Senate Grills Hegseth & Caine as U.S. Ramps Up Attacks on Iran

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1:20Hegseth said that the senator had Trump derangement syndrome. Cain and Hegseth appeared in front of the Appropriations Committee there requesting 87 billion additional dollars. 67 billion of that is for the Department of Defense and the ongoing Iran war. Hegseth also revealed that the American taxpayer has already spent nearly 38 billion dollars on the war so far, which Trump continues to call a conflict. Earlier today, Trump also reiterated his plans to destroy Iran's Pickaxe Mountain. That's an underground facility south of Tehran and where Israeli intelligence, we're told, believes Iran has moved part of its nuclear stockpile.

1:57Take a listen to Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy earlier today. Now, what happens if we come home and end the blockade to the world? Sir, Iran has the potential to continue to be a threat. We need some hard answers and some straight talk. What will happen Pete? Senator I would I would agree with the chairman but the likely outcome is they would try to impose their will on the on the waterways. We need straight answers. We need straight answers. Do we have the ability to destroy whatever is underneath Pickaxe Mountain? A lot of Senator, a lot of our capabilities are classified, but if anybody in the world can reach anything on God's green earth, it's the United States military, the most powerful military in the world.

2:56It's all about options and tradeoffs. New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, when it was her turn at the mic, pressed Secretary Hegseth on his request for tens of billions of dollars to fund the ongoing war. You are asking for unlimited money for bombs when people can't feed their families. And I don't know how this administration intends to defend those decisions to the American people. Not unlimited bombs, Senator. I'm asking for the right bombs at the right time. The hearing started with General Cain, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recognizing the U.S. service members killed in recent days.

3:34Secretary Hegseth did not mention the dead in his opening comments. Today, the Pentagon released the identity of the soldier killed during the disposal of an Iranian drone in Iraq. He was 30-year-old Sergeant Michael Emanuel Swinton. He died on Sunday. This afternoon, President Trump seemed to be downplaying the casualties to a degree, posting a list of recent American wars ending with, quote, Venezuela War one day, zero dead, Iran military conflict, 14 months, 18 dead. Joining us now, Republican Congressman Mike Flood of Nebraska. Thank you so much. Are you concerned about, we all want an Iran that has no nuclear weapons.

4:15Are you concerned about the duration of this war? Are you concerned at all about the cost of this war? Well, Iran and the U.S. have had guns pointed at each other for the better part of 50 years. Obviously, the nuclear threat is something we take very seriously. We have. What have we tried in the past? Well, we gave money before under President Obama. We sent U.N. inspectors in before that, and they stonewalled them. They wake up every day. They shout death to America. October 7th happens in Israel. The region is unstable. Iran is funding the Houthis, the Hezbollah, Hamas. And the United States has to play the cards were dealt.

4:54President Trump goes in there. He acts decisively. He's decapitated their military for the most part. So why are we still there? Because they're not all gone, I said, for the most part. But also, aren't we there because they haven't opened the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before we began this military conflict? Largely, and we're dealing with martyrs. We're dealing with a regime that has killed 50 ,000 of their own people. No one should be surprised we're at odds with this regime. They want to end our society here in the United States as we know it. President Trump's acting decisively. And what we saw on display today at Capitol Hill while I just left to come here, we see Congress doing what Congress does, a vigorous debate about the issues.

5:34But none of this hides the fact that right now our troops are getting shot at and Democrats aren't budging on the money. So we're talking about using reconciliation while all Republicans are united to do that. That's the bigger story from what I take out of here today. There's a lot that Speaker Mike Johnson needs to push through this week in the House of Representatives, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you. There's a stopgap funding bill, the annual defense bill that we're talking about. Not all Republicans are on board right now. What does the speaker need to do to get them to yes? Well, we had Russ Vogt come in today and talk to us about Reconciliation 3.0, why we're doing it, how we're doing it, what the mechanics are of it.

6:11And I've watched throughout the day. I think there's a lot more members that have come on board with that effort. So are we there totally with all of our numbers yet? We'll find out here soon. The CR, Continuing Resolution, is just basically saying, listen, we aren't going to shut this government down before an election. We aren't going to play those games. We don't want it. It's not our interest. It's not in America's interest. It's not in the people that run our government's interest, the services that you receive. And then the NDAA, one of the last bastions of bipartisanship where we see Democrats and Republicans come together for our military.

6:45So this is a very big week. If we leave with those three things done, it will be a very productive week. What do you make of President Trump's post on social media comparing the number of U.S. military personnel deaths in the Iran war compared to others? You see Afghanistan war 20 years, 2 ,000 dead. Iraq war 9 years, 4 ,600 dead. Vietnam war 19 years, 5 months, 58 ,220 dead. Korean war 3 years, 1 month, 36 ,574 dead. Venezuela, and then the ones that he was in charge, Venezuelan war, one day, zero dead, Iran military conflict, four months, 18 dead. I don't think the Venezuela incursion was a war per se, as though it was a very successful military operation.

7:27But there are people who see that and say, yes, I mean, this isn't Vietnam, this isn't Afghanistan, but that risks belittling the service members who have died. I was at Dover Air Force Base this spring when seven of those caskets came down off the plane and were put into a van. And I watched the entire time across from me and there was a, I don't know, nine-year-old girl who buried her head in her father's arms because one of those caskets had her mom. And so I know the president knows that because he was standing right in front of me and Melania Trump was right next to me. And I know that they felt it because I felt it, because Democrat members of Congress felt it, Republicans felt it.

8:11so I having been to Dover I don't know about that that tweet but I know that the president felt it because I was there that day I was there that day when he and the vice president and members of both parties did our best and you know what I left there as a congressman I went back to Nebraska that dad and his daughter went back to their home without their mom for 80 years from now so yeah I it is a big deal everybody is a big deal it's absolutely a big deal thank you so much for being here. Yeah. Really appreciate it. Joining us now to discuss General Joseph Otelli is the former CENTCOM commander.

8:45General, thank you so much for joining us. I'm going to play another exchange from the hearing and get your thoughts on it. Take a listen.

8:53Are Russia and China helping Iran? And if so, how? Well, Senator, as the chairman alluded to, there's definitely adversary alignment attempts to do so. And there are many ways that we deter that, some of which are, and the depth and extent of it ought to remain classified, and it should. But there are ways in which both of those countries are limiting at different levels, enabling some of the things Iran is doing. Yes. Does that surprise you at all? And what do you think China is doing to enable Iran? Well, thanks, Jake. It's great to be with you again. No, I'm not surprised by this. I mean, I think we should expect that these two principal competitors to us, Russia and China, are going to take advantage of the situation and for their own purposes, try to cast us in the best light or make things as difficult as they can.

9:50Russia certainly has a relationship with Iran linked to their operations in Ukraine. And I think that China is primarily motivated by their economic objectives, and they see that the challenge that this war has presented, not just us, but a variety of the globe here. And they are going to make things as difficult as they can for us of trying to extricate ourselves from this or accomplish our objectives. Israel believes that Iran moved advanced centrifuges and part of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to Pickaxe Mountain after the 12-day war last June. President Trump said this today. Take a listen.

10:36That's where the action is. And we'll be hitting that area very, probably pretty soon. And there's not a thing they can do about it. Normally, I wouldn't say that. If I thought they could do something about it. I would never say that. But we'll be hitting that area pretty soon and very heavily. Trump insisted that the U.S. had obliterated Fordow last summer and with it Iran's nuclear stockpile. We know pickaxe is a facility deep underground and it's in central Iran. So a ground invasion would be quite difficult. What do you think is the military's, the U.S. military's best chance to destroy that site, Pickaxe?

11:18Well, yeah, thanks. You know, certainly the way that we went out to Fort Aal with our massive ordnance penetrators, that's a capability that's developed specifically for this threat. Of course, we used a lot of those last summer. I don't know exactly what the inventory might be, but we've got to be judicious with the employment of those weapons. So I would imagine with this reporting, we're going to want to confirm everything that we can before we take action. But certainly we have to be concerned about Iran and their commitment to a nuclear weapons program and the time that they had after the strikes last summer to reposition resources and try to reconstitute portions of their program.

12:01Last night, the Pentagon spokesperson acknowledged after lots of media reports and questions that nearly 100 service members have been injured just since July 7th. There are dozens of unrecorded injuries in the military database. It's called the Defense Casualty Analysis System. I know you knew that. That's for our viewers. Some are questioning why it seems the Pentagon is slow rolling this reporting, slow rolling acknowledging the WIA, those who are wounded in action. What do you think? Do you find it odd at all? Well, again, I think it's important for the American public to appreciate the cost that is being paid in these conflicts we're involved with.

12:45And the system that you just identified is one that has been designed for that. It should be updated when the numbers change, and it should be publicly available so American citizens do that. I can't begin to explain why the Pentagon would be doing what they're doing. I mean, certainly there probably are some concerns here about trying to prevent Iran from understanding the damage that they may be inflicting on our servicemen and women or on our facilities. That may be a reason for it. But I in my view, I think transparency here is is really, really critical for the American people to appreciate what's at stake here with with this conflict that we're involved in.

13:27Former CECOM Commander General Joseph Votel, always good to have you, sir. Thank you so much. And as always, thank you so much for your service. Thank you. Joining us now, Democrat from New Hampshire, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander. She's on the House Armed Services Committee. Congresswoman, what did you make of Hegseth calling Democrats cowards in that fiery exchange at the end of the hearing when he was pressed on what the exact plan is for the Iran war? Jake, once again today, we saw in such crystal clear terms why Pete Hegseth has absolutely no business serving as Secretary of Defense. He lacks the judgment, he lacks the experience, and he clearly lacks the temperament to be holding one of the most important positions of public trust in the world.

14:11Today's hearing was another really disheartening and disturbing performance by Pete Hegseth and proves the point that he has no business serving in that job. Hegseth repeatedly said that the money that they're requesting, this$87 billion, is about cleaning up the Biden administration's mess and equipping U.S. troops with the best possible technologies. You know a little bit about the Biden administration. What's your response? My response is this. Look, the president made a choice on February 28th to launch a war in Iran. He did this just a matter of hours after coming here to the United States Congress and delivering the longest State of the Union in American history, where he did not make the case for war in Iran to the American people, and he did not make the case for war in Iran to the Congress.

15:03We are living with the consequences of this war of choice every day. And what we heard again today from the Secretary of Defense was a shifting set of objectives and rationales without any clear strategy moving forward. It's just plainly unacceptable. And they've come to ask for the biggest defense budget in American history, but cannot explain how this money is going to be put to use for the American people. At a moment when we are facing a profound affordability crisis and hardworking Americans are feeling the pain, as a direct result of this war at the gas pump, at the pharmacy, at the grocery store.

15:44This is not what anyone signed up for. Today, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not think Congress needs to vote to authorize the Iran war, also known as the AUMF, the Authorization for Use of Military Force. Johnson went on to say this. Take a listen. Iran is now fired on all of its neighbors, and they're turning everybody in the world into an enemy. And I think this is an important moment of history for all of the world community to decide how they want to handle this. It shouldn't just be America's obligation. My view is that everybody needs to play a role. What's your thought? My reaction to this is the president has been waging a war of choice unilaterally, without congressional authorization, a war that has cost us the lives of American patriots.

16:35We've seen 17 service members die in this war, hundreds wounded, the least transparent Pentagon in American history. We're still trying to get the full picture, Jake. But the fact is that there are very good reasons that the Constitution gives Congress these war powers. If the president wants to continue this conflict, he's got to make the case to Congress. He should get our authorization and do this on the up and up. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat from the great state of New Hampshire. Thank you so much. Good to see you. Thank you, Jake. We heard a Democrat call the Secretary of Defense Hegseth a failure.

17:12Hegseth called on Democrats to show courage. Much more reaction of the explosive hearing we just witnessed. Also, the stunning admission today from the state of New Jersey. How in the world did more than 6 ,000 non-U.S. citizens end up on the state's voter rolls? How on the earth did nearly 400 of them vote in elections? how the governor or Democrat is explaining this major error. Stay with us.

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19:16You, sir, are the failure. Not the men and women who are on that front line. not the men and women who hold up their honor with distinction. But if there's a lack of a winning strategy, they're in harm's way. Their leaders have failed them. Our politics lead, that is Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan slamming the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, today at a Senate hearing. Let's jump right in with our panel. Mike, let's start with your reaction to that exchange. I'm sure you saw the whole thing earlier. Well, I did. I saw quite a bit of the exchange earlier. And it started out very calm and then it got out of control very, very fast.

19:54And, you know, part of the problem is on this political theater. I think the Trump administration officials are a little bit more eager to jump into the fray with elected officials. And I think that took some of these elected, especially in Trump 2.0. And I think that took some of these elected officials by surprise at the beginning. But now that we're into July, they're all, you know, second year, they're all getting warm and fuzzy about it. And they're fighting right back. So part of this, I would love to see some more questions being asked than the accusations being thrown back and forth. But, you know, they they they this political theater is what we have in Washington in lieu of legislating at the moment.

20:37And Sochi Hegseth mentioned the, quote, political cowardice of Democrats who won't fund the troops, unquote. quote, that was his response to some of the harsh statements coming his way. What do you think of that? Well, I mean, I think that it's important to note that the Trump administration is putting troops in harm's way. There are almost about 20 people, about 20 people who have died because of this war. One of, I mean, a lot of it was political theater, but I do think that they're asking some tough questions about when this war is going to end. And Hegseth could not deliver an answer. And I think this has been the biggest question is how many lives are we going to, are going to be at stake.

21:13How many more lives do we have to sacrifice for Donald Trump's war? And Republicans and the administration and Hegseth all made it seem at the very beginning that this was only a short-term thing. They said four to six weeks. Four to six weeks. And now we are almost in August. And at this point, it looks like nothing's going to end. We're only seeing escalation. We might be in a situation that this current president of the United States can't clean this up. And we will likely need to have the next president who cleans this up. And so this is, I think, terrifying for everyone. And those members of Congress did have a right.

21:44And they should be questioning Hexeth about funding because if they don't have a timeline on when it's going to end, why should they be funding the Pentagon? Yeah, they absolutely should be asking that. I thought the more interesting questions were asked by the Republicans today because their manner of asking the questions has changed. Mike Rounds, I thought, was trying to be very differential, but was really getting to the bottom of this. You're coming to us for this funding. Are you telling me this will be enough? And General Cain couldn't. And I think that's, you know, questions like that are where you get the truth and get some information out of this.

22:21I also thought Senator Kennedy in his. Some tough questions from the Republicans. Some tough questions coming from the Republicans. And that's new. So we are seeing some of this. But when you when you start with with Senator Peters, I, you know, I think the American people turn off sometimes when they see this yelling back and forth. We get more, you know, what's the old saying? You get more with with honey than I can. But just because I know you watched it and I'm sure our viewers did, too. But just to remind people, what had happened was Senator Peters had started out praising the troops and then attacking the leaders of the Pentagon.

22:55Yes. And saying that the war or the strategy so far was a failure. And Hegseth then accused him of saying that the service members, the brave service members, were failures. And Peters said, no, I'm saying you're a failure. And that's how it all went on. Well, I'm just, I'm not defending, but there was. Everyone's ready for this fight, it seems. Yeah, no, I don't disagree. Do you think that Hegseth and Cain made the case in any way for the$87 billion of additional funding that was needed? I thought there was one point that Hegseth made it actually a pretty good point, which was there were talks of whether or not our troops have the protection that they need in Jordan, in Kuwait, and other places.

23:36And there's been reporting suggesting that one of the reasons there have been casualties is because there has been inadequate defenses. And Hegseth pivoted and said, that's why we need this funding. I thought it was a pretty good argument. I mean, I think that is fair. I think that part of the argument for the funding also needs to be, and this is our plan on how to get out of it. And I think that is what this testimony lacked. And so I think that without a full plan, and I think it was very clear during this hearing, is that there is no plan. And without a plan, it is very hard on Congress to approve funding moving forward and to support the Pentagon on this.

24:12And they want to support our troops, but they also want a plan to end this. And I think that's where this administration lacks. Stick around. We're going to keep having more panel. We do have some breaking news from New Jersey today. The Democratic governor there, Mikey Sherrill, announcing that more than 6 ,000 non-U.S. citizens registered to vote in the Garden State. and 400 of them or so actually cast ballots in elections. How and why are we only hearing about this now if this error happened some time ago? We're going to get some answers next.

24:48To New Jersey now in the politics lead and a major voter registration error. The governor, Democrat Mikey Sherrill, announcing more than 6 ,000 non-U.S. citizens were mistakenly added to the New Jersey state voter rolls, and nearly 400 of them cast ballots in recent elections. Joining us now is CNN's Gabe Cohen. And Gabe, you're just leaving the state election officials conference. Walk us through what happened in New Jersey. Look, and Jake, what we saw today was Governor Cheryl really acknowledging that this was a huge screw up in her state. She says that this was caused by a software glitch dating back to 2023, having to do with the automatic voter registration system at New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission.

25:32That is where these 6 ,600 or so non-citizens, they were applying for driver's licenses, for IDs, and they checked a box essentially acknowledging that they are non-citizens and should not not be allowed to vote. And still, the system automatically registered them to vote. And then after that, just shy of 400 of those people went on to vote in subsequent elections. We don't know who they voted for. We don't know exactly which elections. But Governor Sherrill was extremely critical of her predecessor, Phil Murphy, another Democrat, and his administration for not catching this earlier. She was critical of the Motor Vehicle Commission.