PRESSTV — broadcast 20260915 033000 UTC 389 transcript segments Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (https://www.gdeltproject.org/), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive. Machine transcription. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a verbatim quotation record. [00:00:00] administration. Well, President [00:00:00] about the foolish... policies of Trump certainly does not sound [00:00:03] like a man in a hurry to get this conflict over with, [00:00:07] despite uh the spike in oil prices and despite concerns from many of [00:00:10] his republican allies that this could hurt them in the midterm [00:00:14] elections. This latest round of tensions [00:00:17] began on Sunday when the US attacked Iranian [00:00:20] positions on Larach Island that it said were preparing to [00:00:24] launch uh mines into the straight of hormous. That prompted [00:00:28] Iranian retaliation, which prompted. prompted US retaliation, which prompted [00:00:32] Iranian retaliation back to this familiar pattern [00:00:35] of back and forth strikes that has drawn in almost every country in the [00:00:39] region uh that houses those tens of thousands of [00:00:43] US [00:00:43] troops. [00:00:47] so the headline places Iran at the beginning of the chain of aggression, but [00:00:51] if you listen carefully to CNN's own reporter, you hear the contradiction. [00:00:55] yeah, actually, you now, Kevin Liptach, CNN's reporter, [00:00:58] acknowledges actually that... sequence began with the US attacking Iranian [00:01:02] positions on larak island and which was [00:01:05] followed by Iranian retaliation and followed by then another US [00:01:08] retaliation so even CNN's own reporting is contradicting the [00:01:12] simplistic framing of Iran as the initiator okay which makes the [00:01:16] headline particularly [00:01:19] economic and security fallout of revealing uh sema i mean the um audiences or audience [00:01:22] sees Iran attacks Jordan as Fuad is highlighting [00:01:25] Bahrain and Kuwait but the report itself describes the cycle [00:01:29] triggered. by a US attack, the contact is buried [00:01:32] beneath the headline in the story, and this is [00:01:36] actually miraculously how propaganda can continue to operate without [00:01:39] inventing facts, so you selectively frame them, the words that are spoken [00:01:43] disagreements basically reaching the top of during the report tell one story, but the headline its own is [00:01:47] priming viewers to absorb another, even if you're presenting the reality, which is [00:01:50] let's say the US initiated, yes, so [00:01:54] now let's move from war narratives to another remarkable story, [00:01:57] actually, the independent published thailand, issues prostitution [00:02:01] warning as 5,000 US sailors arrive after 200 days at [00:02:05] sea, so the story reports that thai authorities basically prepared [00:02:08] additional patrols and conducted raids ahead of the USS [00:02:11] Abraham Lincoln's arrival in pataya, detaining 40 to [00:02:16] a joint operation, not the question of 50 people over suspected prostitution, so let's watch that: [00:03:01] You know it's actually ironic that uh, [00:03:04] it's just ironic like foreign city preparing uh police [00:03:08] patrols because thousands of US sailors are [00:03:10] arriving uh after more than 200 days at see, yes I mean [00:03:14] indeed, see when a military visit requires authorities to prefer [00:03:18] specifically for a prostitution [00:03:20] crackdown, it raises uncomfortable question [00:03:24] about the conduct and reputation [00:03:27] Iran, it also has a accompanying America's global, I mean this dates back. a long time, but perhaps this, I mean, this [00:03:31] dates back a long time, but perhaps this is another measure of you, further [00:03:35] imperial decline, not simply losing influence abroad, [00:03:39] but increasingly exporting the social and moral baggage [00:03:42] and decay of an overstretched military presence. Okay, so from [00:03:46] distorted headlines about who started a war to the [00:03:49] extraordinary precautions surrounding a military port visit. [00:03:52] Today's stories show how media narratives and military [00:03:56] culture can reveal far more than their headlines suggest. [00:04:11] army's highest levels to explosive revelations of military descent [00:04:15] over the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Cracks are widening [00:04:18] across the Trump administration's national security [00:04:21] establishment. Here are the headlines. The army [00:04:24] in turmoil Hexeth clashes trigger resignation at [00:04:28] the top pentagon in. uprore, classified [00:04:31] leak exposes military descent over Iran [00:04:34] war. [00:04:42] As storm wirele deepens inside the Trump administration, you [00:04:45] reports are raising serious questions [00:04:49] command and growing descent [00:05:04] army secretary Daniel P. Drisco, handling in his [00:05:08] resignation, and simultaneously the Pentagon is [00:05:11] erupting over this. ified leak exposing military [00:05:14] descent over the war on Iran. So let's begin with the New [00:05:17] York Times with this article that they've published titled army secretary [00:05:21] resigns after clashes with Hekset over firings by Helen [00:05:24] Cooper and Greg Joff. So this title alone tells us that [00:05:27] disagreements over how the military is being run have [00:05:31] actually reached the highest levels in a long time. So the [00:05:34] article reports army secretary Daniel P. Driskel [00:05:38] the services top civilian leader who classed repeatedly with defense [00:05:41] secretary. tegset over the ouster of a swath of [00:05:45] key combat tested leaders handed in his [00:05:48] resignation on Monday, according to administration officials, so the resignation [00:05:51] comes amid a series of firings and fudes that have left the army essentially [00:05:55] rudderless as it struggles to deal with the threat posed by cheap deadly [00:05:58] drones and missiles that have pounded US bases in the middle east, so [00:06:02] the article continues, the army has not had a chief of staff, [00:06:06] the services top officer since Mr. Hags fired Jen Randy [00:06:10] George without explanation back in April and "there are no signs [00:06:13] that he is close to filling the position," officials said, so [00:06:16] heckssef has forced out at least three senior officers who had been [00:06:20] viewed as potential successors to general randi george, and [00:06:24] when senior generals is being removed, while the army lacks [00:06:28] a permanent chief of staff, this [00:06:32] goes beyond an internal political dispute, actually it [00:06:35] raises major question, seem about [00:06:38] command and also about control, a moment when [00:06:41] American forces are..." of facing actually two things, an active [00:06:45] and expanding regional conflict exactly, and you have [00:06:48] experienced commanders being pushed out, senior positions remaining [00:06:52] vacant, and strategic [00:06:55] the chain of command, so this is a really dangerous combination during wartimes [00:06:59] specifically, yeah, and the turmoil does not stop at the army, actually, so the hill [00:07:03] reported also an article that was titled pentagon erupts over glazified [00:07:06] leak of Iran war descent that top military leaders warned [00:07:10] Hexeth against extending [00:07:12] these large scale operations as they call them against Iran, so the article [00:07:16] says the warnings appear in the August 14 edition of the Secretary of [00:07:20] Defense Orders book, SDOB, detailed by the heads of the [00:07:23] Army, Navy and Air Force and the four star commanders overseeing US operations [00:07:27] throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. It continues, [00:07:30] people familiar with the classified assessment prepared for Hags have told the [00:07:33] Washington Post that several combatant commanders have advised the defense [00:07:37] chief that prolonging operations against Iran is unsustainable [00:07:41] and it risks weakening the us from the secretaries orders book is a [00:07:44] crime, it's a betrayal of the forest, and he added that the Pentagon wants candid [00:07:48] advice and that disagreements are common, but [00:07:51] if military commanders themselves actually are warning that [00:07:55] prolonging this war is unsustainable, um, that [00:07:58] suggests actually that this agreement may be far more consequential [00:08:02] than ordinary internal debate, don't you agree f? yeah, that's [00:08:06] right, and when descent, leadership, purges and classified leaks [00:08:09] emerge simultaneously, the bigger story [00:08:12] is institutional strain and the question is whether political leadership is [00:08:16] listening to its military professionals or overriding them. okay, so so [00:08:19] therefore from resignations at the top to military leaders warning [00:08:23] against prolonging the war, the reports point [00:08:26] ap from explosive clashes with [00:08:29] reporters, the controversial statements on zyinus Israel, [00:08:33] top trump administration officials are facing mounting [00:08:36] scrutiny online over whether Washington's foreign policy is really [00:08:40] serving American interest. here are the headline. America [00:08:43] first or Zionist first, social media takes [00:08:46] aim at Trump officials [00:08:49] Washington under fire, the Trump administration's Israeli [00:08:53] entity allegiance parks online [00:08:56] fury. [00:09:03] As American politicians increasingly appear to speak for [00:09:07] Zionist Israel rather than the American interest, social [00:09:10] media users are asking just... [00:09:25] actually this past week over the audacious way that senior [00:09:28] figures in the Trump administration are speaking about zionist Israel and [00:09:32] US policy with Pete Hexeth, the Secretary of War and the [00:09:35] Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the center of this criticism, so let's begin with [00:09:39] a post that's questioning the priorities of America's military. [00:09:42] leadership and it's controversial actually, because Americans are [00:09:45] asking whether US forces should be, serving US interests [00:09:49] first, maybe, yes, so uh, JBC press [00:09:53] wrote, Pete Hegseth exploded in anger at a reporter [00:09:56] who asked him why our military serves [00:10:04] sending their men and women to war for, are is there a [00:10:08] concern of this spiraling into a longer war and then one [00:10:11] for the chairman? Did you not hear my [00:10:14] remarks? I mean, we're ensuring the mission gets [00:10:18] accomplished, but we are very clear eyeed as the president has been, unlike other [00:10:22] presidents uh [00:10:25] the past that recklessly pulled us in to things that were not [00:10:29] tetherd to actual clear objectives um [00:10:32] so we we know we have [00:10:35] plans we have generals we have chairmans we have commanders sent commanders admiral [00:10:39] cooper [00:10:43] and that question goes directly to the heart of the controversy mean who [00:10:47] exactly is Washington accountable to that's right and the [00:10:50] reaction is very significant because dismissing the question doesn't make the [00:10:53] underlying concern this It reinforces the perception that [00:10:57] criticism of the US-Israeli [00:11:05] actually focuses on Rubio and a disputed account of how Washington became [00:11:08] involved in the war on Iran, so for Americans the [00:11:12] controversy lies in whether their government is being transparent or not about [00:11:16] the decisions that could send them to war. So Morgan J Freeman [00:11:20] MJ Free wrote porter says, he [00:11:22] told us yesterday that Israel was going to strike. [00:11:28] that's not true, were you there yesterday? And then the reporter says, yes, I [00:11:32] asked you the question, let's take a look at that video, [00:11:34] yes, [00:11:36] yesterday you told us that Israel was going to strike iran [00:11:40] and that that's why we needed to get involved, today the president said [00:11:44] that Iran was going to get, yeah, your statement is false, so that's not what, I was asked [00:11:48] very specifically, were you there yesterday? Yes, I ask [00:11:50] question, wait a minute, there absolutely [00:11:54] was an imminent. threat and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was [00:11:57] attacked and we believe they would be attacked, that we knew [00:12:01] that if Iran was attacked and we [00:12:04] believe they would be attacked, that they would immediately [00:12:07] come after us. Now did you, were you the one that cuz somebody asked me a question said, did we go [00:12:11] in because of Israel? And I said, you asked me that you that follow up, and I said [00:12:15] no, I told you this had to happen anyway. The president made decision, and [00:12:19] the decision he made was that Iran was not going to be allowed to hide behind its ballistic [00:12:23] missile program, that Iran was not going to be... [00:12:25] allowed to hide behind its ability to conduct these attacks, that decision had been [00:12:28] made, the president systematically made decision to [00:12:31] systematically destroy this terroristic capability that they had, and we carried [00:12:35] that out. I was very clear in that answer, this was a question of timing of why this had to happen as [00:12:41] the intent. [00:12:44] The exchange raise much bigger even question that what we're trying to [00:12:48] analyze about accountability, for example, when decisions [00:12:51] involving war are being challenged even [00:12:55] publicly exactly and social media magnifies that confrontation because [00:12:58] millions can see how officials are being directly [00:13:01] questioned and judg the answers for [00:13:09] statement attributed to an Israeli entity minister addressing [00:13:12] soldiers before entering Gaza, because of this content, actually it has triggered [00:13:16] outrage online and internationally. so mo [00:13:20] Abusalah, a historical scandal that the whole world [00:13:24] must see, [00:13:34] Good evening everyone, we are about to enter again for the war effort of the [00:13:38] purple brigade, the Givati brigade, since I received comments every [00:13:42] time regarding Zionism, we start the briefing today with [00:13:45] Zionism. by surprise to call [00:13:49] now some minister [00:13:52] from the Knesset, we call him by surprise. [00:13:59] Beautiful. I have here a wonderful group of fighters [00:14:03] who are going to fight to enter here with full force. I [00:14:06] need 30 seconds of Zionism. You have it on your watch. [00:14:09] I'm starting a 30-second count for you. Minister by surprise. This is [00:14:13] called no problem. Do you hear me? Do you hear me, dear [00:14:17] and brave fighters? Not only the eyes of the people of Israel are on [00:14:20] you, but the eyes of generations upon generations [00:14:24] are. [00:14:55] granted a US visa, by the way, this doesn't apply if you criticize [00:15:05] will stand with the Jewish people. We have [00:15:08] implemented a vigorous new visa policy that will prevent foreign [00:15:12] nationals from coming to the United States to foment hatred against [00:15:16] our Jewish community. We are holding international organizations [00:15:19] and nations accountable for rhetoric against Israel that resurfaces in [00:15:23] the manifesto of monsters. [00:15:37] Thank you for the opportunity to address [00:15:39] you, [00:15:43] so these posts actually collectively are reflecting ever growing [00:15:47] online argument over whether US foreign policy is being driven by US [00:15:51] interests strictly or of course by uh this unwavering [00:15:55] loyalty that we've seen develop over the years to [00:15:58] Zionist Israel. Okay, well, social media continues challenging [00:16:01] Washington's official narrative. The real question is [00:16:04] whether American citizens are still being allowed. question the [00:16:21] territory to sing coast and battered tourism sector. [00:16:25] the numbers tell a story of a country paying the price for hosting America's [00:16:29] military footprint in the region. here are the [00:16:31] headlines. Jordan pays the price [00:16:35] 119 projectiles. 14 injured [00:16:38] and economy under pressure. America's [00:16:41] war, Jordan's bill, the hidden cost of hosting US [00:16:45] forces. [00:16:53] As Jordan absorbs the [00:16:56] the US Zinist aggression against Iran, the numbers reveal the [00:17:00] price of allowing foreign military operations to be [00:17:14] country caught between the dependence on Washington and the [00:17:17] consequences of Washington's regional wars, now Jordan has [00:17:21] faced 119 missiles and drones launched toward its [00:17:25] territory during the escalation with its air defenses intercepting the [00:17:28] fast majority, but interception does not [00:17:31] mean there is no cost, falling debris and shrapn have [00:17:35] caused 14 reported injuries along with localized damage and [00:17:38] disruption, military installations hosting US forces, [00:17:42] including the salty airbase and al-azraq have [00:17:46] become targets and then comes the economic price, [00:17:49] right, right, tourism, which accounts for nearly 15% of [00:17:53] Jordan's GDP has been badly hit, fuel and [00:17:57] gas prices rose by roughly 11% after the [00:18:00] complicated complications of trade and investment prospects around, [00:18:04] okay, so obviously Jordan is effectively. [00:18:07] paying a price for hosting the military infrastructure that makes it [00:18:11] part of the conflict, and as you're highlighting, medium, while it's [00:18:14] economy is [00:18:21] political responsibility cannot be ignored, right? Jordan remains heavily [00:18:24] dependent on Washington, receiving up to two billion annually [00:18:28] in US military and economic assistance, yet when missiles [00:18:31] and drones begin reaching Jordanian territory, that [00:18:35] relationship does not necessarily shield. ordinary Jordanians from the [00:18:38] constituence and this creates a painful contradiction actually, because Jordan is [00:18:42] still benefiting from the strategic relationship with Washington, but at the same time this relationship [00:18:46] is exposing it to retaliation and which is connected to a war that it did not [00:18:50] initiate. Absolutely, and this kind of [00:18:53] brings us back to the responsibility of the Jordanian regime itself, [00:18:57] it if it permits US forces to use Jordanian [00:19:00] territory as a platform for operations against [00:19:05] responsibility to protect. its population from the [00:19:08] consequences, the public should not be expected to absorb the [00:19:12] risks of American and Israeli entity, regional adventures while [00:19:15] receiving little protect, regional adventures while receiving little [00:19:19] protect 90, 119 projectiles that [00:19:22] you are actually highlighting make the risk intangible, medium, [00:19:26] because this is no longer simply geopolitical [00:19:29] calculation taking place on maps every now and then it is reaching [00:19:33] Jordanian communities, affecting the economy as you previously highlighted, [00:19:37] infrastructure and also livelihoods, yes, precisely, and these figures that you're [00:19:41] presenting are exposing this imbalance. Jordan is bearing the immediate security and [00:19:44] economic costs, and then at the same time it's dependence on Washington is making [00:19:53] injuries, 119 incoming missiles and drones, [00:19:57] 11% rise in fuel and gas prices, and tourism [00:20:00] sector representing 15% of GDP under [00:20:03] pressure, all point to a country paying the price. [00:20:07] strategic and uncalculated, and as the [00:20:10] regional war expands, the question becomes [00:20:13] whether Jordan will continue absorbing the consequences [00:20:30] daily show to Jewish voices confront the devastating [00:20:33] transformation of power, challenging the familiar [00:20:36] David and narrative in the context of Zianis [00:20:40] Israel's war of genocide on [00:20:42] Gaza. Peter Benard, editor at large, a [00:20:46] Jewish currents, author of the Bernard notebook on substance. [00:20:50] and professor at the New Mark School of Journalism joins host John [00:20:54] Stewart for a conversation that cuts through [00:21:03] David becomes Goliath, [00:21:06] and the responsibility there, is that what [00:21:09] troubles you? Yeah, I mean, our responsibility is [00:21:13] to remember is to remember what was done to us, to remember [00:21:17] what we would have wanted people around the world. I'm not saying... what's happening in Gaza is the [00:21:21] equivalent of the holocaust or anything like that, but what's happening in Gaza is [00:21:24] bad, but it may be slow. you now, i saw an article on [00:21:28] the times, bret stepens, i think, and his argument was, this can't be a genocide [00:21:31] because Israel's so strong they could kill them much quicker, right? and i thought, well [00:21:35] that's the most cynical description of a military [00:21:39] siege and a purposeful starvation that i've ever seen in [00:21:43] my life, right? mean even Israel's leading human rights organization, buttsallam has [00:21:46] just come out with a report saying they believe this is gene. [00:21:50] so it seems to me, if we want to remember our history, if we want to [00:21:54] honor those in our own families and of our people who were [00:21:58] slaughtered and who were genocided, who were starved to death while nobody [00:22:02] in the world cared, our obligation is to care, our [00:22:05] obligation is to risk [00:22:13] feel like a crazy person, i feel like i'm watching something that [00:22:17] is so self [00:22:51] you how with the definition of anti-semitism would probably have to bomb [00:23:30] God willing, in the coming days and weeks, we will announce [00:23:33] a restricted area outside the [00:23:36] Strait of Hormuz, which starts from the [00:23:39] blockade line of the US Navy [00:23:43] and comes to the same area of the [00:23:46] Strait of Hormuz and from here goes into the Persian Gulf. [00:23:51] What is this area? We declare this area [00:23:54] a prohibited area, meaning any ship [00:23:57] that intends to pass through the [00:24:01] Strait of Hormuz and enters this area and is identified [00:24:04] will be put on our sanctions list. [00:24:07] That means if we see [00:24:11] from now on ships [00:24:14] whether on the side of the strait, meaning [00:24:17] the western side of the Strait of Hormuz, or on the [00:24:21] eastern side of the Strait of Hormuz, or on the western side of the Strait of [00:24:24] Hormuz [00:24:26] moving, has not entered the Strait of Hormuz yet, [00:24:29] but wants to come and stop somewhere to then pass, [00:24:33] we will inform it to stop right where it is. [00:24:36] If it violates, we have the ship's name, [00:24:40] we have the ship's owner, we have the person who [00:24:43] chartered the ship. We will put this on the sanctions list [00:24:47] and inform it that it will have a problem with [00:24:50] insurance. In terms of insurance, its cost will [00:24:54] be extremely high, and then it knows that if it passes [00:24:57] through here again and returns here, it's in our [00:25:00] hands. Many of these ships, mostly 80-90% [00:25:04] of these ships, do not pass once and leave, [00:25:07] because here [00:25:10] a large part of world trade, especially oil and [00:25:13] gas, is here. Well, what is the difference now with the current situation? Even [00:25:16] now, if a vessel wants to pass, it must be in coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran. [00:25:20] What is the difference with it being on the sanctions [00:25:23] list? Those who want to use [00:25:26] this area outside of Iran's management, [00:25:30] whether for smuggling or causing [00:25:33] problems, we put them on the sanctions list, because before [00:25:37] closing the Strait of Hormuz, and even before these wars, daily [00:25:41] over 100 ships passed through here. [00:25:45] It pays a lot of dollars. It tries to turn off all [00:25:49] these devices at night, it lets 56 [00:25:52] ships pass. Usually these also hit. [00:25:55] Of course, we have not yet decided [00:25:59] to sink them because they contain [00:26:03] and carry [00:26:06] oil products, and if they [00:26:09] pollute the entire Strait of Hormuz and the Persian [00:26:12] Gulf, then it will cause problems for us. [00:26:16] Therefore, any violation, any [00:26:19] actions that in our opinion will be criminal, [00:26:22] we can put them on our sanctions list, [00:26:26] and if they ever want to pass through the [00:26:30] Strait of Hormuz, we will freeze them here. we cling. And this [00:26:33] will take time. This area is forbidden, meaning that this area will be forbidden until a certain time [00:26:37] or this area is forbidden until the siege of the American [00:26:41] Sea is [00:26:43] against what Trump says, the range is completely closed [00:26:47] and on the other hand, we are looking for [00:26:50] a heavier pressure on the US to be able to pay [00:26:54] the rights of the Iranian [00:26:55] nation. [00:27:12] The embroidered [00:27:13] fabrics [00:27:18] are plain.