my retirement funds allow me to enjoy what i love to do. as long as you can make an impact, why stop? >> i've long believed that to whom much is given much will be required. that's why today, before god and my family, i'm announcing that i'm running for president of the united states of america. >> john: the republican presidential race getting even more crowded. former vice president mike pence entering the pack and in minutes he will join us live here for

his first television interview since the announcement in iowa last hour. >> sandra: polling has him at a distant third, and he will have to walk a fine line between his white house experience and distancing himself from his former boss turned rival. how will he stand out? >> john: one top issue, the push for parental rights, republicans are campaigning on. >> they need to stop asking little children what they sexually identify as. >> six years old to decide about sexual things they don't even know. >> john: a brawl breaking out in southern california where parents pulled kids from classrooms over the push for lgbtq materials in the curriculum. assistant principal instructed staff to teach kids that every

child by default is queer and socialist. a busy one, sandra. >> sandra: second house. a hazy orange new york at the moment, start with the dangerous wildfire smoke smothering not just new york but the entire eastern united states, john. wild pictures coming in. >> john: take a look at this. what it looks like on the ground in nova scotia, where they have gotten some rain in the last few hours. hundreds of canadian wildfires burning out of control, the smoke is smothering american cities from detroit all the way to washington. >> sandra: cameras capturing what looks like scenes from the apocalypse and only getting worse. laguardia airport is under a ground stop order, we should know more about that in the next few moments whether or not that will be lifted because it was set to end at 2:00, but there was a probability, i should say there was a possibility that they would extend it after that time. >> john: this incredible picture from the national weather

service in binghamton, new york, take a look at this, the sun no longer visible, an orange haze shrouds the sky. >> sandra: this is wild. new york city, the earth cam, a lot of people who have to be outside are getting headachey and feeling the consequences of this. >> john: and the burning feeling in the smoke, and it can be dangerous with the tiny particles. mayor eric adams urging new york city residents to stay inside, cancelling all outside events for after school activities. not just the big apple, the haze triggered air alerts from minnesota all the way to massachusetts. as you see the smoke churn in the counterclockwise direction there, pumped down from the province of quebec, more than

100 wildfires burning out of control. >> sandra: i'm thinking the girls' lacrosse game, might need to be canceled. i can't imagine playing sports in this. it's expected, the smoky haze, to linger for the next few days as winds sweep down from canada. >> john: dr. marc siegel what you need to know. >> sandra: nate foy is live in central park. nate, that is markedly worse -- worse than when we checked in with you an hour ago. >> it certainly is, sandra. it's a lot darker, when you look at somebody's face it appears everybody has like an orange glow about them. the smell of smoke is much more pungent than it was, and i'll ask my photographer to pan off here. you can see a lot of cars are using lights to navigate the city. it feels like it's 8:00 p.m., it's only 2:00 in the afternoon and i'll ask my photographer to also pan up as you can see the

smoke encroaching on the people walking below and the cars driving below, but i want to show you the skyline or lack thereof of new york city. take a live look. you can't see anything, sandra, and below this, people are walking, they are biking, this is a city where you have to walk or take the subway to get to work. we spoke with people who say they are experiencing symptoms as a result of this smoke and we spoke to a couple people who were making their way through central park. here is what they said. >> it's worse because i got a call from my daughter this morning and her soccer is canceled, they are not going outside for school today, they are staying indoors. >> this morning in the car i could feel a difference like in my eyes, feel like allergy eyes, you want to rub your eyes a bit. but otherwise i feel good. >> and sandra, those interviews happened before the conditions got even worse. that was about an hour ago when

we spoke to those women, but the smoke became apparent last night, a health advisory is in effect because of this. public schools in new york city and buffalo are keeping students inside to protect them from the smoke, but it's not just the tristate area. the red and orange dots show where the air quality is the worse, extends as far west as chicago where we have new video today. take a look. we made a quad box here. philadelphia, chicago and detroit as well as canada, where over 100 wildfires are burning in the quebec area, over 400 wildfires across the country, causing these conditions across regions in the united states. air quality alerts are in effect as far south as north carolina, and it's also having impacts on air travel, as if fliers have not had enough issues over the past couple years. you mentioned a ground stop at laguardia airport as a result of

these conditions, a partial ground stop at newark international, we are awaiting to see if that changes, but right now that is still the case. long story short, it is not good for anybody to be outside right now, but specifically people with respiratory issues as well as young children, older adults, limit your time outside if you can. send it back to you. >> sandra: nate, i'm curious, for a while people did not know why it was happening. they understand why i'm sure now, they look at the smartphone, see the news, are you getting a sense people are running inside, what are you seeing, hearing? >> we are seeing a lot more people wearing masks than we were earlier in the day, not a lot of n-95, a lot of cloth masks. i say just walking to go get lunch a couple was walking by me and trying to cover their mouths with their hands, obviously it's not very effective.

but i think it shows you how worried people are about what it is that they are breathing in. when you talk to people, you hear some who are more concerned than others, but it is certainly unsettling when you look around, you see the orange glow on everyone's face and you have to wonder what exactly it is that we are breathing in. >> sandra: nate, if anybody walks by there, feel free to grab them, we would love to hear what people are saying, how they are feeling about this. because a lot of folks there, probably tourists and certainly did not plan on this happening. >> hold on one second. excuse me, sir. all right. doesn't look like we have anybody who is willing to talk with us right now. >> sandra: busy new yorkers. we'll check back in with you. >> if we get somebody i'll let you know and bring it to you live. >> sandra: perfect, thanks, nate. >> john: one person who is willing to talk is our dr. marc siegel, professor of medicine at nyu langone medical center.

glad to see you are not orange like everybody else, doc. let me put up again the map of the smoke plumes churning down from canada, we have a low pressure system, looks like it's over the vermont area, and it's just going in a counterclockwise direction dumping all the smoke down there into new york and other cities. this is the worst i've seen, doc, since yellowstone fires of 88. what kinds of toxins are people exposed to. >> it's ten times worse than combustion. if you filled this from air pollution, this is ten times worse, and the biggest problem is particulate matter, like little tiny particles that are very, very small and nate was just saying people are starting to wear masks, i've seen that in the street. but unless you wear the n95 respirator mask, this will stop most of the particles,

particulate matter. but the surgical masks are not going to do anything, and we are talking about smoke, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, the biggest problem is par t tis -- particulate matter. and heart problems, a big study said people with heart problems have increased risk of rhythm abnormalities and heart failure from exposure. i'm concerned about that, and some build-up in emergency rooms, people with asthma, allergies, eyes and lungs burning. >> john: doc, we did not see the mask because apparently we are having a technical difficulty with the video, we hear you just fine. but i think folks know what the white n-95 mask looks like from the days of covid. i want to jump to call four number three, you mentioned

small particles. hold it up one more time. we have your video back. everybody knows what that looks like. >> that's the n-95. >> john: you mentioned tiny particles. pm 2.5, 2.5 microns, 25 times smaller than the width of a human hair. what happens when those get into an airway? and they are so small a cloth mask or triple layer mask is not going to do a whole lot. >> if they get into an airway and they have preexisting asthma, you'll see an asthma attack. if you have emphysema, you'll see the attack. and they also can get into the blood stream and decrease oxygen flow, why i'm worried about heart conditions. i would encourage everyone out there that has chronic illness, make sure you take your medicine today, make sure if you are asthmatic or emphysema, take a couple puffs extra. i can't prescribe that over the

tv but everyone with underlying problems to be really, really careful and if you have a question, call your doctor. you are not feeling well, burning in the throat that john talked about, eyes are itching, you feel trouble breathing, call the doctor and don't hesitate. we are seeing a lot of e.r. visits on the uptick, that is definitely going to continue. >> john: just go to the airnow.gov website, it has the air quality of any city you plugged the zip code into. new york city, unhealthy. syracuse, new york, doc, it's off the charts. says hazardous. what is the difference, if folks are saying should i go outside or not outside, what's the difference between unhealthy and hazardous? >> one healthy you might go outside for a short period of time, i would recommend the respirator mask. if it's hazardous, you could provoke an asthma attack or

another type of a problem or your oxygen level, if i was measuring would be going down. so i encourage people obviously to stay indoors when all of this is happening, and yes, i've been asked this question all day. if you are indoors and you got your air-conditioner on, your air filtration on, you are not going to have a problem. this is not seeping indoors. but a huge problem outside and in a place like syracuse, you don't want to be outside. >> john: when should people go to the emergency room? >> well, you know, i always answer that by saying it's better to be on the side of caution. but the e.r.s are overcrowded and crowded to begin with. i think if you happen to have one of those pulse oximeters left, from the covid days, if you are short of breath or palpations or heart is racing or chest pain, you want to be in the emergency room. if your eyes are irritated you

might be overreacting then. but don't hesitate to contact your physician on this. breathing is what's bothering me the most or cardiac symptoms. >> john: sore throat or burning eyes, go back inside and get out of the smoke but if you are feeling palpations or shortness of breath, time to head to the local hospital. >> correct. and if you have an underlying asthma diagnosis, use the inhaler. don't hesitate an extra puff if you are feeling the shortness of breath. the key is are symptoms persisting. if you have 1 or 2 palpations you are probably fine. >> john: always good to get your diagnoses and medical opinion, but unbelievable as you look at the pictures in new jersey, you

can barely see the skyline there. really appreciate it. >> great to be with you, john. thank you. >> john: good news, ground stop has been lifted at laguardia, now just a ground delay. but departures, anybody travelling to new york, expect an almost two-hour delay on average in the flight. >> sandra: this is really something and we were noting in the backdrop of nate foy's report, how the lights have now come on in central park because of how dark this is. the cover of "the new york post" right now is "dark city," and as far as air pollution rankings, new york city is now among the world's worst at this moment from these canadian wildfires. back to nate foy, trying to grab some folks on the ground there. what are people saying? >> well, people are concerned, sandra, and we have talked about the ground stops at laguardia and newark international airport

but somebody was able to get into new york city from car by pennsylvania. i'm joined by tony, tony, thank you very much for your time. what do you think when you look around and you see conditions like this? >> well, it's blocking out the sun, and as we were coming over the george washington bridge looked down, you couldn't even see the water, that's how thick it was. we first started to notice as we were coming up to north jersey, and it was getting thicker and now new york, it's bad. >> do you have concerns about your health? >> no, not really. i spent 34 years in the carbon industry, so i know about co2 and i was in graphite carbon and -- >> how long are you in town? >> just in town for the day. we are here to see our son, he works here in manhattan. >> you mentioned that you are here with your wife.

has she noticed any symptoms, we were speaking about people who were biking and walking through central park and stinging in the nose, eyes. >> i have not noticed it myself and i have a bit of a sinus condition, i was concerned coming but it has not affected me at all. >> what does this remind you of? are you ever seen anything like it? >> no, never saw anything like this, no. and i'm from the cool region. coal region of pennsylvania. never saw anything like this. >> your governor has told people in pennsylvania to be aware of this as well and health advisories in effect there. thank you so much for your time. really appreciate it. stay safe. >> ok, thanks. >> sandra: appreciate him jumping on with us. >> you talk with different people -- great guy. and you know, you speak to different people you get different answers.

different levels of concern. what we can certainly report, the conditions have deteriorated throughout the day but it's expedited here in the last hour, hour and a half. >> sandra: the lights are on the cars and a moment ago the camera was panned closer to the left side shooting towards central park, there you go, the lights are on, nate. it's dark. other side. >> i think my photographer may have just been adjusting the lights a little bit. but you can see with these cars behind me, sandra, not every one, but most of them, the drivers are using their lights to navigate the city, not something you typically see before 3:00, even until 7:00, so it feels like it's nighttime here. i mentioned the orange glow, the smell is a lot stronger than it

has been and mayor adams predicted tomorrow would be worse. he also said conditions would get better throughout the day, at this point, it's anyone's guess, it depends on the wind patterns. with the prediction from the mayor that tomorrow will be worse, certainly that brings concern for the people here in new york and as you've mentioned, said multiple times, not just the tristate area, the upper midwest. as far south as north carolina dealing with similar conditions. >> sandra: wow, ok, nate. keep us posted from there and you stay safe. you need to get inside, get inside, just like the tourist, it's going to affect everybody differently. but as far as when we might see the end of this, it's anybody's guess at this point. fox weather meteorologist steven mcleod, he's saying we'll be in the same kind of weather pattern

through tomorrow and tomorrow as well, by sunday night we should start to see improvement as a new storm system from the west approaches and moves it out. that's a long time. >> john: sandra, we can actually look into the future. typically on the program i get into the way back machine. but if we put up the smoke tracker we can look into the future, predicted. here is where we are, tomorrow morning and then through friday, early in the morning, to 10:00 in the morning. and you can see as this is on a loop, the big plume of smoke over new york begins to dissipate but another one over pittsburgh and this will swing towards the east coast and up into new york as well, as this thing is moving in a counterclockwise direction almost like a smoke -- very slow moving smoke hurricane, following the same rotational pattern as a hurricane does. pittsburgh and then west virginia friday morning.

give you an idea how long this is going to last and there's another plume that's developing up there in canada that could take us into the beginning of the weekend. >> sandra: obviously not an exact science but does give us an idea to your point, and john, when i watch it on the loop over and over, looks like d.c. -- like you might not have seen the worst of it quite yet. >> john: looks like it's moving in. and then clears out, new york clears out for a little bit, this is going to be with us for some time and a real ebb and flow in the amount of particulate matter in the area. good idea to keep it here on fox news, we'll keep you informed and if you want to know what your local conditions are, go to the airnow.gov, it's a federal government website that will tell you what the air quality is in realtime in your neighborhood. >> sandra: we'll keep watching this and monitoring the orange haze that has fallen over new york city and beyond. just about everybody.

>> john: doc siegel is still with us. and doc, we talk about the immediate effect of going outside. when we take a look at this smoke tracker, it's going to be with us another two, maybe three days, what does that say about prolonged exposure? >> i'm concerned about that, john. great point. i think there is an issue of prolonged exposure and underlying health issues. i mean, if somebody has underlying lung problems and you add the smoke to this with the particulate matter and hydro carbons, it can further deteriorate your underlying lung problems and if you have a cardiac event, that could be induced by this. so, i say the less exposure the better for people with chronic health conditions. >> sandra: obviously that was me, talking about nate foy there on the ground. you can only imagine what people are saying, new yorkers, tourists as they are trying to navigate through this, dr. siegel. a lot of the schools are sending out updates about their filters

that they have, even though a lot of the activities have been forced inside, even if you are participating, obviously in the classroom but in a sport indoors, it's still a concern, right. can these filters help? >> the filter's definitely help, and whether it's self-contained, or air-conditioning. sports, i'm all for not cutting back on that, but if you don't know what the gym has, you might want to cut back. obviously no outdoor sports. everything with increased demand on the lungs and the heart, imagine it's exponential talking about sports. everybody that has a facility knows how well that facility is insulated in terms of ventilation and air-conditioning. >> john: this tweet from governor hochul, is he says haze

and smoke from canadian wildfires continue to spread, much of new york state is expected to experience unhealthy air quality today. please take steps to stay safe, stay indoors if possible, and limit strenuous activities. doc, when the air quality is as it is in new york city, and let me just bring it up and see exactly what the particulate matter is, according to -- it's very unhealthy, 235 is the air quality index. how long should somebody stay outside in that? >> 235 is off the charts. and you don't want to walk across town in air like that. again, it depends on who you are, how young you are, what your underlying lung capacity is, but i would limit that to a matter of minutes with that type of situation. and by the way, it's worth mentioning that l.a. and san francisco have dealt with this again and again, and i have talked to emergency room physicians there throughout

their wildfires situations and they end up with the same kind of thing. people flooding the emergency rooms. there's going to be a lot of fear and panic response here, what are the symptoms, can you test your oxygen level, simple thing to put on your finger. if you are an asthmatic, take an extra puff of albuterol, how are you feeling, stay indoors as much as possible. >> sandra: we were talking about binghamton, new york and a meteorologist is describing the city, what looks like mars and smells like cigars. the air quality is expected to worsen and the governor of new york city, kathy hochul, is warning residents that this -- the air quality is going to continue to worsen. she's calling it an emergency crisis, her words. she's warning this is going to last several days and "people have to prepare for this over the long haul," dr. siegel.

>> well, and that's a public health crisis right there, isn't it. and the way to do that, of course, which we have talked about before is to plot out what trips you're taking. if you go to the supermarket, stock up. make sure you have the medications you have, that you need. they may end up having long lines on the pharmacy. i appeal to asthmatics, make sure you have your inhalers, and extra supplies of food at home and cancel your outdoor trips right now, especially with the idea it's going to go on for days. >> john: sandra mentioned binghamton, new york, 438 is the air quality index there. >> sandra: whoa. >> that's -- i mean, that's -- that's the kind of thing where literally could provoke an asthma attack just by being there for a few minutes. the other thing that i would, you know, talk about is automobiles here. i mean, you know, you have to make sure that you have your settings on your automobile correctly.

this may seem simple, but you don't want to draw in air from outside into your automobile because that can subject you to this as well. so you would probably want to put it on the recirculating setting and your air-conditioner should be on. i would say stay indoors as much as possible, especially in a place like binghamton the way you are describing it. >> sandra: such a good tip. it's a simple thought but we are working our way to the evening commute, dr. siegel, and that's very important. and that's a good tip for anybody who is listening, to put your air system in your car on circulate, only the air in the car so you are not constantly bringing the smoke-filled air into the vehicle. >> think about it. you are in a garage, you are not exposed to it. if you are in binghamton you are exposed to it. so recirculate air-conditioning, you want the air-conditioner to work to your best behalf. and have the windows closed at home, rely on the

air-conditioner. you don't want the air coming in. i talk about asthmatics now over and over, but people can have underlying tendency to have reaction. they can have allergies. you could have an allergy to what's in the smoke, to that particulate matter. you don't want to learn about that by exposure. you want to stay away as much as possible. >> john: doc, we were talking about masks earlier, and you suggested n-95 may have some effect, it's only 2.5 microns, which is teeny tiny teeny, but could it be the case that if you are outside and all you have an got is a cloth mask or maybe one of the procedural masks in your purse or pocket, is something better than nothing? >> i think something is better than nothing, john. i would always encourage that. but you have to understand, and you were very clear, both were very clear on the size of the particles. they are so small that they can get through that basic cloth

mask and keep in mind we think this society thinks for the last three years that those n-95s are actually made for viruses, they are not. they are made for construction sites, they are made for exposure to particulate matter. that's what the 3m n-95 is made for. and some are more comfortable than others. i don't want to start runs on hardware stores, but i showed the one i have i use medically is not the most comfortable in the world. you can get ones more comfortable. >> sandra: we are taking in the new images. it's interesting at this level, the shot on the screen, it does not appear the orange haze than the ground level. we still have the central park shot up? if you go back there -- john, you think about we are in high travel season right now. i think amy is with us,

meteorologist, amy, can you tell us what we are supposed to expect here. stick around for a few days? >> we are not getting out of this probably for the next 48 hours. we will see some easing in the discoloration of the sky, and a shift further to the west, meaning parts of pennsylvania, parts of delaware, and even maybe into maryland where we see the particulate counts go up. these are numbers we have not seen in 38 years, but you also have to keep in mind air quality stats are relatively young science. we don't have lot of the numbers for a long period of time. when you look at the air quality index, once you get into the 3 to 500 level, this is the hazardous level. most of the time in new york city, might have a count around 150. and we say oh, it's unhealthy, try not to mow the lawn. these numbers are double when we would see in the middle of the summer, they are very dangerous. that's why it's hazardous to the health. a lot of colors, i know.

what's important to look at. unhealthy zone in purpose, puts us in this category, very unhealthy. we have readings above the very unhealthy category all the way into the 3 to 500 or hazardous level, so parts of lyons, new york, up north, all because of what's coming down out of canada. two things happening here. one, we have the wildfires airborne, but you also have a weather pattern, the squeeze between high and low pressure that funnels in the northeast the trail of smoke. it's a combination of factors, a shift might bring it to other regions but don't have a breaking weather pattern for at least 48 hours. >> sandra: that is remarkable. amy, have you ever seen anything like this before? >> i haven't, and that's what's so shocking, i've seen the numbers in the red zone, but we are double that. and looking outside, you can smell and taste the smoke along with a horrible view we are getting the mutation of the

skies right now. >> sandra: amy, we will continue to check back in. thank you. >> the first step to turning america around is ending this disastrous presidency so here in iowa we must resolve that joe biden will never be re-elected as president of the united states. >> john: former vice president mike pence is ready to get back into the white house, but this time as commander in chief. he joins us now for his first on-air tv interview, first since launching his bid in iowa. congratulations for getting in the race. i want to start with this. >> thank you. great to be with you. >> john: the challenges i see for you is that your policies are the policies of the trump-pence administration. yet you are trying to convince voters to stick with the policies but go with a different horse pulling the cart. how do you convince them to do

that? >> well, first and foremost it is great to be here in iowa, the first in the nation state, i believe is going to be the state that sends not just the next republican nominee, but the next president of the united states to the white house, john. and we wanted -- we wanted to be here to start this campaign. but look, in answer to your question, i think different times call for different leadership. i'm proud of the record of the trump-pence administration, but i think -- i think as we go forward in this country, as we face challenges at home and abroad, driven by the failed policies of president joe biden and the democrats in washington, d.c., that we need to return our party to the time honored conservative principles. i talked about it today. my former running mate and others are walking away from american leadership on the world stage, walking away from a commitment of fiscal discipline, even starting to walk away from the right to life.

i said today i'm going to stand on the strong conservative agenda that has led to republican victories in the past and deliver great results for the american people. >> sandra: most gop voters, and welcome, mr. vice president, thank you for joining us today. sandra here. most people want to know if they are considering voting for you in the primary if they think you can win and you have jumped into a field with your former boss, donald trump, and they are likely wondering how you plan to run against donald trump. >> well, you know, we really laid out that choice today but honestly, the reason we started here in iowa, karen and i will spend a lot of time in iowa this fall and new hampshire, and south carolina, and i'm well-known but i'm not known well. i think people know me more as a

quiet vice president standing off the president's shoulder, loyally supporting him all the way until the day when my oath to the constitution required me to do otherwise. but now we have an opportunity with all the great people in this state to travel to the cities and the farms and the biways and the highways and let people get to know the pences, not just my years as vice president, but led the state of indiana through tax cuts, right to life, and i was a leader of house conservatives, i bucked the big spenders in my own party and part of that is the story we want to tell as well as my wife karen did so movingly today, to tell the story of our family, two family members in the armed forces of the united states, incredibly accomplished kids that we are so proud of that love this country and so getting a chance to introduce the pences to people here in iowa, new

hampshire, south carolina and ultimately to america is the pathway forward. >> john: you are running out as a traditional conservative the way you did when you ran for congress and governor of indiana, but jonathan swan points out in the "new york times" the party is different than the time you ran for congress and the time you were governor of indiana. he says it doesn't matter that mr. pence has been married only once, and so determined to honor his vows he doesn't allow himself to dine alone with a woman not his wife. nor does it matter how many affairs there trump has had or whether he paid hush money to a porn star. mr. trump silences all that with a blunt social media post, i was able to kill roe v. wade. how do you compete with that, mr. vice president? >> well, first, john, i would tell you i really don't look to "new york post" for advice on the republican party. >> john: i know him, i know him

well, he's a fair reporter. >> i have great respect for john. whenever i think of the "new york times." now, to answer your question, look, i know there's talk about how the party has changed, but look, we are going to test that theory. i really believe this is still a conservative party. as i said today, while others in the field, including my former running mate are walking away from america's role as leader of the free world, arsenal of democracy, i believe republicans still stand for a strong defense and presence on the world stage for freedom, the same thing with fiscal responsibility, the same thing with a commitment to the sanctity of life. we added to that, border security is national security, we changed the national consensus so the american people understand china is the greatest economic and strategic threat our country faces, but i think the foundation of our party and our movement is still the same and when you look at the challenges we face in the wake

of the disastrous failures of the biden administration, now more than ever, we need to offer a time honored proven conservative agenda to the american people and that's what we'll be doing in this campaign. >> sandra: this is getting very exciting and feels like 2024 is very close, mr. vice president. your party has laid out the criteria for the debate stage and the debates are going to be very important as they always are. those primary debates, and one of the requirements is that you vow to support whoever becomes the eventual nominee of your party. have you considered that, and will you commit to that? >> well, i will absolutely support the republican nominee for president in 2024, especially if it's me. look, i have been a republican since i joined the reagan revolution, but i honestly believe the premise of your question is -- i think we've got

a great group of men and women running for this nomination. i truly do believe that we've got better choices in the days ahead and the enthusiasm that we have met here travelling through iowa and even here today i believe gives me great confidence that we'll be able to not just endorse, but enthusiastically support the republican nominee for president and we are going to work our hearts out for us and our family to be just that. >> sandra: i tell you what, mr. vice president, people are curious with the specifics of your policy proposals. we will get into those in a short time from you and we look forward to you joining us again after the break. >> john: back with more from the former vice president mike pence, just threw his hat in the ring for president. we'll be right back. when covid hit, we had some challenges. i heard about the payroll tax refund that allowed us to keep the people that have been here taking care of us. learn more at getrefunds.com.

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>> sandra: the u.s. is facing a host of issues on the world stage including china's aggression and the war on ukraine. mr. vice president, a huge question on the debate stage will eventually be how do you confront china and how far are you willing to go? there have been other candidates on this program even, vivek ramaswamy who said he would go

as far as to ban u.s. corporations from doing business in china until xi met certain requirements by the united states. how far are you willing to go? >> sandra, first, you are absolutely right. i mean, the greatest economic and strategic threat the united states of america faces today is from communist china. but the way we meet that moment is with american strength. i mean, the reality is the biden administration has been cutting our military at a time that china's literally floating a new battleship every month. we see the ongoing provocations by the chinese military, you is a saw it in the air, and the near pass of a ship in the south china sea. but i have met president xi, i know what the language there, the language there is strength, and if we make the right investments in our national defense, if we maintain our commitment to freedom of navigation and to supporting our allies in the region, i think

it's the best pathway forward to peace. i also think, sandra, that america's willingness to continue to lead and to provide the ukrainian military the support they need until they repel the russian invasion not only is a win in eastern europe but it sends the message that we want to send to china that we will not allow the western world and the united states will not allow nations to redraw international lines by force. >> john: closer to home you have long said that border security is national security. if you become president what would you do about the situation at the border and would you work with congress on comprehensive immigration reform? >> john, first and foremost is -- we would put back into place on day one the policies of the trump-pence administration. i negotiated the remain in mexico agreement with the mexican delegation, the one that require people to wait in mexico

that just went by the boards because of this administration. but joe biden on day one shut down construction of the border wall, they have been denying funding increases to our border patrols, i just talked to someone here in iowa who told me they were just there this week, and our border patrol is candid. the cartels have operational control of our border, so the first thing you do is you secure the border, you build the wall, you restore remain in mexico, you put title 42 back into place, and then frankly, we do need to reform our immigration system. the term comprehensive immigration, i'm not a fan, that means a form of amnesty, but i think we can make it work for this and future generations if we build it on merit and the needs of the american people. my grandfather came to this country through ellis island, he had to first certify as a tailor, as a clothes maker

before he could emigrate to be an american. we need the system, what are the needs of the american economy and create an orderly way to come here under the law. >> sandra: the needs of the american economy, something we have spoken about a lot over the years, mr. vice president, and poll after poll shows american voters attribute this historic inflation crisis we have all been living through to massive levels of government spending. how do you promise the american voter fiscal responsibility that you are going to rein in that government spending that is causing these high prices? >> well, let's remember with this started. joe biden comes into office and the first few months, sandra, he signs a $2 trillion covid bill that was completely unnecessary. i was glad to see house republicans vote to turn some of that off, but that's what lit the pilot light on the worst inflation in 40 years. and it has put a tremendous burden on american families and

so the first thing we have to do is end all the unnecessary spending that's occurred, i think we ought to freeze nondefense domestic spending at current levels, but as i said here today, while joe biden and donald trump have the exact same position on entitlement reform, i think we have to be honest with the american people. 70% of the federal budget that's driven the national debt the size of our nation's economy is driven by our entitlement programs. we need to preserve them, social security and medicare for americans that depend on them today and will depend on them in the next quarter century, but i think to stave off a mountain range of debt and head off inflation that's hurting families today, we need to engage the american public in a conversation about common sense and compassionate reforms, as i like to say, for younger americans under the age of 40, we can replace the new deal programs with a better deal for every american. >> john: mr. vice president, let me come back to your route to

the white house and a couple of things you said in the speech. as your vice president, i stood by president donald trump every single day when we made america great. but then talking about january 6th, you said the american people deserve to know that on that fateful day, president trump also demanded i choose between him and our constitution. now voters will be faced with the same choice. i choose the constitution and i always will. there are many republicans who applaud you for what you did on january 6th and standing up in the face of a lot of pressure for the constitution. but there are also a fairly significant number of republicans who count themselves as trump supporters who will never forgive you for that day. what do you say to those people? >> well, i said to them what i said today. when i put my hand on ronald reagan's bible, january 20th, 2017, i took an oath to support and defend the constitution and a clear reading of the constitution, which i actually recited today in my speech, made

my responsibilities that day, that fateful day of january 6th, quite clear. that once states certified elections, the job i had as presiding officer and vice president to oversee a process to open and count the constitution actually says you shall open and shall count the votes of the electoral college certified by the states. i thought it was important today just to be straight with the american people because i think there's nothing more important than having a president of the united states who will respect and honor and defend the constitution of the united states, whether it's in their interest or not, generations of americans who have worn the uniform of the united states, my son and son-in-law, they take the same oath and i wanted to deal head on today in iowa and take our case across this state

and across the country, i'm going to engage every american, i will tell you, i truly do believe whatever people may believe about that, that as more and more americans see and understand what our duty was that day, that our party, a party that loves the constitution, i think is going to embrace leadership that did just that. >> sandra: to follow up on john's question, mr. vice president, for those republicans who cast you aside after donald trump's loss in 2020, how are you planning to repair your image with them? >> well, look, i'm going to continue to talk about the issues that are important to the american people, sandra. look, this country's in a lot of trouble. i mean, the american people are struggling. the world is becoming more dangerous by the day. and we have not only my former running mate, but we have many candidates in the field that are walking away from a time honored conservative agenda that has always made america strong and

prosperous and free, and whatever people think about decisions in the past or in my heart of heart consistent with my oath, i believe focusing on what the american people are focussed on, what you said at the start of the segment is a struggling economy, increasingly dangerous world, ongoing assault on our liberties, crisis, on our border, a flood of fentanyl in our communities, i truly do believe that we will have the opportunity to speak to people around the country and i promise you we are going to work our hearts out to do just that. >> john: when it comes to the bread and butter issues, mr. vice president, inflation is still looming out there, very difficult to get under control. should you take the oval office, what would you do to get inflation under control, would you have a heavier hand with the federal reserve than this president? >> well, look, ten years ago, john, i wrote a bill to end what's called the dual mandate

of the federal reserve. i mean, for about the last 40 years the federal reserve has in addition to protecting the integrity of the dollar, they have also had a mission to promote full employment. i think full employment should be on the president's desk. i think full employment should be on the congress's desk. i would like to see the federal reserve simply get back to its knitting to protecting the integrity of the dollar and fighting inflation and then start to promote policies at the federal level that will get the economy growing again. we can do it. we proved it in those early years of the trump-pence administration, we cut taxes, rolled back regulation, achieve energy independence, three steps back, america is going to come roaring back. add to that fiscal responsibility and reform, and i promise you the best days of america are yet to come. >> sandra: mr. vice president, i want to ask you also about something that you've made very publicly clear, very important

to you and that is your faith along with your wife karen standing beside you. and more and more we see show up in these polls the pessimism for america and the negative outlook so many americans have, decline in the american dream, and a big part is a loss of faith, declining faith and belief in god, a new gallup shows hitting a low in this country. evangelical vote was an extremely important part of the trump-pence vote back in 2016. what can you promise them, how are you going to bring faith back to america and how can you inspire some more optimism? >> well, sandra, the end of my speech, i just encourage people. reminding them of our storied history, to believe in this country again. i think the american people have always been a great people. we just have to have government as good as our people. careful study of history shows

every time the american people have been called upon to do hard things, we always rise to the challenge. but i do think that faith, that belief as americans that we are endowed by our creator with inalienable rights, and i will always stand for the freedom of people to believe or not believe according to the dictates of their faith and conscience, but for me and our faith, i'm a christian, a conservative and a republican in that order, and i truly do believe simply in the course of our career that people knowing that we are a family that prays, spends time in devotions, has been an encouragement to many believers around the country and we won't hide that under a bushel basket, and we turn our hearts back to the well spring of faith if we

renew our confidence in the american people. we'll see the pessimism dissipate like a fog in a bright light of american optimism. >> john: mr. vice president, just before we go, one other big issue that promises to be one of the ones at the forefront of 2024 campaign is abortion. would you support going back to, as lindsey graham wants to, a federal law on abortion? >> oh, sure. i think -- look, you have to recognize that in the european union 12 to 15 weeks is very much the standard. our abortion laws today at the federal level are more like china, north korea, and iran. so, i would certainly support a 15-week ban at the federal level and i commend the congressmen and senators who have supported that. but i've also been a champion of the right to life my whole life and i will continue to encourage states around the country to

advance the cause of life and i'll -- whatever the future holds for our little family, we'll never rest, we'll never relent until we do our part to restore the sanctity of life to the center of american law. >> sandra: all right, mr. vice president mike pence fresh off your big announcement a short time ago on the ground in iowa. we appreciate you joining us here today. thank you so much. >> thank you both very much. it's great to be with you today. >> john: good to see you. we'll see you on the trail. thanks very much. from clear skies in iowa, back to what are we looking at there? new york disappeared. >> sandra: wow, wow, this is -- this is something. this is obviously much worse situation than we were looking at an hour ago. john, i'm thinking it's pretty hard to take any plane up or bring one down in this, let alone driving around the city or traffic, i mean -- this is thick. >> john: yeah, and the air quality index is now hazardous

in new york city. it's at 324, it's up almost 100 points from not even an hour ago. so, this is in the area now that doc siegel would say if you got to go outside, spend moments outside, not minutes or hours. and again, as we were talking with amy freeze, all it's going to take is a change in the wind to get this out of there, but that's not forecast for another 48 hours. >> sandra: the governor warning it could be around several days, including through sunday. fox weather desk, new york city is experiencing its worst air quality in recorded history per epa historical data. air quality index has reached 377. this is happening a short time ago. the new york city air quality is now considered hazardous, we just detailed, john, the highest level in the air quality index and it's only 3:00 in the afternoon. >> john: when you couple the smoke with the smog, you know, going outside is -- it's a

dangerous prospect. and we don't know how long is going to last, we have two lacrosse tournaments, one in ocean side, and maryland, make sure you stay in touch with the schools to see what you should be doing. >> sandra: be careful, everybody. i'm sandra smith. >> john: i'm john >> martha: thanks, you guys. i am martha maccallum, this is "the story," new york has been covered with a orange haze, it is a surreal situation, dense veil of smoke that has settled around to the entire area impacting millions of people in the northeast, the midwest, and other places are about to experience this as well. and it's the result of wildfires in the smoke moving down from british columbia and nova scotia. in the air quality has