Breaking Point with David Zere - April 4, 2026

Summary

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Breaking Point with David Zier – April 4, 2026

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Host: David Zier
Date: April 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Breaking Point with David Zier delivers an unfiltered look at the latest in American politics, culture, and current events—primarily focusing on economic developments under the Trump administration, ongoing military operations in the Middle East, and significant shake-ups within the Department of Justice. Zier, reporting from both Washington, D.C. and on the ground in Long Island, offers exclusive insights from top government officials, small business owners, and prominent reporters.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. On the Road with Breaking Point – Zier’s Front Row to History

• David Zier opens the main segment reflecting on his year covering events in 19 states—following the Trump campaign and major political and economic developments.

  “I’ve been in 19 states. I’ve been all over the country covering stuff for Real America’s Voice news... It’s really been a front row to history.” (01:31)

• Zier sets the context for the show: covering the impact of new economic policies, military actions in the Middle East, and the shake-up at the DOJ.

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2. U.S. Economic Policy: “The One Big Beautiful Bill” and Its Effects

Impact on Families & Small Businesses

• Zier describes the new Trump tax package’s effect:
  • Middle-class families may receive $10,000–$20,000 back.
  • Senior citizens could see $4,000/year.
  • Average mortgage payments are reportedly down $4,000–$5,000 a year.
  • “Lifting the SALT caps here in New York was a major accomplishment for Trump.” (01:31)
  • Refunds up more than 10% over previous years.
• Highlights from a small business roundtable in Nassau County:
  • Bruce Blakeman (County Executive): Praises “Trump accounts”—new tax-advantaged, government-seeded savings plans for youth. (13:45)
  • Scott Bessen (U.S. Treasury Secretary):
    • Three Pillars of Trump Economic Policy: Trade, tax, deregulation (15:32)
    • Focus on “parallel prosperity”: Help both Main Street and Wall Street.
    • Working Families Tax Cut: Signature legislation increasing refunds by 10%; “no tax on tips,” “no tax on overtime,” reduced taxes for Social Security, higher deduction caps on state/local taxes (SALT).

      “It’s the American way. Work harder, keep more of your money. Nothing wrong with that.” (17:29)

    • Small businesses see average tax cuts of $7,000; 12 million entities benefit.
    • Restored full “R&D expensing.”
    • Trump Accounts: Treasury gives $1,000 to every child born during Trump’s term and to all minors under 18, invested in index funds, aiming to foster a generation of “American shareholders.” (20:57)

      “Perhaps the most groundbreaking policy innovation of modern times... Every American a shareholder.” (20:57)

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3. Real Stories – Testimony from Local Business Owners

• Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner):
  • Praises the impact of the tax bill on workers’ lives; waitstaff taking their first vacations in 10 years, single mothers able to throw birthday parties.

    “I have testimony from my waiters and waitresses... what a huge difference this bill has made for their lives.” (22:33) “I’m living it. So, yes, in real time.” (23:55)

  • Other business owners (e.g., gas station operators) confirm employees’ incomes are up $4,000–$6,000/year due to tax policy.

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4. Military: Middle East Escalation & U.S. Force Protection

Situation in the Strait of Hormuz & Iran

• Zier provides an update on the escalation:
  • U.S. deploying more A-10s, increasing air support.
  • U.S. and allies face increased attacks by Iran, including the first confirmed shootdown of a U.S. aircraft (F-15) by Iranian forces.
  • "We lost three to friendly fire. But this is the actual first shoot down by Iran of a US Aircraft in that theater of operations." (06:41)
  • USSOCOM (Special Forces) involved in combat search and rescue.
  • Israel has paused some strikes to support rescue missions.
• Pentagon Briefings:
  • Pete Hegseth (Sec. of War):
    • Emphasis on dispersion, bunker fortification for troops, and flexible deployment to avoid predictable patterns.
    • Layered air defenses: THAAD ($12M per missile), PAC-3 ($4M per missile), Patriots; triple production underway but supply remains finite. (25:16)

    • “If all of our people are in one place, you could imagine why that’s a big problem. So dispersing is part of that defeat...” (25:16)

  • El Todd Wood (CDM Press):
    • Skeptical about missile inventories meeting real demand; U.S. needs to replenish and ramp up.

      “You’re going to say certain things in war... but I think the situation is they’re not plentiful, and we have to build a lot more of them.” (27:47)

    • Detailed air asset deployments: new A-10s, Strato tankers, support for possible new operations.
    • U.S. unlikely to put large troop formations on ground; focus is on rapid response/SpecOps for critical missions, including seizures of radioactive materials or combat rescue.
    • Discusses drone threats to strategic assets after a "$100,000 drone took out a $500 million aircraft," raising calls for improved anti-drone capability (32:29).

      “You can’t have $100,000 drone taking out a half billion dollar aircraft. You just can’t.” (32:29)

    • Shares personal perspective against relaxing discipline for military pilots after "Kid Rock Apache incident." (34:00)

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5. DOJ Shake-up: Pam Bondi Out, Todd Blanch In

• Kaylin Deese (Washington Examiner DOJ Reporter):
  • Pam Bondi removed as Attorney General, replaced by acting AG Todd Blanch.

    “Pam Bondi is no longer the attorney general as of Thursday, April 2nd. It started with rumors... it quickly developed...” (37:12)

    • Not related to alleged leaks or Epstein files.
    • Cited as a cumulation of reduced presidential confidence and ongoing cabinet reshuffles.
  • Todd Blanch, Senate-confirmed deputy, now acting AG for up to 210 days—just enough to span until after the midterm elections.

    “He has 210 days... we're about 216 days away from the midterm elections. I just find that very interesting..." (41:18)

  • Possible candidates for permanent AG: Mike Lee, Lee Zeldin (currently EPA Secretary, has a legal background aligned with deregulation agenda).
  • Trump wants someone “loyal and aggressive” on DOJ prosecutions; Bondi’s handling of priorities like Epstein files and high-profile cases scrutinized.

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6. Spotlight: American Manufacturing & "Switch2USA"

• Maria Lynn (Switch2USA):
  • Repeatedly spotlights her company, Switch2USA.com, which offers American-made, non-toxic products—emphasizing economic patriotism.

    “We're helping American families make the switch back to American made products, shoring up everything on US Soil.” (47:09)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• David Zier:
  • “Front row to history... that’s the way I like to describe this show: Breaking Point.” (01:36)
• Scott Bessen:
  • “Every American a shareholder.” (20:57)
• Gus (Diner Owner):
  • “I’m living it. So yes, in real time.” (23:55)
• El Todd Wood:
  • “You can’t have $100,000 drone taking out a half billion dollar aircraft. You just can’t.” (32:29)
• Kaylin Deese:
  • “Pam Bondi is no longer the attorney general as of Thursday, April 2nd... one of the fastest turnarounds from rumor to reality.” (37:12)
  • “He has 210 days... we're about 216 days away from the midterm elections.” (41:18)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:31] — David Zier opens with reflections on recent nationwide travels and event coverage.
• [13:45] — Bruce Blakeman introduces Scott Bessen at the Nassau small business roundtable.
• [15:32] — Scott Bessen outlines three pillars of Trump’s economic agenda.
• [17:29] — Major details on tax relief and specific bill provisions.
• [20:57] — Trump Accounts announcement.
• [22:33] — Diner owner Gus recounts personal impact of tax policy.
• [24:49] — Press briefing: Status of military fortifications and air defenses.
• [25:16] — Pete Hegseth on troop protection and defensive measures.
• [26:54] — El Todd Wood on missile stockpiles and combat operations.
• [32:29] — El Todd Wood raises anti-drone capability concerns.
• [37:12] — Kaylin Deese on DOJ shake-up.
• [41:18] — Deese on interim AG appointment length and timing with midterms.
• [47:09] — Maria Lynn pushes for American manufacturing with Switch2USA.com.

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Episode Flow & Tone

• Tone: Assertive, urgent, and unabashedly pro-American with a focus on tangible impacts of political decisions. Guests from business, government, and media add diverse expertise. Emphasis on “real stories” and a challenge to mainstream media narratives.
• Language: Conversational with frequent clarifications aimed at skepticism (“testifying in real time”), frank discussion of military and economic challenges, and positivity regarding “American values” and “freedom.”

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This episode is a deep dive into how recent U.S. policy changes and military actions ripple through American society, both at the kitchen table and on the world stage. Interviews with government officials and working Americans alike offer real-time testimony, while Pentagon correspondents scrutinize logistical realities and vulnerabilities of the U.S. military. Rounded out by grassroots entrepreneurs and an analysis of a high-profile DOJ shake-up, this episode captures a moment of transition and high stakes for the country.

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

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[Real America's Voice Promo Announcer]

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[David Zier]

Thanks for watching Breaking Point. I'm David Zier. You're watching Real America's Voice News. Thank you so much for joining us. I've had such an exciting year so far. I've been in 19 states. I've been all over the country covering stuff for Real America's Voice news. From California to Utah to Florida to D.C. rhode Island, Maine, you name it. Iowa, covering Trump, it's really been a front row to history. And that's the way I like to describe this show, Breaking Point. I've been on for just over seven years here with the network every Saturday. And it's just been an incredible journey. This week I was on the ground in Washington, D.C. i also covered Scott Besson and the Nassau county executive, Bruce Blakeman. And I have some of that small business Roundtable forum where Scott Besson addresses small business owners. And then I interview a local diner owner, Gus, from the Bethpage Embassy Diner here on Long Island. He's amazing, but he talks about all of the, the realities of the one big beautiful bill, people able to take vacations again who work for him. You know, the average family is going to make thousands of dollars back because of the one big beautiful bill. But the between that and the permanent tax cuts and then lifting the salt caps here in New York was a major accomplishment for Trump. Some families can see 10, 20,000 a year back in their pocket. Some senior citizens are going to see $4,000 a year in the pocket. The average mortgage is down about 4 to $5,000 per year just with the interest rates are being lowered a little bit more to come. They're probably not going to come down before the midterms, though. I'm really worried about that because of the war, because of the price of oil, oil surpassing Brent crude oil for the first time since 2022. I think it's going to take another month to settle down. I think they will get it under control in the Strait of Hormuz. We're sending more A10 attack planes there which are routing out the caves along the coast and the fast boats and other. And I think Europe is finally getting the hint that they'll put together a coalition outside of the NATO framework pro probably to start joining the fight here and getting our carrier, getting our merchant shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. And the UAE has committed to doing just that. But more targets have been hit by Iran. So you know, Trump's claiming there's some type of agreement on the table going back and forth maybe with a third fourth tier leader there who may be more pragmatic parliamentarian over there. But you know, Iran is still active and they're still attacking Bahrain and Israel. They hit another energy facility I think in Kuwait the other day. And it's really an urgent matter to get this under control here. And the missiles right, we have interceptors. We've got these thads. They're 12 million a pop. They're like upper atmosphere big warheads. And then we've got the Pac Threes underneath that, which are about 4 million a piece. Now Hegseth just announced a deal with the Department of War and Boeing and Lockheed that they're going to make more Pac Threes. They're going to triple production. And then you have the Patriot batteries. But the Patriots, I think we only make six or seven hundred missiles a year. That's being ramped up as well. But you know, the, the supply is finite. It's not a guarantee that we'll have these things forever. So I think it's in the interest of the US to come to some type of deal with Iran if we can. But we have this incredible shoot down of our F15. Now I talked to El Todd Wood later in the show, but as of the interview, the pilots were not shot down yet in the F15s. Now he specialized in combat search and rescue operations for 20 years flying HH53, the Jolly Green Giant retrofitted for special operations. He did that for 20 years. So we rescued apparently one of the pilots on the ground in iran of this F15E. We lost three to friendly fire. But this is the actual first shoot down by Iran of a US Aircraft in that theater of operations. I believe at this time one pilot is still missing. And we'll see the CESAR units to combat search and rescue operations are underway. Special Forces rescued the first one. They are just the best and they are incredible people and we can't forget that. But Israel is suspending strikes over there as to not get in the way of these combat search and rescue missions. And I don't know if you guys know, but American, Israeli pilots carried out over 20,000 airstrikes to date. And again, this is the first loss in due to combat for either country. Regarding jets, fighter jets, tankers and other. Now we lost the KC135. It was terrible. It looks like it was an accident. We lost the E3 sentry on the ground, which is a half a billion dollars to replace them. We only have like 16 total. I think only have 6 over there. Maybe now 5 can't replace these things. And they do the, the overwatch of the theater of operations with like E2C's under it, the Hawkeyes, I believe and other aircraft flying combat air control air patrols. And they actually, you know, are the air defenses for us. They're the air defense, they alert systems of incoming objects, missiles, planes. Really important. The E3 Sentry, I know that they're going to be phased out. They're almost 50 years old. We do have, I think a modified 737 that we're working on, but I think that was scrubbed maybe by Hegseth or the War Department last year. I'm not sure if that's going to resume or not. But again, the what's going on in Iran is, is just incredible. And now we're starting to hit civilian targets. So they probably should wise up sooner rather than later. I also have Kalyn Deese. He's the Washington Examiner Department of Justice reporter on the show. Later on to talk about the Pam Bondi ousting and who potentially can fill the shoes. Todd Blanch, who I observed in the hush money trial. I was in the courtroom with Trump and Todd Blanche and Emil Bove and Trump's legal team. And I think Blanche did a great job. Now he can stay for 200 days, I believe 215 days, which should bring us past the midterm. So I don't know if Trump will have to have confirmation hearings for then, which can be contentious. So maybe that was the point of doing this. Now with Pam Bondi. I'm not quite sure that. But I got a great show for you today. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm David Zier. You're watching Breaking point on Real America's Voice news.

[Interviewer / Host]

Everyone loves Maria Lynn from switch2usa.com how have you been?

[Maria Lynn]

Thank You, David? I'm well, thank you for having me today on the show.

[Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

Tell us about Switch to usa.

[Maria Lynn]

We're an American manufacturer. We help families make the switch. And if you have any of these products in your cupboards, we think that it's time that you give us a call. We make everything in America. Everything's non toxic, it's green, it's safer, it's affordable and it's made in America

[Interviewer / Host]

right by American factory workers. Tell us about your U.S. prime beef.

[Maria Lynn]

So the same family that has started this wonderful 40 year old American manufacturer also has a beef ranch. Their beef is prime and high choice. It's all black label coming from their ranch directly to your door. There's seven or eight different types of subscription cuts that you can get and it's quite affordable and it's real beef.

[Interviewer / Host]

All right, everybody support American jobs and Maria Lynn, where can people get involved?

[Maria Lynn]

So please come to see us at switch the number2usa.com.

[Interviewer / Host]

All right, we'll catch up with you soon. Thank you so much.

[Maria Lynn]

Thank you, David.

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[Interviewer / Host]

We'll be back with more Breaking Point right after this.

[Bo Davidson]

Hey everybody, Bo Davidson here. I hope that you will check out my Easter special this Saturday and Sunday at 2pm Eastern, which is where I go to the museum with the Bible and to tour two amazing exhibitions, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Megiddo Mosaic. These are both very, very important to people of faith and I hope that it will inspire you and your family this weekend. So please check it out this weekend, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm Eastern. Happy Easter.

[Real America's Voice Promo Announcer]

This Easter weekend, Real America's Voice is taking you back in time. The living word from scrolls to cross journey through history as host Bo Davidson explores the ancient writings that shaped the Bible as we know it today.

[Bo Davidson]

What do you think is the biggest misconception?

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

The biggest misconceptions early on was that somehow the scrolls were going to undo our beliefs.

[Podcast Announcer]

It actually does the opposite. What we are still practicing today has

[David Zier]

a genetic connection all the way back 2000 years.

[Real America's Voice Promo Announcer]

You don't want to miss this special event. Watch Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 2pm only on real America's Voice.

[Maria Lynn]

FOREIGN

[Interviewer / Host]

welcome back to Breaking point.

[David Zier]

I'm David Zier. We had an incredible week on the ground in Washington, D.C. pentagon briefings covering Trump's Iran war speech from the Pentagon. So many exciting things going on. You can't keep up. Covering Turning Point USA's great spring kickoff rally at George Washington University. Just a phenomenal evening with Carolyn Leavitt and Erica Kirk. Jack Posoba gave a great speech there for Easter. Really wonderful. But right now I have Bruce Blakeman, who hosted Scott Besson, the treasury secretary in Nassau county in a small business forum to meet with business owners who are just going to put thousands of dollars a year back in their pockets of each of their employees because of the one big beautiful bill. Don't let anyone lie to you. People are going to be putting thousands and thousands of dollars back, sometimes up to like 10, $20,000 back in their pocket this year. The average refund alone is going to be, I think about $1,000 just on the tax filings this year without the deductions for, you know, deducting interest on car leases and other. So stay tuned. I got great coverage of this super event, Nassau County, Long Island.

[Bruce Blakeman]

And we're also excited about the Trump accounts, which are going to allow us as parents and grandparents to invest in the future of our young people so that they get a head start for tuition and they can get their life in the right direction earlier rather than later. So these are just a few of the things. I'm not going to steal the secretary's thunder. He's going to go into it in more detail. But I did want to say that we are incredibly blessed and honored to have you here, sir. You are doing an amazing job. President Trump, we are very, very grateful for the things that he is doing, especially keeping us safe, which is of paramount importance to us here in the metropolitan area. So without further ado, the Treasury Secretary of the United States of America, Scott Bessen.

[Scott Bessen (U.S. Treasury Secretary)]

Bruce, thank you. It's an honor to be here with all of you today. It's an honor to Serve as the 79th Treasury Secretary of the United States of America for President Trump. I like to point out that there have been 79 treasury secretaries, but 47 presidents, so it's a little less secure job than President. It's exciting to be here. Teddy Roosevelt room because the thanks to President Roosevelt. I actually beat my children at a board game on Friday because there was a dispute on who the youngest president was. And they both said, John F. Kennedy. I said, no, this Teddy Roosevelt. JFK was the youngest elected president. So true. But great to be here. And Bruce, thank you for bringing this group together.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Great group.

[Scott Bessen (U.S. Treasury Secretary)]

President Trump's economic agenda is focused on three pillars, trade, tax and deregulation. Together, these efforts are designed to unlock what we call parallel prosperity. Main street and Wall Street. Wall street always does great and Wall street can continue doing well. Now it's Main Street's turn. At the center of that effort is the Working Families Tax cut, historic package the President delivered last year to support American workers, families and businesses. Small businesses like yours are the backbone of our economy. And today's session was designed so we can hear directly from you about the impact you're seeing here out on Long island, what's working where we can do more and support you and your businesses. In my role at treasury, see the IRS and I am pleased to share. The 2026 tax filing season has been a strong one thus far. Very successful. Refunds are up more than 10%. So across the country, households and businesses are already seeing the benefits of the legislation of the Working Families tax cut, but keeping more of what they earn and watching their paychecks go further. In fact, nearly half of everyone who has filed a tax return this year have benefited from at least one of the President's four signature tax policies. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime. They reduced taxes for seniors on Social Security and deductibility of autos. If you buy an American car with a loan, the big winner has been the no tax on overtime. More than 25% of the tax return have people claiming a benefit or no tax on overtime.

[Kaylin Deese (DOJ Reporter, Washington Examiner)]

And,

[Scott Bessen (U.S. Treasury Secretary)]

and I, I think everybody here would agree with me that that's the American way. Work harder, keep more of your money. Nothing wrong with that, but very simple formula for success. For small businesses, the impact has been especially meaningful. On average, the laws reduced taxes for 12 million small business owners by $7,000. The permanent extension of the 20% small business deduction alone is delivering about 4,600 in average tax relief to 8 million entrepreneurs across the country. We've taken important steps to support innovation and investment. Immediate deductibility for R and D expenses been restored and applied retroactively. We believe that's unlocked approximately $100 billion of deduction. Full expensing provisions allow businesses to deduct the cost of investments up front, improving cash flow, making it easier to move forward with growth plans and going forward with projects that may not have been as high a return on capital. Without that provision, we've reduced many unnecessary administrative burdens. The repeal of 1099K reporting eliminates millions of forms and increasing the 1099 miscellaneous and 1099 NEC threshold will reduce paperwork, something I know is near and dear to all of you here. In a high tax state, we raise the SALT deduction cap to $40,000. For tax years 2025 through 2029, providing meaningful relief in a high cost state like New York. And I can tell you that it was the New York State Congressional delegation that took the lead on that. I had some very tough toe to toe moments with some legislators out here on Long Island. We heard about it. Yep. And from Westchester county. And they did a great job bringing it home for the people of New York. So as I mentioned, overall the average refund is up more than 10%. And importantly, working Americans will also change their withholding and get an immediate jump in their take home pay, whether it's in the two week pay cycle, the one month pay cycle. What we did intentionally, when the working families tax cut also knows one big beautiful bill for president likes to say was passed on July 4th. I was overseeing the IRS. We intentionally did not change withholding guidance. That's why the refunds are big now. The refunds were big and then withholding gets changed. So it's a one, two combo for prosperity, nice refund and then a fill up and take home. All this is part of an era, an effort to usher in a new era of growth by putting more money back into the hands of workers, families and businesses. We want people, more people than ever before to be able to benefit from the vibrant economy. Which leads us to Trump accounts. Trump accounts are the ultimate merger of Main street and Wall Street. They represent, in my opinion, perhaps the most groundbreaking policy innovation of modern times. It is literally the first direct provision for younger generations since the GI Bill. Since the GI Bill. And they are shaped by a simple vision Every American a shareholder. Trump accounts will help more Americans than ever before build long term savings and wealth through tax advantaged accounts. Encourage investment. Children born during the president's first term will receive $1,000 contribution from the Treasury Department that will immediately be invested in an index fund. But all children under 18 are eligible for Trump accounts. It is as simple as their parents filling out the Form 4547, which I can tell you the President likes the sound of that.

[Interviewer / Host]

David Zia for real America's Voice we had a great surprise here today. We're at a business roundtable with the Nassau County Executive, Bruce BLAKEMAN and the U.S. treasury Secretary Scott Bessett meeting with Nassau business owners to talk about the benefits of the one big beautiful bill and other things. And we have Gus from the Bethpage Embassy Diner. You guys might know him, you know, he's one of our big supporters at rav. We're always at his diner doing interviews with hardworking Americans.

[David Zier]

How are you, Gus?

[Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner)]

Very good, thank you. I'm so honored to be here.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah, it's great you're on the panel today. So, you know, I was just arguing with somebody online. I was posting about the event and they're like, oh, it's all a scam. Nobody's going to see any results. But you can testify as a business owner, right, that you, your employees will benefit from this tax bill 1 billion percent.

[Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner)]

That's why they call it the one big beautiful bill. I have testimony from my waiters and waitresses who are everyday workers, just regular people. And they tell me what a huge difference this bill has made for their lives.

[Interviewer / Host]

No tax on overtime, up to $12,500 you can write off, right? No tax on tips up to 25,000. No tax on Social Security. So if you have part time workers that are on Social Security, right. And I think it's 100% deduction if you make up to a quarter mil. But and so many other things, right. Capital expenditures are deductible, like up front.

[Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner)]

Now they were able to do so many things with that money that they saved. Like I said, I gave examples before. One was able to take his family on vacation for the first time in 10 years. He wasn't able to take his family vacation from that money. One was able to throw her daughter, a single mom was able to throw her daughter a birthday party. These are the types of things it's affecting real people.

[Interviewer / Host]

And you see it in real time, happening. And Harry Singh was here who owns Bola gas stations. Over 300 gas stations I think I

[David Zier]

heard him say that his employees, his

[Interviewer / Host]

average employee will say 4 to $6,000

[David Zier]

per year because of Trump. Yep, that's 100% true.

[Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner)]

It's all because of this one big, beautiful bill.

[Interviewer / Host]

All right, well, I just wanted to clarify for this guy, Michael Gilligan on Facebook, who has been challenging me, that nobody's gonna benefit from this. But you can. You're testifying to that right now, right?

[Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner)]

In real time. I'm. I'm living it. So, yes, in real time.

[Scott Bessen (U.S. Treasury Secretary)]

All right.

[Interviewer / Host]

Everybody loves Gus at the Bethpage Embassy. Diana, we got to do a show from there.

[Gus (Bethpage Embassy Diner Owner)]

Yeah, absolutely. Anytime you want, brother.

[Interviewer / Host]

All right, line them up. We'll knock them down.

[David Zier]

Yes, sir.

[Interviewer / Host]

Thanks, Gus. Great to see you. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more Breaking Point on Real America's Voice News.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Welcome back. You're watching Breaking Point on Real America's Voice News. I was on the ground at the Pentagon for my sixth post Iran war press briefing. And I got to ask Sec. War Pete Hegseth a couple more questions.

[Bruce Blakeman]

Timeline for operability in the street.

[Interviewer / Host]

Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

David Zier, Real America's Voice.

[Interviewer / Host]

And I witnessed that enthusiasm on the lines in our submarine builders and ironworks.

[David Zier]

It's unbelievable.

[Interviewer / Host]

But I just wanted to ask you,

[David Zier]

what's the status of the delivery of

[Interviewer / Host]

any hardened bunkers for additional protection for our troops? And without getting too specific, what kind of measures are we taking to protect some of the larger, more strategic aircraft like the sentry and other.

[Pete Hegseth (Secretary of War)]

Well, it's great, great question. I'll say. What I witnessed where I went was a completely locked in discipline of bunker use and bunker improvement. So from the beginning, as we stated very clearly, the first thing we did was set up a defense and make sure our defensive capabilities were maxed out before any of this even started. That included fortifications as much as possible, but it also include disbursement. If all of our people are in one place, you could imagine why that's a big problem. So dispersing is part of that defeat. Alongside that disbursement is more and more bunkers. And I can tell you, talking to base commanders, talking to our allies in Israel, talking to others, rapidly fielding that and then improving those positions is a theater priority, no doubt, as are the air defenses and the layered air defenses defenses. It's not just patriots and thads. It's fighters in defensive caps. It's other kinetic defeat systems. It's electronic warfare. So the defense of our, of our troops and our assets is max. I will say on some of those other assets you talked about, air wings, airframes. There's some things adversaries are doing to provide info and intel that they shouldn't. We're aware of it, and ultimately, we move things around and don't. One of the biggest principles you learn in the military is to not set patterns, predictable patterns. And so commanders are working hard to adjust in real time with those systems and make sure they're in the right places and not easily targetable.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Here to discuss more about the Pentagon briefing is my good friend El Todd Wood from CDM Press. Todd, welcome back.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Thank you. I love this show. Thanks for having me back on. I see you everywhere. I might as well see you on TV also.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Yeah, it's like, where's Wald? So, all right, a lot of stuff going on. We have a lot of ground to cover. We don't have a lot of time to do it in. One thing that was concerning me is following the interceptors. You know, the Department of War announced yesterday they're increasing production, they're tripling capacity for the PAC3 missiles.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Right.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

You got the thaads in the upper atmosphere, the Pac Threes, and the Patriots below that. I think so. And these things are like $4 million a missile. The THAADs are like $12 million a missile, but we need them. And we're only kicking out, like, 6, 800 patriots a year, as it was. And UAE already down, like 22,000 drones. So are we facing a shortage of interceptors?

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Well, you know, everybody inside the building, if you will, says, no, they have plenty, and they're just leaning forward to get ahead of the problem. But, you know, I'm not sure if that's completely true. I mean, you're going to say certain things in war, right, that you may not, you know, want to back up later. But I, I think the situation is they're not plentiful, and we have to build a lot more of them, and we'll see if actually we have enough as this war drags on. I think that's one reason why Trump really wants to end this thing is to stop the. The. You know, the. The using of all our inventory, if you will.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Yeah, great minds think alike. I was thinking that, you know, like, is it one of the reasons, Right, because the less Iran fires at the Gulf states, the more time they can replenish. I know we did, like a 23 billion do supplemental. The UAE benefited. But overnight, you know, when Trump made the speech the other night, they fired on Bahrain, they fired on uae, they fired on Israel, a couple of dozen more missiles each and dozens of drones. So, okay, I wanted to get into air power. I was reading that there may be close to 200 new aircraft coming in now. We got the A10s, came over from the U.S. they landed in England. They're on the way over to theater. Maybe they do close air support in the straight of Hormuz, which will help for over opening up shipping and stuff like that. Three new Strato tankers heading over there. Is it that they're keeping the foot on the gas while a possible ceasefire deal is negotiated and they don't want to let up?

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Well, the A10 is. I'm thankful it's there. It's being real effective along the coast, digging out some of these boats that are hidden in the caves, etc, so we posted some video this week. Being on the receiving end of that is pretty horrific. I think the A10 needs equipment and maintenance. It's an old airplane and they're probably bringing in maintenance. They're also giving the President all the options he needs. Right, so you're bringing over aircraft when you do an OP like this. There's a lot of things involved. Combat, search and rescue, medevac maintenance, all kind of stuff that has to be brought in. And that's a weakness of ours. And we have a very heavy footprint. So I think they're just giving the President every option. If he does want to land some troops in the Persian Gulf, he'll have enough air power to support them or at least try to support them.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Do you have, do you have any feelings about that? Having what, you know, everybody says boots on the ground. What can that look like for us?

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

As far as I know, and I've talked to sources, they're not moving large troop formations. There's no shipping that's bringing in large ship troop formations. There's a lot of airlift that are bringing in, you know, the 82nd, which is a rapid response force, special operators. The guys I used to work with, Rangers, which are kind of tier 2 special operations, and you have the tier 1 teams, seals, delta, that kind of thing. They're going to be having specialized missions. If the President says go, one of those things is uranium. We were training for this back in the early 90s, you know, large formations of aircraft going in to get, you know, possible radioactive material in a desert situation. And in fact, I was on one mission in Salt Lake where the lead aircraft crashed into the lake and killed about 12 Ranger commanders. So that is a thing we've been training for for some Time. And I think that kind of capability is what Trump is really looking for. You know, strategic going in and getting either people or targets or material or boats that can threaten the shipping in the Gulf.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Sure, sure. And the Osprey, you know, the Osprey turned out to be kind of invaluable. You know, many times the range of a helicopter. A medium lift capability. Right. Could take the place of maybe a Chinook, get troops in faster, get them out in the golden hour faster. And we have dozens of those Right. On the amphibious ships, maybe to do assertion.

[Interviewer / Host]

Sure.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

The Marines have those. The Air Force AFSOC has Special Operations Command has those. They're not as big as like the H53s that they replaced in AFSOC. You know, the payloads I used to fly could carry if you're way overloaded, you know, 40 heavily, heavily loaded guys. The Osprey can carry a platoon, which is in the teens. So. Yeah, but it is a very good capability, as you said, it's fast and it has that rotary lift capability. So you can get there fast, faster, you know, 300 knots instead of maybe 140. And you can put a team in and loiter and air refuel and get back and get back fast. So that is a great aircraft, a great airlift. There were some problems with it in the beginning, but I think they've worked a lot of those out. But yes, those are definitely in theater with the Marines and with absolute, I would imagine.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

What are some of your concerns? If you could spend about a minute on that and then I want to get to your Kid Rock story. What are some of your concerns going forward?

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Drone attacks on high value targets. We've discussed this offline. I don't find it. And I wrote about this. You know, I'm just trying to tell the truth as a Pentagon press correspondent to maybe highlight issues that other people are either scared to talk about or maybe aren't thinking about. But high value targets being destroyed on the ramp, like a half billion dollar aircraft and another one damaged. I'm talking the E3 where we only have 16 of them is really, in my mind. I'd like to know what happened there once we're out of this conflict. I'm not asking for anybody to be fired or anything, but we need to do, you know, a recap of that and figure out what happened because that you can't have $100,000 drone taking out a half billion dollar aircraft. You just can't. So. And that raises questions. If you can't protect that kind of target. What about troops on the ground? I'm worried about people on the ground. I'm worried about the drone threat. You know, they've been perfecting this in Ukraine. I'm sure that technology from either side is going to the Gulf and they could target these guys on the ground and there's really not much they can do about it and.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Yeah, yeah, go on, go on.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

No, I was going to say we have to focus on that anti drone capability. We've got to find a solution. That's just imperative.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Yeah, well, that's why I asked Pete Hegseth about the bunkers, hardened structures, and also about those high value targets. They only got to be right a couple of times and they could destroy billions of dollars in property and US Lives.

[David Zier]

Right.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Okay, we have about a minute and a half. Tell us about the Kid Rock Apache incident.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Yeah, you know, I was a special operations helicopter pilot. When you go train, you have ranges that are. That all the threats or hazards are marked on a map. You know, where all the power lines are, you know, the antennas, you know, the towers, you know, all that stuff. And when you go off a range and off. Off the reservation, if you will, and start flying low level, there's a big risk. There's two things. One is risk of hazards you don't know are there. And two, pilots always try to show off in an air show or in a flyby or something like that. It's very dangerous. People get killed all the time. And I think that was really unacceptable. To go fly and hover over somebody's house. That is not. You're below the 500 foot level. And then I don't go along with Secretary Hegseth dismissing the investigation. I think it destroys any kind of discipline in the unit. What else can these pilots break and what does that do to the commander's authority in the unit? So I was really against that. I've seen it before. I've seen guys get in trouble doing that kind of thing. And it's really dangerous and you have to set an example.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

No, I understand what you're saying. I had a friend who was an S60 pilot, a Seahawk pilot, and he had power lines, I think, down in Alabama on the Gulf Coast. So I understand how dangerous that can be. All right, so, Todd Wood, tell our viewers where they can follow you. You've got great stuff on your site.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

Yeah, CDM Press is the main site. Armedforces Press is our military channel. All of our different papers feed into cdm. We get storage. You're not going to see everywhere else. We don't break everything because we're not big enough yet, but we do break a lot. You're not going to see anywhere else from Miami to Ukraine. So go to CDM Press, put us in your daily scan. I'm sure you'll learn a lot. Thank you very much.

[Birch Gold Representative]

Yeah.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Well, you've got a lot of experience and you're telling it like it is. So really appreciate that. And I will talk to you real soon. Maybe I'll see you on the ground at the Pentagon next week or something. Something. Thank you.

[El Todd Wood (Pentagon Press Correspondent)]

I'm sure we will take care.

[David Zier]

Great.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Everybody, Todd Wood, CDM Press. Go there now. I'm David Zier. You're watching Breaking Point on Real America's Voice News. I got more great stuff coming up just ahead. Welcome back. You're watching Breaking Point on Real America's Voice News. I'm David Zier coming to you from our DC Studios. Just so much going on. You turn your head, another story comes out. The news cycle's moving a mile a minute. And here to discuss the latest developments in DOJ is the DOJ reporter at the Washington Examiner. We love having him on. Kaylin Deese, how are you, sir?

[Kaylin Deese (DOJ Reporter, Washington Examiner)]

David, I'm doing well. Thanks for having me on.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I know you're really on the ground and know what's going on. At a spectacular turn of events, Pam Bondi, no longer the attorney general. Tell us about it.

[Kaylin Deese (DOJ Reporter, Washington Examiner)]

Yeah. So Pam Bondi is no longer the attorney general as of Thursday, April 2nd. It started with rumors swirling early this morning and it quickly, quickly developed in one of what I would describe as one of the fastest turnarounds from sort of the going from rumor to reality with Bondi no longer being the attorney general. Instead, in her place, it'll be acting attorney General Todd Blanch, who we know has been serving as deputy attorney general. He's confirmed in the Senate already as deputy. And it's going to be Todd Blanch leading the Justice Department for what? We don't know exactly how long he'll be in that position. We're anticipating rather quickly we'll start to hear more names being floated as potential permanent positions for this. But for the time being, Bondi is out and people are wondering what happened? How could this have happened? Some people are saying it's long overdue. Some people are just really confused. And, you know, I'm getting from sources a variety of different pieces of information that are coming from. The most interesting things I will say up front is there's a Couple of matters that are not the case that were not contributing to the fact that she was removed. For one, there was a report in the Daily Mail that was purporting that there was some kind of tip off that happened that Bondi had supposedly given Eric Swallow some of the jump on the records that were being sought after related to his relationship with a CCP foreign national many years ago. That was not a contributing factor to this, I've been told, been told by a source that I trust very closely. The second thing I think is also important to underscore is that this is not an Epstein related reaction. This is not a delayed reaction to her handling of the Epstein files. It's been described to me as more of a symptom rather than a cause. And more to the point, it's a variety of different issues that culminated ultimately in the President not necessarily having the utmost confidence in her ability to execute on his agenda. It's not just one simple issue. And I think that's the thing that we'll have to be looking out for more in the coming days is to what were more the specifics that caused Trump to do this kind of jump? You know, it also comes at a time where the president has to make a lot of crucial decisions about what he wants the future of his cabinet to look like. Obviously, we saw that the other week with Kristi Noem no longer being a DHS as the head. And likewise, there's been rumors today that perhaps Trump could be wanting to oust Tulsi Gabbard. I'm also being told by Stephen Chung in the White House over there saying that that is fake news and that Gabbard is not being at this time considered for any kind of ouster or anything of that sort. So for now, it seems like Gabbard, while we heard maybe earlier this morning that there was some rumors floating around that she might be on the chopping block, she is, for the time being, safe.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

Interesting. You know, that's why we have people like you on the ground. You know, Washington examiner doing a great job and John Solomon with just the news, you know, on top of it. And we have to separate fact from fiction. It's hard to do. You know, I covered the Trump hush money trial. I was in the courtroom for most of the trial with Trump, Emil Beau and Todd Blanche. I thought Todd Blanche did a decent job. I was a little skeptical at first, but in the end, even though Trump was convicted, which we knew was going to happen, I think he did make the case and expose a lot of, you know, the, the cabal that was coming from the other side in his line of questioning. One, do you think he would make an attorney general? That where they would keep him and what's the process? How long can he serve as interim and how long before they have to do a confirmation hearing for someone?

[Kaylin Deese (DOJ Reporter, Washington Examiner)]

Well, I'll answer that last question first because I think it's really interesting timing. Once again, not only is this a, in a imperative right now for Trump to make these types of decisions because he doesn't have much longer to do so, but it's interesting that the acting Attorney general, which is what Todd Blanche is sitting in right now, he has 210 days to have that position before he would need to have any sort of confirmation. And it just so happens that we're about 216 days away from the midterm elections. And I just find that very interesting because it gives us this broad scale sort of, you know, landscape where we could potentially see maybe Todd Blanche just does well in the position in Trump's eyes and he wants to keep him there for as long as he can. Or perhaps Trump is of the mind that somebody more permanent needs to get the confirmation similar to the speed that we saw former Oklahoma Senator Markway Mullen get elevated to the DHS spot. So we're kind of in this limbo right now. There's been reports out there that there's some people, there's some, there's some Republican senators who are maybe rallying behind Mike Lee as somebody that was a notice report from earlier that was elevating that idea out there. The other overarching person that's been floated as a potential replacement would be EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin. And I think that Lee Zeldin would be an interesting choice just for the sake of the fact that he's been so I would say one of Trump's favorites in his cabinet and not to mention the fact that his focus has been so much on this deregulation agenda. You know, there's a lot of lawsuits that the DOJ handles on a day to day basis that involve deregulation and fighting states and trying to, you know, you know, assert more of a federal control over regulations versus, you know, states that try to gum up, you know, the process with all these environmental types of regulations and water regulations. So it would be interesting to see that because I think that Lee Zeldin would probably mesh very well into that type of, that type of work that the DOJ is engaged in. But obviously that's not the only work that the DOJ does. And obviously you have a bit of a interest by the president in seeing some of these, you know, justice bringing some of these, you know, Democrats who have engaged in this long, long drawn out campaign to try to discredit him and try to get him impeached. Obvious, obviously, the cases against Letitia James and James Comey, those are kind of on ice as we're awaiting this appeal over the disqualification of Lindsey Halligan, who was leading those prosecutions. So all of those things are still, I would say, of top of mind for the president. And he wants somebody who gets into that replacement spot to be like Rondi in the sense that she was going after those things. And I think that that really underscores the big confusion bubble that's surrounding this is that for the most part, from a superficial standpoint, Bondi was very much trying to adhere on a day to day basis to what the Trump administration wanted, what Donald Trump was wanting. She was very loyal to the president. I don't want to say to a fault even, because I think she was trying to do what she saw the assignment as. But ultimately, I think that some of those early mishaps with her talking about the Epstein files being on her desk and things like that, she just wasn't an expert on Jeffrey Epstein. And I think she took the campaign promises a little bit too literally once the actual administration was in charge. And ultimately this law professor, I just spoke to the University of Richmond and was calling it an impossible task for Pam Bondi to be on top of that Epstein issue.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

So I wanted to ask you, you know, I know lee Zeldin for 20 years, very close with him. I've been close with him in the past and followed him. You know, he was great on, you know, as an attorney on Long island, also the epa. I'm a builder from Long Island. I understand the issues he's been fighting. Also, he was Trump's impeachment attorney. So I think he would be a really good fit. We have to run. Kalyn, tell our viewers where they can follow you. Sounds like you're really on top of what's happening.

[Kaylin Deese (DOJ Reporter, Washington Examiner)]

Yeah, you can find me on X. It's Kaelindc. That's K A E L A N D C. And you can find my work on thewashingtonexaminer.com and please feel free to check out our other great work that's happening right now on top of this Bondi ouster. And there's so much more news coming down the pike this week.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

All right, Always appreciate your insight and maybe we'll revisit this next week. And everybody go follow Kaylin Deese, doj, reporter at the Washington Examiner. Thank you and happy Easter. Happy Passover. So thank you so much.

[Kaylin Deese (DOJ Reporter, Washington Examiner)]

Happy Easter. Happy Passover, David.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

All right, we're going to go to switch to USA. Check it out.

[Interviewer / Host]

Hey, Maria Lynn from switch2usa.com how are you?

[Maria Lynn]

I am excited to be here with you. I'm excited to let everybody know what's going on. Thank you. David.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah. You're a longtime supporter of the show and I want to make sure our audience can participate and switch to usa. Tell us about it.

[Maria Lynn]

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[Scott Bessen (U.S. Treasury Secretary)]

Door.

[David Zier]

Right.

[Interviewer / Host]

And what's special about Switch to usa? Made in America by American factory workers, right?

[Maria Lynn]

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[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

All right.

[Interviewer / Host]

Tell our viewers how they can get involved.

[Maria Lynn]

Oh, please just come to our website and we'll help you. We'll take you on a tour of our website. Come to switch the number two USA.com

[David Zier]

all right, Maria Lynn, everyone loves you

[Interviewer / Host]

out there and thank you so much.

[Maria Lynn]

Thank you, David. Thank you everyone.

[Pentagon Correspondent / Interviewer]

I want to thank everybody for joining the Rap family and watching Breaking Point on Rio America, America's Voice News.

[David Zier]

See you next time.

[Bo Davidson]

Hey, everybody, Bo Davidson here. I hope that you will check out my Easter special this Saturday and Sunday at 2pm Eastern, which is where I go to the Museum of the Bible and tour two amazing exhibitions, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Megiddo Mosaic. I hope that it will inspire you and your family this weekend. So please check it out this weekend, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm Eastern. Happy Easter.