The Brian Kilmeade Show

From India, I'm going to go to Top Fox News headquarters in New York City. Always seeking solutions, never sowing division. It's Brian Kilmead.

So glad you're there. I'm here, Brian Kilmead coming your way. Whirlwind tour over in D.C. yesterday. Sat down with a speaker.

We'll talk about that. Mark Penn is going to be one of our guests this hour, CEO, chairman of Stagwell, but best known as the Bill Clinton advisor, pollster, helped him win twice and helped Hillary Clinton and has been pretty much straight up the middle since. He's going to tell us where this whole election's heading and who's hot right now. And Brett Baer is standing by over in China.

So I don't want to keep him waiting too long. He's going to be quite a busy guy today as the president has already landed.

So let's get to the big three. Number three. No one should be discriminated against because of their race. No one. And by resetting this and correcting the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, that's the outcome.

And not everybody's happy about it, but people aren't happy about anywhere congressional lines are drawn.

Well, Speaker Johnson, well, I had a chance to sit down with him for an exclusive interview yesterday in his office. We talked about China, Iran, inflation, midterms, and so much more. We'll bring it back. Number two. But look at this.

Which party is trusted more in the economy? It's a tie among registered voters. Just because Donald Trump is unpopular doesn't make Democrats popular. And when you match Democrats against Republicans, all of a sudden it is a dead heat. There you go.

Harry Enton of CNN says Dem's in trouble as socialism surges in their party and backlash is bringing new life into the Republicans as midterms approach despite the historic headwinds. Number one. We were watching as the Chinese were literally just rolling out the red carpet for President Trump. This trip is really to show that even though there is fierce competition between these two biggest economies in the world, there is also stability and a working relationship. And that's what they're looking to do.

I don't know it's going to be a substantial win or loss for anybody. President lands in China for intense two-day summit. A lot of pomp and circumstance. That means a lot. We'll have previews and reviews in real time.

So let's bring in Brett Baer, chief political anchor of Fox News, anchor of Special Report, and he'll be interviewing the President of the United States. I think prior to his sit-down or at some point during this trip, he was also the author of a best-selling book, The Case for America, an argument on behalf of our nation.

So, Brett, what could you tell us so far? I mean, what a brutal flight that is. The president left at 5 o'clock yesterday. He just landed at 8 o'clock our time. Yeah, let's see.

Good morning. Good evening from Beijing. It's I got here this morning, Beijing time, and it was 15 hours from New York to here and kind of hit the ground running, did a lot of shoots around Beijing all day today. It'll be a part of the show tonight. The president went through Alaska, refueled in Alaska.

He's got a bunch of business people on the plane as well, Elon Musk, Jensen Wong, Tim Cook, others. And, you know, I think he's looking to make a slash year with President Xi. On the flip side, the Chinese are looking to make an impression like they did on the first President Trump trip, which I was on in 2017. And so there'll be a lot of rolling out the red carpet and a great and, you know, the for All kinds of bump circumstances, but the bottom line here is that a couple of things are going to come from this. One is they've already debated a great deal.

Uh accept it. What's called a board of trade to you know on each side, each side, get get a number of uh Two, I think the Chinese really think that they can be the linchpin to Iran. And I talked today with a former senior officer with the People's Liberation Army who's kind of checked off from the Communist Party to talk to the media like us. Essentially, he said that that's one of the things that they want to come away with, is some kind of deal on Iran. They don't expect much of Taiwan, actually, according to this senior officer, but they do think that keeping it status quo would be the way that they expect it to go.

That's interesting because I mean there's also the nuclear issue too because they are an emerging nuclear power. President says, I don't want to do a deal with Russia and not include China. Do you expect anything on that? Yes, I mean, there's a lot of things up in the air here, Brian. I mean, I think that front and center is going to be the Iran deal and the Strait of Vermuz.

And This senior officer, who's really well respected, and you're going to see him tonight on special report, and speaks great English, says. They see Pakistan as just the location for the mediator that. China believes that it is the interlocutor that can make this deal happen. And that's part of this summit. As far as the nuclear deal, I don't know if that's going to happen this time.

I think you're going to have trade, you're going to have business deals, and that's one of the reasons the President brought a stacked deck of CEOs and founders. And I think you're going to have Talk about AI and the long term, about what two countries can agree on when it comes to that. I know you have a great relationship with the president. You still were able to cover him fairly. And I was able to talk to him about this trip, and he said, Brian, I told President Xi, if I'm coming, you better make this bigger than ever.

And he goes, and I'll respond. You can come back to us, but it better be big.

So far, so good, right? Red carpets out there, chanting. I believe it was a positive chant in Mandarin for the President of the United States. It looked great. The optics looked great.

And now there's really nothing going on now. Uh until tomorrow, correct? Right, yes. He has an overnight recover from that flight, which is brutal. And I guarantee you, I wasn't on Air Force One, but I guarantee you he didn't sleep much with all those business folks and meetings and phone calls.

China's prepared clearly for this visit. And you look at twenty seventeen and that visit and what came out of it. He President Trump sees this relationship as somebody that he can call Xi and have a straightforward talk. That's not discounting the competition that obviously we have with China, and that sometimes it's more than that. And I think that there's some concern that the President may do something, say something on Taiwan that changes the dynamic.

Their expectation here in China is that that's not going to happen.

So the one thing is interesting is because the President was playing down China's role, and you're saying we all know China's got if they decide if they tell Iran right now, open up the strait, right now, they will do it. I mean, that's how much they're hitching their wagons to China.

So we know that. But if they lay out and don't do anything, tell me if you think this is plausible. I mean, if. That last plan was so insulting that the president got it, he goes, he said, I didn't even finish reading it. We're going to have no choice but to go back.

And there's an excellent chance we finish the job. And they'll lose an ally like they lost Venezuela.

So, if China wants to sit back and say, not my problem, there's a risk there too. No, I agree with you. And I hear what the President said.

However, I think that President Xi is going to come to the table with, I'm going to deliver Iran XYZ. That's what I'm guessing, just reading between the lines with this interview that I did today. And just today, two major Chinese tankers filled up at Carg Island and were escorted essentially through the navigable waters that the RRGC told them to go to to get out of the Strait of Ramouse just today.

So there is like this interoperability between China and Iran. And how that transfers to the U.S. and China relationship, I think, is going to be key. Look, I understand. You want to be a competitor.

You don't necessarily want another Cold. You don't want another Cold War. It's costly, constant posturing, proxies, all these things.

So we've already been through that most of our growing up, our life, and we watched the wall collapse and things change, but not really change that much with Russia these days.

So now with China, have we forgotten In a way, how dangerous it is to open up businesses in China. I know the president came out and said, I want brought these businessmen and women here with me to do a deal, to do deals. I want this market opened up. But there's a flip side to doing deals in China that we didn't have to worry about with the Soviets. The Soviets weren't enterprising.

China has a different economic focus. Have we shelved the worry about opening up and in China? I mean, I think that's a great question. And then you add to that the question of when the President says off the cuff that he wants Chinese companies to buy inside the U.S. and to set up factories and hire U.

S. workers. That starts to get like really as far as spying, espionage, access, all of those things. Listen, I just did you'll see on the show tonight a number of bouncing around Beijing vignettes, talking to people, showing things. And one of them Was how many cameras?

Are in this place. It is the most camera city I have ever seen. Visible. They're all visible? All visible, and there's some, it's not.

I mean, like you can see the little ones in the trees and that sort of thing. One corner, I counted 25 cameras, and um. No, they're all active. Our driver, who is driving this van, taking us from place to place. yesterday, illegally parked and was there for a minute and a half.

And the camera, which is called the e-police, Yeah. And then send him a text because it's linked to your driver's list. Wow. And it said he got a $40 ticket. Forty US dollars, like two hundred won, and uh UN and um.

I mean, it's crazy. And then you extrapolate that about watching citizens and maybe social scoring how somebody's doing. And then you're going to put a lot of businesses back in China.

So those are real, real concerns.

So Brett Baer is talking to us from China. He's with the President on his trip. He's going to get the President. When are you going to interview the President?

So after his bylax with President Xi, right before he leaves, so my interview will air Friday on special report. We'll have throughout the day we'll give to Fox and friends and other folks through the day, but the whole interview will air Friday at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

So Brett, I was in D.C. yesterday. I went into your office. I took most of your valuables. Is that a problem?

Yeah. Yeah. You're welcome to them.

Okay, good. All right.

So I just don't want you to be surprised when you get back. This is, I mean, your book's out. It's unbelievable. The Case for America, an argument on behalf of our nation. I love the commercials, too, because they really tell the story.

But I'm wondering, does China acknowledging 250 at all through this? Or could that be somewhat of a surprise salute? Wow, I don't know. I don't know if that's going to happen. Maybe, maybe.

I mean, he's they're going to tip a cap somehow to President Trump that'll be unique. I think that the big showstopper is going to be the great haul Thursday morning and when he has the big rollout. And from everything I hear, it's going to be you know, blockbuster. And then he goes to the Temple of Heaven. which is where the emperors used to pray for prosperity for the nation.

The only other president to be there is President Gerald Ford in nineteen seventy five.

So they're going to roll out the secret, sacred stuff in China to show President Trump the pump and circumstances. I'm sure they're going to announce a return visit. Do you expect that this trip? Coming here? Yes.

And I probably think President Trump will have President Xi to the U. S. There's got to be some deliverables here, Brian, because he doesn't come all this way with all those folks if there's not something significant. And I don't know what that looks like yet, but I guarantee you Iran is part of the equation. Absolutely.

So and tonight, what can we expect on Special Report?

So we'll we have this great officer, a senior officer from the PLA who obviously has been blessed by the CCP to talk to us.

So you really get a perspective of where what they're thinking, and he's very plain spoken.

So it should be very interesting. His name is Joe Bo. And then I bounce around Beijing. We have a special piece about trade and The difference. Of what they're looking at as far as possibilities.

And I have a panel here. I'm going to be on America's Newsroom with Bill Hemmer in about 30 minutes.

Okay, great.

So another interview. Oh, you'll probably shoulder to shoulder to him. You're in the same studio, right? Yes. Okay, great.

Yeah, yeah. Same here. All right, Brett, great. And by the way, pick up his book, The Case for America, An Argument on Behalf of Our Nation. It's going to be a special soon on Fox Nation.

But go get the book now. Brett, thanks so much. I appreciate your updates, and I look forward to your interview tonight. All right, we'll see, Brad. All right.

So listen, we're going to come back. I'm going to go through your emails because I got a lot of emails last night. Bottom of the Yow Mark Penn. Don't forget tonight I'm on Laura Ingram Show hosting that show. And hopefully we'll have a big update on and probably we'll have some highlights from From Brett's big interview.

And my interview with the speaker yesterday, very substantive. It's always good to talk to the speaker, but there's a lot going on. You'll want to hear it. Don't move. In a world of noise, get the signal.

Sharp, informative, and always on point. You're listening to Brian Kilmead. Yeah. If you're interested in it, Brian's talking about it. You're with Brian Kilmead.

But I think this poll serves as a big-time reality check for Democrats, and that is it ain't over yet, especially with the redistricting when we look ahead to the 2026 race for Congress. You would have thought that the Democrats League would expand on the generic congressional ballot. It didn't happen. Look, in March, Democrats were up by six points. Look at this now.

Democrats are up by three points, and I want you to note the yellow lettering: no clear leader. It is within the margin of error.

So, despite all of the talk about Donald Trump's unpopularity, the fact is Republicans very much remain in the game when it comes to the congressional midterms. Yeah, and it was amazing because I did have a chance to ask the speaker that very question about what are the chances of you holding on to the House. And he says, I'm confident I have a whole power. PowerPoint, and he would offer to give it to me. I said, No, no offense, but I'll let you keep that with the caucus on how you think we can win.

And he kind of run me down. He said, Look, it's not false optimism. That was before the redistricting. He thought he had the message. And one of the big advantages he believes they have.

Is the crazy people that they're nominating? I mean, the guy, there's a congressman over in Pennsylvania in a disputed seat, in a tough seat that's way to the left, is hassling Democratic Governor Shapiro, backed by AOC. And a lot of these socialist candidates supported by Mem Dami that Hakeem Jeffries does not support. They're trying to primary him everywhere. And then, when you flip over to the Senate, Mike Rogers was going to be formidable anyway in Michigan.

But now you have two extremists that are likely to win the nomination there to go against him. And it would be scary if Mike Rogers lost because that would mean you'd want an extremist that wants the Soviet Union to have won the Cold War that's pro-Iran, anti-American. This guy, El Saeed, so-called Ahmed El-Saeed, Abdul El-Saeed, I should say. And he's an alleged doctor and, yep, conversant, bright guy, just doesn't like America. Who campaigns with Piker.

So, Hakeem Piker, so this guy who really says I'd rather take Hamas over any Republican and kill Rick Scott, is actually introducing this guy at events.

So, you see a lot of these extremists, the Seattle mayor, the terrible mayor here in New York, and you say, okay, what's my alternative?

Well the alternative is Republicans, because at the very least, you know exactly where they stand. They're not going to put a guy in your daughter's sport on your daughter's sports team. They're not going to be pro crime. You know, they're going to be pro-immigration, but not anti-immigration. They're going to be kicking criminals out of your country.

So we're not even debating the old traditional Bill Clinton versus George H.W. Bush debates, Al Gore against George W. Bush debates. This is extreme. And it's scary if they actually get these extremists, if those if they end up winning.

Radio that makes you think. This is the Brian Kill Me Show. Hey, we are back. Mark Penn with us, the CEO chairman of Stagwell Inc. Just to keep you up to date on what happened a few hours ago, the President of the United States, after a 13-hour trip, landed in China, at which time he's with a bunch of dozens of CEOs, and they're looking to do deals.

They're not looking to do cursory appearances and promises for later. And some of the people like Tim Cook actually. Their products made in China, so they are totally there's nothing that can happen on this trip I think that would change anything. Same with Tesla. I also think that their presence in China, basically, their technology seems to have been stolen and put in the new BYD that is running Tesla literally off the road.

Mark Penn, first off, What would you like to see come out of this trip from the American perspective? What do you think is the best scenario that Trump can hope for?

Well, look, I think this is kind of a business summit. You know, it's like we really want the Chinese to back off or stay out of Iran. We want them to stay out of Taiwan. And we want to do better business with them. We want to have more fairness in trade and opportunity.

And anything that the president brings back with that will help the American economy.

So we have two days, and it'll be pompum circumstances and respect overseas. Will that help him at home? It doesn't hurt. Going to China is always considered a big deal. And I think to the extent that the president is on the world stage at the highest level with the biggest leaders going toe-to-toe and coming home, look, with something good, usually.

You plan the results of a summit before the summit.

So it is not typical that you just go into a summit willy-nilly without expecting to come out with something. And I don't know what the White House has planned here, but that's generally the way it would work. When I was there, and that's what the hallmark of a success will be. There's a couple of things on the agenda. You've kind of pre-programmed them, and if things go well, you go home with them.

And obviously, the AI chips and AI strategy here relative to the two countries and the competition that's going on is, I think, if I is surprisingly at the forefront of this. And if I'd said two years ago, what was going to be the big agenda item at a summit with the United States and China, you wouldn't have said AI chips was at the top. It's true. The other thing is the reason why you got to protect Taiwan, even if they are an ally and you got to do it, Democracy in the Strait, I got it. But they're also the number one chip manufacturer right now.

Do you want China in control of rare earth end chip manufacturing in the world? I mean, that's it's a security nightmare.

Well, but these summits are a delicate dance because the more you push on Taiwan, the more they push back and the more you kind of recognize that no one's doing anything in a way that lets them save face, the better that comes off.

So if you get belly coast on Taiwan, because that really doesn't really suit anyone because of the Chinese. Bellicose in Chinese doesn't work. They get their pride up more than anything else. Yeah, just backfires.

So I want to talk about the midterms and the redistricting mania. This, for you, must be like the Super Bowl because just you can look at trends and you look at polls, but not many people predicted this.

So in case you do not know, California was an answer to the redistricting in Texas, got it, basically awash. But then since that time, Virginia's Supreme Court overturned their redistricting with a game a handful of seats. Florida got theirs, expected to have their Supreme Court okay it. And now you have the George, the Louisiana decision. Decision that says you can no longer redistrict and gerrymander as it relates to race.

Here's what Mike Johnson said when people claim it's Jim Crow 2.0, Cut 18. People feel as though it was a pushback against segregation, which was pushed forward in Jim Crow by Democrats in the 60s. Is this a step back for race relations? No, it's not. It's a step forward for fairness.

I mean, this is not the 60s, and we're in a different time in America. But the court looked, this current court, the majority, looks at the Constitution and evaluates it on its face as umpires. No one should be discriminated against because of their race. No one. And by resetting this and correcting the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, that's the outcome.

And not everybody's happy about it, but people aren't happy about anywhere congressional lines are drawn.

Remember, the Democrats started the mid-cycle redistricting in New York in 2024. Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats are out trying to say that Republicans began this. We did, and it was the Democrats that did that. And it failed. And it failed and it backfired.

Yeah, in New York, but they're going to try to go into blue states and redistrict it. What is the redistricting what does it look like it's going to do to the midterms? It looks like there's a slight advantage to the Republicans, but then Democratic voters seem to be energized and angry over the whole thing, which maybe was as much of a Democratic objective. I mean, I've never heard so much talk about midterms before. We're six months out, midterms, midterms, midterms.

It's like, so I think we're probably going to have record voting, you know, in this midterms. We'll probably have record fundraising. We're going to have record interest because the country is so split, 50-50. Look, I think, you know, the Supreme Court here. basically said, look, I'm turning all this over to the state legislatures.

And I don't know how that's going to work out because the state legislatures, every Democratic state is going to push Democrat and every Republican state is going to push Republican. And then net, net nationwide, it probably won't make all that much of a difference. Voters tend to, you know, tend to kind of say what they think and come out in the polls. And, you know, I think their verdict is going to be relatively clear. Mark, I know you've done this for decades and you have candidates and you've set up plans, but I just think there are real numbers now that would being that the House has never been so close.

I think that Ryan's previous, you tell me if you think this is correct. He says there's only maybe 15, 20 seats in play. And if that is indeed The truth, and that number holds up. And then you say 14.6 Republicans get more seats after the redistricting. That could be the balance of power, don't you think?

It could be. I mean, it could be. I tend to think that there's a battle here between The people, you know, the voters in the middle here are unhappy. They're unhappy with inflation and the economy. It's not about the war.

And those unhappy voters are unhappy with everybody. And they're unhappy actually a little bit more with the Democrats than the Republicans. But the Republicans are in power.

So I think this is a very volatile electorate. This is going to be a highly contested election. I think each side is going to have a strong case to make. I think how the economy eventually is perceived is going to be perhaps the single most important element. I don't think it's about what the economy looks like today.

There's a lot of good fundamentals in this economy. And so this, you know, I presided in 98 when we Democrats actually won seats, even though we were in the party in power.

So it does happen.

So I tell everybody on each side, this midterm is far from over, and this electorate could go either way because they think the Democrats have gone too far to the left and they think they're unhappy with inflation. And those two things are going to kind of come into conflict. Mark, tell me about common sense. Because when you talk about common sense, Republicans used to be: okay, they're party of, let's cut spending, let's build up defense. And there were some commonalities when George H.W.

Bush was running against Bill Clinton and Gore was running against George W. Bush. But now we have a situation where you have a lot of extremists. Bernie Sanders seems to be the kingmaker, and he's ascendant. And he's got his disciples as mayor in New York, mayor in Seattle.

He's got his disciple over as a Senate candidate about to get the nomination over in Maine and another one over in Michigan. How's the Democrat Party dealing with this? Because that's not what Shapiro, Bashir, Fetterman. For the most part, stand for it. I don't look at them as socialists.

These guys say, Yeah, I am a socialist. And in fact, Platiner said, I'm a communist. Yeah, well, I think there's no question that the left is driving the leadership of the Democratic Party. You see Hakeem Jeffries, who's hoping to get the speakership turning kind of more hysterical day by day, even though he used to be kind of a more moderate, sensible kind of leader. And so that is to me what the Democratic Party thinks is its strength and what I think is its real vulnerability.

Its real vulnerability is that they look absolutely crazed. And this idea after losing the Virginia Supreme Court, oh, let's just lower the voting age down to 54. They should never have let that even get spoken on a call. It's so crazy. It's crazy.

I want to talk about, if I can, the California race. There's a chance. That we could have two Republicans in a runoff, at the very least, one Republican in a runoff. And Steve Hilton has been pretty strong, first or second, the entire time. Being that California has had so many struggles, and you could link it back to not natural disasters, but from disastrous politicians.

And the mayor of Los Angeles and how little she has done not only to not be there when the fight when the Pacific Palisades burn down, but do so little to rebuild, she seems to be vulnerable to the rise of Spencer Crusader. Pratt. And now on the right, you have another leader, Xavier Basheira, who is a walking disaster. Listen to what KTLA put out prior to his interview. Listen to this: cut 34.

By the way, this is a profile piece. This is not a gotcha piece, right?

Well, look, I think these questions are fair. It's in order to learn about you as a candidate.

So why is about the profile? I don't know how you define profile, but I'd like to begin the interview. The way I describe profile is: you talk about all the things that I've done, things I want to do. and along with some tough questions. But not only tough questions.

Starting to harangue the reporter. It's like Katie Porter did, caught on camera. And, you know, then she ends up screaming at the reporter, Eric Swalwell, imploded in a way I've never seen. And now this guy is the frontrunner on the left. What's going on here, Mark?

Well, you know, California, this is kind of what happens when you have one-party states. Yes. When you have one-party states, you know, it's not a competition of competence. It's a competition of, you know, politics, you know, primary constituencies. Look, I think the Democrats do realize that they're in some trouble out in California.

I don't know how deep that trouble is going to be or end up. I mean, the state's a mess, right? The state has been a mess. The fires, the costs, the gasoline, the policies, the state budgets, you know, all of it has been a total mess. And so sometimes you wonder in these messes, when are the voters going to wake up when you've got a mess?

You used to be, if you had a mess, you got thrown out. But there has not been an alternative. And Chicago's the same way in Illinois. You have to say, oh, you're still good. This guy's got 18% approval rating.

So the Republicans just throw up their hands and say we can't win there. It's about time. I think Spencer Pratt's showing, you know, who's not like a hard, you know, a firebrand Republican, but he's showing you can win, I believe. I believe he's on track because he's talking common sense.

So did the attack ad that they ran against him Yeah, the attacker they ran against him. I thought it was actually a big push for him. Should you be paying for health care for illegal immigrants? Should you be getting more cops or more social workers? He's that there's the attacker that says, yes, he wants, he's going to stop both those things, as if it's going to hurt him in the polls.

You know more Democrats than I do. Do they believe that? Do they believe that the best thing to do is to give. Healthcare and social workers to help fix a city, fix a state. Yeah, well, you know, I asked a number of questions now, and the Harvard Caps Paul said: Do you think the Democrats are for open borders?

Everybody says yes. Right. And then if I and so the perception out there is the Democrats are for open borders. And then you look in the Democratic primaries and the people who want open borders seem to be running strongest in the in the primary.

So so, you know, right now, I don't think I've ever seen things as crazy and disorganized as I've ever seen them. The Republican candidates are have a have a shot. You know, I wouldn't say that they're like, you know, barn burners, but they've, they've got to, you know, they're getting some publicity. After all, the mayor didn't go to a second debate because you lost the first debate so badly. Right.

So like, you know, if you're winning, you show up at the debate. Hey, Mark, I want to squeeze this in. I want you to, you're an expert. I want you to hear this. Listen.

Republican Spencer Pratt is the last thing Los Angeles needs for mayor. Pratt opposes using taxpayer money to build brand new houses for our unhoused neighbors, saying it's time for the homeless to get help or get out. Pratt thinks LA needs thousands more police officers rather than more social workers, and Republican Spencer Pratt thinks public employee unions should have less power, not more. LA is on the right track and needs to stay the course. Vote no on Republican Spencer Pratt.

Really? That helps Vengeance Pratt, doesn't it? Yeah, uh that is yes, in a general election, which this is, that is a surprising ad. It's like somebody believed that they're running in a Democratic primary and that they're running against some Republican opponent somewhere. That is a pretty funny ad.

Mark Penn, thanks. It's just crazy times. And it's almost as if, like, do you not realize what you did? And as if they're saying, no, no, what human being would not want a social worker knocking at your door in times of a domestic dispute? Of course we don't need as many cops.

So I was stunned by it, but it shows we really have different visions right now for a country and a city in a way. Mark Penn, thanks so much. Thank you. All right, we'll be back in a moment. I'm going to squeeze in.

We'll have some points at the top of the hour. Don't move. Both sides, all opinions, it's Brian Kilmead. Uh Breaking news. Unique opinions.

Hear it all on the Brian Kill Me Show. Quick question here, though. Are we all gonna die? It's not like COVID. It's not like measles.

It's not a very efficient transmission. The overall risk to the public is low. You don't need to be hysterical about it. I know we don't have to be hysterical about it. It's a choice.

Yeah, yeah. But you know what? It's a relief. I'm glad we don't have to be hysterical, but. COVID was a respiratory virus.

Passes easily, often when the person isn't symptomatic. It was a brand new virus we had ever seen before, and we weren't allowed to know where it came from. I mean, we didn't know. We were obviously allowed to know. We just didn't know.

Yes, and Jon Stewart feels exactly like I do. I was so glad you pulled that because Jon Stewart's A block on his Monday Night Show was all about how ridiculous it is and how everybody is overreacting to this virus, and it drives me nuts. As almost people are saying, please let me have, let me quit my job again and run home. Let me be prevented from going to gyms. Let me not shake anybody's hand.

Let me not go to the mall. Let me drive in a car with a mask on. Let me not be allowed to walk on the beach again. Please, let this be another virus to overreact to and destroy the economy so I could come up with a spending plan to destroy the economy. That's really what we witnessed.

Why we're rushing to label this cruise. The next COVID is crazy to me. In fact, I don't want to talk about it anymore. There's just so many other things. There's so many other things to discuss of note that matter.

So yesterday, I had a chance to go talk to the speaker in Washington DC and talk to others. The one thing I asked, so I got in a regular card that was ordered for me. I got in an Uber that wasn't, talked to people at a place where I bought my salad. Everything I asked, I just said, listen, Scrim down here. Do you notice it?

I'm telling you, I was in three different parts of Washington, D.C. They say it's like a different city.

So, and they're in the process of rebuilding everything for $250 right in front of Union Station. They're redoing the whole front, and you could see through the scaffolding. It looks through the protection of the scaffolding. You could see how it's going to be beautiful. And they were saying that, and I noticed it too when I came through Union Station on Amtrak.

As I walked through, I go, wow, there's no drugs around, there's no crazy people around, but one guy. Uh and they said that no, the homeless are gone and most of the most of the homeless are drug addicts and the drug addicts have been kicked out. I don't know where they've gone or they've gotten to rehab, but it's working. They also say the southeast part of the city has changed.

So I don't know why people are reluctant to point to law and order in the gains. Uh But you notice when it's not there.

Now, I know your city's not perfect. This one is not perfect, but they are clamping down, putting pressure on judges. And there's a new law now that they're working through Congress. If you're a judge and you let a career criminal out and he commits another crime or kills, you go to jail. I love that.

From the Fox News Radio Studios in Midtown Manhattan, it's the fastest-growing radio talk show. Brian Kilmead.

So glad you're there. I'm here at 48th and 6 in Midtown Manhattan, around the country, around the world this hour. It's going to be busy. Zach Smith will be with us, Senior Legal Fellow, Manager of the Supreme Court, an appellate advocacy group in the Institute for Constitutional Government. He's over at Heritage, and a lot of people are questioning the Supreme Court.

They're trying to marginalize him on the left, and they're upset at the Virginia Supreme Court. And they're trying to make them retire, change their decision, take a state decision and bring it up to the Supreme Court when it comes to redistricting.

So, a lot of legal things to discuss, and they'll do a simulcast with Stuart Varney. And we'll talk about what's going on with the prices of these tickets at the World Cup and why so many few people are coming that we thought were coming to the world's most popular game and the world's most popular tournament. We'll discuss that with Stewart, who's obviously born into the British environment where they invented the game.

So we'll discuss that. With me right now is Senator Dan Sullivan on this Armed Services Committee, looking for six more years as senator, serving the Bush administration and in our military. Senator, welcome back. Hey, Brian, great to be on the show. I'm honored to be here.

Well, first off, I don't know if you saw the President did land everything safely. The stairs were waiting for him, which wasn't waiting for Barack Obama on his last trip to China.

So so far, so good, on the President's trip. What do you hope emerges from this? Uh from this mini summit.

Well, look, I think the most important thing is to remember, and the President knows this. When you're dealing with the Chinese, you can never trust them, right? What we refer to as promise fatigue. Every time there's a leaders meeting, just go back, especially with Xi Jinping, Obama, Biden, President Trump, when the Chinese make commitments, Brian. They don't keep them.

So let me give you the number one. That the President shouldn't have to make another commitment on. They've made commitments to Biden, they've made commitments to President Trump. Sentinel. Sentinel, right?

The Chinese are flooding our country with the precursors that go through Mexico into America to kill our people. And they could stop it tomorrow. It's a dictatorship. They could tell everybody: hey, if you ship precursors to Mexico, we're going to put you in jail for life or maybe execute you. They don't do it, they make agreements.

especially Xi Jinping. And they never Keep them.

So I think that's a really important, you know, not a new agreement, just say, come on, she. Frickin' keep your word, right? You're a world leader. You Chinese never, ever, ever keep their words. You might remember, Brian, Xi Jinping met with Obama in the Rose Garden, announced to the world, we're not going to militarize the South China Sea.

was a total lie. We're going to stop cyber attacks. Total lie. We're going to stop IP theft. Total lie.

So I think the key here is for the President, which he will, to show strength. and not be taken by more Chinese BS because they never keep their word. You just have to have leverage that it's to their benefit to understand that you put the entire relationship in jeopardy if you do it. And have they become more Fortress China than four years ago when the President was there? one hundred percent, right?

I mean, they as we are wising up to with regard to realizing that the supply chains that make us vulnerable, whether it's pharmaceuticals, whether it's rare earths, You know, the Chinese have dominated certain supply chains because, to be honest, we were asleep at the switch. And I give President Trump a ton of credit, especially during his first term where he said, hey, we're not falling for this anymore. We're going to come at them hard, especially in terms of trade. We're going to demand reciprocity. In terms of trade, And we in the Congress is now doing it.

By the way, it's a bipartisan issue here in the U.S. Senate, Brian, which is to say we're not going to be reliant on these guys. Let me give you one example. Rare earths and critical minerals. We had a hearing about a month ago in the Armed Services Committee about how reliant we are.

Now, the Chinese made that part of their big strategy, but you know who else? was a giant assist, the Democratic Party. In D.C., Joe Biden, the Senate Democrats. Why? My state has 46 of the 54 critical minerals we need to drive our economy, to make sure our military is strong.

And National Democrats have a policy of shutting down Alaska when they get into power, making sure we don't develop any of our resources.

So the fact that we're relying on China. On rare earths, which is a huge leverage point they have on us, is something that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle certainly assist the Chinese Communist Party in. But the good news is. We can get out of this, right? We have the resources, we have the energy, we have minerals in Alaska?

Absolutely.

And the President and his team and what we got in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act last summer was all about Unleashing American energy. That bill, you know, I love to refer to that bill as not the Working Families Tax Cuts Act or the One big beautiful bill, I like to refer to that bill, Brian, is the Alaska Opportunity Act. There is so much in there for my great state. Which of course helps my constituents, but it helps America. When the President said that bill unleashes American energy, what it really does is unleashes Alaska energy.

Let me just give you one example. We have an area called the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska. It's the size of Indiana. It was set aside by President Harding. You know, almost a century ago for oil and gas development, it used to be called the Naval Petrole Petroleum Reserve of Alaska.

Biden locked it up, shut it down illegally, of course. It's one of the hottest oil and gas places plays in the world now. And in the bill, Last year, the one big beautiful bill, we put mandatory lease sales for that part of federal lands in Alaska for ANWAR. For Cook Inlet, that's another federal oil and gas province in Alaska for 10 years, mandatory. You have to do it.

So, what happened a month ago? We had the first NPRA National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska lease sale since we passed that bill, the largest NPRA lease sale in American history.

So, people are coming back to the great state of Alaska. To unleash. our resources, including critical minerals, which we need against China.

So what about what's happening in Alaska? We know what the President famously says, I need Greenland for our security, we need it for the Arctic. What is happening with Russia, China, the Arctic? And is Russia still continuing to buzz your border. Oh, my goodness, yes.

And we sent your team, and maybe we can we'll post it after this interview.

So thanks for asking. We have this chart. It's called the Adversaries in the Arctic, Adversaries in America's Arctic Chart. And it just lists in the last three or four years all the Russian and Chinese incursions into what's called our ADAS, that's the airspace, that's the air identification zone, and our EEZ, that's the water, that's the Navy incursions. And Brian, it's just very regular.

It doesn't make a lot of news here. I'm in DC right now in the lower forty eight. But they're con consistently Undertaking incursions. And here's the thing that's unprecedented and, to be honest, troubling. They've undertaken a lot of joint Russian Chinese Strategic bomber task force incursions into our airspace and Russian-Chinese naval task forces.

They've not done joint-ops. Anywhere Really, in the world, they're doing it in the Arctic, they're doing it in the northern flank of America. The good news is You know, when I first came to the Senate, Obama was the last two years of Obama, what were they doing? What Democrats always do, cutting our military, undermining readiness. The first challenge I had as a brand new senator, I was in here for two weeks.

In February of twenty fifteen, Obama announced he's going to cut an additional 40,000 active duty troops. Uh infantry uh Army troops. And um That included the 425, the 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, the only airborne brigade combat team in the entire Asia Pacific. I went to work as a brand new senator. I put holds on all the Obama administration generals and secretaries and We saved the four hundred twenty five.

It was the only unit of that forty thousand that did not get cut. And we built that up. We now have the eleventh Airborne Division. We have one hundred fifth generation fighters. base in Alaska, F twenty two s, F thirty five s, we're doing a massive build up of our Coast Guard include that was in the budget reconciliation of the One Big Beautiful Bill last year, twenty five billion dollar recapitalization of our great Coast Guard.

I chair the subcommittee in charge of the Coast Guard. Forty new helicopters, twenty two new cutters, sixteen new icebreakers. Three of which are going to be home ported in Alaska.

So we have this giant military buildup in our state, the biggest since World War II. And in the Air Force budget and the Administration's budget, they just announced a $7 billion recapitalization of Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson right there in Anchorage. That's the biggest investments we've had. for power projection. Since World War II in the great state of Alaska, you know the father of the U.S.

Air Force, General Billy Mitchell, called Alaska the most strategic place in the world. And the President and his team, and the senators on the Republican side in the Senate, we get it. And that's why we're undertaking this huge buildup, which is really important for the Northern Flank of America.

So you've had two substantial wins as Senator and Alaska. This one looks to be a little bit tougher. In fact, Real Clear Politics says it's a toss-up.

So Senator Schumer looked at you as vulnerable. Uh are you worried? Look, you know, we always have tough races, right? I always have tough races. We always get outspent.

The Democrats are the ones who have the money. But what I always say is elections are about your record. And I have a really strong record. I'm just mentioning some of the things I've gotten done. I'm always ranked top five as senators who gets bills passed into law.

Last year, I had more bills passed into law than any other senator.

So I have a strong record. My opponent, she served two terms in Congress, never got one bill passed, right? Alaskans want people to deliver. And I'm doing that. But it's more importantly, Brian, in elections, it's not just what you've done, your record, but your vision going forward.

What's your vision? And you know, Republicans in DC for my state, they want to open up the Alaska economy. They want to produce strong jobs. They want to create a strong military. And the DC Democrats are exactly the opposite.

Schumer 45 years in the House and Senate has the most anti-Alaska Record of any senator in history. I mean, the guy has been against resource development, the military, the Second Amendment. all of which really matter in my state. My opponent, if she were to win, which she's not gonna, Her first vote would be to empower the most anti-Alaska Senator, so Alaska is the firewall for freedom. We, you know, the decision on who controls the Senate, Schumer or John Thune.

uh might very well come to my race and that's why it's so important, not just for my constituents, but for the country.

So if you're interested and your listeners, DanSullivan for Alaska.com, come on onto our website. donate. We're going to get outspent massively. The Democrats Have all the money. My opponent, believe it or not, last quarter raised $9 million, which is an unbelievable number.

Every liberal billionaire in the lower 48 donated to her. But look, we got the people, we got the ideas, we got the vision. Dan Sullivan for Alaska.com, we'd love to get the supporters of your show, Brian. But yeah, we're going to have a struggle. We're going to have a battle.

But look, I always have battles. I'm a Marine. I get ready. I know how to fight. I know how to win.

And that's what we're going to do this time around. The people you're going against, for the most part. There seem to be way left. That's the big difference. They're not trying to be Republicans, moderates in a state that's known you don't really have firebrands in Alaska, and that's not the way you roll.

Listen to what Senator Fetterman said about his own party, Cut Thirty. I know how to pay the bills as a Democrat right now. And my colleagues and people that are running, whether for the Senate or the House, they are literally running on Trump. I mean that's literally they have campaign a commercials, that. And it's absurd.

And we are getting to that point and I refuse to engage in that extreme, those terms.

Now we have to find a better way forward. And he's saying this about his own party that Joe Manchin used to say, that Senator Cinema used to say.

So you're running against extremists that still want to run against Trump. Dan Sullivan, do you find that you're running against Trump still? of people that want to just vilify Trump?

Well, look, the Democrats, Brian, what's happened since I've been in the Senate. the power and the energy in the Democratic Party in DC, in the Senate, is moved to the far left. Schumer is just a creature of the far left. The guy does anything Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders Says, now look, one element for Alaska and my race, a core principle. of the far left of the Democratic Party, and I mean a core principle.

Is when they get power, what is one of the things they do? They go up to the great state of Alaska and they lock it up. They shut it down. I know. You might remember, I've talked to you about the 77.

70 executive orders that Biden and Schumer issued when they were in power, Schumer majority leader, Biden president, seven zero, that were exclusively. Focused on shutting down Alaska. These weren't executive orders, Brian, that like hurt Wyoming and West Virginia and North Dakota. Seven zero that targeted exclusively My state. And why do they do that?

Because the far left, radical Democrat groups that are the radical environmentalists say: hey, when we get power, We're going to give all these candidates Tons of money. My opponents getting the gazillions of dollars from the most extreme far left. And then when they get that power, they say, Now let's go shut down Alaska. And by the way, of course, that hurts my state, but that hurts America. As I was just saying, we have the critical minerals, we have the oil and gas, we have the strategic location for our military.

The Dems don't care. They want to shut my state down.

So, look, Fetterman's right. The far left of the party is where the action is, it's where the money is. And again, If my opponent were to win, which she won't, The first vote she would take would be to empower Chuck Schumer to be Senate Majority Leader of My State's future. All of a sudden, it is screwed if that happens. We've seen it.

That's not conjecture. When the Democrats get power in D.C., the first thing they do is target the great state of Alaska. That's why we're going to win. But, you know, we need the resources. We're going to be outspent again.

We've got a lot of ground to cover up there.com. But look, I'm home everywhere. That's kidding. You know, my team and I, we have a reputation of being hard workers. I go home every single weekend, I jump on that airplane, 12 hours one way.

And I'm out all over the state, and we're delivering, right? We're delivering, and it's exciting. And that's how you win election. Absolutely.

Everything you talked about was pro-American, wasn't Republican. It's just pro-American. And you cut your teeth with George Bush, and you've served our country. Senator Dan Sullivan, look for another six years from the people of Alaska. Senator, thanks so much.

Hey, Brian, keep up the great work. Great to be on the show. I appreciate it. Back in a moment. Big guests, bold opinions, better information.

This is the Brian Killmead Show. The fastest three hours in radio. You're with Brian Kilmead. I think to me, it's way more important. Than an actor or actress or musician telling people, like you said, who to vote for, because it's like.

I mean, some guys on the fence, you know, and it's like, well, Dash Riprock said it on the Golden Globe, so I'm voting for, you know, it's like, we, I mean, I don't know anything about politics. I have no idea. I mean, and if, and the stuff that I believe about it, I don't want to force it down somebody else's throat because I'm not an expert on that. What I am an expert on is having this shit. Yeah, uh he's an expert on landman.

Uh, and an actor that's Billy Bob Thornton saying, Don't ask me about politics because I don't know. I have an opinion, but I don't want you to know it because it's just his opinion. I know he doesn't want Republicans and Democrats to actually see his movies. Who would have thought? The talk show that's getting you talking.

You're with Brian Kilmead. It is one of the largest setbacks that we've had. since reconstruction. And I think that the Supreme Court, I think this will be a moral stain on the Supreme Court for generations, and it's our obligation to try to check. uh what is a very clear abuse of power.

in the courts and to um really enable our system of checks and balances. Boston University scholar and congresswoman from Queens, AOC, weighing in on the Supreme Court decision not to gerrymander by race. which is pretty much consistent with the Constitution and with not being racist, but that's not how she sees it because now it means that you no longer in Louisiana are carving out black districts in South Carolina and anywhere in the country. You can't carve out white districts or Hispanic districts. Can you?

You can't. And that's how the Supreme Court ruled. But the Democrats are scrambling right now. Zach Smith joins us now. He's a senior legal fellow and manager of the Supreme Court, an appellate advocacy group in the led Institute for Constitutional Government at the Heritage Foundation.

Hey, Zach. That's how Democrats really feel, like what AOC was struggling to articulate. Yeah, no, thanks for having me on the show today, Brian. Look, we have a colorblind constitution. It shouldn't be controversial to say that the government can't treat people differently based on race.

If you go back and read what the Supreme Court has said, what Justice Clarence Thomas in particular has said, he's made clear there is no such thing as good discrimination. And so all the Supreme Court did in this Calais case out of Louisiana, they applied this common sense principle to drawing legislative districts and said when legislators, when local governments draw their district boundaries, they can't draw them based on the race of the people who will be voting within those districts. Yeah, so that's what happened. And what has happened since? Tell me about the Virginia Supreme Court.

I was with the speaker yesterday, and he says he's never seen the Democrats reeling like this. They pull off the referendum victory by just a point or two, a point or two, in a state that just elected a Democratic governor by 12 points. And the Virginia state Supreme Court said, No, you didn't do it right. This is not going to stand. Go back to the old lines.

Tell me legally why they did that. Yeah, so I think it's important to understand generally the U.S. Constitution, the federal constitution, has very little to say about how states draw their congressional or state legislative districts. There are only a few areas like you can't draw the districts based on rates. That's what the U.S.

Constitution says. Otherwise, drawing district boundaries is left to state law. And so how the Virginia legislature had to go about redrawing their districts was governed by the Virginia Constitution. And if you look at the Virginia Constitution, it has very strict procedural requirements that are laid out within the Constitution itself. And what the Democrats in Virginia tried to do, they tried to take a very aggressive reading, a novel reading of those procedural requirements so that they could ran through this redistricting effort.

And to their credit, the Virginia Supreme Court, although it was a four to three decision, said, no, the Virginia Constitution, it means what it says, and you didn't follow the proper requirements, Virginia Democrats, to get This gerrymander on the ballot.

So, what's their recourse? I know they proposed putting emergency age limits on to get some Supreme Court justices off because they would age out. And then they're also just talking about just firing them and naming somebody else. I mean, or just going up to the Supreme Court. But even with, I'm not the scholar, you are the legal scholar.

I mean, why would the Supreme Court try to trump the state Supreme Court? Yeah, so look, this is a Hail Mary by Virginia Democrats to try to get the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. As I mentioned a moment ago, this is governed by Virginia state law, and so the Virginia Supreme Court is going to be the final word on what Virginia state law requires.

Now, in terms of lowering the age limits of the justices, Brian, everyone who talks about respect for the rule of law, who believes in respect for the rule of law, should be horrified that that idea is even being floated so much for undermining the rule of law, so much for judicial independence, because I can't think of a more harmful action Democrats could take that would undermine the integrity of Virginia's legal system than essentially trying to fire the existing justices and pack them with justices that they expect will rule in their favor. Zach, you know, back me off if you don't know. I don't expect you to know how all 50 states are going, but in New York, this is they're trying again to redistrict and get this Nicole Mall. Ataka's seat out, even though she represents Staten Island, which is all Republican, and they're trying to redistrict that out.

So they're trying again to redistrict. And why would this time be any different? And with the procedure, that's Hakeem Jeffries leading the charge. Yeah, so again, the procedure is going to vary a little bit from state to state, and the requirements are going to vary from state to state. My home state for Florida, for instance, has very specific requirements about the compactness of the districts, certain other factors that the legislature has to take into account.

And so I do think that's worth emphasizing that this process is going to look very different in all 50 states.

Now, in New York in particular, unfortunately, I think this is an effort for Democrats to try to get what they did not get before, to bully their way into a successful effort to redistrict. And I hope that once again, the New York courts will do the right thing and require that the proper procedure, proper process, proper standards be applied in this process there in the state of New York.

So I want you to hear what some Democrats are saying about all this, CUT 21. This isn't about winning the house. We're going to win back the house anyway. This is about reversing some of the progress we made in the civil rights movement. I never thought I would see the day.

that the United States Supreme Court would be so openly partisan with what it's been doing. I think that Justice Roberts is going to take his place. Alongside some other infamous justices like Taney, who gave us the Dred Scott decision.

Well, remember, there's a corrupt shadow hanging over the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court desperately needs reform. It is a corrupt court.

So, Zach, I'm used to. Hearing this much, even though the President has had his problems with the Supreme Court and has made comments before in the past, even on tariffs, these are direct attacks at the integrity of the court itself. Yeah, make no mistake, Brian, this is laying the groundwork to try to pack the Supreme Court the next time the Democrats have unified control of government. This is a very dangerous thing to be talking about. Because if you go back and you read Justice Alito's decision in the Clay case, he again lays out what the Constitution, what the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment requires.

And so this idea that somehow this is driven by partisan politics, this idea, again, that there can be such a thing as good discrimination, that's just not true. And unfortunately, instead of recognizing that fact, many on the left are now pushing to undermine the legitimacy of the Supreme Court instead. And speaking of that, I also am struck by the fact that. Birthright citizenship is also on the docket. The Supreme Court's got another controversial decision to take on.

Fundamentally, I think there's a lot of things going for the argument that birthright citizenship wasn't the intent of those who asked for the, I think it was the 14th Amendment back in the 1860s.

So, but I hear from legal scholars like yourself that we didn't put the strongest argument in place to flip that. How do you see that argument going? How do you see that decision going? Yeah, it's hard to read the tea leaves sometimes, Brian, but it certainly seemed like the majority of the justices were not particularly sympathetic to the administration's arguments. Although I do think the administration has very good arguments on their side, there's ample historical evidence to show that birthright citizenship was never intended to apply to those who weren't here as citizens, who weren't here on a permanent basis.

It was never intended to apply to those who were here temporarily or illegally. And in fact, several prominent legal scholars, both conservative and liberal, but mainly conservative legal scholars, have dove into the historical record and has said that President Trump's position is on a much stronger footing than many in the mainstream media would have you believe. But keep in mind, Brian, in addition to this birthright citizenship case, there's also going to be two blockbuster cases involving the president's ability to fire Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve, a blockbuster case involving Rebecca Slaughter, whether President Trump can fire members of so-called independent agencies like the Federal Reserve. World Trade Commission.

So there's going to be a lot happening at the Supreme Court over the next several months. Back to birthright citizenship for a second. It was really on slavery because some racists in the South were trying to say: if you're a slave and now you have your freedom, it doesn't mean you're a citizen.

So they had to put that into the amendment into the Constitution to do that. I mean, that was horrible. But that's not what's happening now. mean people coming over here having babies and going, okay, my kid's an American, who were here illegally.

Now my kid gets to stay and maybe send for the parents, but that kid becomes an American citizen. We know how the Chinese have a strategy for this, having dozens of kids here so they become American citizens and dual citizens. When that's pointed out, I'm just wondering w How the justices Don't go along with that to say that's clearly not what what the people of the 1860s had in mind. Yeah, it's unimaginable that the framers and those who ratified the 14th Amendment would have envisioned, as you mentioned, tourists essentially coming into the United States, having their child, leaving for that child, never again to set foot in the United States, and yet that child being considered a full and equal U.S. citizen.

It's unfathomable that that would have been contemplated by those who adopted the 14th Amendment. The key phrase in the 14th Amendment, Brian, that often gets overlooked in this conversation, it says that anyone born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof shall be a citizen. And it's that subject to the jurisdiction thereof. Zach's. Yeah, thanks so much, Zach.

Great conversation. Thanks so much for your time. Stuart Varney, next.

Now, the Brian Kilmead Show joins Fox Business's Varney and Company with Stuart Varney live on your radio and on Fox Business. Here's Brian Kilmead. Hey, welcome back, everyone. You know, one of the sideshows we're seeing is such a big news day as the President of the United States lands in China, and he's got a lot packed into the next two days, time shifted. It'll really start picking up the pace tomorrow morning, Eastern Time.

And also on Capitol Hill today, a CIA high-ranking CIA official is going through how we knew it was a lab leak on the COVID virus in 2021 right away. And that All the efforts Anthony Fauchie made to cover it up, but now we're going to do something different. Let's talk about World Cup and Stuart.

Well, not coming up, it is 10:51 Eastern Time. That means it's Brian Kilmead time. Hello, Brian. The U.S. national soccer team's captain says the World Cup will unite people despite what's going on in the world right now.

Watch this. I think this event is really going to bring people together, and I really hope it brings the American people together as well. I think that, you know, times in the world are obviously crazy right now. And, you know, when there's a lot of uncertainty in the world, there's nothing like having a World Cup where, you know, people can kind of just, you know, close their eyes for a second and really experience something special.

So again, I think that success that we have can really move the needle in the way that the sport grows in the country. And I'm hoping we can do that. Brian, I don't want to throw cold water on this, but I want to make two points.

Soccer fans are not known for sitting around singing Kumbaya. And I'm not sure how we get through this without any politics intruding, given the state of the world. What say you?

Well, I I have a couple of things I'm worried about. I I want people to come, and I think there's a lot of people looking at the prices, and some of it's nothing to do with us or FIFA, it's just jet fuel. And number two is I think people right now are kind of laying back coming here because of some of the turmoil in the world, or maybe for whatever reason, not coming.

So far, we have reservations are down, even though this is the world's most popular game with the biggest tournament ever and 1994, the last time we hosted, the record still stands in terms of attendance and revenue.

So I want to see that pick up big time. I do think the U.S. men's national team, when they announce the official roster right after Memorial Day, I'll be there interviewing the players. Stuart, you should come with me and meet with your. This is the first time I think.

Are you a citizen? This is the first time the U.S. national team has been a citizen since the World Cup? Since 1994. I've been a citizen for 10 years.

The first time the World Cup was played in America was in 1994. Talent-wise, we have enough to compete. As soon as they start winning, this country's going to come together: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, the Greens, whatever. But I do think there's a chance of doing that. But no doubt about it.

The final and everything like that is going to be big. The President's going to be there. But what I like to, one of the best things about the World Cup is you cheer for your team. And it's not just at the game, it's in the parking lot. It's not just at the game, it's at the bars.

It's not the game, there's going to be a fan fest, right, in Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. All those things leading up to it. That's why I don't know what everybody's doing. They're not allowing tailgating in some of these stadiums. Are you kidding me?

Tailgating is almost all the fun. In many cases, some people can't afford to go in, especially now.

So you want to get that feel of bringing everyone together in three, you know, three separate countries, mostly here.

So I hope they reverse themselves on that. And I hope I know in New Jersey, they knocked it down from $150 for a round-trip ticket to get to the game from New York City to $100, roughly $95.

So that'll help a little bit. But I do think the world can come together on this on soccer, biggest, you know, everybody. You know, you have Morocco against Germany.

Now, Morocco doesn't have much of a shot. For that moment, everyone in Morocco is going to be watching one thing. And for Germany, they're expected to do one thing, and that's win. For Morocco, they're supposed to stay close.

So I do think this is one of the rare times. I think the Olympics, there's certain countries just aren't strong. But man, where do you find a country that can't play? Even Iceland, small population, man, they can play.

So you make the tournament, you got the world watching.

So I am fundamentally with Tyler Adams.

Okay, good. Fair point. Change the subject. President Trump has landed in Beijing. This is his high-stakes meetings.

They're starting soon with Xi Jinping. I don't think China knows what's going to hit him. I think Trump is going to handle this like a CEO board meeting. The Chinese don't want to deal. They don't know how to deal with someone like President Trump.

How do you think this is going to go? I think good. I think really good. And the goal is a follow-up summit here, and I think that's how they're going to end. Seward, I know you do this every day with the business leaders, but I'm for.

decoupling you know, decoupling and de-risking, more for decoupling, but fundamentally de-risking. The president says, I want the Chinese to open up their markets.

Well, for the most part, the Chinese don't spend anything. They don't have the discretionary income. They don't have the social safety net. They're not buying anything Chinese. Even though we got better products, more exciting marketing, I'm not sure they're going to be by, even though they got 1.5 billion people.

And I also think we just got to get some guarantees on not stealing our IP. Tell Elon Musk about stealing IP. Basically, the Tesla is made there.

Next thing you know, we got the BYD electric car with basically Tesla technology. What are we going to wise up to that? But I think that there's got to be respect between the nations and it's a better world. I think it wasn't too long ago, Stuart. That's good.

Yeah, it wasn't too long ago we weren't even talking to them. But we are now. We are the next couple of days. Brian, thanks very much indeed. Still ahead.

Mark Teesler.

So that's what's happening. And I think so far, the pomp and circumstance has been off the charts.

So remember in 2000. 14, the last year of Barack Obama, 2015, last year of Barack Obama. They never respected President Obama. I don't know why. Russia also never respected Obama.

I don't know why. Europe loves President Obama. I don't know why. You remember the big crowd he got in the Vandenberg Gates over in Berlin and in the UK? They loved him, but they didn't respect him.

This is how bad it got. Just to remind you: in 2015-16, before he left, when they landed Air Force One, they didn't bring the big stairs. They had to leave off the Biden stairs, which he used to go down because he couldn't walk anymore, the baby stairs. And then when our press got off the plane, they stuck him into a small tiny room, and the press secretary had to go back and grab the press out and beraked the Chinese handler. Says, you can't do that to our press.

This is not China. I mean, that's how it ended. And then President Obama Biden takes over, brags about his relationship with President Xi, and then what happens? We don't have Secretary of Defense to his counterpart, Austin to his counterpart for two years.

So we deconflict. There's all these problems in the South China Sea. They continue to finish off islands. They didn't have respect. They started talking at the end, but we looked like we were groveling to make it happen.

So I think that was pretty awful.

Now we have a situation where you would think Chai President Xi would say, I'm really mad at America because we are go they're going after kicked him out of Panama. Kicked him out of Venezuela, about to kick him out of Cuba, knocking him to the curb in Argentina, and then blasting their ally in the Middle East, Iran. But instead they say, Mr. President, Come visit. From high atop.

Fox News headquarters in New York City. Always seeking solutions, never sowing division. It's Brian Kilmead.

All right, from 48th and 6th in Midtown Manhattan, heard around the country, around the world. Brian Kilmead Show. Kanta Achman's going to be here this hour, senior fellow, Independent Women's Forum, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, tremendous contacts in the Middle East. What about the news that UAE has already taken shots at Iran in Iran? They have a formidable Air Force.

I think that if we go back, they're going to be involved and coordinated with Israel. At least I hope. And I think we have to go back. I think that's where we're heading. Carl Rove is standing by.

You know everything about Carl already. And I've got to get his take on what Speaker Johnson told me yesterday about his optimism on the midterms. And I could always tell when people are spinning and hoping this was different. I want to get Carl's take on that. We'll play it for him.

Just a quick reminder: go to youtube.com/slash at the Brian Kilmeat Show. If you ever missed the show, we got additional clips of other things I'm doing, including hosting Laura Ingram tonight. Big three. Number three. No one should be discriminated against because of their race.

No one. And by resetting this and correcting the application of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, that's the outcome. And not everybody's happy about it, but people aren't happy about anywhere congressional lines are drawn.

I sat down for an exclusive interview with Speaker Johnson yesterday in Washington, D.C. in his office. We talked China, Iran, inflation, and midterms, and redistricting. We'll talk, you'll hear it all. Number 10.

But look at this. Which party is trusted more in the economy? It's a tie among registered voters. Just because Donald Trump is unpopular doesn't make Democrats popular. And when you match Democrats against Republicans, all of a sudden it is a dead heat.

Can you believe this? Harry Anton on CNN. Dem's in trouble as socialism surges in their party and backlash is bringing new life into the Republicans and midterms. How close can the Republicans get to bucking history? We'll ask Call about that.

Number one. We were watching as the Chinese were literally just rolling out the red carpet for President Trump. This trip is really to show that even though there is fierce competition between these two biggest economies in the world, there is also stability and a working relationship. President lands in China for an intense two-day summit.

So far, so good. The pomp and circumstances. I'm talking about the red carpet, kids showing up, chanting, singing a song, which, according to some translation, was good. It wasn't an American song, but it seemed American-esque. We'll have previews, reviews, in real time as tomorrow really starts the two days of intense intermingling.

Call Rove, welcome. Thanks for having me. He's back on Zoom, Carl Rove.

So if you're watching at home, is he on Zoom? Yes, he is.

Now it's official.

So Carl, what if you're President Trump, what's a deliverable? When you get back on that plane on Friday, And you sit down in your seat in Air Force One, and it's a great seat, or in your office. What should he say if if he has what? Should he feel good?

Well, my sense is that some of the best things that could come out of this thing are not things that he's going to scream and shout and dance about. For example, There are things that the Chinese need from us. That he can use to get them to stop doing the things that they're doing to support Iran as much as they are. He's not going to be able to flip them, but he's going to be able to diminish the support that they give Iran by saying there are things that you want from us, like access to Alaskan oil. That would be advantageous.

So, you know, it's a mistake to say summits ought to be judged by. What each is able to say after the summit. More importantly, they're judged by what they are able to do in private to affect the trajectory of your other partner in the meetings. What worries me, just because so the years studying China, interviewing all these. great Chinese experts is that we're bringing so many CEOs over because we want to open up the Chinese market.

And when we open up the Chinese market to American business, they steal the IP. It's almost it's in their constitution virtually.

So there's a double edged sword to to co- to co-mingling like this, isn't there? Oh yeah, absolutely, because you're right, the Chinese violate they joined the World Trade Organization and violate every year since then the rules of the World Trade Organization regarding intellectual property. If you want to do business in China and you want to sell to the government, You have to not only have a factory in China, Uh but you have to share your intellectual property with the Chinese.

Now, there are exceptions. For example, the the head of Boeing, CEO of Boeing, is going there. The Chinese are not going to have Boeing planes built in China. They'll only be built in the United States. They'll do a carve-out for that.

But yeah, you're right. I mean, this is why the relationship with China has to be done from a position of strength. Give the President credit. What he has done over the last year has not solved the rare earth issue for the United States, but it has greatly diminished our future dependence on the Chinese for these rare earths that are so vital to creating all the modern electronic world in which we live. But the president, I suspect, is going there saying, okay, what is it that I want to get?

And what is it that they want from me? And what can I give them in return for what I want to get? You know, what's interesting is that he put his two best people, I think his two best people on it, Doug Bergum and Secretary Wright, because they said, get as much rare earth as you can. He says, did a deal with Argentina, did deal with, I think, Indonesia, did a deal with Australia, and he's now starting in Alaska, not only doing the mining, but the refining.

So there's an all-hands-on-deck push to never leave this in another president's hands again where China has this much leverage because we hit him with tariffs. And they said, okay, we think we'll hold off on rare earth. Trump knows he has zero leverage. He basically admitted it by going back to the table and he never wants to be in that place again when he really was handed a grenade after they pulled the pin when he took office. Yeah.

No, look, and we saw this team work with him on. Remember, when the Japanese prime minister came here, one of the things that they talked about was, again, Japan wants to lessen its reliance upon the Gulf. And what they said is, we've promised that we'll invest $550 billion in the U.S. economy. How about if we do a bunch of that by investing in Alaska energy projects in which we get the off-take agreement?

We get to buy our energy from you rather than the Middle East. And this, again, was, I think, the president said, in fact, the president talked about this in his meeting even before the formal meeting began in the Oval Office. And it was Wright and Bergham and others who helped pull this deal off. And think about that. I mean, the President made the interesting point that Alaska, the oil fields in Alaska, are closer to Japan than they are to Southern California.

And so it made sense for both countries to do this. I read this morning. That we have had an unprecedented result, an unprecedented amount of money bid by companies to go into previously unexplored portions of the petroleum reserve. There's literally a part, a gigantic part of Alaska that geologists said this has a lot of petroleum in it, you know, billions upon billions of barrels of energy, but it has not been explored. But we've got a record amount of money from the auction of the rights to explore in that region.

And why? Because the president is right. Drill, baby, drill. It's an old phrase, but a strong America as an energy producer is a strategic. Asset for us in dealing with the rest of the world.

So, what are you saying?

So, you're saying Japan should choose us, South Korea should choose us. Are you saying China should choose us too?

Well, my sense is that the president's getting prepared to deal with that. He made a comment about it the other day. And the Chinese are desperate to reduce their reliance upon the Middle East because, again, it's a dangerous place. It requires them to cultivate people that might be hurtful to them eventually. And it also, more importantly, is it, again, the president made the point when dealing with Japan.

Alaska is closer to China than it is to like Los Angeles, the northern oil fields.

So it is in a heck of a lot closer than the Middle East is.

So it makes a lot of sense for them to do business with us. It's unusual. You know, I have to admit, it's unusual. Here's our rival, China, and we're saying, you got a problem with energy. We can help you with it, but you got to invest in us.

That's a little bit of a weird deal, but apparently everybody wants to do that. Both sides want to do that. And we'll see if that's one of the actions that takes place in Beijing. Yeah. While at the same time, saying Venezuela, you'll pay market price.

And at the same time, saying, you know, Argentina, El Salvador, Bolivia. And soon Cuba are now allied more with us than them, and we're making a concerted effort everywhere. Brazil is the last island with that corrupt leader, Lula, is another story. I don't really know what happened when the two met. But I know one thing you're not happy with.

When Trump takes question after question, sometimes he'll say things that'll provide farther for the other side. And here's an example: Cut 48. negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are Americans' financial situations motivating you to make a deal? Not even a little bit.

The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about Americans' financial situation and I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all.

That's the only thing that motivates us. You know what his focus is. You know what he means, but you know how it's interpreted. Oh, sure. And it is what it is.

I thought it was interesting. There was an interview today with James Blair, his political guy, and I thought Blair hit it right on the nose. He said, What's your strategy? Attack, attack, attack. You're not going to be able to control.

You might be able to diminish the number of times the president does something like that. But they ain't going to go away. And so, what you've got to do is get the mindset among Republican candidates that, whenever possible, go after the Democrats. Affordability?

Okay, where were you? You're criticizing Trump when inflation is 4% or 3.8%. Where were you when it was 8% under Obama? Excuse me, under Biden? You're saying that he's to giveaways to billionaires?

Your party voted to raise taxes on 90% of Americans by trying to gut the Trump tax cuts. Don't lecture me about affordability. You wanted to make it more expensive for 90% of Americans. The only people to be unaffected are people who aren't paying taxes today and would continue not to pay taxes. But everybody else who does pay taxes would pay more, 90% of taxpayers.

So, you know, the administration. Great. Let Susie Wiles and others try and control the number of moments that something like this happens. But in reality, what will save the Republicans in a number of races is staying on the offense. I'll give you an example.

When George Bush was under fire before the uh general petraeus and everyone put together Uh the surge in Iraq. And he said, Look, my focus is winning.

Well, it's hurting the economy. My focus is winning. That's his trying to say, I'm not going to be swayed. By the price of gas, if it stops American security. I gotta worry about security first.

So there's different ways to phrase it. You know how he meant it, but. In politics, it's always better to say what you're for than to say what you're necessarily against, unless against advances your cause. I'm against letting boys participate in women's sport. Good, that advances your cause.

But I don't care about the thing you care about. It's not a winning message.

So I was with the Speaker Johnson yesterday, and I asked him about the midterms. And we know historically how tough it is, and you've been writing about it. I don't know if this is blackboard, whiteboard-worthy, but with the redistricting and what it could mean, I asked him about it, and he was pretty optimistic. Listen. The analysis is by the end of all this, when you correct all that, Republicans probably pick up between seven and eight seats and maybe double digits, depending on how many seats states get involved.

That's obviously a good thing for the outcome of the election, and it gives us an even greater chance to win the House. I'm convinced we're going to defy history and keep the majority here so we can keep all this going. Because I think the last percentage after the Supreme Court ruling that's really put you guys back in the game, it's still a 70% chance you will not win back the House. prevail. What do you gauge it at?

Well, these prediction markets are basing it on historic practice. And that's true because it's only happened a couple of times in the last 90 years. The sitting president picked up seats for his party. This is a midterm unlike any other, and I have a very boring 90-minute slideshow I can show you for all the reasons we're going to win. But it boils down to a couple of things.

We have a great record to run on. We've got better candidates in the field. We're applying common sense. Again, that's a big thing. You have a president who's running like it's 2024.

He's out on the campaign trail as well because the stakes are so high. We can't lose the majority in the House because it would come crashing down around him. And you're going to have a lot of factors in play that have not been a factor in previous midterms. We're going to win.

So, I know you're jotting some things down.

So, you know, we have to spin optimistically, but then even off-camera, Carl. He is so optimistic. And now with the redistricting, he really feels like he has a shot.

Now you tell me what you think.

Well, I'm glad that he's optimistic. You need to have a leader who has a vision of where he can take you and get you there. But better that he's optimistic than he's pessimistic about it, because it would show up in his body language and his efforts. Having said that, he's right. Historically, this has only happened.

The the the the party in power. Holding the White House has gained in midterm elections only three times in close to the last hundred years. 1934, we don't know how popular FDR was because there wasn't good polling back then, but every historical indication is that he was enormously popular after two years of tackling the Great Depression. The next time it happened was 1998, and in October of 1998, Bill Clinton's approval rating was, I think, 63% in the Gallup poll. And the Democrats picked up seats.

Republicans had overreached on the impeachment and minds of many Americans. And then in 2002, George W. Bush's approval rating was 61%. I happened to be at the White House at the time. It had a little something to do with that.

And let me tell you, even with the 61% approval rating, it was very, very difficult.

Now, the current president's approval rating is in the low 40s. Big difference. And the other difference is we're highly polarized to a lot of people. It doesn't matter where the President is, they're going to stay with him.

So I think the redistricting does have a big impact in that it lowers the number of seats that are at risk. And for the Democrats to have a victory like we had in Uh in you know in uh 2010 or that the Democrats had in 2018, there'd have to be more than the roughly 40 seats that are either lean Democrat, lean Republican, or toss-ups. I mean, it just we'd have to have more seats up. But I think it's, you know, you have it. I don't believe these prediction markets, incidentally.

They are thinly traded. You know, you can point, particularly when it comes to politics, things that they say that are immediately shown not to be, you know, that's not the outcome. But the polling would suggest the Republicans are in better shape than you might expect simply because the Democratic Party is in such bad shape. I wrote a column about this a couple of weeks ago. I mean, it's amazing to me.

The president's popularity is like at the time I wrote is like 41. The Republicans' Party is 39. The Democratic Party was like 37. They're less popular than the president. I know.

And Carl, unfortunately, we're against the wall now. We've got to take a break. But I will say, you win the war in Iran. And you do it convincingly. That's the thing that no one's counting on.

But I think the president plans on winning it, and I think that's what we're going to hear when he gets back. Thanks so much, Carl Roe. That will be great. Back in a moment. Learning something new every day on the Brian Killmead Show.

He's so busy, he'll make your head spin. It's Brian Killmead. We are now eight days into this non-pandemic, and it's beginning to affect our Mother's Day coverage segues. It's a very happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. This morning, that cruise ship hit by a deadly huntavirus.

The state of our union is calling our mom. This morning, 17 Americans are beginning a trip back to the U.S. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms watching. Let's kick this off. Pandemic panic.

Happy Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day! Tell your mom you love her, but also keep your eyes on her because you don't know if she's got it or not. And I got to tell you this, if she turns, you know what you have to do. No tail!

Boys! No tears! She's not your mother anymore. She's more haunter than woman.

So fantastic. I mean, you know how I feel about it. This is exactly how I feel about it. This is a joke. This virus is for people who like bird watching in dumps.

That's what this guy did. He died.

So sorry. It was a couple, Brian. It was more romantic than that. They were together, right? Yes, that's okay.

But they're dead. One ship, not even foe. Everything's fine. But what was by every network?

So I watched Jon Stewart as I do every Monday, and the whole eight box was it. It was. We have so many cuts, we just don't have enough time. But that was awesome. That was so worth it.

So, back, we're going to go back to war. We come back with Dr. Conda Ahmed. Happy Mother's Day. Information you want, truth you demand.

This is the Brian Kill Me Show. We thought the Kurds were going to give us weapons, but the Kurds disappointed us. The Kurds take, take, take. They have a great reputation in Congress. Congress says, oh, they fight so hard.

They fight hard when they get paid.

So I'm very disappointed in the Kurds, but they were. I said it wasn't going to work. By the way, I just have to say it. I disagreed with what they did. They gave it.

I said they'll never get there. And I was right. I like to be right. In this case, too bad, but uh we sent some guns with ammunition and uh they were supposed to be delivered but they kept it. I said they're gonna keep it, but what what do I know?

I've only been doing this a short period of time. What do I know?

So, the President of the United States knows there's a Kurdish population inside Iran, in Iraq, and of course. In and around Syria, it used to be a lot bigger. Kurds fight like great warriors, but it is. I've heard this from two or three people. First, it was a report, I expected to be denied, and it wasn't.

The president said, no, we gave them weapons, and they never kept them. Joining us now, a woman that goes to bat for the Kurds all the time for good reason, Dr. Canta Ahmed. And she knows the region as well as anyone you will meet. She's also a member of this Council on Foreign Relations, Independent Women's Forum and Senior Fellow there.

Dr. Achmet, are you disappointed in that story, or is there another angle to that that we're missing? Brian, it's so painful to hear all of the Kurds tarnished in this way. The President is correct from what I understand speaking to colleagues in Iraqi Kurdistan. There was an effort by the United States to deliver weapons.

Those weapons went into the territory and I am told the custody of PUK Kurds, the Patriotic Union of Kurds. They control the area of Solomonia, which is in Iraq, but on the border of Iran. They have historically been Pro-Iran. And I'm sorry to say, my sources inform me those weapons were diverted. By the P UK, a faction of the Kurds, not all of the Kurds.

including for sale to Iranian-backed Iraqi militia. and maybe for sale to the PKK that Turkey and the United States designate as a terror organization.

So President Trump is right about the weapons, but I want him to narrow the indictment and sanction the group responsible, not take our thirty five year alliance of the Kurds and throw it under the bus.

Well, one thing is going to be key to that area is being able to arm the people to take back their country. How's that going? Have you heard anything? No, in fact, one of the terrible consequences of this mishandling of U.S. materiel.

Is that it now makes vulnerable the Iranian Kurds that are inside the Iranian regime territory? They could be subject to retaliation. The mullahs in Tehran could say all these protests that we've seen tens of thousands murdered were foreign back.

So it could set us back a step. But I don't have information about other efforts to arm. I do think the Iranian civilians need to be able to fight back against the regime. But they're not now, right? Have you heard anything about uprisings?

Very early on in this conflict, I was informed by at least one source that there were efforts to arm the Balochi faction, which is on the western side, excuse me, the eastern side of Iran on the border of Pakistan, which makes Pakistan very nervous. But I haven't heard that again, and I don't have. Any other access to information about that?

So when you look at the situation, how much damage, how much is Iran despised now by the Middle East, especially after their actions? Sh It's a maligned actor. First of all, going back to Iraq, it has exploited Iraq for decades, ever since the US launched its mission there. The Saudis recognize Iran is a malignant actor ready to strike them at any time. The UAE is running military missions on Iran, we are told.

Kuwait and Bahrain have suffered tremendously. There's almost no alliances in the region. Pakistan, the country of my family's origin, Is famous for having a deep relationship with Iran and also with China. And so Pakistan may be the only advocate Iran has in that area other than Oman that has less influence.

So they're isolated. They did it intentionally. They haven't stopped. But the UAE actually hitting back. How significant is that?

I think it's enormously significant. First of all, Americans know the UAE is a very advanced, very sophisticated, very friendly place to do business, to live, to go on vacation. They are one of the first members of the Abraham Accords. You and I saw that come into fruition. And they have deep strategic technology and defense agreements with Israel.

And it has been announced that Israel has actually provided them the Iron Dome. The UAE also has a tremendous air force. And I think that this level of conflict with Iran, I was speaking about this to friends at dinner last night. If I was running the Arab Emirates, I would be looking at whether can I get hold of nuclear arms myself if Iran is not going to be denuclearized. The stakes are so high, if we don't manage to denucleize Iran, there's going to be a nuclear arms race, which I suspect may be underway.

That's another thing President Trump is right about. He's right about this war, he's right about denuclearizing Iran, but he's wrong to impugn all Kurds. Who's in charge of Iran? Who do you think has wielded most of the power? Great question.

My guess would be hardliners inside the IRGC because they have a grip on all of the assets, the military power, the intelligence. This is where President Trump's trip to Beijing now comes at a critical time. China and Russia have been providing enormous intelligence to Iran to strike the Gulf nations and the region, ironically, that also have relations with China and were neutral towards Russia in the war against Ukraine.

So if I was leading that delegation, I'm not going to be in that position. I'm not a diplomat. The first question I would ask the President of China is: tell us who are you dealing with in Iran? That's where the power is being held, and that's where China and the United States need to bring pressure to close this conflict. Roger Zachim from the Reagan Institute said this about the China-Iran relationship, Cut 17.

But Iran, that's a liability for G. And soon, I think overall it's really going to advantage the United States and our allies in the region. You want to build on that or refute that? That's very interesting. First of all, Iran, of course, is a source of energy to China, about 13% of its energy.

I think that China's interest in Iran is much more about the United States than Iran itself. It's an effort to push back Western influence from the Middle East, not only from Iran, but from the Gulf region. And some of the criticism that's arising from inside the region is. Uh Um That had relied on American defenses to protect them. The Saudis, the GCC nations are feeling very exposed.

Why hasn't Saudi Arabia struck back? Why hasn't Bahrain and Kuwait struck back? Why aren't we allowed to use our American bases to launch counter-strikes on Iran? It's because they fear the retaliation and they fear the United States will not be there for them.

So China has gained enormous influence, and Iran is one of the vehicles by which it's been doing that. But it's also about the Belt Road Initiative, the borders with Pakistan, and even the route into Iraq. Much of Iraqi oil processed there is going to China.

So many factors at play.

Well, the Belt and Road program is not needed by the Gulf states, right? I mean, they got plenty of money and they got. They they have engineers.

So great, great observation. Belt and Road Initiative was very good, is very good for Central Asia, Pakistan and China. The United States, and again, the Abraham Accords, and again, Israel, the I2U2, India-Israel, United States UAE is building a corridor with India, and that is going to connect with Saudi Arabia for a challenge to the Belt and Road Initiative that will bring huge goods to massive markets.

So this is a competition for resources, influence, and trade.

So um Pakistan, there's a report by CBS, not refuted that we know of, and came up in yesterday's hearing that said that Pakistan is helping to shield and house Iranian planes while trying to be a fair and honest broker for peace talks. Um how much truth in that? I wish I knew. I have not actually had time to make any calls to Pakistan to see what I could learn. But my relationships are not deep in the intelligence or military arena over there.

We have to recognize Pakistan has been the first nation to have an alliance and engagement with China. The United States made engagement with Nixon and China through Pakistan. Pakistan was the first country that ever flew into China from the outside world.

So when we're dealing with Pakistan, we're dealing with China. It would make perfect sense to me if the United States announced a ceasefire, that Pakistan and China would say to Iran, please shelter your hardware so that at least you save some materiel because this war could go again.

So it seems very logical. It seems a very high-risk move. And then we have to go back not to conflate issues, but for some reason. We found bin Laden in Abdubad, in Pakistan, a military cantonment. I've been there in my childhood that's akin to West Point.

So Pakistan is expert at managing a very complicated geopolitical region with many overlapping relationships. Yeah, there are questions have to be asked. We know they housed the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, but now they're actually fighting off the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

So, Brian, more importantly, is that Pakistan has opened six land corridors between Iran and Pakistan while our naval blockade is on.

So, these are things the United States is looking at, and there will be consequences. It's how long this could go on for. Right. So, do you believe Pakistan? Do you think that China will pressure Iran to open up the strait or do something in these next two days?

I think the United States and China have converging interests. They both want the blockade to be over in terms of allowing free passage of international shipping. I think China can be very valuable in leveraging the remnants of the Iranian rule at the moment and explaining if they're going to avert annihilation from the United States, now is the time to begin releasing the Straits of Hormuz. The problem is. The Iranians have cooked that goose, as you might say, because the world is already rearranging itself to devitalize the Strait of Hormuz.

That's going to take many years, but we're building pipelines throughout the region, so we will never be reliant on that choke point in the same way. It was brought up, too, by Carl Rove that they're going to further explore Alaska. Pay to develop Alaska because it's closer to Japan than China and even sell to China.

So that makes total sense. And it's certainly great idea. Norway has just resurrected, I think, three or four oil rigs that have been closed for 40 years and is drilling again, even though they are committed to minimizing fossil fuels.

So all countries are regrouping themselves. But this is another reason why our bipartisan caucus in the Senate and Congress that supports the Kurds is so valuable, because some of the most important oil pipelines go through the Kurdish area. And the United States has to stand with these allies that have spilled Tens of thousands of lives defending the world against ISIS. And they were not paid for that. They gave freely of their own blood with just.

Neighbors giving them meals. They are an extremely humble people.

So we have to correct the record on that.

So, I have a theory that I think the president makes it clear: we can't deal with you. You're not convinced that you lost the war. We're going back in. And I think Iran. And when that becomes clear, and if that's the message the president sends to China.

Then it's not in China's interest for us to finish off Iran. because they will lose an ally like they lost Venezuela.

So at which point they could look like a hero. and say to that Government, Open up the Strait, no strings attached. And then come to the table will, or Russia will take the thousand pounds of uranium. and we move forward in thirty days on a on a nuclear deal. That's my sense.

Brian, I think you're absolutely right. And I would say that we have maybe 72 hours. I think if this is not resolved by the time the President is getting back to Washington, we're going to have war on this weekend. I think the consequences are going to be devastating. We're going to be targeting military checkpoints, power infrastructure, other places that Iran is attempting to manage to run its affairs, further leadership.

It will be no holds barred. It will be very destructive. And China has committed $450 billion, almost half a trillion dollars, to Iran over the next 25 years. It doesn't want to lose that. China also must be surely re-evaluating its relationship with Russia, that has not been able to defeat Ukraine and needed to use North Korean troops as an aid.

So, China's probably thinking: you know, what kind of allies have I assembled? Maybe China will see the light. and make a strong alliance with the United States, which is what the world needs. It would be interesting. It depends how sincere everybody is, you know.

And I don't think anybody in that region is. But I will say that Russia is not only not winning, they're beginning to lose. And they're going into Africa, grabbing Africans and putting them in the army.

So they are desperate. They had North Koreans in their military parade. It's an absolute embarrassment. They begged Ukraine not to interrupt their parade. And they've made their own long-range missiles.

It's amazing what's taking place. And you're keeping up with all of it, Dr. Ahmed. Thanks so much. Brian, thanks for the opportunity, especially to defend the Kurdish people and the U.

S. Kurdish relationship for thirty five years. It's such a valuable one, and we mustn't give up on it. Just pick the right Kurds. Yes.

Thanks so much. Back in a moment. Real talk, real guests, real insight, where curiosity meets conversation is the Brian Killmeat Show. From his mouth to your ears, it's Brian Kilmead. While the Hantavirus is a known virus, it's difficult to transmit.

It's mostly spread by rat infestation, which does raise the question: how did a cruise ship end up? with Hantavirus on it. A husband and wife who were the first to be stricken with the so-called rat virus reportedly went bird watching at a rat-infested landfill when their cruise ship was docked at a remote city in Argentina. I have some questions. It's going to walk down the list.

A, what cruise line? Offers day trip Landfill excursions. Me, what bird watcher wants to go to a landfill and spend the whole day going, seagull, seagull? See you go. Uh You scondom.

Cerulean warbler. No, that's used condom.

Sorry. Seagull, vulture, seagull, condom, vulture eating, seagull eating condom. In bird watching lingo, that's known as a vugoldum. A lot of people serve that on holidays. It is crazy.

And we're talking about the origin of this new virus that we're all supposed to be panicked about. Fantastic. Daily show last night, right?

So funny onia Monday night. I do feel bad laughing at it because people are dying, but I mean, it's also true that I mean, the news coverage of it is insane. We have it's it's If you, if you angers me so much, I can't put it into words. Brian, you should go watch the whole monologue. Right.

I'm almost done. It's tough in the morning because when I go in the shower, I put a special speaker so I can hear the news in the shower. Not working. No. With optimum cable, this new box?

I'm resetting it every time.

So am I. Can we? Oh, we don't have enough time to rant against optimum. I do the same thing. It takes me like three minutes to put on my TV every time.

It's quite annoying. On a side note, Just talked to a high-ranking FBI official. We are working with China in China to stop fentanyl coming over here to a lot of success.

So the president has got the message across.