This is a rush transcript of ‘Fox News Sunday’ on March 17, 2024. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: I’m Shannon Bream.
A growing divide on Capitol Hill and inside the White House as the Israel- Hamas War grinds on without a clear path to peace and escalating rhetoric.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Nobody expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The Democratic Party doesn’t have an anti- Bibi problem. It has an anti-Israel problem.
BREAM (voice-over): As the U.S. prepares to build a temporary port to supply critical aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, Israel plans a significant offensive on the last major Hamas stronghold in Rafah.
Plus, hundreds of Americans, maybe more, potentially trapped in Haiti as a violent rebellion rises, taking the country to the brink of collapse.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The urgency of the support for Haitians has increased.
BREAM: The turmoil sparking fears of another mass migration into the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The United States of America, we’ve got our own border crisis going on right now and I think this would only make it worse.
BREAM: From Haiti to the Middle East to Ukraine, we’ll discuss America’s interests on the world stage with the president’s top national security spokesman, John Kirby.
Plus, an exclusive interview with the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Texas Republican Michael McCaul.
Then —
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The yeas are 352, the nays are 65.
BREAM: The House passes a high-stakes bill calling on the owners of TikTok to break their ties with China, as outrage boils from legions of American users of the social media app.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want President Biden and all the politicians to know this will heavily influence on how I vote.
BREAM: And —
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have these two low lives trying to take down a president of the United States.
BREAM: President Trump back out on the campaign trail as the lead prosecutor in the former President’s Georgia election interference case Fani Willis stays in place after the special prosecutor she was having a romantic relationship with steps down..
Our Sunday panel joins us to break down the legal battles in the middle of the race for 2024.
All right now on “FOX News Sunday”.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BREAM (on camera): Hello from FOX News in Washington. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
We begin with some headlines out of Haiti where the Caribbean country has been rocked by gang violence and the prime minister has resigned, leaving no clear leader in place. The U.S. State Department has announced a charter flight for Americans with valid passports who’ve been stranded since the unrest began, but warns it could be a very dangerous time getting to that flight area.
Over a million Haitians are now on the verge of famine as food supplies are running out. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says most of the nine people who will sit on Haiti’s transitional council have been named, hoping that that will help bring an end to the chaos.
In a moment, we’ll talk live with White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby, but first, Bryan Llenas is on the Dominican Republic border there with Haiti.
Hello, Bryan.
BRYAN LLENAS, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Shannon, after initially saying that they — they would not evacuate Americans that were trapped in Haiti, the U.S. State Department on Saturday said it had secured a charter flight for a limited number of Americans from Cap-Haitien, a five-and-a-half-hour drive through gang control territory from the capital of Port-au-Prince. The U.S. warns Americans to travel at their own risk while they work to secure other evacuation options from the capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our families are scared. They just want us home.
LLENAS (voice-over): Inside Haiti, trapped Americans feel abandoned by the U.S.
LYNN JOSEPH, MISSION OF GRACE FOUNDER: We believe in our government they can do better, than leaving a struggling Haiti right now. This is not America.
LLENAS: Nine Americans for the organization Mission of Grace are stuck in southwest Haiti after evacuating 300 orphan Haitian children from a gang- controlled area.
Gangs in Haiti threaten civil war and genocide. An estimated 80 percent of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince is controlled by gangs who have burned down hundreds of buildings and openly shoot and kill people in the streets.
BRYAN STERN, PROJECT DYNAMO FOUNDER: A lot of the gang members are just kids that are excited to be shooting at stuff. They’re trigger happy. They’re crazy.
LLENAS: Bryan Stern says his nonprofit Project Dynamo is working to rescue three dozen Americans from Haiti before an international police force led by Kenya enters the nation potentially jump-starting more violence.
STERN: The gang side are going to need leverage. They’re not able to fight them face to face and nose to nose. They’re going to need leverage.
And when that happens, almost always that equates to kidnappings and hostages.
LLENAS: Aid groups say 1.4 million Haitians are on the verge of famine.
When merchants go out into the streets looking for money to feed our children and wives, we find nothing. Thousands of Haitians weekly cross over the border into Dajabon, Dominican Republic, to buy necessities.
The mayor says the D.R. is doing all it can.
I feel like the international community has turned their backs on Haiti, but perhaps they’ve just grown tired because how many chances have we given the Haitian people?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LLENAS (on camera): The D.R., Texas and Florida are preparing for potential mass exodus of Haitian migrants. Governor Ron DeSantis deploying more than 250 additional officers and soldiers and more than a dozen air and sea craft to Florida’s southern coast and the Keys — Shannon.
BREAM: Bryan Llenas on the Dominican Republic border with Haiti, thank you very much, Bryan.
We turn now to Lucas Tomlinson over at the White House.
Okay, Lucas, let’s start with campaign 2024. Both President Biden and former President Trump making the case now officially for a second term.
LUCAS TOMLINSON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That’s right, Shannon. Good morning.
President Biden speaking at the annual Gridiron Dinner here in Washington, joking about his age and stamina and Donald Trump holding a rally in Ohio focusing on the economy and taking shots at Biden. But it was a floor speech by the Senate majority leader about Israel that still reverberates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHUMER: A new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.
TOMLINSON (voice-over): President Biden appeared to endorse the speech and says he was given a heads-up.
REPORTER: Mr. President, do you agree with Chuck Schumer that Netanyahu should go?
TOMLINSON: Biden on a campaign stop in Michigan where over a 100,000 people voted uncommitted in the primary. It’s a state he narrowly won in 2020, and where Donald Trump won four years earlier.
TRUMP: The Democrats are very bad for Israel. Israel sticks with them. Biden is so bad for Israel. They should have never been attacked.
TOMLINSON: Benny Gantz, a rival of Israel’s prime minister, responded to Schumer saying: Israel is a robust democracy and only its citizens will decide its future and leadership.
Israel’s war in Hamas not the only foreign policy challenge Biden faces in the region. Iran’s proxy forces in Yemen continue its attacks on commercial shipping, sinking one recently despite two months of near-daily strikes by the U.S. Navy. G7 leaders warning Iran not to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia, which would be used against Ukraine.
This weekend, Russia is holding presidential elections. The result is not in doubt, despite voter protests including setting fire to polling places and tampering with ballot boxes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TOMLINSON (on camera): Vladimir Putin first rose to power nearly a quarter century ago when Bill Clinton was here as president. Only Joseph Stalin has ruled Russia longer — Shannon.
BREAM: All right. Lucas Tomlinson at the White House — thank you very much, Lucas.
Joining us now, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby.
Admiral, welcome back to “FOX News Sunday”.
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Thanks. Good to be with you, Shannon.
BREAM: Okay. So that speech that Chuck Schumer gave on Thursday, he lumped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in with Hamas as one of the obstacles to peace. He called for new elections there.
He said people within the government who oppose a Palestinian state are bigots, and I can only assume he means not only the prime minister, but Benny Gantz and others as well.
Then, our president said this about the speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER (through translator): To our friends in the international community, I say, is your memory so short? So quickly, you forgot about October 7th, the worst massacre committed against Jews since the Holocaust? So quickly, you are ready to deny Israel’s right to defend itself against the monsters of Hamas?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: Clearly not our president.
But what our president said is he thought that was a good speech and that he spoke for a lot of people.
That is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s reaction this morning saying —
KIRBY: Right.
BREAM: — have you already forgotten?
Does the president think that Benjamin Netanyahu is a bigot, that he’s an impediment to peace, that he should be lumped in with Hamas?
KIRBY: These are two men — leaders that have known each other a long time, Shannon, and they don’t agree on everything, haven’t over 40 years. And there are certain aspects to the prosecution of operations in Gaza where we obviously don’t agree with everything that Israel has done.
But they have a relationship where they can talk to one another. And they do and they will again.
He is the prime minister of Israel, and we respect the sovereignty of the Israeli people.
BREAM: But does the president who called that speech a good speech agree there need to be new elections, that he shouldn’t be the prime minister?
KIRBY: The president believes it’s up to the Israeli people and the Israeli government to determine if and when there’s going to be new elections. But he does — as he said shortly after leader Schumer’s very passionate speech — he recognizes that the leader was speaking for a lot of Americans who feel the same way about the way the war is going.
We also have concerns about some of the operations and how they’re being conducted. We need to make sure that civilians are protected and secured, that civilian casualties come down that more trucks and assistants get in and, of course, we’re still working on that temporary ceasefire to get all those hostages out.
BREAM: Okay. So, the president also said this week that there would be a red line. He would consider Israel crossing if they went ahead with this invasion into Rafah, which they say they’re going to do. I know there’s been some quantifying of that saying if there is an escape route for civilians, that’s part of the issue.
But if you consider that Israel is crossing a red line, what does that then mean? Do we pull aid? Do we pull weapons?
KIRBY: Yeah.
BREAM: What does the president mean on the other side of that red line?
KIRBY: I don’t want to get ahead of where we are right now, or engage in hypothetical, Shannon. What the president —
BREAM: But he did say that.
KIRBY: Absolutely he did and he’s — what he’s talking about is what we’ve been saying now for a while.
We understand the need to go after Hamas. We understand that there are Hamas brigades in Rafah, and certainly represent a viable threat to Israel and to the Israeli people.
But what we said is we will not support, cannot support an operation in Rafah that doesn’t have an executable, verifiable, achievable plan to take care of the 1.5 million people that are trying to find refuge in Rafah, people by the way that were pushed into Rafah from Khan Younis a few weeks ago, and even further north from — in Gaza City when the operations were there. They have to be accounted for.
Now, the Israelis will tell you they’ve got a plan for that. The evacuation, they call it humanitarian islands. And we welcome any credible plan to take care of them, but we haven’t seen it yet.
BREAM: Have you seen that?
KIRBY: We haven’t seen it yet.
BREAM: Do you expect to get one before the offensive starts?
KIRBY: We would certainly welcome the opportunity to get a look at what their plans are before they move into Rafah. And I think it’s important for your viewers to understand they have not done that yet. They have not moved into Rafah.
BREAM: Right. Correct. Okay, they say it could take a matter of weeks, that it could commence sooner rather than later. That’s coming from the prime minister this morning.
There’s also this issue of the pier that we’re trying to build in Gaza —
KIRBY: Yeah.
BREAM: — to get aid in. Pentagon says about a thousand U.S. troops could be involved with that.
The question is, as we’ve said, no U.S. troops will go into Gaza. That’s mighty close and so there are questions about their safety and also what happens to the aid once it gets unloaded.
KIRBY: Yeah.
BREAM: Here’s Senator Marco Rubio worried about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): The only people on the ground with any organization to distribute things are Hamas. So in essence, can they guarantee that we’re going to go through all this trouble, put American lives on the line just so aid can be distributed to Hamas, who in turn will then control it like they’ve controlled everything?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: So what are the guarantees that the U.S. troops don’t get involved, and that Hamas doesn’t take everything that unloads off that pier?
KIRBY: Well, in all fairness and with respect to the senator, Hamas isn’t the only group distributing aid. There are many aid organizations on the ground that — that are helping with the distribution of food, water, medicine.
BREAM: But fair to say they get their hands on things.
KIRBY: We have been watching this very closely and we haven’t seen evidence that Hamas has pilfered off a lot of the humanitarian assistance in a nefarious way. Doesn’t — nobody’s making excuses for them or what they’ve done to Gaza and the Gazan people and how they put the Gazan people at risk, or how they certainly put the Israeli people at risk. Not at all. But there are other organizations that are doing that.
I would tell you, we’re still working out the details of exactly how the pier is going to operate, the modalities of it, and how the assistance is going to get from the temporary pier, this offshore pier, to the beach.
Obviously, we’re still going to need ground transportation and we’re working — we’re working our way through that right now.
BREAM: I want to get to another hotspot internationally. The U.S. signed on to a warning to Iran this week about ballistic missiles and armaments flowing from Iran into Russia.
KIRBY: That’s right.
BREAM: And its efforts against Ukraine as we get word this morning that Russians say that they’ve taken another key area in Ukraine, a small area in the Zaporizhzhia region.
So, it’s a difficult stalemate at best there. Now, Iran playing into this.
Talk of more sanctions there, but there are a couple of authors with a new book out talking about how sanctions actually work in Iran. They say that rather than hurting the Iranian regime leaders, sanctions have strengthened the Iranian state and military, and ended up hurting the exact people they’re supposed to be helping.
KIRBY: We are working really hard to make sure that the sanctions don’t hurt the Iranian people. And one of the things that we talked about earlier this week was yet another — an update or a renewal of the sanctions relief package that allows Iraq for instance to get electricity from Iran because the Iraqi people are still dependent on Iran for energy and —
BREAM: And plenty of critics of that, but we won’t go down that —
(CROSSTALK)
KIRBY: I understand that, but what the point I’m trying to make is that that the — that sanctions relief doesn’t go to the mullahs. It doesn’t go to the regime. It does go to the Iranian people.
So we are working hard to make sure that as we employ economic measures against the regime, that we’re not punishing the Iranian people. We don’t have a beef with the Iranian people.
It is with the IRGC. It is with the supreme leader. It’s with the mullahs who continue to fund and support and resource terrorist groups throughout the region.
BREAM: So, to give a little bit more information, a Russian defense ministry is claiming that they have captured the village of Mirne in the Zaporizhzhia region.
KIRBY: Yeah.
BREAM: This follows news just weeks ago another area that was reclaimed by Russia.
KIRBY: Avdiivka, yeah.
BREAM: So where are we?
KIRBY: So, you know, you called it a stalemate a little bit ago, and I think I’d push back on that. What we’re seeing the Russians do, they got Avdiivka in the Donbas, and most of their effort has been in the east, the Donbas area. You talked about this town in Zaporizhzhia, which is clearly more to the south. But they are pushing west from Avdiivka.
The Ukrainians have about three lines of defense. The Russians are pushing up against that first one and trying to get to that second one. They’re taking small towns and villages and farmland, not so much because it’s strategically valuable, but because they want to show wins, particularly now with the election this weekend. They want to show that they’re on the move. But they are physically on the move, slowly, but they are. Because the Ukrainians don’t have the artillery ammunition and the other capabilities they need to push back on the Russians and to take that ground back. That’s why it’s so critical, Shannon, that we get this supplemental funding.
The Ukrainian commanders on the battlefield are literally making life and death decisions about whether they will fire back or won’t, whether they’ll move back because they’re running out of ammunition. Not courage, not leadership, not skill. They’re running out of ammunition.
BREAM: So we’re going to talk to Congressman McCaul up next about that and about what’s potentially coming out of the House. But just very quickly, would the White House sign off on standalone measures, say, just aid for Ukraine, just aid for Israel?
KIRBY: I don’t want to get ahead of the President and his decision-making process, but we want that supplemental funding for Ukraine. They desperately need it. Time is not on their side. It’s not on our side either.
BREAM: All right. Admiral, always good to see you. And Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
KIRBY: You too, ma’am.
BREAM: Good to see you.
KIRBY: You too.
BREAM: All right. Up next, we’re going to take you live to Israel to get the very latest on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plans for that ground invasion in that southern Gaza City of Rafah, as some Democrats say, they want to put conditions on further aid or weapons to our ally.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Texas Republican Michael McCaul joins us exclusively. He’s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BREAM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans for a ground invasion into the city of Rafah in southern Gaza despite objections by the U.S. Netanyahu making the announcement Friday, saying the plans do include details for evacuating civilians from Rafah, although, as you heard Admiral Kirby say, we haven’t seen them yet.
Fox News Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst is live from Tel Aviv with the very latest from there. Hello, Trey.
TREY YINGST, FOX NEWS FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Shannon, good morning. Amid political disagreements about next steps in the war, both the Israelis and the Americans agree more aid must make it into Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YINGST: In the dark of night, a crane unloads pallets of food from a ship docked on the coast of Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have that permission from the State of Israel.
YINGST: The supplies are the first sea delivery of aid to the enclave since the war began.
ALI ABU REESH, DISPLACED GAZAN: Look at the people, they are all over the food, and they can’t have anything.
YINGST: This weekend also saw more support dropped from the air in a coordinated effort by the American and Jordanian militaries. And while there are clear agreements on the need for humanitarian aid, there is a growing rift between the Americans and Israelis about how to proceed with military operations.
What started as a spat between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden over plans to enter Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah has turned into much more with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday calling for elections in Israel.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way.
YINGST: Netanyahu has remained defiant, even in the face of anti-government protests in Tel Aviv Saturday and concerns from international organizations about the consequences of operating in Rafah.
STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESMAN FOR UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL: I think the consequences of a ground operation in Rafah in the current circumstances would be catastrophic for the people of Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YINGST: With the Israeli Prime Minister juggling the politics of the war, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a special meeting overnight to discuss the return of hostages from Gaza. Shannon.
BREAM: Trey Yingst, the priority remains there. Live in Israel, Trey, thank you.
Joining me now, House Foreign Affairs Chair and Texas Congressman Michael McCaul. Good to see you. Welcome back.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): Thanks for having me, Shannon.
BREAM: Let me first start by getting your reaction to that Chuck Schumer speech saying time for new elections, Bibi standing in the way of peace, slumping him in with Hamas. What do you make of that? You heard what Admiral Kirby had to say. The Biden and Bibi have differences, but they can talk to each other.
MCCAUL: But you don’t talk about toppling a government in a democracy. That’s — you know, I was with the Ambassador Herzog from Israel at our retreat when this news came in and it was very inappropriate. I think it was embarrassing.
You know, there’s a way to talk about your differences, not to topple a government in a democratic country. And I think, Shannon, it’s indicative of how the split in the Democratic Party between the base, which is not in the traditional Israeli alliance anymore. And I think what you’re seeing is a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel faction in the Democratic Party.
I know they protest Schumer outside his home every morning. Perhaps that’s why he’s responding this way. But it’s not a good sign because usually Israel’s always been bipartisan.
BREAM: Well, there are, you know, your Democratic colleagues, many of them raising questions about whether aid or weapons should be stopped. There should be conditions on what flows into Israel. And the President talked about this red line with regard to Rafah. We do have a lot of sway over Israel. So how much of that should we be using to make sure there is a concrete plan to protect civilians in Rafah?
MCCAUL: Well, the aid has been more complicated because UNRWA, the U.N. refugee, you know, they were actually involved in the invasion of Israel. So how can we have them deliver aid in Gaza? There’s no trust there.
So Israel is now getting private contractors to move the aid. And we have the World Food Program, Catholic Relief Services, many NGOs that can deliver the aid if given the right security. And I think we need to look at that model moving forward.
BREAM: But should we be continuing to warn Israel that there could be limits on what we send or give if they proceed with this Rafah invasion?
MCCAUL: My understanding, it’s not going to be invasion. It’s going to be a continuation of targeting high-valued targets in Rafah. They’ve taken out half the leadership of Hamas.
Once they take out, you know, the top leadership, including this Yahya Sinwar guy who’s starting to bomb Jerusalem during Ramadan, that is when you’ll see a turning point. I don’t see anything wrong with doing that. High-valued targets in Rafah, not a full-fledged tanks rolling into Rafah.
BREAM: OK. So let’s talk about all of the funding that is sitting there in the supplemental, some of it for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, other priorities. You heard Admiral Kirby saying they want the full package.
But there are other things being floated, possible standalone measures, possible loans or lend-lease, the things that are potentially coming out of the House. The White House has signaled it really doesn’t have any interest in. So what can the House pass that the President would actually sign?
MCCAUL: Well, the Speaker indicated he’s committed to getting this done. You know, I’ve been working with the appropriate authorizers and appropriators. There are things we can do to make this bill better.
For instance, The REPO Act, which I passed out of my committee, allows us to attach to the Russian sovereign assets have been frozen to help pay for Russia’s war crimes. I think most Americans agree with that concept.
Also, the loan program to provide for the direct government assistance to Ukraine. It’s non — you know, no interest, waivable, but it’s symbolic that it is a loan program.
Finally, a strategy. And we’ve got to put these ATACMS in, the long-range artillery to hit the bridge between Russia and Crimea.
BREAM: So do you think there’s a chance still this comes through as a package? There is still a chance that what the Senate has put into the House’s court could come back out as a package? Or do you think it is going to be potentially broken up into other measures?
MCCAUL: Well, I think we are moving through our normal appropriations process. Should be done by this Friday. After which the Speaker’s indicated he’s committed to putting this supplement on the floor. That would be Israel. And we should attach Iran sanctions to that. That would be Ukraine and also Indo-Pacific.
BREAM: Do you think we get this all done by Friday? Because if not, it’s government shutdown time.
MCCAUL: I do —
BREAM: And there’s real concern, especially about the Department of Homeland Security portion of this and whether that gets passed. Do you think they all get done by Friday?
MCCAUL: I’m hopeful. I do think we will. The homeland piece, a little dicey. Last resort, maybe a CR.
BREAM: Just for that?
MCCAUL: We could continue homeland on that basis. However, we will get that done. And we will move to the supplemental.
BREAM: OK, I want to talk to you about Haiti because we are watching this violent, terrible situation, deadly there, unfolding. Democrats are pointing the finger at Republicans over some of this. The Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, over in the House, wrote a letter to the Speaker this week.
By the way, he name-checked you in the letter. And he says this. The situation on the ground in Haiti has rapidly deteriorated while House Republicans have refused to deliver the resources necessary to carry out this mission. Now is the time to release the full $50 million in security support. Are Republicans responsible for what’s happening in Haiti?
MCCAUL: No, I think the administration’s failed policies have led to this, what is happening in Haiti, with no governance whatsoever, Shannon. The Prime Minister’s in Puerto Rico, even Kenya won’t put their peacekeeping forces because it’s so chaotic.
Now, what they’re asking me to do is release $50 million of cash and weapons to go into Haiti with no governance. And the worst thing we can do is arm the very warlords that threaten the people of Haiti. So this guy named Barbecue, I don’t want this to happen.
We have a history in this country of throwing weapons and guns into countries and they backfire. Until I have assurances that the money can be accounted for and go to the right purpose, I cannot in good conscience release that funding for the American taxpayer, but most importantly, the Haitian people themselves.
BREAM: OK, so that stays on hold for now. I want to make sure before you go that we talk about this hearing you’re going to have this week. Trying to get some answers and some accountability about the withdrawal from Afghanistan. We all remember the horrible suicide bombing that took more than 100 lives, including 13 service members, American service members.
By the way, one of the fathers of the service member who was arrested last week at the State of the Union, I know you hosted, had a number of these families as guests. He says charges are still pending against him. Do you know if that’s what’s happening in that case?
MCCAUL: They are. I would recommend they’d be dropped. Look, this guy, Steve Nikoui, has been through so much. He lost his son. He’s had a suicide death in his family. All these families, these Gold Star families, are grieving. They feel that this President has never apologized to them or said, I’m sorry that your son and one daughter was killed by a suicide bomber. We will hear from General McKenzie, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs. General McKenzie, the CENTCOM Commander, about the White House and State Department’s failures that brought about the conditions that led to the suicide bomber.
BREAM: Do you think we’ll get information from this hearing that we didn’t previously have? And bottom line, what the American people want to know is, is anyone then going to be held accountable?
MCCAUL: Well, the one thing I would like is, I want the DOD to provide the documents that the sniper testified to. He said, I saw the suicide bomber. It identified the BOLO. Be on the lookout. He sent the pictures over to the command center. They’ve yet to produce these a year later. And I’ll be talking about that a lot at the hearing.
And by the way, General Milley and McKenzie agree with me that the DOD needs to turn over these documents.
BREAM: OK, we’ll be watching this week.
MCCAUL: Thanks, Shannon.
BREAM: Chairman, thank you very much.
MCCAUL: Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
BREAM: And to you as well.
Up next, the general election is officially on, setting up that Trump-Biden rematch. We’re going to tell you who’s leading in two new brand-new battleground state Fox News polls.
As millions of primary voters head to the polls in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio on Tuesday. Our Sunday panel weighs in, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Let me tell you something to China. If you’re listening, President Xi, and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal.
Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico, we’re going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you’re not going to be able to sell those cars.
If I get elected, now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: OK. So former president Trump taking heat last night, the headlines say bloodbath. But he was predicting an economic bloodbath. If he doesn’t win this fall, so he can impose significant tariffs on cars that China wants to manufacture in Mexico and sell in the U.S.
We always think context is important. But Biden-Harris campaign spokesperson James Singer responded quickly, saying this, “The American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge.”
It is time now for our Sunday group, Emily Compagno, “Outnumbered” co-host. Bob Cusack, “The Hill” editor-in-chief. Morgan Ortagus, former State Department spokesperson and founder of “Polaris National Security.” And Kevin Walling, former 2020 Biden campaign surrogate. Great to see you all of you this morning.
KEVIN WALLING, FORMER 2020 BIDEN CAMPAIGN SURROGATE: Shannon.
BOB CUSACK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE HILL: Good morning.
BREAM: OK. So the general election is on in earnest. These two are going at each other. President Biden has just made a swing of some critical key battleground states and vice president out there as well.
But here’s the headline from “Newsweek.” “Joe Biden’s approval rating falls to an all-time low after the State of the Union.”
Kevin, he didn’t get that bounce they were expecting.
WALLING: Well, I think it’s an important point at not just in the polling, but he got raised $10 million —
BREAM: Did raise money.
WALLING: — just in the hours after the State of the Union, mostly by small dollar donations.
So I think you’re seeing enthusiasm among Democratic-based supporters. To your point, Shannon, he was on the ground in Michigan. The vice president was on the ground in Wisconsin. He was in Pennsylvania on Friday.
Again, hitting those key states, building out that team, right? So we’ve hired all of the key people in most of those battleground states.
At the same time, the RNC is being decimated now by its new leadership. So I think the president is in a good position come the next 232 days.
BREAM: OK. Well, let’s take a look at some polls that might not suggest that.
(LAUGHS)
There’s room for improvement, as my mom likes to say. OK. In Arizona, we’ve got our brand-new Fox Poll. If you’re voting for president right now, this first one has everybody in the third-party contenders. Even with that, Trump’s got a plus four there.
When we go head to head in Arizona without all of the extra candidates, still a plus four for President Trump. Much tighter in Pennsylvania, where head-to-head. Trump’s got a two-point advantage, but that erases. When you throw in the third-party, it’s then a tie.
So, Morgan, it looks good for President Trump right now, but these — many of these are within the margin of error.
MORGAN ORTAGUS, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: Yes, they are. I mean, listen, it does look good for President Trump because when you look at the things that still matter to most Americans, they’re still filling the pinch of inflation.
I talk about this every time I go to the grocery store. The prices haven’t come down every time you fill up your car with the tank of gas. It’s still higher than it was four years ago. So there is an economic message to run on.
There’s also for all the foreign policy dorks like me. Our issues finally matter in the presidential election. Unfortunately, it’s for a really bad reason.
When you look in theater after theater after theater, there is new war, there is chaos. And there is a feeling that the adults are not only not in charge, but the people that are leading are making poor decisions that are leading to, again, wars in every theater.
I mean, we can’t lightly skate over the fact that this is the worst war in Europe. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since World War II.
We can’t lightly skid over the fact that more Jews were killed on October 7th than any day since the Holocaust.
Look at Venezuela, they let — lessen (PH) sanctions on Maduro. Promised elections. They never happened.
I mean, I could go throughout the Middle East.
And, by the way, I’m not going to let this administration forget about Afghanistan. We had 13 of our best young men and women there. Twenty years of a CT fight that they flushed down the toilet through a chaotic and disastrous. Those are all that didn’t need to happen.
No one in this national security team has ever been held accountable, has ever been punished, has ever been even reprimanded for failure after failure after failure. And that’s what we’re going to indict between now and Election Day.
BREAM: Well, and I’ll be very interested to see as we talked about with Chairman McCaul, what comes from, if we get anything new, if there are any lines toward accountability on that Afghan withdrawal.
One of the problems that the Biden campaign is having to work with is Arab- American voters who think he’s not managing the Gaza-Israel conflict well. And we see polling that says across the board by two-thirds, approximately Americans don’t think he’s handling foreign policy well.
“New York Times” has this though specifically with the backlash from Arab- American voters. Saying any notion that those voters seething over America’s role in Gaza will simply come home and vote for Biden in the general election need serious adjustment. For some voters, this isn’t just a policy dispute. It’s a moral mission and the mark of victory is a Biden defeat.”
So the question now is, how large is that constituency? I mean, Emily, we’ve seen this show up in early states were uncommitted in Michigan was over 100,000 votes.
EMILY COMPAGNO, FOX NEWS HOST: That’s right. And that was due to a strong lobbying effort.
And I want to dig into a little bit about the why. So the executive director of CAIR came out and he said, look, I cannot live under someone who pretends to be my friend. Because some argue, well, wasn’t under President Trump’s administration, wasn’t there a clear as they say there was a travel ban on Muslim-Americans, there was rhetoric that seemed to show an antagonism to reflect that.
And for many Muslim-Americans, as he said, well, I knew how he stood. He didn’t pretend to be my friend. And as he said, Trump was an actively arming and overseeing a genocide.
I think the betrayal that Arab-Americans feel under President Biden cannot be understated. And I have to say there’s going to be overstated.
And I have to point out as well that the problem with President Biden’s approach to foreign policy, which Morgan can articulate far greater than I can, is his inability and his to commit to something because of a fear of escalation.
And he is not winning any friends by doing so. His fear of escalation with Russia and his fear of escalation within Gaza has led to no friends. He is absolutely sort of projected out any type of Israeli support as well as any type of Arab-American support.
And by him not drawing a clear line, that is why voters are shying away and why the strong backlash is so strong and might be deeply damning.
BREAM: Yes. It’s something that he’s got to work on in the polling and in policy. But something that Democrats know has been working for them is this issue of abortion.
We saw the sitting vice president, I think for the first time in history, go to visit an abortion clinic and talk about these rights that they, she says Democrats are fighting to defend. Here’s a bit of what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These attacks against an individual’s right to make decisions about their own body are outrageous. And in many instances, just plain old immoral.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: And, Bob, that comes at the same time that we hear from the House GOP retreat, “Punchbowl” reports, the GOP leadership wants to go on attack. They say that Republicans aren’t right to sit back on this issue. They need to put the onus on Democrats to explain what their position is, where their timelines are.”
CUSACK: Yes, Shannon, that’s good advice because we saw the Democrat in a special election talk about immigration. He won that race. You’ve got to basically talk about what people want to talk about.
Now, Democrats definitely have a huge advantage on abortion. And you’re going to hear abortion talked about a lot.
Some Democrats want to talk more about abortion than the economy because that’s where Trump has the advantage.
But those battleground states, major problem for Biden. And listen, I think there’s going to be some big protests, the Democratic Convention in Chicago.
ORTAGUS (PH): Yes.
CUSACK: That could be a big embarrassment for the party.
BREAM: Well, we’ll all be there. Many of us.
WALLING (PH): Yes, we will.
BREAM: So we will check it out first-hand.
OK. Panel, don’t go far. Quick break here.
Up next, a special prosecutor in Trump’s Georgia election interference case is out and the former president scores a temporary win in that hush-money case against him in New York.
Our panel breaks down the political implications of all the legal developments, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): This is another example of a two-tiered justice system when it comes to president Trump and those around him. I think it’s a sad day for Georgia and a bad day for the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHANNON: That was South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham — apparently very humid where he was – reacting to the news out of Fulton County, Georgia, on Friday. That special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, is officially out, no longer part of the state’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump, after a judge ruled District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on the case but that was on the condition that Wade left.
So, we are back now with the panel.
Here’s what the judge said, by the way, here. He said, “The finding is by no means an indication that the court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the district attorney’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing.”
So, Emily, it left both sides unhappy in some respects.
COMPAGNO: That’s right. And I think what was surprising for a lot of people is that they felt, well, wait a minute, wasn’t it obvious? Wasn’t there enough testimony to prove that the relationship began well before Nathan Wade earned that position? And the judge essentially said it didn’t. He said it doesn’t rise to that legal standard, the legal sufficiency.
And so he – I think the – the issue with this is that many feel that the embarrassment that it reflects onto the district attorney, that there should be some type of accountability and it seems that a resignation by Nathan Wade doesn’t fulfill people’s expectation that there had to have been some remedy. But there remains to be seen whether the Georgia State Bar, the Georgia Senate, there’s a lot of other bodies that might hold her to accounts, including, and most especially, the voters. But here, at least, people think that maybe this might light a new fire of vitriol under her for that prosecution.
I just have to point out that the defense was arguing, because for some people that are wondering, that it was prima facie, that on its face there was, in fact, an actual conflict of interest, and the judge simply said, look, we went back to case law, we went back to precedents, the standard is not prima facie, it’s not on its face, and it didn’t just rise here.
But as you pointed out, he said it left an odor of mendacity. So, clearly, there were a lot of expected lies that I think might come back to bite DA Fani Willis later.
BREAM: Yes, there are investigations ongoing. Now, over at “The LA Times,” Anthony Michael Kreis, who is a Con Law professor, said this was actually a win for Willis. He said, “It’s a total legal victory. Is the case preserved? Yes. Have things been derailed? No.”
So, Bob, this could still end up being a real problem for President Trump and all these co-defendants down the line if she just picks up the ball and says, OK, we’re proceeding from here.
CUSACK: Yes. And, I mean, but this is really bad. I mean this ruling was quite scathing. And, at the same time, as far as going forward, I mean the case is basically infected because of this poor judgment. It’s been delayed because of this poor judgment. And that’s exactly what Trump wants.
So, this — I disagree, I think it’s a — it’s a win for Trump.
BREAM: Well, and he’s got the delay now on the Alvin Bragg hush money case in New York as well. All of these will eventually get to trial, with the exception of if the president wins and some of these federal things he could actually either pardon or potentially shut down as president.
But, Kevin, that essentially meaning he is running for his life in some ways to win this election.
WALLING: He absolutely is. And that’s a very dangerous position to be running from in terms of what he is on the line for with these indictments.
You know, it’s — the process is going to move forward in – in Georgia. There’s ready for co-defendants of the former president who have already pled guilty in that case that are cooperating with Fani Willis. So, that process, like I said, will take place.
Again, one of the key reasons why Nikki Haley was campaigning so hard on the campaign trail was the idea of this distraction for the former president. The time that he’s going to spend in those courtrooms facing those charges, his inability to raise those funds to compete against the incumbent president is going to be a key issue for the former president.
BREAM: Well, and something he’s also having to talk about is what appears to be a shift in position on TikTok, tried to get rid of it during his presidency. Seems a little bit more lukewarm on the issue that’s coming out of the House. And the fact is, it’s made it through the House, but here’s the headline from “The Washington Post.” “After TikTok bill sails through the House, senators pump the brakes.”
So, Morgan, there’s now this conversation about where it goes from here. And there are concerns about the bill, some of the vagueness. There are some critics who say it actually could go a lot farther than it appears at first blush.
ORTAGUS: Well, this is not the first time in history that the House has passed something and the Senate decided to slow it down. In fact, that probably happens about every other week here in Washington.
I do think that there is clearly, by what – I mean what passes the House in such a bipartisan manner, really not many things.
BREAM: Very few things.
ORTAGUS: Very few things. So, there are clearly some provisions, especially with like Ted Cruz and other consultation lawyers, Lindsey Graham, you know, people in the Senate that are going to want to look at the legislation in detail and make sure there’s nothing they could come back to bite lawmakers in the you know what as it relates to TikTok.
But fundamentally, the — I think as – from the perspective of being a China hawk, the fact that we have Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C., that agree that the algorithm and the data behind this app is essentially the Chinese Communist Party controlling the – the minds and the public discourse in our country. The fact that we can get them all to agree on that is great. Now can the Senate, you know, go through and get – get the proper amendments in to get the legislation palatable to form President Trump? We’ll see.
I don’t think he was actually pushing back that much. He was bringing up, I think, a very key point that worries a lot of people, including like Senator Marsha Blackburn has put forward legislation, so has Elizabeth Warren, Lindsay Graham, on regulating social media writ large. And so I think there will be an appetite to look at social media, Facebook, Instagram, writ large after TikTok.
But, listen, again, from a China hawk perspective, the fact that we could get both sides of the aisle to Washington, D.C., to agree on anything, including the threat of authoritarian-owned social media, 5G, cars, you name it, this is what we have to be attacking holistically in Washington.
BREAM: So, let me play a little bit of President Trump’s interview with our Howie Kurtz that you see in full on Media Buzz talking about TikTok and the – and the appearance that his position has shifted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: What I would like to see is, if you’re doing a do it to TikTok, do it to Facebook. And what you can do is, let them sell TikTok, let them sell it in the market, maybe get a good price, maybe not get a good price, I don’t know, but take it away from China control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: OK, so “Politico” says this, “After he spent much of the last year of his presidency trying to ban TikTok, Donald Trump’s abrupt effort to defend the Chinese-owned app late last week caught many in Washington by surprise.” They say it’s “part of a pattern: changing course when an interested billionaire donor was in the mix.”
So, Bob, do you think there is any appetite on The Hill for going after these other companies as well while they’re looking at TikTok, as the former president suggests?
CUSACK: There’s some appetite, but I think it’s going to be very difficult. And I think this is a precarious decision by Chuck Schumer, if he allows the vote in the Senate, because it probably will pass. But at the same time, with the House and Senate and White House up for grabs, even those this got 352 votes in the House, it’s actually not that popular and it could backfire with young voters.
BREAM: Well, and on that issue of young voters, I mean, Keven, the Biden- Harris campaign is on TikTok.
WALLING: Yes. No, absolutely.
BREAM: Even though apparently the president has said he would sign this.
WALLING: Well, and interestingly enough, Shannon, you played that clip earlier of the woman in front of the White House saying she will blame President Biden. I think to Bob’s point, it’s a good one, this is a key issue for young voters. Just like the war with Israel and Hamas in terms of animating younger voters. So, we – the administration has to tow a particular line I think with regards to this, especially now with Donald Trump coming out against this supposed ban.
BREAM: I’m not sure if he’s for or against after hearing that side (ph).
WALLING: I know, right?
BREAM: I’m – I’m a little bit confused.
ORTAGUS: I think he’s for a sale.
BREAM: But – but watch the full interview with Howie and then you’ll know more.
OK, panel, thank you very much. We’ll see you next week.
Up next, bestselling author Mitch Albom on his harrowing escape from Haiti and growing concerned about those left behind, including at the orphanage he operates there in Haiti.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BREAM: Chaos and violence has overrun Haiti, bringing the country to its knees. Haitians and Americans racing to escape the unrest have very few options. It was, in fact, a mission led by two members of Congress that successfully airlifted a group of volunteers from the island, including best-selling author Mitch Albom, who joins us now to share his story.
Mitch, welcome. It’s great to have you with us.
I learned in interviewing you last year that you operate an orphanage there. Here is what the White House – or, excuse me, the administration, the State Department has said about Americans being there in Haiti.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW MILLER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: For years we have been telling Americans, do not go to Haiti. Do not travel there. It’s not safe to do so. And for those who are there, leave as soon as you can feasibly do so without putting yourself at risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: So, why has it been so important for you to be there?
MITCH ALBOM, BESTSELLING AUTHOR: Because it’s easy to say don’t go there because it’s dangerous, but what about the people who are living there? What about the children who are there? I’ve operated an orphanage there for 14 years. I’ve been there every month for the last 14 years. And I can’t stop going just because of danger. It’s more dangerous to the children and the people there.
BREAM: What is the situation like on the ground there?
ALBOM: It’s almost indescribable, Shannon. I mean every night there’s gunfire. Our kids sing their prayers with the gunfire in the background. You hear about police stations being burned, banks being looted, bodies being left out of the middle of the street. There is no government to speak of. And the gangs basically control everything. Our kids haven’t been outside of our orphanage doors in three years because it’s too dangerous to go out in the streets. It’s – it’s just not a way to live. And I’m trying – been advocating to – for us to get a little bit more involved and try to stem this violence in Haiti.
BREAM: So, you do go back and forth on a regular basis, but this last time trickier, trying to get out with airport shut down, normal transit areas completely closed off. We have heard – we may have some footage of this that you were part of the group that was rescued in part by Congressman Cory Mills, who has done this in a number of places when he thinks it’s important to get Americans out. Can you tell us anything about your journey out?
ALBOM: I didn’t know Cory Mills before he started calling me, (INAUDIBLE), another congressperson, and said, we’re going to get you out. It wasn’t so much my wife and myself who go there every month and are kind of used to this danger, but we had a guest with us who had come down, some of whom had never been to Haiti before, one of whom had never been out of the country before. And we had no idea what we could get out again. The airports were closed. The ports were closed. The roads were closed. The borders were closed.
Cory Mills organized this trip. It was the middle of the night thing. You know, we came running out of a place where we were really held. Sixty-seven seconds, we were thrown into a helicopter and up and out.
But while we’re happy that we were able to get out and heartbroken when we flew over Haiti airspace because my wife and I realized, you know, our kids were still there. And so are, by the way, hundreds if not thousands of other Americans, Canadians, and volunteer workers who can’t get out right now and still are trying to.
You know, and I want to point out that these are not people who went to Haiti to go have a vacation. You know, people don’t go there to go to Club Med. They’re there to help children, they’re there to do water projects or bring food or education or hospitals. They’re doing good work. And if they need to get out now, I hope there will be efforts to bring them out.
BREAM: Mitch, thank you so much for the work you’re doing there. Blessings over you and your team in that. That’s been something you’ve done quietly, selflessly and it’s making a real difference. And I know your heart — much of it is still left there in Haiti. We will pray for those who are left in your care from afar now.
ALBOM: Thank you for that. Please don’t forget about them. Thank you, Shannon.
BREAM: We won’t. Thank you so much.
By the way, Mitch has been on my podcast, and today we’ve got a new one. “Livin’ the Bream” drops this morning. I sat down with Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall, marking two years into his recovery. We did a deep dive on Israel, Gaza, Iran, Ukraine and more. Man, he’s got a first- hand account of all those places. Get it anywhere you like to get your podcast, “Livin’ the Bream.”
That is it for today. Thank you for joining us. I’m Shannon Bream. Have a great week. Happy St. Patty’s Day, and we’ll see you next FOX NEWS SUNDAY.
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END
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