Iran war reaches MAJOR milestone as US squeezes economy

JACQUI: IRANIAN LEADERS ARE NOW. ACKNOWLEDGING THE ECONOMIC TOLL. OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S. SANCTIONS AS THE REGIME CALLS. SISTER GLOBAL PUSHBACK. AGAINST -- FOR GLOBAL PUSHBACK. AGAINST OPERATION ECONOMIC. OUTCAST. IF FOR MORE LET'S BRING IN. LOUISIANA SENATOR JOHN KENNEDY. SENATOR, IT IS GREREAT TO HAVE U. WITH US THIS MORNING. GOOD MORNING TO YOU.

GOOD MORNING. ALL RIGHT. SO I HEARD YOUR CONVERSATION. THIS WEEK WITH WILL CAIN, AND. YOU BASICALLY SAID TO THE. AUDIENCE THAT THE U.S. HAS. ACCOMPLISHED MOST OF ITS GOALS. THAT WERE SET AT THE OUTSET. HERE. YOU DID SUGGEST IT'S TIME FOR. OUR TROOPS TO COME HOME BUT. ADMITTED IN THAT CONVERSATION. THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS A BIT OF. A THORNY ISSUE. HOW CAN TROOPS COME HOME WITHOUT. CEDING THE STRAIT TO THE. IRANIANS? WHAT WOULD YOU NEED TO SEE TO. CALL THE TROOPS BACKCK?

>> WELL, I DIDN'T SAY THE TROOPS. SHOULD COME HOME, I SAID IT'S. CERTAINLY AN OPTION THAT WE NEED. TO CONSIDER. ANOTHER OPTION AT THE OTHER. EXTREME IS TO ARM THE KURDS AND. LET THEM KEEP ANY COUNTRY OR ANY. PART OF IRAN THAT THEY CONQUER. BUT LOOK, MANY OF THE CRUNCHY. GRANOLA TYPES IN THE DEMOCRATIC. PARTY AND THE MEDIA HAVE LOST. PERSPECTIVE ABOUT IRAN. LET ME PUT IT THIS WAY, JACQUI..

REMEMBER IN HIGH SCHOOL AND. YOU'RE TAKING A TEST AND. EVERYBODY STARTS USING A RULER? AND YOU THINK THE ANSWER IS. ABRAHAM LINCOLN? WELL, MANY OF THE DEMOCRATS AND. MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA ARE UTTERLY. AND UNSPINNABLY WRONG ABOUT. IRAN. ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES. HAVE GONE MEDIEVAL ON IRAN. IT IS AN, IT IS A SUCKING CHEST.

WOUND. IT WILL BE 20 YEARS AND HALF A. BILLION DOLLARS BEFORE THAT. COUNTRY CAN RECOVER. THEY HAVE NO AIR DEFENSES. IF THEY RESTART A NUCLEAR. WEAPONS PROGRAM, WE WILL KNOW IN. A SECOND, AND WE CAN BOMB THEM. AND UNLESS YOU PEAKED IN HIGH. SCHOOL, THAT SHOULD BE OBVIOUS. IF NOW, THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH. THE STRAIT. WE'RE DEALING WITH IT. WE'VE GOT -- WE'VE UPPED.

SANCTIONS, AND WE HAVE A. BLOCKADE. AND SOME OIL IS GETTING THROUGH. HOW DO I KNOW THAT? BECAUSE IF SOME OIL WAS GETTING. THROUGH, THE PRICE OF OIL. WOULDN'T BE $85 LIKE IT IS. TODAY, IT'S BE $150-200. I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE. DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING. BUT NO FAIR-MINDED PERSON CAN. CONCLUDE THAT THE WORLD AND THE. MIDDLE EAST ARE NOT SAFER. BECAUSE OF WHAT THE AMERICAN.

PEOPLE AND THE ISRAELI PEOPLE. HAVE DONE TO IRAN BECAUSE THEY. HAD TO. JACQUI: AT THE SAME TIME -- AND. I HEAR ALL YOUR POINTS -- AT THE. SAME TIME, THERE HAD BEEN THIS. SORT OF OUTSTANDING CONCERN. ABOUT AFFORDABILITY MENTIONING. HEADING INTO THE MIDTERMS. OBVIOUSLY, THE PRESIDENT'S. ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY, FOR. INSTANCE, ON VENEZUELAN OIL. COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE. LONG TERM. BUT TO BRING THOSE, YOU KNOW, PRODUCTION -- TO BRING THAT.

PRODUCTION ON LINE, IT COULD BE. A COUPLE OF YEARS. POINT BEING THE VOTERS MIGHT NOT. UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THAT. COME NOVEMBER. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE NEEDS TO. BE SOME SORT OF A DIFFERENT. STRATEGY TO PUT REPUBLICANS ON. BETTER FOOTING HEADING INTO THE. MIDTERMS ON THE ISSUE AFTER. OI -- AFFORDABILITY? >> WELL, YES. AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'VE. DONE AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. SO DOES THE PRESIDENT. LOOK, THE COST OF LIVING. INCREASES IS REAL.

INFLATION IS REAL. THE NEW INFLATION HAS BEEN. CAUSED MANY PART BY THE RISE IN. THE PRICE OF OIL AS A RESULT OF. IRAN. IT'S BEEN CAUSED BY ALL THE. SPENDING ON ARTIFICIAL. INTELLIGENCE. SOME OF IT, NOT ALL OF IT, BUT. SOME OF IT IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO. TARIFFS. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'VE. DONE. WE'VE CUT THE FEDERAL WORK FORCE. BY 11%. WE'VE MOWED DOWN THOUSANDS AND. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF RULES.

AND REGULATIONS. WE PASSED THE TAX CUTS IN THE. ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL. THE AVERAGE TAX REFUND FOR THE. AVERAGE AMERICAN WENT UP BY. ALMOST 12% THIS YEAR. WAGES INCREASED BY 3 % LAST. YEAR. IF -- 3%. WE NEED TO TO GO BACK TO. WASHINGTON AND PASS A BILL TO. COMBAT FRAUD MANY OUR SOCIAL. PROGRAMS. THAT WILL CAUSE INTEREST RATES. TO FALL. AND IT WILL IMPACT PEOPLE'S. CREDIT RATINGS AND THEIR ABILITY.

TO ACCESS CREDIT. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE. HAVE DONE AND WE NEED TO TALK. ABOUT. AND THE PRESIDENT'S GOING TO. HAVE TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THAT. JACQUI: OKAY. ONE QUICK WE ON -- QUESTION ON. BILLS BEFORE I WANT TO GET TO. THE MAP A LITTLE BIT. YOU MENTIONED SANCTIONS AND. TARIFFS AND SORT OF THE IMPACT. IT'S HAVING DOMESTICALLY. DOES THAT HAVE ANY NEXUS WITH. THE RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL THAT'S. BEEN KIND OF SLOW WALKED BY THE.

WHITE HOUSE? IT'S BEEN READY TO GO FOR MANY. MONTHS IN THE SENATE, BUT IT. WOULD IMPLICATE CHINA, AND THAT. COULD HAVE A TRICKLE-DOWN. EFFECT. DOES THAT PLAY A ROLE AT ALL IN. HOW SLOWLY THIS HAS MOVED? >> YEAH, CERTAINLY I THINK IT. HAS. I MEAN, WE'RE ALWAYS ATTENTIVE. TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA. BUT, LOOK, RUSSIA'S NOT OUR. FRIEND. PUTIN HAS BLOOD UNDER HIS. FINGERNAILS. WE'VE GOT HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW,

AND WE'RE CHOKING HIM. WE NEED TO CHOKE HIM TO DEATH. IT TOOK US A YEAR TO PASS THE. RUSSIAN SANCTIONS BILL. WE'VE ADDED TARIFFS TO IT. WE PASSED THE SENATE. OVERWHELMINGLY. THE HOUSE NEEDS TO GO PASS IT, AND WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT IT, AND. RUSSIA WILL COME TO THE TEENAGE. IT MAY NOT -- TO THE TABLE. IT MAY NOT BE OVERNIGHT, BUT. THEY'LL COME TO THE TABLE AND IS. WE'LL GET THAT WAR SETTLED. BUT YOU NEED TO PUT DOWN THE.

BONG IF YOU THINK THAT IRAN AND. CHINA ARE NOT HELPING RUSSIA IN. THAT WAR. THEY'RE ALL RELATED. THE QUARTERBACK IS XI. NOW, I DON'T WANT AMERICA TO BE. THE WORLD'S POLICEMAN, BUT I. DON'T WANT SHI XI JINPING, VLADIMIR PUTIN OR THE AYATOLLAH. IN IRAN TO BE EITHER. AND THESE ARE NOT WARM AND. LOVING HUMAN BEINGS. THEY UNDERSTAND ONE THING, HITTING THEM RIGHT HERE, RIGHT. BETWEEN THE EYES, AND THAT'S WHY. WE NEED TO PASSES THE RUSSIAN. SANCTIONS BILL. JEFF OKAY --. >> IN MY OPINION.

JACQUI: I WANT TO END WITH. QUESTION. TEXAS HAS BECOME A TOSS-UP IN. THE SENATE ACCORDING TO FOX'S. POWER RANKINGS. AND I WAS JUST TALKING TO KEN. PAXTON IN THE LAST BLOCK, ASKED. HIM ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP. DOWN THE HOUSTON, AND IT DIDN'T. SOUND LIKE HIS ANSWER -- IT. DOESN'T SOUND FROM HIS ANSWER. THAT THE PRESIDENT MADE ANY. COMMITMENTS, EITHER HIMSELF OR. HIS SUPER PAC, TO WRITE CHECKS. FOR PAXTON AT LEAST RIGHT NOW. DOES SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND OR. NRSC HAVE ANY PLANS FOR TV ADS,

YOU KNOW, TO SUPPORT HIM? BECAUSE HE'S DOWN IN SPENDING. THERE. >> WELL, I LISTENED TO YOUR. INTERVIEW. IT WAS VERY GOOD, BY THE WAY, WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. LOOK, THERE'S NO SENSE BUBBLE. WRAPPING IT, WE'VE GOT A RACE IN. TEXAS. AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS. GOING TO HAVE TO DO TWO THINGS. HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO POINT OUT. THE DEFICIENCIES OF. MR. TALARICO. HE REALLY IS A LOONY, A. LULULEMON, AND HE'S A LITTLE BIT.

OF A WEENY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, MR. PAXTON. IS GOING TO HAVE TO TALK ABOUT. WHAT HE'S GOING TO DO, A. POSITIVE PLATFORM FOR THE UNITED. STATES SENATE. YOU CAN'T WIN AN ELECTION BY. SAYING THE OTHER GUY'S WORSE. THAN ME. MONEY IS AN ISSUE. MR. TALARICO HAS BEEN RAISING. BUCKETLOADS OF MONEY FROM. CALIFORNIA, HOLLYWOOD, ALL THE. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF THE PARTY. WITH HARVEY WEINSTEIN. WE DON'T HAVE -- WE IN THE.

SENATE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY. BUDGETED FOR TEXAS. WE NEED HELP FROM THE PRESIDENT. THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS $850. MILLION IN HIS CAMPAIGN. ACCOUNTS. THAT'S A LOT OF JACK. I'M HOPING THAT THE PRESIDENT'S. GOING TO SPEND 100 OR $200. MILLION IN TEXAS, BUT HE H HASNT. COMMITTED TO IT YET. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A RACE, AND I'M TO NOT. GOING TO PLAY ACT AND SAY THAT. WE DON'T. JACQUI: OKAY. WE WILL KEEP OUR EYES OUT FOR. THE CHECKBOOK THEN.

SENATOR KENNEDY, ALWAYS GREAT TO. TALK TO YO.