paul: welcome to the journal editorial report. florida governor ron desantis and gavin newsom squared off at a fiery debate in a battle between red and blue state policies with them clashing over everything from abortion to covid lockdowns to the biden/harris agenda. >> california represents the biden/'s harris agenda on steroids. they would love to get four years to take the california model. >> ron desantis signed the most a stream antiabortion bills in america. he signed a bill banning any exceptions for rape and incest and then he said it didn't go far enough and decided to sign a 6 week band. >> i had disney open during covid. we saved a lot of jobs. you had disney closed for over a year. you were not following science. you are a lockdown governor. >> you are trolling folks and trying to find migrants to play political games to get some attention to out trump trump. how is that going for you? paul: joining us is dan heninger and kyle peterson. what did we learn? how do they govern their states? >> one of the main things we learned is gavin newsom has been doing a shadow campaign despite denials, he sees himself as plan b. i have to say, didn't come across to me is the obvious alternative to president biden. i didn't think -- he was okay but he was just not that strong. he's unflappable, makes arguments but didn't come across that strong. ron desantis, his goal was to show that he's a fighter. they had different audiences. desantis is trying to appeal to republicans showing i will speak for you, i will fight for you, i will never step back. this is an argument for the presidential primaries. once they stop talking over each other in 20 minutes, desantis did a pretty good job presenting his case, why he was a conservative governor in california and making the case that california is a state with a lot of describable problems. paul: desantis was arguing facts about the state of florida. jobs and educal kinds of statistics that show that is why people are coming. newsom focused on the cultural hot button issues like abortion, immigration, lgbt q issues. >> he was also talking to a different audience. i do still think he plans to run or be waiting in case biden stumbles. >> this wasn't an audition for 2028. >> california has problems there is no way he could be a viable contender in 2028. once he's out of office. he realizes the economic issues desantis presented and sean hannity did, those don't play to his advantage. he had to go to agricultural issues. paul: do you think ron desantis helped him with primary voters? here got a chance to go mono a mono with a prominent democrat. >> is the introvert versus the newsom extrovert but he is pretty good and as you say he was obviously prepared. he had come with statistics. he loves digging into the data, looking at the covid stat and trying to formulate policy. that's how he has been as governor, and this one on one format, digs into those issues that's difficult to do in republik and primary debates, more than a handful of people on the stage. that something that's interesting to watch in the coming the debate, because maybe a more narrow field may get run desantis an opportunity for republican primary voters that he got in the newsom debate that he's not gotten in the 2024 primary campaign. paul: people wrote this was a preview of 2028, desantis versus nurse them, neither one will be the candidate this year. do you think they will give voters any sense? as a country, we would be better off with these two men or somebody like them, younger and vigorous as the nominees in the debate about the direction of the country rather than president biden who will be on about is he fit or too old and donald trump, fighting about did i win or lose in 2020? >> that is what came across, this is what might have been. 70% of the american people want an alternative. reality is that does not look like it is happening on the democratic side. there's no reason short of biden collapsing that there is an alternative yet we have a republican primary coming up. donald trump has a huge lead in most of these states but as you get closer to calving to cast a vote, thinking about whether you want to go forward with the past or someone like one of these younger candidates, nikki haley or ron santos or chris christie, it could tighten up in the primary. paul: uranian proxies resume their attacks, critics slammed the biden administration for its tepid response. a digital money coach in the chase mobile® app. use it to set and track your goals, big and small... and see how changes you make today... could help put them within reach. from your first big move to retiring poolside - and the other goals along the way. wealth plan can help get you there. ♪ j.p. morgan wealth management. for almost 100 years, harry and david has been making gourmet gifts to share with loved ones near and far. because giving is about more than a day on the calendar. we believe the world would be a better place if we all shared more. harry and david. life is a gift, share more. only sleep number smart beds let you each choose your individual firmness and comfort. your sleep number setting. and actively cools and warms up to 13 degrees on either side. now at its lowest price ever. the all-new queen sleep number c2 smart bed is only $880. ends monday. only at sleep number. with gold bond... you can age on your own terms. retinol overnight means... the smoothing benefits of retinol. are now for your whole body. plus, fast-working crepe corrector diminishes wrinkled skin in just two days. gold bond. champion your skin. known as a passionate artist. known for loving the outdoors. known for getting everyone together. no one wants to be known for cancer, but a treatment can be. keytruda is known to treat cancer. fda-approved for 16 types of cancer, including certain early-stage cancers. one of those cancers is triple-negative breast cancer. keytruda may be used with chemotherapy medicines as treatment before surgery and then continued alone after surgery when you have early-stage breast cancer and are at high risk of it coming back. keytruda can cause your immune system to attack healthy parts of your body during or after treatment. this may be severe and lead to death. see your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, severe nausea or vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, eye problems, irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst, or urine, confusion, memory problems, muscle pain or weakness, fever, rash, itching, or flushing. there may be other side effects. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including immune system problems, if you've had or plan to have an organ or stem cell transplant, received chest radiation, or have a nervous system problem. keytruda is an immunotherapy and is also being studied in hundreds of clinical trials, exploring ways to treat even more types of cancer. it's tru. keytruda from merck. see all the types of cancer keytruda is known for at keytruda.com, and ask your doctor if keytruda could be right for you. paul: in the 8 weeks since the iran israel hamas war began there been attacks against us troops in iraq and syria with the us responding with airstrikes but little else as the biden administration seeks to avoid water conflict in the middle east. codex blasting the president's approach to charon with the house voting thursday to permanently free $6 billion in funds the administer ration had opened up to iran earlier this year and exchange for five american detainees. the chief executive of the foundation for defense of democracy. thanks for coming in. how important is this vote in the house on $6 billion, 90 democrats joined republicans to block the transfer. >> very important, not only locking get out 6 billion but another $10 billion, another bill about oil sales from iran to china which have given the uranian this 30 million. the administration has greenlighted $60 billion to iran while the uranian's are supporting terrorist proxies like hamas. paul: what are the prospects in the senate where chuck schumer usually does the president's bidding but he has been critical of hamas and pro israel and the question since october 7th. >> would like to see chuck schumer stand up and be courageous on this one. it is a time of war where israel is being threatened. the notion that you should purchase tens of billions of dollars is absurd. it's going to be tougher democrats. the biden administration has been a week on a lot. it is sensible to take it. paul: the 70 attacks on us forces so far, how many times has the us used airstrikes to respond? >> they responded four times. the fact is not the number of times. very livid strikes. secretary austin went out of his way to underscore these are limited, not connected to the war between israel and hamas. from my understanding, it was mostly the dead of night when they dropped us bombs and a few garbage cans. if they are not going to respond and fundamentally kill those attacking you, iran's supreme leader will mobilize his proxies against us. paul: given how few those responses have been in the nature of them it sounds almost as if they are made by the administration not to do much damage but to respond to us critics and say we are doing something. is that a fair reading or is it cynical? >> don't think you can be too cynical. and x-ray nice press release but the administration fears that any escalation against iran and its proxies will lead to uranian escalation. 45 years of history shows american strength, the regime backed down because there's nothing they fear more than american power, he understands we are the only power on earth that can take down his regime. paul: the administration's responses hezbollah has not escalated since october 7th. there have been some attacks, some steady, small-scale attacks but this hasn't been the big explosion you could get out of hezbollah. our strategy is working. what is your response to that? >> israel wants that escalation against hezbollah which is two divisions of the revolutionary guard, living in their homes and north of israel have been cleared out because they are afraid to go back because they are worried what might happen to their southern neighbors, hezbollah terrorists kill israelis in their bed. our ally israel is itching to go after hezbollah. the biden administration is warning israel that if they do, they will start military resupply in order to de-escalate on the northern border but you leave hezbollah standing and the threat will remain severe against israel going forward and the escalation will be worse next time. paul: the administration, in your view, has not been enforcing oil sanctions to china. not even since october 7th? >> not at all. oil is flowing. millions are flowing into the coffers of the regime. people say you can't do this against china. the obama administration actually stopped almost entirely uranian oil sales, chinese banks and chinese refineries if they bought uranian oil they would be sanctioned, two administrations, the ability to enforce sanctions and stop the flow of oil. they are using those to buy off the irani in this, not to escalate, the irani in this are escalating and getting closer to nuclear weapons. paul: thanks for coming in. lawmakers scramble to approve more aid to israel and ukraine. republican demands for border funding and democratic calls for conditions on israel scuttle the deal. urance with liberty mutual.” he hits his mark —center stage— and is crushed by a baby grand piano. are you replacing me? 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[limu emu squawks.] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ they say seeing is believing, but with stearns & foster, that's only part of the story. we handcraft every stearns & foster using the finest materials, like indulgent memory foam, and ultra-conforming intellicoils, for a beautiful mattress and indescribable comfort every single night. stearns & foster. what comfort should be. for a limited time, bring home incredible comfort with savings up to $800 on select adjustable mattress sets. learn more at stearnsandfoster.com. in order for small businesses to thrive, they need to be smart, efficient, savvy. making the most of every opportunity. that's why comcast business is introducing the small business bonus. for a limited time you can get up to a $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. yep, $1000. so switch to business internet from the company with the largest fastest reliable network and that powers more businesses than anyone else. learn how you can get $1000 back for your business today. comcast business. powering possibilities. dear moms and dads, what you have achieved here today is going to help us and our futures. it is why we're coming up on stage to collect your diplomas. mom, love you always. vo: when you graduate, they graduate. visit finishyourdiploma.org to find free and supportive adult education centers near you. paul: lawmakers returned capitol hill with time running out to provide aid to ukraine and israel by the end of the year. chuck schumer said the senate could take up the legislation as soon as next week but divisions remain with republicans in the house and senate saying they would reject the supplemental spending bill that did not include money for border security and some democrats are calling for conditions to be attached to any future aid with israel. bernie sanders says the blank check approach must end. we are joined by wall street journal columnist bill mcgurn. what do republicans want in the senate? >> strict measures. the basics is both parties have a problem. democrats have a problem with unconditional is really aid and a big chunk of the republican party doesn't want ukraine aid. a big problem, mcconnell told biden in a phone call that he would have to do something real on the border. some measure regarding parole. to get republican votes. it is an open question. paul: what do they want in terms of negotiation. >> there are changes or limitations, the biden administration has been using his authority to release anyone who is apprehended at the border into the us. it is a role authority. 1.5 million were released in the last year. they also want a reinstatement of a trump administration role that would require anyone seeking asylum to seek asylum in 1/3 safe country like mexico or canada. other things in hr 2 that were mentioned, those are not essential to negotiations. they are focusing more on the test for initial -- paul: you have to reach the credible fear standard, some people think that's too low. >> the goal is to fix some of the problems at the border, realizing get they will pass more solutions or regulations. paul: for the democrats if you ask politically, you've got a problem on the border. he is running into trouble on his left. >> i agree with you. i don't understand where they are coming from. in chicago and new york city over migrants. they are ready to run mayor johnson out of town. but the left is intractable. they don't want to bend. the aid bill will run into the same problem over aid to israel. you got the left and the center and in the house, doug in on putting conditions on israel, coming out in favor of the palestinians, very possible the democrats are the ones who will hold this entire bill over the border and conditions for israel. paul: say biden concedes to the things being described, so we don't have everything in the immigration bill, could they scuttle this and what does it say? >> they couldn't get everything they want to. chuck grassley told house republicans don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. get something substantive and build from there. we want to get what we want, republican majorities with one house of congress. you can't get everything you want. we should have learned that lesson many times over. paul: that suggests to me they would rather have the issue of immigration. >> we set that in the trump administration when they tried to negotiate a compromise, and the compromise was scuttled by steve miller, donald trump's immigration advisor and they want to use this as an issue to bludgeon democrats in the election. this lesson in 2026. paul: if this whole thing collapses and ukraine doesn't it aid and putin advances, a catastrophe. >> the united states gets the blame, a war going on in israel and ukraine and both of those sides begin losing, the us -- paul: is relapse war against hamas is the latest issue to define mainstream democrats from the radical left. election. heading into t ement. the second best? 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