we can speak about that with james jeffrey, former ambassador to iraq and turkey.sador, ray to have you back on bbc news. i want to start by asking you about the white house seeing the islamic resistance in iraq is responsible for the attack in jordan. what can you tell us about this group? >> it is basically a terrorist group, and so designated, that has various elements. they were active in various ways against us when we had military forces in iraq. they were mobilized against the islamic state in 2014 and they have been gaining an increasingly state-like role as an element of the iraqi security service and that is troubling. they are not totally under the command and control of iran but iran provides much of the money, weapons and strategic direction. they are part of the overall front led by iran that is essentially waging an irregular war on the rest of the region. >> ambassador, can i follow up on that point? we know iran has backed and funded these groups. at the same time, how much control does iran have over the movements and actions over a group like thi

we had, for example, james jeffrey say it was a shell game with the president that we were always hidingthe number of troops we had in syria so that he did not know how many troops we had in syria, and we prevented the president from following through on his pledge to with draw troops from syria but there are many, many of these instances. my trumpier colleagues would say a second trump term would be staffed by people who shared the president's vision, so you would see more follow-through and more results. of the elephant in the room, there is an incipient effort to do that, to connect notional staffers to a notional administration. is that -- maybe, victoria, do you think there is a personnel impacting policy, and were we to get a second erently in some way or other? victoria: taking the second question first, absolutely. no matter what happens, it would different. i think this is a critical question particularly for any incoming republican administration because the fundamental bias of the career bureaucracy in the federal government is liberal. that is just a fact. amongst that group,

we had, for example, james jeffrey said yes, the was a shell game with the president that we were always the number of troops we didn't knowy troops we had in syria and we, in fact, prevented the president from following through on his pledge to withdraw troops fromh syria. there are a number, many, many of these instances and so again my trumpier colleagues will say a second trump-kim will be stepping people who shared the president's vision, which is filled in the blank,t' and so yu would see a more follow-through and more results. of course the elephant in the room, , there is an incipient effort to do that, right, to connect notional staffers to a notionalff administration. maybe victoria, eucom number one, do you think there is a point to be made surrounding the personal having a big p impact n a policy supplemented and secondly, do you think were we to get a second trump administration that things would go differently in some way or other? >> welcome taking the second question first, absolutely. the matter what happens it's, it would be different. i think this is a critical questio

so we have, for example, james jeffrey suggest it was a shell game with the president that we were alwayshiding the number of troops we had in syria so they didn't know how many troops went in syria and we, in fact, prevented the president from following through on his pledge to withdraw troops from syria. but there are many, many of these instances, and so again my more restraint colleagues will say a second trump term would be staffed by people who shared the president station, which is fill in the blank, and so you would see a more, more follow-through and more results. and, of course, the elephant in the room there is an effort to do that, to connect dispensed w. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: three months after the massacre of october 7, israel's defense minister observed that his country was fighting, quote, an axis, not a single enemy. he was talking about iran's terrorist proxies, a raid to attack israel on multiple f fronts. but the reality of facing interconnected threats isn't unique to israel. around the world, our adversaries are colluding in new and

james. >> lawrence: deep buried in the documents john doe 36. i found this astonishing. jeffreypstein -- this is a question from the prosecution. jeffrey epstein never told you that knowingly he had sexual contact with underaged girls, correct? of course the defense automatically objects right here. the judge allows the witness to answer and this is what she said. when i asked him if the accusations were true, after i spoke with the police, he said yes. but these women lied about their age. so there was an admission from epstein that he was sleeping with and marketing under aged girls. but he claims that they lied about their age. >> brian: give credit to marsha blackburn. she has been relentless on this. she brought it out. big mystery why is dick durbin standing on the way. obviously is he not on anybody's manifest. why were you standing in the way all this time and denying that you were actually doing it. senator marsha blackburn said this is the beginning. she is not going to stop until all the names are out. other thing to to keep in mind, too. if you looked at allen derby

james bond films, and the police commissioner in batman. but your -- have revealed you love to talk politics. so, my question, oscar nominated actor jeffreyst, like me, for example? [laughter] >> anything is possible jonathan. do you have anyone in mind? [laughter] >> well i don't know if you can see, i don't know if you can see the picture, but there is a picture of me and you side by side, in black ties. so, >> i think, i think it will work. >> i see the possibilities, even though i am wearing -- and you are wearing -- i see, i see the possibilities jonathan. [laughter] >> well, i'll have my people call your people when it's appropriate, with the time is right. [laughter] >> well you know i grew up in washington, so it's a town, it's one horse town. it's government politics, and the doctor when you're born slaps you on your butt and asks you what your political affiliation is. it's just that kind of town, it's deep inside me. so it's certainly an interest of mine, the political. i studied politics in college, i didn't study acting, although there is an overlap between, certainly politics and theater. but yeah, we will see jonathan, mayb

jeffrey epstein. shaken, not stirred , james bond films have stirred, james bond films have been issued a trigger warninge warns that elements and characters in the 007 franchise could cause offence to modern day viewers . offence to modern day viewers. we'll host a detailed debate . on. these epstein files are fascinating because there's a lot in it that we already knew, or that had already been reported . but one of the names reported. but one of the names that stuck out to me, and, um, has really been a lighting certain corners of the internet . certain corners of the internet. it is that of stephen hawking . it is that of stephen hawking. >> would that be the element of the internet that creates memes ? the internet that creates memes? it might be. >> it might be. i just i mean, >> it might be. ijust i mean, maybe it's i think a lot of the memes are crass. um, but but it does seem peculiar, to say the least, that the disabled astrophysicist , um, might have astrophysicist, um, might have been involved in, in anything to do with, uh, uh, what is being alleged. yeah. well there you go. >> we're going t