 Last night, we all were waiting for Donald Trump's response because, as many of you know, Iran claimed credit for ballistic missiles that were shot at two U.S. bases in Iraq. And we were eager to learn how Donald Trump would respond. Would he try to de-escalate? Or would he respond in the unhinged manner that we all kind of expected him to respond? And all that we got was a cryptic tweet from Donald Trump that says, all as well, missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq, assessment of casualties and damages taking place now. So far, so good. So I mean, we don't know what to take away from that, but today it seems like I'm cautiously optimistic that maybe both parties are going to try to de-escalate, although I will say there is a caveat. At the time I record this video, we just got word that two rockets reportedly landed in Baghdad's green zone, which is a little too close to comfort to the U.S. Embassy. It's not necessarily surprising for this particular area, but nonetheless, we're all kind of on edge and we're hypersensitive to every little thing that happens currently, although it doesn't necessarily seem like this will lead to anything at the time I'm recording this. But about the attacks last night, we did learn that Iran notified Iraq about the missiles ahead of time, which diminished the prospect of death and destruction, and you know, it minimized the potential for U.S. personnel being hit, which is good. So now two questions remain that I think have been answered to a degree. One is Iran done responding? Does this conclude their retaliation to Donald Trump's assassination of Qasem Salamani? And two, what will Donald Trump's response be? So let's go over the first. Is Iran done? Well, according to their foreign minister, Javad Zarif, he confirmed via Twitter that their response is in fact concluded as of now. He writes Iran took and concluded proportionate measures and self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter, targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens and senior officials were launched. We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression. So this is good news. The official position from the government of Iran is seemingly we're done. That's it. We're concluding our response. Now, it's smart that they're stopping because any further escalation would of course provoke Donald Trump. We can't really predict his actions. It's very difficult. He's a man maybe with a huge ego who doesn't want to look as if he's weak. He doesn't want to appear weak at all. So I'm glad that they're saying this is done. Although, you know, put a little bit of a pin in that because as Kyle Kalinsky reports via Twitter, there are rumors that the popular mobilization forces, Iraq, largely Shia paramilitary group are unsatisfied with the Iranian response to the US. Their deputy commander Abu Mari al-Muhandis was killed by the US along with Soleimani. US bases could potentially be targeted again. Now, let me remind you, this is not confirmed. Of course, this is just a rumor, but it's important to stay vigilant regardless. However, again, the official position of the Iranian government is seemingly we're done. So that's good. Now, what is Donald Trump's response? Well, he released just under a 10 minute press conference today and it was riddled with factual errors and lies and it was almost unbearable to watch because he was doing more mouth breathing than he usually does. But regardless, what he essentially signals to Iran and the world is that we are basically done escalating. Take a look. I heard no casualties. All of our soldiers are safe and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases. Our great American forces are prepared for anything. Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world. As we continue to evaluate options in response to Iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime. These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior. Iran's hostilities substantially increased after the foolish Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2013. And they were given $150 billion, not to mention $1.8 billion in cash. Instead of saying thank you to the United States, they chanted death to America. In fact, they chanted death to America the day the agreement was signed. Then Iran went on a terrorist spree funded by the money from the deal and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration. The very defective JCPOA expires shortly anyway and gives Iran a clear and quick path to nuclear breakout. Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions and end its support for terrorism. The time has come for the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China to recognize this reality. They must now break away from the remnants of the Iran deal or JCPOA. And we must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place. We must also make a deal that allows Iran to thrive and prosper and take advantage of its enormous untapped potential. Iran can be a great country. Peace and stability cannot prevail in the Middle East as long as Iran continues to foment violence, unrest, hatred, and war. The civilized world must send a clear and unified message to the Iranian regime. Your campaign of terror, murder, mayhem will not be tolerated any longer. It will not be allowed to go forward. The American military has been completely rebuilt under my administration at a cost of $2.5 trillion. U.S. armed forces are stronger than ever before. Our missiles are big, powerful, accurate, lethal, and fast. Under construction are many hypersonic missiles. The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean we have to use it. We do not want to use it. ISIS is a natural enemy of Iran. The destruction of ISIS is good for Iran. And we should work together on this and other shared priorities. Finally, to the people and leaders of Iran, we want you to have a future and a great future, one that you deserve, one of prosperity at home and harmony with the nations of the world. The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it. So there you have it. Watching that, there's a little bit of a glimmer of hope that he's going to take his foot off the gas, because there's a couple of things that he said, which indicates that he's ready to de-escalate. He says we have a giant military, of course. We spent $2.5 trillion upgrading our military, which, how are we going to pay for that? I digress. But we don't want to use that military if we don't have to. He says he wants to work with Iran to defeat ISIS. That's a good indication. And he says, quote, the US is ready to embrace peace. This is a good sign. Again, it's very difficult to assess that tensions will kind of cool down currently, but we are getting some good signs that maybe cooler heads will prevail at least for now. Now, on top of that, he also wants a new Iran deal, which I just find hilarious because you tore up the original Iran agreement, presumably because you didn't like that Obama was the one that got it achieved. Now, honestly, do you think that Iran is going to want to even come to the table with you? And do you think that you're going to get anything better than what Obama got, especially now? It's just laughable. But nonetheless, the sentiment is what matters to me at this point. The sentiment is let's try diplomacy, maybe it's not going to happen. It's not going to work, but let's try it. That's good coming from Donald Trump, you know, and on top of that, I can't not point out some of the outrageous lies that he told. He said that hostilities increased after Obama signed the Iran deal. No, that did not happen. US and Iran relations were better because of that deal. And on top of that, he talked about the money that we gave them. No, we gave them back the money that we withheld from them. So, I mean, there's a lot of lies in there. There's a lot of mouth breathing that I just found insufferable and difficult to get through. It was irritating the shit out of me for whatever reason. But on top of all of that, you know, putting all of that aside, essentially, it seems like both sides are signaling their intent to deescalate for now, assuming nothing else happens. So this is, I guess, a good sign. I'm optimistic, albeit cautiously so. Although don't allow people in the media to give Donald Trump credit for this, which they will, you know, he will receive credit for stopping war with Iran when we have to remind everyone that this individual started this kerfuffle in the first place by initiating the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. Now, he tells us that the reason why this had to happen was because he was an imminent threat. Now, I don't find someone who's an imminent threat. You know, I don't find that person that much of a threat. If you're bragging to your buddies at Mar-a-Lago that something big is going to happen in Iran, you just chose to do this because you have an ego and maybe you thought this would benefit you politically. But we now know definitively, as if it wasn't already obvious, that there was no imminent threat. So in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, Tulsi Gabbard pretty much confirmed what we already suspected. No, there was no imminent attack. Donald Trump's administration did not sufficiently make the case that we had to take this action. It was a useless escalation that is putting us in a position where we are worse off and pieces less likely. So I'm going to let her explain this is a clip from Tulsi Gabbard on CNN. We've heard Trump supporters and President Trump basically say, look, no American casualties and we took out a bad guy, Soleimani, a terrorist leader. What would your response to that be? Well, first, you know, I just came from the intelligence briefing that the administration came and brought to Congress. Really, they provided vague comments, no justification whatsoever for this illegal and unconstitutional active war that President Trump took. You don't buy the imminent attack against Americans? No, they failed to provide any compelling information to prove their point of imminence. And really, it brings us to the central question here, which is, is our country's national security better off because of Donald Trump's actions and decision? The answer to that is no, in two primary ways. Number one is Iran is now in a position where they're not really abiding by any restrictions from the Iran nuclear agreement. They're continuing to escalate in speed towards developing their own nuclear weapons capabilities, creating a greater threat for us to our allies and partners and to the world. And secondly, because the troops that we have in Iraq now and the additional ones that this administration is sending there are no longer focused on what their what their mission there really has been, which is to prevent a resurgence of ISIS and al-Qaeda. The announcement from the commander that came from there that said we're not doing that anymore because now we have to shift all of our efforts and focus in a defensive posture against Iran and Iranian backed Shia militia. So there you have it. They provided vague comments, no justification whatsoever for killing Qasem Salamani and quote, they failed to provide any compelling information to prove their point of imminence. So this entire debacle, in other words, was started for no reason. We assassinated a leader of Iran, head of the Quds Force, for no good reason. So all of this could have been prevented. All of us worrying about war with Iran and the prospect of World War Three for nearly a week could have been prevented if Donald Trump didn't choose to make this idiotic decision. So do not allow the media to give him credit for anything if we actually are escaping the prospect of war with Iran. Remind people, remind your peers that this individual is responsible for all of this. This escalation happened because of him and do not let your foot off the gas. We still have to make sure that we take to the streets and demand peace. Call your senator, call your representative, make sure that they know that you do not consent to war with Iran. We can't just, you know, wash your hands of the situation and move on. I get that there are bigger issues, but the situation is still. I'm not going to say we're out of the woods yet, but I think that we're seeing a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, possibly, but make sure that now you make your voice heard and you say loudly and clearly that war with Iran is not acceptable. And at this point, I will notify you of any further developments. Hopefully the Baghdad Green Zone story doesn't turn into anything. But for now, it seems like we can all maybe breathe a little bit easier. Knock on wood. This desk isn't wood, but nonetheless, you get the sentiment. Yeah, I'll leave that there. This video, folks, Mike's tremendous and he's doing a really, really good job. Many people are telling me about how wonderful the humanist report is. Bigly.