REPORTING AND THE PRESIDENT’S
ARRIVAL. ALEX HOGAN IN JETA.
ALEX HOGAN IN JETA.
JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT
TWO-STAR MARINE CORPS GENERAL.
GENERAL ARNOLD PANERO IS HERE.
I WANT TO GET YOUR REACTION TO
THE PRESIDENT’S MIDDLE EAST TRIP
SO FAR AND WHAT DO YOU THINK
COMES OUT OF THIS TRIP WITH THE
SAUDIS?
>> WELL, MARIA, ON A LIGHTER
NOTE I WANT I WANT TO THANK YOU
INSPIRATIONAL SEGMENT OF YOUR
ITALIAN HERITAGE.
LIKE YOURS BOTH SETS OF MY
GRANDPARENTS CAME FROM ITALY IN
1900S AND THEY WERE
RESTAURATEURS BUT THEY CLAIMED
TO MAKE THE WORLD’S BEST
MEATBALL.
WE CALL HER POP SERGEANT AND SHE
ONLY SPOKE ITALIAN BUT YOU KNOW
HER IF YOU CROSSED HER UP AND
SHE STARTED AND YOU WERE NOT
GOING TO GET ANY OF THE GREAT
MEATBALLS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
MARIA: MY GOD, I LOVE THAT
STORY.
I BET WE HAD VERY SIMILAR
UPBRINGINGS IN OUR ITALIAN
HERITAGE BECAUSE WHEN OUR
ANCESTORS CAME OVER FROM ITALY
THEY HAD VERY STRICT IDEAS AND
THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH MARRIED TO
THE VALUES OF THAT ITALIAN
UPBRINGING.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I’VE BENEFITED IT FROM IT AND MY
YOUNGEST GRANDSON NOW YEAR AND A
HALF HIS FAVORITE MALE IS
SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS SO HE’S
GROWING UP IN THE RIGHT WAY.
>> I LOVE THE THE MEATBALL
STORY, OH, BOY, I’M GLAD THAT
YOU CAUGHT THAT SEGMENT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I WANT TO THANK ANCESTRY FOR
DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB AND
COMING UP WITH THE BACKGROUND OF
MY FAMILY BECAUSE, LOOK, AT THE
END OF THE DAY WE ARE ALL
IMMIGRANTS, RIGHT, WE --
>> RIGHT.
MARIA: OUR ANCESTORS CAME TO
AMERICA SEARCHING FOR
OPPORTUNITY AND THAT’S THE
REASON WE GO BACK TO TALK ABOUT
POLICY, TO TALK ABOUT CHERISHING
THE VALUES OF AMERICA AND THAT
IS FREEDOM AND LIBERTY.
>> AMEN.
AND THAT’S WHY THIS TRIP TO
MIDDLE EAST THAT YOU HAVE
BROUGHT UP IS SO IMPORTANT
BECAUSE WE NEED TO RESTORE AND
REPAIR THESE IMPORTANT
RELATIONSHIPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
WITH ISRAEL, WITH PALESTINE,
PARTICULARLY WITH SAUDI ARABIA.
HE WILL ALSO BE MEETING WITH THE
GULF STATES WHERE WE NEED TO PUT
TOGETHER NATO TIGHT COORDINATION
COUNCIL AND A LOT OF OUR
INTEREST.
WE ALSO HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE LONG
MARKET HISTORY AND WE ARE NOT
ALWAYS GOING TO BE IN AGREEMENT
WITH SOME OF THE COUNTRIES WE
HAVE TO WORK WITH.
IF YOU TAKE SAUDI ARABIA, FOR
EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT
WE DID SO WELL IN THE EARLY
STAGES OF THE GULF WAR IS DURING
THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION WE
GAVE THE SAUDIS AIRBORNE COMMAND
AND CONTROL AND WE TRAINED WITH
THEM FOR YEARS AND THAT WAS THAT
ABILITY FOR OUR AIRCRAFT TO
BASICALLY WITH PRECISION TAKE
OUT SO MUCH OF THE IRAQI FORCES
EARLY ON.
THINK ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES,
FRANCE, FROM YEARS DURING THE
COLD WAR WERE NOT A MEMBER OF
THE NATO INTEGRATED MILITARY
COMMAND BUT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY
WAR FRANCE HADN’T BEEN FOUGHT
WITH US SIDE BY SIDE WE MIGHT
NOT HAVE DONE AS WELL.
WE HAVE TO TAKE THINGS IN
STRIDE.
IN TERMS OF WHAT WE WANT TO
ACHIEVE, YOU WANT TO KEEP THE
PEACE TREATY AND STABILIZATION
IN YEMEN.
YOU WANT TO COUNTERIRAN, SAUDI
IS LEADER OF ARAB WORLD.
THEY HATE IRAN AND IRANS HATE
SAUDIS.
OUR INTEREST COINCIDES THERE.
THEY ARE THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT
HAVE EXCESS CAPACITY FOR OIL.
WE CERTAINLY IN THE U.S. SHOULD
BE A MAJOR INDEPENDENT EXPORTER
OF OIL.
WE AREN’T RIGHT NOW BUT WE COULD
BE SO THERE ARE -- AND BUILD ON
THE ABRAHAM ACCORD.
THERE’S A LOT POSITIVE THAT
COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED DURING
THIS VERY IMPORTANT TRIP.
MARIA: WELL, I’M GLAD THAT YOU
MENTIONED IRAN, GENERAL, BECAUSE
NOW THE WORD IS THAT A DEAL IS
ALL BUT DONE FOR THE UNITED
STATES TO GET BACK INTO THE IRAN
DEAL AND THAT’S ONE OF THE
REASONS THAT THE SAUDIS DIDN’T
EVEN TAKE PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
PHONE CALL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO
AND THIS PRESIDENT HAS STOPPED
SHORT.
YESTERDAY HE STOPPED SHORT THAT
HE WOULD BRING UP JAMAL
KHASHOGGI.
THE WHOLE STORYLINE HAS CHANGED
WITH OIL PRICES HAVE GOTTEN ALL
THE WAY UP TO 120.
HE WANTS THE SAUDIS TO PICK UP
THE JOB ON PUTTING MORE OIL ON
THE MARKET SO THAT HE DOESN’T
HAVE TO GO TO AMERICAN PRODUCERS
AND GO AGAINST THE PROGRESSIVE’S
CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA.
>> WELL, MARIA, UNFORTUNATELY
TRAIN HAS LEFT STATION.
WE OUGHT TO PAY ATTENTION TO
LIEUTENANT GENERAL JIM CLAPPER,
FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE DURING OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AND IT’S NOT
REALISTIC AND PRACTICAL NOW.
WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WORKING
WITH SAUDIS AND WORKING WITH
ISRAEL AND OTHER STATES AT RISK
TO FIGURE OUT FRANKLY KEEP IRAN
FROM GETTING A NUCLEAR WEAPON.
THEY ARE ONE OF THE FEW
COUNTRIES FRANKLY THAT WOULD USE
A NUCLEAR WEAPON AND I THINK WE
DETER RUSSIA AND CHINA BUT THIS
IS A VERY WORRISOME THING BUT
INKING A NEW DEAL.
IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
WE HAVE TO BASICALLY -- IRAN
NEED TO UNDERSTANDS THAT WE ARE
NOT GOING TO PERMIT THEM TO GET
A NUCLEAR WEAPON AND YOU’RE
CORRECT ON OIL, WE’VE GOT TO
STABILIZE THE OIL PRICES AND --
AND CONTINUE TO PUSH IN THAT
AREA.
SAUDI OIL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO
OUR EUROPEAN ALLIES AND WE ARE
TRYING TO GET THEM TO REDUCE
THEIR DEPENDENCE ON OIL AND GAS
FROM RUSSIA WHICH THEY CONTINUE
TO STILL BUY AND PUT MONEY IN
PUTIN’S WAR.
MARIA: USING THE REVENUE TO
CONTINUE TO CREATE DEATH AND
DESTRUCTION IN UKRAINE.
WE WILL KEEP FOLLOWING THAT AND
WE WILL SEE IF ANYTHING COMES
OUT OF THIS MEETING.
GENERAL, IT’S BEEN A PLEASURE
TALKING TO YOU TODAY. BEFORE YOU GO, LET ME ASK YOU,
BEFORE YOU GO, LET ME ASK YOU,
GRANDMA BRANERO’S MEATBALLS, DID
SHE PUT BREAD CRUMBS?
>> SHE CLAIMED HER RECIPE WAS
TOP SECRET.
I’M PRETTY SURE YES, SHE DID
THERE WERE BREAD CRUMBS IN THE
MEATBALLS.
MARIA: THAT MAKES A BIG
DIFFERENCE.