Mamdani urges government to arrest Netanyahu if Israeli PM visits US

[00:00:00]We are going to talk about Donald Trump, about Iran and about America, and whether the wheels are coming off Donald Trump's war in Iran. Uh there's a lot going on. First of all, Pete Hgsth, he is the uh secretary of state for defense. He was heckled by protesters as he was questioned on the growing costs of the Trump administration's war in Iran. In his first testimony on the conflict in more than two months, he urged senators to approve what he is calling an urgent necessary injection of 67 billion dollar into the US military.

[00:00:37]During his opening remarks in Washington DC yesterday, Mr. Hegsith was accused of having blood on his hands by a protester outside the room.

[00:00:44]>> As you know, we live in a dangerous world that requires bold and swift action. Hence, this supplemental request for fiscal year 2026.

[00:00:55]This request is an urgent necessary injection of resources to address the immediate needs of our department. The supplemental funding request is not a substitute >> against aggression. You're against this illegal law. This is against Iranian people. 90 million. Your hands are blood of 17 Americans.

[00:01:18]>> The witness will suspend until order is restored in the committee room.

[00:01:25]>> The supplemental funding request is not a substitute for the president's full $ 1.5 trillion base budget request.

[00:01:33]>> 1.5 trillion.

[00:01:36]Stop bombing OUR CHILDREN IN IRAN AND PALESTINE. This is illegal.

[00:01:41]>> Mr. Secretary, please >> suspend until order is restored in the hearing room.

[00:01:49]>> 1.5 trillion is what the president seeks and what we need to defend the country.

[00:01:55]That was the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsth appearing at a Senate hearing uh talking about needing more money uh for the war in Iran. It's already cost 37.5 billion dollar and being heckled. Uh now the New York City mayor Zoran Mandami posted this on his social media platforms last night.

[00:02:17]>> Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people. He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people. For the maming of tens of thousands of children as those who survive undergo amputation without anesthesia. For the targeting of neonatal hospitals and maternity care centers, denying newborns even the chance to live. For the countless people he starved as he blocked food and humanitarian aid from reaching them. For the gunning down of hundreds of aid workers and journalists. And just last month, the UN confirmed that Palestinian children continue to be deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli armed forces, more than 8 months after the so-called ceasefire. The list goes on and on, all as we, as Americans, pay for the bombs that do the killing. There is a reason the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

[00:03:11]As human beings, we have spent generations building a shared understanding that there are crimes so grave they offend all of humanity.

[00:03:18]Anyone with their eyes, with their heart, with their conscience should recognize the devastation he has wrought and understand that he belongs before a court of law. As I've said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes. as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC.

[00:03:40]My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear. Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large. While we cannot end the genocide on our own, we can decide whether our silence will become another weapon, and we can examine every tool we have to defend the humanity and dignity of all people. That is my commitment to you.

[00:04:23]>> That was New York City Mayor Zoran Mandami. And for the record, Donald Trump said uh that uh Benjamin Netanyahu, he said in the past, will not be arrested. Now, Donald Trump has uh recently posted on Truth Social uh in the context of what is happening in Iran. And he said, I read this out a while ago, but it's instructive to read it again. From this point forward, anytime the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by missile, rocket, drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant, including those located next to or in the capital city of Tehran. Thank you for your attention to this matter. So, what does all of this mean? Are the wheels coming off Donald Trump's war in Iran? What happened to the ceasefire? Uh we were told it was going to be over in two weeks and it hasn't. So what exactly is going on? And how much patience do the American people and American politicians have for this war that is sucking so much uh money out of the country. Let's speak to Angie Wong who is a US political commentator and Republican delegate from Florida. H good afternoon to you Angie.

[00:05:39]>> Good afternoon. Um what do you think about the money involved here? Um $ 37.5 billion so far. Um Pete Pete Hgsith uh in the Senate hearing saying we need another 67 billion. Is that too much?

[00:05:54]>> I'm hearing a lot of different numbers.

[00:05:56]Remember at first it was 85 billion.

[00:05:59]Then it jumped to 105 billion. Uh and then there's emergency funds now that Pete Hestep is asking for. Um I I I remember a time when we gave Ukraine $88 billion without really blinking an eye.

[00:06:12]So I think to protect our own sovereignty and our own national security, a hundred billion dollars is really not too much to protect our troops and to secure security uh in the Middle East region. So I think he will get that. Unfortunately, he will have to go through the Senate uh because our Congress here def definitely controls our purse strings. So um that's not too much to ask for. already there's been so much committed I think that we need to finish the job and if it costs 105 billion more dollars to do so. Um I don't see how Congress can say no.

[00:06:44]>> It's interesting because I think I'm right in saying that the American public uh are not that keen on committing so many troops and so much money to this war in Iran. I agree and I've been saying it all this time. We just don't really know what our objectives were.

[00:07:04]Remember when we went in in February 28th, we were told that there was an imminent threat. Has that imminent threat been removed? Has that been taken care of? We don't really know. So, I think um the Trump administration could do a better job messaging to the American people on why we're there, how long will we be be there, is this another forever war? And of course, President Trump doesn't want to address any of these things because he has the midterms coming up. Um, and he has to do that very fine balance of are we in war?

[00:07:35]Are we in ceasefire? Are we where are we exactly? He's starting to become the president who cried peace deal and it never happens because we've seen the cycle over and over again. Part of the reason is because we're not really sure who the Iranian leadership is. Who are we actually making a deal with? And I think um you know the president is clearly aware of what is happening here.

[00:07:57]But at this point because we're already committed, he has to do that fine dance of just delaying at least until the November midterms.

[00:08:05]>> So I was going to say to you, do you think this is going to be a forever war?

[00:08:08]But do you think after the November midterms he might try to bring this yet again to a conclusion?

[00:08:16]Uh the one thing that President Trump cannot say that will end this conflict is to put boots on the ground. If the objective is to remove Iran's nuclear uh capabilities, we will need to have boots on the ground to do so. Right? This is not going to be a drone war. This is not going to be an air and sea war. So what he can do right now is to try to keep the straits of Hormuse as open as possible to allow all the tankers through. Um, but if we're actually going to uh meet our objectives, which is to remove any sort of program um that we can't really see from the air, we're going to have to put boots on the grounds there. But he doesn't want to say that because it is highly, highly unpopular with the American people. Um let me ask you about uh Mayor Mandami Zora Mandami um talking about Benjamin Netanyahu saying that I believe Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in the Hague that he is a war criminal that he should be arrested. He's looked into what powers he has within uh New York and he has concluded that surprise surprise he doesn't have the power to affect that.

[00:09:23]Uh but he's asking the federal government to help which obviously Donald Trump is not going to do. What do you make of this intervention?

[00:09:31]>> Yeah, I think the New York City mayor I think he's confused. I think is he an activist? Is he the foreign secretary?

[00:09:38]He seems to take on a lot of roles. He's only been New York City mayor for seven short months. Um the duties of New York City mayor is to remove the garbage and remove snow snow and he seems to have taken on a completely different role.

[00:09:52]one that is much more international. Um I'm very happy he understood that he doesn't have the authority in New York City to arrest foreign leaders. Um this is not an international court.

[00:10:03]Unfortunately, he had to go through several rounds with lawyers to understand that. Um so we understand this to be a publicity stunt. He we understand that to uh for him to gain some headlines in the news. Um the there's probably a zero chance that the federal government will be involved in this. In fact, Donald Trump, a very good friend of Benjamin Netanyahu, has said no. So, was this just a public publicity stunt? Was this a run for Congress or a higher office? Who knows?

[00:10:31]>> There are many people who support what he says. I mean, we should say that and of course there are many people who don't. Uh he said uh that I want uh the federal government to join the international criminal court and execute this warrant. Uh the international criminal court believe there is a case to answer as well. It's not just Suran Mandami, is it?

[00:10:50]>> That's right. And we're starting to see that New York City constituents really like this messaging. It's becoming very very popular in our cities. Um, but still, this is stepping outside his role as New York City mayor. I think if other world leaders and and or even national leaders in the US came out saying this, there may be some support behind it. But at the moment um so far it seems as though this would be a safe place for Benjamin Netanyahu to to come over and uh and not be arrested. I think that is something that is you know again just made for headlines.

[00:11:24]>> Okay, Angie, thank you very much. Angie Wong, US political commentator and Republican delegate from Florida. Uh so in terms of the current war that is ongoing, Donald Trump's war in Iran, what is your assessment of what is happening with it right now? It started um very loudly. It continued for some time. It had a huge impact on all sorts of things uh including uh all the goods that couldn't get through the street of Hormuz. Then we had a very protracted negotiation uh involving Pakistan uh where we eventually came to some kind of ceasefire. Since then uh it has been what should we say a very fragile ceasefire uh that Donald Trump has claimed has been broken many many times.

[00:12:12]And now this this post today on Truth Social saying if anyone if the Islamic Republic of Iran, as he put it, uh fires any kind of shot at any ship in the straight of Hormuz, we will destroy one bridge or power plant at a time, including in the city of Tehran. Now, what would that mean? And and what does this show about where Donald Trump is right now? Now, is he winning this war?

[00:12:41]Is he desperate? Are the wheels coming off Donald Trump's war in Iran?