What does the Israel-Lebanon accord mean?

Your education is more than a path to a degree. At Regent University, it's an important step in God's plan for your career. It's where you'll be equipped to lead and serve with purpose. It's where 40,000 graduates have prepared to fulfill their callings, and so can you. Choose a top ringed program from over 150 areas of study, on campus or online, and watch what God will do. Learn more at regent.edu. That's regent.edu. Welcome to today's podcast, sponsored by Hillsdale College, all things Hillsdale at Hillsdale.edu. I encourage you to take advantage of the many free online courses there. And, of course, I'll listen to the Hillsdale Dialogues, all of them at Hugh for Hillsdale. Or just Google, iTunes, and Hillsdale. Welcome to the Hugh Hewitt at show on this Monday. It's the beginning of two weeks that I think celebration across the United States of our 250th birthday. I want to kick it off with a little bit of politics. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson joins me. She represents Iowa, and she's going to be their next United States Senator. Congresswoman, welcome. How do you get to spend your Fourth of July weekend next weekend, given that you're running for Senate? Yeah, well, you know the trek through Iowa means a lot of parades. It's the Fourth of July season, so I'll be out there handing out some candy, shaking some hands, and hopefully get to see my family a little bit on the fourth as well. But I am so excited to be helping celebrate America's 250th birthday in the greatest country in the world. We are the best hands down. I agree, absolutely. Let's do our work, though. Let's make sure that you are introduced to my audience, the audience on the Salem News Channel, the Salem Radio Network. You've been my guest before, but not as a Senate candidate. Walk us through how this wonderful person from Iowa gets misled to go out to L.A. and go to USC, become a TV anchor in L.A. and then get back to Iowa. Because I always gig my USC friends. You know that. That's all right. I'll just say fight on because that is my general attitude in life, Hugh. And I think that is the one thing that I learned really, really well in Los Angeles as a conservative fighting back against the crazy woke liberals in L.A. and even on USC's campus, I was willing to do that then. Willing to do it now. So I think the most important thing is I'm in Iowa, born and raised in Iowa. I'm back representing Iowans in Northeast Iowa right now in Congress. And I always fight like I'm 10 points down in every race that I've run because I understand how important it is to go out and earn every single vote. But Iowans expect you to deliver results. And so what I am led by every single day is that deliverable. I want to make sure that we are protecting taxpayers that places like rural America continue to have a voice in a seat. at the table. And most importantly, as I put my mom hat on here, making sure we have a safe and secure country for our children and the next generation to grow up in. So those will continue to be my priorities. And I think I have a record of delivering on those. This is going to be one of the most competitive races in the country because you look at Iowa.

way that Chuck Schumer can take back the Senate without flipping Iowa. So they're going to be investing hundreds of millions of dollars in our state to lie about me. So I look at this as a great opportunity to get out there, tell the truth about them, and how their radical policies are wrong for Iowa and wrong for our country. Well, let's start right there with your campaign website because you're going to need a lot of small donors. Small donors are the backbone of every campaign, so we can't say your website often enough. How do people find out how to help you out, Ashley Ensign? Pretty easy. Ashley Hinson.com. We would appreciate your support to join our team and our mission because I think this is going to be one of the most expensive races in the country. I wish these races weren't dang expensive, but they are. And we know that the liberals are just funneling money into Josh Turek, who is the person I'm going to be running against. He's a far-left liberal state representative in Iowa. And he's following the Democrat playbook right now, which is to masquerade as a moderate. And he's going to govern like a liberal. role. And the interesting thing is that while he's out telling those stories, his record is one of far-left policies. Chuck Schumer Acolyte is what I would say. Chuck Schumer spent $10 million, the most of any candidate in the country to get this gentleman through the primary. So we know that he's going to align with the values of Chuck Schumer and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And not only does he in line with those far-left values, but he frankly embraces them. So protecting illegal immigrants, making sure that law enforcement can't. can't actually work with ICE and cooperate on that, continuing to support radical gender ideology, allowing kids to change their gender at school and not tell the parents about it. Those are the policies that he supported at the state capital. When he chose to show up, might I add, he missed 70% of votes at the state capital this year. So to me, that doesn't signal someone who's willing to stand up for Iowa values. And I certainly am. I'm showing up every single day to make sure that Iowans values and Iowa's stories are told here in Washington. and that's what Iowans expect us to do. So Congresswoman Hinson, I want to go back to where you grew up in Iowa and where you went to high school just to root you in your state, which is a pretty ruby red state, but occasionally throws up a Tom Harkin or somebody like that. Where's your origin story? Are you a Des Moines kid or are you from the rural part of the state? Yeah, nope. I'm a Des Moines area native. I grew up in West Des Moines. I went to Valley High School. I'm a Valley Tiger, class of 2001. So interesting, we just had our 25th high school reunion. I chose to spend it trying to earn votes for the primary instead of going to all the reunion stuff. So I think it's important to get out across the state. Senator Grover. has a great model for how you earn those votes and tell voters what you're about, the 99-county tour. So I've done the full Chuck Grassley. I've been to, obviously, the biggest city in our state where I'm from, Des Moines area. And then the smallest community in our state population. of 11 in Decatur County, Iowa, Leroy, Iowa. So my pledge to people is that no matter what your zip code is, no matter what your background is, is that I'm going to be your advocate and continue to tell your stories. I've worked across the aisle when I need to. I think it's important to get things done and govern and deliver for Iowans. I came into Congress. I'm in my third term now. I came in under Nancy Pelosi.

Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden, which I don't recommend. I hope we don't return to that kind of a Democrat trifecta, but I knew it was still upon me to get things done for Iowans. I'll work with anyone who cares about Iowa's priorities, and I'll stand up to anyone who doesn't want to help me deliver on those or priorities that are wrong for our state. You have been a very solid, I would say, center-right congresswoman supporting both Kevin McCarthy and Mike Johnson. You have very traditional center-right. positions that are just very mainstream America. Have you watched in a bit of amazement at how far left the Democrats have gone this year? Because Mr. Turek is just another Zohran Mamdani, in my view. He's just another Graham Platner, just another Abdul El-Sayed. Does that fly in Iowa, or are they recoiling like the rest of the country from the hard left turn the Democrats have taken? Yeah, well, again, the reason that Chuck Schumer spent so much money to get Josh Tourek across the finish line is because he was masquerading as a moderate. And so when you look at the values that they're actually embracing as a party, this is who the Democrats are. We should take them at their word. Josh Turak has been talking about a 50% corporate tax rate and a 91% marginal tax rate. I mean, that's aligned even, I would say even more extreme than what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has talked about. So you look at the candidates who are coming out of New York City right now. It's coming out now that they've deleted posts about communism and Marxism and really, really far left ideology. That is what these people are embracing now. And I think that's wrong for Iowa. I think that's wrong for our country. I think what Iowans want is a common sense leader who, again, gets things done. I run as a minivan driving mom because that's my life back home. And so when I think about decisions that need to happen in Washington, that's the hat I wear. I think about how. much gas costs, right? I want to get those prices down because it affects everyone. And turns out Iowa farmers use a lot of energy, those input costs. We need to get those down so that our farmers can actually make a living while they're trying to feed and fuel the world also. But being a teenage boy mom, I think really prepares you well for serving in Congress because you're constantly negotiating with unreasonable people. And so I think that set me up well to work here in Washington, D.C. Now, the left-wing Democrats who are coming forward are demanding a lot of free stuff, and they're suggesting that grocery prices can be manipulated by the federal government. They're suggesting that gas prices can be manipulated. I'm a free market guy. I'm pretty sure Iowans are, especially farmers. You're following in the footsteps of the great Joni Ernst. I have to guess that farm matters matter a lot to you as well as to Joni and Chuck Grassley. Am I right about that? Absolutely. I mean, Iowa agriculture is the backbone of our state. These are small business owners, family operations in most cases, and we need to do more to make sure that, number one, that they can be successful because a strong ag economy means a strong national security. Also, food security is national security. So we need to do more to protect our ag supply chain and make sure farmers have markets. So a couple of the priorities that we have really pushed in the House, the E15 mandate, obviously we would love if people could be able to access that fuel year round. It's a win for Iowa farmers and for Iowa agriculture, and it would be a win for consumers. And then we would also argue it's a conservative policy because it's getting rid of a regulation. So we need more of that. And farmers want markets, not checks, right? And I think that's where you start to, again, respect taxpayers in the process, but still make things better for our ag community. So, yes, these issues are front and center as I travel through the state. Fertilizer prices are really high. We need to focus.

more on domestic production and also transparency. I think I'm a former journalist, so I've spent a lot of time asking people tough questions. I find a little sunlight often is the best disinfectant, so more transparency around fertilizer costs. And then looking at our supply chain for ag, how can we make sure we're less reliant on China for those inputs? I think that will help us to be more secure and to drive prices down. So those are all issues that I have been working on these past couple years and look forward to continuing our work in the United States. United States Senate. And we got 30 seconds. I love talking to a former TV person because they know what that means. Ashleyinson.com. How much do you have to raise? And I mean, you've got to do it in tens and 25s and 50s and 100. Ashleyinson.com, but how much do you think you have to put in the bank? Yeah. You know, Hugh, I don't want to put a target on it because every time I do that, they tell me it has to go higher. So what I will say is this. I would appreciate anybody's support for our campaign. Joni's race in 2020 was a $200 million Senate race. We're anticipating that will be well above this, already $80 million in outside spending. So if you're able to chip in a little bit, $25 would help us a long way. Ashley Hinson.com. Let's go out and win in November. Ashley, good to see you, Congresswoman. We'll talk to you frequently as we get closer to November. Ashley Hinson.com. Ashley Hymson.com. Stay tuned, America.

I'm Hugh Hewitt. I hope you are getting ready for a great Fourth of July weekend. Great time to catch up with my friend Roger Zakem, director of the Reagan Institute in Washington, D.C. Roger, it is time for the annual Reagan Institute summer survey. Why don't you give people the background on what you do annually, and then we'll get into the specifics of this year? Yeah, well, great to be with you, Hu. Thanks for the opportunity. The summer survey is one of two surveys we do annually that looks at the foreign policy, national security, and defense views of the American people. Now, your show and you are oriented towards this issue set, but as you know, there is actually a very limited amount of public policy polling on these sets of questions. And so the Reagan Institute for a number of years now, going back to 2018, has dived into these questions. And so we immodestly think we do the deepest dive and have the most information on how the American people view this very important set of issues. I agree with you. And I think that if more legacy media people spent more time paying attention, there would be more interest because I think it's actually it's the... The prime mover of American security is what do American people think about American security. So I'm glad that I'm one of the shows that do spend time on it. How do you want to set the stage, Roger? Because you can do a monologue if you want. I just want you to download what you've found and then spend some time on NATO with me, which is the most alarming stat in this year's report. Yeah, well, thanks for that. I think overall the headline is this. The American people overwhelmingly want to see the U.S. engaged in the world. So this notion that, particularly on the Republican side, that we have turned isolationist inward looking, is... Incorrect. And we've been showing that since 2023, and it continues to be the case today. Supermajorities. Over 60% of Americans take this point of view. One of the really cool elements, that's kind of a subheading of that headline, is that if you look at what drives the American people in terms of seeking to engage in the world, they are an agreement between Republicans and Democrats on three principles, and they're very Reagan-esque. Number one, eight out of ten, one, our foreign policy to be driven by peace through strength. Two, they want our foreign policy, eight out of ten again, want to see it led with human rights and advancing freedom in the world, democracy. And the third one is they want to see us trading and engaged in the world. So those three stools really of Reaganism are very much what Americans want. And it's like eight out of ten Republicans as well as Democrats. The last piece on that. Some might think that MAGA Republicans. would sort of be pulling down the numbers here somehow that they're not reflective of this pro-engagement view of the world. It's just the opposite here. MAGA Republicans are overwhelmingly supportive of being engaged in the world. And the thing we did in this survey that we haven't done before is that we doubled down and looking at the 18 to 29 demographic amongst MAGA.

And we thought, okay, do they depart? Because some people were questioning us, oh, well, you don't know where the 18, 29-year-olds are. They're going in a different direction. That is not correct. They are reflective of MAGA trends overall. They want to see the U.S. leading in the world as well. So through and through, the Republican Party in particular, is very much pro-engagement with the world. Roger Zakeem. Did you pick up the anti-Israel, anti-Frankly Semitic? trend on the left. Did that show up in your number is what's fueling Zohran Mamdani, the three socialists slash communists who won the Democratic primaries last week, Elsa Ed Flanagan, Graham Platner, a self-described communist? Did your data pick up that on the Democratic side, there is a splintering among the young lefties? Well, the answer is. Yes, we picked up on it, but it's not nearly as bad as the popular narrative would suggest. So, yes, we're certainly seeing the Democrats pulling down these numbers. Maga Republicans overall are pulling it up to the tune of 8 out of 10. There's a story there in its own right we can go into. Democrats are pulling it down. They're down 16 points when they were year over year in terms of a survey. But here's the kicker. Still, even with that... kind of trend on the democratic extremes that we're seeing from democratic socialists still 57 percent of Democrats in this survey see that U.S. security is tied to Israel's security. That means they believe U.S. prosperity and peace is tied to Israel's security. So they still have a majority in terms of where the pro-Israel point of view is on Democratic side is just going down and being pulled by all this craziness we're seeing from the Mondanis of the world. So, Roger, what do you put down the narrative to? All we get fed every day is that... Young people in America are turning against Israel, turning against America in the world, becoming isolationists. We've got the podros on the left. We've got a variety of podcasts on the right that are isolationist leaning. Where does the narrative come from when the data doesn't support it? Well, it's the people who make the most noise. I mean, you're just hitting on it. The podcasters on the far right, they're the ones who are kind of commanding the headlines. And then we see these pockets in the Democratic Party, right, with, you know, that are deeply blue sort of districts. That's what played out in New York last week. And it's true. They are deeply anti-Semitic. They are the Democratic Social America are running on an anti-Israel, anti-Semitic platform. So naturally, that's where the narrative is going to be. What we're able to do with this survey. right, is to demonstrate where the American people are overall, where the Democratic voters are overall. And a Democrat in Nebraska, a Democrat in Arizona is not reflective of the Democrat in Brooklyn. And that's what this shows. So there's, listen, it's a big change, as you know, from where Democratic support was for Israel from a decade plus ago. When I started out on Capitol Hill, I mean, I remember feeling this that the most pro-Israel

Parliament in the world wasn't the Knesset in Jerusalem. It was the Congress in Washington, D.C. We are far away from that today. But the story isn't all bad. And I think what I'm encouraging in my opportunity to engage with elected officials and with people like you is to say the Democratic Party still has a base support in terms of the relationship with Israel being supportive of Israel. They need to use that and engage and counter the Democratic Socialists. Not worth seeing from Democratic leadership since what took place last week where they're basically embracing these people and not contesting, not confronting them, because if they're not careful, that number that we saw in our survey, 57%, will go down. So, Roger, I want to get to the two hot points. We've got, I know Reagan Institute's nonpartisan, so I want to make sure people know that. In Maine, for example, you have Susan Collins, moderate hawk. Defense spending, czar, chair of appropriations on the Intel Committee, but she's a centrist. Running against the self-proclaimed communist Graham Platner, what do these numbers mean for that race? And then what did the numbers about NATO? I noted that Republican support for NATO has dropped to its all-time low in the Reagan Institute survey. Yeah, so I think for Susan Collins, she should feel kind of buttressed by these numbers, that Graham Platner is really a marginal player, certainly in our polling, where Democrats are across the country. And so she should feel that her record in the Congress, which, again, is reflective of the sort of values, those foundational principles. I was talking about the outset or something that are supported not just by Republicans, Hugh, but by 8 out of 10. Democrats. That's what's remarkable about this. It's eight out of ten Democrats show this point of view. So I think it's a good news story for her. On NATO, we're seeing the numbers go down a little bit on the Republican side. But again, context, it's still six out of ten. cost the board in support for NATO. And that includes, here's an interesting one, the 18 to 29 demographic of MAGA voters. I was talking about earlier, we did kind of overextended the sample size there. They believe that being part of NATO, the U.S. being part of NATO, is vital to U.S. peace and security. It's a tune of 7 out of 10. So again, another counter narrative. Now, President Trump's been hard on NATO, but gotten a lot forward. Right? So I think it's a very positive outcome and one that we ought to build on it. Roger, where do they go to get the full report? Go put in Reagan Institute summer survey in your browser, and you'll get it on our website. Roger, it's a Kim. Always good to see you. Thank you, Roger. Don't go anywhere, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Stay tuned.

Welcome back, America. I'm Judy Hewitt. I am always pleased to partner with Americans for prosperity, but especially today, Kurt Couchman is their senior fellow for fiscal policy. And he's here to tell us about a bill that is near and dear to my heart that would stop government shutdown. I wrote a column, Kurt, for tomorrow's Fox News, that Democrats are planning to shut the government down in October. and calling on Republicans to use reconciliation to keep the national defense funded. But it should not happen. Tell people about the prevent government shutdowns act. Absolutely. Thank you for writing that piece and thanks for having me on today. The Prevent Government Shut Downs Act would do two things. One, it would keep members of Congress and their staff stuck in D.C. focused on the appropriations bills until they get them done if they get past the start of the new fiscal year on October 1st. And the other thing it would do is prevent any disruptions to the services that American taxpayers pay for and expect from their federal government. That's right. All of the. would go on the politicians that are causing the mess rather than the American people who aren't able to sort things out. Kurt, I hate continuing resolutions, but I really hate shutdowns. I know Chuck Schumer has been pretty upfront about this. He intends to have one in October as a campaign stunt. Can your bill pass in time to prevent that? We certainly hope so. I mean, there's been a lot of speculation that Chuck Schumer is planning on doing exactly what you described. A number of senators have pointed out. I've expressed concern that that might be a possibility. And right now, there is broad bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. So you have bipartisan legislation in both bodies. There are six Democrats and I believe 15 Republicans on the Senate version. And we just need two or three more Senate Democrats to get on board. So we're making the case that this is something that will help Congress succeed. It will take shutdowns off the table. It will provide more value for the American people from their government. It will actually create a more bottom-up legislative process in Congress so that more ideas can get in the mix and we can challenge things that don't make a whole lot of sense and just get better results. Who are the Democrats who are on the bill PGSA with us, the Prevent Government Shutdown Act? Who's with us already? Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, Mark Kelly from Arizona, Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, and there's a few others. Well, that's 57. Then you only need three. I assume every Republican is for this. Am I right about that? Well, Rand Paul has sometimes voted against it because he wants to have a 1% cut and then another 1% cut and so on. But really the objective is to get Congress to pass the appropriations bills in July when it's supposed to happen because that way the agencies will have some time to plan and members can take back money that isn't going to be spent well in the current fiscal year and move it to somewhere else or maybe not spend it at all. Get it done in July and then you don't have to worry about these automatic continuing appropriations going in.

into effect in October when the legislation should have been done once and months ago. There are a lot of things wrong with government shutdown. Most people don't want their monuments shut down, their national park. But it's really terrible for national security. It's very hard to get a demand signal out there to contractors when they're living on CR. What else do people not know about shutdown? Sort of the hidden damage it does below the water line. Yeah, one of the things that people take for granted is the idea that shutdowns are just an inherent part of federal budgeting. And the truth is that shutdowns have only been a possibility a little bit longer than I've been alive. Jimmy Carter's administration created them in 1980. They didn't exist. They weren't possible before that. So that's one thing people should know. And the other thing is that... It changes the game when you have shutdowns because it makes it so that the best course for congressional leadership is to stick everybody with a big old omnibus bill right before a holiday break and say, vote for this. It's up or down. If you don't vote for it, it's your fault that there's going to be a shutdown. That's not a good game. It's bad incentives all around and it cuts out a lot of democracy within Congress. When you take shutdowns off the table with automatic continuing appropriations. Now the votes have to be earned for the new legislation. You can't force people to vote for it. So the legislation has to include more people, include more ideas, and that makes it a better legislative product. So every year, the new legislation is going to be better than what it is replacing. And that's good. That's how we get better results over and over again from Congress. Now, last question, Kurt. Jim Langford's been on, James Langford, been on the program a lot, and he is a big spokesperson for the... Who else is your champion on the hill? Because Americans for Prosperity Need Help to get this over the goal line. Of course, yeah, Senator Hassan, Democrat from New Hampshire, is an incredible champion of this. Also in the House, Senator James Langford, Republican from Texas, and Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat from California, are doing Yeoman's work over there. But probably our greatest ally in this is the American people. 81% of Americans support this legislation. 80% want members of Congress to vote for it, vote up or down on it, and 66% of Americans are more likely to support a politician who votes for this. legislation. Hopefully this year, not next year, this year. Kirk Couchman, senior fellow in fiscal policy and Americans for Prosperity. Thank you. That's called the Stop, government shutdown act. Get behind it. Call your senator and congress people and tell them, get behind it as well. And stay tuned to the huge.

Welcome back, America. The uneasy ceasefire holds today in the Strait of Hormuz, but that is tenuous. I'm joined now by Dr. Michael Oren. He is, of course, former ambassador of Israel to the United States. In the meantime, when the shooting was going on, Israel and Lebanon sat down and they signed an accord, the consequences of which are opaque at best to me. Dr. Oren, tell us what it means. It's quite, I think, a very positive development, Hugh. It's not the first time that Israel and Lebanon have signed a peace treaty. We signed an armist's agreement back in 1949, 1982. We had an agreement with the then Maronite president, Bashar Jamil, who was then assassinated. We had a peace treaty in 1983. That was broken by the Lebanese. But having said all that, it's been, well, 45 years almost. And it's very good. What is excellent about it is, first of all, the United States. stands behind it. Secondly, it recognizes Israel's need to stay militarily within the southern part of the country to prevent Isbullah from coming back to the border area and threatening our border communities. And it also allows Israel to respond to threats from Hezbollah. and not just sit there and take it on a daily basis. So all that is very good. And for that reason, his Bola is very viciously, verily protesting against this agreement tonight. It may actually explode into bloodshed into Lebanon. There's fears of renewed civil wars, as we saw in the 1970s. We don't know. But it is a very positive development. And I think the Lebanese leadership, particularly President Aoun, deserve a tremendous amount of credit. It takes a lot of guts to do something like that. predecessors for doing very similar things were assassinated. Now, Dr. Orrin, if memory serves, you served in the IDF in Lebanon. Am I right about that? I spent a big chunk of my life fighting in Lebanon, including in Beirut. All right. So can you describe for me and for the American eye ins from coast to coast, what that security zone terrain is like? It seems like it's not that big, but on the other hand, if it's all hills and dales and valleys and rock ledges, a lot of Israelis got killed up there. At one point we're losing about 25 soldiers per month up there, which is a tremendous amount for this country. And it is an impossible terrain. Lebanon is an unspeakably beautiful country, I want to say. I don't know what is a really soldier who didn't dream about someday coming back there and doing a picnic with his family. But it is impossible. And it's terrific terrain. It's the best possible terrain for terrorism, because terrorists can hide in thick undergrowth behind these rocks, very difficult for armored. vehicles to pass through this area. So the great advantage of Israel has an armored vehicle is largely neutralized. And now we have the additional scourge of drones, drones with optic cables that can hide behind trees, hide behind rock ledges, and all of a sudden appear as strike as Israeli forces. So logistically, militarily, it is an immense, immense challenge. But what is the alternative here? The alternative is to have 100,000 heavily armed, very highly trained.

his bullet terrorists right along our border along with tunnels and a force that is willing to commit every bit of the atrocities that were perpetrated by Hamas on October 7th along the southern border of Israel to do the exact same thing to our northern cities. So it's, you know, it's the lesser of two evils having Israel in the southern Lebanon with our forces is definitely the lesser of those two nightmare situations. So has the IDF developed the technology to fight above the skies with the drones and the fiber cable and below in the tunnels? Can they detect below and destroy and prevent above from intruding? Right now, we've done a somewhat better job of fighting the tunnels because this is not a new technology. And we've developed it in Gaza first and then in Lebanon. The big challenge in Lebanon view is that the tunnels are not dug in sand as they are in Gaza, but in solid rock. And so that makes them more difficult, A, to detect and B to blow up. And we drew up an amazing tunnel in a major tunnel system today, 200 yards of tunnel dug through solid granite. And it was an explosion that was heard all over northern Israel. That's how big that the explosion was. So, yeah, it's a big challenge. The drones is a challenge not just for Israel. It's a drone for every army in the world today. How do you deal with drones? Now, Dr. Ron, for many years, and you've been patient with my audience for years. You've explained, Hezbollah had this arsenal of very much more capable missiles than Hamas did. Has that arsenal been sufficiently degraded so as to remove the imminent threat of overwhelming David's sling and arrow and everything else you've got? It has been degraded, but not to the degree that anybody can rest on that laurel whatsoever. And his boza has rockets that can not just hit the northern part of Israel. They can hit the southern part of Israel. A couple weeks ago, they sent a rocket at our southern port of Axtod, about an hour south of where I'm talking to now in Tel Aviv. So, no, that, that. threat very much exists still. It's not what it was on October 7, 2023. It's not what it was. Israel destroyed hundreds and hundreds of these rockets and their launchers. But still, we're talking about a force that had something close to 200,000 projectiles. And that include rockets that carried warheads of 400 or even 1,000 pounds to very large mortar shells. So you don't destroy 200,000 projectiles overnight. All right. Last question. And I'll ask this for now until October, November, whenever the Israeli elections are. And I know you'll end by saying, never count Benjamin Netanyahu out. Who's going to be your next president? Never count Benjamin Netanyahu out. I'll say the same thing. Right now, the lead is in the lead is former IDF chief of staff, Gadi Eisencott.

You know, Israel has a soft spot for generals. They seem to think that if you run an army, it's the exact same skill set that you need to be a politician, which, of course, is not. You don't give orders in politics. You have to actually persuade people and lead people. Very difficult. And Gotti has actually no experience in politics, so it's going to be very interesting if he does become prime minister. I think here we can take a page from the United States of America. You've had three presidents who were former generals, and only one of them was a truly outstanding president, and that was the first one. Oh, look, you don't like Suez, but I did okay. Come on. You don't like that. Michael, are you going to be on any list? Yes. I am not. I'm not a legislator. I'm not really interested in postal reform, but I will certainly serve my country in any diplomatic capacity. Last quick question. How all-consuming is this campaign going to be in Israel? Well, it's going to be a very interesting campaign for many reasons, not only because once again it's everybody against BB pretty much. And that's been the case for well over 20 years. But this is a campaign put to the first time has issues that cut across left and right. The service of ultra-Orthodox young people in the military cuts across right and left. It's right-as and leftists together, want them to serve. And also the question of a state inquiry to the events of October 7th, which Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't want, but which people both on the right and... the left, certainly want. Dr. Michael Oren on XDR, Michael Oren, we are looking forward to having your expertise for the next four months because it's critically important for the West that we know what's going on in Israel. Thank you, Michael Oren. I'll be right back, America. Stay tuned. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Pennsylvania was almost embarrassed this week because they did not have a pavilion. at the Great American State Fair until the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association swung into action in a story told by my guest, Selena Zito. Selena, what did the Christmas tree growers do for the Keystone State? Because it would have been very sad if they hadn't gotten a booth on the mall. Oh, yeah, it would have been incredibly sad. We are the state that began the revolution with the French and Indian War in 1854. We are also the state that signed the Declaration of Independence was signed. This is one of the most important states in the forming of our country and in the decision of our country with Gettysburg. And the fact that the decision was made by Governor Josh Shapiro. to not have a pavilion at the All-American State there was really quite, honestly, I'm going to say humiliating, because that's how it felt to me. Well, Steelers fans aren't very patriotic. That's what we have to take away from this. The Steelers fans just aren't patriotic. He's an Eagles fan, which is... Yeah. So your senators got together and helped the cause, though. And John Fetterman's a Democrat. Dave McCormick is a Republican. They decided they did not want the state to be embarrassed. So what's down there?

Well, first of all, I need to say that John Fetterman and McCormick made this happen in less than three hours. And for something that every other state has been doing for the past six months, right? And they made it happen. And then people just responded. There is an overwhelming amount of display going on right now. Senator McCormick lent his historic flag collection is on display on the walls. In Pennsylvania, there is number four in Christmas tree productions. big Christmas tree down there, a complete beautiful replica of the Liberty Bell. But there's also going to be representation from our steel and aluminum manufacturing, our dairy, you know. I mean, this country, it's hard for me to say this. But without coal and oil, this country doesn't go. And the coal. The coal comes from Pennsylvania, and the oil was discovered there. So it really is kind of central to the story of the country? It truly is. I know that's hard for you to say. Valley Forge and Gettysburg. My goodness. Yeah. This is where Flight 93 went down, right? I mean, this is the railroading in Scranton and Altoona and Reading. Like, this is the heartbeat of the country. There's a reason it's called the Keystone State because of its position and its abundance of riches when it comes to energy but also agriculture. As three-year letterman would say on X, and our greatest president, Ben Franklin, three-year letterman is one of my favorite accounts on X. Tell me about what the governor was thinking. What is that? That's the biggest misstep he's made. You know, you and I have had this conversation so many times. Josh Shapiro is an incredible political athlete. However, There was no athleticism in this moment. The fact that it was elite in the new republic, which it's generous to say it's a left-leaning new organization. Nobody reads it anymore. It used to be a great magazine. It's ruined. I'm trying to be kind. The fact that it was placed there. shows purpose, right? He wanted this out. He wanted it to be political.

And you can't get around that. And in an estate with an abundance of riches, incredible long, you know, long-held companies, U.S. Steel, Alcoa, you know, Heinz, I mean, all these companies with the snack capital of the world, and Ux has stepped up. However, Hershey's has not stepped up. In fact, they are not going to be. participating, which is interesting for the 132-year-old company that draws 3.3 million people to our state. Isn't there a Hershey's amusement park? Oh, yeah, 3.3 million people. It's the largest independently owned amusement park in the country. Do they not want patriotic people to come? Do they expect people to notice that they took a pass on the Great American State Fair? It's not about Trump. It's not about R&D. It's not about red and blue. No, Josh Shapiro made it about Trump. He shouldn't have. You just, you know, I mean, Gavin Newsom could do it in California. Yep. Why couldn't our governor who usually rises above these situations? God bless McCormick and John Fetterman, but I also have to say, God bless the farmers, the volunteer firemen who are bringing a box trucks full of stuff that people are donating. God bless all the volunteers that have stepped up, many of them veterans of our military. And we're probably going to have a better. a booth than we were ever going to have. Well, the Army War colleges in Pennsylvania. Eisenhower retired to Gettysburg. I can go on and on and on. I haven't even liked Pennsylvania because of the Steelers, but I do have to admit, I'm just astonished that the place where the declaration was signed. a cave to political pressure from the left not to participate in something just because it happens to be close to the White House? I don't know. Did he give a reason? No. I mean, the reason he gave was that Trump politicizes everything, and he canvassed several Pennsylvania businesses, and they said they couldn't do it, which is interesting to me because within three hours, hundreds of them stepped up. Yeah, all you have to do is put a notice. Who would like to be in our booth at the Great American State Fair? And by the way, shout out to the Christmas tree people. I had no idea that Pennsylvania did.

a big Christmas tree business. But that was the prime mover. Is that the person who got it going? Yeah. It was, it was, this, this farmer, she was really amazing. Like, she has packed up her truck with a seven-foot Christmas tree, and she is driving down to D.C. as he was paid. Well, good on Pennsylvania. Everyone who's in the mall listening to me on my D.C. affiliate, head on over to the Pennsylvania people and say thank you for stepping in when their government wouldn't because it's too politicized. Selina Zito, thank you, follower. Read the column about it at Gito.com. At salinasito.com and follow her on at Zedo. Selina. Come right. My friends, you've probably seen the headlines are worse. Your latest bill. Big wireless is raising rates again. That means you could be paying more for the same service or getting pushed into a price here plan you simply do not need. That's not right. You can switch to consumer cellular right now and save an additional $50 when you go to consumer cellular.com slash you and use the promo code Hugh 50. And if you happen to be over the age of 50, listen to this, you can get a single line. with unlimited talk, text, and data for just $355 a month. Remember, there are numbers, $8004114454, 8004114454. Consumer Cellular ranks number one for network coverage and for customer satisfaction according to ACSI. And when you switch, you'll talk to an actual human being based right here in the United States. No long-term contracts, no hidden fees. You can keep your phone or choose a new one. Get an additional $50 off when you switch today using promo code Hugh 50. And do not forget, if you are over 50, you get a single line, unlimited, talk, text, and data for $35 a month. Visit consumer cellular.com slash hue and use promo code Hugh 50. Or call 1-800-41144 and use promo code Hugh 50. Your education is more than a path to a degree. At Regent University, it's an important step in God's plan for your career. It's where you'll be equipped to lead and serve with purpose. It's where 40,000 graduates have prepared to fulfill their callings, and so can you. Choose a top-ranked program from over 150 areas of study on campus or online and watch what God will do. Learn more at regent.edu. That's regent.edu.

Welcome back, America. We are beginning our 4th of July celebration today with a little music from Hamilton and the author of This Book Revolution. My old friend, Eric McTaxis. Eric, welcome. I open my mailbox. And this behemoth of a book appears. And I say to myself, what has Eric been doing? How many people worked? How long did this take you? Because this is not your ordinary 200-page creed a core. This is some serious history, Eric. Thank you, Hugh, my dear friend. Yes, it is. I worked very hard on it. But you know something, Americans, you know this. Americans need to know our story. And I looked around, there's a million books on the revolution, but I said there needs to be one book that tells you everything. You need to know. It needs to be readable. If it's a history book and it's not fun to read, it's a bad history book. So I worked very, very hard on it. I never have help. I kind of wish I knew how to use research teams. I don't. I do it all myself. But what I learned, honestly, it's breathtaking. This nation has a breathtaking genesis. Every single American needs to know it. As you know and your audience knows. This has gone out of favor in the last 30 and 40 years. We do not celebrate America the way we should. If you put a microphone on somebody's face in 1960, Main Street, America, everybody knew every detail, all the names, all the figures, all the stories. We need to recatechize ourselves. Because if you don't know this stuff, if you don't really know this, you're just wide open for socialist lunacy and all the other stuff that's been coming down the pike. So I think the 250th, this is our moment. This is, you know. mandatory beach reading the way I see it. I love that term, an American catechesis. I don't know if you've used that often, but we do need that. It used to be kind of fairly routine, whether you were in public school or parochial school or a private school. You learned the basics. You learned George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. And John Adams, you learned about the Boston. When does revolution begin and when does it end? The war itself is a seven-year war, but you've got to begin before the revolution begins. Well, that's the thing. It's like I knew I wanted to write a story about the revolution. And then I had to figure out, well, what does that mean? You know, when do I start? Lexington and Concord, that's April 1775. But the more you look into it, the more you realize, wait a minute, wait a minute. John Adams said there's a revolution before the revolution, before Lexington and Concord, before shots are fired, there is a revolution in the hearts and minds of the people in the 13 colonies to steal themselves for this conflict. And so I have to tell that story. And it really begins with the advent of King George III. He comes to the throne in 1760, 61. That kind of begins things. The end of the French and Indian War, the British...

had hugely expanded their empire. They win the war, and they've got a huge empire, and they've got huge debt. And now they say, oh, you know what? Now we're big boys. Now we've got this big empire. We've got to administrate the empire. We've got to, you know, these colonies, they've been getting away with all kinds of stuff for a long time. We need to tax them. We need to, you know, get them to pay their fair share, if you've ever heard that phrase before. That's what starts the trouble, because the Americans are crazy enough to believe. Wait a minute. We govern ourselves. You can't just bully us with a gun and say, give me the money. By what right do you tax us? And the Americans had real principles. And this is what's so beautiful. You realize. It was a profoundly Christian nation, profoundly, inescapably Christian. They believed in these principles that our rights come from God. This wasn't just, you know, we don't want to pay the taxes. And so it sets up this conflict that really the British handled very, very badly. It's almost funny. I say it's kind of like, you know, if the Pharaoh, if a close friend of Pharaoh goes to him after the third plague and says, hey, listen, pal, this is not going to go well for you. I think, you know, maybe you need to let Moses and his people. go. And the Ferris says, what are you crazy? I'm powerful. That's kind of what King George III and Parliament did. They were just absolutely, you know, foolish in the way they handled the whole thing. And they never needed to lose the colonies. The Americans didn't want to declare independence, not even until the end. But obviously, as you know, we did. And it's kind of a, it's just, it's such an amazing story. And I didn't realize. In many ways, it's a story between good and evil. I had not seen that before either. Well, when we come back from break, I want to ask you about having spent years on revolution who your favorite American is or your least favorite patriot is. But I do want people to know. Eric and I have often worked out of a studio in the southern part of Manhattan, next to which Alexander Hamilton is buried. Did you ever stop in that cemetery, Eric? Oh, absolutely. I filmed something there at some point. Yeah, it's amazing. The history is... Amazing. And that's the crazy thing about writing this book. Suddenly everything comes alive, and I'm in a plane flying, and I look down and I go, George Washington landed there. It's exciting. I'll be right back with Eric McTaxis. In the meantime, Go Order his book from Amazon Revolution, the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. I'm Hugh, U. That's Eric McTaxis. We'll be right back. No one else was in the room where it happened, the room where it happened, the room where it happened. Welcome back, America. The room where it happened actually happened well after America and won its independence and was in the framing years. I am with Eric McTaxus, who's written this magnificent new book, Revolution, the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. Revolution is available in bookstores everywhere at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Eric, you've worked with so many towering figures in history, Bonhofer and...

everyone from the slavery revolution through the current great souls, great men, great women. Who struck you as maybe the least appreciated framer, founder, revolutionary in American history? That's easy. John Adams. John Adams should be 10 times more famous than Thomas Jefferson, 100 times more famous. John Adams, honestly, you know, a lot of times people think that, oh, Eric and Dax says he knows all this stuff and then he decides to write a book. I know nothing. I know just enough that I want to write a book. And then I do the research, as I said, I do it myself and I read everything. I was honestly astonished at... This man, John Adams, I thought he should be on Mount Rushmore. He should be, I mean, he is such a hero. He sets the tone. He's a Bostonian. He's humble. He's a true Christian. I have to say, I'm amazed at his integrity. It is absolutely astonishing. And I, so there's a lot about him in the book. It's not a book about him. But other than George Washington, there is nobody who can compare to John Adams. He's an absolute giant, very funny, acerbic. and a man of just tremendous integrity and character. It's fun that you say that. For many, many years, I've taught law school. I've made all my law students watch the first two hours of the HBO series Adams with Paul Giamatti because it does communicate from the time he represented the British soldiers after the Boston massacre through his adamant demand that we declared independence. He is a courageous man. Now, I want to bring up Wilford McLeigh, great historian. A wonderful story. It teaches at Hillsdale now. I asked him, he has a great textbook on American history, the whole shebang, not just the revolution. And I asked him if he was objective. He said, I am objective but not neutral. I love that phrase. Are you objective but not neutral as well, Eric? I have no idea. That's like one of those, you know, when did you stop beating your wife questions? I'm not going to answer that. I'm going to plead the fifth, which you probably don't realize that's part of our law. I'm able to do that, Hugh. Honestly, there's so much that I uncovered. This happens to me almost every time I write a book. I get embarrassed. I do all this research, and I think. How did I not know this? How did I not have I not heard this? And then I do more research. I think am I imagining this? And then I find more and more. And I thought, I mean, every time I just, I'm crazy to tell the world about it because I think every American needs to know this. This is not a book for history buffs. This is a book for Americans. Anybody who lives in this country, I feel has an obligation to know our story. I tried in the most fast-paced, you know, a fun version imaginable. I mean, it's a big book. But we. need to know this. We need to be able to talk about it. And I think that, you know, I was just casting about, is there a book of one volume that tells the whole story of the revolution? And I thought, okay, then I guess I'll have to write it. But it is, I wanted it to be 1,200 pages. But then I thought, you know what, that's not fair to the reader. So I boiled it down to a slim, fast-paced 600 pages, as you can see.

How did you manage to get your arms around Washington's military, their Fabian tactics? And it's not a straight line win. We don't march from victory to victory like World War II once we go on the offensive. It's a back and forth, and there are some very brutal times for the Continental Army. How did you get your arms around the actual military tactics? Well, you know, it's up to the reader to determine whether I did. But I feel that. What is interesting to me is to try to imagine that they didn't know which way this was going to go. If you go to George Washington in 1776 and say, hey, how's it going, George? He would say it is going extremely poorly, extremely poorly. Yep. To be basic about it, they had faith. He had faith that this was genuinely a sacred cause. He was not some mercenary, you know, fighting for money. This was a sacred cause. So many of them believed that this was a sacred cause. And they thought, well, if we're right, our job is to do our job and to trust God, to trust providence with the results. And you can see Washington in his letters. He did. So any idea that he's a deist is. absolutely preposterous. That's the vilest lie that you hear over and over again. This is a man who knew that he wasn't the greatest military tactician in history. And there were other generals, Charles Lee and Horatio Bill Gates, both of whom were kind of bums in the end. But both of them were better in terms of military strategy. And yet, Washington was the man chosen. Why is that? Well, I think in retrospect, you look at him and you say, no one can compare to him in terms of character. This man was a giant. He's somebody that you almost can't believe that he was real, but he was real. Everybody around him noted just his stature, not just physically, but his character. People were overwhelmed with him. And you see, there are such dark... periods that he managed to hang in there. It was very painful, you know, for him. There's no doubt about it. So, you know, you mentioned the Fabian strategy. He thought this is the way we stay alive. We don't engage. We're not stupid. We're not as good on the battlefield as the British. So we're not going to try to take them on with our militias and our rag-tag bands of people that, you know, barely know how to use a bayonet. We're going to. fight in a different way. We're going to retreat and retreat and retreat. We're going to try to drive them crazy. We're going to force them to keep coming at us. And we will simply win by not losing. And that really ultimately was the Fabian strategy, which he kind of figured in the fall of 1776, this is probably the way to go. It's not the way that he went in every case because he had that side of him. He wanted to engage. the British, especially after von Steuben kind of beat the troops into shape. Let's take them on. But basically, it was the Fabian strategy. I do want to mention Peter Lilback, spending guest on my program, President of Westminster's Theological Seminary. He wrote the book on Washington's faith, and there's no doubt about it that he was a believer. I mean, it's not even open for question, although we get these revisionists who try and so rot among the wood that is the framers.

facade. He was a great and absolute believer. When we come back, I want to talk to you about Henry Knox because I was up in Maine last summer and saw his home. And the more I read about Henry Knox, the more I think he's the... No cannons, no Boston, no Knox, no cannons, and therefore we don't win. So when I come back with Eric McTaxes, we'll talk about Henry Knox to close the program. The book is Revolution. Revolution is available to Amazon at Barnes & Noble. Every bookstore that's worth its salt everywhere in America, it's a great way to celebrate the fourth. Give it to your friends and family. I'll be back to close the show with Eric and Henry Knox. Stay tuned. Welcome back, America. A couple minutes left with Eric McTaxis as we get ready for the fourth. His brand new book is Revolution. It's in bookstores everywhere. It's at Amazon. It's at Barnes & Noble. Henry Knox, Eric, he wrote about him a lot in Revolution. Did you know about him going in? I mean, he's a giant man. He's as big as the cannons he pulled down from Saratoga. Yes. Yeah, he's basically 300 pounds. He's huge. But I got to say... This is funny. I tell this in the acknowledgments, if you read to the last pages of the book. When I was in fifth grade, in fifth grade at Beaverbrook Elementary School here in Danbury, Connecticut, where I am now, I had American history. And our teacher, every day after recess, we go in, and it was Mr. Robert McDavitt. And he would tell us about the American Revolution. And he was so great. at doing that job, so faithful and so wonderful, that he planted seeds that never left me. I was haunted in a way, even if I wasn't, I never thought I'd write a book on the Revolution, Hugh. But when I thought I would do it, I was kind of haunted by Mr. McDevin, would always talk about Henry Knox, getting the cannon from... And he would mention this. And I something in me lit up like, I got to tell the story of Henry Knox. I got to tell the story of Henry Knox. It is one of the epic stories in history. I said, I have to write a chapter to give all the details because it's unbelievable. It's like, you know, Hannibal crossing the Alps on elephants. You can't. This was done. It's one of the greatest things ever done. And it was a 25-year-old man named Henry Knox. And it really is almost unbelievable that he pulled it off. I mean, this is carrying 120,000 pounds of cannon, some of them weighing 5,000 pounds apiece over the Berkshire Mountains in the middle of winter on trails with oxen and sleds. It's just one of the craziest stories that every single American needs to know this heroic story. Because as you said, If he had not succeeded in this wild adventure, we would have not had the cannon in Boston. We would have not chased the British out of Boston. Who knows what would have happened. So what hang, you know, all of history hangs on the personality and the courage and the, you know, the persistence and the character of a man named Henry Knox. So we need to celebrate him. He's one of many, but we need to know who these men were. And he was a bookseller in Boston.

when the Times called on him. You must have seen that story again and again. A final word, Eric, on revolution. Are you going to continue on in American history? You're going to go back to theology or biography? What's the next Metaxes project? Honestly, Hugh, I... I have no idea. I mean, I have a number of things that I've always wanted to do, and I'm normally doing some of them all at one time. You know, I have a podcast. I've got all kinds of stuff going on. We're turning some of my books into streaming TV series for people who don't read. But this revolution book... captured me in such a way that I think at least for the next year or two, I'm going to be traveling the country talking about the American Revolution. It's just, it is such an epic tale of tales. Every single American needs to know it. And I don't say that lightly. Oh, the bicennel just begins on Saturday. It doesn't end this. Revolution is Eric's new book, Revolution by Eric McTaxus. Thank you for joining me, Eric. And thank you, Adam. Thank you, Harley. Thank you, General Lisa Mill. We'll see you all tomorrow on the next. You do a show.

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