President Trump's strike on Iran's Karg Island targets facilities processing 90% of crude oil, while the Senate rejects DHS funding 51 to 46, sparking debates over TSA versus ICE preconditions. Viewers connect U.S. targeting errors in Iran to Hamas tactics and question historical regime change patterns since 1953, alongside concerns about General William McCasklin's disappearance and an alleged contract on Trump. Compounding tensions, a KC-135 crash kills six service members, a judge blocks a subpoena against Fed Chair Jerome Powell citing political motivation, and calls address Marjorie Taylor Greene's neoconservative critiques and Jesse Jackson Jr.'s family funeral remarks. Ultimately, the broadcast highlights deep partisan fractures and escalating geopolitical instability. [Automatically generated summary]
Although we represent different political perspectives, we approached the conversation with mutual respect and a shared concern for our community.
Working together, members of both the Democratic and Republican committees joined forces to create this opportunity for civic education and constructive dialogue.
It's not common for local party committees to collaborate in this way, and we are very proud to present this as a unified, community-centered effort.
That's all the time we have for this episode.
Ceasefire is also available as a podcast.
Find us in all the usual places.
I'm Greta Bronner.
And remember, whether or not you agree, keep talking and keep listening.
Coming up, more campaign 2026 coverage from the Illinois Senate primary.
U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamurthy is running to be the Democratic nominee.
He's scheduled to meet with voters at a campaign event in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago's South Side at this hour.
We'll take you there live when it starts here on C-SBAN.
Start this morning on Iran.
President Trump announced last night that the U.S. had struck Iran's Karg Island.
In a truth social, which I'll read some of it for you now, he said, moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in history of the Middle East and totally obliterated every military target in Iran's crown jewel, Karg Island.
Our weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the world has ever known, but for reasons of decency, I have chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on the island.
And then he issued a threat.
However, should Iran or anyone else do anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.
In an article that Politico published about this strike, they wrote that he called the strike the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East.
And they note that the oil processing facilities at Karg Island are a foundational component of Iran's economy.
Roughly 90% of Iran's crude is processed at Karg Island, and any disruption to its oil processing could cripple Iran's economy.
Earlier this week in Florida, the president talked about his thinking when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has been effectively blocking.
Take a listen here.
As we continue Operation Epic Fury, we're also focused on keeping energy and oil flowing to the world.
And I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe's oil supply.
And if Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level.
I will take out those targets that were easy and that I mentioned just before.
We'll take them out so quickly, they'll never be able to recover, ever.
If they want to play that game, they better not play that game.
In the long run, oil supplies will be dramatically more secure without the threat of Iranian ships, drones, missiles, nuclear menace, or anything.
So the Strait of Hormuz is going to remain safe.
We have a lot of Navy ships there.
We have the best equipment in the world, inspecting for mines.
Again, most of their ships are down at the bottom of the sea, but we will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world.
They do anything.
There was President Trump on Monday talking about the Strait of Hormuz.
Last night, he announced that the military had struck Karg Island in Iran, marking an escalation because Iran said that that would be a red line.
And another story we saw this week focus on funding for the Department of Homeland Security and the stall in those talks.
I turn to now another political article.
The headline is: Senate rejects DHS funding as shutdown nears one-month mark.
For the fourth time in so many weeks, senators voted down a bill Thursday to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, then left town for the weekend, ensuring the agency remained shuttered past the one-month mark come Friday.
The Senate voted 51 to 46 against moving ahead with the House pass measure to fund all of DHS, failing to meet the 60-vote threshold necessary to move forward.
Take a listen now to this exchange between Democratic Majority Leader John Humer and Senate leader John Thune over these discussions.
So we're going to offer these bills one at a time and see where our Republican colleagues go.
We know the American people are on our side.
We know that the only thing Republicans need to do is stay out of the way, and these programs will be funded today and problems at the airports will go away.
You yield?
I will.
So I assume the Democrat leader is aware of the fact that we have tried repeatedly to fund everything temporarily to allow the negotiations over the ICE budget to continue.
I am well aware, but that hasn't worked.
What can work, and the reason that has not been yielding back is because the Democrats have blocked it.
Yeah, the bottom line is Democrats are ready today.
America, watch.
We will have members on the floor saying, let's fund TSA with no other preconditions.
What will Republicans do?
They're going to see Republicans get up and block it.
It's that simple.
Now, my friend, sometimes, much of the time, my friend, the Republican leader, says, well, you'll only do it if you go along with what we want on ICE and what we want on Border Patrol, highly unpopular and wrong.
So who's standing in the way?
America, look at it.
We're not putting any preconditions on funding TSA.
The Republicans are.
And why?
Mr. President.
Because the Democrats will yield for a question in a minute.
Why?
Because Republicans are in obese to Donald Trump's insistence on having these marauding forces of ICE go through our cities.
We saw what they did in Minneapolis.
We saw what they did in Los Angeles.
We saw what they did in other places.
Americans don't like it.
Trump's numbers have suffered.
And so it's simple.
Don't attach preconditions.
Fund TSA.
Fund CISA.
You'll have that opportunity in a few hours.
And if you get up and block it and say we'll only do it unless Americans will know who's to blame.
I yield.
Well, I would just say again to the Democrat leader that the Democrats have had multiple opportunities, and we'll have another one today, to provide funding for all of the agencies that he just mentioned to allow us to consider, under a continuing resolution, to allow us to consider how we're going to resolve the DHS issues that the Democrat leader has raised, which are being negotiated, I might add, at the moment between Democrats and Republicans in the White House.
So there will be an attempt.
The Democrats will have an opportunity to block, as they have now repeatedly.
So that was the two party leaders in the Senate discussing and quite frankly arguing a bit over DHS funding.
A programming note for you.
On Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of the National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will testify on global threats facing the United States.
The hearing comes as tensions escalate amid ongoing military strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel, and of course, the shutting of DHS.
Watch the House Intelligence Committee hearing live at 2 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN 3, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app and online at c-span.org.
We are talking this morning about top news story of the week.
You can call in and talk about any news story that you've come across.
Democrats, your line is 202-748-8000.
Republicans, your line is 202-748-8001.
Independents, your line is 202-748-8002.
Let's turn to some of your phone calls.
Paul from Idaho, a Republican.
You're first.
Good morning, Paul.
Top News Stories and Caller Lines00:07:35
Thank you.
What's your top news story of the week?
Well, I think it has to do with the war, basically.
You can't call it a war because it's not been declared a war, but nevertheless, it's a police action or whatever you want to call it.
Yeah, it has to do with the same old playbook that Hamas used when they were fighting in Gaza against the Jews.
And that is, they intentionally put sensitive type of buildings and businesses in an area adjacent to or above or below what would seem to be a natural place to have something.
And then, of course, there's a school down below.
So what happened again was the school, the girls' school, school children, yeah, that died.
I guess it was 83 of them or 103 or something.
I'm sorry.
I can't recall the exact number, but yeah, and it's the same exact thing that Hamas was doing all the time.
And when Hamas trained for October 7th, they trained in Iran.
And so when I saw that happen, I just thought, you know, where have I seen this before?
And suddenly it dawned on me that they're calling the same thing in Iran that they did in Gaza.
All right, Paul, let me pull up that article so folks know exactly what you're talking about.
I turned to a New York Times article published two days ago.
It says, U.S. at fault in strike on school in Iran preliminary inquiry says outdated targeting data may have resulted in a mistaken missile strike according to ongoing military investigation and which undercuts President Trump's assertion that Iran could be to blame.
If you just scroll a little bit down, bear with me here.
It says an ongoing military investigation has determined that the United States is responsible for a deadly tomahawk strike on an Iranian elementary school, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with preliminary findings.
The February 28th strike on an elementary school building was a result of targeting mistake by the U.S. military, which was conducting strikes on an adjacent Iranian base, of which the school was formerly a part of.
The preliminary investigation found officers at the U.S. Central Command created the target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
People briefed on the investigation said.
Officials emphasize that the findings are preliminary and that there are important unanswered questions about why outdated information had not been checked.
Striking a school full of children is sure to be recorded as one of the most devastating military errors in recent decades.
Iranian officials have said the death toll was at least 170 people, most of them children, and a full investigation is underway, according to Pete Hegseth, who said that in a press briefing earlier this week.
Fati from New York, an independent.
You're next.
Good morning, Fatih.
What's your top news story of the week?
Yes.
All right.
Good morning, America, and good morning, ma'am.
This is my first time calling your program.
I've never called before.
The reason why I'm calling, let us go all the way back, man, decades and decades back.
A lot of people think that the reason why this fighting is going on right now with Iran, in 1953, the United States government went into Iran and onstalled a democratically elected government and put in the shot of Iran, who the people did not want.
And that was a violation.
So this thing goes all the way back.
It didn't just start in 1979 when the American hostages were seized on the embassy over there.
This goes all the way back.
Then let's go further back.
In Africa, America took out the leader over there, who was the guy in the Congo, known as Patrick Lumuma.
Then they did the same thing in Chile, took out the leader from there.
And then they did the same thing now in another country right there in South America.
Why do people think that America has the right to go around and decide what government people should have or what constitution people should have or what kind of a policy?
Would it be if someone was to come in here and tell the United States we're going to take Trump out and install another government on yours?
So let's think.
This thing goes back yes and yes and what was just happening.
Isn't just happening from Costa What's happening right now?
No.
This is from years and years of frustration.
When we went into the world.
I think we take your point there, Fati.
Homer from Missouri, a Democrat.
You're next.
Good morning.
Good morning, Jasmine.
Good morning.
Good morning, American people.
Where do you start with this guy?
I mean, really?
Well, let's start with your top story of the week.
What's your number one?
Well, the last gentleman was right on the money.
But how about the Tomahawk missile?
And they have no Tomahawk missiles.
And this president is just off the chain.
His little deal in Kentucky the other night.
And Massey's going to win by double digits.
Okay.
So your top news story is both Iran and his comments from Kentucky earlier in the week.
His press conference or whatever, his rally in Kentucky.
The man is not well.
I mean, he looks like he's sweating.
He looks like a Coke fiend up there.
All right.
Pat from New Jersey, a Republican.
Hi, good morning, Steve Span.
Good morning, America.
Good morning.
What's your top news story of the week?
Jasmine, my top story of the week is Homeland Security.
I just wanted to say that the Democrats are holding the American people hostage.
How do you fire them?
By not voting for them.
Thank God President Trump is in.
God bless America.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
That was Pat from New Jersey.
Stan from Alabama, a Democrat.
Good morning, Stan.
What's your top news story of the week?
Good morning.
My top news story, of course, Iranian.
But the fertilizer is going to the club over there.
The American farmers took it on the chin for many years, but right now the price of fertilizer is going to go through the roof, and they're not going to be able to produce crops and make money on them.
And President Trump and them didn't have any kind of plan going into that.
But I mean, they come at my brothers in the Navy in 1979 when they expose the shot.
He's in a missile cruiser circling over there in that part of the world.
And he's got me, my nickname is C-SPAN Stan.
I watch the show quite a bit.
And I love America.
I don't want things to get a whole lot better.
I'm 74 years old.
I was hoping things would be a whole lot better in this country as I got older.
But anyway, the American department is going to tell you to own the gym because of the war.
All right.
Appreciate y'all.
Love you much.
God bless America.
All right.
And another top news story of the week that we have that developed on Friday is I turn now to a roll call article.
Grand Jury Subpoena for Powell00:03:11
The headline is Judge Block's grand jury subpoena and Jerome Powell investigation.
It says Janine Pierrow, the U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, said her office will appeal.
It said the Trump administration vowed Friday to appeal a ruling from a federal judge that an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was likely politically motivated and blocked a grand jury subpoena.
The U.S. attorney made the announcement at a news conference as the ruling was unsealed Friday.
Her office has reportedly been investigating Powell's 2025 testimony before the Senate Banking Committee about cost overruns on renovations to the Federal Reserve building.
Judge James E. Bozberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a decision on Wednesday and said he would unseal it Friday.
The judge cited months of statements by President Trump pressuring Powell to make decisions to lower interest rates and criticize Powell.
Boersberg said that Piro appeared to act at Trump's direction to initiate investigation.
Quote, a mountain of evidence suggests that government that the government served these subpoenas on the board to pressure its chair into voting for lower interest rates or resigning, Bozberg wrote.
On the other side of the scale, the government has produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Powell of a crime.
Indeed, its justifications are so thin and unsubstantiated that the court can only conclude that they are pretextual, Bozberg wrote.
Yesterday, in a press conference, Janine Pierrow told, railed against the decision, two reporters.
She made these comments.
Take a listen.
The American public is fed up with public monies that seem to go into a black hole, especially in D.C., where no one is held accountable.
One of the age-old tools that all prosecutors have to investigate any crime, including cost overruns, is a grand jury subpoena.
Today, however, in Washington, an activist judge has taken that tool away from us.
By inserting himself and preventing the grand jury from even obtaining, let alone hearing evidence.
He has neutered the grand jury's ability to investigate crime.
As a result, Jerome Powell today is now bathed in immunity, preventing my office from investigating the Federal Reserve.
This is wrong, and it is without legal authority.
That was Janine Pirro, U.S. District Attorney for D.C., railing against the decision by Judge Bozberg to throw out the subpoena against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Let's turn back to your calls.
Barbara from Georgia, a Democrat.
Air Force Accident Investigation Update00:07:40
My top story, my top story would be the spending that we're doing.
Right now, everything is so high.
I live on a fixed income, and I can't hardly go to the grocery store and buy groceries.
And then the gasoline.
Lord have mercy.
If you live on a fixed income, you can't hardly get by on a fixed income.
And now, look at the deficit.
Do you think we'll ever get out of debt?
I think if he keeps on, he's going to bankrupt the United States.
I am disgusted with him.
That was Barbara from Georgia.
Christopher from Baltimore, a Republican.
You're next.
Good morning, Christopher.
Christopher, excuse me.
Good morning.
How's everybody doing today?
Doing well.
What's your top news story of the week?
Well, I was thinking about with Gene Piro.
Everybody that is trying to, it seems like President Trump is attacking his own Americans.
Anybody that disagree with him, he's using the Justice Department like they were, like he is a mob boss.
If they don't agree, attack them.
And also, I was thinking about what's going on, which hasn't been mentioned.
We lost three fighter jets.
The other day, a KC-12, the refueling jet, it had crashed.
I'm like, what is going on with the military and our military and the planes that are falling out the sky and all of them were friendly fire.
None of them were taken out by the enemy.
So I think we need to readjust and get, I don't know what we're going to do.
I'm just praying that everybody would just come together and stop this nonsense.
The gentleman early was talking about how the Americans have been always trying to go in and take us like we did Venezuela.
He was attacking Greenland.
He was attacking, now he was talking about Cuba.
This all started when the Europeans left and they took out the Indians.
Where are the Indians at now?
We hardly ever put them on a little tribe.
I pray that we will come to our senses.
And I want to say I thank all the people that host C-SPAM, that they continue to be patient and deal with us on the phone.
I say it takes a lot of patience to deal with the callers that come in.
And I just want to say thank you.
Thanks for calling in, Christopher.
To the first point he mentioned about the Air Force refueler crash.
I'm looking at a Washington Post article that's on the front page of the news today.
The headline is six killed in crash of Air Force Refueler.
It says an apparent mid-air accident.
Other landed safely.
All six service members aboard a U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq while supporting operations in Iran are dead, military officials said Friday.
The KC-135 refueling aircraft was lost while flying over a friendly airspace Thursday in western Iraq, U.S. Central Command said, and an apparent mid-air accident with another aircraft.
CENTCOM's announcement brought the death toll of the crash from four to six after earlier saying that rescue efforts were underway for the last two crew members.
Quote, the circumstances of the incident are under investigation, the CENTCOM statement said, adding that the identities of the deceased personnel would be withheld for 24 hours while the next of kin were notified.
So that's a story in the Washington Post, which you can go read if you want to know more.
Brad, Seattle, Washington, a Democrat.
Good morning.
What's your top news story of the week?
Yeah, I'd like to bring up a news story that has not really gotten a whole lot of attention in the media.
There has been a few outlets that have reported it, including CNN and a few others.
And that is the missing general William McCasslin out of New Mexico.
Now, what people need to understand in the audience and you is that he was one of the most highly briefed, highly cleared generals in America.
I mean, he was a director of the Air Force Research Laboratory in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
He's had several other highly placed positions.
He has knowledge in his head of some of the most sensitive, top-secret activities going on.
And also, what needs to be understood is that he, when the WikiLeaks story was going on, he was revealed in some of the WikiLeaks as being somebody who was willing to come forward and communication with Hillary Clinton involving the now serious and proven topic.
And it's not a conspiracy theory.
It's not cookiness anymore.
It's been admitted by the government, and they've had congressional hearings, and that is the topic of unidentified aerial objects.
UAP.
It's a fact now.
The documentary, The Age of Disclosure, has just watched that.
Marco Rubio, James Clapper, several other highly placed people.
I mean, how much do the people need to be told that the topic of UAP is real?
There are unknown objects in the skies above America and sensitive installations that we are unable to identify.
No.
William McCashlin walked out of his home to go on a hike in New Mexico and has not been seen for two weeks.
If you could put that news story on.
Yep, I've actually got it right here, Brad.
Let me read it for folks so they are on the same page.
I'm reading a New York Times article.
It says, FBI joined search for Air Force general missing for two weeks before he tired.
Major General William McCasklin oversaw a research liberty at Wright Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
I'm just going to scroll a little bit.
Stay with me here.
And so the authorities in New Mexico are searching for a retired high-ranking Air Force officer who has not been seen since he left home in Albuquerque nearly two years ago.
The Bernilio County Sheriff's Office said the retired officer is a former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
He was responsible for managing the Air Force Science and Technology Program and oversaw a global workforce of approximately 10,800 people involved in Air Force technology.
On February 27th, General McCasklin, who retired nearly 13 years ago, left his home near the foothills of the Sendilla Mountains outside of Albuquerque, the sheriff's office said.
The general who is known as Neil is believed to have left the house on foot at about 11 a.m.
Jamie Gonzalez, a sheriff's office spokeswoman, said on Thursday, he left behind his cell phone and prescription glasses, and investigators believe that his hiking boots, wallet, and a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster are missing from the home.
Oklahoma War Claims and Economic Concerns00:12:34
That was in the New York Times.
If you want to go and read some more.
John from Oklahoma, an independent.
You're next.
Good morning, John.
What's your top news story of the week?
Well, good morning.
My name is Guy from Oklahoma.
How are you, Jeff?
Guy?
Oh, I'm good.
How are you?
Yeah, thank you.
Of course, my top story is Iran.
And, you know, people, I'm just shocked that they're taking the side of Iran and not America or Israel, our number one ally.
But going back to 1979, they've had an open declaration of war on America since 1979.
They have an open contract to kill President Trump, which is an act of war in itself.
They have two open contracts on former Secretary of Defenses, which is an act of war in itself.
They've killed thousands of Americans.
They've injured tens of thousands of Americans.
And all those infomercials, videos you see about the Hung V is being blown up and the Wounded Warrior program, all of those injuries that you see, those are all from IEDs from Iran, built by Iran.
Tens of thousands of soldiers maimed and wounded over the last, well, you know, since the 20-year war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And it just shocks me that Americans don't support our troops, our president, and taking out the world's leading sponsor of terrorism.
They're responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of people across the world.
And I'm just flabbergasted that they take the side, especially Democrats, taking the side of Hamas, taking the side of criminals, illegal aliens.
And now they're taking the side of terrorists, for Christ's sakes.
Anyway, enough said on that.
Jasmine, I like you, and I have a piece of a tip for you, a little information.
I saw you when President Trump called on you two times in a row.
Well, I guess about a week, week and a half ago, and the jerk standing behind you, he immediately tried to overpower you and take, take, you know, you should have stood up, raised your hand, and cut him off.
The next time President Trump calls on you, stand up.
Take that.
Be forceful.
Don't let that jerk stand up behind you and overpower you.
And have a great weekend, Jasmine.
Love you.
All right, John.
That was John from Oklahoma with some advice there.
Let's turn to some text that you guys are sending in about your top news story of the week.
Sandy from Bloomington, Indiana, she says, I think the most critical story of the week is Trump trying to rig the elections by trying to pass the SAVE Act, a huge threat for our democracy.
The next one is, I think it is ridiculous that Chuck Schumer and Democrats are not funding DHS over demands they are requesting over ICE and CPB reform.
You don't withhold payments to these brave patriots for doing something that can be resolved through negotiations.
Tony from Long Island, New York.
Another is, my top news story is that Israel decided not to put boots on the ground in Iran.
Israel wants America to put 5,000 American soldiers on the ground in Iran to lose their lives.
From Kevin from Connecticut.
And Barb from Long Grove, Illinois says, top news story of the week is the continuation and escalation of the Iran conflict and its effect on the U.S. economy up to this point.
Let's turn back to some phone calls.
Dexter from Opaloka, Florida.
I love to say that word, a Democrat, Opaloca.
Good morning.
Good morning, Top.
Top news story.
Good morning, Ms. Willie Carl.
Opalaka.
Opalaka.
Okay.
Don't let the people of Florida see this right now.
What's your top news story of the week?
Go ahead.
First of all, you're looking lovely, Deswana.
I love the white.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Now, my top story is, first of all, I'm an American first.
I have many Democrat, Republicans, and Independent friends.
I love what Marjorie Taylor Greene said.
I think it was yesterday.
She do not agree with who she supported all this time on this agenda because what they voted for is not what he's following.
So my top story is Marjorie Taylor Green.
And if you could find what she said, I think it was yesterday, I would really appreciate it.
And I'm not going to take up all your time.
But yes, he decided she's no longer going to continue to drink the Kool-Aid.
All right.
She's actually incredibly productive on X, but I think I found one that's at the top of her feed.
It says, I've been on the phone with some of the top American first conservative leaders.
We're all in agreement.
The admin and Republican Party is going in the wrong direction on key issues like the war, Epstein, and especially domestic issues, and has become completely hijacked by the Lindsey Grahams, Mark Loveland, and the neocon establishment.
Republicans, we all voted against.
The future of America belongs to us, the younger generations, and not boomers in charge.
And a large, excuse me, I and other in charge and their boomer donors, I and others have been doing our part to call out the wrongs and fight back, and a large percentage of Americans agree.
But I can't impart on you all enough that the power to make changes on the outside.
After five years of trying while in Congress, I can tell you firsthand, it's completely broken and controlled.
An entire generation of elected officials, their donors, and controlling interests have to be removed, and it's both sides.
Sam from Boston, an independent.
Good morning.
What's your top news story of the week, Sam?
Good morning.
My top story is how this Trump guy can con people like John in Oklahoma into a war of which, you know, Trump campaigned on the total opposite, which was we are not going to do this.
And you can just say anything to these people like John in Oklahoma.
You know, and by the way, check out that state.
It ranks towards the bottom of the barrel in most metrics, whether it's education or what have you.
But, you know, these Trump people, they will just go along with anything because they don't have integrity.
So your top news story of the week is Iran.
Anything specific that's happening to Americans?
That's how we got conned into a war by people who lie to us and make fun of our veterans.
I want that guy, John, in Oklahoma, to go look up how Trump made fun of POWs.
And just, I would ask him how he can even sleep at night.
All right.
Sam from Boston.
I think we got your point there.
Bill from Michigan, a Democrat.
Good morning.
What's your top news story of the week?
Good morning.
Thank you for taking my call.
I just want to say, can the right explain why when President Biden pulled out of Afghanistan and 12 Americans were killed in a bomb explosion, they sacrificed for a reason to get out of Afghanistan and stop that war.
The right wanted to hang President Biden.
Now, with no benefits for the USA, Trump is getting Americans killed without a plan.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Trump and Republican.
Same as gas prices.
His response, oh, well, that's just the way it goes.
Is that really how it's going to happen, people?
Is this what you voted for?
I did not.
It's not what I voted for.
And I'm sick of them telling me I'm not patriotic.
I flied my flag 365 days, and I am very patriotic as a Democrat.
Stop telling me I don't love America.
It's not your right to say that to anybody.
So I appreciate the call.
Thank you, and you have a good day.
Bye.
That was Bill from Michigan, a Democrat.
One story that published overnight that I read and I want to share with you guys on the Iran issue is from the Wall Street Journal.
The headline there is: President knew the risk of closure of Hormuz Strait still went to war.
It says before the U.S. went to war, General Dan Kaine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told President Trump that an American attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Kaine said in several briefings that the U.S. officials had long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones, and missiles to close the world's most vital shipping lane, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
Trump acknowledged these risks, these people said, but moved forward with the most consequential foreign policy decision of his two presidencies.
He told his team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait, and even if Iran tried, the U.S. military could handle it.
Now, two weeks into Iran's war, now two weeks into the war, Iran's leaders have refused to back down, and the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as Tehran's most potent leverage point.
Iran has blocked tankers from the strait and struck cargo ships, triggering a surge in oil prices and an energy shock rippling around the world.
U.S. forces are targeting Iran's mine-laying ships and factories, trying to prevent the country from lining the waterway with explosives.
Harold from Tennessee, a Democrat.
You're next.
Harold, what's your top news starter of the week?
Well, thank you for taking my call to start with.
The economy.
Look at where the economy is going.
It is falling down the tube.
And healthcare.
People are dying from lack of health care.
And this is not, you know, this right here is just sleeping out of the table.
People, I think I read somewhere that 68,000 people died a year from lack of health care.
We're becoming a sicker nation.
A sicker nation is a weaker nation.
And people can't, they're getting to where they can't afford to buy their food now.
We're back to that point again where we buy food or we buy groceries, medicine, or we buy groceries.
And people are going to have to choose food because you got to eat.
But 68,000 people a year die already from lack of health care.
And it's driving people into bankruptcy.
A sick nation is a weak nation.
And look at the price of everything that you see out here.
Gasoline is only one thing.
The price of food when you go in the store in this war right here is just part of covering up these Epstein files.
And for the life of me, I cannot see where all these churches are running around still supporting a child molester.
If this would have been Joe Biden's name and them.
All right, that was Harold from Tennessee.
Later on in the show, we'll have on Heather Long, who is going to be talking about the economy with us.
I hope you guys call in if you have specific questions for her.
She's one of my favorite people to talk about the economy.
And I turn, just because that caller was mostly talking about the economy, to a Washington Post.
We were doing a lot of newspaper today, guys.
Article.
It says the economy was shakier than thought before the outset of the war in the Middle East.
Benchmarks, which predate offensive against Iran, point to weaker growth, pesky inflation.
It says the U.S. economy was in worse shape in the weeks before the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran than earlier government estimates had suggested, according to two closely watched economic benchmarks released Friday, painting a picture of slowing growth and stubborn inflation.
The Commerce Department downward revised its estimate of economic growth in the fourth quarter of last year, saying that gross domestic product expanded at just 0.7% annual rate in the final three months of 2025, much smaller than the 1.4% pace the department had reported in advance estimate of last month.
Now, that is, of course, during the shutdown time, which affected those numbers.
But again, we'll be talking to Heather Long later on in the show all about the economy.
And we hope you guys stay tuned.
Let's turn back to some phone calls.
Funeral Respect and GDP Revision00:02:06
Becky from Massachusetts, Republican.
Yes, good morning.
Good morning, Becky.
What's your top news story of the week?
I just want to say I am a mega person from Massachusetts, the Democratic state of Massachusetts.
But what I wanted to say to you is: you are beautiful, you are intelligent, and you are a great asset to this show.
Oh, thanks, Becky.
For those people that think we are all racist, I truly think that you are a great asset to the show.
And my comment today was not what I had generally wanted to bring up, but because it's the biggest news story of the week and there has not been a lot said about it,
is Jesse Jackson Jr. slams Obama, Biden, and Clinton at his father's funeral for bringing up and talking political stuff, trashing Trump.
And it's not a new thing at the funeral.
A funeral is where we pay respect.
And I'm not saying that if Trump had gotten up, gone to a funeral and gotten up, he might say this stuff.
It's not the time to disrespect the person that they're having the funeral for.
It's time for respect.
Thank you.
All right, Becky from Massachusetts.
I can read that article very quickly.
I turned to Fox News article.
It says, Jesse Jackson Jr. rebukes Obama, Clinton, and Biden for not truly knowing his father during memorial service.
If you scroll down a little bit more, bear with me here.
It says, during his father's memorial service on Saturday, Jesse Jackson Jr. Offered a sharp rebuke of the tributes given by former Democratic President Bill Clinton.