New safety concerns following crash of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft

This is a rush transcript from "The Story," March 11, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SANDRA SMITH, GUEST HOST: Well, the newest version of Boeing's most popular jet under intense worldwide pressure tonight after a second brand-new plane came crashing to the ground. Killing everyone on board.

Good evening, everybody. I'm Sandra Smith, in for Martha MacCallum, and this is "The Story." Tonight, devastated loved ones mourning the loss of 157 lives on board Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, which crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday the circumstances of that crash eerily similar to the crash of Lion Air 610 which happened last October in Indonesia.

Both planes, brand-new models of the 737 MAX 8 which features larger engines than their predecessor aimed at increasing fuel efficiency. But with that change came controversy, over other changes made to accommodate those larger engines and whether Boeing was transparent enough with the pilots and the airlines who fly those planes.

Tonight, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California has called in the FAA to ground all 737 MAX 8, despite Boeing's insistence that they are still safe in the skies. Trace Gallagher is live in our West Coast newsroom with what we know tonight. Trace.

TRACE GALLAGHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: And Sandra, investigators say it's too early to make any connection between yesterday's Ethiopian Air crash and the Lion Air crash back in October that killed 189 people, but there are certainly parallels. Both aircraft were identical. The pilots of both flights tried to make it back to the airport but were unable, and both had drastic speed fluctuations during the same phase of their flights which was the initial ascent.

The Lion Air crash investigation is ongoing, but a primary focus is the plane's automatic system to make sure it does not stall. And here is the deal. When Boeing redesigned the 737 to create the MAX 8, it changed the position of the engines. Therefore, changing the balance of the airplane.

So, to make sure the nose of the plane never got too high which could lead to a stall, engineers added a system that automatically brings down the nose. But during a faulty sensor reading which apparently happened aboard Lion Air, the automatic system can bring the nose down too much and put the plane into a dive.

To pull the plane back up, pilots would have to disable the system. But Boeing didn't include the fix in its operating manual. So, the pilots were likely unfamiliar with it. The FAA and Boeing later issued a directive saying, "This condition, if not addressed, could cause the flight crew to have difficulty controlling the airplane."

And in yesterday's Ethiopian crash, several witnesses say, before the plane hit the ground, the pilot appeared to be struggling. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GADISA BENT, EYEWITNESS, ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES PLANE CRASH (through translator): When it was hovering, the fire was coming from its tail, then it tried to lift its nose. But when it couldn't, it was leaning side to side. Finally, when it passed over our house, the nose pointed down and the tail raised up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and some other countries have now grounded the 737 max 8 until they get more information. But in this country, the FAA is allowing the planes to fly, and both Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, the biggest operators of the MAX 8, say they have full confidence in the 737 MAX 8s.

The airlines are even responding on Twitter too nervous flyers, quoting here, "Southwest has operated approximately 31,000 flights utilizing the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and we plan on operating those aircraft going forward.

Even United Airlines which doesn't fly the MAX 8s, told its customers, if they don't want to fly the MAX 9, United will make alternate travel plans.  The Airline Pilots Association is also warning against jumping to any conclusions about the cause of yesterday's crash. But the American Airlines flight attendants' union issued a bulletin today, telling members they will not be forced to work on the 737 MAX 8.

We should note, the copilot of the Ethiopian Air flight that crashed yesterday was relatively inexperienced just a few hundred hours. But the captain had more than 8,000 flight hours. That's a lot, Sandra.

SMITH: Trace Gallagher, thank you. Here now, FAA license commercial pilot Anthony Roman. Anthony, good evening to you and thank you for being here.

You're currently a commercial pilot. You've also were a corporate pilot, you also top-flight school. You have a lot of experience here. And what we're learning tonight is more about this automated flight system that was put in this new model aircraft that was involved in both of these crashes.  The MCAS, what do we need to know about that?

ANTHONY ROMAN, FOUNDER, A.C. ROMAN AND ASSOCIATES: Well, that is an automated flight system that overrides the pilot's inputs should the nose of the plane come too high and put the plane in danger of what's known as an aerodynamic stall. That would simply cause the plane to lose all its flight ability and plunge to the ground.

If it's at very low altitude, it's a very difficult to near impossible recovery for the pilot.

SMITH: I should mention that some of the major U.S. carriers who have these MAX 8s, the 737 MAX 8s in service today. United Airlines has eight craft -- American Airlines, I should say has 737 MAX 8 aircraft and its fleet, eight of them. They are still in service today.

Southwest is a major purchaser of this aircraft and has many of them currently flying 34 of the aircraft in its fleet. They are still up and flying tonight.

ROMAN: Well, there are 500 or so in the current fleet worldwide. And Boeing has approximately 5,100 orders for this aircraft. So, we can't ignore the similarities and the events that led to both aircraft being lost. We shouldn't jump conclusions, but we can't ignore those anomalies.

Now, the FAA has engineers on staff, the NTSB engineers on staff, Boeing's engineers. They're going to be reviewing all of the flight test data that went into certifying that the aircraft for a flight with passengers. And they'll be reviewing all of the accident data as well.

SMITH: But when it comes to the training involving that new technology, as you're describing that brings the nose of the plane up and down, which as I understand -- stand it was put in place to accommodate for the larger engine size in these airplanes that would increase fuel efficiency which is why the airlines or we're really seeking this plaintiff, to begin with.

What we did learn is that -- and this is according to New York Times were reporting that Boeing and the FAA decided pilots did not need to be informed about the change to the flight control system.

If this was the problem, had they known they could have operated these planes differently?

ROMAN: Well, more training is always better than less training for pilots.  We have to understand how those systems work, and how to override those systems, and recognize that a system either may have failed or is behaving improperly.

So, there can be a period of confusion if you have not received the proper training in that particular system. But really, the solution, if that occurs for a pilot, is to simply disconnect the system. Shut it down.

SMITH: Here is a former FAA safety inspector on this. Listen.

Can we don't have that tonight? But I want to tell you what he said because we're obviously seeking the input of those who have looked at these things before. He is saying, "The similarities are strikingly similar.  The same issues that they had with the MAX air. So, yes, I would watch for that airplane."

So, based on what we are hearing tonight, do you foresee more airlines who are currently flying this aircraft in the United States to pull them down, at least, for now, while this investigation continues? Do you think they should go that route?

ROMAN: Well, we've seen an unusual move here by the airlines and that is to keep them in the air, while at the same time, advising their passengers that if you want to change your flight if you don't want to fly in the MAX 8, we'll accommodate you.

I, personally, with my business staff have advised them, it is their choice if they choose not to fly on them for business travel, don't. But we left it as a personal choice. We really need the data, but thank goodness, they have recovered the flight data recorder, and even more importantly in this instance, the cockpit voice recorder. So, we can come to a fast preliminary determination --

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Although, we have heard that somewhat damaged. So, we hope to recover everything possible for that -- from that so we can learn more.  But the 737 MAX 9 has the same technology, we just discussed, correct?

ROMAN: Yes, I'm afraid it does.

SMITH: Which widens the reach, because United has some of those aircraft inflight as well. Appreciate your time on this tonight.

ROMAN: Thank you, Sandra.

SMITH: Thank you very much, sir. Also here tonight, Geraldo Rivera. Fox News correspondent-at-large. And Geraldo, I know you have some very strong thoughts and, on what we've learned so far about the major similarities between these two crashes, and obviously, the same aircraft and the same amount of time after takeoff that the crash has happened.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE: Sandra, I'm not an expert on air safety. I owned a helicopter for 14 years, and one of the rules we told our pilots if something is wrong with the aircraft in the air, you put the thing on the ground. I asked our audience right now. What are the odds that the same exact aircraft, five months apart, took off, went through this oscillating business, and then nosedive, killing everybody on board?

189 in October, 157 on Sunday. What's going on? I mean, you don't -- you don't experiment -- China has grounded all of these aircraft. India is about to. All these other nations are grounding their aircrafts. I understand that this is a big economic blow. I understand the 737 MAX 8 is the fastest selling aircraft in history. And as your expert just related, there over 5,000 orders pending. Lots of jobs. I get that.

But for God's sakes, this -- the odds on this occurring by chance -- random chance. The same exact thing to the same exact aircraft, I think it's so astronomical.

I have high regard for the FAA, I think that among our -- among our federal agencies, they are amongst the most professional. I think they're very sound. I cannot for the life of me understand why everybody else outside the United States or most of them are grounding these aircraft until they find out what the hell is going on. And our FAA is saying, "Wait, wait.  Let's see if something turns up, we'll let you know."

I don't -- I don't, Homie don't play that. I mean, that is not the way it seems to me a life-and-death issue like this, Sandra, should be decided.

SMITH: It's hard to go anywhere right now without -- everyone talking about this and questioning if they have a flight coming up, whether or not they should get on that flight.

So, the airlines, of course, have been responding to that. They understand the concerns of flyers, but they have to go off of Boeing's word right now.  And they're backing the integrity of these planes, Geraldo.

RIVERA: You know, Sandra, the -- I heard what you said about the airliners giving people the option, United if they are concerned, or some of the other airlines, if they are concerned, they will reschedule them. That is absolutely bogus, that is worthless.

It is so difficult to get a reservation and to get where you go. I live in Cleveland, there are limited flights out of Cleveland, you know, what am -- what am I going to do, how am I going to schedule if there's only this one 737 MAX 8 available on a Southwest flight going to Nashville, how am I going to reschedule? Am I going to go through Chicago, or go through New York?

These airliners have to take responsibility, the FAA has to take responsibility, ground the damn plane until they figure out what's happening. This is not an ice cream cone, this is not a recall of -- you know, Swiss cheese. This is life and death. A same exact thing happens five months apart, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out that these events are related.

SMITH: Well, and when you really dig into the details and you see that the pilots that were flying that particular aircraft prior to it going down had already put in complaints about having trouble flying the plane. And then, they made this fix. As I believe, the pilots still sitting next to me, the day before it went down, he's confirming that, that was absolutely the case.

So, we hope to learn more, the black box have been recovered, although damaged. And the cockpit recorder has been recovered. So, the story will continue and will continue to see what we learned from it. Geraldo, thank you.

RIVERA: Thank you, Sandra.

SMITH: All right. Up next, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, says don't be afraid of losing your job to a robot? It might be a good thing?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-N.Y.: We should be excited about automation, because what it -- what it could potentially mean is more time educating ourselves, more time creating art, more time investing and investigating in the sciences, more time focused on invention, more time going to space.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez making the case this weekend that Americans should be "excited to lose their jobs to machines and robots."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OCASIO-CORTEZ: We should be excited about automation because what it -- what it could potentially mean is more time educating ourselves, more time creating art, more time investing and investigating in the sciences, more time focused on invention, more time going to space, more time enjoying the world that we live in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Here now Andy Puzder former Chief Executive Officer of CKE Restaurants and author of The Capitalists Comeback: The Trump Boom and the Left's Plot to Stop It. You know, that was really something there.

ANDY PUZDER, FORMER CEO, CKE RESTAURANTS: She is something. I'll say that for her.

SMITH: Because if you don't have a job, certainly you have more time to go and I don't know what the words were, do art or discover art, go to space.

PUZDER: Play video games.

SMITH: What do you think about what you're hearing?

PUZDER: She -- with her economic policies, you definitely will have more time to do things other than work because there aren't going to be a lot of jobs whether they're automated or not. And her -- the idea with automation is that it could enable businesses to create even more jobs much like the tractor increased farming so we have more food and more people. Were able to do other things.

With automation, you could have more jobs. That's -- I would hope that's what she would be thinking. But apparently, her thoughts go to people doing less. I think we had -- Harry Reid once talked about people doing cowboy poetry and those kinds of things by not having jobs, that it might be a good thing. It's not a good thing you. Get your self-worth from your job. It's important.

SMITH: Before we continue. You're a businessman and we know you as that.  You made your living, your life as a businessman. What is the socialism that we hear talked about today, what is this discussion that we're having in this country?

PUZDER: Well, it's a real big problem because she really doesn't know what socialism is and she doesn't know what capitalism -- she doesn't know what either one of them are and about 70 percent of Millennials don't. They can't define either one. What we're talking about with capitalism is your ability to improve your life, to profit, to improve your life by reaching out and satisfying the needs of other people.

When you run a business, you're trying to satisfy other people's needs.  When you're on this show, you're trying to satisfy the needs of viewers.  If you don't, they won't watch it's the same with Amazon that the Bezos created this incredible distribution system, better than any system in the world. Well, if we don't like it, we won't use it and it won't be this great system and he would have failed.

So with capitalism, you succeed by reaching out to others. With socialism, you know, you reach inward. You're trying to get the most you can from a limited supply of goods or services the government makes available. You're in a food line. You're not thinking about the people in front of you or behind you, you're trying to get the most for yourself.

SMITH: Based on those descriptions, it's hard to believe some of the latest Fox News pulling on this issue. This is the February poll on socialism favorability of those who favor socialism and this is opinions of those under the age of 30, 36 percent unfavorable, 37 percent. It also shows that voters who -- those voters would account for almost 40 percent of the 2020 electorate. This is Pew Research. Millennials and Gen Z will make up 37 percent of eligible voters come 2020.

PUZDER: Well, two things. One is Winston Churchill said the best. He said, if you don't -- if you're not a Liberal when you're 20, you have no heart. If you're not a Conservative when you're 40, you have no brain.  And you do see those numbers in that poll come down. They come down from about 61 percent approval down to about 27 percent when people are 65.

The second thing is people -- kids have -- the kids -- Millennials have not -- they haven't gotten economics in high school. They haven't gotten civics, they haven't gotten American history, they haven't gotten anti- American history. They've gotten history from books that really teach America's history as a history of oppression not as a history of economic freedom and personal liberty. So it's not surprising that they believe this but I have hope for the future.

SMITH: Andy, she's getting some big crowds and she did so over the weekend. And while she was sitting down and granting these interviews on the big stage there, she also went on to take -- went to take on Reagan and his policies in the 80s. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CORTEZ: I think a perfect example of how special interests and the powerful have pitted white working-class Americans against brown and black working-class Americans is Reaganism in the 80s when he started talking about welfare queens. He's painting this like really resentful vision of essentially black women who were doing nothing, that were sucks on our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: So you can assume and it sure was met with a lot of criticism from the right. Conservatives weight and all day. Social media was blowing up as a result of that. And she tweeted out just a short time ago, Andy, this. OK, great. Now talk about Reagan and Iran-Contra, the gutting of our mental health system, the explosion of homelessness under his watch, the crack epidemic. And maybe instead of insinuating, I've never read a book. Be open to the idea that we've read different ones. That you say what?

PUZDER: Well, some of us were actually alive during the Reagan administration which is something I think she can't claim. Look, Ronald Reagan did more for working-class people than almost any president in our history. He got us out of a terrible, terrible recession. You got her -- and this is -- this is that this is a man who ended the Cold War.

Now, somebody like AOC may not remember the Cold War but I grew up in it.  It was a terrible, terrible experience. Everybody thought that we would lose it. There'd be some you know, terrible devastation across the planet.  He put an end to that. He -- the economy recovered, working-class people recovered, our nation was never freer and our nation was never stronger.  And then when he left office with a 63 percent approval rating.

So she's -- again, she's very -- you know, there's this video of her dancing. She's very good at that. I felt good after I saw the video. You felt uplifted after you saw it. She should stick with that.

SMITH: She's got the attention of it a lot a lot of young folks in this country right now.

PUZDER: She does. I hope she -- I hope that reality will wake them up.  It's like Venezuela. You know, this is a country that democratically elected Chavez and apparently Maduro. You know the joke is that what -- how did how did socialists light their homes before candles? And the answer is electricity. I told that on Trish's show last week and about three days later the lights went out in Venezuela. I mean this is -- this is what her policies is --

SMITH: Well, she is an elected member of Congress and she's making waves and certainly she's got Nancy Pelosi listening so we'll see.

PUZDER: She certainly didn't do much for her home town with losing that Amazon -- those Amazon jobs.

SMITH: We will watch it all. Andy Puzder --

PUZDER: Thanks, Sandra.

SMITH: Glad to get your take this evening. Thank you. Putting together the final puzzle pieces of Robert Mueller's endgame with Judge Andrew Napolitano next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: A number of stories breaking this week hinting that Robert Mueller could be wrapping his investigation in the 2016 election. We are expecting former campaign chairman Paul Manafort to be sentenced to more prison time as well as a decision on the trial date for Roger Stone. And new status reports in the cases against Rick Gates and Michael Flynn.

Joining us now is Judge Andrew Napolitano, a Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst. Let me start first with the Mueller report because it seems like we've been in this wait-and-see for a long time now. It could be any day.  It could it be in a week, month. What is the endgame here?

ANDREW NAPOLITANO, FOX NEWS SENIOR JUDICIAL ANALYST: Well, I mean, I don't know but a lot of people have been suggesting that this week -- this week will be a perfect storm for the reasons you just articulated because four of the -- of the principal players have public events which will be dispositive of their cases.

Rick Gates who is Paul Manafort's former partner and turned evidence against him and was the principal witness against him as well as against many others, has yet to be sentenced.

General Flynn was going to be sentenced back in December and the judge said, did the general commit treason? Of course, all hell broke loose, and he said I'll see you in March, bring a toothbrush. That's judge speaking for you might not be going home --

SMITH: Yes.

NAPOLITANO: -- the night you come here. Manafort will be sentenced. Robert Stone will not only get a trial date, but the judge will decide whether or not by publish -- in my view, this gag order is profoundly unconstitutional but she impost it on him. Did he violated by writing a book, a book that he wrote and agreed to published before she imposed a gag order. So, she got a rule on that as well.

SMITH: And of course, the other news this week, Paul Manafort will get his sentencing --

(CROSSTALK)

NAPOLITANO: Well, he gets sentenced by the other judge in this case. This is the judge before whom he pleaded guilty. The judge who sentenced him last week, it was a jury conviction in Virginia. This is a judge Amy Berman Jackson before whom he pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with Bob Mueller. Two-thirds of the way through the cooperation. Mueller's people came to court said he's not only not cooperating, he's lying. She said, how do I know he's lying. We'll prove it.

She held a secret trial at the conclusion of which when they said there were five lies, three he lied and two he didn't. Therefore, any agreement he made with you is off. So, he is probably going to get the full 10 years from Judge Jackson.

The question is will it be concurrent while he's serving the 47 months from the judge in Virginia, or consecutive? Will it not start until he finishes that? He's in very bad health. Ten years for Paul Manafort effectively a life sentence.

SMITH: Wow. All right. So, we will learn that this week. Meanwhile, Adam Schiff has something to say about Robert Mueller and what he does or does not do with the president on all of this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: If indeed Mr. Mueller decides not to issue that subpoena or figure out how to get the president in front of that grand jury, is that going to been a mistake considering we have so many questions about whose testimony should you believe? Michael Cohen's or Donald Trump's?

REP. ADAM SCHIFF, D-CALIF.: Yes, I think it is a mistake and I've said all along that I don't think Bob Mueller should rely on written answers. When you get written answers from the witness it's really the lawyers' answer as much as the client's answer. And here you need to be able to ask follow up questions in real time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Last I check Democrats were heavily waiting for this Mueller report --

NAPOLITANO: Right. Right.

SMITH: -- to make the case against the president.

NAPOLITANO: Right. If the Mueller follows what Congressman Schiff suggests, and that is lawyering 101. When you ask questions of a lawyer everybody knows of a defendant, everybody knows lawyers wrote the answer.

But Bob Mueller obviously knows the case better than Congressman Schiff does and Bob Mueller has been a model prosecutor, and model decorum of the manner in which he has conducted himself in his office and this case.

On the aggressive side the American public wants prosecutors to do their job. I'm going to suggest that he knows what he's doing.

SMITH: Some might it interesting to hear Adam Schiff questioning Robert Mueller's next move with all of that.

meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi in this wide-ranging Washington Post interview talks about impeaching Trump or not impeaching Trump. She said this. "I'm not for impeachment. I don't think we should go down that path because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it." Although in that same interview, she did go on to describe as an unfit to be president ethically, intellectually, and curiosity wise, Judge.

NAPOLITANO: I wish she hadn't said he's not worth, that I wish she had said it's not worth it, because the divisiveness in the country, you are too young to remember the Clinton impeachment. There's such bitterness and divisiveness. Everybody wants it to be over.

But her problem is not with people like me, her problem is with Democrats in her own party, the type of people you were discussing with Andy Puzder (Ph) a few minutes ago. They are furious that she said that, because they're hoping that something impeachable if it doesn't come out of the Mueller report will come out of the House oversight committee investigation or the House intelligence committee investigation or the House judiciary committee investigation.

Those investigations can be public, whereas Mueller has things he cannot reveal.

SMITH: Not so many others in her party agree with her on that. You hear otherwise from a lot of other Democratic numbers of congress.

NAPOLITANO: Right.

SMITH: Judge, great to see you in the evening.

NAPOLITANO: Yes, Sandra. See you tomorrow morning.

SMITH: See you tomorrow morning on America's Newsroom. Thank you, judge.

NAPOLITANO: You're welcome.

SMITH: Well, up next, another 2020 Democrat making the case for reparations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN CASTRO, FORMER SECRETARY, U.S. HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: This country should address slavery -- the original sin of slavery, including by looking at reparations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: A debate on that coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: The question of reparations for the descendants of slaves through - - is a polarizing policy issue, though it's been working its way front and center into the 2020 race. Julian Castro who served as HUD secretary under President Obama now the latest candidate to address that topic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTRO: I've long believed that this country should address slavery, the original sin of slavery, including by looking at reparations. And if I'm president, that I'm going to appoint a commission or task force to determine the best way to do that. If under the Constitution we compensate people because we take their property, why wouldn't you compensate people who actually were property?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Here now, Deneen Borelli and Jessica Tarlov, both are Fox News contributors. Jessica, to you first, as far as your party is concerned and the discussion that is being had there, this is certainly emerging as a major issue on the left.

JESSICA TARLOV, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It's definitely coming up more than it ever has before. Historically, President Obama hasn't supported reparations. Hillary Clinton didn't as well as the Democratic nominee in 20167. But you are seeing a more lively discussion around the issue which I think is an important thoughtful conversation to have.

Julian Castro made a great point that we do compensate those who had their property taken away, and we should do something to address the systemic challenges facing people in this country who are descendants of slaves.

I was reading Ta-Nehisi Coates case for reparations, and he makes the point that according to Pew Research, white households in this country are 20 percent richer than black households at the same income level. And the issue there is generational wealth.

There is no backup system for African-American families in this country. They do not have homes passed down, they're facing far greater challenges. And that's why this is a conversation to be had and I think a task force is a wonderful idea.

SMITH: I want to -- I want to play the sound -- more sound from Julian Castro, Deneen, and get your thoughts here because he takes on Bernie Sanders --

DENEEN BORELLI, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.

SMITH: -- who we know talks about poverty, inequality and he talks about institutionalized racism, and I went back and looked and he said, quote, he doesn't exactly, what do they mean, really, is what he's questioning here because he didn't throw his support firmly behind the idea. He said it's not clear. "There is a better way to address this than just writing a check."

Well, Julian Castro then hit back at Sanders for that. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTRO: When it comes to Medicare for all, healthcare, you know, the response there has been we need to write a big check. That when it comes to tuition free or debt-free college, the answer has been, we need to write a big check.

And so, if the issue is compensating the descendants of slaves, I don't think that the argument about writing a big check ought to be the argument that you make if you are making an argument that a big check needs to be written for a whole bunch of other stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Deneen?

BORELLI: Sandra, the whole notion of reparations is ridiculous. This is only showing us how desperate Democrats are. We are seeing how well our economy is doing under President Trump with the roll back in taxes, and cuts in regulations is lifting all boats.

I think the Democrats are trying to separate themselves from this big field that's running in 2020 and they are pandering for black votes which I find very demeaning.

SMITH: And get your response to that, Jessica?

TARLOV: I don't know what to say, besides the fact that African-Americans typically vote for the Democratic nominee and participate in the Democratic primary, there are people who feel that it's important to be addressing this.

Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro there, Bernie Sanders. I think that Julian Castro makes a great point, though, going after Bernie Sanders for his proclivity to write checks for everything else except for things focused on racial issues because he has struggled in the past with African-American voters.

The argument that it is pandering will absolutely be made but that doesn't mean that it's not a conversation that people in the country want to have. That said, health care will be number one and if there is a litmus test, it's going to be Medicare for all, not your position on reparations.

(CROSSTALK)

BORELLI: So, yes, here's on the other point.

SMITH: Final thought to you, Deneen.

BORELLI: So, I'm 95 percent sub-Saharan, does that mean I get the bulk of the pot when it comes to dolling out this money? What if someone is half- white? This is why this is so ridiculous.

I think the progressive policies that the Democrats are pushing for are going to turn off a lot of voters, abortion any time, the green new deal, this is what they are afraid of because of the Trump economy and their extremist views that are really putting into question what voters are voting for when they vote for Democrats.

SMITH: Well, it's interesting the way --

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: But Deneen --

SMITH: I'm going to have to leave it there, but I was going to sum it up by the Vox put out a piece basically, Jessica, and they are saying a new 2020 litmus test has arrived for Democrats --

TARLOV: Right.

SMITH: -- running for president, do they support reparations? Kamala Harris had put her thoughts on the issue who says there has to be some form of reparations. Surely this is a debate that's going to continue. I thank both of you for being here tonight. We've got to leave it there.

TARLOV: Thanks a lot, Sandra.

BORELLI: Thank you.

SMITH: Thank you, Jessica. Thank you, Deneen. Up next, the Republicans who want to address climate change with their own version of the green new deal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BUDDY CARTER, R-GA.: I believe that my colleague just asks all of you the question of whether you believe that climate change is real or not. I think if you asked that same question to everyone up on this day, that they would say the same thing. Yes, it is, it is real. It's something that we have to, we have to address.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, tonight a growing number of Republicans are calling for real solutions to the climate crisis, slamming the progress of green new deal as a job killer that's too expensive and unrealistic.

Instead, pushing for American innovation, alternatives that Congressman Buddy Carter of Georgia is among the Republicans pushing back on the green new deal. Good evening to you, sir, and welcome -- welcome to you and thanks for being here.

CARTER: Thank you.

SMITH: So, let's start off with the premise to all of this. Are you a Republican that believes climate change is a real issue and a crisis?

CARTER: Absolutely. Climate change is real. Protecting our environment is real. We acknowledge that. You know, the climate has been changing since day one. There is no question about that and we've got to address it. It's important to Americans. And I think it's a great opportunity.

It's a great opportunity for the United States as the innovative leader in the world to create more jobs, to lead in innovation. So, not only do we acknowledge that it is real, but we are also excited about the potential that exists here in new technology in creating new jobs and everything.

SMITH: So, what's the pitch?

CARTER: Well, the pitch is that, you now, we've got to adjust. Two things, adaptation and making an innovation. Adaptation, adapting to the new environment and to the changes that are happening here.

I represent the entire coast of Georgia. At one time, you know, at one time I was a mayor and I was on a planning commission. The things that you can put in place now, the policies that you can put in place can save you so much in the future. I learned that and I recognize that. That's what we need to be aware of.

When we are building infrastructure, we need to make sure we are building infrastructure in a way that's going to --

SMITH: OK.

CARTER: -- to counteract the rising sea levels or things of that such.

SMITH: So, is this something that could interest, perhaps Democrats who have taken to the idea of the green new deal?

CARTER: Well, listen, the green new deal is pie in the sky. I mean, that is something that's going to destroy our economy if we were to follow that and God forbid, we follow it. But that would destroy our economy, it would destroy industries. That is not the answer. No question about it.

But we do have to have sensible, rational, reasonable solutions to this. And we can have that and that's what we are proposing in the Republican Party.

SMITH: Well some of your Republican colleagues seem to continue to take on some of the policies that have been implemented by the left in states like California.

Congressman Nunes tweeted this out. "At a restaurant tonight, waitress asked us if we want straws. So, she has to ask now in fear of the straw police. Welcome to socialism in California." Final thoughts from you, Congressman? I mean, how far does your proposal go?

CARTER: Well, certainly, you know, I have to speak to Devin about the straws, but nevertheless -- you know, our proposal hopefully will be a sensible one. Look, we know that we owe it to our children, to our grandchildren, to leave them with a clean environment. We want to so that and we can do that through innovation. I have all the confidence in the world that innovative abilities.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: How much is it going to cost?

CARTER: Well, it's going -- it's not going to cost as much as the trillions of dollars that the green new deal would cost, that's for certain. But there will be some cost associated with it and certainly we're not interested in any kind of carbon tax. I mean, make that clear. But at the same time, we can -- and we can actually benefit from this. It could actually end up helping us and helping our economy.

SMITH: All right. Congressman Buddy Carter, good to get your thoughts on all of that. We'll be following that for sure. Thank you, sir.

CARTER: Thank you.

SMITH: All right. Well, amid a growing push towards late-term abortions, one state makes a big move towards protecting life. Former NFL player and pro-life advocate Benjamin Watson will join us next.

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GOV. RALPH NORTHAM, D-VA. The infant would be resuscitated. If that's what the mother and the family desire. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mothers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Those comments you'll remember from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam setting off a firestorm earlier this year after his state became one of several to introduce bills that would protect abortion up to the point of birth in some cases.

Now the state of Georgia is going to be the opposite extreme. Republican House lawmakers they are approving the heartbeat bill, which states, quote, "No abortion is authorized or shall be performed if the unborn child has been determined to have a human heartbeat."

Here now, Benjamin Watson, former NFL player and pro-life and human trafficking awareness advocate. He's also a father of five with two more on the way. Congratulations to you on that. You are going to be a busy man if aren't already.

BENJAMIN WATSON, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Thank you. Very much so.

SMITH: We knew this -- I mean, Governor Bryant camp he pledged during his campaign that he was -- he was going to put in place the toughest abortion laws in the country. He called himself an apologetic pro-life. Is this the direction that you would like to see states go in?

WATSON: Well, of course. Of course. I think that what we are seeing now is both sides sort of ramping up in anticipating Supreme Court showdowns possibly in the future. But I think the biggest thing here is understanding that life begins at conception.

And so, while we get excited and we should be upset, I was horrified by hearing what the governor of Virginia said about having an abortion while the baby is on the table. but that's the far end of the spectrum.

We can't forget or miss that life starts at conception, that we need people to protect personhood that no matter what the stage of development or the environment that a person is in. Their life is worth protecting and we need people that stand for that, especially in a country that professes to be one that stands for liberty, and justice.

SMITH: I want to be clear here about this. That the bill it does make exceptions in the case of rape and incest, only if the woman files a police report, it also allows exceptions if the pregnancy places the mother's life at risk.

So, there are those exceptions to this. But it seems to be garnering some support. Where do you think all of this is ultimately going to go? This is, this would be at about six weeks, by the way, that a fetus first will show signs of a heartbeat.

WATSON: Well, yes, the heartbeat actually starts in 18 days. Between 16 and 18 days. Before we can even detect it, these babies have a heartbeat. They have everything that they need in their DNA in their makeup to become humans that we see walking around.

And so, again, I applaud this bill, but again, when you look at the 1973 Roe v. Wade, you look at the 60 million children that have been killed since then, this is just part of the issue.

And so that decision made at the time was unjust and unconstitutional and we can argue about that. But I think that what is going to happen at some point, something is going to come to the Supreme Court and we are going to have to have a decision.

But regardless, I think that right now we need to enter into this conversation with grace, we need to enter into it with compassion. Not simply trying to win and not simply trying to point at the other side and condemned the other side, but with the idea that we want to be people that stand for life and that we also want to have compassion for the man and the women that are going through these tough decisions on a daily basis.

SMITH: Well, it's obviously something that you're incredibly passionate about. You speak on, I've heard you speak on this before and you are out there now. We appreciate your time. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us tonight.

WATSON: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

SMITH: Benjamin Watson, thank you. Well, that's it for us on "The Story" on this Monday evening. Thank you so much for joining us. I'll see you again tomorrow morning on America's Newsroom. Each weekday morning live, 9 to noon. Join Bill and me. Tucker Carlson is up next. 
 
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