Bipartisan resistance grows to draconian coronavirus lockdown orders

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Bipartisan resistance grows to draconian coronavirus lockdown orders

This is a rush transcript from "Ingraham Angle," May 22, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: I'm Laura Ingraham. This is a special edition of "The Ingraham Angle" from Washington tonight, "The Road to Recovery."

Now we're going to bring you stories and guests pivotal to figuring out how America can safely and confidently return to work. It's about time. We'll speak to business owners who are confronting challenges like onerous lockdown orders from blue state governors, usually. And we'll speak to those highlighting the current and future challenges of a society that doesn't know what normal will actually look like. Don't you hate the phrase new normal?

And Raymond Arroyo will be here and he'll discuss how innovative Americans are seeking to strike this balance as we begin to emerge from the lockdown.

But first, we thought it was very important to begin to show, all of you, speaking directly to businessmen and women, what they're really going to, they're trying to fight tooth and nail to reopen and regain their livelihoods from these lockdown loving governors.

George Verdis and Nick Mirabella are the owners of the Brick and Mirror Beauty Bar in Parsippany, New Jersey. Now, after two months of complying with Democrat Governor Phil Murphy's locked down orders, these two men have finally just had enough.

They're defying the governor and reopening on June 1, and it's not just about their own livelihoods, but about the wellbeing of their staff. Of course, it is. They desperately want to get back to work. Thank you both for being here tonight.

Also, with me is Frank Mendoza who's run Monica's Trattoria Restaurant in Boston with his brothers for 25 years. He's one of many restaurant owners in Massachusetts who are beyond frustrated that their life's work is being destroyed and it's happening right before their very eyes. I know so many restaurateurs in the Washington DC area who were telling me the same thing and the governor's actions are prolonging their suffering.

Frank was thrust into the national spotlight after President Trump tweeted out a clip of him saying that he'd take the coronavirus over losing his business. Frank, thanks for coming on.

And last but not least, is E. W. Bitter who runs a motel in Stowe, Vermont with his brother. His business survives on a tourism-based model that is now being absolutely destroyed by Vermont's onerous travel restrictions on people coming into this state from out of state. That's the lifeblood of the state's hospitality industry, of course. Thank you for being with us tonight, E. W.

Great to see all of you. Now, we're also going to bring in some financial experts to answer your questions in just moments. And a lot of you want to know what we're going to look like on the other side of this.

But first I want to get to your stories because, frankly the story of so many millions of Americans across the country. And my first question is to you, George and Nick. We'll start with you George.

GEORGE VERDIS, OWNER, BRICK AND MIRROR BEAUTY BAR: Yes.

INGRAHAM: What was the final straw that made you decide that come hell or high water, you're going to open up and go back to work in defiance of the governor's order?

VERDIS: So what happened is he gave us a 15-day mark on March, I believe it was 18th or 19th, and told us that, basically, listen, we have to shut down because of the COVID-19, which we agreed. I mean, it's obviously it's a disease that's killing people and I totally agreed.

And then, after that he made another executive order for 30 days and then again, another one for 30 days. And I sat with my business partner and said, you know what, enough is enough. I mean, we've shattered (ph) well enough. We've taken the proper caution. We have to open up.

We've tried to reach out to him many times. He's never returned our calls, never returned anything. He doesn't want to speak with us. And I feel like what he's doing is an assault on not only hair salons and barber shops and gyms, but every small business. It's an absolute abuse of power in my opinion.

INGRAHAM: And Nick, what do you say to the people who respond to these types of entreaties by saying, "Well, you guys are just not thinking of public safety. One life lost is one life too many. So, if you could save a life by staying closed, that's better for everyone." What do you say, Nick to that?

NICK MIRABELLA, OWNER, BRICK AND MIRROR BEAUTY BAR: We're actually licensed to be doing what we're doing. And just because you do get COVID, I think, it doesn't mean you die. And just because you do go into a building like Walmart, Home Depot, it doesn't mean you catch COVID-19.

Just because you enter my salon, and we take every precautionary measure to prevent any spread of disease, doesn't mean you're going to get COVID-19. We're doing the proper steps to prevent it. So just walking into building doesn't mean you get it.

INGRAHAM: Well, and I - it's a, it's almost like nobody dies of anything else these days other than COVID-19. I mean, people are still dying of other diseases and they're all awful and they're all terrible. But we're only focused on the issue at hand, which I guess is understandable, but there are other issues that are coming into play.

Even Dr. Fauci, Frank, today said that, sometimes it's - if we prolong a shutdown longer than it's absolutely necessary, you could do irreparable harm. And I think a lot of people were really happy to hear Dr. Fauci say that because for the longest time, of course, he was just looking at one aspect of this, which is the virus itself and that is his job.

But, Frank, you recently applied for a license to expand your outdoor seating, and what happened? The City of Boston responded with a questionnaire. And, you can see it. It asks whether or not you're a minority or an immigrant. Like what? What does that have to do with running your business? Frank?

FRANK MENDOZA, OWNER, MONICA'S TRATTORIA: I don't know Laura. I was actually really confused when I actually looked on and (inaudible) the ends and they asked us, if you were an immigrant, minority, I'm not sure the rest of it.

I am an immigrant, though, so I came here when I was three years old, but I was actually shocked that they actually asked that. I did fill up the questionnaire. I did fill out for the outside seating and I am an immigrant, so.

INGRAHAM: Yes, it's a curious add on question when the focus is supposed to be just public health and safety. I'm not sure what that has to do with it, but Frank, were you surprised when the president retweeted your clip?

MENDOZA: Yes, I was surprised.

INGRAHAM: What was--

MENDOZA: I was surprised that that the only Republican - he's the only Republican that actually did that. I have a Republican governor that didn't do it, but he did. So, yes, it was nice. It was nice of him to do it.

INGRAHAM: Yes. What's your chance of survival if you don't open up soon?

MENDOZA: My - you have to understand that this neighborhood, there's a lot of us that will survive because we're very hard workers, you know. Me and my brothers, we gave our life to this place. So the chances of me closing on, I won't let it happen.

INGRAHAM: God bless you. That's the spirit we want.

MENDOZA: Yes. There is some people, though, that, they're afraid. You know, some people are telling me that they could make it to the summer and then the fall without having events and, and basketball, hockey and stuff like that. They're not doing it.

Outside of the Boston Garden or the TD Garden right now it's a ghost town. There's a lot of sports bars out there that if - they depend on the sports and the events.

INGRAHAM: You got to open up. You got to open up. I got to get to get to E. W. in Vermont - in Stowe, Vermont. It's still under strict lockdown, E. W., but here's what the covert situation actually looks like in your state. 954 total cases. Only three people are currently hospitalized. 827 have recovered. 54 have died. What is your governor's excuse for strangling the economy, E. W.?

E. W. BITTER, OWNER, TOWN & COUNTRY STOWE: Well, it's interesting you bring that up. If you go back and read the actual executive orders, the premise for those executive orders was to prevent the overall - the overwhelming and devastation of our healthcare system.

Healthcare system in this state has never been more underwhelmed in its history. Those numbers reflect at the executive level they'll profess that they've done such an excellent job and they're very quick for self- aggrandizement.

But keep in mind, Vermont's one of the least dense densely populated States in the country. And if you look out West and Wyoming and South Dakota and Montana, they - you might also look at them and say they've done a remarkable job, but they don't have the same lockdown measures and they've obviously benefited from the low density of that state.

INGRAHAM: Well, I think everyone - and anyone has ever been to Stowe, Vermont, it's a beautiful place, incredibly gorgeous skiing. I remember in college it was kind of a real regular old ski town, but it's gotten very fancy and great in the summer, as well. But you depend on tourism. Tourism, I don't see how a lot of the small businesses survive? I mean, I just don't see it.

But gentlemen, I want to continue this conversation on reopening the country, getting people back to work. But first, let's bring in our financial gurus to dispense some advice here. Steve Forbes, Chairman, and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media; and Chris Hogan, radio talk show host, author and personal finance expert.

Chris, you've been listening to these stories tonight from our business owners, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont, right? You know, we're kind of focused on that part of the country for a good reason. But just - those are places that are still subject to these pretty draconian lockdown orders. What do you do when you're in a situation like this? Is it civil disobedience? Is it lawsuits or just pray at this point?

CHIS HOGAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Well, Laura, what you see with all three of these business owners are people that are fighting to survive. These business owners are very serious about their business. These aren't hobbies. This is how they're serving their customers. This is how they're providing for their families.

And so they need the opportunity to be able to push forward. And the road to recovery doesn't happen sitting in hiding. It's about us moving forward, clearly, and being aware, taking precautions. As the gentleman said up north, they're doing everything they can to keep people safe when they come in. We need that right to be able to move forward in this country.

INGRAHAM: Steve Forbes, you got the sense today from the President that he's just about done with these draconian locked down orders. He sees the real hunger in the American people to get back to work safely.

I love Frank story. The immigrant story. Hard work. It reminds me of my mom's stories, about her parents, and just that ethic of, I want to get out there and work. I don't want to sit at home and watch Netflix and wait for a check. I want to be out there working. And that's the story of America. And what about all these immigrant businesses now? Where do they go, Steve, unless we start giving people confidence to get back in?

STEVE FORBES, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, FORBES MEDIA: Well, that's why the pressure, whether it's civil disobedience or going after your representatives and the like, petitioning, it's got to be done.

We already know, we've seen it in Florida, we've seen it in Georgia, Colorado, which has a Democrat governor, but he used to do businesses before. He knows no revenue, you don't survive. So we got to keep this opening, going with deliberate speed. We know it can be done safely. We've seen it in actual practice.

And the other two things by - what, by the way the federal government can do is provide a liability protection. When these businesses open, they don't get harassed by lawsuits - frivolous lawsuits. And the other thing they can do is suspend the payroll tax. So when you hire somebody, you pay them - the cost of labor is less, they earn more, win-win all around.

And one other thing, Laura, that I'm surprised that the federal government hasn't done is the Treasury Department has kept on these ridiculous restrictions on getting loans from the PPP program. Like 75 percent of your money has to go for payroll. The fact of the matter is, for a lot of businesses, utilities, rent are the biggest expenses. Treasury can throw out those dumb rules right now. I don't know why they don't do it.

So all of the above, you pray, you fight, you get out there and you pressure. And the demonstrations work. The New Jersey wouldn't have gone as far as it did, which is almost nowhere if people hadn't gone out and done - started to do these demonstrations. We've seen in other parts of the country too.

INGRAHAM: Yes. And our business owners, guys have some specific questions for economic money gurus. So I'm going to open it up now. Nick, let's go to you first, Nick, what's your question?

MIRABELLA: So, a lot of business owners have IRAs or 401(k)s and we are not getting the funding that we should get. This is supposed to be eight weeks long and the PPP money is supposed to last for eight weeks. Now we're on what, 10 weeks longer, maybe two months, three months. If we pull it from our 401(k)s and IRAs, what kind of penalties are going to be waived if they're going to be waived? And then are we going to be tax exempt possibly for that?

INGRAHAM: Chris why don't you handle that? HOGAN: Yes. Well, with the CARES Act, what they did was they lifted the 10 percent penalty on that, but you're still going to be liable for the taxes over a two-year period. So pulling money out of there right now, there's nothing in place to shield you at all. You would still have to pay the taxes on it over a two-year period of time.

And so, guys, I know as you look at your business and you're thinking, OK, we are ready to open, we're trying to do whatever's necessary. I just want to caution you, as you do that, essentially, you're pulling from their future to take care of the present. So you want to be really mindful. I tell people there are two reasons to touch retirement funds. That's to prevent a foreclosure or to prevent a personal bankruptcy. So be really mindful of that as you walk this path.

INGRAHAM: Let's go to Frank now. Frank, of course, on the restaurant business. Frank, you have a question about capacity to Steve Forbes.

MENDOZA: Yes. I want to know, Steve, how I'm supposed to pay a 100 percent of my bills, but only 25 percent of the occupancy that the government is telling me that I'm supposed to do with six feet separation?

INGRAHAM: Steve?

FORBES: Well, first of all, we know it's three feet is good rather than six feet. And second, this micromanaging nitpicking 25 percent, 32.3 percent is ridiculous. They're arbitrary numbers. It should be what you can safely do and you make the judgment and let people judge if they think a place is safe and unsafe.

But we now know, we the elderly are more vulnerable. If you have certain conditions, you're more vulnerable. Trust the people, the information out there. You post the information. You provide the mask. Although, I'm sure you're finding ways to allow us to eat and have the mask nearby. But these arbitrary numbers are just nonsense. They should be gotten rid of. Use your judgment and the people will make the decision is this safe or unsafe? You've got to have revenue.

INGRAHAM: No, you got to have - I think the idea of measuring feet and then I saw something yesterday guys. It's really 18 feet. I kid you not, there was a video on one of our cable competitors. It's like, well, it's really 18 feet. I mean next week it'll be a mile. Then you can still get COVID. All right.

HOGAN: Well, Laura--

INGRAHAM: Hold on, Chris. We got to get E. W. in because he is not going to going to get his question. E. W., I want to make sure you speak up because your little Skype was a little low last time. So E. W., you have a question, go ahead my friend.

BITTER: Sure. If states are required to provide compensation for the taking or effective taking of a business or property through regulation for the benefit of everyone else, in this case, public safety is what we've been told. Why is that not happening?

INGRAHAM: We'll go to - yes, who wants to take that over the gurus? I guess, Chris you take it.

HOGAN: Well, I don't know, to be honest with you. I think right now what you have on the government side is there's a lot of trying to - we're trying to figure this out on the move. You got to remember, this is brand new E. W. We've never seen anything like this from a pandemic situation.

We have seen situations where we've had tough times, 9/11, Y2K, the great recession of '07 and '09. So these states - all these governors, remember, are operating autonomously. They can make some decisions. And so, I don't know. I think, I would - if I'm you, I'm putting pressure on my state reps. I'm going to go have meetings to find out what are they doing to help. Right now what they've done is given you a lot of restrictions and prevented you from providing for your family.

INGRAHAM: All right, gentlemen, I'm going to just - let me just jump in there, because I will say this. I will say this. Hold on. I will say this, creative lawyers can come up with good causes of action and you're on the right track. E. W., with talking about takings. If you're taking people's livelihood, you must compensate them on the other side. And I think you're thinking the right way.

All you CEOs, small businesses, medium-sized, get together and put pressure legislatively through lawsuits and so forth, and you're going to be in good stead. All of you, great to see you. Keep up the good fight.

And coming up, Dissension in the Ranks says Democrats in blue States are calling out their governors over continued lockdowns, Pete Hegseth is here. He's been hearing from people all over the country and he fills us in. Next

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: Democrat leaders in Congress and state governors are embracing their new identity as the lockdown party. But how is that sitting with the rank and file in their party? Well, in Pennsylvania, Democrat state lawmakers are souring on Governor Tom Wolfe's ridiculous, draconian lockdown measures.

One Philly area state rep wrote to Wolf saying her constituents "have not yet seen evidence that your administration recognizes and sympathizes with the added physical, emotional and financial suffering they're facing."

But it's not just in PA, across Lake Erie, Michigan's Governor Witless Whitmer isn't just facing mass demonstrations against her lockdown orders, but the Sheriff of Genesee County and the Mayor of Detroit, both Democrats, are also challenging her ruthless power grab. And in New Jersey, the President of the State Senate, this is Democrat, Steve Sweeney, he's railing against Governor Phil Murphy for taking too long to reopen businesses.

Now reopening is no longer a red versus blue issue. It's a matter of survival. It's the people versus control freaks, Liberty versus lockdown, as I like to say. Now, earlier this week, Fox & Friends Weekend, Host, Pete Hegseth traveled to Belmore, New Jersey where he visited a gym that reopened with support from everyone in the community - right and left. Sadly, since Pete visit, the gym has been harassed almost daily by state officials and forced to close back down.

Pete Hegseth, Fox & Friends Weekend, co-host and author of the fabulous brand-new book, "American Crusade." Look at that photo. He joins me now. Pete. It's great to see you. This isn't Republican versus Democrat. You've seen it firsthand. Tell us what your thoughts are as we continue to see a deprivation of liberty across the country.

PETE HEGSETH, HOST, "FOX & FRIENDS WEEKEND": I did see it on Monday and I've stayed in touch with those gym owners all week long and their lawyers, and what I love about this is this is the revolt of the gym owners, the revolt of the salon owners, of the barber shops, of the restaurants, of the tattoo parlors.

Sometimes the revolt comes from the most unlikely of places, right? You say, hey, these folks, they just open up. This is how the elites look at it, they just own a gym, they just want a hair salon. No, these are hardworking entrepreneurs who understand their rights and they're standing up for the rest of us.

You're right. This is not left versus right. This is Liberty versus lockdown, as you said. This is common sense. I get a chance to go across the country with Fox & Friends all the time and the depth of commonsense wisdom in this country is what the elites reject. They don't respect people enough to let them make their own risk calculation and people are starting to say, it's time to open up across the board. I don't care where you live. And that that's a reflection of the fact that we should respect people enough. That's what free people do, Laura.

INGRAHAM: And a governor of DeSantis of Florida has really led the way, Pete--

HEGSETH: Yes.

INGRAHAM: --in having a very pragmatic approach to what is ultimately, you know, a health issue. It's a bad virus. It's killed a lot of people, but you still have a lot of people who need to survive and need to thrive and need to make money, need to take care of their families. And he's really pushed back in recent days. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I really trust parents. I trust the physicians who work with the kids. I trust our local leaders. I trust the coaches and the people who are involved in these camps to really do things in a way that keeps people safe. I think that's a much better approach than having the state government do a hundred rules for tennis camp. Because you know what, it's just some of these things don't end up being very sensible at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Pete, if the question comes between, going into a state run by Murphy or Cuomo or Newsome or going into a state run by Greg Abbott in Texas or DeSantis in Florida, that's a pretty easy call. God bless the people of New York and New Jersey, they've had a really tough time, but their leadership has not been there.

HEGSETH: No. What a glaring example of federalism. I'm stuck in New Jersey. I can't get to Florida or Texas fast enough. And I think there's plenty of people thinking the exact same way. And, you know, I got in some heat - I don't know what, it's a couple of months ago when I said, the more I learn about this virus, the less concerned I am and I stand by that statement today.

And that's not to reject the death that we've seen. I respect the impact that's had on people, and I take the virus seriously. But you can both do that and understand that we know a lot more about how it transmits, who it affects and then we can protect those people and let everyone else respect it enough to go about their lives.

If you don't want to go out, Laura, you've said this time and time again, you don't have to go out. It's your choice. But DeSantis and Abbott and others, they respect businesses. They understand that you can't keep people locked down. Your livelihood is gone, your life is crushed and you can't expect them to operate at 25 percent capacity either. That's called bankruptcy.

INGRAHAM: No, it's never going to work.

HEGSETH: So essentially you have to get to normalcy.

INGRAHAM: No, and I love how the subtitle of your book, Pete, is "Our Fight to Stay Free." And every generation - that we all have to do what we can, maybe it's being on a TV show and talking about the declaration or our rights, maybe it's working as a frontline worker, maybe it's just owning a business or being a parent. But we all have to stand up for freedom while we do smart things like wash our hands and not cough all over other people.

But we've got to do our part. And I'm so happy for you with your book, Pete. And I know it's already done so well, and congratulations. Everyone needs to go out and get it.

HEGSETH: Thank you, Laura.

INGRAHAM: It's a great read at a time like this.

(CROSSTALK)

HEGSETH: Thank you very much.

INGRAHAM: All right, you take care, Pete Hegseth, thanks so much.

Locking down the country to avert public health crisis from COVID is escalating a new one experts are saying. Counties across the United States are seeing drug and alcohol use skyrocket. Traffic for the website https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__rehab.com&d=DwICAg&c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&r=tgDLkJy54PfJyWJwul3dKe54qGxqO7b7d5vjo7RcZds&m=r0cyBtFhRTq8bs2AN40Fy5FJ0oBIgfGS0uvaKiiiTj0&s=R6VRoJqZQX0H36XahTmPbrAL-IWtqKlAmDlFstZbdi0&e= is reportedly up 382 percent in the last 30 days, as people look for ways to combat substance abuse and mental health problems.

Now, it's all part of what my next guest calls a pandemic within a pandemic. Joining me now is Tim Ryan, Addiction Expert and star of the A&E special "Dope Man." He's also the Founder of a Man in Recovery Foundation. Tim, you're a former heroin addict yourself, so I know this issue is so important to you personally as well this is what you do professionally. But why isn't this getting more attention?

TIM RYAN, A MAN IN RECOVERY FOUNDATION: Thank you, Laura. And, unfortunately, prior to the COVID epidemic, people who were making the acceptable, oh, another 180 people died today and it's just passive now.

The government, the Presidents, the past President, the current President have not allocated enough funds for people struggling with substance abuse, mental health issues to find proper care.

You have families that have private insurance or are in the position to cash pay, they can usually find treatment. But a lot of the families that have state insurance or no insurance are left to the wayside. Now we have this pandemic within a pandemic. The next crisis is going to be the mental health and substance abuse crisis. We're just on the beginning.

INGRAHAM: Now, I want - I want people to understand what recovery is like for addicts. It's already really hard. Relapses are common, especially with a drug like heroin. And this is what they're saying, Tim, about the struggle to stay sober during this crisis. Watch

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Recovery for me isn't just not using. It's, trying to get to meetings where you can get that support and a lot of that support has been cut off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people are anxious, they're looking to quilt and calm that. People don't like feeling uncomfortable in their skin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's almost impossible to get sober by yourself. You need other people that have been through what you've been through or else you're just screwed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: When you take it to the recovery aspect of it, how hard is it to stay sober when you don't have interaction in person with others?

RYAN: People in recovery need connection and purpose to be able to go get a 30 day or a 60 or a 90 day or a six month or a 12-month coin, saying I'm 12 months clean and sober. You can't do that. Yes, people around me to do Zoom meetings and connecting through FaceTime, but it's not the same. These 12 Step based meetings or Fellowship meetings in general should be essential, because the relapse rate is through the roof, for opiates, for alcoholism, for mental health, and for suicide. Our phones are ringing off the hook. Every day I'm reading more and more and more phone calls about people that have relapsed, that have been five, 10, 15, 20, 25 years clean and sober, because they've lost their connection.

INGRAHAM: Check this out. From March 15th to May 20th, in Shelby County, Tennessee, and that includes Memphis, there were 112 deaths from drug overdoses, and 88 from COVID. And Tim, while that's not the same for every area, and of course we don't minimize -- we are not minimizing COVID deaths year, but the health director in that county says this and jump for the opioid deaths was unprecedented, that was the quote.

RYAN: It's happening nationwide, even where I originally was from, DuPage County, Illinois. In three, weeks they had over 20 opioid overdose deaths. They've only had 25 COVID deaths over the past, you know, eight or nine weeks here. Opiates are still one of the number one killers. Alcoholism is the number one killer out there, and we are not talking about it, and there's not enough resources and not enough avenues for people to find help.

INGRAHAM: Tim, I thank you hit the nail on the head when we talked about what is and what is not essential. A pot dispensary, a liquor store is called essential, but 12 Step meetings and Fellowship meetings are not? Or just basic worship is not? That's insanity. And we are going to see a lot more problems. I hope we learn from this. Tim, thank you for being out there advocating for people who, frankly, do not have a voice in recovery, and those who are currently addicted. Thank you so much.

RYAN: Thank you.

INGRAHAM: Coming up, as Americans start emerging from lockdown, they are coming up with creative ways to eat and drink while wearing masks. Plus, Hollywood and the left give inspirational coronavirus commencement speeches. You don't want to miss it. Raymond Arroyo is here with all of the details in "Friday Follies." That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHLEY STROHMIER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Live from America's news headquarters, I'm Ashley Strohmier.

One of the nation's top rental car agency is preparing to file bankruptcy as soon as this weekend. That's according to "The Wall Street Journal." Hertz is just one of the latest businesses left reeling from the coronavirus outbreak. The company has about $19 billion in debt.

And Kentucky prosecutors are preparing to dismiss all charges against Brianna Taylor's boyfriend. Taylor, an EMT, was fatally shot by police during a no-knock search warrant at the couple's apartment. It was part of a drug investigation. Police say Kenneth Walker fired a gun, seriously hurting a police sergeant. He was charged with attempted murder and assault. Meanwhile, the FBI is now investigating Taylor's shooting, the March 13th incident sparking national outrage and protest.

I'm Ashley Strohmier. Now back to "The Ingraham Angle."

INGRAHAM: It's Friday, and that means it's time for "Friday Follies." Joining us with all the follies of recovery is FOX News contributor Raymond Arroyo. All right, Raymond, for some reason the music seems especially festive tonight.

RAYMOND ARROYO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: We need a little festivity.

INGRAHAM: So it just feels like we need, we've had such a tough time, there is so much loss of life, but people do seem to want to get out and they want to have some release and some laughter, so they have been getting very creative, I understand, during the reopening. What is happening?

ARROYO: The innovation of people is simply incredible, Laura. At times, it's a bit scary, I have to admit. Some of these inventors made headlines this week for a mask that could be won at restaurants. You simply hit the button, and it opens to allow eating. Now this disturbs me a little bit, because just dashed eat outside. You don't need to wear the mask if you're outside and socially distanced. I get worried about that thing.

But I think I can top it, Laura. A New Orleans artist has unveiled the drinking mask. It allows for easier, hands-free, social distance drinking. There' a little slip for a straw in the mask. It has an interior flap that covers the hole when it is not in use. That seems to be a good creation. I kind of like that idea.

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: That is going to be a big hit at the Dartmouth fraternity parties, OK, I can just tell you that, with the straw.

ARROYO: Any fraternity parties.

INGRAHAM: Exactly, anywhere.

There are also a lot of changes coming, and Raymond lives in New Orleans, so that is a restaurant capital -- one of them -- of the world. And so the diminished capacity, and little Washington is filling its dining rooms with mannequins in Virginia, I understand.

ARROYO: Yes, Mannequins, yes.

INGRAHAM: Nice.

ARROYO: And in Sydney, one restaurant put cardboard cutouts in the empty seats, Laura. It's a little spooky. I would keep wondering, is that cut out at table three looking at me, what is she doing? What is happening over there? Did she just take a picture? It's kind of creepy. And the mannequins I don't like at all. This is like dinner at Rod Serling's house. The roadhouse of wax, I kept thinking, as I saw those images.

INGRAHAM: No, I never liked movies -- I don't like movies where the dolls are horror creatures --

ARROYO: Come to life?

INGRAHAM: "Chucky," I didn't like any of the "Chucky's." I don't like the dolls and the mannequins.

ARROYO: Come on, a brunch with Chucky and Laura, it would be fun, a reality show. We'll put that on FOX Nation.

INGRAHAM: Raymond, that is more frightening than a Nancy Pelosi press conference, OK? Chucky, no. Remember that one, "Chucky Gets Lucky?"

ARROYO: We won't do that to you. I hope not to.

(LAUGHTER)

ARROYO: Laura, this is probably one of the most distressing innovations of the corona period. An L.A. designer, Canava, has unveiled a new underwear line emblazoned with the names of people they call the dream team. That's right, Fauci, Newsom, and Cuomo are emblazoned on the undies. Is this for the people who prolong the crisis? I'm wondering, what was the qualification for getting your name on the underwear?

INGRAHAM: There's got to be a really inappropriate pun, but I'm going to leave it right there. I'm not going to go any further with that. It's barely working.

ARROYO: Well, before you go on, I was thinking, it may be the absolutely perfect salute to these people, because these are the men who wanted to make us, put us in the position that underwear normally is -- underground, under wraps, and in the dark. So maybe that is what they are trying to convey. It's the perfect accessory for the corona period for these three.

Now, this is the time of year, Laura, when graduates look for the successful -- they look to be successful, rather, for words of wisdom. And for those taking part in virtual commencement ceremonies, I hope your ceremony was more practical and inspiring than the one celebrated by the University of Southern California. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL FERRELL, ACTOR: Happy graduation to the class of 2020. Yes!

DEEPAK CHOPRA, AUTHOR: Ask yourself, who am I? What do I want? What's my purpose? What am I grateful for? Live those questions.

LISA LING, CNN HOST: The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

MANDY MOORE, ACTRESS: I hope you are able to practice some self-care, too, guys. Taking a nap, taking a bath, going on a walk, meditating.

CHOPRA: Ask yourself, what is my story? To be human is to have a story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARROYO: One hopes that story is more understandable than the yippy-dippy advice doled out by these people, Laura. Could you believe that advice?

INGRAHAM: No, no. No, no, send me a memorandum for when the phrase "self- care" is retired, OK?

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: That is the worst, OK? Talk about a navel-gazing --

ARROYO: I hope you're getting naps and bathing.

INGRAHAM: Oh, please, poor Deepak Chopra. I always had a soft spot for him. I've always liked him. I'm going to send him a pair of nonreflective lenses, though, because obviously it's hard times over there in those inspirational --

ARROYO: Laura, when I first saw it, I thought, somewhere, Dame Edna is looking for her glasses.

(LAUGHTER)

ARROYO: Why does he have rhinestones on the end? Anyway, that was my first thought when I saw Deepak. I didn't quite know --

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: The virtual -- the virtual -- I can't get it -- the virtual commencement --

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: I can't.

ARROYO: OK, I'm going to do this. There was a feminist commencement ceremony, Laura. And it was hosted by a group calling itself Her Campus for the grads of 2020. It was as expiring as the USC event. Watch.

INGRAHAM: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: What is most fulfilling in my life, and this is the meat of my message to you -- good girlfriends.

EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: Follow the path that feels right to you. I challenge you to stay true to the bean taco, and not conform to the Pop-Tart.

JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know you are made special. No one has ever been like you before and no one will ever be like you again. You see, you have a special gift, and when we put our gifts together, we are all part of one big mosaic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: oh, my God, thank God they drown him out at the end, with the mosaic reference, talk about a tired old trope.

ARROYO: Your special, Laura. John Kasich looks like he's auditioning to be the next Mr. Rogers there for a minute. But my favorite was Eva Longoria's advice, stay true to the taco, don't conform to the Pop-Tart, Laura. What a message for young ladies.

INGRAHAM: Move over Robert Frost and Longfellow, I've got to get my makeup reapplied now, Raymond.

ARROYO: OK, I'm sorry for that.

INGRAHAM: Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

ARROYO: You too.

INGRAHAM: And good night to you.

Coming up, immunity certificates, real-time tracking, and temperature scanning helmets? The shocking way one futurist describes life after COVID. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: One of the questions that a lot of you are asking right now is, are we ever going to be able to go back to normal again? We hear the new normal, you know how much I hate that phrase, right? Well, when it comes to some areas of life, particularly moving freely about society, the answers are, unfortunately, largely up in the air, literally. Right now many airlines are already instituting mandatory temperature checks and leaving middle seat empty on flights.

As for what could come next, there are proposals for immunity passports that will be required for commercial flights or even to go to work. And speaking of which, what will be required for many of you to return to your physical office? Joining me now is Dr. James Canton, renowned global futurist, social scientist, CEO, and chairman of the Institute for Global Futures. Doctor, thanks for joining us.

DR. JAMES CANTON, CEO INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL FUTURES: Thanks for inviting me.

INGRAHAM: Now, you study this stuff for a living, which is pretty cool, and you say that personal -- I guess you call it biosecurity -- will be the new norm. What does that mean for our everyday lives?

CANTON: Well, we are going to need to rebuild trust in the community. Who is safe? What does that mean? If I want to go to a concert, I want to play golf, I'm going to go to college, how do I know where I am going is going to be safe? Well, that will lead to a whole new era of apps on your phone, wearables, and other kinds of, let's say, digital passports that will communicate "unhealthy." It may be that there's a color code, or it may be a sound, but we are going to use this digital technology to empower individuals to know where they go and to know what their health status is, and to be able to share that with others.

INGRAHAM: There is one issue, this issue of immunity passports, Dr. Anthony Fauci actually, Dr. Canton, addressed this last month. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you imagine a time where Americans carry certificates of immunity?

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: That's possible. This is something that's being discussed. I think it might actually have some merit under certain circumstances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Dr. Canton, what would this actually entail? Because there are all sorts of diseases out there, and we have innate immunity, we have adaptive immunity in our bodies. How many scans, how many tests, to make everyone feel like they are never going to die, how would it work?

(LAUGHTER)

CANTON: Well, you are asking the right questions, and of course nobody knows for sure, but I'm forecasting that there will be a digital technology that will be part of your wearable on your watch or on your phone. There will be -- you will upload a test that you got recently up to the cloud, it will verify you, protect your identity. And then you will have a color code. It will be green for "I'm clear," "I'm safe," "I've been tested," yellow for we're not exactly sure, there is a question mark, and of course red, there is a problem, so full stop.

This is the trade-off between privacy on one side, and of course security on the other. So this era of biosecurity in a new risk landscape will redefine how we congregate, how we come together, how we work, how we play, and how we live.

INGRAHAM: I wonder if we are going to do this at the border, when people cross into our country, because we don't do much screening at all on the border. I know that because I've been down there.

Dr. Canton, we are also hearing that police in Italy, China, and I guess in Dubai, are using these things called smart helmets to scan your temperature when you walk by at the airport, and then "Business Insider" is reporting that the helmets can also scan what you describe, the QR code for personal data, recognize license plates, spot people in the dark, or recognize people using facial recognition technology.

So could we see something like this here, when we have a constitution and government can't the privacy of our liberties without narrowly tailored solutions?

CANTON: I believe we will. We'll see it at the borders. We'll see it at airports. In fact, you might challenge our authorities, whether it's DHS, or -- this whole notion of bio-surveillance, many of those technologies exist today, the ability to be able to, whether it's to determine whether you are infected from remote wireless or from taking a video scan of your face, or even temperature. So this tension between in a democracy, which of course is very different from China and Dubai and other places, where they don't have the same liberties --

INGRAHAM: Right. Yes.

CANTON: That tension is going to redefine us as Americans, quite frankly, and we are going to have to come to some settlement on what is permissible and what is not.

INGRAHAM: Yes.

CANTON: And it's going to be tough slog.

INGRAHAM: Dr. Canton, thanks so much for coming on tonight. Great to see you.

CANTON: Nice to see you. Thanks very much.

INGRAHAM: My final thoughts when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: So Memorial Day weekend is now upon us, and I hope you are able to spend some time with family and friends, and yes, do it safely, but think about all those who sacrificed so we have these freedoms that can very easily be taken away from us if we don't remain vigilant.

Thanks for watching this special edition of "The Ingraham Angle." Mike Emanuel is in for bream. He and the "FOX News at Night" team take it all from here.

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