com we leave you with the golden gate bridge on a beautiful gate bridge on a beautiful >> i'm trace gallagher. president biden prepare started to europe as diplomacy drags on in talks between russia and ukraine. ♪ ♪ >> eat your wheaties, eat your spinach, it's going to be a long thursday. >> the high-stakes trip offering the chance to show solidarity with nato allies. nearly a month since the invasion began. and as the president lays out the stakes for beijing if it backs putin's fights. >> china will bear was possibility for any actions it takes to support russia's aggression. >> end of the white house faces increased pressure at home to do more to help ukraine... >> if it shoots, we should ship it. >> trace: we are joined by republican senator ben sasse, a

member of the intelligence committee, to discuss america's response to the war. plus, two years since the start of the pandemic, a new wave of covid hits europe. we will ask surgeon general vivek murthy what the rising case overseas could mean for the u.s. only on "fox news sunday." then, from filling your gas tank to buying groceries or finding a plac live, inflation is on the rise.d's actions will provide relief. all right no one "fox news sunday." ♪ ♪ >> trace: into logan from fox news in washington. russian forces are pushing deeper into ukraine attacking cities but facing continued resistance. they have not yet claimed full control of a major city, but they have cut off at least one buried ukraine's president is

repeating his calls to meet with russian president latimer boudin, and this week, the united nations sent at least 840's -- said at least 487 civilians have been killed and nearly 1400 wounded. the real toll is thought to be much higher. in a moment we will speak with a key republican member of the intelligence committee, senator ben sasse. but we begin this morning with team fox coverage. jonathan hunt in lviv, which saw its first russian strikes this week. aishah hasnie along the border between ukraine and poland, she has the very latest on the humanitarian crisis there. but first, mark meredith at the white house with the very latest on the president's plans to meet with allies in europe. mark, good money too. >> trace, this week president biden is expected to strongly reaffirm america's commitment to the nato alliance. he is also expected to urge russia to pull back as the death toll and humanitarian crisis in ukraine really appears to grow worse by the hour. >> president biden will meet

world leaders at nato headquarters thursday to strategize over how best to respond to russia's invasion and its growing threat to security across eastern europe. >> let there be no doubt, no uncertainty, no question, america stands with the forces of freedom. >> is the white house spends billions on military assistance to ukraine, the president is calling out vladimir putin directly. >> president biden: i think he is a war criminal. >> the president is also warning countries not to help russia amid the fallout of unprecedented sanctions. during a call friday with china's president, the u.s. threatened to impose punishments for assisting russia. however, officials are not publicly saying what those consequences may be. >> secretary psaki: china has to make a decision for themselves about where they want to stand and how they want the history books to look at them and view their actions. >> meantime, pressure is building on the white house to bring surging inflation and rising gas prices under control. gas prices have come down just

slightly from their record highs earlier this month. tomorrow we expect the president to outline where the economy stands when he meets with some ceos right here in d.c. >> trace: and we are going to talk about that. mark meredith reporting from the white house. thank you. let's turn to our chief correspondent jonathan hunt. he's on the ground in western ukrainian, the city of lviv. jonathan. >> trace, on this fourth sunday of the war we are getting some of the most disturbing reports yet out of mariupol, the southern city that has been the scene of some of the most intense fighting of this war. amid street to street battles there is word now that some ukrainian refugees are being prevented from leaving for relative safety in western ukraine and instead of being forced to travel east into russia where their phones and documents are being seized and then the refugees simply disappear. this as we get new satellite images from technology showing the destruction of the theater in mariupol, under which 1,000

civilians, including children, were said to be hiding when it was hit by a russian strike. we are told hundreds might still be trapped in the rubble. ukrainian president zelenskyy, meantime, says it's time for russian president vladimir putin to meet him and talk and offered that putin seems unlikely to take up, preferring to address 200,000 adoring supporters in a moscow stadium under a banner declaring the denazification of ukraine and having chillingly echoed stalinist week in in calling for the cleansing of russian society. trace. >> trace: jonathan, we hear a lot about their foot russian forces moving in, the russian forces being stalled. what is the status of russian forces right now? >> well, in the air, trace, they are still carrying out an onslaught on the ground. if they are largely stalled. we've seen pictures, for instance, of russian forces outside kyiv literally digging

into defensive positions rather than offensive ones, seemingly preparing for the long haul, a strategy of attrition as the u.k. ministry of defense has called it. but look at this map. if the russians can take and then move forward from southern cities, they could effectively cut off the entire eastern half of the country in a line down from kyiv to the black sea and across to the russian border. that would be tough territory to hold amid a fierce resistance and inevitable insurgent campaign but it would also be a huge and powerful bargaining chip in any future peace talks. trace. >> trace: the question is do they have the troops to be able to hold that area. jonathan hunt life for us in lviv. now let's turn to aishah hasnie, live along the ukraine-poland border. aishah. >> trace, good morning to you, another train just dropped off refugees, ukrainian refugees, here at this train station. they are going to come in and

they are going to be welcomed and greeted and then they will be put on buses and sent to other parts of poland. at the beginning of this war, trace, the u.n. predicted there would be up to 4 million refugees that would flee ukraine. we are about three weeks in now and already we are over 3 million with poland taking the brunt of it. >> they flee however they can. some by foot. others waiting patiently in a line of cars while those from faraway cities crowd trains heading west. women, children, the elderly. if, however, they arrive, all share similar stories of destruction, heartbreak, and loss. >> it was horrible. it was inhumane. i want to live in ukraine, because i lived there all my life, but it is impossible now. he's destroying and farming everything. >> millions have fled their

homes, others are still trying. despite agreeing to established humanitarian corridors to allow aid workers to bring in supplies and get people out, russia continues to strike indiscriminately, making the journey for some life-threatening. and making it difficult for aid workers on the ground to do their jobs. >> there are constant curfews and air raids, so a lot of our colleagues are spending time in the bunkers along with ukrainians themselves, so finding moments where it's safe for them to do the distribution that's needed is really important. >> those who do make it across wind up at shelters like this one, housing thousands of families. the shelters so packed, refugees sometimes can only stay a day or two before they must move on and find something permanent. >> and trace, i have to tell you, the mood is really shifting here on the ground in poland as

russia strikes inch closer and closer to the polish border. the polls i've talked to here are extremely worried that they might be the next refugees. trace. >> trace: as close as 13 miles. aishah hasnie at live along the polish border with ukraine. thank you. joining us here in washington, senator ben sasse from nebraska, a member of the senate intelligence committee. senator, it's great to have you. when you were listening to president zelenskyy, he spoke for two hours on friday, you were in attendance at that virtual meeting. afterwards, you set the following, senator. listen. >> zelenskyy needs teed them jue more slowly. we need them to win, and to win, they need to kill russians, and to kill russians they need more weapons. >> trace: is already sent considerable military aid, including -- want to put this on the screen -- stinger antiaircraft systems, javelin antiarmor weapons, radar systems, grenade launchers, guns and ammo, helicopters, boats and

vehicles, tactical gear and medical equipment. as of this week the u.s. is also sending switchblade drones. short of sending these fighter jets that people have talked about, what else would you add to that list, senator? >> senator sasse: we need more javelins, we need more stingers, we need the switchblade drones to have been there weeks ago. the biggest problem here is that the administration has a bunch of lawyers were treating this as if it's is pra crisis instead of the national security crisis it is so my message to the president is simple. stop listening to all of your advisors who say zelenskyy is a dead man walking. stop listening to those who say that ukraine is inevitably going to lose. we should have the president's strategy to help ukraine win. we should be on the side of these freedom fighters and we are to slow and almost every step we take. >> trace: but when you say win, do you mean that we should help zelenskyy, help ukraine, win at all costs? >> senator sasse: we have a bunch of fighters in ukraine. by that i mean the free -- the

west has a bunch of fighters in ukraine and that is the ukrainians. these 44 million people have been heroic in fighting for values that are universal, but associated around the world with american beliefs and freedom. we don't need to have fighter pilots in the air, we don't need to have boots on the ground inside ukraine, because ukrainians have the will to fight. we need to have the will to rearm them constantly. >> trace: this week, senator, you voted against a massive spending bill that included in a package for ukraine. do you see a mixed message there? you've said you're against an all-or-nothing approach and that you think your critics are being political here, but do you see the potential at least for a stand-alone aid package that might sail through? >> senator sasse: the of ministrations should have sent up an emergency supplemental weeks and weeks ago. the bill we passed this week was crap. it's thousands of pages, comes out in the middle of the night, the ukrainian portion of that was eight tenths of 1% of the bill. we should be focused on the

urgent issue, which is rearming the ukrainians, and i could have been done as a stand-alone bill 10 minutes. >> trace: this week the house voted to end normal trade relations with russia and belarus. the bill raises tariffs on goods from both countries and obligates the white house to make a push to remove russia from the world trade organization. majority leader chuck schumer intends to move this through the senate quickly to get the bill to the president's desk. where do you plan, senator, to vote on this bill? >> senator sasse: we should cut the russians off from the global economy. i'm a zellers free trader, but this isn't an issue of free trade, this is about an illegal, immoral, unjust invasion of ukraine and we should be cutting russia off from all international markets. >> trace: your republican colleague, senator mike crapo, has said that he is looking to include the russian oil ban in the legislation. would you have any objections to the bill if it is not included in that? >> senator sasse: we should take every extra step we can to cut russia off from global markets more and more and more.

that should include oil. we should also be moving toward energy independence. the by demonstration should get out of the way of north american energy production so that europeans don't continue to make so many stupid decisions of tying themselves to putin and putin's energy supplies, so we should cut off russia from energy supplies but we should be taking every step to ratchet up the pressure. >> trace: we will talk with us later but what do you make of saudi arabia and china? this oil deal. and the reason i ask is because there is now talk could use giants, chinese currency for this. that's a big deal because the u.s. dollar has been benchmarked. the oil, international all trading oil and now, you know, saudi arabia unhappy with united states and kind of inching towards china, your thoughts? >> senator sasse: first of all, just this point of the saudis pricing some of their commodity and chinese currency or signaling that's where they're headed, that's a big, bad thing, but let's take a bigger step up. the 10-year out existential battle on the globe is between

the united states and western values against the chinese communist party's exported surveillance tapes, oppression of people around the globe, and a lot of people would say hey, you're always saying we need to be pivoting towards asia, we need to be focused on the long-term technology battle with the ccp, why is the russian invasion of ukraine such a bad deal mech why is it such a big deal at this moment? partly because chairman xi green witness invasion and so we need to recognize that defeating blood and rebooting, or helping the ukrainians defeats behavior, is an important shot across the bow of chairman xi, who wanted to see if the west had any will to stand up to putin because xi desires to seize taiwan. and so these things like trying to displace the dollar, which is one of the communist party of china's executives, we need to are the people around the world would rather have u.s. leadership in chinese oppression. >> trace: when you hear the white house a communal the president and xi talked for shoe hours, when you have the white house save some thing

to the effective he's been told if he supports russia there will be consequences, but not really laying out this consequences, which tends to be a pattern. what you think about that? >> senator sasse: we need the administration to demonstrate why the globe should be looking to the u.s. and not to the chinese communist party. the future of the world ten years out is either going to be more free-trade, human rights, global navigation of the seaways, transferring contracts, will of law, condemnation like is happening to the uighurs, or it's going to be more of the globe drifting towards chinese communist party leadership and the only reason people would do that, third-party nations would do that, is not because they prefer chinese communist values to american values, but because they worry that america is weak. we need our commander-in-chief to be strong both in these conversations with chairman xi, but more approximately at this moment in arming the ukrainians immediately and rapidly buried >> trace: speaking of drifting, we drifted off ukraine for a minute. democrats have pointed to former

president trump's relationship with zelenskyy, reported asking for political help in exchange for aid. president trump also reportedly ordered mike pence to not attend president zelenskyy of austria's inauguration back in 2019. does the former president deserve some criticism for what some say -- >> senator sasse: the former president said he had a perfect phone call. it was obvious were not a perfect phone call, there was a lot wrong with it, but ultimately the aid did get to ukraine at that point, so i think the broader point, rather than making this partisan, right versus left, is we should recognize three administrations in a row. we haven't been urgent enough about telling the american people in the world the truth about who vladimir putin is. it vladimir putin is the kind of guy who bombs women and children, and we should be on the side of zelenskyy and the ukrainian freedom fighters. that's true in the biden administration, that should have been true in the last of administration, and that should have been true two at ministrations ago.

we need to oppose vladimir putin more zealously, more clearly. >> trace: how compelling was president zelenskyy in that address to congress? on friday? >> senator sasse: very compelling. obviously zelenskyy himself is not a stand-alone hero here. he is a symbol of 40 plus million ukrainian freedom fighters, but this is a -- it's a horrific thing to seal the human suffering and the tragedy, but it's a pretty glorious thing to see human courage on a large stage. we believe in america. it's a part of our foundation created, that 7.8 billion people on the globe were created with god's imagery. our rights come from god and government is just a shared tools to secure them and you see that spirit, that american philadelphia, 1787 spirit in zelenskyy right now. >> trace: summit he said one is the last time that congress united, gave a president a standing ovation. i want to move on if i can. let's go to supreme court nomination hearings for

judge catania brown jackson. your colleague on the judiciary committee, said this of our time on the u.s. sentencing commission. "judge jackson has a -- for their appalling crimes both as a judge and as a policymaker. the white house responded, according again. "overwhelming majority of jackson's cases, the sentences judge jackson imposed were consistent with or above what the government or u.s. probation recommended." where do you stand on this? >> senator sasse: so supreme court justices get lifetime tenure and before that happens the needs to be a vigorous, rigorous vetting of their records, and there are things in judge jackson's record that are troubling. i'm glad we're having the confirmation hearings starting tomorrow afternoon. i hope tomorrow morning -- i hope judge jackson will be very forthcoming and transparent, the american people in the united states senate in our advice and consent response to billy's need to understand this and there are things in this>> o

you think there's going to be the acrimony we have seen in some of these past nomination processes? not brett kavanaugh, because that was over-the-top, but it seems to me like a lot of republicans have kind of withheld their opinion in this because it really doesn't change the balance of the court. still 6-3, she is a liberal. your final thoughts? >> senator sasse: the 80 accuracy version senate confirmation hearings for the supreme court have been getting stupider and stupider since the hearings in the 1980s, so the stuff the democrats tried to do to brett kavanaugh, his wife, and his kids, just unconscionably wicked. but it's part of a pattern that's been going on for 30 years. i want us to vet judge jackson's judicial philosophy buried i don't want us to attack her as a human. i want us to be having a debate about what her judicial philosophy is, because when you're going to court, if you get lifetime tenure, it's because you don't confuse yourself with a super legislator and we need to know that judicial modesty there is there. >> trace: certainly judge kavanaugh did not get due process which he deserved. senator, thank you for coming on, we appreciate it.

>> senator sasse: thank you, trace. >> trace: up next we will bring in our sunday grip on the president's tense discussions with chinese president xi and his upcoming trip to europe. next. ♪ ♪ ♪ helping them discover their dreams is one of the best parts of being a parent. one of the most important is giving them ways to fulfill them. for over 150 years, generations have trusted the strength and stability of pacific life. because life insurance can help protect and provide for the financial futures of the ones we love. talk to a financial professional about pacific life. this is frank. he runs a sustainable camping supply business. he's smiling because fedex is growing it's fleet of electric vehicles. and these, are the camper scouts.

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>> president biden: think we are in a genuine struggle between autocracies and democracies and whether or not can be sustained. >> trace: president biden sing the world is at an inflection point as russia bears down on ukraine, and it's time now for our sunday group. fox news white house correspondent jacqui heinrich, fox news radios guy benson, fox news political analyst juan williams, and howard kurtz, host of media buzz. thank you all for coming on. look at this, everybody together, this is wonderful until they separate us again. jacqui, to you first. we talk a little bit about this with senator sasse, we know that president biden and president xi talked on the phone for two hours. the white house made it very clear afterwards that, you know, president biden reinforced to president xi that if they back russia, there will be consequences, but they don't really lay out the consequences, which seems to be kind of a pattern. what are you hearing? >> they don't lay out the consequences, they want to have this conversation directly with

china and not through the media but i find that to be interesting given that this administration's position is the mere threat of a sanction should be the deterrent. we went through this with putin and the russian invasion. if they want to deter china from working with russia, you would think that they would spell out exactly what the sanctions are buried on the other side, the chinese foreign ministry had a strong reaction after the conversation with president biden to the threat of sanctions, so clearly they got the message, saying that sanctions wouldn't do anyone any good, it would hurt everybody, so clearly they got the message even if we are not hearing in the public exactly what might be impacted. >> trace: juan, this week the president has to europe, he will meet with his allies over there. it is his first trip overseas since the war began. a lot on the agenda. but what do you believe in your assessment that he needs to accomplish over there? what does he need to bring home? >> i think it's a message, and i think this is why they are getting together. the message has to be one of strength, trace. and so far russia is in trouble because of the sanctions that

jacqui was talking about, because of arms to ukraine, because the nato alliance has maintained unity. it even extends across to asia in the face of china, as you were discussing, with japan, australia. it's surprising, the amount of support and opposition to russia. so now the question becomes a steady, strong hand coming -- and message -- coming from this meeting. the world wants to hear how to help ukraine. senator sasse was talking about this. not to assume that somehow ukraine is going to fall, but how can we help? what can we do now in terms of added support that will allow them to be better opposition to the russians without falling into the arms here of generals who say a no-fly zone or u.s. getting -- we don't want world war iii. i think no one wants that, but we want to know that nobody is simply standing by while the ukrainians suffer. >> trace: how we come a very tough week at fox news, hit very

close to home, we lost two of our colleagues when there was an attack and kyiv, were talk about our cameramen. i'm a journalist sasha, both were killed, benjamin hall was very badly wounded in that. i want to play secretary of state secretary antony blinken and get your thoughts on the other side. >> being a war correspondent is vital work. they make sure that the world knows what's really happening when armies move in and bombs start falling. >> trace: how we, talk about what you have seen in the past few weeks that has struck you. >> the tragic killing of our journalists and others is really a reminder, it's not just a loss for us in the news business. it's a reminder of how brutal vladimir putin is in conducting this war. you talk -- i don't want us to become numb to the fact that this is a guy whose forces, you know, obama maternity hospital, an art school, a theater where children are sheltering, shooting people on a bread line,

objecting mayors. they are work crimes, as president biden says, and it's the journalist who risked their lives to bring us the interviews with the refugees, with the victims, the pictures in the videos of civilian casualties. i mean, it's hard to talk about, and i think that if putin succeeds in this and more journalists understandably, you know, withdraw from ukraine, that will dim the spotlight on the atrocities that have turned the civilized world against vladimir putin. >> trace: you talk about the pictures and images and stuff, nobody brought that back better than zach did. guy, back to kind of political topics. inflation, everything is up, right? gas is up, food is up buried for the first time in three years, interest rates are going to be going up. do the democrats need to rethink their spending priorities here? >> well, of course they do. they always do, in my opinion, but especially these days. it doesn't seem like that's what they're interest interested in.

they were eager to pass that just a few months ago knowing that inflation was growing steadily month after month. they wanted to throw $5 trillion of additional federal spending on top of that. this is a problem for them politically. i understand that they've got their little talking point, putin's price hike. there is some truth to that. but this is a pattern that has developed over more than a year the american people i think reflected in polling blame the president and the ruling party significantly for that issue. >> trace: i want to talk to about saudi arabia. but build back better he says on the back burner or is it just kind of being rebuilt a little bit? >> i think it's definite on the back burner and i think the fact that you've got progressives in a democratic caucus who are saying hey, some of these priorities that we really wanted to move on our -- can you do something with executive orders there? obviously congress holds the purse strings, anything related to spending will have to go back to the hill but it speaks to the frustration within a party that they have not been able to accomplish the objectives of the

president laid out. >> i think a flavor has gone out on the back burner. i think this thing is pretty much dead and you know, biden put too many eggs in the political basket and he can't get it and now the midterm messaging is modeled. though i do think he's doing a solid job of rallying the western alliance on ukraine has helped him a little bit. >> trace: there's been kind of a lag in a lot of this, a lag on sanctions on russia, right? a lag on whether these weapons go in. they are kind of a step behind. maybe i'm wrong on this, juan, but there's a time where you say look, we are going to do this and we are going to do it now. zielinski complained for the first two weeks of the war, give us the sanctions before these things started and then the weapons, give them to us, quit delaying. your thoughts? >> i think with been pretty good about getting the sanctions in plac right now. and i also have such respect for zelenskyy. literally he is a person at this

moment, and he should be asking for everything. but for the united states, you know, we have to make decisions in our own interest, nato's interest, we want to hold the alliance together. it's not about bombast and chest pounding. right now, even on the domestic front, americans know -- you know, we were just talking with guy, gas prices are like $4 a gallon. i would say about a dollar of that is really as a result of sanctions, a result of the oil supply being limited, as a result of what's going on with putin and polls show that americans know this. we know sacrifices that we are making and people agree with it. >> trace: speaking of sacrifices, gap flights -- gas prices, guy, there down a little bit from last week, but they're up $0.75 from last month. it's big, right? you see it every time you drive down the road. it affects voters minds. you see these store prices. our voters buying this whole concept that this is all

vladimir putin's fault? >> no. two juan's point, there is some truth, there is some sacrifice based on with happening in ukraine, that's accurate to appoint, but it's not the bigger picture and polling that we've seen just in the last few weeks, really the last week or two, suggest when they asked the american people, do you support the presid president 's policien it comes to the issues of inflation? he's at 70% disapproval, so people can hold thoughts in their mind at the same time. one, there is some truth to the putin stuff, two, this is an issue that goes far beyond that crisis and there's a party in charge of this entire town right now that has been in charge for more than a year and it's only gotten worse. >> trace: panel, thank you. if that's it for the warm up around, we will see a bit later in the hour. up next, estates, cities, schools relax covid restrictions, new sub variant is causing a rebound in europe. we will bring in the u.s. surgeon general to talk about how this could impact us here in the u.s. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ >> trace: it was just over a month ago that the cdc announced new guidelines for how to mitigate covid. for most of us, it meant ditching masks, but in recent weeks, concerns over a new sub variant have many wondering if

we are about to see another reversal. with us here in washington is the u.s. surgeon general, dr. vivek murthy. doctor, welcome back to "fox news sunday" buried if i can come i want to kind of ticked through some of the recent covid develop and's. we will put these on the screen buried we are talking about u.s. cases, down 95% from january, but as of this week, the contagious new sub variant is responsible for nearly a quarter of u.s. cases. we are also seeing surges in europe, and we've even seen a few lockdowns in china, samoa, and elsewhere. do you expect a new wave in this country, dr.? >> dr. murthy: trace, when we look at what's happening around the world and over the last two years, we recognize that when cases increase in one part of the world that often leads to increases in the other part of the world. and we should be prepared that covid hasn't gone away. there may be rises and falls in the months ahead, but here's the key. our goal is to keep people out of the hospital, we have more

tools than ever to do that ever before. our focus should be on preparation, not on panic, and if we get people these tools, vaccines, boosters, treatments, and we can get through waves. i've got to tell you, trace, the thing that concerns me is that as much work as we've done in the last two years to get the right tools, we got to continue funding them and supporting them so they are available to people across the country. that's what congress moving to provide that funding is so cortical. >> trace: you make a great point about vaccines and boosters and medicine, because given that some americans are vaccinated, some aren't, some are boosted, some aren't, i'm have had omicron, right? natural immunity, some have it. we have a therapeutics that you and i were talking but in the break. how should americans assess their own personal risk for covid right now? >> dr. murthy: it's a really good question and i can understand it. sometimes it's hard to do because there's been so much information that's come out over the last two years, but here's what the people need to know. number one, we've seen time and time again the people at

greatest risk are those in the older age category, people 65 and up. we also know that if you have other illnesses, let's say uncontrolled diabetes, obesity, cardiac disease, heart -- you know, lung disease, g those put you at increased risk. but at all populations, getting vaccinated and boosted dramatically reduces your likelihood of ending up in the hospital and losing their life. even in this last wave with omicron, want to talk to doctors and nurses across the country, what they continue to say his people we are seeing here who are most sick are on vaccinated, so bottom line is those vaccinations and boosters work in the treatment that we now have in greater quantity than ever before, those also produce risk. you'd rather prevent an infection then get it and treated, that's why these vaccines and boosters are essential. >> trace: two years and, dr. murthy, do we have a major comorbidity that we can point to as a leading cause, as a danger, that if people are going to get ready for other waves, that this is something that needs to be addressed? because it puts you at lower

odds? >> dr. murthy: what we have seen is, again, older agent illnesses like obesity are the ones that put you at higher risk, and sadly we do have a lot of people in our country who are struggling with chronic illnesses like obesity and heart disease that put them at higher risk, and so that means as a population we've got to be even more vigilant by taking steps to prevent covid-19. those include the vaccines and boosters, but we've also found that other tools, whether they are masks, using testing strategically, these can be helpful in limiting the spread of the virus. >> trace: interesting, because twice this week the white house has been touched by covid as it was trying to turn the page, right? first when bice president harris' has been tested positive for the virus and second when the irish prime minister tested positive, turning plans for a meeting with the president on st. patrick's day into a virtual event. the prime minister was seated next to speaker pelosi the night before, that was -- you see it right there -- unmask list gala. speaker says she's not worried went has tested almost every day. is it your sense, doctor, that

washington has moved on a bit connect >> dr. murthy: i don't think we can afford to move on, but i do think that we can move forward with more confidence, that we can live our lives and not let covid define our lives, because we do have in fact better tools that are proven to save our lives and keep us out of the hospital and that's really the goal, trace. over the last two years covid defined her life, he restricted us in profound ways but because we have better tools, we have the power to move forward now and manage the virus and do so thoughtfully because, you know, we've been able to get our kids back to school over the last year, more than 95% of kids are back, so that's a big win, i met out of small kids who are thankfully back in school, we've gotten people back to work, people are seeing their family and friends again. we need to keep doing these things, we now have the tools to do so safely. >> trace: was amazing to me is right before i left home i was thinking cvs is now saying we will give you free covid medication, come in, ask for, we will give you free medication and my question is everybody's going to be thinking why would i get boosted, why am i going to

get the vaccine when they're going to give me free covid medication if i do get it? >> dr. murthy: i'm so glad you raised that because this is something over the years i've talked to patients about for a variety of illnesses, which is that if you can prevent an illness, it's always better than getting the illness and treating it later. we know that while treatments work very well, there are consequences of getting sick. some people may develop long covid syndrome, other people may have other convocations that prevent -- lead them to infecting other people who may be more vulnerable. so yes, we have treatments but we don't want people to say oh gosh, because i have treatments i don't need to get vaccinated. prevention always better than cure, ideally -- the good news is we've got prevention and treatment. that's what's allowing us to move forward into this new phase. >> trace: are we calling it ba.2 or ba.2? don't quite know yet because i hear a lot of different versions of it? do you think? >> dr. murthy: internal we>> trg just as many americans are adjusting to new cdc guidance, which includes loose or masking

restrictions. what do you think? did we jump the gun and is the cdc talking about potential updates as ba.2 potentially spreads? >> dr. murthy: and public health responses like this you've got to make judgment calls. the cdc took a very thoughtful approach to saying cases are starting to come down, we also want to focus on hospitalizations and deaths, so how do we adjust and make sure that we are putting a system forward that allows americans -- when we can pull back on certain measures like masking, and i think the recommendations made were quite appropriate but you'll notice also those recommendations are responsive, which means that if the situation changes, if cases increase dramatically or in particular if our hospitalizations increase hospital capacity also gets reduced because of covid, those are circumstances where they have recommended shifts. so for example if you are in the green zone, more than 90% of americans live in an area right now it has a low number of cases, low hospitalizations, then you can go about your life

much as before, but as you move into the next area of risk, that some people who are at higher risk should take more precautions like wearing masks, people who live around people with highest -- in the highest category, that's when you want everybody wearing masks and indoor spaces to reduce bread. >> trace: hear what you're saying aneeding to be flexible in the thing is just constantly changing on the ground but as the virus evolves, is the administration worried about the fact that people are just worn ouy: listen, trace, this is a very important point people are at the end of two years. this virus has turned our lives upside down, in ways that many of us never imagine. it's impacted our kids, it's infecting many of us, including myself, have lost loved ones because of this virus and people are understandably exhausted. so you know -- demonstration understands that, the president certainly understands that, something that has come up in our conversations. he wants to make sure that we are understanding where people are, but that we are also

responding in a way that's guided by public health, by science, because the bottom line is what i think is going to help people the most is to make sure that there is a clear end to this pandemic, that we can manage it well, but they can get on with their lives. that is the key, and the good news is because of their sacrifice, sacrifice of people in the country, the great work of scientists and others, we got these tools, we can save lives, and we've saved over a million lives over the last year. we just got to continue to fund this response, supported, and then we will be okay. >> trace: very quickly, there's a lot of pushback, a lot of people saying the stuff is political, and it comes and goes at the politics come and go. and you know, when you had the cdc director coming out saying listen, we said to follow the signs, we didn't say the science was going to be exact. well, we sure thought that two years ago when you said follow the signs, everybody wanted to follow the signs and are we being told, well, it wasn't exact, but yet if there were dissenting views on the science, you were called out. you are called names from a lot of media outlets. >> dr. murthy: listen, but we have to do in this is understand

that number one, science evolves, right? we learn new data and that should inform our response, that's true with illnesses across the board. it's also really important, trace, is that we have the ability to have respectful, thoughtful dialogue with one another. i worry about the temperature rising in our dialogue about people being shut out in terms of their points of view being heard. we need to be able to hear all voices, we need to be able to respect one another. we need to be able to recognize that we may have to shift our path from time to time based on new data. it doesn't mean that people were wrong before. it just means that with got to learn as we go. >> trace: because conformity is the enemy of science, as everybody has taught. i got to move on. we've got to talk about this, the new covid's rfid administration, the dean of brown university, is an excellent can mitigate or, as you have said. there are some who are worried that because of the confusing guidance, you know, can indication is great but there are other things that we need to prioritize over communication skills. what's your final thought on

that? >> dr. murthy: we have to continue to work on multiple fronts to get this country through the pandemic. we have to communicate well, we have to make sure that we are thinking ahead to creating better therapeutics, better vaccines in the future, even these coronavirus vaccines that can treat multiple coronavirus'. with got to continue to make sure we are getting these treatments in these vaccines out to people, so we got to keep working on multiple fronts. communication is one of them. the good news is that over the last year we have built a number of processes, partnerships with community organizations, manufacturers and with states and local communities to be able to do these functions well. so we are going to keep working on multiple fronts. the doctors going to be a key part of that effort. and you know, i have faith that we can get through this, we are in mile 18 of a marathon, we can't quit because covid is not quitting, we can't quit either, with got to keep our eye on the ball. >> trace: surgeon general vivek murthy, it's a great to have you on. thank you so much for joining us. >> dr. murthy: think it so much, good to see you today. >> trace: of next we will

bring back our sunday panel to talk about the pushback from progressives to the president's agenda. this is the only healthcare system in the country with five nationally ranked hospitals, including two world-renowned academic medical centers, in boston, where biotech innovates daily and our doctors teach at harvard medical school, and where the physicians doing the world-changing research are the ones providing care. there's only one mass general brigham.

>> we still have work to do to address the pandemic, to fight the pandemic. that's exactly why we need additional funding. >> trace: white house press secretary jen psaki laying out what she says are the stakes if congress doesn't pass more covid relief funding, and we are back now with the panel. again, we can go around the ring, jacqui heinrich, howie kurtz, juan williams, and my old friend guy benson who i last saw in the gym in new york. guy, thank you for coming back on. jacqui, to you first, i just talked to the surgeon general about this, the whale's name to the dean of brown university is the new coronavirus czar. man it's across the country are being dropped. is this a reset? and do they believe that the doctor is an asset? >> i think it is sort of a

natural point in the pandemic to replace jeff. you've got, you know, on reground sort of waning, different states and localities dropping their mass restrictions in schools and public cases. you have this new variance that he discussed that is posing a threat. there has been a different metric added to the cdc measure of when you should mask or not, to focus more on hospitalizations versus transmission, but i think, you know, replacing him, talented communicator, is smart, because they had a lot of criticism that we never heard from hhs secretary -- dr. walensky had some missteps in their messaging and jeff, this wasn't his wheelhouse, so i think it is sort of a natural point to replace them. >> trace: a stalemate on capitol hill on the bidens request for covid funding because it is supposed to pay for vaccines, treatment, et cetera, and there is some concern that it's going to be shifted to pay for consumer debt, things like that. >> i think the white house talking point that we just

played from jen psaki is insulting on its face. congress has approved $6 trillion in so-called covid relief over the last two years, including $2 trillion at the start of this administration. where on earth that all of that money go? you have the white house claiming oh, we are going to have to cut back on free testing and monoclonal antibodies won't be as readily available because we are out of money. that's insane. a lot of that huge bucket of cash has not been spent yet, much of it has been allocated to things other than covid relief even though it was marketed as covid relief, and to tell the american people that congress needs to go spend even more money on this front i think is just preposterous. >> trace: you flood the market with money and there goes how we, in "the wall street journal" poll shows majority of americans do not believe that president biden will run for a second term. put this on the screen there. yes, 29%e numbers. he says he intends to run.

what does he need to do? does he need to commit emphatically right now? or step aside. what are your thoughts? >> i don't think joe biden knows what is going to do and i'm not surprised by that because he will be 82 years old and i think people understandably have doubts about him serving another four years. it's -- and less there's a significant decline in his health, i think his political health will be the key, because his political health is not good. i think some members of his own party may say let's give him a gold watch, get somebody younger and more vigorous, particularly donald trump, who will be 78 is not running. and no of course you also have the confirmation of the divorce between donald trump and mike pence, which is the least surprising thing ever. that marriage was never going to survive january 6th. >> trace: i want to talk to guy about that and i will get to you, juan, i'm not skipping over. president trump, because how i brought it up, set the former vp pence will not run, he will not be his running mate and if we can put this on the screen, he says i don't think people would accept it.

might we see a debate in the >> yes, we might. i think there's at president trr president again in president biden runs for reelection at this point, just in my judgment. and the idea that pens would not be on the ticket again should trump become the nominee is not exactly news. i mean, they have had, as how he says, a very public divorce, and pence is making some noises recently that he is willing to more aggressively confronts the former president on some issues, including january 6. >> i think a lot of this, that polling that you cited, trace is about republicans who are afraid that biden will run because he's the one guy that can beat trump, he's proven it, and he's the one guy thinking, given all the divisions within the republican party, that americans would say, well, he is a moderate, he's not the far left and he's made a point of that. so i think you have to factor that into that polling, because he has given no indication that

he's not running. >> trace: want to set up a quick back-and-forth between you and how we. the hunter biden laptop, "the new york times" says hey, it's legit after all. you know, facebook was going to do a fact-check, never did it, twitter, never happened. you think nobody has apologized at all for this. they were wrong across the media, and nobody has said, you know what, we screwed that up, it wasn't russian disinformation. >> no, but i think there's a larger context here, which is that what was this about? what does it prove? nobody said it wasn't true, what waauthenticate it, and then you have certain publications that said we have authent it sure looks like russian disinformation. r organizations. >> it is an absolute embarrassment the way that the media downplayed or ignored or mocked or minimized this story, that "the new york times" now says is under active federal investigation for possible tax violations or lobbying violations by the president's

son, and they are still not covering it. none of the other networks have touched the story. you know, doesn't mean that hunter biden is going to be indicted. it may or may not have political fallout for his father, but when you look back at the way facebook -- twitter, for example. you can't even share this information from "the new york post." >> this was in the middle of a heated political campaign intended to damage one candidate in the aftermath of russian disinformation. i think we were all properly cautious. >> it was censorship. >> trace: we have to end if there. thank you, all. we will see you next sunday, we will be back next with a final word, see stay with us. cles. and these, are the camper scouts. earning their eco badge. they're sharing this news to their global scout community. which, unexpectedly, has made frank quite popular. so it's a good thing frank uses fedex to help him expand his reach and make earth a priority.

fedex. where now meets next. can a company help you live a better life? we're talking about the one in your neighborhood, with almost 2 million people helping you live a little better every day. we see your hopes and dreams, it's why we show up day after day. to keep you healthy, to help you put a better meal on the table. so, can a company help you live a better life? we're working on it, every day. stuff. we love stuff. and there's some really great stuff out there. but i doubt that any of us will look back on our lives and think, "i wish i'd bought an even thinner tv, found a lighter light beer, or had an even smarter smartphone." do you think any of us will look back on our lives and regret the things we didn't buy? or the places we didn't go? ♪ i'd go the whole wide world ♪

♪ i'd go the whole wide world ♪ ♪ ♪ >> trace: a final word this morning as the fighting continues in ukraine. the global red cross network is on the ground right now helping families impacted by the conflict. you can join fox in our support of red cross efforts in ukraine and surrounding countries as they help people with urgent and long-term needs. donate now by scanning the qr code on your screen. it is a great organization, i'm telling you. every time we show up, and jacqui can attest to this, we show up in some kind of a disaster where there's a tornado or hurricane or war, the red cross of the first people on the scene, and they provide comfort and sustenance and resources that people desperately need. that's it for today, i'm trace gallagher. i will see you this week in for bill hemmer on "america's newsroom" at

9:00 a.m. eastern time. have a great weekend, we

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