WEBVTT - The Big Weekend Pod 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.720 Welcome to today's podcast sponsored by Hillsdale College All Things 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.440 Hillsdale Hillsdale dot ed or I encourage you to take 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:08.920 advantage of the many free online courses there, and of 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.280 course I'll listen to the Hillsdale dialogues, all of them 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.560 at Hugh for Hillsdale dot com or just Google, Apple, 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:19.400 iTunes and Hillsdale Morning, Laurie and Evening Grace America. Welcome 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:21.840 to the Big Weekend Pod. I'm Hugh hewittt. It was 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:24.960 a quiet week in the war, if you call all 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:30.880 those ceasefire violations by hesbillah lobbing missiles into Israel and 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:35.560 by Iranian proxies in Iraq attacking Kuwait quiet, but full 0:00:35.640 --> 0:00:38.360 scale war has not yet broken out. Again. Looks like 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:43.600 we're sending Special Envoy Witcoff and Kushner back to Pakistan. 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:46.640 That's not been confirmed yet. At the time that I 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:50.200 am laying this down, I don't believe this is going 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:52.360 to end up in anything other than the return to 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:58.680 combat in a pretty big way. Because Vahiti, who's the 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:04.000 new czar of Iran, is he'd rather be martyr than rich. 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:06.640 They have a new hunter. The head of the hunter 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:11.840 is Bahiti he's an old school IRGC martyr guy and 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:14.560 fought in the Big War eighty to eighty eight against 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:17.800 Iraq in the Iraq Iran War, So I expect he's 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:20.280 going to take a lot of persuading. I personally believe, 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:22.440 as you'll hear me talk about with Ben Nominich, maybe 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:26.440 Matt Continetti that the United States ought to hand them 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:30.640 a target list, non exclusive target list just says when 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:33.840 day one begins, we'll hit this oil target, and then 0:01:33.920 --> 0:01:36.759 day two, day whatever day, and then the final day 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:41.240 if you haven't yielded the highly enriched uranium, taking the 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:46.959 vow never to go after nukes again and put constraints 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.040 on your missiles and eased up on your people, return 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:53.920 the Internet, then we will take out carg Island. He 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:56.600 could take two things to make a nuclear weapon. Time 0:01:56.680 --> 0:01:59.160 and money. They think they've got all the time in 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:01.440 the world and all the oil. Well, we're not going 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:03.080 to leave them with the oil if we don't have 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:05.520 a deal on the nukes, because President Trump is not 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:08.640 going to do that. So I'm hoping he pursues that. 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:12.000 You'll hear me talk about that possibility with both Eli 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:15.399 Lake and Matt Contnity and of course, Ben Damage. There's 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:18.840 a lot ahead on today's big weekend Pod. Don't miss 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:20.920 a minute of it. And thank you for listening to 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:23.160 the Hugh Hewitt Show. And I remind you if you 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:26.440 miss any of this stuff, please like and subscribe over 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:29.080 at my YouTube channel. Please watch on the Sale New 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.160 channel all weekend long and stay tuned. I'm Hugh Hughitt 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:35.079 or a evening race in America. I'm Hugh Hewett inside 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:37.000 that built weigh. A good Friday to you. I hope 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:41.400 you have a great weekend ahead. Cleveland Brown's drafted Spencer 0:02:41.520 --> 0:02:44.440 Fano in the first round, number nine overall after trading down, 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:46.680 picking up an extra couple of picks from the Casey 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:49.400 Chiefs or an easy mark, and they got their man. 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:52.480 Spencer Fana win the Outland Trophy. If you're listening in 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:56.720 twelve thirty in Salt Lake City, go uts. We're very 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.560 excited about that. He give me left tackle. I think 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:02.040 the last Brown who have won the Outland Trophy was 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:04.920 Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, so we'd like a repeat 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:08.120 of that. Joe Thomas was drafted twenty years ago, so 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:11.920 time for another era. The Spencer Fano era also picked 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:16.360 up Kevin Kincepsian from Texas A and m speedy, speedy, fast, 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:21.239 elusive returns punts as well, and we have nine more 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:23.200 picks today, so I'll be covering that. No, I'm not 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:26.920 going to cover the draft. I'll cover the news specially. 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:30.960 Envoy Witkov and Jared Kushner are going back to Islamabad. 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:35.120 I don't know why, given the presser we have depending 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:39.280 on this morning, let's start their secretary head seth cut 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.960 number six on the blockade, glowing global, going global. 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:46.360 President Trump said it again yesterday. 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:51.120 We have all the time in the world, and we're 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:53.040 not anxious for a deal. 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:56.400 And I hear him say it every day in. 0:03:56.320 --> 0:03:58.000 Private as well. 0:03:58.200 --> 0:04:01.320 Naran knows that they still have an open window choose wisely, 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:05.240 as we said previously, choose wisely at the negotiating table. 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:08.560 All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:12.240 in meaningful and verifiable ways. Or instead they can watch 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:16.400 their regimes fragile economic state collapse under the unrelenting pressure 0:04:16.640 --> 0:04:20.880 of American power, a blockade as long as it takes, 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:27.360 whatever President Trump decides. Because the bottom line line remains 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:28.679 the bottom line. 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:30.440 Iran will never get a nuclear bomb. 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.600 The choice is Theirs, but with this blockade, the clock 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:40.400 is not on their side. Moreover, President Trump has authorized 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:43.760 the United States Navy to destroy any Iranian fast boats 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:47.279 that attempt to put mines in the water or disrupt 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:50.000 passage through the Strait of Hormuz, to shoot and kill. 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:53.200 Our commanders have clear rules of engagement. 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:56.440 If Iran is putting mines in the water or otherwise 0:04:56.520 --> 0:05:00.000 threatening American commercial shipping or American forces, we will shoot 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:05.000 to destroy, no hesitation, just like the drug boats in 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:05.600 the Caribbean. 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.479 Now, I think that even the Iranians have got to 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:11.560 understand we know how to blow up the speedboats and 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:13.760 we'll see who gets to drive and people who want 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:17.640 to be martyrs. Secretary Hegseth had this to say about 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:18.840 Iran cutt number three. 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:24.120 The IRGC specifically has been reduced to a gang. 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:28.000 Of pirates with a flag. They cloak their. 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:30.599 Aggression in slogans, but the world now sees them for 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:35.159 what they are, criminals on the high seas. They don't 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:41.440 control anything. They're acting like pirates, acting like terrorists. They're 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:45.479 the ones who lay in discriminate minds, who shoot at 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:51.000 random ships, who killed forty five thousand of their own people, 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:55.280 innocent protesters in the course of weeks, their own people. 0:05:56.520 --> 0:06:00.240 They are the bad actors, the vessels. 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:03.520 With Matt Cotton to Eli Lake Ben Dominich. But I 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:05.880 do want to play Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:09.320 Staff Dan Caine here he is on the blockade cutt 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:10.120 number seven. 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:11.359 First. 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:14.240 As I mentioned, US Central Command continues to maintain a 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:17.839 strict blockade on all the ports. We're enforcing the blockade 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:21.640 across the board against any ship of any nationality that 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:26.200 is transiting to or from an Iranian port or territory. 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:31.240 We're closely tracking vessels of interest headed towards Iran and 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:35.960 those moving away from Iran that were outside the blockade 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:40.640 area when this blockade was ordered, and as everyone saw 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:45.159 this past weekend, were prepared and postured to intercept them. 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:49.600 As of this morning, thirty four ships have met the 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:53.440 US blockade and made the wise choice to turn around. 0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:56.880 One ship did not, and that ship was the. 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:03.000 Motor vessel Tusca. Over several hours this past Sunday, April nineteenth, 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:08.200 the US conducted maritime interdiction operations against the Tusca, whose 0:07:08.320 --> 0:07:12.880 crew attempted to breach the blockade line. The Tusca is 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:16.640 a large container ship about nine hundred and sixty five 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:20.080 feet long, or about the same size as the United 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:21.120 States Navy. 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:24.000 Aircraft carrier, and over one hundred feet wide. 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:29.440 The operation began about four am Eastern Standard time when 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:34.680 the United States Navy destroyer approached her and the crew and. 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:38.280 The vessel ignored warnings. 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:43.240 And I've described how the destroyer forces operating in the 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:48.840 area prior. Upon intercept and coming within visual range, American 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:54.440 forces began to issue issue several clear and unambiguous warnings 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.640 and informed the vessel and their crew that they were 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:01.480 in a violation of the US blockade and directed the 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:05.920 ship to turn around. Over a six hour period, the 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:11.080 vessel and her crew repeatedly ignored US warnings, and then 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:15.200 the US Navy destroyer executed a series of pre planned, 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:22.640 carefully calibrated escalation options, including firing five warning shots. The 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:27.480 vessel and her crew continued to ignore warnings, and after 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:33.640 exhausting all other measures, Sencom authorized disabling fire against the Tusca. 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:37.480 US sailors warned the crew of the Tusca to abandon 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:41.800 the engine room, and at approximately nine am Eastern time, 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:47.160 the destroyer disabled the Tuska's engine by firing nine inert 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:53.080 rounds from the destroyer's Mark forty five inch guns precisely 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:57.520 into the engine room and engine space on board the Tusca. 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:02.000 Not Surprisingly, the vessel and reported issues with their engine, 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:05.160 went dead in the water and began to comply with 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:10.600 US directions and orders. At four pm Eastern Standard time, 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:16.600 Sentcom ordered United States Marines to seize the ship via helicopters. 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:21.160 US Marines maneuvered quickly to the disabled ship, boarded her 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:25.360 from fast ropes via helicopter infiltration methods, and. 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:26.640 Took custody of the ship. 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:31.679 The ship and her crew remained safe in US custody today. 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:36.840 They also have been grabbing tankers. The blockade didn't go 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:39.679 into effect until about four weeks of the war, and 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:41.920 a bunch of tankers had left, and they're on the 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:48.280 high seas full of sanctioned oil, basically pirated ships. Here's 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:51.080 what the chairman said about the takeover of one of 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:53.320 the tankers earlier this week, cutting number eleven. 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:59.360 On Monday, April twentieth, US INDO pay Com forces, in 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:03.840 support of a Department of Justice requests, interdicted the motor 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:08.640 tanker Tiffany which was transporting sanctioned Iranian oil. 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.559 The Tiffany is a very large crewed. 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:17.000 Tanker VLCC for short, and is also about the size 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:22.160 of a US aircraft carrier and capable of transporting approximately 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:27.320 two million barrels of oil. At approximately eleven thirty PM 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:32.720 Eastern time, US military forces and law enforcement forces also 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:36.640 went to the ship via rotary winging platforms, fast roped 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:40.880 onto her deck and secured her. After the ship was secured, 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:45.360 a US Navy control team embarked aboard the Tiffani Tiffany 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:47.960 or Tiffani and assumed control of the ship at four 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:53.319 am Eastern Time on April twenty first. A Navy control 0:10:53.440 --> 0:10:57.520 team is comprised of sailors led by a boarding officer 0:10:57.559 --> 0:11:00.440 that assumes control of a sea ship in order to 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:04.920 secure the crew, the cargo, and the vessel. And disposition 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:09.520 of that first vessel is still pending. The next interdiction 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:13.560 occurred on Wednesday this past Wednesday, twenty two April, when 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:18.439 Indo Paycom conducted yet another interdiction, again at the request 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:22.400 of the US Department of Justice, this time the stateless 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:27.320 motor tanker Majestic X, also known as the Ponix, also 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:31.439 in the Indian Ocean. This is again a VLCC or 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:37.000 very large crewed tanker. At approximately eleven PM Eastern Standard time, 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:42.520 US Forces began the interdiction, again, usering rotary wing assets 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:45.319 to get to the ship, got on board and. 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:47.080 Secure the bridge. 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:50.920 Both ships, the Tefani, the Majestic X, and their crews 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:54.760 remain in US custody and we will continue to conduct 0:11:54.760 --> 0:12:00.280 similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific and 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:04.880 Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of the Dark Fleet. 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:07.200 So I don't think you ought to go there. If 0:12:07.200 --> 0:12:09.480 you're in the Dark Fleet, come right back to the 0:12:09.559 --> 0:12:17.760 US show. Welcome back to America. Hewett Eli Lake is 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:20.240 with the Free Press. He's the host of the Breaking 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:26.000 History podcast, and he, like me, are both fixated on Iran. 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:31.480 Eli the Kellen Levitt announced today that Special Envoys Witcoff 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.720 and Kushner are going back to Islamabad. I feel bad 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:36.839 for those guys. I don't think anything good's going to 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:39.280 come out of that. I don't think Mehiti is going 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:43.439 to throw in his cards. He's a hardcore old guard 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:45.839 fought in the Big War eighty to eighty eight. Do 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:47.680 you think there's any progress to be made here. 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:54.600 I do think that the regime is facing economic collapse 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.480 and the blockade of the blockade is probably going to 0:12:57.520 --> 0:13:00.360 have an effect. So I think that that right there, 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:02.960 But I don't think I don't think they're feeling that 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:06.640 pressure yet. And I think you're correct that Vahiti represents 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:10.120 somebody who you know, he was part of the I 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.360 mean Bahdi back in the day was during that Iron 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:15.480 Iraq war. He was part of the faction that didn't 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:19.760 want to take the deal with Saddam Hussein. When Hamani 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.160 said it was like the drinking the chalice of poison. 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.040 He represented the people who want to continue fighting that war, 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:29.440 which was paid a horrible toll on the Iranian So 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:32.120 I would not expect anything like that to come from him. 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:33.959 But on the other hand, the way it was described 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:36.679 to me by people, in terms of understanding how the 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:41.360 leadership works, Bahdi is not does not have the loyalty 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:45.199 or it does not necessarily have the command, or he 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:47.080 doesn't the command, but it doesn't the loyalty of the 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:51.680 entire Revolutionary Guard Corps. He is rather the strongest chieftain 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:56.560 in that group. So there are other rivals to him, 0:13:56.720 --> 0:13:58.680 but right now that he is like sort of on 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.880 this five person council, he's clearly the real power in 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:04.120 Iran right now. I don't think you're going to see 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:09.040 much yet, but that might change as the economic conditions worsen, 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:12.439 as they understand the full extent of their military defeat. 0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:15.760 And even if nothing happens, I just think that the 0:14:15.840 --> 0:14:18.880 United States has plenty of military options to open the 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:22.080 straight up her moves that and getting the remaining missiles 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.520 and other things that were on the target list are 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:27.640 military objectives. I think that's eminently doable. I think the 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:29.520 United States remains in a really good position. 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:33.040 So Eli, I talked to a senior official from Trump 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:36.360 one today and not Trump too, not in now, and 0:14:36.400 --> 0:14:40.120 he told me a nuclear program requires three things. Expertise 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.200 and the Runtians have at least the muscle memory of expertise. 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:45.720 That they've lost a couple of dozen of their top scientists, 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:51.240 the technology that you can buy on the open market. 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:55.400 And number three, money and time, Money and time. We 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:58.520 have sieged three of their tankers at siege at sea 0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:03.080 this month. I play General Okaine. That's two million barrels 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.640 of oil a grab, and we've done it three times 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.320 at sea. That forget the cargo ship, who knows what 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:11.200 was in it, but we got the oil. They're going 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:14.440 to run on oil. The Hewett option is this, Wick 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:16.760 Coop and Kushner give them a list of the oil 0:15:16.840 --> 0:15:20.960 facilities in Iraq, you know, one through thirty, and say 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:22.800 we're going to take out one of these each day, 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:25.160 and we're gonna end with cart Island being in rubble. 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:28.080 If you do not give us dialing, enriched uranium and 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:31.880 inspection rights at Pickaxe Mountain and other places, because we're 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:33.600 not going to leave you with any money. What do 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:35.800 you think about that? Just lay it out, here's our 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:38.280 target list. You can't stop us. They're all going to 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:39.720 be rubble. You will have no oil. 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:44.400 Well right now, I think if it's Fahiti calling the shots, 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:47.760 they probably would not accept it because I think they're 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:50.720 almost kind of living in I think Fahiti represents one 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:54.200 of the true believers. But again, part of the strategy 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:56.240 for something like that, which I think is actually pretty smart, 0:15:57.080 --> 0:16:00.680 is that are we sure that everybody around Bahiti wants 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:04.840 to make that same decision exactly? And that's the key 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:06.840 is that you know the fracturing in that respect is 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:09.400 that is a good thing. I never understood the argument 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:11.320 that was made by some of the critics of the 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:16.160 war after the initial decapitation strikes isay, now you've got 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:19.760 an even more hard line regime. They've always been hardliners. 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:27.359 As you know, they killed they killed forty exactly right. Yeah, 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:30.040 so the idea that you know, oh, we can't risk 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:32.600 it because someone might the next person might be even worse. 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:35.760 They're all in the category of horrible. 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:39.600 So I mean, at this point, I am I'm, I'm 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:41.880 I'm looking forward to the fracturing, and I think that 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.120 there will be more of it, and at some point, 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:45.560 you know, I think there's going to be a lot 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:48.320 of different opportunities. And remember they still haven't turned the 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.240 Internet back on. The Iranian people are going to, you know, 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:54.200 enter into this at some point. I would love it 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:56.240 if we were things that we were, we could start 0:16:56.280 --> 0:16:58.440 maybe doing to try to turn back on the Internet 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:01.080 or provide alternatives. I think that that technology exists, and 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:04.200 I don't exactly understand why that hasn't happened yet. 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:08.920 But in both you've got storchs in Israel and UAE. 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:13.760 Why is the UAE not building a big pipeline from 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:17.560 the UAE to Israel so that they don't have to 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:19.920 ship anything. Why, yeah, there's not would be like. 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:22.159 That's a great question. I don't have an answer. I 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:24.639 should say, great question. I don't have an answer for 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:26.960 that right now. But one that's one issue is I 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:29.920 think that you know, if you build a pipeline, that's 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:33.520 another target. And the Iranians have the drones and we 0:17:33.640 --> 0:17:36.600 maybe they don't have the drone defense, but the UAE 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:38.639 has been in the fight. I can tell you that. 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:42.120 And I can also say that I don't know. I mean, 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:44.440 we'll see what happens with the Saudis. The Saudis are 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.520 right now, you know, very connected to the Pakistanis who 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:51.359 are hosting the negotiations, and they're their outreach to Turkey, 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.199 which I think is really troubling right now. But I 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:56.679 think the Amoradis, and I think at least parts of 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:59.719 this part of the Saudi royal family at least uh, 0:18:00.640 --> 0:18:03.320 they're at a new strategic reality after this war, and 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:06.199 there will be there will be no option for the 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:09.760 Iranians to sort of rebuild that relationship until there's regime change. 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:14.600 So that's another strategic loss for Iran in this conflict. 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:18.239 I noticed what the Libyans up their oil production in 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:22.280 one month by a million barrels a day. And so 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:25.240 there are other places around the world to get oil. 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:27.639 It's not as cheap. But we're not going to be 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:29.960 at ninety dollars a barrel. We're going to get back 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:32.280 to seventy five, which is more than sixty. But the 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:35.719 world can absorb that. They can't absorb a nuclear Iran. 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:38.960 And so when you get rid of the Trump distortion 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:42.040 effect and the Net and Yahoo distortion effect, isn't this 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:43.720 clearly a win for the world. 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:46.639 I'm so glad you put it like that, Hugh. 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:49.000 It's become so frustrating to me. 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:53.359 Even if the Iranians manage for a period of time 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.800 to hold on to the straight of Hormuz a that 0:18:56.880 --> 0:18:59.800 is we've talked about before, a depreciating asset, because there 0:18:59.840 --> 0:19:02.520 will people will find alternatives yep to the straight up 0:19:02.520 --> 0:19:05.400 woe moves and alternative sources. But the most important thing 0:19:05.520 --> 0:19:12.000 is weighed against demolishing the vast majority of Iran's nuclear program, 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:17.720 its defense industry, the conventional ballistic missile shield that Rubio 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:22.199 has talked about, Weighed against all of that, is it 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:25.600 worth it? Yes, because we're the whole reason for this 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:29.359 entire war has been to stop these fanatics from getting 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:33.000 a nuclear weapon. And pretty I mean, in theory they 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:36.920 could start again. But we just wiped away thirty years 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:40.679 and half a trillion dollars worth of investment. And that 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:43.800 is a military accomplishment, and I can take it, in 0:19:43.800 --> 0:19:49.120 my view absolutely a strategic accomplishment. And again someone can say, yeah, 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:51.080 theoretically they're going to be more determined than ever to 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:55.280 rebuild it, to which I say, then the United States 0:19:55.280 --> 0:19:58.080 and Israel will be determined to knock that out as well. 0:19:58.640 --> 0:20:03.080 Yeah, theoretical we really wetting up. Yeah, if we had 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:06.400 gone after Hitler in nineteen thirty seven or thirty eight 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:09.119 when he took it Inland or Austria and the Aslish, 0:20:09.240 --> 0:20:11.639 or even when he took over the Roar, theoretically that 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:13.440 might have led to a lot of heartburn, but he 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:16.639 wouldn't have had the Third Reich. I really don't understand. 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:20.680 It's the Trump distortion effect. Last word to you, Isn't 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:22.560 that what it is? The reason we can't say this. 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:26.280 I think some of it's that's Trump distortion effect. I 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:27.960 think the other part of it is that we just 0:20:28.080 --> 0:20:31.239 have a generation of people of Western elites that are 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:34.560 completely disconnected from the military. I did not serve, but 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:36.680 when the Iraq War was going on, I went to 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:39.440 a rock several times and served with Americans there. That 0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:42.560 was something that was a been valuable experience for me. 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:45.359 But so many have no idea what it means to 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:47.040 be in the military, what it means to quite a war. 0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:50.240 And amen to that, you know, I like, we're looking 0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:52.159 for the breaking history. I had a lot of driving 0:20:52.200 --> 0:20:54.919 to do this weekend. And whatever you write in the 0:20:54.920 --> 0:20:57.240 Free Press, thank you, Eli. I'll be right back and 0:20:57.600 --> 0:21:07.080 Mat Continent. He is next on the show Welcome Back America. 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:10.359 I'm Hewitt. Matt Connetty is here for his Friday a 0:21:10.400 --> 0:21:13.760 week in review with me. Matt, of course free expressions 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:16.640 columnist at the Wall Street Journal, head of Domestic Policy 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:21.560 Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and Virginia elections analysts. 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:24.879 First question, Matt, given your Free Expressions column in the 0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:30.080 Journal today, who has freer elections Iran or Virginians after 0:21:30.119 --> 0:21:31.359 this map goes into effect. 0:21:34.119 --> 0:21:37.480 Well, I would say that the Republicans in Virginia won't 0:21:37.480 --> 0:21:41.160 be feeling very enfranchised after this map goes into effect, 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:45.560 and certainly the population of Iran is not enfranchised. So 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:48.959 it's a hard call, good call, hard call. Still I'll 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:53.040 still vote with the America in the end, but for freedom. 0:21:53.040 --> 0:21:56.280 But nonetheless, this Virginia map is depressing to all those 0:21:56.280 --> 0:21:59.560 who believe in fair representation because that's what really happened. 0:22:00.240 --> 0:22:05.119 Virginia map that was six' Five Democrat, republican basically in 0:22:05.160 --> 0:22:08.000 line with the share of the vote that each party 0:22:08.040 --> 0:22:11.119 gets every four. Years trump went about forty six percent 0:22:11.160 --> 0:22:14.639 of the vote last election in twenty twenty, four and 0:22:14.680 --> 0:22:18.040 now you're going to attend to One Democrat republican, map 0:22:18.240 --> 0:22:22.000 which means that the forty six percent Of republicans in 0:22:22.040 --> 0:22:25.639 the state Of virginia will have one representative In. Congress 0:22:26.040 --> 0:22:30.080 that is the definition of. Unfairness, Now, matt. 0:22:30.000 --> 0:22:33.680 There are No republicans In. Massachusetts they're only thirty four 0:22:33.680 --> 0:22:36.720 percent vote For President trump in twenty twenty. Four i've 0:22:36.760 --> 0:22:41.000 always set redistricting done by the. Legislature it's a political mischief. 0:22:41.000 --> 0:22:43.160 Game just don't use, race And i'm okay with. It 0:22:43.480 --> 0:22:46.800 but The virginians passed a constitutional amendment to prohibit in the. 0:22:46.800 --> 0:22:49.960 State that's up to the states to, decide and, basically 0:22:49.960 --> 0:22:53.280 The virginia legislature just rolled over. IT i Heard Ken kochinelli, 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:57.919 signing Former Attorney General virginia signing optimistic With Jake, tapper 0:22:57.960 --> 0:23:01.240 But i'm not because this is a very radical legislature In. 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:04.600 RICHMOND i think they'll punish the State Supreme court if 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:07.840 they reverse the. Referendum do you have much hope for 0:23:07.920 --> 0:23:08.400 the court. 0:23:08.440 --> 0:23:13.600 CASE i think the only glimmer of HOPE i can 0:23:13.640 --> 0:23:16.520 see in The Supreme court is that what the vote 0:23:16.640 --> 0:23:19.960 On tuesday showed you is that this is not open and. 0:23:20.040 --> 0:23:21.160 SHOT i, mean this. 0:23:21.200 --> 0:23:25.440 Was a close, vote about fifty one forty, eight maybe 0:23:25.480 --> 0:23:28.520 fifty two forty, eight three or four. Points the no 0:23:28.720 --> 0:23:32.560 vote that is rejecting this unfair map was higher Than 0:23:32.840 --> 0:23:36.040 republicans earned in last year's gubernatorial. Election it was higher 0:23:36.040 --> 0:23:38.600 Than President trump earned in twenty twenty four in the 0:23:38.640 --> 0:23:41.280