you, lawrence. and god bless america. lou will be back with you monday. you can watch me on "the thanks for joining us. good night from new york. kennedy: steve bannon sets sights on ought gop establishment. the president is calling the tax plan a miracle. democrats say it's a swindle. john stossel is here with the real story. the white house says help is on the way to fix puerto rico. ron paul as an angle you don't want to miss. as we celebrate free speech and the good:fight for the first amendment. we salute a general in the war on obscenity. playboy hugh heffner has passed. he loved good writing and

boobies in good measure. he pushed the boundaries by asking is it obscenity or art. and the court ruled in his favor. when he fought the u.s. postmaster general they smacked him down telling the court we don't think the postmaster has any business editing magazines. heff also thought individuals were their own best moral barometer. oftentimes it's the people you disagree with most of who act as catalysts for the greatest change. supreme court justice potter stuart once said of obscenity, i know it when i see it. they do change things for better, for worse, forever.

wherever he is looking down, or up, i'm sure he will continue to shake his head at the snow flakes who are trying to scwawcial free speech. i'm kennedy. i'm glad you are here. [♪] more protests and more arrested after conservative speaker and friends of the show ben shapiro spoke at the university of utah. he challenged students to stand up for free speech as hugh heffner did for decades. 226 years after signing the bill of rights, the first amendment is still under attack. how do we fight back? nick gillespie is here in the flesh. free speech week canceled at berkeley. we decided to hold our own. hugh heffner passing.

a lot of people just want to remember the nudity in his magazines. but he was a champion for free speech when that was not necessarily popular in the 50s and 60s. >> it's almost impossible. we are talking about a world where you could not legally publish "lady chatterly's lover" or "ulysses." heffner was one of many voices in pushing that envelope to say we are free to talk about whatever we want to talk about, including sex and sexuality and civil rights and all sorts of things. i think it's hard to about a square the old guy in the pajamas drinking pepsi with a bunch of teenaged wives.

but this guy did a service to the country by helping to push the level of acceptable discourse among adults. kennedy: that's the point. it's not love what i do it was make your own choices. it's interesting now we go to the context of college campuses where you have a lot of activists who feel people are not well suited to make their own choices as far as what they hear. >> the weirdest thing to say somebody like ben shapiro, he is standing on the shoulders of hugh heffner when he says stand up for:free speech. berkeley canceling a free speech week, no matter how inflammatory it was going to be. the choice you can be making, i'm either going to attend or i am not. that rolls into the heffner

legacy and playboy legacy. it goes beyond nudity. for meet thing that's most of stunning about ploy boy. it ran -- about playboy. it ran a series of interviews with people from all over the map. "playboy" would send interests viewers who would hang out with these people for days and produce interviews 10,000 words long. a serious discussion. it expanded an increased the level of discourse. serious level of discourse with major thinkers and players in our culture. kennedy: that's hopefully how hugh heffner is remembered and not just some caricature of what

he became in life. >> like all revolutions, last generations revolution is hopelessly old. it's grandpa. but free speech and free expression, we owe a lot. the world we live in owes a lot to hugh heffner. younger women and people like beyonce who is publicly able to own her sexuality, particularly as a black woman. one of the reasons we can have people like that and female stars as well as male stars. "playboy" was very masculinist. it didn't survive a shift to where most of us are feminists. kennedy: jeff sessions spoke out in defense of free speech. >> i want to see him in a bikini first.

i will believe it when i see that. kennedy: it has been a tough week for the gop establishment. and if steve bannon has his way, things could get worse. the former white house chief strategist is reportedly setting his sights on vulnerable republicans from coast to coast in tennessee, arizona and montana to name a few. bannon's candidate roy moore just won in alabama. could the could the schism break apart the gop?

welcome, everyone. deirdre, i will start with you. steve bannon is emboldened to go into these primary races, talk to his friends with money and run candidates that will run against the establishment. what will it do to the party. >> it could be a remake of mean girls. he's fighting against trump. kennedy: he did in this race but tried to bill it -- >> this is the inner trump so deep down you don't even know. at the same time still working with him and still on phone calls and strategizing. but this is the populist outcry. there is going to be some tough races ahead. we saw mcconnell work 24 hours for this man. kennedy: let's talk about corker. the tennessee senator who was

friends with donald trump but then came out and criticized him after charlottesville. now he says he's not going to run for reelection. is that a direct follow-through from the moore victory in the alabama runoff? >> i think some of these politicians are just sick of it. i would consider him more of like a senator snow. he was one who wanted to compromise and he realized the country was going in a different direction. i would push back on the bannon thing. we are talking about the sarah palins of the world. the populist movement. i believe they still have the base of the party. a person like bannon realized they start to pick them off one by one in the white house. but now they can make direct changes from another branch of government. kennedy: now that bannon is

unshackled from the ethical rules of working in the white house, and he knows how the sauce and is made from the inside out. >> we are seeing more and more far-right candidates cop out and challenge the members of the house. kelly ward is putting jeff flake in danger. if democrats are liking this because they are thinking we are going to have christine o'donnell-type candidates, candidates think they can pick off jeff flake. >> trump's base may have won alabama. but the goldman sachs elite guys won the tax reform. while we are mudslinging, this other half of the party is putting policy in place. it's the only thing that might

get done on the domestic agenda before the end of the year. kennedy: .women-voted for -- do women who voted for donald trump lack the confidence to think for themselves? michelle obama thinks so. see said any woman who voted against hillary clinton doesn't like their voice. you like the thing you are told to like. michelle's comments won't range as high on the offensive meter as hillary clinton calling trump supporters a basket of deplorables. and it won't help win back the voting bloc that's crucial in the 2018 elections. this is really interesting and so hypocritical. because they are thinking independently and thinking about

economics. to say you only voted for someone because someone else told you to vote that way. can you manage anything more off-putting. >> it's so self-righteous. you have to as a woman. kennedy: this is your voice. >> it struck a nerve. this is exactly what the democratic party does to black people. you have to work for us because there is no other option of people that are going to work for you. voters are getting tired of it. they are not seeing results and reaping benefits. i think the party has to have a self-evaluation and say what are we doing about the people. kennedy: and what are we doing for individuals. not just women, but individuals. stop look at people just based on their gender. that's -- talk about

oversimplifying. >> if you hear what democrats have said for years and why many voters who voted for donald trump are turned off by democrats, it's because of the condescending attitude taken by democrats. they are just voting against their own best interests because they don't know any better. kennedy: deirdre, you are a woman. if i were work for the democratic party, i would say cot people who are out of office or attached with previous bygone eras just be quiet? the more that the former generation keeps sucking up air space, the worse it is when there are strategic opportunity for that party if they get

organized. >> the new stars are october a octagenarians. they will have a wheelchair on the corner. kennedy: regardless of where they live or what reproductive parts they have. i think democrats would have a tough time. >> it's about the money you have in your pocket. kennedy: the party panel returns a little bit later. paul ryan has joined a growing list of republicans expressing frustration with the leadership. stayayayayay

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hello, mr. deets. every branch running like headquarters. that's how you outmaneuver. kennedy: if you had to pick who was to blame for the gridlock and failure on capitol hill. who would it be? house speaker paul ryan told sean hannity he's point his finger squarely on the job of

senate republicans. >> more bills have passed the house this year under president trump than obama, the bushes and clintons. 274 of them are still in the senate. we got them over the finish line in the senate. is that frustrating for the house? >> it's so frustrating. the majority leader has struck out several times getting the senate to advance their agenda. but is that the whole story? of course it isn't. that's why i have to bring in chris stirewalt. chris, i know that you are a psychic so read between the lines and tell me what is paul ryan really doing here? >> first of all he's blame casting, and he's saying don't rebel against me. do in the bite me with your big

teeth. instead look at that guy mitch mcconnell. he's the real culprit here. paul ryan of course is no favorite of the republican base and he and president trump have been at odds. but he's adopting the count nance of the luther strange, the absolutely almost you are vial. whatever you want, mr. president, we'll do it. there is no backup here. you want the wall, we'll build the wall, we'll do anything you say. i think that's reflective of the political position he's in with a larger majority and one that has a lot of very hot blooded conservative members who don't like him much. but mcconnell has a narrow majority. they are barely in control of the senate and he has a lot of moderate members who don't want to go that way. this is ryan trolling

mccouldn't to take the heat off himself. kennedy: what is his ultimate goal? is he running for president? is he going to run for senate in wisconsin? why is he divorcing himself from republican leadership when they need to work together? is it can became or mutiny? >> there is a third option. it's a little fake. since the days of the first house speaker there has been a game that is played out where the house complains about the senate. and the house says you guys should pass this legislation while nancy pelosi complained about harry reid. the two -- that's just part of the what it is. but it's also this for ryan. he knows if he can get this tax

plan passed, he would not go down in the books at the guy who lost the vice president i then became donald trump's punching bag for four years, but instead as a guy who passed under his stewardship this revolutionary concept relative to the tax code and do all these things. i think he really wants it. and he's former chairman of the ways and means committee. kennedy: i would think they all want it and are hungry for it. this is one area where most of republicans should be in agreement about tax reform. that's why you are seeing the dream caucus come on board. they all criticize speaker ryan. he's not popular with the country and his fellow republicans in the house. are they going to ditch mitch? >> i don't think there is an appetite for that right now.

because who is it who could unite the disparate wings. i think it's have much in the personal and political interests of mitch mcconnell and other senators to show progress on this tax plan. i don't know if it's going to pass, and if it is, it won't pass this year. kennedy: it feels like we have a few months of wrangling ahead of us. >> the white house left a lot of this unwritten. kennedy: how the changes will affect what people pay and take home from these new tax rules. chris stirewalt, it's always refreshing to see your face. kennedy: do owners side with their teams or the paying customers as the backlash continues? please stay here. my experience with usaa has been excellent.

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kennedy: president trump defending his criticism of the nfl players kneeling during "the national anthem." he said he believes team owners are afraid of their players. >> the nfl cannot disrespect our

country. i have so many friends who are owners. they are in a box. i have spoken to a couple of them. they say we are in a situation where we have to do something. i think they are afraid of their players, if you want to know the truth. i think it's disgraceful. kennedy: an nfl spokesman respond saying i believe there is a statement that owners are afraid of their players. those statements are not accurate. look at this wonderful party panel. deirdre bolton. lawrence jones and evan siegfried. so much of this depends on the bottom line. >> jpmorgan put out a note saying if you want to make money

out of this controversy, short cbs stock. wall street is even paying attention. i think football may have had a p.r. issue with the numerous concussions and all these issues building up. but i do think president trump will point to any sort of decrease and say this is the reason why. kennedy: the president is being a forceful lead her as the head of the country, and in some ways he's totally within his bounds to express his thoughts and free speech. but there is another leader that we haven't heard from and that's roger goodell. as deirdre points out. it's not only about kneeling before "the national anthem" went's about concussions and violence and murder. >> he's a coward. he's not the best p.r. person.

he kinds of shoves it down to the coaches, then the coaches have to deal with it. he's suppose to be the representative of the league. that's what they pay him to do. it's probably why jerry jones is disputing his raise right now. i think he stepped to far when he toiled them to fire the players and the s.o.b. comment as well. when you have the leader of the free world giving a command for a private business. you never step in on somebody else's business. it would be like somebody going to trump tower and saying fire them! kennedy: the president said the nfl cannot disrespect our country, our flag or national anthem, and they cannot have people sitting down or kneeling during our national anthem. >> people have every right to go

out and not pay attention. kennedy: the president is saying they cannot disrespect our flag. >> i think a lot of nfl owners -- i think the president is a little bit correct when he talks about how nfl owners feel boxed in. if they stood up to certain players, you would see players not want to play for them in the future. who wants to be the new york jets. kennedy: great to have you. the horrifying situation in puerto rico pitting the president against members of his own party. president today tweeted weren't electric power grid in puerto rico is totally shot. large numbers of generators are now on island.

food and water on site. marco rubio said that's not enough. >> even if we were able to deliver to puerto rico aid in a short period of time. our ability to get that aid from san juan to other places on the island is significantly diminished if not nonexistent. kennedy: the white house waived the jones act. that's a law that requires goods shipped to their port be carried bit s. vessels. former texas congressman ron paul joins me now. how bad is it in puerto rico. >> i think it's very, very bad. a nation of a government

destroying an island with too much we will fair and corporate konyism, along with a bad storm, it couldn't be worse. with overspending, it's a mess. kennedy: it is a mess. and the president has been criticized for this. is it fair to criticize him? he says it's a big ocean. it's difficult to get stuff there. but last i checked. we have a lot of planes. >> we have the equipment, they are not that far away. if they wanted to fight a war in the middle east or go to north korea they would get there real fast. we are not talking about a great distance. they say it's difficult to get to this little island not too far from us isn't much of an explanation of what's happening. we did find out about the jones

act. they are handy capped by regulations. they undermine the island's efficiency through socialism and welfare, then they have regulations. it proiflts's difficult to -- it proves it's difficult to handle a situation after a natural disaster after you have already undermined the structure. i fear for our own country. there are some of our cities in this country facing similar conditions. if they get hit with a small storm and maybe not even have a natural disaster, they might have to face up to this. i don't think there is a guarantee our grid will never go out. we have undermined the ability for our market to work. and you combine it with an unexpected event, then you have

this mess. it's tragic and obvious lit hurricane was a mess. i have personal experience about what hurricanes can do it's a difficult time. kennedy: and it's hard breaking to see. this is a u.s. territory, and you would hope with our technology and with the outpouring of empathy and sympathy we have seen in the wake of the two storms that have affected us in the continental united states, that there would be a greater sense of urgency. but you are absolutely right. the jones act has the kinds of protectionist language the president has been touting for the last two years. in order to get help and in order to unshackle that aid, you can't put those kinds of limits on something. >> they make the perfect argument. what if in calmer times you would repeal the jones act to

make things:more efficient for the island and lower the cost and maybe their debt situation would be less. this idea in tough times we get rid of regulations and it's helpful. maybe some cities and towns would get rid of taxes to help them. why not have a policy like that. low taxes and less regulations rather than waiting to be overrun with regulation and debt and say maybe we can do something about this, even though the administration cities for these regulations. but that's corporate welfare. that's what it is. we always say the island is a welfare state for everybody, including the corporations, and that's why they have that mass compound by the hurricane. kennedy: president trump and republicans have unveiled their big tax reform plan, but does it

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kennedy: president trump unveiled the gop's tax reform plant beautiful city of indianapolis. and he made it clear wasn't look out for people in his tax

bracket. >> our framework included our commitment that tax reform will protect the mid class households. not the wealthy. kennedy: chuckles had a different take. >> president trump said his plan would create a middle class miracle. i think it would be a miracle if it helped the middle class, given the numbers i have seen. kennedy: i think he's a chuck-bot. i don't think he sleeps. he just stands on the senate floor and blah, blah, blah. but republicans claim this $overhaul will simplify the tax code and double standard deduction and repeal the estate tax. is this kind of plan congress should send to the president's

desk? let me ask john stossel from the fox business network. is there anything in this tax plan for the liberty mind? john: yes. i love trump's speech saying we are going to simplify it. kennedy: is that a good start? john: the tax code is 3 million words long. if they simplified it. and he's talking about getting rid of th alternative minimum tax. he's keeping the mortgage deduction. kennedy: and the charitable deductions. john: but the mortgage in particular is welfare for rich people. it encourages you to spend more money on houses than you should. how can you simplify if you keep these deductions. you called schumer chuckles?

you have got to find another name. kennedy: i also call him mother chucker. john: we all like cuts. when spending keeps going up, that money has to come from who where. kennedy: that's my biggest issue. they go on and on about the deficit and our national debt. john: they don't talk enough about that. kennedy: the freedom caucus, they have bent stewards and the watch people making sure we are not spending so much money that we are handy capping future generations. they are silent on this. they like the tax plan. are they wrong? john: they are politicians. to be hard line on spending is political suicide. but the money will either come from our kids or it will be

inflated away from people. so to say we are going to have a cut for the rich. trump is not telling the truth either. rich pays most of of the taxes so if you cut the top rate it will help rich people more than poor people. but he's also complicating it. he's going to increase the child tax credit. he's going to create a new credit for non-child dependents. simplification would be good. we spend 7 billion hours complying. that's equals 3 million people working full time year round just to do tax. kennedy: voters are trying to figure out, does this save me money in the long run? and if they have trouble wrapping their heads around it, that means you should go to a flat tax. >> a flat tax? i don't know it's one of the

good ideas. kennedy: thank you, john. thanks so much for joining me. keep your eye on this. i worry there are shenanigans in here and i only want to see the liberty and the good stuff. john: liberty is simple taxes you don't have to understand and you don't have to hire slick lawyers to help you do your taxes. kennedy: a family of pandas is keeping up with the kardashians keeping up with the kardashians and have the naked

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kennedy: hillary clinton is head to virginia to stump for gubernatorial candidate ralph northham. this is the "topical storm." topic number one. we begin with a message of hope. we know three members of the kardashian clan are expecting babies. but there is no reason to worry

about how this might affect society. we obtained proof there are-far more intelligence breeding. four new baby pandas debuted at a zoo in china this week, and the public can't get enough of them. as we speak the exhibit has more kids inside of it than an iphone factory. the adorable pandas spent all day lying around posing for photos. they are a lot more like the kardashians than we think. topic number two. a study conducted at the university of nuremberg in germany revealed drinking beer can lift your spirits. which makes we wonder out loud.

are you kidding me? was this a real study with actual scientists? it sounds like a bunch of guys got caught drink in the lab. and they said it's not what you think. we were conducting a study. beer triggers the brain's dopamine. and smoking pot makes you hungry and drinking tequila makes you five times more likely to skinny dip in a pun fountain, allegedly. topic number three. at a time when so many people are down on the nfl. here is something people can stand for. deshaun watson donated his first paycheck to three of the cafeteria workers affected by hurricane harvey. >> i appreciate y'all so i

wanted to give you my first paycheck. kennedy: she was hoping it was $2 million. they received $27,000. that's enough for each of them to buy a hot dog and a beer at an nfl stadium. earlier today cincinnati bengals quarterback andy dalton offered to donate a gape check but it got intercepted. apparently one of his teammates needed bail money again. go, bengals. topic number four. speaking of jail. o.j. simpson is expected to be released from a nevada prison as early as this coming monday after serving 8 years for armed robbery. he set up a profile on his favorite dating app.

plenty of evidence. according to his bio he likes long drives on the freeway and bruno malley shoes that fit like a glove. if this superstar running-back takes a knee, chances are somebody is playing "the national anthem" or he's kneeling over a couple of dead bodies. topic number five. 30 days hath september, and each one is filled with an overwhelming inbox of hate. this is you expressing your free speech. this is viewer mail. you are not qualified for anything but mtv. i already responded for you on truther. i was never qualified for mtv. shane writes, america cries for

no more kennedy. she is a lightweight hack. no, they are saying more kennedy. she lost some weight. hack. nancy says, i cannot stand to listen to your incompetent judgment. at least i know big words. anda asks, wow, what are you, 13? no, emotionally i'm 11. but you were close. sam closes it up with, this lady is off her rocker. oh yeah? were you talking about your mom backstage at a sammy hagar show? coming up we have been celebrating free speech week all week on kennedy. but every day should be free speech day.

and i have got much more in the nightcap. you know who likes to be

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♪imagine no possessions ♪i wonder if you can ♪no need for greed or hunger ♪a brotherhood of man ♪imagine all the people

♪sharing all the world...you, ♪you may say i'm a dreamer ♪but i'm not the only one ♪i hope some day you'll join us♪ ♪and the world will live as one♪ kennedy: i want to thank you for participating in free speech week. from your cards and letters i see you have strong opinions about future generations being incubated in communist bubbles and my questionable fashion

choices. he week is free speech week. and we have to be ever vigilant to protect ourselves from tacky things. this is not just an ideological struggle for those i kind to liberty. we see violence spring up while some on the left feel it's appropriate to physically assault those they disagree with. do some drive bichalking to support a candidate or cause who will infewerrate your neighbors. tell offensive jokes at office parties. just don't give into stale toxic group think when it comes to your word, thoughts and feeling. when that fails, go [bleep]

san diego. you can follow me on twitter and ina gram and email me at kennedyfbn@foxbusiness.com. good night. >> lou: good evening, everybody. the popullist wave in america is growing. and the snootiest have been shaken by alabama. they decided for roy moore in the run off senate scomplekz the judge's wins clearly taken as a profound warning to all establishment elites and rinos, particularly those in the senate. alabama vot