tv The Faulkner Focus FOX News December 28, 2021 8:00am-9:00am PST
8:00 am
democrats hold a narrow majority in both the house and senate. and all seats are up for election in the house. back to you. >> julie: thank you very much. benjamin i'm glad to hear your voice back today. you are getting better by the day. that's very good to hear. >> benjamin: nice to be with you. >> julie: we're both on remote in live news van locations, bear that in mind for the rest of the week. "the faulkner focus" is next. see you back here tomorrow. >> fox news alert. president biden on a working vacation at his beach house in delaware as omicron takes a surge across the country. you are in "the faulkner focus". i'm marcel neville in for harris. president biden acknowledged yesterday his administration's response to the testing shortage has been insufficient. a big 180 from his campaign
8:01 am
promise to quote, shut down the virus. the president also put some of the blame on his predecessor, former president trump. >> president biden: let's talk about how we got here. when i took office 10 months -- we were 10 months into the pandemic. even so we had no, zero, over the counter home tests in the united states, none. this is not like march of 2020. the beginning of the pandemic. we're prepared and we know what it takes to save lives, protect people, and keep schools and businesses open. look, there is no federal solution. this gets solved at the state level. >> "wall street journal" editorial board calling president biden out on that saying if this is the way mr. biden is going he should notify the supreme court that he plans to have osha withdraw its overbroad vaccine mandate. that would be consistent with his message monday on a lack of a federal solution. in a few moments we'll speak to
8:02 am
dr. marc siegel on the cdc cutting quarantine time in half. let's go to rich edson who is live following the president in delaware. hi, rich. >> good morning. the president's first full day this week in delaware having some down time along the delaware shore. before leaving the white house yesterday the president met virtually with a number of the nation's governors, bipartisan group. he again pushed the unvaccinated to get their shots, to stay out of the hospital, that's also the message from dr. anthony fauci who had to clarify last night whether the administration is considering a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel. >> i did not say i support mandates on domestic flights. i said that is something that is on the table for consideration. i didn't say i support it or didn't support it. i was asked is this something that is being considered?
8:03 am
we consider any option that could keep the american public safe. >> the focus now from the administration is really on testing. the president has said his administration has expanded testing. a report from "vanity fair" says the white house rejected a plan from public health officials in october to boost free rapid tests ahead of the holiday season. as he left washington for delaware yesterday, president biden denied that report. >> president biden: dur administration retest the testing in october? >> president biden: we didn't reject it. >> it is buying 500 million at-home test free for americans who order one online. the website isn't up yet and tests won't go out until early next month well after the holidays. other countries have pushed free at home testing as a major piece of their covid strategies. white house press secretary earlier this month dismissed
8:04 am
the concept of that. president said last week his administration should have moved forward and expanded testing a couple of months ago. trying to get this up and running for next month. back to you. >> thank you very much. the cdc reducing its recommended covid isolation period from 10 days to five days for those testing positive for covid as long as they have no symptoms and continue to wear a mask for at least five more days. this as the u.s. records an average of nearly 250,000 new covid cases each day. that's up 105% from two weeks ago according to the "new york times." those numbers could be even higher as people testing positive with the at-home testing kits may not feel a need to self-report. go to dr. marc siegel with us now, professor of medicine at nyu langone medical center. what is your take on the
8:05 am
shorter quarantine period? >> great to be with you again. i have been calling for this for a while. i'm very happy to see it. i have a certain caveat here. why five days over 10? first of all, we need that to keep our economy open and to keep things running because this is spreading with such wildfire if we ended up with 10 days there would be nobody on the streets. second omicron comes on more quickly so it is not a long latency period. the total course for somebody especially if you are vaccinated or got over previous covid is shorter. within five days you are probably out of the woods especially if you haven't had symptoms for three days. you isolate for five days. i'm for that. the one thing lacking is a rapid test at the end of all of this which is we sorely need and you talked about that a minute ago. we have such a shortage of rapid tests, arthel. we need it to prove you are no
8:06 am
longer spreading. >> good point you are raising. i want to talk about this for a second. normally it takes two to three days after exposure to test positive for the infection to show up or symptoms to show up. you are saying, though, it won't crop up five days after exposure so we're good to go and we should feel comfortable that we're clear after five days if we have it we'll know by then? >> omicron is different than delta. it is milder. it comes on more quickly. i want to warn people out there that omicron varies. any virus varies, arthel. it is severe for some people especially people who haven't been vaccinated or had covid before. we're seeing it in emergency rooms. omicron is filling emergency rooms even in new york with a high vaccination rate. it is unpredictable but it is milder and comes and goes more quickly, especially if you are vaccinated. so we can control it better and
8:07 am
we can predict, go back to work. it is really important that we get people back to work and not the quarantine thing -- isolating people is a bit out of date and applies to previous variants at 10 days. >> you mentioned covid tests. i want to play sound from president biden on the covid tests and we'll talk about it. >> president biden: where you get tested for free. we worked with google so you can now search covid test near me on google to find a location. we went from no over the counter tests in january to 46 million in october, 100 million in november and 200 million in december. it is not enough. it is clearly not enough. if we had known we would have got harder quicker if we could have. >> dr. marc i want to ask you the same question for the covid tests. the ones people are lining up for and the at-home tests. for those who can get tested, is it possible to take the test
8:08 am
too soon? before your symptoms appear? >> that's a great question and why i like working with you on sunday house call for so many years. let me tell you the answer to that, arthel, rapid tests work best when you have symptoms. they are almost 100% accurate if you have symptoms. that's called specificity. if you have a stuffy nose and fatigue, fever and do a rapid test and negative you probably don't have covid but something else. if it's positive you probably do. we want to use it to really track symptoms. if you think you were exposed, the pcr is a better test. in terms of getting these things there is a huge scarcity even with what the president is saying. people are in a panic. they are rushing to get tested. pharmacies are out of these tests, they are too expensive for a lot of people and most importantly if you go to a pharmacy and you are on a long line you maybe will get a cold from something else or you could spread covid. it is not ideal.
8:09 am
we want them at home. >> i want to clarify. let's say i get a rapid test, i take it right now. it is what noon today on whatever today is. let's say i take it today at noon and i want to go tonight 6:00 p.m. to see relatives for a small dinner. can i rely on the results of that test? let's say two days from now i may test positive. you see where i'm going with this? >> yes, another great question. my answer is you can rely on this test as a pretty good predictor that you are not infectious. it doesn't mean you won't turn positive two days later. but when you have this test you are most likely not contagious and the answer you need to have and why we're testing people before they gather, before they travel. it is a really good test for that. in that day. but again you can recheck it in two days later just to be
8:10 am
careful. >> got it. i want to play before we go sound from dr. fauci yesterday on new year's eve plans and how to stay safe. let's listen. >> if you are vaccinated, boosted, family setting in the home with family and relatives. when you talk about a new year's eve party with 30, 40, 50 people celebrating and you don't know the status of their vaccination i would recommend strongly stay away from that this year. there will be other years to do that but not this year. >> 30 seconds left. what do you think? >> i think he is overstating it. he is spreading too much fear. his heart is in the right place here. i think you can test people you are not aware of. the surgeon general told me that last week. he will gather for new year's and have his family. if a couple of people come in he is not sure of he will get a rapid test. dr. fauci is talking about big,
8:11 am
large, indoor gatherings and you don't know who is there. maybe don't do those. but one last point, i like new year's eve celebrations outdoors. i am with the mayor of new york, let's have new year's eve outdoors where the risk of spread is much lower. it could be our ticket out of this pandemic but we have to take it seriously. it is a lot milder. >> stay safe. happy knewier. >> get vaccinated. >> i heard you. listen, these pictures here at the airport is chaos. holiday travel nightmare shows no signs of easing as hundreds more flights have canceled today on top of thousands already grounded since christmas eve. a live update from chicago o'hare airport ahead plus this. >> the first president in the history of this nation in joe biden who came into office and
8:12 am
systematically dismantled the most secure border we've ever had. no president has ever done that. >> a record number of illegal migrant border crossings has law enforcement agencies sounding the alarm and calling for help from the biden administration. will it come in 2022? attorney general from arizona is up next in the focus. veteran homeowners, need a financial boost? the newday 100 va loan lets you borrow
8:13 am
up to 100% of your home's value and take out up to $60,000 or more. give them a call. veteran homeowners- with home values at all-time highs and rates at near all-time lows now's the time to do more with your home equity. veterans are calling newday at a record pace to take advantage of the newday 100 va loan. you can borrow up to 100% of your home's value to upgrade the kitchen, add a pool for the grandkids, or have the security of cash in the bank. with an average cash out amount of $60,000, you can do more. 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! (excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health.
8:15 am
8:16 am
8:17 am
pause wifi whenever for ultimate control with the xfinity app. and family-safe browsing gives parents one less thing to worry about. security, control and peace of mind. with xfinity xfi, it's all built in at no extra cost. >> it was very tragic. we waited a long time in chicago. it is kind of sad. there will be -- thousands of people that will be left. >> i've been here all night long, no sleep. going on 48 hours with no sleep.
8:18 am
>> julie: it is too bad. holiday travel nightmare continues for airline passengers as more flights are canceled or delayed. the number of flights grounded so far today and all of yesterday reaching more than 5600. airlines blame staff shortages from the omicron variant and bad weather. senior correspondent mike tobin is live at o'hare airport in chicago. how is it looking and everything keeping calm? >> the airlines are trying to get a handle on it. the tsa line is pretty much normal to light. you see the ebb and flow of traffic at o'hare airport. the way they can pile up what you look at the tsa line that's nothing. if you look to check in at american airlines it is a ghost town because people are getting through and getting on flights. one industry spokesman said what the airlines do with staffing problems you move
8:19 am
people around to cover staffing shortages and they have a lot of airplanes to help accomplish the task. it is not business as usual but a step back toward normal as they try to absorb the problem. this particular problem flared on christmas eve when the covid, omicron cases in the airline employee population started to mirror that of the general population. they called in sick and pretty soon you didn't have enough staff to operate all the flights. combine that with bad weather that came through during the holidays and you had a lot of people who weren't going to make it to their holiday destination or weren't going to make it home. >> we've been really lucky. we were on time leaving and so far on time going home. >> i had a three-hour layover which turned into an 11-hour layover and then the flight got canceled. >> what can you do? roll with the punches. i feel sorry for some of the air staff people as well because they are getting so
8:20 am
much grief. >> flightaway.com says numbers are improving. 1200 cancellations yesterday. fewer than 800 today. they seem to be spread evenly across the nation because they are driven by the covid cases, not necessarily by anything regional with the exception of seattle/tacoma. a lot of red in that picture but it is weather-driven. one big development that came yesterday that could impact airline staffing. the development that came out of the cdc. airline representatives were requesting a reduction in the amount of time for quarantine for someone who tests positive. they got that. quarantine time was cut in half for asymptomatic people who test positive. we'll see how it impacts the airlines trying to get people back to work. >> arthel: and those who didn't get to see their loved ones. mike tobin, stay safe at o'hare.
8:21 am
with the new year almost here the surge of illegal migrants at the southern border showing no signs of letting up. customs and border patrol agents encountered an all-time high of more than 1.7 million migrants during the fiscal year 2021, which ended in september. that is an increase of nearly 279% over 2020. illegal crossings began rising last year but skyrocketed in the months after president biden took office and making bad headlines all year for the biden administration. leaders of border states are begging for help as the crisis ravages their communities, former acting ice director tom hoe man says don't expect any. >> we have a president sitting in office and a secretary of homeland security that did everything they could to keep the open borders. american lives are at stake. migrants are dying. we have record amounts of covid
8:22 am
coming into the country. in 2021 it has been devastating for those who believe in the rule of law. this administration is not only ignoring the laws enacted by congress but actually violating it. >> arthel: let's bring in the attorney general of arizona. how is the administration violating the law? >> numerous levels. thank you for having me on. we have multiple pieces of litigation against the biden administration. they stopped building the border wall and stopped deporting orders, a violation of title 8 of u.s. code and we have a lawsuit now at the u.s. supreme court that i will be arguing in february where the biden administration has provided incentives including government benefits for people that have entered the country illegally. the biden administration inherited a strong economy, energy independence, secure border and in less than a year they've essentially gifted the
8:23 am
american people with rising inflation, record energy prices and gas prices, and now the cartels have seized control of our border. >> arthel: it took them a while. president biden restored former president trump's remain in mexico policy which wasn't perfect. the border was not completely secure. he was on the way to getting there we assume. but i want to ask you, though, why is reimplementing the remain in mexico policy so confusing? >> it is just one step. i would argue the reason why he is trying to reimplement that is because of the lawsuits. that was also litigation that myself and some of my colleagues were involved in. it was important to try to hold the biden administration accountable. the policy says if you make asylum claims you have to do those in mexico. that's just one piece of the puzzle. let's take a step back. i was a gang prosecutor for years. it is all about the facts and
8:24 am
evidence. if you talk to border patrol agents and look at the numbers, record amount of people illegally crossing, they have never seen gotaways. people evading protection. we know in arizona more than 9 million illegal or counterfeit fentanyl pills were seized last year alone. there was enough fentanyl powder and pills. those are drugs that two milligrams can be deadly. it is not staying in texas and arizona. it will be everywhere. >> arthel: that's a problem for sure. i want to ask you that's coming through mexico mostly. is mexico really on board with this remain in mexico policy? is mexico sufficiently equipped to hold up its end of the policy? >> the proof is always in the pudding. and as i said the remain in mexico policy is one part of the puzzle.
8:25 am
one of the things we saw during the trump administration they used the leverage of economic sanctions and a carrot and stick approach to get mexico on board. what i worry about the biden administration, you have kamala harris who refuses to visit the border or talk to law enforcement saying she will give hundreds of millions of dollars to study the root causes of immigration. people come here like my family. i'm a first generation american. people come here because it's the greatest country in the world and rule of law means something. why are we spending hundreds of millions of dollars subsidizing central american countries studying root causes. what kind of carrot and stick approach will we use in mexico to get them to enforce the remain in mexico policy? the president is the apex of power when it comes to foreign policy and border security. it shouldn't be the job of me as the attorney general. >> arthel: first of all as we
8:26 am
know illegal immigration has plagued other presidents and immigration reform has yet to come. you mention that vice president kamala harris you feel like she needs to step up to the plate a little bit more and visit the border more often and also you mentioned that you feel that there is -- it is problematic to try to bolster the economies of some of these central american countries from where the surge of migrants are coming from. we know that the border issue has risen to crisis level under this president. what can he do to get a handle on this? all the things you said are problematic. what do you remember to fix it? >> well, first and foremost you have to acknowledge and recognize the problem. the biden administration refuses to do that. his enablers in the u.s. senate should be stopping everything from happening until we secure our border. for example, cartel kelly members of the u.s. senate know
8:27 am
we have a record amount of fentanyl deaths throughout the country. pima counting the leading cause of death among teenagers is fentanyl overdoses. i would go to the senate saying we won't vote on anyone until we secure the border. getting the resources, making sure a decade ago we had operation streamline where we aggressively prosecuted people for illegally entering the country to defer them. there are more than 1 million people with deportation orders. the biden administration is refusing to deport them. we're suing them trying to get them to enforce existing law. the first step is acknowledging there is a problem and then enforcing the law. >> arthel: you mentioned enforcing the law and demanding a vote to be held in congress. they can't vote on what day it is which i found out is today. i forgot elier. >> they are voting on really crappy federal officials.
8:28 am
they can hold up those processes until they secure the border. force the biden administration to do the right thing in the right way. >> arthel: it is definitely a problem and we need to fix it. thank you for joining us. if you thought we might be leaving inflation behind in 2021, think again. how prices could keep rising well into new year. >> arthel: president biden and vp harris have low approval numbers. is a red wave on the horizon? we're a different kind of dentistry. one who believes in doing anything it takes to make dentistry work for your life. so we offer a complete exam and x-rays free to new patients without insurance - everyday. plus, patients get 20% off their treatment plan. we're on your corner and in your corner every step of the way. because your anything is our everything.
8:29 am
aspen dental. anything to make you smile. book today at aspendental.com, walk in, or call 1-800-aspendental. veteran homeowners- you made a smart move when you bought your home. now make another one and turn your equity into cash. with the newday 100 va loan you can take out up to $60,000 or more. veteran homeowners- with home values at all-time highs and rates at near all-time lows now's the time to do more
8:30 am
with your home equity. veterans are calling newday at a record pace to take advantage of the newday 100 va loan. you can borrow up to 100% of your home's value to upgrade the kitchen, add a pool for the grandkids, or have the security of cash in the bank. with an average cash out amount of $60,000, you can do more.
8:33 am
we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. >> arthel: sticker shock for 2022. analysts say american consumers will be paying more for everything from food, fuel and
8:34 am
beyond. gerri willis is live in new york. any way around this? how can consumers adjust and keep some of their money in their pockets? >> this is tough stuff, no kidding, arthel. i have to tell you after a really tough year of inflation, a budget busting inflation in everything from meat to gas, 2022 looks to be the same. in fact, we're expecting inflation in food prices alone to be 5% higher in the first half of the year. let's dig into this. cookies, candies and other products will rise 6% to 7%. craft heinz will raise prices with as high as 20%. general mills are raising prices starting next month. the interesting thing is the biggest price hikes go to the things with -- that are the heaviest. wine, beer, liquor, potatoes and celery will carry higher
8:35 am
price tags and labor and transportation costs go up. even staples will be more expensive. supermarkets, which operate on very super narrow margins have been trying to hold the line to hold down prices of things like milk and eggs and raising prices on specialty items but it is not clear how long that strategy can hold. consumers are in a price grip of higher prices after gas rose to its highest level in seven years in november and home heating sources spiked with natural gas prices up 158%. bottom line the transitory inflation as the federal reserve promised, right? people will do everything they can to save money. trading down on cuts of meat to save money and also on cooking oils as well. we'll do everything we can to keep the cost of the basics low.
8:36 am
arthel, back to you. >> arthel: thank you, gerri. new gallup polling puts president biden's approval rating at just 43% below chief justice john roberts, dr. fauci and house minority leader kevin mccarthy. vice president kamala harris was just one point above the president at 44% approval. remember, president biden started the year in positive territory. his approval rating sat in the mid to low 50s for the first six months of his administration but the exit from afghanistan and the omicron surge changed all of that. all that is boosting republicans' hopes for a red wave in the 2022 mid-terms. so is the fact that 23 house democrats have said they'll retire or will seek another office ahead of the mid-terms. power panel next. matt gorman former nrcc
8:37 am
communications director and kevin walling biden campaign surrogate. how might republicans create the red wave. are we talking good surfing waves or tsunami? >> i was on the other side of this in 2018 trying to keep the house and the worst isn't yet to come. a lot of democrats right now talk with their families around the holidays. i would expect to see a lot of retirements historically come the first week or two in january. look, at a very base level what kind of positive momentum have biden going? build back better is essentially dead. shutting down the virus, covid is out of control. inflation, gas is projected to hit $4 a gallon come memorial day. what's the positive rationale
8:38 am
for electing more democrats in 2022? >> arthel: matt, let me stick with you. you are basically saying all the republicans should do is sit back and enjoy ride. they don't have to be proactive in any way is what you are suggesting, let everything kind of fall by the wayside on the other side, is that what you are saying? >> no, we need to keep the focus on kitchen table issues. glenn youngkin was successful in the virginia. talk about gas prices and inflation and i think more generally talk about how biden and his administration are bystanders, not lead pg but reacting. >> arthel: a specific question for you. is there political or policy life raft that can keep the biden presidency afloat? >> i think there certainly is. matt and i agree on one point. this election will be about bread and butter issues, the
8:39 am
american people are frustrated with covid, this latest variant and rising prices across the board. democrats have a lot to campaign on. we see the largest wage increase since 1999. the first year irt was tracked. we're seeing some of the best economic indicators in terms of the job rates in 50 years. obviously inflation is a serious concern as gerri reported at the outset. it is set to go up. you are also seeing a biden administration focused on inflation and encouraging the feds do all they can with inflation rates spiking as well as tackling the omicron variant. you saw the president with the governors yesterday speaking about that. we have 315 days left until the mid-terms. that's an eternity. democrats can play ball and flip the script in some degree. >> arthel: i have to tell you, kevin, what you said sounds good. democrats have a big messaging problem. all people are looking at is what's happening in their
8:40 am
homes, you know, when they go to the gas pump and try to buy groceries. >> that's very true and why i'm here right now. >> arthel: that's okay. voters need to hear it. you can talk to me all day long. they aren't getting the message, just saying. matt, how might the republicans sink their own ship and not have a successful mid-term? >> again, if we take our focus off of what matters most. to kevin's point wages may be going up, inflation is going up higher. the best way to not add to inflation is to stop spending money we don't have like the 2 or 3 trillion dollars they wanted to pass with the build back better plan. just biden said yesterday oh there is not a federal government solution to covid, it is a governor's problem. he said for years now. >> arthel: president trump said that, too. he left it up to the governors in the beginning.
8:41 am
>> biden said he would be the adult in the room and shut down the virus and partly why he won. now he is shirking responsibility. >> arthel: kevin, the last word. >> to matt as point the president convened that panel with the governors yesterday. governor hutchinson praising the president and the federal government's response. it will be a joint effort between the federal government and the state government to tackle this variant. again, there is a lot of time left, 315 days before the mid-terms. to your point. democrats have to do a better job of messaging for sure. >> arthel: all right. that's it for now. matt and kevin, for now i say happy holidays, happy new year, and i think matt you get the best background for today. >> he does. it's a great tree. >> arthel: very cozy. thank you so much. take care. major u.s. cities shattering annual crime records in 2021 and upping pressure on leaders to take action to keep americans safe. what can be done to combat the
8:42 am
crisis? pete hegseth is in focus after the break. only pay for what y. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ finally. our honeymoon. it took awhile, but at least we got a great deal on our hotel with kayak. i was afraid we wouldn't go.. with our divorce and.... great divorce guys. yeah... search 100s of travel sites at once. welcome to silversneakers. are you ready to get moving? (throws punch) kayak. search one and done.
8:43 am
our new virtual classes were designed for you and millions of seniors like you. you can now choose from thousands of live virtual classes every week. get moving wherever you have an internet connection. and when you're ready, enjoy access to thousands of locations nationwide. with silversneakers, you're free to move. enroll today at no additional cost by visiting getsilversneakers dot com.
8:44 am
8:45 am
sports on now. touchdown irish! [cheering] that was awesome. and, the hits won't quit, with peacock premium included at no additional cost. all that entertainment built in. xfinity. a way better way to watch. when you have xfinity xfi, you have peace of mind built in at no extra cost. advanced security helps keep your family protected online. pause wifi whenever for ultimate control
8:46 am
with the xfinity app. and family-safe browsing gives parents one less thing to worry about. security, control and peace of mind. with xfinity xfi, it's all built in at no extra cost. >> arthel: quick headlines. at least four people killed appeared three others wounded in a shooting spree in colorado that began in denver and
8:47 am
stretched to a nearby suburb. the gunman was also killed. they are searching for additional suspects. a small plain crashed into a residential area near san diego. no reports of casualties on the ground but the plane also took down power lines leaving hundreds without electricity. investigation is underway. starting tomorrow children 5 to 11 must be fully vaccinated in dine in new york city restaurants. some tourists say it is frustrating to limit sightseeing to outdoor only activities with their kids and may cut their trip short. we have been telling you how the nation's crime crisis has been surging in 2021 smash and grab robberies, car thefts, homicide numbers on the rise. now we have some grim new numbers. at least 16 cities including
8:48 am
philadelphia, indianapolis, austin, shattering their all-time homicide records this year. william la jeunesse is live in los angeles with more. william. >> arthel those statistics you mentioned have started a national conversation about policy and prompted voters in some areas to rethink who they elect. soft on crime prosecutors in l.a. and san francisco are both facing recall. as you mentioned those -- the cities along with those here in california are facing -- seeing violent crime rates hitting levels not seen since the crack cocaine 1990s. california's four major cities seeing increases including oakland. >> just -- the callous nature of people's behavior and the willingness to use firearms in our community. >> following the death of george floyd, many democrat-led cities defunded the police,
8:49 am
voters followed their rhetoric electing advocates who favored no bail, less jail. like the d.a. in philadelphia. despite a 13% jump in homicides there, other crimes are down. blaming media hype for it. >> i understand there is a long tradition in journalism of reporting around terrible crime and frankly selling clicks. selling newspaper coverage. >> police have an explanation why property crime has fallen during the pandemic because more people were home, burglaries fell. burglars don't like people in the house. with businesses closed less to steal, fewer people on the street to rob. with fewer felons in jail because of covid, they saw violent crime increase. >> when you start going out and
8:50 am
firebombing, tearing down people's property, assaulting the police, and engaging in really just incredible lawlessness, that emboldens other people to do the same thing. >> right now we're at a crossroads as criminal justice reform advocates are being forced to defend their policies especially because they are happening in many of the cities where politicians they elect actually control it. back to you. >> arthel: thank you very much. pete hegseth is here, co-host for "fox & friends" weekend and in "focus." what say you, pete? >> i thought william la jeunesse's report was fantastic. what do you expect when you let criminals out of jail with no consequence, almost no consequence. and then you demoralize police departments. i thought in the military context if you don't believe your military leaders have your
8:51 am
back, there is a limit to the risks and proactiveness you will take. that's the calculation law enforcement offices are making. short staffed. dispatchers reporting on the fact we don't have enough police in certain areas of chicago to cover basic assignments. all of this creates a culture of lawlessness. regular people, especially the most downtrodden and especially people hurt the most by crime are affected even more while the politicians who yell about defund the police, the dumbest slogan of 2021. may we bury it understanding what good work our police do. those who spout that have their own law enforcement ultimately off. >> arthel: also listen, a lot of these police officers are thinking why am i going to put my life on the line if these criminals will come right back out because it is like a turnstile in a lot of these jails? you mentioned, pete, the chicago emergency dispatcher. i want to read something he
8:52 am
said. his name is keith thornton jr. he was warning of a police shortage in his district telling the sun times, if you are a chicagoan living here or doing business here, even just visiting as a tourist here your safety is compromised and in jeopardy and according to him he says it is all mayor lightfoot's fault. let's take a listen. >> my opinion, in fact, the blood is on her hands. every child and every youth and adult and elderly person, car jockings and it is shameful. you are the mayor. you will come back and say now you want help? that's garbage. >> arthel: i want to ask you how can bail reform help solve this crime problem? >> good for him. it is not bail reform.
8:53 am
they are pro criminal catch and release. there was a reasonable discussion led by the trump administration about criminal justice reform. ways our justice system was stacked against certain people in certain situations. that was a reasonable conversation. when you point at police officers and say policing is racist. all cops are bastards. when you say that you create an us against them dynamic that makes it impossible for police officers to do their jobs and easy for criminals to be let back out. >> arthel: that's an important point you make there. how do you solve that? there is something to be said about community policing and something to be said about misunderstanding each other. and there is this us against them feeling in many communities. how do you fix that? your opinion? >> well, first of all you educate kids not to hate the cops and your country. first of all you secure the
8:54 am
border so you believe in sovereignty and not support criminality. conversations are good but you need pro-active policing whether it's broken windows policing, community-based policing. you have police. when you let little things go you create a culture of criminality. white people and black people and brown people and anyone in between equally and justice is blind to that reality. >> arthel: no one wants crime in their neighborhood. >> police forces like in los angeles and chicago and new york, they are over 50% minority police departments. these are not racist police departments. there are ways you can change the way things are done. it is black, brown and white people hurt when you don't enforce law. >> arthel: it's not about color and we're all in this together. listen, nice to talk to you, pete. happy new year to you. let's hope for a better 2022. and by the way, brother and
8:55 am
cousin of mr. george floyd and ben crump is on with me on the weekend and they were not calling for defunding the police. we'll leave it there. have a happy new year. i will see you next year, thanks for watching "the faulkner focus". "outnumbered" is up next. i'm arthel neville. see you next year. happen with your va home loan benefit and the newday100 va loan. by borrowing up to 100% of your home's value, you can take out up to $60,000 or more, and lower your payments by an average of $615 every month. .
8:59 am
9:00 am
start the new year with three months free. join today at ww.com. hurry, offer ends january 3rd. >> ♪ ♪ >> a stunning turnaround from the white house with the covid blame game if full swing. president claims there is no federal solution to combat the virus. a far cry from what he promised on the campaign trail. >> we will deal honestly with the american people and we will never quit until we shut down this virus. i will shut down the virus. i won't shut down the economy. i will
104 Views
Uploaded by TV Archive on
![](http://athena.archive.org/0.gif?kind=track_js&track_js_case=control&cache_bust=481086281)