John Rich and Kaya Jones talk feeling of unity before attack
Country music artists open up about Las Vegas tragedy on 'Hannity.'
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," October 2, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And welcome to this live breaking news edition of "Hannity."
Tonight, America is in a state of shock after a madman open fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, killing now 59, injuring 527 others in the most deadly mass shooting in American history. Authorities are now working round-the-clock to assist the victims and determine a motive.
Catherine Herridge, Jonathan Hunt, Claudia Cowan, Trace Gallagher, all on the ground tonight. They have the very latest. Also, Laura Ingraham, Sebastian Gorka, David Clarke, John Rich, Kia Jones, they were on stage just before all this happened and eyewitnesses will all join us, but first here is how it all went down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: My fellow Americans, we are joined together today in sadness, shock and grief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had calls come into the dispatch of multiple shots being fired from the direction of Mandalay Bay towards the Route 91 concert.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone was just like literally laying on top of each other trying to get out of the way. And the shots just kept coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time there was a break we ran. And we ran.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband and I ran out towards her car and there were people hiding underneath my car for cover.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were multiple of people hit, a lot of people shot. The area that we had, paramedics we had set up for the event was completely flooded with people.
TRUMP: May God bless the souls of the lives that are lost. May God give us the grace of healing and may God provide the grieving families with strength to carry-on.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: But first, in the midst of tragedy, the rush to politicize the worst shooting in American history is shameful. Now, the left has no shame and that is tonight's very, very important live opening monologue.
So, in the wake of the worst mass shooting in American history, President Trump, he offered his deepest condolences and he addressed the nation about this tragedy earlier today and here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Last night a gunman opened fire on the large crowd at a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. He brutally murdered more than 50 people and wounded hundreds more. It was an act of pure evil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Now, President Trump also held a moment of silence at the White House for the victims of this Vegas shooting and he plans to go visit the city Wednesday after traveling to Puerto Rico, that is scheduled for tomorrow.
Now while the president is trying to console the nation and offer support to the city of Las Vegas and the country, the media, Democrats, have rushed to politicize this tragedy in an absolutely despicable display.
Let's take a look right there at the side of your screen -- we must warn you the images you are watching, they are heartbreaking, horrifying, lives shatter, dreams destroyed. Now, some of these victims are still in the hospital clinging to life. We still don't have all the facts. You know what, bodies weren't even in the morgue yet. Parents were at hospitals with their kids that are hanging onto life.
None of this mattered to the left in this country. Their impulse to politicize this tragedy as they do other tragedies is beyond the pale. They are using this tragedy, why? To score cheap political points and push a gun-control agenda. Don't believe me? Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, MSNBC: I want to bring the Commissioner Bratton back in. When you hear this, this very relaxed gun laws in the state of Nevada, how do the police protect against this?
COMMISSIONER BILL BRATTON: They don't. In terms of what you have just described is some respects a reflection of a description of insanity, but that's the reality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One more time. The description of insanity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, CNN: Terrorism, violence happens elsewhere. Here it's because of accessibility of a certain weaponry. So, I would be remiss not mentioning it now. I know it's highly political but as a security person, you know, I'm looking at the access issue, I'm looking at these numbers and absolutely shocked and outraged that for some reason we are not allowed to talk about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "GMA"/ABC: This is going to reopen the debate over guns in this country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it is but I think it's really important to make sure we do it accurately.
TOM BROKAW, "TODAY"/NBC: I think it's time for a national dialogue that we can have any common reasons way in which the country can figure out how come we have so many mass shootings in this country?
We can't have that conversation because immediately it become so emotional between the gun owners of America who are protected by the NRA and other people were saying, there ought to be a more reasonable middle ground.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: Now, this isn't bad, and I've looked at some of the tweets, look at the statements coming from Democrats calling again for gun control just within hours after the massacre happened. This is so shameful. Elizabeth Warren, "Thoughts and prayers, they (ph) are NOT enough. Not when moms and dads will bury kids this week and more sons and daughters will grow up without parents."
Nancy Pelosi, she's out there calling on Speaker Paul Ryan to create a select committee to examine gun violence in America. Hillary Clinton, she took things further, going after the NRA. Here's what she tweeted. Quote, "Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside and stand up to the NRA and work together to try and stop all of this from happening again." Beyond disgusting, inappropriate and pathetic.
Now, Clinton weighed in less than nine hours after the shooting and went deep into the gutter of politics she said she doesn't want to play. Here is my question. Do they have any decency? Any thoughts about the families? We don't know the details yet. But this is their initial impulse. Keep watching, the images on the side of your screen tonight. As anyone on the left criticized Hillary or other Democrats for making this point? I don't see it.
Imagine if the president today brought up the Second Amendment. How would the news media in this country have reacted? We don't know the motivation of this lunatic. We know it was premeditated, we know it's evil, I could make a hundred different arguments if it wasn't a gun it would be a car or a bomb or whatever. The only thing the Democrats should be focused on tonight, the country needs to be focused on, the victims that are in the hospital, their families and the investigation, because we don't have facts.But instead, they couldn't even wait a half a day to play politics. Shameful.
And members of the media, they are also going directly after the victims. Liberal CNN Jeff Zeleny suggests that the only person President Trump is -- the only reason he's going to Vegas is because the victims in the audience may have been his supporters. Really? That's pretty twisted and very sick. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Of course Las Vegas is a town that he is connected to and knows well, his name is emblazoned on top of a hotel there as well, he campaigned there a lot. So, this is something that I'm not surprised at all to see him go there visiting early.
Something else I think to keep in mind, a lot of these country music supporters were likely Trump supporters. And this is something that of course is hitting the tapestry of all Americans and they're going to be victims from across the country here.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: And sadly, it gets even worse. A top lawyer for CVS was fired earlier today after writing on Facebook, listen to this, quote, "If they wouldn't do anything when children were murdered, I have no hope that Republicans will ever do the right thing. I'm actually," -- listen to this -- "not even sympathetic [because] country music fans are often Republican gun toters."
Wow! This has nothing to do about which party you support. Those were Americans that were shot, those are Americans fighting for their lives. These tragedies happened under Democratic presidents, too. You don't believe me? Look at the mass shootings where eight or more died under President Bill Clinton, including Columbine High School. And here's all the mass shootings using the same metrics that happened under President Obama, if you are so desperate to play politics. You also have the Washington Navy Yard and Sandy Hook, also the shooting at Fort Hood.
These were all tragedies. The people that carry out these acts are despicable, deranged and evil. You know what? The right didn't do what Bill Clinton did after the Oklahoma City bombing and blame talk radio and fertilizer. And guess what? We didn't blame Barack Obama for tragedies that happen on his watch. My main criticism was him not identifying radical Islamic terrorism when it was so obvious and true.
Exploiting this shooting is pathetic. It's the most pathetic thing that Democrats in the media is doing right now. Yet every single time something like this takes place, they rush to judgment without facts, immediately calling for stricter gun control. The lack of sympathy for the families that the media won't show and the left isn't showing, speaks volumes. And it's not surprising. If you watch TV all weekend, they are doing the exact same thing when it comes to the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.
The island was pounded, a category five, 200 mile-per-hour winds. They had two hurricanes, all the infrastructure, the electrical grid, their water, their power, their cell service all knocked out. Airports, roads almost impassible around the whole country. And instead of focusing on the Trump administration's, their valiant efforts to help those people in need, well, the media ignored all the facts on the ground and they again try to use a natural disaster to, what? Hurt the president. Politicize it. Destroy the president. Politicize it, bring up race, anything else they could. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, "GMA"/ABC: You've also heard a lot of commentary saying that yesterday might have been President Trump's Katrina moment. Here with Hurricane Maria.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "MEET THE PRESS"/NBC: Let's go back to, you know, this comparison with Katrina, whether or not, this is Trump's Katrina, this could actually be worse. Because Katrina was about indifference and incompetence, this is about mean spiritedness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, MSNBC: This makes the response to Hurricane Katrina look -- it makes Katrina look good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, MSNBC: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, MSNBC: Like it was just sweet people trying to do their best and couldn't do it, this looks intentional.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, MSNBC: Yes. And I think with Katrina the idea was sort of indifference or incompetence where here it seems to be, you know, malice.
JAKE TAPPER, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION"/CNN: The White House denies it but there are a lot of critics who say that race or ethnicity might be playing a factor here.
BRIAN STELTER, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES"/CNN: At best the president's tweets are insensitive today. I think at worst Fred, they are a racist dog whistle.
He's clearly watching the mayor of San Juan on CNN and other channels calling for more help, begging for more help in reacting this way. I think it's personally beyond the pale and un-presidential.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HANNITY: CNN's comments beyond the pale. Politicians literally doing nothing to help accept politicize politicizing tragedy. What you just heard couldn't be further from the truth. Again, look at images we are showing you and we got to warn you, these images are disturbing. The federal government is on the ground, had been on the ground helping, supplies were there on the ground and they were prepositioned before the storm hit.
They are not telling you that story. And the Trump administration is working nonstop to help these people that are all in need and need all of our help. After unrelenting attacks from the media, the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, she tried to set the record straight -- not that they want the truth -- earlier today about the recovery efforts, in other words, the truth about what is happening, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The federal government is doing everything within our powers and capabilities to first focus on the life-sustaining and life-saving measures as well as on the rebuilding process. We got over 12,000 federal staff on the ground, 64 hospitals out of 67 are partially or fully operational. Fourteen are now back on the electrical grid. Forty five percent of customers in Puerto Rico have access to drinking water. Eight commercial airports are operational, 65 percent of gas stations are open, all of these things are things that we are continuing to push, continuing to move forward and will be part of that effort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Does that sound like Katrina? Does that sound like racism? The same thing that happened with Hurricane Harvey and Irma, it's happening in Puerto Rico. And the Trump administration also Wednesday of last week, they sent a three star general to the island. You got thousands of troops on the ground, they are now directing the entire hurricane response. Those are the facts, but the media, they won't tell you the truth, they don't care about the truth. It doesn't fit their political narrative. Democrats don't seem to care either. Take a look at the conspiracy theory Senator Bernie Sanders, what he tried to say about President Trump and Puerto Rico. Again, beyond disgusting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "STATE OF THE UNION"/CNN)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, I-VT.: The president's history on race, given the fact that he, a few months ago, told us that there were good people on both sides when neo-Nazis were marching in Charlottesville. Yes. I think we have a right to be suspect that he is treating the people of Puerto Rico in a different way than he has treated the people of Texas or Florida.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: The rush to politicize a tragedy, allowing people like the mayor of San Juan to attack the president without being challenged at all, which, by the way, look at this video. The mayor of San Juan appears to be more interested in doing television interviews than she is in helping people on the ground. There's also this headline from the Washington Examiner, Neighboring mayor praises the president, says that San Juan mayor -- who supported Hillary -- is playing politics and didn't even show up for the FEMA meetings.
So, not only is the San Juan mayor not telling the truth about the president, she is skipping all of these important meetings. And for the record, the governor of Puerto Rico is also saying the Trump administration has been doing a phenomenal job in their response.
Why do the liberal mainstream media lie to you all week? Why don't they want to tell the truth to the American people, why did they lie? Why are they advancing an agenda? They should make you wonder, are they really interested in helping people or would they rather just play politics when so many people are suffering, need our support, our help, our prayers?
Joining us now, America first action spokesman senior advisor, former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke and the Make America Great Again coalition strategist, former deputy assistant to the President, Sebastian Gorka.
Gentlemen, let me start with you, Dr. Gorka, what is your response to this impulse to politicize?
SEBASTIAN GORKA, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: That was a mass full monologue Sean but I would just like to make one correction. You said that individuals are playing politics. It's worse than that. People like Bernie Sanders, people like Hillary Clinton are actually trying to profit politically from atrocity, from tragedy. The bodies are still warm and people are exploiting this for their own partisan gain.
It is worse than disgusting, it is the swamp at its very, very worst and it's fundamentally un-American, Sean. We need to come together. This is when people in Nevada are being asked to donate their blood now. It's not about politics, it's about helping our fellow Americans.
HANNITY: Yes.
GORKA: And some politicians don't get that, it's reprehensible.
HANNITY: The blood is red, Dr. Gorka. The blood is red. I don't care about your politics. You know what? Look at these pictures, Sheriff Clarke. You've got a field, everybody scattered and the only people left have blood all over their bodies. You know, look at people racing, running, you see images of people literally getting people out that are injured. You can see an image of a woman pushing a man in a wheelchair.
You see a group of young people where -- there's the wheelchair picture of young man trying to protect their girlfriends or parents trying to protect their young children. You see all of this in the midst of the worst -- and I remember this on 9/11, Sheriff, in the midst of the worst moment. You've got the police, that's right. The ones that are so criticized so often by the left in this country.
They were running upstairs while everybody was running downstairs. Listen to this police scanner video, Sheriff. And how they went up to the 32nd floor, knowing there is a guy up there firing a machine gun, not knowing if they would be the next victim, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On suspect's door, I need everybody in the hallway to be aware of it and get back. We need to see if we get any type of response from this guy. See if he's in here or if he's actually moved somewhere else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Copy all units on the 32nd floor, SWAT has explosive breach, everyone in the hallway needs to move back. All units move back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breach, breach, breach.
(LOUD EXPLOSION NOISE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Sheriff, I hear that and I'm like every one of those guys could have died! And we don't even get cops in this country the right that they are innocent until proven guilty. You know, we rush to judgment in Ferguson, we rushed to judgment in Florida, Trayvon Martin, we rushed to judgment in Ferguson and the Cambridge police act stupidly.
Sheriff, your response, those kinds are heroes, the people that were helping other people are heroes in the midst of the worst mass now shooting in American history and it is all politicized.
DAVID CLARKE, FORMER MILWAUKEE COUNTY, WISCONSIN SHERIFF: Without a doubt. Look, those are gut wrenching photos and that audio is just very chilling, unbelievable carnage that happened in Las Vegas last night. But you know, when you talk about the left and their automatic default is to go to gun control. Instead of pulling out a Kleenex and maybe wiping a tear from their eyes over the grieving people in this moment, they pull out their political scorecard and they try to score, as you said, some cheap political points.
Now look, that's an automatic default, like I said. But the fact that they break into a happy dance over something like this because there is a chance to politicize this thing really shows their true nature. I thought the President did a very good job this morning consoling this nation. He used the right tone, he chose just the right words to help this nation through a period of time such as this. But the worst thing that we can do, and this is what the left and Democrats don the worst thing you can do without having all the information and when everybody is still in the state of shock, is to overreact and to come up with some idea that might make the situation worse but again when you were a politician, your resort to political behavior.
HANNITY: You know, later in the program, Dr. Gorka, two friends of mine were performing on that stage about an hour before all hell broke loose. My buddy John Rich, Big and Rich and Kia Jones was there. They do something that they do in every single show and that is they invite the military. And the crowd was singing God Bless America. And you've got somebody from CBS, oh, they are probably Trump supporters. You know what, I don't care if they die or not. I don't even know how to address that type of insanity or that mindset. I don't understand that. Maybe you can help?
CLARKE: So, there are two worlds today in the United States, there is a world that we have lived through, we survived through for the last eight years, which was predicated on a narrative of division. We were told again and again and again that Americans are racist, the President said it is in our gene code that we are racist. We were divided based upon our skin color, our ethnic background, our sexual preference. There is another America, and it's America that you saw in the recent floods.
HANNITY: Yes.
CLARKE: It's the America you saw yesterday. It's the America that you see when NFL players stand up and put their hand on their heart as the American anthem is being sung and the stars & stripes is fluttering in the breeze.
HANNITY: Right. It's unbelievable.
CLARKE: We come together, that is the American way.
HANNITY: We came together after 9/11!
CLARKE: Yes.
HANNITY: These people need our help, love, prayers, support. When we come back, I'm going to show you this video. About an hour prior to this horrible shooting, and you will hear from eyewitnesses running for their life last night. We will talk about that more, stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounded like fireworks, firecrackers and it sounds exactly how it was. And then you see everyone start ducking and then you hear them, once you heard the music cut off, you knew it was real. And you just see bodies dropping and people getting trampled. And it's one of the craziest things, I saw people in front of me get hit with bullets and my first thing to do was to hop with my friends and make sure they are okay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought it was fireworks and then it just didn't stop and I said that's not fireworks and then people started running and we asked what was going on and they said it was a shooter and then we realized it sounded like machine guns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, at the start we all thought that it was probably like an electronic thing malfunction and stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feedback.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feedback. Or whatnot and everybody is kind of -- I'm like, hey, it's okay, everybody is all right and then all of a sudden people started dropping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone who I thought, you know, has passed on, they have an article of my clothing covering their eyes, covering part of their body. Everyone who I saw breathing I helped, man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The shots just kept coming and so we were going down and when we got down there was a man that was shot right there, they were trying to take him out, he was all bloodied and he was unconscious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Fifty nine dead, 527 injured. Those are some of the eyewitnesses last night's massacre in Las Vegas.
Joining us now Jennifer Burn and Taylor Benge, and they both witnessed the shooting last night. Jennifer, let's start with you. Tell us where you where, tell us what happened, tell us what you saw.
JENNIFER BURN, EYEWITNESS TO THE SHOOTINGS: Right. We were actually on a platform to left of the stage. The night before we were right up front by the railing for all those bullets were ricocheting. This night we just didn't feel like being claustrophobic so we made a last-minute decision to go to the -- and go up on a platform that was about 15 feet high. So, we really didn't know what was going on until near at the end, we thought it was fireworks, we thought it was a helicopter.
The first time, it went the second time, we thought it was sound problem, and the lights went off. And then we saw people running the third time and people told us to get down. We got down and the bullets are going over our head and someone said just run and we jumped off the side of the platform.
HANNITY: So, it's got to be terrifying, the moment you realize what's actually happening here. Taylor, tell us your story.
TAYLOR BENGE, EYEWITNESS TO THE SHOOTINGS: I was on the right side of the stage, probably just opposite of her and, you know, at first like a lot of people say it sounded like fireworks but that soon erupted into a lot more than that and I started to realize something went wrong as soon as, you know, the artist ran backstage and the lights turned on. There was a gentleman about five feet away from me to my left side with a bullet wound right under his chin.
HANNITY: Oh, man!
BENGE: And I could see in his face he wasn't there anymore. And, you know, that was one of many faces and unfortunately, you know, a lot of people didn't make it out and a lot of people didn't know what to do at the time.
HANNITY: You mean he literally had gotten hit in the chin in the face?
BENGE: Yes. He got hit right under here and there was another gentleman - - I didn't see him but my sister did, who was hit in the temple unfortunately. But these people were feet away from us and I can't imagine what would have happened had I brought my brother because he was supposed to go with us or had, you know, either me or my sister, you know, be two feet to the left or right.
HANNITY: You know, when we show these images and these still pictures, the field clears and then you saw people racing out in the middle to help all of those people that were injured, maybe fatally, they didn't know when they were helping them, did you also see that part going on?
BENGE: I saw a lot of people helping. In fact, when I ran into the back parking lot and made it to the dirt part of it, a gentleman in a pickup truck allowed me and my sister to get in the back of his truck with someone who was shot in the chest and, you know, we got in that car and my sister and I, we jumped out, and he just kept going but we got to our car and went about southbound to the McCarran Airport area because as far as we knew there was multiple shooters for how many rounds were going off.
HANNITY: You just hear it, it's chilling, beyond chilling. Jennifer, when you finally recognized what was actually happened here and you looked out and you saw what was happening and people scattering, what did you see?
BURN: We just ran. I was with two other girls, we lost each other immediately, we all went in three different directions. One friend ends up hiding in a dumpster by the McCarran, by tarmac and another one got an SUV with also three victims.
HANNITY: All right.
BURN: I just ran to the left but the farther away through back roads away from the strip and the farther I ran the bullets got -- the gunfire got louder and it felt like it was getting closer like they were right behind you which led us to think there were multiple shooters. It sounded like there was just -- they were super close behind us.
HANNITY: Yes.
BURN: The farther we ran the closer they got. Might be the ricocheting of bullets.
HANNITY: Uh-hm. Jennifer, Taylor, thanks for sharing your story with our audience, sorry you both have to go through that and our thoughts and prayers obviously with the families as I'm sure many parents now with their kids in the hospitals and they don't know the outcome of this yet.
Here now with more about an hour just before this happened, country music superstars, longtime friend of mine, John Rich, he was on with "Big & Rich." And also, recording artist Kia Jones.
John, you, "Big & Rich" always honors the military in your shows. A little over an hour before all of this went down you took to the stage. You honor the military you invite people on. Take it from there, what do you ask the audience to do -- I got the video and I'm going to show it in the second?
JOHN RICH, BIG AND RICH: So every show that we do, this has been now for over 1,000 concerts in a row, Big Kenny and I like to invite an active duty and veterans and sometimes first responders as well. We will bring them up on stage and we will read their names, we will read where they served, when they serve, what their job is in that town in the community and then we had the microphone over to them and let them speak to the audience and then we always lead the entire crowd in "God bless America." Last night we continue that tradition and did it again and Sean you look out there and there's 22,000 people who had come in from Southern California, from Arizona, from Nevada, there were people there from Canada, people there from Tennessee, there were people from all over the United States and north America singing "God bless America" at the top of their lungs with their phones, held high with the lights on celebrating freedom and the ability to live as Americans and sing together in unity. It's always a huge thing to see that kind of unity when everybody can sing the words together. Of course not everybody in the audience agrees with each other, but we all agree that we are Americans and we sing together. So that happened. Not long after that, you know the exact 180 is that carnage began to take place.
HANNITY: Kaya, just so happens that you were on the stage with John, Big Kenny and John Rich at the time, Big and Rich. Let me show some of this to the audience so they can actually see this in here for themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(inaudible)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All those who serve. It's a beautiful thing. We would like to take it a step further because right here we have a police, our firefighters.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
God bless you!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Pretty amazing moment and all these concerts, John. We've been friends forever, Kaya, you've got to participate in that last night. Tell us what that was like for you.
KAYA JONES, RECORDING ARTIST: It was magical. It was every color, creed, religion. Everyone was coming together, it was unity. The guys are bringing everyone together and we had veterans on stage and it paying homage to them and what they do for our nation. To think that moments later people were gunned down. It could have been Big Kenny, it could have been John Rich, it could have been myself for those veterans that were attacked.
HANNITY: Yes, you know John, I don't want to drag you into the politics of all of this, when people sing God bless America, we love our country. Nobody that goes to your concerts, I'm showing the video now of all the nearly 30,000 people holding up their cell phones in unison there. Those are Americans. I've been on the road when Lee Green would sings God bless the USA. Look at that, every single person has a light on. It's not Democrat, Republican, liberal or conservative. A lawyer for CBS, I have no sympathy for Vegas victims, they are probably Republicans. Let me just played as a little bit, let the audience take this in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the mountains to the prairies to the ocean -- sing it now God bless America my home sweet home, come on Vegas, sing it! God bless America my home sweet home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: John, that is an hour before this happened. An hour!
RICH: It makes you want to bawl!
HANNITY: I got goose bumps.
RICH: I mean I was standing there singing it. I was watching that happen. When people try to politicize this kind of stuff to me it's just so disgusting to hear that. You know that is America standing in that crowd, that is not one Party or another Party. When you play music, we don't play music for this group or that group, we play music for anybody that wants to come listen to it. I think it's just a really, really terrible, for anybody to say something like that. You see in that audience right there, like I said, people from all over the United States all joining in together and singing. By the way, there's one young man I want to say his name on your program, a young kid from Big Sandy Tennessee, his name is Sonny and he was in his mid-20s, he came to the Big and Rich show, first time he been to a big concert like this and he was one of the very first casualties. We shook his hand and met him in the meet and greet and this -- it's something so terrible you can't digest what this really is. But at least people should be able to hold their tongues for a while and not disrespect all these people that have lost their lives and that are now fighting for their lives in the hospitals. We got no time for that.
HANNITY: We really don't. We don't even know the outcome for a lot of these families. Kaya, we will give you the last word. I've still been getting goose bumps all over looking at that video. Heartbreaking story as Kenny just told. That John has told.
JONES: It is intense. You know what? Less guns don't equal less terrorist, bottom line. It's not the time or the place. Honor the dead, respect the dead. It's about them today, it's not about the shooter, it's not about a gun. It's not about politics, it's about them.
HANNITY: I have a tweet from a teacher. Pray that only Trump-tards die. Seriously?
JONES: We deserve to get shot because we voted for Trump? Is that what they are saying? It's insanity.
HANNITY: Where his or her soul to tweet that out! You are both good friends. That wasn't an amazing moment an hour before. Unbelievable, we have a lot more news, our reporters on the ground in Vegas and we are awaiting a police conference on this very issue straight ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The city of lights, in this hour of darkness still shines. We are a community, we stand with one another. We love one another and we will continue to support one another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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HANNITY: A Fox News alert and we are awaiting a police news conference on the very latest out of the Vegas massacre, now 59 people are dead, 527 injured and this is now the worst mass shooting in American history. Authorities now still searching for a motive for the very latest on the shooting investigation, Fox News chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge. Catherine, it seems there's got to be a reason why this man would act this way. We don't seem to know it yet.
CATHERINE HERRIDGE, FOX NEWS CHIEF INTELLIGENCE CORRESPONDENT: That is right, Sean, good evening. A U.S. Government official tells Fox News tonight the FBI is doing a full review of Stephen Paddock's travel history as well as a forensic scrub of his electronics to work out we was connecting with prior to the attack, the level of premeditation and whether there were any online influences. This afternoon the White House spokeswoman was asked whether the attack amount to an act of domestic terrorism.
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SANDERS: Again, we are still in effect -- this is an ongoing investigation. It would be premature to weigh in on something like that before we have any more facts and we will leave that to local law enforcement to work with, also the federal law enforcement to make those determinations.
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HERRIDGE: Tonight's news conference, there was a significant shift in the way law enforcement describe the shooter's girlfriend named Danley, who is out of the country in Japan. And the Sheriff telling reporters tonight that she is the subject of ongoing investigations and she is expected to be back in the United States where she will be questioned. The FBI is also bringing its full investigative and forensic resources to bear on this case, opening a 1-800-tip line for videos, social media post that can really help investigators recreate the scene. The FBI has ability to process massive amounts of data and to do it rapidly. Much of this work is done here in Quantico Virginia and is part of what they call the OTD, that is the Operational Technology Division, Sean.
HANNITY: Unbelievable, All right Catherine, thank you.
HERRIDGE: You are welcome.
HANNITY: We will monitor every hour of the day here on the Fox News channel. Now on the ground from the University Medical Center in Vegas, I'm sure people are fighting for their lives. Fox News chief correspondent Jonathan Hunt. Jonathan, what is going on? Many people injured there.
JONATHAN HUNT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Sean. A 104 people in all were brought here to the University Medical Center, which is the only level one trauma center in Las Vegas. And in the last hour we are being told that 12 of those remained in critical condition, although officials also tell us they are very hopeful that those 12 will all survive, but tonight in the operating rooms behind us and in operating rooms at other hospitals across Las Vegas, surgeons are again fighting to keep those survivors alive. We spoke to one surgeon earlier Sean, who told us he has had many years here in Vegas, he has seen many gunshot wounds, he has never seen anything like the injuries that came in last night. That is because of the kind of caliber of weaponry that the 64-year-old was using as he reigned down that carnage at the Mandalay bay hotel. We've also heard tales of ordinary civilians stopping in their pickup trucks and other vehicles to help ferry the wounded to these hospitals, because the ambulance services were clearly so overwhelmed with well over 500 wounded. An urgent call went out earlier today too for blood donations and the people of Las Vegas responded in an extraordinary fashion lining up for between six and eight hours at every single blood donation unit that was set up around the City. These clearly, Sean, have been the worst of times for the people of Las Vegas, but once again in the worst of times, we are seeing the best of the spirit of the American people.
HANNITY: Thoughts and prayers with these families. I know they are probably clinging to hope and prayer at this hour and god bless the surgeons and all these hospital personnel for what they've done. Jonathan, thank you so much. Also on the ground outside of Vegas City hall is Fox News correspondent Claudia Cowan, what's going on there, Claudia?
CLAUDIA COWAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Sean, on this chamber of commerce day in Las Vegas, a crowd gathered to remember the darkest night the city had ever seen to mourn those who lost their life last night and pray for the recovery of those wounded in last night's massacre. Speakers expressed grief and anger, but they all also talked about how Las Vegas is a city of unity and that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas. They said situations like this, what happens in Vegas touches the state and the rest of the land. Speakers also talked of hope and heroism, people turning their cars into ambulances and getting victims to the hospital. Stranger helping stranger, scramble over a fence to get out of harm's way. Of hotels offering rooms now to families of victims streaming into the City. And of people waiting many, many hours to donate blood. A relief fund announced this morning has already raised over a million dollars, some of that money will help pay for funerals.
In the meantime the police are still trying to determine why 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of 22,00 concertgoers. They are looking into his background and talking to people who knew him and they continue to process no fewer than four crime scenes. Sean, just a short time ago the mayor of Las Vegas spoke bluntly when she said that while the city is heartbroken, it will not be tarnished by the actions of this one sick individual.
HANNITY: All right guys, thank you both, thank you Claudia and all of you for being with us. We are going to show you Big and Rich and that entire crowd one hour before that massacre. Laura Ingraham weighs in next.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- from the mountain to the prairie to the oceans white with foam sing it now! God bless America my home sweet home, come on Vegas, sing it! God bless America my home sweet home.
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HANNITY: That powerful video, powerful moment, a little over one hour, the whole crowd, Big and Rich were playing on stage in Vegas, every single person, nearly 30,000 people there, holding up their cell phones and singing "God bless America." Yet some people think I hope they're all Trump people that died, unbelievable, the politicizing of this event. If also awaiting a police news conference for the very latest news and information. As soon as they come to the podium we will bring it to live. Joining us now, the upcoming host of the Ingram Angle, that will be following this show, Laura Ingraham. I look at that video, just hit me so hard.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: We just watched it in the other room Sean and they have it on Fox all day and you think the 59 fewer lights tonight.
HANNITY: 529, there has to be a lot of them fighting for their lives.
INGRAHAM: You know it's like a gift that video was taken. It is a gift because throughout the heartache and the tragedy, that befell our country last night, that is the country that your parents grew up in, my parents grew up in, that is the goodness of America that we really forget a lot in these times of political tumult, we all can get little hot, I can, you can. We are passionate about what we believe in. But I can tell you, I'm getting really tear it up, but we see those people -- the love of each other.
HANNITY: Don't cry, you will make me cry. And I made a rule that I will not cry on TV.
INGRAHAM: It's a love of country and each other in a crowd. There's something about country music, don't email in and say -- I'm a fan of all music. There's something about these country music festivals where the patriotic mood really -- you feel it, you sense it and it makes you tingle. It's a good thing.
HANNITY: You were kind enough to join me when I did the freedom concerts. God bless the USA.
INGRAHAM: There were a lot of great moments.
HANNITY: That is what I saw, I mean look at that picture! They are not Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives and liberals at that moment, they were all singing God bless their country, they just honor the military.
INGRAHAM: And it is contrast, is it not, to what we'd seen over the last few weeks with other people. They have beefs with the country, they don't like Trump or they don't like us and so they don't stand for the national anthem and that is their right, they can stand or not stand but this is a beautiful -- this is a beautiful memory of, and a tribute of the people who attended this concert that was concluding with Jason Aldean, the biggest crowd when he got up and sang about 22,000 people altogether that came. That film that we have that is a real gift, I'm glad we see that from all the heartache.
HANNITY: One of the things that really stuck with me as I look at that and then I looked at the politicizing of this and then I look at CBS lawyer, no sympathy for Vegas victims.
INGRAHAM: That was lovely.
HANNITY: They are probably Republicans. Or white Trump supporters are being killed, that was a tweet, a teacher actually sending out whatever she sent out about their probably Trump-tards, I hope only Trump-tards are killed.
INGRAHAM: That is not the best of America, to put it mildly. I think those sentiments really is not the dominant sentiments in our country.
HANNITY: There were a lot of people that raced immediately to let's talk about guns.
INGRAHAM: That is reflexive, Hillary Clinton did this in 2015 after the Oregon college shooting where she erroneously came out and started talking about liability for gun manufacturers, mischaracterizing the law at the time. This is the reflex, and that is more division of America, that is not America coming together. If they want to push gun laws in the 2020 election or 2018, that their right, they should go through the political process and try to abridge our second amendment rights, but I think there are certain rights that are God-given that are nonnegotiable. A right to defend ourselves, our right that is inalienable for us to protect our families and our friends.
HANNITY: Here is a question, you know God forbid -- I've always been a believer you've got to prepare to defend yourself. I had gun permits in New York and Rhode Island in California and Alabama and Georgia in my life. I was trained in the use of a firearm by my parents that had connections to law enforcement. And the only thing I say is I played for Sheriff Clarke earlier tonight the police dispatch. The 32nd floor where this guy is. This guy has a machine gun. How are they going to take them on without a weapon? Or if it's happening within a crowd, if they were in San Bernardino, do you want Sean Hannity, who is trained in the safety and use of a firearm in that room? When they drop the clip and they start to reload you have a shot, you have a chance.
INGRAHAM: Wouldn't have done much good on that floor in the Mandalay bay I misread a high-powered rifle to take them out. Your point is well taken.
HANNITY: The cops had to go up there, didn't they?
INGRAHAM: They did. The most important I think we have to remember here Sean, the law-abiding people of this country, over 80 million people on guns in the United States. These are among the best people out there and there are warped, sick and evil individuals. I think the word evil, frankly, it's kind of cast around casually in our society but not directed often times for the right people or the right moments.
HANNITY: The president called it evil.
INGRAHAM: And I think his statement, frankly one of the best statements I've ever heard him give today. He grounded it in a moral center that our country has to share. We have different religious backgrounds, that is fine. But a moral center of what is good and what is evil, what happened last night at that concert when there was so much love, thousands of people gathered, pure, unadulterated evil, that exists in the world today in Sudan, it exists in Pakistan, Afghanistan, all around the world.
HANNITY: It's so funny.
INGRAHAM: We pray, Sean. We pray for these victims.
HANNITY: In 2004 I wrote a book, Deliver us from evil, defeating despotism, and I talked about the political side of it and people got angry. The previous hundred years of human history when you consider Nazis, fascism, imperial Japan, killing of children in Cambodia. Genocide is going on today. Radical Islam today.
INGRAHAM: People are being skinned alive.
HANNITY: This was evil.
INGRAHAM: You have the mass crisis with refugees fleeing their homeland, because they are in fear of their own lives. We have evil that is incontrovertible, but you can defeated, but it's going to take a national belief in something beyond just a moment.
HANNITY: Is it evil galore in people's hearts, and if they desire to kill --
INGRAHAM: They will.
HANNITY: They will find a way.
INGRAHAM: Trucks, vans, SUV's, they will do it with knives. They won't be able to take out 50 people with a knife but they will be able to make a pressure cooker bomb. What weapon you decide to use it as your own choice, if you are an evil person. He went with an intent to kill as many people as possible and unfortunately he could have killed a lot more with the weaponry that he had.
HANNITY: It sad that in these times people will politicize -- the rush to politicize tragedy.
INGRAHAM: But I would say Sean, at St. Patrick's tonight, it was closing and I stopped over on the way to the studio. There were a lot of people there at closing, stopped at the shrine, gave a prayer for this country and lot of people where they're praying for the country.
HANNITY: Amen, we are playing for those families. Laura good to see you. Thank you. Unfortunately that is all the time we have left this evening. Thank you for being with us. We will always be fair and balanced, we are not the destroyed Trump media. We will be in Vegas tomorrow, stay tuned. Continuing coverage and Brian Kilmeade is next.
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