One Nation w/ Brian Kilmeade 08-09-2026

Summary

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Podcast Summary: One Nation w/ Brian Kilmeade (August 9, 2026)

Main Theme
This episode of the Brian Kilmeade Show offers a lively deep-dive into current U.S. national security challenges (focusing primarily on Iran and Middle East dynamics), the ideological direction of the Democratic Party, economic and energy policy dilemmas, and critical battlegrounds of the 2026 midterm elections. Featuring high-profile guests including Senator Tim Sheehy, Congressman Mike Lawler, Ambassador Mike Waltz, military commentator Joey Jones, and various analysts, Brian Kilmeade leads fast-paced discussions on geopolitics, American defense, domestic political rifts, and media oddities.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. America’s Enduring National Security Challenge: Iran

[00:46–07:01]

• Historical Recap of U.S.–Iran Hostility

  • Kilmeade reminds listeners that ongoing U.S.–Iran tension stretches back to the 1979 embassy hostage crisis.
  • “America's problem with the Iranian regime didn't begin with Trump... It began in 1979.” — Brian Kilmeade [00:47]
  • Cites subsequent incidents, including the 1983 Beirut bombing as pivotal in shaping Iran’s view of American resolve.

• Critique of Past U.S. Politicians and Policies

  • Shifts to bipartisan warnings over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, referencing Democrats’ own critiques of the Obama-era nuclear deal (“even Democrats do” respect Reagan, yet criticize withdrawal from Beirut).

• Iran Nuclear Deal Skepticism

  • Highlights both Republican and Democratic criticism of the 2015 deal:
    • “This agreement sanctions a threshold Iranian nuclear state after 10 to 15 years.” — Political Commentator [03:20]
    • “Not even one centrifuge will be destroyed under this agreement.” — Ambassador Mike Waltz [03:31]

• Senator Tim Sheehy Interview

  • Sheehy, a Navy SEAL-turned-senator, denounces Iran’s long-term strategy:
    • “Their radical ideology... it doesn't stop at Tel Aviv. They want to do this everywhere. It's a global radical ideology and we've been fighting it for half a century.” — Senator Tim Sheehy [04:52]
  • Emphasizes Iran’s “long game” and efforts to influence U.S. and European discourse through academia, media, and migration.

• Current Iran Crisis

  • Discussion of Iran’s latest demands: lifting naval blockades, freeing assets, paying reparations, halting military action against their proxies.
  • Kilmeade relays administration’s response: slowly “low-keying” negotiations and banking on pressure via sanctions and blockades.

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2. Democratic Socialism: Passing Fad or Lasting Trend?

[07:20–15:21]

• Electoral Implications

  • Kilmeade discusses the rise of democratic socialists in Democratic primaries, using examples like El Said in Michigan and far-left figures across various states.
    • “Democrats have been nominating a parade of crazy people.” — Political Commentator [09:30]

• Radicalism and Party Shift

  • Analysis of El Said’s alliance with controversial internet figure Hasan Piker, characterizing them as “Islamist apologist” and “revolutionary, repulsive figure.”
  • Calls out Democratic leadership for aligning with these candidates, raising questions about the party's future ideology.

• AOC’s (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) Ambiguity

  • Kilmeade and his analyst critique AOC’s evasive interview on her policy stances:
    • “I don't think that we should be worried about what somebody somewhere believes. I think we should be focused on what our plan to improve people's lives are.” — AOC [13:13]
  • The panel scoffs at her response, calling it “word salad,” arguing Democratic voters want clear, actionable beliefs from leaders.

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3. U.S. Policy Posture Toward Iran and Defense Readiness

[15:21–19:46]

• Strategic Patience & Pressure

  • Sheehy (after reconnect) supports current U.S. stance: hold effective blockades, escalate militarily/economically as needed, and avoid hasty mistakes.
    • “We have the upper hand no matter what the Democrats say... We are in the military dominant position.” — Senator Tim Sheehy [15:56]

• Defense Manufacturing and Procurement Challenge

  • Urges faster, more economical weapons production: “quantity has a quality all its own.” — Senator Tim Sheehy [17:11]
  • Bipartisan push for defense acquisition reform; calls for passing defense budgets on time to give manufacturers certainty.

• China, Russia, and Multi-Front Competition

  • Sheehy warns against allowing Iran to tie down U.S. resources while China exploits the distraction.
    • “China very much wants us to be tied up with Iran for the next 47 years. So they have carte blanche in the Pacific.” — Senator Tim Sheehy [19:04]

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4. Domestic Policy: The Peril of 'Free' Programs & Energy Battles

[21:22–28:08]

• Socialist Promises in NYC and Budget Reality

  • Kilmeade and Rep. Mike Lawler detail the ballooning costs of “free” bus service, day care, and government-run grocery stores in NY.
    • “The problem with socialism, eventually you run out of other people's money.” — Congressman Mike Lawler (quoting Thatcher) [22:22]
  • Lawler predicts tax hikes, budget deficits, and population loss as “the fundamental problem with free this and free that.”

• Energy Policy and Data Center Moratoriums

  • Debate over New York and Texas imposing data center moratoriums due to energy grid concerns; Lawler blames poor state policies and lack of investment in nuclear and natural gas.
    • “We need nuclear power, we need natural gas. The AI companies should be helping pay for all of this...” — Congressman Mike Lawler [26:22]
  • Warns that moratoriums impede U.S. competitiveness against China.

• Election Stakes

  • Lawler emphasizes his tight re-election race could “determine control of the House” and insists it’s a battle over socialist versus capitalist futures.

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5. Media Moments and Political Satire

[29:58–34:29]

• Joey Jones’ Media Nuggets
  • Lighthearted critique of politicians and media moments, including:
    • Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s awkward audience exchange on border policy [30:45]
    • WNBA controversies over trans athletes and Stephen A. Smith’s passionate monologue [31:49]
    • Anthony Fauci pleading the Fifth and media’s bafflement, with Jones quipping: “What harmed the perception of public health was what he did, not what he pled the Fifth about doing.” [33:59]

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6. Middle East Peace Stalemate: Gaza & Israel

[35:22–41:56]

• Netanyahu Rejects Gaza Peace Plan

  • Kilmeade reports Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to withdraw from Gaza until “Hamas is genuinely disarmed.”
    • “There will be no fictitious disarmament, saying Hamas must give up its entire arsenal.” — Brian Kilmeade [35:22]

• Ambassador Mike Waltz on Stalled Peace Plan

  • Waltz describes current progress — committee established to govern Gaza, stabilization force ready, aid entering region.
    • “Now the final piece. Hamas must disarm... We have a 15 point plan to do that. The Prime Minister Netanyahu has some issue with some of the sequencing...” — Ambassador Mike Waltz [35:58]
  • Details on 14-day arms surrender window, stressing need for credible verification (“who certifies that they've disarmed before [Israel] pulls back?”) and optimism for eventual disarmament.

• Regional Alliances and U.S. Goals

  • Discussion of an emerging Egypt-Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan “defense pact” to counterbalance Iran, with Waltz noting all parties still covet close U.S. ties, especially in arms buying and military training.

• U.S. ‘Strategic Patience’ with Iran

  • Waltz doubles down on the success of “Operation Economic Fury”:
    • “Iranians are more afraid of Secretary Bessant than they are of Secretary Hegseth. ...Their currency is tanking. Inflation is the highest in 80 years.” — Ambassador Mike Waltz [39:59]
  • Kilmeade inquires about Iranian internal politics — Waltz notes chaos due to sanctions, lack of cash, and infighting among Iran’s leaders and IRGC.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The lesson our enemies took from that was dangerously simple. Spill enough American blood, break America's will, and America will leave.” — Brian Kilmeade [01:38]
• “There's never been a single president who has stood up to Iran and hit back.” — Senator Tim Sheehy [04:52]
• “Democrats have been nominating a parade of crazy people... these are all people running for deep blue district House seats... you talk about a softball interview.” — Political Commentator [09:30]
• “The problem with socialism, eventually you run out of other people's money.” — Congressman Mike Lawler [22:22]
• “Quantity has a quality all its own.” — Senator Tim Sheehy [17:11]
• “Iranians are more afraid of Secretary Bessant than they are of Secretary Hegseth.” — Ambassador Mike Waltz [39:59]
• On AOC: “She's never going to win the spelling bee... you got to run the country. And I just don't think she's got the background.” — Political Commentator [15:21]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Iran history and policy debate: 00:46–07:01
• Democratic socialism & party direction: 09:30–15:21
• Senator Sheehy on military/defense: 15:56–19:46
• Mike Lawler on "free" programs and AI/data centers: 21:22–28:08
• Joey Jones' media digest: 29:58–34:29
• Gaza/Israel peace plan analysis with Amb. Waltz: 35:22–41:56

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Overall Tone & Language

• The episode maintains a fast, direct, and frequently irreverent tone, combining serious analysis (“maximum pressure” on rogue regimes; weapon procurement bureaucracy) with biting political satire (mocking radical candidates, AOC’s interviews, comment on WNBA controversies).
• Speakers are outspoken, frequently critical, and unapologetic, aimed squarely at a conservative audience keen on robust national security and market-driven policy.

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This summary provides a clear roadmap of the episode for listeners who missed it, spotlighting key arguments, memorable lines, and the framing of political and geopolitical tensions in summer 2026.

Transcript

[Brian Kilmeade]

Everyone, welcome to our nation. I'm Brian Kilmeade. Hope you had a fantastic weekend. It's going to get better and end strong. Look at this lineup we got for you tonight. Ambassador Mike Waltz almost in the building. He's going to talk about what the prime minister of Israel just said that could upend what would the kind of deal we're working with Hamas. We'll see you.

[Joey Jones]

You.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It's going to break down the midterm elections after some suspenseful primaries and maybe put Republicans back in play, but for bucking history, maybe have a success in November. And Mike Lawler, how his race goes in that battleground state, his battleground district could make or break the balance of power in the House. But first, the fastest, most impactful monologue in America. We begin with our number one national security challenge of the moment, and it is with. Drumroll, please.

[Congressman Mike Lawler]

Iran.

[Brian Kilmeade]

As we look to end this conflict for good, I think it's important for everyone to reacquaint themselves with the facts. I want you to remove the politics, forget for a moment about the midterms because once again we wake up today to see this outlaw regime of fanatics changing the terms. Yes, the terms of our opening and closing up the strait and ending their nuclear program. So before we go over that which is maddening, let's recap how we got here. America's problem with the Iranian regime didn't begin with Trump, too. It began in 1979. Hostages being taken. Remember November 4th. Americans seized inside our own embassy in Tehran. 52 taken 444 days in captivity. It marked the beginning of an end of our relationship. Believe it or not, we had a good relationship with Iran, with all their faults. Four years later, the Beirut bombing. 241American service members were killed. Horrific. Most of them Marines. And as much as we revere Ronald Reagan, even Democrats do. As a president who rebuilt the American military and restored America's strength, what happened next sent a message to our enemies that they have not forgotten. Months after the attack, American forces actually left Beirut. And the lesson our enemies took from that was dangerously simple. Spill enough American blood, break America's will, and America will leave. And from there, the warnings kept coming. President after president, Republican and Democrat, different decades, same threat. We're especially not going to tolerate these attacks from outlaw states run by the strangest collection of misfits, Looney Tunes and squal criminals since the advent of the Third Reich. We are fully prepared to act to restrict the funds to Iran and Libya that fuel terrorist attacks. Iran is today the world's leading state sponsor of terror.

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

A nuclear Iran is a threat to

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

our national security and it's a threat

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

to Israel's national security.

[Audience or Crowd]

Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East.

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

We cannot afford to have a nuclear

[Brian Kilmeade]

arms race in the most volatile region of the world. You think they all talked about it, but no one did anything. That part was never really in dispute about Iran and nukes. Iran was the problem. The dispute over has always been how to handle that problem. And anyone who says Barack Obama got it right with the 2015 nuclear deal is not remembering it right. Because some of the most serious warnings about that deal did not come from Republicans. They came from Obama's own party.

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

This agreement sanctions a threshold Iranian nuclear state after 10 to 15 years.

[Brian Kilmeade]

My overarching concern is that requires no

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

dismantling of Iran's nuclear infrastructure and only mothballs that infrastructure for 10 years. Not even one centrifuge will be destroyed under this agreement.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Think about that. Democrats breaking with the Democratic president over one of his signature foreign policy achievements. We even bring up the cash that he delivered to them. And the deal never received an up and down vote in the Senate. They never ratified it. In fact, there was a movement in the Senate to disapprove the entire treaty. So President Obama moved ahead with the agreement anyway. An agreement that placed major restrictions on Iran's nuclear program. But some of its most important restrictions would evaporate in 10 to 15 years, which means it they'd be done. That's exactly what Senator Chuck Schumer was warning us about. That's the history we cannot forget as we try to figure out what comes next. It didn't start yesterday. It didn't start with this conflict. Iran has been watching America and testing America for 40 years. The question now is, as we search for an end to this conflict that works for us, is whether Iran once again concludes that they can wait America out, or whether after four decades, Iran finally gets a different message. One senator didn't need to hear this monologue to understand why we are fighting a Iran. Today, former Navy SEAL Senator Tim Sheehy hammered this point home on the Senate floor.

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

Love Donald Trump or hate him. Love his policies.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Hate ice. Love ice, whatever.

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

There's never been a single president who has stood up to Iran and hit back. For 47 years, our troops and our families have been absorbing attack after attack after attack all over the world. And their radical ideology does not stop at the Persian Gulf. It doesn't stop at Tel Aviv. They want to do this everywhere. It's a global radical ideology and we've been fighting it for half a century.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Senator Tim Sheehy joins us now. Senator, that used to be conventional wisdom on the Senate floor when you were in uniform. What happened?

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

Well, listen, Iran plays a long game. And I think you, as everyone knows, the president knows that they're a patient group. No one ever accused them of being stupid. They are radical and crazy and, and they're bloodthirsty savages, but they are not stupid. And they have invested billions of dollars all over the world over the past half century in universities and media outlets to make sure that they win the messaging war. And I think you can say pretty confidently over the past couple of years, especially these past six to seven months, they've bought off a lot of people to spread their ideology. They've done it through mass migration. It's not an accident that we have a lot of communes of Muslim communities in the US In Europe now who are espousing this ideology. They do it through purchasing me media outlets, investing in higher education. But they play the long game. That's why this has been going on for 47 years. And that's why the president also understands that we don't have to solve this in 12 days or 60 days or 90 days. He's prioritizing a number of things at the same time, to include the strength of our economy, to include, of course, the safety of our allies in the region, to make sure that any escalatory steps we take also take into account their safety. So he's doing the right thing. We are doing the right thing. And this is a righteous fight and we're going to finish it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And we did not, I did not bring up just for. Because I want to get to the interview. The 603, the 603 dead in the Iran war thanks directly to Iranian action and their EFPs and the thousands, the thousands who are wounded. I also want to give people an idea what Iran put out today. They said they are demanding this of us, this of us. Lift the naval blockade, withdraw our forces from the area.

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

Can't hear the program, guys.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Three Iran. We'll try to get his audio straightened out, but I'll just share this with the audience. Free Iran's frozen assets, pay war reparations and end all threats and insults. And stop military action against Iran's militias. Really stop their actions against the militias. So let them finance Hezbollah Houthis as well as Hamas. You gotta be kidding me. So here's what the president told me. Today he said, look, I am not in any rush right now. They have not paid their soldiers in three weeks. We have not. We have not paid our soldiers in three weeks. They are falling apart economically. In fact, this is what he told Axios. We are now low keying it. We're only semi negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and in fact they have no money. It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game. So they may have the straits somewhat closed. We're still getting ships through there about 25. We prefer 100. We are also seeing that the price of oil is around 75 per barrel. We prefer it at 65, no lower. So the gas price of oil and gas is up slightly, but it's not up a lot. And if Iran thinks they're going to wait us out, I think they got the wrong president. And I think also you have to realize this, we got eyes and ears. They no longer have radar. They can't detect a lot of what we're doing. And that's a big part of this. And the president's essentially going to say if you're going to make those demands and we're going to have these talks, you're not going to be candid about those talks. I'm going to go ahead and sit on my hands and I'll wait and tap you along. You're not going to tap me along. So we'll try to get Senator Tim Sheehy's shot back up. In the meantime, the rise of Democratic socialists is raising new questions about the future of the Democratic Party. It is a temporary. Is this a temporary political movement, a passing fad or is there a broader long term ideological shift underway here? To break it down as one of the best in his business talked about this before on his radio show and now joins us to analyze. In a very big week for the socialists in America, maybe the Communists. You, you, it's always great to see you. Do you believe that when you have like people like El said and you have a governor who in a place like Wisconsin that has bizarre statements like I'm willing to. I think we should outlaw Thanksgiving. This gives Republicans hope for more success than history says they should have in the midterms.

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

They have given us a gift. Brian, good evening to you and I hope you do get Senator Sheehy back because. Because I want to hear it. He's so brilliant on the need to take the fight to Iran and destroy the irgc. I hope he comes back, knock me off if he does, here's the basic breakdown. Hong in Wisconsin is a joke and she's going to get blown out. But Said in Michigan is a dangerous menace. I want people to understand that all summer long, people have been going to barbecues and baseball games and little League in the pool and the beach. Democrats have been nominating a parade of crazy people. Chevalier, Lander, Valdez in New York, Hamaui in New Jersey, Rob in Philadelphia, Kiros in Denver. These are all people running for deep blue district, House, House, districts for being a member of the House of Representatives. And they'll have their caucus of crazies and it'll be led by aoc. El Said is a statewide candidate in Michigan and he is a radical. He is an Islamist apologist. He runs around with Hassan Piker, who is a revolutionary, an absolutely repulsive figure. He's a racist, he's a bigot, he's a misogynist. He said America delivered 9 11, deserved 9 11. He is on the record of thinking Mao, who murdered 100 million people, is a good guy. So I think El Said got the nomination because of Hassan Piker. They campaigned together, they joined together at the hip hop. They are essentially a ticket. And the people of Michigan, especially the Arab American community in Michigan, which is large. The last Republican to represent Michigan was Spence Abrams. He was an Arab American, Lebanese American. There are lots of great patriotic Arab Americans in America. They, however, have been fooled in these cross tabs in the Democratic Party into voting for one of the most radical, I actually think the most radical major party nominee for the United States Senate since the Civil War. That's El Said. And it's a ticket. El Said and Hasan Piker. And he can't be allowed to run away from it. He did the rounds on the Sunday shows today. It was like watching girls softball. It was underhanded, throwing 4th grade girls softball. He's got a lot to answer for because he's a radical, he's anti American, he's pro Islam, is supporting Hasan Piker. Yeah, I think that was a gift to us. It seems to me that Donald Trump not only destroyed the Republican Party establishment, he destroyed the Democratic Party establishment. And it's so wide open. You've got people like Chuck Schumer putting his arms around El Said. But very serious people on the Democratic Party have already come over to Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate in Michigan, and they're with Mike. And I think Mike Rogers is really the most important race in America.

[Brian Kilmeade]

FBI background, military background, who's on the select committee on Intelligence in the House when he was here. A very serious guy. You know Piker by the way for people to say you can't associate him directly with Al said you're wrong. He closed out his campaigning with him and he would not say they wouldn't campaign again. Keep in mind Piker called for the death of Rick Scott. He loves China so much. It is even his mom was said I don't love China as much as my son does. And we know too. He says America deserves 9 11. So now the new go golden child is AOC. I'm not saying she doesn't have a brilliant smile and a wonderful background story in terms of success for the people of Queens. I haven't seen any but you talk about a softball interview. Jonathan Carl usually can be really tough. Gave her layup after layup and was asked if you are a so called socialist and supporting these socialist candidates, are you for abolishing the border? Are you for abolishing the Senate? Are you for ending prisons? When asked this is her answer.

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)]

Listen, they're free to have their economic identity as as they like. And you know, in terms of dooming the party, the idea that there's a diversity of thought in America among everyday voting people is a fundamental fact of our country. I don't think that we should be worried about what somebody somewhere believes. I think we should be focused on what our plan to improve people's lives are.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Have at it. You if you heard more. Even Kamala Harris called up and said you're not making any sense.

[Political Commentator or Host (possibly Brian Kilmeade or guest)]

What does that even mean

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

that Kamala Harris would say that's a word salad aoc. We don't really care what people believe. Actually that's all we care about. President Trump warned me about this in an interview a couple of months ago. I noted that she has sparkle. She's got a lot of drama. He said, I don't know if she can do an interview. Well, she went to the Munich Security Conference and embarrassed the United States. There she goes on abc. This that was really her answer. I missed that. I was watching Kristen Welker throw softballs at EL Said so I missed John Carl throwing softballs at aoc. She's never going to win the spelling bee and we've always known that. I don't know if there's a book on her bookstand. I don't think there's a book anywhere near her office. However, she got a lot of sparkle. But eventually American, serious American, middle of America, independent minded, center left, center right. People, they want to know what you Believe. They know that El Said is a radical radical. They know he's joined at the hip with Hasan Piker. They got to know that if AOC wants to run for president, that's the buzz. Even if she wants to run for Chuck Schumer's seat, although Mandani wants it, she's going to have to actually talk in complete sentences, use nouns, verbs and adjectives and explain to us what her point of view is on things like Iran. Was it correct to attack Iran before they got a nuclear weapon? It's not a hard question to answer. The answer is yes. Is it correct to keep the blockade? The answer is yes. Is it correct never to retreat in the face of terrorism? The answer is yes. She can't say that because I honestly don't think she's thought it through. Not a question of being nice or being charismatic. You got to run the country. And I just don't think she's got the background.

[Political Commentator or Host (possibly Brian Kilmeade or guest)]

Brian. Absolutely.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Always great to talk to you. Right before we started early, you said, I hope you get Senator Tim Sheehy back. We got Senator Tim Sheehy back. So you. Thanks so much. I'll talk to you again. Let's go back out to Montana. Senator, you were just talking about the next steps as we were going over what's going to happen in the midterms, which I know matters to you. We just were talking about Iran and what matters. And the president's saying, look, you think they're tapping us along? I'm going to hold off and I'm going to, I'm going to wait for now. I'm going to let your economy collapse and let our blockade sink in. Is that a good move?

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

Like we talked about earlier, this is a 47 year conflict. We don't have to be in a rush to make a mistake. And I think the president's done very well. Bradley Cooper, Admiral Brad Cooper in centcom, of course, Hegseth, our Secretary of War. They're escalating when needed and the directions needed. Our blockade is in place. Our air forces are in place to escalate as needed. I think we're containing them now. And there's no sense putting our forces and our allies at risk at a time when we have all the leverage. I mean, we have the upper hand no matter what the Democrats say or what Al Jazeera says or what any opposition media says. We are in the military dominant position. We're in the economic dominant position. Oil's been dropping below 80 bucks a gallon, 80 bucks a barrel here lately. So we have the economic strength and military strength to keep going and hold this out. And we'll finish it when the time is right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So let's talk about procurement and the need to pick up the pace when it comes to weapons manufacturing. One of the things we have is sophisticated weapons, but it takes a lot of time to make this sophistication. It's not back to the World War II days. We slap them together and get, get yourself a welder and a screw gun and we can get a plane in the air. It's a lot complicated than that. The president realizes that we got to pick up the pace when it comes to interceptors. You are on, you're on foreign relations, you're on armed services. Excuse me. What's the, what's the reality?

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

Well, we're leading the charge in my office along with a bipartisan group on the Hill to lead defense acquisition reform. Our bureaucratic sclerosis around the acquisition of weapons systems, of aircraft, of vessels over the past 20 years has been crippling. And to your point. We make exquisite quality and our quality is fantastic. But quantity has a quality all its own. And in our pursuit for excellence and exquisite systems, we have lost sight of the ability to mass produce economically, do it quickly and do it cheaply. And we are now bringing that back. And I think this Department of War and this Congress, bipartisan, I'll give credit to both sides on this, is focused on returning our military industrial base to more of a resilient commercial base instead of an exquisite, tiny aerospace defense base. And the President is prioritizing that. Dep. Sec. Feinberg is prioritizing that. And we're seeing very real, concrete, concrete progress in that direction. One of the things we can do, most importantly is to pass defense budgets on time so we can get away from cars. The CR is around defense are very damaging because they don't give certainty the defense producers to make the investments in growing the supply chain. We can't expect to have robust supply chains with producers. You can't expect producers to make a drone factor if we're not buying any drones. So we need to have the certainty of the acquisition side before we can expect the industrial base to grow. We're investing in both.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Look, yeah, I don't think it's necessarily negligence. It's the way. Because the money's not there, I can't go build a patriot. And because I'm a public traded company, if I don't have money from the government to do it, some of them are taking money out of the company to build at a quicker pace. I think Silicon Valley could be the lucky, could be the people that step in here and pick up the pace in terms of innovation. But overall, Senator, how long is it going to take to get to get our stockpile to a place where we want it? And we should keep this in mind. If we get to 1.5 trillion, that's 5% of our GDP. That's where we told NATO to be. So we at the very least got to meet there.

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

You're absolutely right. And the grand scheme of things is still less than 10% of our entire federal spending, the vast majority of which goes to other programs. So it's very important we invest in the defense. And investing in defense and protecting our forces up front prevents far more expensive responses later. And as you look at Russia and China and how they're using Iran as a destabilizing force for the entire world, this isn't just a small regional issue. China very much wants us to be tied up with Iran for the next 47 years. So they have carte blanche in the Pacific. So it's important we tie this off and finish it. And that's why we have to invest in the proper supply chain and the tooth to tail ratio for our military to make sure we're able to fight the two front war and protect our allies. And most importantly, put America first.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All our enemies are combining. We saw 50,000 more North Korean troops are now heading to Russia because they can't find any other volunteers. They can't even draft enough because they're losing so many. Senator, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

[Senator Tim Sheehy]

Thanks, Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Appreciate resilience. Meanwhile, the socialist free agenda is not turning out to be so free after all. Congressman Mike Lowell is here on that and more. And be sure to catch me on tour this fall. I'm really pumped up for rank Red Bank, New Jersey, Westbury, New York, of course, St. Louis. I'll be over in Jacksonville and in Clearwater. And a book comes Uniting the States comes with every single ticket. Go to briankilmead.com it streams on Fox Nation. Don't move. Bring up the music.

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[Audience or Crowd]

Thank you.

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

Yep.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Maybe one of the main reasons Mayor Mondoni got booed in Staten island this week is because the truth is finally coming out that actually free isn't actually free after all. Someone's got to pay for it or not do it. I'm Downey's free daycare is actually expected to cost taxpayers between 6 and 9 billion dollars a year based off recent estimates. And you can tack that on to the $70 million it's costing taxpayers to get these city run, city owned grocery stores up and running. It's ridiculous. Hey, whatever happened to those free buses? When will voters wake up to find out that nothing is free? This is a scam. He never even did the math. Let's ask congressman who knows him well, when he was in was in, they were both working in the state when he was an assemblyman. And he joins us now, New York Congressman Mike Lower. Congressman, you were probably one of the least surprised that nothing was going to be like he said, free buses, free to cave childcare. And in terms of grocery run stores run by the city, it's not going to work.

[Congressman Mike Lawler]

Well, as Margaret Thatcher famously said, the problem with socialism, eventually you run out of other people's money. And what we're seeing is the city has a multibillion dollar budget deficit that was plugged by Kathy Hochul in New York State to try and appease Zoran Mamdani and the radical socialists. But all of this adds up. The MTA is already complaining that all of the people that were promised free busing have already assumed it took effect and they're just refusing to pay their fare. These grocery stores are going to be a major catastrophe. Chicago, Kansas City are already admitting defeat, shutting down these government run grocery stores because it costs too much. Because the fact is that grocery stores have about a 1 to 2% profit margin. And so what he's doing is subsidizing with taxpayer money the cost of groceries to try and give an artificially low price. But the fact is this is not going to work. The bottom line here, Brian, taxes are going to go up in New York, spending is continuing to go up, budget deficits are going to increase and the tax base is going to erode because the people who can afford to leave are leaving. And that's the fundamental problem with free this and free that. Somebody's got to pay for it and the people who can afford to pay for it are getting the hell out.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I mean, just put up this chart real quick because as estimated said B, between 5 and 8 billion a year it's going to cost for childcare. It actually is much more than that. 50% more than that when it comes to his grocery stores, five city owned stores, 30% lower prices, $1,000 a year you'll save perhaps. And then it turns out it's going to cost much more than that. And of course the free buses, no one even thinks it's even possible or plausible. But here's the problem, Congressman. When you run against somebody who promises all these things, it's hard to say. I got to give you a reality check. It's not possible. This sounds great, this helps you win. But how do you fight that?

[Congressman Mike Lawler]

No question. This is a fundamental problem that we're seeing across the country where these radical socialists are winning democratic primaries by promising the world and, and in many cases they'll never be able to deliver. But this is the fight of the midterms. This is the fight for president in 2028. This is a choice election about the future of America. And what the Democrats have become is a socialist party. The communists are taking over. And this is a fundamental problem not only for the Democrats, but really for the country. Because the reality check here is that we cannot afford free, free, free. America is the leading force in the world because of our capitalist system, because of our capital markets. That's why we are able to lift people out of poverty. That's why we are able to ensure that people have opportunity. There's a reason people flee communism and socialism wherever it exists, because it doesn't work.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You know, Congressman, it's interesting because a lot of your speeches have to start almost like with a seminar about in the Cold War era, you never have to explain to people the difference between communism, socialism and democracy and capitalism. But now it's been so long that there's a whole group joining who's saying, well, I don't see the problem with socialism as if they have to open up a book to understand it. But I want to bring another hot issue front and center. Not easy. Texas has joined New York in imposing a moratorium on data centers. You know, we need it to keep pace. Where do you stand in New York?

[Congressman Mike Lawler]

Look, I support local control of zoning, always have and always will. The fundamental challenge with data centers is they do require a lot of energy and water usage. But in a state like New York where they have disastrous energy policy, this is a fundamental problem. We need nuclear power, we need natural gas. The AI companies should be helping pay for all of this, especially if they're going to consume large amounts of energy. But long term, we are in a competition with China on AI, on quantum computing. IBM is headquartered in my district. I just had Secretary Lutnick visit IBM's quantum computing facility on Friday. We are in a battle against China. You know who benefits from moratoriums on data centers? China. Which is part of the reason why in the last six months you've seen an uptick in all of this social media activity talking about banning data centers. China benefits from this. We need sound policy. States need to be working with the federal government. The AI companies need to help contribute towards the cost of energy. But the bottom line is we need to increase domestic production of energy, not just when it comes to data centers, but for the American people. We want to bring down costs. Utility rates in New York under Kathy hochul are up 58% in six years precisely because they ban nuclear power, they ban natural gas, they block pipelines. We need sound energy policy as part of this larger discussion on AI and data centers and quantum computing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah, you need Bruce Blakeman to want to be the next governor. Some logic there.

[Congressman Mike Lawler]

No question.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Kate Connolly. Kate Connolly, a veteran West Point grad. You two are in a toss up right now. You confident?

[Congressman Mike Lawler]

I am. I am. Look, last public poll had me up 5, but no question, this is going to be a tight race. It's like my other two races going to determine control of Congress. It's going to be about a $60 million race. So if folks want to support me, they should go to lawlorforcongress.com or text Mike to 85007. My race will determine control of the House. Kate Connally supports the radical socialists. She supports open borders. She supports sanctuary cities. She wants a $4 trillion tax increase. She was opposed to what I did on salt. This is a very clear choice in my district.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Congressman, thanks so much. I know you're in full campaign mode. November's going to come quicker than you know it. Meanwhile, don't move. Next only on one nation. Joey Jones is here with the media moments that matter most to him and hopefully you also. Please check out my YouTube channel. This is all Joey watches YouTube.com@the Brian Kilmeicho. At least that's what he told me. You could bring up the music now.

[Fox News Wine Shop Announcer]

Did you know Fox News has a wine shop? Did you also know you can get a head start on your Christmas shopping? That's right. Check one more gift off your list with the Fox News wine Shop Advent calendar featuring 12 festive wines inspired by the holiday magic of Fox Square. You can reserve yours for just a $19.99 deposit. We'll deliver it free right to your doorstep in time for the holiday season. Quantities are limited, so visit foxnewswineshop.com today.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Media moments that matter for everyone's favorite segment. I mean everyone. This week I gave my only vcr, my TV Guide subscription, all my chords and my tape stock, too. Joey Jones, co host of the Big Weekend Show. After six hours of tv, he said, can I do a little bit more? I said, joey, okay, fantastic. Now, I gave you this assignment, gave you a week to do it. What did you come up with?

[Joey Jones]

I came up with some funny stuff. Some people that really crack me up, but also just are insane from the beginning. This first one I need to take, but also, you don't have to give me a vcr. I've got a vcr.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You got a vcr?

[Joey Jones]

That's all I have.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I don't even have a dvd.

[Joey Jones]

This first one's kind of funny because she's so easy to make fun of. You know who Amy Klobuchar is?

[Brian Kilmeade]

Senator wants to be governor.

[Joey Jones]

Yes, she does. Well, you know, Democrats aren't known for being strong on the border. But she doesn't know that. So she's on stage, she gets asked a question about it, and the crowd lets her know what they think about it. Check this out.

[Audience or Crowd]

I've long believed and supported funding for order at the border. And I have worked well with law enforcement in Minnesota for years. But what I ran, I ran the largest prosecutor's office in the state and was endorsed by police many, many times. So don't.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So don't.

[Political Commentator or Host (possibly Brian Kilmeade or guest)]

Too late.

[Brian Kilmeade]

They know that there's not a Democrat that's tough on the border.

[Fox News Wine Shop Announcer]

Are you kidding me?

[Joey Jones]

You know you're garnering votes when you're scolding your constituents, don't you? D. Listen, the only thing can be worse is if they handed her a salad. But al fork, right?

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, Joey, when you first started the big on the big weekend show, did you ever think of you talking so much about the wnba?

[Joey Jones]

No, I said this yesterday. Listen, I would not know all these stats had Sophie Cunningham not gotten clothesline last night. But even before all that. So the coach for one of these WNBA teams, she wore a T shirt that said Trans Kids belong when she played against Sophie Cunningham. A controversy is not a controversy until Stephen A. Smith is screaming into a microphone about it. And this is what he had to say.

[Political Commentator or Host (possibly Brian Kilmeade or guest)]

You are Cheryl Reeve, the head Coach of the Minnesota Links. That is an irresponsible thing to do. You are a coach for a female basketball team. Do you not think that the females are being screwed over if they have to compete against an individual born as a male? What are you talking about? If you're a male and transition into female, you should be playing against the women. Nobody said you can't transition from male to female. The issue here is competing against the women. That's what Sophie Cunningham was talking about. That's what Riley Gaines is talking about.

[Brian Kilmeade]

How come he's outraged? Because he doesn't understand why they can't see this.

[Joey Jones]

Find the line, anything. I watched the whole thing. The only thing I thought at the end of it was I would love to see him and Mark Levin at dinner, you know, where they have to be real quiet.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So I just think it's unbelievable because WNBA put out a statement after this saying, we know this question's gotta come up. We know it's very nuanced. Please take your time and use some caring. What are you talking about? There's no nuance about it.

[Joey Jones]

Nothing new. And her own coach won't even have her back. It really is kind of disgusting.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Finally, Anthony Fauci on your list?

[Joey Jones]

Yeah, listen, this guy, Chuck Todd, you might have heard of him, he used to have a TV show on tv, Meet the Press, I think it was almost cnn. And he's telling us that, listen, it was a complete surprise. And he's so baffled that Fauci would just plead the Fifth. Check it out.

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

But I'll be honest with you, I thought Anthony Fauci made a huge mistake in pleading the Fifth. I think you hand a talking point. I think the average person hears that and thinks, oh, maybe he does have something to hide. Maybe he is fearful of something. And. And you know, knowing how the current world of Washington works, I understand why a lawyer gave Tony Foushee the advice to say take the Fifth. Gigantic mistake. And it's a terrible end to his, to his, to his legacy. And I'm sorry it happened. I get it. I understand the risk averseness that lawyers can do sometimes. But I think it was a PR mistake and I really think it harmed public. The perception of public health.

[Joey Jones]

What harmed the perception of public health was what he did, not what he pled the Fifth about doing. But you know, that's like telling the Titanic de Vere left. I mean, of course it's news for him now.

[Brian Kilmeade]

He was upset they took the Fifth, but he doesn't understand that he had to do it to protect himself. Even with a pardon. You don't get it. He still doesn't get it. No, we get it. Joey, thanks so much for staying extra.

[Joey Jones]

You get it all day, man.

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

All night, too.

[Joey Jones]

I mean, we're here.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And by the way, I have just as many tattoos. I just didn't have time to put on my short sleeve shirt. You never know. Joey, great to see you, man. Great job. All weekend.

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

All right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Meanwhile, straight ahead, Israel rejects the latest Gaza peace plan. What this means for the state of the Middle East. Next, the man with the answers to the Middle East, Ambassador Mike Waltz coming your way. Don't move. He promises not to.

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[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, the future of the Gaza peace plan now hanging in the balance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting the Board of Peace's latest proposal, insisting Israel will not withdraw from the Gaza until Hamas is genuinely disarmed. The Bibi warning there will be no fictitious disarmament, saying Hamas must give up its entire arsenal. So where does this leave the peace plan? Joining us now to talk about that, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Mike Waltz. Ambassador, your thoughts? I know, great to see you. You work so hard on this.

[Political Commentator (possibly a guest or analyst)]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And when the prime minister comes out and says, I'm not doing it, what's your reaction?

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

Well, we have to take a step back, Brian, and, you know, kind of take stock of how far we've come. Just in seven, eight months. Right. Last fall, bombs dropping Israeli hostages in the tunnels of Gaza, Hamas shooting at everyone. No aid going in. We get President Trump's 20 point peace plan. We get it endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. And now we're implementing that. Now we have a committee of Palestinians that are set up to run Gaza. We have an international stabilization force ready to go in with Moroccans, soldiers from Azerbaijan, Indonesia and elsewhere. And the aid is going in. It's going into the point where the unit itself is saying that the Palestinian people who have suffered under Hamas are now being fed sufficiently and still devastated, but a long way to go. And now the final piece. Hamas must disarm. We're not going to repeat the definition of insanity. We're not going to allow them to rearm attack Israel again and start all of this over. And one way or another, either they're going to do it, as the President said, easy way or the hard way, they're going to hand down their arms and we hand over their arms. We have a 15 point plan to do that. The Prime Minister Netanyahu has some issue with some of the sequencing. This is about sequencing and timing what they give up in exchange for when he withdraws the idf. But one way or another, they're either going to give it up peacefully or the IDF is going to eventually go back in and take the arms from them. And nobody wants that. We share the same goal. We're hashing out some details and sometimes, you know, even friends, family and cousins and allies have disagreements. We're having a disagreement right now on some of those details in time.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And one of the progress is they said, okay, we won't, we won't run the government. They've already said that Hamas, when we run the government. And then you said within two weeks they'll begin to give up their arms, right?

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

That's right. There will be a 14 day period once everyone agrees to nail down some of the finer details. But again, it's all coming down to who verifies that they've given up the rockets, the missiles, the, the, the factories and even their individual AK47s. Those come under this new board set up by the board of peace that will manage all of it. And the Israelis are very concerned of

[Brian Kilmeade]

who then

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

certifies that they've disarmed before they completely pull back.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So you're still optimistic you can work both sides and maybe make, we have

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

come so far, these are some details or important details, but at the end of the day we are going to disarm Hamas. It's an ISIS like terrorist organization and we will have a new Gaza.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So we see Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and now maybe Egypt forming a defense pack against, I assume Iran. Let's be honest that even though it seems as though Pakistan is still allied with Iran, how does, what's the US Stance on them forming this defense pack?

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

Look, I don't think there's necessarily a strong opinion, Brian. At the end of the day, they all want to be with the United States. You have Turkey pounding the table for our F35s that, that President Trump just talked about. Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest US Weapons buyers in the world. Pakistan are still flying American F16. They want training from American troops. They want to be interoperable with our military, and they're buying from our defense industrial base, which means American jobs here. If they want to have some other, you know, kind of regionally focused agreements, one of the things that's bringing them all together are the Houthis, the rebels down in Yemen attacking shipping in the Red Sea, again, which affects all of these countries. And the Saudis are bringing together a coalition to focus on that as well.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So we started the show with Senator Sheehy talking about Iran and the President telling me earlier, one of the things with Iran is I'm in no rush to get a deal. They say something totally different on Thursday and that they say on Sunday, the ridiculous demands that they just put out there, not one of which we're going to hit it or even entertain. He says, I am going to wait. How do you feel about strategic patience, part of waiting?

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

Operation Economic Fury, led by Secretary Scott Bessant, is devastating the Iranian economy. And I say this jokingly, but serious, but seriously as well. The Iranians are more afraid of Secretary Bessant than they are of Secretary Hegseth. Right now when they're coming to the table to our negotiators, they are talking about cash, cash, cash because they'll absorb the bombings. They don't care about their military, they don't care about their soldiers or even the Iranian people after they massacred 40,000 of them. But what are they worried about? They're worried about that their currency is tanking. Inflation is the highest in 80 years. The IRGC controls half the economy.

[Brian Kilmeade]

They're.

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

Because this is an. A corrupt, this is a corrupt, elite, religious fanatic regime regime that has devastated that country for many, many decades. They are constantly asking for access to cash, access to their assets that we've frozen. And what the President is talking about is that's the squeeze. That coupled with the blockade, that's what's going to eventually get the Iranians to move.

[Brian Kilmeade]

When you talk to your counterpart at the un, who is their boss? Is it the supreme leader? Is it the IRGC who is in charge?

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

You know, on paper, the ambassador, the Iranian ambassador to the United nations reports to the Foreign Minister Arachi that, that we've been negotiating with, but in reality, they are all still going back to the Ayatollah, the new Ayatollah Majtaba. The problem is, is he was so wounded, he's so beat up, he's so in hiding, he's not communicating. And you have everybody posturing underneath him. Between the iron. Different elements of the IRGC who are competing amongst themselves and the civilians. And as we're seeing, you know, the president of Iran, Princess Gian, has threatened to resign almost a dozen times now. He can't pay his government workers. They're struggling to pay their military. It's that economic pressure that's having the most impact right now.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That's who it's great to see you. I know how hard you got to do work to get here to begin

[Congressman Mike Lawler]

with, by the way.

[Ambassador Mike Waltz]

And that that is coupled with and reinforced by UN Snapback sanctions. And so we're full court press, maximum pressure.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You got to keep watching the channel because I want everybody to understand that. We're going to be at Fox and Friends in a few hours. Don't forget to check out our radio show from nine to noon. And pre order my book uniting the six crucial moments of the Forza American miracle. That is it for us tonight. Stay tuned.

[Fox News Wine Shop Announcer]

Did you know FOX News has a wine shop? Did you also know you can get a head start on your Christmas shop? That's right. Check one more gift off your list with the FOX NEWS Wine Shop Advent calendar featuring 12 festive wines inspired by the holiday magic of Fox Square. You can reserve yours for just a 1999 deposit. We'll deliver it free right to your doorstep in time for the holiday season. Quantities are limited, so visit foxnewswineshop.com today.