00:02:21.660Everything is on the table. The president is adding a weapon to the U.S. aircraft carriers, fighter jets and weapons that he's already sent to the Middle East. He's called it an armada.
00:02:31.420And now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we're doing. And if they join us, that'll be great. If they don't join us, that'll be great, too. But it'll be a very different path.0.65
00:02:44.180they cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region and they must make a deal
00:02:51.220or if that doesn't happen i maybe can understand if it doesn't happen it doesn't happen but
00:02:56.680bad things will happen if it doesn't ladies and gentlemen welcome aboard today's episode of human
00:03:05.780events daily it is thursday february 19th 2026 i am benny ray harmony filling in for jack
00:03:12.100Posobiec, who is on assignment. He's currently embedded with President Trump during his trip to
00:03:17.920Rome, Georgia. Now there, the president, he will tour an American factory. He'll visit local
00:03:24.140businesses and deliver some really powerful remarks on the economy, which we've seen so much
00:03:30.120of these past few weeks. Now, American affordability is the biggest conversation right
00:03:35.840now. Earlier today, Jack was front and center for the historic inaugural meeting of the Board of
00:03:41.260peace, which was held right here in Washington, D.C., with over 40 different countries.
00:03:47.080Now, tensions are remaining high in the Middle East.
00:03:49.480Millions are praying for peace and that Iran chooses that diplomacy.
00:11:21.000And we see from all the various announcements from both countries and foreign companies alike that they want to come into the U.S. to bring their capital in.
00:11:29.040That will help rejuvenate the industrial base.
00:11:31.640And we are seeing it in data. Things, again, your viewers may not be aware of this. This gets a bit geeky. But things like the Institute of Supply Management had its highest reading in months as the industrial boom kind of is just starting now.
00:11:48.700Back is it'll become more noticeable, as you hinted at, in jobs, high paying jobs that is coming.
00:11:55.040and joe i'm really glad you brought up tariffs because i want to talk to you about this so there
00:12:00.800was just a thing that was released that says that the tariffs that president trump has put into
00:12:05.800place have actually contributed and helped the deficit by what 80 percent something along those
00:12:12.680lines talk to us a little bit about those tariffs and how we're seeing that money come back to the
00:12:17.020u.s so the tariffs have created a tremendous they've raised a tremendous amount of revenue
00:12:22.560And the hope is that as more companies come in, they produce, hire, tax revenues will rise, get more on the domestic tax base for more production or reindustrialization, revitalization of the manufacturing sector, and the tariffs ultimately will move lower.
00:12:40.600But in the short term, they've added a tremendous amount of money to the Treasury's coffers.
00:12:45.220It's one of the reasons that the U.S. bond market, the Treasury market, had a very big rally last year.
00:12:51.420It was the best performing market among all its industrial peers.
00:12:55.500And the tariffs on the revenue side are very important.
00:12:58.700But I also want to add something else, if I'm giving you time.
00:13:01.540And that is that there was a report earlier this week that came out.
00:13:04.820The New York Fed said that tariffs are being borne by U.S. consumers and businesses.
00:13:11.800If you look at the share of consumption that's coming from imports, the math that the New York Fed shows is not correct.
00:13:20.120There has been a de minimis amount of consumption impact from those tariffs.
00:13:26.140And what's happened, as you alluded to, is a lot of revenues that's allowed rates to come down, mortgage rates come down, they'll come down further.
00:13:34.060And again, really improve this affordability issue, which began under the last administration.
00:13:38.200see benny if i could touch on that too um so trump's first administration he imposed some
00:13:46.900uh slightly lower tariffs against china and you know we all remember when he said he was he was
00:13:52.620probably the first president to sell rice back to china but um so the second administration here so
00:13:58.120jack and i were with secretary bessett in minnesota last last month and we toured the
00:14:04.840Cambria facility. This is engineered quartz. So that is a major win for tariffs. And, you know,
00:14:12.080they have a gigantic warehouse all about the American worker. It's family owned for generations.
00:14:19.020And so that directly competes with China in such a way that they have these incentives and subsidies
00:14:26.100to sell us like low grade quartz, whatnot, while we get it. And we have to take the hit for that
00:14:31.520in this market. So these tariffs are really, really punching back against them in this way.
00:14:36.900And we were there to witness it. We toured it. It was a fantastic warehouse. And yeah,
00:14:42.120so I think that is what we might see a follow up on today in Georgia.
00:14:49.520Exactly correct. The U.S. is the biggest economy and the most important consumer.
00:14:54.920So we sort of use the president's word, hold the cards. And that's why when people say the U.S.
00:15:00.920consumers and businesses are bearing the brunt of the tariffs, it makes no sense. It's actually
00:15:05.360being borne by the exporter. They're the ones that are predominantly paying the vast majority
00:15:10.260of this tariff. And that's what we saw as you alluded to the first trade negotiations. We saw
00:15:15.680that with China. China essentially ate the tariff. US consumer prices were low and falling. And we're
00:15:22.680moving back to that same sort of scenario. It's taken a little bit of time. I think we realized
00:15:27.060that there was a lot of damage that was done before, but the trends are improving. There's
00:15:32.200a lot more work to be done. Things like energy costs, certain select food products are moving
00:15:37.000lower. We are seeing shelter costs, rents, things of that sort move down. That's important because
00:15:43.040that typically means that your cost of housing will fall, again, improving affordability. So
00:15:47.820we're moving in the right direction. And as the president goes on more tours and does more events,
00:15:52.880it'll be much more evident that our policies which work extraordinarily well in the first term
00:15:57.620have been rejuvenated and uh accelerated in a way that will have even a better economy you're
00:16:04.220even seeing that in the gdp data and importantly the jobs will follow from this i think that's
00:16:09.040what people want people want the jobs and that's what's going to be you know delivered yeah that's
00:16:14.620that's yeah that's exactly right especially we have these incentives from the department of labor
00:16:19.120they are posting these art deco things talking about apprenticeship programs so affordability
00:16:24.580though joe is um you know this is quartz okay engineered quartz for countertops i forgot to
00:16:29.880say that at first so all the things you see in commercial hotels and even residential that
00:16:34.420very nice products for our countertops and these are mined in north america so just just simply uh
00:16:42.500you know we don't want to pay for the shipping around the world for quartz we could get better
00:16:47.920quality courts right in north america here in america so joe that is definitely i want into this
00:16:54.160we have we have a few minutes left here i want to touch on the scotus review that is happening this
00:17:00.200is in the news a lot people are talking about it the review of trump's tariffs what does this look
00:17:05.120like if the if the supreme court rules in in favor against trump will we have to pay back
00:17:11.920those tariffs that were put into place talk to us a little bit about this the secretary sat in on
00:17:17.720the court ruling. He was confident that we made a very powerful argument and that the Supreme
00:17:22.500Court will not overrule the president's signature policy or one of his signature policies. He's
00:17:28.560accomplished a lot, and we'll have to see what happens. But we're confident that tariffs,
00:17:33.740there's been such a powerful tool to encouraging foreign capital to come in to deal with these
00:17:39.560emergencies, which are significant. Fentanyl, the decaying of the U.S. manufacturing base,
00:17:46.660which only President Trump integral a necessary part to essentially deal with this emergency.
00:17:55.580So we'll see when the court rules them. Obviously, it could be very soon, and then we'll take it from there.
00:18:00.400But the tariffs in some form or fashion will certainly be here.
00:18:04.400It's essential for the U.S. economy to grow and to produce things again like the president wants and to create these high paying jobs,
00:18:12.200which are starting to come back. And again, I'm confident we'll continue to grow and expand in
00:18:16.500the months and years ahead. Well, Counselor, thank you so much for your time today. I do
00:18:21.560just want to point out that Secretary Besant will be giving a speech tomorrow at the Economic Club
00:18:27.920at around 2 p.m. That will be during this show. So make sure you tune in. Joe, thank you so much.
00:28:01.580They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region and they must make a deal or if that doesn't happen, I maybe can understand if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.
00:28:13.960But bad things will happen if it doesn't.
00:28:51.700Well, it's what President Trump's been campaigning on over the last 10 years.
00:28:54.720instead of, you know, intervention, instead of war, instead of this idea of an interventionist
00:28:59.460mindset. It's Trump collaborating with foreign leaders and trying to bring peace not only to
00:29:04.140the United States, but to the world. You know, the United States has been the police of the world
00:29:07.720for such a long time. It's got itself intertwined in different kind of conflicts in the Middle East
00:29:12.640and across Europe and all over the world in times where it probably shouldn't have happened. But I
00:29:17.400think the best thing that can be prioritized is negotiation, is diplomacy. And I think Trump's
00:29:22.640not only bringing peace to the United States and bringing peace to the military, but trying to find
00:29:27.860solutions and trying to find, you know, end games that will benefit the United States, benefit the
00:29:33.300military, benefit these families that are sending their kids overseas to potentially put themselves
00:29:37.920in harm's way. And I think that's the most important thing we can take away, you know,
00:29:40.660being from Appalachia, being from Tennessee, you know, I see a lot of people, I'm one of my best
00:29:45.320friends in the world is a 10-year veteran in the military currently in the Air Force, and I don't
00:29:50.500want to see him shift overseas for no reason. I don't want to see him shift overseas to get
00:29:54.540intertwined in conflicts he shouldn't be intertwined in. So I think, you know, the Board of Peace
00:29:58.440and these kinds of negotiations and these kinds of collaborations with foreign leaders are the
00:30:03.100best solution and the America First mindset that President Trump campaigned on, went on in 2024,
00:30:08.060and originally come up with in 2016. So I think he's continuing to carry on promises and continuing
00:30:12.640to fulfill all the promises that he's been campaigning on for the last 10 years.
00:30:16.700And Kenny, along with your work that you do right here, you are also, you're an Appalachian Republican running for Tennessee's 11th House District.
00:30:28.840We want to know, what's the word on the street about war there in good old Tennessee?
00:30:34.260Well, I think most people here, I think that went along with the Republican Party over the last 10 years in changing the mindset.
00:30:40.080and because I think they see a lot of young men around my age or a little bit younger that are
00:30:44.860getting sent overseas and they know veterans they know military families they know people from around
00:30:50.140here and they want to know that they are safe they want to know that they are you know the wars
00:30:54.800they're fighting for are worth it you know they're not getting intertwined in the Russian Ukrainian
00:30:58.100war they're not getting intertwined in Middle East war that are not necessitated by force and I think
00:31:03.460that they know that they voted for a president that's going to prioritize those young men are
00:31:09.100going to prioritize those people that are going straight from either high school or college or
00:31:13.800the workforce into the military and not wanting to put their lives at risk. You know, I know so many
00:31:18.640veterans here in House District 11. I know so many people that are currently enlisted in the
00:31:23.500military. Like I said, one of my best friends is listed in the Air Force and, you know, I pray for
00:31:27.640him nearly nightly because I don't want him in harm's way. But I feel comfortable in being a
00:31:32.220constituent here and being a citizen here in Appalachia, knowing that my best friend's life
00:31:37.560is protected by the decisions that President Trump is making, such as the board piece and such
00:31:41.340as the anti-interventionist mindset that he has brought to the United States. And I know that he
00:31:46.160is putting veterans first, he's putting Americans first, and he's putting the people of Appalachia
00:31:50.200and House District 11 first. And that's why I'm a strong supporter of him and will continue to be
00:31:53.700in the Tennessee State House if elected. Yeah. And Kevin, you or Kenny can chime in on this,
00:31:59.740but the big question is, you know, we're hearing lots of, okay, we're talking about peace. We're
00:32:04.200talking, we're negotiating, you know, you know, no nuclear forces from one to the other, things
00:32:09.540like that. But what do you think those conversations really look like when it comes to
00:32:14.520peace and coming to making sure the Middle East has peace, not just for now, but for decades and
00:32:21.160the future to come? Yeah. So the anti-interventionalist mindset, that is a good one.
00:32:28.100So what I, you know, I'm going to stick by what I voted for is no new wars, peace through strength, peace through trade.1.00
00:32:37.460OK, so my take is that, you know, Iran seems to be a little behind in their technology, their culture.0.70
00:32:45.480Everybody's talking about nuclear bombs being developed, this and that.0.54
00:32:49.620But we're over here developing all kinds of new technology, AI and potential laser weapons nowadays.
00:32:56.060so they're just a little behind us okay and really i mean so you take that and and nuclear
00:33:02.940energy comes to my mind you know so maybe we could do this kind of trade negotiations um i mean we're
00:33:10.040already basically out front of their house right now um in iran staging these warships so we're0.93
00:33:17.240definitely um imposing on them or or what do they say nowadays the zoomers say they're mogging them0.94
00:33:23.480We're vogging Iran. And so I think it's just an intimidation tactic and that Trump will get correspondence.0.99
00:33:32.460And obviously, I mean, we can barely get information out of the Guthrie case.
00:33:36.460So there's obviously intel that the public isn't being told.
00:33:40.000I mean, justifiably so. This is a very high stakes global a global event.
00:33:46.760So I'm relying on the president to handle this as he does.
00:33:51.880He's a master, you know, negotiating deals here.
00:34:09.880What does the world look like if Iran chooses defiance over diplomacy?
00:34:15.100I mean, it's a really genuine question.
00:34:17.480I mean, what would the future look like?
00:34:20.200Well, as with as the Trump has done with any other country that is opposed to the United States or opposed its allies, I think he would try negotiation first or at least try the threat of the United States firepower first and then later negotiate.
00:34:33.800I mean, you saw even even a year ago in the in the Iran negotiations last year and the threat of war last year, it was used as a negotiation tactic.
00:34:43.020And now that we have the board piece, I think those negotiations can be facilitated even further.
00:34:48.500And the United States is going to lead those negotiations. Of course, that threat with Pete Hegseth leading the Department of War. I think there's a reason it got named the Department of War. It's because that threat of war needs to be there. That threat of firepower needs to be there, but only in necessity.
00:35:02.240And I think that's the main thing that Pete Hexeth and Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are all prioritizing is not just getting the military involved when it can be, but when it has to be.
00:35:13.080And I think using that as a negotiation tactic will be the first thing that they probably do, as has been used in the past.
00:35:19.000But this new board and this new organization that has been formed will necessitate probably a quicker response than IRM was willing to give maybe even a year ago and maybe even sometime last year.
00:35:29.160But now we're going to be able to see, I think, a lot more negotiation tactics, the use of firepower, the use of collaboration with allies that we can probably rely on.
00:35:38.080And Trump has obviously relied on with this board to facilitate those kinds of talks, to facilitate this kind of peace.
00:35:45.080And I think by that threat of firepower, that threat of kind of unpredictability that Trump has been so consistent about during foreign policy,
00:35:52.660I think that it's going to be more successful than ever before when it comes to those foreign policy negotiations with our AM.
00:35:57.580Yeah. And then the question, Kevin, is the cost of war, right? We just had Joe Livorno, and he's a very vocal American sentiment. He said this. He said that forever wars don't benefit the American working man. What do you say? What do you say, Kevin?
00:36:15.060no they don't benefit the the american working men and that includes soldiers okay these are men
00:36:20.840in uniform so if we play the tape out a little bit i mean yeah okay so we bombed iran you know
00:36:28.160their nuclear facility with the bomber that you know the stealth bombers and we we we stopped0.52
00:36:35.220them okay we we blew it all a bit midnight hammer and yes yes so if they are being defiant and they
00:36:41.800want to uh just i guess they i'm assuming again we don't know the intel but uh they rebuilt
00:36:47.120everything or they're just continued on so we've played the tape out okay ayatollah khamenei okay
00:36:53.100he's he's pushing for this or whatever if we're gonna take take him out whatnot you know and then
00:37:00.180bomb infrastructure so so you're talking about a corrupt government and you know broken infrastructure
00:37:06.820how do we pay for that right how do we pay for that when in reality back here at home we still
00:37:12.920have our own problems with our own government with uh you know anti-ice measures and this and
00:37:20.520that and we have our own infrastructure problems with bridges falling down and boats crashing into1.00
00:37:25.040them and you know we got h1b drivers crashing into people illegal illegal immigrants so we have all
00:37:31.860these problems at home. So are we going to be able to foot the bill for that over there when0.98
00:37:36.920we have all the bills over here? I don't know. Well, Kevin, I think, and Kenny, I want you to
00:37:41.540chime in on this, but I think that's one of the biggest things that goes back to the America first.
00:37:45.940The whole aspect of the Trump presidency is America first. And he knows that there has to
00:37:51.160be peace in order for America to be put first, right? You have to make sure that those other
00:37:56.600countries aren't a threat to you. And so I think that by the way, he's doing it with this board of
00:38:01.240peace. I think this is a great indicator of what is to come, and hopefully Iran takes some tips
00:38:06.460from this. Kenny, we have 20 seconds. Do you have any final thoughts? I mean, I think you saw with1.00
00:38:11.500the Venezuela actions that firepower and that threat of firepower helps out Americans. It helps0.59
00:38:16.480out our country, and I think Trump's going to be able to do that here in the next few months.
00:38:21.120We'll be right back here with more Human Events Daily. We'll see you soon.
00:38:24.220jack is a great guy he's written that fantastic book everybody's talking about it go get it
00:38:35.500and he's been my friend right from the beginning of this whole beautiful event
00:38:39.540and we're going to turn it around and make our country great amen
00:38:43.540welcome back to human events daily i am your host today benny ray harmony along with my co-host
00:38:52.160Kevin Posobiec, and we are joined by Kenny Cody, who is another family member here at Human Events,
00:38:58.440but he is also running for Congress in Tennessee. But we have some breaking news as of right now.
00:39:04.220So this morning when we woke up, we got the news that Prince Andrew was arrested in connection
00:39:08.760to potentially using that public office to share confidential information in regards to Epstein.
00:39:16.220But some breaking news right now, it does appear that he was released from being held, but he is still under investigation, our Kevin Posobiec said.
00:39:30.000What is your take on this entire Prince Andrew situation?
00:39:34.000And in my opinion, this just goes to show no one is above the law, even royals.
00:39:39.360Yeah, no one is above the law, even royals.
00:39:40.680And, you know, I think I wish some things would happen here in our own country to elitists like Bill Clinton and elitists like Hillary Clinton had connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
00:39:48.080You know, President Trump was basically exonerated in anything and has been proven to be somebody who actually took Jeffrey Epstein down.
00:39:54.460And I think these elites that have anything to do with Epstein, such as Stephen Hawking and others, Bill Gates or whoever else, needs to be held accountable.
00:40:01.560I mean, I think that that's pretty obvious.
00:40:02.940You know, I think it's been a hoax in the direction that, you know, President Trump called it one because it was protecting the elitists like Prince Andrew and not concentrating on the people that need to be concentrated on.
00:40:14.620And I'm glad to see some accountability by Prince Andrew.
00:40:17.040I mean, he has to quit calling him Prince because that title was removed after these allegations came out and these files came out on him.
00:40:23.660And I'm glad to be him seeing him being held accountable.
00:40:26.460And I think that even though he's been released, the investigation is still ongoing.
00:40:30.180Hopefully this is the first string of many actual accountability arrests that we see.
00:40:34.720And nobody was above the law, as Benny just said.
00:40:36.660And I think we need to see the same accountability for the elites that have been corrupting our country, have been abusing children, have been abusing the system for so long.