WEBVTT - The US Report | 17 April 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:06.080 This is the US Report with James Moroar. 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:10.280 Good evening and welcome to the program. Here's what's coming 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:14.280 up tonight. Donald Trump says his blockheade against Iran is working, 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:18.759 but how long can that regime hold out? Plus Democrats 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:20.880 in the Senate, Well, they're trying to hinder the war. 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:23.319 But in the process are they taking the side of 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:26.400 the Mullahs? Would it be the first time? And Michelle 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:29.760 Obama says America is janky? 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:31.920 What does that even mean? 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:35.320 But first, you know, they say you should never discuss 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:40.560 religion or politics for well, pretty obvious reasons. But tonight 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:43.600 I think we need to talk about both again for 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:47.239 pretty obvious reasons. Now, as you know, this week, the 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:50.839 headlines have been dominated not just by the war in Iran, 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:55.040 but the at times bizarre media grudge match between US 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:59.880 President Donald Trump and his Holiness Pope Leo the fourteenth 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:04.600 aka Robert Francis Prevost. Now, the whole thing has at 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:09.360 times seemed almost comically bizarre, with Trump posting and then 0:01:09.440 --> 0:01:12.720 deleting memes of himself done up to look his critics said, 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:16.880 like Jesus healing the sick. But I wanted to highlight 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:21.560 the key counterpoint in this argument between Donald Trump and 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:25.800 Pope Leo, and suggest that this might be more than 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:28.400 just two powerful figures. 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:28.880 Poking each other. 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:31.960 Now, of course, the fight kicked off at the start 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:35.640 of the week when Leo tweeted quote, God does not 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:39.920 bless any conflict anyone who is a disciple of Christ. 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:42.560 He said, the Prince of Peace is never on the 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:45.800 side of those who once wielded the sword and today 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:49.960 drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:53.160 or times of peace, which comes only from the patient 0:01:53.240 --> 0:02:00.600 promotion of coexistence and dialogue amongst peoples. The Pope tweeted, well, really, 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:04.200 your Holiness, with respect, God is never on the side 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:08.400 of those who wield the sword. I'm sorry, but perhaps 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:11.919 His Holiness ought to go tour his own Vatican museums 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:16.600 and see such works as this magnificent painting commemorating the 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.480 sixteen eighty three victory over the Turks at Vienna, who 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:24.040 had laid siege to the city and indeed all Christendom. 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:28.040 In nineteen eighty three, Pope now Saint John Paul the 0:02:28.080 --> 0:02:31.760 Second marked the three hundredth anniversary of the battle, and 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:36.240 he paid tribute to quote the admirable courage and even 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:39.600 heroism of the defenders of that city, and those who 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:44.040 took strength from their faith, from prayer and the conviction 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:47.320 that they fought not only for their country, but for 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.239 Europe and for Christendom. I don't know what Leah would 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:55.919 say about that. He would probably just call it islamophobic. Anyway, 0:02:56.120 --> 0:02:58.560 Trump responded, and by the way, I think he was 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:03.720 unwisely to Leo's provocation with a long truth social post that, 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:07.800 among other things, called Leo weak on crime and terrible 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:11.960 for foreign policy. Well yes, but then, of course there 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:16.160 was all the controversy over Trump's Jesus postings, but that's 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:20.200 sort of a shide show to a bigger controversy. But 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:22.919 I must say here Trump's critics do have a point 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:25.680 on this one. I mean, there's a war on Iran. 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.200 In Iran that people are pretty freaked out about, prices 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:32.720 are going up, and the President is range tweeting the Pope. 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:36.920 I'm sorry, mister President, it's time to focus. But I 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:39.240 also think we need to be alive to a very 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:43.720 real possibility that there is another angle to this, namely 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.560 that Pope Leo has jumped along with his faithful into 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:50.400 a political campaign. He should have nothing to do with 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.960 Here's why I say this will The Catholic Church is 0:03:55.240 --> 0:04:00.320 or should be deeply hostile to the Democrats social liberalism. 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:03.800 In recent years they have found common cause together on 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:08.920 certain issues like immigration. Indeed, has turned into the business model. 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.680 Catholic charity has reaped tens of millions of dollars, perhaps 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:17.040 more from the Biden administration to help quote unquote resettle 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:20.760 the millions of migrants and Democrats moved into the country 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:24.600 when they were in power, giving the Church a financial 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:28.920 stake in open borders beyond whatever they are saying scripture 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:32.920 says on the subject. And Pope Leo himself has a 0:04:33.000 --> 0:04:37.400 long history of tweeting Democrat talking points from before he 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:41.760 became the Pope. He retweeted attacks on Donald Trump's so 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:45.360 called anti immigrant rhetoric, and he also attacked JD. 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:46.000 Vance. 0:04:46.800 --> 0:04:50.479 Oh, and then there was this last week, Pope Leo 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:53.279 met with David Axelrod, a key player in the Barack 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:58.159 Obama administration, which of course orchestrated the Iran deal that 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:02.800 brought the world to its presidence crisis. Now Axro denies it, 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.120 but there is plenty of speculation that he put Leo 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:09.479 up to coming out against Trump. Now we'll never know. 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:14.920 That's between David Leo and the Swiss Guards. But ultimately, 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:18.039 I think this effort by Democrats to lock in the 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:23.200 Catholic and more broadly, the religious Christian vote by capitalizing 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:29.239 on this controversy is doomed to fail for one simple reason. 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:33.360 While the social justice wing of Christianity may have a 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:35.599 similar agenda as the left when it comes to things 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:41.320 like welfare and borders on the big questions, the philosophical, 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:46.480 the metaphysical questions, they remain light years apart, not just 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:50.080 on the biggie of abortion, but when it comes to family, sex, 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:52.440 the meaning of life. Are we all just living in 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:56.320 a material world or is there something more there? 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:59.120 Pulls apart and remember. 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:04.200 Has throughout the modern era been at odds with the 0:06:04.360 --> 0:06:08.880 left because the Church presents a moral framework whose authority 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:14.160 is alternately alternate to and infinitely superior to, the state, 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:18.200 which the left has always seen as a stand in 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:23.160 for both family and God. This is why, from the 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:27.160 horrors of the French Revolution to the Russian Revolution, to 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:32.919 the Spanish Civil War, and through countless other tragedies, churches, clerics, 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.840 and the religious have always been the target of the 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:40.560 worst abuses by the Left, allegedly in the name of liberation, 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:46.880 but really because they didn't want the competition. Today's Democrats, 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:51.279 who are trying to open the door are the heirs 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:55.480 to this tradition, even if they are less violent. Brack 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:59.120 Obama's Justice Department, remember, dragged the Little Sisters of the Poor, 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:01.960 a Catholic order of nuns who take care of the 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:05.480 elderly and the poor before they die, tried to force 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:09.480 them to buy an Obama care package that covered contraception, 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:15.200 a big no no for countless reasons. Joe Biden, who 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:17.679 when he was president talked himself up as this big 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:23.480 time Irish Catholic, was so selective on this that he 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:29.560 sicked his FBI on traditional Catholic groups, including weaponizing worshippers 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:34.800 who attended Latin services, saying that they were extremists. And 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:39.040 of course, the cultural left is deeply suspicious of the Church, 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:45.440 regarding his teaching on sexuality as bizarre, slandering its priests' pedophiles, 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:50.000 and mocking them at every turn. It is in a 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:54.600 perfect world, of course, politicians would stick to politics and 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:58.560 the Church would stick to saving souls. I mean, remember 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:02.400 America was founded on separation of church and state, and 0:08:02.480 --> 0:08:06.080 two thousand years ago Jesus Christ said to render unto 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:09.760 Caesar what is Caesar said? Unto God what is God's 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:14.560 In other words, the founders of both institutions were pretty 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:19.840 clear about everyone staying in their lane. Perhaps both the 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:23.960 Pope and the President should go back and heed that advice. 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:32.719 Here endeth the lesson. Well to talk more about this 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:36.280 whole teta tete between the Pope and the President and 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:38.760 how it's being received across the US and the wider world, 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:41.960 and please be joined by Ashley Maguire from the Catholic 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:45.000 Association in the US. Ashley, thank you so much for 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:48.400 joining us here on the US report. How is this 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:52.479 spat between the president and the Pope being received politically 0:08:52.520 --> 0:08:55.160 in America? And there's been a lot of talk about 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:59.360 this splitting Catholics away who might have been Republicans and 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.440 magusupport and Trump supports away from the president. 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:04.080 Is that happening? 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:07.880 Well, I would say first of all that I think 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:13.960 Catholics are pretty unanimously disappointed and hurt by the President's 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.480 comments towards the Pope. About the Pope, there's not really 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:21.360 any precedent for this in American history as far as 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:25.800 I'm aware. It's also confusing politically. You know, President Trump 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:29.800 has made great overtures to Catholics. He boasts strong support 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:35.120 from Catholics. Catholics were the deciding difference between the twenty 0:09:35.160 --> 0:09:38.000 twenty and the twenty twenty four election. So why he's 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:42.360 suddenly gratuitously attacking the Pope is not just hurtful but 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:43.760 confusing to Catholics. 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:46.560 Well, actually, I suspect what the President would say to 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:50.920 that is that he's feeling like Pope Leo attacked him first. 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:53.480 Now it sounds a bit schoolyard, but he's also said 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:55.480 that the Pope has been a lot harsher on the 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:58.000 US than he has on Iran, which, of course, let's 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:00.640 not forget, kills its own people by the score. And 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:03.720 Trump highlighted this a little while ago at a press conference. 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:07.480 Have a look, I want to ask you for more protectors. 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:10.120 What are we pulling the first woman protector? 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:11.160 What do you tell you what? 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:12.319 I'll tell that to development? 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:12.720 Been talking? 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:15.160 What are you saying how that to the develop? 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:18.480 Is there a legitimate case to be made that the 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:21.760 Pope has been a little too silent on the question 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.720 of Iran versus the United States. 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:28.680 All I've ever heard the Pope do is speak out 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:33.360 about how heinous war is and the cost of vulnerable, 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:36.400 innocent lives. And so I think, look, the Pope, he's 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:38.960 the ficker of Christ. He's a spiritual leader. He's not 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:42.480 a politician. Trump is treating him like a political enemy. 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:45.080 The Pope's job is to preach the Gospel, and the 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:48.400 gospel is one of peace. I mean, Jesus Christ himself said, 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:52.000 blessed are the peacemakers. That's the message that the Pope said. 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:56.680 He's not trying to micromanage US geopolitical relations. That's not 0:10:56.800 --> 0:11:01.360 his job. And he's well with the his authority and 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:04.680 well within precedent to be speaking out about the horrors 0:11:04.720 --> 0:11:06.920 of war and the loss of innocent life. This is 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:11.160 this is somebody who's who's given his life to promote 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.720 the cause of the Gospel, but also to defend the 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:17.560 dignity of all people, especially innocent human life. 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:20.880 So what do you make then, of the connections between 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:25.640 Barack Obama's UH chief former chief of staff David Axelrod 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:29.480 going over to the Vatican meeting with the Pope. So 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:33.960 close to all of this, you know, blowing up. People 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:36.240 are saying that there may be a connection here, that 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.480 there may be, you know, some Democrat politics at play 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:43.079 here between the Democrat Party in Chicago, and of course 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:46.560 Pope Leo himself is from Chicago and he has in 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:50.960 his previous life before becoming elevated to Pontiff said some 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:54.760 fairly you know, Democrat friendly things. Is there a political 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:55.920 connection here though. 0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:58.640 I don't think so. It's hard to say, but these 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:02.120 meetings are they're put on schedule long before they happen. 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:05.120 And David Axelrod, I know, has a severely disabled daughter 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.160 who's in the care of a Catholic home. And I 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:10.800 also know that the Pope seems to have a policy 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:14.480 of meeting with everyone, and so I think it's getting 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:18.960 a bit conspiratorial to suggest that this is some sort 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:21.880 of political operation that's happening. But I can't say for sure. 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:23.160 I'm not in charge of a schedule. 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:25.120 Sure, sure, sure, of course, of course. 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:27.880 Hey, I wanted to also just get your thoughts because 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:30.920 this was a sort of a weird week when religion 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.680 and politics kind of mixed a fair bit in America. 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:38.280 On the now deleted picture of Donald Trump depicting himself 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:42.240 as a sort of a Jesus or Jesus like healing figure, 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:44.320 and when he was asked about it, he said that 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:46.679 it was a mistake. Have a look at that. 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:49.440 I did post it, and I thought it was me 0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:52.440 as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross. 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.600 It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better. 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:58.560 And I do make people better. I make people a 0:12:58.600 --> 0:12:59.120 lot better. 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:03.040 What were your thoughts on that and some of the other, 0:13:04.040 --> 0:13:08.959 shall we say, sacramental memes that the President posted this week. 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:13.640 Look, when I first thought that he was actually posting 0:13:13.679 --> 0:13:17.319 it as himself as Jesus, I shared in all Christians 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:22.400 dismay at the mockery of Christ. Beyond that, I have 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.240 to say that it's part and parcel with a long standing, 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:30.840 unfortunate issue we have in America where religion is mocked. 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:34.320 So I sincerely hope that Trump is telling us the 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:37.400 truth when he said that he did not know that 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:38.880 he was mocking Jesus Christ. 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:42.000 Ashley, We're going to have to leave it there. Thank 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:44.600 you so much for your time, really appreciate it. Well, 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:46.640 let's move over to the war in Iran and bring 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:49.760 in our next guest. Senior advisor at the Foundation for 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:53.520 Defensive Democracies, Miad Malechid. Thank you so much for joining 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:56.400 me on the show here, and I wanted to ask 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:59.520 you first of all about the latest news about this 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:02.480 potential cease fire with Iran that we've heard about with 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:06.160 between sorry Israel Lebanon, that we've heard about in the 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:09.120 last few hours. Tell us about the implications of that 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:12.440 and does this suggest that Iran is losing its control 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:13.800 over its Hesbola proxies. 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:17.360 Well, thanks for having me. 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:21.800 I mean, that's that's a really complicated issue and and 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:26.600 you know, you can make the argument that the Iranian 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:31.600 regime can argue all day long that they have there's 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:34.560 to continue to play a herole in the politics in 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:37.560 Lebanon through their proxy group has Bowlah. 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.240 But but but I think it's. 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:46.360 I think the Islonomic Republic has really lost, you know, 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.720 following the twelve year war, and also that the current 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:53.760 economic situation in Iran and the conflict that they've been 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:55.840 managing with the US and Israel. 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:57.560 It's you know, it's. 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:01.120 Debatable if Iran continues to really maintain that level of 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:05.600 influence through has Bulah in the politics of Lebanon. However, 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:09.800 it can continue to cause instability and destabilized Lebanon and 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:13.360 the neighboring country through has Bulah. Now, I understand that 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:17.120 one of the one of the points that was discussed 0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:22.320 during Islamabat talks were the conflict in Lebanon and Iran 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:25.200 support to proxies and surrogates. You know, the isigner to 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:30.800 public they've never come out UH during the negotiations admitting 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.000 to this support UH. They always said that their support 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:40.160 is UH spiritual, is not financial. But but in reality 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:42.720 we know the support is financial and it's it's through 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.200 weapons and arms and fonts at the same time. So 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:50.200 I don't think it's it's a really sticky point. I 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:52.760 don't think it's a major issue that the Iranian is 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:54.320 going to have to deal with during the next round 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.800 of negotiations. If there is one, they can easily just 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:59.760 do what they've done with Saudi Arabia in recent talks. 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.840 Just we're not supporting these groups even in sign a 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:05.840 piece of paper or agree to something, and then can 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:06.960 it still continue to. 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:08.600 Provide that store covertly. 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:15.040 But again, I think some of that influence that we're 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:18.760 hearing about Irani Lebanon could be exaggerated these days. Now 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:21.760 it used to be real and they dangerous, but I 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:23.120 don't think that's still the case. 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:27.680 Andriand you mentioned a moment ago the economic situation in Iran. 0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:31.200 I understand the currency is in free fold collapse. I 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:34.720 think it's approaching two million real to the US dollar. 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:39.360 The blockade is starting to bite that Donald Trump has 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:44.080 threatened to impose. Tell us about where that blockade. You've 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:48.040 done some very interesting analysis on this. Where this blockade 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:53.160 leaves Iran and its inability to a raise foreign currency, 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.360 but b what happens when they don't have any way 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:58.800 to get rid of all the oil that's coming out 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:01.640 of the ground. What happens to them and they're oil infrastructure. 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:05.840 Those are all great points. So let's look at the 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:09.840 pre war state of economy. Iran's had an inflation rate 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:13.560 somewhere between forty percent, you know, thirty percent, fifty percent. 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:16.240 You know, the numbers come out of Iran from the regime, 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:21.080 so they're not always that edible. But if you kind 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:23.080 of bring all these numbers together, you get to somewhere 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:26.760 between forty fifty percent. Iranians have lost their purchasing power 0:17:27.040 --> 0:17:30.679 by ninety percent in the course of one year, and 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:33.720 the food inflation year. 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:35.040 On year is about one hundred and four percent. 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:40.320 It's unemployment rate pre war was somewhere between twenty to 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.000 thirty percent, but I think it's way more than that, 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:46.119 and the war situation with the closure of the economy, 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:50.760 has for sure increased that number, probably somewhere above fifty 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:56.440 percent within the younger population in Iran. So now we're 0:17:56.480 --> 0:18:01.000 coming out of this war, the metal production petrochemical reductions 0:18:01.680 --> 0:18:05.800 have significantly declined, and those are the type of commodities 0:18:05.840 --> 0:18:12.280 that Iran would export through land to Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey. 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:16.840 And with the decline in the production of metals and petrochemicals, 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:18.040 Iran is not. 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:19.080 Going to be able to export. 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:22.680 It's going to have to only meet the demand domestically. 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:26.920 And now it relies more and more on the trade 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:29.240 that goes through the Persian Gulf and straight off Foremost, 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.960 And now we have the blockade coming through and if 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:38.720 implemented effectively, it can cut off Iran's export and import 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:43.640 and an economy that relies ninety percent or more on 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.400 the trade that goes through the straight of Foremost, that's 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:49.359 about two hundred and sixty seven million dollars a day 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.720 in exports and about one hundred and I believe fifty 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:56.600 six million dollars a day in import. Blockade is going 0:18:56.640 --> 0:19:01.760 to cut that completely. Now to a second point, you know, 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:05.320 the export exportation of oil really is done in a 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:07.720 way that oil needs to be extracted, it goes to 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:11.840 the storage facility and or get put some tankers and 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:14.840 out to to to the receiving side. If they can't 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:17.439 get this oil out and if they run out of 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:21.359 the storage, which my assessment is somewhere between. 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:23.960 Two weeks to three to four weeks. 0:19:24.040 --> 0:19:28.000 Depending on how much they refine how much their output 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:33.760 extraction has declined because of the strikes, that storage capacity 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:35.880 is going to go away in a matter of two 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:37.120 to four weeks, and. 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:38.320 Then they can't take the oil out. 0:19:38.320 --> 0:19:40.360 They're going to have to drop extraction and that means 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:42.560 damage to their ability to extraction. 0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:45.240 So with all with all of this, then Miad, how 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:49.840 does the IRGC regime manage to survive? They'll have no 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:53.760 currency nowhere to put their oil now damaging their infrastructure. 0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:56.280 Are they going to have to make some sort of 0:19:56.320 --> 0:19:59.919 deal in Pakistan to make some sort of survival or 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:03.040 do they collapse entirely. I mean, we've already heard talk 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:06.200 about potentially them giving up their uranium. I think Trump 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:09.640 has made this claim. Does this mean that the war 0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:11.120 is effectively almost over? 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:15.200 It all depends. We've heard that a lot in the past. 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:17.320 You know, Iranian say something, you don't know who is 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:19.960 saying it from Iran. You don't know if US is 0:20:19.960 --> 0:20:21.880 getting in from the right person in the country. 0:20:22.560 --> 0:20:23.760 Let's not really count on that. 0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:26.280 Let's see, let's see what actually happens if there's another 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:27.760 round of talks in Islamabad. 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:29.520 But just very quickly on. 0:20:29.440 --> 0:20:34.000 An RGC point, so, one third of Iran's oil export 0:20:34.720 --> 0:20:37.439 bunds the RGC directly, so in addition to the budget 0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:40.360 that they get from Iranian regime every year for their 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:44.640 operations for armed forces, including the RGC, Islimic Republic gives 0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:47.359 the RGC one third of its oil to go sell 0:20:47.359 --> 0:20:50.000 in the market and pay for its operations. If that 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:53.200 oil is not leaving the Persian Gulf, the RGC runs 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:55.119 armed forces is not going to be able to generate 0:20:55.160 --> 0:20:56.720 revenue to pay for its operations. 0:20:56.720 --> 0:20:58.720 It might run into problems with paying salaries. 0:20:59.080 --> 0:21:02.040 These are all at pressure on the government and one 0:21:02.119 --> 0:21:04.719 quick point Internet has been cut off for forty seven years. 0:21:04.880 --> 0:21:05.359 It runs. 0:21:05.920 --> 0:21:10.840 E commerce is extremely large, and taxation is about forty 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:14.320 percent of government revenue. If they're not cutting if they're 0:21:14.320 --> 0:21:19.320 not collecting taxes on internet businesses, on metal spectrol chemical production, 0:21:19.760 --> 0:21:21.480 government is not going to be able to have funds 0:21:21.480 --> 0:21:24.359 to pay salaries either. You put all these pressure together, 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:26.400 you would think they're going to come cut a deal. 0:21:26.880 --> 0:21:30.000 But Islamic Republic has been its own worst enemy. They've 0:21:30.000 --> 0:21:33.159 been put the best options in front of them, and 0:21:33.200 --> 0:21:34.680 they have rejected them over and over. 0:21:34.960 --> 0:21:37.280 Yeah, and me had finally, you know, given that there 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:38.919 is the need to keep that pressure up, what do 0:21:38.960 --> 0:21:42.480 you make of these pushes in the United States Senate 0:21:42.520 --> 0:21:46.359 by the Democrats to shut down the war have votes 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:52.199 on holding military action. This would seem counterproductive. Now that 0:21:52.240 --> 0:21:54.280 you're this far down the road, What are your thoughts 0:21:54.400 --> 0:21:55.200 very quickly on that. 0:21:56.760 --> 0:22:00.080 Well, you know, my quick reaction to that is, you know, 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:03.840 we have a historical achievement against is Islamic Republic. 0:22:04.880 --> 0:22:06.120 Iranians are watching. 0:22:06.520 --> 0:22:11.200 The Iranian regime is closely monitoring the domestic. 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:12.160 Pressure here against this war. 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:17.280 You know, look at Golibov that the chief negotiated the 0:22:17.280 --> 0:22:20.440 spokesperson of Iran's parliament tweets the other day and right 0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:24.639 after the failure of Islamic Islama boat talks, he tweeted 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:28.480 a screenshot of the gas prices gas stations across the 0:22:28.520 --> 0:22:32.919 White House. So they're really counting of domestic pressure here 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:35.960 in the US for an end to the blockade, and 0:22:36.000 --> 0:22:41.560 that gives them encouragement to continue to wagh up the 0:22:41.600 --> 0:22:45.040 pressure here domestically and hoping that the US government is 0:22:45.080 --> 0:22:47.600 going to pull back out of the domestic pressure and 0:22:47.680 --> 0:22:51.080 economic pressure global gas prices, and that will give them 0:22:51.119 --> 0:22:52.879 a relief that they're desperately need. 0:22:53.000 --> 0:22:55.359 M Well, all right, that's been disturbing to hear me on. 0:22:55.560 --> 0:22:57.680 Thank you so much for joining me, Miad Malucky from 0:22:57.760 --> 0:23:01.000 the Foundation for Defensive Democracies. Now stick around because after 0:23:01.040 --> 0:23:03.359 the break we're going to be getting deep into the 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:07.280 Eric Swolwell scandal and who in the Democrats had it 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:10.840 out for him. But first, continuing the religious theme of 0:23:10.880 --> 0:23:15.720 this segment, let's not allow Trump's papal beef to overshadow 0:23:16.080 --> 0:23:21.080 this incredible moment on the view. Yes, listen to the 0:23:21.240 --> 0:23:24.679 ladies on this program. Great theological scholars one and all 0:23:25.280 --> 0:23:30.680 discuss not whether Jesus was the Messiah, but whether he 0:23:30.840 --> 0:23:36.520 called himself the Messiah. I mean, surely even joy Behar 0:23:36.880 --> 0:23:38.640 would know the answer to this question. 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:43.320 Right, Jesus himself did not run around saying I'm the Messiah, 0:23:43.320 --> 0:23:45.160