This is a rush transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," May 29, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: All right, thank you, Bill Hemmer.
We are following all these developments right now, including the protests that could continue around the country today, even with the arrest of Derek Chauvin. He, of course, the officer who famously held his knee on the neck of George Floyd, ultimately killing him.
We are also following threats from other cities and states that look at protests and a fourth night of them coming tonight.
Welcome, everybody. I'm Neil Cavuto. And this is "Your World."
We're going to be following all of these fast-moving developments.
First right now getting a read on all of this with Mike Tobin, who's following what's going on in Minneapolis right now -- Mike.
MIKE TOBIN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: And a dramatically different scene out here today, Neil.
Yesterday, we saw the absence of police presence and anarchy on the street. And what you see behind me is a big show of force from the troopers with the State Patrol.
You have got Guardsmen rifle -- as rifles at the ready and a calm scene. You can see some of the fire crews now spraying water on what was the Minnehaha liquor store, cooling down the embers there, also a different set of circumstances today following the arrest of Derek Chauvin.
The Hennepin County attorney holding out the possibility -- possibility that other officers will be arrested as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL FREEMAN, HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA, ATTORNEY: We felt it appropriate to focus on the most dangerous perpetrator.
The other officers, they are under investigation. I anticipate charges, but I'm not going to get into that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TOBIN: Nothing less than dramatic, as the officers of the 3rd Precinct last night retreated under pressure from the angry mob who were trying to approach the 3rd Precinct building itself over and over again.
A small group held the demonstrators at bay for a time. And, clearly, the decision was made for them to gather in the parking lot and get in their vehicles or get on foot and get out of the area of the 3rd Precinct.
What followed was arson, looting, vandalism, all of it unabated that went on for hours. Now, on the street today, in a much calmer situation, you have different reactions from people to the developments of the day.
Some people satisfied that the officer has been charged. Others dissatisfied that it took four days and tremendous pressure from the angry mob. You have Benjamin Crump, the attorney now representing the family of George Floyd, saying, instead of the manslaughter and third-degree murder charges, they were hoping for first-degree murder -- Neil.
CAVUTO: All right, Mike Tobin, thank you very much -- Mike Tobin reporting live from Minneapolis.
In the meantime, we should say, there is some concern here that it's only the one officer, despite the fact that two others were directly involved or around often Officer Chauvin during this knee incident with George Floyd.
Let's get the read on all of this from Ray Kelly, the former New York City police commissioner.
What they seem to be waiting for, Commissioner, is whether the other two officers involved directly next to Chauvin at the time will also be arrested. What do you think? And what would prompt a move like that?
RAYMOND KELLY, FORMER NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: I think they probably will ultimately be charged.
But in the charging document that came out with today's arrest, it says in there that some of the officers or one of the officers said to the police officer Chauvin, don't you think you're putting too much pressure on, or you think you should get off?
So that's in the document today. So, there's some exculpatory statements on a part of one of the other police officers.
Does that have any weight? We will see. But I think -- I would have to bet that they're going to be charged as well with some sort of malfeasance or nonfeasance criminal charge.
CAVUTO: You know, this eased a lot of the pressure, certainly, around the Minneapolis area. We have been seeing obviously, as you know, Ray, protests across the country, including in Denver, Colorado. We will be speaking a little later with that state's governor and how he's dealing with that.
But this idea that this will ease those tensions, what do you think?
KELLY: That's a good question.
There are people who obviously want to stoke the fires. So I don't know how much it will do with them. I think the optics of the police station being abandoned was a very bad move. I think violence begets violence.
We will have to see what happens tonight, but I certainly would not have countenanced that move. We're going to have to see. Some people will accept this and some won't.
CAVUTO: What happens when a governor decides in that state to say, enough is enough, you're only hurting the area directly impacted by the people involved, and hurting the very folks you want to help, and other governors say similar things across the country where they have experienced riots and outbreaks?
But it seems like, once the protests are out of the bottle, they're very, very hard to contain.
KELLY: Absolutely.
And these states -- Minnesota has the population a little over five million, and it has a relatively small National Guard. The police in Minneapolis is only about 800 officers. It looks to me like they have been taken out of the game, that they have been moved aside.
So just having resources to control the situation is a real challenge. The state police or the State Patrol, as they call it, that's also a relatively small organization. So, we're going to see.
The governor clearly took on responsibility of restoring order. He said that today. Hey, it's on me. We're going to see what happens tonight and tomorrow night.
CAVUTO: Ray, did you make much, at least on the first night of protests, there didn't seem like a heavy police presence? I didn't know that was by design or they were just trying to hold back, not ignite still more tensions.
But it might it provided the fodder for more protests or wider protests the next two nights. Your thoughts?
KELLY: Yes, I would have to think that that was by design.
Obviously, the police officer who committed what everybody thought the murder, and he is charged with murder, I think they thought that a lot of police on the street would just exacerbate the situation.
So, he didn't have the State Patrol. They were not available to fill in. So, you had an absence of Minneapolis police officers on patrol. And as a result, you had people with the freedom to do a lot of things that they shouldn't be doing.
CAVUTO: You know, looking at all of this, Ray, and these tragic incidents that unfortunately come up a great deal, a lot is weighed about how images, especially videos, that become available, people shoot them on their phones and what have you, change the way we look at these type of incidents.
You have had a chance to look at some of these videos that have come out. What do you think when you saw what went down?
KELLY: Oh, I would have to say that this is probably the worst, or certainly one of the worst examples of police brutality that I have seen.
And the reason for that is the deliberate nature of this police officer's act. This was not a spur-of-the-moment reaction. This was not a mistake. He was quite casual in doing what he was doing.
He -- his knee was there. A knee was in position for eight minutes, while the crowd, while other police officers, apparently, while the victim himself, George Floyd, was saying, "I can't breathe."
And this did not deter him for a total of eight minutes. So, it's -- you can't really explain this in any logical way. The only thing that might come out is that perhaps Mr. Floyd said something to this officer that set him off.
We don't have any evidence in that regard. But there's like no other possible explanation. I have never seen such a sort of craven event, with no ostensible reason to do it.
CAVUTO: Ray Kelly, thank you very much, my friend, the former New York City police commissioner.
Again, what you're looking at is police and protests nearby. Everyone is in a stand-down composition on word that Derek Chauvin has been arrested.
No word yet on the other two officers who were immediately working with him that fateful day that George Floyd died as a result of Chauvin having his knee on him. But we're monitoring it very, very closely.
We will be speaking about these protests that have popped up all over the country, including in Denver, Colorado, where things got very, very dicey there. We're going to be talking to that state's governor, Jared Polis, a little bit later in the broadcast.
In the meantime, taking you back to Washington, D.C., right now. The president had tweeted on these events a little bit earlier, but the more newsworthy developments since have been his crackdown on China for China's crackdown on Hong Kong.
With more on all of that, Kristin Fisher from the White House -- Kristin.
KRISTIN FISHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Neil.
Well, right now, President Trump is minutes away from participating in a reopening roundtable. He's going to be meeting with executives from some of the top airlines, hotels and retailers.
But the big story at the White House right now is that President Trump did not even mention George Floyd's name or the riots in Minneapolis, nor did he take any questions during an event that was billed as a news conference in the Rose Garden.
Instead, just minutes before walking out, President Trump tried to clarify some of his more controversial comments that he made on Twitter last night, the phrase where he said, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.
And he tried to clarify it again on Twitter. He wrote -- quote -- "Looting leads to shooting. And that's why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night. Or look at what just happened in Louisville with seven people shot. I don't want this to happen. And that's what the expression put out last night means. It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement. It's very simple. Nobody should have any problem with this, other than the haters and those looking to cause trouble on social media. Honor the memory of George Floyd."
Now, instead of talking about that, President Trump only spoke about China and Hong Kong, but he did make a ton of news. After China approved a new security law threatening the independence of Hong Kong. President Trump says he's now directing his administration to begin eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong preferential treatment.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, I will issue a proclamation to better secure our nation's vital university research and to suspend the entry of certain foreign nationals from China, who we have identified as potential security risks.
I am directing my administration to begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FISHER: And, finally, President Trump also announced that, after first freezing funding to the World Health Organization, today, he's announced that the United States will be terminating its relationship with the WHO entirely, Neil.
So, a ton of news today, but, again, nothing about George Floyd, nothing about the riots in Minneapolis, though I will say President Trump could address it during this reopening roundtable, which is slated to start any minute now -- Neil.
CAVUTO: All right, we look forward to that.
Kristin, thank you very, very much, Kristin Fisher from the White House.
The president's comments, as Kristin rightly pointed out, startled a lot of folks, that he does intend to follow through on a crackdown on China. What he left open is the possibility that we could still trade with one another and still continue that trade deal.
So there was nothing needed out of those comments that had people fearing that maybe we will throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to our economic relationship, even though that is not going to be all hunky- dory.
We finished down today on the Dow, but for the week and for the month, certainly for May, a strong performance for the Dow, up north of 4 percent, the Nasdaq close to 7 percent, by the way, that average well into positive territory on the year. So, the S&P 500 and the Dow now not that far away, about maybe 16 to 18 percent, from highs that were reached before all of this virus stuff started.
So, we are on top of that.
We're also on top of what the president will have to say when he meets with industry executives momentarily at the White House. It will be his first chance to take reporters' questions. We're told that he will.
Then again, we were told at this event in the Rose Garden that that was going to be a press event. No press.
More after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CAVUTO: All right, we just got word that reporters have been called to the White House right now.
The president's meeting with business leaders, talking about not only the coronavirus and coming through this, but the China crackdown. We don't know the details, by the way, of that China crackdown.
All of this as the president is under a lot of scrutiny now as well about not only how he deals with China, but how he's going to respond to the developments in Minneapolis.
Here to sort it all out for us is Karl Rove, the former White House deputy chief of staff, bestselling author, much, much more.
Karl, this whole situation with China first off, the president seems to be signaling it won't be business as usual. But he did hold out the possibility, when it comes to that trade deal, well, that will be usual. He's not ripping that one up.
I'm taking that leap. So there might be other factors at play here. But what did you make of his comments?
KARL ROVE, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, I thought that they were a good start.
Let's look at them. What he said was that he was going to secure university funding by stopping, suspending the entry of certain individuals who might be considered security risks. We know the Chinese have been flooding our American research universities with people whose job it is to collect information and take it home.
And this signals that that ain't going to continue. Second of all, this Hong Kong special status, this could be the biggest thing of the day, because we treat -- the United States treats Hong Kong as different and apart from mainland China.
And if we remove those provisions, this is going to shrink the role of the Hong Kong capital markets. And it's going to -- we have already seen a great many companies moving out of Hong Kong. We're likely to see even more.
Then this is going to be really interesting. We allow Chinese companies listed on the U.S. stock exchanges to abide by a different set of rules for accounting practices. We don't require the same kind of practices of Chinese companies as we do of American or other foreign companies.
And he said, that's going to stop. And then, of course, then we had the World Health Organization statement, which, while it's separate and apart from China, is nonetheless linked to it, because the president's point was, China gives $40 million, we give $450 million, but they run the WHO, and we have told the WHO to make reforms, and they refuse to make those reforms.
So if they're going to refuse to make those reforms, we're going to refuse to send them that money. We will send it to other international health organizations where we will have an impact.
Big changes.
CAVUTO: No, no, we will see.
He did weigh China's sanctions but won't quit the phase one deal. I'm talking the trade deal. He did weigh as well -- and you touched on it, Karl -- suspending entry for Chinese foreign nationals whom the U.S. could view as a security risk, extended that to the possibility of also limiting the number of Chinese students that would be allowed into this country.
ROVE: Right.
CAVUTO: So, a lot we don't know.
But, obviously, he's cognizant of not wanting to damage us economically. It is a tough balance, huh?
ROVE: No, it is because, look, what's provoking this?
It is that China is violating the commitment that it made to the world community that there would be one country, China and Hong Kong together, but two systems, a Democratic Hong Kong, and then a communist -- a communist state in mainland China, and that that would exist for 50 years after the Brits left Hong Kong and returned control of it to -- now, they're violating that.
So the president needs to have a measured response to it. He can't let that go without anything. But on the other hand, he shouldn't get rid of everything. So he is taking -- and my suspicion is, these are the first three or four steps that he's going to -- these three or four steps, depending on how you count it, are the first of what are going to be many steps that they're going to take to ratchet up against China.
Let's recognize that China is our adversary. They're not our enemy. But they're our adversary and rival who want to create the military strengths to deny the Western Pacific to us and the scientific strength to dominate the scientific high points, the commanding heights, if you will, of 5G, autonomous vehicles, quantum computing, and so forth for the 21st century.
So, they're looking explicitly to knock the U.S. out of its position of dominance. And we better wake up and deal with it. And I think these are good, measured steps by the president in response to Hong Kong. I hope there are more measured steps. But there's no need to junk the entire relationship.
Just continue to, if they do bad things, respond accordingly.
CAVUTO: All right, well put.
Good seeing you, Karl. Thank you very much, Karl Rove on all of that.
ROVE: Thank you, Neil.
CAVUTO: Again, just to update you, cameras have been allowed in, reporters allowed in right now to the White House. They're going to dip into that meeting that the president is having with these industry CEOs.
This might be an opportunity for the president to outline his thoughts on Derek Chauvin's arrest, the officer involved in the killing of George Floyd.
We do know that it has caused a lot of unrest, not only in the Minneapolis area night after night after night, but across the country, in fact, some pretty severe protests in Denver, Colorado.
That state's governor is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CAVUTO: All right, as I told you, the pool has been called in right now to the White House.
I'm talking about reporters who are no doubt going to be asking the president, if he doesn't volunteer it first, what he made of the situation and the arrest today of Derek Chauvin, the officer involved in the death George Floyd.
We're waiting for that, because all of this has the nation kind of on tenterhooks. That's probably putting it mildly. Protests continue, not only in the Minneapolis area, but throughout the country. In fact, they got pretty violent in Denver, Colorado, where the death led to very, very heated exchanges and a lot of violence.
Governor Jared Polis there issuing a statement, saying that senseless violence will never be healed by more violence.
The governor right now was kind enough to join us via Skype.
Governor Polis, very good to have you.
How are things there today, Governor?
GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Well, there's another set of protests at the state capitol, so far, peaceful, respectful of social distancing.
Yesterday, things got out of control, as you know. And the windows were smashed on our Senate leader's truck. And there were -- there were even shots fired. And we're very concerned about the public safety.
CAVUTO: Today, a little calmer, and maybe the word of the arrest of Derek Chauvin might have calmed people down. It certainly appears that way, Governor, in the Minneapolis area.
But how do you think that will spread?
POLIS: Well, I think it's important that people know also that this was simply the right thing to do.
I mean, this is very clearly a killing. I'm glad that somebody will be held accountable. I think third-degree murder is the charge. That's not a result of the -- of the protests. It's simply the process of the rule of law playing out, that the perpetrator and the person responsible for the unjust death of George Floyd will be fully held accountable under the law.
And I -- I'm optimistic that will happen. But I can understand, with the pattern of violence against particularly men of color, there were a lot of folks out there that were just frustrated that he wasn't going to be held accountable.
CAVUTO: Do you think people want to see the other officers -- officers involved, Governor, arrested as well, that, certainly, in that area, not -- I'm not talking about Denver, but certainly around the Minneapolis area, many of the protesters have said they won't be satisfied until at least the three major officers involved are arrested.
POLIS: Well, it's about satisfying the rule of law, right?
I'm not familiar with Minnesota statutes. In Colorado, certainly, if you're an accessory to murder, you can also be brought up on charges. So, I think it needs to play out within the context of the rule of law.
Look, we respect our men and women in blue, the front line in protecting the public. But we also make sure that they honor and respect all of our laws.
And I think, on the rare occasion where there's somebody in uniform or out that commits an illegal act, of course they should be held to the same standard as other citizens.
CAVUTO: What have you thought of the president's response? He tweeted about it.
He missed an opportunity to say anything at the Rose Garden, when he was outlining plans to go back at China for security abuses, but your thought on what he has said thus far, tweeted thus far?
POLIS: Well, I think the most generous thing that could be said is, his comments were in poor taste, I mean, talking about shooting people on the streets and back and forth and more violence.
The nation needs healing words. The nation needs words of coming together, acknowledging the difficulty and the anguish that many people felt with the senseless killing of George Floyd, and, at the same time, respecting people -- people's right to peaceably protest, while, of course, condemning acts of violence that might occur by a few -- a few bad seeds that participate in those kinds of protests.
CAVUTO: How do you balance it out, Governor, as a governor, and you're seeing this, and people are notably and understandably alarmed, but they resort to such violence, or some of the looting that took place in Minneapolis?
I don't believe that happened in Denver, but that a lot of people watching at home of any race, of any type might just say, whoa, say, whoa, say, whoa. What do you -- what do you say?
POLIS: Well -- well, and that's the proper response.
There's no excuse for looting. We didn't see looting in Colorado. In fact, many of the businesses that were looted in Minnesota were minority-owned businesses themselves.
Here in Colorado, the windows of our Senate president's car -- he happens to be the highest-ranking Latino in the state -- were broken in. Of course, if we can ever find, through law enforcement or cameras, who committed those acts of vandalism and violence, they should be held accountable too under the law.
CAVUTO: Governor Polis, thank you very, very much.
Hope things are calmer today, tonight. Very good having you, sir.
All right, we have a lot more coming up.
We were mentioning the threat of more protests tonight, whether things have calmed down with the arrest of the officer involved, anyone's guess. We do know that a lot of Minneapolis businesses are bracing for the worst, hoping for the best.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CAVUTO: The president is ostensibly meeting with business leaders at the White House, but it's the comments he's expected to make on the George Floyd case and the arrest of the officer who had his knee on him that everyone's waiting for -- after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CAVUTO: All right, this is the kind of stuff they hope to avoid right now with the arrest of the officer involved In the whole George Floyd situation here.
What we don't know is exactly how the president is going to be responding to this. We do know that a lot of people are waiting to see more of what happens tonight. That will be crucial.
William La Jeunesse with more from L.A. -- William.
WILLIAM LA JEUNESSE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Neil, let's start back in Minneapolis, where, last night, of course, Minneapolis police were hunkered down inside that precinct that was eventually overrun and burned to the ground.
Today, state police in riot gear and National Guard are out in force, creating a security perimeter around the businesses that were vandalized and looted.
But, as you said, last night, U.S. cities saw protests, some peaceful, others violent. In Louisville, seven were injured, two seriously, when gunfire erupted in the crowd of protesters who blocked buses and threw fireworks at police.
Denver, the state capitol was on lockdown after gunshots. And, as the governor mentioned, demonstrators smashed vehicles and blocked traffic. In Phoenix, demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police while holding signs saying, "Silence is violence."
In Columbus, Ohio, crowds at the state capitol broke windows and pelted cops with smoke bombs and water bottles, while, in New York City, 70 arrested, including a woman for wielding a knife and a man for hitting an officer in the head with a garbage can.
So, more protests are planned over the weekend, Neil, Chicago, Austin. Three are happening right now, Denver, Houston and Milwaukee. We will see what the nightfall brings. That's usually when it gets the worst -- back to you.
CAVUTO: All right, thank you, my friend, very much, William La Jeunesse on that.
I want to go to FOX Business Network's Kennedy on this, because the impact on businesses couldn't be more alarming, especially when you look in the Minneapolis area. Think about it, Kennedy. Many were minority-owned businesses already dealing with the virus and opening up, with sheltering limitations, distancing, all of that.
What do you think?
KENNEDY, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK CORRESPONDENT: It's very hard for neighborhoods to rebound after these businesses are the victims of violent riots, and especially so after and during a pandemic.
So, you look at these businesses that have essentially been decimated by sending workers home, the inability to service customers, hoping that there's enough federal aid left.
And it seems like some of the big box stores are first in line to get government aid, whether it's formal or informal. And now some of these smaller businesses are wondering if they will ever be able to rebound and access that customer base again.
And that is just one of the consequences of this tragedy. And, as William points out, some of these protests, they start earlier in the day, and that's great. And those are legitimate, and that's what people should be doing. They want a sense of justice. They want to be heard. They want to be seen, and that's fantastic.
But people who are not partaking in that, who are just looking for a free shopping spree at a place like Target with no consequences, that does nothing to honor the memory of George Floyd and only compounds the harshness of what's going on in Minneapolis and other places like Kentucky as well.
CAVUTO: And you have to think too about, I think, that some 18 or maybe more, by last count, Targets and other stores that have closed or shut down out of an abundance of caution, especially those that had just reopened.
I'm wondering what the economic impact will be.
KENNEDY: Target will be able to rebound.
And I don't worry about them. I worry about people who will be displaced, again, not having a paycheck, and when that help runs out. But my heart really goes out to those small mom-and-pop businesses, when you have worked your whole life and borrowed from everyone you know in order to keep this dream afloat, and then that is completely tanked.
It's tragic. And I hope people stop for a moment and think about that. And we have to recognize the difference between peaceful, lawful, necessary protests, and really working to make change, and mindless destruction that hurts people that you're supposedly standing up for.
CAVUTO: Yes, as we're looking at people gathering in New York, where there are planned protests as well.
In most of the cities, I won't say all, by any means, it has been largely peaceful. Minneapolis is a different story. Maybe that's because it's the epicenter of all of this.
But this idea that this could be more of a movement than people appreciate, any thoughts on that, Kennedy?
KENNEDY: Yes.
And Ray Kelly sort of touched on the fact that this videotape is so incredibly egregious, especially in terms of other police-involved deaths that we have seen over the years. And it makes you wonder, what don't we see?
When there's no one around with an iPhone, and these events aren't captured, you have to think about those interactions and those victims as well. And I hope it resonates beyond this. And I take the president at his word when he says that he is really committed to criminal justice reform.
And this is where it has to start. This is one of the most important places, which is training and interaction and impulse control, because what that officer did, there's no explanation for it. You cannot -- you cannot excuse that behavior. And that seems to be one thing that people agree on across the board.
There are other areas of agreement in terms of criminal justice reform in a bipartisan way that can be implemented. And I hope this also spurs Congress to act right now and come up with more legislation that offers real reform.
CAVUTO: Yes, you just hit on it, real reform.
Kennedy, thank you very, very much.
KENNEDY: Thanks, Neil.
CAVUTO: We do, again, want to let that protests are planned around the country. A lot of things were planned before we got the news of officer Derek Chauvin's arrested in the killing of George Floyd.
But protests were going to be pretty much like clockwork in all the major cities across the country, including New York, where they're already building large crowds, even with this news.
So, if that was supposed to ease up on things -- and we hope that they're all peaceful and fine -- those protests are still on.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAVUTO: You're looking live at Cape Canaveral, SpaceX and the Dragon capsule that didn't get a go of it a couple of days back.
Tomorrow is the next opportunity at 3:22 Eastern time. If they don't make that, where weather could always be an issue, they have another crack at this on Sunday, so, obviously, all of this dependent on weather
You might recall that, as we discovered with the delay in the launch, about six of 10, a little more than that, launches since the beginning of the space program have in fact been delayed anywhere from minutes to days, even weeks.
So we're following all of that very, very closely, as is Homer Hickam, the former NASA engineer and author of the book "Rocket Boys." This guy is a walking encyclopedia on all things NASA.
Homer, very good to have you. And thank you for joining us here.
People always are on tenterhooks waiting past the stormy clouds and all of that, but, eventually, it's going to happen, and it will be a game-changer, won't it?
HOMER HICKAM, FORMER NASA ENGINEER: Well, it really will, Neil.
And before I answer that, can I just say that I'm a fellow that's got one foot in the literary world and one foot in the space world, and we are not oblivious to what's going on in the rest of the country.
And I'm hoping that, when the Dragon launches, and we get Bob and Doug uphill into orbit, that all Americans can come together and just celebrate that we have managed to revolutionize space travel by bringing on these commercial companies, these for-profit commercial companies, with great, great young rocket boys and rocket girls that work so hard on them.
And, Sunday, hopefully, we will -- we will see that the Dragon is in the orbit, and all America can cheer for that.
CAVUTO: Yes, whatever day it happens. You're right.
And, as you indicated, Homer, the space program has done that. It has unified us. If you think about it, when we landed on the moon in 1969, it was putting a capper on a decade that had seen assassinations, an out-of- control war in Vietnam. And, somehow, it brought us together and showed of our inner angels that are there.
I'm just wondering whether you...
HICKAM: It really did. I just got back...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAVUTO: ... the same this go-round.
HICKAM: I just got back from Vietnam when Apollo 11 was launched. So it was incredible.
The country was torn apart at that time because of Vietnam and other things. But Apollo, the moon landings, all brought it back together, brought us all together for that moment.
And I anticipate and I hope that, as the American space program really gets going now, after we have been down since 2011 without being able to put Americans into orbit aboard American rockets, now we're back into business, I mean, really back into business. And it should be fun to watch, and not only fun to watch, but we should all be proud of it.
CAVUTO: And I always thought, Homer -- I don't know what you think about it -- that a lot of people are saying, oh, business is taking over on private enterprise for our journeys to the stars.
But if you think about it, NASA started out as a combination of military defense, aerospace interests, from Boeing to McDonnell Douglas, to Raytheon, to Grumman. I mean, it was a consortium of companies.
So, this is just an example of the next level of that, isn't it?
HICKAM: Well, yes, you're right, Neil.
I mean, when we first started launching astronauts into orbit, they flew aboard intercontinental ballistic missiles that were built for the Air Force by private companies and for profit. And that's really continued over the years, the Atlas, the Titan.
The Saturns were designed and built here in Huntsville, Alabama, but it was Chrysler that actually built that great big first stage, believe it or not. So, there's been a long tradition of having private companies build these rockets.
But this is the first time that a commercial company has put a -- the predominant amount of money into building the Falcon rocket and also this very, very advanced Dragon module that Bob and Doug will be flying in.
CAVUTO: Right.
All right, we will watch it very, very closely.
Homer, you electrified a world with your jazzed writings on the excitement of space travel. I appreciate that. I think an eager nation just eager to look up in the stars does as well.
Homer, thank you very, very much, Homer Hickam.
I do want to go -- and Homer touched on it, the idea of how weather can play games here. We just don't know what kind of games it will play into tomorrow's planned launch.
Rick Reichmuth has been looking up at the clouds, ahead of the stars.
What are you seeing, Rick?
RICK REICHMUTH, FOX NEWS CHIEF METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Neil.
So, a lot of times, in forecasting, we do forecasting for what trends are going to happen in the weather. Sometimes, in places like Florida, when you get into the summer, it just becomes now-casting, so looking at the storms right around the area, and seeing how they're going to move in a very short amount of time.
And I think that's what we're going to be dealing with tomorrow, because, overall, we are in our very typical summer rainy season that has begun in Florida. And it's actually been quite active so far.
Take a look at the weather maps. Show you what's going on. There are storms in the area today, with the moistures in place. It is hot. With that, you get those big summertime thunderstorms. And that's what we're seeing today.
It's similar to what we saw the other day, although, the other day, we had a little bit more activity with those storms. It was a little bit stronger than what we're seeing today. And I think that will be the case again tomorrow, that conditions improve a little bit.
That said, there's a number of parameters that they look at to make sure that the rocket can take off. One of those is that there can't be any lightning in the area for 30 minutes any time within 10 miles of the launch site or the flight path.
So, lightning is a big piece of that. There also can't be any strong winds at the level of where the launchpad is. It's at 162 feet. And then you also have to worry about clouds. Clouds that extend high up in the air, at a certain level, those clouds start to freeze and that can cause ice. And that is the other big thing that will for sure stop them from being able to launch this.
Here's where we are right now, right now, not looking at that, but go forward tomorrow, and the official forecast keeping those thunderstorms in the area all the way from 2:00 to 4:00. And when you see that radar underneath it, right around Kennedy Space Center, it looks like at least a future radar, which is a model output of what the radar looks -- will look like or could look like tomorrow , showing storms in the area.
So, it's going to be a rough one tomorrow again, a little bit better chance than I would say we saw the other day. But, tomorrow, we do still have those showers right in the range -- Neil.
CAVUTO: All right, thank you, my friend, as always, Rick Reichmuth following that.
One way or the other, we are there to cover this and the significance of this and the moment, whether it's tomorrow, whether it's Sunday, what have you. We're live tomorrow 10:00 a.m. to noon and back again at 3:00 p.m.
But we have got you covered, and on the implications of this, and how important it is with those who've been there, done that, and are amazed that we are now revisiting that.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAVUTO: All right, want to take you to Minneapolis right now.
The mayor is speaking, no doubt on the arrest of Derek Chauvin, the officer involved in the death of George Floyd. Let's listen into that.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
MELVIN CARTER, MAYOR OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA: ... George Floyd as OK in our community. I am proud of our first responders.
I'm thankful for the support that we have received from our partners, from other jurisdictions, and our partners from the state. And I'm appreciative that we have so many teammates and partners in this work together.
I have signed an emergency order declaring a state of local emergency around this situation in St. Paul right now, and also establishing a citywide curfew that will start at 8:00 p.m. tonight, and that will continue until 6:00 a.m.tomorrow morning.
This order exempts members of the media, and it exempts workers returning home from a work shift. Other than that, we are asking our community to stay at home, so that we can ensure that we can protect that basic life, health and safety mission of our community.
We have hosted digital roundtables today, engaging members of our community, members of our communities of color, business owners and business leaders in our community. And we're actually, as we speak, convening a roundtable of faith leaders in our community.
All told, we have engaged over 400 different members of our community in this conversation digitally. And we're going to continue to do that.
I have also worked with members of our faith community and challenged us to, together, announce and convene a citywide interfaith unity hour of prayer in the first hour of our citywide curfew.
So, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., I will be observing in my faith, and we're inviting everybody else.
CAVUTO: All right, you're watching St. Paul, Minnesota, Mayor Melvin Carter. I apologize for the confusion.
I do want to go to the White House now, President Trump.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
TRUMP: ... everybody that the memory of George Floyd be a perfect memory.
Let it be a perfect memory.
The looters should not be allowed to drown out the voices of so many peaceful protesters. They hurt so badly what is happening. And it's so bad for the state and for that great city.
So, we are working very closely with the Justice Department. We're working with local law enforcement. We're working with everybody. And we're speaking with the family. And, hopefully, everything can be fairly taken care of.
I understand the hurt. I understand the pain. People have really been through a lot. The family of George is entitled to justice and the people of Minnesota are entitled to live in safety.
Law and order will prevail. The Americans will honor the memory of George and the Floyd family. It's very important to us, it's very important to me to see that everything is taken care of properly. It's a horrible, horrible situation.
And so we'll be reporting back in due course and as quickly as possible.
I'm pleased to welcome American industry leaders to the White House, as we continue to safely reopen America.
We're glad to be joined by Geoffrey Ballotti of Wyndham Hotel & Resorts. Wyndham Hotels have been a really terrific company over the years.
Brian Goldner of Hasbro, Dave Hoffmann of Dunkin' Brands, Gary Kelly of Southwest Airlines. Really good jobs they've done. Rodney McMullen of Kroger.
Thanks, Rodney.
Oscar Munoz, United.
Thank you, Oscar, United Airlines.
Brad Smith of Microsoft. That stock has done very well, I will say. Great job. Great job.
Sonia Syngal of Gap.
And thank you very much.
Also with us are Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin and Secretary of Labor Gene Scalia.
Our nation continues to mourn for the lives claimed by the virus and grieve for the families who have lost loved ones. We continue to battle the invisible enemy.
We're directing the full resources and support of the federal government to safeguard high-risk populations, especially in nursing homes. We have -- been a very powerful strategy on nursing homes for quite a while.
The best strategy for public health is to aggressively protect the most vulnerable, while allowing younger and healthier Americans to work safely.
Nationwide, hospitalizations, new cases and deaths are all declining. We're tracking cases and hospitalizations daily in states. They are demonstrating their ability to rapidly identify and contain new outbreaks. Our testing is the best in the world. We've now surpassed 15 million tests, which is much more than any other country by a factor of many times.
We've completed over 15 million. And that is -- I think we can say that's a record by a lot. And we're going to give you a big report on testing tomorrow. We have new tests coming out that are above and beyond anything that anybody would have thought even possible just a couple of months ago.
In many places, we've had more tests available than people seeking them. Florida and others have said that they have testing, and they don't have enough people to take the tests. So, we've come a long way. We started with an empty cupboard.
We didn't have a lot that we inherited. And we are -- I think, really they've stepped up to the plate on ventilators, on tests, and on equipment and gowns and everything else, gloves. If you look at masks, everybody has masks now.
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