GOP donor invites Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to a dinner celebrating free-market success stories
Foster Friess says he would like New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to see the many success stories of those who came from poverty.
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," April 5, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
CHARLES PAYNE, HOST: After the talking, the walking, we are live Calexico, California, where President Trump is about to visit a portion of the border wall that stands 30-feet-tall after this meeting with border officials.
Welcome, everyone. I'm Charles Payne, in for Neil Cavuto, and this is "Your World."
Now to the guy who will lead the Department of Homeland Security's emergency response at the border, Manuel Padilla.
Sir, thank you for joining us.
First, I want to know, what's the first thing that you would like to see happen to stop the surge of illegal immigrants at our southern border?
MANUEL PADILLA, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIAL: Well, thank you for having me.
This situation is comprised of three main parts. First, you have the emergency at the border, the crisis that we're seeing. And that includes two parts as well. One is a humanitarian crisis that we're seeing, as well as a border security crisis.
Then you have this immediate response that the Secretary Nielsen stood up, taking some bold access to address the current emergency on the border. That's where I come in. I -- we stood up the interagency border emergency coordination cell.
And what that means really is bringing capabilities from across the spectrum of U.S. government agencies, and bringing them to bear on the border to be able to stabilize and secure the border to the extent that we can with this surge.
And then, ultimately, the longer-term solution is Congress.
PAYNE: Right.
PADILLA: Congress has to act.
Yes, we have to look at the immigration laws that we have, the legal framework, and actually change them to meet today's needs.
PAYNE: Let's talk about the second part here a little bit, the core of your function.
How are you going to be able to achieve that? We keep reading about how stretched all these agencies are, how manpower is being pulled from one area to another. That has its own consequences with backed-up commerce and traffic.
So give us more of an idea of this challenge, because I'm not sure Americans understand what you're up against.
PADILLA: Yes, and I want to spend a little bit of time on the challenge itself.
The challenge is not just a DHS problem. It's problematic for Mexico. It's problematic for the border security mission, because you're absolutely right. The resources that we have are spread so thin. And there -- there's an inherent degradation to the border security mission just because of the resources that we have are not limitless.
So that's kind of the situation that we're facing. Mexico has problems with it. Now they're doing a way better job in addressing this migrant flow to the United States. And so what we have on the border is, we want to make sure that we return to the border security mission, because that is closely related to national security, as you well know.
So my role is really working with the very hardworking team that exists already, leveraging FEMA's capabilities and expertise in dealing with emergencies and crisis, and then grabbing or using authorities and capabilities from the interagencies.
PAYNE: Right.
Well, Manuel, talk to us about the impact of President Trump actually visiting the southern border to -- I think to also magnify, to illuminate just how urgent this issue is.
PADILLA: Well, I can tell you, it's urgent. I have been doing this for 32 years. I have never seen a situation that we're facing right now.
The population that we're facing, the majority of them being family units and unaccompanied children, really drains the border security resources. And make no mistake, Charles, this population, which is a vulnerable population, it's creating, generating millions and millions, billions of dollars for organized crime that are exploiting the immigration loopholes that we currently have on the books.
So...
PAYNE: Manuel, let me ask you, what are you guys doing with these families, with these children in particular?
PADILLA: Well, we encounter these people, we process them, and we have to turn them over to our sister agency of ICE or Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The problem is, the numbers are so high, that the system is at a breaking point. We process -- or Border Patrol, CBP, processes. And the capability, the capacity of the other agencies is strained to the limit and it creates a backlog for Customs and Border Protection and requires a lot of resources that come from border security to address it.
PAYNE: Right.
These images that we have seen here in the last few days of people being actually released, I guess, to make room, this sort of revolving door situation can't help, can it?
PADILLA: Absolutely not.
Whenever you are catching and releasing, as we call it, it creates a...
PAYNE: Hold on one second, Manuel...
PADILLA: Yes, sir.
PAYNE: ... Manuel, because President Trump is speaking. Let's take a listen first.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT: And what will work, really work is the closing of the border. We hope we don't have to do that. But I will do it, because, ultimately, the security of our nation is the most important thing.
And we're not even talking about the drugs, the massive amount of drugs that pours through. And it would have a tremendous impact. And we're going to be working on that. And we have been working on that.
We have done a tremendous job on drugs coming into the country, if you look at some of the numbers. We're having a news conference next week at the White House on the impact that we have had between opioid and all of the other problems we have with drugs, different drugs than we had 10, 15, 20 years ago, much different, but also the drugs coming in through the border.
We have had a great impact.
Joseph, would you like to say a few words? Looks like he's in good shape, this guy.
(LAUGHTER)
PAYNE: All right, let's go to -- we're going to go to Kristin Fisher here, who's traveling with President Trump in Calexico. And she joins us now with more -- Kristin.
KRISTIN FISHER, CORRESPONDENT: Well, Charles -- Charles, President Trump's message to migrants who might be trying to cross the border here in Calexico is, turn around, the system is full, this border sector is full, we cannot take you.
That was what President Trump just said moments ago in this ongoing roundtable discussion with Border Patrol agents and immigration officials here in Calexico. After that is finished, he's going to be coming here to this brand-new section of the border wall.
It's actually replacing an old border wall that was built in the 1990s. It was -- the plans for replacement were put in place during the Obama administration, but it took President Trump assuming office to finally fund it. And so that's why the White House is calling this the first completed section of his border wall.
It's about two miles' long. In this roundtable discussion, President Trump just said that, over the next two years, he hopes to build 400 new miles of wall. But there are a lot of legal challenges that he is going to have to confront first.
Now, I want to give you guys just a little bit of a sense of why this wall is so necessary right here in Calexico. For starters, Border Patrol agents say that it's necessary to keep their agent safe from rocks and blocks of concrete that are being thrown at them over the shorter older section of the wall, which, as I said, it's just about two miles away. And the latest incident of that happened just two days ago.
And then, second, they say it's needed to try to stem this surge of migrants. From 2017 to 2018, this sector has seen a 97 percent increase in apprehensions of family units. And President Trump just noted another statistic. He said that, from January in February of this year, compared to January and February of last year, there's been a 400 percent increase in family apprehensions here in Calexico, so some huge numbers.
Now, in this local border town community, there's been a great deal of concern that President Trump might use this trip to announce that he was shutting down the border. We now know that President Trump is not going to do that, at least for now, because he says that Mexico has really stepped up its border apprehensions over the last few days.
In fact, Charles, at this roundtable, he actually thanked Mexico for doing its part. We still don't have the exact hard numbers of -- as in terms of exactly how many migrants and family units that Mexico has turned around, but President Trump, at least publicly, seeming very happy, very positive with what -- with what Mexico is doing.
And he's now giving them one year to continue doing this or do even more, or else he says he's going to slap tariffs on auto imports. And then, if that doesn't work, then he would close down the border
But that would just have a devastating economic toll on this border community and really all over the U.S., Charles.
PAYNE: Right. Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. Good thing that Mexico is stepping up to the plate so far.
Kristin, thank you very much.
Now this, former Vice President Joe Biden today making a joke about hugging after several women accused him of unwanted affection.
David Spunt is in Washington with the very latest -- David.
DAVID SPUNT, CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Charles. Good afternoon. Today was Biden's first public appearance since these women came to light accusing him of inappropriate touching. He wasted no time addressing it in front of a large crowd today in Washington.
The moment he took the stage, Biden greeted the president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers with a hug.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: I just want you to know, I had permission to hug Lonnie.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I don't want you to have to stand all along, but it's up -- by the way, he gave me permission to touch him.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SPUNT: That was Biden greeting some of the children who were in the audience. He invited them on stage.
The former vice president was in friendly territory today. He's been speaking in front of unions for decades. He spent the majority of the speech talking about where he'd like to see America in the future.
Now, after the speech, Biden was asked about possibly more women coming forward. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I wouldn't be surprised, but I have had hundreds and hundreds of people contact me and -- who I don't know and say the exact opposite.
Look, it is -- it is important that I and everyone else is aware that any woman or man who feels uncomfortable should have the right to just say, hey, I was uncomfortable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SPUNT: When asked to feel apologize directly to the women who have come forward:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I'm sorry I didn't understand more. I'm not sorry for any of my intentions. I'm not sorry for anything that I have ever done. I have never been disrespectful, intentionally, to a man or a woman.
I -- you know, that's not the reputation I have had since I was in high school, for God's sakes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SPUNT: so will he run for president of the United States? He said he plans to make a decision soon.
He took his time on that, looking like he wanted to say something about a campaign, but wouldn't elaborate as he walked away -- Charles.
PAYNE: All right, thank you very much.
We're going to have much more on this coming up.
But, first, the president set to take his first look at something the southern border has never seen before, a 30-foot wall. As soon as we see the president, we will take you to the wall immediately.
And here's something else that's going on. The number of -- going up rather -- the number of jobs the economy is adding. But is this a trend that's going to keep going?
Susan.
SUSAN LI, CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Charles, 196,000 jobs added in the March month, continuing the longest run in the history of job gains for the U.S. economy, a big relief after a dismal February.
But the president says we could be doing even better. How? I will explain after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: Stocks gaining, as jobs bounce back in March, this as President Trump delivers a message to the Fed.
FOX Business Network's Susan Li keeping track of it all -- Susan.
LI: So, March payrolls hit almost a perfect pitch for Wall Street. Why, you ask?
Well, we saw job growth of 196,000. That's more than anticipated, but, more importantly, it alleviates recession concerns, after a dismal February that saw only 33,000 jobs created. So, on balance, the U.S. added an average of 180,000 jobs in the first three months of the year.
Yes, that's down from last year's monthly average. But it's actually in line with 2017. Wages continue to rise above 3 percent, which makes Americans feel richer, also encourages more spending, especially with wages going up faster than inflation. And that's important for people earning lower incomes, because they can afford more.
So the jobless rates holding near those 49-year lows with close to historically low unemployment rates for African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics. Now, the question is, which sectors were hiring in the month?
Well, we saw a big month for health care and the need for hospital workers and ambulance drivers. Professional jobs as well, like engineers and accountants, tech jobs went up as well. So did food and beverage and construction.
Manufacturing, though, saw job losses of 6,000, but this is after a blistering 2018, which was the best year for manufacturing jobs in over two decades.
But despite the strong month in hiring, President Trump is not satisfied, arguing that the economy would do even better with lower interest rates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I personally think the Fed should drop rates. I think they really slowed us down. There's no inflation, and they should get rid of quantitative tightening. You would see a rocket ship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LI: A rocket ship.
Well, President Trump has not been shy about his disapproval of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and his push up in interest rates, yesterday confirming that he's nominating former presidential candidates and pizza chain owner Herman Cain for the Federal Reserve Board, along with Fed critic Stephen Moore.
And both have said that they believe in lower interest rates, which would be better for the U.S. economy -- Charles.
PAYNE: All right, Susan, a rocket ship, I like that. Thank you very much.
Well, the president pushing for rate cuts going forward, could this be a sign that he's worried about what's ahead?
Former Dallas Fed adviser Danielle DiMartino Booth and market watcher Alan Knuckman join me now.
Danielle, what do you think? Because, in one breath, the administration touting how great the economy is doing, in another, they want even more.
DANIELLE DIMARTINO BOOTH, FORMER FEDERAL RESERVE ADVISER: Yes.
You know, the president went so far this morning, Charles, as to say that we needed quantitative easing. Charles, that's one step beyond quantitative tightening ending and one step beyond the Federal Reserve taking interest rates back down to the zero-bound.
Something tells me that somebody in the administration is looking at the entrails of today's jobs report and what they're seeing is really starting to frighten them, because the bulk of the jobs that are being created are either part-time or in industries that are very low-paying.
If you look back to last June to today, we have seen a 43 percent decline in high-paying jobs. And somebody in the administration has got to be taking fright of this, because consumption is what makes our economy go round.
PAYNE: Although, Alan, and that's the traditional way of looking at it. But I feel like there's something different afoot here by both political parties, in the sense that they're looking at the Federal Reserve's ability to print trillions of dollars out of thin air.
ALAN KNUCKMAN, BULLS EYE OPTION: Right.
PAYNE: So maybe they're just saying, why would you do it just to save the banks, when you can do it to help the economy, particularly this Fed, which slowed the economy data last year for no reason?
KNUCKMAN: Well, everybody likes a rocket ship. And we have had a rocket ship from 2009. It has been 10 straight years of this trend. And it's not changing anytime soon.
We're this close to making new all-time highs once again. And a full V recovery that's happened every time in history, until it doesn't, would take the distance of that sell-off, add it on to that old high. We'd be looking at about 3400 in the S&P, which is about 17 percent higher.
I don't view this as anything negative. I view it as someone just talking the book. They want the best performance out of the stock market they possibly can get. Now, it's intellectually dishonest, though. These are the same people who were looking for interest rate hikes in 2015.
So you got to understand what they say and what they do or two different things. It was a bit surprising for the markets, but next week is a big week. We get earnings. And I think, next week, we're probably going to push through and make those new all-time highs once again.
PAYNE: Danielle, I did look. For me, I have been watching these wage gains, now, overall, six months in a row over 3 percent year over year. That's a monumental move.
But for what they call nonsupervisory blue-collar workers, it's been eight months in a row. I think the good news is that the Fed is not going to stop that . Finally middle America getting a raise, that says something.
DIMARTINO BOOTH: It does, Charles.
And the -- again, the bulk of the jobs that we saw created in March were in eating, drinking and getting sick sectors. These are indeed blue-collar type of positions. And we have seen the fastest wage gains in that in that segment.
And that's why we have seen confidence particularly among this cohort of Americans increase at a much faster pace than that for people who make a little bit more money and/or are in a professional sector.
But, again, 40 percent of spending in this country is attributable to the top 20 percent of earners. Sixty percent is attributable to the top 40 percent of earners. We can have the wage gains that you're seeing in the lower-earning segments, Charles, but we have to have everybody spending, including those who make the most.
PAYNE: Well, the richer are probably just holding on to the money just in case the Democrats win in 2020.
(LAUGHTER)
PAYNE: Hey, Alan, before I let you go -- before I let you go, though, this market again had a fantastic session. It wasn't through the roof.
KNUCKMAN: Right.
PAYNE: But almost every sector was up. Out of the S&P 500, about 460 of these names are up for the year. What do you make of how widespread this rally has been?
KNUCKMAN: It's got some strong breadth. It's very, very positive.
And I think the opportunity still exists in the energy sector. Hasn't quite played ball again. I think that's going to be the catalyst to kick this market into high gear one more time.
PAYNE: Right.
KNUCKMAN: If you look at crude oil, it finally got above the halfway point of its sell-off, finally happened, whereas that happened in the stock market back in January.
So, if you look, there's been a little bit of a lag. That's going to be the next catalyst to the upside. And let's talk about the Fed remaining independent. That's why we're here, standing here in a nice stable ground, because they have done their job for the past 10 years.
PAYNE: All right, hey, both parties want to -- both parties want to take over the Fed.
(CROSSTALK)
KNUCKMAN: Independence.
PAYNE: Thank you both very much.
Well, meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden may have made a lot of jokes today, but 2020 Democrats, for them, did he just show why his likely candidacy is no laughing matter?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I just want you to know, I had permission to hug Lonnie.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I don't know, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I just want you to know, I had permission to hug Lonnie.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BIDEN: I don't know, man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAYNE: President Biden, that's the first we have seen him since these allegations have surfaced. And he decided to hit it head on with humor.
I'm sorry. Former Vice President Biden decides to hit it with humor. Many are wondering if that was the right decision.
I want to ask The Federalist's Emily Jashinsky, 2020 Advisory Board member Madison Gesiotto, and progressive commentator David Burstein.
David, I didn't mean to elevate your guy to president just yet.
Emily, let me start with you.
Some people were kind of taken back. He had a couple of jokes out there about hugging and things like that.
You think this is the right way for him to approach this?
EMILY JASHINSKY, THE FEDERALIST: Yes, I think there's a big difference between the way his joke was approached in the room and the way his joke was met on Twitter.
And I saw a couple pieces on CNN and The Washington Post saying he failed this first test, his first post-controversy test. This was one of his first appearances -- this was his first appearance since the video came out, his apology video came out yesterday.
Actually, I think the people that Joe Biden is trying to appeal to aren't so offended by the fact that he's making light of this. He has said his piece. He has said he sorry if anybody feels uncomfortable. He has not yet apologized for what his intention -- for what he actually did.
He said his intentions were always pure, he never had mal-intentions.
PAYNE: Right.
JASHINSKY: So, I don't think that people that Joe Biden wants votes from are going to be upset by him making light of it. In fact, I actually think he's been doing all this stuff in public for years. It's the -- it's the same thing, right?
He's never had any bad intentions. He's going to make light of it. He has said his piece. I don't think it's going to hurt him necessarily with the people whose votes he's courting.
PAYNE: It was interesting, though, Madison, that he took back the apologies, right? He kind of drew a line in the sand with respect to apologizing, saying that he doesn't apologize for his intent back then.
And you got to wonder if someone got in his ear and said, OK, enough of the apology tour.
MADISON GESIOTTO, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Yes, I mean, to be quite honest, Charles, I'm pretty appalled by how he's reacting to this.
You see him come forward in the video saying that he's going to take this seriously. Then he continues to make jokes about it. And making jokes about consent or people feeling uncomfortable, I don't think is very funny. And I don't think many other people would think that's funny either.
So by him coming forward, being interviewed today, saying, I'm not sorry for anything I have ever done, I think that's a very bold statement, which I don't think people are going to be happy about.
And then when it comes to people coming forward, saying, Joe Biden, you have made me very uncomfortable, you have touched me in ways that I didn't feel comfortable with, and he's saying that he's not sorry for that, even if that wasn't his intention, he should be sorry, if that's the way he made people feel. I don't think it's appropriate, his response.
PAYNE: David, when he seemed to struggle with more than this issue was whether or not he was a liberal or a progressive or what a liberal and progressive means.
He really stumbled pretty hard there. He's trying to draw -- again, he's trying to say, I'm distinctive. I'm not -- I'm not the new crop of Democrats. And, at the same time, though, I would like to get that energy.
Where does -- does that work for progressives in your party?
DAVID BURSTEIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, look, I think, frankly, that is the bigger issue for Joe Biden than this question about these things. He hasn't really been credibly accused of anything very serious here.
So I would say that, yes, that is still the bigger issue, because while he is by many standards a progressive, the Democratic Party since he has been out of office -- and keep in mind now he's been -- in political time, he's been out of office quite a long time.
He has really, I think -- the party has moved in a different direction. He hasn't had to take a stand on a lot of these issues. He's developed his views outside of the -- sort of the fire of the Democratic Party.
And I think it's questionable whether or not his definition of progressive is the same definition that people in the rest of the party have of progressive.
(CROSSTALK)
PAYNE: Yes, he tried to merge them today, Emily. Again, it was very clumsy. It was ham-handed.
But speaking of apologies , he did spend all of last week apologizing for being an older white guy and going -- and going against the zeitgeist of the new Democratic Party.
JASHINSKY: Yes, he absolutely did.
And I think what we're seeing is a Joe Biden who doesn't know whether he should go sort of full throttle in this unapologetic, anti-woke, progressive lane, or if he should try to do both, that he should try to balance it out, if he should try to apologize.
For instance, a lot of progressives, a lot of the people who he's going to need to be talking to...
(CROSSTALK)
PAYNE: Let me interrupt one second, please, because President Trump's taking questions now.
Let's take a listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
TRUMP: ... where rough, tough people with criminal records are asking for asylum.
It doesn't work that way. So, we have a full system. Nothing we can do. Thank you very much, everybody. Let's go.
(APPLAUSE)
PAYNE: Let's pick up there.
And, if we can, I just -- again, President Trump is at the border. He is going to look at a stretch of wall 30-feet-high, and also, of course, helped to magnify the issue there.
I just want to kind of shift gears for a moment, Emily.
President Trump going down to the southern border to really highlight the issue, because, of course, the press, I don't think, will ever truly ever articulate it or show it in the way that it is.
Do you think this is a good idea?
JASHINSKY: Yes, absolutely.
I think the more -- the more he can bring cameras and he can -- the more he can bring exposure to what is actually happening at the border, which is dramatically different from the mainstream media's narrative for the past at least five years, the more his message will pack a punch, will be a powerful.
We have done a lot of really good reporting on this at The Federalist. When we talk about whether there's a crisis at the border, there is a crisis at the border. All you need to do is go there and see for yourself.
PAYNE: Right.
JASHINSKY: And I think the president actually bringing some cameras, getting the attention of the press down there will only help him.
PAYNE: Madison, no one now is disputing that it's a crisis, particularly with the surge in numbers and, more specifically, families and children.
You know, will this or could this be a moment perhaps to spur authentic movement on Capitol Hill on this issue?
GESIOTTO: I sure hope so.
I mean, I go across this country, people are so happy with the president's commitment to this issue, the president's commitment to the safety and security of the American people, something that they felt Congress should have been committed to for many decades, and they simply weren't.
And so I hope, moving forward, that Congress can come together and stand behind the president on this, because it is such an important issue. As Emily talks about, all you need to do is go to the border or look at the statistics regarding drugs and everything else that's coming across the border.
PAYNE: Right.
GESIOTTO: It's not just about the people. It's about what comes across the border, how it affects states across this country.
People are losing lives. We need to continue to keep the focus on this and, of course, in the appropriate way when it comes to reporting.
PAYNE: All right, we have got to leave it there. Thank you all very, very much. Appreciate it.
GESIOTTO: Thanks, Charles.
PAYNE: Now, you have heard a lot about the Democrats who voted against the release of the Starr report then, but are pushing for the release of the report now.
Does Ken Starr see any hypocrisy? We're going to ask him. He's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: President Trump just wrapping up a roundtable on border security. Now he's heading off to see a 30-foot border wall in Calexico, California, something he just said that will be in the headlines tomorrow -- after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: System is full. Can't take anymore. Sorry, folks. Can't take anymore.
Asylum -- I look at some of these asylum people, they're gang members. They're not afraid of anything. They have lawyers greeting them. They read what the lawyer tells them to read and they're gang members. And they say, I fear for my life. I -- they're the ones that are causing fear for life. It's a scam. OK? It's a scam. It's a hoax.
I know about hoaxes. I just went through a hoax.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAYNE: President Trump moments ago on the crisis at the border ahead of touring new parts of the border wall.
Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer with me now.
Ari, how do you think President Trump is handling this situation? We know it's a crisis. Everyone admits it, even Jeh Johnson from the Obama administration. So he's in a difficult position.
ARI FLEISCHER, CONTRIBUTOR: Largely, quite well.
Look, border security is absolutely the first step in having immigration reform in this country. We just can't have a system where we have people pouring into take advantage of our country, and then we catch up, and we have DACA. Then we're going to have DACA 2.0, 3.0, DACA for these kids who came on the border -- across the border today?
So you have to have a regular, orderly entrance into the United States if you want to have immigration reform. That must be the first step. And the president has fought for his wall. And I think the wall is an effective piece of border security.
PAYNE: We just heard him talking about the asylum system, where gang members have lawyers waiting for them. Everyone knows how to game the system here.
And a lot of folks are saying, and that's the ultimate problem, because, whatever -- the word is out, and that's why we have such a large influx. How do we change that?
FLEISCHER: Well, you change it by not allowing people to get across a porous border. That's number one. You make people have to wait in Mexico, they can't get into the United States. So, therefore, they come in less numbers, because they realize they can't get away with it.
The other thing, Charles, I do want to add -- and I think this is important -- I wish the president would add one element to his strong language. And that is how much we welcome legal immigrants.
I don't think you can say that enough. I think it would help round out some of the president's harder, rougher edges. But it's an important statement about who we are as a country and what the future of our country, is we rely on immigrants. Immigrants replenish us. They're important for our values.
Illegal immigrants don't.
PAYNE: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
FLEISCHER: So, you have to make that distinction.
PAYNE: To your point, Ari, he did mention it in the State of the Union address and other areas.
FLEISCHER: Yes.
PAYNE: But I get where you're coming from. I think Americans would be shocked at the number of legal immigrants we had last year, one of the highest totals in a decade. But that will never be reported. And it's always conflated.
So, it's unfortunate, but maybe you're right. He should speak of that more.
But what about Congress? Where do they come in? How much more pressure should President Trump be putting on Congress, who ultimately has to find a way to help him come up with a solution?
FLEISCHER: It's been a couple decades-long failure in Congress, hasn't it been? Nobody will compromise.
But we all know what the easy compromise is here. Democrats have to support border security. Republicans have to support immigration. That is -- and Republicans have to allow DACA to take place.
If you do that, you have got the ingredients for comprehensive immigration reform. I think Republicans are right, though. It does start with border security. Without that, there is no meaningful reform, because we have a broken system.
PAYNE: Yes.
FLEISCHER: Once you have border security, we owe it to the communities that have been here. Don't make people live in the shadows. Figure out a way to help people who have been contributing to America for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years.
Good people helping our country, they want to be Americans.
PAYNE: Absolutely.
FLEISCHER: Let's figure that out.
But let's also stop people from coming in here illegally.
PAYNE: Well, every country has a right to be in control of its own borders, immigration. But you're right. Once we figure that out, I think we will all be better off.
Ari, thank you very much. Always great talking to you.
FLEISCHER: Thanks, Charles.
PAYNE: Charged with hypocrisy. These Democrats pushing for the full Mueller report on Trump now, well, they were against the release of the Starr report on Clinton then.
But what does Ken Starr say? You're about to find out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: There's a renewed push by Democrats to get Attorney General William Barr to deliver the full, unredacted Mueller report to Congress before going on recess in a week.
Catherine Herridge with the latest -- Catherine.
CATHERINE HERRIDGE, CHIEF INTELLIGENCE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Charles.
There is significant time pressure, because, at the end of next week, both the House and Senate go on recess. Sources tell FOX News Justice Department officials hope to complete their work in coming days, meeting the attorney general's goal of mid-April to deliver the report.
Also, next week, the attorney general is scheduled to testify in open session, but that's about budget priorities for the department.
Late last night, a senior Senate Democrat leveled new allegations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RON WYDEN, D-ORE.: Every day that goes by without the American people getting the actual report, the details that you talked about, is indicative of a cover-up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HERRIDGE: But, under the law, grand jury material cannot be shared publicly.
And in a rare public statement yesterday, the Justice Department pushed back against the criticism, underscoring the legal constraints -- quote -- "Every page of the confidential report provided to Attorney General Barr on March 22, 2019, was marked, may contain material protected under a law that protects confidential grand jury information and therefore could not be publicly released."
And House Republicans say, if Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler wants transparency, then he should release the surveillance warrant for a Trump campaign aide. That application relied on DNC- and Clinton campaign- funded opposition research from Glenn Simpson's Fusion GPS and the research of former British spy Christopher Steele.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM JORDAN, R-OH: If we want the truth, if Jerry Nadler wants the truth, then let's -- let's release the FISA application. Let's get the 302.
If Jerry Nadler wants the truth, call in Glenn Simpson. Bring him in an open hearing. Put him under oath. See if he takes the Fifth, like he did in front of our committee in a closed-door deposition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HERRIDGE: And now 17 Democrats who voted against the release of the Starr report are calling for the release of the Mueller report, Charles.
PAYNE: Catherine, thank you very much.
HERRIDGE: You're welcome.
PAYNE: Let's get the read on all of this from former Whitewater special prosecutor Ken Starr, who joins me now.
Ken, you're in a unique position, because you know how this all works.
(LAUGHTER)
PAYNE: But, before we get to some of the things Catherine just talked about, just the general idea that the same people that didn't want your report fully revealed to the world are now pushing for the exact opposite outcome with the Mueller report, your thoughts on that?
KENNETH STARR, FORMER SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: Well, welcome to Washington, Charles. Aren't you glad that you're based in New York?
Listen, they were right then. We urged the Congress of the United States to be very careful, to be judicious with our report, because it was highly sensitive. And obviously it became a subject of great controversy and criticism, and understandably so, because the fall unredacted report was put on the Internet by the vote, fairly substantial majority.
But there were a lot of minority votes saying, no, don't do this. Well, why? Because, among other things, of privacy interests, of things that didn't need to be revealed in order for the American people to understand, did the president commit perjury? Yes. Did he commit obstruction of justice? Yes.
But you don't have to put in unnecessary things. What Bill Barr, very briefly, is doing, as I see it, he's following the law. And he restated that. He wasn't trying to say, here's a summary of the Mueller report. He's doing exactly what the governing regulations, Charles, specifically and expressly require, namely, to inform the Congress, right, not to supply the report.
But he's going to go beyond what the regulations, which have been in effect, Charles, for 20 years. Those regulations haven't been changed. Congress has allowed the Justice Department to return to the good old- fashioned way of doing things, which is, you don't reveal grand jury information, you don't reveal unnecessarily embarrassing information, and you certainly don't reveal national security information.
They were right then.
PAYNE: Ken, Judge Napolitano also said that the circumstances are somewhat different, in the point where, legally, A.G. Barr doesn't have to release the entire unredacted report, whereas the circumstances for you were slightly different.
Is that true in this case, in your opinion?
STARR: Absolutely.
The statute under which I was appointed, which has gone away, required us to send a report, a referral, it was called, to refer to the House of Representatives. And that's what we did, not a redacted report, but give us essentially the entire thing.
That's what we have walked away from. And who did that? Who changed the rules? Well, Congress did by letting the independent counsel statute expire. That was a good thing. And then Attorney General Janet Reno and the Clinton administration promulgated these new regulations, which were much more sensitive to the legal requirements such as grand jury secrecy.
PAYNE: Real quick, because we got less than a minute.
When you hear politicians, in this case the Dems, calling this a cover-up, the way A.G. Barr's going about this, how inflammatory is it? And how difficult does it make future processes like this?
STARR: Well, I think it's terribly unfair. In fact, I think it's profoundly unfair, not just to Bill Barr, who's an honorable person, but I think it's unfair to the rule of law.
It further erodes the idea that we are all committed to doing things by the book, to doing things in a lawful way. We say we agree with and abide by the rule of law. So let's abide by the rule of law. Allow the attorney general to do his job.
PAYNE: Ken Starr, I will always appreciate your expertise. You have been there. You know better than anyone else. Thank you very much.
STARR: Thank you, Charles.
PAYNE: GOP mega-donor Foster Friess inviting Democratic socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to a dinner celebrating free market success stories. Did she accept his invitation?
Ahead of that event tonight, Foster Friess joins me next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD SCHULTZ, FORMER CEO, STARBUCKS: If a Democrat runs who resembles Bernie Sanders, who says he's a Democratic socialist, Donald Trump is going to get reelected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAYNE: Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz during a Fox News town hall last night saying Democratic socialists don't have a shot at winning against President Trump in 2020.
My next guest has his own bone to pick with socialism, inviting Democratic Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez to an event tonight celebrating free market success stories.
We did reach out to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez for comment. We have not yet heard back.
GOP donor Foster Friess joins me now.
Foster, what was the idea behind this invitation? What was your thought process for this?
FOSTER FRIESS, FOUNDER, FRIESS ASSOCIATES: Well, I think she's such a remarkable young woman.
She's bright. She's someone who's going to be around for a while. And I think it'd be amazing if she could see how so many Americans came from absolute poverty and humbleness and achieved great success. And I think that's the American dream, which, if she saw more of it in action, she would be on a different wavelength in terms of her policies.
So I think it's a way we could help her get exposed to people and ideas that she hasn't really seen too much.
PAYNE: Right.
Have you heard back from her?
FRIESS: We have not.
And if she's listening, we're going to save her a seat, and so, if she comes in the last minute, she will have a place at the table to hear the great presentation tonight.
PAYNE: Did you tweet the invitation to her?
FRIESS: Yes.
PAYNE: Next time, you got to tweet it, Foster. You might get a better -- you will have a much better chance of getting a response. Take my word for it.
FRIESS: OK.
PAYNE: Now, you're talking about what -- these success stories.
The fact of the matter is, is that you're a living example of this. You're a living example of what really is the personification of America, because you're -- you're a rags-to-ultra-riches kind of guy, aren't you?
FRIESS: Well, I truly have been blessed.
My wife and I sit on our Cody ranch deck, and look across the prairie and the mountains and say, I'm a little bit concerned. There could be an accounting error. And so I just -- we can't believe how God has blessed us and living in America.
And we started out with $800 of accumulated leave pay, and it's just stunning. And we're so grateful that gives us the opportunity to encourage those who are on the bottom rung of our economic scale to have scholarships.
I have a lot of friends who provide scholarships to create more plumbers and electricians.
PAYNE: Right.
FRIESS: And so I think that's the way we deal with income inequality, by helping those lower income, rather than penalizing the ones who have worked hard to succeed.
PAYNE: What do you make, though, of the wave of your fellow billionaires who are coming out and saying -- they're kind of dissing capitalism?
This week, we heard from Jamie Dimon, who talked about America's flaws. And, last night, Ray Dalio put out another massive missive suggesting that this form of capitalism could actually lead to revolt in this country.
FRIESS: Well, I think they're still young.
(LAUGHTER)
FRIESS: They will catch up and see the wisdom of -- you cannot have the American dream without creating income inequality. It's just axiomatic.
You want someone to be flipping burgers in a fast-food store say, hey, I can do this. He starts one store. Suddenly, he has 20. And then, suddenly, it goes public and he's -- he's created income inequality.
That's what the American dream is all about. So the challenge is not to tear down those who succeeded,.
PAYNE: Right.
FRIESS: But the challenge is to take those on the bottom and those of us who are wealthy to create the opportunities for that ladder up that we enjoyed from other people.
PAYNE: I love what you just said there, because very few people would say that you need income inequality.
(LAUGHTER)
PAYNE: But what about the ladder to success, though? I think some folks are saying that's what's broken.
FRIESS: I don't see that.
I -- we have tonight 106 young students who have excelled in high school and are getting these $20,000, $25,000 scholarships from Horatio Alger, which have come unbelievable adversity, and now they're president of class, getting straight A's.
And if you meet these 107 students, or 106, you're going to be so excited about what America's future is and how these people will be on a ladder up very quickly.
PAYNE: I got 30 seconds left.
How do you get this message out to a broader audience, Foster?
FRIESS: Well, I think you get to know Charles Payne well, and hope you will invite me back. And we can go into greater depth on it.
(LAUGHTER)
FRIESS: And I think we have to use the social media to let people know, when people throw out these terms, they got to think about it carefully.
Income inequality is what results from the American dream.
PAYNE: Right.
FRIESS: And so the way we deal with it is by helping those on the poorer rung.
PAYNE: So, you are the personification of it.
Good luck with your event tonight. And I hope the congresswoman shows up.
Folks, more on President Trump's visit to the border next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAYNE: The president just arrived at the border wall.
Border Patrol Union chief, Brandon Judd, who is with the president, will be joining "Cavuto Live." That's 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.
The market was up 40 points today. It was another fantastic week.
And "The Five" starts right now.
Content and Programming Copyright 2019 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2019 ASC Services II Media, LLC. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of ASC Services II Media, LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox