earlier supporters of muqtada al-sadr stormed the presidential palace and a nationwide curfew has been imposed. ♪ anchor: this is "al jazeera" live from london. also coming up, homes lost and farmlands submerged. one third of pakistan is covered by floodwater. an iaea team arrives in ukraine to inspect the nuclear power plant that remains under russian control. hello. a political crisis in iraq has exploded into violence after muqtada al-sadr announced he was quitting front line politics. at least 20 people have been killed. the chaos has spread to the heavily fortified green zone with reports of heavy fighting between rival shiite factions. supporters earlier stormed the palace and baghdad sparking a crackdown by police. there has been quite an escalation in the last few hours. reporter: yes, indeed. it has been and still is an escalation. it is not ending. we hear gunshots and explosions also in and around the green zone. not far from where i am standing. these clashes are now continuing between the armed groups affiliated with muqtada al-sadr known as salaam brigades. and also milit

that's after supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed the presidential palace. re reported to have been injured by gunfire or by inhaling tear gas. the green zone is home to several government buildings and foreign embassies. al—sadr�*s supporters were reacting to an announcement from their leader that he was withdrawing from politics. azadeh moshiri has this report. the sound of machine guns and explosions ring out. explosion. shouting. as protesters storm this government building in iraq, leading to clashes that left several people dead and many injured. it's the worst fighting the capital has seen in years as fights broke out between rival shia militias, as well as the police, and it all started after the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr said he is resigning from politics. translation: before, - we were committed to the orders of our leader. now our master took his hand away from us, he withdrew from politics, he is letting the people take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was resigning in response to other shia leaders' failure to reform what he called a corru

street fighting is continuing in iraq between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadral—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he was withdrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the frontline near the city of kherson, which has been occupied by moscow

earlier today, supporters of the shiite cleric muqtada al-sadr stormed the presidential palace afterhe was withdrawing from politics. these pictures are from inside the palace. supporters at the pool deciding to get in. despite all this, iraqi security forces have declared a nationwide curfew, ordered all protesters to leave the green zone. here are some of the protesters. >> our demands are to dissolve parliament and to hold the corrupt to account. we say, my master, their pride is under your feet, and we will sacrifice for you. victory is ours. >> our revolution is solely an iraqi one. it is notsadrist. it is an iraqi revolution. iraq suld be returned to its people. s: this is muqtada al-sadr, whose political alliance one the most number of seats in last year's election, but they have not been able to form a government. in response to that, he asked all it is resign, which they did. not long after that, muqtada al-sadr supporters stormed the parliament building and have continued to stage a sit-down in the palace ever since. >> this election last year where his alliance one the mos

that's after supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed the presidential palace. ted to have been injured by gunfire or by inhaling tear gas. the green zone is home to several government buildings and foreign embassies. al—sadr�*s supporters were reacting to an announcement from their leader that he was withdrawing from politics. gail maclellan has this report. the sounds of battle. as protesters storm this government building in iraq, leading to clashes that left several people dead and many injured. it's the worst violence the capital has seen in years with fighting breaking out between rival shia militias, as well as the police, and it all started after the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr said he is resigning from politics. translation: before, we were committed - to the orders of our leader. now, our master took his hand away from us, he withdrew from politics, he is letting the people take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leaving in response to other shia leaders' failure to reform what he called a corrupt government. for his supporters, this was a call t

we turn to iraq where dozens were killed after powerful iraqi cleric muqtada al-sadr have -- a nasty signing. "the washington post" reports that -- "for 24 hours, loyalists of powerful cleric muqtada al-sadr transformed the country's government green zone into a front line." at least 30 people were killed and hundreds more injured. on tuesday, al-sadr gave a speech to call for the fighting to stop. meanwhile, iraqi prime minister mustafa al-kadhimi said tuesday he may vacate his post. >> and i one that from now on if they want to continue to stir up chaos, not listen to the voice of reason, i will take my moral and patriotic steps financing the vacancy of the position of prime minister at the appropriate time, according to article 81 of the iraqi. amy: the formation of a new iraqi government has been paralyzed since parliamentary elections in october, where al-sadr's sadrist movement won the most seats but failed to win an outright majority. al-sadr's supporters had occupied the iraqi parliament since late july in an effort to block lawmakers from choosing a new prime minister. foam o

street fighting is continuing in iraq between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadrat least 15 people have been killed, and heavy weapons heard around the parliament in baghdad. on monday, al—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he was withdrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the frontline near the city of kherson, which has been occupied by moscow since the early days of the invasion. it comes as ukrainian forces launch a long—awaited counter—offensive in the south of the country. now on bbc news, the travel show. each day, before the sun rises in northern chile's atacama desert, people venture up and up. across bumpy terrain to where the altitude is high enough to make you light—headed. the air is thin and even in summer, the temperatures are near freezing. so, these are one of the main draws for tourists coming here to the atacama desert. an incredible place, it is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere. and here in the andes mountains, at over 4,000 m

hundreds of supporters of the powerful iraqi cleric, muqtada al—sadr, have stormed the presidential palaceom politics. medical workers say eight people have been killed and 85 others injured in the violence. a nationwide curfew has been declared. bbc world service's middle east analyst, sebastian usher has the latest on the violence and muqtada al—sadr�*s future. he's played a political game since the election last october, in which his alliance won the most seats, and they will have seen themselves, once again, as being the power that could decide who would be the next prime minister, and that hasn't happened. usually it takes a long time in iraq after an election, but the different factions, despite all their differences, reach some kind of compromise, some kind of agreement, and that hasn't happened. what triggered, not just today, the sadrist took over parliament briefly, and they've been staging a sit in for the past few weeks, was when the other shia faction finally came together themselves, and they presented their own candidate for prime minister, and that was the moment muqtada al

street fighting is continuing in iraq between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadrat least 20 people have been killed and heavy weapons heard around the parliament in baghdad. on monday, al—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he was withdrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the front line near the city of kherson, which has been occupied by russia since the early days of the invasion. ukrainian forces have launched a long—awaited counter—offensive in the south of the country. a very good early morning to you. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. not only has ukraine been irrevocably changed by vladimir putin's military aggression, so has russia. putin has used the conflict to crack down harder on dissent and instil an ever more strident brand of nationalism that made life in moscow unbearable for my guest today. pinchas goldschmidt was chief rabbi of moscow till he fled from russia and left his post. his fate has exposed the scale

that�*s after supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed the presidential palaceto the _ translation: before we were committed to the orders i translation: before we were committed to the orders of- translation: before we were committed to the orders of ourj committed to the orders of our leader. now our master has taken his hand away from us, withdrew from politics and is letting the people take the lead. the politics and is letting the people take the lead.— politics and is letting the people take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was _ take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leading _ take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leading in _ take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leading in response l take the lead. the powerful cleric| said he was leading in response to other shear leaders�* failure to reform what he called a corrupt government. for his supporters, this was a call to arms. there are heavily armed militia pushing back against rival groups aligned with iran. they charge through baghdad�*s�*s streets, eventually breaking into

our leader muqtada al sadr is the decision maker." >> and he decided to flex his populist muscle.rs laid siege to parliament to show their rejection of the post-2003 political order. >> iraqi parliament is just a succession of corrupt parties, gangs and militias who are looking out for their followers, while the poor are struggling to survive. reporter: ironically, sadr has been part of the very system he now wants to upend. the descendant of an influential plant -- family of clerics he , first gained notoriety for fighting the american army following the 2003 invasion of iraq, but then transformed his movement into a dominant political force. his party won last october's parliamentary election. in a bid to tighten his grip over the state, he broke with the previous custom of sharing power with other shia parties, but ultimately failed to form a government. after months of fruitless negotiations, the mercurial cleric instructed his 73 members of parliament to resign thus , forfeiting his electoral victory in what some observers called a strategic mistake. now his followers are occ

street fighting is continuing in iraq between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadrat least 15 people have been killed, and heavy weapons heard around the parliament in baghdad. on monday, al—sadr�*s supporters stormed the presidential palace after their leader announced he was withdrawing from politics. ukraine says it's broken through russian defences in several sectors of the frontline near the city of kherson — which has been occupied by moscow since the early days of the invasion. it comes as ukrainian forces launch a long—awaited counter—offensive in the south of the country. now on bbc news, weather world. this time on weather world — record heat, drought and the fire that ripped through people's homes at the end of the uk's hottest day. as temperatures hit a0 celsius for the first time, i'll hear about london fire brigade�*s busiest day since world war two. and why wildfires are a growing problem. and i'm talking to the scientist whose near real—time analysis has shown how climate change has supercharged this summer's weather extremes. they'll show me a0 degr

this is muqtada al—sadr. supporters stormed the parliament building and they've continued to hold a sit—in inside the green zone in baghdad ever since. which brings us to today. sebastian usher, bbc world service middle east editor. i was watching this play out in thinking, given this man a step down from politics why are his supporters storming the presidential palace? ihe storming the presidential palace? ti9 has stepped away from politics a number of times before. quite often at elections. this election last year where his alliance wasn't the most seats, there was a lot of chewing and throwing over whether he would have his alliance stand at the end. they did. i think the fact that he says in his words it's his final retirement. i think a lot of people both supporters and others in iraq would not feel this is the end in any sense of his engagement and politics, it may be another strategic move. we don't know this for sure but it kind of looks that way. almost immediately after he made that announcement his

it all started when the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr announced that he was resigning from politics. politics, he is letting the people take the lead. the powerful cleric said he was leaving in response to other shia leaders' failure to reform what he called "a corrupt government." shouting. for his supporters, this was a call to arms. they're a heavily armed militia pushing back against rival shia groups aligned with iran. they charged through baghdad's streets, eventually breaking into this government building, known as the republican palace, even making use of the government pool. outside of baghdad, supporters burned tires and rode through smoke in southern provinces. before these clashes, iraq was already at a standstill. despite muqtada al—sadr�*s political alliance winning the most seats in last year's election, politicians were unable to form a government, leading to a total deadlock, so his supporters camped outside parliament for weeks. translation: the people are sick of political parties _ and this situation. they're sick of not having any services or right living conditi

the clash erupted yesterday after muqtada al-sadr announced his withdrawing from politics.security forces pushes supporters out of the palace by firing tear gas and live bullets. officials say at least 30 people were killed and dozens more hurt. in a televised address this morning, muqtada al-sadr apologized to the iraqi people for the bloodshed. iraq's military announced airlifting a nationwide curfew. >>> the u.s. military has floating drones sailing around the persian gulf. i ran tried to catch capture one of them overnight according to the pentagon. in this video. the u.s. navy real release it of an iranian naval ship telling an american sale drone. that's what you are seeing there. the pentagon tells nbc news the un-crude vessel was in international waters. the officials say the iranians let the drone go after a u.s. navy patrol ship confronted them and set out to cut the towline. we are told the line has sensors, raiders, and cameras but that is not store any classified or sensitive information. >>> the united nations appealing for $160 million in emergency aid to hel

there was no one as enigmatic as muqtada al sadr, explain who he is?> you're right, john, that's how the middle east got turned upside down on its head during that time period, calling for attacks on military. as you can see, ben laid out exactly the chaos there in baghdad. he is able to say, because they were a deadlock essentially as ben laid out, he was like, fine, you want to take over the country, you do it, i'm removing myself. i don't buy that he's removing. he's done this in the past. he's come back particularly around election times and re-emerges. he spent two decades when he was just rising up, we were both on ground in iraq. he spent two decades leading his followers, i don't see him completely leaving. i want to show you a map of iraq, ben laid out the civil war. down here in basra, this is where 80% of the oil comes out. why this is so important, people are watching this, the oil, when we're talking about the situation in russia and ukraine, many of the gulf region saying they're tapped out. they weren't produce more. they were hoping ira

the violence comes after hundreds of supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed thean announcement from their leader that he was withdrawing from politics. as you can see here, protesters are taking over the swimming pool. earlier, iraqi security forces declared nationwide curfew and ordered all protesters to leave the green zone. let's hear from some of the protesters. translation: our demands are to dissolve parliament i and to hold the corrupt to account, and we say, my master, moqtada al—sadr, their pride is under yourfeet, and we will sacrifice for you. victory is ours. translation: our revolution is solely an iraqi one. - it is not sadrist nor tishreen. this is an iraqi revolution. iraq should be returned to its people. a judge is due to deliver the verdict in the murder trial of a former australian school teacher accused of killing his wife in the 1980s. chris dawson's lawyers tried to get the case thrown out, arguing his right to a fair trial had been risked by a podcast called the teacher's pet, which had close to 30 million downloads. i'm joined now by our

for calm in iraq as clashes continue between security forces and supporters of the shia cleric muqtada al—sadr

the violence comes after hundreds of supporters of the powerful shia cleric muqtada al—sadr stormed theent from their leader that he was withdrawing from politics. as you can see here, protesters are taking over the swimming pool. earlier, iraqi security forces declared nationwide curfew and ordered all protesters to leave the green zone. let's hear from some of the protesters. translation: our demands are to dissolve parliament i and to hold the corrupt to account and we say, my master, their pride is under yourfeet, and we will sacrifice for you. victory is ours. translation: our revolution is solely an iraqi one. - it is not sadrist nor tishreen. this is an iraqi revolution. iraq should be returned to its people. russia will start some military exercises with china. it's the second time this year that russia and china have engaged in a joint military drill. the military drills will run for a week and include a number of other nations including india, belarus and mongolia. it's the second time this year that russia and china have been engaged injoint military drills. earlier on the pr

overseas tonight and to iraq now, political chaos in iraq after the influential shiite cleric muqtada al sadr announced his resignation. his supporters taking to the streets and clashing with security forces in baghdad's fortified green zone, home to government buildings and the u.s. embassy. at least 12 people were killed. protesters also storming the presidential palace, once saddam hussein's home, swimming right there in the palace pool. >>> and overseas in pakistan tonight, the catastrophic flooding. weeks of extreme monsoon rains have now killed more than 1,100 people. nearly half a million are homeless and crowded into camps. and look at these at lite images tonight. the indus river four months ago, and the same view now. homes and fields under water. aid is beginning to reach the most in need, but we're told the rains are forecast to return there. >>> when we come back here on this monday night, the dire predictions from climate scientists tonight about sea levels around the world. the eye-opening prediction. >>> and later here, going to the movies here in the u.s. for just $3. so, whe

. - at least 20 people have died in violence overnight, in the iraqi capital, baghdad. cleric muqtada al—sadrr of murder in a case that was the subject of a popular true crime podcast. chris dawson, who's 7a, had denied killing his wife lynette, who vanished from their home on sydney's northern beaches in 1982. phil mercer takes up the story. for a0 years, chris dawson had evaded justice — until today, being found guilty of murder here at the new south wales supreme court in sydney. the judge has demolished the defence's argument that chris dawson wasn't responsible for his wife's murder, justice ian harrison saying that although wholly circumstantial, the case against him was compelling and persuasive. christopher michael dawson, on the charge that on or about 8th of january 1982 at bayview or elsewhere in the state of new south wales you did murder lynette dawson, ifind you guilty. you may sit down. as for lynette dawson's family, they'd be relieved, of course, at the guilty verdict, but for them, questions remained. how and where was she killed, and where is her body? a critical part of th

in iraq, hundreds of supporters of the powerful shiite cleric muqtada al-sadr continue to occupy the parliament, protesting efforts led by al-sadr's pro-iran rivals to form a new government. al-sadr supporters have declared an open-ended sit-in at parliament until their demands are answered. meanwhile thousands of al-sadr opponents held a counter protest monday and were met with police using water cannons. at least 125 people have been injured in the unrest. the formation of a new government has been stalled since the parliament election was held last october, where al-sadr's sadrist movement won the most seats. back in the united states, voters head to the polls today for primary elections in arizona, kansas, michigan, missouri, and washington. in arizona, several republicans who have denied joe biden's 2020 presidential election victory are competing to become secretary of state the official who oversees elections. they include trump-endorsed state representative mark finchem, who sought to overturn trump's 2020 loss, and state lawmaker shawnna bolick, who sponsored a bill to allow

we don't know what back room deals were made between muqtada al sadr and his rorivals.ben wedeman, appreciate the update. >>> the justice department facing a deadline as a legal battle over records seized from donald trump's home heats up. those details next. d holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now get relief without a pill with tylenol dissolve packs. relief without the water. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. so we need something super distinctive... dad's work, meet daughter's playtime. thankfully, meta portal auto pans and zooms to keep you in frame. and the meeting on track. meta portal. the smart video calling device that makes work from home work for you. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. ne

baghdad as fighting continues between supporters and opponents of the powerful shiite cleric muqtada al-sadrthe violence came after he claimed he would be quitting pilot six. iraqi security forces iran-backed militias and , supporters of al-sadr clashed in baghdad's heavily fortified green zone -- an area that houses foreign embassies and government buildings -- following al-sadr's announcement he's quitting politics. >> before we were committed to the orders of al-sadr. he is letting the people take the lead in their own revolution. we are ready to die. we have nothing to lose. am the formation of a new iraqi government has been paralyzed since parliamentary elections in october, where al-sadr's sadrist movement won the most seats but has faced failed to win a majority. al-sadr's supporters had occupied the iraqi parliament since late july in an effort to block lawmakers from choosing a new prime minister. pakistan's government has launed a maj appeal after monsoon rains fuel by the climate crisis swept away homes and bridges, destroy crops, splaced tens of millions of people, killed over 1

the crowds were opposing supporters of the anti-iran cleric muqtada al-sadr, who seized the parliamentg on saturday. a special disciplinary officer today suspended pro football star deshaun watson for six games, more than two dozen women accused the cleveland browns quarterback of sexual harassment and assault when he played for the houston texans. to grand jury declined to indict him and recently settled 23 of 24 civil lawsuits. we will return to this later in the program. investigators in arizona's attorney general's office reviewing findings from the republican-led audit of the 2020 election found only one ballot cast by a dead boater. the widely degraded -- discredited partisan review had alleged more than 280 such dead voters. california governor gavin newsom declared a state of emergency to support the states response to monkeypox. the declaration will help california seek additional vaccines from the federal government develop outreach and education on accessing treatment. and in california's central valley today, leasing for new oil and gas ruling was temporarily blocked on fed

in iraq, shiite cleric muqtada al-sadr again announced he's resigning from politics, triggering violencet killed 15 of his supporters. crowds stormed the government palace and battled security forces. later, followed a rival militia. at least 15 protesters were wounded, in addition to those killed. al-sadr's party won the most seats in elections last october, but efforts to form a government have failed. back in this country, a judge in georgia ordered republican governor brian kemp to testify before a special grand jury on the 2020 election. the panel is probing alleged attempts by then-president trump to alter the results. the judge did rule that kemp will not have to appear until after the november 8th elections, when he's nning for a second term. nasa's goal of returning to the moon hit a new delay today after last-minute problems scrubbed an unmanned test launch. a crowd waited as the sun rose behind the "artemis" rocket at cape canaveral, florida, but hydrogen fuel leaks and an engine problem halted the effort. nasa administrator bill nelson took the setback in stride. >> this is j

the crowds were opposing supporters of the anti-iran cleric muqtada al-sadr, who seized the parliamentg on saturday. back in this country, president biden is still isolating after his case of covid-19 rebounded on saturday. his physician says the president tested positive again today, but is feeling well. a small percentage of patients who have taken the anti-viral drug paxlovid as the president did have rebound cases. a special disciplinary officer today suspended pro football star deshaun watson for 6 games. more than two dozen women accused the cleveland browns quarterback of sual harassment and assault whene played for the houston texans. two grand juries declined to indict him, and he recently settled 23 of 24 cil lawsuits. we'll return to this, later in the program. and on wall street, stocks started the week with fractional losses. the dow jones industrial average dropped 46 points to close at 32,000 798. the nasdaq fell 21 points. the s&p 500 slipped 11. still to come on the newshour, senator jon tester discusses roadblocks to legislation that wod help veterans exposed to toxic

amna: in iraq shi-ite cleric , muqtada al-sadr again announced he's resigning from politics, triggeringlence that killed 15 of his supporters. crowds stormed the government palace and battled security forces, and later, fought a rival militia. at least 15 protesters were wounded, in addition to those killed. al-sadr's party won the most seats in elections last october, but efforts to form a government have failed. back in this country, more than 375,000 people in michigan are without power tonight after a series of severe storm swept across the state in northern ohio. a woman died tonight in toledo ohio when she was crushed by a falling tree. judge in georgia ordered republican governor ryan came to testify before a special grand jury in the 2020 election. the panel is probing alleged attempts then president trump to alter the results. the judge did rule that kim will not have to appear until after the november 8 elections when he is running for a second term. nasa's goal of returni to the moon hit a new delay after last-minute problems scrubbed and unmanned test launch. a crowd waited

in response, back injune, muqtada al—sadr asked all of his mps to resign — which they did. rigades, militias supported by iran and members of the iraqi security forces. here's bbc arabic�*s sajad jiyad. moqtada al—sadr comes from the sadr family, who have a rich history in iraq. his father—in—law was involved in setting up the political establishment that we have. he was executed under the regime. his father was assassinated in 1999 because, again, he was active. he... has participated in every government form since the fall of iraq, and he felt he should've had the right, due to the fact he won a majority of seats in parliament, to form a government without his opponents and rivals. he has been pressured by that and has therefore called his supporters to protest against that. unfortunately, it has turned to violence. that is what he is calling them back now. —— why he has called them back now. —— why he has called them back. to understand what's going on, it's important understand the wider context of the middle east, much of which is divided between the two main branches o

the supporters of cleric muqtada al sadr are staging a sit in to demonstrate against corruption and outside. iraq remains without a president or prime minister, and it's been almost 10 months since the october elections that promised a new start for the iraqi people. politicians are yet to form a coalition government around the results as civilians get impatient. demands are simple, ending corruption for me, truths and in class differences created by people who came from a board . we will not retreat until we end corruption. we will not retreat until we achieve our demands. last week, a similar group of demonstrators stormed the parliament and baghdad's green zone. they carried the same message calling for an end to outside influence, specifically that of iran. iranian influence has greatly affected the iraqi people and these protesters stand firm in opposition to an iranian backed shia bloc that could decide the next iraqi leadership. caretaker prime minister mustafa al kady me is urging calm amid concerns that the demonstrations could escalate into heavier clashes. another it is a very di

the country enter baghdad in response to the actions of supporters of the shiite politician muqtada, al-sadr quarter and broke into the so-called green zone of the hundreds, the protesters stormed the headquarters there were skirmishes with security guards in the building, and no casualties were reported, the protesters were already swimming in the pool, the reason for the aggravation was the garden’s statement about its complete withdrawal from politics and its closure, and i remind you of the political movement in october last year, the asadra party won parliamentary elections. but she was not able to form a government in june, supporters and mother refused deputy mandates and unsuccessfully tried to achieve the dissolution of parliament in early august, protesters held the legislative assembly building for more than a week and vacated it after a promise. no, the current government to go to the dialogue. the launch of the nasos rocket by the unmanned spacecraft orion clone was canceled due to technical problems. it was originally planned that the sls device will launch today from the john

violent clashing gripping baghdad after the cleric said he was leaving the government muqtada al sadr. clashes with security fources the nationwide curfew has been announced. the u.n. mission for iraq said the very survival of the state is at stake. we will talk more about this, a developing story, and impact on the oil markets with brian sullivan at 6:30 a.m. eastern. we saw a lot of the cable networks yesterday or this week, melissa, were looking back at the afghanistan pullout. it's just a little strange we lost afghanistan and now the instability and replay of that in the two wars that just tore us apart for years and years we lost so many guys and gals and everything else. now you wonder about iraq. i guess. >>> in other energy news -- that is a big part what have we're talking about. dutch gas prices plunged 20% yesterday. the steepest drop since march. the decline brought prices down from levels last week. germany said yesterday the gas storage facilities are reaching capacity faster than expected. >>> president biden will deliver a primetime speech as he campaigns ahead of the

the raging after influential shiite cleric you know him muqtada al-sadr decided he does not want to be the president to run for his life. congressional candidate got the republican nomination certain to win wesley hunt. wesley, your reaction to the unrest in afghanistan in iraq al-sadr once our chief enemy is the least bad alternative and he just said i quit politics what do we make of this. >> this is the case of the enemy and my enemy now becomes my friend. weakness that we see from the biden administration invites war but strength deters war and this is the weakest president that we have seen in my lifetime. weakest president we have seen in modern history. i flew 55 combat missions in baghdad in 2006. i flew over sad der cities multiple times. i understand what service and sacrifice means for us. no one's service should ever be taken for granted and put in vain. we have a current president welcomed. world understands watching now just stormed and took it over. keep in mind. the iraqis are pushing back against the iranians what are we about to do for iran? alleviate all the sanction