Day 5 at War: Israel Wins Major Victories over Iran, but Serious Risks Remain
33:10 Share

This is an iHeart Podcast.

Legends, the greatest social casino and sportsbook experience, has arrived at Legends.com. With thousands of the best free-to-play casino-style games, chances to earn millions of bonus coins and win real money. Legends is revolutionizing the Vegas experience wherever you are. If you love winning, then you'll love playing at L-E-G-E-N-D-Z.com. Legends is a free-to-play social casino void where prohibited play responsibly. Visit Legends.com for more information. Legends with a Z.com is legendary fun.

Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less.

We love the health benefits, but hate the taste. Now you can finally get both with Don't Quit Protein Drinks. Loaded with 33 grams of proteins,

Only one gram of sugar and a cleaner approach to ingredients that use no artificial flavors or sweeteners, but still delivers that smooth texture and delicious taste we all crave. Don't let the wrong ingredients knock you down. Fuel your perseverance with Don't Quit Clean Protein Drinks. Get yours now at Jewel Osco.

Hello, it is Ryan. And I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on Chumbacasino.com. I looked over at the person sitting next to me. And you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chumbacasino. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chumbacasino is home to hundreds of casino-style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere. So sign up now at Chumbacasino.com to claim your free welcome bonus. That's Chumbacasino.com.

I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break Podcast, a real conversation about finance.

Let's be honest. Building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that. And we're not stopping at success stories. What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it? Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

Good Monday morning. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. And Senator, we've got a lot to chat about, especially when it deals with what's happening with Israel and Iran.

It is day five of Israel's war with Iran, and the entire world is watching with bated breath. Israel is scoring major victories, taking out senior Iranian military leadership, doing massive damage to Iran's nuclear facilities. We're going to break down exactly what has happened.

We're going to talk also about the missiles that are flying back into Israel, about the Israeli civilians who are being wounded, who are being killed as a price for this war. We're going to talk about the risks that American servicemen and women are facing in the Middle East and the risk all of us are facing here at home of the potential for Iranian terrorism. And the question everyone is asking, what's next? Where does this go?

More than once, I've had teenagers at home ask, is this World War III? The short answer is no, but we're going to break down why. All of that on today's verdict.

Yeah, it's a really important show. I want to also make sure you guys remember, hit that subscribe auto download button and share this podcast on your social media wherever you're listening right now. We've also had so many of you that have asked the question, how can I help people in Israel? And we've been telling you about the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and the work they are doing is incredible. They are deploying bomb shelters everywhere.

As we speak to help keep people safe in Israel, when things get bad, that is when they step up and protect families and loved ones. And if you want to get involved and stand with the people in Israel right now, you can do it by giving food and shelter to Jewish families that are under threat. As I said, they're building bomb shelters for children. They're helping survivors of the attacks that we're witnessing right now.

and they are doing it daily. Your gift of only $45 will help support life-saving work by providing food, shelter, and so much more. I was speaking with the CEO of IFCJ, and she was talking about just how hard it is for so many families in Israel right now and what they're doing on the ground and the bomb shelters that are needed. And she said very simply, if you can help stand with the people in Israel that are under attack,

They are doing everything they can to support them and to give the bomb shelters that are needed. So step up and help right now if you can at all. 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-IFCJ.

You can also give online at ifcj.org. Every dollar helps. Don't wait. Be the difference. Ifcj.org or 888-488-IFCJ. So Senator, this started, as you mentioned, five days ago. And let's go back to what caused this to happen and remind people how we got here.

Well, in many ways, I think this was inevitable. It is inevitable because the Ayatollah has set out a clear objective of acquiring a nuclear weapon. President Trump had given the Ayatollah a 60-day deadline, a 60-day deadline to cut a deal.

And the deal that the president was demanding was complete dismantlement. I led a letter of 52 Republican senators saying we agree with President Trump that the only acceptable outcome is complete and total dismantlement, every Iranian centrifuge being dismantled. Why? Because the Iranians have proved they are liars.

And if they keep enriching uranium, they will use that to try to develop a nuclear weapon. And given that these are theocratic lunatics who chant death to America and death to Israel, I believe they want a nuclear weapon because they want the ability to use a nuclear weapon. And so on day 61, Iran announced we will not dismantle even a single centrifuge.

And we're going to build more. We're going to keep enriching, which was essentially a gigantic middle finger to President Trump. But it was also telling Israel, hey, hit us now because we're going to keep going until we get a nuke. And Israel did not need to be asked twice.

This attack was launched on the 61st day, the day after the expiration of President Trump's deadline. And listen, what we've seen in the last five days has been a massive attack from Israel that is highly targeted. As of June 15, Israel had struck more than 720 military targets in Iran. These airstrikes are largely intelligence-driven. They're precision strikes.

on infrastructure, on military leaders, on mobile military targets. And part of the reason Israel is able to do so is that Israel has almost complete dominance of the airspace because they've degraded Iran's air defenses. And so in the last five days, who have they taken out? Well, Israel has taken out Major General Hossein Salami, who was the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC.

They've taken out Major General Mohammed Bagheri, who was the chief of staff of the armed forces. They've taken out Major General Ghulam Ali Rashid, who was the head of the Qatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.

They've taken out Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Air Force. They've taken out Ali Shamkhani, who's a close aide to the Supreme Leader and the former Iranian Navy commander. They have taken out

Amir Ali Hajid Ade, commander of the IRGC airspace units, oversaw ballistic missiles. They've taken out Brigadier General Khosrav Hassani, the IRGC intelligence airspace force chief deputy. They've taken out Mohamed Mehdi Teranji, who's a physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. And they've taken out

Farah Farah Dun Abassi, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. This is massive. This is decapitation of the senior military leaders in Iran. They've also had targeted strikes on bases. We're going to go through that in a minute. But the effect of it, the leaders that Iran would turn to to say wage war against Israel,

They're all taken out. And it was almost instantaneous. Now, the other thing that has the Iranians completely freaked out is the intel.

Israel knew where each of those leaders were. They took them all out within hours of each other. I mean, it was almost instantaneous. Now, you got to note the Iranian, their leaders were all sitting around in predictable places on the 61st day. They did not think Israel was going to act. That was a wrong prediction. And you combine that.

with massive degradation of the air defenses and multiple attacks on bases, nuclear facilities, and also missile launch sites, and Israel's opening salvos of this attack have been incredibly effective.

You look at the effectiveness of this, and I do have to just say, honestly, wow. The intelligence work that they've just been sitting on, as you mentioned, Israel, is truly mind-blowing. But there's also, I think, a debt of gratitude the world owes Israel for stepping up and doing what needed to be done. Would you agree? Absolutely, yes. And listen, Iran wants a nuclear weapon.

The Ayatollah refers to Israel as the little Satan. He refers to America as the great Satan. And I got to say, as an American, I think Americans should be grateful for

that Israel is taking out not just these leaders, and mind you, the IRGC are the same people who've taken out two different hits on President Trump, have hired assassins to try to murder President Trump. They've hired assassins to try to murder Trump's former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. They've hired assassins to try to murder Trump's former National Security Advisor, John Bolton. And these nuclear weapons...

It is a massive favor to the United States to take out the facility. So, for example, the Natanz facility, which is the main uranium enrichment facility, the United Nations nuclear chief, Rafael Grossi, told the Security Council that the above ground section of the Natanz facility was totally destroyed. He said all the electrical infrastructure and emergency power generators were destroyed. And he said the section of the facility where uranium was enriched up to 60 percent, that was destroyed.

Satellite imagery confirms that the pilot fuel enrichment plant was destroyed and buildings across the facility were damaged.

There are also reports that electricity is down in the tons as lowers levels, which is where centrifuge centrifuges used to enrich uranium are stored. That was massively effective. And, you know, one thing I want to say. So on Twitter, look, most people, certainly people who are focused on protecting America's national security are celebrating what's happening here. But I will say there's some voices on Twitter saying,

who have decided that what America first means is that we retreat from the world and we don't actually stand up to our enemies. And I'm here to tell you that is not America first. Listen, I am someone who is reluctant to put U.S. servicemen and women in harm's way. And by the way, President Trump is also. In his first term, he did not invade foreign countries. Indeed, he ended two wars. But at the same time, it is worth remembering

Donald Trump has never been an isolationist. In his first term, Donald Trump inherited from Barack Obama ISIS had a caliphate the size of the state of Indiana, and Trump utterly decimated that caliphate. He destroyed ISIS. Trump took out General Soleimani, the former head of the IRGC, and he also took out al-Baghdadi. Trump's actions were never those of an isolationist. And I will say, some of the folks who are throwing rocks, attacking the president,

attacking the president and saying President Trump is not America first because he's supporting Israel and standing up and stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons. I will say the president had an interview in The Atlantic where here's what he said, quote, Well, considering that I'm the one that developed America first and considering that the term wasn't used until I came along, I think I'm the one that decides that.

For those people who say they want peace, you can't have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon. So for all those wonderful people who don't want to do anything about Iran having a nuclear weapon, that's not peace. I got to say, I agree with President Trump. He is exactly right. And America first means peace through strength and stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon keeps us out of war.

How close do you think we really were? And that's one of the questions I've been asked. If I've been asked it once, it's a hundred times to dealing with the real possibility of a nuclear Iran or an Iran that was willing to go after Israel the way that Israel has described it. It was way closer than it should have ever been. Well, that's right. And I'll tell you what, you should listen to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he explains what their intelligence showed. Here, give a listen.

You know, I just want to press you on the intel on the nuclear part. Less than two months ago, the new director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, testified on Capitol Hill saying that everything had been suspended since 2003 and had not restarted, that the nuclear program had not been restarted by the Iranians. So did something change from end of March until this week? Was the U.S. intel wrong?

The intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear. It was absolutely clear that they were working in a secret plan to weaponize the uranium. They were marching very quickly. They would achieve a test device and possibly an initial device within months and certainly less than a year. That was the intel we shared with the United States. I think we have excellent intel in Iran. I think we've proven that. And that is something that we couldn't possibly accept.

whether it would be six months or 12 months or 13 months is immaterial. Once they go that route, it's too late. And we will not have a second Holocaust, a nuclear Holocaust. We already had one in the previous century. The Jewish state is not going to have the Holocaust made it on the Jewish people. It's not going to happen. Never again is now. And we have to act now. Senator, the idea of a nuclear Holocaust, the way that he just described it,

is one that I think everyone should just step back and really think about. And then there's the second aspect of this, which is if there's any foreign policy doctrine that has been very clear in the world, it is Iran saying that they want to destroy Israel from the river, the sea death to Israel. It is their foreign policy. It is clear. They're not lying about it. Believe them when they say they want to annihilate Israel.

Well, and look, the Ayatollah, the Islamic revolution in Iran succeeded in 1979, and the Iranian regime since that time has been the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world. The Ayatollah has paid for terrorism.

Hamas provides, Iran provides over 90% of the funding for Hamas, over 90% of the funding for Hezbollah. They fund terrorists who murder Israelis. They fund terrorists who murder Americans. General Soleimani, who Trump took out in the first term, was directly responsible for the murder of over 600 American servicemen and women. And to give you a sense of the level of hatred that

from the Iranian radicals, and I want to draw a distinction between the theocratic zealots that is the Ayatollah and the mullahs versus the Iranian people. Look, the people of Iran before the revolution, Iran was a relatively secular country. They were an ally of America. They were in many senses pro-America.

And it was the radical jihadists that took it over that twisted it. And they've been horrible to the people of Iran. And so I think there are a great many people in Iran who yearn to be free from these theocratic lunatics who've dominated the country and who engage in torture and murder and suppression of their own citizens. Here's an amazing fact. The former head of the Iranian nuclear program,

who has some time ago gone to meet his maker, and many say at the hands of the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence services, he had written in his last will and testament that he wanted the following words written on his tombstone. Here lies a man who sought to annihilate Israel. Now, Ben, what kind of level of bilious hate is

Do you have when the only thing you want to be remembered for is I am a bigot and an anti-Semite and I want to murder as many Jews as possible. That's the sum total of my life. And listen, this is where a lot of Democrats and a lot of folks who are who are isolationists, they say, well, what business is it of ours if Iran has a nuclear weapon? I believe if the Ayatollah had a nuclear weapon.

The odds are unacceptably high that he would use that nuclear weapon. And I want to draw a contrast to North Korea. Look, Kim Jong-un, the dictator of North Korea, has a significant nuclear arsenal. That was a result of catastrophic policy mistakes, most notably by Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton went to Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-il, and said, hey, let's cut a deal with you.

We'll flow tens of billions of dollars for you in exchange for you promising not to make nuclear weapons. And Kim Jong-il said, hey, great idea. I'll take your deal. And he took the tens of billions of dollars and he used them to develop nuclear weapons. And so now we've got a crackpot dictator on the Korean Peninsula with nuclear weapons that periodically goes off and threatens to fire the nuclear weapons at America. You know, Trump famously calls calls Kim Jong-un Rocket Man.

The one thing that is a very dangerous part of the world because Kim Jong-un is megalomaniacal. He's unpredictable. But but there is one thing we know, which is that he values staying in power. And he knows if, God forbid, he ever used a nuclear weapon that day, his regime would be over. So hopefully you can have some modicum of rational deterrence with Kim Jong-un.

The problem with the Ayatollah is he is a theocratic zealot. He glories in death and suicide. And so the Ayatollah knows if he detonated a nuclear weapon, he knows that his regime would instantly fall, that massive Iranian deaths would result. The problem is if he was able to murder millions of Jews or millions of Americans, he just might be willing to take...

That trade with religious zealotry, the ordinary cost benefit analysis does not work. And so I think if he had a nuclear weapon, we could find out for sure with a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv or New York or Los Angeles.

Legends, the greatest social casino and sportsbook experience, has arrived at Legends.com. With thousands of the best free-to-play casino-style games, chances to earn millions of bonus coins and win real money. Legends is revolutionizing the Vegas experience wherever you are. If you love winning, then you'll love playing at L-E-G-E-N-D-Z.com. Legends is a free-to-play social casino void where prohibited play responsibly. Visit Legends.com for more information. Legends with a Z.com is legendary fun.

And here we have a specimen from the early 2000s, a legacy investing platform. Please don't touch the exhibit, folks. It could crash. Ready to step out of the financial history museum? At public.com, you can invest in almost everything, stocks, bonds, options, and more. You could even put your cash to work at an industry-leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind. Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less.

Paid for by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA, and SIPC. Full disclosures at public.com slash disclosures. Looking for a smarter way to teach your child to ride a bike and support American jobs at the same time? Most kids' bikes are cheap imports, heavy, clunky, and hard for kids to control. Guardian Bikes is changing that. Assembling bikes right here in the USA with plans for full U.S. manufacturing in the next few months. It's a commitment to higher quality and American craftsmanship you can trust.

Each bike is lightweight, low to the ground, and built to help kids learn to ride faster. Many in just one day. No training wheels needed. Guardian's patented Sure Stop Braking System. One lever stops both wheels, giving your child more control, faster stops, and prevents those scary head-over-handlebar accidents.

It's so easy, even a two-year-old can do it. If you're ready to support American jobs and keep your kids safe, head to GuardianBikes.com today. You'll save hundreds compared to the competition. Join their newsletter. You'll get a free bike lock and pump, a $50 value. Guardian Bikes, built in the USA, made specifically for kids. This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union. Navy Federal can help you find and finance the right vehicle with ease.

And this summer, you're in the driver's seat with savings. You can get a $250 bonus when you buy your next car through Navy Federal's car buying service, powered by Trucar and financed with Navy Federal. With this tool, you can find the vehicle that's right for you as you search through inventory and compare models.

and you could get an amazing rate when you finance with Navy Federal. Navy Federal strives to support all active duty veterans and their families to achieve their personal and financial goals. And this partnership with Trucar is one of the many tools Navy Federal uses to help its members. Make your plan with Navy Federal and Trucar today.

Navy Federal Credit Union. To qualify for the $250 bonus, car purchase and financing must be completed by September 2, 2025. Terms and conditions apply and are available at NavyFederal.org slash TrueCar. Credit and collateral subject to approval.

Navy Federal is insured by NCUA. We've all tried protein drinks on the go, but why don't they taste more like the ones we make at home or from the juice bar? They're too chalky and too sweet from sugar or artificial sweeteners. We love the health benefits, but hate the taste. Now you can finally get both with Don't Quit Protein Drinks. Loaded with 33 grams of proteins,

Only one gram of sugar and a cleaner approach to ingredients that use no artificial flavors or sweeteners, but still delivers that smooth texture and delicious taste we all crave. Don't let the wrong ingredients knock you down. Fuel your perseverance with Don't Quit Clean Protein Drinks. Get yours now at Jewel Osco.

There's also another aspect of this. Iran is excellent at using terrorist organizations. Yes. Fund them. They give them weaponry. They train them. I mean, there are countless examples of Iran using extremist groups. If they also got this technology, there's what's the guarantee they wouldn't hand it over to somebody like that?

Yeah. And look, that's that's the problem. Do they have a reliable ICBM that could carry a nuclear weapon from Iran to Manhattan? Probably not. Oh, they're trying to develop them. They have an ICBM program. And it's worth noting.

You do not need an ICBM to get to Israel from Iran. A ballistic missile is sufficient. An intercontinental ballistic missile is designed to travel much further. 100% of the reason Iran has an ICBM program is to carry a nuclear warhead to America. Israel's not the target of their ICBMs. America is. But I would note also,

They would not need an ICBM to do it. If they could get it on a ship or a container and detonate it in a port anywhere in America, or I'll tell you one enormous risk, they could put it in a satellite that is orbiting over, say, the eastern seaboard and detonate a nuclear weapon, which would set off...

an EMP and take down the electrical grid, I'll tell you, I've seen the projections. An EMP that took down the electrical grid could result in, over time, millions of deaths in America. That's the kind of vulnerability we're facing. And so my view, President Trump is exactly right when he says that's not peace. We're not going to find out what a world with an Iranian nuke is like.

And I'll tell you, I spoke with President Trump this weekend and I told him I thought he was doing a fantastic job. And he was agreeing. He said, look, he gave Iran every option possible.

to avoid this, and they didn't want to. They wouldn't take a deal. They wouldn't agree to give up their centrifuges. And I'll tell you what I told the president in particular. Hold on, hold on. I've got to ask. You said you talked to him this weekend. Before and during all this is happening, correct? Yeah. No, no. I talked to him. You and I are talking right now. It is 1225 a.m. Sunday night, Monday morning. I talked to him about 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon.

All right. So you said that he said they offered him a deal. That's being just either just completely disregarded by the media or severely underreported that he was trying to get a deal done and they refused to do it. That's what the 60 day deadline was. He gave him 60 days to cut a deal and the deal had to be complete dismantlement. And they basically told him, go jump in a lake. We don't want a deal. We want a nuclear weapon.

And so, you know, Trump said, all right. And and and I will say there were some early reports from the administration that the administration didn't know anything about it. And Trump very quickly corrected that and said, of course we do about it, which is exactly right.

And listen, asking where does this go from here? I don't see any outcome that results in American boots on the ground. I don't see any outcome that results in American soldiers fighting in Iran. What we're doing right now, we are assisting the Israelis. We're assisting the Israelis in intel. We're assisting the Israelis in surveillance.

Israel is engaged in targeted military strikes within Iran. Iran is responding by firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel aimed at civilian targets. So they're landing missiles in Tel Aviv. And I will say, in terms of escalation,

I'm worried that we will see very significant casualties in Israel. I was speaking with a friend of mine this evening whose mom is in Jerusalem right now. And he said his mom in five days has gotten very little sleep because every night at two or three in the morning, the sirens go off and they have to rush to a bomb shelter. So he said she has not slept, slept very much for five days because that's constantly happening.

There is a real risk of there have already been significant casualties, but they could be much higher. And listen, the government of Israel knows that. But but the casualties from from these missile strikes are are relatively small compared to the millions of Israelis who could die with an Iranian nuclear attack. And so that's why the government is acting to stop that. But I'll tell you what I also said to the president. I said, thank you in particular.

for making absolutely clear to Iran the overwhelming consequences if they attack American servicemen and women. Yeah, that note that he put out there was very clear because he's saying, hey, A, we weren't involved in this, and we're going to state that clearly. This was Israel doing their thing. But if you think for a moment that you can use this to justify attacking Americans anywhere in the world, there will be hell to pay if you do that.

Yeah, look, I think if Iran carries out a significant strike on American servicemen and women, then I think America, if they think the bombs coming from Israel are bad, I think they will face...

massive retaliation, and that's called deterrence. We want them not to strike our servicemen and women. And by the way, that's the difference between Joe Biden, who was so weak he couldn't deter anything. It helps that our enemies are afraid of the commander-in-chief. That's where actually in the debates about foreign policy, those who argue for isolationism get it wrong. Because if you're

So terrified to engage with your enemies that then you end up causing more war. I think Reagan was right. I think Trump is right that when you're strong, when you tell your enemies, if you attack and kill Americans, your military leaders are going to die. What happens is most of the time they say, you know what, we're just not going to attack. And you end up avoiding war because because they're scared of the commander in chief.

So where does this go from here? And this is where everybody's saying, hey, look, we want an off ramp, right? Like that's something we do want. We want this. We want to protect lives. But at the same time, Israel is, I think, making it very clear we have no choice but to do this. And we're doing the world a huge service by doing it. Yeah. So the Israeli government is talking on a time frame that this could last another week or two.

They're engaged in massive bombings. And at some point, you know, at some point, the question is, how much ordinance do they have? How much capacity do they have to keep bombing and how many targets do they have? You know, I will say also one of the most significant sites is Fordow. Now, Fordow is a nuclear bunker that is built into the side of a mountain.

And it's built deliberately to make it very difficult to strike, to carry out an airstrike. And it's where much of their nuclear research is being conducted. Now, there were reports on Sunday that Israel carried out a strike at Fordow. But at least based on publicly reported material, Israel does not have sufficiently effective bunker buster bombs to be able to take out the deep underground laboratories at Fordow.

And so one of the open questions is, to the best of my knowledge, the only military that has those bombs is the United States. We have really big bunker busters that are made to take out...

deep, deep underground facilities like the Fort Owl nuclear facilities. And so one open question, I have for a long time called for the United States to make those bunker busters available to Israel. I think taking out Fort Owl makes a lot of sense. I think if Israel does it, and by the way, I'll point out, look, Israel is a small country. Israel is about the size of the state of New Jersey.

And they are fighting against our enemies, our enemies who have pledged they want to murder us. And they're doing so at great risk to themselves. And so that is something to be grateful for. But understand, they're taking out Iran's nuclear capabilities is very, very good for America because it makes America safer. And I think if Israel...

finishes the job of taking out their nuclear capability, I think these attacks likely end within the next couple of weeks.

You look at Donald Trump saying we can probably get a deal done. Is that after we accomplish the mission? If you're reading between the lines here, I mean, you've spoken with them. Is this a, we got to allow our ally Israel to do what they need to do in that timeframe as well. So listen, I'm skeptical that Iran will ever, ever cut a real deal. I don't think you could negotiate with crazy. And I think these people are crazy. And, and, and so,

I think one of the things that would enhance American security massively is to see the Ayatollah fall and to see the mullahs lose power, to see different leadership come to Iran. I think that would make Israel much safer. I think that would make America much safer. And I think that would make the Iranian people better off. Now, let me be clear. I'm not advocating that we send in a bunch of American soldiers to make that happen.

I am advocating that we use maximum pressure and economic sanctions to pressure the regime in a way that might encourage this regime to fall, because I think that they have demonstrated that they are...

are homicidal and murderously directing their urges towards killing Americans. And so removing people from power who are trying to kill Americans makes America safer. Let me also go back to something you mentioned earlier, and this seems to clearly be part of Israel's strategy, which is you go after and take out people that are, in essence, holding down the people and silencing the people in Iran.

in the leadership roles, that's part of who they seem to be going after. That could be huge for allowing what you just described to actually happen, a revolution within Israel, or I should say within Iran. Well, and listen, one of the conscious choices, it appears, that Israel made was not to target the Ayatollah himself.

And I don't have, I have no classified information on this. Why is that, by the way? Yeah. Why is that, out of curiosity? So I don't know for sure. I have no classified information on this, but I can give an educated guess, which is that taking out

the leader of a country through military forces is a significant step. Now, mind you, the Ayatollah is perfectly fine hiring hitmen to try to murder Donald Trump. So the Ayatollah has no problem doing it. And I have no doubt that if the Ayatollah could could murder Prime Minister Netanyahu, he would do so in the blink of an eye.

He has not been able to do so, but I think the Israelis, given their success in taking out everyone else, I think it's reasonable to assume that they would have had a real prospect of taking the Ayatollah out had they chosen to do so. My guess is that they made a decision that taking out the leader of the country could backfire, especially given that he is also a religious leader and you run into a danger of potentially making him a martyr.

and it is not clear if you toppled him in those circumstances, you might get a younger theocratic lunatic take over instead. And so I think it is a reasonable decision for Israel to say, rather than target the Ayatollah directly...

Let's take out every one of their top military officers that they would use to prosecute a war. And by the way, those are the same people they use to push down an uprising to oppress their people. And so degrading their capabilities, it's what they've done with Hezbollah. They've taken out their top leadership. It's what they've done. It's what they've done with Hamas. And I'll tell you, on Saturday, Israel conducted a strike in Yemen.

killing the Houthi chief of staff, Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, who was responsible for overseeing Houthi military operations and directing the procurement and deployment of a number of weapon systems for them. The Houthis are another arm of Iran. And so what Israel has done is weakened Iran on every front, and that approach

oppressive infrastructure, their ability to wage war, their ability to kill Israelis, their ability to kill Americans, their ability to fund terrorism and their ability to to suppress their people. All of those are substantially weakened.

That's a very good thing. Final question for you on this is, as we move forward through this week, I think it's pretty obvious the media is obsessed with Donald Trump somehow not standing with Israel or trying to drive a wedge. Do you think there's any chance at all that can happen? Because in the early questions, it was almost like you guys are idiots. Come on. I think President Trump has been the strongest pro-Israel president in the history of America.

It's an exact contrast with Joe Biden. Joe Biden was the most anti-Israel president in the history of America. The fact that they occurred back and back, you want to talk about whiplash. You'll recall we did this podcast when Bibi came to Washington, and I met with him for about two hours. He is a good friend. I have not spoken to Bibi since this war broke out, although I did speak with the Israeli ambassador to the United States on Thursday night, the night

the war began. And listen, their successes are significant, but they have the complete backing of the Trump administration, and that is important. I do think there are some voices within the administration that are pressing back, and part of the reason I talked to President Trump today was to say, what you're doing is exactly right. You're making America safer by allowing Israel to take out

Iran's nukes and you're also protecting American servicemen and women. Keep doing it. And he agreed emphatically.

So make sure you do that. Please share this podcast on social media as well. And also, you can now listen to the show on YouTube. So make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel. And the Senator and I will see you back here on Wednesday morning.

Legends, the greatest social casino and sportsbook experience, has arrived at Legends.com. With thousands of the best free-to-play casino-style games, chances to earn millions of bonus coins and win real money. Legends is revolutionizing the Vegas experience wherever you are. If you love winning, then you'll love playing at L-E-G-E-N-D-Z.com. Legends is a free-to-play social casino void where prohibited play responsibly. Visit Legends.com for more information. Legends with a Z.com is legendary fun.

Welcome back to 1999.

It's time for an upgrade. At public.com, you can invest in almost everything. Stocks, bonds, options, and more. You could even put your cash to work at an industry-leading 4.1% APY. Leave your clunky, outdated platform behind at public.com. Go to public.com and fund your account in five minutes or less. Paid for by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA, and SIPC. Full disclosures at public.com slash disclosures.

Get yours now at Jewel Osco.

I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that. And we're not stopping at success stories. What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it? Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same.

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app. Ryan Seacrest here.

When you have a busy schedule, it's important to maximize your downtime. One of the best ways to do that is by going to ChumbaCasino.com. Chumba Casino has all your favorite social casino games like Spin Slots, Bingo, and Solitaire that you can play for free for a chance to redeem some serious prizes. So hop on to ChumbaCasino.com now and live the Chumba life. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW group void where prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply. This

This is an iHeart Podcast.