News Wrap: Rubio tries to assure Congress that talks with Iran are continuing

Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/news-wrap-rubio-tries-to-assure-congress-that-talks-with-iran-are-continuing Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio In our news wrap Tuesday, Rubio made his first appearance before Congress since the Iran war began, Israeli drone strikes killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon, a Kenyan court extended its block on a proposed Ebola quarantine facility for Americans, and Trump signed an executive order asking AI companies to give the government early access to its models to assess national security risks. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Geoff Bennett: Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers today that talks indeed are continuing with Iran and that the regime has engaged as never before on the issue of its nuclear program. Marco Rubio: They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago or just a year ago they were refusing to even mention, much less enter into discussions about. Geoff Bennett: Secretary Rubio was speaking during his first appearance before Congress since the Iran war started. His assurances came despite Iran's claims that it has stopped all dialogue with the U.S. through regional mediators. Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee took aim at Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying it gives Tehran the upper hand in talks. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ): We have made our adversary in a stronger negotiating position. We are the strongest nation on the planet Earth and we're in a stalemate with Iran. And now we're begging to get back into a deal that you all trashed in the first place. Marco Rubio: We're not begging. There's no one begging. I don't know where you're getting this perception that Iran is stronger. Geoff Bennett: Rubio also said in his testimony that U.S. negotiators have seen signs that Iran's new supreme leader has been engaging with the talks, though only through intermediaries. Meantime, Israeli drone strikes killed at least 11 people in Southern Lebanon today, just one day after President Trump said Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had agreed to dial back the fighting. This hospital complex in the southern port city of Tyre was damaged in the attacks. Some of its windows were blown out and equipment was scattered on the floor, but medical staff there are vowing to carry on. Khadija Yousef, Nurse, Jabal Amel Hospital (through interpreter): We were on duty working. I heard a very loud sound, a very big explosion. I screamed from the bottom of my heart and I immediately told my colleague to go check on the patient. We were more worried about the patients than ourselves. Geoff Bennett: The strikes come as Israel and Lebanon begin a new round of direct talks at the State Department in Washington, D.C. Hezbollah has no