taxes are being affected by# the 2024 presidential race.

For all of this and more, we turn# to the analysis tonight of Brooks## and Capehart.

That's New York# Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart, associate# editor for The Washington Good to see you both, as always.

So, I want to start with your of military strikes against Iran-backed# militias in Iraq and Syria.

This r we should say, is expected to be just# the beginning of a longer response.

David, you first.

DAVID BROO We have got to do -- I think, be strong# and sh establish defense, freedom of the seas.

But you# don't want to sow chaos.

And so I think what the## administration has done is hit the Iranian-backed# militias without hitting Iran itself, which## Lindsey Graham and a lot of other Republicans,# I'm sure, will say we should have hit Iran.

I have become a little suspicious of the idea# that in the Middle East you so lve your problem, to seek some permanent# solution.

And that's what to do with Hamas.

Maybe they're right to do# it.

I think they need to defeat Hamas.

But## the idea that we can somehow defang Iran all# at once, that, to me, would probably not work.

And so this was a proportionate response.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, how do you see it?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Y But I also would add that is interesting because today# we had -- excuse me -- today,## we had the dignified transfer of the bodies# of the three American service members who were## killed.

You had the secretary of defense there# on the tarmac for this very solemn ceremony.

You had the president and the first# lady there at Dover Air Force Base## for this solemn ceremony, carried -- I# think it was carried live on television,## but it was carried in full when the# video came in.

The entire nation got## to see this.

And then the world found# out that the United States responded.

I think that that sort of timing, plus the use# of B-1 bombers in this operation, sends a very## clear signal to the region, but also to Iran# that the United States isn't messing around.

GEOFF BENNETT: And President Biden and# his top aides had been clear they don't## want a proxy war with Iran to become a# more significant c want to draw the U.S. into a wider# war in an already unstable region.

How do they head off that possibility,# when it appears to be inching closer?

DAVID BROOKS: With Goldilocks, just right.

And Iran, to be fair, has sent some# me now either.

That doesn't mean they won't# want it someday.

And so the historian Hal# Brands had a good essay in "Foreign# Affairs" over the last week or two,## which said, go back to the 1930s.# There were three regiona Japan was sweeping through China.

Germany# was obviously establishing fasc Central Europe in or Western Europe.

And then# Italy was trying to establish a fascist empire## in Africa.

And what happened over the# next few years was, those three separate## regional conflicts coalesced into one big# conflict, which we called World Wa And so what we need to prevent is that Iran,# China, and Russia will not coalesce into one## anti-liberal, completely violent moment.# And that's why I think this moment is so## fraught.

And I think it's why the Biden# administration has tried to be strong,## but temperate in the middle of it,# not to spark that kind of coalescence.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: But also keep in mind that# the strikes that have happened tonight, our time,## apparently is the beginning of a campaign that# the administration has been signaling for a while,## that this could be an ongoing campaign# that could last weeks, if not longer.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes, as one official put# it, this is the beginning of the beginning.

Let's shift our focus to domestic matters, namely,## the South Carolina primary tomorrow,# the first nominating calendar.

You might have seen that# interview with Congressman Pr esident Biden is expected to win South Carolina,## obviously.

But in what way is this a test of his# suppor DAVID BROOKS: Yes, well, and Joe Biden# won among young Black adults in 2020## 89 percent.

Now he's down to 60 percent with# young Black adults.

So that's a significant## loss.

That's a lot of people you're losing.# So he's got to somehow reestablish that.

And I was very struck in your interview with# how James Clyburn emphasized the stud issue.

And I think that really did turn a lot# of the people.

I think Gaza has tu young Black voters.

So they have got to win# them back.

And I think Clyburn put it well,## which is that you ask somebody nine# months before an election who they're## going to vote for, they're not thinking# about who they're going They're thinking, how do I send a mess a message.

When they're actually in the voting# booth and Dona it's going to be a very different decision-making## process.

So we shouldn't confuse# po GEOFF BENNETT: Do Democrats see it that way?

I# mean, because they have complained f as what they see about this disconnect# between popular policies, as they say,## popular Biden policies and the fact that# President Biden isn't getting credit for them.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Look, if there's anything# that viewers should know and understand,## if they don't know this already, to David's point# about once people get into the voting booth and they have the choice between President# Biden and Donald Trump, African American## voters are pragmatic voters, probably the most# pragmatic voters in the American electorate.

We're used to not getting everything# that we want all the time.

And yet,## when we go into the voting booth and have to# click the lever and vote for someone who we think## is going to best protect our families and our# interests, that's when the pragmatism kicks in.

I can understand people being upset about# student loan relief, what's happening in Gaza,## voting rights, criminal justice reform.# But when you're faced with an existential## threat like Donald Trump and the damage# he could do if he gets another term,## Joe Biden looks even better than he does now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk about a# couple of the legislative priori that are being affected by this# campaign, namely, the The House voted on Wednesday evening to# pass a $78 billion bipartisan tax package## that would temporarily expand the child# tax credit, restore a number of business## taxes -- business -- or, rather, tax credits# for businesses, and the vote was 357 to 70.

You would be hard-pressed to find 357 members# of Congress who agree on what day it is,## and yet you had 357 members of Congress# agree to move forward with this bill,## and yet it might not go anywhere in# the Senate, at least not anytime soon.

DAVID BROOKS: Yes.

And I understand why you# don't want to pass somebody that mig your opponent in the fall of an election year, but# So if the entire year, we're not going to pass# anything because we might want to help somebody,## that seems awfully cynical, especially at# a point when one of the issues is a child## tax credit, which is a -- which, when it# was briefly expanded under th e administration, lifted three million# children out of poverty.

That's reality.

And then we may get to it, but the other# thing that's sitting there is the -- what I## think of as the global chaos bill, where we're# helping Iran -- well, we're helping Ukrain we're helping Israel to beat Hamas, and we're# securing the southern border.

And if we're## going to tolerate global chaos for another# few years because we don't want to help our## opponent or ourselves, that's just the obscene# politicization of the legislative process.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, that seems to be the dynamic## with the immigrati Senator Chuck# Grassley, according to said the quiet part out loud, that h move forward with this bill that could be a# win for President Biden in an election year.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: What it shows is, both between# the tax bill and the immigration bill, the tax## bill coming out of the -- roaring out of the# House and being blocked in the Senate by Senator## Grassley, the immigration bill in the Senate# that no one has seen yet, and yet you have got## the speaker of the House and Donald Trump trying# to kill it before it gets out, Congress is broken.

Congress is broken.

The House# is broken.

The Senate is broken.

And really what we're seeing, to pick up on# David's point, it is sort of the -- what's## the word, metastasization of what happened# when Justice Scalia died.

President Obama## nominates Merrick Garland to be the Supreme# Court justice -- the Supreme Court nominee,## and Senator Mitch McConnell, I think he# was majority leader at the time, says,## eh -- and it was February -- no thanks.

We# should wait for the presidential election.

Look where we are now, where legislation can't## even get out of either chamber because# it would give a win to the president,## never mind the American -- real American# people who would be helped by both pieces## of legislation getting out and getting to# the president's desk for his signature.

GEOFF BENNETT: Before we wrap up,# I want to bring up the focus of## Laura Barron-Lopez's report tonight about# Taylor Swift being t talking heads suggesting that she's part of this# conspiracy to help President Biden get reelected.

What is the political utility of targeting the# most popular entertainment figure in the world?

GEOFF BENNETT: Why would Republicans# even engage in that enterprise, David?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, when Ronald Reagan was# president, the Republica purposes, to feed communism, defend# free market capitalism, and celebr an America where a wholesome pop star fell# in love with an attractive footba Like, this is as Americana as you# can imagine.

And yet what's happened## under Trump is abnormality, like, a# detachment from normal American life## into conspiracy mongering.

And then# what's also happened is, you have## this entertainment complex of hucksters# and showmen who want to genera And what's a better way to generate buzz# than attack the NFL and Taylor Swift?

GEOFF BENNETT: David?

I'm sorry.

Jonathan.

(LAUGHTER) JONATHAN CAPEHAR are being thrown around would make# I mean, this is insane.

I can't help but laugh,# to the point of crying, but then crying because## this is what's happened to one of the two# major political parties in this country,## where you have a guy who ran for president, who# ran the Republican nomination saying that this## is all part of a plot for the Chiefs to win the# Super Bowl, so that she could come out on the## field and nominate -- and endorse the president# with -- people, just pass the immigration bill.

(LAUGHTER) JONATHAN CAPEH instead of doing this hucksterism and# nonsense that's happening on the right.

GEOFF BENNETT: And not for nothing, David Brooks,# I hear you're a bit of a Taylor Swift fan.

DAVID BROOKS: I like early# Taylor better than late Taylor.

Yes, no, sometimes... (CROSSTALK) GEOF DAVID BROOKS: Well she wears short skirts.

I wear T-shirts.

(LAUGHTER) DAVID BROOKS: She's up and find that what you're waiting for has# been here the whole time But I will say, my favorite lyric# is -- I'm getting carried away here.

(LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: No, please continue.

Continue.

(CROSSTALK) GEOFF BENNETT: I DAVID BROOKS: On her last# my covert narcissism disguised as# altrui That is a great lyric.

It shows she's been# talking to Lisa Desjardins or something.

DAVID BROOKS: She knows how -- congressmen,# how their narcissism displays itself.

So I will vote for anybody# Taylor tells me to.

So... GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, do# you have a favorite lyri JONATHAN CAPEHART: I do not.

GEOF (LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: All right.

DAVID BROOKS: Thank you.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Geoff.

GEOF