Trump calls Iran proposal 'garbage', vows to suspend federal gas tax - The Hill | NEWSNATION

0:01 We know what we need to do.

0:02 That from health officials there in Atlanta,

0:04 Georgia this evening as they discuss

0:06 the ongoing hantavirus here inside the United

0:09 States or at least how they are dealing with it and treating patients.

0:13 Officials outlining that over the last 10 to 15 minutes or so.

0:18 I thank you for being with [music] us though tonight as we

0:19 turn the page to what's going on in and around the world.

0:22 I'm Blake Burman and we start with this, a ceasefire

0:27 that is in critical condition you could say tonight.

0:29 The commander-in-chief rejecting Iran's latest peace proposal,

0:33 [music] blasting it as a quote piece of garbage.

0:37 I would say the ceasefire is on massive life

0:41 support [music] where the doctor walks in and says sir,

0:45 your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living.

0:51 Plus, is the next move a small tax break.

0:54 [music] President Trump now throwing his support

0:57 behind pumping the brakes on federal gas taxes.

1:00 Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler here with us tonight

1:05 on what the White House is considering [music] next.

1:07 Also at this hour in quarantine as you just heard there,

1:11 18 Americans from the hantavirus ship in isolation in two states [music]

1:15 now as top health officials race to stop the rare strain from spreading.

1:22 There's you can guarantee no American will

1:25 catch this virus from these returning passengers.

1:29 There are no guarantees in life.

1:32 Plus, hooked on high-tech.

1:35 From live streaming sonar to AI-powered scopes,

1:39 supercharged gear is now transforming hunting and fishing all across America.

1:44 Why some outdoorsmen are now saying it's taking the thrill out of the catch.

1:50 But first tonight, a piece of garbage.

1:54 That is just one of the many ways the commander in chief

1:57 described today the Iranian response to try to end the war.

2:01 President Trump saying he didn't even waste his time making

2:04 it all the way to the end of Iran's letter.

2:08 I didn't even finish reading it.

2:10 I said, "I'm not going to waste my time

2:11 reading it." The president reiterating his bottom line is non-negotiable.

2:16 No nukes, no exceptions.

2:19 But he also says the regime backtracked when

2:21 it came to handing over that so-called nuclear dust.

2:26 They said, "You're going to have to take it.

2:28 We were going to go with them." But they changed

2:30 their mind cuz they didn't put it in the paper.

2:33 And with it, a potential U-turn on one type of tax.

2:38 The president now says he wants to scrap a gas tax as prices nationwide

2:43 now climb to just north of $4.50 a gallon as the Strait of Hormuz,

2:48 as well, still remains stymied this evening.

2:52 We begin here tonight with our Kelly Meyer

2:54 alongside the president over there at the White House.

2:57 Hello, Kelly.

3:00 Hey there, Blake.

3:01 So, President Trump, just moments ago,

3:03 defending his decision to bomb Iran saying,

3:05 "We made the right decision." But there is still

3:08 the lingering question here over what he may do next.

3:11 We know that he met with his national security team today.

3:15 I wanted to play a moment from what he

3:17 had to say earlier about this response from Iran.

3:22 Unbelievably weak.

3:24 How would I say?

3:25 I would call it the weakest right now.

3:28 After reading that piece of garbage they sent us,

3:31 I didn't even finish reading it.

3:32 I said, "I'm not going to waste my time reading

3:34 it." I would say it's one of the weakest right now.

3:38 It's on life support.

3:43 So, President Trump meeting this morning with generals and Secretary

3:46 of State Marco Rubio to discuss next steps in the war,

3:48 including potential military action as the president said

3:51 the ceasefire with Iran right now is on life support.

3:55 It comes as the Pentagon revealed today

3:57 the location of a US Navy nuclear-armed submarine.

4:01 It is rare for the Pentagon to discuss the precise location of its assets.

4:06 The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine arrived

4:09 in Gibraltar on Spain's South Coast on Sunday.

4:12 The Pentagon said the port visit demonstrates US capability, flexibility,

4:17 and continuing commitment to its NATO allies,

4:19 but they didn't reveal the name of that submarine.

4:22 Blake.

4:23 Kelly Meyer live for us tonight over at 1600.

4:25 Kelly, thank you with us now.

4:27 Julia Manchester, White House correspondent for The Hill

4:30 with um a bit of a new proposal, I guess you could say,

4:33 that the president seemed to embrace today as it

4:35 relates to the millions of Americans heading to the pump.

4:38 That's correct, Blake.

4:39 Earlier today the president said in an interview

4:41 with CBS News he wants to extend the gas tax.

4:45 He was asked about the time frame in the Oval Office earlier.

4:47 Let's take a listen.

4:49 How long is it to suspend that tax for?

4:52 Uh till it's appropriate, yeah.

4:54 Till it's How soon is that sir?

4:55 How soon is that sir?

4:56 It's a you know, it's a small percentage, but it's a you know, it's still money.

5:00 Now this comes as the administration is working to combat rising gas prices

5:04 as a result of the war in Iran and ahead of November's midterm elections.

5:08 According to AAA, the average nationwide price at the gas pump is $4.52.

5:14 Now with tax relief, that drops to $4.39 per gallon,

5:19 but that may not be enough to satisfy Americans frustrated about gas prices.

5:24 Prior to the war, the average price at the pump was $2.98 per gallon.

5:30 It's important to note that suspending the tax gas or the gas tax,

5:33 excuse me, would require an act of Congress.

5:35 Senator Josh Hawley and Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna both

5:39 saying they'll introduce legislation to make that happen, Blake.

5:43 Congress is the one that deals with taxes and that's the reason

5:45 why he would have to bring them in uh to get involved.

5:48 Julia Manchester, thank you.

5:49 Appreciate it.

5:50 Now, the president's comments opening questions on what

5:53 could come next for prices at the pump

5:55 and when that gas tax could temporarily go

5:59 away for millions of drivers and business owners.

6:03 Earlier today, I spoke with Kelly Loeffler,

6:05 administrator of the Small Business Administration.

6:09 Administrator Loeffler, thanks for being with us tonight.

6:12 Um let me start with with the big news of the day,

6:14 which is the president there uh basically throwing his weight behind

6:18 the idea of suspending the gas tax at the federal level.

6:22 Can you Can you tell us why the uh why the administration

6:25 is supporting this now and and what it could mean for small businesses?

6:31 Great to be with you, Blake.

6:32 Look, here's the thing.

6:33 President Trump is going to do whatever it takes

6:36 to keep the American people safe and economically strong,

6:39 and he's left all options on the table,

6:41 including suspending the federal fuel tax.

6:44 And look, small businesses, nonetheless,

6:46 are thriving because we see record small business formation happening right now.

6:51 So, while we have temporarily elevated fuel prices,

6:55 they're nowhere near where they were during

6:57 the Biden administration in 2022 when the only war

7:00 that was going on was a war on Main Street and a war on our energy sector.

7:04 So, this is temporary, and I applaud the president for looking at all

7:08 options and keeping them them on the table.

7:10 Gas prices, though, as you know,

7:12 are up um about $1.50 since the start of the war.

7:15 The The National Federation of Independent Businesses,

7:18 which advocates for small businesses,

7:20 which obviously your your uh your agency oversees, um noted how Mike Braun,

7:25 governor, Republican Indiana, Brian Kemp, a Republican governor from Georgia,

7:30 suspended the gas taxes in those states um several weeks ago.

7:35 Do Does the administration want every state uh

7:39 across the country to to get involved with this?

7:45 Well, look, the administration is doing whatever

7:47 it can to keep America safe and strong, and the the states are, too.

7:51 The states have that option to do that, but the states are

7:54 doing so many other great things

7:56 that comport to President Trump's economic agenda,

7:59 which is cutting taxes, cutting regulation,

8:02 making sure we have energy dominance once again.

8:05 And so, certainly taking those steps is at the state's discretion,

8:09 and the president is doing everything he can to bring down inflation,

8:13 regulation, uh making us safe and strong again,

8:17 which, you know, under the Biden administration,

8:20 we were really left without uh strong energy independence,

8:24 and now we've got that back, and we're making sure that uh a terrorist regime is

8:28 not holding us hostage for gas prices over the long term.

8:32 When you mention everything that you can, is there any consideration,

8:36 and obviously all of this would trickle down through the economy,

8:39 whether it be individual, large businesses, small businesses, you name it.

8:43 Is there any consideration of an export oil ban that you might know of?

8:51 Well, look, we're pumping out oil at a rate that this country's never seen,

8:55 thanks to President Trump's energy dominance agenda.

8:58 Remember, we just came out of the Biden administration,

9:00 which promised to end fossil fuel,

9:02 that was shutting in our leases, that was shutting in oil production.

9:07 So, now we're returning to not just energy dominance,

9:10 but energy security on a world stage,

9:12 and we're becoming a net supplier to the world for oil and natural gas.

9:17 And so, what's happening is reflected in the short term,

9:21 but also in the long term,

9:22 where energy prices are forecast to come down strongly by the end of the year,

9:27 not just in the crude oil futures,

9:28 but in the US gasoline futures market with a 43% price reduction.

9:34 So, look, the president is taking steps to make

9:36 our supply more secure and strong for the long term.

9:39 And you see that not just in energy, but you see it in taxes.

9:43 Our country's going to be more stable cuz we have lower taxes.

9:46 We have less regulation.

9:47 That's driving an economic engine that this nation

9:50 has not seen since the president's first term.

9:53 Let me let me move on to some news involving the Small Business Administration.

9:57 There's a story out in the Wall Street Journal right now and the headline

10:01 is Trump clears the way for more

10:02 beef imports aiming to bring down record-high prices.

10:06 And the journal is reporting now that the administration plans to direct

10:09 the the SBA to increase loans and access to capital for ranchers.

10:15 Also saying that the administration will

10:17 reduce some regulations for US cattlemen.

10:20 We've been following the the as it says there the record-high prices of beef.

10:25 What can you tell us about what the SBA may

10:28 be involved with as it relates to ranchers and beef?

10:35 That's right, Blake.

10:36 Look, the president has done a number of things to bring down food prices,

10:40 which he has been very effective along with Secretary Rollins at the USDA.

10:44 One of the things the SBA can do is provide access to capital.

10:48 That's what we do and we did it at record levels in fiscal 2025.

10:52 What does access to capital do?

10:54 Under our grocery guarantee, it provides producers, suppliers, warehouses,

10:58 logistics providers with more capital to make that supply

11:03 more available across this country within our food supply.

11:06 So that 90% guarantee going on small business loans for our producers,

11:11 our ranchers, our farmers,

11:12 and the entire food supply chain can make the supply more abundant and can

11:16 make it more accessible for these small

11:19 businesses to get federally guaranteed loans.

11:21 So look, it's the it's the dinner time hour.

11:23 When can consumers at home who are opening up their fridge

11:27 right now and they've seen these beef prices go higher,

11:30 what does this mean for them?

11:31 When when can they see beef prices dropping?

11:38 Well, certainly that's what the president's actions today are going to be all

11:41 about is making sure that we have a long-term stable supply of beef.

11:45 We know how important that is to the American

11:47 diet and that's part of what the SBA is

11:49 doing is making sure that it's more available

11:51 by by providing more funding for those producers, those ranchers.

11:56 And the SBA last year put out $7 billion to rural America.

12:00 Uh President Trump is taking a number of measures to ensure

12:03 that prices continue to come down across the entire food supply chain.

12:08 Whether it's eggs or pasta or other inputs,

12:11 that has already brought grocery prices down

12:13 and we're going to continue to look through way

12:15 for ways uh not just at the SBA's

12:18 uh lending practices and making sure they're open,

12:21 but through deregulation that has driven up the cost of our food supply,

12:25 particularly under Joe Biden where they layered

12:27 on $5 billion of regulations on small businesses.

12:30 How can the administration say the tariffs are working?

12:32 Bank of America um had a had a report out just in the recent weeks.

12:36 Deposit growth they said went negative

12:38 for small ag businesses after Liberation Day.

12:42 It was going up before then.

12:44 Um went negative afterwards.

12:46 What's the argument if these small ag businesses um

12:50 are moving in the opposite direction the tariffs are working?

12:56 Well, look, President Trump returned $12

12:58 billion to America's farmers just in February.

13:02 This is critically important particularly at a time when farmers are planting,

13:06 they're in the middle of planting uh which is

13:08 a major uh time of input costs uh that you know,

13:12 thanks to the uh reductions in uh regulation,

13:16 farmers have a better chance at cutting costs.

13:20 The other thing that we're looking at for small

13:22 business is an increase in manufacturing reshoring, made in America.

13:26 That's what's happening for rural communities across this country.

13:29 They had been hollowed out thanks to losing 70,000 factories,

13:33 5 million jobs in hardworking communities.

13:35 That brings back strength to our rural communities when

13:38 we're able to put Americans in good paying jobs

13:41 have made in America and strengthen our entire supply

13:44 chain from food to manufacturing to aerospace and defense.

13:48 That's what these tariffs mean and I see it working across the entire country.

13:51 Let me leave you with this.

13:53 We are hours away from the first tariff refunds that will soon electronically

13:58 start to hit the bank accounts of those who who applied for it.

14:01 For small businesses, should they submit for these?

14:06 Is it good or bad for them going

14:09 forward administrator that they could potentially get these refunds

14:13 because the position of the administration was

14:16 the tariff policy is is is a net plus.

14:22 Well, first of all, I think this Supreme

14:24 Court case was wrongly decided and I don't I

14:26 don't have any small businesses talking to me

14:28 today about how do they get their tariff refunds.

14:32 When I walk through a factory or a small business,

14:33 they show me where they where their jobs exist,

14:37 how many people they want to hire, which wall they want to knock out to expand,

14:40 that they want to get another loan to grow their business.

14:43 They're incredibly optimistic after four very

14:46 tough years under the Biden administration where

14:48 small business optimism for 43 months in a row was below the 52-year average.

14:54 Now small business optimism is generally above.

14:57 So small businesses are talking about growth, hiring,

15:00 and opportunity and that's really what our focus is in helping

15:04 them grasp this moment for the golden era of small business revitalization.

15:08 Kelly Loeffler is the administrator over at the SBA.

15:12 Thank you so much for the time.

15:13 Appreciate it, administrator.

15:17 Thank you, Blake.

15:19 All right, still to come tonight,

15:20 18 Americans under intense monitoring for hantavirus as public

15:25 health officials answer new questions including this, will it spread?

15:32 There are no guarantees in life.

15:33 We're putting as many measures in place as possible to ensure that the people

15:37 are safe and healthy and we keep the community safe and healthy as well.

15:40 Plus our Brian Entin on the water tonight as the investigation into the mystery

15:46 surrounding that missing Michigan woman in the Bahamas picks up today, Brian.

15:53 Yeah, Blake, it's been more than a month since Lynette Hooker went missing.

15:56 Her husband said that he was going to search for her.

15:59 He left the Bahamas.

16:00 We're about [music] to get on to this kayak for you, Blake.

16:03 Take you out off the coast of Florida to where [music] the boat is now.

16:06 The Coast Guard seized their boat.

16:08 The latest on the investigation coming up.

16:10 Entin on the water in just a bit.

16:13 That means you can't go anywhere.

16:14 See you on the other side.

16:19 Well, the last remaining passengers on a cruise ship

16:22 hit by that deadly hantavirus outbreak have all disembarked.

16:25 That includes 18 Americans who are now quarantined back in the US tonight.

16:31 One of those passengers tested positive for the virus over the weekend

16:35 and is now being treated at a quarantine facility in Nebraska.

16:38 Another showing symptoms.

16:41 Our Jessica Cortalha live with the latest tonight.

16:43 We just got briefed a little while ago by health officials, Jessica.

16:48 Right.

16:48 So, here's the very latest, Blake.

16:50 Two of them, a couple, are in Atlanta at that facility at Emory.

16:54 The other 16 in Omaha.

16:56 It is a very high-tech quarantine facility at the University of Nebraska.

17:00 You hear cruise ship coming in behind me here in New York.

17:03 At the same system used in other high-risk public health responses like COVID.

17:08 That's why they all went to Nebraska.

17:09 That's why they are quarantining there.

17:12 The CDC says that this is the only type

17:15 of hantavirus documented that can really spread from person to person.

17:19 The quarantine period for hantavirus lasts about 42 days,

17:23 uh though some may be able to finish their isolation isolation periods

17:26 at home because the symptoms often don't present themselves until after day 40.

17:32 Take a listen.

17:33 There is a strong plan in place and to ensure

17:39 that folks are secure for their initial assessment

17:42 and we're working diligently to ensure no one leaves

17:47 the security in an unsecured way at an inappropriate time.

17:52 No one who poses a risk to public health

17:55 is walking out the front door of the streets.

18:00 So, Blake, uh public health officials are also monitoring other Americans

18:04 who left the ship before the virus was confirmed as well

18:08 as others who may have shared a flight with those passengers

18:12 who left the ship but were then diagnosed later on.

18:15 Jessica Cartaya on it for us tonight.

18:17 Jessica, thank you.

18:19 All right, welcome back.

18:19 Dr.

18:20 Brett Giroir served as the Assistant Secretary

18:22 for Health in President Trump's first term.

18:25 Doctor, Admiral, always nice to see you, sir.

18:27 Um Great to see you.

18:29 You as well.

18:30 Let Let me start here.

18:31 I- It's It seems like there's a lot of decisions to be made.

18:34 Someone to Nebraska, someone to Atlanta.

18:37 As Jessica just outlined, symptoms might not present themselves until day 40.

18:42 So, how do you How do you sort

18:45 of look at the decision-making process here or can you

18:47 explain it the decision-making process here that health officials

18:51 are are are staring in the face right now?

18:55 Great question.

18:56 Let me give you just a little bit of background.

18:58 Um everyone's wondering if this is the new COVID and and it's clearly not.

19:01 This is a virus that has been circulating that we've had people catch it before.

19:07 We understand it.

19:08 We understand how it's transmitted.

19:10 Now, hantavirus is present in the United States,

19:13 but there's only been about a thousand cases over the last 30 years.

19:17 But this particular type of hantavirus,

19:19 the Andes strain, occurs regularly in Chile and Argentina,

19:24 about 200 or so cases a year,

19:26 and it's generally caught by inhaling mouse droppings.

19:30 So, contaminated anything by mouse droppings that's inhaled,

19:35 and those people catch it.

19:36 Now, this strain, the Andes strain, rarely,

19:39 but it is communicable person to person,

19:42 and there've been a couple of documented

19:43 small clusters where it's been transmitted, and that's what we see here.

19:48 So, the bottom line is this is not usually transmittable human to human,

19:54 but this strain is, but it is not very contagious.

19:57 It requires very close contact, and that's what you probably had on the cruise

20:01 ship or with husband and wife or cabin mates.

20:05 And the decision to quarantine is exactly right.

20:07 This is stopped all other outbreaks, put them in quarantine,

20:11 isolate them, and wait till their incubation is over.

20:14 So, here's what health officials were stressing today.

20:16 Let's Let's roll it, then we'll pick it up.

20:20 What I also want to say is hantavirus is a known virus.

20:24 It is a known pathogen.

20:26 And that helps us.

20:27 We know what we're doing, and we know how we're responding.

20:31 They went on to say the risk of the virus to the general public remains,

20:35 and I quote here, very, very low.

20:38 Is that how you would characterize it?

20:41 I completely agree with that because this is not like COVID where you

20:45 can transmit it before you're symptomatic and you transmit it in the air.

20:50 This is a very defined pattern.

20:52 It is difficult to transmit.

20:54 You are symptomatic before you transmit it, and more important than anything,

20:59 previous small clusters have been controlled just by standard public health,

21:03 by quarantine, watching to make sure you don't get symptoms,

21:07 and then people go go away.

21:10 Now, Emory and Atlanta are both outstanding centers.

21:13 They're part of a network of high pathogen treatment centers.

21:18 This was started after an outbreak I was involved in before COVID.

21:22 That was Ebola in Texas in 2014.

21:25 When we decided that you really can't take

21:26 care of these patients in a community hospital, you need specialized centers.

21:30 And personally, I have the absolute

21:32 highest respect for the Nebraska Medical Center.

21:35 They've been leaders in this for decades.

21:36 They have some of the best physicians.

21:38 Not only can they care for them,

21:40 but they could supply the advanced care if they do get sick

21:44 because hantavirus is a very deadly disease with a 30 to 50% mortality.

21:49 You need to be in a great center.

21:51 Dr.

21:52 Gerard, we'll leave it there.

21:54 As he mentioned, has been dealing with this for many years now.

21:58 Thousand cases over 30 years.

22:01 This this virus breaking it down for us tonight.

22:04 Doctor, thank you.

22:05 You're welcome.

22:06 Of course.

22:07 All right.

22:07 By the way, hantavirus study in Chile, he mentioned Chile.

22:11 Tracked at 476 patients and found only

22:14 1% of household contacts contracted the illness.

22:19 Just to try to paint some of the picture tonight.

22:22 All right.

22:22 Still to come, new details in the search for a Michigan woman who disappeared

22:26 in the Bahamas as the Coast Guard takes

22:28 possession of the charter boat that she sailed on.

22:32 Brian Entin other side with the latest.

22:35 Plus, hunting and fishing have gone high-tech.

22:37 But some say it's taking the actual [music] fun out of the chase.

22:43 Is that what's going on with fishing and hunting in America?

22:47 It's the bottom of the hour as we head on into the newsroom

22:49 for the top stories when we return on [music] the other side of the break.

22:58 Bottom of the hour, 6:30 here on the East Coast.

23:00 Top story tonight includes President

23:02 Trump rejecting Iran's latest peace proposal,

23:06 blasting it as a quote piece of garbage.

23:09 And insisting the fragile ceasefire is teetering on the brink of collapse.

23:14 I would say the ceasefire is on massive life

23:18 support where the doctor walks in and says sir,

23:22 your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living.

23:28 The president also reiterating his bottom line is non-negotiable.

23:31 No nukes, no exceptions.

23:33 So with the ceasefire at a 1% or there as he put it life support,

23:37 among the questions tonight, what might the president do next?

23:41 What are the military options the commander in chief has before him?

23:44 That's coming up just about 10 minutes from now.

23:47 We'll break those down then.

23:48 All right, other news from the across the country tonight

23:50 and this one comes in from our Los Angeles affiliate KTLA.

23:54 How about this?

23:55 The mayor of Arcadia,

23:57 that's in Los Angeles County just north and east of downtown LA,

24:01 now facing federal charges of acting as an agent of China.

24:08 Eileen Wang is set to appear in court this afternoon,

24:11 expected to plead guilty in the coming days

24:15 to one felony count of acting as an illegal agent.

24:18 Wang faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

24:21 The charges stem from stem from a website that she

24:24 ran uh a few years ago called US News Center,

24:28 which was meant for Chinese Americans.

24:30 The site is accused of posting articles

24:32 and executing directives for the Chinese government.

24:36 According to Arcadia's website,

24:37 Wang has already resigned from her role as the mayor of that city.

24:42 Wow.

24:43 Uh other side of the country now from our DC affiliate DC News Now,

24:46 the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump

24:49 at last month's White House Correspondents Dinner pleading not guilty.

24:53 Prosecutors say Cole Allen arrived at the event with a shotgun, handgun,

24:57 and knives and tried to force

24:58 his way through security checkpoints before being apprehended.

25:02 Allen faces multiple charges including attempted assassination of the president.

25:07 He could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.

25:12 Well, the investigation into a missing Michigan mom who went

25:17 overboard in the Bahamas now taking a major turn tonight.

25:22 The US Coast Guard now taking custody of what could be

25:26 a key piece of evidence at the centerpiece of her disappearance, Lynette Hooker.

25:31 Our Brian Entin uh down in the southeast

25:33 part of the country tonight on his kayak.

25:36 There he goes on a beautiful day in South

25:38 Florida with the newest developments there on the water.

25:42 Hello, Brian.

25:44 Yeah, hey Blake.

25:45 So, so we're in Fort Pierce and this this story has

25:47 taken a really interesting turn over the last 24 hours because

25:51 Lynette Hooker went missing from the Bahamas about 100 miles

25:55 or so uh to the east of where I am right now.

25:58 Um her husband uh Brian Hooker,

26:00 he was in custody there for almost 5 days while they questioned him.

26:04 They let him go.

26:04 Well, now look at this.

26:06 Their boat, that's it right there.

26:07 It's called Soulmate and it has now turned up here

26:11 at the Coast Guard base here in Fort Pierce and I

26:15 am told that they have actually seized the boat

26:18 as part of this ongoing investigation into what happened to Lynette.

26:24 Uh so, not only are the Bahamians investigating,

26:27 but we now know that the Coast Guard investigative unit is

26:30 also on the case and they have actually seized the husband,

26:34 Brian Hooker's boat and it is now here in Fort Pierce.

26:37 So, we've been watching it all day, Blake, uh trying to see, you know,

26:40 are are they going to go out or are

26:41 they going to do some kind of forensic testing.

26:43 We had the drone up.

26:44 We were trying to get the drone up earlier, Blake,

26:46 but because it's right next to a Coast Guard base,

26:48 this is really the only way we could get our eyes on it.

26:51 You're not allowed to fly drones, so we decided to take uh the kayak out.

26:54 Blake?

26:55 Brian's done a lot of reporting down there

26:56 uh in the southeast part of the state,

26:57 and as he mentioned, you can't just walk up to a Coast Guard base, right?

27:00 On his kayak tonight uh with the very latest there in the southeast.

27:05 Brian, thank you.

27:06 All right.

27:07 Other news tonight from across the country, let's take you out west.

27:10 Our affiliate KDR with new thermal video showing a Frontier Airlines

27:16 plane hitting a person at the runway at Denver International Airport.

27:20 This happened over the weekend.

27:21 The Transportation Secretary Sean Duffey says the person who

27:24 died scaled a perimeter fence and snuck onto the runway.

27:29 Air traffic controllers and pilots reacting right after impact.

27:35 Frontier 4345, we're stopping on the runway.

27:38 Uh there we just hit somebody.

27:39 We have an engine fire.

27:40 Frontier 4345, I see that.

27:43 The pilot immediately stopped takeoff procedures,

27:46 and the plane was quickly evacuated.

27:48 At least a dozen hurt during that incident as well.

27:51 The FAA continues its investigation tonight.

27:55 Well, how about this?

27:56 Uh Hoosiers in the house, I guess you could say.

27:58 President Trump welcoming the victorious Indiana football team at the White

28:01 House today to celebrate their national championship earlier this year.

28:05 The president commending the team.

28:09 I watched that game.

28:10 I watched these guys.

28:12 They can play.

28:13 They can play.

28:14 And then they were a little underestimated.

28:17 But I just said, "But not anymore." They're not underestimated anymore.

28:20 They were incredible talents.

28:23 Head coach Curt Cignetti presented the president with a signed football,

28:26 an IU helmet, jersey of his own.

28:27 That's kind of what you do, right?

28:28 You give the commander-in-chief a jersey with his number

28:31 and his name on the back, and there you go.

28:33 Over at the White House today.

28:36 All right, still to come tonight.

28:38 The president rejecting Iran's newest proposal as stupid, essentially.

28:44 [music] As new reports indicate,

28:45 he's considering new military action against the regime.

28:48 Our next guest on what the president could take aim at, right?

28:52 Like he'd been talking about a deal is close, a deal is close.

28:55 They they they want to negotiate.

28:56 So, now what?

28:59 What happens next?

29:00 What are the options before [music] the president?

29:01 And fishing in America.

29:04 Why is it getting so high-tech?

29:06 When we return.

29:11 It was just unacceptable.

29:14 You know, a lot of people said, "Well,

29:16 does he have a plan?" Yeah, of course they do.

29:18 I have I have the best plan ever.

29:20 Iran has been defeated militarily totally.

29:22 But, I have a plan.

29:23 You know, there is a very simple plan.

29:25 I don't know why you don't say it like it is.

29:27 Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

29:30 Mhm.

29:30 President Trump telling reporters why he rejected a peace proposal from Iran

29:35 over the weekend that sought to separate

29:36 nuclear talks from the ongoing negotiation.

29:40 One of many key points that Iran and the US aren't even close to.

29:44 Which begs the question, what are the president's options going forward?

29:50 The president meeting with his national

29:51 security team today to discuss just that.

29:55 Back with us, News Nation senior national security contributor,

29:58 retired General Richard Newton.

29:59 General, thank you, sir.

30:00 They had the big meeting over at the White

30:03 House right after the president made those comments.

30:05 And and so now with the president describing

30:07 this as life support and then a one-percenter,

30:11 what is this the military's round two in the upcoming days here?

30:17 Well, it could be a national security effort also, not just the military,

30:20 but I'm sure I mean it's you know,

30:21 parts of the intelligence community and so forth.

30:23 Report in the media they huddled over at the White House,

30:25 the National Security Council team.

30:26 I'm I guarantee you US Central Command was there as well.

30:30 You know, I've talked about this many times.

30:32 What the US Central Command is doing

30:34 is providing the president's options moving forward.

30:36 I I guarantee you that includes continuing with a naval blockade

30:40 for the next several days if not for the next few weeks or so.

30:43 But other options could be to go into a another phase

30:46 of military strikes that could could ensue with regard to going

30:51 after certainly those of those offensive positions in and around the Strait

30:56 of Hormuz that Iran has on their side of the Strait.

30:59 That would be their ballistic missiles, their cruise missiles,

31:01 their drones that continue to harass you know,

31:04 commercial shipping as well as US ships as even

31:08 parts of our Gulf Arab allied nations such as Right.

31:10 United Arab Emirates.

31:11 There's other targets a target rich environment and we can get

31:13 into that, but that's that's what the president's hearing about today.

31:16 So if there is movement going forward as it

31:20 relates um to the commander in chief into the military,

31:24 you know, look, the president said today it was on life support.

31:27 Right?

31:27 So let's let's work under that umbrella for a moment.

31:31 The question then is,

31:33 well then what would the objectives be going forward for the president?

31:38 Would the objectives be general to open the Strait of Hormuz?

31:42 Would the objectives be to bring that that missile

31:46 um stockpile or the capabilities down to zero?

31:49 President Trump described it the other day at about 18 or 19%.

31:52 Would it be to not have enough capabilities for nuclear weapon?

31:56 Some of the above, all of the above?

31:58 Am I missing something?

32:00 What would the objectives be?

32:02 Well, they'd be what we call tactical military objectives, all the above.

32:05 That's to go after

32:07 remnants of Iranians the regime's weapons development capabilities.

32:11 Secondly, would be go after their retaliatory capabilities

32:13 that they've been able to re regroup in that regard.

32:16 I'm sure over the last you know, several weeks.

32:18 That would be their ballistic missile capabilities,

32:20 their cruise missiles and their drones

32:21 that they can retaliate against US forces,

32:24 but also our allies in the region, Israel and the Gulf Arab nations as well.

32:28 The other aspects of this I think that will be key here which is different than

32:31 what we saw kick off on 20 February

32:33 will be going after some key positions within

32:35 as I mentioned the Strait of you know

32:37 Hormuz where they are able to launch those cruise

32:40 missiles and drones and and those gunboats

32:42 that they're able to launch sea mines as well.

32:45 Also, here's you know,

32:46 there's still 1,500 commercial ships backed up in the Persian Gulf

32:50 and that's what we started off with Project Freedom last week.

32:52 I think there's still be capabilities that will need to lend a hand there to get

32:56 them out of the Persian Gulf and on their way you know to back to their ports.

32:59 I would also advise the president to continue on with what has been an exquisite

33:04 naval blockade with US Navy capabilities and I would expand on that so that we

33:09 guarantee the fact that there's no you know ships going to and from Iranian

33:13 ports at this point as well as and by the way that's a global blockade.

33:16 That's where we're going after ships that have either entered or

33:20 is that the highest would that be the number

33:22 one objective going forward given where we are right now?

33:27 Yeah, from a tactical standpoint the number one objective would be

33:29 the Strait of Hormuz but the broader objective here is still

33:32 going after nuclear weapons development capabilities and I would call it

33:35 like maybe just an everything else in between that I just described.

33:39 And so the president's going to have a range of options here.

33:41 The other aspect of this that we haven't talked about

33:43 yet is Israel has got tremendous capability with their air power.

33:47 They could join in as well

33:49 and go after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leadership.

33:52 They could go after other aspects of the regime

33:54 that really pins down the Iranian people.

33:57 The Basij militia and so forth so they're not able

33:59 to export terrorism specifically Hezbollah in Lebanon and and elsewhere.

34:04 Here was the president today on as he describes it the nuclear dust.

34:09 Iran told me very strongly cuz they intend

34:12 to give us the nuclear dust as I call it.

34:14 They told me number one you're getting it

34:17 but you're going to have to take it out because

34:19 the site was so obliterated that there's only one

34:23 or two countries in the world that could get it.

34:26 Can you square General how the president describes it as nuclear dust meaning

34:30 the operation that was last year

34:32 that hit the nuclear facilities but then leading

34:35 into this the word coming out of the White House was that Iran had told

34:41 the US negotiating team that they had enough

34:43 for something like 10 you know nuclear weapons.

34:47 How does all that square especially given that this is

34:51 sort of the the breaking point between both sides.

34:56 Let me put it into context here.

34:57 There's about 900 pounds reportedly remaining

35:00 of of uranium somewhat enriched uranium

35:02 at the 60% market or so I believe it's in this one

35:06 still deeply buried both to post that June 22nd midnight hammer strike

35:11 and then there's another 100 pounds or so you know elsewhere as well.

35:15 So that's what the president's referring

35:16 to in terms of uranium or enriched uranium.

35:19 But that's a that's a tall order to go

35:21 in and get that and seize it and bring it out.

35:23 It takes thousands of troops to do that.

35:25 Boots on the ground yes for temporary basis but also highly trained troops who

35:30 understand and are capable of dealing with uranium

35:32 and and nuclear materials and so forth.

35:35 I would what I would vote for in this case or advise the president is

35:39 also to bring back the atomic energy you know IAEA and have them do the you

35:43 know the oversight and the inspection of those sites and perhaps if you're going

35:48 to need boots on the ground to do it yes 1-800 United States but that's a

35:52 [laughter]

35:51 tall order and by the way that's that's down range in terms of timeline.

35:55 It's enough to go after their they're trying to still pursue a nuclear weapon

36:00 here it's not just the enriched uranium

36:01 but it's the capabilities in that regard.

36:03 Let me leave you with this.

36:04 Something very unusual happened today.

36:06 The US military publicized a port call of a nuclear submarine.

36:13 Why?

36:15 I believe that first off you're seeing

36:17 an Ohio class ballistic missile submarine that we

36:19 call them boomers made a port call still is in that port in Gibraltar.

36:24 That could be a message to the rest of the world.

36:28 It could be a message to our allies.

36:29 It could be a message to the American people, but certainly our adversaries uh

36:33 that the United States has long-range capabilities.

36:35 Where rarely do we bring out and publicly

36:38 you know acknowledge that there's these submarines, much less port calls.

36:41 But, you know what?

36:42 President Trump said it to Beijing tomorrow.

36:44 It's a great message strategic communication-wise uh to China on uh

36:49 at the front end of his his trip to China.

36:51 Maybe it's uh maybe it's for the Middle East a message.

36:54 Maybe it's for Xi Jinping.

36:56 Uh it's a big world out there.

36:57 The general knows it better than I.

36:59 Thank you, sir.

37:00 We'll talk again soon.

37:02 All right, Blake.

37:02 All right, have a good one.

37:03 Still to come, other side.

37:06 Keeping it real.

37:07 Fishermen are now raising concerns about new technology.

37:12 How is it impacting the hunt?

37:14 And why in some places high-tech hunting is now off-limits.

37:25 Uh this must be nice.

37:27 Live look there, Salmon River, Pulaski, New York.

37:29 One of the best spots for fishing in the Northeast.

37:32 And with summer fast approaching, thank goodness.

37:35 You may be one of many looking forward to getting outside and doing just that.

37:38 But, some high-tech equipment is ruining, some say,

37:41 those quiet days out on the lake or hunting in the woods.

37:45 Gadgets like tracking drones, night vision rifle scopes,

37:48 and thermal uh thermal imaging binoculars have

37:51 sparked fierce debate among hunters as they

37:53 reckon with what adopting them means for their craft and for their sport.

37:57 New sonar-based fishing technology, for example,

38:00 sparking similar debates among anglers.

38:03 With me now, Clint Wade.

38:04 He is the owner of Outlaw Outdoors.

38:07 18 bass fishing tournaments he has on the calendar this year.

38:11 Clint, nice to see you.

38:12 What's the story?

38:12 What's going on in your world?

38:15 I'll tell you, Blake.

38:16 Technology is taking over fishing.

38:17 It's always been involved in the industry,

38:19 but It just seems like over the last 5 years the amount

38:23 of technology has just accelerated tremendously in the bass fishing industry.

38:28 What's the issue with it?

38:30 Like I I've I know about forward-facing sonar and you basically can

38:34 drop it in and it it makes it all the world easier, right?

38:38 But what's the issue?

38:40 You know, it's it's really caused division within

38:43 the industry and I tell you what I think it's done is it's caused the younger

38:47 generation to catch up rapidly with the older generation.

38:51 When I say that, these young kids,

38:53 they're used to growing up with game players in their hands and they catch

38:58 on to looking at a screen

38:59 and their hand-eye coordination is so much better than,

39:02 you know, some of the older generation.

39:04 And man, when you start entering in entering fishing tournaments,

39:07 these old guys thinks that, you know,

39:09 you're coming to my court and and you're playing my ball game and I should

39:12 be the one to win because I put the most hours out on the lake.

39:15 You're giving me a little back in my day, Clint, it it sounds like.

39:18 Back in my day we used to have it, but look, I mean,

39:21 you know, used to have there are now, for example, modern rods, high-tech reels.

39:27 I was looking at some other sporting technologies over the time.

39:30 There used to be composite rackets in tennis, persimmon woods in golf.

39:35 Heck, the best thing in baseball

39:36 right now is the automatic ball-strike challenge.

39:39 Like every time that's on TV, I'm glued to it.

39:42 So, what about the concept that, you know, nowadays,

39:47 I I get what you what you had back in the days,

39:49 but nowadays, modernizing it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

39:53 You know what?

39:54 I think there's a whole other side of this that that a lot

39:56 of people won't talk about and that's the health of the fisheries.

39:59 You know, I think some of these fish that are now being

40:01 able to be caught by some of these guys in the past,

40:05 they've been able to go out to deep water or else in some,

40:08 you know, some large timber and suspend where we

40:11 didn't used to look for them because we didn't have

40:12 the technology to go out there and locate them

40:15 and see how they react to our lure and catch them.

40:18 And long-term, none of us knows if we continue to catch these big fish that

40:23 Right.

40:24 They think they're in their safe space out there,

40:26 but obviously they're not because we're bringing

40:27 them to weigh in in these tournaments.

40:29 And what are we doing for our fisheries long-term

40:32 by catching some of these bigger females and taking them,

40:35 you know, away from their natural habitat for

40:37 So, what's the what's the what's the future of fishing, say, 10 years from now?

40:41 What does it look like?

40:42 Man, I wish I had a crystal ball, you know.

40:45 I try to look into the future right now.

40:46 right now is we're we're really short-term as far as our decision this year.

40:51 We're not allowing forward-facing sonar in our tournaments.

40:54 Mhm.

40:54 And it's simply because it's just drama, man.

40:56 Forward-facing sonar has created so much drama in the industry over the last,

41:00 really just 2 years.

41:01 It's caused a division across the you know,

41:04 I can't physically say this, but you look at a pavilion at the weigh-in,

41:08 there's like the young crowd and the old crowd.

41:10 They have physically divided.

41:12 And you know, the the I'm kind of the guy that simple and I

41:15 want to remove as much drama and controversy out of anything and I can.

41:18 And that's why our decision The latest in young versus old,

41:21 I guess, for for a pastime for so many.

41:24 Yeah.

41:25 Uh Clint Wade I got to leave it there.

41:28 Uh fascinating what's going on in your world.

41:30 All the best, sir.

41:30 Appreciate you.

41:32 Um I thank you so much for being with us tonight.

41:35 I'm Blake Berman.

41:35 We'll see you back here tomorrow.

41:36 Hanna is in for Elizabeth right now.