This is a rush transcript from “Your World," August 21, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SANDRA SMITH, FOX NEWS HOST: Have a great weekend. Thank you.
A fierce debate in Washington, as lawmakers give the postmaster general grief. But what about COVID relief?
Hello, everyone. I'm Sandra Smith, in for Neil Cavuto, and this is "Your World."
Lawmakers spending the day grilling the postmaster general, the House preparing a vote on post office funding tomorrow. It's all over mail-in ballots.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans seeking economic relief are wondering if Congress is just mailing it in.
To Chad Pergram on what lawmakers are saying, and Kristin Fisher at the White House on what the Trump administration may be planning.
We begin with Chad this afternoon -- Chad.
CHAD PERGRAM, FOX NEWS CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Sandra.
Well, the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, was here today, but there's a push by a lot of House Democrat, more than 117 House Democrats, trying to implore House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to tack on coronavirus relief onto the Postal Service bill that they will debate and vote on tomorrow in the House of Representatives.
That is not in the cards. The House Rules Committee met this afternoon, and the final text is specific to coronavirus.
Now, this bill infuses about $25 billion over at the Postal Service here. And Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general, he indicates that the Postal Service is fine right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS DEJOY, U.S. POSTMASTER GENERAL: I don't need anything to deliver the mail on election night, but we do need legislative reform.
This organization continued to perform, which is why we have had such high ratings. Well, our revenues were down. Other organizations would have stopped going into some of these rural areas and so forth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERGRAM: DeJoy told senators today the Postal Service would send a letter to all Americans explaining how it's handling vote by mail.
By the way, that means there would be an additional 100 -- excuse me -- 161 million pieces of mail in the postal bloodstream next month, one for each household.
DeJoy says the president nor anyone in the Trump campaign has ever talked to him about trying to tilt the field toward Mr. Trump through the mail. But Democrats, like Tom Carper of Delaware, aren't satisfied.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM CARPER (D-DE): We have got a president who doesn't want to have vote-by-mail.
We have got a president who would like to suppress the vote. We have got a president who would like to see the Postal Service not do well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PERGRAM: Now, Republicans are trying to contrast what the Democrats are doing in the House of Representatives tomorrow. This bill is specific to the Postal Service.
This is why Republicans, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, are trying to gin up interest in a so-called skinny coronavirus bill. They're trying to contrast what the Democrats are doing focusing on the Postal Service, saying they're focusing on coronavirus -- Sandra.
SMITH: All right. Thank you, Chad.
Neil, by the way, will be back tomorrow covering that House vote on "Cavuto Live." Among his special guests are Ohio Republican Jim Jordan and Democratic House Majority Whip James Clyburn. It all begins 10:00 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow.
Meantime, President Trump sounding off today on this whole mail-in ballot controversy.
To FOX's Kristin Fisher at the White House with the latest on all of that.
Hey, Kristin.
KRISTIN FISHER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Sandra.
Well, President Trump continued to rail against universal mail-in voting today, while the postmaster general was on Capitol Hill, Louis DeJoy telling that Senate Homeland Security Committee that he never discussed any changes to the U.S. Postal Service's policies with the president.
And he called the suggestion that he might intentionally slow ballot delivery to help President Trump win the 2020 election, he called that -- quote -- "outrageous."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEJOY: I have never spoken to the president about the Postal Service, other than to congratulating me when I accepted the position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FISHER: Now, the postmaster general also said that the USPS is fully capable and committed to delivering the nation's election mail fully and on time.
But President Trump is continuing to say that he believes the country is not prepared for universal mail-in voting in some states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This will be the greatest catastrophe, one of the greatest catastrophes in the history of our country. That's how serious it is.
And they all think I'm trying to steal an election. Just the opposite. I want the fair results of an election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FISHER: And, of course, as Chad was saying, the House is planning to meet for that rare Saturday session to discuss about a $25 billion infusion into the U.S. Postal Service.
But, as for that next coronavirus stimulus bill, not a lot of movement on that, certainly not here at the White House -- Sandra.
SMITH: Kristin Fisher, on a busy day for the president at the White House, thank you.
Meantime, more than 100 Democrats calling for Congress to pass a stand- alone extension of those $600 unemployment benefits. Guess who's saying no deal? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. So, where does this leave the House and millions of Americans waiting on help?
Let's get the read from The New York Post's Michael Goodwin, Democratic strategist Jason Nichols, and market watcher Rebecca Walser is here.
Michael, let's begin with you.
Why is Nancy Pelosi rejecting these calls from her own party? I have got this letter in hand, signatures of nearly half of the Democratic Caucus, 114 rank-and-file lawmakers pressing her on this.
MICHAEL GOODWIN, THE NEW YORK POST: I have to say, Sandra, it doesn't make sense to me, because clearly there's a lot of need still out there, even as the economy reopens.
There are a lot of people who have not gotten their jobs back, whose job may be gone forever. So the fact that the House does not want to, I think, put this $600 into the post office bill suggests that Pelosi is playing some other game, that she has some other plan.
But I think it's maybe too smart to be apparent to everybody else, because it seems rather obvious that you would want to get the money to the people as fast as possible. It's already been a while since the first federal installment on the unemployment expired.
So I'm not sure what she's holding out for, but it's clearly something.
SMITH: Jason, Democrats are pressing her to come to an agreement on this, or at least consider the legislation.
They make the case that workers are being held hostage. Is she getting the message?
JASON NICHOLS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think what she's saying essentially is, why put a tourniquet on a wound, when you already have the capacity to do surgery?
So, they have already passed the HEROES Act, which includes money for COVID testing. It includes money for rental assistance. It includes money for people who are food insecure. So why just give them the $600 without all these other protections, including also a moratorium on evictions?
They have already agreed upon this in the House. It's Mitch McConnell who is being an obstructionist, which is coming to define his entire career? He needs to come to the table and actually take this up and take this up for a vote.
But, instead, he's obstructing. Nancy Pelosi, I understand the concerns of Cedric Richmond. I actually admire him. I understand the concerns of the other 99 Democrats, but I think Nancy Pelosi actually has a point here, that they have already passed something. And it's time for Republicans to stop obstructing.
SMITH: Well, tell that to 114 Democrats.
Rebecca, jump in here.
What is the economic urgency to get these Americans who are struggling that $600 extension?
REBECCA WALSER, WALSER WEALTH MANAGEMENT: Sandra, we're talking about 30 million people. At the end of July, 30 million people were still getting this bump up that now is gone and evaporated.
And other than President Trump's executive order, they would be out of out of luck completely. So, I completely disagree that the Republicans are holding this hostage. Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats knew that $3 trillion in the HEROES Act was such a far overreach.
And they chose to go ahead and move forward with that bill, at the expense of 30 million Americans weekly, so that they could give money to state and local governments that have been vandalized for rebuilding.
There's all kinds of stuff, Sandra, $3 trillion, which should be, to give extra special interests all kinds of things that is not relevant to coronavirus and to the recovery of our economy.
So this is ridiculous that we're being held hostage for $3 trillion. She doesn't have the votes. She should have come to the table. And her own House Democrats are telling her to come to the table.
SMITH: She says the timing is not right were her words.
But you look at 10.2 percent unemployment, as the latest July numbers revealed on the economy. There's a lot of people feeling the pain right now.
Let's switch gears now to talk about Joe Biden. As you know, what was missing from his acceptance speech last night, a big push for far left progressive economic policy.
So, Jason, does that mean that these policies will be missing from a potential Biden administration?
NICHOLS: Well, I think what Biden said last night was the fact that he is a uniter, and that means that he's going to listen to everybody, including Republicans, and people who are progressives.
I consider myself to be more on the progressive wing of the party. And I think that he's open to hearing these things. And one of the things that he has pretty much committed himself to is a $15 minimum wage. He's committed himself to ending sub-minimum wage jobs or to sub-minimum wages for certain jobs in the service industry, things that we need in order to really recover and get us back to the 2007 level, before the Great Recession.
SMITH: But, Jason, the question -- and I will put it to Michael -- why were we not hearing about more of those far left policies that he talked about so much to secure the nomination in his speech last night to formally accept the nomination?
Chris Christie was on a radio program with Brian Kilmeade earlier today. And he says, you didn't hear the mention of those specific policy details. He says it would -- quote -- "scare the bejesus out of the American people" that may vote for him.
GOODWIN: I think there's something to that, that the American public is, is much more closer to the center than the activists who are running the Democratic Party.
The Bernie Sanders wing of the party is predominant. And I think Sanders has said explicitly that the goal is to unite behind Biden now, get him elected. And then, when you get into government, then you begin to move farther to the left.
So, when President Trump calls Joe Biden something of a Trojan horse, I think that's what he's talking about, that they're not being honest now about what they would do if they got into power.
SMITH: You know, it's really -- it's really interesting, Rebecca, when you look at his use of those left -- far left-wing policies and how much he did talk about that running up to securing the nomination.
Chris Christie went on to say he did that because he had to. He will pursue those policies if he is elected.
But that leaves the question, what do we hear from Joe Biden from now until November?
WALSER: That's exactly right, Sandra.
Any time a policy is not being presented publicly on a public forum, especially at the convention, which is supposed to launch the actual planks of the policy of the party, then there's something that's being hidden.
And we know that President Trump wants to call him a Trojan horse. You might call him a Manchurian Candidate, because we know that he's got this unity task force with Sanders that talks about these really far left policies, where we're talking about the elimination of all cash bail, we're talking about the elimination of non-green combustible energy plans by -- within 20 -- within five years, by 2025.
We're going to end all electric power plants. It's so aggressive. As a right, housing and health care, both as a right to all citizens or non- citizens. There's not even -- there's a question about what that is.
It's so far left. This is the most left...
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: I will let Jason respond to that.
(LAUGHTER)
SMITH: But I just wonder if the strategy on the part of Republicans, considering we're going into the Republican Convention next week, will be to point out the specifics of some of those far left-wing policies that Joe Biden had been touting.
Jason, final thoughts?
NICHOLS: Well, first of all, President Trump has never been big on policy.
He comes with big ideas, which I don't think is a bad idea, particularly for conventions. He talked about building a wall. It was going to be 30- feet-high and 100-feet-deep so you couldn't build tunnels behind it. It's all these big ideas that are actually absurd.
But that's what you do during conventions, is you give big ideas.
SMITH: To that point, why didn't we hear about Joe Biden wanting to take that wall down last night?
(LAUGHTER)
NICHOLS: Because Joe Biden was focusing on uniting us.
He was focusing on the important things that the American people want to hear. They're sick of division. They want us to be united as a people.
SMITH: All right, real quick, Michael Goodwin wants to jump in.
Final, final to you, Michael.
GOODWIN: Yes, I would like to point out one other thing that he did not talk about and nobody talked about during the convention, and that is this violence in almost every city in the country.
The murder rates are double-digit -- double-digit increases everywhere. Hundreds and hundreds of people who have been killed would be alive had these riots not been sanctioned by mayors and governors. I mean, it's an extraordinary situation and went unmentioned for four nights.
SMITH: Michael, Jason and Rebecca, appreciate all three of you being here this afternoon. Thank you.
And a quick look at what's happening on Wall Street on this Friday, with stocks rallying on some good news from Main Street, triple-digit gains for the Dow, 190 points, existing home sales rising last month by nearly 25 percent, setting a new record, all this coming after home sales ground to a halt due to the COVID shutdowns.
For the week, the major markets ending mixed, but the Nasdaq and S&P did close at new record highs.
To the coronavirus and kids -- a new study raising more concerns about school reopening. We will have the details on that just ahead.
And Democrats not just vying for the White House. Hear what Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer just said he may do if his party takes the Senate -- why even some Democrats, like Joe Manchin, are not for it.
He's here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SMITH: Looking live at Boston, Massachusetts, where the mayor just announced public schools will start the year remotely, this as a new study finds children with little to no symptoms of COVID-19 may spread the virus more easily than severely ill adults.
So, is this raising further worries over school reopening?
The co-author of that study joining us now to discuss, Dr. Alessio Fasano.
Doctor, thanks for being here.
DR. ALESSIO FASANO, MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL: Thank you.
SMITH: Of course, we're all listening, because parents are confused right now whether to send their kids to school or not. Some schools are even giving parents the option, even if they are opening, to in-class learning, to learning remotely from home, because parents are so concerned.
So what was the key takeaways from this study?
FASANO: Well, this study was really conducted to answer the question why kids are spared by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That was our understanding based on epidemiological data. So we were very surprised, in surveilling almost 200 kids in the Boston area, that they are affected. They can be infected by the virus.
And when they do, they have little to no symptoms. So they are not the visible part of the iceberg of this pandemic. And they harbor as many virus, if not more, of adults. They're so sick to be admitted in the hospital in the intensive care units.
SMITH: All right, so parents have a lot to take in here.
They're listening to what you're saying, and they're wondering, OK, should I send my kid to school? What do you say?
FASANO: I don't say anything on the matter, because it's based on who is the policymaker here to use this data and decide what to do about it.
The data just show that kids are not spared. They can be infected with the virus.
Now, if you want to close the school, open the school, or have of a mixed model, this is based on the policymakers and the local situation. My only recommendation is, if the kids will go to school, and therefore it's going to be in-person, we have to really implement those policies that have been effective so far to prevent or minimize the risk of spreading, so physical distance, wearing the mask, and make sure the kids, they wash their hands frequently.
SMITH: All very important things to do.
But, of course, those policymakers are at the mercy of what they hear from the medical doctors and the studies before them and the recommendations of the CDC, and so forth.
But what is about to happen is flu season as well. So, many parents are asking, well, in general, we're fearful of that. And now we have got the flu season combined with COVID. What does this study tell us about that and the overlap of the two coming up?
FASANO: Yes, this is a good point. And I'm a parent myself, so I'm wondering, coming flu season, what's going to happen here?
Unfortunately, the symptoms of these kids that tested positive, the experiences are very mild that overlap with flu-like symptoms, like runny nose, a little bit of cough, mild fever. And, therefore, you can't distinguish between the two.
So, you can't keep these kids home and just because they have symptoms like this, nor you can take the risk, if they have the symptoms like this, to be cavalier and allow them to come to school without precautions.
And that's the reason why many states now are suggesting to vaccinate for the flu kids going to school and personnel, including teachers, against the flu, so that at least we will have this -- avoid this overlap and, therefore, the confusion this will generate if we go in-person school.
SMITH: It's a lot to take in and a lot of data points. It's going to be tough.
It's going to be an interesting fall for all of us. We're all going to be part of the learning curve here.
Doctor, thank you.
FASANO: Yes, indeed, indeed.
SMITH: All right, Doctor, thank you.
FASANO: Thank you.
Actress Lori Loughlin learning her fate just a short time ago. Emily Compagno on whether her sentence goes too far or not far enough.
And with Iran acting up, how is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cracking down? He will tell us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SMITH: Coming up: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Iran, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on COVID relief, and the new face-off over face masks in the skies.
We're back in 60 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SMITH: Tensions growing over Iran, as some of America's top allies are rejecting a call for more sanctions on the rogue nation.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo telling me on "America's Newsroom" this morning that the U.S. is not backing down, even if our allies aren't stepping up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: ... said to us, that will never work. American sanctions alone will never impact the Islamic Republic of Iran.
But, of course, we have demonstrated over these three-and-a-half years that that's false. We have decimated the amount of money that the Islamic Republic of Iran has to conduct terror campaigns.
And when the U.N. sanctions come back into place, Russia and China can talk a good game today, but I assure you, the United States will use every tool in its arsenal to make sure that the Chinese and the Russians are incapable of delivering weapon systems to Iran that threaten us.
And we will do everything in our power to make sure that they don't get the money that comes alongside being a global arms dealer as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: The struggle over Iran is sure to play out as the 2020 campaign heats up, so we will be watching.
Meanwhile, here's something that we are all watching, Lori Loughlin and her husband both facing jail time for their role in the college admissions scandal.
FOX News' Molly Line is outside the Boston courthouse with what the judge had to say just a short time ago.
Hey, Molly.
MOLLY LINE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Sandra.
The highest-profile couple embroiled in the college admissions scandal is headed for prison, Lori Loughlin of "Full House" fame and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, both convicted on one conspiracy count each.
The judge accepting the plea agreements that they worked out with prosecutors. Loughlin's deal calls for two months behind bars, a $150,000 fine, probation, community service. Loughlin's voice was shaking as she apologized, saying she was truly, profoundly and deeply sorry.
Giannulli's accepted deal calls for five months in prison, a $250,000 fine, community service, probation. Prosecutors say the couple shelled out half- a-million dollars to facilitate bribes through the scheme's ringleader, creating phony athletic profiles to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team members.
Judge Nathaniel Gorton delivering a scathing scolding to Giannulli, noting the businessman was not someone -- quote -- "stealing bread to feed your family," so, roughly quoting again, "you have no excuse for your crime, and that makes it all the more blameworthy."
Prior to Loughlin and Giannulli, 22 defendants had been sentenced, two coaches, 20 other parents. Loughlin and Giannulli are both slated to report to prison on November 19, yet-to-be determined facilities -- Sandra.
SMITH: And, Molly, is the Hollywood couple of getting off easy? That's the question we're going to put to Emily Compagno here.
Molly, thank you.
FOX News contributor Emily Compagno is here to discuss now.
Thanks to Molly for that report.
So, now, Emily, we're left wondering, how is this going to be looked upon? Is she getting enough time, is he getting enough time for what they have done?
EMILY COMPAGNO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I think the totality of their sentences, yes, is just. And here's why.
So, in the beginning, the odds favored considerable prison time for some and some prison time for most. Remember, there were 50 defendants initially, and, thus far -- there were 33 parents, coaches, some admissions counselors, et cetera. And, thus far, we have had 22 sentences prior to this couple here.
But because of COVID, that had a significant impact. But they're not getting off scot-free. They still have two years of supervised release and quite a bit of community service.
But I want to point out this fact, that the reason that the federal government has a 90 percent plea rate, it's because of the sentencing guidelines. All of those parents and coaches were facing considerable sentences, remember, decades.
SMITH: Yes.
COMPAGNO: So, right now, the fact that they're getting just a few months worth amid COVID and amid other sentencing impacts, that's a big deal for them, and they should be grateful.
SMITH: Emily, there seems to be some questions too whether or not they will actually see the inside of these jails, because COVID-19 has changed everything.
Is there a chance that they could avoid having to go in altogether?
COMPAGNO: There is a small chance, but I think, given their relatively minimal sentences, that they both will serve their time.
But I think I -- the way that you can get sort of plead down is if you get longer sentences, right? And generally, it's a year and a day. Then they'd be eligible for early release. But because these sentences were shorter than that, I foresee them actually serving time.
But, definitely, the rate of COVID infections, it's spreading in federal prisons. And if that doesn't get under control, then there's going to be different issues that they have to manage it, because that's something that they have to get managed, under wraps.
SMITH: Yes. You look at the course of events, when you look at this case and how they reversed course, Emily, and whether or not they have any regrets in doing that, or that was the right thing to do to get lesser sentences.
But, for so long, they thought -- they said that -- they made the case that they thought they were making donations, and then they reversed course.
COMPAGNO: That's exactly right.
And look, I mean, I can't speak to their culpability, of course. No one knows their exact heart. But it seems to me a bit surprising that they actually thought they were making donations, given the amount of evidence that went toward them being proven, essentially, that they were absolutely creating fabricated applications, fabricating test scores, fabricating that their daughters were rowers, and mocking the entire system.
What an expensive mistake it turned out to be on their part. But that's the weight of the government. When the government is sitting across the table from you, with the decades facing behind you, I mean, everyone capitulates at one point or another.
SMITH: The ripple effect of this -- these cases, they are among 30 parents who got caught in this college admissions scandal, prominent, rich, wealthy families tied up in all of this.
And you wonder the message that this has sent and whether or not anything like this happens in the future.
Final thoughts, Emily?
COMPAGNO: That I hope that it does send a message.
I think that the -- overwhelmingly, disgust that people felt was that notion that there was two different tracks of justice for wealthy parents, that there are two different tracks of admissions for wealthy parents.
And so to see them get essentially just deserts hopefully is reassuring for those people who do only work hard and who only work honestly to get admissions.
SMITH: Emily, thank you. And great to see you.
COMPAGNO: Thank you. Good to see you, too.
SMITH: All right.
Wildfires raging, a power grid collapsing. We will get the latest from California.
And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hinting he may ditch the filibuster if Joe Biden wins and Democrats flip the Senate. Why isn't fellow Democrat Joe Manchin on board with that?
We will ask him next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SMITH: A brutal heat wave continuing to scorch California, making matters worse for ongoing wildfires, and straining the state's power grid.
To FOX News William La Jeunesse in Santa Monica, California, for us this afternoon -- William.
WILLIAM LA JEUNESSE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sandra, more than any other state, California adopted these aggressive green energy mandates, and now critics say consumers are paying the price with these rolling blackouts, as utilities are forced to drop coal, nuclear and natural gas in favor of renewables.
And, this week, the state fell short of megawatts when Californians needed it most.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STATE. REP JIM PATTERSON (R-CA): Run a 21st century economy that's the fifth largest on the planet with wind and solar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LA JEUNESSE: The problem is, the state closed a nuclear plant and dozens of gas plants that provide power when renewables don't, after sunset and periods of no wind, nor did it buy enough batteries to store clean power.
Governor Gavin Newsom blamed the blackouts on what he called a gap, as utilities transition from gas to wind and solar. But he refused to say the state went too far too fast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Failed to predict and plan these shortages, and that's simply unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LA JEUNESSE: So, the lesson learned here is that basically the state, for those who are advocating a sweeping Green New Deal, maybe you don't want to abandon natural gas as a bridge fuel until you solve the storage problem.
But a little cooler weather and conservation, Sandra, no blackouts tonight -- back to you.
SMITH: OK, thank you, William La Jeunesse.
Now back to Washington and another power struggle.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying nothing is off the table when it comes to getting rid of the Senate's 60-vote filibuster, and that Democrats will do what it takes to pass their agenda if Joe Biden wins the White House.
To a top Democrat on that, West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.
Senator, good afternoon to you.
Do you support that message?
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): Good afternoon, Sandra.
No, I do not support getting rid of the filibuster. And Chuck Schumer knows that. We have had conversations about that.
I intend to work anyway and -- any way possible that I can to make sure that we're able to move forward in a bipartisan way. And, basically, coming together is what Joe Biden does.
So, if he brings people together -- he's worked very well with Republicans before. He doesn't chastise or villainize the other side just because he's a Democrat.
So, I think you will see a whole 'nother flavor and a whole 'nother attitude in the Senate.
SMITH: Senator, were we watching the same convention this week?
Because there was a lot of attacks on the Republican agenda, on the Trump agenda. I mean, there was -- is it fair to say that there was a lot of partisan talk on the part of Democrats?
MANCHIN: Sandra, I think what it was, it was mostly an attack on the behavior of the president.
And I have tried -- I have tried as hard as anybody to work with him on many issues. And there's things that I agree with and I disagree. But it makes it very difficult.
And I think what you saw is an attack on the demeanor of the president, how he reacts, how basically he chastises the other side and always blames them.
I don't think you will see Joe Biden -- I never have seen him do that before. And, if he's anything, he got chastised from the left of the Democrat Caucus for working with Republicans, trying to make something happen. And that's what he does and what he's done well for 50 years.
So, I assume that he would still take that position. I hope he does anyway. But to get rid of the filibuster means you are giving up on the Senate and the founding fathers of Jefferson and Washington, who said the Senate should be like a saucer to cool off the hot tea.
Well, the House runs every two years, simple majority rules. If you have simple majority in the Senate, we're no more than a glorified House with a six-year term. I think that would be horrible. And it's definitely not what our founding fathers intended the Senate to be.
SMITH: But you did not see Chuck Schumer take it off the table.
And is it fair to say, Senator, that there's a growing number of Democrats that would be willing to support taking the filibuster out?
MANCHIN: Well, we have a lot of Democrats and a lot of Republicans both that served in the House of Representatives before they came to the Senate. So, that's their mind-set, I would assume.
I have not served in the House, nor would -- even if I would have, I would not have been in favor of that. Robert Byrd -- I serve in the seat that Robert C. Byrd held. And he basically was the soul of the Senate. And he was the author of the rules of the Senate.
And the bipartisan shouldn't -- I mean, we're supposed to have -- or the 60 vote threshold basically says, listen, rather than just a hard partisan vote, can't we have at least some people that's willing to meet in the middle?
If it's going to be a confirmation for a judge or a confirmation for someone in the Cabinet, they should have skill sets and not just be a partisan hack. Then that should be able to be stopped. And it should be able to be agreed upon to find the best person or the best policy that would help all of America.
SMITH: All right.
MANCHIN: So, whether it's the Republican senator that's leading or the Democrats, you're just not going to govern to take care of one side or the other.
You take an oath to defend the Constitution, and basically uphold it. And that means everybody.
SMITH: Well, we hope...
MANCHIN: Because we're all Americans.
SMITH: We hope that's the case. We are indeed.
Meanwhile, you saw today the postmaster general appearing before Congress. He will do so again next week in front of the House on Monday.
There is a rare Saturday session, as you know, being held tomorrow, in which the House is going to consider this infusion of $25 billion for the Postal Service.
We have got some breaking news on the Trump administration and where they stand on this. This just in. The Trump administration says it strongly opposes the House Democratic legislation expected to be considered tomorrow on the Postal Service policies ahead of the November 3 election.
How do you respond to that? You heard the postmaster general today. He said there's no -- going to be no more changes until Election Day.
MANCHIN: Well, basically, he has already made a lot of changes. And that was what has worried me.
We have one processing plant in West Virginia that does sourcing. And the sourcing it does is for six states. It's the largest geographical area covered by any of the sourcing processing facilities that we have said. It had 17 sourcing machines. They took three of them out.
We had four of the re -- basically a re-sourcing type of machine. They took one of them out. He's already taken these machines out. He's already made the changes. And he said he's not going to do anything else.
I'm saying, you have to go back. You don't go through an experiment. You don't go through these types of changes in the middle of a pandemic and, on top of that, an election that is going to be held, a lot of it, by mail.
SMITH: Are you suggesting that was purposely to affect the election outcome?
MANCHIN: I don't know if it was purposely, but it didn't happen until he came in.
And, basically, you're saying the $25 billion that the administration or the executive or the president and his staff is against, it was basically the board that they appointed that asked for the $25 billion.
So, I don't know what's going on with the Postal Service. You got 90 percent approval. People love their postal. They love their Postal Service, their postal workers. They love the way the system has worked.
Now, they have made efficiencies. In West Virginia, Sandra, we used to have nine sourcing facilities, nine. We have one now. So, they have been consolidating and trying to find efficiencies all along.
And, all of a sudden, now he comes in the 1st of June, and all these -- these new plans get implemented? I don't think it's a coincidence.
And I have basically said, not only stop it, Mr. DeJoy, but please put these machines back in service.
You shouldn't be playing Russian roulette...
SMITH: Yes.
MANCHIN: ... in the most difficult times we have.
SMITH: Well, the postmaster absolutely said that there was no connection to the election, and that he had did not talk to the president about the changes that he made or -- in general.
MANCHIN: The post...
SMITH: I have got to leave it there, Senator.
MANCHIN: Sandra, Mr. DeJoy has also said he's trying to figure out how the Postal Service works.
We made phone calls. Senators on both sides couldn't get him to return a phone call, because he said he was waiting to see until he gets a better feel of things.
SMITH: Yes. All right, well, we will see what happens with this tomorrow.
(CROSSTALK)
SMITH: Senator, we're out of time. I appreciate it. Please come back on, and we will have -- we will continue the conversation.
MANCHIN: I will. Thank you, Sandra. Good to be with you.
SMITH: Appreciate it, Senator. OK.
Amid New York shutdowns, meet the business owner lawyering up.
And face-offs over face masks getting nasty.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SMITH: More turbulence for airlines over their face mask policies.
A mother of six now considering legal action against JetBlue.
Garrett Tenney has the details on that -- Garrett.
GARRETT TENNEY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this mother wasn't the only one who was upset.
Other passengers can be heard yelling in this cell phone video how ridiculous it is that this mother and her six children are being forced off the flight because her 2-year-old was having a hard time and couldn't keep her mask on. Eventually, the entire plane was forced to get off.
JetBlue isn't making any apologies. The airline says it's updated its mass policy earlier this month, and passengers received e-mails before the flight with the latest guidance, telling FOX News children age 2 and over must wear a face covering, consistent with CDC guidelines.
Now, this comes just a couple of days after a fight broke out on an American Airlines flight when a woman reportedly refused to keep her face mask on after boarding. You can see in this video several other passengers are not too happy about that choice. The woman was eventually removed from the plane.
And, Sandra, as for that mother and her six children, they did eventually make it home to New York from Orlando on a United Airlines flight. Her husband, she tells us, is now considering filing a lawsuit against JetBlue -- Sandra.
SMITH: We will be following that.
Garrett Tenney, thank you.
Meanwhile, nine businesses in Buffalo, New York, are suing Governor Andrew Cuomo over his executive orders shutting down nonessential businesses during the pandemic, claiming it violated their constitutional rights.
One of them joins us now, owner of SoonerTunes Productions, Rich Rice.
Rich, good afternoon, evening to you. Thanks for being here.
So, tell us your story. Why are you suing?
RICH RICE, OWNER, SOONERTUNES PRODUCTIONS: Well, thank you for having me, Sandra.
We're suing because we have not been afforded due process. They bypassed -- the governor has bypassed the House -- the Senate and the Assembly.
And he has basically deprived us of our constitutional rights with a stroke of a pen.
SMITH: How is your business impacted by this?
RICE: There is no business. You can't operate when you're not allowed to operate.
We're at zero right now.
SMITH: SoonerTunes, what do you do?
RICE: It's music production. We do music for all events. We do weddings. We do karaoke in some of the local establishments that are also impacted by this, some recording studio, things of that nature.
SMITH: Got it.
So, do you believe that your case is strong enough here? Because everybody's been affected by this. We all realized that we were dramatically affected by shutdown, whether we are somebody who used these services, sold these services or goods.
What do you think's going to come from it?
RICE: Well, I would like to see some sort of relief.
I'm just part of a cross-section of billiard parlors, bowling alleys, restaurants, bars, martial arts studios, wedding -- I mean, we'd like to be able to go back and do what we do, make people happy.
SMITH: Well, we wish the best for you. Our small businesses are the engine of our economy. So, we wish you the best. And we will look to see how that all plays out.
Thanks for joining us.
RICE: Thank you, Sandra.
SMITH: OK.
Well, we saw some Republicans pushing for Democratic nominee Joe Biden this week. What's the reaction from this Democrat-turned-Republican?
Congressman Jeff Van Drew will join us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SMITH: Joe Biden making his pitch to voters on both sides of the aisle last night by moving to the center.
The read on that from a former Democrat-turned-Republican New Jersey Governor -- sorry -- New Jersey Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew.
Really looking forward to having you on the program tonight.
So, what can you tell us about what you heard from Joe Biden and him trying to reach out to more voters last night? After you heard those far left policy proposals early on, he did move to the center last night.
REP. JEFF VAN DREW (R-NJ): Well, it was -- that's what's so disingenuous.
It was more of a show than it really was a statement of policy and what you believe. I mean, that's what we heard last time, two years ago, when the new Congress came in. I was in that Congress.
And yet we found that we had all kinds of -- everything from impeachment to, every single day, there were problems between the Democrats not accepting any Republican ideas or any Republican vision. There were problems with Iran that, fortunately, our president straightened out.
There were problems with North Korea that our president straightened out. There were problems around the world, and certainly in China. It was our president who put in the travel restrictions, and he was called a racist for doing so. Thank God he did.
My point is this. It's easy during a convention, and to give a nice speech that somebody has written for you, and talk about how you're in the center. They're not in the center. They are not in the center.
I was there. I know they are being moved to the left more and more. They are even primarying people that are left-of-center, but aren't radical. The Democratic Party is becoming the socialist, radical party.
And Joe Biden is much of a Trojan horse coming in to win the election, and then other folks are going to be taking over. And it's a shame.
SMITH: I have two questions.
Were you running away from something when you left the Democratic Party, or were you running towards something? They're going to be having you speak, I just learned, at the RNC next week. What is your message going to be? What are you running towards, if that's the case?
VAN DREW: I'm running towards America. I love this country.
This is one of the most important elections since the Civil War. I want everybody who's listening to understand that. If we don't do the right thing in this election, we are going to never be, in my opinion, where we were as a country.
This new group that's taking over, the Squad, et cetera, the new people that are winning election, are radical -- in the Democratic Party -- are radical Democrats that don't believe in American exceptionalism, that don't believe in Americanism, that don't believe in capitalism, that don't believe in our uniqueness as a country.
So, we have got a decision to make. And that's what that's about. It's not about a fancy speech. And, yes, I'm going to give a speech, and we will all give speeches. And I know they will be good. But that's not the main point.
It's really what has happened the last two years and what we have gone through, with so many of the policies and ideas that the radical left has tried to push through, you know, when it comes to open borders, and it comes to sanctuary states, and it comes to what's going on in our cities.
Think how our country has changed in two years.
SMITH: Sounds like we're getting a preview of your speech next week, I'm sure.
Congressman Van Drew, appreciate you coming on tonight. Thank you, and we will see you next week.
VAN DREW: Oh, my pleasure. Thank you.
SMITH: All right.
Neil will be back tomorrow on "Cavuto Live," as the House is set for a rare Saturday vote on Postal Service funding. Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan and House Majority Whip James Clyburn will be joining Neil.
So, stay tuned for that. It all starts 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.
And it is that time. "The Five" starts now.
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