MSNBC’s Ali Velshi cut through the administration’s lies and rhetoric and delivered the facts on the Iran deal that Trump appears to be allergic to uttering.
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On Velshi and Ruhle, Ali Velshi said:
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President trump has insisted Iran violated the letter and the spirit of the Iran deal. For fact’s sake, is that true? For starters, here’s what’s in the deal, and here’s what’s not. The 2015 agreement between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, does not eliminate Iran’s controversial nuclear program. Instead, Iran has agreed to eliminate 98% of its stockpile Ed uranium. They agreed to hand over 14,000 centrifuges out of a total of 20,000, used to enrich the uranium. It can keep enriching up to 3.5%, less than the Iranians said they had before doing the deal.
It is less than the 90% needed to produce a nuclear weapon. We know the Iranians complied with the provisions because Iran agreed to inspections from the energy atomic energy agency as part of the deal. On that point, even the trump administration concedes. Because the provisions expire in a few years time, president trump says Iran can sprint toward rapid nuclear weapons breakout in the future, his words. Except, Iran is banned from acquiring nuclear weapons under the deal, which is enforced, as I said, by inspections. President trump also claims the Iranians were paid up to $150 billion to sign on to the deal, including, in his words, $1.7 billion paid for by the U.S. In cash. The amounts are in dispute, but the president is talking about frozen assets held in foreign banks, which were released as part of the deal. By all accounts, the money belongs to Iran.
Trump is going to pull the US out of the Iran deal
Trump ran on pulling the US out of the Iran deal as a candidate. He bashes the deal with false information every chance he gets. Trump has now surrounded himself with advisors who are opposed to the deal. It is obvious where this is going. Trump continues to bellow that he can make a better deal, but as president Trump has yet to negotiate a single agreement that is better for the United States than what was already in place.
MSNBC shows that facts matter
The Trump White House lies at a level that has never been seen before. MSNBC as a network and Velshi and Ruhle are doing the true work of journalism by putting facts first. Journalists are supposed to report the facts and hold those in power accountable. An informed public is the best way to combat Trump’s information, and the way for the public to be better informed is to fact check our leaders.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
