The Daily Signal - Trump's Three Major Announcements, Democrats Assault Federal Officials | May 12, 2025

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Starting point is 00:00:25 We'd love to talk. Business. The White House announces a major deal with China as Hamas announces the release of the last U.S. hostage. A political stunt at an ICE facility by a New Jersey mayor and congressional officials leads to assaults and arrests. And we get you up to speed on the increasingly unpopular Sunday shows. I'm Tony Kennett of the Daily Signals Tony Kenned cast syndicated nationally at 7 p.m. Eastern. It is Monday, May 12th, 2025. This is the Daily Signal's top news in 10.

Starting point is 00:00:57 Yesterday's everyone was enjoying their Mother's Day lunch, the White House put forward a press release stating the United States announces China trade deal in Geneva. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said, quote, I'm happy to report that we've made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks. First, I want to thank our Swiss host. The Swiss government has been very kind in providing us this wonderful venue, and I think that led to a great deal of productivity we've seen. We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you that the talks were.

Starting point is 00:01:30 were productive. We had the vice premier, two vice ministers who were integrally involved, Ambassador Jameson and myself. I spoke to President Trump as did Ambassador Jameson last night, and he is fully informed of what is going on, so there will be a complete briefing tomorrow morning. U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jameson Greer said, this was, as the Secretary pointed out, a very constructive two days. It's important to understand how quickly we were able to come to an agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as may be thought. That being said, there was a lot of ground. ground work that went into these two days. Just remember why we're here in the first place,

Starting point is 00:02:04 the U.S. has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit to the president declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs, and we're confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency. Also yesterday afternoon, Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, is set to be freed following recent talks with the U.S. to appease President Trump and move ahead with a wider ceasefire deal. Hamas said on Sunday. Terror group said it was willing to free Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American citizen from New Jersey as part of new, quote, intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, end quote.

Starting point is 00:02:46 According to the New York Post, in addition to Alexander, the terror group is also in possession of the bodies of four other U.S. citizens who were killed in the Gaza Strip. Vice President Vance posted, pray that Hamas follows through and Edon gets to come home. If they do, it will have been another triumph of Steve Whitkoff who continues to face withering attacks for freeing hostages, negotiating complex diplomatic proposals, and serving his country at great financial cost. Continued fallout and additional calls for arrest after Democrat Representatives La Monica McIver from New Jersey's 10th, Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey's 12th, Representative Bob Menendez from New Jersey's eighth, also son of the disgraced and former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. And Newark

Starting point is 00:03:30 mayor and governor candidate Ross Baraka, all Democrats, attempted to force their way into an immigration customs enforcement facility in Delaney Hall, New Jersey on Friday. While representatives Menendez, Coleman, and McIver tried to claim that they had congressional oversight authority to show up and investigate an ICE facility whenever they pleased, this isn't exactly true. Congressional officials in order to participate in an oversight investigation need to give the facility notice so that it can be locked down. so that it can be secured for their coming, as well as following a bevy of congressional and

Starting point is 00:04:05 federal protocols. Newark's mayor and New Jersey Democrat Governor-Candidate Ross Baraka had no authority whatsoever to enter the facility, and after he tried forcing his way through the open gate into Delaney Hall, he was arrested. New Jersey's Governor Phil Murphy and a bevy of congressional Democrats around the country issued strong statements against the arrest of Baraka, as well as saying they were outraged by the actions of ICE calling for his immediate release by federal law enforcement. Body camera footage showed that Representative Lamanica McIver assaulted federal officials also trying to force her way into the facility.

Starting point is 00:04:53 You can see in recently released body camera footage that she was throwing punches and, of course, had a few choice words to say. Additional released footage suggests that perhaps Representative Menendez may also have thrown a punch. The United States Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice en masse, is likely to get involved in the situation, and it's going to be an interesting week. CBS Face the Nation did ask Representative Michael McCall of Texas, a chairman emeritus of the Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security Committees, what he thought about potential arrests in this situation. Over the weekend, we saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, outside of federal detention center. And they're now threatening to arrest three Democratic members of Congress for allegedly assaulting or touching an ICE agent there on the scene. I'm just curious, should ICE be arresting or even threatening to arrest members of Congress?

Starting point is 00:06:11 I mean, that's obviously a very drastic move. I would only do that if they were complicit with a crime. I don't know all the facts behind this. If they were just visiting a detention center, I've done that many times. If they're disrupting law enforcement, that's another question. So, you know, we can peacefully protest in this country, but you cannot be complicit with gang violence against our law enforcement. And I think perhaps that's what it comes down to. The Sunday shows major weekly forerunners to political podcasts, major interviews,

Starting point is 00:06:47 shows from corporate behemoths like ABC News this week, MSNBC's Meet the Press, and of course, CBS Face the Nation, are seriously struggling. Where in years past, you could expect each show to be packed with federal officials and major world and economic leaders, it seems each week that the guest list is growing more destitute. Normally, we'd bring you a few potent clips from all three, but while I'm sure MSNBC's commentary pope panel was exhilarating, the only major interview this week was between ABC News, this week and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy following a series of radar outages and staffing concerns at airports like Newark in New Jersey. Despite Kristen Welker's attempts to suggest

Starting point is 00:07:29 that Secretary Duffy had cut air traffic controllers that this was the primary cause of the outages and the issues, Duffy responded with a clarification. Some were fired, some were brought back. People will hear that. I think it sounds a little bit chaotic. I guess the bottom line is, yeah, did Elon Musk ask you to cut air traffic controllers directly. So listen, we were having a conversation about who do we preserve. And again, I wanted in those probationary employees to preserve air traffic controllers. We went back and forth and Elon agreed, the president agreed, of course you want to keep air traffic controllers. We're trying to hire more of them.

Starting point is 00:08:04 But I think the key is, can your government be more efficient? We've had a massive expansion of government. You can actually be more efficient and still accomplish the mission of safety, which is what I think we can do. Actually, we are doing that. Did Elon Musk, though, initially ask you to cut air traffic controllers? And did you dispute that? Did you have a disagreement with them over that? So Elon and I get along really well.

Starting point is 00:08:26 He never called me and said, cut air traffic controller. He would never do that. This was a broader conversation about what positions are going to be preserved, right? So if we're going to let probationary employees go, again, they're new employees. They just were hired on. Some had been there for a month, some of them, 10 months. It was the new employees that we were going to let go. Many of them have come back.

Starting point is 00:08:44 But this is not the institutional knowledge of the FAA that's being let go. Elon Musk understands the importance of the airspace and the need to have good controllers. Actually, SpaceX launches through the airspace and the FAA. We want good controllers that know the airspace to navigate all the issues that come. Two additional updates while I was actually in the middle of editing top news in 10. Both are truth social posts from President Trump. Number one, regarding Eden Alexander, Trump wrote, I am happy to announce that Eden Alexander, an American citizen who has been held hostage since October 2023, is coming home to his family.

Starting point is 00:09:22 I'm grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen. This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and efforts of the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, put an end to this very brutal war and return all living hostages and remains to their loved ones. Hopefully, this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very forward to that day of celebration. The second of these is an executive order announcement that Trump had actually teased earlier in the day as the most major announcement he was ever going to make on truth social. For many years, the world has wondered why prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals in the United States of America were so much higher in price than they were in any other nation, sometimes being five to ten times more expensive than the same drug manufactured in the exact same laboratory or plant by the same company.

Starting point is 00:10:08 It was always difficult to explain and very embarrassing because, in fact, there was no correct or rightful answer. The pharmaceutical and drug companies would say for years that it was research and development costs, and that all of those costs were and would be for no reason whatsoever, born by the, quote, suckers and quote of America alone. Campaign contributions can do wonders, but not with me and not with the Republican Party. We are going to do the right thing, something that the Democrats have fought for many years. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that tomorrow morning in the White House at 9 a.m., I will be signing one of the most consequential executive orders in our country's history. Prescription, drug, and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced almost immediately by 30 to 80%.

Starting point is 00:10:49 It will rise throughout the world in order to equalize and, for the first time in many years, bring fairness to America. I will be instituting a most favored nation's policy, whereby the United States will pay the same price as the nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the world. Our country will finally be treated fairly and our citizens' health care costs will be reduced by numbers never even thought of before. Additionally, on top of everything else, the United States will save trillions of dollars. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Starting point is 00:11:17 Make America great again. I think you can see why we had to go back to recording and include those two posts. Before you go, check the description to make sure you're subscribed to the Tony Kinnettcast and join us tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern, where we look in a little bit more to some of the potential trade deals on the rise,

Starting point is 00:11:33 as well as the absolute hurricane of poor reporting around a potential Qatari aircraft, the Trump administration, and just who is spending your tax dollars. I'm Tony Kinnett, and this has been The Daily Signals Top News in 10. Take care.

The Daily Signal - Trump's Three Major Announcements, Democrats Assault Federal Officials | May 12, 2025

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