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Seven minutes just to let you know

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that time frame for

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our discussion.

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Thank you.

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There is a new 10-day ceasefire

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between Israel and Lebanon,

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and we're into week two of a

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ceasefire with Iran.

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And new today, Iran announces

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the Strait of Hormuz is open.

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The temporary détente in the war

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with Iran comes in the midst of a

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buildup of US forces having steamed

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into the region.

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Last week, we interviewed Democratic

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US Second District Representative

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Mark Pocan, who called

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the US-Israel war with Iran,

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chaos piled on top of chaos.

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Tonight, we turn to Republican U.S.

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Senator Ron Johnson.

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And Senator, thanks very much for

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being here.

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Well, Federico, thanks for having me

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on.

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So it seems to be welcome news that

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Iran has declared the Strait

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of Hormuz open.

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But what about Representative

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Pocan's comment that this war

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is chaos on top of

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chaos?

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Are you satisfied with the war

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planning that went into this and

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the move since?

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You know, last weekend I was on one

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of the Sunday morning shows,

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and the host started the interview

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by saying that I was supportive

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of the war in Iran.

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And I pushed back immediately by

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saying, no, I am absolutely opposed

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to the war the Iranian

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Ayatollahs declared on

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America 47 years ago.

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The fact that they have hundreds,

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probably thousands of Americans'

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blood on their hands, and obviously

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tens of thousands of their own

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citizens' blood in their hands.

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So what I am supportive of

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is ending that war once

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and for all, ending the

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threat, ending the menace,

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ending any possibility that they

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could obtain a nuclear weapon which

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could be existential to America.

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So yeah, is war messy?

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Is it chaotic?

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Sure.

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I don't like war.

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But we had to act

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before we weren't able to act,

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before they became a nuclear power,

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before they had so many missiles and

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so many drones.

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That taking this action would have

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devastated the region.

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It's been destructive enough.

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But again, so I support President

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Trump's very difficult decision.

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This is good news.

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I think we have

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dramatically degraded

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Iran's capability to be a state

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sponsor of terror, to develop

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a nuclear weapon, to hold the

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Strait of Hormuz hostage.

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And I think this latest blockade

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is certainly

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proving its worth

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in bringing it.

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Iran finally to negotiating

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table and forcing to

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force them into what should be as

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close to, you know,

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unilateral disarmament and just,

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you know unconditional surrender as

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possible.

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And so you think it's a diplomatic

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course at this point, not a

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bombing course to, quote, finish

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the job, as you've said you want to

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do?

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Yeah, when President Trump met with

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the families of the fallen at Dover,

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the dignified return,

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he reported in his speech that the

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families, almost to a person, said,

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OK, we've sacrificed.

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Now finish the job.

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I think it'd be not

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good if we left a

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regime in place, continue

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to be dedicated to enrich uranium,

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not give up those uranium

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stockpiles, continue to build up

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their missile and drone stockpile

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to continue to threaten the region

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and threaten world peace.

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So I want to finish the job.

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We have obviously decimated their

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leadership, we've decimated

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their missiles, their drones, their

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nuclear program, but we haven't

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finished the job, but we need to do

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that.

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You took exception last week to

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the president threatening to wipe

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out an entire civilization in

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Iran. It was a newsworthy

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rebuke from a high-ranking

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Republican.

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What did you think when you saw that

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threat?

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I guess I wouldn't call it a rebuke.

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I was asked a question, I gave

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an honest answer.

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We're not at war with

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Iranian people. And in fact, we are

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trying to do everything we can to

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support them.

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We want to liberate

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the Iranian people, not impoverish

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them. So again, President Trump

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has a certain negotiating style.

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I mean, I for one, am hoping and

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praying it works.

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I mean Fredericka, just think.

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Of how, if all these things are

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successful, it looks like Venezuela

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is on the road to success.

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If we can tame Iran,

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if we can remove that regime and

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get more responsible leadership in

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there who are going to be more

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interested in governing Iran for the

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benefit of its people, as opposed

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to their ideology, being a

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state-sponsor territory, I mean,

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just understand how positively

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that could reset global

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politics or the geopolitical

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situation throughout the world.

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If Cuba could reclaim.

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If Cubans could reclaim their

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liberty, their freedom.

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I mean, these are, Iran

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should be incredibly successful

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in prosperous nation as should

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Venezuela, as should Cuba.

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And it's only through American

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leadership that those things can

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happen.

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As to not being at war

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with the Iranian people,

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an Iranian UW student that

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is now there says it very

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much feels to her like the

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U.S. Is at war with

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the people.

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How do you respond to that?

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That's one person's opinion.

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Again, we're not doing polls.

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I mean, they've obviously canceled

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the internet so we don't know

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exactly what's happening inside

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Iran.

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I think one of the reasons the

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Iranian regime is so brutal to its

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people. I mean they executed 30 to

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40,000 of their own citizens in

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a couple of days.

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Okay, my guess is a large majority

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of Iranians would like to see the

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Ayatollahs gone on the

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dustbin in history, the sooner the

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better. Again, there are

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certainly people within Iran who

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support the Mullahs and the

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Ayatollahs.

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But I just have to believe, when you

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take a look at the long history of

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Iran, the Persian people and stuff,

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this has been a prosperous land.

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The Ayatolahs have just devastated

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what could be an incredibly

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prosperous and freedom-loving

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type of country.

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How in your mind can ordinary

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Iranian citizens,

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like that UW student

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of whom we spoke, rise

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up and take over the regime?

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Well, it's very difficult.

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I pointed this out in the past.

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You know, for those who just want to

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keep pushing nationwide

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gun control and those who want

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to disarm America, this is

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what it looks like when a population

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disarmed, when the only people that

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have bullets and rifles and

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weapons are a brutal regime.

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It leads to tyranny.

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We had some

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pretty interesting testimony in

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the Senate.

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This past week,

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Congressman Thomas Massie went

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through the list of regime after

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regime after regime, brutal

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dictatorial regimes leading

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to the deaths of millions of their

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citizens, the first action

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was always disarming the population.

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So it's difficult.

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I think we've certainly weakened

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the regime. It's as weak as it's

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ever been in its 47 years.

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We may have to do some assistance.

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We may have t o provide some.

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I'll call it assistance, to the

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Iranian people so they can finally

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over top of that regime.

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Senator Ron Johnson, we leave it

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there. Thanks very much for joining

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us again.

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Have a good day.

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Thank you, Senator.

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I have so many more questions, but

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no more time, so.

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Okay.

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Well, next time. Thank you sir.

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Hey, I wanted to ask you this

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though. Just before we went on, and

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we're not recording, but

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before we go on, you wanted to make

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sure about when this was airing

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because of this weekend.

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Is there anything in particular?

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No, I mean, you just don't know.

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I mean if it's airing Sunday.