>> at one point cpi was above 9, ppi was above is 111, so we've

come a long way. we're not entirely there. >> i don't think harris made a case on policy p. you go through those questions from the moderators, she didn't answer one of them. >> why did it take them over three years to come up, offer any solution to the border crisis? they didn't do a lick. and, by the way, that bill said you could have 2500 illegals come in every day, and then we would get serious about enforcing the border. >> inflation is a tax. it's a hidden tax, buts it is still taking purchasing power out of your wallet. it's like getting robbed except that this week the robber takes less out of your wallet than he did last week. >> support for trump is completely solid. his supporters aren't going anywhere, and i guess kamala's not been able to close the sale with undecided voters. ♪ ♪ dancing in the street. ♪ dancing in chicago, down in new orleans ♪ ashley: dancing in the street, david bow with by, mick

jagger -- bowie, as you look down sixth avenue. kind of busy on the street but the sidewalks, not so much. good morning, everyone, it's 11 a.m. on this thursday, september the 12th. i'm ashley webster in for stu varney today. let's take a look at the markets for you. the dow has been down, tried to come back, and now it's heading down again, only a third of a percent. the s&p essentially flat, and the nasdaq, too, just up a enth or two to of a percent. let's take a look at big tech names. we like, of course, to keep an eye on those, they carry a lot of weight. alphabet, nvidia moving hire, but amazon, apple and microsoft are all down, microsoft off about half a percent. let's take a look at the 10-year treasury as well. the treasury has been, uh, it's moving slightly higher, up 3.3 basis points at 3.68%. we're also, by the way, keeping an eye on the fallout of a

4.7-magnitude earthquake in southern california reportedly centered in the malibu area, also a 2.if 8-mag magma tuesday aftersome but no -- aftershock, but no reports of injuries or significant damage. democrat congressman james clyburn has some advice for kamala harris on how she should approach the media. watch this. >> if i were advising her, i think it's good or forher to be out among -- for her to be out among people respond being to the their questions and their sentiments. i think just to the the say someone on -- one-on-one discussions with people mt. media will not necessarily connect with the voters. i want to see her connecting with voters. if she goes on these one-on-ones sometime,.

[inaudible] until there's a word that's uttered that can be used in a negative way. ashley: don't talk to anyone, you don't want the look souped. clay travis the joins me now. clay, look, will harris avoiding the media work? if i mean, it kind of worked for biden, but it was covid, so he could hang out in the basement. what about harris? >> well, if you're only going to get positive news coverage, by and large, from the media without ever having to talk to them or answer questions, i mean, what do you have to lose? what james clyburn didn't say is the reason why kamala harris is uniquely susceptible to media questioning is because she's come out with things she believes that are the exact opposite of things that she said in the past. and some of them are very serious like, hey, we need to build a border wall now or i believe in fracking in pennsylvania, and i don't believe in an electric vehicle mandate anymore. and some of them are relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of things but definitely

connect the brand her as inawe they want thetic. for instance, the idea that she believes we need to ban plastic strauss. there are a couple of things out there -- straws. she said she supported reparations in the past. she won't even say whether she still supports reparations. she said she supported -- i can't believe this is real, but it is -- transgender surgeries for illegal immigrants in detention paid for by taxpayers, and she won't even answer questions with about what she believes on that now. so if i had all these things in my past that i now, in order to win an election, had to repiewduate, maybe it's just easier to have "the new york times," "the washington post" and your allies at msmbc ask cnn report that you no longer believe it than actually be yesterday on it. ashley: very well put, clay. i'm going to move on to this one, football star travis kelly may come out and publicly -- travis kelce may endorse kamala

harris. patrick mahomes says i'm going to stay quiet. listen to this. >> i don't want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever each -- either way. i think my place so to inform people to get registered to the vote, to inform people to do their own research and then make their best decision for them and their family. ashley: pretty much if what taylor swift said, but bottom line, clay, should celebrities say out of politics? >> well, i think it depends on maybe what your base is, but what i love about what you just saw from patrick mahomes and also it was echoed by caitlin clark, and i would argue probably that patrick mahomes, the most famous male athlete in america right now and caitlin clark probably the most famous female athlete in america -- america, they both said register to vote, go vote, but i'm not going to be endorsing any particular political candidate. and i think that is the right approach that an athlete should

be take. and interestingly, it's actually a throwback to the most popular athlete in midwest of our lives, michael jordan, who famously said when asked why he didn't endorse political candidates, republicans buy sneakers too. republicans like football. republicans like basketball. [laughter] i don't know if you're an athlete and so do democrats, some of them anyway, at least when it comes to football. i don't know why you would alienate anybody when your own athletic excellence is your hallmark and what makes people appreciate you. ashley: jordan was great on the court and off the court as well. clay, thank you so much. great stuff, as always. thank you for joining us. >> appreciate you all, thanks a lot. ashley: hey, thank you. the market kind of drifting a little bit today. the dow has been moving slightly lower. as you can see, struggling for direction, is what we usually say. lou basenese joins us now. great to have you along, lou. let's get back total producer prices, up 11.7% over -- 111.7.

1.7% over the last 12 months. how big of a rate cut do you expect now? pretty much locked in at 25 points, right? >> yeah. i think everyone's gotten their sense around them again. about a month ago, there was a chance of a 50 basis point cut, which i think is nonsensical. the fed has an unenviable job of trying to manage two cranky toddlers. for years inflation was throwing a testimony per tantrum, but as -- temper tantrum. we're seeing that in the labor market now. so with the still persistently high, tub born inflation not -- stubborn inflation in the closing the last gap, i think everyone's settled in and it's going to be 25 the basis points because the fed has to act a because the labor market is cooling. ashley: let me get back to politics because i'm always interested by this. do the markets care about the last debate? we spoke to gary kaltbaum earlier, and i think he's losing sleep over the potential outcomes of this presidential election. how much, when it, you know, the

debate -- we saw some action on the markets yesterday and part of that was some people saying, yeah, the debate, kamala harris did a lot better than we thought she would. is that a factor treat? i think it absolutely is. of you have to think about policy and how that impacts the markets, right? it's always about the intersection. us investors are trying to be like athletes that stay out of politics, but we have to to get in and wade in here. the biggest problem potentially when it comes to hair stances on taxation and energy policy. so you're seeing this now. you saw the betting odds, the the markets swung from a 10-point benefit to harris, 6 points to trump and after the debate, dead even. so everybody's worried. i think you'll see investors sitting on their hands until we get certain i, so we're going to have these up and down volatile days, so i wish i could give you better news, but buckle up. it's going to be a rough ride through the election. ashley: well, you just anxioused my next question was it has been

pretty kind of pepto-bismol-inducing, and you think that's going to continue, at least in the short term. >> i do and given the dynamics of this presidential election, but if you look historic theically, volatility really picks up in september, october and extends during presidential election years into november. it's unavoidable, you just have to, if you're in the markets, be rational, level-headed, not make sudden, reflexive moves and probably waiting until we get some smooth sailing after we get a fed cut and certainty on who our next president is. ashley: very wise words. i feel calmer already, lou. thank you very much. [laughter] the ftc, moving on to this story, the ftc is taking kroger to court over its potential merger with albertson's. kelly o'grady joins me now. kelly, kroger reported this morning their earnings. did they have anything to say about the trial? >> reporter: they did, actually. the ceo said shared this take. quote: the food industry has

always been competitive and will continue to be after this merger. we are committed to closing this merger because bringing kroger and albertson's together will provide meaningful and measurable benefits, lower prices, secure jobs and expanded accesses to fresh -- fresh, affordable food. the ftcs has a argued throughout this trial that the $25 billion merger would lead to less variety and higher prices. they even cited evidence during the trial that a kroger hiked prices on eggs and mil more than necessary to cover costs -- and milk. the company argued that example was cherry picked and has since vowed to cut prices by $1 billion on day one if this deal goes through. at the heart of the case is the question of competition and access. recent grocery mergers have led to the less options in low income areas, squeezing that consumer that's already struggling. but on the flipside, these chains are up existence walmart, amazon is. -- up against wall market amazon. scale is how they're looking to compete. this is all playing out with the

rex -- with the election, and vp kamala harris' promise that she'll crack down on what she calls grocery store price gouging. they have margins between 1-2 at a best, but that looming threat hangs over the trial. if the deal gets flocked -- blocked, kroger could need to the change strategy when scrutiny ramps up if vp harris wins. back to you. ashley: interesting stuff. kelly, thank you very much. we'll see how that trial works out. all right, coming up, remember? an armed group of migrants taking over an apartment in aurora, colorado? well, police just arrested ten of them, and we'll have that full story. meanwhile, john kirby mistakenly sent an e-mail to fox saying there's no use inen responding to veterans who want answers about biden's botched withdrawal from afghanistan. yikes. will congressman mike waltz, who is a veteran, obvious, what does he have to the say to kirby? he is here the tell us.

plus, senator lindsey graham says trump's debate with harris was a missed opportunity. should trump be pushing for round two? we're going to dig into it. the 11:00 hour just getting warmed up. we'll be back. ♪ -- lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it. ♪ you better never let it go ♪ you only get one shot, do not miss your with chance to blow -- ♪ this opportunity comes once ie a life i'mtt ♪ ke the right investment and benefit choices. so you can reach today's financial goals and look forward to a more confident future. voya, well planned, well invested, well protected. as the world is growing, it needs copper, scandium, cobalt and gold. these metals power our technology and sustain our everyday lives. doubleview is transitioning from exploration to development. ready to meet the challenge. doubleview.

♪ ♪ ashley: now this, russia is using american-made technology in hair war against ukraine. jennifer griffin is at the pentagon this morning. jennifer, how could this happen? >> reporter: it's a good question, ashley, but at a heated senate hearing yesterday,

four major u.s. technology companies -- analog devices, advanced micro devices, intel corp. and texas instruments -- were accused of not doing enough to prevent their semiconductor chips from being transferred to russia via china, helping russia evade sanctions and rebuild the deadly weapons systems being used in ukraine. the united states placed strict controls on technology the transfers to russia after russia's invasion two years ago, but that technology the is still making its way into weapons such as the 101 cruise missile that struck a children's hospital in kyiv on july 88th. 8th. >> excuses offered by companies to explain the presence of their products in russia ring hollow. your products may be tiny, but your culpability is huge. immoral -- in moral and perhaps legal term terms, you bear deep responsibility. >> reporter: some of these inexpensive, american-made chips

are used the power everything from electric booth brushes, but put them -- toothbrushes, but put them together and they can power drones. many of these chins -- chips are between 5-15 years old. >> so could you just stop selling chips to china period, end of game? you can't trust them. >> well, we never sell anything to china that requires a license without fist getting a license, and that means extensive u.s. government review. so we're very careful about that. >> t.i. strongly opposes the use of our chips in russian military equipment. any shipments of t.i. products into russia are illicit and unauthorized. >> reporter: earlier this year ukraine's president zelenskyy gave the committee a list of 211 components manufactured by american companies being used in russia's to weapons found on ukrainian battlefields. these four companies accounted for 87 of those parts. ashley? ashley: very interesting.

jennifer, thank you very much for that, appreciate it. politico, by the way, reporting that the white house is working on a plan to the widen the area inside russia that ukraine can hit with american-made weapons. congressman mike waltz, republican from florida, joins me now. great to have you here, congressman. >> thanks, ashley. ashley: is this a good idea or should more emphasis be put on negotiating peace? >> well, that's, that's a fair question. i think this is just part and parcel for what has been biden and harris' too little, too late, incremental, slow as you go strategy with no end in sight, unlimited costs that have backed us into a stalemate. and heavy done this really since day one. and to jen griffin's point, what happened to the vaunt ised sanctions on the -- vaunted sanctions on the russian oil and gas sector? you've got the biden administration shutting down our pipelines, putting an lng ban

and force our european and asian allies to buy more from russia that they're then using to fuel the war. not to mention the electronic component. so the sanctions aren't being enforced, number one. we're pouring billions of our weapons in and then handcuffing the ukrainians, number two. and then, to answer your question, there is no diplomatic end sate. how are we with driving -- this is where president trump is making such a break with harris that we just saw at the debate, how are we driving a peaceful end to this war rather than this open-ended, perpetuation of another endless war that the united states can't afford? ashley: all right. next one for you, congressman, john kirby dismissed concerns from military veterans about the botched withdrawal from if afghanistan -- from afghanistan. kirby accidentally replied to an e-mail about this issue saying, quote, obviously no use in

responding, a handle of -- handful of vets, indeed, and all of one stripe. it's embarrassing. congressman, you're a veteran. >> yeah. ashley: what's your. response to that? >> welsh it's insulting, and kirby's showing his true colors. and, frankly, showing the true colors of biden and harris, how they've cited concern treated the veterans community, how they've ignored the gold star families, the 13 from abbey gate, how you have veteran groups right now that are exhausting their personal saving, their kids' 529 plans and coming out of pocket to help our allies that they fought with that are being hunted down and tortured by the taliban as they speak. meanwhile, the state department's giving billions in aid that are flowing through the hands of the taliban at the same time. so they've just avoided any accountability, no one's been fired, and they certainly aren'y in that e-mail -- they don't give a damn about a transparency to answer basic questions.

you know what's political? what's political is trying to sweep this withdrawal, which was the worst since sigh began -- saigon, under the rug because it's campaign season. it's disgraceful, and he should be ashamed, and he's got to come go come this november. ashley: kamala harris made no mention of 13 service members who lost their lives during that withdrawal, made no mention of that at all which i found very disrespectful -- >> no, she lied and said no active duty, she said no active duty in combat. ashley: yes, she did. >> i mean, it's just false. ashley: i know. >> tell that to the dead just this last year. ashley: yeah. wasn't fact checked on that one, was she? congressman mike waltz, who is my congressman, by the way, great to talk to you, sir. thank you. speaker johnson pulled his bill to fund the government to for another six months. what happened there, lauren? lauren: he didn't have the votes, so he pulled the bill with. and now congress is staring down a deadline to pass legislation to avert a partial government

shutdown october 1st. right around the corner. at least 8 republican lawmakers opposed the 6-month spending stopgap measure, and nearly all democrats opposed it including their leader, hakeem jeffries. >> extreme maga republicans want to shut down the government because they are determined to the jam trump's project 2025 down the throats of the american people and enact extreme cuts to veterans, to social security and to to disaster relief in a manner that will hurt the american people. lauren: actually, some republicans wanted more money for defense if. here's a sticking point for many democrats, it's a gop provision that the requires proof of citizenship when you register to vote.

as it is now, noncitizens cannot vote, but some conservatives are concerned that migrants will try to do so. here's the other thing, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, they're trying to to get this done fast so they can also get back to their districts and campaign. many of their own seats are on the line this november. ashley: interesting. all right, lauren, thank you very much for that. talking of which, mail-in ballots are starting to be sent out in parts of the country, but election officials are warning there could be potential disruptions. we'll tell you what those are. also the university of pennsylvania now saying it will no longer put out sociopolitical statements. they want to take a position of political neutrality. hmm. we're going to see what the boston globe's carine hajjar has to say about that a next. ♪ don't speak, i know just what you're saying -- ♪ so please stop explaining. ♪ don't tell me 'cuz it hurts ♪

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ash we continue to follow this breaking story, an earthquake in southern california. it originally registered as a

5.11 and has since been downgraded to 4.7, but a good shaker, never theless. it's reported to have been centered in the malibu area. this is the latest, by the way, in a series of earthquakes in the area over recent weeks as, again, in reports of my major damage or injuries. that's good, but we're continuing to follow it. meantime, let's get back ott markets where they've been drifting a little bit aimlessly in the last couple of hours. lou basenese still here with us, thank you for that, lou. you've got some stock picks. let's start9 with the semiconductor etf. tell me about it. >> yeah, look, i get tired of talking about nvidia day after day as if it's the only chip stock out there. and the reality is that the chip sector is growing at a really aggressive clip for now into the next decade. so nvidia's growing about 30% a year, chip sales overall about 15% a year. this year we'll hit a record 1.2 trillion chips shipped. so this is a great way the get exposure to 30 of the top

u.s.-based semiconductor companies, and that way you don't have to speculate on the next nvidia. i think it's something we've mentioned on the show before, in september it was up about 45%, had a nice pullback, and we've seen pullbackings as recent as 2022, so it could be a good buying opportunity to consider right now. ashley: i would not mention nvidia for the rest of the show, i promise. >> all right. [laughter] ashley: i promise. let's talk about answerer md. >> yeah, amd, so if you want to speculate in chips and not talk about that other chip company, nvidia, this is the other one that now gets put in the running. we saw the potential delays from nvidia spurring other big tech companies to start purchasing more supplies from amd. this is always going to be the second best chip company in terms of a.i., but that's still going to translate into a lot of growth in both the top line sales and bottom line profits. so for me, amd is a much more compelling pick as we look into the next innings of growth for the artificial intelligence sector. ashley: very good. next one for growing senior

administration officials will be meeting with artificial intelligence companies today at the white house. they arement expected to discuso discuss public-private collaborations. representatives from the anthropic openai, microsoft and google expected to to i attend, and one source says google's cio will be there along with openai's ceo sam altman. some big names. lou, how close do you want to see the government and a.i. companies work together? a good thing? >> you want the honest answer? not at all, candidly. i want the defense sector to work with the a.i. companies, i do not want bure carrots -- bureaucrats who don't have the first inkling to be having a public-private partnership. i think it's important that regulators understand they should regulate less and stay out of the way and let the innovators lead, otherwise that is the greatest risk to american independence, is letting -- being too involved in the development of a. i. and letting other countries -- countries out

pace us. ashley: yeah. everything's fine until the government gets involved. lou, thank you very much. now this, state election officials issuing a warning over potential disruptions to voting. finish what's the problem, lauren? lauren: it's an alarming letter that state and local election officials from every state sent to the postal service saying, look, we have serious problems about your service, and if you can assure us that the you can handle the volume of mail-in votes. back in 2020, 70 million people voted by mail. in the primaries, these officials said the mailed ballots were postmarked on time, ashley, but then they arrived too late to be counted by the deadline. and some of those ballots were sent back to the sender even though the sender did nothing wrong. these officials said they've reached out to the postal service several times, and they haven't gotten satisfactory assurances that that mailed-in ballot will get where it needs to go on time and be counted on time. the postal service says it's

ready. ashley: oh, boy. lauren: exactly. a. ashley: yeah. that a says it all, doesn't it? all right, or lauren, thank you very much. now this, the university of pennsylvania introducing a new policy where the university will no in longer issue sociopolitical statements. carine hajjar joins me now. great to have you here, carine. the university claiming hay want to be politically neutral, but let me ask you this: is this a way to avoid condemning anti-israel protests, perhaps? what do you think? >> well, stepping back, it's absurd that universities have to say they're not going to the issue political statements mt. first place. [laughter] -- in the first place. you go to universities to learn and to form opinions about tough issues. and the fact that universities were pointing students in one direction or another was highly problematic in the first place. but i think this is a positive step for universities, you know? they were send signals --

sending signals on complex issues like israel-palestine, and it's time for that the stop. i think it's the a positive thing that penn has done, that harvard is doing, but it's the not the last step. this has to be followed up with efforts that bring more discourse to campus. you can say, look, we're not going to tell you what way to think, but then you have to bring diverse opinions onto campus so that people can actually form an opinion. ashley: yeah, very true. all right, going to move on. want the talk about this one, south carolina senator lindsey graham calling donald trump's debate performance a missed opportunity. so should trump push for round two, another debate, and kind of hone his debate skills somewhat say you? if. >> skills? if what say you? >> i think lindsey graham is correct, it was a missed opportunity not just because kamala harris wasn't with held to account, but because the president was arguing against little quips here and there and wasn't able to talk about his record and the type of record that independents, the votes

that you need right now, swing voters, the really crucial voters right now want to hear about. they want to hear about a stable border, a stronger economy, and they want to the hear about stability abroad. their not -- they're not so much interested in cats and dogs in ohio. it was a missed opportunity. but i think in another debate if the president was focused in on his record, especially on the big issues that sway votes, the economy and immigration in this election, it could potentially move the needle. now, what i'm curious to see is, you know, debates usually don't end up mattering that much. a lot of folks have already made up their minds. the swing voters are crucial here. but with kamala harris, that's -- this should be the focus for the former president because she is new to the campaign, people are still making up their minds about about her. she's relatively not a well known person running for president, and so that's where debates have been really crucial x. if president trump is going to do another debate, it's not just about talking about his record, it's going to be about attaching her to the biden

administration record -- ashley: yes. >> -- and highlighting some of his achievements that might have soured. ashley: all right. we'll have to leave it there but great stuff as always. thank yous -- thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me on. ashley: oh, our pleasure. coming up, seattle's city council is considering two proposals to shut down some public schools. we're going to tell you why they may have to take such drastic action. we'll get into that. donald trump back on the campaign trail. he's going to be holding a rally in arizona today. it's a crucial swing state and one that he lost in 2020. we're going to tell you how he's trying to win over voters or there when we come back. ♪ ♪ and i can't wait to get on the road again. ♪ if on the road again -- muck like a band of gypsies, we go down the highway ♪

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♪ if. ♪ ashley: today donald trump is in the battleground state of arizona, and he's going to be holding a rally in due toson -- in tucson. alicia acuna is there. good morning to you what's the focus of today's rally? >> reporter: hi, good morning, ashley. yes, the economy is definitely going to be the focus. folks are pretty excited here. we've got people from tucson, so a lot of locals right here waiting for former president trump. he's coming here to make a speech on the economy, really drilling down on that. we also expect him to tie illegal immigration to the high cost of housing. now, the economy and immigration, as you know, both issues are where he leads his opponent. >> the first thing i'd do is close up the border. people have to come into our country legally. they can't come in the way we're doing now. we have millions and millions of people coming in, even on a monthly basis, they're destroying our country, and it affects our economy.

>> reporter: the city of tucson is about an hour's drive from the border patrol's busiest sector or where about a third of all encounters on the southern border happen. looking at a the economy, according to the bureau of labor statistics, arizona's unemployment rate in july was 3.4%, better than the nationwide rate of 4.3%. about a third of the electorate in this battleground state is independent. this is trump's third visit to arizona since joe biden stepped aside in july. j.d. vance has made three stops, harris has been here once in that time frame, and tim walz campaigned in phoenix on debate day. tucson is a popular place to be today because the send gentleman will also host a campaign event. the rnc sending out a statement, no visit from doug emhoff can conceal the reality that the dangerously liberal harris-walz agenda will be one that arizonans simply can't afford. ashley, we are in fema county, this is the second largest county in the state of arizona

next to maricopa. in 2016 and 2020, trump lost here. he's hoping to turn that around this time. back to you. ashley: all right, alicia, or thank you very much is, on the ground in tucson. meanwhile, aurora police announcing the arrest of ten members of the tran derag what gang, the venezuelan gang, in connection to the apartment building takeovers of which the video we're all now very familiar with. all right or, lauren, give us the details. lauren: yeah. the city initially downplayed this, but now local police in aurora arrested ten tda gang members. officials cite 14 separate criminal incidents over the last 10 months including at least 7 events at apartment complexes that are property -- that a property management company has said were, quote, take the taken over by the tda gang. other charges for these ten men, these ten migrants, child abuse, attempted first-cree murder, illegal discharge of a firearm and more. that's what's happening in i a

roar pro -- aurora, colorado. ashley: finally taking some action. lauren, thank you very much. let's get a quick check of the markets while we're here. markets open just a couple of hours. the dow down just 32 points, less than a tenth of a percent. the s&p essentially flat, and the nasdaq also up just two-tenths of a percent. all right, now this story, if you're planning on taking a cruise to certain islands in greece -- wouldn't that be nice -- well, be prepared to pay more. a so-called tourism tax, right, lauren? lauren lauren this is if you travel via cruise ship during the high season. it's 20 euro. i want to -- ashley: what? lauren: i'm trying to verify if it's per day, per person, but it starts in summer 20225. greece says, look, we love tourists, but these are small cities, and there are thousands and thousands and millions of cruise ship passengers coming, and we can't handle it. if you really want do go to --

to go to these destinations, i'm not sure an extra tax is going to keep you away, but it doesn't leave a nice if taste in one's mouth, right? ashley: yeah. you're already bringing plenty of money to the island. $222 extra that -- $22 extra, what do you make of it, lou? >> i don't make a habit of floating on petri dibs, so i won't be taking a cruise anytime soon. [laughter] how many taxes is enough? you're going to have the tax the enacted at the cruise line level9 where the passengers don't see it, because it's going to leave a bad taste in their mouth, as lauren said. we'll go somewhere elsewhere i'm not going to be nick nickel and dimed. lauren yeah. it's not just cruises, i just want to point the out. they're also raising the lodging tax. so i guess if you book an airbnb or hotel room at certain times in certain places, you'll have to pay more.

yeah, nickel and dime. ashley: very good. floating petri dishes. lauren: sign me up. ashley: not a spokesman for the cruise industry, lou. [laughter] let's take a look at the dow 30 stocks because, why? well, we like to get a sense of the markets at this time of the day. more red than green. boeing and chevron at the top, intel and dow at the bottom. but the dow just drifting slightly lower, down about 50 points. all right, just 28% of students in colorado are considered proficient in math. 28%. so the state, in response, is going to lower standards for students to graduate. that's insane. and in michigan, just 86% of a black fourth graders don't know how to read. 86%? wow. leo leo terrell, he's a former teacher, and he's going to take on the failing education system in america. we'll be right back. ♪ the teacher is teaching the golden rule. ♪ american history and, practical math -- ♪ you study 'em hard, hoping to

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the moment i met him i knew he was my soulmate. "soulmates." soulmate! [giggles] why do you need me? [laughs sarcastically] but then we switched to t-mobile 5g home internet. and now his attention is spent elsewhere. but i'm thinking of her the whole time. that's so much worse. why is that thing in bed with you? this is where it gets the best signal from the cell tower! i've tried everywhere else in the house! there's always a new excuse. well if we got xfinity you wouldn't have to mess around with the connection. therapy's tough, huh? -mmm. it's like a lot about me. [laughs] a home router should never be a home wrecker. oo this is a good book title. ♪ ♪ ashley: in tuesday's debate

donald trump's comments about kamala harris' racial identity struck a nerve with some voters. i want to bring in leo terrell. leo, great to see you today. should trump steer clear of that the issue going forward? >> well, he has stayed clear, ashley. this was a set-up question by the abc leading democrat moderators and kamala harris. i'll tell you right now, the thing about donald trump is he's had a record number of blacks and hispanics who are going to vote for him because his policies are color blind. they work for all americans. ash, the reason why i'm voting for donald trump is because four years ago a guy named joe biden said if you don't vote for me, you ain't black. donald trump doesn't see race. he looks for progress for all americans. ashley: all right. i want to to get on to this one because i find it shocking. according to the nation's report card, just 28% of students in

colorado are considered proficient in math. even worse, the state board is now going to lower standards for students to graduate. and in michigan the state's education committee says 86 of black -- 86% of black fourth graders don't know how to read. this is a crisis in education, leo, and nothing, it seems, is being done about it. what say you? >> this hurts me more than anything else, a ash, because i'm a black american, i'm a former schoolteacher and a civil rights lawyer. this is the classic soft bigotry of low expectations. and you notice there's a pattern in those cities you just identified. democrat teachers' unions and the expectation of low expectations so to keep the unions active. that diploma will be worthless. it's a ticket to the unemployment line. and i would ask you with, how can these kids in these schools compete against other kids from charter schools, private

schools, schools that are not lowering expectations? what about the phrase no child left behind in and instead of lowering the standards, how about challenging the standards? how about increasing the standards? i would not be here talking to you on fox news if i didn't graduate from high school, compete in college, got a master's and a law degree. that low expectations is nothing more than democrat dependency on the government. they want these kids to fail. ashley: that's just despicable. and to lower the standards so more people can pass. what good is that a doing for the students? >> zero, nothing. and let me add some additional schools, baltimore, maryland, democrat union. zero are to efficiency at 13 high schools. oakland, california, low expectations there and in los angeles. the problem is this, the democrat playbook is to divide this country and and blame the system. if ash a, they created the system of low expectations.

they created the system of leaving children behind. they're racist, and they're allowing this to happen. that is because the school teacher's union control the democrat party. ashley: we'll have to leave it there, leo, but as always, you bring the heat and we thank you for that because you're very passionate about especially education issues, and you make at lot of sense as always. leo leo terrell, thank you, sir, appreciate it. >> thank you, ash. ashley: okay. thank you. now it is time for the thursday trivia question. the question today is which planet in our solar system is the lightest? if hmm, who weighed them? venus, mercury, saturn or neptune? think about it, don't go to google, just think about it. the answer when we come back. ♪ ♪

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vizsla silver has consolidated one of the largest high grade silver projects in the world in mexico. we've just released our pea and that's the first step to production. we're massively undervalued, with less than 9% of our known veins having been drilled so far.

stuart: astronomy was never my strong suit. before the break we asked which planet in our solar system is the lightest. is it venus, mercury, saturn, or neptune? i asked the question who weighed them but i will start with lou. what do you say? >> should have been pluto if it was still a planet.

i will choose neptune, wildly guessing get. neil: i have no clue. what do you say? >> i will choose venus, number one. stuart: i will go with mercury. i don't know why. the answer is saturn. there you go. number 3. here's some fun facts about the ring good planet. it is a gas giant twice the size of earth but because it is made of nearly all gas it is a low density and would actually be able to float on the surface of the ocean. the next cocktail party you can pull that little fact out. that is it. thanks for being with us for the hour and thanks for all the massive amount of stories you covered today. that will do it for "varney and company". coast-to-coast with the irrepressible neil cavuto, all yours, take it away.