Are our Asian allies stepping up to meet the threat from China?

In 2025, Americans lost more than $21 billion to fraud and identity theft. That's why so many people are turning to Aura. Aura helps protect your identity with fraud alerts, dark web monitoring, and up to $5 million in identity theft protection. And if you become a victim, Aura's 24-7 U.S.-based support team is there to help. Don't wait until your identity is stolen. Start your free trial today at Aura.com slash safe. That's Aura.com slash safe. 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 Q for Hillsdale. Or just Google, Apple, iTunes, and Hillsdale. A show, which we begin with the United States Senator Tom Cotton, Republican from Arkansas. Senator Cotton, how'd you get up to the office to phone? Isn't voter drama going on? We are in the middle of a lot of votes, Hugh. And the legislation we're going to pass is a response to the Democrats' unprecedented obstruction. of funding for the Border Patrol and Immigrations and Custom Enforcement. It is the Democrats acting out their worst instincts to defund the police. And even more than that, Hugh, they are siding with far-left extremists in their party. We offered them a deal months ago that would have funded the Border Patrol and ICE. like the rest of the government, through the end of this fiscal year, September 30th. They demanded completely unreasonable conditions, Hugh, like for instance. banning ICE officers from wearing masks. Now remember, this is the crew that insisted that kindergartners were masked to school just five years ago. And now they want to ban ICE officers from wearing masks so they can docks them online and then left-wing street militias can terrorize their wives and their kids at their homes. Obviously, we would never agree to something like that. We're going to support our law enforcement. And because of the Democrats' obstructionism, we're now not just funding ICE and Border Patrol. for nine months, we're funding them for the next two and a half years. So we'd never go down this path again. Well, good for you. I hope the reconciliation process works out. Let me move to some other things. You were on Fox America's Newsroom this morning right after I was on. I want to zero in on the New Jersey Congressman who's an al-Qaeda affiliate. The man has supported al-Qaeda, supported the blind shake. I was asked about it by Bill Hammer. I said this cut number two. We are 25 years away from 9-11 Bill. Good morning to you and to Jackie. And so short memory is part of the problem. But this result, while shocking, is not surprising. The top line, which everyone should understand, is that the Democratic Party is deeply infected with anti-Semitism. Not anti-Israel Senate, not anti-Zionism.

anti-Semitism. And whether it's in Michigan with Congresswoman Talib or Abdul El-Sayed, their Senate candidate, whether it's in Minnesota, with Ilhan Omar, or whether it's in Maine with Grand with his Nazi tattoo. Anti-Semitism is spreading throughout the Democratic Party, and it's like a sepsis. It's either going to kill the Democratic Party or it's going to kill the United States. And this is just the latest symptom. So this guy will have D. Al-Qaeda after his name if he wins, and he's probably going to win. It's a deep blue district. But not only did Andy McCarthy get the goods on him back in the Blind Shake trial, he went to Bosnia for Al-Qaeda, for an Al-Qaeda front. He is a radical jihadist, and people should believe Andy in his book, Willful Blindness, or they can go read a man on the left. Lawrence Wright's book, The Looming Tower. This is not an aberration. This isn't a one-off. This is the Muslim Brotherhood spreading throughout the Democratic Party, and its poison is anti-Semitism. So, Senator Cotton, am I overstating the problem that Democrats have with anti-Semitism? No to you. I don't think so. If anything, you might be understating it. You mentioned a few members of Congress, a couple fringe candidates, the generic extremist nuts like Graham Platner in Maine. But remember, these people also just elected an anti-Semite to be mayor of the biggest city in the United States, stormed Zohran Mamdani of New York City. This is not a bug for the Democrats. This is a feature. They're not being elected in spite of their anti-Semitism. They're being elected because of their anti-Semitism. And this guy in New Jersey just kind of takes it to the logical conclusion. You might call many of these Democrats parasympathizers. I don't know what we call him other than at least a material supporter for terrorism. I mean, the guy was in league with the blind shape. behind the First World Trade Center tower bombing in 1993. You mentioned Bosnia. I think he also has gone to support Hamas in Gaza over the last three years as well. Again, in a crowded field where it's hard to stand out with 10 or 12 candidates and the primary election is tantamount to the general election, Hugh, he won because of his raging anti-Semitism and his material support for Islamic radical terrorists. Well, I agree with that, and I think the Democratic Party has a problem. And every American Jewish voter and every voter who cares about Israel ought to realize their party has been captured. Now, Senator about Graham Platner, he was on the Hill yesterday, assuring Democrats, nothing more to see here. There are buzz, there are rumors, there's a big one coming, another scandal. Chuck Schumer said five times, we're going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate. He wouldn't engage with the specifics of Graham Platner. Is there any way you see him joining the Democratic caucus? Would they let him in? Well, no, because...

Chuck Schumer is wrong. Susan Collins is going to beat Chuck Schumer like a drum. It's going to beat Graham Platner. Or for that matter, any other Democrat that follows on from Graham Platner after Chuck Schumer pulls what they did with Eric Swalwell out in California. Most of this newest material, Hugh, is coming out from Democratic operatives. They know that Graham Platner is a degenerate nut and that he's toxic for their party, and he has no chance to beat Susan Collins. So there's a reason why the New York Times is running exposés about Democrat Graham Platner. They don't do that. normally. They do that about Republicans and conservatives. But a Democratic operative was sent to the New York Times to expose these latest scandals. And as you say, we've all heard rumors about the next shoe to drop. And supposedly Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders were quizzing him about that in private, even as they were defending him in public. But it really doesn't matter whether it's Fran Blatner or any other replacement Democrat. If they go the Bob Torcelli route in Maine, Susan Collins is going to be elected because she's a great senator for Mainers. Agreed. Now, can we turn to Iran? I am increasingly impatient that they're shooting at and may kill American troops, and the blockade is very effective, provided they're not trying to kill it. Do you think the president has responded with appropriate force to date? Well, as he said, Hugh, what we've done so far, and Marco Rubio testified to this yesterday as well, is defensive actions. Now, it's not merely defensive. We're not going to let our troops sit in a defensive crowd. So if they hit us or they hit our friends like they did in Kuwait, we're going to hit back twice as hard. But that's not like what we were doing in March. The president has said that he's willing to keep the blockade in place and keep the economic pressure on the run. Time is not on their side. But as we keep the blockade in place and keep the pressure on them, we're certainly not going to let our troops or our friends in the region just be like sitting ducks in the defensive crouch and only shooting back in some measured terms. As President Trump usually does, he's going to hit back twice as hard. So are you optimistic that smother them with the blockade, a pillow over their economic head? Are you optimistic that will work in changing the behavior of the regime, bringing freedom of the Iranian people, stopping the support for the proxies and the missile program? Not really, Hugh. As Donald Trump himself once said, the Iranians have never won a war, but they never lost in negotiation. I understand his reasons and his concerns about a new round of strikes, and some of our Arab friends in the region are worried, too. But in the end, that blockade is going to have to remain in place to keep the pressure on until someone in Tehran comes to the census, or we should just make a decision to finish this all.

start strikes again and win the war fast. And we can get the war fast you. You know, you're looking at two to three weeks maybe worth of strikes against critical targets left in Iran to make sure that we finish the job, that we keep the blockade in place, that we open the straits so we can get oil and fertilizer and other goods out, and then go about our daily lives. I hope the President listens to you on that, Senator Cotton. Last question, technical one. When do you expect this reconciliation bill that will reopen DHS and fund the border and INS through the end of the Trump administration to actually pass the Senate? Later today, Hugh, is our expectation. We expect it to pass later today and go to the House of Representatives and then have it moved on to the President's desk, hopefully next week. Senator Tom Cotton, thank you. Always a pleasure to talk to you. And that's good news about the reconciliation. Thank you, Senator Cotton. Breaking news, by the way, Senator, Guardians are tied with Yankees 1-1 as we speak. It's always important to get the news in there. Let me also remind everyone, while I've got you right here. The 4th of July is fast upon us. That is our big 250th. Up here in Maine, where I am for a few days. The touching Mrs. Hewitt went out today. Found a bunch of 250 celebratory materials. I want to show them to you when you're an original 13 colonies, although Maine was part of Massachusetts at the time, I'll show them to you a little bit later. I'll be right back on the U.U.S. Show. Welcome back to America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. So pleased to welcome to the program, our Grand Slam and Titles guest, Sam Brownback. I can call him Ambassador Sam Brownback, Congressman Sam Brownback. I can call him Senator Sam Brownback or Governor Sam Brownback. But right now I'm just going to call him author Sam Brownback because he's written a new book, China's War on Faith. And Mr. Ambassador, welcome back. I can't wait to hear about this book. I heard you talking to Ben Dominic about it. And you touched on it. You guys went off on a frolic and detour. That's Ben's just cursive. And I want to know the meat of the problem. It's not just Jimmy Lye. It's not just a couple of pastors. How expansive is Xi Jinping's war on religion? It's a redo of Mao, if you want to really put it in the right terminology. Mao went in and literally did everything he could to crush all religion. Communism hates religion. It's officially atheistic. It needs to eliminate religion to control the people. And that's what Mao did. It kind of loosened up under Deng Xiaoping for a while, opening up to the West, I think really kind of showing us a side that was trying to fake us out to some degree. And then she has just come back in and hammered down. This is locked down, doing everything they can to control religions. It's Christians, it's Muslims, it's Buddhist, it's Fallen Gong. Or...

to have state-run organizations that control the religion. They do it that way as well. And then they've got surveillance technology now to be able to track people if they're practicing a faith and lock them up or disappear them. So, Ambassador Brownback, I follow Jimmy Lai pretty closely. Whenever the president's on, I ask him about it, President President President Xi Jinping on Jimmy Lai. I've asked the Vice President, Marco Rubio, do you have any hope of getting Jimmy Lai out alive? Yes, I do, but it looks like she is just going to play the hardball game on Jimmy Lai and on Pastor Ezra Jin possibly as well, and a number of others just saying, okay, you guys want them? I'm going to hold them back from you. But that's a bad strategy on Xi Jinping's part. That's going to make Trump mad. It may not in the real near term here, but that's going to irritate him, and then he's going to really push back hard. We saw this same play with Andrew Brunson and Turkey. and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan there. And that didn't work out well for Turkey, and this isn't going to work out well for China. Now, Ambassador Brumbach, China's War on Faith will detail a lot. I've got to get a hold of the book because they've got to get more facts. They're hardcore Leninists now under Xi Jinping. They really are believers. That's not the way I thought it was going to turn out. I was frankly wrong about China. I thought religious liberty would be an easy thing to give. What's he afraid of? The House Church is 100 million. They haven't started any demonstrations. Well, that's the very thing they're afraid of. There are 100 million, and they haven't done any demonstrations, but they answer to a different authority than the government. And yes, they will operate under the government, and they have operated under the government. But they answer to a higher power. They answer to God. And when you get people of faith that look at things and say, look, I am looking at my long-term eternal perspective, not just my earthly perspective. And I think really, too, the Chinese Communist Party studied the fall of the Soviet Union. and saw the role that religion played, the Jewish refusenics, the Catholics in Poland, really bringing down, collapsing that. And she's in a race against time. Most communist regimes don't last much longer than the 50 to 80 year ballpark. So he's trying to extend the life expectancy of a normal, this dictatorial, deadening communism that we've seen play out in various places around the world. And ultimately, it knocks successfully. It kills the soul. It hurts people. So, Ambassador Brownback, I believe you are a Catholic convert. I'm a cradle Catholic. But one river, two banks. I speak fluent Presbyterian. So I'm very good with the evangelicals as well. Here's my question. Pope Leo, I'm waiting. I'm just waiting. I had high hopes that he would be vocal about Jimmy Lye and other dissidents. He has not been.

Do you think he will change? Should he change? Should the Vatican's religious freedom dicastery change in the way that you used to represent the United States as our ambassador for international religious liberty? Should the Vatican be more outspoken? Absolutely. And I detail some of that in the book. You know, right now there are nine Catholic bishops imprisoned or detained or under house arrest in China now. Nine bishops. And what are we hearing about this? The Vatican has said, well, we've got a quiet diplomacy policy. Well, it hasn't been working. But I am hopeful because I believe Leo owes part of his papacy. to the fact of the failed China strategy that's been in existence that Cardinal Perilene has been the architect of. And I think there were a number of Cardinals that said, no, we don't like how this thing is working out. So my hope is that Leo was carefully studying and looking, how do I weave my way through this now going forward? And I hope to get much more vocal and open about the three genocides, the nine Catholic bishops, Jimmy Lye. Any and all of these really deserve the papacy to speak out publicly and clearly about what the Chinese Communist Party is doing in China. And then in all of its satellite countries and places like Nicaragua, where they've kicked out a bunch of bishops, arrested priests and pastors. I mean, really, the voice needs to be raised by the Vatican against what the CCP is doing and authorizing and allowing to take place in its satellites. So, Ambassador, I'm sure you work with the Vatican bureaucracy when you were the ambassador, maybe when you were a senator and governor and congressman as well. Cardinal Perilene is Francis's man. Leo is his own man. How long do you think it takes a new pope to get their sea legs so that they start doing things like John Paul II did for Poland and for religious dissidents everywhere? And by the way, so did Benedict. Francis was the first one to actually stop doing this. He is. And I don't know. It seems like Leo is a cautious man, particularly in dealing with the bureaucracy. I appreciated him coming out with clarity on some of the moral issues early on that Francis had seemed to be a bit more fuzzy about. So I appreciated that Leo did that. But it's going to take him probably a little bit of time to get his legs underneath him. We really need him to be a John Paul voice. We need him to go to Taiwan and say we're coming from that. So, Ambassador, to conclude, China's War on Faith, new book. I'm sure it is being studied in China. They read every book that's written about them there. Will they be more or less adverse to religious liberty if Xi Jinping and his inner circle read your book? I think we're in for a fight. with them. Religious freedom is something they fear more than our aircraft carriers or our nuclear weapons. It is that potent in their mind, and it is that potent to them. The Chinese people are religious. They're spiritual people. They fear it. So I think you're looking at a real battle that's going to be engaged. But this is our secret weapon. It's their kryptonite against them.

We need to really stand for religious freedom. We need to push it as a foundational issue for a modern nation in the world and push back against the authoritarianism, the digital security, the digital police state that the Chinese are doing at home and shipping abroad. This is going to be a key part, I believe, of our conflict with the Chinese Communist Party. Sam Brownback, good to see you again, Mr. Ambassador, Governor, Senator, and Congressman. His new book is China's War on Faith, China's War on Faith available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold, and hopefully it will help Jimmy Lai and all the other religious dissidents in the gulag that is China. Stay tuned, America, on YouTube. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt. Of course, July 4th is one month away, our 250th birthday. But we have two months to go, or almost two months, until August 2nd, 1776, 250th birthday. And that's when the framers actually signed the Declaration of Independence. Dave Zavagnos, my friend, a businessman from Ohio, is putting on a gala at Put-in Bay in Ohio on that day. An enormous celebration. Dave, why are we celebrating August 2nd in Ohio? Because on August 2nd is the actual signing date of the declaration where the 56 folks from the colony signed on to the declaration, and it's as important a date is probably July 4th. It is an important date. And I'm not sure a lot of people know this. I've had you on before because I want people to understand this. Has America 250 been in touch with you? That's the private sector undertaking to get events all around the country for the entire year. They ought to be focused like a laser on Put-in Bay on August 2nd. Yes, we've talked to America 250. They're highly engaged on July 4th. They've come to the recognition, as you have promoted here, that August 2nd is a very important date in our history that most people don't even know. And on that day, we're going to be signing live with many people in Ohio and around the world that are coming to Vladimir Putin Bay to sign on the actual date that the 250-year anniversary of the signing of declaration. No, I made the argument. That's a great place to do it because it's really a 40 years war with Great Britain. And it's not over until 1815 after the War of 1812 concludes. And that war was won at Put-in-Bay. And that's why it's a great place to celebrate day two of our big celebration for an entire year. How does it look from a far? I know you've got the best damn band in the land coming. Can put-in-bay handle an enormous crowd? As you remember from the Bicentennial, we had roughly 50,000 people come and witness the reenactment of the Bicentennial. This year we have upwards of 30,000 people already signed up to attend. As you mentioned, we have the Ohio State Band, the Bowling Green Band, the Navy Band will be there. We have the Army Fife and Drum, the Bristol Fife and Drum Group, and we have a number of national acts that are coming in to play.

some music for us, Hugh, and I think the people in Ohio will be highly engaged. But most important is to get the word out as to this date and why it's important in our history. And just as important is, it's like a civics lesson, that people come to understand what the declaration was, what it was meant to be, and the risks that the people that signed on actually took in our history and why it's so important. Now, I have told a couple of my friends who are elected members about this. Some are excited. Some can't come. Are you open to anyone from any state coming there who's a member of the House, the senator, or governor? Come one, come all, come Democrat, come Republican, be a part of this? We've invited every member of the House and the Senate formally, as well as every member of the House and Senate in Ohio. So we sent out formal invitations that were 11 by 17, so they wouldn't miss them. We've also been in contact with them via email. And to your point, we've heard from probably three dozen of the elected officials, probably a dozen have committed so far to attend. They're excited. They didn't recognize the importance. And they're mostly focused on elevating Ohio on the national map as it relates to our celebration of 250 years. You know, Dave Zavagnos, I teach Conn Law, so I know that the signing is separate from the vote. But what a lot of people don't know is it's different people sign it than who voted for it. I think it's 56 sign. Only 50 voted for it. And some of those 50 had left the Congress and new people had been elected. They're putting their life on the line, even if they didn't vote for it. They didn't have to do this. Exactly. And, you know, most important, Hugh, it's a mutinous document. You know, we'd already broken out in war a year earlier. General Washington was in a heavy fight. He was looking for support from the Continental Congress to declare our independence. So at that point in time, in our history, you know, most of the Patriots that were here... still were aligned with the English and the British government, and it was, you know, the final frustration of trying to work with King George, as we see in the world today, that pushed us to declare our independence, and luckily here we are 250 years later. And it took seven years. So once again, let's just give the details. What times it gets started on Sunday, August 3rd, or 250th anniversary of the signing of the declaration? What time does it begin at the Perry Memorial, the National Park System's Perry Memorial?

The national ceremony will begin at 2 o'clock on August 2nd, Sunday. It will be accompanied, as I said, with the Navy Band and the Ohio State University Band as co-celebrators, if you will. We will read the declaration. You've been kind enough to suggest your positioning as the master of ceremonies, which we sincerely appreciate. And we will have folks from the national government, local government, Army, Navy, as well as military speaking. Looking forward to it. Dave Zavagnos, thank you. Go and look it up. August 2nd is the date and go find Put-in-Bay. Try and get close and get there early on Sunday, August 2nd at 2 p.m. Thank you, Dave. We celebrate our 250th birthday on the Juduit show. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt once a month. I sit down with Philip Balboni, founder and editor-in-chief of the Global Post, global post.com. Just to cover a story from around the world that no one else is paying attention to. And maybe this week some people know about Armenia and what's going on, because we've got a great Armenian-American community. Philip Balboni, welcome. I was with some Armenian-Americans on Saturday at a memorial service for my friend. Stan Lazarian, if you're listening, a shout out to you. And they do mission trips to Armenia, et cetera. But I doubt they know about this treaty. What's going on? Well, first of all, we have a big Armenian diaspora here in Boston. You know I'm located in Boston. And right across the street, from where I'm talking, there's an Armenian church. So lots of wonderful Armenian people here in America. A fascinating country, too. So there are two big things for people to know about. The first is there's an election on Sunday. And the current Prime Minister, Nicole Pashinian, who's been in office since 2018, is expected to win re-election for another four-year term. But there's still a lot of lingering anger over the war with Azerbaijan, in which Armenia lost the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Thousands of Armenians died. The war was in 2020, and then again in 2023. At the end, there, 100,000 Armenians had to flee that territory and go back to Armenia. So it's not resolved by any means. Nevertheless, Pashinian... is expected to prevail and to win re-election. Trump has endorsed Pushinian for a re-election. He did that on May 27th. The other big thing for people to know is that relations with Russia.

Armenia's historical ally are really at stake right now. So maybe some folks will remember that Armenia was part of the old Soviet Union until it broke up. And then Armenia became an independent republic, and that's where they are today. So Pachinian has been moving away from Russia toward the U.S. and toward the EU. They've even begun a process to join the EU. Now, if you can imagine, Hugh, that doesn't please Vladimir Putin at all. And he has made a very thinly veiled warning to Armenia that if they took that step, it could look like Ukraine, meaning possibly an invasion. I don't see how Russia could actually still do that right now. So that is a major theme that's also playing out. and Georgia, which is just to the north of Armenia, is also kind of in the grip of these tensions between the West, if you will, and Russia. So those are the major issues that play in Armenia right now. Now, Philip, and by the way, if you want to follow Philip on X, it's P. Balboni. If you want to subscribe to the Global Post, it's globalpost.com. It is free for student and teachers. You can find that on the toolbar. I want to put that in the middle of the interview. Now I want to go back to this territory that Armenia gave up. I have just been reading freedom at midnight about when India was dismembered in 1948 by Lord Mountbatten, East Pakistan, West Pakistan eventually became Bangladesh, or East Pakistan did. And then... It was horrific violence to the people who had to go from the New India to the New Pakistan. Millions of people died. Did that happen with the settlement of this dispute? No, and it's not fully settled yet either. I mean, there are a peace treaty. with Azerbaijan is still to be worked out. And the U.S. President Trump's got involved in this, but it isn't done. But no, this war over Nagorno-Karabakh has cost thousands of lives, but not millions of lives. It's very small, but it was deeply in the heart of the Armenian people. When Azerbaijan invaded again in 2023, that's when all the remaining Armenian people had to flee their homes. I remember watching the video. People were in caravans, cars, trucks, on foot, snaking through the mountains going back to Armenia. So it's... There are people in Armenia who don't want there to be a settlement. They want

their territory back, even though internationally Nagorno Karabak is recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Well, I just want people to know that doesn't always work out that way. In the India-Pakistan, millions died. Millions of people went in both directions, and many of them were butchered and slaughtered. So the good news at least is that this did not happen. Philip, before we run out of time, though, let's tell people again about... how teachers and students can get the Global Post for free. Yes. So just go to globalpost.com, look for global education in the navigation at the top. Just click on that. You can read about what we do. We have almost 16,000 students and teachers, middle school, high school, college and university. And also, I always pay tribute to you. Home school students are fully eligible. We keep signing them up, including their parents, if they would like. And the links to do that are all there. There are a little form to fill out, and you name your school, if you have one, and when you graduate, and it's as simple as that. And then Global Postal rise entirely for free, five days a week. It's one of the things we believe so deeply in to help young people be better informed about the world. And I repeat this. I repeat it every week, every month when we talk. The graphics are splendid. If you don't know where Armenia is, and you would not be alone, although Armenian-Americans know exactly where it is, as to Asa Bersiani. I don't know who does your graphics package, Philip Belboni, but they're brilliant. Well, thank you. He happens to be Romanian. Oh, okay. He does a great job, too. We're very international. Yeah. And by the way, anyone from Armenia reading this? Have you heard back on whether or not they light your write-up on today? We have students at the American University of Armenia who have been reading Global Post for many years now. So the answer is yes. And you, if you're listening right now and your teacher or student, you ought to go sign up for free at globalpost.com. And if you're not a student, it is worth the subscription prize globalpost.com. Welcome back to America. I'm Hugh Hewitt, joined now by Vic Mattis. Vic is the co-host of the Getting Hammered podcast, also the weekend and culture and arts editor at the Washington Freebeacon at freebeacon.com. And I'm sad to learn a farmer's market devotee. Vic, when I was listening to getting hammered this week, you confess to your farmer's market addiction. Why in the world do you do that?

I just got so tired of living this other double life, Hugh, and I had to finally let everyone know the real me. It was too much to live with. The burden was too great. And my only thought is the way I do this is I like to cook most of the time at our house, and rather than thinking, okay, here's what I want to make, go to the supermarket. get the stuff, which is, you know, most of the week. On weekends, if I go to the farmer's market, you know, it's what am I going to get? Let me see what's good at the market. And then I'm going to build my meal around that. There, I got it off my chest now, Hugh. Please leave me alone. I've been to the farmer's market once in my life because the butcher. was a listener and watcher of the Hugh Hewitt show on the Salem News Channel, Salem Radio Network, and wanted to meet me and told the fetching Mrs. Hewitt, so I went with her. Vic Mattis, before I get to Plotter, I do want to ask you about your reaction. As a longtime journalist to Scott Pelley attempting to face Bari Weiss and her new hire at 60 Minutes and the following brouhaha, what's your reaction to all this? Well, it seems rather shocking to me if you want to take Scott Pelley at face value, that he has this serious lack of knowledge about how employment works. And that if you chew out, that's said, if you tell off your boss, you chew your boss out in front of everybody and somehow you expect to keep your job, I think he was sorely mistaken. And when he elaborates in his own letter, Hugh, about, you know, the questions he asked about, why did you get rid of these people? Why are you firing these people? There's this thing called HR and HR laws that are in place where you're not supposed to divulge. Personnel matters to other members. He might as well just go up to the boss and say, you know what? I was looking at a colleague's pay stub in her drawer, and she makes more than me, so I'd like to make more, and you can't fire me for that. It's absolutely absurd. It's ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous. And I think it'll be over in a week. Now, let's go to Graham Platner. X is full, absolutely full to the brim with what's going to happen next to Graham Platner. I have read some of the posts. Sounds like an alleged sexual assault, if not more, but we don't know the details yet. What do you know and what's the free beacon now? Okay, so what we know is actually, as we're recording this right now, Hugh, live, the New York Times, I think, has already broken that story. It's out, and it's several women talking about their relationships with Graham Platner. It's not just one. It's more than one. And how they all felt very uncomfortable, that the relationships were toxic, that he can get very physical or intimidating. That's the story right now. And this happens, as you know, on the heels of that special meeting.

platinum had right here in Washington, D.C., with Democratic leaders to assure them, there was no other shoe that was going to drop. And as we know, from even like the Wall Street Journal's reporting. Elizabeth Warren was saying, well, you know, I mean, there is a difference, of course, between, you know, personal marital issues and assault. As long as it's not assault, then she's fine with that. This is a real problem for them. I think one of the people, one of the women who are speaking out is a conservative, and I feel very badly for her because the left and the media are going to try to eviscerate her and say that this is some sort of a hatchet shop. But it... This person is not coming out to speak because she's a Republican and wants to get rid of this Democrat. No, she feels like main voters deserve to know. This is the guy who, at the moment, supposedly is up four points over Susan Collins. Is this the person you want to be your next senator? Well, Kalshi has him falling like a rock. Now, Kalshi is a betting forum online. It can actually just represent inside training. It can represent people with an understanding of the story trying to get ahead of the fall off. If you're a main voter, do you vote for Janet Mills, the sitting governor? You know who Janet Mills is. She's won two statewide races. She's old. She probably can't beat Susan Collins, but she's not going to embarrass you. What do you think happens next Tuesday? Yeah, this is the big hurdle. If anything's going to happen, there are two dates here, Hugh. One is next Tuesday, which is the primary day. And that determines, of course, who is going to be on that ballot against Susan Collins. The other date is July 13, I believe, and that's the final switchout date. If something happens that the Democratic Party has the ability to take him out and then put in... you know, somebody like Janet Mills or possibly Jared Golden, the congressman. So, I mean, that's the situation that they're in right now. I think at the moment they would be better off, obviously, with Janet Mills. But, I mean, Graham Platner was crushing her. you know, substantially. And she got out of the race, even though that was, you know, part of Chuck Schumer's plan. Now, maybe Chuck Schumer's plan is to put in Jared Golden instead. But these next several days are going to be critical. You know, if I were grand Graham Platner at this point with everybody turning against him, particularly the establishment Democrats, I might be tempted to hunker down. and say, hey, this is who I am. I had a post-traumatic stress disorder. I went through a hard time. That wasn't me. That was a different me. I'm a new man as of right now, and I want to talk about policy. This is what Elizabeth Warren says. Why can't we just talk about the policies and the poor main voters suffering under the yoke of Susan Collins and Donald Trump? For some reason, it's a really terrible situation up there.

And Senator Susan Collins, very popular. I don't care who they nominate against her. It's just a question of our margin of victory. Let me ask you now, Vic, about anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party. They nominated a Democrat from Al-Qaeda last night in New Jersey. He might be from the 12th, but it will be D. Al-Qaeda. What is wrong with that party? Antisemitism seems to be everywhere like sepsis in the body politic. Yeah, I mean, look, it really comes down to the local politics here. Hugh, this is, I think, 12th or the 13th congressional district in New Jersey, my former home state, and that's further up. It's a very liberal district. If it's like, you know, I mean, there are cities, for example, in New Jersey, like Patterson that has a very large Middle Eastern constituency. They're going to support somebody like Adam Hawaii. I'm not saying Patterson is in that district. I'm just saying. he has a lot of sympathy up there. And they're not going to care that he was the interpreter and a witness and an acolyte of the blind sheikh who was responsible, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Or that the fact that he was, you know, a doctor in Gaza at a hospital that was hiding Hamas commanders. That doesn't seem to matter. Yes, I get it. Donald Trump is very unpopular there in a lot of places in the country, but you really hope. that people would come to their senses and not vote for somebody like him. I know that there are members of Congress already that are kind of panicking about what's going to happen and they need to have hearings about this. It's a situation similar to Maureen Galindo in Texas who lost her primary. But Adam won and Handily. And I just think anti-Semitism, Democrats have to be asked on every, it's everywhere in the party. It's in Michigan and Minnesota. It's in Manhattan and New Jersey. It's in California. It's in Texas. When is it going to end? This is the worst it's been in my lifetime. Would you agree with that? Yeah. I absolutely agree with that. I mean, something changed. It was after October 7. It was a green light for people to say not only that they're critical of Israel, but they can question its right to exist. And that's bad news for everybody. Vic Mattis, follow my accent, Victorino Mattis. Listen to the latest Getting Hammered, which he co-hosts with Mary Catherine Ham, wherever podcasts are available. Stay tuned to Mary. Hugh Hewitt. New York Times story has dropped, and Josh Kroshauer is here to talk about it with me. Josh is the editor of Jewish Insider. Josh, for the benefit of the audience, let me read the headline. Several women who dated Graham Platner recall unsettling behavior. The Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine could be charming, women said in interviews, but some found his actions intimidating and disturbing. Peter Hassan of the Free Beacon quotes two paragraphs from the story on X. But she said, Graham Platner regularly grabbed her by the shoulder, sometimes hard enough to leave marks, and on one occasion yanked her out of the cab by her wrist after an argument when she wanted to stay in the car. During one argument, she recalled he twisted her on behind her back, shoved her into a bedroom and held the door closed from the other side, so she couldn't get out telling her to remain there until she was calm. Eventually, Ms. Fifthfield said she fell asleep and left the next morning. Is it time to put a fork in Mr. Graham Platner's campaign?

I wouldn't go quite that far. We'll know a lot more Tuesday when main Democratic voters will go to the polls. We'll actually still have a choice to either choose between Graham Platner and the state's governor who dropped out of the race, but still is on the ballot. And then I think it'll go a long way in determining how much support Graham Platner still has within the Democratic Party, at least. I will say this is a damaging story. I don't think it's the last story we're going to see about Graham Platner's personal life. Three women on record in this piece. One, Lindsay Fifield, who is a former partner and a Republican official, who had the most... headline-catching allegations called them physically threatening. The anecdote you just read about the taxi and the physical assault is part of that account. Look, I do think a lot of this has been priced in to everyone's perceptions of Graham Platner. We, ever since the New York Times and Wall Street Journal broke stories over the weekend that Graham Platner, you know, was engaging in sexting and all kinds of, you know, Bad behavior, you know, this has sort of been expected. I think the question is, do Democrats and the Democratic leaders rally behind him? And every indication was, based on the medians he had with senators on Capitol Hill earlier this week, that they're going to hold the line. And we'll see what happens in the next week's primary. But I think this is going to continue to hurt his campaign. But it still is a race. And he still looks like he will be the nominee. Maine Governor Janet Mills has gone out of her way in the last three days to tell Maine voters she didn't drop out of the race. She suspended campaigning, but she didn't drop out. In other words, I'm alive. I'm over here. Look, I'm your governor and I'm not crazy and I'm not disturbed and I don't have history of abuse or sexting or a Nazi tattoo. I'm not sure. I'm not worried about the Torricelli optiona. in Maine. I don't think this is New Jersey. It's Maine is a pretty purple state. Susan Collins, beloved. If they throw Jared Golden in the place of Graham Platner, do you think that would make a difference? Oh, yeah. I mean, look, Jared Golden was the Democrat's first choice. He's a guy who's won a Trump district. And he also is a veteran with tattoos and has blue collar appeal without any of the baggage that Graham Platner brings to the table. So I'm not sure if Golden would be interested in running. Maybe things have changed. But he decided not to run for the seat. He had very little interest in staying in Congress. So as I understand it, there's a window in which. Plattenor would have, I think, about a month after the primary if he withdrew that the party could replace him on the ballot after a certain point, though, there is no double switch like we saw in New Jersey. Oh, way back when. I think the bigger question, I mean, the primary results are, you know, nothing is more convincing than just the...

pure math of how much support Graham Platner has in the Democratic Party. He's been Teflon, Hugh. I mean, I find these allegations, you know, pretty horrible. And yet he survived allegations about the Totenkov tattoo. He survived all these many, many posts about his misogynistic views and racist and bigoted views. He survived even pretty recent allegations about him disparaging military heroes who lost their lives fighting for the United States. It's in Afghanistan. So, you know, I'm in wait and C mode. I will say that the polling, there's been one poll that came out from the Graham Platner campaign showing him with one of the smallest advantages he's had since this campaign began. So I do think people are starting to tune in. They're engaged on this story, and Graham Platner's numbers are going down since, you know, the story broke last weekend. The other electoral story of today is that the Democrat from Al Qaeda has been nominated. That's what is D. You know, they say D. New Jersey, 17 or 12. It's going to say D. Al Qaeda. What did you make of his way? Is this splintered field? He only got 22% or something like that. What do you make of the Democrats nominating a fellow who went to Bosnia on behalf of Al Qaeda who was a... character witness, called by the defense for the blind shake. What do you make of that? The Democrats, I think, have a huge anti-Semitism problem. A close associate of the Blind Sheikh. He wasn't just a witness. He was someone who was friendly and actually was quoted in the New York Times over the weekend that was still defending the Sheikh as not someone who was only preaching chihad about half the time. And the other time, he was a normal guy. I mean, this guy still hasn't recanted a lot of the controversies and the extremist and the extremist beliefs that he apparently had in the night. So this is, look, I'm shocked, Hugh that this hasn't, I mean, this is a district in central New Jersey. It's a stone's throw from the World Trade Center. The blind shake was involved in engineering the first World Trade Center bombing. The notion that a candidate like Adam Hamawi could even be viable for any election, no less member of Congress in that district, would have been unthinkable a few years ago. But Democrats have, the party has gone. And ideologically, and they've embraced all kinds of radical candidates. And he's not the only one. Chris Rab in Pennsylvania is another one that has a similar track record. There are two socialist, Democratic socialist candidates who hold a whole host of extremist comments running to New York later this month. So this is like kind of the gold medal of all, like some. Al-Qaeda ties and Islamic extremist ties in the 1990s, who hasn't recanted or hasn't spoken out against them, is going to likely be a congressman. The big question we're asking, Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic leadership queue is whether he will be seated on any national security committees if he's elected to Congress. Will they seat him on these sensitive committees given that background? So far, they've given no indication. Josh, as Jewish?

As a Jewish insider done any polling of American Jewish vote and whether it's on the move? Because they've got to see what's happened to the Democrats. We are having that commission polling ourselves, but we've monitored some credible poll, Joe, a lot of, a lot of, I don't think the numbers are dramatically, but there's definitely a lot of dissatisfaction with the direction of the Democratic Party. I just can't, I can't imagine an American Jew voting Democratic or any supporter of Israel doing so. Josh Crosshauer, follow him on exit. holds a Defense and Foreign Affairs Conference in Singapore at the Shangrily Hotel. My next guest, Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, went to that forum. Pete Ricketts, welcome. It's good to have you. That is one of the preeminent conferences. There's Munich. There is the Reagan Defense Forum. There's the Halifax Forum. What did Shangri-La sell hard this year? What did you learn there? Well, it really was a great opportunity to meet with our Indo-Pacific allies, and in particular Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a great speech about how we want to work with our partners and allies. We need them to step up. And then he gave shoutouts to all the countries that are stepping up. Japan, for example, is increasing their defense spending, and they are changing their laws so they can sell, for example, ships to our allies in the region. Korea is stepping up their defense spending. They want to take over more responsibility for their defense. You've got the Philippines who have been very vocal. They call it a radical transparency with regard to the... malign activities of communist China. You've got other countries like Australia that are partnering with us with August. And all these things are really helping to strengthen our deterrence against communist China, which is the greatest existential threat to our country. Now, Pete Ricketts, I heard Aaron McLean, CBS News correspondent, free press correspondent, interview Congressman Baumgartner about this. He said there was an incident involving our commanding general in South Korea. who had referred to South Korea as being an aircraft carrier, which didn't really make the South Koreans happy. What was that all about?

I think a lot of things get taken out of context. In fact, there was a part of the forum when a Chinese representative got up and asked a question about General Brunson making a comment about Korea being a dagger pointing toward the heart of China. And it was in relation to a speech, which was actually referring to a World War II comment about Korea being a dagger pointed toward the... Heart of Japan, and he was addressing students. And so he said, you got to put it in context. Here's what I was doing. I was talking on this podcast. Here's where I'm on YouTube. He said, you should go look at it to make sure you've got it in context. My speech was actually pretty good. And he got the whole room to applaud. So I think that what you have to look at is what is the context of those comments being made. And frankly, again, we're working very closely with the Republic of Korea on their defense. And we have been for many decades. to take over more responsibility. And in fact, they want to improve their defense, for example, by adding a nuclear submarine. All right. Now, Senator, Nebraska doesn't make me think national defense. But I think you've got silos up there or maybe B-21. What have you got in Nebraska that's all national defense oriented? Well, we have Offutt Air Force Base, which is home to the 55th Wing, which is one of the most widely distributed combat wings in our Air Force. We also are home to Stratcom, which controls all of our nuclear forces. So I would actually say we've got a lot of nexus with national security. And as you pointed out, we have a number of missile silos that we are currently refurbishing in western Nebraska, upgrading our Minimit missiles with the new Sentinel program. So we actually, Nebraska plays a key role in our national... defense. So there is a push by President Trump in the administration to get a trillion and a half dollars. I've had Senator Susan Collins on. She said she'll get as much as she can. You've got Voterrama going on as we speak. I'm surprised we could keep you. Senator Cotton managed to sneak out for a little bit as well. Do you think that the whole trillion and a half will get into the defense spending pipeline sooner rather than later? Well, I absolutely support our need to be able to recapitalize our military to deter China. And I would point out that the spending we do on defense is actually cheaper than getting into a war. So that's what this is all about, is making sure we have the capability to deter our adversaries. And I would defer to, you know. Susan Collins, she's the chair of the Appropriations Committee. I agree with her. We'll try to get as much of that for the president as we can. As you know, when the president starts negotiating, he usually starts out on the far end of where he hopes to get. But we do need to increase our defense spending to deter communist China, Russia, Iran, North Korea. We've got some very dangerous adversaries out there, and they are working together. Now, when you go to Shangri-Law, This is a very famous defense conference. You'll get Taiwan, you'll get the Philippines, Japan, Singapore. What I don't know about is Malaysia and Indonesia. And increasingly, Malaysia and Indonesia gather, since they are the pincers around the Malacca Strait, did they show up? Are they on our team?

Well, I will say there is no private sector analog for how we do business in the U.S. Senate. So it is a little bit different than you might expect coming from another background. Some of the rules are pretty arcane and how it all works. I would like to think that there's a better way to do things, but these are the rules that have developed over the last two and a half centuries, and they've served us to create the greatest nation the world's ever seen. So I guess we'll just keep working our way through them as... sometimes as difficult as they might seem. All right. So I want to go back finally to the Shangri-Law conference. You mentioned that Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a very well-received speech. In it, though, he called on people to step up or get left behind. You mentioned New Zealand. I don't know that they spend 2% of their GDP on defense. Was anyone from New Zealand there? And how do they... That's kind of a free writer. Well, in fact, there was a questioner from New Zealand who said New Zealand was at 1% defense spending. They are now moving up to 2%. New Zealand did not get a shout out from Secretary Pete Hegseth in his speech because they haven't stepped up enough. And so the questioner asked, well, is New Zealand free riding? And Secretary Pete Hegseth basically said, well, Yeah. I mean, he was pretty straightforward with it. Yeah, you know, and I would, I guess I would say that certainly one percent is free-rining, two percent's better, but really, you know, you look at what South Korea is doing, get up to their pledging to get up to three and a half percent. Japan's increasing their defense spending. You know, this is where our Indo-Pacific allies really got to look at this to say, hey, look. China is being increasingly aggressive. They're, you know, all the things they're doing with their illegal coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities are putting pressure on allies like the Philippines. And we need to stick together to be able to push back on them. That's what's going to be most effective. But you've got to have a credible deterrent, which means you've got to spend on defense spending to be able to have that. We are, again, the Philippines is one of the countries that Secretary Hexworth give a shout out to because they are. upping their defense spending, and spending it in the right areas with regard to, you know, recapitalizing their Navy. So we need our other allies to do the same. The last 30 seconds, Pete Ricketts, did Vietnam come up? They're communists. You know, we were at war with them, but they don't like China and we don't like China. Did they come up at all? Vietnam was president as well. Senator Tammy Duckworth and I had meetings with their defense minister to talk about, again, the relationship. Certainly, we want to continue to develop our relationship. In fact, Senator Ketrae Pete Hegseth did give a shout out to Vietnam as well during his speech. So we look to continue to have increasing cooperation with them, too. Good way to keep China in a box is actually to have a box to begin with. Pete Ricketts, good to see you again from the great state of Nebraska. I'll be right back, America. Former Vice President Mike Pence joins me next on the Hugh Hewitt Show. Now, I want to take a moment to tell you about our great sponsor consumer cellular. They have a brand new offer, so I want you to listen carefully to this. You've probably seen the headlines are worth your latest sell bill. Big wireless is raising rates again.

Well, you can switch to consumer cellular right now and get $200 off your bill by going to consumercellular.com slash hue and use a promo code, Hugh 200. That's right, Hugh Hewitt, UGH, 200. And when you switch, you'll get the same coverage as big wireless carriers, just not the coverage that's anything other than high quality. Are you tired of your wireless company telling you have to talk to an AI chat box or even pay 10 bucks to talk to someone when paying your bill? That's happening now, really. With consumer cellular, you'll talk to an actual human being based right here in the United States who will help you every step of the way when you switch. For a limited time, if you're over 50 as well, you can get $200 off your bill when you switch two unlimited lines. That's two lines of unlimited talk, texting data for $60 a month, plus $200 off. Hurry, the extra $200 off your bill will not last long. This offer ends June 14th. Visit consumercellular.com slash you. Use the promo code. Hugh, 200, or call 1-800-4-1-41-44, 1-800-4-1-4-4-454, 1-800-4-1-4-4-4-4-54. Welcome back, America. I'm Hugh Hewitt, as promised, one of my very favorite people in American politics. Former Vice President Mike Pence joins me to discuss his brand new bestseller, which is what conservatives believe it is intended to, and I think completely does, bring Barry Goldwater's conscience of the conservative forward into the 2025, 2026 timeframe and does it concisely, compactly. And I love this story about you meeting Barry Goldwater at 5, Mr. Vice President. Let's kick off there because a lot of my audience, you know this. They won't know about the conscience of the conservative and why this has to be done. Well, look, it really has been since the days of Barry Goldwater's book in 1960, which inspired my new book of what conservatives believe that came out just this week. And by the way, thank you for having me on, Hugh. Always a pleasure, sir. You are the most clarion voice for conservative values and particularly a strong national defense on the airways of America. And it's great to be with you. Yeah, I, yeah, Barry Goldwater's whistle stop campaign came through my small town when I was five years old. My mom took us down to the train station. But it wasn't until I ran for office the first time at the tail end of the Reagan administration that I was. I was made familiar with his classic book, Conscience of a Conservative. And that's what inspired my book, which is about rediscovering the conservative conscience. Because look, over the last 50 years, the conservative agenda has defined the Republican Party, a commitment to a strong defense, American leadership in the world, less government, less taxes, traditional moral values. And our battle throughout those decades politically was with a liberal Democratic Party.

You and I both know that as the Democratic Party has surged farther and farther to the progressive left, even embraced socialism, questioned even our longstanding alliance with Israel, including in very dark terms. I wrote the book because I want conservatives to know that there's also been a threat rising from the populist right. within our own movement. It really questions America's role as leader of the free world, introduces big government solutions, marginalizes the right to life and other traditional values issues. And as we go into 2026 and as we begin to think about 2028, who our standard bearer will be, I thought that this is just the right time for us as a movement to reflect deeply on what conservatives believe. hope the book starts that debate. It does, and it does it well in 18 concise chapters, excluding the preface and the epilogue. Vice President Pence lays out the core thing. Now, it doesn't mean you have to agree with everything. Ronald Reagan said 70% is good enough for him. I agree with about 95% of what is in what conservatives believe. And I'm going to start with some. I know, you'll take it, but I want to get to our disagreements eventually, but I want to start by telling you. I have never seen duty as ours results are gods, the quote from John Quincy Adam. And I'm never going to forget it now that I've seen it. Duty is ours, results are gods. You want to explain that, Mr. Vice President, because it's fabulous. Well, John Quincy Adams, of course, one of our presidents, the son of a president, but a man who in his time was considered the most brilliant. a thinker in America simply summed up what has become my whole philosophy of government, and that is whether it was my time in the Congress that I write about in my book, what conservatives believe, where I was a backbench conservative fighting against the forces of big government, even in my own party at the time, and against the extraordinary expansion of government under Barack Obama, whether it was when I was a governor or... As Vice President of the United States, for me, it was just always about duty, about fulfilling the promises that I'd made to the people of Indiana, to the people of America. And if you take that to heart, what John Quincy Adams says, a duty is ours. Outcomes belong to God. I think you can steer your way through public life, whether it be as an activist, a candidate, or an officeholder with a lot of peace of mind. I think it so perfectly sums up the best approach to not just political life, but life in general. Now, where do we agree the most? I want to quote from page 36, the chief duty, that's your word, the chief duty of every conservative must be to conserve, support, and defend the Constitution of the United States. That's what conservatives believe. That is the central deal. I'm very happy. You said that. A lot of people forget that. Ours is the Constitution to defend. Is that surprising the conservatives you run into that you put it that bluntly?

Well, I don't know if it surprises people, but it certainly has been received well, not just since the book came out, but as I've spoken in those terms, over the last five years. Look, we are the Republican Party. The republic was established in the Constitution of the United States, but our duty to support and defend the Constitution. extends to every American who takes the oath of office, and it's the obligation of every citizen to continue to uphold it. And I hold the view that even in these divided times, when we see the progressive left for generations trying to rewrite the Constitution in our courts, trying to disregard the Constitution, and ultimately, even this week, going back to the argument of court packing, adding justices. to the court to rewrite the Constitution by Fiat. I think the American people know the key to unlock a boundless American future lies where it always has been, and that is by keeping faith with the Constitution. But as I said, there are even voices on the populist right who have expressed the same disdain for the Constitution. I love what President Reagan said, and it's in my book. He essentially said, you know, nations around the world, many nations have constitutions, but what's unique about the American Constitution is our Constitution tells government what it cannot do. And it works. And it's the military government what it can do. And it works. And it gets in the way. But folks from the progressive left and some on the populist right have occasionally have a problem with it, but I think it's, I really do believe it is the chief duty. Not every American. After that, you quote Proverbs 2515, a word fitly spoken like apples of gold and pictures of silver. And then you remind us all that Lincoln said the declaration was the apple of gold in the Constitution. It's silver frame. Adding gold is more valuable than silver. And this is you. Gold is more valuable than silver, and declaration breathed life into the Constitution and civil society. When you were interviewing Supreme Court nominees for President Trump, and you were the last interview for the three nominees he put onto the court. So all honor to Jefferson and Mike Pence. Did you ask them how the declaration fit in with the Constitution? Because a lot of originals say, oh, no, no, no, no, that's got. And I always say, yes, it's obviously it's the apple of gold in the frame of silver. Did you ever get around that with them? You know, we're at, I don't know, I'm not Hugh Hewitt, so I don't know if I got that philosophical and deep, but to be honest with you, we did talk about their philosophy of jurisprudence. And I couldn't be more proud of the three justices that President Donald Trump appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. And it was my honor. to have the opportunity to interview them last before the president made his final decision. But there's no question that everything begins with first principles. And in my book, what conservatives believe, I hope it inspires people to look back to those timeless principles because they really hold the keys to a boundless future. I'll be right back with Vice President Pence talking more about what conservatives believe. I've got to do a couple of disagreements with them. It's not 100% agreements, but we're close. Stay tuned to America.

Welcome back, America. As I read through Vice President Pence's brand new book, What Conservatives Believe, I just nodded, nodded, nodded, took notes, except for two places. So it's a radio show, it's a television show and the Salem News Channel. Let me go to those two places. Number one, Social Security must be means tested. Now, I was obliged. I'm 70, Mr. Vice President, so I was obliged. I have to take my Social Security now. And you want a tax, I've been working since I was 16, and I know I'd be at the top of that means testing because it is for Medicaid. And so I just want you to explain for Medicare. I want you to explain to the audience why it needs to be mean tested, and when would you apply that? Because that's going to shock a lot of people. The ideas that conservatives have talked about to deal with what really is. the most predictable fiscal crisis in American history, and that is $39 trillion national debt. You know, you are probably the most compelling voice for national security on the airwaves of the country. And the argument that I make in my book, What Conservatives Believe, begins with the fact that a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was asked. Before a congressional committee, Hugh, about 15 years ago, when the national debt was only $10 trillion. He was asked what the greatest threat to the national security of the United States was in the 21st century, and without hesitation, he said the national debt. And I believe that. Two years ago, for the first time in our history, America spent more money on interest on the national debt than we did on our national defense. And that's simply not sustainable. And it's not in the interest of our children and grandchildren. And so in the book, I simply say, we know the progressive left. Their prescription for dealing with runaway spending and debt and deficits is simply higher taxes. that there's no question that they would be more than happy to return to the usurious tax rates that we saw in the middle of the last century in this country and that characterized most of the tax codes in Europe. And so I think it's incumbent upon conservatives, whether it's ideas that you like or not. Let's begin the debate and at least conclude that it's simply morally wrong. to pile a mountain range of debt on our children and grandchildren. If Republicans and conservatives don't do it through compassionate and common sense reform, we will simply be left with nothing but bad choices, higher taxes or deep cuts with the inevitable fiscal crisis that the national debt presents us. I hope that you get named to a Social Security Commission the way that Patrick Moynihan did because Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Mike Pence would approach it seriously and you'd get a bipartisan issue out of it. Let me go into my last disagreement because next segment I want to talk about national security, especially Israel. At one point, I'm pro-life, you're pro-life. I'm Catholic, you're evangelical, but we're both pro-life. You suggest that conservatives must at some point.

seek to redefine the 14th Amendment, seek a reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment to expand its definition of persons in its due process clause to include the unborn. Had the framers done that, we'd be a lot better off as a country. They didn't. It's not there. That sounds like judicial activism of the highest order to me, Mr. Vice President. Why isn't it? Well, honestly, you know, I think that's an interesting take. But I just, you know, take a half step back to you. And I just say I couldn't be more proud. to have been part of the most pro-life administration in American history. We appointed three of the justices to the Supreme Court that sent Roe versus Wade to the ash heap of history where it belongs. We know the progressive left continues to be active advancing abortion across the country in Democrat-led states. And if they take control of the Congress, I think every pro-lifer in America should know. If they take control of the Congress, they have every intention of introducing legislation to codify Roe versus Wade into federal law. And so I think the cause of life remains the calling of our time. One of my concerns about the current administration and the populist right is... there's been a consistent effort to marginalize the right to life at the center of our movement. And also, I'm saddened that the administration has ignored the effect, the dangerous effect on women and, of course, unborn children of male order abortion pills that the Biden administration made available. But, you know, whether it's, you know, an interpretation of the 14th Amendment, whether it's a human life amendment. to the Constitution of the United States. I think our movement should not rest, should not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law. And that's why in my book I call the right to life the first freedom. And anyone who reads what conservatives believe by Senate Pence will come away more pro-life than when they began. That's the human life amendment I'm all for as I am for the... The pro-life centers around the country, which you speak up for and on behalf of in the book. And when we come back, we're going to go back to what we agree on 100%. Israel and a strong defense in America. Stay tuned.

Welcome back, America. I'm with Vice President Mike Pence. He's got a brand new book, invaluable, really, especially for young conservatives and people in college. You don't really know what it means. What conservatives believe is first principles. It's concise. It's compact. It's beautifully written. Well organized and well researched. Mr. Vice President, I think you stand second to no one in your support for the Jewish state, for the state of Israel. I want to step back, though, a little bit. You make a good argument about that in the book about why they are our most important ally, why we have to be in line with them. However, I'm on Fox this morning to ask about this new New Jersey congressman that's going to have D al-Qaeda behind his name when he wins, and I made the point. The problem in America right now is not anti-Zionism, not anti-Israel. It's anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party. It's an infection. It's spreading from Michigan to Minnesota to Maine to New York City and Zohran Mamdani, and now this congressman. What do we do about anti-Semitism in America? I'm 70. I've never seen it like this. What do you think about this? Well, I've never seen it like this in my lifetime or on this continent, but you're precisely right about what's happening on the progressive left. And a little bit on the populist right, and a little bit on the populist right, too. Yeah, I think we have to acknowledge that. Look, there's no place. in America for anti-Semitism in any form. Israel is our most cherished ally. Literally from the time of the American founding, pulpits in this country thundered with the aspiration that the people of Israel would return to the land of Israel. America was the first nation on earth to recognize the Jewish state of Israel in 1948. And I give President Trump great credit. During our administration, moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the Golan Heights. But in this new administration, taking the fight... with Israel at our side, directly to the Mullahs in Tehran, last year and this year, is greatly to his credit and commendable. But this trend toward anti-Semitism is very real. But as I said, it's not really new. In my book, what conservatives believe, I write about the ascendancy of this in the chapter on the case for Israel. It was actually at the Democratic Convention in 2012. that support for Israel was brought to a vote, and the delegates at the convention thunderously voted it down, but then the chair gaveled it otherwise. Antonio Villarigosa. I remember it well. You remember it. It was remarkable. And so this is actually not new. I saw it when I was in the House of Representatives from afar when I was governor, when I was...

When I was governor of Indiana, we passed the toughest anti-VDS bill of any state in the country. And, of course, being part of the Trump Pence administration, our support for Israel, I witnessed it in the Democratic Party. And it just has to be confronted because it appears that the Democratic Party is incapable of confronting rank anti-Semitism in their midst. And you see that candidate in New Jersey. You see the rhetoric of candidates in Michigan and around the country as well as incumbents who've been using anti-Semitic tropes in politics. statements. But thanks for acknowledging. I also think we have to be honest that on the populist right, there has been a rising chorus questioning America's historic alliance and support for Israel. And that often slides into the darker corridors of anti-Semitic rhetoric. And I think we have to reject it whole cloth. I've said many times, I'll say again. on the Hugh Hewitt show today. If the world knows nothing else, the world should know this. America stands with Israel. And well put in the book, and I think persuasive. I want to close by talking about Iran. In the book, you write about the Chinese menace, the Russian menace, the Iranian menace, the North Korean menace, the Venezuelan menace, about the last year old President Trump was correct to act against Maduro. He have a right to do so. I want to go to the Iranian menace. I'm frustrated by where we are right now. I want to finish the job. What do you think of the president's current plan and posture? I love the fact he went after him. I love that the blockade is working, but they're going to shoot Americans pretty soon. They're going to get a lucky one off. What should the president do about this? What would you be advising him if you were back in administration about Iran right now? Well, if I was still working in the West Wing, I'd wait until everybody left the room, like I always would do, Hugh. And after the door shut, I would tell the President, I'm praying for you to have wisdom, but I believe we need to finish the job. There's an old saying that one does not make peace with one's enemy. One makes peace with one's defeated enemy. and given the arrogance and the posturing and even the firing of missiles in the last 24 hours by the Iranians. I sense that they don't quite understand that they have been defeated. I give the president all the credit in the world for unleashing our military against the nuclear sites last year and unleashing our armed forces for the first time, really, in this administration. right to the heart of global terrorism in Iran. After 47 years of Iran through its proxies, waging war on the United States and Israel, we finally took the fight directly to them. And history will record and commend President Trump for doing so. They'll also record that in that month of combat operations, our troops responded brilliantly in Operation Epic Fury.

And I truly do believe, unless Iran comes to the table and yields on abandoning its nuclear program and dismantling it, dismantling its missile program entirely, giving up support for terrorist proxies across the region and opening the strait. And I would advise the President of the United States that let our armed forces do what they can do and open the straight and defeat our enemy on our terms and contribute to the peace and security of the world and the security of America and Israel. So last question, Mr. Vice President. We have one minute. I know you have to talk with Mrs. Pence about this. But is what conservatives believe the first step in another run for the presidency by you in 2028? Well, I'm always flattered when I'm asked, but if you may recall it, I actually ran for president in 2023, not so where you'd notice you. Pretty short campaign. But, you know, we don't see that door open for us. But, you know, I like that Luke Combs song that says, I rode that rocket about as far as it apply. But, you know, for me, my calling right now is simply to be a champion of the conservative principles that have always made America strong and prosperous and free. I specifically have a passion to speak to the rising generation. about these principles and values. And that's why I wrote what conservatives believe. And that's what conservatives believe do. Go and get the book and get it. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, wherever books are sold. Vice President Mike Pence, always a pleasure. You are always welcome on the Hugh Hewitt Show. Thank you so much for your time. Did you know there's an investment account that's been around since 1888, and most people have never heard about it until recently? It's not stocks, it's not crypto. It's a trust that was created over a century ago, and it's been averaging 29% returns for the past 25 years. To put that into perspective, it beat Apple, it beat Amazon, it beat Microsoft over that same period. BlackRock has over $2 billion sparked here. J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, some of the biggest banks in the world have been quietly using this for decades, and they've never mentioned it to regular people. There are no commercials, no billboards, nothing, and literally anyone can start. You just need a few hundred dollars. There's a free video that explains exactly what it is and how to... access it and it's 100% worth your time go to my account 29.com to check it out that's my account the numbers 29.com my account 29.com my account 29.com