Senate hearing highlights balancing act between public health vs. economic security
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," May 12, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: I didn't know Greg had a Matthew McConaughey. That's pretty good. All right. Thanks, Jesse.
Good evening. I'm Bret Baier. Breaking tonight, two major stories trying to find a balance between public safety and economic survival during the coronavirus pandemic. While also in the nation's capital trying to find out which Obama administration officials unmasked Michael Flynn as the American speaking with the Russian ambassador in surveillance.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The names of the people who requested that action had been declassified. But will they be released?
First up, safely reopening the U.S. That was the focus of a first of its kind remote Senate hearing today. While members of the medical community are warning against reopening the country too soon.
The specter of massive unemployment, the possible permanent damage to the financial infrastructure, all posing what could be a generation-defining dilemma.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}We have "FOX TEAM COVERAGE" tonight. John Roberts at the White House with the administration's position on the virus today. Chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel starts us off tonight though with an extraordinary hearing. Good evening, Mike.
MIKE EMANUEL, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bret, good evening. Leaving federal health officials warning lawmakers today the consequences could be serious for reopening the nation too soon. Noting that we're not out of the woods yet.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: My concern, that if some areas, cities, states or what have you, jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively.
EMANUEL: Dr. Anthony Fauci, likely alarmed millions of parents when he talked about sending America's children back to school.
FAUCI: The idea of having treatments available or a vaccine to facilitate the reentry of students into the fall term would be something that would be a bit of a bridge too far.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}EMANUEL: Fauci tried to clarify, he is not suggesting waiting for a medical breakthrough.
FAUCI: I did not mean to imply at all any relationship between the availability of a vaccine and treatment, and our ability to go back to school.
EMANUEL: Fauci told senators, every effort is being made to find a remedy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FAUCI: We have many candidates that hope to have multiple winners. In other words, it's multiple shots on goal.
EMANUEL: A most unusual hearing today with expert witnesses leading the Trump administration public health respond testifying via videoconference in the age of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chairman Lamar Alexander, noted shutting down the country long term is not an option.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): Staying home indefinitely is not the solution to this pandemic. All roads back to work, back, back-to-school lead through testing, tracking, isolation, treatment, and vaccine.
EMANUEL: Alexander chaired the hearing from his Tennessee home after one of his staffers tested positive for COVID-19.
Fauci was also asked today about the danger of coronavirus making a comeback.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FAUCI: If we do have the threat of a second wave, we will be able to deal with it very effectively to prevent it from becoming an outbreak.
EMANUEL: There was a tense moment when COVID-19 survivor and medical doctor, Senator Rand Paul, said predictions have been wrong and went after Fauci.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): We ought to have a little bit of humility in our belief that we know what's best for the economy. And as much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don't think you're the end-all.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FAUCI: I have never made myself out to be the end-all. I give advice according to the best scientific evidence.
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EMANUEL: Also today, House Democrats unveiled their $3 trillion next coronavirus relief package. It is 1,815 pages and it's expected to be on the House floor for a vote on Friday. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is blasting it, calling it a measured cobbled together without consultation with Republicans or relevant Committees. Bret.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BAIER: Mike, thank you. Jitters about reopening the economy hit the markets today. The Dow lost 457, the S&P 500 was off 60. The NASDAQ fell 190 points.
The Trump administration is insisting its testing protocols are working and the country needs to get back to work soon. Chief White House correspondent John Roberts has that part of the story tonight live on the North Lawn. Good evening, John.
JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bret, good evening to you. When it comes to reopening the country, saving lives, and saving the economy, the buzz phrase is testing, testing, testing. But how much is enough?
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ROBERTS: At the White House briefing today, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, again, touting the dramatic ramp-up of America's ability to test for coronavirus.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The fact that we can put up the graph that shows South Korea is a small little red bar of testing per capita, and every bar beside it is an American state or territory out doing what South Korea has done. And let's note that South Korea was the gold standard for testing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ROBERTS: But in the Senate hearing today, Utah's Mitt Romney pointing out, South Korea set that gold standard for testing more than 10 weeks ago back in February.
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): Yesterday, you celebrated that we had done more tests and more tests per capita even than South Korea. But you ignored the fact that they accomplished theirs at the beginning of the outbreak, while we treaded water during February and March.
ROBERTS: When it came to the timeline of states reopening, Democratic senators trying to illuminate a contrast between what President Trump is saying and what the medical experts believe.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Dr. Fauci, you have warned of needless suffering and death if we push to reopen too soon. But the president has actually been sending the opposite message.
FAUCI: What we have worked out is a guideline framework of how to safely open America again. My concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks.
ROBERTS: The White House, today reinforcing the health downside of not reopening. The press secretary citing statistics that calls to substance abuse and mental health hotlines have skyrocketed, and that appointments and screenings for cancer have dropped precipitously.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MCENANY: According to the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, a total of 80,000 plus diagnoses of five common cancers in the United States are protected -- are projected to be missed or delayed during the three-month period of early March to early June, which is why this president has always said, go to your doctor, do your screenings.
ROBERTS: On the origins of the Michael Flynn investigation, we had expected to learn today, who in the Obama administration requested to unmask Flynn's name and those intelligence intercepts of phone conversations with the former Russian ambassador to the United States.
Last week, acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, delivered declassified documents to the DOJ, containing a list of Obama officials who wanted to know who Sergey Kislyak was talking to.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ROBERT O'BRIEN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We'll have to see what the -- what the prosecutor, and what the attorney general come out with, and what they determine. He's going to get to the bottom of what happened, and we're going to restore confidence in those institutions, and they'll make the changes that are necessary to make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone ever again.
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ROBERTS: Fox News has told that those documents will not be coming out today, but maybe coming out later this week. Bret.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BAIER: John Roberts, live on the North Lawn. John, thanks. As John just reported, the Justice Department is reviewing documents this evening about which members of the Obama administration were behind the so-called unmasking of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, as just explained.
The acting director of National Intelligence is right in the middle of that. Correspondent David Spunt has the latest tonight from the Justice Department.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DAVID SPUNT, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CORRESPONDENT: Fox News was the only camera there last week as acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, walked through the doors of the Justice Department. Now, we know why he was there.
Sources say, Grenell has declassified the names of former Obama administration officials behind the unmasking of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Flynn lied to the FBI and pleaded guilty twice to the crime. He filed to withdraw the plea, but Attorney General Bill Barr dropped the case last week.
WILLIAM BARR, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: It was -- it was an easy decision. They did not have a basis for a counterintelligence investigation against Flynn at that stage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SPUNT: Unmasking means revealing the names of U.S. citizens contained in intelligence reports. Fox News has told, this specific unmasking surrounds events between the day Donald Trump was elected president in the day he took the oath of office. A few dozen people out of thousands in the intelligence community are able to unmask.
It's illegal to release unmasked intelligence information for political gain. Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice admitted to making an unmasking request but says it was not for political purposes.
Grenell will have to meet a high bar if and when he releases names. It's unclear which agency will release the documents, which DOJ is reviewing. The number two in the Obama White House asked about the Flynn case this morning.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know nothing about those moves to investigate Michael Flynn, number one. Number two, this is all about diversion.
SPUNT: Seconds later, he changed his answer.
BIDEN: No, I thought you asked whether or not I had anything to do with him being prosecuted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, CHIEF ANCHOR, ABC NEWS: OK.
BIDEN: I'm sorry. I was aware that there was -- that there -- they had asked for an investigation, but that's all I know about it, and I don't think anything else.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SPUNT: Bret, I'm told the Flynn case, an impending document release is just a preview of the John Durham investigation looking into the origins of the Russia probe. I'm told the Durham investigation is a rolling timeline for completion. Bret.
BAIER: David Spunt at the Justice Department. David, thanks.
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering arguments about whether President Trump's personal financial records should be made public. It's a decision that could have a major bearing on the November election.
Fox News chief legal correspondent and anchor of "FOX NEWS @ NIGHT", Shannon Bream, has details.
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SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: A trio of high-profile cases before the Supreme Court today could not only impact this fall's presidential election but also measure the scope of the executive branch's power for generations to come.
At issue, whether three House committees or the Manhattan district attorney could force a third party to turn over the president's personal tax and financial documents for several years before he was elected.
A time frame Justice Sotomayor seemed to feel was appropriate for Congressional committees who were the key parties in today's first case. Given that Mr. Trump had long publicly made clear he was seriously considering a run for the White House.
SONIA SOTOMAYOR, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES (via telephone): Why is it that Congress can't believe that looking at long- standing relationships and how those relationships changed or didn't change is important to knowing what undue influence might be occurring?
BREAM: But a number of questions arose about whether congressional subpoenas absent a legitimate legislative purpose might be used to harass a sitting president and how that subpoena power could be appropriately limited. Justice Alito, noting the Houses attorney seemed to offer no limits at all.
SAMUEL ALITO, UNITED STATES ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT (via telephone): In your view, there is really no protection against the use of congressional subpoenas for the purpose of preventing the harassment of a president because the only requirement is that the subpoena be relevant to a conceivable legislative purpose, and you can't think of a single example of a subpoena that wouldn't meet that test.
BREAM: It was in the second case of the day involving the Manhattan district attorney's attempts to get the records in connection with a grand jury investigation, where the president appeared to face the toughest headwinds.
All sides seem to agree, the president cannot be treated like an ordinary citizen, yet Justice Kagan adding this.
ELENA KAGAN, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES (via telephone): But it's also true and indeed, a fundamental precept of our constitutional order that a president isn't above the law.
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BREAM: Whatever the justices decide, the opinion is likely to come in late June. Right in the middle of a presidential election. Bret.
BAIER: All right, Shannon. Thank you, see you at 11:00.
Up next, Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey on bringing people together, we're trying to during the coronavirus pandemic. He'll be here.
First, here is what some of our Fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. Fox 10 in Phoenix where a group of law enforcement officers rode from Tempe Beach Park to the Arizona Peace Officers Memorial in Phoenix the event replaces a 3-day 250-mile ride meant to raise funds for a memorial wall in Washington. That ride was canceled due to the coronavirus.
WDRB in Louisville, as the family of a black woman who was fatally shot by Kentucky police in her home, hires prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Breonna Taylor was killed as officers entered her Louisville home early on March 13th as part of a narcotics investigation.
Police, say they were returning fire after one officer was shot and wounded. Attorney, say police had the wrong home.
Fox 23 in Tulsa, as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on a proposition that a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation. The justices heard arguments by phone and an appeal by a Native American man, who claims state courts had no authority to try him for a crime committed on reservation land.
And from Salt Lake City's Fox 13, our affiliate out there, one of the big stories there tonight, a 7-year-old girl is dead and her 3-year-old sister missing in a flash flood in Emery County. Searches are coming up, they're still searching right now, they searched late last night for the missing girl, it resumed this morning. That continues.
That's tonight's look "OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY" from SPECIAL REPORT. We'll be right back.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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BAIER: Well, that was new public service announcement by the Just Keep Livin Foundation, designed to try to bring people together during this coronavirus pandemic.
Matthew McConaughey is an academy award-winning actor, everybody knows, and the founder of the Just Keep Livin Foundation. He joins us tonight. Thanks for being here.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, FOUNDER, JUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION: Bret, good to be here.
BAIER: What made you and your wife do this? What would -- what's driving you here?
MCCONAUGHEY: Well, actually it was a friend of mine really spent here in Austin, and I've been trying to keep my pulse on what's the message, you know, right now as we go through this pandemic?
And we started off about staying at home, then it turned into wear a mask, and you know, a few weeks ago -- about a month ago, I could feel that this united purpose we all have as Americans to beat this enemy and this virus. That purpose got hijacked a bit by partisan politics.
And all of a sudden, the narrative became, if you want to go to work, you're on the far right, if you don't want to go to work and you want to stay home, you're on the far-left.
And now, even the mask-wearing is getting politicized, where if you want to wear a mask, you wear a mask you're a liberal. And if you don't, you're conservative. And that's just not true.
So, this created a false divide, sort of two wars in the -- in the -- in America. An us versus them war, and an us versus the virus war. And you know, if we try to fight both of those wars, we're going to lose both of them. But if we try to fight the one against the virus, which is the one we should be fighting, then we're going to beat it.
So, Roy and I got together --
(CROSSTALK)
BAIER: It is --
MCCONAUGHEY: -- ourselves and our families we need. And the nation needs an authentic and inspiring message to remind us, let's stay united in our purpose now, and beat this virus.
BAIER: You know, it is interesting that, that divide has developed in a partisan way. Obviously, it's an election year.
MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.
BAIE: And party politics factors into a lot of things. But Republicans, I think it's fair to say, don't want to see people die. And Democrats, I think it's fair to say, don't want to see the economy falling apart. How do you get that message through in this PSA and what you're doing?
MCCONAUGHEY: Yes, well, part of it is saying just that to remind us that this is not about politics, it's about us, the USA. And we got to take care of each other right now. We have a collective purpose.
I mean how many times do we have a unanimous -- are we unanimously convicted of an enemy that we all want to beat? And look at how great Americans are when purpose comes to us in a crisis. Look at who we are on World War II, and we have a crisis that came us.
We are united in that purpose and all of a sudden, the human factor started to get split. And two tribes started to fight each other in partisan politics, and that's not what we need. We need a collection right now.
This is a tug-of-war with the virus, we need all hands on the rope if we're going to beat it. I just want to remind everyone that.
BAIER: Yes, and you and your wife have also donated a bunch. Meals and laptops for kids in need and 200,000 face masks to frontline workers. Do you think that that's where the solution comes from charitable acts from around the country? Do you think the federal government is doing all it can?
MCCONAUGHEY: Well, I don't know if the federal government is doing all they can -- all they can. I know they're doing a lot. Look, I think the word is not a solution. I don't see a solution right now. We are -- we are waiting for signs to catch up with us in this predicament.
So, what can each of us do independently, individually, in our families, in our households, in our communities, in our neighborhoods, in our cities? So, act locally, even this message. This is to the United States of America, saying, hey, we're in this together.
Now, someone can say, yes, but it's a worldwide pandemic. Yes, it is. Get the message out in your backyard right now. I don't think these are solutions. I think they're Band-Aids to hold off until science catches up until there's not too patience for everyone bed like there was in New York until we see that an asymptomatic person doesn't give it to someone who didn't have it. So, we can protect the elderly, especially, and the younger ones.
This is uncharted waters, this is not a playbook. I understand that. And these are Band-Aids and things that we need to do to hold this off until we have enough science to understand that -- you know what, we think it's safe to reengage.
If you are going to reengage right now, please wear a mask. I haven't heard any science that says that is not a good idea. And I hope we wear a masks as a badge of honor, and not something that we feel like somebody told us we had to wear that takes away our identity.
I think wearing a mask is not propaganda. I don't think its partisanship or politics. I think a mask is all about our purpose, right now. Get us is in the USA to best beat this virus. It's how we can take care of ourselves and others in the crisis. Everybody looking backyard --
(CROSSTALK)
BAIER: But clearly -- but clearly, the coronavirus, it doesn't discriminate. The virus doesn't --
(CROSSTALK)
MCCONAUGHEY: Don't care who we voted for. No.
BAIER: Yes, exactly. I want to end with this. You're a sports fan. You obviously, a University of Texas fan. You're also a Washington Redskins fan.
MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.
BAIER: Do you think sports is coming back?
MCCONAUGHEY: Well, I know it's coming back. It's a matter of when and how, you know. We know it's coming back and -- you know, are we going to play games without fans in the seats? Are we going to play games with fewer fans in the seats separated by six or so feet? Are we going to come back and fill stadiums? I don't know when that's going to happen, but it will happen again. That's another thing we need to remember.
And let's just do our due diligence until we get there, and then, we can go pack the houses again and have 100,000 people watching the great American sport of football.
BAIER: Hey, Matthew. Thanks a lot. Thanks for what you're doing, and we appreciate you coming on.
MCCONAUGHEY: Appreciate it. Thanks for having me, Bret.
BAIER: You bet.
Up next, getting airlines to refund your money after canceling your flight. What you need to know about that.
First, "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight. Budget airline, Ryanair, says it will begin operating nearly 1,000 daily flights starting in July. Ryanair was Europe's busiest airline before the pandemic. It says it will restore 90 percent of its free COVID-19 route network, although, with less frequency.
Militants storm a maternity hospital in the western part of Kabul, Afghanistan. That set off an hours' long shoot-out with police. Officials, reportedly 16 people were killed including two newborn babies, their mothers, and an unspecified number of nurses there.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called it an act of sheer evil, noting that the Taliban denied responsibility, at least, so far.
Dutch authorities, say five experienced servers drowned when they went out in stormy weather just off the coast of The Hague. The group jumped into the sea amid a combination of heavy weather and northerly winds and swells that hit the Dutch coast.
And a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has tested positive for the coronavirus. He joins Russia's prime minister on that list, which features two other government executives.
Just some of the other stories "BEYOND OUR BORDERS" tonight. We'll be right back.
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BAIER: The investigation into the shooting of a black man by a white former law-enforcement officer and his son will look into how local authorities handled the case. Georgia's attorney general is asking state investigators to examine how prosecutors in the Brunswick area dealt with the killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery. It took more than two months, and the release of a graphic video before arrests were made.
Investigators have also not ruled out charging the man who shot the video of Arbery's death. William Bryan maintains he has done nothing wrong, says, he now he fears for his life.
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WILLIAM RODDIE BRYAN, WITNESS TO AHMAUD ARBERY KILLINGS: I haven't felt safe and, at least, three to five days now. I had nothing to do with it. I'm trying to get my life back to normal, and it's been smeared for the last week.
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BAIER: Bryan's lawyer is not allowing him to answer questions about why he was at the scene or why he began recording.
Many of you have had to endure the inconvenience of canceling airline flights because of this coronavirus pandemic. The process of getting a refund may also have been a major headache. Now, the government is telling the airlines to clean up their act.
Correspondent Mark Meredith, reports tonight from Reagan National Airport.
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MARK MEREDITH, FOX NEWS CHANNEL CORRESPONDENT: The Department of Transportation is warning U.S. airlines for a second time, refunds aren't optional even as the coronavirus forces carriers to cancel thousands of flights.
ELAINE CHAO UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: If the airline cancels your flight, they have an obligation to refund that ticket.
MERIDITH: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, says her department normally receives 1,500 complaints a month from passengers having problems getting refunds. Lately those numbers have skyrocketed, with 25,000 complaints filed in March and April. Among those waiting for a refund, Rachel Kuhl.
RACHEL KUHL, ARLINE CUSTOMER: I guess my biggest frustration would be the lack of communication. We are just people, and we just want our money back.
MEREDITH: Chao says some airlines are waiting too long to refund customers, but she says some consumers are also confused about the rules. She says if you cancel a reservation but the flight remains on the schedule, you may not get your money back.
CHAO: There seems to be confusion on the part of the passenger as to what they are entitled to.
MEREDITH: The airline industry says it's already strapped for cash.
NICHOLAS CALIO, AIRLINES FOR AMERICA CEO: If you have been on a plane, it's eerie. U.S. carriers at this point are losing $350 million to $400 million every single day of the week.
MEREDITH: DOT says it plans to limit which airlines may fly specific routes, but some fear that could lead to overcrowded flights. Videos like these showing passengers practically on top of each have gone viral. United says it's making changes. The airline plans to notify customers in advance if their flight is full, giving people the option to change flights or get a credit.
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MEREDITH: Boeing's CEO predicting the record drop-off in business plus future uncertainty could force one major airlines to shut down, but he's refusing to say which one he think is most at risk. Bret?
BAIER: Mark Meredith at Reagan National. Mark, thanks.
Tesla's CEO Elon Musk is getting some support from President Trump concerning his restarting operations at his California assembly plant. Musk reopened yesterday despite not receiving approval from local government officials. The president tweeted, "California should let Tesla and @elonmusk open the plant, NOW." Adding that "It can be done fast and safely!"
There are some signs that the boys of summer might actually play this summer. Major League Baseball is one of the sports trying to revive itself amid the coronavirus restrictions. National Correspondent William La Jeunesse takes a look tonight from Los Angeles.
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WILLIAM LA JEUNESSE, FOX NEWS NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: NASCAR returns Sunday, golf next month. But baseball remains in question as owners and players fight over money and how the season could begin as early as the Fourth of July.
MARK JOHNSON, RAYS SEASON TICKET HOLDER: Even if it's just watching at home, I want to watch them play.
LA JEUNESSE: The players union met today with owners and the commissioner on a proposal to play 82 games against division rivals and nearby teams, allowing players to use buses and avoid airports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything that gets us back to a sense of normalcy is a good thing.
LA JEUNESSE: The main sticking point is over money. Players say they are owed a prorated salary. A half schedule means half pay. But owners say without ticket sales, that's impossible. They offered a 50/50 split on any team revenue.
EVAN DRELLICH, BASEBALL WRITER: It's not going to go well, because the union does not want his revenue-sharing system that Major League Baseball is suggesting.
LA JEUNESSE: Players are concerned about their health. Eighty percent of cases are considered mild, said players representative Sean Doolittle, "but what if a player, a staff member, an auxiliary worker or family member gets a case that's in the 20 percent and they develop severe symptoms or chronic issues?" One feels like too many."
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM, (D) CALIFORNIA: I talk to the commissioner of Major League Baseball, and he said we won't do anything that is not consistent with state guidelines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's looking at the finish line.
LA JEUNESSE: That holds true for NASCAR as well. FOX will broadcast Sunday's race in Darlington, South Carolina. It will be run without fans, and drivers and crewmembers will be screened.
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LA JEUNESSE: Nothing ideal here for fans, but it is a start. The NBA remains grounded. The NHL hopes to have an abbreviated playoff schedule beginning this fall. NFL teams have until Friday to submit plans to begin playing in September, and these baseball talks could last about two weeks. Bret?
BAIER: Let's hope. William, thanks.
Democratic Party officials have voted to authorize consideration of ways to conduct this summer's nominating convention, including making it virtual. Party leaders discussed several options today to keep delegates and others safe. The convention was already pushed more than a month to the week of August 17th in Milwaukee.
Please join me on my podcast "The Campaign," now in the top 100 of news podcast charts. It's a great place to get the state of the race. The podcast is available every Tuesday on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get podcasts, including FOXnewspodcast.com.
Public health safety versus economic security, is there a disconnect between the president and his task force? What about that hearing today? The panel joins me when we return.
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SEN. RAND PAUL, (R-KY): The power needs to be disbursed, because people make wrong predictions. And really the history of this when we look back will be of wrong prediction after wrong prediction after wrong prediction.
As much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don't think you are the end-all. I don't think you're the one person that gets to make a decision.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I have never made myself out to be the end-all and only voice in this. I'm a scientist, a physician, and a public health official. I give advice according to the best scientific evidence.
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BAIER: Back and forth from Senator Rand Paul and Tony Fauci. Dr. Fauci went on to say the end of the hearing, the Senate hearing, which was unique in that the testimony coming via video, at the end of that he was asked about the relationship with the president. He said it is not contentious, and that he offers advice, and the president takes it or doesn't take it.
Let's bring in our panel, Jeff mason, White House correspondent for Reuters, Mollie Hemingway, senior editor at "The Federalist," and Tom Bevan, Real Clear Politics co-founder and president. Jeff, what did you take from that hearing? What stood out to you?
JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: I thought it was interesting. That clip that you played was one of these smaller fireworks, if there were really fireworks at that hearing today. And it is a slightly different message, not just what he was saying to Senator Paul, but in general what Dr. Fauci has been saying about reopening.
The president, of course, has been a really, really pushing for the country to reopen. But Dr. Fauci came out with a warning, saying that if we move too quickly, if states move too quickly, that there could be smaller outbreaks that become bigger outbreaks later in the fall.
That said, the president, of course, has endorsed the phased approach that he himself and other White House officials here announced several weeks ago, and Dr. Fauci helped design that. So I think when he says the president takes my advice and listens to my advice, that that is certainly true as well.
BAIER: Let's take a listen to one of the exchanges about going back to school. There was an early exchange about that with Senator Alexander and Dr. Fauci. And then they came back around to it to clarify, to make sure that everybody understood. Take a listen.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The idea of having treatments available or a vaccine to facilitate the reentry of students into the fall term would be something that would be a bit of a bridge too far.
PAUL: But if we keep kids out of school for another year, what's going to happen is the poor and underprivileged kids who don't have a parent that is able to take them at home are not going to learn for a full year.
FAUCI: I think we better be careful, if we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Fauci, you didn't say you shouldn't go back to school.
FAUCI: I did not mean to imply at all any relationship between the availability of a vaccine and treatment and our ability to go back to school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: And Mollie, that's the important thing is to make sure that we understand the words that are actually being said and not misinterpret them, because there were some headlines or even social media posts that were saying Fauci says don't go back to school in the fall, and that's not what he meant.
MOLLIE HEMINGWAY, SENIOR EDITOR, "THE FEDERALIST": And there have been people who think until a vaccine is found or until treatment is found that we can't reopen the economy. That could never happen. There are plenty of things that affect humanity where we have not found vaccines. So obviously that's not a viable solution, even if it's been played around with by some people.
It's important to remember, though, Americans were told we needed a couple weeks to slow the spread and make sure that hospitals weren't overwhelmed. It has morphed into multiple months of destroying the economy. And Dr. Fauci is a great expert to listen to, and clearly people like listening to him. He's really focused on a very narrow issue, which is just deaths and illness related to coronavirus. He is a public health person but not someone who is even focused on all the other public health issues that come into play when you flatten hospitals and you keep people from getting the treatment that they need for things that are not related to coronavirus. And he is not an expert on the economy or all of the other deleterious effects that are related to shutdown, whether it's mental health, drug addiction, keeping kids out of school, which particularly hurts low income children, or any of the other issues.
So he is just one of many experts that people should be listening to, and it seems that the media think he is the only expert that needs to be listened to.
BAIER: What did you take from it?
TOM BEVAN, REAL CLEAR POLITICS CO-FOUNDER: Well, yes, Dr. Fauci is doing his job, and he does want to pump the brakes, and he did issue this morning. But I also found that it's interesting that we are this many weeks into this, and there was some exchange between the senators and the doctor about the fact that we have applied this one-size-fits-all approach. And that's not how this virus is presenting itself around the country.
Quite frankly, I thought there was not enough focus on trying to protect the people who are most vulnerable. And we talk about nursing homes and the number of deaths that are in nursing homes, and we should be pouring resources into protecting nursing homes and long-term care facilities. And there was some of that today, but not as much as I had hoped and expected.
BAIER: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meantime, rolling out this legislation, the Heroes Act, in which it's roughly $3 trillion, trillion with a "t," $1 trillion for state and local governments, $200 billion to ensure essential workers receive hazard pay, $75 billion for coronavirus testing. Direct payments, $1,200 per family, up to $6,000 per household. It goes on. There's a long list outside of the coronavirus list that includes the post office and other things. Some senators, including Lindsey Graham, Jeff, saying that because of that it's dead on arrival up on Capitol Hill. What about this effort by House Democrats?
MASON: This is their opening gambit. And then they are setting out in the next phase basically what they are looking for. And whether it's realistic or not, I think the quote from Senator Graham is probably a pretty good indication that it's not going to go very far in the Senate. But for the last few phases of economic aid, the two sides of been able to come up with compromises, and no doubt at some point that's what they'll be trying to do in phase four. But I think there does seem to be more reluctance now, certainly among some Republicans, and perhaps even here in the White House, to keep pushing that price tag up, and that may end up being a big issue in the campaign this fall as well.
BAIER: I said last week that this was the beginning of a ping-pong match with this legislation, and Speaker Pelosi had first serve.
Next up, should the public know who in the Obama administration unmasked Michael Flynn? We will talk about that, all of it, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: What did you know about those moves to investigate Michael Flynn? And was there anything improper done?
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know nothing about those moves to investigate Michael Flynn.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You say you didn't know anything about it, but you are reported to be in a January 5th, 2017, meeting where you and the president were briefed on the FBI's plan to question Michael Flynn over those conversations he had with the Russian ambassador, Kislyak.
BIDEN: I thought you asked me whether or not I had anything to do with him being prosecuted. I'm sorry. I was aware that there was -- they had asked for an investigation. But that's all I know about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: Well, the presumptive Democratic nominee being questioned about what he knew about the Michael Flynn investigation. Meantime, there are efforts afoot in Washington to unmask the unmaskers, and that is the people who requested that Michael Flynn's name be revealed in this surveillance that was going on with the Russian ambassador. The Director of National Intelligence, Ric Grenell, the acting director now, is likely the one that's going to make that decision.
We're back with the panel. Mollie, where are we in this fact case about what's happening?
HEMINGWAY: We have learned more in the last week than we probably have in the previous three years combined in terms of what this was from the Obama administration and top officials to undermine the Trump administration and hamper the peaceful transfer of power. We have learned a great deal, and I laid out a piece last week at "The Federalist," that showed how important leaks were to accomplishing so much of what was done. When we find out who unmasked, that might help us find out a little bit more about who was engaged in those criminal leaks where people would share information with the media, and the media wouldn't ask questions. They would just print it. That's how we learned about the dossier, about the phone calls with Flynn, about Jeff Sessions having meetings with the Russians. These were all spun as horrible and nefarious. It turned out they were all nothing, but they really did hamper the Trump administration and led even to the launch of a special counsel with undermined the administration for another few years.
This is a staggering, staggering collection of facts that we have learned in the last few weeks, and we need to have people focused a lot more in the media, in the Senate, and everyone who cares about finding out the truth about this needs to be all hands on deck at this point.
BAIER: Mollie, I know this answer, but what do you say to Democrats who say this is all a distraction, and that it takes away from the focus on the coronavirus and the handling of it?
HEMINGWAY: The American people went through three years of being told day in and day out that there was a seditious action by President Trump to collude with Russia. We had a real harm done in terms of domestic policy, foreign policy, harm to individuals. And it is just offensive, actually, to hear it now that it is a distraction when that was what was done to the American people day in and day out for many years.
BAIER: Tom, here is the president being asked about his use of Obamagate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What crime exactly are you accusing President Obama of committing? And do you believe the Justice Department should prosecute him?
TRUMP: Obamagate. It's been going on for a long time. It's been going on from before I even got elected, and it's a disgrace that it happened. And if you look at what's going on, and if you look now all of this information that's being released. And from what I understand, that's only the beginning. Some terrible things happened, and it should never be allowed to happen in our country again. And you will be seeing what's going on over the coming weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: He has referenced, obviously, before, Tom, other shoes dropping, and we know that the Durham case is pending. But what about this for the president and how he's focused on it?
BEVAN: Well, obviously, he's been focused on this for a long time, and he is now drawing on, as Mollie, all this information that is coming out. And thank goodness for Ric Grenell. I've said on your program, Bret, we've talked about this, we need radical transparency when it comes to everything that's gone on here, because it's clear now that the American people have been lied to for years, and we need to get to the bottom of it. It's the only way that we can restore public trust in these institutions.
And that is, as much as this might be uncomfortable for the intelligence community, as much as it might be uncomfortable for Democrats, even, that is so critical for every American. It's a nonpartisan issue because we don't want this kind of thing happening in our government moving forward against a Republican or a Democrat. So I think we will see more. It sounds like Ric Grenell is going to be -- this is just one piece of information among many. And so I'm sure President Trump is going to stay focused on moving forward.
BAIER: We should point out, Jeff, that Judge Emmet Sullivan, who is the judge in the Michael Flynn case, has postponed any immediate resolution, asking all sides to file briefs about the resolution in the case, even though DOJ is not saying that they are going to move forward with prosecution.
MASON: Which I think just means we're going to learn more, and the question is, from which sources? It does seem likely that it would be Ric Grenell who would release the list and not DOJ. The one thing I'm certain of, Bret, I think based on this conversation and this information, is that it is going to be an issue in the campaign, and you are seeing the president talking about it certainly on Twitter and elsewhere. That clip from Vice President Biden will no doubt be played again as well.
BAIER: Yes, and we are hearing more from the former president, as well, which is interesting.
Panel, thank you very much. When we come back, the brighter side of things, some good news. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BAIER: Finally tonight, a few good stories in all of this. First off, some great news overseas. The 102-year-old woman in Iceland who survived the Spanish Flu has now recovered from COVID-19. The U.N. saying that she was declared virus free just day before her 103rd birthday. So there's that.
For mental health awareness month, police officers in Australia participated in the push-up challenged with the help of their drug detection dog, Whiskey. Good dog.
And Carolyn Ellis, who lives in Ontario, Canada, was not going to let the pandemic stop her from giving her mom a hug on Mother's Day. She and her husband devised a safe way to do it by making a hug glove out of plastic sheets with sleeves. There you go. Innovation. Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That's it for the SPECIAL REPORT. Fair, balanced, and unafraid. Here's Martha. Hug glove, maybe.
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