U.S.-Israel and Iran War Escalates. Crockett v. Talarico in Texas Primary. Dems grill Noem

The US-Israel war against Iran is rapidly escalating into its third day, marked by intensifying missile strikes and rising global tensions. The host criticizes the US administration for being unprepared for the conflict, specifically failing to facilitate the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of American citizens from the region, unlike other nations like Italy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statements reveal airspace closures and damaged airports are hindering evacuation efforts, with the State Department still asking the public to publicize contact numbers for Americans needing assistance, indicating a lack of proactive planning.

Roland Martin states, 'As we enter day three of the rapidly escalating USIsraeli war against Iran, missile strikes are intensifying and global tensions are rising. Civilians are scrambling to evacuate.' He later adds, 'Other countries are literally airlifting their people out even though you have airspace restrictions. The United States not. They weren't even prepared.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirms, 'The problem is or the challenge we are facing is airspace closures. If a country closes their airport, for example, in some cases the airports have been hit. So the airport in Kuwait was hit.' He also asks the media to 'publicize the phone numbers and the website because we need people to call in.'

Donald Trump justified the US's initial strike against Iran by claiming, 'They were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that.' However, Dr. Nola Haynes, a national security expert from Georgetown University, directly refutes this, stating, 'Donald Trump lied in that tacky uh oval office. Iran was not coming for us. How were they going to come for us? The last time I checked, they did not have intercontinental ballistic missiles. So that is a straight out lie that that man told to the American public and the rest of the world.'

Donald Trump states, 'We were having negotiations with these lunatics and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first.' Dr. Nola Haynes responds, 'Donald Trump lied in that tacky uh oval office. Iran was not coming for us. How were they going to come for us? The last time I checked, they did not have intercontinental ballistic missiles. So that is a straight out lie that that man told to the American public and the rest of the world.'

The current animosity between the US and Iran is rooted in historical US foreign policy actions, particularly the 1953 coup. The US, at Britain's request, overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP). The US then installed the oppressive Shah of Iran, whose regime, trained by the CIA, repressed the country until the 1979 Iranian Revolution. This historical context, often ignored in US media, is crucial for understanding Iran's long-standing distrust of the United States.

Roland Martin explains, 'Iran used to have a democrat democratic elected governor who loved America most of that was a prime minister. Well, when he decided to say, 'I think we should be getting more money back from our oil.' uh nationalized it. Ang Anglo Iranian oil. The company was called Anglo-oran Oil. Y'all know it today as BP was like, 'Yeah, we ain't down with this.' But England was not trying to actually overthrow Iran. America said, 'Hey, we good. We'll do it for y'all.' So, what we did was we stirred dissent in the country, created economic conditions on the ground that led to people being pissed off. And then all of a sudden we go in, overthrow Mosedc. Then we install a general. He then doesn't follow our orders. So we get rid of his ass. And then we put in the Shaw of Iran. He comes in very oppressive human rights abuses. He has these trained thugs trained by our CIA to repress the country. He leads from the early 50s through 1979.'

Iran's tactical response to the US-Israel war includes closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway responsible for approximately 45% of the world's gas and oil transit. This action, coupled with attacks on major regional airports like Dubai, aims to inflict economic pain globally and pressure other nations to intervene. These actions demonstrate Iran's willingness to take significant financial and military hits to achieve its objectives, impacting global stock markets, gas prices, and international travel and trade.

Dr. Nola Haynes states, 'The straight of Hormuz, which is responsible for about 45% of the world's gas and oil that passes through the straight of Hormuz.' Roland Martin adds, 'Iran is controlling that... if they shut it down ain't nothing getting through.' He also notes, 'Iran being again a smart tactically by attacking the Dubai airport, by attacking these other countries, they are now impacting other nations around the world by this action because they've been cancelling flights left and right.'

DHS Secretary Christy Noem faced intense bipartisan grilling in Congress for alleged lies under oath, mismanagement, and violations of civil rights. Senator John Kennedy accused her of blaming Steven Miller for her 'domestic terrorist' statements regarding the Minneapolis killings, which she denied despite recorded quotes. Senator Cory Booker highlighted over 170 incidents of unlawful detention of US citizens, including children, and criticized her agency's exorbitant purchase of a New Jersey warehouse at twice its assessed value, as well as violating numerous court orders. Republican Senator Tom Tillis also condemned her leadership, accusing her of failing at FEMA by obstructing disaster relief funds and stonewalling Inspector General investigations.

Senator John Kennedy challenges Noem, 'You blamed those statements on Mr. Steven Miller at the White House, did you not?' Noem denies, 'No, sir, I did not.' Senator Cory Booker states, 'Public records are showing that over 170 incidents of your agency unlawfully taking away the liberties and freedoms of American citizens. This includes 20 children, 20 American kids that your agency detained.' He later adds, 'You paid $129.3 million for a facility in my state that was assessed at less than half of that at $62 million.' Senator Tom Tillis criticizes, 'Under your leadership, Miss Gnome, a disaster. What we've seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens.' He also mentions, 'The Homeland Security Act of 2002 expressly prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from restricting or diverting FEMA resources from the AY's mission.'

The Texas primary elections were marred by alleged voter suppression tactics, particularly in Dallas and Williamson counties. Republican parties refused to agree to a joint primary election, forcing voters to use precinct-specific locations on Election Day, a departure from the decade-long practice of countywide voting. This change led to widespread confusion, long lines, and voters being turned away, disproportionately affecting Democratic voters. A Dallas County judge extended voting hours for Democrats until 9:00 p.m. to mitigate the impact.

A press release states, 'The Dallas and Williamson County Republican parties refused to agree to a joint primary election. That decision forced voters out of the countywide voting system they've used for over a decade and sent them scrambling to find their assigned precinct. The result, confusion, long lines, and working people being told they're at the wrong location.' Roland Martin notes, 'A judge in Dallas County has extended voting hours to 900 p.m. uh for Democrats.'

Two significant legal cases highlight ongoing police misconduct and the pursuit of justice. A Chicago family was awarded $5.7 million after police wrongfully raided their home in 2018, breaking down the door and pointing guns at family members, including four children, based on bad informant information. Separately, a federal jury in California awarded $3 million to the daughter of Germaine Pettit, an unarmed Air Force veteran shot and severely injured by LAPD officers in 2022. The jury found the officers' use of deadly force unjustified, despite one officer initially confirming Pettit was not holding a gun.

Roland Martin reports, 'A federal jury awarded $5.7 million in damages to a black woman and her family in Chicago after police violated their civil rights during a botched raid on their home nearly eight years ago.' Attorney Zack Holfield details, 'This family of six, a mom, a grandma, and four children... weren't doing anything wrong.' Regarding the LAPD case, Roland states, 'A federal jury awarded $3 million to the daughter of Germaine Pettit, an unarmed Air Force veteran who was shot and severely injured by LAPD officers in 2022. The jury concluded that the officers were not justified in their use of deadly force.' Attorney Rodney Diggs adds, 'One of the officers told his partner, 'It's not a gun, bro.' Despite that, as Mr. Petty starts to walk away, officer that was told that to, you know, shot Mr. Petty in the back.'