Linguist who helped identify Unabomber on NYT op-ed author
Forensic linguist who helped to identify the Unabomber analyzes the language used in the anonymous New York Times op-ed on 'The Story.'
This is a rush transcript from "The Story," September 7, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
HARRIS FAULKNER, FOX NEWS HOST: Hi Brett. Thank you very much. We're going to start up with this Fox news alert. So we were anticipating a letter from the state department official to be handed from Kim Jong-un in North Korea to our President. It has now just happened. Our own Rich Edson of Fox News is reporting that he can confirm that part of what President Trump talked about aboard Air Force One today has happened.
The Secretary of State Pompeo has received a letter from Kim Jong-un to give to President Trump. Remember, the course is still going forward after their meeting, that summit, denuclearization is the goal. And now a letter to the president from their Chairman. We'll cover the news as this happens as more details pop on this. Also, breaking right now.
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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: -- here to deliver a simple message and that is that you need to vote because our democracy depends on it.
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FAULKNER: And in this breaking news, former President Barack Obama says he's back asserting himself back into the political arena and not holding back what he really thinks about the state of our democracy and accusing President Trump by name and the GOP of fueling division and resentment in America.
Obama claims he has the answer to save us all. In primetime tonight, I'm Harris Faulkner in for Martha MacCallum. Former President Obama delivered a fiery speech today at the University of Illinois to kick off his return to the political arena ahead of the critical midterm election. And for the very first time in this manner, he called out the president by name.
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OBAMA: This is not normal. These are extraordinary times and they are dangerous times. I am here to tell you that even if you don't agree with me or Democrats on policy, even if you believe in more libertarian economic views, even if you are an evangelical and our position on certain social issues is a bridge too far, even if you think my assessment of immigration is mistaken, I'm here to tell you that you should still be concerned with our current course. We are Americans. We are supposed to stand up to bullies.
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FAULKNER: President Trump also on the campaign trail today and had this to say about Obama's attack.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He said, what do you think of President Obama's speech and I said, I'm sorry, I watched it but I fell asleep. I found he's very good, very good for sleeping.
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FAULKNER: And around and around we go. Trace Gallagher always good to see. West Coast Newsroom, Fox top story. Wow.
TRACE GALLAGHER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Yes, good to see you, Harris. This appears to be kind of a preview of what we can expect former President Obama in the run-up to the midterm elections. Mr. Obama plans to cover a lot of ground starting this week in California and next week in Ohio.
The plan we're told is for the former President to go after what he believes is President Trump's Achilles Heel, for example, his relationship with Attorney General Jeff Sessions who President criticized again this week for investigating GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter and Chris Collins ahead of the midterms. Watch.
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OBAMA: It should not be Democratic or Republican. It should not be a partisan issue to say that we do not pressure the Attorney General or the FBI to use the criminal justice system as a cudgel to punish our political opponents.
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GALLAGHER: Mr. Obama went on to criticize President Trump for his treatment of the media saying the free press should not be threatened because they say things we do not like. Watch again.
OBAMA: I complained plenty about Fox News. But you never heard me threaten to shut them down or call them enemies of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: Although the former President did indicate Fox News was an enemy of the Democrats saying that we have a "destructive viewpoint and were responsible -- for key Democratic losses back in 2016. And Mr. Obama who has mostly stayed silent on President Trump appears to be now making up for some lost time. Watch.
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OBAMA: We're supposed to stand up to discrimination and we sure as heck supposed to stand up clearly and unequivocally to Nazi sympathizers. How hard can that be saying that Nazis are bad.
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GALLAGHER: A clear reference to last year's attacks in Charlottesville, Virginia. Though in fairness President Trump did condemn Nazi sympathizers though it took him 48 hours to do so. But the current President thinks the former President is just having a sour grapes moment.
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TRUMP: I think he was time to take some credit. He was trying to take credit for this incredible thing that's happening to our country.
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GALLAGHER: And you will see that type of back and forth for about the next eight weeks or so. Harris?
FAULKNER: All right. We're ready. Trace Gallagher, thank you very much. Let's bring in now Deneen Borelli, a Host at CRTV.com and a Fox News Contributor and Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic Strategist and former Senior Adviser to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Great to see you both. You both are so shy. Let's jump right in. (INAUDIBLE) let's see if you're listening.
All right, so actually Antoine, I want to start with you. Barack Obama today former President had a whole lot to say reaching across, I guess, the aisle. He called evangelicals out by name. Are these the same whom he said were reaching for their religion and guns?
ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No. Well, first of all let me say to President Obama and the other two we have in the Democratic toolbox, Michelle Obama, thank you. And to the Republicans, I think today's speech means game on. It was refreshing to hear the leader like Barack Obama talk about what we're experiencing in this day. He talked about issues, he talked about the rhetoric, but most important he talked about how do we chart a path forward. And regardless if you're Democrat or Republican, I think most people agree that our democracy is on fire and we need political firefighters.
FAULKNER: All right. Do you need so many people that the people whom you don't agree with because that's mainly who this speech was for? He called out libertarians, I mean, he did more reaching across the aisle perhaps, Deneen, than we've seen. I mean he talked with evangelicals and he didn't accuse them of anything.
DENEEN BORELLI, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, listen, what we're listening to from former President Obama is that first of all he is not happy with the fact that his legacy has been rebuked by President Obama. You look at the failed Iran deal, you look -- yes, let me finish, please. The fail Iran deal, look at how he had taxes -- high taxes and regulations that harmed hardworking Americans. There is a long list of things that former President Obama did that did not help Americans, hardworking Americans. And so he will be coming out like this on a regular basis criticizing the Republican Party and criticizing President Trump. But you look at the economy, Americans are happy. Excuse me.
FAULKNER: Americans are happy and not to put too fine a point on it, people who are in those categories of diversity are seeing the lowest points of unemployment of that rate at least in decades. Antjuan?
SEAWRIGHT: I think the President addressed it very well in his speech that the fact that the economy is doing well is because he was the reason that started this pathway --
FAULKNER: He did say that, yes.
SEAWRIGHT: -- that we see now. And he addressed it and if truth be told, if we look at pure numbers, take the emotional arguments out of it, compared to what he inherited from the Republican president before him to what he had to do to get our economy back on track, I think the proof is in the pudding. But larger than that, I think this says a lot -- his speech today spoke to the hearts and the minds of independent thinkers in this country because whether you're Democrat or Republican, black or white, California or South Carolina, most people will agree that we are starting to unravel at our core and in this country and it's a scary place as we move forward.
FAULKNER: Most people would agree were more divided than ever but it didn't -- and the President interestingly, the former President said today that it didn't begin with President Trump and he's right about that. That division has been around for a while. Let's talk about the politics of it though. We're about to see these two men go. Remember when President Trump said a couple of weeks ago, six-seven days on the campaign trail. I can't even imagine what the Secret Service was thinking in that moment. But now you've got former President Barack Obama saying that he's going to insert himself.
Deneen, how does that work out for a former President who lost more than a thousand national and state House seats?
BORELLI: Yes, that is a good question because first of all, the Democrat Party I think has a number of problems. There are big divisions because you have the activists, the liberals who want to bring in socialism. They are further to the left. And then you have the establishment Democrats who don't want to go that far to the left. So their message is split. And not only that, you have people like Maxine Waters for example who was calling for folks to get in the faces of Trump Administration personnel to go after them at the restaurants and gas stations. There are a number of issues that the Democrat Party is facing. They're not talking about policies that will help hardworking Americans.
SEAWRIGHT: That's not true.
BORELLI: None of them support the tax cuts. We're seeing the benefits of the tax cuts and rollback in regulations, wages are going up, people are getting bonuses, more jobs in manufacturing, there are over 400,000 jobs since President Trump became president. So we're looking at a good economy that is clipping along and that is something that Americans are concerned about.
FAULKNER: So, Antjuan, without stepping on progress, how do you combat with a positive message if you will, about the economy that is about change? I mean, what do you think people really want to hear about change and keep it positive?
SEAWRIGHT: Well, let me say a few things. One, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are the great unifiers and the great equalizer for the Democratic Party. In order for Democrats to be successful in November, it's going to take a united front of the Democratic Party. I believe those two are the two people that can bring the many facets of our party together.
And number two, your guests failed to mention the policy prescriptions that Democrats are putting forth up and down the ballot in elections all across this country and that's why we've won over 40 somewhat legislature seats where President Trump won and 2016. That's why the Connor Lamb is the of Congressman from Pennsylvania, a district that Trump won by 20 points. That's why Doug Jones is the U.S. Senator from Alabama. Because when you talk about health care, when you talk about the economy, when you talk about the environment, when you talk about simple things that make sense to the heartbeats of the American soul, Democrats are campaigning on those things.
FAULKNER: Antjuan Seawright, thank you very much. Deneen Borelli, I would leave you two with this. It's interesting, fascinating the current President getting ready to go out and help people and get the job done as presidents are often called to do. Your party Antjuan is looking back to a president who hasn't been in office. What does the future hold? We'll talk next time you're on. Thank you.
BORELLI: Thank you.
SEAWRIGHT: Thank you.
FAULKNER: Up next, President Trump calls on Jeff Sessions to investigate who is behind that explosive, unnamed source op-ed saying it's a matter of national security that we find out. James Fitzgerald is a former FBI linguist who helped find the Unabomber through his manifestos. He sees some clues in the writing way -- wave to us if you can because you're up next. Hey!
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TRUMP: For the sake of our national security, the New York Times should publish his name at once.
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FAULKNER: President Trump is now calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to track down that unnamed senior official behind that scathing New York Times editorial saying whoever pinned that piece poses a threat to national security. Kevin Corke is tracking that from Sioux Falls, South Dakota tonight where the President wrapped up a speech just a few minutes ago. Kevin, good to see you.
KEVIN CORKE, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Harris, great to be with you. The President having a very busy travel day with stops in the Dakotas including right here where he took part in a fundraiser for GOP Gubernatorial hopeful Kristi Noem. But questions still abound, Harris, about the now-infamous New York Times op-ed. You know, the one allegedly pinned by an anonymous administration official who claims to be working to subvert the President's policy goals.
The larger argument percolating now, Harris, is this, whether or not that administration official who has admitted attempting to impede the function of government and its policy aims is, in fact, a national security threat. It is clear the president thinks so and today aboard Air Force One he said he wants that person found.
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TRUMP: Supposing I have a high-level national security meeting, and he has got a clearance, you know, we talked about clearances a lot recently, and he goes into a high-level meeting concerning China, or Russia, or North Korea, or something, and this guy goes in. I don't want him in those meetings.
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CORKE: The president, Harris, has proposed having the Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the DOJ locate the person who wrote that piece. But as you can well imagine, the New York Times has a manifestly different viewpoint on that topic. Let me share part of a statement from Eileen Murphy of The Times, it reads thusly, "We're confident that the Department of Justice understands that the First Amendment protects all American citizens and that it would not participate in such a blatant abuse of government power."
Now it is also important to point out that there is no criminal behavior necessarily and having penned that op-ed even for The Times anonymously thus making it unlikely the DOJ would pursue that person Harris criminally.
However, the feds also might have a vested interest in locating that person if she or he is in the military or has any part of a national security portfolio. This story continues to unfold but for now back to you.
FAULKNER: Well, and specifically today Mercedes Schlapp with Communications Department of the White House mentioned security clearances and I mean there are some other things that the president would want to take a look at to see if anyone was complicit in this and if there might be some retribution to be handed out. Kevin Corke, thank you very much. Great to see you.
Let's bring in my next guest now and go a little bit deeper on this, an expert he is when it comes to deciphering writing. James Fitzgerald is a former FBI linguist who poured through Ted Kaczynski's manifestos -- boy we haven't said that name in a while -- and he was able to actually help eventually identify him as the Unabomber. He is the author of the memoir series a journey to the center of the mind. Great to see you tonight. Thank you for being with us, James Fitzgerald.
Let's start with what you say should be a commonality in something and identifying someone and that is that they use the lingo that only people in the room or the circle would know about. Did you find that in this op-ed?
JAMES FITZGERALD, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, I certainly did, Harris. And there's no question this person has an advanced level of writing skills and he or she -- not sure exactly gender at this point -- but they know how to write very succinctly, very cogently recode gently and get their points across. There's 27 paragraphs here, 14 of them are only one sentence which is kind of unusual for people's writing style. Paragraphs are generally supposed to be more than one sentence. However, some journalists do tend to write in only one sentence.
So there are some and I'm certainly aware that this may have been -- there's been a copy editor involved in this to some degree at the New York Times maybe even several levels of that. So there may have been some editing here but there's definitely some language familiar to this person and certainly from someone who may be involved in the White House staff.
FAULKNER: So I made a similar observation although it's different experience that's driving it. You're looking at it forensically and I'm looking at it from the eyes of a journalist. Almost everything has some copy editing unless it's breaking news just to make sure that it -- the verbs are succinct and those sentences are easy to digest and remember which is why they tend to be very short.
Let's talk about the perspective that you found from this writing. You say that there's no singular point that says, oh it's got to be this person because that's their expertise. You say you could almost get what's in this op-ed from reading about other stuff.
FITZGERALD: Sure. And what I -- I've handled dozens of these cases even in retirement in the last ten years from the FBI as a forensic linguist and there's a Web site called glassdoor.com. A lot of people go in that and complain about their jobs, their companies, their CEOs and I've been hired by some CEOs to try to find out who may have written these things. I don't judge whether it's right or wrong, whatever they asked me to try to find authorship and determine it, I do. And this letter, these 27 paragraphs could almost be sort of an elongated version of a Glassdoor posting complaining about a boss, about a company who does things wrong, so that's not all that unusual in terms of my experience.
But what I've noticed most importantly in those other types of communications, they're what I call is a linguistic proof of life. You know, anybody familiar with you know, kidnapping cases. There's generally a picture of the victim holding up a newspaper or something that can be dated. And as you said earlier, Harris, there's really -- and that would be something that would prove the kidnap victim is still alive so of course pay the ransom etcetera. But here in this -- in this document, in all 27 paragraphs, there's not one thing that's singular as far as I know that hasn't been already mentioned in the media, in someone's book or various pundits commenting on. So to me, that ownership takes away from that.
FAULKNER: Yes, it's what you're saying. It's like a calling card we all watched enough of those CSI types shows where they're leaving their calling card is what you're saying. I want to turn to a couple of things that you pointed out to my team. You said that -- you looked at some things. Let's put these words up on the -- on the screen if we can. That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can. You say that that's an important point to look at. Why is that, James?
FITZGERALD: Well, first of all, anonymous authors have two goals in mind.
One, to get their point across and two, to remain anonymous. And it's about a 50/50 percentage roughly of how important they take each issue. So here in a letter that supposed to be anonymous, we have here an interesting autobiographical clue and that is -- that is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can. So this person is including himself or herself in this group of Trump appointees.
I would consider that and this is a linguistic term that I coined, a contra-indicator. That means it's against indications. It's against what's truthful. So it's very possible that this person is lumping -- they're lumping themselves in with a Trump appointee group but in reality, they may be not, that they may not be that. They may be a lower-level someone who just took a regular job and somehow now they're involved in the White House staff and some decision-making and all of a sudden they're trying to lump themselves in with this to try to make themselves appear more important but also not identified.
FAULKNER: Well, you know, what's interesting about what you say lower- level and that's the idea that if the New York Times sort of suggesting -- more than suggesting that this was a higher level official, puts them on a different playing field in terms of their sourcing for this, but if it is, in fact, a lower-level person, the criticism has been well, is that been closer to gossip than expertise. It's an interesting question and you pointed out here from a perspective. James Fitzgerald, thank you very much. Great to have you on the program tonight.
FITZGERALD: You're welcome, Harris.
FAULKNER: It was the moment of defiance that turned out to be well not so defiant.
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SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), NEW JERSEY: This is about the closest I'll probably ever have in my life to an I am Spartacus moment.
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FAULKNER: And in fact cue the meme, Senator Spartacus now Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says there could be some real repercussions for Cory Booker stunt.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOOKER: I'm going to release the e-mail about racial profiling and I understand that the penalty comes with potential ousting from the Senate.
This is about the closest I'll probably had in my life to an I am Spartacus moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FAULKNER: Senator Cory Booker standing by his decision to be Spartacus and release confidential documents to the public. It has now been revealed that a lot of those documents actually were already public from a deal that he'd made the night before was Senator Mike Lee but I digress. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says consequences could be coming Mr.
Booker.
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SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: When you break the Senate rules, it's something I think the Ethics Committee could take a look at. And that would be up to them to decide. They have an obligation to look into violations of the Senate rules and it wouldn't surprise me if they did.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
FAULKNER: Well, after hours of trying to reach him yesterday, Fox News caught up with Senator Booker today who had this message for Mitch McConnell. Watch it.
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BOOKER: If he wants to write me up on ethics charges, I have two words, bring it. Bring it.
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FAULKNER: Here now are Tammy Bruce ready to bring it, Washington Times Columnist, Radio Talk-Show Host and a Fox News Contributor, Emily Tisch Sussman Democratic Strategist and Senior Adviser for Glam Up the Midterms.
Well, that is great, right on time, 60 days away or so. Let's start with the initial grandstanding that Senator Booker did. It sure did Emily in that moment yesterday, looked like he was ready to capitulate to whatever rules were coming that he was breaking in punishment and so on and so forth. I'm going to save the people by showing some documents about Brett Kavanaugh.
EMILY TISCH SUSSMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: So he had actually already violated Senate Rules verbally the day before by releasing the documents and speaking about what the content of them was. So when they had that exchange in the Senate, he was actually quite surprised by the fact that it became -- that Cornyn was coming at him so aggressively talking about impeachment and that is really where that emotion came from.
Booker is was coming into the Senate and saying, look, we need to understand where Kavanaugh stands, where he comes from. This is a lifetime appointment. This is not about this political moment. This is really about understanding where so many of these rulings that affect the American people. What his perspective is on it. We only have less than ten percent of his documents released. We need to see more to understand.
FAULKNER: So can you walk across all the sharks that he jumped? That's what I want to know. Because he knows he had talked with Senator Lee.
(CROSSTALK)
TAMMY BRUCE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Sure.
FAULKNER: Prior--
BRUCE: He knew.
FAULKNER: Prior to any of the histrionics that happened.
BRUCE: He knew.
FAULKNER: And those documents really were ready for public--
(CROSSTALK)
BRUCE: Yes. They weren't confidential. They everywhere approved for release. He knew that situation. But what's interesting is and it's funny it took so long to find them considering Spartacus usually was found by everyone, suddenly he is not so in front of everyone.
But this is, the irony here is that he clearly was performing for part of the base saying I'm your champion. Now also normally you don't call yourself Spartacus or an iconic class. Other people are supposed to call you that, right?
FAULKNER: But others, yes.
BRUCE: But there he was performing and same things actually also that we learned were not true and misrepresenting the environment. And that's why for both parties there are individuals now, you see people winning, you see the approval rating of Congress so low because they are tired of the fraud of what they've been seeing.
A lot of talk, no real delivery being misrepresented being lied to in some instances and so this effort I think appeal to the far left part of the base was actually more of what all of us do not like and this, I think is, a lesson for all of us.
It certainly I think it back fired. I don't think his base is going to like it because it really, we missed an opportunity to really do ask serious questions in the charade and the circus that the Democrats created.
FAULKNER: Well, what was interesting, too, is that Senator Hirono from Hawaii had a completely different issue and had actually come forth more earnestly with releasing these documents and wanting people to focus on the Native American constitutionality issues that she was having with Kavanaugh.
BRUCE: Sure.
FAULKNER: And she was jumping in the boat. Yes. I'll go down in flames just to bring this all alive, too. And bring it to the public. And it was a missed opportunity for Booker to get on with something that actually was confidential.
SUSSMAN: Well, she is releasing documents. And he actually continues to release documents. I would actually like to clarify one piece on the time line that is the conversation when the Senate decided to make the documents public. It was after he had already spoken about the content of them.
So, them actually deciding to the fact that they were no longer confidential was actually not so relevant because he had already spoken about them. But I do actually take issue with the fact to say that this was all grandstanding and this is what people are--
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: So what was it? Senator Thune called me that now we now he'
running for president.
SUSSMAN: What is the deal?
FAULKNER: Senator Thune said that's what Booker's actions told us he is definitely running for -- which part do you mean are regal?
SUSSMAN: I think what if -- what if it's real that he feels that people should understand what is it in Kavanaugh's past? What if all of that was real? What if he really does believe it?
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: I think a lot of people are talking that.
SUSSMAN: I actually think (Inaudible) the fact that he was running--
(CROSSTALK)
BRUCE: Just a minute.
SUSSMAN: You know what? I didn't interrupt you. I actually think the fact that he was saying that he was running for president is the easiest way to write it off. I think that people are nervous that they see--
(CROSSTALK)
BRUCE: But it was all -- you notice what the coverage was and the reason we have a problem with that and that's not accurate, is that this was about his Spartacus moment. What I am doing. What's going to happen to me? Where I'm putting myself at risk?
It was the Cory Booker show. It was not about Judge Kavanaugh. And if he was serious he would have stood up against the circus that was happening with people that had been invited by the Democrats into that room. It clearly had nothing to do with Judge Kavanaugh, especially since all of them, virtually all the Democrats had said already that they're not going to confirm him.
FAULKNER: So, Emily, what I appreciate totally about what you are saying and you are looking for that sincerity and you are looking for that nugget of what if this person really does care about the people.
I mean, I totally get that. The timing and the time line I think are something that people disagree about. But one thing is for sure. He says he is still releasing documents. So what do they do now?
SUSSMAN: Yes.
FAULKNER: Mitch McConnell may go after him.
BRUCE: Look, the ethics committee is the place where people go and you never hear about them again. This is why al -- remember Al Franken and they said well it should go to the ethics committee and everybody said no because then everything will just continue.
The ethics committee is famous just to add actually cover for people. This is in institution which still has the secret sexual harassment list paying taxpayer dollars on those cases so they don't release that. Nothing will happen.
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: I've had women on Capitol tell me -- Capitol Hill telling me about that shush fund.
BRUCE: Yes.
FAULKNER: And how nobody wanted to come to the meetings to try to get rid of it.
BRUCE: Yes. Nothing will happen to Senator Booker and he knows it. So to
talk--
(CROSSTALK)
SUSSMAN: We invite him to talk about it.
FAULKNER: I would love that. That story is still out there.
OK. A new movie shining a new light on the dancers of big tech. Do Google and Facebook have the power to influence the way you think and even the way you vote? Peter Schweizer, who took on the Clintons is here to preview his brand new movie next. Ladies, thank you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They can suppress certain types of results based on what they think you should see thing, based on what some of the followers think (Ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's what Google and Facebook are doing on a regular basis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FAULKNER: You may know the name Peter Schweizer exposed corruption by the Clintons in his bombshell book "Clinton Cash" and he is back at it with a brand new target big tech companies. In his new movie quote, "The Creepy Line," Schweizer explores how companies like Facebook and Google track our data and influence our views. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will always favor one online music service over another and one candidate over another. Google and Facebook has the power to undermine democracy without us knowing that democracy has been undermined.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's what I call the creepy line and the policy about a lot of these things is to get right up to the creepy line but not cross it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FAULKNER: Peter Schweizer joins me now. "The Creepy Line." OK. They have things like face recognition and all this personal data. Are they crossing the line?
PETER SCHWEIZER, AUTHOR, "CLINTON CASH": Absolutely. Google crosses that line every day. And what's important for people to realize is it's not just an issue of privacy them collecting this information on you.
They are actually using this information against you. Not just to, you know, try to sell your products but to try to manipulate your views and your attitudes on political issues and other things. There is academic evidence for this overwhelming and there are just simply no question. I think the question is what are we going to do about it?
FAULKNER: Yes. And will they loosen their grip to let us do what we need to do about it is also the question. Because I can't imagine they do this and it makes no money.
SCHWEIZER: Well, that's right. There a monetary component. But, look, the other thing that Google has done from the beginning is define itself as a different type of company.
In other words, they are not just bottom line oriented they have a mission and purpose and it's kind of quasi-Utopian in a way which leads them to embrace certain political views.
And they are quite open in manipulating their algorithm and carrying out other activities and their design advance those political interests. And guess what, it has results.
There is overwhelming evidence that their manipulations and their search manipulation do dramatical influence particularly swing voters. Voters that don't have fully defined views they have a very real impact on the political decisions that those people are making.
FAULKNER: So if they try to fill up the public space with the stuff they think we ought to like and ought to know and cross that creepy line is the answer then for the government to step in any way?
SCHWEIZER: Well, look, here's the interesting thing, Google and Facebook are essentially unregulated because of something called the Communications Decency Act of 1996. And section 320 of that law basically says these companies are, quote, unquote, "neutral platforms." They don't edits, they don't exert editorial control--
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: But they are not neutral platforms.
SCHWEIZER: That's exactly right. And that's the point. The point is that's what they claim they are. That's how they are regulated. They are not. They are basically media companies, Fox, NBC, you name it are regulated far differently than Google and Facebook.
So, my point is we don't need new laws, we simply need to call Google and Facebook what they are which is media companies and they need to be regulated accordingly.
FAULKNER: And as people hear that they say, well, you know, that sounds like extra government, yes, I would imagine that's why they keep calling them to Capitol Hill. One last quick word.
SCHWEIZER: Yes. It's not extra government. It's calling them what they're.
If I start a paper route and I start publishing a newspaper, I can't say I only run a paper route regulate me that way.
FAULKNER: Good example. Peter Schweizer, we want to have you back. Thank you.
SCHWEIZER: Thank you.
FAULKNER: Big issue. We'll continue to follow it. When we come back, a weather alert for the entire East Coast. Tropical storm Florence is coming.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FAULKNER: And this is coming together and breaking tonight, a Fox News alert. North Carolina's governor just issued a state of emergency. And it comes ahead of Florence.
The tropical storm is brewing in the Atlantic expected to become a major hurricane and affect the entire the East Coast in the next few days, really the first big one we have been talking about so far on this coast.
Chief meteorologist Rick Reichmuth joins me now.
RICK REICHMUTH, FOX NEWS CHIEF METEOROLOGIST: It's been a really calm season, kind of.
FAULKNER: On this coast.
REICHMUTH: We have big impacts. We have Gordon last week a tropical storm across the Central Gulf but this could be our first really big storm. We've been talking about it for a few days and not knowing if it's going to get to the U.S. or not but it's looking a little bit more likely.
Take a look at some of the weather map. I'll show you a couple of things.
First of all, we are climatologically right -- that's a big word climatologically right at the peak of hurricane season. September is a peak, September 10th and so we're right in that mode right now.
And long with that, look at all these storms in the Pacific and the Atlantic, we have six storms we're watching out there. The three in the Atlantic are the ones now that potentially have some sort of impact for us, certainly Florence and also we are talking about that tropical depression number nine we are going to watch.
This is a look at the path. Harris, it's really interesting, no storm that's ever been where this storm is now has ever hit anywhere around the U.S. And this one models are coming into better and better agreement that we are going to have some sort of impact from this.
We have been seeing our models all show this moving up towards the north, maybe around Bermuda. Take a look at the latest track, it has moved much more to the south and heading straight towards the U.S.
Will it curve out? It's possible that it will make a little curve before it hits here. We don't know. But these models that look we call them the spaghetti models they look really messy. They look much more in agreement than they did before.
FAULKNER: Yes, they are clustered.
REICHMUTH: They're much more clustered. So that's giving us more confidence it's going over plenty warm water. And at this point we expect it to become a major hurricane. We would be talking about impacts being felt sometime on Wednesday morning if this happens right along the Carolina coast line.
FAULKNER: OK.
REICHMUTH: It means -- I would -- I just tweeted out something you want to look at my Twitter Rick Reichmuth, you can get some information on where to go now--
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: I will read your--
REICHMUTH: -- to read information and then to start making your plans.
This is the weekend to make those plans.
FAULKNER: You know, some people get their information on social media now.
REICHMUTH: Yes.
FAULKNER: So they are moving around and trying to adhere to those evacuation zones.
REICHMUTH: Great.
FAULKNER: It's great to get that information out on so everybody remember to take battery packs that are charged already as well as many as you can because as you get ready for the storm Florence.
REICHMUTH: Yes.
FAULKNER: Thank you very much. I know we'll see you over the weekend a lot.
REICHMUTH: Let's go here over a lot.
FAULKNER: Updating us. Coming up, remember when Michael Moore said this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: The only way that we're going to stop this is eventually we are all going to have to put our bodies on the line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FAULKNER: Now the controversial filmmaker is comparing the president to a brutal dictator. My ladies night panel, they call it that here, up next.
Plus, do you see that bizarre Elon Musk interview? Did you see it? I think he is smoking the weed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FAULKNER: Michael Moore is at it again. The liberal filmmaker is out with a new anti-Trump documentary that's reportedly so extreme it compares our president to Adolf Hitler. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How the (muted) did this happen?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The American dream is dead.
Stop resisting.
(CROWD CHANTING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president's powers here are beyond crushing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the last president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FAULKNER: Here now for ladies night Shelby Holliday, Madison Gesiotto, and Elizabeth Wagmeister. Great to have you all.
SHELBY HOLLIDAY, REPORTER, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Good to be with you.
FAULKNER: I'll start with you, Elizabeth. What do you make of this and what does it accomplish.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, REPORTER, VARIETY: It accomplishes us talking about it, that's for sure I have to tell you clearly I'm not--
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: Wow, the bar is low.
WAGMEISTER: But clearly I'm not at the Toronto festival right now but many of my colleagues are. And I have to tell you it was sold out audience the premier, it was stand ovation. Getting a lot of attention.
But review not great. I do want to read you a quote from Varieties review.
And by the way, our critics who wrote this review agrees with Michael Moore's politics. But from an entertainment standpoint, as you know I cover entertainment, not politics, this is what he wrote.
Quote, "Fahrenheit 11/9 is a long and unwieldy (Ph) beast in a way that may hurt its chances with mainstream audiences. The days when even the liberal faithful would turn out in droves to see a Michael Moore movie are gone and this one, despite its title, lacked the catchy dramatic angle." So underwhelming from a critic's perspective.
FAULKNER: Yes. I stopped when you told me that your journalism co-workers votes in one way or the other my brain just froze.
Madison, attorney, you look at this. How do you see?
MADISON GESIOTTO, COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON TIMES: Yes. I think it's despicable. Hitler unleashed a war that resulted in essentially the industrialized murder of millions and millions of people to compare him to the president of the United States is sad. It's off base.
And what it comes down to is what we are seeing in the mainstream media right now which is Michael Moore already having a predetermined conclusion refusing to look at the facts and the realities of what's going on in this world.
FAULKNER: All right. A quick response and then I want to get to Elon Musk because I understand it's a very high occasion.
HOLLIDAY: I would just say it's obvious that Michael Moore wants to get liberal Democrats out to the polls as this was coming two months before the midterm election.
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: Does this do it?
HOLLIDAY: Everything, the whole kitchen sink at Trump whether it's Nazis, whether it's different activists, whether it's Democratic socialists.
Everything he could possibly can to mobilize the far left to get them out to the polls. We'll see if it works.
(CROSSTALK)
GESIOTTO: I have no idea.
FAULKNER: What happened to a positive message and talk about the economy?
But what do I know? OK. So, Elon Musk, a tech, I don't know, would you call him a tech car giant? I mean those cars can do some --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he's a pioneer.
FAULKNER: What do you make of this video? Can we roll it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it work? Do people get upset with you if you do certain things tobacco and marijuana in there that's all it is? You like that? Clock?
ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: Yes. This is a great clock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. You want one? I'll get you one.
MUSK: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Done.
MUSK: I like weird things like this. I'm not a regular smoker of weed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How often do you smoke weed?
MUSK: Almost never. I mean -- I don't actually any effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FAULKNER: It is interesting if you are an owner of Tesla stock and you know the battle recently over whether or not he is fit to be running a company and the effect that that has on the stock, what does this do, Elizabeth?
WAGMEISTER: Not a good look. That is for sure. But to me, this just isn't surprising. Elon Musk smoking weed doesn't come as shocking.
FAULKNER: On a podcast? Really?
WAGMEISTER: Well, that's the thing, though.
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: Again, the bar is low.
WAGMEISTER: He is the CEO, it's not a good look. You don't expect a CEO to do this. But it's Elon Musk who has spoken before about Ambien. He is not the typical CEO he dates Hollywood starlets who are half of his age. He has erratic behavior and he has explained that in the past.
HOLLIDAY: I think what is shocking in the stock price reflected it today is that it's shocking because he is the CEO of a major public company. And the stock is down 30 percent since his tweet about taking the company public in August.
It's coming on the heels of other controversies like you said he mentioned Ambien. Investors are generally terrified that he is in the tease suite.
There's a lot of talk about shaking it up and he goes on a podcast and smokes weed. I mean, I think that that's what shocking to everybody.
GESIOTTO: And it's not just us that are concerned. Key executives have resigned from his company.
(CROSSTALK)
FAULKNER: Exactly.
GESIOTTO: Stocks is in free fall it's a mess over there. And the employees have talked about how concerned they are, they've seen him sleeping under desk sometime, on the floor.
WAGMESTER: Well, smart move, Elon, smart move.
FAULKNER: I was going to make an Ambien joke but I shouldn't.
HOLLIDAY: Just do it.
FAULKNER: A lot of people just talk it with a lack of fleet. But I do understand that, you know, as far as investors go, that is a huge deal.
It's a serious deal.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLLIDAY: It's maddening to investor. And they read this headline and you know, since August, as like I said, 30 percent the stock has fallen since his tweet. That was maybe kind of a joke about taking the company private in August. Controversy after controversy after controversy. People are losing money.
FAULKNER: Helping the weed industry?
WAGMEISTER: I don't think it's that much of an effect. And by the way I do not think this is a smart move just to me it wasn't shocking because for Elon this seems to go in line with his character and what he has displayed before. What he spoke about before.
FAULKNER: Al right. Not on the bill necessarily for the night. But I wanted to mention it because we are seeing some real warrior woman power right now at the U.S. Open. We are in the State of New York. I don't know if you know about this.
Serena Williams have been moving in a that category the finals as a mom for the first time, second time because she went to Wimbledon, can she win it? Just a quick word about all that lady power.
HOLLIDAY: I'm loving Serena Williams right now. I can't get enough. I've been watching her matches, following her on Instagram.
FAULKNER: Get the baby.
HOLLIDAY: I mean, you go, girl.
GESIOTTO: Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs in the world. I give her all the credit for not only being an incredible mom but for being out there and doing what she loves than what people love her more.
WAGMEISTER: I cannot agree more. Go Serena. I've been loving not just watching her but hearing what she is speaking about.
FAULKNER: That's "The Story" for this week. Martha MacCallum back on Monday right where she needs to be. I'll catch it (ph) noon on "Outnumbered."
END
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