Loading summary
Transcript115 lines
- [00:00]
Cancer Survivor
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Public Podcast Sponsor
Guaranteed Human support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc, SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.com Ever wonder
- [01:06]
Martha Stewart
how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret when prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips, lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless it is thanks to Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper. Wet it, set it, prep it done. Available in the Reynolds Wrap aisle at Walmart.
- [01:43]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you
- [01:57]
Steve Durie
to Mint Mobile today.
- [01:58]
Vice President J.D. Vance
I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com
- [02:01]
Reporter/Interviewer
Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra fee full terms@mintmobile.com people
- [02:13]
Cancer Survivor
at work supported me while I was going through treatment by not treating me like somebody who was going through treatment. Treatment sucks. Cancer sucks. Being engaged with work really helped to oh, I just knew I was going to beat this thing.
- [02:30]
Steve Durie
Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.
- [02:37]
Brian Glenn
We can make work a better place
- [02:39]
Steve Durie
for healing, learn more and sign the
- [02:41]
Vice President J.D. Vance
pledge at working with cancerpledge.com this is America's Voice live.
- [02:46]
Steve Durie
And welcome to America's Voice Live. I'm Steve Guerrilla, the pulse of the people. We need somebody that's going to hear
- [02:52]
Public Podcast Sponsor
the people's voice, the truth the mainstream won't touch.
- [02:56]
Steve Durie
This guy is by definition a globalist. Stories that matter. Rav's own Ben Berklam.
- [03:02]
Brandon Arnold
Right up over this hill, I've got Cartel.
- [03:04]
Vice President J.D. Vance
I see him, I see him. I see him
- [03:08]
Public Podcast Sponsor
Live.
- [03:09]
Steve Durie
Breaking news right now here in real America's Voice Filtered.
- [03:12]
Brian Glenn
These people are domestic terrorists and unapologetic.
- [03:15]
Steve Durie
We're here to take a stand for God and country. Does feel good.
- [03:18]
Public Podcast Sponsor
America's Voice Live starts now.
- [03:25]
Steve Durie
Welcome to America's Voice Live. I'm Steve Durie. It is Wednesday, the 8th of March, the year of our Lord 2026. Thank you for being here. We have a jam packed program for you today. From the two week ceasefire deal with Iran to the price of oil dropping to well below $100 a barrel in just a day. Let's jump right in. President Trump issued a stark warning to whatever remains of the regime in Tehran, saying in effect they had until 8 o' clock last night to open the Strait of Hormuz before being obliterated from forever even alluding to the possibility of using nuclear weapons. The problem is nobody's quite sure when the President is bluffing and when he's being deadly serious. It's part of who he is. Here's what we know today. Iran and the United States did agree to a two week ceasefire to open the Strait of Hormuz. However, reports already indicate that strait was closed again after Israel sent missiles into Lebanon. Caroline Levitt held a press briefing a short while ago at the White House where she made clear that Lebanon is not part of the deal. Here's what she said. Iran has now closed off the Strait of Hormuz today in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. What's the White House response to that? And you just listed many military successes. I understand that, but strategically, how is the administration arguing that Iran does not
- [04:42]
Vice President J.D. Vance
have more economic leverage now than it
- [04:47]
Steve Durie
did before the start of the war?
- [04:48]
Reporter/Interviewer
Sure.
- [04:48]
Caroline Levitt
Well, with respect to the first reporting out of Iranian state media, the President was made aware of those reports before I came to the podium. That is completely unacceptable. And again, this is a case of what they're saying publicly is different privately. Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire that has been relayed to all parties involved in the cease fire. As you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu put out a statement last night in support of the cease fire, in support of the United States efforts, and he's also assured the President they'll continue to be a helpful partner throughout the course of the next two weeks.
- [05:19]
Steve Durie
All right, so as we discussed last night here in prime time, these ceasefires in the Middle east, very fragile, prone to being broken quite often, as we've seen out, you know, through our entire lives, frankly. Join me now to discuss chief White House correspondent Brian Glenn, who was in the briefing room earlier today. Brian, good afternoon.
- [05:38]
Brian Glenn
Hey, Steve.
- [05:40]
Steve Durie
Obviously, the focus today on this ceasefire or the end of the ceasefire, as we were discussing before we came on here today, Tehran saying they're closing the Strait of Hormuz. And you and I were discussing they don't have an army to speak of that can do anything. They don't have a navy, they don't have an air force. When they say they're closing the Strait of Hormuz, I'm confused. How would they do that? I mean, obviously there's a lot of tension there. People are concerned about losing oil tankers. The price of oil has skyrocketed and been all over the place. How would you enforce that? How would that actually look if it were true?
- [06:17]
Brian Glenn
No, it has come from Iranian news sources as well. And of course, a lot of other media outlets picked that up and reported it, as we found out, as we were waiting for Caroline to walk out. But, Steve, you bring up a great point. We've, we've sunken all other naval ships. We've eliminated most of the, any mines in the water. They have no air defense at all. So I don't know how they can enforce closing the Strait of Her Moose or even report that it's officially been closed. Like, how do you do that? And, and, and how, how do they go about, you know, going against anybody who attempts to go through, even though they say it's closed? So you bring up some great questions. Now, Carolyn didn't go into it too much because that news had just broken right before she walked out. So I don't think she had a chance to get briefed by the President on that situation. But as it goes now, the strait is, quote, closed. Now, I talked to a colleague here on Pebble beach about 30 minutes ago talking about how serious it is if the straighter of Hormuz closed. The global impact of every day that that strait is closed and those Oil tankers cannot go through there. It is a major disruption. We've seen not only the price of energy go up here, but globally, across the world. It even echoes even more. Steve. So is it closed or is it open? I think that we cannot rely on the Iranians to answer that question.
- [07:42]
Steve Durie
So, fair question, and let's be clear about this. Since 28 February, the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed for long periods of time where takers didn't move. And oil got all the way up to $120 a barrel. one point. Today, after the news of the ceasefire, it fell all the way back down to $92. Currently, it's about $95 a barrel, far better than it's been, but not where it was when the war started, at $67. So, obviously, domestic policy, the price of oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, these are all things that impact the thinking of the administration. Obviously, they'd like a ceasefire to work, but it's very. It's tricky, isn't it, Brian? These are not easy things to pull off.
- [08:25]
Brian Glenn
And we've had these ceasefire deals before with other countries. We know how they get broken, how they don't get honored. And if you look at what's happening when the reason why, you know, Iran chose to close the Strait is because of the continual bombing of Israeli forces into Lebanon in efforts to eliminate ballistic missiles from Hezbollah. So that's their justification on that. And so, as Carolyn Levitt said, that that is not a part of the ceasefire. And, and for, for those, and I, and I'm one of them that would perhaps love to put anything else in this ceasefire clause that would prevent more escalation in that area that would disrupt some type of peace deal. So we'll see if that gets added to it. As of right now, Lebanon is not a part of that ceasefire deal, but we'll, we'll see how it develops. Now, note in about 20 minutes, President Trump will meet with a few NATO representatives to talk about our relationship with NATO. And what does that look like? There was some speculation, Steve, that President Trump has said it sometimes that he would consider pulling out from NATO. As he's always said, they don't pay their fair share, and there's a laundry list of reasons why. We'll see if that has any effect on any further negotiations on the ceasefire.
- [09:44]
Steve Durie
We'll see how that plays out. Secretary General Ruta will be there at the White House. Brian will have you on speed dial for the rest of the day. Brian Glenn there on pebble beach at The White House. Thank you, sir.
- [09:54]
Vice President J.D. Vance
All right.
- [09:55]
Steve Durie
We're going to keep a close eye on that. And most of the TV channels understandably dominated by the war going on in the Middle east, as they should be. But there are other things happening that, you know, we miss because we get involved in these conversations. And there are things that we should be paying attention for, like the battle for our health. It's real. The battle against contaminants and our food and water. The battle for real food. And thanks to the Make America Healthy Again movement led by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. And his colleagues, empowered by President Trump, a lot of this is now happening. Here's the latest. The EPA and the Health and Human Services Department are partnering together to wage war on microplastics and pharmaceuticals. That's right. Pharmaceuticals in your drinking water. It's all good for the boys and girls, right? Here is EPA Director Lee Zeldin with that announcement. Listen.
- [10:41]
EPA Director Lee Zeldin
And we're taking major steps in today's announcement to make America healthy again. I'm pleased to announce a landmark set of actions by EPA to safeguard the nation's drinking water from microplastics, pharmaceuticals forever chemicals and dozens of other contaminants. At the heart of these actions is our draft sixth contaminant candidate list, known as CCL6, which we are releasing today for public comment. CCL6 is a critical tool under the Safe Drinking Water act that drives research funding and future regulation of emerging threats in public water Systems. The draft CCL6 includes four contaminant microplastics, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and disinfection byproducts. It also covers 75 chemicals and nine microbes that may be found in drinking water. And now, for the first time in the program's history, EPA is designating both microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminant groups.
- [11:53]
Steve Durie
You know, you look at a glass of water, you think, that looks refreshing. Microplastics in your neighbor's prescription drugs. Oh, that's settling. Microplastics first identified in the bellies of sea animals back in the 60s and 70s, but now, well, they're everywhere, including in the womb, affecting unborn children. According to RFK Jr. Listen to what he says here.
- [12:16]
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In a study of 62 placentas, every single sample contained microplastics, evidence that exposure begins before birth. This is not a rare exposure. This is baseline. We are not dealing with a distant or theoretical risk. We are dealing with a measurable and growing presence inside the human body. The signal is getting stronger. Animal studies show that Microplastic exposure can drive inflammation, cardiovascular damage, impaired cognition, and tumor growth. Human data raises parallel concerns. Disease tissue consistently shows higher concentrations of microplastics than when compared to healthy tissue. In one major clinical study, patients with microplastics detected in arterial plaque faced a 4.5 fold higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in less than three years.
- [13:21]
Steve Durie
Yeah, now these children are growing up without any chance to be free from these microplastics. So what are we going to do about it? That's the real question. The answer cannot be to throw our hands in the air and say, well, gosh, that's too bad. Which is why it's so important that actual resources are being used to start treating this like the problem it is. American innovation has tackled many problems that posed a threat to our people. Asbestos, radium, lead poisoning in the air and in the water, just to name a few toxins that were addressed and solutions that were delivered. It's always an uphill battle for our safety, but that's why I'm so excited we have an administration focused on these critical needs. The evidence for microplastics harming us is becoming more and more overwhelming by the day, and the more public awareness that is there for it, the better. RFK Jr. S health and Human Services is taking on dozens of issues that should be no brainer wins for the American public. They should get credit for it, too. But because he's under the leadership of President Trump, he of course faces backlash for any kind of decision he makes, which just shows you how deranged his critics really are. There's nothing controversial about putting the health of Americans first. It's what people on both sides of the aisle always argue for. We want our health to be made a higher priority than the profit margins of hospitals and insurance companies. It's hard for me to believe that either of those institutions have our best interests in mind on any given day, especially when you consider the kinds of foods they feed their patients, especially those with diabetes. RFK Jr looking into that too. I want you to hear this. The food in hospitals, what do you think it's like? Check it out.
- [14:55]
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Dr. Oz was telling me before we came in here of a diabetic woman who showed up at the hospital and was immediately, fella, I've offered all of these, you know, a Jello and a sugar, a Coca Cola and a number of other foods that all contain sugar that are all gonna injure their metabolic system and aggravate their diabetes. We have the best medical technology in the world. We have the best doctors. We have the finest hospitals in the world, but for some reason, for many years they haven't recognized the most important tool of medicine today is good food. We have a metabolic disease crisis now in this country that's costing us trillions of dollars a year.
- [15:42]
Steve Durie
Look, we all knew the hospital food was lousy, right? I didn't think it was going to kill us. Makes you more sick and then they rake in the profits treating the sick people that they help create. I guess it's kind of a circular thing, but here's the next front in this fight. The Department of Health and Human Services rolling out a powerful new consumer tool that finally brings transparency to the most confusing part of American medicine, hospital pricing. No more surprise bills, no more guessing games. With RFK Jr. And President Trump in charge, America is choosing health, transparency and common sense over corporate greed. The best days for American families are just beginning. And that's our monologue today. Coming up after the break, I'll discuss the ongoing conflict in Iran amid a ceasefire agreement. Is it holding? Is it not holding? And assess the capabilities of the United States military in this region as negotiations. Well, they're ongoing. That part I believe is accurate. Details coming up.
- [16:45]
Public Podcast Sponsor
Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures this
- [17:46]
Martha Stewart
is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret. When prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with New Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips. Lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless. It is thanks to Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper. Wet it, set it, prep it. Done. Available in the Reynolds wrap aisle at Walmart.
- [18:27]
Cancer Survivor
People at work supported me while I was going through treatment. By not treating me like somebody who was going through treatment. Treatment sucks. Cancer sucks. Being engaged with work really helped to oh, I just knew I was going to beat this thing.
- [18:44]
Steve Durie
Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.
- [18:51]
Brian Glenn
We can make work a better place
- [18:53]
Steve Durie
for healing, learn more and sign the pledge@workingwithcancerpledge.com. Like I said at the top of the program, the United States and Iran have agreed at least in principle to a two week ceasefire deal on negotiations for a long term deal. Our ongoing the state of Hormuz has been opened, allowing ships and oil tankers to pass through. And then we were told it was closed. I have no idea. For now the US is holding off, but it's important to note that our military capability in the region is quite serious. For example, take a look at the daring rescue of the downed airmen over Easter weekend. The US military, along with the CIA was able to pinpoint the location of that downed airman. And the airman himself deserves much of the recognition for following his training to the letter. All in less than 48 hours and remarkable. We went in and built an airfield. That soldier climbed 10,000, almost 10,000ft. Not to mention the destruction of Iran's military as a whole. Joining me to discuss is a retired United States Air Force pararescue team leader himself and the executive director and founder of Shields and Stripes, Steve Nisbet. Steve, thank you for being here.
- [20:01]
Steve Nisbet
Yeah, thank you for having me, Steve.
- [20:04]
Steve Durie
Let's talk about the training, the incredible training that goes in before these guys ever get into a hot battlefield. As a former Air Force paral rescueman, you watch a rescue like this. To me it's the training that stands out. This guy climbed a 7,000ft or higher, stuck himself in a crevice in a rock for a day and then finally got picked up. It just, it's remarkable, every bit of it. What stands out for you?
- [20:32]
Steve Nisbet
Yeah, thanks for the question. So I think we've done a really good job talking about the training that the pilot and the weapons systems officer received, that being the seer, survival, evasion resistance, escape. But I think the training that goes into becoming a PJ or a pair of rescue mates should be highlighted here. So you got about a two and a half year pipeline, very replicative of what a Navy SEAL would get. But then you ought to add on to the things that we do. Specialty wise. You have emt, paramedic, emt, basic, and then you do rescue in all facets. So mountain rescue, water rescue, avalanche rescue, confined space, structure collapse. So in this case, these guys, before they deployed, they spent months training for this particular scenario in isolated personnel, potentially on a mountainside, flying into a dangerous environment. They are particularly trained and they're the specialists in doing this. And I'm proud of them and happy for them to do it and nobody to get hurt.
- [21:26]
Steve Durie
I believe the PJ's motto is that others may live. In fact, while the rescue operation was still going on, I spoke to some people on this program and said those that are on the ground to find this guy will go through the gates of hell to make sure he comes home. You agree with that?
- [21:45]
Steve Nisbet
Absolutely. That's our motto, that others may live so that we can put ourselves in danger, letting that individual know he's not alone. He or she is not alone. We saw this in Afghanistan as we flew under the call sign Pedro. This was demonstrated with a call sign of Pedro 66, which was shot down, going specifically to get Americans that were injured in combat. And we are willing to risk our lives and put our lives on the line and even die for it to let them know we are coming to get them. And so that motto stays true, that others may live.
- [22:19]
Steve Durie
Yeah. What does this mission tell us? I mean, for me, pretty remarkable to sit here. I was never in the military, but I've been able to watch a number of these things over the years, but never saw anything like this. What does this tell us, and not just us, what does it tell the world about how modern operations are coordinated between special operations, the intelligence community, conventional forces? What does it tell the world about the United States military and our ability to do, frankly, the impossible.
- [22:46]
Steve Nisbet
Right. The impossible in such a denied environment and you have varying levels of agencies working with each other. And I think it goes to show the communication and the layers of logistics that we have. So just to break it down or dissect it a little bit, you had one team go in and pick up the pilot almost immediately after his ejection. And they did it on a very small footprint. They, they were a very reactionary force, but they had gotten shot up so much that they couldn't return out for the second one. And so now we had a pivot and now it's a tactical game or tactical patience game where other individuals or other agencies within our US Military armada are now working together. You have intel folks on the ground, you have aircraft in the air, aviators all working together to really hone in on this one person in his denied area. And we're going to lay down an immense amount of firepower just to make sure that we can go get that guy.
- [23:42]
Steve Durie
It's interesting what you just said there, that the, the first rescue operation, the planes were so shot up they couldn't return for, for a second bite at the apple, if you will. I didn't realize that. That's news to me. Maybe some others have heard, heard that. But that's going to indicate to me that the two pilots were in close proximity to each other, which would make sense. They ejected about the same time from the same jet at the same altitude, all those things. Which means the Iranians also knew the general vicinity of the pilot still on the ground. That makes it even more impressive to me. I'll give you the last word.
- [24:14]
Steve Nisbet
Yeah, absolutely. And so I think that highlighting the daring rescue of that first one, I would argue that is more dangerous than the second one. And solely because of this. They flew in in the daytime knowing that an aircraft had just gotten shot down, knowing the risks that were, that were ahead of them, and they went anyway. They knew they were going to get into a firefight, they knew they're going to risk or face AAA fire, surface to air missile threats and others, but they went anyway. And they had gotten shot up so much that really those aircraft couldn't take off again. US saw an A10 essentially crash into or do a controlled ejection and crash and those pilots or that pilot had to be picked up as well. So truly incredible effort. I'm super proud of these guys going out there and actually conducting this operation and nobody getting hurt.
- [25:03]
Steve Durie
Yeah, there's got to be a lot of comfort for those stranded. Like this pilot was for 48 hours knowing that somebody like you is coming for him. Steve Nisbet, United States Air Force Fair Rescue Team Leader, Executive Director for Shields and Stripes. Thank you for being here. Great explanation.
- [25:21]
Steve Nisbet
No, thank you for having me.
- [25:23]
Steve Durie
Really appreciate it. What a story, huh? Tell your children about that one. Coming up after the break, crude oil prices have dropped sharply, stock prices soaring since President Trump announced that ceasefire with Iran last night. But will it last? Or is it just more volatility? We'll talk about the economy and its impacts on energy after this. All right. Brent crude fell down more than 14% today. In fact, it got even better than that. One of the biggest single day drops since 1989. Only two dates have similar drops. One during the 2020 COVID lockdowns, the day after the US led coalition attack on Iraq in 1991 as well. Also, stocks rallying sharply as the Dow jumped more than a thousand points. Diesel natural gas prices also fell, thankfully. Here to discuss this, executive Vice president of the National Taxpayers Union, Brandon Arnold. Brandon, nice to see you today. I've been following the oil prices here today and it got down to $92 at one point. Yesterday it was almost 115. This is a dramatic change of events, but the question is, does it hold or is this more volatility? What are your thoughts looking at all this?
- [26:43]
Brandon Arnold
Well, first let's celebrate the reduction in oil prices, which hopefully translate very quickly to the reduction in gasoline prices, which I think everyone is frustrated with right now. But whether that holds or not, I mean, there are just so many questions in the Middle East. The strait is closed. The strait is open. The strait might be closed again. We're not quite sure yet. Do we have this permanent ceasefire agreement? Are we going to have to renegotiate it? Is Israel complying with it? So many questions that need to be resolved there. So I do think we're going to continue to see volatility, but hopefully this is the sign of more good news to come and hopefully we can get back to the 60 or so dollars a barrel oil prices that we had before the Iranian conflict began.
- [27:25]
Steve Durie
You know, I heard some predictions that once this is all said and done, and there will come a day when it's all said and done, maybe it's not today, maybe it's still a couple of weeks or a couple of months down the road, but it will happen. And when it does, that oil could fall below $67, which is about where it was on 28 February when this all began. If oil falls below $67, the problem with the gasoline that you mentioned, Brandon, it goes up like a rocket and down like a feather. It doesn't come down as fast, it goes up, but it will moderate and begin to come down. So let's just look into the crystal ball. If this comes to an end, we're looking three, four months down the road, mid summer, July, August, and gas prices are down at or below where they were before this war started. That puts people in a good mood before midterm elections would be my guess. Your thoughts?
- [28:17]
Brandon Arnold
Yeah, that's absolutely right. It's hard to win elections if you are the incumbent. If you control both houses of Congress and the presidency and gasoline prices are north of $4 where we are now, that just doesn't bode well for the electoral chances of Republicans. Obviously, there's a lot more in play here than just the political well being of the Republican Party. The economic situation looms large as that obviously is going to play in the minds of policymakers in the White House as they try to lower the affordability burden that is on so many Americans right now. And I think the Trump administration had done such a great job in that space. When it comes in particular to oil prices. Gasoline around 3 bucks a gallon nationally prior to this Iranian conflict, everyone was happy about that. We were seeing prices fall. They were playing the wise, large, long game there, which is based on investment, which is based on permitting, leasing new lands, opening up more lands for exploration and drilling and so forth. So we were really winning that fight. Hopefully this Iranian conflict is a small blip, you know, not a long term issue that we have to deal with here and we can get back again to those $3 a gallon gasoline prices are even lower.
- [29:27]
Steve Durie
Let me look at one other number here that's really important. 178,000. That was the jobs number that came in last week. Three times higher than what the experts were predicting. Three times they expect about 60,000 dol. And at the same time, you couple that with the fact that since early 2025, more than 350,000 federal jobs have gone away. 18,000 of those were in March alone. So when you look at the jobs numbers and figuring the fact that Donald Trump is downsizing government, the jobs numbers seem even more impressive to me. Am I right or wrong about that?
- [30:02]
Brandon Arnold
Yeah. You know, I always exercise a bit of caution when we see these job numbers because we've seen massive revisions in either direction based on what the BLS sees with companies reporting their data slowly. So we want to be a little bit cautious here. But I do think the trend line there does encourage folks like me that watch these numbers very closely. I think there are signs that hopefully the job market is turning around. Certainly we've seen a big reduction in the federal government workforce. As you said, that's largely a good thing because we've seen far too much inefficiency in the federal government. And hopefully they're starting to embrace some of the automation AI the efficiency gains that the private sector is always much more quickly to adopt. So hopefully that we're going to continue to downsize the federal government, create jobs elsewhere, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, all the other sectors that are far more important to our economy than the federal government is.
- [30:55]
Steve Durie
Brandon greatly appreciates you as always, Brandon Arnold from the National Taxpayers Union. We'll keep an eye on all these numbers, but I just feel, feel this sense that by late summer the economy could be settling in for a pretty good run. At least that's the way it seems to me from all indications. Thank you for being here.
- [31:12]
Brandon Arnold
My pleasure. Thank you.
- [31:14]
Steve Durie
All right. A groundbreaking new study shows that there is a safe and inexpensive potential cancer treatment. It's a drug many of us already know about, of course, Ivermectin. This new study shows that individuals who took ivermectin, the parasite fighting medication that gained fame during the COVID pandemic along with the drug mendazole, saw remarkable results in their battles with cancer. This incredibly promising results have many Americans wondering where they can obtain US made ivermectin and mebendazole. That's where the wellness company comes in. You see and hear from doctors from TWC here on a regular basis. They are the gold standard for just about everything they make to keep your family healthy and safe. The wellness company making 100% American made ivermectin and available to RAV viewers at an incredibly affordable price. So no to big Pharma and their greed, no to big Pharma's poisons and say yes to a company that you can trust to bring you safe, affordable, effective treatments. If you or someone you love is interested in trying ivermectin and I urge you to go to TWC Health Voice today, TWC Health Voice today and order TWC Health voice. All right, J.D. vance in Budapest at the moment taking some questions. We go to him live.
- [32:31]
Vice President J.D. Vance
The President's full support, my full support and we wish him, the Hungarian people, the best. So I'm sad to leave, but excited to get back home.
- [32:38]
Reporter Questioner
Can I ask you about Iran, sir?
- [32:40]
Vice President J.D. Vance
So let me just say, given you guys are going to ask about Iran, let me just say a few things actually. So number one, I think it's very important for the American media, media to be honest with the American people on this particular issue because it affects not just, you know, the normal issues of public policy, it actually affects peace and war. And here's what I mean. So in the past couple of days I've seen a lot of reporting from the American Media about the 10 point proposal that the Iranians have made. Now, as I know, because I've been involved in this, there are three different 10 point proposals, at least that I've seen floating around. The first 10 point proposal was something that was submitted and we think frankly was probably written by ChatGPT, that was submitted to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, that immediately went in the garbage and was rejected. There was a second 10 point proposal that was much more reasonable that was based on some back and forth between us, between the Pakistanis and between the Iranians. That is the 10 point proposal that the President was referencing in its truth yesterday. And then frankly, I've seen a third 10 point proposal that's even more maximalist than the first 10 point proposal that's been floating around various social media channels. Now, here's what's interesting about all this, is that I've seen various organs, the New York Times, CNN, others pick up and run the original 10 point proposal based on little more than a random yahoo in Iran submitting it to public access television in the country of Iran, and then them saying that somehow represents the negotiating position of the government. It's the equivalent of somebody in, let's say, a Democratic councilman in Boise, Idaho saying something crazy, the local public access TV picking up that crazy statement, and then the New York Times running that as the position of the President of the United States. It doesn't make an ounce of sense. What's happening on the ground in Iran is that you have clearly the position of the government, which is to negotiate with the United States of America. You have the position of the President of the United States, which is to send the negotiators to Pakistan and engage in this good faith negotiation. And then, yes, you have some crazy people at the fringes of the Iranian system who are leaking anonymously, either for propaganda purposes or because they're embarrassed or because they don't like what happened. And the final point, when I say they don't like what happened, what we know is that the United States accomplished its military objectives. What we know is the United States could have imposed significant additional military and economic costs on Iran and still has the capacity to do so. But we thankfully, at this point, I think, have a ceasefire. Thanks to the leadership of the President United States, we have the Iranians promising to open the Straits of Hormuz and we have a negotiation that's supposed to start this week. That's the truth. I think it's a good first step. We're going to see if we can make more progress here in the days to come.
- [35:29]
Reporter Questioner
Can I ask you about Lebanon?
- [35:31]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Go ahead. Yeah.
- [35:31]
Reporter Questioner
Because there seems to be a disagreement about whether Lebanon was included in this proposal. And the speaker of the Parliament, who you're going to sit across from the table from in Islamabad, has just said that he thinks negotiations would be unreasonable while that war is ongoing. So would you ask Israel to hold off strikes to allow some space?
- [35:49]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Well, first of all, I know there's been some conversations between the Israelis and the leadership of our country today. I haven't been involved in that because I've been busy doing stuff in Hungary. I'm actually supposed to get an update when I get on the plane. But let me say a couple things. First of all, I actually think, and there's a lot of bad faith negotiation and a lot of bad faith, you know, propaganda going on, I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn't. We never made that promise. We never indicated that was going to be the case. What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran and the ceasefire would be focused on America's allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states. Now, that said, the Israelis, as I understand it, again, I'm supposed to get a fuller report when I get on the plane, have actually offered to be, frankly, to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful. That's not, because that is part of the ceasefire. I think that's the Israelis trying to set us up for success. And we'll, of course, see how that unfolds in the next few days. But look, if Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the cease fire, that's ultimately their choice. We think that would be dumb, but that's their choice.
- [37:10]
Reporter/Interviewer
Mr. Vice President, Iran is continuing to block the Straits of Hormuz. Do you have an expectation of when that that strait is going to be open?
- [37:17]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Well, we've already seen an increase in traffic today. Hopefully we'll see an increase in traffic tomorrow. We actually think that we are seeing signs that the Straits are starting to reopen. I think you guys have probably seen oil prices have come down. So I think the oil markets are, the gas markets are seeing the same thing. But the President's been very clear. The deal is a ceasefire, a negotiation. That's what we give. And what they give is the Straits are going to be reopened if we don't see that happening. The President is not going to abide by our terms if the Iranians are not abiding by their terms.
- [37:46]
Reporter/Interviewer
Mr. Vice President, Caroline Levitt said you played a key role in these talks. Could you help us understand some details about that role? And do you think your well known opposition to foreign wars generally was a factor that made you a key player in this?
- [38:02]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Well, I appreciate Carolyn saying that. I mean, you know, my key role was I sat on the phone a lot, I answered a lot of phone calls, I made a lot of phone calls. And again, I'm happy about where we are. I think the President has struck a good deal for the American people. But fundamentally, the Iranians have got to take the next step or the President has a lot of options to go back to the war.
- [38:21]
Reporter/Interviewer
Do you know if Iranians requested that you join the talks?
- [38:26]
Vice President J.D. Vance
I don't know that I would be surprised if that was true. But you know, I wanted to be involved because I thought I could make a difference. And obviously I think the people really on the ground doing the day to day negotiating have been Steve and Jared. They've done a great job. But we're going to keep on working this as a team, as we always have. You know, Pete's been very helpful at the various military elements of this. Marco's obviously, obviously been extremely involved. We work as a team, we work effectively and you know, yeah, I've been on the phone a lot the past couple of days, but we're glad to be where we are.
- [38:56]
Reporter/Interviewer
Mr. Vice President, how is the United States accomplishing its stated objective of ensuring Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon ever if they still have highly enriched uranium? And what's the plan to get to uranium out?
- [39:08]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Well, look, I mean, this is one of the things it's going to be. One of the main subjects of negotiation is that we want Iran to not be able to make a nuclear weapon. We want the nuclear fuel, which is something the President has made very clear. And again, the way to think about this is the United States has certain demands and certain things that we want. The Iranians have things they can get out of the negotiation. The more that they're willing to give us, I think the more they're going to get things out of this negotiation. The President has talked about sanctions relief. The President has talked about economic partnerships and things like that. That's not going to happen unless the Iranians make a firm commitment to stop anything close to the development of a nuclear weapon. And frankly, the President has all the Cards here. We've got a lot of leverage, We've got a lot of things that we can do, but right now I think that we're in a good spot.
- [39:56]
Reporter Questioner
Is the threat to wipe Iranian civilization off the map still on the table? Is it fair to keep 90 million Iranians on under that threat for the actions of their leaders?
- [40:06]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Well, look, the leadership is really to blame for the condition of the country. In Iran, the President of the United States has made very clear that the United States has a lot of leverage here. We have economic leverage, we've got military leverage. What he's trying to do is make sure the American people are safe and strike a deal that's good for the American people. I just, look, I encourage the Iranians to come to the table. Seriously. We've seen some signs that they're going to do that, we've seen some signs of bravado. Fundamentally, we're in a good spot. They're reopening the straits, we have a ceasefire and frankly, if they break their end of the bargain, then they're going to see some serious consequences.
- [40:40]
Reporter Questioner
Wiping them off the map is different than an economic leverage or military leverage. Why is that kind of language useful in this kind of scenario?
- [40:49]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Well, again, the President, United States is saying that unless the Iranians do the right thing, he is going to have some serious consequences for the regime. We obviously don't want the people of Iran to suffer, but we have a lot of leverage the President, United States could use. And it's why I think it's so important for the Iranians to be negotiators in good faith.
- [41:07]
Reporter/Interviewer
Okay. X has been abuzz the last couple of days of the Free Press story, saying that senior Pentagon officials in January, including Rich Colby, brought Cardinal Pierre into the Pentagon.
- [41:19]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Brought who?
- [41:20]
Reporter/Interviewer
Cardinal Christophe Pierre into the Pentagon.
- [41:23]
Vice President J.D. Vance
I haven't seen the story, unfortunately, and
- [41:25]
Reporter/Interviewer
essentially the reporting by the Free Press is that they told him that the American military has a lot of might and they can do whatever they want and the Church should get on its side. Does that message sound correct to you? Is that something you would sign off on?
- [41:37]
Vice President J.D. Vance
So one, I, I. With no disrespect to the Cardinal, I don't know who Cardinal Christophe Pierre is.
- [41:42]
Reporter/Interviewer
He's the Ambassador to the Holy see
- [41:44]
Vice President J.D. Vance
in the U.S. oh, okay, okay, I do. I've met him before. Sorry, I just didn't remember the name. I've never seen this reporting. I'd like to actually talk to Cardinal Christophe Pierre and frankly to our people to figure out what actually happened. I think it's always a bad idea to offer an opinion on stories that are unconfirmed and uncorroborated. So I'm not going to do that.
- [42:03]
Reporter/Interviewer
Mr. Garthar, on the question of Iran's enriched uranium, do you see a scenario in which the administration may be willing to agree to allow Iran, Iran to continue enriching uranium for civilian nuclear purposes?
- [42:16]
Vice President J.D. Vance
Well, look, what the President has said is that we don't want Iran to have the capacity to build a nuclear weapon. The President has also said that we don't want Iran enriching towards a nuclear weapon and we want Iran to give up the nuclear fuel. Those are going to be our demands during the negotiation. And again, we're going to see what the Iranians are willing to give up if they make a good faith effort to actually give us the things, things that we need to have a successful negotiation for the security of the American people. I think there's a lot on the other end. If they don't give us what we need, then I think it's going to be bad. But I'm optimistic that the Iranians are going to be smart, that they're going to negotiate in good faith.
- [42:52]
Reporter/Interviewer
And you're negotiating partner in Iran. I know Kevin sort of asked about this already, but he essentially is saying that they're distrustful of the US for he tweeted out that three of the 10 points in the cease fire framework have already been violated. They're distrustful of us. What do you make of him tweeting that out before negotiation?
- [43:12]
Vice President J.D. Vance
So I thought it was interesting, actually, because I did see that tweet from Golly Boff actually just a couple of minutes ago. And let me say a few things. First of all, he said that there are a few points of disagreement before the negotiation. Well, that must mean that there's a lot of points of agreement because there's a 15 point plan floating around. There's a 10 point plan floating around. If he's frustrated about three issues, that actually means that there's a lot of agreement. That's point number one, point number two, to respond to each of those issues. And I read it very closely, let me just say this. I actually wonder how good he is at understanding English because there are things that he said that frankly didn't make sense in some of the, in the context of the negotiations that we've had. But to address the three points, first of all, he talked about an attack that had allegedly happened on Iran and how that was a violation of the ceasefire. Ceasefires are always Messy. An hour after the President announced the ceasefire, the Iranians launch a bunch of missiles. Then the Israelis responded. Then some of the Gulf Arab states responded. This is the nature of a ceasefire. No ceasefire ever goes without a little bit of choppiness. What we have been very clear about is, is that we want to stop the bombing, we want our allies to stop the bombing, and we want the Iranians to do the same thing. We're seeing evidence that things are going in the right direction, but it's going to take a little time. The second thing Golubov said, which again I found fascinating, is he said, we refuse to give up the right to enrichment. And I thought to myself, you know what? My wife has the right to skydive, but she doesn't jump out of an airplane because she and I have an agreement that she's not going to do that because I don't want my wife jumping out of an airplane. We don't really concern ourselves with what they claim they have the right to do. We concern ourselves with what they actually do. And I think the President's been very clear on the enrichment question. Our position on that has not changed. I think the third thing that he said was, was Lebanon, okay? And again, I actually think that is a reasonable misunderstanding. But neither us nor the Israelis said that that was going to be part of the ceasefire. Again, we're working with people to try to get through some of these things, but it's really fundamentally, we're on the right track. We got a lot more to do. We got a lot more that the Iranians are going to have to accept as part of this negotiation. But I think we've got a strong hand and we're going to play it well. Thank you all. Have a safe trip back.
- [45:38]
Reporter/Interviewer
The talks won't happen.
- [45:41]
Steve Durie
And there you have Vice President J.D. vance, Budapest, Hungary, on the ground there the last couple of days supporting Victor Orban. He is the Prime Minister. Elections coming up there in just a few days. April 12th. Viktor Orban will be on the bow. Tough election. He's endorsed by Donald Trump. Will that help in Budapest and across the nation of Hungary? We'll find out. Shifting gears now. There's a lot going on right now between the Iran war, mixed economic signals, oil dropped with the two week ceasefire being put into place. But what does that mean for you and me and the economy? Join me to discuss. Precious metals specialist from Birch Gould. Philip Patrick Phillip. Let's see. There's a ceasefire. There's no ceasefire. The straits open. The Straits closed. Oil goes from 115 yesterday to $95 and then a lot of chaos. Philip, why does it feel like the economy's all over the place? Maybe because it is.
- [46:35]
Philip Patrick
Yeah, that would be a very good summary. Steve. You're correct. We're seeing multiple pressure points hit at once and a huge amount of volatility. And I think ultimately in the backdrop, we've got a financial system that's running on debt, oil prices very volatile. We saw massive spikes and as you point out, they've come down still about 50% up from where they were prior to the Iran invasion. And, and of course that will feed longer term directly into inflation. At the same time, we haven't got a handle on government borrowing that is exploding. Something like $9 billion a day in new debts getting refinanced. That number predates the Iran war. Then you layer on this market volatility. Stocks, precious metals, everything's volatile. And I think people right now are getting confused. We expect markets to immediately reflect reality, but they don't tend to do that. They tend to reflect short term monetary flows, not what's actually happening. So what we've seen short term is a move to the US dollar for liquidity. But if we zoom out, the picture's getting messier. We've got higher energy costs across the board. We've got more debt and more uncertainty. And I think ultimately that just leads to more pressure on the system certainly.
- [47:54]
Steve Durie
And gold right now, it's lower than it has been. It's not at its all time high, but it's starting to show some positive movement back up toward $5,000 an ounce. It's at about 47 and a half right now. And all this debt that you mentioned, Philip, all this debt, I mean the financial systems of not just America, but of the world, everybody's in debt, you know, and when it all goes up in smoke, what are you left with?
- [48:22]
Philip Patrick
It's a really tough climate. And you rightly point out this isn't just a US problem, it is broadly a Western problem. Debt is the biggest issue the world has at the moment. Precious metals, I think are the safe haven for climates like this. And you point out we saw a dip in pricing and that was what I was referencing earlier. When start of the year, we saw massive spikes in precious metals. We have now military conflict and that often leads to short term positioning in cash. And we saw that people moved to US dollars, the dollar strengthened and gold prices came down. This is very, very typical. We saw the same thing in 2008. Markets started to drop. Gold drops 30% because people move to cash and then they position long term. What was strange about this is following the Iran war, we saw borrowing rates on treasuries actually increase, not decrease. That tells us that people aren't moving into dollars long term. It's a short term position. So to summarize, I think this has created another buying opportunity, just like we saw in 08. And as I mentioned before, the fundamentals for gold are stronger today than they were at the start of the year.
- [49:38]
Steve Durie
Yeah. My advice, folks, don't get whiplash watching the markets and watching everything going on. Just relax. The takeaway for everyday Americans. Have some precious metals. That's the takeaway for me. Philip Patrick, always a pleasure, sir. Thank you.
- [49:52]
Philip Patrick
Thank you, Stefan.
- [49:54]
Steve Durie
And if you'd like to know more, it's pretty easy. Text America to 9898. 98. Do that today. Claim your free information kit on gold. Start diversifying your savings today. Again, it's America to 98. 98. 98. You can do that today. Claim your free information kit on gold. And make sure that when you've got whiplash, you've got a little something there in the safe. You can say, you know what? I feel okay about it. All right, coming up after the break, we'll have a story that reminds us of just how wonderful America is. Plus your answers to our America's voice. Question of the day. Do you think Iran will honor the two week ceasefire agreement? Keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Looks sketchy already, but hey, I'm willing to hear from you, America. We'll have your answers after the break.
- [50:46]
Public Podcast Sponsor
When the world takes its shots. Some break, others rise. From Rachel Holt comes ammunition. In collaboration with Bass Records. Stand against the noise, the hate, the voices trying to tear you down. Every word thrown your way. Fuel to fight back stronger. Scan the QR code and download now on itunes. Turn pressure into power. Own it today only on real America's music.
- [51:11]
Steve Durie
So bring it.
- [51:12]
Reporter/Interviewer
Knock me, tear me, rock me, mow me down Load your words, take your
- [51:20]
Steve Durie
aim and take me out.
- [51:23]
Reporter/Interviewer
Keep on shooting and missing if it
- [51:25]
Steve Durie
makes you feel strong.
- [51:26]
Reporter/Interviewer
And I'll keep stocking up on ammunition. On ammunition.
- [51:49]
Steve Durie
All right. What makes America wonderful? We do it every day with the hope of putting a smile on your face. We like to do that for you. It's like our personal favorite to you. Today's story comes to us from Baltimore, Maryland, where the train of accountability prevailed. Maybe they could share that in Washington, but here we are. A food truck worker named Machine Serac who also happens to live stream his work days was working one evening when a customer had come up to the window. The interaction was going as normal until Ciroc had found out that the customer had taken money from his tip jar when he looked back at the footage. And while that's enough to make this story memorable, what happened next trumps that development. The customer's mother, Pastor Tanya Gray, came to the food truck to introduce herself and firmly and calmly apologized for her son's actions and asked how much had been taken. When Siroc told her the amount of $30, Pastor Tanya Gray reached into her purse and returned the money where it belonged. Of course, Siroc held no bad blood. They both hashed out any issues and got it taken care of. Taking accountability can be hard for many. That's pretty obvious these days. But Pastor Tanya Gray's willingness to do so on behalf of the actions of others reminds us of what makes America wonderful. Taking actions on behalf of her son. I wonder how that went at home that night. Here is your question to make your day. Here's your question of the day. Do you think Iran will honor the two week ceasefire agreement and keep the state of Hormuz open? Maya Samimi Maya's Mimi I don't know what it says. Nope. All that to say nope. J. March we can only hope. Ariens no. Cannot trust them. Alberta Lindley don't hold your breath. No. Maureen Blake, USMB1. Oh, hell no. A watchful eye. Skeptical. Kern M. No, I think we need to ask different questions. These 1. These are killing me. Bayshore Todd Heck no. They're still bombing other countries. John Hogan. I believe this is a turning point of Iran. I believe that once negotiations begin in person, they will abide by all demands as our military has not withdrawn from the region. Now that's what I'd like to see happen. And Jerry Windendo. If you ask me, I'll say no. They'll break the ceasefire before the weekend. These evil people cannot be trusted at all. Well, there's some truth to that, isn't there? For 47 years. Oh, we'll make a deal. Oh, we'll make a deal. Then they never make the deal. Don't forget to check out my new podcast, forgotten America on YouTube. You're gonna love it. Forgotten America. Me and Ivy, we're doing a lot of fun there. We're also giving you two hours of our best every morning right here, beginning at 6am we kick the broadcast day off with the Steve Gruber show right here. Ivy joining as well. It's kind of a lot of fun. You know, we get serious news analysis, a little bit of health coverage, some sports now and then. It's a great way to start the day. Bring a cup of coffee. I'll bring the heat tomorrow morning. Let's make it a date. I'll see you then.