Up next in 10
Simon Marks analyses this week in US politics and tries to solve the current 'mystery' in Washington. 0:13 | Burnham’s welcome gift from Trump 2:30 | US trade ambassador dodges questions 4:15 | Trump regurgitates same Iran claims 5:22 | Iran kills more US military personnel 6:18 | Hegseth called ‘failure’ over Iran 8:02 | The current mystery in Washington 9:59 | Trump’s Truth Social ‘early access’ Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #simonmarks #uspolitics #donaldtrump #trump #iran #venezuela #petehegseth #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
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0:00
Let's start with Andy Burnham's welcome to number 10 gift from President Donald Trump
0:05
It came last night in the form of extended tariffs unveiled by the Trump administration
0:09
that will do further damage to the UK's economy. The existing 10% across the board duties on British products that were about to expire
0:19
are now being extended indefinitely. So for over 100 years, the United States has had a law on the books
0:26
prohibiting the import of goods made with forced labor. This is common sense
0:30
Jameson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, telling CNN yesterday that more than 80 countries worldwide
0:36
are now facing new tariffs of between 10 and 12 and a half percent
0:41
because, he claimed, with a straight face, they do less to enforce a prohibition on the use of goods made with forced labor
0:48
than that global paragon of virtue, the United States. In other countries, no one really has these types of laws
0:55
And even in that small handful of countries that have them, they don't really enforce it
0:59
And so we have gone to the world over, frankly, over years and across administrations to try to get other countries to act on this
1:06
Finally, we have put our foot down and we have told countries, you need to take action
1:11
You need to prohibit the import of goods made with forced labor. And you need to enforce these laws so that we all have a level playing field
1:17
Now, you might be wondering what the use of forced labour in, say, North Korea or Malaysia
1:23
has suddenly got to do with British exports to the United States of, say, a decent bit of Stilton
1:29
And the answer is, of course, absolutely nothing. Yes, the UK probably should have a law banning the import of goods into the UK
1:37
that are produced overseas with forced labour. But whether we choose to do that or not, this is all sleight of hand
1:45
after the American president found himself cornered. Back in February, the U.S. Supreme Court eviscerated Donald Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs
1:55
which were not really reciprocal at all, and forced him back to the drawing board
2:00
So instead of doing what the court wants, which is simply to take his case for tariffs to Congress
2:05
like any normal president would do and secure the backing of lawmakers for them
2:10
he instead ordered Mr. Greer to engage in yet more jiggery-pokery. So suddenly, any country that doesn't have a law like the American one
2:20
banning imports produced with forced labor, gets hit with tariffs, at least until the Supreme Court in many months' time
2:28
considers whether these ones are legal. What the Trump administration is doing is picking the pockets of American consumers and after Donald Trump promised he would lower costs on day one he puts in place tariffs that have done nothing but raise prices for consumers Democrats like Senator Elizabeth
2:46
Warren of Massachusetts are racing to remind voters just four months before midterm elections
2:52
that prices for pretty much everything are about to rise again. But the Trump administration
2:57
simply denies the basic facts, like you might deny the law of gravity, as she found out when
3:04
she questioned Mr. Greer on Capitol Hill. Let's just clear this one up. Ambassador Greer
3:09
have Trump's tariffs increased prices for American families? Senator, no. Core inflation fell to 2.6
3:17
year on year. Much better than in January 2025. So you're saying that what the Congressional
3:24
Budget Office and the Treasury Department's own numbers, that families are paying an average of
3:29
$1,700 more. Are you saying your own Treasury Department and your own Congressional Budget
3:34
Office just don't know what they're talking about? Well, I'm interested in seeing what Treasury numbers you're talking about. No one's given them to me to look at, so I want to verify
3:40
those. Actually, they've been out there in public now for at least the last six months. And indeed they have, as we have pointed out before on American Week. The U.S. government's
3:49
own data on its own websites clearly shows prices on many basic goods rising faster than the rate
3:57
of inflation, despite entirely false White House claims that the tariffs are not being passed on
4:02
to Americans in the form of higher prices. American voters are essentially being told by
4:08
the Trump administration not to believe what they can see with their own eyes every time they go
4:14
shopping. And that's before we get to Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and the once again soaring price
4:21
of oil. Their drones are down 84 percent. Their missiles are down 91 percent. And I had a newspaper
4:29
say they're in a stronger position today than they were four months ago. No, that's not the truth
4:34
So let's interrogate that oft-repeated claim. Iran has, since the war began in February
4:39
suddenly discovered it can upend the entire world economy by closing the Strait of Hormuz
4:45
The Americans don't seem to be able to get it reopened. The president's own defense department
4:50
in classified briefings has admitted the regime still has thousands of missiles and drones
4:56
that could yet pose substantial risk to the US and its allies in the region
5:01
The Iranians still have air defense systems that the US claimed had been obliterated
5:07
which is one reason why the president has now spent 13 consecutive nights
5:11
launching fresh airstrikes on Iran and is now claiming he may soon even commit possible war crimes by blowing up the country bridges and power plants And this week Iran still had the proven capability to kill American troops
5:28
All of them said very strongly, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon
5:35
They won't have a nuclear weapon. So we're going to honor them
5:40
And one of the hardest things to do for me, it's one of the hardest things to do as a president
5:44
The president departing Andrews Air Force Base for a ceremony in Delaware honoring four American service members who died in the conflict this week
5:53
Three of them were killed in an Iranian strike on their barracks in Jordan
5:57
The fourth died in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone
6:03
But on Capitol Hill, like the president he slavishly serves, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would brook no criticism
6:11
regardless of how apparent it becomes that America is all at sea in Iran
6:18
Here, at length, the Secretary of War coming up against Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan
6:24
I think your characterization of this incredible effort as a failure is reckless. and I think it's irresponsible
6:30
And I think it smears the sacrifice of the troops that are out there making on behalf of the American people
6:34
to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Shame on you and others who call this a quagmire and a failure
6:40
and then you want to turn around and say you support the warfighter. Either you do or you don't
6:44
If you listen to my comments, you would have heard me say how amazing our warfighters are
6:49
I heard failure. I heard exactly what you said. I will tell you how I use the word failure
6:53
I hear exactly what you said. Because I use the word failure to their leaders. You, sir, are the failure
6:57
not the men and women who are on that front line not the the men and women who hold up their honor
7:03
with the distinction but if there's a lack of a winning strategy they're in harm's way their
7:09
leaders have failed them and that's what's happening we have political leadership you
7:13
you don't have a strategy you don't have a long-term plan to actually win this war
7:18
win the war the men and women are going to be able to do it but they need to have leadership
7:22
when will you show leadership when will you show some leadership and stand up for your
7:27
fellow Democrats who won't fund the troops. Just on the facts. So far, the administration
7:31
claims it has spent $37.5 billion on the war. Democrats believe the actual sum is much higher
7:38
Mr. Hegseth is asking for another $67 billion to fund operations in the Middle East
7:43
suggesting that even he doesn't believe the conflict is going to wrap up any time soon
7:48
Congress has been given absolutely no opportunity to get involved in the decision to go to war and the White House wants trillion in defence funding next year an all record Now talking about money there a bit of a mystery underway in Washington
8:06
and it relates to Venezuelan oil. The people are happy in Venezuela right now. They can't believe what's happened
8:12
We have the biggest companies, the biggest oil companies in the world going in and doing business like nobody ever thought possible
8:18
and we're taking some, we should, and they're taking some. And, you know, it's very interesting that they're making more money
8:27
Chris was showing me some numbers. They're making more money, Venezuela, now than they've ever made before
8:33
In the midst of those dubious claims, he said that the United States is taking some of Venezuela's oil and should be
8:39
What he's not telling you is that nobody can find the $13 billion in revenues
8:45
that the Trump administration has so far collected from Venezuelan oil since January's U.S. attack on the country
8:53
$13 billion is missing, with the Financial Times reporting this week that the Trump administration has given diverging accounts
9:02
of what it is doing with the money, sometimes describing its role as that of a custodian of the cash
9:09
At other times, the president indicating that the United States is simply trousering it
9:14
And remember, one month after Venezuela was devastated by two earthquakes, with tens of thousands of people still missing
9:22
you might think $13 billion would be of use right now. Is any of that money going to the Venezuelan people
9:29
Well, I don't know. Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, a former mayor of Caracas who then became a prisoner of conscience in the country
9:38
appearing on CNN. We are told by the U.S. officials that that funding is going to an account with the oversight of the U.S
9:47
With the audit of KPMG, I have not seen any of the reports
9:52
He doesn't know where the money is. Congress doesn't know where the money is
9:56
Some lawmakers have been asking about it for months. And let me remind you, this is all coming in the same week that we learnt the president's own social media company, Truth Social
10:05
is asking finance houses and banks to pay $100,000 a month for early access to the president's postings
10:13
so they can then make a mint over his pronouncements before the rest of us get a chance even to read them
10:20
We've never seen grift like this, even by the standards of a country that is no stranger to it
10:26
And if you want to understand why Trump is so determined that one way or another
10:32
Democrats will not win the midterms in November. Just keep following the money
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