i'm jamie colby. thanks so much for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- you can't take it with you. "lou dobbs tonight" starts right now. ♪ ♪ lou: good evening, everybody. former vice president joe biden appearing for the first time today with husband new running mate -- his new running mate, senator kamala harris. the two at iowa alexis dupont high school in wilmington, delaware, and there is the vice president welcoming everyone and introducing his running mate, let's join them. >> it's going to be gratifying to see the strong, enthusiastic reaction to senator harris as our next vice president. you know, it comes from people all over the country. it's already occurring. all over the country, all

ideological views, all backgrounds. events, of course, they are predictable, some of them. it comes all over except, of course, from donald trump's white house and his allies. we all knew it was coming. you could have set your watches to it. donald trump has already started his attacks, calling kamala, quote, nasty. whining about how she's, quote, mean to his appointees. it's no surprise. because whining is what donald trump does best, better than any president in american history. is anyone surprised donald trump has a problem with a strong woman or strong women across the board? we know that more is to come, so let's be clear. if you're a working person worried about whether or not you'll have a job to go to, whether or not you'll be able to

pay your mortgage, pay your rent, worried about the poison in the air you breathe, the water you drink, worried about your civil rights, even your basic right to dignity which is under attack with this administration, kamala harris has had your back, and now we have to have her back. she's going to stand with me in this campaign, and all of us are going to stand up for her. on january 20th, 2021, we're all going to watch senator harris raise her right hand and swear the oath of office as the first woman ever to serve in the second highest office in america, in this land. and then we're going to get to work fixing the mess president trump and vice president pence have created both at home and abroad through four years of

mismanagement and coddling of terrorists and thugs around the world. not only will america dig itself out of this hole they've put us in, we're going to build, we're going to build back, and we're going to build back better. we have a public health crisis. while he's in court trying to do away with health care. with more than 5 million reported infections, 165,000 people dead and climbing as a consequence of covid-19. and still, months later, no real leadership or plan from the president of the united states how to get this pandemic under control. no real help to the states and local governments trying to fill the vacuum of leadership from the white house. no real help for children and educators, for small businesses and front-line workers that are the ones holding our country

together. instead, he's issuing executive orders and making promises that in the end will defund the social security system while insisting that this virus will disappear. the joe biden and kamala harris administration will have a comprehensive plan to meet the challenge of covid-19 and turn the corner on this pandemic; masking, clear science-based guidance, dramatically scaling up testing, getting states and local governments the resources they need to open the schools and businesses safely. we can do this. we just need a president and a vice president willing to lead and take responsibility. not as this president says, it's not my fault. the government -- the governors should thank me more.

as an old saying goes, give me a break. we have an economic crisis and more than 16 million americans, 16 million, till out of work -- still out of work. donald trump is on track to break another record, on track to leave office with the worst jobs record of any american president in modern history. but instead of doing the hard work, meeting face to face with congressional leaders, democrats and republicans in the white house -- like every other president's done in a crisis -- to get americans the are relief they need and deserve, donald trump is on the golf course. if i told you this three years ago, you'd look at me like i was being crazy. he hasn't even met with the leadership. he doesn't have time, it

appears. we have a climate crisis, and donald trump refuses to even acknowledge. he thinks about climate change, all we hear is the word "hoax." the biden/harris administration is going to meet the climate crisis, protect the health of the american public. and along the way, we're going to deliver one word, jobs. good paying jobs. we have a racial justice crisis. donald trump seeks only to enflame it with his politics of racist rhetoric and appeals to division. you know, today's not only the day i'm proud to introduce senator kamala harris as the vice presidential nominee of the democratic party, it's also the third anniversary of that terrible day in charlottesville.

remember? remember what it felt like to see those neo-nazis? close your eyes. and those klansmen, white supremacists? coming out of fields carrying lighted torches, faces con contorted, bulging veins, spewing the same anti-semitic bile we heard in hitler's germany in the '30s. remember how it felt to see a violent clash ensue between those celebrating hate and those standing against it? it was a wake-up call for all of us as a country. for me, it was a call to action. my father used to say silence is complicity. not original to him, but he believed it. at that moment i knew i couldn't stand by and let donald trump, a

man who went on to say when asked about what he thought, he said there were very fine people on both sides. quote, very fine people on both sides. no president of the united states of america has ever said anything like that. to see him continue to attack everything that makes america america, i knew we were in the battle for the soul of the nation. that's when i decided to run. and i'm proud now to have senator harris at my side in that battle, because she shares the same intensity i do. she's someone who knows what's at stake. the question is for all americans to answer, who are we as a nation? what do we stand for? and most importantly, what do we want to be? you know, someone who knows that

the future of this country limited only by the barriers we place on our own imaginations because there's nothing americans cannot awe -- achieve when we put our minds to it and we do it together. one of the reasons i chose kamala is because we both believe that we can define america simply in one word, possibilities. possibilities. let me say it again, possibilities. that's america. that's what sets this nation apart. everyone, everyone, the ability for everyone -- and we mean everyone -- to go as far and dream as big as hard work and their god given ability will take them. when i agreed to serve as president obama's running mate, he asked me a number of questions as i've asked kamala.

and the most important was he said to me what, he asked me what i wanted, most importantly. i told him i wanted to be the last person in the room before he made the important decisions. that's what i asked kamala. i asked her to be the last voice in the room, to always tell me the truth -- which she will -- challenge my assumptions if she disagrees, ask the hard questions. because that's the way we make the best decisions for the american people. i got a chance to spend some time at my home today with kamala and doug, and i want to thank them -- i thanked them then, and i thank them publicly -- for agreeing to join and take this journey with jill and me. doug -- [laughter] you're going to have to learn what it means to be a barrier breaker yourself in this job you're about to take on.

america's first second gentleman. [laughter] and although they're not with us here today, i want to thank ellen and cole as well. i had a chance to speak to doug's mom and dad and to ellen and cole, and we're going to get our kids together to let 'em know what's coming. my grandchildren are about a the age of their children. few campaign's always -- my campaign's always been a family affair, every campaign i've run, so i've got some news for you, you're all honorary bidens. [laughter] and here's the best part. kamala, you've been an honorary biden for quite only time. you know, i came first to know who kamala was through our son, beau biden. they were friends. they served as attorneys general

with at the same time. they took the same big, they took on the same big fights together; kamala in california, beau here in delaware. big fights that helped change the entire country. i know how much beau respected kamala and her work, and that mattered a lot to me, to be honest with you, as i made this decision. so now we need to get to work pulling this nation out of these crises we find ourselves in, getting our economy back on track, uniting this nation. and, yes, winning the battle for the soul of america. my fellow americans, let me introduce to you for the first time your next vice president of the united states, kamala harris. kamala? the floor is yours.

>> [inaudible] thank you, joe. >> thank you. >> thank you, joe. as i said, joe, when you called me, i am incredibly honored by this responsibility, and i'm ready to get to work. i am ready to get to work. after the most competitive primary in history, the country received a resounding message that joe was the person to lead us forward. and, joe, i'm so proud to stand with you. and i do so mindful of all the heroic and ambitious women before me whose sacrifice, determination and resilience makes my presence here today even possible. this is a moment of real consequence for america. everything we care about -- our

economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we hiv in -- it's all on -- we live in, it's all on the line are. we're reeling from the worst public health crisis in a century. the president's mismanagement of the pandemic has plunged us into the worst economic crisis since the great depression. and we're experiencing a moral reckoning with racism and systemic injustice that has brought a new coalition of conscience to the streets of our country demanding change. america is crying out for leadership. yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him, a president who is making every challenge we face even more

difficult to solve. but here's the good news. we don't have to accept the failed government of donald trump and mike pence. in just 83 days, we have a chance to choose a better future for our country. so, joe, dr. biden, thank you for the trust you've placed in me. jill, i know you will be an incredible first lady, and few husband doug and i i -- my husband doug and i are so grateful, grateful to become a part of your extended family. and ever since i received joe's call, i've been thinking, yes, about the first biden that i really came to know and that, of course, joe's beloved son, one of his beloved sons, beau. in the midst of the great

recession, beau and i spoke on the phone practically every day. sometimes multiple times a day. working together to win back billions of dollars for homeowners from the big banks of the nation that were foreclosing on people's homes. and will the me just tell you about beau -- let me tell you about beau biden. i learned quickly that beau was the kind of guy who inspired people to be a better version of themselves. he really was the best of us. and when i would ask hum, where'd you get that? where'd this come from? he'd always talk about his dad. and i will tell you the love that they shared was incredible to watch. it was the most beautiful display of the love between a father and a son.

and beau talked about how joe would spend four hours every day riding the recalls back and forth from wilmington to washington so he could make breakfast for his kids in the morning and make it home in time to tuck them in bed each night. all of this so two little boys who had just lost their mom and their sister in a tragedy you can accident -- in a tragic accident would know that the world was still turning x. that's how came to know joe. he's someone whose first response when things get tough never to think about himself, but to care for everyone else. he's someone who never asks why is this happening to me and instead asks what can i do to make life better for you. his empathy, his compassion, his sense of duty to care for others

is why i am to proud to be on this ticket. and joe and i, yes, we are cut from the psalm -- the same cloth. family is everything to me too, and i cannot wait for america to get to know my husband doug and our amazing kids cole and ella. whether i'm cheering at a swim meet or setting up a college room or helping my goddaughter prepare for her school debate or building legos with my godson or hugging my two baby nieces or cooking dinner, sunday dinner, my family means everything to me. and i've had a lot of titles over my career, and certainly vice president will be great. but mamala will always be the one that means the most. and, you know, my mother and father, they came from opposite

sides of the world to arrive in america; one from india and the other from jamaica. in search of a world class education. but what brought them together was the civil rights movement of the 1960s. and that's how they met, as students in the streets of oakland, marching and shouting for this thing called justice in a struggle that continues today. and i was part of it. my parents would bring me to protests strapped tightly in my stroller, and my mother shamaha raised my sister maya and me to believe that it was up to us and every generation of americans to keep on marching. she'd tell us don't sit around and complain about things, do something. so i did something. i devoted my life to making real the words carved in the united

states supreme court, equal justice under law. and 30 years ago i stood before a judge for the first time, breathed deep and uttered the phrase that would, that would truly guide my career and the rest of my career. kamala harris for the people. the people, that's e who i represented as district attorney, fighting on behalf of victims who needed help. the people, that's who i fought for as california's attorney general when i took on transnational criminal organizations who traffic in guns and drugs and human beings. and it's the people who i have fought for as a united states senator where i worked every day to hold trump officials accountable to the american people. and the people are who joe and i will fight for every day in the white house. and let me tell you, somebody who has presented my fair share

of arguments in course, the case against donald trump and mike pence is open and shut. just look where they're gotten us. more than 16 million out of work. millions of kids who cannot go back to school. a cry us of poverty -- crisis of poverty, of homelessness afflicting black, brown and indigenous people the most. a crisis of hunger afflicting 1 in 5 mothers who have children or that are hungry. and tragically, more than 165,000 lives that have been cut short. many with loved ones who never got the chance to say good-bye. it didn't have to be this way. suggestion years ago, in fact -- six years ago, in fact, we had a different health crisis. it was called ebola.

and we all remember that pan dem ig. but you know what happened then? barack obama and joe biden did their job. only two people in the united states died. two. that is what's called leadership. but compare that to the moment we find ourselves in now. when other countries are following the science, trump pushed miracle cures he saw on fox news. while other countries were flattening the curve, he said the virus was just, poof, go away. quote: like a miracle. so when other countries opened back for business, what did we do? with had to shut down again -- we had to shut down again. this virus has impacted almost every country, but there's a reason it has hit america worse than any other advanced nation.

it's because of trump's failure to take it seriously from the start. his refusal to get testing up and running, his flip-flopping on social distancing and wearing masks, his delusional belief that he knows better than the experts. all of that is reason, and the reason that an american dies of covid-19 every 80 seconds. it's why countless businesses have had to shut their doors for good. it's why there is complete chaos over when and how to reopen our schools. mothers and fathers are confused and uncertain and angry about childcare and the safety of their kids at school, whether they'll be in danger if they go or fall behind if they don't.

trump is also the reason millions of americans are now unemployed. he inherited the longest economic expansion in history. from barack obama and joe biden. and then, like everything else he inherited, he ran out straight into the ground. because of trump's failures of leadership, our economy has taken one of the biggest hits out of all the major industrialized nations with an unemployment rate that has tripled as of today. this is what happens when we elect a guy who just isn't up for the job. our country ends up in tatters. and so does our reputation around the world. but let's be clear, this election isn't just about

defeating donald trump or mike pence, it's about building this country back better. and that's exactly what joe and i will do. we'll create millions jobs and fight climate change through a clean energy revolution, bring back critical supply chains so the future is made in america, build on the affordable cower act so everyone -- affordable care act so everyone has the peace of mind that comes with health insurance. and finally, offer caregivers the dug anity, the respect -- the dignity, the respect and the paw they deserve. we'll protect a woman's right to make her own decisions about her own body, root out systemic racism in our justice system and pass a new voting rights act, a john lewis voting rights act, that will insure every voice is heard and every voice counted.

the civil rights struggle is nothing new to joe. it's whew he got into public service -- it's why he got into public service, why he helped reauthorize the voting rights act and today he takes his place in the ongoing story the of america's march toward equality is and justice and only, as the only, as the only who has served alongside the first black president and has chosen the first black woman as his running mate. but as joe always points out, this election is about more than politics. it's about who we are as a country. and i'll admit over the past four years there have been moments when i have truly worried about our future. but whenever i think that there is a reason for doubt, whenever i've had few own doubts -- my own doubts, i think of you, the

american people, the doctors and nurses and front-line workers who are risking your lives to save others, the truck drivers and the workers in grocery stores, in factories and farms working there, putting your own safety the on the line to help us get through this pandemic, the women and students taking to the streets in unprecedented numbers, the dreamers and immigrants who know that families belong together, the lgbtq americans who know that love is love, people of every age and color and creed who are finally declaring in one voice that, yes, black lives matter. all across this country a whole new generation of children is growing up hearing the cries for justice and the chants of hope on which i was raised, some

strapped into strollers of their own. and, trust me, it's a song you'll never forget. so to everyone keeping up the fight, you are doing something. you are doing something great. you are the heroes of our time. and you are the reason i know we are going to bring our country closer to realizing its great promise. but to do it, we'll need to work, organize and vote like never before because we need more than a victory on november 3rd. we need a mandate that proves that the past few years do not represent who we are or who we aspire to be. joe likes to say that character is on the ballot, and it's true. when he saw what happened in charlottesville three years ago today, he knew we were in the battle for the soul our nation, and together with your help, that's a battle we will win. earlier this year i said i'd do

whatever joe asked me to do, and so now i'm asking you to do the same. so visit joebideen.com to get involved in this campaign and vote, because electing joe biden is just the start of the work ahead of us. finish and i couldn't be prouder to be by his side running to represent you, the people. thank you and may god bless the united states of america. thank you. ♪ ♪ lou: senator kamala harris graciously accepting joe biden's invitation to join him on the ticket, talking about the delight of her family to be part of the extended biden family. it was a, an interesting journey through a number of phrases, and we're going to join now congressman jim jordan. he's the ranking member of the

house judiciary committee expect house oversight committee, to get his reaction to what we've just heard over the past little more than a half hour. congressman jordan, great to have you with us. what's your reaction to senator harris, her first appearance as joe biden's running mate in. >> yeah. same old democrats, lou. you know, all kinds of crazy left-wing with policies and criticize president trump. not like we haven't seen this show before. [laughter] i mean, think about what she said. the democrat governors won't let americans go back to work, and then they blame president trump for unemployment. i mean, it's crazy, the policy. so democrats won't denounce the violence, democrats won't denounce the cancel culture mob, democrats, they won't denounce all the crazy things that are going on out there in our culture, won't denounce this crazy idea of defunding the police. that's what their ticket, that's the biden/harris ticket today.

look, i think the president's going to win, i know you do. i just feel out here in ohio. this is the same old -- really, lou, this is a choice. are we going to make america great again, or are we going to make america san francisco. that's the choice, and i think americans are beginning to see that very clearly, and i new donald trump's not only going to win ohio, i think least going to win again and be president for another four years. lou: i have to think it was a very high stakes tack tuck for senator harris -- tactic for senator harris to start talking about him, how important black lives matter is and the violence that has erupted in the democrat-run city streets to restoring whatever her vision and vice president biden, former vice president biden's vision of this country. because right now the democratic vision is you don't help president trump in the midst of the so-called public health crisis. >> right. lou: this is pandemic unleashed upon the world by a communist

chinese government, period. >> yes. lou: fully. it is more than a public health crisis by any measure. it is a -- this is a president who's created more jobs, 7 million jobs -- >> right. lou: -- in his first three years in office. it's a stunning, if you will, warpage of the facts. >> yes. joe biden said in his comments, he talked about the worst jobs record. this -- prior to coronavirus, it was the best economy in history. i mean, the economy was humming along, lowest unemployment, taxes cut, regulations reduced, lowest unemployment in 50 years for all americans, african-americans, hispanic-americans, all americans. that was where we're at. this virus comes along, this president stood up to china as the first president to stand up to china. that will be a big issue in this campaign. which vision do you want, the donald trump vision for international trade and standing up for china, or do you want the joe biden/hunter biden vision of

how you deal with china? that will be a clear distinction in this campaign. look, i think it's becoming so clear. i've been around our district the last two weeks talking to business owners, farmers, families, business people, they understand what's at stake. president trump's going to get reelected. i don't care -- i don't think it really matters who the vice presidential pick because i think people understand the great job president trump's been doing for the country. lou: absolutely. congressman jim jordan, always good to see you. thank you so much for your thoughts and reaction to senator harris' first appearance with joe biden as his running mate. coming up next here, just the news founder john solomon, he has a proposal to get back to real reporting. it involves the white house, can and he has a fascinating -- and he has a fascinating proposal. he joins us here next. my new book is "the trump century: how our president changed the course of history forever." it is available for preorder. get your copies, celebrate the

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-my grandma. -my cousin. my great-great grandmother. she was all of 4'11" but very tenacious. a very independent woman. driven, passionate. embodied grit, perseverance. she marched. -she wrote. -she demanded. she was proud to pass on a legacy of civic mindedness to her descendants. i'm very proud to carry on her story. all: her story -find their stories. -make them count. at ancestry.

♪ ♪ lou: welcome back. whether it's on the streets of the largest democrat-run cities in this country or whether it's in joe biden's choice of a running mate in kamala harris,

the radical dems are trying to push this nation in a decidedly extreme leftward direction. the party's platform shaped and molded almost daily but new socialist tenets and ideals, a manifesto of sorts for left-wing activists holding power and politics, business and technology who are seeking to fundamentally change the fabric of our nation. we'll be taking up the ma lug significant -- malignant split of the democratic party and also their disgust for those who do not conform to the new mob mentality. we'll also be talking about joe biden with more explaining to do about husband son hunter's work -- his son hunter's work with burisma in the ukraine. en endless pressure campaign in 2016 from left-wing lobbyists at blue star strategies, that's the group trying to get the obama state department then to drop

corruption allegations against the crew crane january burisma -- ukrainian burisma firm. john solomon breaking that story today and joining us here, award-winning investigative reporter, editor-in-chief of "just the news." let's talk about, well, first of all, i want to add your book, "fallout: nuclear are bribes, russian spies expect washington lies that enrich -- and washington lies that enrich the clinton and biden dynasties." it's good to have you here. >> thank you, lou. lou: what we're learning, give us your view and how important it is and will it have an influence, do you think, on this election in. >> i do. i think senator ron johnson and senator chuck grassley have been doing a very quiet investigation of conflicts of interest in ukraine involving the biden family. they have state department officials who con firm thaw saw a conflict of -- they saw a conflict of interest. they now have learned through

this foia lawsuit i filed that there were documents kept from the senate meaning the senate has not gotten these documents that show that burisma was in constant contact with the embassy in ukraine and with the department in washington. -- the state department in washington. that conflicts with the very testimony state department officials gave last january during the impeachment trial when they said we didn't know anything about burisma, it wasn't on our radar except for a briefing memo, maria van vuch said, before i went before the senate. their lobbyists were cornering them at confirmation hearings, at events, meetings at the embassy headquarters in washington, and hunter biden's company was pressuring the obama tate department to make those corruption allegations go away. that's a narrative that the democrats have have tried to hide for the last 18 months. lou: that's extraordinary. and now ron johnson saying very clearly that he doesn't have theport on husband own committee -- the support on his

own committee to interview only of the same people -- some of the same people to get, secure the documents that he needs to continue the investigation. i want to put up, if we may, a quick full screen of what we call suspects here on "lou dobbs tonight" -- [laughter] rinos who are actually resisting ron johnson. if we could have that full screen, ladies and gentlemen in the control room, pretty please. there it is. the mitt romney jr. suspect, utah senator, rob portman, james lankford, mike enzi, all suspects. as to senators on that committee trying to block ron johnson in his investigation. first, your reaction. >> well, listen, i think the senators need to know what's been found by this investigation, that state department officials are confirming on the record in

testimony that joe biden and hunter biden engaged in a prohibited conflict of interest. i also am hearing from sources inside the u.s. government -- not the congress, but inside the government -- that the committee recently obtained records showing that certain transactions involving the biden family were flagged as suspicious by intelligence and financial overseers in the u.s. government. those are the sort of things that when they get to the public, maybe it'll change the minds of some of those senators who have been drag their feet and keeping ron johnson and chuck grassley from doing their or job. lou: let me ask you to peck late. what on earth would lankford or romney or any of these people be thinking in trying to block ron johnson in this investigation? who are these people, and what are they doing taking federal taxpayer money to talk up a seat and do nothing? >> well, listen, i think they have a little bit of political ptsd, because as you know, when

we first started writing about ukraine a year ago, it led to um impeachment hearings. but the truth is if they follow these facts, those republicans find it's their duty to up cover this corruption that went on inside our state department. lou: yeah. i want to put up those senators again for the audience, if we could put that up again, please, the full screen, because they're worthy of discussion. romney, we know what he is. he has been a traitor to the party, to the trump administration. rob portman, he is, he is as neutral as protoplasm gets. [laughter] it's extraordinary that he is taking up space in the republican party. james lankford, i have no idea who he thinks he works for, but it should be for the people of husband state. and i can't believe that they toll -- for his state.

billion i can't believe they tolerate his kind of milk toast, double-edged everything when it comes to his political direction. those three senators, and i'll leave mike enzi out of this, those three senators are, they should be ashamed of themselves. do you disagree with that statement? >> well, listen, james lankford comes from an american oil and gas country, right in the most important, one of the most important energy sectors in america. hunter biden was working for a foreign, corrupt gas company. he ought to be interested if nothing else for the constituents and workers in his own backyard. i predict as soon as senator johnson starts i putting out this information, those three senators are going to turn around. that's my prediction right now. lou: well, i think disease a laudable prediction. i think if they need to be led by the nose to those facts, they have not within e reading "just the news" sufficient lu. john solomon, you've got a great proposal to create a competition

to the white house press correspondents' association. how likely is it you'll be able to put it together? >> well, i'm going to press all the way up to president, if i can. i really believe that we need competition. i look at these press briefing, and they're an enormous opportunity to inform the american public. instead they've become a spectacle of gotcha moments, and no one talks about the issues that the american people want to find out anymore. they don't sit up, they don't stand up and address the president with respect, they're supposed to respect the office, thaw sit in their chairs -- they sit in their chairs like they're talking to some thug on the streets. the president and caylee cayleee neighbor and mark meadows have that power, just allow a second press association to come in, show people how real journalism can be mitted in the briefing room, and i think the country will be better off for the competition. lou: well, i think it's an extraordinary proposition. i support you 100% in your effort -- >> thank you. lou: -- and i'll hope that the

president follows suit. and, well, gives you all of his support in creating that competition because what we are witnessing right now is a sorry state of affairs in the fourth estate, as you well know. >> i i agree. lou: john solomon, we thank you so much. appreciate out. we'd like to hear your thoughts on all of this. share your comments. follow me on for it @loudobbs follow me on instagram @loudobbstonight. congressman doug collins and dr. michael pillsbury among our guests tomorrow evening. please be with us for that. and stay with us as we continue here tonight with china's pla stepping up military drills in the south south china sea. just where is the u.s./china conflict headed? we'll be talking with national security foreign policy expert jim hansenson. -- hanson after

jim hansenson. -- hanson after these quick messagegegege jim hansenson. -- hanson after these quick messagegegege i am totally blind. and non-24 can make me show up too early... or too late. or make me feel like i'm not really "there." talk to your doctor, and call 844-234-2424.

♪ ♪ lou: joining us tonight jim hanson, former u.s. army special forces, prime minister of the security studies -- president of the security studies group. jim, great to have you with us.

let's start with what we are hearing out of china and out of washington, d.c., and that is that military exercises on the part of the pla are stepping up, and they seem headed toward greater intensity in the weeks ahead. your reaction. finish. >> i think this is the chinese puffing their chests up after they really got the wind taken out of their navy's sails went secretary pompeo told them that all of their ridiculous claims to territory in the south china sea to all of this nine-line, you know, maritime zone that they were claiming as chinese waters, secretary pompeo told them to pound sand. he said, no, we deny all those claims, and we will support our navy's right to go there and other countries' rights to sail through those waters. so i think they're pushing back, but i don't think they want to step too far because force on force fight with the u.s. navy, they're not going to come out

looking good. lou: and the president dispatching two u.s. our craft carriers to the south china sea at the same time. he did it, in fact, twice. that had to stun them because it hadn't been done. to my knowledge, it had never been done before by any american president. that was a powerful signal, not exactly nuanced signal to beijing. and they need that kind of unnuanced signal which is why president trump has been so effect i have in pushing back against chinament we've let them get away with murder and stealing our intellectual property. they started the pandemic that stopped our economy, and they've been bullying their neighbors for far too long. it's a really good sign that we're standing up to them and we're telling the other countries in the region that we'll go ahead and make sure that they can trade with us and other people regardless of what the chinese say. it's well needed.

lou: and with secretary azar dispatched to taiwan, that -- such a high official hadn't been there the at least in our research for 30 or 40 years. this had to have the chinese heads spinning because of all of their bellicose, extraordinary rhetoric, to see the president do this, to send azar right into the teeth of the -- well, to poke the eye of the tiger, if you will, or dragon if they the prefer, quite something to watch. >> and taiwan if hong kong are -- and hong kong are both pressure points that if we push back against the chinese there, we can cause them trouble in their own region. they don't need that. they're having enough trouble with hong kong. they put that horrendous new law, that national security law against them. and reminding them that we back taiwan and we back hong kong is a good way to say don't get too

froggy there, you know, or we'll remind people who the real power is. >> well, and what is not getting much attention -- "the wall street journal" reporting a few weeks ago, al-jazeera, about russian mercenaries taking over two oil fields in libya and, in fact, a warlord there blocking the export of petroleum from libya right now as a result while the united states is trying to open up the flow of that oil into the global market. this is a contest with russia. these are nothing but, if you will, at best mercenary proxies for kremlin, the kremlin military. your thoughts about where this is headed. >> yeah, it's a sketchy situation, for sure. the russians are backing the lna, and the central government in libya is backed by turkey,

but also in tight cahoots with the muslim brotherhood. it's a situation where right now the u.s. is probably best standing back on the sidelines and letting turkey and russia battle it out in proxy status and then waiting to see what happens because there's no way for us to get in the middle of that without it turning into a larger conflict. it's pretty messy, lou. lou: and the president has made it clear he's not interested in having our troops involved in messes that don't affect, aren't important to u.s. national security. jim hanson is, as always, good to have you here. the president is about to take, we are told, the podium at the white house briefing room. thank you again, jim hanson. the fact of the matter, he has a great deal to talk about as we have been discussing. new, a new -- [laughter] name has entered the democratic side of the presidential contest. he's already had quite a few things to say about that.

perhaps more will be said by the president today. we are also looking at a pandemic that is difficult it seems some days to judge whether it is ebbing or moving toward some sort of decline in this country. it's going to be, obviously, front and center in the presidential contest, and we will be taking that up here as welch -- as well. the issue right now of jobs, the economy, opening up schools critically important. we're at an inflection point, if you will, in this pandemic. because over the course of the next 30 days, school districts all across the country -- public school districts -- are going to have to make decisions, and it is a time for critical judgment on the part of those school districts and community leaders because we know that public education is, first and foremost, the repository of all

of our future. and those young people are going to be driving the future of this country. here is the president in the briefing room. and good evening. as we continue to confront the china virus, we're rebuilding america's economy like nobody thought possible actually. we're doing incredibly well. stock market's up almost 300 points again today. while our economy is performing significantly better than europe, which people have to understand very strongly, it's performing better than any market anywhere in the world actually, at the same time europe has experienced a 40% higher excess mortalirk ty than -- mortality than the united states. and we'll say that's we're working with europe on their difficulties and we are going to help them all the way. we're doing very well as you know on the vaccines and the

therapeutics but think of that, we have the strongest economy performing economy in the world. we're up, i think it is nine trillion dollars since march. nine trillion dollars in value. that's a number that nobody ever heard of before. we're also getting close to about a 50% number since march which is incredible. so it is nine trillion dollars. it is almost 50%. i think it went above 50% today with the 300 point increase. and it's, so we're doing much better than europe significantly and at the same time europe has experienced a 40% excess higher mortality than the united states. i want to mention a number of judges were approved recently. we'll be over 300 judges, federal judges, including court

of appeals judges approved by the end of my first term. and other than when they added new judges into somebody's term which happens seldom, but we have more than any, it's a record, nobody ever seen anything like this in one term so we're going to have over 300 federal judges and that is court of appeals judges and that's just in the first term which probably will finish out over 300 which is pretty amazing. the stock markets -- lou: that's it, that's it for us tonight. the president continuing with his conference on opening schools, on the china virus pandemic and the success of the economy here in the what we all shope is the declining stage of this pandemic. congressman doug collins,

dr. michael pills burly will pillsbury will join us tomorrow. "the trump century," how the president changed the course of history forever. preorder at thetrumpcentury.com, maria: good morning. happy thursday. thank you so much for joining us. ing the thursday august 13, 6:00 a.m. on the east coast. 3 power hours coming up ahead with amazing all-star lineup. president trump will join me live at 7:30 a.m. eastern for a fox business exclusive, coming up right here at 7:30 don't miss it. in ten minutes time first on fox business this morning, hong kong democracy advocate and next digital founder jimmy lai