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April 8, 2026 12:33-13:26 - CSPAN
52:59
Viewer Reaction to Ceasefire in Iran

Viewer Reaction to Ceasefire in Iran examines Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's push for a war powers resolution amidst conflicting reports on a tentative U.S., Israel, and Iran truce. While President Trump accuses opponents of fraud regarding uranium removal and hosts NATO Secretary General Mark Ruda, callers debate the deal's viability, citing fears of nuclear escalation, potential tolls in the Straits of Hormuz, and concerns over Trump's emotional stability. Ultimately, the segment highlights deep polarization between those demanding congressional restraint and others advocating for military solutions or impeachment due to perceived executive overreach. [Automatically generated summary]

Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo Source
Participants
Main
j
john mcardle
cspan 13:50
Appearances
j
jd vance
admin 02:59
Clips
c
chuck schumer
sen/d 00:12
k
karoline leavitt
admin 00:15
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Speaker Time Text
White House Ceasefire Deal 00:14:56
chuck schumer
Publicly and privately told the White House just what we've said here.
Any other questions?
unidentified
Can you speak directly with the President?
No.
Did you try to?
chuck schumer
We spoke through the administration.
The president was not available.
unidentified
Okay.
Okay.
Thank you.
chuck schumer
Thank you, everybody.
Thank you for coming.
john mcardle
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer there promising calling for a war powers resolution vote next week in the Senate.
And we are expected to hear more today coming up in about a half an hour from White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt.
Next up on the docket today, if you continue watching the C-SPAN networks, 1 p.m. Eastern, she will brief reporters.
We'll see if the president joins her as well in the White House briefing room.
Continue watching here on c-span, c-span.org, and of course, take it with you as you go on the free C-SPAN now video app.
Here's the latest news update from the Associated Press.
The headline, U.S. and Israel and Iran agree to a tentative ceasefire, even as the terms remain unclear.
The terms remaining unclear, a key point right now, the Associated Press writing in their reporting, all sides have presented vastly different versions of the terms.
Iran said that the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the Straits of Hormuz.
President Trump said that the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that.
So some disagreement on the latest on the terms.
The president clearly paying attention to that point because of his latest truth social post.
This is what the president had to say just after noon Eastern time today, posting numerous agreements, lists, and letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the USA-Iran negotiations.
In many cases, they are total fraudsters, charlatans, and worse.
The president going on to say they will be rapidly exposed after our federal investigation is completed.
There is only one group, he said, of meaningful points that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these negotiations.
These are the points that are the basis on which we agree to a ceasefire.
It is something that is reasonable and can easily be dispensed with.
It's very much like fake news CNN last night headlining a source that had no power or authority to write a letter claiming great authority.
Signing again, President Donald J. Trump.
I was the president from just about a half an hour ago.
Again, we may hear from him in the White House briefing room today.
Right now, we're told it's just Caroline Levitt with reporters, but the president is at the White House today.
He's hosting NATO Secretary General Mark Ruda for a 3 p.m. meeting today.
That's scheduled to be behind closed doors.
We'll see if the president takes some questions just before, just after that meeting, or if he shows out up in the White House briefing room.
A lot going on today.
Stay with us and continue to call in on phone lines for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
202-748-8001 for Republicans.
Democrats, it's 202-748-8000.
Independents, 202-748-8002.
Forgi is waiting out of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.
Republican Forge, good morning.
unidentified
Yes.
john mcardle
Or good afternoon.
unidentified
Good morning.
I am a Marine veteran.
I served during the time of the Beirut bombing.
I handled the bodies coming back.
Mr. Schumer, you're wrong.
I had two of the people that was captured in the embassy.
They told us what happened.
You could have stopped it, but you told them to lay their weapons down.
Beirut, you did nothing.
The coal, you did nothing.
You caused Ukraine to go to war.
You fed that war.
You gave the Iranians the money to build those bombs.
So remember who is responsible.
I used to be a Democrat, but I changed party with Reagan.
And I am so glad I changed parties because you guys don't care crap about the military.
The veterans are none of us, and we are not stupid.
We know it.
We are numbers to you.
That's all we are.
But we know when we're called to go, we go.
We don't care where we have to go.
We save our people, our country, and we are honored to go.
These people know we could not.
john mcardle
Can you talk a little bit about your service during the bombing in Beirut and what the reaction was like when that happened and all those Marines perished?
unidentified
Those guys went to go in peace.
There were 241 Marines, and it was 263 altogether, counting the corpsmen and everything.
My job is to handle the bodies when they come back to get them ready to go home for their final resting place.
And it bothers me to hear these Democrats talk like, oh, you know, that was nothing.
Then the coal got hit.
More Marines and sailors killed.
They don't think about that.
They think of what Iranians go through.
Iran don't care about us or nobody.
They don't care about their own people.
These people want this.
They want free of their country.
Why is the Democrats they don't like Trump?
That's their problem.
But I tell you what, I'll stand beside Trump all the way because he's doing the right thing because eventually Iran will have a nuclear bomb, and then it's going to be too late.
So that Democrat from Kentucky, I was born and raised in Kentucky, went in the Marine Corps in Kentucky.
You're wrong.
You have to be in uniform and see what's going on to know what to talk about and to see it for yourself.
john mcardle
That's Forge out of Pennsylvania.
This is Brett in Port Charlotte, Florida, Independent.
Thanks for waiting.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Good afternoon.
You know, I've been listening to a lot of callers over the last few days or so, and it's good to see all the concern with the American people.
I see a lot of polarization.
I still see a lot of political stone throwing with the beliefs among callers.
I have heard a few callers address what I am concerned about now, and it is the Islamic religion as it concerns the type of governments that the Western countries desire to see put in place in the Middle East.
Is this type of government going to be compatible with this Islamic religion?
You know, I am not Islamic.
I was raised Protestant Christian in Tennessee on the buckle of the Bible Belt, so I had my fair share of religion.
But I, you know, I don't quite understand if it's going to be compatible or not with the Islamic religion.
They seem to be making it work in some countries, but there still seems to be a dictator aspect to a lot of it.
And even the countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, there's still a little bit of a dictator aspect to it, even though these countries claim to be diplomatic.
Is this going to work in the Middle East?
You know, what Trump wants to do as far as if it needs to be done, I think that Iran has been antagonizing the whole world for about 50 years.
And my one concern with Iran, and the last caller addressed this, is, you know, their concern with nuclear weapons.
I mean, if they are able to put a nuclear weapon together, I really do think they probably would use it at some point in time on Israel.
They do not like the Jews.
They never have.
They refuse to get along with them.
You know, is it going to work?
john mcardle
That's Brett in Florida.
This is David in Florida.
Boca Rattan, line for Democrats.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Thank you.
I think that Trump had a migraine around one hour before the decision was made to make an agreement or reach agreement for ceasefire.
Because if he had gone forward, he would have had to commit criminal acts that would have resulted in the, I think, his disposition from the presidency.
As far as Israel is concerned with the agreement, I'd like to think that they can keep the agreement, but they are thinking independently of the United States.
The decision for this to occur in the beginning didn't stem from what happened 43 years ago when the Beirut barracks was bombed.
This is something more recent.
The concept here now of attacking Iran is entirely the doing of the Israelis and the United States.
They had no allies in the world to assist them.
This was a mistake that was brought out.
And I think the individual who said that we keep our agreements, it's laughable to think that we keep our agreements.
If we had kept the agreement we had with the Iranians over their nuclear force, we probably would have had a better agreement over time.
This would not have been necessary.
Indeed, diplomacy was working when the decision was made to bomb the Iranian capital.
I think that the Omanis said that they were coming to the conclusion that the Iranians were willing to give up the control of the advancement of their nuclear program and to stop the enrichment.
One thing last, the enrichment of Iranium is not bomb-worthy until they have plutonium, and they weren't anywhere near getting plutonium, which is required for an atomic bomb.
Thank you very much.
john mcardle
That's David in Boca Rattan, Florida, talking about how this decision came about, how this conflict began.
You've probably seen reference to this story in the New York Times front page story, how Trump took the U.S. to war with Iran.
In a series of situation room meetings, President Trump weighed his instincts against deep concerns of his vice president and a pessimistic intelligence assessment.
Here's the inside story of how he made that fateful decision going inside the briefing room with sources being quoted there.
The New York Times with that story, again, you can read it today in the paper.
You can read it online, and you can talk about it here on C-SPAN.
This is Estelle in Indianapolis, Indiana, independent.
Stell, go ahead.
unidentified
Yes, first of all, first of all, I want to thank Senator Schumer for laying out the facts.
And just continuing with the facts, we know that we had a diplomatic peace agreement in place that was working under a previous administration.
john mcardle
Estelle, you still with us?
I think we lost to Stell.
Let me go to Chris.
unidentified
Hello.
john mcardle
Go ahead, Estelle.
Finish your thoughts.
unidentified
Okay, I'm sorry.
I was saying, first of all, I wanted to thank Senator Schumer for laying out the facts.
But I think we can all agree that we had a diplomatic peace agreement in place that was working.
But, you know, then we had a president that we know tore it up, you know, a compromised president who was compelled to do things.
And I think this started out just to be a distraction from some personal things.
He was trying to avoid being exposed.
But anyway, getting beyond that, now we have soldiers and innocent Iranians who have lost their lives.
We still don't understand why we're there.
And then now they're coming out with almost daily press conferences, you know, with information that is not accurate, you know, some propaganda talk, which is sad.
And they're trying to put a spin on it that we've won.
You know, they've said that the war was over.
They won.
Each day is a different scenario.
But we haven't won.
We're still in the middle of a mess.
The country is worse off.
And they're trying to spend it as a win.
But it seems that we have been outsmarted.
This administration has been outsmarted on every hand from day one.
And the only winners in this is Netanyahu.
Putin.
You know, Netanyahu, he got us into this in the first place, trying to cover First Fran.
Then we got Putin, whose sanctions were lifted off of his country.
So they're going to start getting hundreds of millions of dollars, you know, with all this stuff.
And now you have Iran, who are now going to get hundreds of millions of dollars because they could now start charging for people going through the Strait of Hermoz.
john mcardle
That's Estelle in Indiana.
Estelle, you mentioned daily press conferences.
There is one scheduled for today in about 30 minutes.
You can see reporters are gathering in the Brady briefing room at the White House, and we will take you there when that begins.
We also, earlier today, brought in some of the footage from Vice President JD Vance's trip to Hungary.
He made his first statements publicly about the ceasefire during an event on stage.
This is about two minutes of JD Vance from earlier today on that trip to Hungary.
unidentified
I have the opportunity now to ask you about Iran.
There are latest developments, I think very positive developments during the night that we received that there is a ceasefire.
What can we do no more about the latest developments in the Middle East?
jd vance
Yes, that's why I was a little late this morning.
I was up very late last night and talking about that.
Look, I do think there are good developments here.
And let me just say a few things.
First of all, what the president set out to do was decimate the Iranian military, decimate their ability to wage conventional war.
And that military objective, as the president said yesterday, as I said yesterday, has been achieved.
And because of that, what the president did is he basically issued an ultimatum to the Iranians.
He said, open up the straits, stop trying to hold the world's economy hostage, and will engage in a ceasefire.
And that's exactly the agreement that we came to last night.
The Iranians have agreed to open up the straits.
The United States has agreed to stop attacking.
And that, not just the United States, but also our allies have agreed to stop attacking.
And that is the basis of this fragile truce that we have, which is now, you know, eight to 12 hours old.
Now, here's what I'll say about this.
I've learned a lot about the Iranian system and a lot about the way the Iranians negotiate.
As the president told me last night, the Iranians are better negotiators than they are fighters.
Fragile Truce Explained 00:07:34
jd vance
I'm sure they don't like to hear that, but it's true.
But here's a couple things.
So, one, just in the response that we've seen from various segments of Iran, you have on the one hand, people within Iran who have responded very favorably.
The foreign minister who said, look, we agreed to the United States' terms.
We'll do a ceasefire.
We'll do a negotiation.
We'll open the straits of Hormuz, and then we'll see if we can come to more agreement down the road.
So some of the people have responded favorably and have said the right things.
And then you have some people on social media within their system who are basically lying about what we've accomplished militarily.
They're lying about the nature of the agreement.
They're lying about the nature of the ceasefire.
And so you have just even within their system, and this is why I say this is a fragile truce, you have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal.
And then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we've already struck.
And that's just an interesting thing about their system.
And the final point that I'll say about this is: the President of the United States has told me, and he's told the entire negotiating team, the Secretary of State, the Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, he said, go and work in good faith to come to an agreement.
That is what he has told us to do.
If the Iranians are willing in good faith to work with us, I think we can make an agreement.
If they're going to lie, if they're going to cheat, if they're going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we've set up from taking place, then they're not going to be happy.
Because what the president has also shown is that we still have clear military, diplomatic, and maybe most importantly, we have extraordinary economic leverage.
So the president has told us not to use those tools.
He's told us to come to the negotiating table.
But if the Iranians don't do the exact same thing, they're going to find out that the President of the United States is not one to mess around.
He's impatient.
He's impatient to make progress.
He has told us to negotiate in good faith.
And I think if they negotiate in good faith, we will be able to find a deal.
That's a big if.
And ultimately, it's up to the Iranians how they negotiate.
I hope they make the right decision.
john mcardle
Vice President JD Vance calling it a fragile truce earlier today.
We'll hear more from White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt in approximately 20 minutes or so.
We're expecting a briefing to begin, and we will take you inside the Brady briefing room for that.
In the meantime, your phone calls on this ceasefire deal, a two-week ceasefire deal.
And we've been talking about it all morning long here on C-SPAN.
This is Christian, waiting in Connecticut, a Republican.
Christian, thanks for waiting.
Your thoughts this afternoon.
unidentified
Good afternoon, everyone.
I'd just like to say God bless the caller from Pennsylvania.
And I have an idea that everybody should think about, including the President.
If we shared the oil revenue from Iran 50-50, they would have enough incentive to keep the straits open, not have any tolls, rebuild their country, and pay us back for the costs of setting up this whole situation.
So 50-50 split on the Iranian oil revenue in the future.
And I think that it would be one of those situations.
Take it or leave it.
They can get it 50% or nothing.
And I think that they're smart enough to understand that it's the economy, stupid.
The one good idea the Democrats have come up with.
john mcardle
That's Christian in the Constitution State.
Next door to the Bay State.
This is Thomas Independent.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Hi.
So to understand the ceasefire and the resolution of the big conflict between the U.S. and Iran in the future, so you really have to understand both sides.
And this is one of the things that there are differences between Democrats and Republicans.
So Democrats think that there can be some agreement.
There can be sort of a kumbaya moment.
A lot of times Republicans don't think that.
And I'm on that side.
If you look at the things that have happened in Iran, they kill their own people.
They target civilians in Israel.
And they attack civilian infrastructure.
The thing that people are worried about Trump complaining about, they already do it.
So my opinion on them is that they are not really willing to come to the table.
So I think for the ceasefire and then the ultimate solution, I think the only thing is basically a military solution where there isn't a resolution.
Either we can keep the Strait of Humanities safe ourselves, just completely, we can just keep it safe, or we can make it cost too much for them to keep their war effort going.
So now, I would like to say, I have, I watched the, I think it's the military show on YouTube, and I'm curious about actually how the war is going, because when you look at the...
john mcardle
What military show are you referring to, Thomas?
unidentified
So on YouTube, there is a channel, I believe it's the military channel or the military show.
And this is the only place that I've gotten this kind of information.
And it's a little bit about the actual war going on.
So like ATEN Warthogs going in, clearing up the boats, Ukrainian drones, laser weapons, taking out drones.
john mcardle
You're interested in the tactical side of this war?
unidentified
Right.
So what I'm saying is that if I knew more about the tactical side, it would give me a better clue.
Because can we keep the streets clear if we have this good military, not the high-powered takeout big targets, but take out the massive drone attacks that Iran is doing.
Gotcha.
john mcardle
Got your point, Thomas.
This is McKenzie waiting in Washington as we continue to wait on this White House press briefing.
Mackenzie, go ahead.
unidentified
Hello.
Given all the peoples that the Iranian government and its proxies persecute, there is one group out of Pakistan that it ultimately persecutes.
Specifically, it originated in Qadian, Pakistan, in the Punjab region called the Ahmadi Muslims.
It is by certain Sunni and Shia scholars called not, they're called apostates because they believe a lot differently than that of the Sunnis and Shias.
john mcardle
So Mackenzie, can you bring me to the ceasefire and this conflict?
unidentified
Well, as a LDS person, I believe that how we got to this in the first place is both my progressive and conservative LDS colleagues, I mean, maybe more that the conservative than the progressive voted for him, and they're ultimately seeing the fruits of their labor.
Trump Joins Israel War 00:02:30
unidentified
But I'm glad there's at least a pause in this.
I hope it lasts, but I don't see it lasting as far as it has lasted with any previous ceasefire, say, between Israel and Iran.
john mcardle
On how we got to this, I want to come back to that New York Times story that's getting a lot of attention, how Trump took the U.S. to war with Iran.
The authors of that story, Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman.
Let me just give you the first couple graphs of that story.
It goes inside the White House briefing rooms and inside some of the cabinet meetings that have taken place.
This is how it begins.
The black SUV carrying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the White House just before 11 a.m. on February the 11th.
The Israeli leader who had been pressing for months for the U.S. to agree to a major assault on Iran was whisked inside with little ceremony out of view of reporters, primed for one of the most high-stakes moments of his long career.
U.S. and Israeli officials gathered first in the cabinet room adjacent to the Oval Office.
Then, Mr. Netanyahu headed downstairs for the main event, a highly classified presentation on Iran for President Trump and his team in the White House Situation Room, which is rarely used for in-person meetings with foreign leaders.
Mr. Trump sat down, but not in his usual position at the head of the room's mahogany conference table.
Instead, the president took a seat on one side facing the large screen mounted along the wall.
Mr. Netanyahu sat on the other side, directly opposite the president.
That story goes on to note what happened in that meeting.
The presentation that Mr. Netanyahu would make over the next hour would be pivotal in setting the United States and Israel on the path toward a major armed conflict in the middle of one of the world's most volatile regions.
And it would lead to a series of discussions inside the White House over the following days and weeks, the details of which have not been previously reported, in which Mr. Trump weighed his options and the risks before giving the go-ahead to join Israel in attacking Iran.
The account is drawn from reporting for the forthcoming book between Ms. Haberman and Mr. Swan, Regime Change is the name of that book inside the imperial presidency of Donald Trump coming out in the next month or two.
That was announced this week.
And that story is one of those scenes from that book.
As we wait for the scene in the White House briefing room, back to your phone calls.
Jerome's Victory Watch 00:15:03
john mcardle
This is Jerome in Church Hill, Tennessee, Independent.
Jerome, go ahead.
unidentified
Yeah, John, thanks.
It's been a while since I've talked to you.
I'm going to throw being a former baseball pitcher in college.
I'm going to throw a curveball and say something.
This morning, flipped on my phone and had anything to do with the war, but it was the Artemis.
And when you see those pictures of our big, beautiful earth, then you see the dark side of the moon.
We don't want to go that route.
We want peace.
But 90, almost 100% of the wars since humans have Adam and Eve, boom, there's always been wars.
How do you stop it?
If it's religion, I can't change that.
People disagree for this or that or whatever, but looking at our earth and thinking how much violence is on it and how beautiful it is, and you look at the dark side of the moon and you go, whoa, we don't want to be that way.
And it's, you know, I'm saying, like John Lennon, give peeps a chance.
But if it's a religious, if somebody doesn't believe what I believe religious-wise, I don't hate them, but they hate me.
So I don't know.
Anyway, God bless America.
john mcardle
That's Jerome in Tennessee.
This is Paul, Crestwood, Kentucky, Democrat.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Hi, John.
My personal opinion on all of it is this truce is a BS move.
They've lied to us all along.
And everything this man does is to stay out of jail.
If he stays in office, he stays out of jail.
Everybody just needs to follow the money because everything he's doing is to get our empty our coffers so he can stay out of jail and get as much money as he can to fight the lawsuits.
That's all I got to say.
Thanks.
john mcardle
On the Bluegrass State to Maine, Beverly is waiting.
Republican.
Beverly, go ahead.
unidentified
Hello.
Thank you so much for taking my call.
I was very surprised to get through.
I've been watching She's France since she began.
I'm 89 years old.
I'm a Republican, a conservative, and I love this country, and I love other people in the country.
And everybody, everybody should listen to everybody, but listen to the truth.
I don't discuss politics anymore with anybody but Republicans who think like me because I just say to them, watch Fox for the truth.
It's just heartbreaking.
Israel has always been targeted, and they have the right to defend themselves, as do we.
But as far as Iran is concerned, I've watched it from the very beginning when all those hostages were taken and then let loose.
And I watched Reagan say, take down the Berlin Wall.
And Trump loves his country.
He truly does.
And I wish people would just listen to Fox for a little bit.
I watch all the channels because I want to know what they're saying.
And it's unbelievable what the other channels are doing.
And they're not for this country, I'm sorry to say.
I hope that their hearts will think differently.
If the Democrats would stop what they're doing, because they're responsible for this, not getting together with Republicans.
And if they had all worked together, we can achieve peace on this earth if everybody is willing.
Thank you for taking my call so much.
john mcardle
That's Beverly in Maine.
This is Rosemary in Rockville Center, New York, Independent.
Good morning.
unidentified
Good morning.
How are you?
john mcardle
I'm doing well.
I should say good afternoon at this point.
unidentified
Yeah, that's true.
I just want to say, as far as the ceasefire, I don't think this is such a good deal.
If you look at the 10 points that you're showing, all of them, who do they favor?
Iran.
So how do we say we won?
I mean, we go back to when he was with Zelensky and said, we have all the cards.
Well, right now, Iran has all the cards.
Heard it last night, too.
Whoever has the straight of her control, that's who is winning this war.
And anybody who sees other than that is, you know, very foggy as far as I'm concerned.
john mcardle
You talk about the 10 points.
Did you see the president's latest true social post?
He seems to be responding to reports about what these points are in art.
If you hadn't seen it, this is part of what the president posted just around noon, about an hour ago.
Numerous agreements, lists, and letters are being sent out by people that have absolutely nothing to do with the USA-Iran negotiation.
In many cases, they are total fraudsters, charlatans, and worse.
He said there is only one group of meaningful points that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these negotiations.
It goes on from there.
Did you see that?
What are your thoughts?
unidentified
No, I haven't seen that, and I don't know how much I could believe it, too.
I mean, you see what these people are doing, and, you know, it just, anything that comes from them, to me, they do nothing but lie, this administration.
That's what I say.
Nothing true.
And go just look at JD Vance today talking.
Why is he stumping for Victor Orban?
I mean, it's crazy.
Why is he allowed to do that?
He should have nothing to do with other countries' elections.
It's just so disheartening, and it makes me not proud to be an American.
You know, I really don't.
And he's, to me, the president is like losing his mind.
Look what he did on Easter with the vulgarity and other things that he's said recently.
I mean, they just saw him Easter with the kids, and what does he do?
He brings up Autopen about Joe Biden with little kids.
I mean, really, I just don't understand this.
He acts like a friggin' five-year-old, you know?
And I think we deserve a lot better.
And I hope to goodness that the Congress, when they do come back in the Senate, really, really, definitely, seriously starts thinking about impeachment for this minute or the 25th Amendment.
Thank you.
john mcardle
That's Rosemary in New York.
Chuck Schumer earlier today was talking about a war powers vote when the Senate returns next week, promising that that would happen.
We'll see what happens with the Senate legislative schedule when they do return.
We are also waiting to see what happens in the White House briefing room.
A press conference was scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern.
They're usually a few minutes late to start.
You can see all the reporters have gathered, and we'll take you there when it does begin.
Until then, we'll hear from David in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Democrat, go ahead.
unidentified
Well, hello, everyone.
I have to say that I'm, in many ways, being a Democrat against war, I can say that.
But also, I have to say there have been many poignant times throughout my life.
I'm 70 years old, and I feel that starting, say, with the Kennedy assassination and then the Martin Luther King assassination, they have been very compelling points that have affected society.
But I think that when we were taken hostage in 1979 for 444 days, that it was a much more turning point than I ever realized because we allowed something to happen that we never would have thought could happen.
So that part being said, we did attempt to rescue them.
But after that initial attempt, we didn't do anything else.
For whatever reason, I think the number 444 has some significance.
I don't remember what I heard it is in the Islamic religion.
Also, I can't understand totally what happened that they did release the prisoners back then.
john mcardle
That's David.
This is Rodney in Kentucky, Republican.
Go ahead.
Rodney, you're with us.
We'll schedule for 1 p.m. Eastern.
Then we go to Indianapolis again.
This is David, Democrat.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Actually, Brower County, Florida.
One thing, maybe the only thing.
john mcardle
Go for it.
Sorry about that.
unidentified
That's quite all right.
One thing, maybe the only thing that Chuck Suber said that was important to me was forcing another vote on the War Powers Act.
After what we've just witnessed in the last couple of days, it's absolutely necessary that that vote be made, that the Republicans be forced to respond to it in view of what's occurred.
They need to do something to put a bridle on this man because we've got two and a half more years of him, and he is not emotionally stable or mentally fit.
I also would like to say that the The war that was started can't be ended by a negotiation with the United States that no one trusts.
Our friends and allies don't trust.
Obviously, our opponents don't trust.
The Russians don't trust us.
The Chinese don't trust us.
No one trusts the word of Donald Trump.
That's concerning.
So I don't see that there's much going to be positive.
The last point I wanted to make is: I'm waiting here to see what Caroline Levitt says, and I expect it's going to be more of the promotion of the wonderful victory that I heard Hegset say this morning in his 8 o'clock speech.
And that's not a victory.
We do not have a victory.
john mcardle
David, if you had a seat in the White House briefing room today and you got called on, what question would you ask?
unidentified
I would like to know what happened in the last hour before Trump turned tail and tacoed away from doing a massive destruction allegedly he was going to do to a foreign country that caused him to agree.
What was happening there?
Who was counseling him?
What was the Joint Chief's senior person, Kane, saying to him?
What was the Secretary of State saying to him?
Who was counseling him that it's insane to do what he wants to do?
That's what I'd like to know.
She's probably in the room, but I doubt that she'll be forthcoming.
john mcardle
David, Axios reporting some of the developments on Monday, according to three different sources with knowledge to it.
Not about what was happening in the president's room, but what was happening in Iran.
Officials in the U.S. and Israel learned of an intriguing development on Monday with President Trump's ultimatum looming.
The Supreme Leader of Iran had instructed his negotiators for the first time since the war began to move towards a deal according to their sources.
And that is how this eventually came together.
What are your thoughts on that?
unidentified
I'd like to think it was true, and I'm surprised they were trying to move toward a deal before he dropped the bomb, the bombs on Israeli targets.
That was what was coming out of the media, that there was close to a deal, and then he dropped the bomb because Netanyahu was going to kill the leaders of Iran.
So I'm happy to know that, but look at all the carnage that's occurred.
And last point, I guess.
Why should they charge the world fees to come through the straits when it's the United States and Israel that have decimated much of Tehran and other parts of Iran?
They should be making payments back to Iran, and including the families of the 158 children that our mistake caused the death of at the school.
That's not for the rest of the world to pay off for this damage.
It's for the United States and for Israel to come up with the money, in my opinion.
john mcardle
That's David in Florida.
This is Liz Utica, New York, Independence.
Liz, go ahead.
unidentified
Thank you for having me.
I'm wondering, we're only in Israel because the Epstein files.
He went into war with Netanyahu, having a good thing going to shut everything up and keep everybody busy and poor in this country.
He should have been in Ukraine helping them fix that war first.
They got attacked.
We're attacking Iran.
This is okay for these people.
I don't understand it.
Congress, the Republican Congress, should be fired, not paid just like the rest of the Americans who are not getting paid.
This is what I'd like to say.
Everybody seems to be okay with this man.
I don't know what's the matter with this president, that he gets away with anything and everything that he wants.
And everybody says he's great.
The Republicans can't hear, can't see.
Poor Iran is doing everything.
NATO is doing everything they could to help him without getting in trouble over there.
john mcardle
Speaking of NATO, the NATO Secretary General Mark Ruda is at the White House today, an expected meeting with President Trump set to take place at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Corrupt Clown President 00:02:57
john mcardle
As we've noted, right now it's closed to press.
It'll be behind closed doors, but there may be one of those photo opportunities where the president may take a few questions.
So we'll watch to see if that happens from the White House today.
Right now, we're waiting for Caroline Levitt to join reporters in the Brady briefing room for today's briefing.
Obviously, it is packed in the briefing room.
Reporters at the ready.
It should begin momentarily.
When it does, we'll go there live.
Until then, your phone calls.
Jared, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Republican.
Go ahead.
Thanks for waiting.
unidentified
Hello.
john mcardle
Go ahead, sir.
unidentified
Yes.
I thank you for taking my call.
And I think that they should get that clown out of there because he's going to corrupt the United States.
And he wants to go in another country and then take over another country.
He can't run this country.
He will get us corrupt.
Bankrupt, the United States.
Thank you.
john mcardle
That's Jared.
This is Carol, Grand Prairie, Texas Democrat.
Good morning.
Good afternoon.
unidentified
Good morning.
Good afternoon.
I am just appalled by the way our president talks, curses, acts like he's, yeah, the king with no, the emperor with no clothes.
He needs to get out of there.
The Republicans need to grow a spine and remove him.
He's going to cause more chaos to our country.
And we're right now the laughingstock of the world.
He's a Taco Tuesday president, and he needs to be removed.
I didn't vote for him.
My son didn't vote for him.
And he rejects anyone who voted for him because of what he has done to the women, the little girls.
And I have a granddaughter, and I fear for her future because of what this president has put into effect with his Project 2025.
Stephen Miller needs to be outed.
They all do.
They're all as corrupt as the next one.
john mcardle
It's Carol in Texas.
Don Dan is in Massachusetts, Independent.
Dan, go ahead.
unidentified
Yeah, good afternoon.
Thanks for taking my call.
Yeah, I'd like to make a couple of points here.
First, to that nuclear physicist, so-called, who said we need plutonium to make a bomb.
I might remind him that the first bomb dropped in Hiroshima was an uranium bomb, if you're still listening.
Yes, plutonium is more powerful, but it's not necessary.
They can make a very nice bomb out of uranium.
Senators Demand Bombing 00:09:41
unidentified
Secondly, this is not Trump's war.
And I'm sick and tired of hearing that.
This is Iran's war.
They invaded United States territory in 1979 when they invaded the embassy.
An embassy anywhere in any country is the sovereign territory of the occupant of that embassy.
So they invaded the United States in 1979 and started this war.
And they've been carrying on warlike acts ever since.
If you remember the Marine Barracks in Lebanon, the Kobar Towers in the Middle East, the USS Coal, and the list goes on and on of attacks by Iranian extremists or Iranian-inspired extremists that have been killing Americans for 47 years.
So this is not Trump's war.
This is Iran's war.
Trump is trying to stop it, not start it.
So all this idea of this is Trump's war is nonsense.
john mcardle
Got your point.
Walter in Delaware Water Gap in Delaware, Republican.
Good morning.
unidentified
Good afternoon.
I'd just like to say a few words here listening today.
I'm a Vietnam vet, and the way that people are talking today is the same thing that the demonstrators during the 60s created for us that were in Vietnam.
As a combat veteran, whenever there was something that really stood out, where senators, our congressmen,
our actors and actresses would come out against the war, all of a sudden, the attacks that we would get would be greater because the North Vietnamese felt they were winning.
It's the same thing here.
john mcardle
Walter, do you think the Iranians think they are winning?
unidentified
Yes, they have been doing it for 47 years.
The previous person you had is correct.
They have been attacking us for the last almost half century.
john mcardle
Do you think they're winning?
Do you think they think they're winning today?
unidentified
I know they think they're winning.
It's the same philosophy that the North Vietnamese had: that this is not just for this year.
This is for the next generations.
john mcardle
So what do you think about a ceasefire, Walter, at this time?
unidentified
I think it's good if we try it.
But looking at what I saw in the news about what their points were, that the Iranians, I guess,
I don't know what their language is, but in their points that they printed out for their citizens, they stressed that the straight was theirs.
They control it.
But that's not what the one that was written in English that was given out says.
john mcardle
Got your point.
You're talking about the 10-point plan proposed by the Iranians, President Trump coming out just after noon on his True Social page to dispute some of the points that are out there saying that the true negotiation is going to be happening behind closed doors and disputing what's been in the media about it.
That was his latest True Social post.
And we'll see if he comes to the podium in the White House briefing room whenever this briefing does get started.
Right now, we're just expecting Caroline Levitt, but you never know who shows up to these events.
The reporter's obviously standing by waiting, and so are we.
And we continue to hear from you.
Thomas Millerville, Maryland, Democrat.
Good afternoon.
unidentified
Good afternoon.
Thank you for taking my call.
I'm 91 years old.
I signed up to go to Korea when I was 15 years old.
Of course, that was a long war also.
I am a Democrat, but I am going to change my party.
I just believe that Trump is doing the right thing.
And these Democrats and senators, if they remember something, they said we were going to be beat from within.
And I think that most of these Democrats, senators, and congressmen now are trying to defeat us here in America.
We've got one president, and we should back him all the way.
People better wake up and they say smell the flowers.
Well, they're going to wake up and it won't be anything to be woken up for if they don't pay attention to what's going on in this country with a Democratic Party.
And at one time, the Democratic Party was a good party.
And I was associated and affiliated with it.
I had a lot of good friends that are Democrats and were governors and senators.
I don't believe that they would be doing what they're doing now.
I just think that we should get behind our president and pay attention to what's going on, or we will be defeated from within because of what's going on now with everybody against Trump.
john mcardle
Got your point.
That's Thomas in Maryland.
As we await the briefing, try to continue to keep you updated on the latest news developments.
The Associated Press, Meg Kinnard reporting from Tehran that Iran has closed the Straits of Hormuz in response to Israel's attacks on Lebanon.
That's according to Iranian state media reports and the Associated Press reporting that the Israeli attacks in Lebanon continuing, continued today, saying that they were not part of that deal.
The president, of course, had said that the reopening of the Straits was a key part of the ceasefire deal.
So we'll see how that plays out over the course of the coming hours and days here.
As we await the briefing, it's Hadley, Massachusetts, Matt Independent.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Yeah, that's Nat anyway.
John, how are you doing this morning?
john mcardle
Go ahead, Nat.
unidentified
How you doing this morning, John?
john mcardle
I'm doing well.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Okay, first of all, I hear everybody talking about 47 years of this stuff going on over there.
Well, no one's really things to think about about 1953 when Eisenhower signed with the CIA over there to bring everybody over there and take care of their country for them.
1953.
It's called Operation Ajax.
People might want to start reading and check it out and see what's going on with that.
And from that, that's all I have to say.
john mcardle
That's Nat in Massachusetts then.
This is Lee in New Orleans, Republican Lee.
Go ahead.
unidentified
Yes.
What I want to say is it's time for us to not trust these Iranians.
Can we have one day where they don't try to kill an Israeli with a cluster bomb?
Just one day.
You can't trust these people.
They have violated their agreement.
We need to start bombing again.
And I tell you what, the Democrats' answer was to give tons of money to the Iranians, and they use that money to buy missiles and drones, the same ones that we're trying to destroy right now.
So I don't want to hear these Democrats talking about what Republicans did.
We're doing the right thing.
And I'm glad you just said what you said about them violating the agreement with Hamus.
It's time to start bombing again right now.
john mcardle
That's Lee in Louisiana.
It sounds like the two-minute warning has been given in the briefing room, so it should begin momentarily.
I want to show you one more posting.
This is from Phil Stewart, chief national security reporter with Reuters, noting that the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and NATO's Secretary General, Mark Ruta, react as they meet at the Department of State here in Washington, D.C. That's the photo of it.
Mark Ruda is headed to the White House this afternoon.
3 p.m. is when his meeting with President Trump is scheduled.
As we wait for the briefing, this is Lorenzo in Louisiana.
Democrat, go ahead.
unidentified
All right, yes, sir.
Good afternoon.
The only thing I have against this war is that it wasn't done the proper way.
In the Marine Corps, they teaches it seven P's, proper prior plan and prevent piss, poor performance, and that he should have went to the Congress first the day I'll end it there because Caroline Levitt coming up to the briefing room.
john mcardle
Take you there now.
Proper Way to War 00:00:15
karoline leavitt
Before I discuss the ceasefire with Iran, I have a quick update from the First Lady of the United States.
Yesterday marked the very first conviction under the Take It Down Act.
Landmark legislation, that First Lady, Melania Trump, played an instrumental role in getting.
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