Nevada election officials hope to avoid caucus chaos

close

Video

Nevada election officials hope to avoid caucus chaos

Nevada Democrats ditch Google form to report results and will instead relay vote totals through phone calls and text messages; Jacqui Heinrich reports from Las Vegas.

This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," February 21, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

TAMMY BRUCE, FOX NEWS POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: And he has noting that this felt like a message and it was really helped them, it was beautiful.

(CROSSTALK)

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: I thought you were going say, the pizza man was his real father.

BRUCE: No, no. Not at all.

WATTERS: That would have been something.

BRUCE: Not at all.

WATTERS: All right, that's a wrap. Have a great weekend, everybody. See you back here on Monday.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE: What a perfect --

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Good evening. Welcome to Washington, I'm Bret Baier. "BREAKING TONIGHT", Bernie Sanders is telling Vladimir Putin to bud out. The Democratic presidential frontrunner confirms he and his campaign were briefed about a month ago that Russia is already attempting to interfere in the November election in his favor.

The President, meantime, is calling separate reports that the Russians are trying to help him a disinformation campaign. He unloaded on Democrats during a rally in Las Vegas a short time ago.

We have "FOX TEAM COVERAGE". John Roberts at the White House with what else the president is saying today. But we begin with correspondent Peter Doocy in Las Vegas and the Sanders news, and his message to the Russian leader. Good evening, Peter.

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER: Good evening, Bret. Intel officials recently sat Bernie Sanders down and told him Russia is trying to help him win. That is according to a Washington Post reported that Sanders is responding to -- with this. "I don't care, frankly, who Putin wants to be president. My message to Putin is clear: stay out of American elections, and as president, I will make sure that you do.

In 2016, Russia used Internet propaganda to saw division in our country, and my understanding is that they are doing it again in 2020. Some of the ugly stuff on the Internet attributed to our campaign may well not be coming from real supporters."

And that last part means that this moment may have been based on actual Intel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, let me say something else about this. Not being too paranoid. All of us remember 2016. And what we meant -- what we remember is efforts by Russians and others to try to interfere in our election and divide us up. I'm not saying that's happening, but it would not shock me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: It's not clear yet, exactly how Russia might be trying to boost Sanders. Bret.

BAIER: All right, Peter Doocy live in Las Vegas. We'll head back in just a bit.

President Trump, meantime, calling Democrats focusing on alleged Russian involvement in the coming election, sick and crazy. He made those comments at a rally in Las Vegas earlier today.

Chief White House correspondent John Roberts has that part of the story. Good evening, John.

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bret, good evening to you. There are a few things that drive President Trump more-crazy than this suggestion he can't win an election without Russia's help.

So with that drumbeat started up again with what appeared to be strategic leaks last night, he opened fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: President Trump in Las Vegas today taking aim at intelligence reports that Russia is meddling in the 2020 campaign, hoping to get President Trump re-elected.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The do-nothing Democrats, they said today that Putin wants to be sure that Trump gets elected. Here we go again. Wouldn't you rather have Bernie, who honeymooned in Moscow?

ROBERTS: According to reports, the Office the Director of National Intelligence, brief members of Congress on Russian meddling last week. In addition to the intelligence about President Trump's reelection, members were also told Russia is meddling in the Democratic primary.

In a statement, the White House sought to assure Americans the president is on top of the problem, saying, "President Trump has made clear that any efforts or attempts by Russia, or any other nation, to influence or interfere with our elections, or undermine U.S. democracy will not be tolerated and will be met with sharp consequences."

For its part, Russia is denying any attempt to influence the election. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, saying, "These are more paranoid announcements which, to our regret, will multiply as we get closer to the U.S. election. They certainly have nothing to do with the truth."

But what really piqued the interest of Democrats, were reports, President Trump dress down his former Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire in the Oval Office for allowing the briefing, then replaced him with Ambassador to Germany Rick Grenell, a rock-solid Trump loyalist.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, tweeting, "We count on the Intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections. If reports are true and the president is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling. Exactly as we warned he would do."

And this from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): For him, therefore, to oust the director of National Intelligence and put somebody in with absolutely no credentials whatsoever for the job for something that is very much a part of our national security. This is dangerous.

ROBERTS: But Fox News has been told, they didn't know way did the president berate or otherwise yell at Maguire, also because he was never in line for the permanent DNI position, Maguire was scheduled to leave the agency on March 11th.

President Trump is expected to name a permanent intelligence director in the near future, tweeting today, "For great candidates are under consideration at DNI. Decision within next few weeks."

But one candidate the president named last night, Georgia Republican Congressman Doug Collins, who was running for the Senate said, while he is thankful for the consideration, he is not interested.

REP. DOUG COLLINS (R-GA): Wow, you know, it is humbling. But let me just tell you right now that I know the problems in our intelligence community, but this is not a job that interests me to this time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: At the ODNI, Rick Grenell and his new top advisor Kash Patel are expected to ensure that staff serve the best interests of the country and not themselves. And at the same time, the new White House director of personnel Johnny McEntee, held a meeting yesterday in which he told Cabinet agency liaisons that they should be on the lookout for political appointees who are possible, never-Trumpers.

We're getting the sense here, Bret that there could be a lot of spring cleaning in the offing in the coming weeks.

BAIER: And we should point out, John, that the new Intel team coming in this briefing on Bernie Sanders happened a month ago. Is the White House said anything about that?

ROBERTS: No, they have not said anything about it just yet. I think that that's come as a bit of a surprise to many people that I've been talking to.

BAIER: All right, John Roberts, live in the North Lawn. John, thanks.

As we prepare for tomorrow's Nevada caucuses, Mike Bloomberg makes a huge reversal in his long-held refusal to allow women who have complained about his workplace behavior to speak publicly.

Correspondent Peter Doocy returns with that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I said, we're not going to get to end these agreements because they were made consensually and they have every right to expect that they will stay private.

DOOCY: That booing apparently led to some reflecting. Now, Bloomberg says, "If any of them want to be released from their NDA so they can talk about those allegations, they should contact to the company and they'll be given a release."

This public announcement comes as advisors are privately convincing delegates to back him at the convention if nobody wins on the first ballot. That's according to a report in POLITICO, where a Bloomberg spokeswoman is quoted as saying, "We have an enormous apparatus that is constantly reaching out to all types of people for support and to explain why we think Mike is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump."

But, rivals think this week's debate hurt Bloomberg's chances.

SANDERS: And affects what happened in a Democratic debate, you know, I think it's quite likely that Trump will chew him up and spit them out.

DOOCY: An e-mail to Elizabeth Warren's supporters suggests, "Mayor Bloomberg will probably spend another $100 million to try and erase everyone's memory of what happened on the debate stage this week."

Her own campaign cash was running low at the end of last month down to just $2.3 million in the bank. And now, she is backing off a cash-related campaign promise. This one, from a web site. "Elizabeth rejects the help of super PACs and would disavow any super PAC formed to support her in the Democratic primary."

Because now, super PACs are OK if there for her.

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We reached the point, a few weeks ago, where all the men who are still in this race and on the debate stage, all having either super PACs or they were multibillionaires. If all the candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me in, I'll lead the charge. But that's how it has to be. It can't be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only one to two don't.

DOOCY: Bernie Sanders doesn't have a super PAC. And today in California, he tried to convince Independents to register as Democrats, so they can back him on Super Tuesday.

SANDERS: I hope very much that in California, we have the highest voter turnout in this primary that California has ever had. But in order to make that happen, those people who are Independents, who were no party preference people have got to request a Democratic ballot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOOCY: Joe Biden has recently been telling voters that he was once arrested trying to see Nelson Mandela in South Africa in the 1970s when he was already a sitting U.S. senator.

But tonight, the New York Times reviewed all available records and can't find any evidence of that arrest actually happening. I've reached out to the Biden campaign to see what's up with that. Bret.

BAIER: Tended to follow that. Peter Doocy, twice in one show. Peter, thanks.

The U.S. and the Taliban are now on the clock in what's being described as a seven-day period of reduced violence. It is supposed to be the precursor toward a peace agreement scheduled for signing next week.

But senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot tells us tonight, there are plenty of things that could still go wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG PALKOT, FOX NEWS SENIOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This could be the beginning of the end of America's 18-year long war in Afghanistan. Set to start there, a seven-day long partial truce involving the Taliban, U.S., NATO, and Afghan forces. Not a ceasefire but a halt in most offensive activities.

Secretary of State Pompeo, traveling in the Mideast, tweeted, "After decades of conflict, we have come to an understanding with a Taliban on a significant reduction in violence across Afghanistan. This is an important step on a long road to peace, and I call on all Afghans to seize this opportunity."

If it works, an agreement will be signed, February 29th in Qatar by U.S.- Afghanistan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives, which would lead to bilateral talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban about a final political settlement.

ASHRAF GHANI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN (through translator): Now that the Taliban have agreed to a reduction in violence, it is also an essential step towards a ceasefire and lasting peace.

PALKOT: Also included a commitment from the Taliban not to let Afghanistan be used by terrorists to launch another attack on the U.S. And a cut of U.S. forces from some 12,000 to 8,600, what President Trump wants.

The agreement includes, however, a potentially dangerous release of some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, and the Taliban want all Americans out, something the U.S. doesn't want a chance.

"My fellow Afghans will soon celebrate this historic agreement," wrote Taliban deputy Sirajuddin Haqqani in a controversial New York Times op-ed. "Once it is entirely fulfilled, Afghans will see the departure of all foreign troops."

The spreading of opinions of this known terrorist with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, a sign of how high risk these talks are.

JOHN HANNAH, SENIOR COUNSELOR, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: I think it was hugely wrong to give one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in journalism over to the unchallenged view of one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PALKOT: The New York Times says it reached out to all sides in the Afghan conflict and Haqanni's view was relevant. Talking with the Taliban, a journalistic and diplomatic minefield. Bret.

BAIER: Greg, thank you.

The jury deliberating the Harvey Weinstein rape trial, says it has reached verdicts on three of the five counts against him. But it is deadlocked on the most serious charges.

Correspondent Bryan Llenas is outside the courthouse tonight with the latest. Good evening, Bryan.

BRYAN LLENAS, FOX NEWS NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bret, good evening. Just after they returned from lunch, the jury alerted the court they were deadlocked on two of the five counts against Harvey Weinstein.

The jury, saying that they could not reach a unanimous decision on counts of one and three, predatory sexual assault charges the most serious against Weinstein, punishable by a sentence of up to life in prison.

In order for the jury to find Weinstein guilty on predatory assault, press prosecutors had to prove that Weinstein committed not only the sexual crimes he's charged with but that he had also committed a prior sex crime.

And for that prosecutors relied on the witness testimony of actress Annabella Sciorra. Sciorra testified that she was raped in the early 90s by Weinstein. The jury did come to a unanimous decision on three counts, including a criminal sexual act charge and two rape charges, stemming from accusations that Weinstein forced production assistant Mimi Haleyi to perform oral sex on him in 2006 and that he raped actress Jessica Mann in a New York hotel room in 2013.

The jury asked the court today whether a partial verdict was OK. The prosecution said no. The defense said they were willing to accept a partial verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROLINE POLISI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: The defense would willing to accept a partial -- a partial verdict. And the reason why is because they read the tea leaves and they understood that this meant that in all likelihood he would be found guilty at the lowest three charges, and they said, we'll take our chances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LLENAS: The judge ordered the jury to deliberate until they can reach a unanimous decision on all five counts. Deliberations begin for a fifth day on Monday morning. Bret.

BAIER: We'll follow him. Bryan, thank you. Chinese health officials are backtracking tonight on the optimistic messages sent out earlier about progress against the coronavirus.

In South Korea, the prime minister there says his country has entered an emergency phase. Correspondent Jonathan Serrie, updates us tonight from Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN SERRIE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: International health officials are concerned about clusters of COVID-19 cases outside China. The coronavirus has infected more than 200 people in South Korea, a figure that has quadrupled in just two days.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We're concerned about the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link, such as travel history to China or contact with a confirmed case.

SERRIE: China is mourning the death of a 29-year-old doctor, who postponed his wedding to treat patients and Wuhan. The Politburo, says the situation in that city remains grave and the epidemic has yet to reach its turning point.

In Ukraine, protesters threw rocks in buses carrying 70 evacuees from China to a quarantine site. Here in the U.S., officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say a policy of containment is working for now.

NANCY MESSONNIER, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES (via telephone): We are working with state, local, and territorial health departments to ready our public health workforce to respond to local cases and the possibility this outbreak could become a pandemic.

SERRIE: Federal officials confirm, there was a robust discussion between the CDC, State Department, and other agencies on whether to allow American cruise ship passengers to leave Japan on an evacuation flight after they receive positive test results on the way to the airport.

WILLIAM WALTERS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE: At the end of the day, the State Department had a decision to make, informed by our interagency partners. And we went ahead, made that decision. And the decision, I think, was the right one in bringing those people home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERRIE: So far, 18 of the 329 passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess aboard State Department flights have tested positive for COVID-19. CDC officials predict that number will increase in the coming days because this is a high-risk group. Bret.

BAIER: Jonathan, thank you.

Coronavirus worries continue to affect Wall Street. The Dow lost 228. The S&P 500 was down 35. The NASDAQ plunged 174 today. For the week, the Dow lost 1-1/3 percentage points. The S&P 500 fell 1-1/4. The NASDAQ was off almost 1-2/3.

Up next, should the players on the U.S. women's soccer team be treated the same as members of the men's team? We'll have the story.

First, here is what some of our Fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. Fox Nine in the Twin Cities as teachers in St. Paul vote to strike. The start time of the walkout will be announced next week. 3,700 members of the St. Paul Federation of Educators are striking over increased pay and benefits.

WFXT in Boston, as thousands of people found guilty of driving drunk in Massachusetts may be able to get a new trial. It has to do with the reliability of Breathalyzer results. A letter of notification has been sent to more than 27,000 offenders across the state who pleaded guilty or were found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol between June of 2011 and April of last year.

And this is a live look at Phoenix from our affiliate Fox 10 out there. One of the big stories there tonight. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Republican lawmakers have pulled a contentious proposal to make the current ban on so-called sanctuary cities, part of the state's constitution.

Republican lawmakers, say sanctuary cities will remain illegal in Arizona though.

That is tonight's live look "OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY" from SPECIAL REPORT. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: The FBI has arrested the husband of a former aide to then-California Democratic congressional candidate Katie Hill in connection to a hacking attack against her primary opponents.

The criminal complaint charges Arthur Dam with organizing several denial of service attacks. Hill won the election in 2018, but resigned from Congress last October, amid news, she had an affair with one of her staff members.

Hill told "The View" today the relationship would not have received as much media coverage if it had not included another woman. You can read more about the story on FoxNews.com.

The players on the World Cup champion U.S. women's soccer team are going to court, seeking tens of millions of dollars for what they contend is gender discrimination. The players say they're not treated equally to their male counterparts.

Correspondent Christina Coleman looks at both sides tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGAN RAPINOE, CO-CAPTAIN, UNITED STATES WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM: Yes, we're female athletes, but we're so much more than that.

CHRISTINA COLEMAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Seven months removed from a World Cup championship, and six months away from the Olympics, players on the U.S. women's national soccer team say, it's time their hard work and success on the field is reflected in their paycheck.

Now, for the first time, we are learning they're seeking $66 million in damages in their class-action lawsuit. Alleging the U.S. Soccer Federation engages in blatant gender discrimination, with the men's national team earning millions more in basic pay, benefits, and bonuses.

Team co-captain Alex Morgan has been outspoken in the call for parity.

ALEX MORGAN, FORWARD, UNITED STATES WOMEN'S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM: Knowing that so much rides on our success in terms of equal pay and kind of just been at the forefront of everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLEMAN: Newly released court documents show Rapinoe gave a pre-trial deposition where she claims a soccer official told her, "Market realities are such that the women do not deserve to be paid equally to the men."

The collective bargaining agreements negotiated separately and disclosed publicly for the first time we're building men can earn as much as $18,000 and bonuses per national team appearance.

As for the women, the maximum is at $8,500, despite generating more revenue as a team than the men.

In a statement, U.S. Soccer, says, "Women's national team players are paid differently because they specifically asked for and negotiated a completely different contract than the men's national team, despite being offered, and rejecting, a similar pay-to-play agreement during the past negotiations."

Individual players on the U.S. men's team have voiced their support for the women, saying they deserve to be paid a lot more money.

The trial is scheduled for May 5th. In the meantime, the women's national team is prepping for a major international tournament that starts early next month. Bret?

BAIER: Christina, thank you.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing for a third run at reelection since last April, 3rd-time. He's facing opposition leader Benny Gantz, March 2nd, after two failed attempts to secure enough support to form a new government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

He's also facing trial on corruption charges later in the month. Netanyahu spoke about that to Mark Levin, for his Sunday night program.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Under the argument that the public has the right to know and the need to know, in my case, with all these false charges that are leveled against me, they have to be aired before the elections because the public has to know.

In the case of Benny Gantz, for some reason, the same people who made that argument are making the opposite argument. We don't want to interfere with the elections. Well, of course, you do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: You can see that interview on "LIFE, LIBERTY, AND LEVIN", Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Up next, we go back to Las Vegas to look at how Democrats are trying to keep the Nevada caucuses from experiencing Iowa type chaos. First, "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight, hundreds of grieving people flocked to Friday prayers in Germany, two days after a racially motivated shooting shook the country, prompted fresh calls for a crackdown on extremism there.

A 43-year-old German man fatally shot nine people with immigrant backgrounds in a Frankfurt suburb before apparently killing his 72-year-old mother and himself. Half of the victims were reported to be Turkish.

Iranians voted for a new parliament today. The election has been rocked by the disqualification of more than 7,000 potential candidates, most of them reformists and moderates.

Iran's leadership and state media urge people to show up and vote with some framing it as a religious duty.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meantime, met today with the new ruler of Oman, a key Gulf Arab allied to both the U.S. and Iran. The new Sultan of Oman has vowed to uphold his predecessor's foreign policy approach which was based on non-interference.

Just some of the other stories "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: We are just hours away from the Nevada caucuses. Democratic Party leaders are hoping tomorrow's voting in Nevada will not feature a repeat of the chaos experience last week in Iowa. Correspondent -- two weeks ago.

Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich tells us what's being done about all of that. Good evening, Jacqui.

JACQUI HEINRICH, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bret. Well, a memo from the Nevada Democrats is sparking concern within some campaigns with less than 24 hours to voting.

That memo sent to candidates indicates the party will no longer use a Google form to report results and will instead relay totals through text messages and phone calls. It's the second time Nevada Democrats shifted gears since the bashed Iowa caucuses.

First, ditching the app they planned to use which was developed by the same company as the Iowa app, and instead opting for a Google form, scrambling to distribute 2,000 secure iPads and train volunteers on the new method.

But there were concerns about the security of the iPads themselves and the tech savviness of volunteers, and now this shift to a phone-based system is raising fears over delayed results. And the DNC is trying to manage expectations, not committing to release any results on the day of the vote, saying accuracy is more important than speed.

But a new AP nationwide polls shows Democrats have little faith in their party's nominating process overall. Only 41 percent of Democratic voters reporting they have a great deal of confidence, and 25 percent say they have little to no confidence. Republicans polled better, with 61 percent saying they have high confidence in the system.

Nevada Democrats say the measures they are taking are to ensure accuracy.

MOLLY FORGEY, NEVADA DEMOCRATIC PARTY SPOKESWOMAN: Make sure they can do the math, minimize human error where we can, and they will be using a hotline where we have 200 paid operators taking in their results.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEINRICH: Nevada Democrats didn't answer our questions as to whether or not they will still use the Google form to calculate the totals, or if they will be using it to include the early voting numbers. And 75,000 Nevadans participated over a four-day period and it was the first time in history a caucus state allowed early voting. Bret?

BAIER: Iowa had a hotline, too. Jacqui Heinrich live in Las Vegas. Jacqui, thanks. We will see what happens.

It has been an interesting week in the media experience of Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, he was being touted in some corners of the Democratic Party as a potential party savior. But after his debate performance in Las Vegas, there has been a period of reassessment in the party and in the media. FOX News media analyst and host of FOX's "Media Buzz" Howard Kurtz shows us tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWARD KURTZ, FOX NEWS MEDIA ANALYST: As Mike Bloomberg poured a fraction of his fortune into advertising blitz that pushed up his poll numbers, the media kept boosting his stock to new heights.

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's going to be a great debate, and Michael Bloomberg will fit in, and I think you will be well prepared to take on his challenges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am absolutely happy to see Bloomberg on the debate stage, and if he is this candidate, then I am hopeful he is the best one to beat Trump.

KURTZ: And his stock stayed high even as news outlets were investigating, or being given oppo research on, his record as New York's mayor, such as the way he once described his stop and frisk program.

BLOOMBERG: The way you should get the guns out of the kids' hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them.

KURTZ: When "The Washington Post" reported on a history of alleged sexist and profane comments to women, everyone knew that would come up at the MSNBC debate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Several former employers have claimed that your company was a hostile workplace for women.

BLOOMBERG: None of them accused me of doing anything other than maybe they didn't like the joke I told.

KURTZ: And just like that, the Bloomberg stock crashed. The press pounded him, agreeing with President Trump for once that it was one of the worst debate appearances ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a rough night for Michael Bloomberg. Man, Elizabeth Warren just gutted him like a flounder on Long Island Sound.

KURTZ: Now the media consensus is that Bloomberg only helped Bernie Sanders widen his lead. While the NBC moderators were aggressive, they curiously didn't ask about the gun issue in Las Vegas, site of the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KURTZ: The media regularly build up politicians, then tear them down, but it rarely happens so incredibly fast. Even with another debate looming, Bloomberg hasn't done any TV interviews, the kind that could have helped him devise better answers to damaging questions. Bret?

BAIER: Howie, thanks.

Mike Bloomberg makes a big decision, Nevada gets ready to decide, and Candidate Casino, we'll head there. It is Las Vegas, after all. We'll have it all with the panel after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN: Last night in the debate I had an exchange with Mayor Bloomberg.

Mr. Mayor are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements?

BLOOMBERG: None of them accused me of doing anything other than maybe they didn't like the joke I told.

WARREN: I wrote up a release in covenant not to sue, and all that Mayor Bloomberg has to do is download it. I'll text it.

TRUMP: Mini Mike so far has spent almost $500 million in order to get embarrassed by Pocahontas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: The president today talking about his potential opponents. Meantime Mayor Bloomberg has put out a statement saying that if women who have signed NDAs, Non-Disclosure Agreements, want to get out of that, they can contact the company and they will be able to have a release, and they can talk about whatever they want to talk about. It's taken a few days to get there, but that release came out today.

But the big news right before the show first broken by "The Washington Post," Bernie Sanders briefed by U.S. officials that Russia is trying to help his presidential campaign. Then the campaign put out a statement saying from Sanders, "I don't care, frankly, who Putin wants to be president. My message to Putin is clear, stay out of American elections. And as president, I will make sure that you do. In 2016, Russia used Internet propaganda to sow division in our country and my understanding is they are doing it again in 2020. Some of the ugly stuff on the Internet attributed to our campaign may well not be coming from real supporters." He talk about that in the debate. Later, Senator Sanders said that he was briefed about a month ago from U.S. intelligence about what Russia was trying to do.

OK, let's start there with our panel, Matthew Continetti, founding editor of the "Washington Free Beacon," Susan Ferrechio, Chief Congressional Correspondent for the "Washington Examiner," and Josh Kraushaar, politics editor for "National Journal." Matthew, this obviously comes in the context of the stories last night about intelligence officials raising alarms about Russia and President Trump receiving all that pushback.

MATTHEW CONTINETTI, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "WASHINGTON FREE BEACON": I guess at least this time they are giving the briefing before the election, unlike after 2016 when Comey tells Trump after he won that all this was going on.

What's important to recognize, though, is that Russian Facebook ads did not determine the result of the election in 2016, and they are not going to determine the result of the election in 2020. I think this is part of the Russians attempt to undermine legitimacy in our electoral system, and it seems to be working because so many people get so agitated over these stories.

BAIER: Hillary Clinton put out a similar tweet that Russia has needed to win the election.

SUSAN FERRECHIO, "WASHINGTON EXAMINER": Don't forget, in 2016 there was evidence that the Russians were helping Bernie Sanders back then to undermine Hillary Clinton's campaign. And now here we are, and this is happening again. They are really trying to sow discord and disrupt the election.

I think I agree with Matthew in that the sense that this really did upend the election is hard to prove, and I know just from the briefings that members of Congress have been getting that our intelligence officials have been working really hard to make sure that the election is secure, like "The New York Times" article suggested that they are hacking into actual election results. There is no evidence that that happened in 2018 at all. We just had an election, everything went fairly smoothly, and the updates that I get from members of Congress who are briefed on this is that they are aware that there are efforts being made by outside influences, we assume its China, we assume its Russia, to disrupt this next election, but that they are putting the infrastructure in place to make sure that doesn't happen.

BAIER: Listen, we have said on this panel many times that it is a serious thing about Russia and interference in any election, and all you have to do is read the Mueller report and the specifics of that and what Russia was trying to do. However, we have also said that Russia did not tell Hillary Clinton not to go to Wisconsin in 2016. So where are we on this Bernie Sanders story and the big impact?

JOSH KRAUSHAAR, POLITICAL EDITOR, "NATIONAL JOURNAL": It seems like Russia is trying to hedge their bets with this presidential election. And Trump often isn't tough enough with his rhetoric on Russia, but his policies have generally been pretty tough on Russia. His administration has taken a tough line on some sanctions, on a whole lot of other issues.

With Bernie you saw a tough statement saying don't interfere with the election, but what would he do as president? He probably would withdraw troops from the Middle East. There are a lot of policies --

BAIER: How about green energy? We were stop fracking, oil production, which largely would help Putin.

KRAUSHAAR: His energy policy very much is what Russia may favor. So that is a big challenge for Sanders. This is a day before the Nevada caucuses, a huge political gift for both Trump and his Democratic opponents.

BAIER: Let's turn to other storylines today. Here is the Elizabeth Warren website as of tonight, it still says this, "When I'm the Democratic nominee for president, I'm not going to change a thing in how I run my campaign -- No PACS." Here she is Monday -- or Thursday, rather.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN: If all the candidates want to get rid of super PACs, count me. I'll lead the charge. But that's how it has to be. It can't be the case that a bunch of people keep them and only one or two don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: She said at the beginning that it was a moral thing, that you have to stand up. And now she is saying, well, they are not doing it, so I'm going to take super PAC money too.

CONTINETTI: Warren's flaws as a candidate are amazing. Think about it, whether it's the question of her ancestry, whether it's her policy on Medicare for all, not is her policy about super PACs, she never sticks with one position. It's only a matter of time before she changes her mind or she will give us some rationalization for it. It doesn't add up. It's one reason why I think she would be as weak if not weaker a candidate in the general election than Bernie Sanders.

BAIER: What about the Bloomberg NDA issue?

FERRECHIO: Well, he is moving towards where the rest of the country is going on this, and he really had no choice. These NDA's have become really unpopular, especially in the Me Too era.

BAIER: For all the people he is paying, you don't think somebody told him that? Debate prep, this may come up.

FERRECHIO: There's reporting that he was prepped on this, but his performance fell short of that preparation, and that it rattled the staff who were preparing him for this. Warren landed some solid punches on him during that debate. It was pretty astonishing, actually. But all he can do now is say, OK, I am going to release you from the NDA. You can say -- hopefully he must have some awareness that what they are going to say will dilute all of this.

BAIER: It is Las Vegas, it is Nevada, so we are going to take a trip to Candidate Casino. You have $100 in chips, you have to put them down. Josh, we will start with you.

KRAUSHAAR: It's $50 Bernie Sanders, and it is only because there is so much uncertainty that is not higher than that. I have $50 on Sanders, $30 on a contested, a true contested convention --

BAIER: Where they decide on a second, third, fourth ballot.

KRAUSHAAR: Second ballot. And then I have $10 for Biden, I still think he can get back in the game, $10 for the rest of the field.

BAIER: The rest of the field, that's kind of a cop out.

FERRECHIO: I agree with contested convention, but even given that more than likely scenario, at least at this moment, I give Sanders $55 for that reason. Even in a brokered conversation he still may not be the winner. Bloomberg at $30, I have Biden at $10. I am not writing him off yet, and Klobuchar at $5 because she is hanging in there.

BAIER: But Biden has fallen in your betting significantly.

FERRECHIO: I know, but I'm not ruling him out yet.

BAIER: Matthew?

CONTINETTI: Things are getting real, Bret. I have $65 on Bernie Sanders, $20 on the field, and $15 for my Cayman Island tax shelter to get ready if there's a socialist victory.

(LAUGHTER)

BAIER: Very nice. See, Charles Krauthammer used to say wine, women, and song, so we may be getting there. We will see. Panel, thanks.

Next up, the Friday Lightning Round, and Winners and Losers. You don't want to miss that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: All right, we are back with the Lightning Round. Moments ago Bernie Sanders was asked why he thought the story was coming out, he said, one day before the Nevada caucuses, even though he was briefed months ago. And at the same time team Bloomberg tweeted out in Russian "Feel the Bern." So this is going back and forth about the Russian interference and Bernie Sanders. Meantime, developments with Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHRAF GHANI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT (through translator): With courage and plans, we will move forward with peace negotiations. But it will be the Afghan nation who will take the final decision. There would be no hidden decisions regarding it.

REAR ADM. WILLIAM BYRNE JR., JOINT STAFF VICE DIRECTOR: The potential for reduction in violence is going to help us get to that political solution that is needed. Those political negotiations at the government level are going to help facilitate that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: It is supposed to be this calm period to tee-up this signing of a peace deal. The secretary of state tweeting "After decades of conflict, we have come to an understanding with the Taliban on a significant reduction in violence across Afghanistan, an important step on a long road to peace, and I call on all Afghans to seize this opportunity."

Back with the panel, Lightning Round. Matthew, thoughts?

CONTINETTI: At first, it is important to note that this is not a cease- fire. It is a reduction on violence. And then of course, the question is, from what level to what level? And then Reagan's line about trust but verify. I think in the case of the Taliban we would have to change it to distrust and verify.

BAIER: Susan?

FERRECHIO: This is going to be tough. I think people just have their fingers crossed, hoping that this peace, or reduction in violence, will last long enough to try to work by February 29th on this actual deal that will finally get our troops out of there after two decades. That has been a common goal now in America, to just try to get us out of there, at least lower the numbers by 4,000 or 5,000 I think is what this would do. And everybody is just hoping for that. But again, it is just going to depend on what happens in these next days.

BAIER: Josh?

KRAUSHAAR: Good luck having the cease-fire last a week, no less a long- term cease-fire. I think this was on a political timetable for the Trump White House as much as a military timetable. The president campaigned on getting the troops home, and that is a big part of what he wants before his reelection campaign. But we know that results on the ground often don't cooperate with political schedules.

BAIER: I never have there.

Winners and Losers, winner first.

CONTINETTI: My winner this week is Steve Scalise. Keith Ellison tweeted out this week name an example of a Bernie bro acting badly. Scalise says, I can think of one example. Of course, Scalise the victim of a murderous Bernie bro in 2017. My loser is Democratic governor Gavin Newsom of California. He tweeted out that doctors should be able to write prescriptions for housing the same way they do for insulin or antibiotics. I think it is time for Governor Newsom to make an appointment with his general practitioner.

BAIER: What would we do without Twitter? Winner and loser?

FERRECHIO: I saw this on Twitter. This is Australian boy Quaden Bayles. He's aged nine. He suffers from dwarfism. He was bullied by his classmates. His mother in a sobbing viral video describing what her son was going through. They raised, through a third party, $100,000 on GoFundMe, and now he is going to get to take a trip to Disney World, which is pretty great, I think.

And my loser, my losers are the drivers who come to Washington, D.C., who are issued over the past three years over $1 billion in tickets, and a lot of them automated in places where they lower the speed limit for no apparent reason. And it does not appear to be associated with any safety improvements or any driving improvements. And it has gotten to the point where the AAA has deemed their ticketing predatory.

BAIER: I've had a few. Winner and loser?

KRAUSHAAR: Winner, Mitch McConnell, with Bernie Sanders looking like he is getting momentum in the Democratic nomination process. That's great news for all of the senators in swing states.

BAIER: And Senate candidates.

KRAUSHAAR: In fact, the Republicans are already up with an ad against, or rather against Mark Kelly, the Democratic, or rather the Democratic nominee against Martha McSally, big impact.

The loser of the week are college slackers. And we have a new report from the New York Federal Reserve showed under Trump, blue-collar wages up quite a bit, and also the top half of college educated Americans up significantly. It's the lower half of the college educated slice that are really falling behind.

BAIER: All right, panel, thank you very much. When we come back, "Notable Quotables."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: I kind of like that open now. Finally tonight, "Notable Quotables."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a new person on the stage tonight, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a former Republican who has spent millions of his own dollars.

TRUMP: Mini Mike, I hear they're pounding him.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR, (D-MN) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think you look at Donald Trump and say we need someone richer in the White House.

WARREN: A billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians.

BLOOMBERG: The best-known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses. What did I miss here?

SANDERS: I do have a summer camp. Forgive me for that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry about this blood. It's been a long time since I've shared with a normal razor.

TRUMP: Roger is definitely a character. Everybody sort of knows Roger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon Roger Stone.

WARREN: After more than 100,000 selfies, I caught somebody's call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Luck to get out of China. We are just very fortunate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any cravings?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, just maybe a beer and a hamburger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't want all that attention. He just wants something to eat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no better reward for us than seeing somebody that was critical one day walk a few days later out of the hospital with their family going back to life.

TRUMP: Do you know what? Someday we won't be here. And when we are not, those papers are in big trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boom, boom, boom, boom. Whatever the question is, the answer is boom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

BAIER: Whatever the question is, it's boom.

Content and Programming Copyright 2020 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2020 ASC Services II Media, LLC. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of ASC Services II Media, LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.