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00:00It's going to be great. Hey, Dana. Good evening. I'm Brett Baier. We are coming to you tonight
00:05from the United Center in Chicago, site of this week's Democratic National Convention.
00:10You know, this was supposed to be President Joe Biden's week in the sun. He was going to be
00:15nominated to try to win a second term as president and the end of the convention with a rousing
00:21speech on Thursday. Instead, he speaks on this the opening night. And it's a speech that we're told
00:26will be an address focused on his legacy and at the same time, turning the page to a new
00:31generation of leadership. One unusual item. Delegates tonight are set to approve a party
00:37platform that still refers to President Biden's second term. This afternoon, the Harris campaign
00:42announced as president. She wants to raise the corporate tax rate to 28 percent. Another detail
00:48in the economic plan she started to unveil on Friday. Senior White House correspondent Peter
00:52Ducey is here in Chicago. He starts us off tonight live on the floor. Good evening, Peter.
00:58Good evening, Brett. A few minutes ago, we saw President Biden on stage doing a walkthrough
01:03ahead of his address tonight. And in video that we have from this walkthrough, he appears kind
01:08of downtrodden. His mic wasn't turned on. He was barely speaking above a whisper.
01:12But when somebody asked him if this is a bittersweet moment, he said it is a memorable moment.
01:19Mr. President, are you ready to pass the court, sir? Are you ready to pass the court?
01:24Yes, sir. I am.
01:25Biden aides tell us the president's pitch tonight will be with Kamala Harris and Tim
01:29Walz. We must ensure democracy is preserved. He's going to be giving a speech, I think,
01:35that will look very much forward as her campaign is into what comes next.
01:40This is not a time for legacy. This is a time for arguing why Kamala Harris is the best candidate.
01:45Not according to the DNC's official platform, which was voted on July 16th,
01:49five days before Biden dropped out and still included 21 references to President Biden's
01:55second term when it was released. With lines like this one on page three, President Biden,
02:00Vice President Harris and Democrats are running to finish the job.
02:03You can tell right now by what very few proposals
02:07that Kamala Harris has put on the table, she doesn't have a clue.
02:12The Harris campaign website still doesn't list any policy proposals, but officials tell us she
02:17wants to hike the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% as a way to put money back in the pockets
02:24of working people and ensure billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.
02:28They will be fighting for a progressive agenda.
02:30Infighting has been a problem for the party for the last
02:33month. In the New York Times, Maureen Dowd writes,
02:35it's going to be a glorious coronation, except that everyone's mad at one another.
02:39The first lady's office now says otherwise.
02:41I don't see any hard feelings. I mean, I think that there's been way overblown.
02:46Democrats concede intra party policy fights are unavoidable,
02:50but they can wait till Friday when the convention is over.
02:53Look, I'll be the first to admit Democrats are not perfect,
02:56but you know what? They're nuts. And that's what this is all about here today.
03:01President Biden's aides are telling us he's happy with the momentum the Harris
03:05Walls ticket has been making since he dropped out. But and he is going to be the headliner
03:09tonight. But because his 2020 convention happened in a Delaware parking lot, he's
03:15never accepted a nomination for president in a crowded convention hall. And he never will.
03:20Brett. Peter, on another topic,
03:23what are we hearing about the attempted cyber attacks on the Harris and Trump campaigns?
03:28We have a new update in the last 30 minutes from the FBI. They are saying
03:31Iran is responsible. They are telling us that the Iranians are trying to gain access to people with
03:37direct access to the campaign and to the staffs using societal social engineering.
03:44And the FBI is warning that there has been increasingly aggressive activity in this way
03:50from the Iranians this cycle. Yeah, that's one to watch. Peter,
03:54thank you. One of the big stories in this week's convention, the protests,
03:58Democrats desperate to avoid a repeat of the 1968 Chicago Convention,
04:02which was disrupted by demonstrators. No indication that it's anywhere near
04:06that. The city's police department says it is prepared. They're actually police officers
04:11from departments around the country here, as well as the Secret Service and other federal officials.
04:16National Guard troops are on standby. Senior correspondent Mike Tobin has details tonight.
04:21Good evening, Mike. What are you saying? You got to see what you do.
04:27Well, what I'm seeing, Brett, right now is a kind of the diffusion of a of a situation here
04:33where the demonstrators had gotten down some three sections of the fence,
04:37and they got in within the inner perimeter of this anti-climb fence,
04:41and they got in between the two fences there. And what you see now is the aftermath. The police
04:45came down from both the east side and the west side, sort of pinched him in and forced him back
04:51outside of the fence. And this is we watch this coalition to march on the DNC and their big
04:56demonstration largely went off without a hitch. But there were there was a lot of pushing and
05:01shoving in the center of it as you have some of these black-clad anarchist or Antifa demonstrators
05:08trying to make a rush to the United Center and get into the DNC. A lot of different people out
05:14here protesting for a lot of different causes. But I did find one man carrying a Hamas flag
05:19saying that he's not only here to support Palestinian Palestinians, but he supports
05:24Hamas. In fact, he advocated October 7th. Do you support Hamas? Every Palestinian support Hamas,
05:31not just me. Every Palestinian support Hamas. Do you support October 7th? Who? October 7th.
05:37October 7th? Yes, I do. What what what's wrong with October 7th? You tell me.
05:42Women and children. What? It's a murder. Where is this?
05:49Now, with all the different causes getting in on the act, a very well-known wiener circle known for
05:53rough language and good hot dogs, they got in on it as well, offering free hot dogs to people who
05:59got abortions or vasectomies at a nearby Planned Parenthood clinic. In fact, they posted that
06:04they've got a Donald Trump footlong special when, in fact, the footlong is three inches.
06:10But back out here live, the situation looked pretty tense. They got within the outer perimeter
06:16of the fencing surrounding the surrounding the DNC, got to the softer fencing on the inside.
06:22There was a police presence here, a large police presence, but they kept it pretty light
06:28disposition. There was some riot gear just in the form of helmets. I did see some things get thrown
06:33at the police officer. They get hit by sticks and signs and things of that nature. But they
06:37force people back out through. In fact, I'm standing in one of the holes in the fencing
06:40right now. They force people back out through the fencing. They put that pieces of those pieces of
06:45fencing back in place. The only one that remains open is the one I'm standing in right now. Brett.
06:49Hey, Mike, real quickly. I mean, they were saying tens of thousands right now. The numbers
06:53are pretty small, right? I mean, across the city so far. Well, as far as the number of demonstrators,
07:01I think that they are in the tens of thousands as far as the agitators. Yeah, those numbers would
07:07be small. And again, I'm not ready to call this violence in the protests, a lot of pushing and
07:12shoving. They did break the fence and they did. So throw some things at the police. We just saw
07:16him get hit in the helmets with signs and sticks, things of that nature. But we've certainly seen
07:21more violent protests in this. Mike Tobin outside. Mike, thanks. Meantime, House Republicans say
07:27President Biden committed impeachable offenses centering largely around the business activities
07:31of family members, including son Hunter Biden. That final report out today, senior congressional
07:38correspondent Chad Perfram takes a look at that report tonight from Capitol Hill. Good evening,
07:42Chad. Brett, good evening. The GOP report says President Biden engaged in, quote, impeachable
07:49conduct. It comes as President Biden prepares to speak to the Democratic Convention. Republicans
07:55accuse the Biden family of using the president as a gateway for business. Now, Republicans say
08:02the president violated the public trust. The GOP says bank records reveal his family scored 27
08:08million dollars from abroad since 2014. The report alleges that Hunter Biden and brother
08:15James Biden sold then Vice President Biden as a brand access triggered payments to the Biden
08:22family. Now, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, Jamie Raskin, says the report is full
08:27of, quote, pathetic innuendo. One Democrat tells Fox that Republicans hope to close the Biden
08:34investigation now so they can turn to Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz. Republicans
08:41are wary of spending more time on the president. Now, a senior GOP source says they lack the votes
08:48to impeach. Plus, they want to guard vulnerable Republicans from facing a tough vote. But
08:54hardliners could still compel an impeachment vote. But bottom line, it's not going anywhere.
09:01Not so far. OK, Chad Pergram on the Hill. Chad, thanks.
09:06It was a great honor and humility. I accept this nomination for president of the United
09:12States of America. We have a chance to change the course of history. We're all in this fight.
09:21You, me and Joe together. Much different convention back in 2020. Let's talk about
09:28what we can expect tonight from President Biden and the rest of the week here in Chicago.
09:33Cedric Richmond is co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign. Cedric, thanks for being here.
09:37Thanks for having me.
09:39What do you look at tonight? There's a lot of writing about what the president's going to say
09:43and some call it bittersweet for him. How do you see it?
09:47Well, look, if you know Joe Biden, you know that he's been through a lot of turmoil in his life.
09:51He's had a lot of serious losses in terms of his wife and his daughter and his son,
09:57Beau. So he's he's used to setbacks and he's used to real loss. But I don't think he looks
10:03at this like this. I really believe that what he wanted to do was pass the baton
10:09so that we can put the American people first. He was he didn't want to fight Republicans and
10:13Democrats. I think he looked at the situation and said the best thing I can do for the future of
10:18this country is to exit the race, pass the baton and put the issue and the focus back on the
10:25American people and not on me. And I think that's what he was thinking.
10:27I know there's a lot of Democrats and I've talked to them that want to lift him up as a hero here,
10:31making this choice. But there's a lot of people outside this building that think
10:36this was not a choice. This was a push out. And it's a tough thing to see for them.
10:42No, it was a choice. He still had the votes. We would still be here.
10:46Because you were out Saturday before the Sunday letters.
10:49I was.
10:49He's the nominee.
10:50And we still had the votes. We still had the votes from President Biden
10:54to accept the nomination. And that would have happened except he decided to bow out.
10:59And so when people and you hear people say that the president made the choice,
11:03he did. He made a real choice because we knew we whipped the votes. We knew he had the votes to
11:08get the nomination. But he decided to put people over party, people over politics and
11:16err on the side or really focus on the side of purpose. And that purpose is the American people.
11:20Let me ask you about the website, the Harris Walsh website. There's
11:24some people pointing to the fact that there's just not a lot of specificity in policy.
11:29You know, we heard Friday some economic pitches, some more today. But if you look at the website,
11:34there's really nothing there. Should there be?
11:36Well, there will be. And let's just be fair about it. She got the nomination.
11:42Biden stepped out almost 30 days ago. She had to immediately start vetting and looking at
11:48running mate possibilities. I was on that team interviewing running mates,
11:52and that was a real process and going through and interviewing a lot of great people,
11:56but figuring out who would be a great partner to deliver for the American people.
11:59And since then, she prepared for the convention. So she's unveiled some economic policy. But you'll
12:04continue to see her roll out more policy as we go ahead, not just running on the joy of this
12:11moment, because it seems like a lot of relief and joy that they're trying to kind of continue
12:16that momentum. Well, it's a joyous time to be here, but this is not the victory party. This
12:21is the beginning of a race and it is a close race. You know, and I know that polls oftentimes are
12:26wrong and we know that this race is going to be tight. And that means both sides,
12:30Democrats and Republicans. But we know we have work to do to go out and talk about the issues.
12:35Speaking about the issues and polls, if you look at what who do you trust more to handle these
12:41issues and the top issues voters care about the economy, inflation, immigration, Israel, the
12:48Israel Hamas war, you look at this and the former president currently has big leads in all of these
12:55really important issues. Yet the overall race nationally is tight. How do you read that?
13:01Because the question should say, who do you believe cares about me the most?
13:05Who do you believe is actually invested in my well-being and will do the things necessary
13:10to uplift me and my friend family, no matter if you're urban, rural, black, white? But who do you
13:17believe actually wants to see me succeed and not picking winners and losers? This is not about
13:22pitting black people against white people or immigrants against Americans. This is about
13:26the fact that we can all lift up together and tomorrow can be better than yesterday.
13:30That's the part I think most of the polls miss. Yeah. Are you concerned about protests? You saw
13:35that Mike Tobin piece. Are you concerned about that here in Chicago? No, I'm not concerned about
13:39protests. Look, I fundamentally believe people have a right to protest. People have a right to
13:44be mad. People have a right to do whatever they want to do, but they don't have a right to destroy
13:48property. They don't have a right to be violent. And I believe that the mayor of this city has
13:52sent that message that we will respect your right to exercise your first amendment right to free
13:57speech, but you will not destroy property. You will not hurt police. You will not engage in
14:02violence. Is there a lot of pictures outside? Obviously, you got a lot of people here to deal
14:07with this. I chatted with Governor Pritzker earlier. He says he's prepared. Let me ask you
14:12one other controversial question. Obviously, abortion is a big plank and there'll be a lot
14:16of talk about that as an issue. What do you make a Planned Parenthood offering abortions and
14:21vasectomies outside the convention? Well, I think that that was a store talking about we'll give you
14:26free food. I know, but there is a mobile unit, a Planned Parenthood unit. Look, let me say something
14:31about this. The decision to have an abortion and terminate a pregnancy is a gut-riching decision,
14:39and I don't think any either party should talk about it like it's an easy decision up
14:44or women or men come together and make that decision with their doctors or without their
14:48doctors. Easy. I mean, it's a gut-riching decision, and I think that's the part that
14:53we focus on as Democrats is that we should respect a woman's right to make that decision.
14:58And then there are a lot of people who need help to conceive to have one of the best miracles in
15:03the world, which is to have a baby and to have someone who comes in the world who looks like you
15:07and that you just want to nurture. And IVF is important, but neither party should make light
15:14of the fact that it's a gut-wrenching decision. We believe that women should have that right to
15:18make that decision. Lastly, you were on that VP vetting committee and looking at those nominees.
15:24There have been a number of stories. We can go down the list about Governor Walz and they've
15:28been popping up. Do you think that vetting was full enough as you headed into this decision?
15:33Oh, absolutely. I haven't been surprised about anything that I've seen yet popped up. I know
15:39Governor Walz. I served with him in Congress. He was the first baseman on the congressional
15:44baseball team. But he's a guy that truly cares about the country and anybody who
15:47teaches our kids, coaches our kids and volunteer to serve in this nation's army. I think you start
15:54off as a remarkable human being. By the way, Chad Perkins will say that Democrats lost after you
15:59left. I mean, they have not won that baseball game. Well, that's true. So they're kind of going
16:05back. They're kind of in a rebuilding process. But I do get take great joy in saying that Republicans
16:11never beat me while I was in Congress and pitching in a congressional baseball game. But on a serious
16:17note, I will say after the shooting of Scalise and the Republicans at the practice, I saw unity
16:22and I saw us come together. It's unfortunate that unity didn't stick. But it shows that we
16:27have it in us and we should all search for those things that we have more in common than we have
16:31in different. Sounds like common ground. Thanks for the time. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
16:36Let's take a look at some other headlines tonight. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
16:40says Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a ceasefire and hostage
16:45release in Gaza. He is calling on Hamas to do the same without saying whether the agreement had
16:49addressed concerns cited by the terrorist group. Former congressman, Republican Congressman George
16:54Santos, has pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection
17:00with the federal fraud case that led to his expulsion from Congress. The New York Republican
17:04entered the plea in a courtroom in Long Island just weeks before his trial is set to begin.
17:10Pioneering talk show host Phil Donahue has died. Donahue's daytime program, which
17:15originated from here in Chicago for 11 years, set the stage for Oprah Winfrey and others.
17:20Donahue's show won 20 Emmys. He reportedly died Sunday after a long illness. Phil Donahue was
17:2688. And on the stock market today, stocks bounced back. The roll-on continues. The Dow gaining 237.
17:34The S&P 500 finished ahead 54. The Nasdaq jumped 245. Up next, we talk to Illinois Democrats about
17:41what issues are most important to them. And later, what the Republican ticket is doing to
17:46stay in the news during the Democrat power rankings. Concentrating on the issues last
17:50night. Throughout the week, we'll delve into some of the issues most important to Democratic voters
17:55and how those come into play here in Illinois. First, we look at health care. It is one of the
18:01top concerns for Democratic voters, according to our recent Fox News poll. Health insurance was
18:05once a part of the workers' rights movements. Now candidates are looking to lower costs and expand
18:12access. We fight for the future. A future with affordable health care. Over the past decade,
18:23health care costs have risen across the board. We're going to bring down the cost of health care
18:27and housing, prompting presidential candidates to promise changes to the nation's health care
18:32system. How have unions influenced health care benefits over time here? We negotiate with our
18:40employers to make sure our members get the best health care they can. Bob Ryder is president of
18:46the Chicago Federation of Labor, which represents more than 300 affiliated unions and 500,000
18:52workers. So, I mean, the labor union has been really important for workers' rights and benefits
18:58here. Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt. You know, I talk to members all the time about if they didn't
19:04have their union, what that would mean for their retirement, for their health care, for them and for
19:08their children. Modern insurance for medical care began with actions from unions and organizers.
19:17Following World War II, union activism and federal policy helped tie health coverage to the workplace.
19:23Health and welfare benefits were major factors in post-war strikes, as unions began pushing for
19:29employer-funded benefits. Welfare of the worker, that's the magic of production. In the 1950s,
19:35the Internal Tax Revenue Service made employers' contributions tax-deductible. This eventually led
19:42to increasing support for employer-based insurance. And they're more likely to have those health
19:48benefits or retirement benefits today. Have you seen that change over time? What I've seen
19:55change over time is the people looking at the union as the protector of those benefits to
20:03make sure that they're still relevant in the workforce. In 2023, 96 percent of private industry
20:10union workers had access to medical care benefits, while just 69 percent of workers not in unions
20:16had access. For all workers, the uninsured rate has declined steadily with expanded access.
20:22But now many candidates and voters say rising medical costs are the problem. With union
20:28involvement, do costs come down? We try to drive down costs, but make sure that we're
20:34maintaining high benefits. Employer-based health care costs have risen in the past decade. The
20:39Kaiser Family Foundation says average worker contributions for single insurance coverage
20:44have increased by 40 percent. Out-of-pocket costs have also gone up by more than $600 annually.
20:50I'm not willing to play political games with the health of Illinois families. In Illinois,
20:57health care costs have risen steadily alongside the national average. But prescription drug costs
21:02in the state are among the highest in the nation. The pharmaceutical companies have been running the
21:07game for too long, jacking up the cost of prescription drugs. Out-of-pocket expenditures
21:12have decreased over time as health insurance has expanded. In 1970, insurance covered just 42
21:18percent of costs. It now covers around 72 percent. So do unions and your unions that you represent
21:25still support employer-based insurance? And would they would they prefer kind of a Medicare-for-all
21:32plan? We have unions that have really good and strong robust health care funds. We also have
21:41unions that are incredible supporters of Medicare-for-all and making sure that there's always
21:49a strong public option. And those two things don't have to be exclusive to one another.
21:55So it varies based on the union? It varies based on the union, but generally speaking, all unions
22:03support making sure that their members have health care options. The bottom line and the most
22:10important is that everyone have access to health care. That is the goal. That is the purpose for me,
22:15supporting the the policy of Medicare-for-all. Vice President Harris has since pulled back on
22:21that stance. A Harris campaign official recently told Fox she will not push for single-payer
22:26Medicare-for-all. She's flip-flopping on every single thing she's ever espoused or believed in
22:34the border health care crime. The Biden-Harris administration has recorded increased enrollment
22:39in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans and supported further legislation to close the
22:44coverage gap. There are many people in this country who spend a lot of money on private health care.
22:51It's the best health care in the world, by the way.
22:55Former President Trump has promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act
23:00after an unsuccessful attempt in 2017. During his first term, the Trump administration
23:05implemented price transparency requirements in an effort to lower health care costs.
23:10It's a very important thing that we've done here. I don't think it'll be covered by you,
23:15but it will be in the years to come.
23:18Up next, we'll check in on the Trump-Vance campaign, see what the Republicans are doing
23:22during the stage here behind me. Former President Trump, though, not ceding the spotlight to
23:26Democrats this week. He was back in Pennsylvania this afternoon for a campaign event focusing on
23:31what he calls Vice President Harris's anti-American energy policies.
23:36Fox Business correspondent Grady Trimble reports tonight from York, Pennsylvania.
23:41Former President Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, are on the road,
23:45providing counterprogramming to this week's DNC. Two weeks after Vice President Harris
23:50and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz barnstormed battleground states, the Republican candidates
23:55are doing the same, hitting the Rust Belt and East Coast before a swing out West.
23:59After a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania this weekend,
24:02Trump is back in the make-or-break Keystone State at a manufacturing facility.
24:07Our plan will massively cut taxes, unlock American energy,
24:11slash regulations, and bring back those beautiful words made in the USA.
24:18The former president largely focused on economic policy in his roughly 50-minute speech,
24:23discussing plans to reintroduce tariffs to boost domestic manufacturing and increase
24:28U.S. energy production, a critical industry in Pennsylvania. Trump did, at times,
24:33deviate from his prepared remarks, attacking Harris and Walz.
24:37Between his movement and her left, there's a lot of craziness. I'd say a step further than weird.
24:43Weird is a nice word by comparison.
24:46Pennsylvania saw a one-two punch from the GOP candidates, with Vance visiting Philadelphia
24:51today. Both men criticizing Harris's newly unveiled plan to go after companies for price gouging
24:57and offer government assistance for new homeowners.
25:00We don't need lectures on the economy from a candidate pushing communist price controls.
25:05Kamala has no idea what the hell she's doing.
25:11In an interview after the event, Trump told David Shepardson from Reuters that if he's elected,
25:16he would tap Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a cabinet position or an advisory role if Musk would do it.
25:25All right, Grady, thank you.
25:28Our economic future had never looked brighter when Kamala and Biden came in.
25:34They quickly blew it all up.
25:35He's, of course, going to try to distract from the convention this week. But the reality is that
25:40the momentum is so strong right now.
25:42The Republican campaign has got to be disciplined and focused if it
25:45wants to drive home the message that she's responsible for inflation.
25:50Well, let's talk about where the race stands right now.
25:53Joining us tonight, political consultant Alex Castellanos and Robert Wolf, CEO of 32 Advisors,
25:58former economic advisor to President Obama.
26:00Gentlemen, getting underway here, first night.
26:03Alex, let me start with you.
26:04You know these polls about who do you trust more to handle the economy.
26:09And every poll we see, at least so far, has the former president up significantly.
26:13The poll we have here is 46-37.
26:17And yet this race is very tight overall, if you look at the polls nationally.
26:22How do you explain that disconnect?
26:24Well, as a consultant, I'd be concerned because I'd say, OK,
26:28people are aware of the differences on these into the 50-yard line, not across it.
26:33What is it that people are concerned about beyond that, that you're not addressing,
26:38that maybe Kamala Harris is winning?
26:40And I know we laugh at the joyous campaign, but people are so exhausted with both left
26:45and right, Republican and Democrat in the current chaos.
26:49Maybe they hope she's something better.
26:51She's the future.
26:53It could maybe the change will work.
26:55After all, she's proved herself entirely flexible.
26:58So maybe she'll adapt.
27:00And unless I think the Trump folks address that, I don't know that he can offer a great
27:05vision for the future.
27:07But he needs to explain she's kind of part of our current political illness.
27:12Just another politician who will say anything.
27:14So is that it?
27:15Hope and change.
27:16Part two.
27:16Robert, actually, I think that's part of it.
27:19I think hope's always a good thing.
27:21But let's just talk about what former President Trump said.
27:23He talked about we want energy, American energy boom.
27:27We have an American energy boom.
27:29We have more energy and independent than ever before in the history of the United States.
27:35We actually supply over 14 million barrels a day, much more than under President Trump.
27:41We have more permits going out.
27:43Energy companies have more profits than ever.
27:45And they're investing, actually, in renewables because they see that as part of the future.