Published February 26, 2020
This is a rush transcript from "The Five," February 25, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Well, all these concerns and unknowns a big reason for stocks to settle again today. What will they do tomorrow? We'll be on that on both Fox Business and this fine network. Right now, here comes "THE FIVE."
JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: Hello, everybody. I am Jesse Watters along with Katie, Juan, Dana, and Greg Gutfeld. What is he doing? It is 5:00 in New York City, and this is THE FIVE. A lot of big 2020 news to tell you about, including Bernie Sanders refusing to back away from his love affair with communist Cuba. And will mini-Mike Bloomberg take another beating on the debate stage tonight?
That's all coming up later. But first, President Trump mixing up with the liberal media before leaving for India, Donald Trump hitting back against the failing narrative that Russia is trying to help him get re-elected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: They never told me anything about that. And it was sort of a strange thing that it went to Bernie. It was highly exaggerated. And frankly, I think it's disgraceful. And I think it was leaked from the intelligence committee. I think probably Schiff leaked it -- people within that -- Schiff leaked it, in my opinion. And he shouldn't be leaking things like that, that's a terrible thing to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: President Trump saving his best jabs, though, for CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I want to know how -- from any country, and I haven't been given help from any country. And if you see what CNN, your wonderful network said, I guess they apologized in a way for -- didn't they apologized for the fact that they said certain things that weren't true? What was their apology yesterday? What did they say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, I think our record on delivering the truth is a lot better than yours --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Let me tell you about your record. Your record is so bad. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not ashamed of anything.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: -- the worst record in the history of broadcasting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: And just when we thought sore loser Hillary Clinton had gotten over 2016, she is back warning about Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Obviously, we know the Russians are continuing to try to choose our next president like they chose our last president. And we just have to be more vigilant, and people have to pay attention to trying to get the best possible information and, you know, don't believe everything you see on the internet. That is one of the greatest challenges facing democracy right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: Dana, she used to say, well, this was my excuse and this was my excuse. But you know what? I've lost and I take responsibility. That is out the window now. Now, she is just saying Russia chose Trump.
DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST: Yeah. They -- it -- you can never actually heal from an election and recover if you don't -- if you're not honest with -- for the reasons. Now, she truly seems to believe that Russia gave President Trump the election. There have been several investigations, at the highest levels of the government that have not proven that to be so.
And yes, it has -- does Russia want to put some ads out there? Do they like to meddle? Probably, yes, that's -- but I think that -- for President Trump one of the ways to answer those questions is to say I don't need their help.
WATTERS: Right.
PERINO: I have a record. I ran on this record. I don't need their help. And we -- like, please, if you are trying to help me, I don't need your help. Something like that would just be more, like I said yesterday, derisive of Russia rather than building them up to be something that they are not.
WATTERS: Greg, Jim Acosta, I mean, the nerve to say that CNN has a great track record on telling the truth. Wow, I don't know.
GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST: Well, CNN's ratings are in steep decline. And we see that because we see the ratings everyday. And it is because, I believe, they've lost the trust of the American people by becoming the weekly world news for Trump derangement. It's like everybody -- it's like, if they can link the batboy to Trump, they are going to put it on the cover.
And it's like they can't see themselves. So I'm going to go on a little bit of a rant against the media. We'll try something new, Juan, if you don't mind.
JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS HOST: Why try anything new?
GUTFELD: Well, this is an epiphany, OK? So we have watched the fourth estate shattered since 2016, embarrassment after embarrassment, right? After -- I or you, we have been living decades kind of in this sealed narrative of cultivated stories that help make money for these corporatist companies. But I started thinking that it's not actually about the events, which are Russia, Avenatti, Smollett, Covington, Kavanaugh.
It's the fact that it all happened in a concentrated time, all in succession. It used to be isolated, like, things, like, Borque (ph) or Richard Jewell. But in the last four years, we have seen so many of them. And I'm beginning to wonder if it's because there are more of them or because we have become so red-pilled that now we finally see them for what they are.
And now, we question everything that we didn't question before, like, we question are we getting the right stuff about Coronavirus? Do we -- are we getting the real story? And I think that is super healthy that we now -- we do not trust this. And, like, the one of Trump's big achievements is that he just -- he put a scar across the face of media that will never go away.
And that everybody can see that scar for the rest of their lives. And I think it's super important.
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: -- because there is some evidence that Russia has been spreading misinformation about the Coronavirus online on purpose to cause people fear and chaos. And that is someplace where President Trump could turn around and say knock it off. Enough of that, and I think he's in a position where he can do that.
WATTERS: Katie, you're seeing all of these kinds of fake new scandals, as Greg mentioned, happening in a condensed period of time because the media is so desperate. They have to manufacture this to get Trump out of office as fast as possible. And because it's a 24-hour news cycle now, they have to keep generating rating after rating point.
I saw CNN do a thing yesterday that Trump was going to freak out because there is no beef and then -- and they had three reporters assigned to the by-line.
KATIE PAVLICH, FOX NEWS HOST: That was the headline, like, is the president going to be able to survive India on vegetarian meals that are served to him at the state dinner. I think there are bigger issues to talk about. But you know what Russia loves? Russia loves that Americans are being pitted against each other, which is exactly what they are always trying to do and that they are talking about Russia.
They are not interested necessarily in a certain candidate, whether it's Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. They just want us fighting with each other. And when people like Adam Schiff go through an entire impeachment process and hours on the floor talking about Russia, whether it's the Mueller investigation dragging out.
Whether its people on television making this claim and the latest claim they had to walk back with the intelligence now showing they are helping Bernie Sanders win the primary now. Russia doesn't care. They only care that we are fighting with each other and that Americans are at each other's throats. And that's exactly what they've been successful at doing for the past three years.
And the question is are people going to continue to allow them to do that. We are so concerned about Russian meddling. Why don't we stop getting them so much credit for doing something that they're not actually in control of?
WATTERS: Yeah.
GUTFELD: They're getting free media.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: But just -- if you use common sense, wouldn't you just think that maybe Putin would want Bernie since Bernie wants to slash defense spending? He wants to get rid of space for us.
WILLIAMS: Wait a second. Wait a second. Wait a second. I mean, this has been so twisted here at this table. I don't even know where to start. But let me just say --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Yeah. Hillary Clinton did not go off about the Russians helping Donald Trump. What she said was the Russians continued to interfere, continued to spread misinformation.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: And let me just say. They not only hacked Hillary Clinton if you recall, but then used it against her campaign. They weaponized the information in such a way that drove mainstream media to cover it as if it was news.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: -- and they were played along like a bunch of fools.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: -- the American people and then you say --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: What is Hillary Clinton --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: No, they certainly did not. And not only did they do that, they went after so many other things, including, by the way, my phone number. So I want to tell you something that's very real. So if Hillary Clinton says - - if Hillary Clinton says -- and before you distort it, Hillary Clinton says you know what, you have to be careful about what you read on the internet and it is disinformation. I think we should --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: I know you don't like Hillary Clinton, but that's the truth.
WATTERS: Russia, if you're listening, find Juan --
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Let me add something here. Let me finish. You've got to understand that Trump -- I will take Trump at his word that he wasn't told about Russia interfering to help him. Because remember, I think it was one of his chief of staffs told Kirstjen Nielsen when she was over at Homeland Security don't mention anything about Russia and Trump.
It upsets him. So maybe people don't want to tell him. But if that's the case -- let's also take it at faith because it is also true that Russia interfered in 16. And everybody who has investigated, from the top levels of government to people who are online, say the bots and the Russians continue to interfere.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: In order to push the story for four years, you have to ignore the biggest foreign interference story of all, which is the damn dossier. You guys sit and talk about little bots. Guys, use the dossier.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: You cannot be taken seriously.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: -- every night, it's the media.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Trump uses the internet just like the Russians.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Stop talking, Juan. Stop talking.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: You are killing yourself, Juan. You are killing yourself.
WILLIAMS: Donald Trump is killing America.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: Juan, you just got back from Disney World.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: You know what? You can walk around with a Trump hat on.
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: -- all right, coming up, the Democratic frontrunner can't stop praising communism and Fidel Castro. See Bernie's comments next on THE FIVE.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILLIAMS: Twenty-twenty frontrunner Bernie Sanders set to become a big target during tonight's Democratic debate that's in South Carolina. The candidates setting off a firestorm over his comments about Fidel Castro's Cuba, Sanders was not backing away from it last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNIE SANDERS (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Fidel Castro first came to power, he initiated a major literacy program. I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing. I have been extremely consistent and critical of all authoritarian regimes all over the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Castro, he destroyed freedoms in that country. He played -- picked winners and losers and killed them and put them in prison forever. You don't give him a pat on the back for anything.
SANDERS: You don't give -- it's not a -- truth is truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: Well, you just heard that applause, Katie. Do you think it's the case that people who don't like Bernie Sanders say, oh, look at that? He is praising a dictator, but people who do like him, they don't change their opinion about it because they say, well, maybe he wants to go back to Obama's policies or maybe he is about delivering on better healthcare for the American people.
PAVLICH: OK. But this is not just about him praising one dictator. This is about him praising an entire communist system, which he is now embracing and talking about bringing to the United States through many of his policies. He says the truth is the truth. Well, he's not telling the truth about what the literacy classes were in Cuba.
There are re-education camps -- gazed to concentration camps where they're worked to death. But this is actually a long history of the left. The glorification of Cuba has been a staple in the leftist platform for decades. And let's not forget that Barack Obama opened the door to normalization with this kind of Cuban tyranny when he was president by going to a baseball game with Raul Castro and doing the wave with members of the FARC were at the game with him.
So this is something the left they've been promoting for years. They've always said look at the Cuban healthcare system. What they don't show you is people dying with -- it's just like the Venezuelan healthcare system where people don't actually have healthcare. They have a system that doesn't work. So Bernie Sanders is not going to walk this back.
But he is also not telling the truth about what the Cuban regime actually is. And there were not good parts of it, and they're not good parts of it today either, despite more people being able to visit Cuba while the other people who actually live there starving so that tourists can have their nice resorts.
WILLIAMS: All right. Well, so, Jesse, I think that what we're likely to hear tonight is a little bit of a different take. I don't think that they're going too hard at that although it's possible. It's more like hey, Bernie, aren't you going to raise taxes to pay for some of these programs? The counter, I think being, a lot of people don't care, especially people who just want a solution to their medical -- high medical costs or prescription drug prices.
WATTERS: The way to take out burning is to treat him like the fool he is. Say, Bernie, you can't even do math. Here's a calculator. Say Bernie, you've been in D.C. your whole life, you never got anything done. Why would we think you get something done as president? I'd cast him as anti-Obama. I'd cast him as anti-Hillary. I'd say, Bernie, you're running on a platform that says if you like your healthcare plan, you can't keep it.
That's dumb politics and dumb policy. I would say he is a weirdo. Greg can get into the specifics --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: -- some of the erotic writings that he's delivered -- getting kicked out of communes while everybody else on that stage was teaching, working, serving in the military, you know, raising money, creating jobs. The guy's wife was a scam artist. She got caught with her little college deal. And the guy just had a heart attack hiding his medical records.
I would go straight at Bernie because he can't take a punch. You saw when Bloomberg mentioned his three homes. He started flustering, like, he was a fraud caught red-handed. But you can't go after his supporters. You have to do it in a way that say Bernie is deceiving you and he can't get anything done because he can't -- and he won't want because it is not possible.
I will deliver help on healthcare loans or anything else you need because Bernie has no track record of doing anything.
PERINO: And what he will get done will make him miserable.
WILLIAMS: I think -- Trump said he's going to get something done on healthcare and a wall. I don't --
(CROSSTALK)
WATTERS: -- it's coming.
WILLIAMS: All right, all right. So Dana, let's to move on from Bernie to Bloomberg, because Bloomberg had a terrible debate last time, I don't think he's going to be as targeted as he was in Nevada. But how would you go if you are Bloomberg to get back in the race?
PERINO: Well, here's the thing. Every one of us has had a better line for Bloomberg than his own team has come up with or that he has delivered. Maybe they came up with some good lines. But honestly, like, if you want debate prep, might as well watch THE FIVE because that will help you better than anyone else. The thing that happened today is Elizabeth Warren cut an ad that was attacking Bloomberg.
So she's continuing to punch down. She's afraid to punch at Bernie. And I don't see how anyone is going to take Bernie out if they're not willing to go after him. And if Bloomberg isn't effective in doing so where all these millions he's spending isn't going to be effective, then no one is going to stop Bernie's roll. And on the thing about Cuba, President Obama -- correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm looking at Katie here. So remember, Obama didn't do the majority of his Cuba stuff until after he won a second term, because he wanted to win Florida. Already, you have Democrats in south Florida, Shalala being one of them, saying no, Bernie, like, that is not how our constituents think. So he is already causing problems for Democrats who are downstream from him.
And they are saying absolutely not. The last thing I would say is Bernie is so much more comfortable with government than with individuals and personal responsibility and freedom. That I would -- that's -- if I were like a Mayor Pete, I might go after him in that direction.
WILLIAMS: In fact, Mayor Pete is saying, Greg, that he -- that if you choose Sanders as the Democratic Party nominee, he is going to hurt down ballot, House races, Senate races, that it would just be devastating. What do you say?
GUTFELD: I say that all of these arguments are incredibly similar to the same arguments made about Trump. And there was one thing that Bernie has in common with Trump, is that he won't back off the things he says. So he doubled down on Cuba, why, because he actually believes it. He believes it. And it's kind of refreshing to hear a Democrat be honest, you know?
And if you want to read more about Bernie, I would suggest the Mother Jones article from 2015. Google it and you will see some of his writings. My favorite thing, again, is when the media is shocked, just shocked. You are seeing them shocked now that the guy who calls himself a socialist does in fact endorse socialism. They're like oh, my god, on The View.
Let's get everybody from Shark Tank on and sabotage the guy you named your dog after. Why was Bernie getting a free pass this entire time? It is only one reason. The media has a very shallow talent stack, right? They have no expertise in economics, so they can't write -- they can't ask the questions that can take somebody like Bernie out.
So Bernie can talk about -- I mean, he's been around forever talking about never having to pay for stuff, free stuff. And now we are just getting to these questions.
WATTERS: And his answers are so pedestrian. I think he told Anderson Cooper I can't account for every nickel and dime. How about every billion or trillion, Bernie?
WILLIAMS: The question is whether or not people who have those concerns really they care about the cost because they see the rich guy --
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: -- Bernie is consistent just like a stopped clock. He has only been in one position his entire life and he is waiting for the rest of us to get there. But we might there, but the next minute over, he is wrong again. And that's what people are going to find out.
WILLIAMS: Well, that's the question. I guess you have to talk to his supporters. Straight ahead, Michael Bloomberg took a beating at that first debate, as I mentioned. So does the billionaire have a plan to fight back tonight? Stay with us on THE FIVE.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PERINO: -- Michael Bloomberg, we're in for another rough night on the debate stage. The billionaire is preparing to fight back and will reportedly nuke Bernie Sanders. But newly leaked audio from 2016 about Barack Obama is making him a target again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The second Obama election, I wrote a great backhanded endorsement of Obama, saying I thought he hadn't done the right thing, hadn't been good at things that I think are important. And Romney would be a better person at doing that, but Romney did not stick with the values that he had when he was governor of Massachusetts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: So Juan, is that going to hurt Bloomberg in tonight's debate when everyone is trying to get to the -- on the good side of Barack Obama?
WILLIAMS: I think so. But, you know, it's an interesting. It's an interesting dance, because I think at the same time this is part of what makes Bloomberg so attractive in the general election, Dana. I think that kind of attitude would play well when you're trying to pick off some moderate Republican voters who were upset by Trump's behavior and the like.
Bloomberg is not in any far left guy. I could vote for Bloomberg. But in the primary process, it's a huge liability. He would have to get through the primary to get to the general election. So what this comes across as is, though, he's a little bit of an arrogant guy, that he's very much about him as opposed to the party or the legacy of protecting the Obama and Democratic Party.
PERINO: Greg, the Vegas debate was really the first one that moved the needle at all unlike in 2016 where candidates were dropping like flies after debates, even though there were 20 people on stage to begin with. It narrowed down pretty quickly. Somebody like a Bloomberg, is he going to apologize again tonight for what he said about Obama?
GUTFELD: The question is will Bloomberg have a stronger debate than he did last time? How could he not? When he got out of bed this morning, it already qualified as a stronger debate. So if he shows up -- the strategy I think he has to be for this debate, be the only person up there who is pro- America, pro-capitalist, pro-freedom.
You know, he is on stage with a group of people who have very little positive to say about running a business, which he does or the greatest economic system ever. You know, Jesse, he should look at Bernie and he should say if you were in Cuba, those stance (ph) in your chest would be made of wood and you would be dead.
WATTERS: It's a great line.
GUTFELD: It is a great line.
WATTERS: Bloomberg must not be watching, because we gave me great advice last time.
PERINO: Also, I came up with that line.
GUTFELD: That was -- no, was that your line or Jesse's
PERINO: It's mine.
GUTFELD: I thought it was Jesse's. I stole it though. I stole it.
WATTERS: You can have it.
PAVLICH: It was Dana's.
PERINO: But I want to ask you this. Does Michael Bloomberg his debate style make Biden look better and give him more of a shot at South Carolina?
WATTERS: That's a good question. You know, Biden kind of coasted last debate and people overlooked them. Biden, I think needs a positive moment tonight to keep him relevant. It depends on if he makes that moment for himself. We haven't seen any evidence that he has the talent to do that. I just don't know about Bloomberg. I don't have confidence that Bloomberg can slay Bernie Sanders.
We haven't seen any evidence that he can go out there and meet Bernie's energy up here. I think his biggest strength is that he's a billionaire. But Bernie's biggest strength is that he's crusading so hard against billionaires and his tactics can backfire. If you come in and you try to buy the nomination, and you try to tell everybody to get out of the field so I can take Bernie out one on one, that's not democratic. Bernie can easily hit him for that.
And Bloomberg is going to have to be playing offense and defense. It's just too tough of a -- of a poll for him.
WILLIAMS: You got two billionaires on the stage because Steyer is there tonight. He qualified.
PERINO: He's an afterthought, though.
GUTFELD: Then you have -- then you have like millionaires on stage. Don't forget the millionaires. Bernie is a millionaire.
PERINO: Yes, all of them. All of them except for Mayor Pete, right? Speaking of money, I wanted to ask you this, Katie. So Bloomberg is spending a ton to get his own poll numbers up, but he has said that he is committed to using all of his money to help beat President Trump no matter who the nominee is.
PAVLICH: Right.
PERINO: And yet, he's also now saying he's going to spend millions trying to nuke Bernie. How does that work?
PAVLICH: So they're trying to reconcile this party unity to make sure they can beat Trump with going against all the people in the primary race right now, and it's not really working. So the time for unity is after someone wins. You can make that argument once someone locks down the nomination. But to say -- and to undercut your own campaign by saying I'm spending all this money vote for me, but if I get beat by someone else, I will certainly help them in the end. But you know, it's Joe Biden's last stand, especially since he's running for senator in South Carolina.
PERINO: I know. He kind of had a little slip-up today.
GUTFELD: Vote for another Biden.
PERINO: Also, I need to give back the line credit to Jesse even though I had the original concept, and then Jesse had the better line, but just probably the way --
GUTFELD: But don't forget. I was the one who stole it.
PERINO: All right, Joe Biden is looking for a big one in South Carolina to turn things around. And as Katie just alluded to, a new gaffe threatens to derail his momentum. We'll show it to you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAVLICH: Martha McCallum joins us here at the table to talk 2020 and tell us about her fantastic new book, Unknown Valor: A Story of Family Courage and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima. Thank you, Martha, for being here. But first, back to politics. Joe Biden is trying to revive his campaign by winning South Carolina. Gaffes like this probably aren't helping.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're the one who sent Barack Obama the presidency, and I have a simple proposition here. I'm here to ask you for your help. Where I come from, you don't get far unless you ask. My name is Joe Biden, I'm the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. Look me over. If you're like what you see, help out, if not vote but give me a look though, OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERINO: So, you can see where -- you know, like when Amy Klobuchar was asked who's the president of Mexico and she couldn't think of it. I think these guys are tired. They're out there, they're -- it's a lot of energy and you can -- you can have a flub. One thing I would say about what's happening with Joe Biden is just look at that picture. Like, where are the advanced people? Where is the beautiful shot? Where is -- where do you have the thing that says, oh, he looks like he could be president.
WATTERS: He looks like he was in a kitchen.
PERINO: He looks like a student council election.
(CROSSTALK)
GUTFELD: Those are physiological gaffes. Those aren't like I don't know -- I don't know the president of Mexico because I should have looked it up. Those are physiological, biological issues that we've seen from the beginning, and he -- it is a crime that people aren't getting him off the - -
PERINO: And helping him.
GUTFELD: And helping him.
MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: I mean, it's like Brit Hume said -- he said, you know, I know what that is. He said, because I'm also getting older, and I understand what that is. And that's what that is. It almost reminded me of when he said, you know, the kids are upstairs listening to their record players, because when I look at him saying that I picture like an eight-track tape being pushed in, that sounds like 2000 or whatever, from the Senate race, because it keeps going and repeating the exact all the lines that went along with it at that time.
WILLIAMS: I just think it's incredible. You guys go after him for having these gaffes. And I think who's the gaffe master?
GUTFELD: Juan, you're absolutely wrong. I've been here from the beginning talking about concern about him. It's called concern.
WILLIAMS: No, no, no. Let me just tell you. I've known --
GUTFELD: Well, you're wrong, Juan. You're dead wrong.
WILLIAMS: I know -- I know Joe Biden. Joe Biden has been making flubs for years and they keep electing them.
GUTFELD: You understand that that is not a physiological issue.
WILLIAMS: But with Donald Trump, Donald Trump does things that you think that guy's ego is unleashed. He has no sense --
GUTFELD: That is not a sign of mental decline, Juan. But maybe you wouldn't notice that.
PAVLICH: Jesse, quick word on Biden, and then I want to get to Martha's book.
WATTERS: OK, a quick word on Biden.
PAVLICH: Real quick.
WATTERS: I'll let her plug the book.
PAVLICH: Tell us about your book, please, Unknown Valor.
MACCALLUM: All right. So it's called Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima. And it's based on letters that were written to my grandfather and my mom by Harry Gray who was their first cousin and nephew. And he was 18 years old when he went to Iwo Jima.
He wrote these beautiful letters as so many young people did then. There was a real art to letter writing and I've cherished these letters my whole life. And I started working with them and digging into the people who also wrote letters about him after he was killed, and finding those people and one thing led to another and all these storylines came together in a history of Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima on the homefront and also moving as it moves through the Pacific.
WILLIAMS: Do you know what struck me? When you were talking about this was that people who knew him, you discovered them, and say, did you know this guy?
MACCALLUM: Yes. I found two and I never thought that this would happen when I started writing this book. I thought most of these people were gone. They're all in their 90s. One of them is 101. I spoke with him on his 101st birthday the other day, and the other one is 94 and living in Florida. And I found these people and I called them and I said, George -- because I had letters from George Coburn that he had written, and I realized late in the game of writing.
I tried to find him but couldn't find him that he was actually still alive. And I called him and I said, I'm Harry Craig's nice, and he just went silent. And then he said, I think about Harry all the time.
PERINO: Would you -- and those things are so amazing, and the documentary that Fox did is great, but I wonder maybe you could tell the story about how your -- it was your grandfather, right, that did the map room down in the basement with all the news clippings, and he would -- he would see where he was going.
MACCALLUM: I mean, that's where I became interested in World War Two. When I was a little kid, I used to go up to their attic and he had all the headlines from important days in the war saved. And he would pull the maps out from behind and put them up over his workbench and kind of move the pins across. The map as the Nazi invasion was moving across Europe. So he was always very interested in history, and it sparked my interest in it. And, you know, he was a well-read person and really wonderful.
WATTERS: What did you learn about your family that you didn't know before?
MACCALLUM: You know, I mean, I spent a lot of time with my aunt Nancy, who's alive. She's 89 years old, and she was Harry's sister. And I went up and sat with her and interviewed her. That was the very first thing I did when I started writing the book. And just all these stories poured out about really how difficult their life was.
They lost their father when he was -- when he was 12 and Nancy was eight. And their mother who I was very close to, my aunt Anne, raised them. And you know, these are people who never complained about anything. They just charge forward. She didn't have any handouts. He wasn't eligible for Social Security because he'd only worked in this company for a couple of years, and she went back to work.
And you know, they found a way to make it work. And Harry, when he was in the battle, he never complained. He'd say, there's you know, mortars flying over my head, but the chow was pretty good and I'm trying to eat a lot of it, you know, because they didn't want people to worry at home.
WATTERS: What would they be doing in this sceneries? I can't get cell service.
MACCALLUM: Yes, right. Yes, yes.
PERINO: Well, Martha, thank you so much for sharing the story. We look forward to reading the book Unknown Valor. The "FASTEST SEVEN" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GUTFELD: Welcome back. Time for the "FASTEST SEVEN." Yes, it's my turn. First up, if you're going to do a serious news report on Facebook Live, it's best to turn off the filters first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a good reminder that's being really the first significant snow that we've had to be safe if you do have to go somewhere on the roads and make sure you're giving yourself plenty of time to get there, and plenty of space with the car that is in front of you.
Wait, Misty, did I have a weird face? There's special effects on the phone. Well, we weren't trying to --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: You know, Jesse, these are the kind of mistakes you want to make as a reporter. If you had to choose --
WATTERS: Yes, that would be a great gaffe for me. I think Joe Biden should try this. These are the kind of humanizing gaffes that Joe Biden could really use on the trail.
GUTFELD: Yes.
WATTERS: And Greg, where's the monologue?
GUTFELD: I had -- I had a busy morning.
WATTERS: People are texting me. They said, where's the monologue? I don't want to watch the "FASTEST" I want to watch the monologue.
PERINO: I like "FASTEST SEVEN." I mean, I like the monologue too, but I always like "FASTEST SEVEN." I think that they did that on purpose.
GUTFELD: Same here. I think this is fake news.
PERINO: Everybody is talking about him.
GUTFELD: Yes, exactly. See, Juan, what do you think? Do you think he did this on purpose?
WILLIAMS: No, I think he screwed up, but it was funny. Yes, yes. Katie?
PAVLICH: I think he did it on purpose because you can see yourself in the phone with that on your face.
WILLIAMS: Yes, but you already -- once you start, it's over.
PAVLICH: I think they -- all the news reports from local news on weather should be done with a face.
PERINO: It's very cute. It's fine. It's great.
WATTERS: Yes, that's a good idea.
GUTFELD: We should -- you know what, the entire FIVE should be done with that way.
PERINO: I'm doing it next time to you when we do Facebook Live.
GUTFELD: Excellent.
WATTERS: Let's do it.
GUTFELD: All right, next up, eight years after her tragic death. It's been eight years. Whitney Houston is set to tour again, as a hologram. The tour starts today in Europe and U.S. dates are expected to be added, Katie. This is -- don't we hear this story -- was it going to be Michael Jackson, then it was going to be Prince. Is this real or is it -- is the story a hologram?
PAVLICH: More like the modern version of the ghost.
GUTFELD: Yes.
PAVLICH: I'm not into it. I think it's kind of weird. Just moving on.
WILLIAMS: I saw -- I saw the --
PAVLICH: But for fans, it's great. Did you see hologram show? Was it weird?
WILLIAMS: I saw Michael Jackson in Vegas and it was great. It was terrific.
PAVLICH: Did it look real?
WILLIAMS: Yes. It's unbelievable.
PAVLICH: Did you feel the presence?
GUTFELD: I'm going to have to ask. Who gets the money?
PAVLICH: They should do Elvis now.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: But you know, having just been to Disney, you see these characters that are brought to life. And of course, they're not human, they're machines. It's fabulous. I mean, I think hey, how come somebody didn't get the job to you know, perform that act? But at the same time, it's pretty amazing.
GUTFELD: Do you think they'll have a hologram for THE FIVE when we're gone?
WATTERS: We're gone right now. Juan, you're such a sucker. You paid money for a hologram?
WILLIAMS: Yes.
WATTERS: I mean, Jesus.
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: In fact, you know what was great about it? The dancers are there and before you realize it, you think, that looks like Michael Jackson. It is -- it is the hologram with --
PAVLICH: So it's real people with the hologram.
WATTERS: The only way I'm paying for this if they project the hologram into my home. I'm not going to somewhere else.
GUTFELD: There you go. Exactly. And then God forbid what you think about doing. Dana?
PERINO: I think this is a good idea for you and Tom Shillue when you go on your thing -- on your -- on your little weekend things when you do like the big --
GUTFELD: My little weekend?
WATTERS: Your little weekend things? Oh, you mean his national tour?
PERINO: Yes, the national tour. But then because you don't like to travel so you'd never have to leave your apartment.
GUTFELD: There you go. Well, you can have meetings. I could be a hologram here. I could be home in my bathrobe right now.
PAVLICH: But you're live. That's different.
GUTFELD: A study -- I actually liked this one topic -- finds that the average person wastes almost 22 hours every week. The biggest time suck is spending four hours on escaping mental health breaks like watching YouTube videos or checking social media. You' know what I don't like about the story, Dana, is that they quantify -- they quantified waste using quantities of marathons like 21 hours of time. You could have -- you could have ran five marathons. It's like well, if you ran five marathons, that's a waste of 21 hours.
WATTERS: And also, you blow up your knees. So like, what's the benefit of that?
GUTFELD: Yes. Who are these people?
PERINO: And also, here's the thing. Everyone gets a personal choice and isn't America great?
GUTFELD: Yes, exactly. And Juan, why do they think watching YouTube videos is a waste of time? You could be learning things.
WILLIAMS: You could be. And also it's you know, somebody else's relaxing so they can do a better job when they focus again.
GUTFELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: You know, so it's up -- but I will say the fear of the employer, and it's like, you know, people are off their bedding or they're watching frivolous, you might think, hey, what are you doing? But you know what, I think again, people find different ways to relax in the course of the day. This was an extremely high number. It made me wonder.
PAVLICH: Apple has this new thing now and they tell you what your screen time is, and it's like social media, blah, blah, blah. I don't really need to know. Thank you.
GUTFELD: Yes, but they tell if you went down this week or you went up.
PAVLICH: Yes. And it's like, but why? What am I doing?
GUTFELD: Yes, what am I doing differently?
PAVLICH: Either way.
GUTFELD: It's freaking me out, Jesse.
WATTERS: You know what the biggest time suck is?
GUTFELD: What?
WATTERS: Covering studies on THE FIVE. Every facet is a study.
GUTFELD: You know what's funny? When I do the "FASTEST," you turned into me and complain about the FASTEST.
WATTERS: I do. That just happens. That just happens.
GUTFELD: Yes, you did. You're actually just trashed -- passes the way I do to you.
WATTERS: I did. I did.
PERINO: I love the "FASTEST."
GUTFELD: All right, you already said that. What do you want me to do, cry?
PERINO: I'm a hologram.
GUTFELD: "ONE MORE THING" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WATTERS: Time now for "ONE MORE THING." Dana?
PERINO: All right, so this afternoon, right before the daily briefing, I had the privilege to meet with a group of young people that were very impressive. This is called the animation project. It's a nonprofit animation program. It's led by industry pros who also provide mentoring to young adults in New York City. It's called Tap.
And the students came to Fox today and they shadowed members of our team and sat for presentations about the industry and got to the doodle hands-on stuff. And it helps bring animation and storytelling vehicles to New York City communities and kids who may not have the opportunity otherwise.
And I was super impressed with them. They will learn technical knowledge through this program but they also talked to them about building their confidence and telling them that they have exceedingly bright futures, you just got to make some good choices.
WATTERS: Nice group of kids.
WILLIAMS: Any holograms?
PERINO: No holograms.
PAVLICH: They can make them though.
WATTERS: Juan?
WILLIAMS: All right, so Today is February 25th. It's a major cultural and sports anniversary. On this day, in 1964, 22-year-old -- isn't that great-- Cassius Clay later known as Muhammad Ali shocked the world. He beat eight to one odds to defeat Sonny Liston to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Take a look at this.
As you can see, Ali battered listen with quick powerful jabs. Liston didn't come out for the seventh round. Ali started boxing at 12. By the time he was 18, he'd won 100 amateur bouts. In 1960, he won the gold medal at the Olympics in boxing. After he defeated Liston, Ali pointed at the media and famously said I am the greatest. Don't have a mark my face and I beat Sonny Liston.
By the way, as I mentioned last week, you can watch a special HBO documentary film, Ali and Cavett. It's about Ali and the talk show host. I'm a featured commentator in that HBO documentary.
WATTERS: That's what you do in the green room after every show, Juan. I am the greatest.
WILLIAMS: No. I try to heal the wounds, Jesse. That's what I -- that's my job.
WATTERS: All right, we have a thoughtful Valentine's Day gift news. All right, buckle in everybody. Best way to tell your wife that you love her, not with chocolates, not with flowers, not with soft cuddly teddy bears, it is with a custom coffee mug with my face on it. That is right.
Shout out to Jamie Gragg from Crisfield, Maryland who gave his wife Amy this handsome mug. Get it, Greg? This handsome mug on Valentine's Day. They're fans of THE FIVE. They never miss a show. So everybody just enjoy.
PERINO: Pun intended. You should do -- a mug of Jasper I think. That's a good gift.
WATTERS: Oh, no. Only a mug of me --
GUTFELD: Yes.
WATTERS: Will bring a couple together.
PERINO: With a smirk.
WATTERS: That's right. Greg?
GUTFELD: Put a rose in it. All right, let's do this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Robots are great. Robots are great. Robots are great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: I want to remind everybody that once robots reach superintelligence, they will have a memory and remember everything you do to them. So keep that in mind especially Boston Dynamics who decided to make a rickshaw -- can you say rickshaw or is it a petty cab? Using their robot dog spotmini.
Now, look at this. So they got -- the spotmini is pulling this human. So maybe 50 years from now, maybe 100 years, when spot mini reaches superintelligence, smarter 20 times, 30 times, he's going to remember this guy, he's going to bite -- he's going to rip him from limb to limb.
PERINO: No, he's going to make the human pull him around.
GUTFELD: Yes. Well no, first he'll grind him to a fine pulp. That's what he'll do. And that's why robots are great.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUTFELD: Robots are great. Robots are great. Robots are great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: It would be a pedicab if the robot was peddling.
GUTFELD: Yes, that's it. I got Rick -- I don't know what that word means, so I don't know.
WATTERS: You're so sensitive.
WILLIAMS: That's our man, Mr. Sensitivity.
PERINO: OK, so last week I was traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo through Africa in the Middle East covering his trip. And he visited the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia where many of our troops were -- have been recently stationed and deployed to combat Iran. There he is having lunch with many of them there. And they have new F-15 fighter jets as well that we saw on tour. You can't see him but he's underneath there.
And then I also landed an interview with the Secretary which you can check out@townhall.com. We talked about China, the Iranian threat, Huawei and a number of issues going on with Africa that Americans probably should pay attention to. And from my last photo, the question is, is that a real lion or a fake lion? You get to decide.
GUTFELD: Are you lying about the lion?
PERINO: So, it's a great trip. Really interesting.
WATTERS: I think it's -- I think it's fake. I'm going to go with fake.
WILLIAMS: I think, congratulations.
WATTERS: All right.
PERINO: I think it's real.
WATTERS: Set your DVRs. Never miss an episode of THE FIVE. "SPECIAL REPORT", up next.
Hey Bret.
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