RINGSIDE POLITICS WITH JEFF CROUERE - FEBRUARY 28TH, 2026

Summary

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Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere – Special Edition: Operation Epic Fury (February 28, 2026)

Overview

This special episode of Ringside Politics, hosted by Jeff Crouere on Real America’s Voice, focuses on the breaking and historic military event — Operation Epic Fury — a joint U.S.-Israeli operation targeting key Iranian regime leadership and infrastructure. The episode features in-depth analysis, live updates, reactions from politicians, military experts, and on-the-ground perspectives, all framed within the show’s signature patriotic and assertive tone.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Operation Epic Fury: The Big Picture

• Main Event: U.S. and Israeli forces conducted a coordinated strike on Iranian targets, with intelligence indicating senior leadership, including the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah), his son (successor), and major military figures were killed ([06:35], [25:30]).
• U.S. Strategy: Administration officials, including President Trump, emphasized this was a limited air operation — “no boots on the ground” ([07:25], [28:30]).
• Objective: To destroy Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities, devastate regime leadership, and create space for potential regime change led by the Iranian people ([08:15], [29:19]).

U.S. Domestic Reactions and Political Maneuvering

• Executive-Legislative Briefing: Congressional leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader John Thune, confirmed being consulted prior to the strike, providing “constitutional air cover” ([12:00], Neil McCabe).
• Opposition: Libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie called the move unconstitutional and vowed to push back, though most congressional leaders support the president’s actions ([14:59], Neil McCabe).
• Public & Partisan Response: Host Jeff Crouere suggests most Americans will back the military mission, viewing opposition as limited to the “Trump derangement syndrome” crowd ([23:06]).

International & Local Perspectives

• Iran’s Retaliation: In response to the strikes, Iran launched missiles at five Muslim-majority countries, hitting mostly civilian sites — a move criticized as “cowardly” and likely to unite the region against Iran ([08:52], [34:54], Eric Leinhart).
• Protests in NYC: Javier Negre reports from Times Square amid anti-Trump, anti-Israel protests, suggesting protestors are “funded by the globalists” and lack understanding of Middle Eastern geopolitics ([20:13]).

Military Analysis & Strategy

• Air Power Focus: Air Force veteran Eric Leinhart explains that U.S. air capabilities are unparalleled and the operation’s precision will minimize collateral damage, but “real regime change” ultimately requires Iranian people to act ([29:23]).
• Force Composition: U.S. has deployed modern carriers (Gerald R. Ford, Lincoln), advanced aircraft (F18s, F35s, B52s), and special forces, in joint action with Israeli airpower — described as “the largest” Israeli air operation ever ([31:37], [33:22], Eric Leinhart).
• Iran’s Defenses: Iranian anti-air defenses are deemed ineffective against the allied onslaught; their hasty missile attacks are seen as desperate, minimally effective, and politically counterproductive ([33:57]–[34:53], Eric Leinhart).

Historical and Religious Framing

• End of an Era: Multiple guests and Crouere frame the operation as the long-awaited reclamation after “47 years of death to America” rhetoric from Iran and centuries of religious conflict ([45:34], Ken Abramowicz).
• Biblical/World Historical Lens: Abramowicz likens Iran’s regime to “modern-day Amalekites,” citing the day’s symbolism in the Jewish calendar and situating the event within a millennia-old struggle ([46:08], [48:00]).

On Regime Change and Regional Future

• Potential in Iran: Guests and hosts agree the “window” for Iranian-led regime change is open but uncertain, with a call for the Iranian public to seize this moment ([49:14], Ken Abramowicz, [26:06], Netanyahu).
• Comparison to Past U.S. Operations: Lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan are stressed — the intent is for a quicker, more successful campaign without U.S. occupation ([18:46], Neil McCabe, [35:36], Eric Leinhart).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jeff Crouere, on U.S. and Israeli strikes:
  “It is believed that the Ayatollah supreme leader has been killed. … The Iranian people can rise up and determine new leadership for their country.” ([07:15])

• Neil McCabe, on administration readiness:
  “One of the things that characterizes Trump 47 is that these guys have been here before. … I think they’ve spent four years thinking about if they ever got back to the White House, how they would handle it and what kind of messes they would clean up.” ([11:18])

• Jeff Crouere, on air power and Iranian vulnerability:
  “They’ve got no defenses, do they? I mean, they can’t stop any of this. I mean, they’re completely vulnerable to it, are they not?” ([33:49])

• Eric Leinhart, on the sound of U.S. air power:
  “The Iranian leadership was chanting death to America. Then you got President Trump facilitating that meeting with their maker. … That’s the sound of freedom.” ([33:57])

• Benjamin Netanyahu, call to the Iranian people:
  “Citizens of Iran, all of you, it’s your time to unite and to topple this regime. … The whole world knows the people of Israel alive.” ([26:06])

• President Trump, on U.S. objectives:
  “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again obliterated. … We will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon.” ([42:25])

• Ken Abramowicz, on the day’s significance:
  “It doesn’t get better than this. This is a special historic date for both America and Israel for different reasons. … After 47 years of listening to Death to America, finally the American government did something.” ([46:08])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening/Overview & Calls to Action: [01:06–09:10]
• Operation Epic Fury Announcement & Details: [06:35–10:10]
• Congressional Reaction & Political Maneuvering: [10:38–16:58]
• NYC Protests Perspectives (Javier Negre): [20:13–23:06]
• Israel’s Perspective (Netanyahu Speech): [26:06–28:30]
• Air Power & Military Analysis (Eric Leinhart): [29:19–36:36]
• Constituent and Political Candidate View (Ryan Zink): [36:58–39:59]
• President Trump, U.S. Strategy Address: [42:25–44:25]
• Historical/Biblical Analysis (Ken Abramowicz): [45:34–50:21]

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Additional Themes & Calls to Action

• Host’s Outreach: Crouere encourages listeners to take tangible action to “keep the Republic,” offering organizational plans and a call for photographs of grassroots activism ([01:06–04:50]).
• Election Information: Heavy emphasis on the importance of upcoming midterms and local elections, especially in Texas, and the broader implications for U.S. policy ([39:10], [39:59]).
• Energy Independence: Multiple references to President Trump’s energy policy reducing U.S. reliance on Middle Eastern oil ([19:22], Neil McCabe).

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Summary Takeaways

• Historic U.S.-Israel strike marks a turning point in U.S.-Iran relations, with major implications for the region’s balance of power.
• The operation is hailed as a model of U.S. air power, international coordination, and restored assertiveness in American foreign policy.
• Guests agree that while decisive, the ultimate outcome depends on whether the Iranian people can seize the chance for regime change.
• The event is framed in sweeping historical, religious, and patriotic terms by both the host and guests, emphasizing a restoration of American resolve and moral clarity.

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This summary captures the full scope and tone of the broadcast’s critical analysis, expert perspectives, and urgent calls for civic engagement, reflecting the “politics with a punch” style of Ringside Politics.

Transcript

[Jeff Cruer]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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[Ken Abramowicz]

Jeff Cruer analyzes and debates the critical issues facing our nation in Ringside Politics.

[Jeff Cruer]

Jump in the ring with Jeff Cruer

[Ken Abramowicz]

as he squares off against the liberal

[Jeff Cruer]

media in Ringside Politics.

[Neil McCabe]

His blow by blow analysis will keep you up to speed with what's happening

[Jeff Cruer]

in our nation and around the world. This is politics with a punch.

[Ken Abramowicz]

Ringside Politics with Jeff Crewair starts now.

[Jeff Cruer]

All right, welcome folks. It is a Ringside Politics special edition on this Saturday where so much is going on. We've got a program that has now been adjusted to really focus on breaking news and we'll have bevy of interesting guests to bring on here this afternoon to delve into what has happened historic event Operation Epic Fury. So we'll be talking about that throughout the program. Want to welcome our friends joining us on Pluto TV channel 240, Dish Network, channel 219, the Roku channel, Roku and Vizio, all platforms associated with the Real America's Voice app, AmericasVoice News, Samsung TV Plus, Channel 1175, Freecast Channel 106, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and our friends online on Getter and Trusocial. Welcome aboard folks. You know when we started after the 2020 election to focus on election integrity, we created the Keep the Republic program that is rolling along. It's inspired by the end of the Constitutional Convention. When Benjamin Franklin asked, what kind of government have you given us? He replied, madam, a republic if you can keep it. Now what does it take to keep a republic Real tangible action, adopting the warrior ethos, placing the mission first, never accepting defeat. And folks were never quitting. We're organizing groups across the country based on the days of the week, Morning Prayers Monday, release the Kraken Tuesday, Sheep Dog Wednesday, Tech Tribe Thursday and our favorite fraud busters Friday. Now start small two or more people and gather your group from friends, family, neighbors, co workers or classmates and as you get bigger, send me your photos and videos to jeffgso.com my email address. We'll share them with our friends. If you want a short description of our overall plan, you can email [e-mail] or a detailed sheepdog organizational plan. We have that for you as well. You can also go on our website, which is my last name, Crewair.net and download it from there. Also on Crewair.net got some other good stuff for you folks. Our petition for the immediate resignation of Rhino Senator Bill Cassidy. Our battle is against Rhinos in the Congress. And it continues. Note and photos from President Trump. You'll enjoy my latest video about affordability. I'd love for you to check it out. Information about America's Last Chance, of course, the book that I'm very proud of. We're working on our sequel to that. Also on there we've got our countdown clock to the most important midterm elections in our nation's history. You can subscribe to our new podcast. You can also, of course, sign up for my [e-mail], take our poll question that we have been running about Iran now more relevant than ever. Go to Crewair.net and cast your vote about that. I'd love to get your input. Up until this morning, most people had been saying, hey, no U.S. involvement. We're in now big time. So log on and cast your vote. And of course, folks, you can contact me there on the site. You can also contact me by emailing me at my email address, jeffgso.com or follow us on our all across social media Gab Getter x TrueSocial at jeffcruer or Facebook Ringside Politics. All right, we're going to now talk about our Ringside Politics Champion of the week, which is, of course, WGSO Radio. Want to give kudos to our great friends that believe in free speech. And that's WGSO Radio. Check us [e-mail] our home during the week. And of course, we believe in uncensored talk, folks. That's what it's all about. You know, with everything going on with the economy, it's a great time to look at diversifying your investments. When there's uncertainty, the safe haven is gold. That's why I recommend Birch Gold. A lot of things out of control, out of our president's control. It's important to have that safe haven. That's why I recommend Birch Gold. If you can think about it, it's a great way to convert an IRA or 401k into an IRA in physical gold. And the best news is it doesn't cost you a penny out of your pocket. So let's get started. Text America to 989-898. Get a free info kit. That's 989-898. Get A Free Info kit. Protect your savings today with our friends at Birch Gold. All right, let's check out some of the news stories that we're following. And of course, the big story of the day, weeks and weeks and weeks of build up Operation Epic Fury. What we know is that of course, the US And Israel launched a coordinated attack on sites throughout Iran. We know that the planning had been weeks in the making and they had planned for the Iranian leadership to sit down in the same room. Intelligence was a massive thousands of hours put into it. Surveillance had determined and signal intercepts had determined that all of these senior leaders, the supreme leader, the president, the senior military commander, had gathered in a single location. At the right time the missiles were launched. It is believed that the Ayatollah supreme leader has been killed. It is an opportunity. Now, as the president said in his speech last night to the world, that the Iranian people can rise up and determine new leadership for their country. Now, that remains to be seen. This isn't a ground operation. This could last from days to weeks, but it's not going to last months and it's not going to last years like our other operations in the Middle East. So it's up to the Iranian people, as the president said, that when the bombs stop, you've got to rise up and remove the remnants of this regime that'll still be there. And it's going to be obliterated again, as our nuclear facilities were in Operation Midnight Hammer. The other elements of this regime will be obliterated. Naval assets, ballistic missiles, launchers. It's going to be, I think, a devastating campaign against them. Now in response, Iran launched missiles at five Muslim countries simultaneously. And that is not going to help them at all. This is going to bring these other countries in allegiance with the United States and Israel against Iran because they're now introducing warfare to innocent populations in countries such as Bahrain and the uae. So we'll see where this goes from here. But I'm thinking that this is going to be a very successful start to this operation. We've got experts who will be joining us to delve into the various components of it. Now there's called a Gang of Eight in Congress. Marco Rubio spoke with seven of the eight personally and confirmed that the strike would be going on. Prior to it happening, the president addressed the nation, Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his country. The president in an interview with Axios said that the operation could take two to four weeks, but confirming there will be no boots on the ground. So if this supreme leader, if this ayatollah that is got a history of death and destruction, if he is dead, that is a tremendous chance for this country to get out of the grips of a regime that has been dominating them for 47 years. So we wait for more information. We're going to cover this from every angle here throughout the program. It's Ringside Politics on Real America's Voice. We thank you so much for watching.

[Ken Abramowicz]

Thank you.

[Jeff Cruer]

Let's get our break in now. We'll come back with some special guests joining us right here on the airwaves. Jeff Corayer with you. Thanks for joining us. We'll be right back.

[Grainger Announcer]

If you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Jeff Cruer]

All right. We're back covering, of course, Operation Epic Fury here in Real America's Voice special edition of Ringside Politics. Jeff Cruier with you. Thanks so much for joining us. All right. Among our guests is our RAV congressional correspondent Neil McCabe who is joining us here. First up on the program and I know you've been busy. Neil, thanks so much for your time. And give us the latest information. Neil.

[Neil McCabe]

Hey, Jeff, it's great to be in your A block. It's a privilege. Good to be with you. I think the late news. What's that?

[Jeff Cruer]

Yeah. No, thank you for joining us. What's the latest?

[Neil McCabe]

All right. So Caroline Levitt, the White House press secretary, has not yet commented on reports that Iranian Supreme Leader Al Khamenei is dead. But we're hearing it also from Reuters and New York Times and a bunch of media reports. My question is that maybe they're all the same source. And so we'll have to dig into that as this is just breaking within the last 10 minutes. Caroline Levitt did post on X and other socials that the president is in communication with Marco Rubio and the congressional leaders from Mar a Lago, where they have a scif. They have a command center set out there. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Kane, Raisin Kane are down at Mar a Lago. Also, Caroline Levitt also about an hour ago posted that the president is speaking with NATO and other world leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime Minister of Israel. And so, you know, we're seeing things sort of develop now. But I think one of the things that characterizes Trump 47 is that these guys have been here before. So even though this is a relatively new administration, you're barely into your first year, but they're really veterans. And these are guys who have been here before. And I think they've spent four years thinking about if they ever got back to the White House, how they would handle it and what kind of messes they would clean up. And I got to believe that the Iranian menace is one of the messes that they wanted to clean up. I also want to tell you, Jeff, that Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader John Thune have both said that they were consulted, Congress has been consulted, and that they fully support the president's action, and that gives him constitutional air cover. For anybody who wants to say that the president's acting unilaterally, Jeff, you know,

[Jeff Cruer]

they're going to be your critics that say you need congressional authorization for, you know, warfare. But we've had many presidents in the past that have engaged in missile strikes and conducted limited campaigns without congressional. I don't think we've had a congressional authorization or a declaration of war officially since World War II. So, I mean, that's just something that doesn't seem to happen. But, Neil, is your impression here that this is going to last a limited amount of time, or what are you hearing?

[Neil McCabe]

A Pentagon source told me that this Operation Epic Fury is modeled on Roughrider. Operation Roughrider was from March to May against the Houthis, and there it was strictly air power. But they took out more than 800 targets. And so I'm guessing that they've got a list of targets in Iran that they want to take out. But also they took the care to provide a defensive shield for the operation in the long term. And I think that's why we were waiting for USS Gerald R. Ford to steam from Venezuela. Once Ford was on station in the Mediterranean off the coast of Israel, that was the final piece. But other pieces were the fuel tankers and also the Patriot missile batteries that Central Command moved from other locations into this theater. And I also want to highlight, you know, all the negotiations and hoo ha ha over Diego Garcia, why that was important is because the United States has long range missiles, B52, not missiles, excuse me, but B52s and other air assets at that air base in Diego Garcia. And that's why it was so critical. People were wondering why is Trump fighting over this island? All of a sudden it was because they needed to lock down our role there and our ability to exercise this mission from Diego Garcia. I don't know if any assets have left from Diego Garcia, but certainly that's a consideration.

[Jeff Cruer]

That's a very good point, Neil. So you sent me a tweet that was sent out by Thomas Massie. Explain that to our audience if you could.

[Neil McCabe]

So Thomas Massie, who presents himself as a libertarian and a constitutionalist, he says that he's going to, he's going to try to reverse this decision or take congressional action. He says that it's unconstitutional and we'll see how that plays out. I think that Speaker Johnson and John Thune have, you know, they've signaled that they will oppose it. The Republicans still nominally control the Congress. And so he's going to make some noise and he's going to get some amplification from his new friends in the left wing media. But I don't think Massie really carries many votes. I think a lot of people could have followed Massie maybe a year ago. He was a very, he was a consequential member of Congress a year ago. In fact, he was put on the Rules Committee. He was actually becoming a part of leadership in the last session. But for some reason he's thrown that all away. I don't see a lot of people following in line with Massie, especially as we go into the midterms.

[Jeff Cruer]

Jeff well, you know, here's the issue though, with Republican control. It is hanging on by a thread. As you know, Neil, there is a member of Congress who is very ill. They have a218,214 margin. We don't know what's going to happen with this individual, whether he will be resigning or not. And I think his name is Neil Dunn. You can correct me if I'm wrong on that. Neil.

[Neil McCabe]

No, no, Neil Dunn, Neil Dunn is Florida. He's in Florida too, which is the Tallahassee, Leon County. So it's one over from Matt Gaetz's old district, Florida one. And he said that he has terminal cancer, but he wants to ride out his term. I know a lot of people are lining up for that seat either in a special, if the Lord calls him home. Obviously, we're praying for his recovery, but we'll see what happens in the general. That, that it's a purplish type seat because of Tallahassee, but it should be a stronghold for the Republicans in the general.

[Jeff Cruer]

Shows you how tenuous, tenuous this hold on power is because we've got, you know, all these special elections. We had a few of them coming up. And now with his health situation, you know, hoping and praying that he can finish his term. So we do have media confirmation now, Neil, of what you reported that the Ayatollah is dead. And I do think that is a victory for mankind. I think that is certainly a victory for those that want to free Iran. And, and maybe this can be the, the start of a regime change, because that's always been the problem because he's, he's still been in power for, for many years, hasn't he?

[Neil McCabe]

Oh, sure. And, you know, you have to remember that the Iranian regime has made a lot of mistakes geopolitically, and those mistakes have been because they support the ideology of the mullahs. They're not really being practical for their own regime's survival. And they always felt that their oil revenues and their missile and nuclear programs would be enough for the regime to hold on. And I think with their leader dead and the Gulf states and Israel and the United States arrayed against them, that's got to give them pause. An interesting dimension is that a week ago, the Iranians and the Russians were doing sort of war game exercises in the Persian Gulf, which is so like the Gulf of Oman. And then you have the Straits of Hormuz, and then you have the Persian Gulf. There's actually a Russian warship, a Corvette, that's tied up in Iran at an Iran port. And I bet those Russians are wishing they had left a while ago. They're just sort of spectators so far.

[Jeff Cruer]

Now, before I let you go, Neil, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, for whatever's left of them, is announcing that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all shipping traffic, implicitly threatening to attack any commercial vehicle vessel attempting to pass between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. So we'll see. That, obviously, is incredibly important issue commercially that needs to be, you know, checked into as this goes on. Neil, any final comments you want to share with us?

[Neil McCabe]

Now, I just want to say that, you know, 20 years ago, that would have been a real, real, real problem. But with the President firing up the energy, energy like we saw, energy industry, like we saw yesterday at Corpus Christi, you know, Middle Eastern oil is not as important to the American economy as it used to be. And I think that's a tribute to President Trump. Thanks for having me on, Jeff.

[Jeff Cruer]

Well, thanks, Neil. And that's a good point. Yeah, we've unleashed domestic energy production and that's what we've needed. And finally we have a president that believes in that. And that certainly makes us stronger and economically, but also helps our national security. Obviously, Javier Negre is with us. He's in the midst of some protests going on in New York City. The host of the Right News show right here on Real America's Voice. Hey, Javier, how goes it? Good afternoon, how are you?

[Javier Negre]

I'm in the middle of the protest in New York City. From Times Square they are Approaching Central Park. 1,000 people around attacking Trump, attacking Israel, selling the wall like there was fish. But I think that President Trump is making fish everywhere with Fixtral now we are really happy with the action. But here you can find lefties, you can find work people. But I don't understand why they are here. Because that sunny day they can be better in, you know, in Central park, working around. But I suspect like these people is founded by the globalists, like Soros, like people like that. Because when you ask them like why are they here, they have like two sentence we hate clap and that's it, you know, so they don't have a good idea.

[Jeff Cruer]

Javier, Javier, let me ask you this. From what I understand, these protests sort of just popped up and they've got ready made signs. So they had the signs ready to go, didn't they, Javier?

[Javier Negre]

Yes, they are walking around. So they have like flags from Palestine. So it's a really strange with crazy people, you know, shouting and they slam. But they don't have any idea about how the regime of Iran have been financing isis, international terrorism, the relationship with Maduro, the relationship with China. So they don't have minimal ideas about what's going on in the Middle East. But we have to know the public opinion that in Spain we are very happy except the prime minister of my country who is a friend in Germany, who is dead right now, according to Israeli sources. But if you find the leftist you can find 1,000 people. So it doesn't make any sense. You know, the protests have been forced from 2p2 in the afternoon. So now it's at the end. But you can find like crazy people that we don't have like any idea of how the war is going now. People have to know they want to kill, you know, civilians like in Dubai and second, Trump is in the third way. He's a man of peace with Israel, with Qatar, with Saudi, all the countries in Middle east. They are working together. And I think that is a great movement for the peace in the world. So I'm very happy. I'm feeling that the lefties are completely dead right now. As you can see, 1,000 people in a sunny day. And they can be better in Central park working with their families, but they don't believe in welfare values.

[Jeff Cruer]

You're a good man for being there for us and reporting it. And we thank you so much, Javier, for the report. Support in the midst of those lefties in Times Square. That's hazard duty. So thank you, Javier. So yeah, they, a lot of them were, you know, prepared, ready to roll no matter what happened. I mean they just protest. I mean anything this president does, it's Trump derangement syndrome. So what my comments to Neil about, you know, Massie and some of the members of Congress. So you're going to see some opposition to this from the Democrats, from people like Thomas Massie. I do think the majority of Americans are going to just sort of be just behind the military because obviously we're patriotic, we want the military, want our president to succeed and just hope that this does not drag on like we've seen in other operations. It looks like they've already been incredibly effective by taking out the ayatollah and that's going to make it so much easier for real change, regime change in Iran, which really we've needed for 47 years. This regime has been brutal, the number one sponsor of terrorism in the world, obviously killing many Americans over the years, many innocent people over the years. So we're hoping and praying that the people there can rise up, as the president said, and bring about a regime that believes in freedom. All right, we got a lot to get to as we roll on on this special edition of Ringside Politics right here in Real America's Voice. Jeff Corayer with you. Let's take care of some business. We'll be right back.

[Grainger Announcer]

If you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Jeff Cruer]

Okay. Welcome back, folks, covering Operation Epic Fury right here in the Ringside Politics program. Jeff Correra with you. Senior US Officials are now reporting that the Ayatollah, his Successor, son and 5 to 10 top leaders are all deceased. These are reports that are coming out right now. So we will keep you monitored on any new developments. And a little bit ago we had the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu make some comments. We've got a clip clip of that to share with you. So let's check out what Prime Minister Netanyahu had to say.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

It's once in a lifetime opportunity because soon there's going to be a moment that you'll have to go to the streets to complete this act and to topple this regime. This help that you were wishing for helped has arrived and this is the time to go together for this mission. Citizens of Iran, All of you, it's your time to unite and to topple this regime. The citizens of Israel, all through the Gaza war, I took strength from your resilience. You didn't fall for desperation. You stood right and rising. You gave back up to the government and to me to lead this war. This is how people should behave in the next few days. We should stand together with this resilience. And following the instructions of the home front. There is a symbolic this is the 11 of ADA Jewish calendar. Trumpedo fell in the Telhai battle. His bravery is remembered in his memorial. There is a lion statue. I visited there many times and I looked at it and I saw you. This is how I see us in the help of God. The roaring lion of our pilots, of our citizens is being heard in the entire world. The whole world knows the people of Israel alive.

[Jeff Cruer]

All right, that was Benjamin Netanyahu. And of course President Trump also earlier, very early this morning addressed the world. So we've had now both leaders make their comments and of course we're seeing now the this operation move forward. And the big news, the reports are the supreme leader there, the Ayatollah has been killed and also a bunch of other leading figures in Iran. So this is an air power campaign right now. The president said no boots on the ground. So let's talk to an expert, an Air Force veteran, an elite combat controller. He earned two bronze stars and the founder of the first there foundation, Eric Lionheart is with us here on the Ringside Politics program. And Eric, welcome. How are you, sir?

[Neil McCabe]

Hi, Jeff.

[Eric Leinhart]

Thank you. I'm doing great. I'm sure The Iranian people are doing awesome as well.

[Jeff Cruer]

Yes. We have big news, of course, with not only the death of the ayatollah, but his successor son. Five to 10 top leaders who report are now deceased. All right, you know a lot about air power. So we've got a lot of air power there. But I've always heard that air power alone can't bring about a regime change, that you need people on the ground doing that. And that's why the president, in his comments, said he wants the Iranian people, when the bombs stop, to get out there and take control of their country. So how effective can this air power be? We've assembled a lot of assets there in the region.

[Eric Leinhart]

It's going to be a surgical. I mean, the air power the United States has and with its allies, it's going to be a surgical operation. I mean, as you're seeing now and what we've done to them in the past. Yes, President Trump said that it's going to take American boots on the ground to get this thing knocked out. And, yeah, special operation forces, I'm sure they're ready in the region, ready to go in as soon as the bombardment stops. And, you know, you're going to have combat controllers and guys there talking about close air support and bringing an aircraft in to knock out those. Those different. Either boots on the ground, I'm sorry, the different enemy that's put in place, and also the different vehicles and whatever the strategic targets are. And then you need boots on the ground, so that way you minimize the ce, which is the collateral damage. Right. We don't. We want to keep that away from civilian populations. So, yeah, American firepowers like no other in the world.

[Jeff Cruer]

So what. So what kind of numbers do we have on the ground? So we've obviously got some people embedded in there, right, Eric?

[Ryan Zink]

Absolutely.

[Eric Leinhart]

I mean, you know, right now with the bombardment that's going on, I'm sure the guys are ready to go and they're staging. And as soon as it stop and they're cleared to go in, they're going to start going in. And we move in small teams. So that makes us even more lethal. And it's. It keeps us our footprint very small, but very, very lethal. The power that we have, special operations, I'm sure, you know, the Navy, it's a big Navy operation Ford and Lincoln carrier group out there. I'm sure the seals. And then you got the Green Berets coming in and you got combat controller. It's going to be a joint effort of all special operation forces down there.

[Jeff Cruer]

All right, so we have two aircraft carriers and then the Gerald R. Ford, from what I understand is our largest, our most modern aircraft carrier. Tell us about some of the planes that have been assembled for this operation. You know, I hear we've got the B2 bomber, right?

[Eric Leinhart]

Yeah, Well, I mean, from the carrier groups, you're going to have a lot of F18s, some F35s, which is our most, their newest aircraft. It has tons of lethal power to it. I mean, it's got the close air support capability once boots on the ground are there in Iran. So. Yeah, and then once the guys on the ground assess the situation, start figuring out targets they need to hit, we will have B52s, B1s, the Spirit B2s. So along with the rest of the Navy, super firepower. So the Super Hornets are an amazing aircraft. I was lucky enough to work with them in Afghanistan, and those pilots are some of the best in the world.

[Jeff Cruer]

Tell us about the B52s, man. They have stood the test of time, right. I mean, those aircraft are decades old, but we still use them, don't we?

[Eric Leinhart]

Yeah, it's America's peace symbol, right. Have you seen it? When they. When the B52 is flying overhead, you just put a little circle around it. Looks like a peace symbol, stuff that. It's very deadly. Yeah, they carry a tremendous amount of ordinance on those things and they can stay up there quite a bit. The reason why their playtime is so long or the time on station is because they can fly up there so high in altitude. But, yeah, their arsenal that they carry is like no other.

[Jeff Cruer]

Now, you talked about the Super Hornets, which is the F18, right. What about the F22s? We've got them deployed as well. Right.

[Eric Leinhart]

I'm sure they're far behind. I'm not far behind. The F35s are. You know, they're going to be the ones on the carriers and they're going to be the ones getting in some action right off the bat, just like the Hornets. But, yeah, the F22s, and I believe I saw a report that Israel has launched around 200 aircrafts and it's one of their biggest operations they've ever launched. So I'm sure Israel's firepower and air power is very much involved in this operation.

[Jeff Cruer]

So, Eric, I mean, they've got no defenses, do they? I mean, they can't stop any of this. I mean, they're completely vulnerable to it, are they not?

[Ryan Zink]

Yeah.

[Eric Leinhart]

I mean, it was so funny that, you know, the Iranian leadership was chanting death to America. Then you got President Trump facilitating that meeting with their maker. And I'm sure they're, they're hearing nothing but the roaring of American engines and Israeli engines overhead. And that's the sound of freedom. That's what we call it in Afghanistan. We'll, we were in firefights and you hear that, those engines coming overhead. But yeah, I don't see Iran especially getting caught the way they did this, you know, early, early in the morning. So I don't think they have anything that the Americans got to worry too much about. They do get some surface to air missiles that I'm sure that we're taking those out as we speak.

[Jeff Cruer]

Right. What do you make of their strategy to hit other neighboring Arab countries? They've been cheating indiscriminately at civilian populations, Bahrain and UAE and, and others. That seems to be a very dumb strategy because you're going to turn those countries against you, right?

[Eric Leinhart]

Absolutely. And I think it's just a cowardly move. I think they, like I said, they got caught with their pants down and they're just firing off where they can to show some sort of offense or counterattack. But I mean, they're not hitting anything. The last report I saw, one of the missiles struck empty warehouse in Bahrain. So again, their intelligence is garb and they're just like you said, they're just firing off missiles to show that they have some type of offensive power.

[Jeff Cruer]

So we want to make sure this doesn't turn into an Iraq or Afghanistan, that this is successful and limited. Are you confident that this is going to succeed where those missions didn't in the past, Eric?

[Ryan Zink]

I am.

[Eric Leinhart]

I think we've learned a lot from the past. I know President Trump said it's going to, it's going to take a little bit. Right? I mean, a couple weeks, I would assume, but. And then President Trump also said, hey, once, once we have this vacuum, I want the Iranian people to stand up and take over their government. Obviously, President Trump and his cabinet's very intelligent and with the amount of intelligence they have at their fingertips, they're going to make the best decisions for us to stay out of there. And hopefully we don't have any of our service members killed or injured during this campaign.

[Jeff Cruer]

Well, Eric, thanks for your service. Thank you for your perspective on this important day and appreciate you being with us here on Ringside Politics. That's Eric Leinhart here on the day that we learn more about Operation Epic Fury. Now a gentleman who wants to be in the Congress Making decisions, weighing all of these important matters is with us now. He's running in the 19th congressional district in Texas. Ryan Zink is with us. He is a J6 political prisoner who survived the abuse of the Biden administration and thankfully was pardoned by President Trump. Now he's running for Congress. And Ryan, it's a momentous day. It's kind of day where, you know, members of Congress certainly get asked for their perspective. So if you were a member of Congress and asked about this, what say you?

[Ryan Zink]

Well, I think that it's very important to make sure that we protect, you know, not not only the homeland, but the interests of allies in the region over what we have. I, you know, I would hate to see any of our service members get killed in, you know, a campaign like this. But, you know, we have one of the strongest Air Force bases in the country right here in my district in Abilene, Texas. And, you know, our military guys are more than capable guys and girls are more than capable of getting all this done, you know, to make sure that we protect America from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

[Jeff Cruer]

So you are running to represent the 19th district in Texas. As you said, there's major military facilities there. Obviously patriotic, pro military district among the constituents. Do you think this is an issue of importance to them?

[Ryan Zink]

Yes, absolutely. This has been discussed multiple times over the last two weeks. You know, whether or not we should actually go in and hit Iran. You know, it's just been kind of like a situation to where people are asking, well, is this going to be, you know, another Afghanistan, another Iraq, which I think that we need to avoid that at all costs. You know, we need to go in, eliminate the targets that we need to set, and then get back to the home front and focus on what, you know, is important here, which is continuing to rebuild our military and start focusing on, you know, the district itself, like, you know, farm and ranch and ag and American energy.

[Jeff Cruer]

Tell us about your, your district, what the, of course, constituents are telling you. I know you're running in a big race. Lots of people in there. Tell us more about it, Ron.

[Ryan Zink]

Well, I think that this race is really important to see. You know, so I come from a major ag district. Oftentimes we're called the food, fiber and fuel region of the United states. It's over 30,000 square miles. And we have to put somebody in here that understands exactly what that means with American energy and oil and gas as well as agriculture, and then not donating to people, you know, who go against the Christian family values that we hold here. I believe that there's three books that are in charge of this country and that's the Bible, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And, you know, you can't be making donations to, you know, pro abortion Democrats and, you know, things like that in this district in order to run here. So that's one of the reasons I'm running.

[Jeff Cruer]

Yeah. And then the other great founding document, Ryan, we gotta throw that in there, the Declaration of Independence. We're getting ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of that great founding of our nation on January 4, 1776. I'm so glad we have President Trump in the White house for our 250th anniversary. Tell us when the election is, Ryan, and how our viewers can help you out.

[Ryan Zink]

So the election is March 3rd. That's the deadline for America. Federal elections are lost at the local level every single day. Take 50 people with you and get to the polls and go vote if you're out in Texas. Anybody that's looking to, you know, get to know more about me can check out my most recent Tucker Carlson interview over the last two weeks and then they can go to Ryan's Inc. Boat to check out more about my policies.

[Jeff Cruer]

Yeah, critical election. Everyone get out there and vote. Ryan, thank you for, you know, hanging tough, going through everything he did with J6 and then deciding, hey, gonna turn that into a campaign for Congress and run for Congress. And that's awesome. And you know, I thank you so much for what you're doing and I thank you for being with us, sir. And that is Ryan Zink, candidate for Congress at 19th congressional district in Texas. Boy, there's some important elections in Texas. Right. We've got the Senate, got the races in Congress. We've got a very, very important issue concerning Sharia law on the ballot in Texas. So that's all coming up in just a few days. All right, got another great guest joining us. More. We're going to get to more breaking news, so keep it right here at Ringside Politics and Real America's Voice. Jeff Corer with you. We'll be right back.

[Neil McCabe]

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[Jeff Cruer]

Hey, we're back. Special edition of Ringside Politics. Today we had to adjust our program based on breaking news, obviously. And we're going to be, of course, continuing to follow this for the days and weeks ahead. I don't think this is going to be ending immediately, but I don't think it's going to be a long term thing. I think this is going to be something that will hopefully achieve its objective. Obviously, look what happened in Venezuela. That country has now changed their attitude and they seem to be a friend now. Wouldn't it be great to have a friend in Iran? That would be wonderful. So the president made some comments early, early this morning. We have a clip of some of what the president had to say when he addressed the world about Operation Epic Fury. Let's check it out.

[Donald Trump]

Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe. Our troops stationed overseas and could soon reach the American homeland. Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if they ever had and actually were armed with nuclear weapons as a means to deliver their message. For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans. And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It's a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm's way. And we trust that with his help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail. We have the greatest in the world and they will prevail.

[Jeff Cruer]

Yes, they will prevail. That's President Trump. Inspiring words and certainly early morning words from the president as he alerted the world about this operation which started very early this morning, seems to have been very successful so far. The AYATOLLAH his successor, son, five to 10 top leaders are now deceased. The president saying to the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces, all the police, I say to you, you will have complete immunity or you will face certain death. So he is telling them to lay down your weapons and we will certainly hope that happens. Love that this would occur with a minimal amount of bloodshed. And we'll be watching very closely. All right, let's bring on another great guest, someone who's got a very interesting perspective. He is a founder of Savethewest.com, author of the Multi Front War. We've had him before, we're having him back. Ken Abramowicz is with us. And Ken, how are you, sir? Welcome.

[Ken Abramowicz]

Thank you. Great, great to be with you on this historic day,

[Jeff Cruer]

Ken. Obviously very coordinated attack by the US and Israel. 500 targets attacked by Israel. Iranians are firing back at innocent people in the Arab world. No US Casualties reported. Zero reported so far. Yet the Atapa Iranian leadership is now dead. Your thoughts, Ken?

[Ken Abramowicz]

It doesn't get better than this. This is a special historic date for both America and Israel for different reasons. For America, it's historic because after 47 years of listening to Death to America, finally the American government did something. You would have thought we would have had a government that would have done something to protect the American people. For 47 years. No one did until President Trump ordered the military to attack. So that's historic. It's also historic in Israel terms or Jewish terms because this is the day of remembrance and we're supposed to. In the Bible it says, remember the Amalekites. The Amalekites attacked the early Israelites 3,300 years ago. And today we are told, remember the Amalekites. Well, Iran is just modern day Amalekites. I mean, I tell people we're in World War three, but it's actually World War one because we're still fighting the Amalekites. And this was. So it's historic from Israel, Jewish point of view. It's historic from the American point of view. It's a joint venture between the two countries.

[Jeff Cruer]

Here's my analysis. Ken, you're the expert. I'll be curious to get your view. Ever since October 7, 2023, it seems like Isra and the US have been making great progress against these enemies of freedom, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas have suffered tremendous losses. And then of course, their main benefactor, Iran. You had the nuclear facilities obliterated in June. Now the regime itself is obliterated. It seems like Those supporting terrorism are on a losing streak big time right now in the region. What say you?

[Ken Abramowicz]

Well, it's interrelated with the fact that they were on a winning streak for 50 years, or if you want to go back in the history, 1400 years since Muhammad and his followers left Saudi Arabia and basically illegally invaded and occupied about 50 different countries, half of which were Christian countries, by the way. And so this war has been going on, depending how you look at it, 1400 years with ancient history, 50 years since 1979, 47 years since the establishment of the Islamic State of Iran. And they thought they could get away with murder. Because if you get away with murder, historically for 1400 years and more recently for 47 years, you think you can always get away with murder. Until finally they called presidents bluff, President Trump's bluff. And that was a big mistake on

[Jeff Cruer]

their part for them, a historic mistake and a deadly mistake. And now we've got the possibility for regime change. Your analysis of that, can that happen in Iran? And if so, what kind of timeline are we looking at here, Ken?

[Ken Abramowicz]

Well, regime change is always difficult. And, and as President Trump has publicly said, I don't like regime change. It's difficult. It doesn't go necessarily the way you want it to go. But we had no choice. Iran was run by a, what I call Islamo Nazi death cult. And they were building ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, chemical, biological. We just couldn't wait. Something had to happen. And finally Israel, the leadership of Israel and America put their heads together and figured it out. Now, after we destroy all their military sites, their navy, their air force, their missiles, their drones, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards headquarters, the besieged headquarters, and destroy the leadership. Let's just say it takes a week or two. Then the hope is that the people in America, we call it we the people, the people, the 80 million out of the 93 who hate the government rise up and take their country back. And that's what we're hoping for.

[Jeff Cruer]

Well, all right, my friend, we're up against it. Ken, thank you so much. Thanks to our great team in Denver and all of you for joining us today on this historic day. We'll see you next week for another edition of Ringside Politics on Real America's this is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.