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ctpp1021part2_2023-10-21-18-34-10

I'm Eric Lanz Kroner and welcome back to power and politics amid mounting pressure from the US and continued air strikes by Israel. Two American hostages have now been freed by Hamas. A mother and daughter snatched out of Israel two weeks ago. During the day, Hamas massacred 1400 people. Families in southern Israel. Nearly 200 hostages still remain the war against Hamas leaving thousands dead on both sides. Now, more than a million evacuated in Gaza as Israel pounds terror targets humanitarian crisis in Gaza, both Jordan and Egypt though refusing to take in refugees. Meanwhile, half a million evacuated in southern Israel as Hamas continues to fire rockets at their communities. This week, I had the chance to sit down with Senator Richard Blumenthal right before he traveled to the Middle East as part of a bipartisan delegation to Saudi Arabia and Israel. Here's our conversation. Thank you for having me, Eric. Good to be with you. Senator so much has transpired over the course of the last two weeks. Uh images that, that we're never going to be able to unsee can you share your thoughts just on some of the events and what's unfolded first, let me say I've been so inspired by the rallies across Connecticut that I have attended, expressing support for Israel, not only from the Jewish community, but from Muslims, people of all faiths, religions, ethnic backgrounds, the outpouring of grief or the victims of this absolutely atrocious criminal attack has been deeply moving and I've been inspired as well by the grief for innocent Palestinians who may have been killed in the ongoing war. But there is no question that Israel needs to defend itself. I stand with Israel, not only today but tomorrow and forever as does America and the President United States as he has stated very clearly and unequivocally and I support a major aid package that will include not only military supplies and equipment such as the iron dome interceptors that are necessary for Israel's defense against rockets thrown at it, but also humanitarian aid that is necessary for the displaced people in Gaza. And I am very hopeful that Congress will move quickly to approve that kind of aid package for Israel and for Ukraine. Of course, the key is you need leadership in, in in the house to do that. So a lot of this uh Senator I guess is is currently or has been up in the air. However, speaking specifically about the uh aid package for Gaza, I mean, listen, we've seen we've seen a lot of suffering there just as we saw so much suffering on the heels of the Hamas massacre in southern Israel. Uh Israel has been targeting Hamas targets and as you know, Hamas targets, the terror infrastructure is always hidden within the civilian populace and the civilian infrastructure, Hamas hasn't been letting their own, in some cases, their own civilians out of harm's way to further maximize casualties. Do, does this, does this open the world's eyes a little bit more as to who the Hamas group is, the world has to appreciate that Hamas is a terrorist organization. The evidence of it is in the reports and the visual images of women and Children burned to death, tortured, hi point blank and then literally burned in their own homes and the taking of hostages and the use of civilian facilities such as residences and even schools in order to hide or conceal Hamas operatives and command and other kinds of facilities. So in effect, using civilian populations as human shields as well as the hostages, almost 200 of them taken 1400 Israelis have been and that is a very important number for people to understand the extent of what Hamas has done. And of course, Senator, I mean, it it it goes without saying, but you, you have the Gaza Ministry of Health which is controlled by Hamas. So II, I suppose that you do have to take some of the information that's coming out there uh knowing who is disseminating the information. But I mean, the indications are that you have uh thousands dead in Gaza as well. Um, but there's no real differentiation or no way of knowing how many of those are actual terror targets, I suppose, versus civilians. And again, Hamas has a policy which it's practiced for years. In fact, decades of embedding itself in residences, in schools, in other civilian parts of the population. Senator II, I hear a fair share of moral equivalencies being drawn. I know a moment ago you spoke about uh being heartened by the rallies in support of Israel. But there have also been rallies not condemning Hamas, justifying and celebrating the atrocities, statements, not denouncing terror, rather saying that the root cause of it needs to be uh examined. So, I mean, how do you view those who would justify the brutality? I have a hard time wrapping my head around demonstrations that celebrate the atrocity that you've said and some of them in effect do exactly that I believe in the first amendment. They have a right to express themselves as long as they're non violent. But I have to say that I have really been grateful for people of goodwill, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, background. And I think it reflects much more the overwhelming majority of the American people that they stand with Israel against these atrocities. Senator Richard Blumenthal, uh hang out for a second. We're going to continue our conversation right after the break.

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ctpp1021part3

Welcome back to power and politics. Continuing our conversation right now with Senator Richard Blumenthal. Senator, you were just speaking a few moments ago about the aid package that you've proposed to help Israel and not only help Israel but to address the humanitarian crisis. The US S Gerald Ford carrier strike group was also repositioned in the Mediterranean. The Eisenhower strike group is there. UK has deployed Royal Navy ships to help bolster security. Does their presence make Iran think twice before turning this into a full blown regional conflict considering, I mean, we're dealing with Hamas and the Pij which are both Iranian proxies. The goal has to be to contain this conflict and it's been not only the purpose of deploying those two aircraft carrier strike groups but also other military assets including potentially troops and deterring Iran from becoming involved. And also Hezbollah, which has a good deal of military assets in the region from trying to widen the war. And it's been not only military assets involved but also diplomacy. Our Secretary of State has shoveled between and among capitals in the region. But you know, Iran's goal here is to disrupt efforts and negotiations to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which offer a prospect for stability and peace. That normalization part of the ex extension of the Abraham Accord could offer the Palestinians more stability and peace and lead possibly to a two state solution which has been the United States policy for decades. So Iran is definitely malign actor here. It is behind these attacks in so far as it's enabled and empowered Hamas, the attacks, the vicious unspeakable atrocities by Hamas would not have been possible in this scope and sophistication without Iran supporter. And so I think you're right to raise the danger of escalation, but hopefully the United States will deter and stop it very quickly. Senator, here in the US, there's been a rise in bias incident since the war started both against the Jewish and Palestinian communities. A couple incidents at Yale University. So here at home, somebody crawling death of Palestine in a student store. And on the flip side, you have an associate professor at Yale Zinna Gray Wall who not only justified but seemingly celebrated hamas' blood lust against civilians on social media saying among other things that settlers are not civilians, tens of thousands of people actually now calling for Yale to fire her. Should she be? Let me just say I'm not familiar with the facts of that particular case, but I have been a leader in the Senate and for 20 years before my 12 years in the Senate for 20 years as attorney general in fighting hate crimes. Uh, people have rights of free speech, but the kinds of incidents that you've been referring to and I am deeply outraged and grieved by the death of that six year old child in Chicago. It has to be stopped. Domestic violence and extremism. Violent extremism is a growing threat in our country. I have authored successfully, I fought for stronger measures against hate crimes, whether it's against Muslim Americans or Jewish Americans or African Americans. And I will continue to do so. We need stronger penalties and better enforcement of these laws and I'll continue to fight for tolerance and the, the, the kind of protection against discriminatory and violent acts. Again, that was a conversation with Senator Richard Blumenthal right before he left for Saudi Arabia and Israel and that's all the time that we have for this week. I'm Eric Lands Runner. We thank you for watching. We'll see you again next time.

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The Bridgeport ballot stuffing drama was front and center this week. Mayor Joe Ganim took the stand and the woman in that now infamous video refused to answer questions. 

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Power & Politics: Bridgeport ballot stuffing case latest; Sen. Blumenthal on Israel-Hamas war

The Bridgeport ballot stuffing drama was front and center this week. Mayor Joe Ganim took the stand and the woman in that now infamous video refused to answer questions.

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