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Real America’s Voice
GOP DYSFUNCTION IS A MIDTERM LIABILITY, SHOPP ACT PASSED IN FARM BILL | THE AMERICAN SUNRISE SHOW
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- [00:00]
Dr. Gina
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Guaranteed human protein packed meals in 10 minutes.
- [00:07]
Steve Gruber
TikTok's got millions of them.
- [00:09]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Could you whip one up in under eight? Probably. But hey, it's not a race. Grab the recipes on TikTok and start cooking.
- [00:21]
David Brody
Good morning, America.
- [00:24]
Dr. Gina
Welcome to American Sunrise. Whether it's culture, we have breaking news to share with you.
- [00:30]
Terrence Bates
Politics.
- [00:31]
David Brody
President Trump is joining us live now from Florida.
- [00:34]
Terrence Bates
We've got you covered.
- [00:36]
David Brody
This is what it looks like to be a patriot.
- [00:39]
Terrence Bates
We have to protect the American family.
- [00:41]
Dr. Gina
The American dream is still alive.
- [00:45]
David Brody
I'm David Brody.
- [00:46]
Terrence Bates
I'm terrence.
- [00:47]
Dr. Gina
And I'm Dr. Gina.
- [00:52]
Bo Davidson
Breaking news from Real America's Voice.
- [00:59]
Terrence Bates
We begin this Tuesday morning with breaking news as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kaine are set to take the podium at the Pentagon, quite literally at any minute now. Today's press briefing follows President Trump's launch of Project Freedom, which is an operation meant to reopen commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Meantime, tensions between the United States and Iran remain on edge after the US Sank seven small Iranian boats in the early morning hours today. Plus, U.S. allies. The United Arab Emirates claims that Iran fire drones on missiles and missiles. Excuse me. On that country again. We'll get more clarity from the Secretary of War momentarily. You can see the podium already up. We're simply waiting for Secretary Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff to arrive. Dr. Gina here. Terrence Bates here. So, Dr. Gina, I'm curious, particularly since the stated goal was that there would not be a nuclear Iran, and Iran doesn't seem willing to give up its nuclear ambitions. What, what does all of this mean? It seems to me this war is going to continue to drag on for a while.
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Dr. Gina
Yeah. As many have called for a long, long time and said this wasn't going to be an easy in and out. And I think, you know, as we kind of watch gas prices go up, we watch the midterms approach, I think the tensions are beginning. I think we can feel a little bit of the, oh, boy, what's this going to look like? How is this going to affect the future, really, not just of American politics, but world politics?
- [02:32]
Terrence Bates
Yeah. I expect that we'll hear Secretary Hegseth talk a lot about how successful the mission continues to be, but I think there are still some serious questions to be asked and some pertinent questions to be asked, particularly as this thing continues to stretch out.
- [02:48]
Dr. Gina
Yeah. I mean, the Strait of Hormuz was open when the whole thing started. So we can't. So it'll be difficult, I'm afraid, for Republicans to claim victory based on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
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General Dan Kaine
Right.
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Dr. Gina
That's really. That's really kind of where we are. The victory needs to be in other things. The Strait of Hormuz was open to start with, so that just needs to go on as usual. And I think as long as we're, like I said, continuing to see rising gas prices, this is something that we're not, we definitely have not heard the last of from the American people. Rest assured, Terrence, the Democrats are going to be looking at every angle of this war that they can possibly exploit to try to grab victory from what really should belong to Republicans in the midterms in terms of just the incredible things that have been done for America, really like never before. No administration, no president. But it can all be silenced pretty quickly when Americans feel that pinch.
- [03:51]
Terrence Bates
Yeah. All right, so it looks like the Secretary of War and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff now making their way to the podium. So let's listen in.
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Secretary Pete Hegseth
Well, as you know, President Trump has directed US Central Command to restart the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz under the umbrella of Project Freedom. To be clear, this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury. Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope, and temporary in duration, with one mission. Protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression. American forces won't need to enter Iranian waters or airspace. It's not necessary. We're not looking for a fight. But Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway. Iran is the clear aggressor, harassing civilian vessels, threatening mariners from every nation indiscriminately and weaponizing a critical choke point for its own financial benefit, or at least trying to. For too long, Iran has been harassing ships, shooting at civilian tankers from all nations and trying to impose a tolling system. Iran's plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable. That ends with Project Freedom. Two US Commercial ships along with American destroyers have already safely transited the strait, showing the lane is clear. We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the strait. They do not. So American ships led the way, commercial and military, shouldering the initial risk from the front, as Americans always do. And right now, hundreds more ships from nations around the world are lining up to transit. Centcom, along with partner nations, is in active communication with hundreds of ships, shipping companies, and insurers. All of these ships from all around the world want to get out of the Iranian trap that they have been stuck inside. As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the strait. American destroyers are on station, supported by hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones and surveillance aircraft, providing 247 overwatch for peaceful commercial vessels. Except Iran's, of course. Which is why our ironclad blockade remains in full effect as well. In fact, six ships tried to run the blockade out of Iranian ports as Project Freedom commenced, and they were all turned around. This is more than strategy. It's also humanitarian. By breaking Iran's illegal stranglehold, we're protecting the lives and livelihoods of sailors from dozens of countries, securing global energy routes, and preventing shortages that hit the world's poorest people the hardest. Once again, America is using its strength to lift up others. Iran is trying to subjugate the world to what remains of Iran's forces. If you attack American troops or innocent commercial shipping, you will face overwhelming and devastating American firepower. The President has been very clear about this. We prefer this to be a peaceful operation, but are locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft, and this mission without hesitation. To Iran. Let innocent ships pass freely. These international waters belong to all nations, not to Iran. To tax, toll, or control. To our partners, allies and the rest of the world. This is a temporary mission for us. As I've said before, the world needs this waterway a lot more than we do. We're stabilizing the situation so commerce can flow again. But we expect the world to step up at the appropriate time. And soon we will hand responsibility back to you. To the incredible Americans executing this mission right now. Simply thank you. Your courage, your readiness, your unmatched professionalism and precision are why the world can breathe easier today and every day. You are and always will be the greatest fighting force in human history. Unmatched. Always. Project Freedom is underway. Commerce will be flowing. And America is once again leading with strength, clarity and purpose for the benefit of the entire world. Our will is unshakeable. God bless our troops. And God bless the mighty United States Navy as well. Mr. Chairman, over to you.
- [08:53]
General Dan Kaine
Thank you, Mr. Secretary. And good morning, everyone. Thanks for being here on Sunday. At the direction of the President, CENTCOM initiated Project Freedom with the objective of facilitating the safe passage of international commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Over the past seven weeks, Iran's repeatedly threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the strait in order to effectively cut off commercial traffic. Traffic and damage the global economy. By obstructing one of the world's most critical maritime checkpoints, a vital transit route for approximately one fifth of the global oil consumption, Iran is weaponizing the global supply chain. This action disregards established navigational rights and the law of the sea, and the regime led by the IRGC is effectively attempting to hold the entire global economy hostage. Let me give you an update of the last few days of activities and if you take a look at the map here. As the Secretary said, the United States has established Project Freedom to open up the Strait of Hormuz. This graphic highlights the kinetic engagements that the Iranians have attempted to make or have taken against the region. The green dots and blue dots show the groupings of commercial cargo and tanker vessels, and the United States has established significant presence over the strait here in order to open up the free flow of commerce, noting the blockade still continues along the eastern flank. The map shows the examples and samples of Iranian attacks against commercial vessels in the strait as well as the Gulf of Oman and up in the Arabian Gulf. Since the cease fire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they've attacked US forces more than 10 times, all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations. At this point. You can also see the group of tankers and cargo vessels in the US Blockade line. As I mentioned, as a result of Iran's indiscriminate attacks across the region, There are currently 22,500 mariners embarked on more than 1,550 commercial vessels trapped in the Arabian Gulf, unable to transit. In addition to shipping, Iran has continued to deliberately attack its neighbors. Just yesterday, Iran attacked Oman once in the UAE three times, including an attack on Fujairah oil terminal, which was successfully defeated. They also launched cruise missiles, drones, small boats at US Forces defending commercial shipping in the straits, and United States Navy MH60 helicopters and Army AH64 Apache helicopters successfully defeated those threats thus far. Today is quieter. Let me describe this defensive operation just a few clicks down for you. As the Secretary said, Project Freedom is designed to protect commercial shipping and help restore the flow of commerce through the strait and sustain freedom of navigation. CENTCOM has established an enhanced security area on the southern side of the strait that is now protected by US Land, naval and air assets to help defeat further Iranian aggression against commercial shipping. I'd like to share a little bit more about US capabilities, but for operational security purposes, I'm not going to get into specific details out there. On the surface guided missile Destroyers and other warships are detecting and defeating Iranian threats. This includes fast boats and one way attack drones. In the air, more than 100 fighters, attack aircraft and other manned and unmanned aircraft syncchronized by the 82nd Airborne Division are in the air 24 hours a day providing defensive overwatch for the enhanced security area and its approaches that I discussed. These forces are comprised of over 15,000American service members and have established localized air and sea control to protect against Iranian threats. Commercial vessels that transit through the area will see, hear and frankly feel US Combat power around them on the sea, in the skies and on the radio. And as of this morning, as was mentioned prior, two US flagged merchant vessels have transited and we anticipate more to transit over the coming days. Further up the Gulf, US Naval Forces Central Command continues to work to identify and mitigate any threats beyond Project Freedom. CENTCOM and the rest of the Joint Force remain ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so. No adversary should mistake our current restraint with a lack of resolve. And the President has said, as the Secretary has, that now is the time for those with equity stake in the Strait to come assist. Before I turn it back to the Secretary, I want to take a moment to highlight part of our joint force today. And today I want to talk about the paratroopers of the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division. When the President or the Secretary need immediate, scalable and lethal combat power in CENTCOM or elsewhere, the all American division answers the call. The 82nd is the core of our nation's immediate response force and ready to deploy within hours of notice. These paratroopers are capable of accomplishing any mission in any environment, constantly training, constantly ready to jump from Air Force aircraft into ground combat and seize key terrain if ordered to do so. Just like their predecessors did in Sicily and Normandy in World War II, or to secure or enable the follow on forces to flow into theater as they did in Grenada or Panama. They can do the range of missions from counterinsurgency to counter terrorism operations to power projection as they have many times over over the course of the history of this great division. They can do all these things because they're incredibly well trained, well equipped and well led. But also because of the indomitable spirit of the all American paratrooper. Every single one of them volunteered for this role, volunteered to go to airborne training and volunteered to serve. But this division is now more than just a formation that we use for forcible entries. For example, just today they are out there coordinating, integrating and synchronizing Land, air, space, sea and cyber forces using all joint, all domain command and control. They use next generation tactical networks that are AI enabled to augment intelligence and operations and they seamlessly synchronize all of these effects and are doing so in support of Project Freedom as we speak. The relentless focus on technical innovation allows the commanders out there in the field to see, sense and understand the opportunities that are in front of them along with the associated risks, and make smart decisions out on the objective with incredible courage, tenacity and grit. They are going all the way every day and whenever the nation calls on them, they are there to answer the call. We are grateful for their service and their leadership. Lastly, before I close, as I often do, I want to remember some of our fallen. Today. We remember Sergeant William Rivers, Specialist Brianna Moffitt and Specialist Kennedy Sanders of the 718th Engineering Company, US Army Reserves out of Fort Benning, Georgia. They were tragically killed on January 28, 2024 when attacked by an Iranian backed proxy force at Tower 22 in Jordan. We continue to carry on their memories. We remember their names, we remember their families. And the Secretary and I are deeply grateful for all of our deployed forces who are out there doing our nation's work. And sir, with that, I'll kick it back over to you.
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Secretary Pete Hegseth
We'll take a few questions.
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David Brody
Go ahead.
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Dr. Gina
Thank you. Alexandra Ingersoll, One American News do you assess, Mr. Secretary, do you assess what's left of this small boat fleet to be a significant threat or a nuisance to be managed? And then secondly, what is your message to critics who say that the US doesn't have a strategy in this mission?
- [17:44]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Well, any threat needs to be taken seriously. And just like those six attack boats that the chairman mentioned were taken seriously and dealt with before there were any real threat to the American military vessels that they were approaching, and that is small craft like that are all that Iran has left. Their ability to get close with a destroyer of the capabilities that we have is limited. But we're going to take it very seriously and kinetically quickly. We're not going to allow a threat to gather. And I can tell you even from just this morning, the strategy remains laser focused. In fact, what I think you see from Project Freedom is that we're not allowing ourselves to get distracted. This is a separate and distinct effort, temporary in nature, that we plan to hand over to the world. The world has expressed a desire to be a part of this. As is often the case, or maybe almost always the case, American leadership is required. So the President was willing to undertake this, send commercial ships through, send destroyers in, provide this red, white and blue bubble of protection and, and encourage the world to step up because ultimately this waterway is, as I said, far more crucial to the rest of the world and they need to have the ability to defend it. So I think this is a reflection of a laser focused strategy, actually, right here.
- [19:00]
David Zier
Morning, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Chairman, David Zia, Real America's voice. I wanted to ask you of any of the fast boats that have been either sunk or identified, are there any armaments larger than say, small, you know, AK47 type stuff or anything anti ship cruise missiles identified? And my second question is if there's a divide between the IRGC and Tehran, is there a way to get Tehran to agree to let us go after the IRGC that is doing these attacks without violating the cease fire?
- [19:30]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Well, right now, anything coming at our crafts, regardless of what's on it, has to be defended against and that's the case. I don't know what the exact armaments were on those fast boats.
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General Dan Kaine
Small arms, nothing significant on the fast boats.
- [19:43]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Rifles are small machine guns. There were some small coastal cruise missiles shot down as well. So there's been, I think there's some frothiness in the beginning aspects of this that were dealt with very directly by our destroyers. And we're communicating both overtly and quietly to the Iranians to allow this defensive operation to happen on behalf of the world. There are some actions the IRGC takes sometimes that are outside the bounds of what maybe Iranian negotiators would like. That's their job, to rein that in and ultimately create a condition for a deal. Right. That's not something I talked about in these remarks, but that's happening in real time. Iran has an ability to make that deal. But what we're demonstrating with Project Freedom is they don't control the Strait. I mean, we know Iran is embarrassed by the fact that our blockade is holding and we can run ships through and we're going to help the world run ships through. And if they hold it at issue, the whole world knows who's doing it. It's not us. We're willing to open it up. It's Iran. And that creates a dilemma for them. We hope they make a deal. Yes.
- [20:46]
Emily
Thank you, sir.
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Dr. Gina
My first question is for General Kaine.
- [20:48]
Emily
Mary Margaret with the Daily Wire. You said that the attacks by Iran so far are below the threshold of restarting major combat operations.
- [20:57]
Dr. Gina
What is that threshold?
- [20:58]
Emily
And then for Secretary Hegseth, are there still concerns about mines in the strait and can you kind of clarify these reports of kamikaze dolphins that we've heard about?
- [21:09]
General Dan Kaine
I haven't heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It's like sharks with laser beams.
- [21:13]
David Brody
Right.
- [21:14]
General Dan Kaine
The threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade. What I'll say is it's low harassing fire. Right now it feels like Iran is grasping its draws to try to do something across the southern flank. To your question, David, their command and control structure remains very fractured and I think they're struggling to maintain control down echelon at the edge. But we're still, it's still pretty low level kinetics at this point in time.
- [21:43]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
And I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't. Ultimately, any follow on effort, if there are mines identified, would be something that some of our units could undertake or the world could undertake. But right now we know we have a lane of safe passage that commercial shipping can flow through.
- [22:04]
Dr. Gina
Thank you, Secretary Hexseth. Last 24 hours or so, Iran's fired at us. We fired at Iran.
- [22:10]
Emily
I'm just going to ask you more
- [22:11]
Dr. Gina
directly, is the ceasefire over?
- [22:14]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
No, the ceasefire is not over. Ultimately this is a separate and distinct project and we expected there would be some, some churn at the beginning which, which happened and we said we would defend and defend aggressively and we absolutely have. Iran knows that and ultimately the President's going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a cease fire. But certainly we would urge Iran to be prudent in the actions that they take to, to keep that underneath this threshold. This is about the straits, this is about freedom of navigation, this is about international waterways. This is about free flow of commerce, all the things that happened before and only Iran is contesting. So right now the cease fire certainly holds, but we're going to be watching very, very closely. Absolutely. Secretary James, go ahead.
- [23:02]
James
Mr. Secretary, thank you, General, thank you. I want to first express my gratitude and admiration for the work you do and for everyone involved in our armed forces, and also for the accomplishments of Operation Epic Fury, which I think are too often dismissed too lightly. But those accomplishments don't obscure, I think, a central default that has occurred here and I would like you both to address it. On the first day of this conflict, President Trump addressed the Iranian people directly and said, when we're finished, take over your government. It'll be yours to take. And then on the seventh day of the conflict, in a truth social post, the President said there will be no deal with Iran except all caps, unconditional surrender. What happens to that pledge to the Iranians? And when did the President decide to capitulate on his demand from for unconditional surrender?
- [24:01]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
James? I wouldn't. I wouldn't. You started out nicely, but you ended exactly where we knew you would end. The President hasn't capitulated on anything. He holds the cards. We remain. We maintain the upper hand. And Project Freedom only strengthens that hand. And so he will ensure that whatever deal is made or whatever end state is reached creates ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon, which is a number one. And he's been focused on that. And the deal and discussions are centered on that. And what the Iranian people take advantage of after the fact is up to them. And he's been very clear about that. And maybe you do it now, maybe it happens later. But ultimately he's also been clear we're not going to entangle this into some nation building project. Our objectives are clear. They've been pursued from day one. Hopefully the Iranian people take advantage of that because they're being taken advantage of by this regime. As you know, 45,000 Iranians, innocent Iranians killed before the outset of this. That's what this government does. Kills their own innocent civilians. Getting out from underneath that is going to be a challenge of the Iranian people and we certainly hope they take advantage of that.
- [25:06]
Steve Gruber
Thank you.
- [25:07]
David Brody
Actually.
- [25:08]
James
Thank you. One follow, please.
- [25:10]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Go ahead.
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Liam Cosgrove
Everybody else.
- [25:11]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Everybody else, one follows directives. Go ahead.
- [25:13]
Tracy Anthony
Thank you.
- [25:14]
Dr. Gina
Mr. Secretary, can you share any information regarding the South Korean ship that was reportedly hit by Iran? Is Seoul in contact with the US Military about it? And is there any indication that they would heed Trump's call made on social media to join Project Freedom?
- [25:28]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
We hope so. We're in contact with that ship, centcom, I should say, and the Maritime Coordination Forces are in touch. And I think targeting like that is a reflection of the indiscriminate nature of what Iran is doing. We hope South Korea would step up, just like we hope Japan would step up, just like we hope Australia would step up, just like we hope Europe steps up. But we're not waiting for them to do so. We're looking to set the conditions to hand to them.
- [25:51]
Steve Gruber
We.
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Secretary Pete Hegseth
But the President was clear in his truth message that, hey, this is your ship, you should take part in helping to defend it. We very much hope they do.
- [25:59]
Dr. Gina
James.
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David Zier
Go ahead.
- [26:00]
General Dan Kaine
Mr. Secretary.
- [26:01]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
In terms of new U.S. intelligence reports suggest that the timeline for the war in Iran to get a nuclear weapon has not Changed since last summer, still at nine to 12 months. Is that intelligence wrong? How can this be after so much bombing? And for General Kaine, going back onto what you're talking about, the stray of Hormuz, the president recently said that the blockades even more effective than bombing. So why didn't we start the campaign with the blockade and initially how many
- [26:24]
General Dan Kaine
planned ships do you plan to escort
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Secretary Pete Hegseth
or take through commercial ships to the Straformuz today or in the coming days? Well, we don't discuss the specifics about intel and anybody that does shouldn't be. And I can't confirm or deny whether that is indeed correct speculation as far as I'm concerned. Coming. Coming from you. But ultimately what Operation Midnight Hammer did in the obliteration of those facilities was set back their program. And then because of the efforts of that 12 day war, the president was able to recognize that this threat, while they continued to seek nuclear capabilities, their will was still there to seek a nuclear bomb. Ultimately they were creating a conventional umbrella of so many missiles and so many capabilities that no one would want to challenge them. Think of the North Korea. This is the North Korea strategy. We have so many conventional capabilities, you won't do something about it. And underneath that we're going to develop more nuclear capabilities. So the will was still there. President Trump had the courage to say we have to dismantle and take on those conventional capabilities while the dust, while the nuclear facilities are watched 247 and overwatched. And we will ensure one way or another, hopefully Iran chooses a deal that they give up those ambitions, give up those capabilities and we're able to confirm that every step of the way. So that has been. President Trump's been focused on it. He set them back like no other president. He ripped up the terrible deal that would have given them a bomb. He took care of it in Midnight Hammer. We're watching it right now and ultimately feel good about the fact that the end state will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. Go ahead sir.
- [27:55]
General Dan Kaine
I'll let CENTCOM talk to the number of ships they're going to take through because they're the nearest ones to talking to the commercial shippers. And I don't want to get out in front of them on the order and sequence around the military objectives. That's a decision the President and the Secretary go get us at. And at the time we were focused on the primary objectives that were in front of us. Thank you very pleasure.
- [28:16]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Ryan Morgan with the Epoch Times. On Friday, President Trump notified Congress that the hostilities that began on February 28th had terminated. That came on the deadline of the 60 day war powers deadline. Will this administration be seeking congressional approval for any further military operations if the cease fire breaks down? Our view is the one you described, that ultimately with the cease fire, the clock stops. If it were to restart, that would be the president's decision. That option is always there and Iran knows that. And that's why, you know, their choices in Project Freedom are important. The president retains the opportunity and the capabilities, more capabilities than we had at the start of this, to restart major combat operations if necessary. If Iran is not willing to follow through on its side of the bargain or make a deal, then the War Department is postured, locked, loaded and ready to go. We hope it doesn't have to go in that direction. But Admiral Cooper and our forces are in a three point stance and ready to go. Yeah. Last question.
- [29:26]
Liam Cosgrove
Thank you. Liam Cosgrove with Zero Hedge. In recent weeks, both in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's head of Mossad have stated their intent not to cease combat with the Iranians. Netanyahu put this on Twitter. Israel's head of Mossad said Israel's goals are not finished until the Iranian government collapses. And so they're referring to the government that President Trump has brokered a cease fire with and is working on a lasting peace in the region with. And so that's something many Americans, especially American farmers, are hoping he does get to a lasting peace. And so if President Trump is successful in that and the Israelis are explicitly stating their intent to continue fighting at a later date, how can you ensure America doesn't get roped back into a war if that comes? And secondly, with Netanyahu comfortable tweeting something like that out, and also, Netanyahu has continued bombing Lebanon despite President Trump exposing the.
- [30:17]
James
Mr.
- [30:17]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
I would say your question is based on the false premise that somehow President Trump is being pulled in by Prime Minister Netanyahu to any of these actions. That's where you're going. Just to be clear, President Trump has led at every step of this based on his view of American interest in America first, and we are grateful that Israelis have been very capable partners at many steps of this and they may have some objectives at times that are slightly different than ours. But there's only one hand on the wheel ultimately directing this, whether it's Project Freedom or previously Operation Epic Fury, and is President Trump. So we're grateful for, for their input, their insights, the existential nature of the threat they face from an Iranian bomb, the capabilities that they can bring to that. But ultimately, the coordination will happen with the leadership of President Trump. Thank you very much.
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Terrence Bates
I appreciate it.
- [31:01]
Dr. Gina
Thank you.
- [31:07]
Terrence Bates
So that was Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, speaking about Project Freedom. That is the operation of to reopen Commerce through the Strait of Hormuz. The secretary saying Project Freedom is separate from Project Enduring Freedom, also saying that Iran's plan to form it. Iran's plan, excuse me, to continue terrorizing, if you will. The strait is a form of international extortion. Let's bring in Dr. Gina and David to talk a bit more about this. David, your takeaways from what we just heard. And I think the bigger picture here is that there is still no deal for Iran not to be nuclear. And that's what's holding everything up. That's what's basically prolonging this conflict, if you will.
- [31:51]
David Brody
Yeah, because Iran doesn't want one. And it's really that simple. And they're never going to want one and they're never going to agree to one. And if they do, somehow it'll be spun in some sort of way that might seem palatable at the surface, but ultimately that's not what's going to happen. Look, to me, the big takeaway here is what General Kaine said and what Pete Hegseth also reiterated, which is that the Iranian strikes against the United States are below the threshold. Those were the words below the threshold of basically restarting or stopping the ceasefire and restarting combat operations. So, you know, what is that threshold? Exactly. And General Kaine said it's a political decision. So that kind of gets us back to President Trump. Gina, this lays at the feet of President Trump as to what he is going to do next. And I'll be honest with you, my spidey sense has felt this all along, which is, you know, he talks about peace all the time. He wants to be the president of peace. He wants to be a world peace leader. He does not want to have power plant day and bridge day. And he doesn't want to do all of this. And I think he's doing everything he possibly can to avoid that day. Sadly, I think that day may be coming, and in the process, we may be getting taken advantage of for sure by the Iranians, who are basically firing on ships. And we're just kind of, kind of going along right now and saying that the cease fire hasn't been broken. Well, how has the ceasefire not been broken? I mean, we're being fired upon. So I don't know. To me, it seems like this administration is bending over backwards trying not to get us into a major escalation from here on out. But I'm not quite sure ultimately if that's going to pan out. I think eventually we're going to have the nuclear power plant and bridge day. I really do.
- [33:46]
Dr. Gina
Well, President Trump is so used to things working out ultimately for him. I think he has a quiet confidence that everything just ultimately works out the way he planned and hoped and worked for it to work out. You know, David, and I guess time will just tell whether or not that holds true in this particular incident, which is really different from anything that President Trump has ever really done. You know, he wanted this to be quick in and out. This wasn't the same as any other military operations that President Trump has done in the past. And I think his confidence have gotten him out in front of his skis just a little bit, at least in terms of, you know, there is sort of a time crunch here in terms of the impact on the body politic. And that, of course, is the midterm elections, which the Republicans really must win to if there's any hope, as we've talked about for so long on this program, of actually finalizing and codifying any of President Trump's policies for the long term. So this war means his legacy. This war means his reputation forever. This war could mean midterms or not. This war could mean 20, 28 or not. Basically everything is riding on this, David. And you just hope and pray that he didn't get bad information from people who are maybe well intentioned, but it's dragging for sure.
- [35:25]
David Brody
Let me. I know we have to get to David Zier. I have that. Let me just say one thing because, Gina, you made such an astute observation. Things do typically work out for President Trump. He just has the it factor when it comes. I mean, it just happens. The problem here, the variable here, is the death cult of Iran and the regime. This is much different than anything else he has ever faced. And why everything else works out for him because everything else is kind of a conventional negotiation. This is not. These are people that want to die for the cause. And when you have that, let's be honest, Iran has been a pretty formidable foe here. They have not just rolled over, they just haven't. They've been decimated. We are winning the war, the military conflict, there's no doubt about it. But to be clear, not to give Iran any credit, but they're not going down without A fight. And they've got a lot of fight in them because they fight to the death, because they don't care about death, because they think they're going to heaven, but they're not. And that is very important. We keep talking about it here, but I think that's the variable that's different regarding your assessment with President Trump because you're right, everything does typically work out for Trump. In this case, things are a little bit different because of the Iran variable.
- [36:41]
Terrence Bates
David and Gina, we're going to continue to talk about this, but we want to go back to the Pentagon where RAF correspondent David Zier is standing by. He had an opportunity to ask the Secretary of war a question here. That question is in case you happen to miss it, right here.
- [36:55]
David Zier
Morning, Mr. Secretary. Mr. Chairman. David Zier, Real America's Voice I wanted to ask you of any of the fast boats that have been either sunk or are there any armaments larger than say, small, you know, AK47 type stuff or any anti ship cruise missiles identified? And my second question is if there's a divide between the IRGC and Tehran, is there a way to get Tehran to agree to let us go after the IRGC that is doing these attacks without violating the cease fire?
- [37:24]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Well, right now anything coming at our crafts, regardless of what's on it is, has to be defended against and that's the case. I don't know what the exact armaments were on those fast boats.
- [37:34]
General Dan Kaine
Small arms, nothing significant on the fast boats.
- [37:37]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Rifles are small machine guns. There were some small coastal cruise missiles shot down as well. So there's been, I think there's some frothiness in the beginning aspects of this that were dealt with very directly by our destroyers. And we're communicating both overtly and quietly to the Iranians to allow this defensive operation to happen on behalf of the world. There are some actions the IRGC takes sometimes that are outside the bounds of what maybe Iranian negotiators would like. That's their job, to rein that in and ultimately create a condition for a deal. Right? That's not something I talked about in these remarks, but that's happening in real time. Iran has an ability to make that deal. But what we're demonstrating with Project Freedom is they don't control this trade. We know Iran is embarrassed by the fact that our blockade is holding and we can run ships through and we're going to help the world run ships through. And if they hold it at issue, the whole world knows who's doing it. It's not us. We're willing to open it up. It's Iran and that creates a dilemma for them and we hope they make a deal.
- [38:42]
Terrence Bates
David Zier joining us live now. David, the second part of your question I think really got to the heart of the issue. Eradicating the IRGC or finding a way to get the and the Iranian military in line. Were you satisfied with the response you
- [38:57]
John Solomon
got
- [38:59]
David Zier
from a military perspective? Yes. In the Pentagon I guess it's up to the executive branch to negotiate a policy, you know, because President possession of Iran supposedly is unhappy with what was going on with the attacks on Oman and UAE and the fast boats if they're telling the truth. So I was trying to get to whether they could carve off any type of, you know, IRGC targeting of commanders or anybody that may be rogue without violating the ceasefire in anticipation of next week's talks with China.
- [39:37]
David Brody
David, how did you see this press conference as compared to others? Was there anything that was different to you or how do these compare?
- [39:47]
David Zier
I thought it was very informative. And General Kaine reminded us of the attack on the three servicemen that were killed in 2024 in Jordan by Iranian backed proxies and you know why we're here on this mission. And he did go into more detail than usual I think General Kaine about what's going on that the 82nd Airborne is coordinating 100 fighters in a synchronized type of ballet for monitoring what's going on from above in the area. And remember our guided missile cruiser destroyers have not owned the Aegis class defense systems but they got this baseline system, I think it's 9.2. There's a 10 that's not in service yet but it's like this incredible tracking system that can track like targets on the ground and in the air and around that keep our fleet and keep our ships safe which is part of the core I think of being able to escort any commercial shipping. Now it's been a quiet day. There aren't any reports of any ships traversing the strait today. Yesterday there were two US flagged vessels that went through here. But we're going to follow this closely. And you know I was, I asked the other question, the first question because you know there was a report in Defense News in February before the conflict started that Iran not only had 1500 fast boats but 250 of them had anti cruise ship missiles. And there has not seemed to have any presence of any of the fast boats in the straits in the Gulf that have either attacked or identified, you know, attacked us or foreign ships. It's all small arms, you know, so that's a positive sign unless they're waiting and you know, lying in wait to use these things. And I was talking earlier on the Gruber show about, you know, this insurance is reinsurance market is 30 times the premium rates right now. So you know, they want to be sure that they can safely traverse these straits. But I have the confidence in the US Military that they can get that done. But I thought it was a very informative briefing from a technical standpoint and we'll see what the next few days bring. Hopefully traffic will resume.
- [42:01]
Dr. Gina
If you know anything. I'll tell you what our chats, as I'm looking through our different chats, I tell you what they are asking. They're asking about these kamikaze dolphins. Can you speak to this David?
- [42:11]
David Zier
General Kaine said he's never heard of it. He did reference Austin Powers though, sharks with laser beams on their heads. And then Secretary Hegseth did say that he can confirm whether or not Iran has them or we have them.
- [42:29]
Dr. Gina
What he said was, sorry not to correct you, but what he said was he can confirm that Iran does not have them, but he will not confirm whether or not we are using them. Which I thought was a very interesting response to that, to that question. David.
- [42:42]
David Zier
Yeah, yeah. I wanted to follow up but you know, you can only ask one or two questions. I just wanted to mention, you know, did China supply any components or any anti cruise ship missiles during the cease fire? Because there are stories out there about that. Hmm.
- [42:58]
Terrence Bates
Well, David, we'll be talking a lot more about this and of course there will likely be more, more Pentagon press briefings to come as this conflict continues to drag out. Hopefully it will end sooner than later. David Zia reporting for us live at the Pentagon following this morning's press briefing. Always good to see you, David.
- [43:14]
Dr. Gina
Thanks.
- [43:16]
David Zier
Thank you so much.
- [43:18]
Terrence Bates
Absolutely. Coming up, Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El said Michigan voters that he is the only one who can abolish ICE as the state's election season heats up. We'll unpack the details next.
- [43:50]
Emily
Welcome back to American Sunrise. Now that we are caffeinated, it's time to stay awake, not woke. And who is woke today? Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Abdul El Said, who is under fire this morning after vowing to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, telling a Detroit audience he is the only one in the race willing to tear down the federal agency that enforces America's immigration laws. Speaking at a Council of Baptist Pastors debate, El Said claimed ICE has nothing to do with the southern border and accused the agency of existing to intimidate Americans from voting, a claim critics are blasting as dangerous and out of touch with reality. El said a former health director under Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer is also pushing socialist style Medicare for all and is already drawing heat for past comments about Vice President Vance's quote, brown children and for campaigning alongside a pro Hamas influencer. Let's bring in Dr. Gina, David and Terrence for discussion. Gina, want to go to you first on this one. So just frustrating. This is my home in Michigan. So frustrating seeing politicians like this, like we said in the script, so out of touch.
- [44:58]
Dr. Gina
Yeah, well, get used to it because I don't think it's getting any better. I think as the political sides, the divisions have become more tribalized on either side. This is something that I warned about in a book I wrote back. Gosh, I don't even want to say how long ago, I'm not even sure. But this tribalization, a lot of this happened as we began to overlook, if you will, illegal immigration. And that has caused both sides really to be very out of touch, not even just Republicans, but especially Democrats, to be very out of touch with the American base. And we're seeing it more and more. I think you hear more and more Democrats and Republicans complaining that these people are just, they're not representing my values. David, go ahead.
- [45:49]
David Brody
Oh, sure. Look, Abdul El Said is leading in the polls, some of them in the Democrat primary. He's behind by a couple of points. And others, the point is he's got a real shot at becoming the Senate nominee for the Democrats. So let's, as they say back in the day, let's not sleep on him, so to speak. A couple things, Michigan, your home state, Emily, becoming a hotbed for anti Israel and anti Semitic behavior. It's not just him. We know about Rashida Tlaib. We know about Dearborn, Michigan. We know about the synagogue attack. We know about the DNC having problems there in Michigan as well at their annual conference just in the last month or so, specifically to Michigan, the local Michigan dnc. So if you put it all together, Michigan is a hotbed for some of this stuff and it's growing by the day, Terrence.
- [46:39]
Terrence Bates
No, absolutely. And one of the things that you can't discount is the growing Islamic population in Michigan. It is huge. It is one of the biggest Islamic populations outside the Middle East. And so that is going to buoy his chances, just the fact that he is a Muslim and there is such a growing Islamic and Muslim population that's not something that can be underestimated. And he is speaking to that population. I mean, anytime you talk about ice, that is a dog whistle for various communities. And he is absolutely aware of that and he is playing on that and playing on voters emotions. So don't discount him.
- [47:14]
Dr. Gina
Emily, I'd love to hear from you though. I haven't been to Michigan since I was campaigning for President Trump there a few years ago. I'm curious when you go home, what changes you see because of the population shift that we're discussing.
- [47:26]
Emily
I am so happy that you asked. And Terrence is totally spot on about this growing population. I've been going home to the Detroit airport airport my entire life. And this is the first time that they have been, you know, I guess catering to this growing population. They have included Arabic at the bottom of all the signs at the airport. The first time that this has ever happened. That's just a fact of the matter here at Michigan. And you know, it's really, really concerning to see people supporting candidates like El Sayed here. It's going to be harmful for Michigan and harmful if these ideas continue to spread to other parts throughout the country as well. So those are the changes that I have seen. Obviously there's been several attacks. There's been controversy taking place in the metro Detroit area. So we're going to, as you said, David, not sleep on this and going to have to keep a close eye on what's happening in Michigan.
- [48:12]
David Brody
And we haven't even talked about the Muslim mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, who is extremely toxic there. And those city council meetings are out of control for sure.
- [48:23]
Dr. Gina
Well said.
- [48:24]
Emily
All right. Coming up, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to the Vatican for a high stakes meeting with Pope Leo. We'll break it down in our moment of faith next.
- [48:38]
Bo Davidson
This Memorial Day weekend, it's more than an event. It's a celebration of the United States of America and the people who love her. Join Real America's voice and Real America's music for Celebrate Freedom, a one of a kind live broadcast, broadcast and concert experience at the iconic Marty B's in Dallas, Texas. From 4 to 9pm Patriots from across the country will come together for an unforgettable night honoring faith, freedom and the spirit that makes this nation strong. The entire event is live, kicking off with a powerful hour of worship followed by a national broadcast hosted by Bo Davidson featuring voices you trust like Ben Berkwa and building into a full concert experience with performances from Wynn Williams and Ram artist Deepak, Natasha Owens, Celeste Kelly, blog and More. This is an American love fest and you are part of the show. Tickets are free, but you must register and they will go fast. Scan the QR code now to lock in your spot before they're gone. Celebrate Freedom presented by Patriot Mobile and Preborn. Let's celebrate America together.
- [49:33]
Terrence Bates
God bless the usa
- [49:38]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
in the beginning,
- [49:39]
Steve Gruber
God created the heaven and the earth.
- [49:45]
Emily
Welcome back to American Sunrise. It is time now for our Moments of Faith brought to us by Lee Greenwood and the God Bless the USA Bible. In focus today. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to the Vatican this week for a high stakes meeting with Pope Leo as the Trump administration works to ease growing tensions with the Holy See. The meeting comes after President Trump publicly clashed with the Pope over the U. S. Israel war in Iran, immigration policy and America's role in global conflicts. The Vatican confirms Rubio will meet with the Pope at the apostolic palace on May 7. Rubio, a Catholic himself, is also expected to hold talks with Vatican Secretary of State and Italian officials as the White House tries to repair strained relations with both Rome and the Vatican. Joining us now to discuss is the president of Catholics for Catholics, John. Yep. And a friend of the show. It's great to see you again, John. So what do you expect to come from this meeting with Rubio?
- [50:39]
John
It's extremely important that they're doing this. It's long overdue. This is really the first time in over a year that we have a senior level, the Trump administration meeting with the Vatican. And, you know, you could say rift or no rift, but the fact of the matter is both sides have been talking to the press and not with each other. Right. So I think it's very important. I think it's crucial that we see it, even as voters in the GOP and the right, if you will, that there's a serious attempt underway to basically rip away Catholic voters from the Republican Party. You had that meeting with David Axelrod with Pope Leo, and I understand Trump's frustration with that. Like Holy Father, why are you doing that? As well as other members here, even in prominent Catholic clergy who are trying to hit the Trump administration. That'll be fair and justified. Right. So I think that this is key. You know, there's a temporary way, like I said, to take away a GOP base from the Catholics. And I think this meeting with Rubio and the Holy Father is extremely important as we head into the midterms.
- [51:37]
Emily
I completely agree. Extremely important. And we have to remember this is the first American Pope as well. So a lot of the things that he is saying really resonates with American Catholics. So, yes, leading into the midterms, this is going to be important. How do you see this playing out with the Catholic vote or the Christian vote overall? Do you think this is going to change anything or do you think that Trump is still going to have the same support that he did before? I mean, this is politics that we're talking about, not religion.
- [52:02]
John
I don't think he should take it for granted. You know, you have this Iran war going on, which is obviously the main top of conversation going into this meeting Today or on May 7 with the Holy Father. And from the Holy Father's perspective, he's seeing a lot of these attacks on Christians in southern Lebanon by the idf. You know, Cardinal Pizza Ball, who was refused entrance into the church, the Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday. Colonel Pizzabala is a close friend of Pope Leo. So these things are on the Holy Father's mind as he speaks out against his Iran war. So the hope is that these two sides can really have this conversation and address what needs to be met and hear each other out. It's extremely important. I'm glad this is happening. It's long overdue.
- [52:38]
Emily
Absolutely. John, thank you so much for being with us this morning. Always appreciate your insight.
- [52:43]
John
Thank you, Emily.
- [52:44]
Emily
We'll be back with the second hour of American Sunrise in just two minutes. Stick around.
- [52:58]
David Brody
Coming up on the second hour of American Sunrise. Iran launched an attack on US Ships in the Strait of Hormuz. So does that mean the ceasefire is off? We are going to find out. And it's a tale of two DNCs as the party expands their list of vulnerable GOP seats to flip in the midterms. The Democrat National Committee falling apart from the the inside. We have all the Dem drama for you just ahead. Plus, Jimmy Kimmel cracked a nasty joke about the death of a conservative le, excuse me, of a conservative legend. Days later, that legend is in the hospital in critical condition. You're not going to believe what he said. All of that more second hour, American Sunrise starting now. Good morning, America.
- [53:46]
Dr. Gina
Welcome to American Sunrise. Whether it's culture, we have breaking news to share with you.
- [53:51]
Terrence Bates
Politics.
- [53:52]
David Brody
President Trump is joining us live now from Florida.
- [53:56]
Terrence Bates
We've got you covered.
- [53:57]
David Brody
This is what it looks like to be a patriot.
- [54:00]
Terrence Bates
We have to protect the American family.
- [54:03]
Dr. Gina
The American dream is still alive.
- [54:06]
David Brody
I'm David Brody.
- [54:07]
Terrence Bates
I'm terrence.
- [54:08]
Dr. Gina
And I'm Dr. Tina.
- [54:15]
David Brody
Welcome back, Everybody, to the second hour of American Sunrise. I'm David Brody. I'm in D.C. let's bring in Dr. G. She's in West Palm T. Bates in Denver. Good morning to all of you. Hope you're having a great Tuesday. It is Tuesday, right? Cinco de Mayo. What day is it? I don't know.
- [54:29]
Dr. Gina
Taco Tuesday.
- [54:30]
Terrence Bates
Cinco de Mayo.
- [54:30]
Dr. Gina
That don't get my attention. Sorry. Margarita Monday, Taco Tuesday.
- [54:35]
David Brody
Sure.
- [54:36]
Terrence Bates
Just another Tuesday to me. In fact, you know what? I'm going to take this opportunity, pray for the Bates family. My oldest daughter is taking an AP exam today. She's nervous as all get out. Tamara and I were talking this morning as I was getting ready. She was like, well, at least she has an appreciation for money. She said, mommy, I've got to do well, you guys paid for this. And in my heart I was like, yep, absolutely. And then the other part of me was like, just do your best, do your best. Give it your all, focus. But the other part of me was like, yeah, we paid for this. So I'm expect a five. But that's a whole nother thing. So please, just wait till it's weddings, family.
- [55:13]
Dr. Gina
Just wait till it's weddings.
- [55:15]
Terrence Bates
Yeah, you know what? I'll deal with AP exams all day over the weddings. Yeah. Bless anybody that's got a daughter and has to pay for a wedding with that. Let me get to the headlines real quick because I don't even want to have to think of how much I'm going to have to spend for a wedding because she's a princess anyway. All right, so let's get to it. It is election Day in Indiana, Ohio. In Michigan, President Trump looking to unseat seven Republican state senators in the Hoosier state who voted against redrawing the state's congressional districts. He's backing their primary opponents. Ohio voters are going to fill the remaining two years of Vice President J.D. vance's old Senate seat. They'll also decide if Vivek Ramaswamy heads to the general election to be governor. And in Michigan, the balance of power in the state sensitive Senate is up for grabs today. Alabama and Tennessee are the latest states to consider redrawing congressional districts in advance of the upcoming midterm elections. The Republican governors of both states have called lawmakers into special sessions this week in order to draw new congressional districts. The move comes on the heels of the Supreme Court blocking one of Louisiana's congressional districts, saying that it's unconstitutional because it was drawn too heavily based on race. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is hoping to break up the state's one Democratic held House district, which is centered around the city of Memphis and Lawmakers in Alabama are hoping to unseat the two Democrats on the seven member congressional delegation there. That's a quick check of your headlines. We'll, of course, have more headlines coming your way shortly. But now let's get a quick check of your forecast. Weather Nation meteorologist Tracy Anthony standing by with more on what you can expect. So the good news, Tracy, it's raining here in the Denver area this morning. We, like many other states dealing with drought. So it is much needed rain.
- [57:01]
Tracy Anthony
Yeah, much needed rain. And that's going to transition into snow. I know, Terrence, he said you never want to make it always about you. But Denver's the big story really across the country. So we're going to be talking about a significant May snowfall. Got to get your shovel out.
- [57:16]
Terrence Bates
Or not. Or not.
- [57:21]
Tracy Anthony
It should melt pretty quickly. You guys are going to be back in the 70s by the end of the week. But the Northeast still experiencing some fire danger. So we do have some red flag warnings and fire weather watches that are in place out west. The big story is going to be that moisture and yes, the snow, the much needed snow for the Colorado Rockies. But we still have three days of severe weather. So four for today. It stretches all the way up to the Northeast in New England. But then we're going to watch a cold front as it gets closer and closer to the Gulf and the east coast over the next three days. So tornadoes, wind and hail all going to be a threat with the severe. But look at this. Denver under winter storm warning. So it's not abnormal to have snow in May, but it is coming in a little bit later than normal. And Terrence, you're expecting about 2 to 6 inches in the Denver metro area. But if you get out into the higher elevations, they are bracing for two feet of snow. So it is going to be a little sloppy tomorrow. But after that, 70s by the end of the week.
- [58:27]
Terrence Bates
Okay. At least we've got 70s by the end of the week. So the light is at the end of the tunnel. Always good to see you, Tracy. Appreciate it.
- [58:34]
Tracy Anthony
Thanks. You too. And yeah, don't forget to download the Weather Nation app. It will have all your details.
- [58:40]
Terrence Bates
All right. Thank you so much. Let's get you over to David now. David, good morning.
- [58:44]
David Brody
Good morning, Terrence. To the latest now in the Middle east overnight, Iran and the US Traded fire in the Strait of Hormuz despite a ceasefire. Still on paper, Tehran launched cruise missiles, drones and small boats in American Navy ships and commercial vessels. So what was the result? Seven Iranian gunboats sunk by U.S. apache and Seahawk helicopters. Not a single U.S. navy ship hit, by the way. This is part of President Trump's new Project Freedom, an operation to escort 87 countries worth of commercial ships out of the Strait. The US Naval blockade of Iran is still in place. No commerce going in or out. War Secretary Pete Hegsett said just moments ago at the Pentagon press conference that the ceasefire is still in place. And according to sources who spoke to Just the News, Iran has days, not weeks, left. Joining us now to break all this down is the editor in chief of Just the News. That'd be John Solomon. John, great to have you back. So you and your crew, Good morning at Just the News, have been on top of this really all night. Is this the beginning of the end for the Iranian regime or is Tehran about to do something desperate here? What's your sense of to me?
- [59:56]
John Solomon
Well, they're going to, they're going to keep trying to stretch this out as long as they can, but the truth of the matter is those oil wells are at full capacity now. There's nowhere for the oil to go. They either are going to explode in burst or they're going to have to be capped. If they're capped, it's tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars of losses in a company in the country whose currency is worthless is that it's lost 98% of its value during this conflict. So they have an existential choice. If they just want to go out in a blaze of glory, they will ruin their economy. Economy. They have no defenses. I mean, one of the things that's important about yesterday, yesterday's attack on the Navy ships and on the Korean frigate and on the UAE showed something really significant. The second Iran brings its gunboats out, we obliterate them. They come out, there's like a suicide mission. They're gone. They have no military defenses, so anything they do is just designed to be a menace. But it doesn't have any significant offensive or defensive capabilities. That, plus the fact that the keystone of their economy is about to implode, I think probably suggests that they're in the final days of their lashing out before they have to make a deal to survive. If not, I think Trump comes in and will literally obliterate the oil industry and put Iran back a decade or two decades the way they're going.
- [61:15]
Dr. Gina
John, I have to ask you about the Hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship docked now in South Africa. Three dead. I believe there are, are four or five more sickened, as I last checked, dead Bodies still aboard the ship. This is concerning because the World Health Organization boarded this ship and said they didn't find any rats. You know, we traditionally thought this was a rat borne disease coming from the dust of rats or rat excrement. None of that was found aboard this ship when it was inspected after these people started falling ill. So, John, now there's speculation, we're a little PTSD after Covid. There's speculation that this could be the one hint of virus that is person to person communicated, that this could be some sort of bioweapon, that gain of function may have been used again against us. John, what are you hearing on this?
- [62:12]
John Solomon
Nobody I've talked to inside the government yet believes that this is a bioweapon. Yet now we're early in the phase there is human to human transmission, according to my sources in the CDC and the World Health Organization has suggested that they're going back to patient one to see if that patient, whose sickness I think broke out around April 10th or 12th at the very beginning of the cruise. Where do they fly from? Who were they in contact on the plane? Did they have rats in their facility where they worked or in their home? Kind of like what we saw with Gene Hackman a couple of years ago when he and his wife died of the hantavirus. So they're going back to ground zero. I think there's still a level of confidence that someone came in contact with mouse or rat excrement or urine, brought that onto the ship and then it spread. The hint of virus does spread when you're in close quarters. If you're in a large public area, it's not a highly transmittable disease. But when you're in a close quarters like a cruise ship where everybody is in contact with each other, frequently it does go person to person. I think that's the current theory. That said, we're always looking for the next pandemic. You have to be ready for it in a world that has so much world travel, it has so many bioweapon labs that are being operated right underneath our noses. But everybody I've talked to this morning still thinks that this is a more traditional hantavirus outbreak that just happened to get on a cruise ship where the human, human contact becomes much more susceptible to transmission.
- [63:46]
Terrence Bates
Note to self, don't take any cruises anytime soon. Anyway, John, want to shift gears a little bit to a story that you and your team over? Just the news broke over the weekend. The Supreme Court ruled 9 to 0 that New Jersey cannot force pro life pregnancy Centers to hand over their donor list. Your reporting says that this could actually blow up the FEC rules that force Win Red and ActBlue to publish every donor's name, address and important employer. Even if you gave five bucks, for instance, you would still have to or you would still be susceptible to having your name outed. John, big picture here. This seems like such a big deal, particularly for everyday Americans who just want to support a conservative candidate, for instance, without getting doxed. Does this make them more susceptible to that?
- [64:33]
John Solomon
Well, if you're going to give to a candidate or a political party or political action committee, you will always be required to to disclose your name because that's what the law was designed to do. When you get into these nonprofit groups that are doing political advocacy and political education, the laws on disclosure are a little bit different. And so in this case, a state's interest in forcing the donors out purely to shame them was considered by the Supreme Court not to be a public benefit, meaning there was no public benefit to it. It was just designed to dox it. In that scenario, they agreed that the law does not require the group to do so at the state level. Now, if a pro life group were to give donations to a candidate, that would have to be disclosed. If the pro life group was acting as a political action committee, they would have to disclose their donors. Certainly at the federal level. Every state has different requirements for disclosure, but this is about public education work, advocacy work, and the rules are a little bit different. And the Supreme Court was pretty unanimous in how they went about dealing with something. That's an interesting signal that it is sent to states, which is don't use donor disclosure as a way to harm your political enemies. I think that was a message the court sent.
- [65:45]
David Brody
Hey, John, we've got less than a minute to go. You've been reporting on this bombshell ruling from the Supreme Court last week. Of course, they're striking down Louisiana's congressional map. They gutted, obviously, a key piece of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Now, red state governors moving fast. You got Alabama, Florida. Well, actually, Florida already passed a new map in three days. Yeah. And now you got Alabama and Tennessee. That's right. And now you got Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana, all Mississippi Also calling special session or looking to call special sessions. So what do you think in terms of the net here for the House as it relates to the Republicans and can they keep control of the House based on some of these potential changes? What's your sense on that?
- [66:28]
John Solomon
Well, right now, the current trend lines would suggest that Republicans, when everything is said and done, if the Democrats succeed at their redistricting, will be plus seven for Republicans. Sevens, Republicans will pick up seven seats. There are scenarios where that goes to 10 or 14, particularly if the California Prop 50 in the Virginia recent ballot initiative are struck down because they use race. Remember, the court ruled no race in gerrymandering. So both of those had racial elements in their election guide. So it'll be interesting to see how the supreme court rules. So plus seven is the current thinking. It could go to plus 14 or plus 15 if. Now, just because you gain a whole bunch of seats doesn't mean you've got a winning message. To win the election, Republicans have to get back to affordability in the summer and fall, rely on the things that they've done that make America better and remind people right now the war has been the end. Gas prices the only two thing on the public consciousness. If those are still around in September, it won't matter if Republicans picked up 25 seats. They're going to have a higher slog. Now if the war is over, gas prices drop, the president can go back to the policies that were very popular in his first year. These seats will make a big difference in making Republicans more competitive in the fall election.
- [67:39]
David Brody
No doubt about it. John Solomon, great to have you as always. Thank you, sir.
- [67:43]
John Solomon
Guys, appreciate you guys. Take care.
- [67:45]
Dr. Gina
Thanks.
- [67:47]
David Brody
All right. Coming up, will AI control future elections? That scary story ahead. Plus, Jimmy Kimmel, speaking of scary, is at it again. He joked about an America first hero who was in critical condition in the hospital. Details when we come back.
- [68:26]
Emily
Welcome back to American Sunrise. I'm American Sunrise contributor Emily Finn. It's great to have you with us this morning. Time now to drain the swamp. And this morning we are flushing out late night host Jimmy Kimmel who is under fire after joking that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani had, quote, rose from the grave just five days before the 81 year old was hospitalized in critical condition. Kimmel made the comment on his April 28 show after Giuliani called him one of the most distasteful human beings in this country. It's not the first time. Kimmel also mocked Melania Trump as an expectant widow just days before the attempted assassination on President Trump. With outrage growing across social media, Kimmel's dark pattern is reigniting the debate over the limits of late night comedy in America. Let's bring in Dr. Gina, David and Terence for discussion. Terrence, I know we were talking about this a little bit last week. I mean, Definitely distasteful, for sure. But at the end of the day, it is still comedy. And it's kind of his ABC's decision if they want to, you know, get rid of his show or not.
- [69:26]
Terrence Bates
Yeah, and I haven't really changed my mind on this. It's distasteful. I don't necessarily like the joke, but it is freedom of speech and it is comedy. Or at least an attempt there at whether I appreciate it or not. And he has the right to say it. And again, people have the right to push back. People have the right to criticize him for it. People have the right to call him to the carpet and call him out about it. David.
- [69:48]
David Brody
Yeah, I just wish that we could just go back to yesteryear, you know, the Johnny Carsons and just that type of stuff, because they did political jokes, but they didn't make them like this, you know, it was just different. And to me, that is much more intellectual, far more intellectual and smart comedy writing when you can do that and not just take jabs at people specifically like that, like in a way that's just disgusting. You guys want to take a guess? I looked it up because I believe everything on the Internet, obviously. Do you want to take a guess as to how much Jimmy Kimmel makes per year? You want to just take a wild guess? I have the answer. You want to take a guess?
- [70:27]
Dr. Gina
Go, David.
- [70:29]
David Brody
$15 million.
- [70:30]
Dr. Gina
Holy Moses.
- [70:32]
David Brody
15,088,000 per episode. He works part time. Of course, he does 140 episodes a year. So yeah, it's not even like he works 365 days a year with two weeks vacation like most folks. Yeah, there you go. $15 million a year for this crap.
- [70:47]
Dr. Gina
But. But I would still defend his right to free speech. I think it's disgusting. What. Socialist trap of condoning censorship? Not ever. I think it's awful. I think. I wish Jimmy Kimmel would just fade into the background. I can't stand him. If I see him, he will get a piece of me. But. But that's my free speech and that's his free speech. And I just, I. Yeah, I just think we have to be very careful because I'm hearing a lot of conservatives falling into the trap of condoning censorship. And I just think we have got to keep things in the arena, right? And I think civil discourse is so important, Emily. And even when it's in comedy. But I agree with you. For those of us in conservative politics, David Brody, we have to create that replacement, not even parallel economy, but replacement economy where we just Replace them with something better. And honestly, Rav is doing that every day in our music and in our late night, in every way.
- [71:55]
Emily
Amen to that, Gina. Yeah. $15 million for this guy and he's not even funny. That's just a waste of money from abc. Terrence, you would be way funnier than Jimmy Kimmel.
- [72:04]
Terrence Bates
Oh, I got all kinds of jokes ready to go.
- [72:08]
Emily
Hilarious.
- [72:09]
Dr. Gina
And you'll do it for half of $15 million, right?
- [72:12]
Terrence Bates
Absolutely.
- [72:13]
Emily
All right, coming up, we're headed down to Wall street for the opening bell and insight into how to hold on to your hard earned dollars with some common sense. We'll be back with more American Sunrise in just two minutes. Stick around.
- [72:37]
Bo Davidson
At Real America's Voice. We know that you want to be a part of something bigger. That's why we've teamed up with amax, the association of Mature American Citizens to build a real community of folks who care about fate and our country's future.
- [72:52]
Dr. Gina
There is no force on earth that can stop us from saving our country.
- [72:57]
Bo Davidson
Want to be a part of this movement? It's easy. Just scan the QR code on your screen right now. That's right. Grab your phone and scan the QR code to join the AMAC and Real America's Voice family today. By scanning the QR Code, you'll unlock exclusive content, connect with like minded Americans and be first in line for events that celebrate our shared values. So don't wait. Scan the QR Code, join us today and become part of a community that stands for faith, family and freedom.
- [73:27]
Dr. Gina
Real rights.
- [73:28]
Bo Davidson
They come from God with AMAC and Real America's Voice. Go ahead, scan the QR code now.
- [73:35]
John Solomon
Foreign
- [73:38]
Terrence Bates
welcome back everyone. Getting ready for the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. It's set to ring here in about six minutes from now. Here's a quick check of the futures markets. As you can see, looking pretty good. Generally top to bottom, the Dow S P500 and the NASDAQ trading well pre market only really one blemish that's at the bottom. Crude oil is down, which is actually typically a good sign sign for those of you who are driving in just regular everyday life. We'll continue to monitor all of this though for you throughout the day and we'll take you to New York and the opening bell at the stock exchange here in just a few. First though, let's get you over to my good friend David. David, good morning.
- [74:15]
David Brody
Hey, good morning. T. Bates. Okay.
- [74:16]
Terrence Bates
You know, last week I covered that like we weren't good friends.
- [74:21]
David Brody
I believe you.
- [74:21]
Terrence Bates
Good Morning.
- [74:23]
David Brody
I believe you for sure. Last week we covered the news about King Charles and his visit to the United States and it was all lovey dovey, except for the little lecture, of course, we received about climate change. And here goes the king.
- [74:37]
Steve Gruber
Our generation must decide how to address the collapse of critical natural systems, which threatens far more than the harmony and essential diversity of nature. We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems, in other words,
- [74:56]
James
nature's own economy, provide the foundation for
- [75:00]
Steve Gruber
our prosperity and our national security.
- [75:09]
David Brody
Our next guest says King Charles has a long history of being clueless on climate change. Mark Morano from ClimateDepot.com joins us now. Mark, look, you do a great job over at your website reminding readers how wrong King Charles has been in the past. So remind us here again this morning. Good morning. Thank you.
- [75:29]
Mark Morano
Actually also talked about the disastrously melting Arctic ice caps. So he was lecturing President Trump. Now, King Charles has a huge long history of this. First of all, he was very subdued considering his past. In the past, King Charles has warned of a hundred month climate tipping point. And this was back in 2007. And he actually counted down, you know, we have 89 months, we have 71 months, we have 62 months. He got down to zero. And then when the catastrophe of climate didn't happen, he added 47 years to that date and is now coming up with a year, or maybe it's 37. Like 2047 is his new climate deadline. And this is a man and according to all reports from the royal family, has servants, iron his shoelaces. He travels with a portable royal toilet so he can have his own personal toilet. And he's telling us that we have a climate catastrophe and have to rein in all of our excess consumption. And so he is, as king, he is now taken up this issue of climate change. This is his sort of pet cause. He's also invested in face masks for cows and the other end to prevent methane emissions. And this is just some of the wackiness that is King Charles. And it's just the royal family, of course, out of touch with science and out of touch with culture and completely clueless about hypocrisy. But overall, he kept it respectful. He didn't personally insult President Trump.
- [77:00]
David Brody
I guess all I know right now is after the show, I'm ordering a portable toilet on Amazon. That's all I know for sure. At my age, I may need it. Hey, Mark, let's talk about King Charles. Thelma and Louise partner, which would be Al Gore. He's been Talking about global warming for a long time. Time had been wrong every single step of the way. He claims we're on the precipice. Then he starts using the term climate change. Now he appears to be warning us of, wait for it, global cooling. Here is what he said last week.
- [77:32]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
The Gulf Stream ceases to exist as we know it.
- [77:36]
David Brody
We're in an ice age in like 10 years.
- [77:38]
Steve Gruber
No, no, no. It would take long. I mean I'm not.
- [77:42]
Bo Davidson
Just go with me.
- [77:43]
Secretary Pete Hegseth
I wear makeup, Al.
- [77:45]
Steve Gruber
But I, I've spent a lot of time with. But it would be bad. It would be very bad and would be bad on a scale that is beyond our anything we can compare it to.
- [77:57]
David Brody
Mark, the bad news is I only have 30 seconds for you to answer. The good news is I only have 30 seconds for you to answer.
- [78:08]
Mark Morano
Well, it's promoting this. I'm pretty sure if you go back. He never warned of global cooling or an ice age in his film and he's out there now saying it's going to be a disaster. So he's always called for more taxes and regulation and we can control bad weather, we can control warming, we can control an ice age. Al Gore is a charlatan on this. He's the only one really sticking to it. Bill Gates has walked away. Jeff Bezos, Google, Sergey Brin of Google, Larry Fink of blackrock. They're walking away from the whole climate green energy because of AI data centers. Al Gore is remaining true to the cause and and his film does not hold up. Polar bears are disappearing, but only from Al Gore's books and movies. We've had more.
- [78:51]
David Brody
Yeah, Mark, I gotta run. Appreciate it.
- [78:58]
Mark Morano
So Al Gore no longer appreciate it.
- [79:00]
David Brody
Yeah. I really appreciate your time. Great stuff. On his tombstone it'll say he's cold now. Thank you, sir. All right, time to head back to T. Bates in Denver for the opening bell.
- [79:10]
Steve Gruber
Sponsored by the association of Mature American
- [79:13]
General Dan Kaine
Citizens is the conservative voice for Americans 50 and older.
- [79:18]
Steve Gruber
AMAC is fighting for the values that you hold dear.
- [79:22]
Bo Davidson
Join today together we can right the course of America.
- [79:27]
Terrence Bates
Following that segment, I think the price of the days is going to spike. This morning. The opening bell ringing there at the New York Stock Exchange. The markets are now officially open. And now let's get a quick look at how the markets are looking right now. The dow S&P 500 and the NASDAQ as you can see here, all up right now, starting on a positive note in the green, just a couple of blemishes on our screen but other than that Everything looking good, particularly the trading market. So if you're going to be investing today, hopefully it stays that way for you. And whatever you're investing in, you're able to buy low and sell high. Alright folks. Well, a lot of people are worried about what's in their water. Well, you should be. In fact, you know, nationwide testing proves that without a doubt high levels of harmful contaminants such as chlorine and other dangerous chemicals are in our drinking water in every state from coast to coast. And what you can do about it, that's the big question, right? Installing a whole house water filtration system system is a great way to protect your family from these harmful and even cancer causing chemicals. Freedom Whole House Water Systems made right here in America is the world's best whole house water filtration system on the market. In fact, the best part of all of this is that there's no salt to add, no filters to change, no main, no maintenance. Excuse me. With these filters. No worries. Just clean, fresh alkaline water from from every faucet in your home. Their Memorial Day special sale makes now the perfect time to get one. Freedom is offering these great systems at savings up to $2,000 off regular prices. So you may want to act now. Span the barcode that's right there at the bottom of your screen or go to their website freedomwatersystems.com and put in the promo code Sunrise250 to get get $2,000 off of your Freedom Whole Water Water Whole House Water Filtration system Today again, the QR code is right there at the bottom of your screen. Go ahead and scan that right now and you can get the hookup $2,000 off of your system. Coming up. Is AI going to influence or even control future elections? We'll ask the question and get some an.
- [81:47]
Bo Davidson
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- [82:52]
David Brody
All right.
- [82:52]
Dr. Gina
Welcome back to American sunrise. I am Dr. G. We are so happy you joined us this morning. We invite you to hop on in our conversation on YouTube. Getter and Rumble. It is time now to take the political pulse of America beat. Today, there's a new swamp in Washington. I guarantee you've never heard of the people who are building it. Two super PACs, one from the AI industry, one from the crypto industry. Together they've already raised over $100 million to influence your 2026 midterms. The AI group is called Leading the Future. The crypto group is called Fair Shake. No one has heard of either of those groups. At least I hadn't. A brand new political poll shows that 44% of Americans say AI is moving too fast. 43% say the risks outweigh the benefits. Nearly half think AI is going to wipe out more jobs than it creates. And when it comes to crypto, Trump voters trust a regular bank over crypto platform by more than 2 to 1. Silicon Valley billionaires writing nine figure checks to buy the midterms. Let's bring in the host of the Steve Gruber show. You guessed it, Steve Gruber himself is here. Steve, AI tech is powerful, but AI cash even more powerful in some ways, at least at the moment as the midterms approach. Coming on like a freight train. Steve V. What are we going to do about all this?
- [84:17]
Steve Gruber
Are you telling me that elections are for sale in America to the highest bidder? I for one am shocked. Yeah, I'm shocked to hear that. All that money flowing in from who knows where. Look, the big conversation for the last few days on the early program and in the afternoon has been on these AI controlling you, turning your car off if it doesn't think that you're prepared to drive the car because you're agitated or you're sleepy or whatever it might be. I just saw a story today and if it's coming to me, it's coming to you. The Coast Guard is going to put on the Great Lakes this year for the first time, AI autonomous boats to cruise around with cameras and AI intelligence to monitor people on the lakes. They're going to monitor you and your car. They're going to monitor you. If you're out on your boat, they're going to monitor you. If you're walking on the street, I mean, if you walk down the street of a major city, how many cameras are you on at any given moment? Think about that. How many cameras are looking at you with facial recognition, biometrics, all those sorts of things? Look, AI is moving too fast. But here, here's the, here's the news flash. It's so far ahead of where we even think it is now. We haven't even shown what's coming yet. At some point here, I'm going to be holographic on your desk, G, telling you the news. I'm going to be right there in front of you, just like Star wars, right? I'm going to be like, you know, Princess Leia right there on your desk telling you what the news is. And I mean, this stuff's coming, Terence, you can laugh, buddy. I got room for you on the desk here. You're coming, bud. I'm telling you, all this stuff's happening.
- [85:40]
Terrence Bates
If I'm going to look like Princess Leia, at least I want the headbutts. You know those two little buns she had up here? That's. That's how I want to be.
- [85:47]
Steve Gruber
You'll have hair.
- [85:50]
Terrence Bates
There you go.
- [85:53]
John Solomon
Yeah.
- [85:54]
Steve Gruber
Isn't it frightening though, honestly, monitoring your home? Because, look, the Samsung TVs, I think, were the first ones to have cameras. This device we carry around, the supercomputer in our hand listens to us.
- [86:05]
Dr. Gina
Oh, does it?
- [86:05]
Steve Gruber
Monitors us? The car is going to monitor you now. You got boats running around in the Great Lakes, and if they're coming to the Great Lakes, they're coming to you in Florida and elsewhere as well. They're going to put. Just monitor us all the time. Look, I'm not that interesting. I don't need to be spied on 24 hours a day. I am not that interesting, I can assure you. And finally, I find it possibly a violation of the fourth Amendment, United States Constitution. Do we not have protection against unreasonable search and seizure? If you're looking at everything I do, are you not searching me constantly? Is this not a constitutional violation? I just put it to the people to, to ask Steve, what do you think?
- [86:40]
Dr. Gina
I'm sorry, I'm jumping in here, David. Just on this topic, though, as a follow up about Trump deciding to expand fica,
- [86:51]
Steve Gruber
I don't know what that is. I'm just gonna tell you right now.
- [86:54]
David Brody
Fisa.
- [86:55]
Dr. Gina
Fisa, sorry, yeah, sorry. I'm looking at the DCC up here and Said fisa?
- [87:00]
Steve Gruber
Yes, sorry, but fisa. Look, I don't. I don't think it's appropriate for us to be under surveillance 24 hours a day. And I don't care who's behind it. Look, it's the relentless pursuit of truth here. And I don't believe that we need to have people under surveillance, under the watchful eye of big Brother. Because here's the thing. Who's watching you? Some pimple nosed kid in South Dakota who's 19 years old, drinking his Big Gulp? Who's actually watching you? I don't know. Or is it an AI algorithm saying, well, Gruber did this and this. By the way, here's another thing that I just saw in the last 24 hours. AI license plates are coming. AI license plates. They'll know where your car is all the time. It means they'll know where your car is parked, where you're driving, where you're going. So let's say it's a Sunday afternoon and I go to three different restaurants that also serve alcohol. Oh, is Gruber bar hopping today? What's going on? Should we monitor that car? I mean, honestly. Oh, he's consuming too many calories. You know, the state of Massachusetts has just put out a piece of legislation for consideration that would limit how much gasoline you can use. So the AI license plate says, well, you went to the store three times this week. Why need to go to the store? You've already been three times. Car won't start. You don't need to go to the store. Car won't start because it's been disabled. I mean, this sounds like wild stuff, but it's about control.
- [88:16]
Dr. Gina
Until you think about a Democrat election, a Democrat winning an election, and then you realize quickly. Yeah, David, sorry, yeah.
- [88:23]
David Brody
No, so you're obviously, it sounds to me you're against AI in terms of what it's doing, in terms of the risks. What about ChatGPT and Claude and some of the stuff that you can use in like a news environment, you know, to accumulate information and some of the tools. Incredibly helpful about that.
- [88:40]
Steve Gruber
Yeah, it's incredibly helpful. And look, in the medical field, AI can diagnose people faster than a, than a doctor, oftentimes because it'll evaluate the symptoms and it can help save lives. I get there's good and bad, David, there's no question about this. But I do know this. Since the wide implementation of devices, screens in the classroom in 2010 and since then, our performance in the classroom of our students has. Is plummeted, they can't read, they can't write, they can't do math. Look, my mother was a fifth grade school teacher for more than 30 years. She told me way back when that I wanted a calculator. Back then, Texas Instruments was the big thing. You guys probably remember that TI Calculator did this and that was the greatest thing ever. She said, you can't have one. I said, well, why not? You have to learn to do math before you can have a calculator. Then you can have a calculator after you've already learned how to do math. But the problem with CHAT GPT or some of these other things, kids don't learn to read. They just go and they punch it up and boom, there it is. They don't do research anymore. I, I use CHAT GBT every day to do research, to fact check things, to find out different things that are going on. Is this true? You know, I'll go to Grok all the time. I'll see something on X. I just go to Grok. Is this true? Nine times out of ten, by the way, it's not. You know, people post things that are just garbage and flat out false. I use it as a tool to make sure our audience is informed properly and we're not giving disinformation.
- [89:54]
Mark Morano
Right.
- [89:54]
Steve Gruber
I want to make sure that we're accurate in what we do here. But it's also a crutch for kids. And so they don't learn to do math, they don't learn to read and write and do the basic things that they need to do before they have those tools. I think that these screens should come out of the classroom. You know, my kid goes to school here, he's got a Chromebook. They carry it everywhere they go. I don't think they should do something crazy. Let's teach them how to read, write, and do arithmetic from books. How about that for an idea? Let's go back to what did work and not continue to go down the road of what is failing us clearly as a country. Look, our educational process is failing. I mean, you see kids that are coming to college and they have to sit there and listen to the professor read them a book because they can't read properly. I mean, that might be a red flag, folks. That might be a problem.
- [90:39]
Dr. Gina
And they can't read cursive, so. And neither can AI. Very interesting that they've taken that out of the education system when you consider that AI cannot apparently read cursive because it's too interpretive.
- [90:50]
Steve Gruber
Yeah, I can assure you you can't read my cursive either. My mother was always tough on penmanship. Mine was not great. I admit it. Here in front of everybody.
- [91:01]
Terrence Bates
I admit it, Steve. And that's why we get along so well, Steve, because we have so much in common. I can't write save my life either. There's chicken scratch and then there's what I do, and it's even worse than chicken scratch. But the reality is AI is here to stay. AI is the future, and we have to learn how to live with it. Is it something that you think needs to be legislated more. More strictly, is it something that needs to be legislated and reined in?
- [91:26]
Steve Gruber
Well, yeah, I don't want to. I don't want my. My social credit score to dictate how I can operate in the world, whether it's going to the store with my car or driving my boat on the lake. I don't think my social credit score should have anything to do with that. Look back to the license plates. Here's something else it'll be used for. Gina, just so you know. Oh, the car was going 45 and a 35. You know who's going to get that information? Your insurance company. It's going to be just like the monitoring in your motor vehicle. Oh, they were sleepy. Oh, they drove too fast. Oh, they were not really driving very well. That's going to go to your insurance company and you're going to get a notice in your email that your insurance rates have gone up. Not for getting a ticket. Just because your car didn't like the way you operated it.
- [92:08]
John Solomon
And when.
- [92:09]
Steve Gruber
Rise of the machines. Look, there's. There is a lot of tremendous good coming out of A.I. like I say, in the medical field, in research, it's all very helpful. But I think there's a very dark side to all of this. And yeah, there should be legislation. Will it come? Probably not, because again, you mentioned this new pact that's being funded to the tune of $100 million. That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tech billionaires. They've got a lot more money than all of us combined multiplied a few times. Right. And so they can dump money in and what happens? They buy politicians. The lobbyists in the halls of Congress buy politicians. Hey, hey, support this. We'll support you with this much money to your campaign. That's the way the world works. I don't like it. It's the way the world works. Why Big Pharma has so much control? Because they have more lobbyists and more money currently than anybody else. But I think AI and the big tech companies could soon surpass big pharma when it comes to spending money in Washington. And it's dangerous. I go back to the Fourth Amendment. I don't want to be surveilled all the time. I don't think any of us do. Again, I'm not that interesting. And why do you want to surveil me all the time? What's the point of that unless it's control? It's not to better my life. It's not to better your life. It's to put them in a position where they got something that they can hold over your head, whether it's insurance rates or medical rates. Oh, you know, he ate all this candy today because we have his refrigerators being monitored now or whatever it is. This, this whole smart meters monitoring how much air conditioning I use or how much heat I use. There's a lot of good, I believe, but I think there's a really dark downside, and we need to be aware of it. And, and maybe legislation is the answer. Some, some, some guardrails, if you will.
- [93:49]
Terrence Bates
I feel like I just went through a TED Talk on AI there with you, Steve. Thank you.
- [93:54]
Steve Gruber
I appreciate that.
- [93:56]
Dr. Gina
It is fascinating, Steve, because they're going to keep pushing it forward by saying we need to keep up with our foreign adversaries who have all this AI technology. So that's how they're going to keep Americans at bay from really doing anything substantial about it while they're buying off the politicians with these massive funds. It's a terrifying conundrum as we look ahead. But, you know, God is still on his throne. God is still on his throne.
- [94:20]
Steve Gruber
They sell it with fear, G. They sell it with fear. Oh, we're going to make things better. And here's the problem. If we don't do it this way and they instill fear and people, okay, let's just go along with it. And the sheep just move.
- [94:31]
Dr. Gina
Yeah, it's what happens. Steve Gruber, we're glad you were here with us today. Scaring us to death. The stuff nightmares are made of. Thanks, Steve Gruber.
- [94:39]
Terrence Bates
Thanks, Steve.
- [94:40]
Dr. Gina
All right, everybody. Coming up, drama inside the DNC is the midterms approach. They may be ready to clean house. That story is coming up next. We're back with you in just a moment.
- [95:07]
Bo Davidson
Let's spill some tea.
- [95:12]
Emily
All right, let's Spill Some Tea is sponsored by Artillery Tea Company. Right now. They've put together a special Patriot starter kit just for RAV listeners only $29.95 with free shipping. You'll get five premium sample packs of their top five flavors, Morning Moab, their number one bestseller, Gadsden Green Gunpowder, Green Howitzer Heavy, and Rack out remedy. That's over 30 servings so you can try some of their best teas and find your new favorites. Every kit helps support veterans and first responders. It's completely risk free so if you don't love at least three of the flavors, you get a full refund and get to keep the samples. To grab yours, head to artilleryteeco.com patriot the special offer is limited, so don't wait. It is time now to spill some tea and in the cup today. Trouble inside the DNC A new bulwark report says party insiders are privately pushing to oust Trump Chairman Ken Martin over mounting dysfunction and fundraising woes. Sources say Martin backed off his promised 2024 After Action Report and is under fire for a DNC that's spending more than it's raising. Meanwhile, Republicans hold a roughly 7 to 1 money advantage and Martin had to take out a $15 million loan last fall just to compete in Virginia and New Jersey. The effort to replace Martin has stalled. Democrats reportedly can't find anyone willing to take the job, leaving the party in limbo heading into a critical election year. Let's bring in Dr. Gina, David and Terence for discussion. David, want to get your thoughts on this? Is this trouble at the DMC leading into the midterms?
- [96:45]
David Brody
There is trouble at the dnc, but Ken Martin is not going to go anywhere. I don't see it happening. Now, having said that, you mentioned this report. Basically what the what the Democrats did with the DNC did after Kamala lost in 2024 is they ordered a full review as to what in the heck just happened. And it came back, the DNC came back with a 300 page report on the autopsy of how they lost to Trump in 2024. Well, I've got my own personal autopsy, but they have a 300 page autopsy and Ken Martin would not release the entire 300 pages. He released snippets of it. And so a lot of Democrats are upset saying, hey, release the whole thing. And Ken Martin's like, no, you know what, that's navel gazing. There's no reason to look back. We're going to look forward. And that's kind of what has gotten a lot of the Democrats upset at Mt. Bates.
- [97:37]
Terrence Bates
Yeah, and understandably so if you're going to commission a report, particularly if you want to win which Democrats aren't going to. And I think the infighting is a great example of why not, because they can't even agree on things within their own party. All of that aside, though, if you're going to release a report, then release the whole thing so that your constituents have full perspective. Having said that, also, what we're seeing here, and you just mentioned it, Emily, is fiscal irresponsibility. If they can't even really fund themselves, if they're spending more than they're making, than they're bringing in, that's just not a good sign, particularly to anyone that cares about the money that they're spending and how their tax money is going. Why would I vote for a Democrat candidate if the party itself is can't even keep its fiscal house in order? It would give me pause, I think, as any reasonable voter. Dr. Gina?
- [98:27]
Dr. Gina
Well, I think we're out of time to discuss this, but I had a lot of thoughts on this, so maybe we can talk about this later.
- [98:32]
Terrence Bates
I'm sorry if I took up your time, worked out.
- [98:35]
Dr. Gina
It's no big deal. It's ok.
- [98:36]
Emily
I think the trouble at the DNC is going to continue. Gina, you will have your chance to share some thoughts.
- [98:40]
Dr. Gina
That's true.
- [98:41]
Emily
Still to come on American Sunrise, our own Terrence Bates is standing by with the top story he's keeping his eyes on today. The one to Watch is after the break. Stay with us.
- [99:06]
David Brody
All right.
- [99:06]
Dr. Gina
Welcome back to American sunrise. I'm Dr. G. Thanks for being with us this morning. It is time now for THE ONE to watch T. Bates. What you're watching.
- [99:15]
Terrence Bates
All right. I've got my eye on this and have had my eye on this story for really several months now. And it's the redistricting battle. It's, of course, now expanding across the south with governors of Alabama and Tennessee calling special legislative sessions to redraw congressional maps ahead of the midterms. The move comes just days after the U.S. supreme Court's major ruling in Louisiana vs. Calais, which weakened parts of the Voting Rights act and even open the door for states to revisit a majority minority district or revisit majority minority districts and redrawing them. Republicans believe the new maps could help the GOP pick up additional House seats next year. Democrats and civil rights groups already blasting the efforts, though, as partisan gerrymandering that could reduce black representation in Congress. Republicans, however, argue that the states are simply bringing their district in line with the Supreme Court's new standard. This is something that I've been trying to figure out for myself and trying to kind of come to grips with. And so I really have more of a question for each of you just to kind of get some perspective because I get the sense, and I fully agree that race should not be used to draw any sort of congressional lines, be it black lines or white lines. But I feel like what we're seeing is that many of these states are replacing race simply with partisanship, trying to get more seats. I'd love to get your guys thoughts on all of this as I sit on the fence on this side. Dr. Gina, let's start with you.
- [100:39]
Dr. Gina
Well, it's an interesting, interesting thought that you had. I'm a little over a lot of the partisanship as well. I sort of think of myself just as a constitutional conservative more so than a Republican per se. But I would never identify as Democrat because they're the ones that actually voice voted got out of their platform. And I will never forget that. And as long as that's the case, I think there's a basic insidiousness that starts with that. But Terrence, you make an interesting point and some of the political science, political scientific thought. I'm going to let David elaborate on this because there's not a lot of time is that this move can actually water down the federal Republican vote. David, do you know what I'm talking about?
- [101:24]
David Brody
Yeah, I mean, look, I'm still analyzing it all. I don't have an opinion on it quite yet because I need to a couple things. I need to see how it plays out. But I also, you know, I guess I kind of default to gerrymandering being a problem overall and I don't like it on either side of the issue. And I don't like zigzag. I just don't like zigzag districts. So that whole thing just bothers me. So I don't know t base, but where are you at? Help me understand a little bit where you're coming from.
- [101:55]
Terrence Bates
I'm on the fence. I'm on the fence. I get it from a political perspective, but I'm not so sure I like it. I think there are certain voting blocks in certain districts that are just natural and redrawing those districts for some sort of political benefit. As someone who I consider myself a pretty reasonable voter, I'm uncomfortable with it and I feel like someone is trying to take advantage of a situation in order to increase their chances of winning an election. And I think elections should be decided by the voters, not by voting districts. And redrawing something to benefit you that's kind of where I stand on its surface, and it's a much more nuanced issue, but I'm uncomfortable about it. There's something in my spirit that doesn't sit well.
- [102:41]
Dr. Gina
Yeah.
- [102:42]
David Brody
Both parties do it.
- [102:43]
Dr. Gina
Yes. And then the whole thing just smacks of. Yeah. Manipulated, Right? Yeah. It'll be so interesting to hear what our audience thinks about this. Let's continue the conversation tomorrow, shall we? All right, you guys, war room. Coming up next. Hug your children. Love God, Go boldly live the truth.
- [103:01]
David Zier
See you, everybody.