infrastructure to ease the burden on working families and strengthen our economy. strengthen it in the long run. these investments are critical. and as the plans i put forward tackle our climate crisis, which are broad and deep, i'm going to fight to see them enacted and signed into law. we have a chance to seize this economic momentum of the first months of my administration, not just to build back but as i've been saying build back better. this is much already -- this much is already clear, we're on track and on the right track. our plan is working. we aren't going to let up now. so i want to thank everyone. wish you all a happy fourth of july. we'll be able to go to ballgames. you will be able to sit in stadiums. you'll be able to be with your families and backyard barbecues as we hoped and we'll make more progress. god bless america and may god protect our troops.

>> afghanistan, the drawdown in the next few days? >> president biden: no. we're on track exactly as to where we expected to be. but we just -- i wanted to make sure there was enough running room that we could get -- wouldn't be able to do it all until september. a rational drawdown with our allies. there is nothing unusual about it. >> are you worried the afghan government might fall? >> president biden: we were in that war for 20 years, 20 years. and i think i met with the afghan government here in the white house in the oval. i think they have the capacity to be able to sustain the government. there will have to be more negotiations down the road, i

suspect. but i am concerned that they deal with the internal issues that they have to be able to generate the kind of support they need nationwide to maintain the government. >> [inaudible question] if there is evidence that kabul is threatened as some intelligence reports it could be in six months or thereabouts, do you think you have the capability to help provide any kind of air support, military support to keep the capital safe even if the u.s. troops are pulling out by that time? >> president biden: we have worked out an overthe horizon capacity and we can be value added. the afghans are going to have to be able yourself. >> president biden: i won't

answer any more questions about afghanistan. fourth of july. i'm concerned that you guys are asking me questions. i will celebrate the holiday weekend. there is great things happening. the economy is growing. we have a record number of new jobs. covid deaths are down. wages are up. we're bringing our troops home. we have all across america people are going to ballgames and doing good things. this is a good -- all your negative questions -- your legitimate questions. >> with gatherings are you concerned there is a potential this weekend where vaccinations levels aren't particularly high there will be a new covid outbreak? >> president biden: i am concerned that people who have not gotten vaccinated have the capacity to catch the variant and spread the variant to other people who have not been vaccinated. i am not concerned there will

be a major outbreak. in other words, that we will have another epidemic nationwide but i am concerned lives will be lost and i was even reading today there is some speculation and some judgments coming out that you may be able to even communicate the new variant to your pets. so i say not totally -- for those who aren't vaccinated. it doesn't hurt. it is free and available. don't think about yourself but think about your family. think about those around you. that's what we should be thinking about today. fourth of july to this year is different than the fourth of july last year. it will be better next year. thank you all. >> do you think that congress will enact your plans. are you confident you'll get it

done? come on. >> president biden: come on, guys. have you ever been confident about anything? who wants to put money on anything that congress is going to do? look, folks, this is a process. i love you guys but it is a process. what do you want me to say? yes i'm absolutely certain. are you absolutely certain this new commission is going to work investigating what happened on the 6th? are you confident that republicans will participate? all i know what to do, i really mean this, is do my best to lay out what i think the country has to do, try to be as persuasive as i can and hope. and thus far, you know, it seems to be working a little bit. thank you. >> mr. president, do you think it's fair the olympics -- >> harris: and with that what looked like a typical moment for us to cover after a jobs plan speech by the president of

the united states, once the questions started, they weren't really where he thought that they would be. they were about afghanistan and what is happening in kabul and whether or not our troops will be safe as we pull out, and are things on the ground deteriorating mr. president to the point where you think you'll need air support for our troops? the questions came and do you know what this president of the united states said? come on, guys, i'm not going to take anymore questions about afghanistan. it is the fourth of july. i don't want to take negative and then he corrected himself legitimate questions but i want to talk about covid rate down 90%. i want to talk about the positive things. i want to talk about ballgames. it's the fourth of july. then a reporter asked well, okay, let's talk about covid. we have some hot spots in the country and some details about some areas that need concern. yes, those need concerns. right back to the talking points which he seemed to be reading on those positive points and staying on message.

he left the lectern more than once and came back to put in a little word and each time it was a reminder where we as reporters should be on the topics that we ask about. we need to be in his corner and staying positive. can anybody be sure of what congress will do? how can you ask me if that plan that i put through is going to go through for the rescue plan? how -- i don't know what congress will do. who knows? we're just doing our best. then he took questions from the reporters. are you certain that the republicans will join the effort, the commission to find out what happened on january 6th? how certain are you? it was an interesting game back and forth and i am curious to know behind the scenes what the white house press communications might be like at this moment. in focus off the top of this hour of "the faulkner focus" i'm harris faulkner. my guest in focus

contributor. it was quite a wind-up. not everybody can hear the bein. we could clearly hear the response from the president. >> his communications team is high fiving each other. like he stays on message and doesn't want to talk about afghanistan. add it all up. joe biden is a trojan horse with a script. his opening, everything he talked about was a progressive liberal spending spree that had nothing to do with covid, nothing to do with jobs. it is just liberal wish list come true. and i can tell you this. if donald duck were the president you would have the same job numbers you have because covid has been defeated. it wasn't because of biden and the jobs plan but americans coming back to work. they're come back to work slower because of the excess unemployment benefits people are getting. add it all up, the way he looked at his notes.

the way he had it on the card. read from his script. he is a trojan horse with a script. that's my summary. >> harris: the problem for the media in the room. they can say what they want about fox news. those reporters weren't all from fox news and hungry for the truth which might have been a refreshing difference for some and surprise for president biden. we don't get his cards. so when he starts to look down and go from the cards we don't have that. that's an excellent thing. i want to ask you about really where he was there in the talk about jobs. i want to drill down to where the nation really is. he said well, we've created 3 million jobs since january. that's an amazing great thing. people aren't jumping to take them. >> the reason jobs are being created is because covid is over. joe biden didn't end covid. the vaccines ended covid.

and if any credit is to be given it was as a result of the previous administration, the trump administration that accelerated the production of these vaccines and joe biden is the lucky beneficiary of that. so that's why. it's inevitable and natural people go back to work when the lockdowns end and people feel safer because they're vaccinated. he takes credit which is what all politicians do. they say it's all the result of their plan and it never is. it's never 100% that. there maybe a tiny element of something. that's what a typical politician does and what joe biden is doing. i'm glad to see how reporters found their own voice a little bit and started to pepper him about afghanistan and other topics. that's the usual cat and mouse game between the white house press corps. they're still too soft and friendly to joe biden but they found their voice on other questions today. >> harris: a start is a start is a start i suppose. let's go quickly about the jobs.

if you continue to pay those waiting. it will only last until september. people will have go and find a job. the dole won't be there forever. last quick thought on that. >> buried in the numbers is called the labor force participation rate and at a low level down to 61%. typically it's up to 63 to 64% level. the difference is massive. it means people aren't participating in looking for jobs. they're happy to stay at home and they don't count as being part of unemployed because they aren't looking for work. why? they don't need to. they get their excessive unemployment benefit check which in some states can be $40,000 a year. much of it -- a portion tax free to stay at home and collect unemployment. that's the problem, harris. >> harris: let's get to this. the white house is multi-task today. they're trying now to protect

vice president kamala harris after the bombshell claims of an abusive work environment. a top biden aide is calling it sabotage. a "politico" report on the infighting in her office with this headline. not a healthy environment. kamala harris's office reiff with dissent. >> aids and add min traition officials say and it is emanating from the top. cedric richmond told axios it is a whisper campaign designed to sabotage her. it doesn't have to be credible. okay, so when you read the report before this job she was a.g. of california. she has been a senator. there were 22 people along the way, including those who are currently with her. that's not one person spreading a gossip word, ari.

what do you make of it? >> first i guess whisper campaign is the biden word for fake news so chalk that up. look, any time i read a story that has just anonymous sources my reaction is i'm going to wait to see if it comes true. maybe it's true, sometimes it is. sometimes it's not. that was my standard for reading stories about donald trump that i thought it was unfair they quote anonymous people and i will adhere to that standard in the biden administration. is it true? it was the case in her senate office and primary campaign. but these staff things, it's about the person, not about the staff and when they have a hard job but is she doing a good job? this is where joe biden picked her so if they don't like the job she is doing the fault lies with joe biden. i do think she hasn't done a good job at vice president. the way she has handled things raises questions whether she is

ready for this job. whether she is serious enough. and she seems to just wing it. you can't wing it either as a senator or as a vice president certainly not as a president. that's what she seems to be doing. >> harris: i remember watching the zoom early in joe biden's presidency and he had all these employees on and he said if anybody mistreats anybody he would personally fire them. so if there is any truth to any of this it will be interesting to see how the president of the united states handles it. ari fleischer. house speaker nancy pelosi blowing off a question of ilhan omar's latest inflammatory remarks. is she at the center of it all? >> joe biden will be not

willing to enforce the border. his only solution to the border crisis is like an ostrich stick his head in the sand and hope the media doesn't cover it. >> harris: republicans accusing president biden of trying to avoid the realities of the border crisis. now sheriffs in texas are taking a stand. they filed a lawsuit against the biden administration. brand-new reaction from congressman andy biggs who is in focus next. t reasons why you use your va home loan benefit to take cash out of your home. the newday 100 va loan lets you borrow up to 100% percent of your home's value. with today's rates near all-time lows and home values at record highs, you can take out $50,000 or more and lower your payments by $600 a month. the newday 100 va loan. only from newday usa.

♪♪ (vo) the rule in business used to be, "location, location, location." now it's, "network, network, network." so you need a network that's built right. verizon business unlimited starts with america's most reliable network. then we add the speed of verizon 5g. we provide security that's made for business and offer plans as low as $30 per line. more businesses choose verizon than any other network. we are open and ready for you.

you can do better! let's go get a freshly made footlong from subway®. thanks, tony! thank you! ♪♪ choose better, be better. and now save when you order in the app. subway®. eat fresh.

>> harris: the sheriff and immigration and customs enforcement employees are now suing the biden administration. they are accusing the administration of blocking federal officials from doing their jobs. and you know the surge of

illegal immigrants across our border is showing no signs of slowing down. republicans are railing against the president's border policies which are just a reversal of what donald trump had done in the office. congressman bob good warns the u.s. has, quote, no operational control of the border after he got a firsthand look at the situation. texas senator ted cruz with this. >> right now i think their hands are tied because they've made the promises. they won't go back on the promises i don't believe. so joe biden will not be willing to enforce the border or stop the illegal immigration. his only solution to the border crisis is like an ostrich stick his head in the sand and hope that the media doesn't cover it. >> harris: republican congressman andy biggs of arizona, co-chair of the house border security caucus and also a member of the judiciary and oversight committees. great to have you on the program. the idea of sticking one's head

in the sand. first of all, talk to me about what biden and his administration are refusing to see about the border crisis. >> they're not seeing anything. they don't get the numbers. they are releasing people into the country just enormous numbers, 10,000 unaccompanied children alone recently released into the country. 78,000 children unaccompanied children have come to the country this year. it's five times more than the highest ever. they don't see the numbers. they don't see the impact that it has on the border. so when kamala harris, vice president kamala harris goes to the border to el paso she doesn't go to the areas along the border hardest hit. so they don't see anything except for they don't want to bring the trump policies back in. they're missing, harris, they're missing the entire picture of what's going on on the border in my opinion. >> harris: some of your

colleagues in the house, represent steve scalise and tony gonzalez laid out a couple things the president can do to fight the border crisis. i know he put kamala harris in charge of it. since nothing is happening there the best thing the president could do according to them right now are to reject talk of rescinding title 42 of the public health safety act, which allows border patrol to turn away illegals who were recently in a country with a contagious disease. and reverse his executive order that stops all border wall construction and repealed the remain in mexico policy. scalise and gonzalez say you could just start there. >> they're exactly right. remain in mexico worked. building the fence worked. title 42 is working. so they need to reinstate those fully. they also could reinstate the agreements with the northern

triangle states of honduras, nicaragua and el salvador. take away innocentives for $1400 for every migrant the comes across the border. rhetoric and bully pulpit would work. if this president would say don't come and enforces those policies, guess what? the cartels get that. they control the border right now. and eywould say okay, we'll have to slow it down or find some other business model. that's what's happening. this administration it indicates they're willful, harris. >> harris: this is going to be costly for democrats. steve hilton from the next revolution on the fox network. >> it's possible the issue itself is very powerful as we saw with president trump because it speaks to people's concerns about the government not being in control of events. secondly, the crisis at the border caused by biden's policies, that speaks to the incompetence, the general incompetence of the biden

regime. >> harris: basically what steve and others have been saying, congressman, is politically this will start to really hurt. by then the nation will have been hurt. >> he is right on that on two fronts. first of all, it is a national security issue. we haven't even talked this morning about the terrorists on known watch lists that come across the border but it is political liability for them as well. right now it is above 60%. so as people become more and more aware. they have to become aware because you have -- with apprehensions and getaways coming in you are about a quarter million people per month over the last four months that are coming into this country. >> harris: unbelievable. >> that's a million people, yeah. >> harris: i want to get to this. house speaker nancy pelosi refusing to comment on congresswoman ilhan omar's standing by her comparison of the u.s. and israel to terror groups like hamas and the

taliban. this week omar took aim at her jewish democratic colleagues saying they have not been partners in justice. and when she was asked about those remarks yesterday, the speaker of the house cut the reporter off mid question. watch. >> basically we heard this week congresswoman ilhan omar. >> let's stay with this and i'll answer that later. >> harris: she and biden have that in common. i don't know if you caught his news conference earlier. they didn't have a lot of news go back and forth earlier with biden. he was cutting questions off about afghanistan. what do you make of this? how can they hold ilhan omar accountable if the speaker won't even let you ask about it? >> the media is asking the right questions. they won't answer them apparently. it is consistent. this is not like a one-off statement by representative omar. this is a history and pattern. i typically will forgive somebody who makes a statement that's inappropriate one time. you look at it, you could get

flustered and say something you shouldn't say but this is a pattern. and the democrats, speaker pelosi, has allowed it to go on for several years now. and -- >> harris: why? , do you know? >> my guess is that her power margin is so thin she can't afford to lose anybody in order to remain the speaker of the house of representatives. if that's the case that's an unprincipled -- i take a cynical view of things but i >> harris: imagine how thin that power margin will be as we get closer to 2022 and you see people listening more to republicans about don't defund the cops and other issues that people say are on top of their list of things they care about. congressman andy biggs from the great state of my home of arizona. good to see you today. happy fourth. >> happy fourth. >> harris: chicago city officials demanding mayor lori

lightfoot provide a plan to address the spike in gun violence. one alderman says she just is not up to the job. >> the revolving door of justice crank out criminals as soon as they arrested and they're back on the streets. there are no consequences in this city anymore. omize my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. 'cause i do things a bit differently. wet teddy bears! wet teddy bears here! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

with armor all, a little bit of this... ...protects you... ...from a lot of that. keep your car cleaner longer. armor all extreme shield plus ceramic. ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals,

now introducing ensure complete! with 30 grams of protein. [narrator] this is steve. ensure complete! he used to have gum problems. now, he uses therabreath healthy gums oral rinse with clinically-proven ingredients and his gum problems have vanished.

(crowd applauding) therabreath, it's a better mouthwash. at walmart, target and other fine stores. i suffered with psoriasis for so long. i felt gross. people were afraid i was contagious. i was covered from head to toe. i was afraid to show my skin. after i started cosentyx i wasn't covered anymore. four years clear. five years now. i just look and feel better. see me. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis.

an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine, or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. five years is just crazy. see me. learn more at cosentyx.com. - grammarly business helps my company build higher performing sales teams. since simon's team started using grammarly business to sharpen their writing, we've closed more deals. learn more at grammarly.com/business. veteran homeowners, this is the best time in history to turn your home equity into cash. because home values have climbed to all time highs. and so has your equity. turn it into cash now, while mortgage rates are near all time lows. the newday 100 va cash out loan lets you borrow up to 100% of your home's value. you could take out more than $50,000. use it to improve your home. pay off high rate debt.

pay for big expenses. or put it in the bank for real peace of mind. now's the time to use your va home loan benefit to get cash before mortgage rates begin to rise. call now. >> harris: we have just gotten word, i'm starting to see them pull into position now if we want to show the tent where the officials at surfside, florida have some sort of update for us. they do this daily. you will notice the governor of the state is off to the right inside that tent. governor ron desantis. normally how it goes he will be very close, if not first to the top of the bill here for people to update us and so we don't want to miss any of this. i will bring in phil keating at the scene in surfside.

if this gets going you will allow me to get to the governor or whoever is speaking at the microphone. first of all, what can you tell us you heard this morning? i know they're back searching again. >> they resumed searching yesterday at 5:00 in the afternoon east coast time after a long 15-hour break in operations because they were worried about the fragility of the remaining part of that condo tower, the part that didn't fall. but it is fragile and unstable. ultimately the county has decided they are going to demolish that building with demolition crew and talking to certain companies to do just that. >> harris: the governor of florida, ron desantis, let's watch. >> that are now deployed. they drove i think almost 18 hours and immediately went right to work. we also have teams from indiana, ohio, pennsylvania, new jersey. we appreciate that. our folks in florida, particularly the south florida search and rescue teams, have

been working tirelessly and relentlessly. it is physically very taxing and emotionally draining. as many of you know, they were able to identify a child whose father worked for the city of miami fire department. and these are tough things for them. obviously we focus on the families and rightfully so but our folks have gone through a lot who have been out there and i think that added support really means a lot. so i just wanted to publicly thank again the folks i met in virginia as well as indiana, ohio, pennsylvania, new jersey. i also want to thank the president for supporting and doing 100% reimbursement for some of the things here in terms of cost like debris removal. it can be very pricey particularly for a municipality and for a major county like miami-dade and the state would have a share of that as well. he was very, very supportive of

doing a 30-day reimbursement. that will be helpful to all levels of government in florida. we appreciate that commitment. tropical storm elsa has now become hurricane elsa and we are working. i've ordered our department of emergency management to start preparing a potential state of emergency so i will be working on that today. if we do do the executive order, that will assist our emergency response team in preparation for hurricane elsa, now we don't know exactly the track that it is going to take. it is possible that we could see tropical force winds as early as sunday night in southern florida. so we're actively monitoring the situation like we always would do with these storms. but given what we're doing on this site, we are also paying special attention to any impacts that could happen here in northeast miami-dade county.

it is possible that this area could see tropical storm force winds. not guaranteed but it is possible. so our department of emergency management is assuming that will happen and making the necessary preparations to be able to protect a lot of the equipment. you could potentially have an event with the building as well. so we are going like we normally would with these things. this is what we do. but we are adding this special emphasis on this site because we understand the sensitivities involved. how it will work most likely is the further west this thing tracks, the less likely, of course, there will be impact here but it would likely be stronger when it got to the gulf of mexico. the more it interacts with land, dominican republic and cuba the more likely it would be to slow it down. there will be some impact in florida at some point starting

as early as sunday night. so we will be working on that and working on this. we'll do them both on a dual track and our emphasis with the storm, do what we normally do but also a special sensitivity to anything that would need to be done to make sure that the efforts here are supported and protected. thank you. >> thank you, governor. for spanish remarks is the lieutenant governor. >> harris: all right. i want to bring back phil keating momentarily. what we normally do during these is when they translate in both spanish and creole, we'll come in and fill in some of the facts as we know them. of course, we do know that the confirmed death count now is 18. what we just learned from florida's governor was heartbreaking detail. we know that children are among the dead. he said that one little one has

been identified as a child whose dad works for the city of miami and first response. phil, we have just a couple of moments here. fill us in more on what you've learned there at the site today. >> well, we have learned this morning that there were additional bodies found overnight after they returned to the search and rescue operation. you just heard the governor mention that horrible story of one of the rescuers finding his own daughter lifeless and participating in pulling her out of the rubble. obviously he knew she lived there. she is described as a girl so she must be under 18. just devastating. according to the local paper he draped his jacket over the body as the other firefighters were carrying her out and placed an american flag on it as well. and as they left there was two lines of police officers there paying tribute to them as they

exited out. you assume the guy knew that his daughter lived there and was likely dead. and to actually find his daughter is just tragic. >> harris: such a heartbreaker. phil keating, we are going to take a quick commercial break and we'll be monitoring the news conference. the governor of florida ron desantis has just spoken. we'll step away for a quick break. stay close. voiceover: riders. wanderers on the road of life. the journey is why they ride. when the road is all you need, there is no destination. uh, i-i'm actually just going to get an iced coffee. well, she may have a destination this one time, but usually -- no, i-i usually have a destination. yeah, but most of the time, her destination is freedom. nope, just the coffee shop. announcer: no matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at $79 a year. voiceover: 'cause she's a biker... please don't follow me in. my name is douglas. i'm a writer/director voiceover: 'cause she's a biker...

and i'm still working. in the kind of work that i do, you are surrounded by people who are all younger than you. i had to get help somewhere along the line to stay competitive. i discovered prevagen. i started taking it and after a period of time, my memory improved. it was a game-changer for me. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

♪ watch the olympic games on xfinity ♪ ♪ root for team usa and feel the energy ♪ ♪ 7000 plus hours of the olympics on display ♪ ♪ with xfinity you get every hour of every day ♪ ♪ different sports on different screens, ♪ ♪ you can watch it anywhere ♪ ♪ and with the voice remote ♪ ♪ you never have to leave your chair ♪ show me team usa. ♪ all of this innovation could lead to some inspiration ♪ ♪ and you might be the next one to represent our nation ♪ ♪ this summer on your tv, tablet, or any screen ♪ ♪ xfinity is here to inspire your biggest dreams ♪

>> harris: chicago's city council holding a special hearing today to address violence in the streets ahead of the fourth of july weekend and yesterday alone, four people were killed. 28 people shot in one day. so far this year the city has seen more than 300 murders, nearly 1500 shootings. city officials are demanding mayor lori lightfoot get serious about keeping chicago safe. >> we see that our police officers are being overworked, no days off, 12, 15, 17 hour shifts weeks at a time. all the while not being able to arrest people, not i can able to chase people and not being able to do their jobs. the mayor is not up to the job to keep the city safe. we want her on record to explain how she will keep

chicagoans safe as we've seen mass shootings on the rise. >> harris: power panel now, matt schlapp chairman of the american conservative union. maya cummings democratic chairwoman. great to have you on the program, maya and always matt. maya, start with you. where are the protests in the streets? i know we're not talking about cops having killed or shot organization and that gets blm all riled up. 28 people shot in one day? where are the peaceful protests? >> as you well know we have a gun violence problem in the country. in fact, it's a public health problem. 40,000 people across america die as a result of gun homicides every year. an additional 85,000 people are actually maimed and disabled because of guns. and so we have a problem not just in the city of chicago but around the country. we always know that, of course, mass shootings are up as well.

and so we need to actually have custom responses to the gun violence that we have depending upon the type and also on the location of where the gun violence is taking place. in the city of chicago, mayor lori lightfoot is trying to do the best she can with her, you know, certainly her police department and where we are now after the pandemic. and so she is actually doing a multi-pronged response. one that's focused on public health and one that is focused on crime. >> harris: with respect you didn't answer my questions about where the protests are but that's okay. >> i'm happy to talk about that. >> harris: hold on. that's okay. gave your shot. her critics are motivated by things according to lightfoot. they're motivated by racism and sexism. >> nothing has changed on guns between two years ago and today. same gun laws in chicago.

what has changed? the changed is the blm movement of defunding the cops. what we're trying to do in this country is figure out a way to solve problems but a big section of society focused on turning everything into this whole critical race theory that america is a bad place. people who are victims of crime in chicago are by and large people of color. this whole argument about trying to make the public policy about this systemic racism of america is actually harming people of color in the city because they should be funding these police departments not defunding these police departments and they should be making these cities safer. i'm all in on any way to make that happen. but blaming guns and not criminals is the wrong place to start. >> harris: especially if you live in new york city where stabbing are up in the subway to the point it's affecting how many people are taking the subways and stabbing are up on times square and it is affecting how tourists operate.

a marine was shot but we see many, many other situations where stabbings have been the case. i don't think we'll see an outlaw of knives. i want to get to this. nyc mayor bill deblasio is down playing gun violence and not hiring more cops. >> the facts of what the president did he specialized that to certain cities that were dealing with challenges greater than ours. we did take some resources from nypd and focused on the needs of young people. that was, i think, the right thing to do at that moment. >> harris: maya, this seems like a really red hot point. what needs to happen now? are democratic leaders like deblasio getting it right as crime is up 200 some percent in the violent category? >> i think democratic leaders across the country are being responsive to the new needs and certainly we've seen in cities across the country people

taking advantage of biden's directive that you can actually access some of the covid relief funds in order to direct more resources towards responding to crime in cities through police departments. at the same time, many people are looking at multiple avenues for response including how to do diversionary tactics and how to support alternative methods of response to psychological challenges with people reported to be committing crimes. and so what we're seeing here is a custom response in cities across the country to deal with the rising rates of crime but also to be sensitive to the needs of the different kinds of people who are running into trouble. >> harris: it will be interesting as things heat up. matt, they always say we see more crime in the summer and we're in the thick of it now. let's pray for our nation. good to have you both. maya, this is the first time we've seen each other since your husband passed and i want

to give you and your family the best. >> i'm glad you remembered. i was pleased to meet you. >> harris: they risked their lives for the freedom we have today and now as we get ready to celebrate independence day a nonprofit is doing great work for our military veterans. luke's wings is providing free airfare for wounded, ill and injured service members as well as their families to bring them together. so far it's paid off for more than 6,000 flights through this organization. gil fletcher is the founder and he is in focus. it's so good to see you today. 6,000 flights and right on time as we head into the summer and people are beginning to travel again. tell me about what luke's wings is doing this summer. >> thank you, harris for having us on. happy fourth of july and also thank you for your service. i understand your father was

served in vietnam and is an army aviator. amazing and thank you for that. we've actually provided more than 12,000 tickets so far since we started this and this year alone, in just the last 60 days, we've provided over 300 tickets if you can believe it. that's because of the backlog of flights due to covid. so our adventure's goal is to provide over 2,000 airplane tickets reuniting all service members and wounded warriors with their families, ill and injured and veterans in hospice care with a loved one. in the last moments of life. our special operators and fallen officers. >> harris: you know, i'm looking at some of the things you do to insure families have birthday and holiday celebrations in time of need and oftentimes you are bringing them together in circumstances where they might not otherwise see each other. tell me about that. >> yeah, we started out in 2000

to make sure that all the moms and wives were at walter reed and now we're just making sure everybody is together. so the other day we actually flew a mom and sister to the bedside of a 22-year-old service member who was passing away from cancer and they had a day together. the service member found out that the family was coming and she held on and, you know, even just a few minutes but in this case they had almost a whole day and that's just what we do. luke's wings is there to provide that transportation assistance and to reunite those families. we've been doing it since 2008. 12,000 tickets provided. this year a huge demand for flights after covid. we are going into fourth of july and that, of course, we have the rest of the year and the holidays. any help we can get is always

very appreciated. >> harris: i know this is personal for you. in fact, for those of us who grew up with military in our family it is personal for all of us. the family served, too. that is what you are showcasing and bringing the families together with their loved ones many who served in places where they were away for a year or more at a time. they know what distance and length of time can do and how important this is particularly ahead of this holiday. luke's wings. glad to have you on the program. i want to do an update and find out how it went. god bless you for what you're doing. >> happy fourth, god bless. >> harris: in honor of independence day fox nation is offering veterans and military a free year on the platform. go to fox nation.com to sign up for free right now. this fourth of july weekend remember all of those who served. it is about independence and you wouldn't have that without

sacrifice of our military men and women. the kind of freedoms that only americans know and why the world so wants to come here. god bless you this weekend. thank you for watching "the faulkner focus". "outnumbered" after the break. a veteran who may have served in my time, during the vietnam era, would be eligible today for a va home loan. so many do not know that. there's no expiration date on your eligibility for the va home loan. every veteran, every service member out there if you're thinking about buying a home if you're thinking about a cash out refi whatever you're thinking with a mortgage, you should come to newday usa first. veteran homeowners. three reasons to do a cash out refi right now. home values are high while rates are low. newday lets you borrow all of your home's value. and you could take out $50,000 dollars or more.

♪ sometimes you wanna go ♪ ♪ where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪♪ ♪ and they're always glad you came ♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to see you. uno, dos, tres, cuatro! [sfx]: typing [music starts] welcome back, america. [sfx]: happy screaming [music ends] i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! [sighs wearily] here, i'll take that! woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein,

one gram of sugar, and now with two new flavors! one gram of sugar, mr. clean magic erasers ♪ mr. clean magic erasers

>> harris: you saw my reaction when this happened live. let's get into it with "outnumbered." president biden quickly cut off a reporter. a q&a reporting session, after about a minute, getting openly annoyed with the press after being asked about afghanistan. our nation's longest war. the president refusing to take questions. he says, "i don't want to answer questions about afghanistan. it's july 4th!" that's what he said. this is "outnumbered." i'm harris faulkner.