'The Five' on Taliban takeover, rising terror threat

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'The Five' blasts Biden for rising terror threat amid Taliban takeover

Some concerned over Biden's ability to vet refugees; reaction on 'The Five'

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," August 17, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Dana Perino along with Kennedy, Geraldo Rivera, Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld. It's 5:00 in New York City. This is THE FIVE.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The Taliban have informed us that they are prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport and we intend to hold them to that commitment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: President Biden facing a new wave of criticism for how he plans to get over 10,000 Americans and countless Afghans out of the country. The White House now says that it is reliant on the Taliban to allow safe passage for people trying to flee.

That as we are learning the terror group has formed a ring outside of the Kabul airport and is controlling who gets in. New video shows Taliban fighters hauling somebody away and kicking him in the face. And a former contractor tells Fox the Taliban have checkpoints all around the city and are beating people who are trying to flee for the airport.

Despite that, the White House is refusing to commit to keeping troops on the ground until all Americans are evacuated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Can you offer any guarantee to the Americans and Afghan allies that if they remain there past the end of the month, U.S. troops will help them evacuate past the end of the month?

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Our focus right now is undoing the work at hand and the task at hand. And that is day by day getting as many American citizens, as many SIV applicants, as many members of vulnerable population who are eligible to be evacuated to the airport and out on planes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: And President Biden's past comments about leadership and America being back are coming back to haunt him after his blame shifting speech yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The one thing that I promise I'll do, I'll take responsibility.

I inherited the deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban.

America is back leading the world, not by the example of our power but by the power of our example.

American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.

I also wanted to put the world on notice, America is back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: And just before we get the reaction from everyone, let's take a look at some of the reaction from people in positions of power and what they said about this. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETART: This is a situation that deteriorated rapidly beyond any one's imagination. In many ways, I think of John Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): What is transpiring right now should have never happened and it was an ill on Americans for decades to come.

REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): All the scenes of total chaos that we saw play out on the T.V. yesterday could have been avoided if the administration had planned for this in advance.

SEN. MITHC MCCONNELL (R-KY): What we have seen is an unmitigated disaster. A stain on the reputation of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: All right, Jesse, you are back. Let's turn it over to you to get some thoughts. Do you have some?

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: I wanted to get out of Afghanistan, but not like that, Dana. Imagine having 20 years to plan for something and this is the result. Jesse, Jr. could have planned a better exit strategy. In fact, Greg, he peered over his crib on Sunday and said, dad, why wouldn't President Biden leave in some air support in order to buy time for the evac? I said, it's a great question. I don't know. We're sitting on Sunday watching these images of people clinging from airplanes. The Taliban parading around with our weaponry and ISIS jail breaking, Americans surrounded. Joe Biden says, you know, we planned for this.

Really? I'd like to see what winging it would look like, Joe. He said it's not my fault. Don't look at me. Really? He is the one that set the 9-11 pullout deadline with no conditions. Taliban heard that, they started advancing everywhere.

He was getting intel briefings in June. He was getting them in July. He was getting them in August that showed the Taliban advancement. What did Joe do? Nothing. He actually went out on television after getting those briefings and said this wasn't going to happen.

So Joe was slow, Joe lied, and then he remained on vacation. You can only hide incompetence for so long. Joe has done a good job of it. He hid when he was in the Senate. He hid as V.P. He hid during the campaign. COVID let him hide. But now it's the Joe show. It's only him in charge.

And right as that happens, it all blows up. He killed the Afghan exit, killed the border, killed vaccine confidence with the J&J pause. We should have seen it coming. The guy botched the Iraq exit. The guy stranded Americans in Benghazi.

This was the man that was supposed to be an experienced Washington hand. He knew how to pull the levers of power. Listen to his intelligence advisers. Make sure we have strong alliances. And in one weekend, that's just shattered. I don't trust him anymore. Who's going to trust this guy?

Oh, Joe's going to crack down on illegal gun trafficking in America. Just arm the Taliban. Oh, Joe, you're going to ask for billions for the Green New Deal. Really? How did the billions work out training the Afghan army? That's how it's going to go now and I'm sorry, this is going to haunt Joe Biden for the rest of his short presidency.

PERINO: I also -- rarely can be shocked, but I actually was by this question and answer, Geraldo. Let's get your take on this. Because he was just in Europe in June and remember America is back. Here's what Jake Sullivan said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SULLIVAN: He has not yet spoken with any other world leaders. Myself, Secretary Blinken, several other senior members of the team, have been engaged on a regular basis with foreign counterparts, and we intend to do so in the coming days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: Now, do you remember, Geraldo, how mad the foreign policy establishment was and Democrats were about how President Trump was mean to NATO because he asked them to pay their fair share. And this -- actually, Article V, this is the only time Afghanistan has ever been invoked, and our allies are there -- the Australian reporter, she was like, do you realize how mad people are, that people are trapped behind enemy lines and you're leaving them there? Get your thoughts.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It's like they are all stoned and hiding. I don't get the absolute utter incompetence. Like most Americans, I wanted out of Afghanistan, but this reckless, irresponsible, incompetent execution of the non-plan is absolutely appalling to me.

And it's such a rookie mistake and when you think about Afghanistan where I've spent a lot of time between 2001 and 2012, 11 assignments there. To think that you have Bagram Airbase, a wonderful impenetrable, formidable fortress of an airbase that can land any aircraft of any size, and instead of Bagram, which you give back to the enemy, you keep the Kabul airport, which is in a big depression. It's a bowl. It's a horrible place. Not defensible at all.

It just shows how absolutely incompetent they were and the United States embassy. The United States embassy, I was in the United States embassy when there was a mortar attack on the embassy. I was with Ryan Crocker. Nobody got hurt. The buildings are this thick.

Again, it is a place where you could have an orderly withdrawal. Instead, you have kids like these, these preppy, you know, self-important, just Ivy asses that just were unconnected to the reality. And just the -- I hasten to add the one thing we can never forget is the service and sacrifice of our G.I.'s in that awful place for 20 years.

Honor their service, remember everything they have sacrificed, they and their families, and don't let the incompetence and absolute bungling of this affect their legacy and the honor we pay them.

WATTERS: I agree, Geraldo. Let's just not bring preppy into this.

RIVERA: Okay. Sorry.

GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST: I think the, you know, I think the word you are looking for was mediocrities. When you look at the -- we -- we believe when we look at our leaders, we think it's different than our lives. That it somehow -- oh, it somehow changes. Everything changes in that stratosphere.

Wherever you go in life, wherever you work, you're going to have mediocrities, incompetence. This is proof. And this is the only thing you can defend Joe Biden on, and I'm not going to do it. But that it if -- 20 years, they had 20 years to plan this. So, it's just not entirely on him, right?

I mean, a few extra months of planning wouldn't do a lick of difference if you had 20 years. Having said that, that's still no defense for him, right. This guy is damaged goods. He -- I don't see --

RIVERA: You're talking about the preppy guy or the president?

GUTFELD: The president. I think --

PERINO: I don't think that you can blame the staff necessarily.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: I think that this was, I mean, they might be able to say that the staff wasn't good, but the president made the decision.

GUTFELD: Yes. That's what I'm saying. I'm talking about the 20 years of incompetence and corruption, that there is a whole bunch of people involved in there, but he is holding the bag here. And the reason why, and this is the biggest reason why. Who was the leader who said the number one threat to America was not the Taliban, not ISIS, not AL Qaeda, but white supremacy, Trump voters.

So, F him. He overestimated the white rube and underestimated the terrorists. He underestimated the Taliban. We forget, as Jesse points out, that he is wrong on everything. He didn't even want to go after Bin Laden. So this is a consequence of his manufacturing of fear to somehow get back at a segment of the population under the lie of being a unifier.

Again, par for the course, to your point, every choice that he has made is to undermine order. The southern border, no process. Law and order, defund and say you didn't -- ignoring crime. Afghanistan, ripped the band-aid off because that's the only way you can do it.

Every decision results in absolute disorder. How can they come back to this? The y should be -- there should be resignations. And by the way, this is why they're keeping Kamala out of this because they know he's done. He's toast.

PERINO: Can I add the energy police to that?

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: In terms (inaudible), I think that is leading to some of these problems as well. Last word to you Kennedy.

LISA KENNEDY MONTGOMERY, FOX NEWS HOST: Yes. Throw the door open in Western Europe for Russia, but shut down our energy policy here.

GUTFELD: Yes.

MONTGOMERY: The surprise from the administration, whether it's Antony Blinken or the president or, you know, any number of advisers, like, man, we just did not see this coming. This happened so quickly. And it's like -- if you've ever known someone who's dated a crazy person and they just kept dating them and dating them because they were so scared to break up with them, it's like that.

But the guy decided to break up with her at a baseball game during the World Series on the kiss cam.

GUTFELD: Yes.

MONTGOMERY: That was like, you know, the worst possible engineering of something that was --

RIVERA: That's a vivid, vivid analogy.

MONTGOMERY: It was already going to go bad in the first place. And to your point, like, let's give them some credit. Let's say for 10 years people thought this might work out.

GUTFELD: Right.

MONTGOMERY: But in your 10, then you have 10 years to figure out how to get out and you didn't listen to one person who had been there. One person who had studied this for their life's work, the academics and the military academies. You did not listen to anyone because they were all Cassandra and they all foretold what is happening right now, which could have dire consequences and sink this administration.

PERINO: I would also add, which is one of the comment on this, is that I believe that you'll see the intelligence community, as they are very good at doing, we've seen it for years, and they do it to all the presidents. Like, if their credibility has come into question here -- remember, they were the ones who were leaking to the media that they were telling them that this was a possibility. So you'll probably see more of that. And even Senator Menendez, New Jersey Democrat, said there's got to be accountability and hearings on that.

GUTFELD: Do you think this is worse than Watergate?

PERINO: Oh, everything.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: Literally everything. In fact, your new part of your hair is worse than Watergate.

GUTFELD: Is something wrong with my hair?

PERINO: No, I think its back. I think its back now.

GUTFELD: Oh, okay.

PERINO: When you part it on the other side, the thing -- the thing, yes.

GUTFELD: No, I put it back -- I parted it --

PERINO: Everything -- I feel much more --

GUTFELD: By the way, we're worried about the Taliban. There is an axe wielding maniac downtown in New York that just hack some dude up at an ATM. We have serious problems here. We have major problems here.

MONTGOMERY: Yes, introduce terrorism into that.

GUTFELD: Yes.

RIVERA: True.

PERINO: Much more to come including new fears of Al Qaeda 3.0 as experts warn of the potential for another 9/11.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RIVERA: Following President Biden's catastrophic withdrawal and the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan, America may be facing an elevated terror threat here at home from groups like Al-Qaeda. Remember Al-Qaeda? In just 25 days we will be commemorating the 20th anniversary of the horrible 9/11 attacks that took so many American lives.

And now, top Pentagon officials and others are warning that terrorist back in or rather, based in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan could launch new attacks here on the U.S. homeland. Now, given that nightmare scenario, Republican lawmakers now slamming President Biden and accusing him of putting American lives at risk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL WALTZ (R-FL): The biggest thing, Sean, it's a disaster for our counterterrorism. America is less safe. Al-Qaeda 3.0 will come roaring back. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are absolutely married at the hip. But this time when we go back in, the Taliban are going to be better armed with taxpayer funded equipment. We have no basis in the region and we have no local allies because they've all been hunted down. I want to see resignations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERA: I want to see resignations also, Greg, but I have a slightly different take on it. Remember what happened the last time the Taliban hosted Al-Qaeda? Al-Qaeda hit us. So, we came back. We wiped out the Taliban and we took their country.

GUTFELD: Right.

RIVERA: In other words, their support of Al-Qaeda cost them their country for 20 years. Why would they be so eager now that they have their country back to sponsor Al-Qaeda?

PERINO: But they already are. Sorry.

GUTFELD: Well, I mean, it's also -- there might be --

RIVERA: You're next.

GUTFELD: -- there is a silver lining. Once ISIS sees land, they had to keep it. And once you start keeping land, you become a target. You can't be underground forever. So, if the Taliban starts doing some really, really heinous crap, we can -- they're going to have to be public about it. And if Al-Qaeda comes out, we have to create a way -- I call it, you know, the pest-control analogy, terror control. But I am happy that Admiral -- what, Milley? Is that his name? He moved up the terror threat. It is now more dangerous than a white Republican, but still not as lethal as a Trump voter.

You got to remember, the war on terror was supposed to shift to white supremacy. So this has got to chafe on Lemon's butt, because they're not -- CNN's not going to be able to pull this anymore because now you got to deal with the Taliban. I'm just hoping that if the Taliban creates a government, it is easier to annihilate them if we choose because they are now not hiding in tunnels.

RIVERA: As long as they don't bring white supremacist.

GUTFELD: Yes. Exactly. They could be white supremacists.

RIVERA: But, Dana, you disagree with the analysis that why support Al- Qaeda when Al-Qaeda is so hot.

PERINO: I think -- well, I don't disagree that that would make logical sense. The problem is Al-Qaeda has already pledged to be there. And the Taliban has been working with them and the U.N. report just recently said that.

So, I think that's the facts of the ground already or that it's not just Al-Qaeda, but every other sort of radical Islamic terrorism group now. Even if they don't come to Afghanistan, that might be where the Taliban get smart, right? Maybe they say, well, don't come here. We'll help you there.

GUTFELD: They don't get along, do they? There are like 20 of them, right? Twenty different groups.

PERINO: There are factions I know (ph).

MONTGOMERY: (Inaudible).

PERINO: I think, though, that --.

RIVERA: They're in a (inaudible)?

GUTFELD: Yes. They're in the (inaudible).

PERINO: I think the most important thing of the last 20 years has been -- we didn't start the war. Remember, the war came to us and then we decided to go on the offense, and that has to remain. So, this helps remind everybody that you can't get in to September 10th thinking and complacency then that won't be a bad thing.

Remember the 3:00 a.m. phone call ad on 2016? We didn't talk too much about that in 2020, but we probably should have.

RIVERA: So what do you think about Al-Qaeda?

WATTERS: Well --

RIVERA: And the legitimacy of this group that was basically defunct coming back to life because of the Taliban.

WATTERS: Well, I think the immediate threat now are the Americans that are still in Afghanistan. And if one of those Americans or one of our allies dies at the hands of the Taliban Joe thinks things bad or bad now after that happens, it's going to be like an Iran hostage situation.

Also, these refugees, some of them deserve to have amnesty and to come here. Do I trust Joe Biden to vet them? Of course I don't. It does not look like good vetting is going on at the Kabul airport right now, Geraldo.

RIVERA: But don't you --

WATTERS: And to think that the guy who let the Boston bombers come in here after Russia said hey, watch out for these guys --

RIVERA: They came in as children.

WATTERS: They were alerted by Moscow to this administration and we didn't do anything because there was this misspelling. They also let the San Bernardino shooter in here after his social media was plastered --

RIVERA: He was born here, but his wife came from Russia.

WATTERS: -- plastered with jihadist propaganda, Geraldo. I don't trust Joe to vet. He's incompetent. So that's a threat to the homeland, too. Great question today at the briefing to Jake Sullivan, woman don't know her name, had a mask on. She said, what about the NATO allies? What about Taiwan? What about South Korea? Are we going to defend them after what we just witnessed and a propaganda gift to Russia, China, North Korea.

They're just going to tell those targets, do you think the Americans are competent enough to save your butt. It's going to hurt.

RIVERA: There's a big difference between Taiwan and South Korea and Afghanistan. Afghanistan's in the middle of nowhere. Do you -- what was your first feeling when you saw the crowds at the airport yesterday and Sunday?

MONTGOMERY: Just that it was it was a horrible visual that is going to stick to this presidency. That is one of those things that -- and you know, you can always tell when something is repeated by people you agree with and disagree with on social media, when it has like that kind of reverberation because so many people they think in pictures, you know, and that's what they latch on to.

And I think, you know, in terms of terror, I hope to god that there's not a terror attack here.

PERINO: Right.

MONTGOMERY: But I think we've grown so complacent and we have given over so many of our civil liberties during the pandemic that, you know, we could have a massive compromise if there's a terror attack here. And to your point, I don't trust anyone in the federal government to do any kind of vetting because they have shown their failure over and over and over again.

Though, the one Greg was talking about, silver linings, I think cops will come out better from this because they have been so demonized during the pandemic --

GUTFELD: Yes.

MONTGOMERY: -- that now when you see NYPD officers with the counter- terrorism badge on their uniforms --

RIVERA: That's a good point.

MONTGOMERY: -- people go, okay, good. Someone's here whose actually going to pay attention to stuff and they're going to keep me safe so.

GUTFELD: There you go.

RIVERA: Just one last note about this. My translator for many years in Afghanistan is hiding out in Kabul hoping to get one of those rides through the Taliban roadblocks to the airport. Many international groups are working to get that to make that happen, but it's something that is extremely concerning to many of us. Straight ahead, where is Kamala, the vice president who boasted of her role in removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan now silent?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUTFELD: Kamala Harris mostly silent after bragging about her role in helping shape Joe Biden's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: He just made a really big decision, Afghanistan.

KAMAL HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Yes.

BASH: Were you the last person in the room?

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: And you feel comfortable?

HARRIS: I do. He is someone who I have seen over and over again make decisions based on what he truly believes based on his years of doing this work and studying these issues, what he truly believes is the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD: That did not age well. And it's only a couple of days old. Kamala did manage to tweet, "For two decades, our courageous servicemembers put their lives on the line in Afghanistan. We will always be grateful and proud. Ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan is the right decision." Kennedy, is that kind of a straw -- the straw man argument?

No one -- you know, it's a convincing argument to leave Afghanistan. That's how -- no one's upset about that. It's how it was done, how botched it was.

MONTGOMERY: Yes. That's like everyone agrees that we should free Britney.

GUTFELD: Yes.

MONTGOMERY: No one thinks that we should push her data off a bridge.

GUTFELD: Exactly.

MONTGOMERY: There is a very big difference. She is wrong on everything. And, you know, she is so narcissistic. And why didn't she take the call from Joe and go down and, to Dana's point, and start calling foreign leaders? You know, she is the vice president of the United States and she is certainly not taking a leadership role here, which is also no surprise.

GUTFELD: Yes. All right, Dana, what's really going on? What's going on behind the scenes?

PERINO: I don't know. I feel like something is going on.

GUTFELD: Something is up. I don't know what it is, but something -- I smell some kind of thing and it's not gas.

PERINO: Yes. I'm glad you clarified it. Do you remember at the beginning of the administration, the -- I was going to call him the Prime Minister, Ron Klain the chief of staff, he -- they had Kamala Harris do all these world leader calls. Do you guys remember this?

WATTERS: Yes, that was weird.

PERINO: And she -- so, she was making relationships. She was building up a partnership with all these people. And then you -- at the briefing today, you find out that President Biden hasn't called anyone. We just found out in the commercial break that the White House has just alerted the world that after that briefing, where they said the President had not spoken to any other world leader for the last several days, he has now spoken to Boris Johnson of the U.K., so I'll take that for what it's worth.

Also, I have to imagine that the women's groups and the human rights groups have to be thinking that they could have expected more from the first woman vice president --

GUTFELD: Historical.

PERINO: -- to at least maybe say something.

GUTFELD: A woman of color no less. A woman of color first female VP, mom on the situation for Afghan women, Geraldo. How's your hero now?

RIVERA: Which one are you referring to? You know, I always go to Erica when I want to speak about a woman in the leadership role, because it's very easy to say, oh, they come off as nasty or they're overbearing.

GUTFELD: Erica Kane?

RIVERA: You know, I think they -- my wife, Erica.

MONTGOMERY: Yes, that's right, or my children, race reference.

RIVERA: She was named after Erica Kane, and I kissed Erica Kane.

GUTFELD: You mean, Susan Lucci?

WATTERS: Did she kissed you back.

MONTGOMERY: He gave her first Emmy.

PERINO: Sorry, Susan.

RIVERA: But I really think she's in a very tough spot. And I don't know how competent she is in this role. She was -- she was pretty good as a senator and a D.A. and an attorney general, but I'm not sure how good she is and it's a very difficult role. And Joe Biden was a great vice president. Kamala Harris so far has been pretty mediocre vice president.

GUTFELD: You're being quite diplomatic. Jessie, could it be she's out of the picture to preserve her brand. Like she's like, don't get -- she doesn't want her fingerprints on this now. She's hide -- she's in hiding.

WATTERS: Maybe. Yes, unlike Geraldo, I don't consult my wife before I talk about women's issues on television.

GUTFELD: Maybe you should.

WATTERS: Maybe I should. Maybe I should. But now, Kamala has become the laughingstock that Joe was when he was vice president. And so, she has three options because this is a loyalty test right now. Number one option, she could come out and she could be a good VP and say, you know what, it was Trump's fault. It was the Afghan army's fault. And she could really show Joe that she has his back.

Number two, you leak. And you leak that, you know what, I had some questions about this execution and no one listened to me. Maybe it was a sexism thing. And you get that out there, kind of risky, or she just goes silent. She goes silent for about a month, and then she does a softball, and she gets the cameras to film her hugging Afghan women as they arrive at the tarmac here in the United States.

That's her only option. She embraces that I saved your life, woman because I am a strong woman. And that's her play.

GUTFELD: Yes.

RIVERA: Now, once she does that, she'll have to credit you.

WATTERS: Yes, because she's watching. I know.

PERINO: That's why he put it out there.

GUTFELD: And let's she wears a mask.

WATTERS: Yes.

GUTFELD: All right, up next, vaccine mandates are officially here. You'll now need to show proof to do just about anything.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATTERS: Some breaking news to tell you about. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announcing he's tested positive for COVID after being fully vaxxed. The governor says he's got no symptoms. And that happening as COVID mandates are officially here.

New York City leading the way and other places aren't far behind in ordering many indoor businesses to check for proof of vaccinations before allowing people inside. Check out this list of things you can't do if you don't show proof that you got the shot.

Now, keep in mind, only 33 percent of Black New Yorkers are vaccinated. Well, I mean, no one can read that in the audience, not because they're old, but because the script is very small. But Greg, you've seen this list. It's basically every time you go indoors, if you don't have the shot, they'll turn you right around.

GUTFELD: Yes. Two points here. Can you imagine the spectacle of a Black family going to a restaurant full of white people? They're told they have to sit outside. So, you've got -- you've got quite a quite a visual for the winter, right? White people in, Black people out, that's not going to go well, which leads to the next question, what's missing? The COVID cops?

Is there a force that's going to be going around enforcing this stuff?

RIVERA: There is.

GUTFELD: Really?

RIVERA: There is.

GUTFELD: Because --

RIVERA: 600 agents have been hired by De Blasio.

MONTGOMERY: They have big fines too.

GUTFELD: Because remember, things like selling loosie cigarettes ended up in tragedy. Regulatory laws forcing police to become like little schoolmarm nurse ratchets ends up in tragedy. I think -- I think it's -- I think they should have -- they should all be De Blasio staff should be going around policing this.

WATTERS: So, Geraldo, you're saying 600 COVID cops in a city of 8.5 million are going to enforce this?

RIVERA: Right.

WATTERS: This sounds about as well-thought-through as the Afghan exit strategy.

RIVERA: But remember, they're not checking the customers, they're checking the restaurants.

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: The restaurants -- the restaurants have to comply, or if they don't comply, in other words, they don't check the customers, the first time is a $1,000 fine. The second offense is $2000.

WATTERS: But how do they prove that they've checked.

RIVERA: They watch. They watch the restaurant. The guy comes in, they check them, they don't check them.

WATTERS: So, it's on site.

RIVERA: Yes.

WATTERS: It's -- OK.

RIVERA: It doesn't --

PERINO: But do you remember how many people ended up having terrible situations at their places of business because they were asking people to wear masks because that was mandated? And to your point, there's not six -- there's not -- 600 is not enough.

RIVERA: It's a start.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: I'm vaccinated. I'm fine with it.

RIVERA: I get your ideology here but 900,000 new cases last week.

GUTFELD: We can't --

RIVERA: 900,000 new cases, that just the most since last January.

WATTERS: Here in New York City?

GUTFELD: The statistics doesn't tell you what they are.

RIVERA: Nationwide, most since January.

WATTERS: Nationwide, not in New York City.

GUTFELD: It doesn't tell you the age of the people, is it asymptomatic? Just saying there's new cases, it doesn't mean anything.

RIVERA: But then -- see, the thing with you and race and about the shots, Black people being excluded from restaurants and so forth, the --

PERINO: It's a good point.

RIVERA: We should urge the, you know, the icons of the community to urge their constituents to save their lives, to get well, to get the vaccination, rather than pointing out how horrible it would be to turn someone around, you know --

GUTFELD: Well, and it's going to happen.

WATTERS: Kennedy.

MONTGOMERY: One of my neighbors who happens to be a doctor in the Bronx, that is his biggest frustration because he is begging members of communities of color to get the vaccine. And there's so much skepticism, you know, regardless of these reeducation programs that New York City and every other big city and every other state has been imposing on people. And he's so frustrated.

He's like, where's LeBron James?

RIVERA: Right, right.

MONTGOMERY: Like, why doesn't LeBron James --

RIVERA: Jay Z.

MONTGOMERY: Because he would do so much more to convince --

GUTFELD: He's too busy defending China who brought this here.

MONTGOMERY: Yes, absolutely.

GUTFELD: I mean, think about that.

PERINO: Good point. Yes.

MONTGOMERY: No, but in a lot of restaurants are saying like, no, we really like this because they're desperate for business.

GUTFELD: Yes.

MONTGOMERY: Because their businesses have been just, you know, shellacked by 75 percent. And they're trying whatever they can to get people back in the door. And you know that there are going to be guys at the door going, yes, that's the vaccine, whatever. You know just making it seem like you're looking at phone.

GUTFELD: And how convenient it is for the government to turn the private companies into the authoritarians so they don't have to deal with this climate.

RIVERA: That's a good point.

GUTFELD: They could just let the companies do it. Hey, it's private. You guys make your mind up. But it's not really making their mind up because you've got lawyers breathing down your neck.

WATTERS: Lawyers, God, I hate those lawyers. Up next --

RIVERA: Sorry.

WATTERS: Sorry, not you, Geraldo. Well, up next, liberals have a new solution to how to control violence, paying criminals to not commit crimes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MONTGOMERY: New York City now paying people not to commit crimes -- what a country -- by offering a stipend of $1000 bucks a month to violent teens who stay out of trouble. Teens will also get mentoring from older ex-cons as part of the sweet deal. The program has been tested out in other cities, but with mixed results.

So, Dana, can something like this actually work? I know they've tried it in a few cities in California but it really hasn't caught on.

PERINO: I can imagine why. I mean, when I hear violent teen, I'm thinking OK, well then that's no. I don't want my taxpayer dollars to go to violent teen. I understand the desire to help put people on a better path. I also like the idea of the mentoring. I don't think that's bad. But I think just giving people more money and more reasons not to actually find the discipline and freedom that comes from working and the dignity that comes from working is a bad idea.

MONTGOMERY: Well, Jesse, you have three kids so far. I was thinking about this --

WATTERS: So far.

RIVERA: What time is it?

MONTGOMERY: I was thinking about this and you know my oldest daughter -- of course, I want her to get a summer job, but now I'm looking at this. And I think she should go right up and just say I'm not a violent teen yet, but $1000 bucks a month, that would really keep me from being a violent teenager.

WATTERS: Here's a Ruger. Have a fun summer. So, I'm a taxpayer here in New York City. Some 17-year-old shoots me in the foot. I go to the hospital. I have to give this guy a shooting bonus, $1,000 to shoot Jesse. Not a bad idea.

RIVERA: It's actually $1,000 not to shoot Jesse.

WATTERS: No, it's $1000 --

MONTGOMERY: You have to shoot first.

WATTERS: If you shoot someone like Jesse, you get $1,000 a month.

PERINO: Yes.

WATTERS: I think this is incentivizing violence.

PERINO: I think it's a good point.

MONTGOMERY: They've tried it out in other cities and like, for a year, homicides and gun violence goes down, but then it sort of creeps back up. That's why you know, it doesn't have the sort of long term traction. But if you look at the stories in New York City, and Chicago, and you know, young men are killing each other, they're just shooting each other in cold blood, so you have to do something, Geraldo. But is this really it?

RIVERA: We had 16 shot here in two hours in New York City. In Chicago over the weekend, they were eight killed, and 53, 54 wounded, so you have to do something. I had a different idea a couple of years ago to pay fathers to stay with their families, because I believe -- yes, the long experience, that that's the key indicator of what the kid is going to do or what's going to happen to kids whether or not there's a dad in the home.

But I'm willing to try anything with this kind of carnage. And I say, again, this is the civil rights issue of our time. It's the young Black men killing each other. If we don't stop that, we're going to lose a whole generation. It's happening. Nobody wants to talk about it. And it gets submerged by all the other obviously, huge stories.

But this is the civil rights issue of our time. This is the story of the moment. And I'm all for any innovative idea that makes sense. If you're going to give a kid, he doesn't do anything bad for month, you give him $1000 --

MONTGOMERY: Well, what about -- what about giving a kid you know money when they do well in school or when they come up with --

RIVERA: Again, good.

MONTGOMERY: -- with an awesome science project.

RIVERA: Good, good, I'm all for it.

MONTGOMERY: I mean, I'd rather do that. I'd rather incentivize like --

PERINO: But they're giving -- but they're getting rid of standards, so you don't even have to prove that you did well in school.

MONTGOMERY: Oh my God, that's so true.

WATTERS: That really irks you, doesn't it, Dana?

MONTGOMERY: It's awful. And they're getting rid of standards going back in the fall. So, they won't be able to test kids to see their learning deficits from the pandemic because it is an utter abject failure. But to Geraldo's point, you demonize legal gun owners, right? And you also, you demonize white supremacists and Trump voters and you never really get it. Kamala Harris's favorite thing, the root causes.

GUTFELD: Yes. The reason why Geraldo is saying we -- I'm willing to try anything is because we threw out the thing that worked, which is prison. The new incentive is $1,000 because the old incentive is no longer there. It's like, well, we'll pay them not to commit crime because we're not imprisoning them for committing crimes. That's the scary part.

So, now, we are forced to pay people to not to do things we expected human beings to do for free which is be a decent human being. Number two, we've also legalized extortion. De Blasio just instituted what we went after the mafia four, which is a protection racket. We are paying since criminals not to hurt us. That is OK.

RIVERA: I'm OK -- I'm OK with it.

GUTFELD: Yes, because you're rich and you don't live in New York. I mean, I have a question.

RIVERA: I live in Cleveland, three people in one night.

GUTFELD: Yes, it's probably your fault, Geraldo.

RIVERA: I want to pay -- I want to pay those people not to do that.

GUTFELD: You probably mowed them down in your Rolls Royce or what have you been driving lately? No, it is -- it is really scary that this is what we've come to. I made your daughter's should apply for this, because if they don't give it to her, it's racist, number one.

PERINO: Exactly.

GUTFELD: Is it just only Black kids that are going to get this? What about your maniacal daughter?

MONTGOMERY: Is it only kids who have committed crimes? What about kids who might commit crimes?

RIVERA: I hope you're --

GUTFELD: Yes. What if you're thinking -- what if your daughter is thinking about committing a crime?

MONTGOMERY: Yes.

GUTFELD: Give me a grand and I won't do it.

RIVERA: No, $500 if you're only thinking them.

MONTGOMERY: It probably blows through that new breeds in a weekend. "ONE MORE THING" is up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PERINO: It's time for "ONE MORE THING." Jesse.

WATTERS: So, we're going to do a Juan Williams imitation here. I'm going to show you family photos of myself with the fam in Maine on vacation. There's everybody Sophie, Ellie, Solon, mom and dad. Eliza, Emma, there we are. Jesse Jr., I have him in a BabyBjorn. How cool do I look with a BabyBjorn?

That's his first boat ride. My mom made us put a lifejacket on him. I don't think it fit. I think I might have cut off air to his head. But we survived the boat ride. And there he is. I almost dropped him off the ledge there.

MONTGOMERY: Oh, God.

WATTERS: But how beautiful do look? It's so cool.

PERINO: Did you grew a beard?

WATTERS: I did grow a beard. Sophie and Ellie at the rocks, Pemaquid. And there it is. I did grow a beard.

PERINO: How was the lobster?

WATTERS: Lobster was delicious.

PERINO: My times did you eat lobster?

WATTERS: I only had it once.

PERINO: I'm surprised.

WATTERS: Very prudent.

PERINO: Very prudent. All right --

RIVERA: You mean fiscally or --

WATTERS: I don't know what I mean, Geraldo.

PERINO: We didn't have a special "ONE MORE THING" yesterday, so I brought mine back from yesterday. So, Saturday night, I didn't anticipate having so much fun. But I ended up having a great time at this concert. And the band was called -- is called Kirk and the Jerk. So, it's Brian Kirk and I got to have a little picture with him. They play at the Jersey Shore area, but I mean that they go other places as well. They're absolutely amazing. They can play any song. You name it, they can play it.

WATTERS: That's nice.

PERINO: Also, happy anniversary to Peter. We met 24 years ago today on an airplane.

WATTERS: Congrats.

PERINO: It can happen. You never know who --

MONTGOMERY: And he liked your ponytail.

PERINO: He did like my ponytail.

WATTERS: Good thing you didn't have a mask on. He wouldn't have seen what you look like.

PERINO: I mean, but he liked my ponytail. I don't know. But it's a great point. Greg, you're next.

GUTFELD: All right, tonight, I have Rob O'Neill on the show. I wonder what we're going to talk about. He killed Bin Laden. And I got Charlie Hurt. I got Guy Benson, Kat. Let's do this.

PERINO: Oh, wow. Great show.

GUTFELD: Yes, 11:00 p.m. Greg's Computer News. You know, I was driving around today around the city. You wouldn't believe who I saw just driving alone next to me. It was Robert De Niro. Do we have it here? He's right there. Maybe we don't. There he is. He's very -- he's very unhappy. He's got a lot of alimony scowling driving around. He was driving he a tempo. Remember the tempo?

PERINO: I've never seen an arm out like that -- or a leg out like that.

GUTFELD: He was making a signal. He was doing -- yes.

PERINO: Yes, he's like left.

GUTFELD: Look at that. Look at that.

MONTGOMERY: I feel like he needs a cigarette.

GUTFELD: Yes, he does. And that is my "ONE MORE THING."

PERINO: I need a cigarette. Hey, America.

GUTFELD: Oh my goodness.

RIVERA: Did you ever smoke?

PERINO: No.

WATTERS: Not one?

GUTFELD: She's lying.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: I've never smoked pot and I'm proud of it.

WATTERS: Never?

GUTFELD: Only goes the edibles.

PERINO: I never had an edible.

RIVERA: Greg has an edible right now.

GUTFELD: Yes, in my pocket.

PERINO: I'm afraid to try it. OK, Geraldo.

GUTFELD: They're fantastic.

PERINO: Oh, my God.

RIVERA: Here is Geraldo's Geraldo news with Geraldo. But this is the Sol Rivera edition. My wonderful, engaged, loving, compassionate daughter spoke at a group called Friendship Circle which is where the typical kids get paired up with the developmentally disabled kids, the handicapped kids, and they befriend them and they spend time with them. And Sol is such a loving person. Here she's addressing the crowd and saying, you know, I'm following in my dad's footsteps, which make me there's a Yiddish word Kvell.

Speaking of which, there's my mother on Nancy, her husband, Jerry, and Erica on the left there, of course, and (INAUDIBLE). And there's the rabbi. There's Jewish thing that Phil only call -- anyway, it's a -- he's a -- he's a nice guy. But we raise -- we raised money for the Friendship Circle to, you know, some to make a donation to autism and so forth.

PERINO: Awesome. That's awesome. She's great.

WATTERS: Great.

PERINO: Kennedy.

MONTGOMERY: This one is for the moms because you guys have been boozing it up since the beginning of the pandemic. Day drinking is up for moms of young children by 323 percent. I think we can do better than that. I think we can get it up to 400 by the end of this year. Yesterday was National Rum Day and I want to give you a cocktail recipe, the Pineapple Sour. Two ounces of pineapple rum, an ounce of lime juice, and three and a half -- three quarters of an ounce, rather, of simple syrup. It's not too hard. Keep it simple, ladies.

PERINO: What makes it so simple? That's what I wanted to know.

MONTGOMERY: It's just sugar and water.

PERINO: Oh, OK.

GUTFELD: There you go.

RIVERA: It's pretty simple.

PERINO: I mean, that's pretty simple. There's nothing simple about the next show though. That's it for us. "SPECIAL REPORT" is up next. Hey, Bret.
 

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