DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING "Cost of Freedom Recap" CONTAINS STRONG OPINIONS WHICH ARE NOT A REFLECTION OF THE OPINIONS OF FOX NEWS AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS INVESTMENT ADVICE WHEN MAKING PERSONAL INVESTMENT DECISIONS. IT IS FOX NEWS' POLICY THAT CONTRIBUTORS DISCLOSE POSITIONS THEY HOLD IN STOCKS THEY DISCUSS, THOUGH POSITIONS MAY CHANGE. READERS OF "Cost of Freedom Recap" MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN INVESTMENT DECISIONS.
PRESIDENT OBAMA RIPS TRUMP'S PLAN TO PAY FOR BORDER WALL; SAYS IT WILL HURT US
Andrea Tantaros: I don’t think we can take the president and his word. This is the same president that said that there is no issue with the border, that the border is secure, remember? Jay Carney used to tell us all of the time there were no issues, even though we watched the footage of people flooding over the border every single month is this country. When the president says that we can’t track any kind of payment, well that’s just not true. We’ve seen his IRS track conservative groups very well.
Jonathan Hoenig: I thought the GOP was supposed to be against regulations and against taxes and that’s a lot of what Donald Trump is purposing here. He’s purposing it against trade. Trade is by definition beneficial. Whether it is the deportation force, which is going to cost 20 years and $200 billion or his tariff proposal which is going to increase the cost and everything Americans buy. As Obama talked about, track every single money transfer, not only is it detrimental to the economy but the police force that is going to be required to track yet another area of American businesses is a negative for the economy.
Morgan Ortagus: We need to do something consistent with conservative values and that is not by injecting the federal government into people’s private personal banking records. There is a precedent where the treasury department can stop remittance from going to other countries. The treasury department where I used to work does this with Somalia, for example. Any American citizen or Somali living in the U.S. cannot send remittance to Somalia because they're worried about terrorism finance. There is a precedent here, but you would need the patriot act amended, or issue an executive order, which I’ve been critical of president issuing too many.
Eboni Williams: I think the president has every right to his opinion. I think he's not the only one who thinks Trump’s wall idea is half-baked or wonky, including republicans. Here is the other thing, I agree with Andrea and you that something needs to be done. I think for 70 years we’ve kind of done nothing on this issue. So, I do applaud trump for doing something different, to purpose something.
WOMAN SPARKS DEBATE AFTER CURSING OUT FLORIDA GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT OVER HIS POLICIES
Morgan Ortagus: Constitutionally, she has every right to say what she would like to do, but a couple of things struck me there. First of all, where was the Starbucks management? I think someone should have came over quickly and gotten rid of that woman because not only was she being rude to the governor, she was disturbing the others patrons. Secondly, I thought who in the world raised this woman? It doesn't matter if you disagree with an elected official, if I was her mother or father I would be totally
embarrassed. Somebody needs more home training.
Andrea Tantaros: I think that screaming obscenities at a politician in a Starbucks is probably not the best way to get your point across. She’s sitting in a Starbucks with an expensive cup of coffee, hurling insults at a governor who has taken a ton of heat for taking money from the government. Rick Scott had a tenuous re-election for doing the things the woman said he wasn't doing. When he asked for an extra shot, I don't think that's what he meant.
Eboni Williams: When you run for public office and put yourself out there as a public figure, particularly one that’s beholden to the people, you have to expect maybe not that per se, but you've got to expect people to heckle you and be really dissatisfied with you and your performance. I put my legal lens on and I’m looking for threats, I’m looking for assault and battery, I didn’t see any of that. It was nasty and not very classy, but I think she was within her rights.
Jonathan Hoenig: I think it was pretty uncouth and probably not the best way to get support from her perspective, but I don't think it was as outrageous as giving out a sitting senator's cell phone number as Donald Trump did when he struck out against the political ruling class. There's a way to protest, but I think the methods like that are really disruptive. This isn't the way to have a political debate.
GAP FUELING NEW DISCUSSION AFTER IT PULLS AD CRITICS CALLED 'RACIST'
Eboni Williams: Of course it wasn't racist. Many times when you're in an underrepresented community, which black Americans still are in terms of media, we're very sensitive, many of us, around what that looks like and the message it conveys, the irony here is the mother of the little black girl who happens to be a white woman named Brook Smith, tweeted out that the girl that's resting on her, that’s her sister.
Andrea Tantaros: As someone who used to be involved in a dance troupe, I was the smallest and the youngest member, this is what they do. They would have their arms on my shoulder, on my head; they would throw me around on the stage. When you're the littlest one this is what you do in a dance troupe.
Jonathan Hoenig: Total destruction to business. The left is grasping at straws here. Just to think the worst they can about American business and American culture.
Morgan Ortagus: You know what really matters in the world? There are about 1.2 billion people who don't have daily access to electricity. There are almost 800 million people who don't have access to running water. That's what matters in the world, not a stupid ad.
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