he calls trade discrimination against American cars, alcohol and dairy products. The tariffs kick off in 30 days, and the goal, the president says, is to protect American workers and force Canada to play fair. Here's the president. It's only a response to the way they've treated our farmers and our people. Canada has been very, very tough on us over the years, for many years, and no other president has done anything about it. I love Canada. I love the people of Canada. Many friends that live in Canada, but their leadership from Trudeau to the current leadership. I mean, in all fairness to them, they need us to survive. Without us, there's no way they can survive. And in the Senate today, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Daniel Kaine seeking $67 billion in supplemental funding. The administration warning that without the money, the military could be forced to reduce training and delay replenishing weapons stockpiles. And today's Chris Bobb reports. We know the best way to create peace is to prepare for war, to deter it. And that's exactly what the Department of War is doing, building a force so capable that it would be absurd for anyone to challenge it. War Secretary Pete Hegseth urging senators Tuesday to approve more than $67 billion in supplemental funding for the Department of War. The request includes $21 billion for military readiness and $46 billion for advanced capabilities. The money would support troop pay, training, fuel, forward deployed forces, and equipment used in recent operations. Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls that threaten our ability to also simply pay our service members, rapidly replenish equipment and munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption. Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Kaine warns that America's adversaries are sharing intelligence, weapons, and technology as the speed of warfare continues to increase. The United States military is America's greatest insurance policy. And I acknowledge us all of us find it difficult at times to pay for insurance before we need it. But we must have insurance before the storm comes. Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins says lawmakers may disagree over the Iran War, but the Department of War still faces bills and urgent military requirements. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that they have the tools, the training, and the support that they need to accomplish their missions. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy pressed the administration on what ending the operation would mean. This is serious as four heart attacks and a stroke. Now, what happens if we come home and end the blockade to the world? The likely outcome is they would try to impose their will on the waterways in ways that the world would not like. Call it a toll, call it a fee, call it an exchange, call it control. They would do something that they would try to hold it at issue. This is a regime hellbent on nuclear ambitions. The hearing also produced a new estimate of the war's cost. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin asked Hexeth how much the conflict has cost through its fifth month. The estimate we have as of today is $37.5 billion. Hexeth says the estimate includes some anticipated military pay and operation costs through September 30th. He also warns that military training could be reduced if Congress does not approve additional funding. House and Senate appropriations must now turn the request into legislation. Chris Bobb, NTD News. And as Secretary of War Pete Hexeth seeks to build a capable force, uncertainty across the world requires the U.S. to remain vigilant. We'll discuss what these threats are with our guest, retired Marine Corps Colonel Hal Kempfer later on in the show. And meantime, 6,600 non-citizens were accidentally added to New Jersey's voter rolls with a software error to blame. This, of course, didn't prevent around 400 people from casting those illegal ballots. Joining us now to discuss Democratic strategist Mally Smith and former Ohio Congressman Bob McEwen. Great to have you both back on the program. So New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill laid out what enabled this error to occur in her own words. Here's what she had to say. A serious software error in New Jersey's motor vehicle system led to the improper voter registration of what we believe to be roughly 6,600 people in our state. And it's unacceptable that no one in the previous administration brought this to light, demanded accountability or took action when it happened years ago. So Mally, even though this error appears to have been rectified for a previous governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy's administration didn't clear the rolls or mention this to the public. What should accountability look like in this situation? And what do you say to those who are concerned that, you know, there might be a lot more than what we've found here? Look, I think it's concerning. I'm glad that Governor Sherrill was able to catch this and get this done early in her term. But with that being said, I think it's also important to note that our elections are secure and safe. There is no evidence of massive voter fraud. There's no evidence that the 2020 election was stolen. And these type of issues are only going to fuel that concern. So I would tell states they should be proactive to make sure that anything that happens like this, they get ahead of it. But I'm sure, Steve, your follow up question is going to be, does this mean that we should pass the Save America Act? And no, this doesn't mean we should pass the Save America Act. The Save Act has a whole host of issues, including making it tougher for folks to vote, including married women. I would suggest to the viewers here, they can look up Chip Roy, one of the authors of the bill, admitted today on a video call that it would make married women, harder for married women to vote. So, yes, election integrity is important. There are things we can do to improve it. But the Save Act is not the solution. Bob, does the Save America Act make it harder for people to vote? Well, if you're a person that has never gone to a movie theater or never bought a pack of cigarettes or never had to show an ID anyplace, then for you, it might be complicated. But for everyone who actually lives in America and has an ID, to prove that they are a citizen is a very minimal request. We do it all the time. The only reason you wouldn't want to know whether or not a person is a citizen is if you want to vote these names that are on these lists, and you know they're there, but nobody else does. And so you can vote with these mail-in ballots, and you mail in with their names. There's no way to prove, once the envelopes open, what they voted or how they did it. And so, for example, in 2020, suddenly Joe Biden got nearly 20 million more votes than Barack Obama. And you have to ask, where did those, and then they all disappeared in 2024. You say, oh, but it was all clear. There's nothing wrong. Anybody who knows what happens when you don't have proof of ID, as every nation on earth does, except the United States, and then, for example, in California, they passed a law that you cannot ask a person to prove their ID. Now, why do that? It doesn't take, you don't have to be a rocket scientist. The reason 80% of the people in America believe that you should only have citizens vote and have proof of citizenship to prove that you're an American to vote. The reason that four out of five Americans believe that is because they know the only reason you don't want it is because you want people who are not citizens, who are not registered to vote, to be able to do it with these broken systems. It does appear as though there's been a lot of, you know, nothing to see here coming to fruition, sadly. The White House weighed in today saying, quote, this is the direct result of Democratic policies that refuse basic citizenship checks, and exactly why Congress must pass the Save America Act. So, Mally, does this situation reinforce that argument that election systems are vulnerable and double-checking voter ID is ultimately necessary? And to your earlier point, why not? Well, first off, I went to the movies this weekend. I went and saw The Odyssey. You do not need a photo ID to go to the movies in America. Like the congressman said. But in regards to what we can do to make elections safer and more secure, I think there's low-hanging fruit when it comes to election security and working in a bipartisan manner to do things to strengthen our voting, to make sure that our electronic voting systems are more secure against hacking. But the Save America Act, again, will make it harder for many Americans to vote. And this isn't a problem you have with Democrats. The fact of the matter is, is that Republicans are the ones who are holding up this bill. Senator McConnell, Senator Tillis, Senator Collins, and Senator Murkowski all have come out in opposition to the SAVE Act due to the concerns I've listed, like making it more difficult for married women to vote, and the simple fact that the bill is poorly written and wouldn't give any implementation time before we have this election, and it would cause chaos right before we go to vote. Bob, I'll let you weigh in. Well, as the senator from Michigan just said the day before yesterday, that if the only Americans are allowed to vote, if you have to have the proof as to who you are, if you do that, she said, quote, Democrats will never win an election again. Well, I think that's an overstatement. And our colleague mentioned that there are three or four Republicans that are opposed to it, in addition to every single Democrat in the Senate, but not the Democratic people, not the voters, not the not common sense on Main Street. We all recognize that we have to present a name ID for everything. You can't get on a flight, you can't, there's virtually nothing that you get, people do not ask for identification, you can cash a check or go to the grocery store, use your credit card. There are many things that are asked, why isn't the most important thing, why isn't the same restrictions that we see throughout Africa, throughout Latin America, Central America, that if you're going to vote, you must prove who you are. Only the left in America, as I repeat, not Democrats, not Republicans, only those in elected office on the left, they're the ones that say we want to keep this system going, where you can have, have these mail in ballots, or you can have this, this open voting on the street corner, where you put it in a box, and it's not guarded or protected. We've disintegrated significantly from the days when we used to all sit down, and we knew by 11 or 12 o'clock at night who the next president was going to be. Now, because of these systems that you can bring in votes, and even in California, they don't have to be, they don't have to be postmarked. You can write the date, you can write the date on the envelope and submit it. So that's why you never know three, four or five days later as to who's going to win, because it's whatever team is, is putting it together. And of course, that's why we have the corruption and the lack of faith and confidence in our election systems that we've never had just a mere 20 years ago. Steve, I got a question for you though, I got a quick question for you. How did Trump vote in the last few elections? Do you guys know what method he used? He used mail in ballots, he used mail in ballots. I thought I saw, I thought I saw, I could have sworn this last election, I saw him in Palm Beach walking in to cast his vote with the first lady. The fact check me on it. We've seen him use mail in ballots multiple times. We can double check that, but he's used mail in ballots multiple times. No, we've always had mail in ballots when they were needed. If a person was ill, if they were traveling, if they were going to be out of the country, all that sort of thing. As a member of Congress, if you're going to be in Congress and there's a primary going on, there's reasons and justifications. But the idea that you do a blanket, that was a new idea that they used under COVID. And under COVID, you didn't have to, all of the stopgaps that you had to prove who you were and where you are and the reason for it, all of that was thrown in the ditch. And that's- So was Trump sick or deployed overseas when he used the mail in ballots? Let's focus on the issue. I know that whenever you talk about any political issue at all, the left will always want to focus only on Donald Trump. Donald Trump, if you ask anything about the weather or about energy or about the war, the only words that can come out of their mouth is Donald Trump. Let's focus on the issue as to why it's necessary that in Ohio, we don't have this problem. You have to prove ID, they compare your, you have to present yourself and then they compare your signatures. And much of the country does that, but not on the West Coast. Florida has an extensive mail in ballot program. It's so extensive. Republicans were unhappy that Trump discouraged mail in ballots so much because so many Republicans vote by mail in Florida. I'm happy for that observation. Former Congressman Bob McEwen, we're going to have to leave it there. Thank you both. And Pentagon just announcing that Sergeant Angle Rampersad is believed to have been killed in action on July 17th during an enemy attack at a Air Force base in Jordan. He was previously considered missing. Coming up, over a billion dollars in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota are now suspended over suspected fraud. The latest from the Trump administration on the move. And a White House report says the Smithsonian Institution is rewriting the American story in rejecting patriotism. Texas Senator Ted Cruz will join us after the break. 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Ganjin Campus equips educators worldwide with powerful Teacher's Premium Channels and high-quality learning resources to help children learn and grow safely online. When you support one teacher, Ganjin World matches your support to help another. Support Ganjin Campus. Scan to learn more. Looking for a healthy and smooth-tasting brew? Drop by Day's Coffee Roasters today and explore our wide selection of specialty-grade, small-batch roasted coffee. Home to North America's first enzyme-fermented coffee, we source a wide selection of specialty-grade coffee beans from around the world, and our baristas are ready to craft your customized brew. Visit Day's Coffee at 28 North Street, Middletown, New York. Come experience a brew like no other. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lanz, hearing on Capitol Hill today, examining whether the Smithsonian Institution presents American history through a biased lens. Here's NTD's Fiona Gee. The many examples of politicization of the museum are well-documented in the comprehensive report the White House Domestic Policy Council recently issued on July 4th, the nation's 250th anniversary. The report makes clear that the museum's woke exhibits and materials reflect a broader vision held by the museum leadership. That was Chairman Tim Burchett speaking at Tuesday's hearing of the House Government Efficiency Subcommittee, the hearing focusing on the curatorial policies of the Smithsonian Institutions. One witness saying the museum's leadership aims to teach the public about, quote, American wickedness. To see the world in terms of power dynamics, who has dominance and how to wrest it from them by dismantling the American narrative. This is deeply Marxist and Gramscian. The hearing draws from a report released by the White House Domestic Policy Council and it's entitled, Saving America's Story, How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage. According to the report, significant artifacts such as George Washington's uniform and Thomas Jefferson's desk were not displayed with due prominence despite this year being America's 250th anniversary. The report says that instead, the Smithsonian Museum puts the spotlight on gender identity and drag queens while rejecting patriotism and a mindset that puts America first. You have pictures of bondage, you have some overtly sexual things up there, ma'am, do you think that's appropriate? Do you think that is appropriate for a child to see? And Thea Hartig, director of the Smithsonian's American History Museum, responding to the White House report saying that the museum inspires patriotism without instructing it. The report, though, saying that the Smithsonian is doing the exact opposite and has, quote, traded settled truths and basic history for political activism and division. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Fiona Gee, NTD News. And here to talk more about today's Smithsonian hearing on Capitol Hill is Senator Ted Cruz. Senator Ted Cruz, great to have you back on the program. Steve, great to be with you. Thanks for having me. Thank you, Senator. So I want to start with your reaction to a fellow Texas representative, Brandon Gill, in an exchange with the Smithsonian Museum of American History director and Thea Hartig. The museum is accused of trying to teach, quote, American wickedness, if you can believe that. Witnesses on the Hill today pointed to downplaying American artifacts like George Washington's uniform or spotlighting sexual imagery and drag queens. Here's Representative Gill. Does it concern you that your goal is objectivity? One of your goals is objectivity and your mass action toolkit references objectivity as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture. It's not our toolkit. It is your toolkit. You've been promoting it for quite some time. Senator, are you concerned about the trend of historical revisionism at America's prestigious and official museum? Look, I'm very concerned. We've seen this in the academy. We've seen this in journalism with the New York Times and their 1619 project. And we've seen it at the Smithsonian. It's been a persistent problem where you have hard left radicals who are making decisions about what to display and what stories to tell. They can tell the story they want to tell, which is that the United States is irredeemably evil and racist. And that's not right. Our country is sure it is flawed, like all countries are flawed. But America is the greatest country the world has ever seen. And our journey, particularly as we're celebrating our 250th birthday this year, has been a journey that is built on eternal truths. And look, as the Declaration of Independence said, we hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are extraordinary principles. And I agree with Dr. Martin Luther King that the arc of justice is long, the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice. That has been the history of America. And so I think we need far more supervision of the Smithsonian in particular to make sure they're telling the American story in a fair and real way and not an ideologically twisted way. Senator, speaking of those basic fundamental rights, you've been a real advocate for human rights and people of faith around the world who've been persecuted. You're instrumental in helping secure a Chinese pastor, Ezra Jin, his release from wrongful detainment and imprisonment in Beijing, and just met with him actually this morning from what I understand. How is he doing after his release? You know, he's doing quite well. Pastor Jin founded the Zion Church in China. A house church that grew to be one of the most prominent and largest churches in China. Christian church, a Protestant church. And the Chinese Communist Party hates God, hates religion, and hates Christianity in particular. And the Chinese Communist Party arrested Pastor Jin, arrested numerous other pastors with the Zion Church and numerous other members of the church, and wrongfully imprisoned them, persecuted them. Pastor Jin ended up spending 266 days in a Chinese jail, crowded in a cell with 30 other prisoners. He lost over 30 pounds during his time there. His health deteriorated. And I have been calling for Pastor Jin's release and leading the fight in the United States Senate to release Pastor Jin from the very beginning. Twice I've authored resolutions, bipartisan resolutions, where I teamed up with Democrats calling for China to release Pastor Jin and the other Christians wrongfully imprisoned. Twice those resolutions passed the Senate unanimously. I urged President Trump when he met with Xi to demand Pastor Jin's release. There is a power to shining the light on persecution and shining the light on dissidents. When I met with Pastor Jin today, it was a real blessing to say thank you. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for standing up. Thank you for preaching the gospel. Thank you for sharing good news and doing it with love. And I told Pastor Jin, you have inspired Christians across America and across the world. And the tyranny that is the Chinese government fears you. And that's what gives Pastor Jin and the others, there are still Christians, there are still pastors imprisoned in China, and I'm going to keep pressing them to release them because religious persecution is wrong. Speaking of suppression of faith, this month is the 27th year since the CCP's brutal crackdown on persecution on the Falun Gong spiritual community. It's a meditation discipline centered on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Tell us about the work that you've been doing to impose consequences on the CCP for this persecution, including live forced organ harvesting. Yeah, look, the Chinese Communist government hates religious faith in general, but it's not only persecuting Christians, it also for decades has been persecuting the Falun Gong and trying to exterminate them. And one of the most horrific practices they've carried out is forced organ harvesting, where they will go and apprehend practitioners of Falun Gong and forcibly take out their organs to place in other people. That is a human rights abuse that is almost out of nightmares. And it is wrong, and we need to stand with absolute clarity against forced organ harvesting, particularly when employed to further religious persecution. So I've authored legislation, bipartisan legislation, that would sanction the individuals who are carrying out that forced organ harvesting. My legislation just passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously. And I'm going to keep pressing until we pass it into law and get it signed by the president because we need to use all of the weight and power of the United States to stop this horrific persecution and these grotesque human rights violations. Really powerful reflections on the power of faith, actually. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, greatly appreciate you joining us. Thank you. And President Trump now taking aim at U.S. reliance on China, the Pentagon rolling out tougher rules for defense supply chains. What's in the order tonight on China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 9.30 p.m. Eastern. And the State Department just now telling the Epoch Times sister media to NTD, quote, CCP repression extends far beyond China's borders as Chinese officials or proxies threaten, harass and intimidate critics of the CCP overseas, including in the United States, specifically the State Department calling out the CCP's campaign to eradicate Falun Gong. They added a quote. We are committed to safeguarding our sovereignty, keeping our community safe and defending from regimes trying to silence, intimidate, harass, harm or coerce individuals within our borders. And the Department of War is requesting more funding to address growing threats from Iran, the regime continuing to attack global shipping and penetrate American defenses in Gulf states. Joining us now to assess how Kemper retired Marine intelligence officer, Colonel, great to have you back with us. Secretary of War Pete Higgseth before the Senate today requesting more supplemental funding amid the ongoing threat of Iran. Here he is describing the need for the funding and why it's so urgent. Not funding this department at one point five trillion, I believe, is the greatest threat that our nation faces. Either we invest in our warriors at this moment of step change on the battlefield and growing threats or this is all just talk. Colonel, Iran is very unpredictable. Its leadership is believed to be decimated and divided. Is this funding crucial or how fun, how crucial is it for addressing that risk? Well, Steve, what it is, is really it's paying for the operation, the actual operation we've had epic fury and everything leading up to today and covering those costs. Now, what the secretary estimated was that we've spent about thirty seven point five billion so far. Most experts think that's actually a little bit low, that we've probably spent more money. There's a lot of hidden costs. So it's actually higher. But he was saying this thing could go up to possibly up to ninety five billion or more. So it's to backfill that we use a lot of missiles that are high value. But in terms of our stockpiles, low density, tomahawks, Patriots, we have to recharge those those stockpiles to make sure we have enough for other things. For example, whatever we may have to do in the Pacific and should there be a war with China. And so there's a lot of reasons why he was basically very impassioned trying to get this plus funding. Colonel Secretary Hegseth estimated the war in Iran has thus far cost about thirty seven billion dollars since this conflict could have been a preventative measure to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and also all of the asymmetric side effects it's had on our greatest adversary, China. How do we measure what it's ultimately worth? You know, it's the president says it multiple times. You know, he talks about a nuclear attack and he talks about the threat of a nuclear weapon. It's really tough for a lot of people to grasp it. I've been working on these issues for decades, so I'm probably more familiar than most. But just one nuclear weapon was to go off over any Middle East city, whether it's Israel or some other city, you can imagine the devastation. And we wouldn't be talking thirty seven. We're talking hundreds of billions of dollars. Potentially, if it was more than one weapon, we could be talking, you know, into hundreds of billions, trillions of dollars of damage that be done not just to that country, but also the second, third order effects of global economy. We call them weapons of mass destruction for a reason, and that is the reason. The other thing, too, is if they had a nuclear weapon that would curtail our ability to constrain what Iran's doing within the region, they would use their proxies. You know, heaven forbid one or two of those proxies end up with a nuclear weapon at some point. That has been the sum of all fears going back to really 9-11, that a terrorist group would get a nuclear weapon. So there's a lot of reasons why we're working so hard to prevent something like that from happening. Now, President Trump was asked about a potential strike on an Iranian compound earlier today. Here's what the president said. And we will absolutely attack. We you know, the the new site that they're talking about. I mean, how about these people? They're in this because of nuclear weapons and they're trying to possibly reconstitute a site. We'll hit that site. Colonel Kemper, according to The Wall Street Journal, Israeli intel is saying that Iran moved those nuclear centrifuges into that pickaxe mountain buried deep beneath that giant mountain there. Is this a sign that Iran is attempting to salvage their nuclear program? Steve, that's been a kind of an assessment is that they moved. They were saying we think they moved a bunch of stuff to a location. We're pretty sure that location is pickaxe mountain. Pickaxe Mountain is not too far from the Tans. That's one of the three nuclear sites that we hit over a year ago in June of twenty twenty five. So it's it's not an area that we're not familiar with. But as you mentioned, there's a big mountain there, very thick, dense rock. It'd be tough to use some of the ordinance we have to actually get in there. We have there's a number of ways it could be attacked. I will say this, though, the president has brought this up so often, you know, in warfare. Some of the stuff you want to do is you want to get your enemy to react a certain way. So certainly I think the president's doing that. He's going to get them to react. But then there's a lot of other target sets that we're looking at in the area which do not involve that. And I'm kind of wondering if we're saying this and we might be doing something else. But then again, the Iranians are wondering the same thing. Should they focus on defending pickaxe a mountain? Should they focus on something else? I think there's certainly multiple levels in this just multiple dimensions, I should say, in this chess match going on here, trying to figure out what we're going to hit next. As we just saw a president in the Oval Office earlier today with the president of Lebanon discussing an ongoing initiative to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy that's been wreaking havoc in the region. Here's the president of Lebanon discussing what Lebanon needs to remain stable. The Lebanese Armed Forces is the backbone of security and stability. We need to support the left, the left, maintain the country safe and stable. Without the left, everything would collapse. We don't want that. I think President Trump doesn't want that. So the Lebanese government has historically avoided confronting Hezbollah head on. Why is that? And why is supporting the Lebanese military so crucial in addressing Hezbollah? Well, Hezbollah, you know, they're a Shiite extremist group. They're a military group. They're paramilitary group, terrorist group. They control large chunks of Lebanon. And frankly, they just grew so strong that the Lebanese military couldn't really confront them head on. Now, you've got the Israeli military in the south. You've got the Lebanese military a little bit further north. And what they're doing is there's an agreement between Lebanon, the government of Lebanon and Israel, to basically withdraw Israeli forces and replace them with Lebanese forces. Of course, the key part of that is disarming the Hezbollah militia folks who are in the area. It's a zone by zone thing. This is already kicked off. It's already started. The first two villages, village zone areas, have already begun. And they're going to see if they can do this. The big thing, though, is both Lebanon, the government and Israel want to see and the U.S. want to see Hezbollah disarmed. Iran doesn't. And this is why Iran kept throwing it into the 14 point MOU, was they want to see Hezbollah preserved. They want to have missiles, drones, everything else they have. And so it is a kind of interesting thing. I mean, this is part of the sovereign territory of Lebanon. And Lebanon keeps making this key point. This is our country. This is our sovereign territory. We should say what happens here, not Iran. So this is being worked out. But what you're seeing is a shift in the U.S. focus to put more resources towards the government of Lebanon to enable this movement, this transition to take place. Retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Hal Kempfer, really appreciate it. Thank you. So will the United States target Iran's deepest nuclear facilities? And how will Congress respond to the growing price tag? Here, another perspective from foreign policy analyst Harley Lipman, who will join Tiffany Meyer tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern. Coming up, over a billion dollars in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota are now suspended over suspected fraud. The latest from the Trump administration on the move. We said we'd never give in to a meltdown. Babysit with a screen. We said we'd never let the toys take over. Never leave the house looking out of our sight. Cars get hot fast and kids can be at risk. Always stop, look, lock. 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. But 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. And welcome back to The Capital Report, more than one billion dollars in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota are now frozen due to suspected fraud. The HHS now demanding valid documentation for those funds. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., says this is part of a new aggressive strategy to stop fraud before it ever happens. NTV correspondent Jason Blair reports. This administration will do whatever it takes to keep your taxpayers dollars out of the hands of criminals and fraudsters. The Department of Health and Human Services is requesting valid documentation for over one billion dollars in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota over suspected fraud. The payments have been paused while the verification process plays out. And if we suspect fraud, you will not receive taxpayer dollars until you prove that those payments are legitimate. The totals are approximately eight hundred and sixty seven million dollars in California and one hundred and ninety nine million in Minnesota. It's very, very difficult for anyone in any part of the political spectrum to make it make sense to throw money away, especially since we think there are foreign multinational organizations involved. DHHS says their strategy is now focused on fraud prevention. Our job is not just to catch the bad guys. Our job is to stop the fraud before it happens. HHS Inspector General T. March Bell cited a government accountability office estimate saying that roughly 20 percent of taxpayers work an entire year just to pay money that ends up stolen by fraud. One in five of you in this room will work all year or was working all year to pay taxes that were stolen. Andrew Ferguson, the vice chairman of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, shared the Trump administration's two prong strategy. We have to switch from the process of letting money flood out the door from the federal government into the world and then chasing it and hope we can get some of it back. The second prong that we talk about is making sure that people who commit fraud go to jail. Dr. Oz says Minnesota has provided some documentation related to the fraud and it's now being evaluated. Reporting in Washington, D.C., Jason Blair, Entity News. And you're looking at a live shot of the United States Capitol building. Congressional Republicans are pushing to include election security measures in the latest reconciliation package. This is New Jersey finds thousands of noncitizens registered to vote between 2023 and 2024 and some even illegally voting. We'll hear from Congressman Marlon Stutzman just after the break. Today's seniors are enjoying life more than ever before, and part of that comes from the independence of driving. However, car insurance for older drivers becomes more expensive the older we get. Just because I'm a senior, maybe you are, too. Do we really have to pay outrageously high insurance rates? Well, the answer is no, we don't. When was the last time you checked to make sure you're paying the lowest available rate? Well, maybe it's time to give your car insurance a tune up just to make sure your rates are running properly. You change your oil, you change your tires. Well, maybe it's time to change your car's insurance company. Are you paying too much for your auto insurance? If so, you're just throwing your money away. So the only way to really know if you're paying too much is to call the number on your screen. 1-800-952-5196, 1-800-952-5196. You'll speak with a licensed insurance agent. They may have an insurance plan that could lower your yearly premiums by hundreds of dollars. Seniors can save money on their car insurance. So call right now and find out just how much money you might be able to save. Come on, call now. You may be able to save a lot of money, maybe hundreds of dollars a year. Just call the number on your screen and speak with a licensed insurance agent. Yes, it is possible for seniors to save on car insurance. You could lower your premiums by hundreds of dollars a year. As a responsible driver, you always check your gauges, right? And you check for other cars and pedestrians. You check your oil and you check your mirrors. Well, now is the time to check on your auto insurance rates. You need to make sure that you're not paying more than you need to. Call the number on your screen right now. 1-800-952-5196, 1-800-952-5196. Boxes everywhere. And this is going to be Addie's room. I think you're really going to like it. I hope so. Yeah. I know this road is there for me. First night here, but Amy seems cool. Yeah. I got this. Take me down to the river. Wash me. And welcome back to The Capitol Report, I'm Steve Lance. Republicans in Congress are moving forward with Reconciliation 3.0, which includes key election security measures. This as New Jersey finds a software glitch that registered some 6,600 non-citizens to vote between 23 and 2024. To dive in, I'm joined by Congressman Marlon Stutzman. Congressman, thanks so much for joining a vast majority of Americans support voter I.D., regardless of political party. Here's President Trump in his address to the nation last week. Hundreds of thousands of non-citizens and dead people are listed and active on the voter rolls. And yet we still have elections with no voter I.D., no proof of citizenship and tens of millions of ballots floating aimlessly through the mail. Congressman, why do you think voter I.D. has become such a sticking point, not for the Democratic Party or Democrats in general, but for Democrats in the House of Representatives and in the Senate? Yeah, Steve, great to be with you. Thanks for having me this evening. You know, this is, as you said, a largely supported issue by 80 percent of Americans, Republicans and Democrats support voter I.D. laws. And the fact that we need to prove, you know, voters need to prove that they are a citizen, that they are registered to vote in the proper place, that, you know, they are also the mail in ballot situation is one that we continue to see where a lot of fraud happens and that you are who you say you are. I've got a great friend in Detroit, Michigan, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, who has a church there where his own congregants in a poor black neighborhood are finding out that they people had already voted for them when they were asked, you know, what, you know, have they voted? Have they already gone to the ballot box to vote? They find out that someone had voted for them. I mean, what a terrible surprise to find out that someone had stolen your ballot and voted for you. And that's why the Save America Act is such an important piece of legislation that we need to pass to be sure that integrity is built into the system of our elections, that there's honesty and there's transparency. We're the most technologically advanced advanced country in the world. We can surely do this to be sure that every vote counts. And those that cheat are caught. Congressman, meantime, President Trump has been warning of communism creeping its way into the United States. Here's a look at the clip from earlier this month. I think this country with this thing that's going around is in more danger than it was during World War One, World War Two. If you talk about September 11th, if you talk about Pearl Harbor, that was big danger. I think this is I think the concept of us going communist, because one thing that happens when you go communist, you never come back. Never comes back. You die in squalor. You die. Congressman, what are the ultimate dangers of communism? And do you think enough is being done to educate the population in America? Steve, that's a great question. No, I don't think there's enough that's being done, unfortunately. I think there's too many communist sympathizers in our education system that are teaching somehow that communism is a better system for all people. Look at the United States and what we just, you know, experienced with the World Cup and how it was a tremendous success. And people from all over the world were coming to the United States for World Cup events. And we're amazed at, you know, the the level of choices at the food in the food lines or at the restaurants or at the gas stations and how beautiful our country is. You know, as someone just said, you can vote your way into communism, but you can't vote your way out. What we just saw down in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega just announced that he's canceling elections going forward. Communism has never been successful for the people. It's always been successful for the dictator. It's been successful for the dictator's government and those who support the dictator. But everyday people, common people are always going to be under the thumb of communism. And in America is really that that only large bastion of freedom where people have opportunity to to grow and to build and to do great things. That's why America is the greatest country in the world, because of the people, not because of the government. Congressman, meantime, communist foreign nations, namely China, are directly trying to manipulate American institutions and influence American viewpoints. You and I will actually be joining a panel tomorrow at the Capitol following a screening of a documentary in which I executive produced called Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun, which shows sort of a clear case, a case study of transnational repression. What warning do you think this this film and our discussion will offer about Beijing learning to weaponize our own institutions, courts, media, government agencies against those that it seeks to silence? Yeah, well, first of all, Steve, congratulations on Unbroken. I'm looking forward to being with you tomorrow. I watched the documentary and, of course, just saddened. On one hand, frustrated and angry. On another hand, where we see the CCP is actually infiltrating into our own media outlets here in the United States, attacking Shen Yun, which is a beautiful description of China pre-communism. And, you know, the fact that they're here in the United States trying to shut down this message shows again how far communism and dictatorships are willing to go to protect themselves. I mean, you know, we've we've watched China over decades protecting themselves and building this facade that things were, you know, good in China. But I believe the chickens are coming home to roost in the sense that their you know, their population is in decline because of their policies. The economy has its struggles while they are able to take advantage of their own people through labor and building out, you know, systems. And the economy, they are still under communist rule and the people are in terrible situations. And I think that that's where the the work that you're doing and and others are showing the real picture behind the CCP. And the fact, again, that they are here in the United States trying to cover their tracks somehow. No organization here in the United States, no media outlets should play any part and they should be rooting out any sort of infiltration by the CCP. Indiana Congressman Marlon Stutzman, really looking forward to the panel tomorrow, and thank you so much for your time tonight. And that is all we have for you tonight on The Capitol Report. Stay connected to all of the stories that matter and visit NTD dot com and download the NTD mobile app from the nation's capital. I'm Steve Lance. Have a great evening. See you back here tomorrow.