This is a rush transcript of ‘Fox News Sunday’ on September 25, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: I'm Shannon Bream.
Republicans make their case for the midterms, just weeks before votes that could shift the balance of power in Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I challenge the president to join with us. Let's go across the country and let's debate what his policies has done to America.
BREAM (voice-over): The GOP's agenda and effort to win over the critical independent voters as the clock ticks down to Election Day.
Today, we'll look at the party's plans to fight inflation and keep Americans safe and hold the government accountable.
REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): Parents are the primary stakeholders in their kids' education, which is why we will pass a parents' bill of rights.
BREAM: While the president delivers his rebuttal in front of the largest teachers union in America.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a heck of a lot at stake that's on the ballot.
BREAM: We will ask Elise Stefanik, the number three Republican in the House about her party's blueprint for victory in November, one critics are calling extreme.
Then, protests break out across Russia after Vladimir Putin orders 300,000 Russian reservists to Ukraine. We'll ask retired Four-Star General Jack Keane what he makes of Putin's nuclear threats and the U.S. response.
Plus, Joe Manchin's vote was crucial to getting the Democrats' tax, climate and health bill passed last month. But now, the deal he made for that vote to speed up permits for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects is dividing Congress. And that means the government could run out of money this week.
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): If there are people willing to vote to shutdown this government because of political reasons they don't like permitting, they have to answer that.
BREAM: We'll ask the senator about the growing opposition to his plan from the right and the left, only on "FOX News Sunday".
Plus --
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: There is no better example of the left's chilling obsession with targeting political opponents.
BREAM: Former President Donald Trump facing more legal peril from New York to Georgia to Florida. We'll ask our Sunday panel what it means for possible 2024 bid.
All, right now, on "FOX News Sunday".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BREAM (on camera): And hello again from FOX News in Washington.
A little more than a month until the midterms, Republicans laying out their agenda should they retake control of the House come November. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy released the four-point plan Friday in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. The focus: on a nation that's safe, free and prosperous, and a government that's accountable.
But Democrats were quick to react, calling the plan thin on details.
In the moment, we'll discuss the blueprint with House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik.
But, first, let's turn to Lucas Tomlinson traveling with the president in Wilmington for reaction from there.
Hey, Lucas.
LUCAS TOMLINSON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Shannon. The Dow has dropped to its lowest point in nearly two years as inflation remains at 40-year highs. Many Americans are feeling the squeeze.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCCARTHY: They have no plan to fix all the problems they created.
TOMLINSON (voice-over): House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy rolling out the GOP's commitment to America accusing Democrats of ignoring rising crime, rising prices and parents' rights when it comes to their children's education.
President Biden speaking to the nation's largest labor union, public schoolteachers.
BIDEN: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy went to Pennsylvania and unveiled on what he calls a commitment to America. That's a -- that's a thin series of policy goals with little or no details.
TOMLINSON: Biden's address to the teachers offered little to address falling test scores in education. The president using the occasion to make political attacks.
Republican Congresswoman Jim banks fired back in a statement: The National Education Association is basically a partisan lobbying arm for the DNC that irreparably harms students during the COVID pandemic and continues to push anti-American ideologies in classrooms.
Some question the president bringing up abortion in front of educators.
BIDEN: If Republicans win control of the Congress, abortion will be banned.
TOMLINSON: the White House refused to clarify if there are any limits.
(CROSSTALK)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I am answering -- I am answering, Peter. What Republicans are trying to do is take us backward. They're trying to take away the rights and freedoms of Americans. That's what we're calling out.
TOMLINSON: Late Friday, an Arizona judge ruled the state can enforce a total abortion ban. The White House calling the decision catastrophic, dangerous and unacceptable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TOMLINSON (on camera): The White House has postponed President Biden's trip to Florida this week, he was supposed to address a DNC campaign rally in Orlando. That has now been scrubbed because of the approaching tropical storm Ian. This is as Congress is trying to pass a short term spending plan by Friday to avert a government shutdown, one month ahead of the midterms - - Shannon.
BREAM: Lucas Tomlinson, live in Wilmington, Delaware -- Lucas, thank you.
Joining us now from New York is the number three Republican in the House, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
Welcome back to "FOX News Sunday."
REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): Good to be with you, Shannon.
BREAM: So, let's start with this description by "New York Magazine." It says: The document has lots of bells and whistles and factoids about the hellish reign of Joe Biden and his Democrat Party. What it doesn't have is a whole lot of specificity.
You heard that from the president, from other Democrats, too, who say, there are a lot of slogans. Yes, everybody wants a safe country. They want good education. They want crime to go down.
But it's the details of how you do that that matter. So, why not more details in this plan?
STEFANIK: Shannon, there are ample details.
So, number one, an economy that's strong. The first focus on economic issues is we need to rein in inflation. We start by doing that by reining in the reckless trillions of dollars of spending that we have seen under Joe Biden and unify Democrats far left government.
Number two, lower the price of energy, I hear that from my constituents in Upstate New York, whether it's home heating bills or the price of gas. We have multiple bills that have already been introduced that Democrats refuse to bring up when it comes to lowering those energy costs.
When it comes to supporting our law enforcement and having a nation that's safe, we have legislation that'll immediately provide funding through recruitment and retention bonuses to hire additional 200,000 police officers across this country.
When it comes to freedom -- a future that's built upon freedom -- I highlighted the Parents Bill of Rights. This is a bill that Republicans already introduced and we are going to have ready to pass in the first 100 days in the next Congress.
Day one, we intend to repeal the 87,000 IRS agents, the army of IRS agents that Joe Biden and Democrats have put into place to go after hardworking Americans, moms and pops, small business, and middle class Americans.
So, Democrats have no plans, they are attacking us because they are created crises across the country. We have the commitment to tackle the crisis that Democrats have created to make sure that we have a strong economy, a safe country, a future that's built upon freedom and a government that's accountable.
BREAM: So, one of the accusations about why there aren't more details, specific pieces of legislation are you're trying to hold the conference together. Steny Hoyer, the House majority leader, Democrat, says that this was about distracting from your narrative and your own deep divisions.
"The Washington Post" also talks about this in the context to the Freedom Caucus, the more conservative members of the GOP, saying: They're expected to make starker demands of leadership in exchange for their votes.
I talked to some members of the Freedom Caucus who do feel like they are being taken for granted a bit in this process. What would you say to them and about accusations you guys are divided?
STEFANIK: I would say the media is trying to divide us. The Democrats are trying to divide us.
We are united, the House Republicans, whether it's the Freedom Caucus, whether it's the Republican Governance Group or the Republican Study Committee. All members of Congress were able to provide input in this development of the Commitment to America.
But, most importantly, Shannon, the American people, our constituents provided input in this process. Those are where our best ideas come.
And the reality is, Democrats have no plans when it comes to inflation. They have no plan when it comes to the crime crisis or the border crisis. These crises have been created by Democrats, unifying control of government in Washington.
Republicans have a plan. We have legislation on each and every one of these issues, and we can't wait to get it done starting on day one as we earn back the House majority.
BREAM: OK. So, that's a big promise to potential voters out there to cast their ballots for you.
There are those out there who will remember that the GOP promised to do things like repeal Obamacare. They got the Senate and the House back, they didn't do it.
Steny Hoyer, again, one of the top Democrats on the other side, said: When Republicans did last control Congress. It was a, quote, do-nothing Congress. They were more about obstruction and not actually delivering.
So, how do you convince voters this time is different?
STEFANIK: Well, first of all, Steny Hoyer is dead wrong. Look at the success. Look at the economic growth that we saw under Republican leadership, working with the House, the Senate, and the White House.
We have the most secure border in our nation's history. That's compared to the most unsecured border under Joe Biden. It's been a crisis with over 3 million illegals who have crossed the border. And those are the ones that we count. That doesn't include the significant number of gotaways.
So, this is a crisis that Democrats have created themselves. The American people are smart. They know that while Joe Biden started his inauguration day trying to unify the country, they have done nothing but dividing -- divided the country.
So, Republicans are going to achieve this, I think not only we are going to earn back the House, but we are going to earn back the Senate as well. And we will send every bit of legislation that we promised to the president's desk and it's up to Joe Biden whether he works with us or whether he will play politics and veto these important bills to rein in inflation, to support law enforcement to make sure we have a safe country, and to secure the border which is in free fall under Biden's amnesty policies.
BREAM: So, let's talk about the border, because a recent Reuters-Ipsos poll said that these -- what many Americans view as political stunts, busing and flying people into blue cities, or sanctuary places where they can then -- there are questions about what they have been told about going there.
Democrats say you don't have a better plan, and they don't think that this is a good look.
In that poll, a majority of Americans said that they don't think it's okay to be transporting people this way. These are real people with real lives.
Here's Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat, on these transports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): They should start behaving like governors and stop behaving like human traffickers. They are putting politics over people in the most egregious way possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: So, how do you respond to those who say the optics of this aren't good for Republicans, that these are real people?
STEFANIK: Well, first of all, Hakeem Jeffries should start acting like a leader rather than -- rather than a partisan hack. We have this border crisis because of the amnesty policies and the wide open border that's happened under Democrat government, under Joe Biden. This is the most insecure border in our nation's history.
Go to South Texas, we have a president of the United States and a vice president who refused to go to the southern border. The vast majority of House Republicans have gone to the Southern border. We've seen with our own eyes Del Rio, Eagle Pass. We've seen that this is a humanitarian crisis, an economic crisis, a national security crisis.
All of these border issues, all of this immigration crisis is a result of Joe Biden's failure. We have the most secure border in our nation's history, as I said, under President Trump.
We know the policies that work. It's build the wall. It's end catch and release. And it's to make sure that we have a rule of law in this country.
So, Republicans will absolutely work to secure the border.
Shame on Hakeem Jeffries for being a partisan pawn. He has a record as being the most pro-amnesty, one of the most pro-amnesty Democrats in this current Congress.
And the reality is, Republicans are polling plus 39 when it comes to border security in the most recent NBC poll. We're plus 19 on the issue of immigration.
So, this is -- this is an issue of safety. It's an issue of security and it's an issue of who we are, the United States of America.
BREAM: OK.
STEFANIK: Republicans will secure the border.
BREAM: But when Republicans have controlled the White House, House and Senate, immigrations did not get resolved. The border was not fully secured.
STEFANIK: But the border -- we made significant end roads. If you look at numbers of illegal crossings, that has skyrocketed, Shannon, under Joe Biden. The portions of the border wall are significant. That was more constructed under President Biden and Republican leadership than ever before in our nation's history.
We were addressing the border security crisis, and that has unraveled starting on day one under Joe Biden, who has created this crisis. And the American people know that and they're going to hold Democrats accountable for it this November.
BREAM: Let's talk about this. Senator Schumer, across the aisle and across the Hill had a critique on the plan that you rolled out this week. He said it's MAGA GOP extremist policies. He says a nationwide abortion ban, Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block, raising taxes on American families.
He's able to cite and specifically point to GOP policies for those accusations. Is that a party blunder?
STEFANIK: Absolutely not, Shannon. And Chuck Schumer has proposed the highest tax increase in our nation's history. This inflation expansion bill that Democrats just ramp through has tax increases on every working American. Republicans are on the party of lowering taxes. And that's in stark contrast to Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi who have raised taxes.
When it comes to Social Security and Medicare, Republicans are committed to saving and ensuring those programs exist for future generations, and that means making sure that they are fixed, to exist for my generation and my son's generation.
And when it comes to the issue of life, Republicans are proudly pro-life. We support our most vulnerable. I am the newest mom in Congress and I know how important it is to stand up for life.
So, Chuck Schumer is attacking and it's because they have no plan.
Americans need a change of course. We need true leadership in both the House and Senate who will focus on the crises that hardworking families are facing across this country.
So, of course, Democrats are going to attack because, Shannon, they can't run on their record because it's a record of crisis and failure.
BREAM: Chairwoman, we thank you for joining us to make the case to voters for the midterms and we will see you again soon. Thanks for coming on.
STEFANIK: Thank you.
BREAM: Up next, Senator Joe Manchin once again in the middle of key legislation on the Hill as his pipeline deal sparks objections on both sides. Can he get it done? He joins us live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BREAM: When Joe Manchin struck a deal with Chuck Schumer last month to pass Democrats' climate, health and tax bill, it came with the price. That price: to reform the tedious federal permitting process for new energy projects.
But now, that bill is facing stiff opposition from both progressives and staunch Republicans. And now, Schumer is trying to find a way to keep his promise to Manchin, while avoiding a potential government shutdown. This is all tied together.
Joining us now from West Virginia, Senator Joe Manchin, also chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Senator, welcome back to "FOX News Sunday".
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): Hey, good -- good to be with you, Shannon.
BREAM: OK. So, let's start with "The Wall Street Journal's" assessment of what's actually in the deal. Of course, you would get significant benefits to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, very important for West Virginia, to the Southeast.
But they say this: It creates new regulatory risks for fossil fuels which is the opposite of what he promised. Mr. Manchin had political leverage but the bill shows he traded his votes on the cheap.
Did you, Senator?
MANCHIN: Absolutely not.
The article is not accurate and we have a reply. The reply will be going back in tomorrow, and it will go into tomorrow to "Wall Street Journal". So, you'll be able to see the reply, and basically answering every one of the things which they basically have evaluated wrongly.
But this is a chance in a lifetime for us to have energy independence, Shannon. For us to have security in this nation, which we need, and making sure that we can take care of the American people with low energy prices, producing more oil, producing more gas.
But we have to have permitting reform if you're going to deliver it. You have no way of infrastructure to deliver it. So, everyone knows that. My Republican friends know that.
BREAM: They do. And your Republican colleague and friend there in West Virginia, your fellow senator, Shelley Moore Capito, has offered her own piece.
MANCHIN: Yes.
BREAM: She did that also as an amendment of the reconciliation bill. You didn't vote for that amendment.
If permitting was so important, why not voted for it then when she offered it?
MANCHIN: Well, hers is a messaging bill, and we understand that.
In the reconciliation basically, we have a process that we're using, and I'm happy to say that Shelley, my friend, Shelley Moore Capito, and we work together, we put our country and our state before our political parties. She's totally supported of my approach basically as incorporated many of the things that she and 46 other Republican senators also had endorsed and agreed.
I just hope we can come together as Americans and forget about our party, the party politics that's going on and make this opportunity, a reality that gives us security for our nation, that gives us independence and be able to lower their gas prices, lower the energy prices in America and help our allies around the world.
BREAM: Well, certainly, you understand where Republicans don't think they should be the ones come across the aisle to vote for a measure that primarily benefits you, which was done in exchange for your vote on a measure they didn't support -- not a single one of them vote for the Inflation Reduction Act.
And "Politico" says this. They are quoting Senator John Cornyn, the top Republican.
Given what Senator Manchin did on the reconciliation bill, it's engendered a lot of bad blood. There's not a lot of sympathy on our side to provide Senator Manchin a reward.
So, how can you expect them to vote for this now?
MANCHIN: Shannon, this is not about me. My Republican friends, I've been working for 12 years with them, and I know their number one item that they've had, the number one priority they've had is permitting reform.
We can't build anything in America. It takes five to 10 years. The developed world takes one to three years. And why should we so behind the developed world to bringing products to market, to be able to have the infrastructure to move energy around? And we're asking people around the world to do things for us, we won't do for ourself?
My Republican friends know exactly where we are. This is not about the previous legislation. This is something, a high priority that we have for our country. It's a -- it's a time in history.
If we don't, Shannon, take advantage of this and come together as Americans, we're going to look back five or 10 years from now and wonder why we're not able to meet demands, why are we allowing Putin to kind of control, dictate our energy policies, and what we are trying to respond to and not able to do it in a timely fashion because we can't move the energy in America -- whether it's going to be new transmission lines for renewables or basically for fossils and oil and gas that moves the products we need today. That's what this is about. And we need to come together as Americans.
BREAM: OK. So, Senator Capito has said she would support your measure. She will vote for it.
Would you vote for hers if yours doesn't move and hers is offered as a separate measure?
MANCHIN: Well, hers -- if it was a Republican and she knows that, if the Republicans were in the majority, I'm the only Democrat that's ever voted for really truly permitting reform. There was only one vote from my friend Dan Sullivan and his reform. And I -- if they were in control, I would do as I've been doing for the last 12 years, I would vote for permitting reform.
I'm asking this them to take the opportunity you finally have to make something happen in America, that we can deliver energy that we need, to lower gas prices at the pump, to lower energy prices in your home, and be able to take care and keep ourselves secure and independent, and be able to help our people and Europe who are hurting very badly and allowing Putin to put this absolutely, using energy as a weapon.
And it's just unbelievable that we're in this position right now with what Putin is doing and the world is changing, of what he's doing and the carnage he's putting on the people of Ukraine, innocent men and women.
BREAM: So, yes, absolutely.
MANCHIN: We have to respond.
BREAM: And we're going to talk about that a little bit later in the show. It's reprehensible. And people in this country do want energy independence. There are those who want to try to balance that against, you know, the climate protections as well.
But you got to convince not only Republicans but Democrats within your own party as well.
So, let's talk about some of them. A group of eight senators sent a letter to the Majority Leader Chuck Schumer --
MANCHIN: Sure.
BREAM: -- said no way this measure should be tied to the funding bill. We ran out of money at the federal government next week. They said: We believe such important issues should be examine through detailed committee consideration in a robust floor debate separate from the urgent need to see the government stays open.
Their letter outlines their worry -- their worries. They're progressive. They're worried about the climate, and they say your measure would actually disproportionately hurt low income Americans and communities of color if it does get passed.
MANCHIN: Shannon, let me just be very clear and very honest with you -- I never expected Bernie Sanders and the far extreme left to ever be for any permitting. They've never been for permitting reform. That's why we never had it.
This is one time when overwhelmingly, Democrats in both the House and the Senate are supporting. And from my Republican friends not to see that, which I know they do, and not be able to pass something they've been able to do for twelve years since I have been working with them, it would be basically a lost moment in history if we don't do this.
So, I'm hoping that they'll look at what we have in front of us -- the energy independence, security stopping Putin dead in his tracks, being able to do what we need to do to reduce the price of energy and helping people in their homes as far as energy cost there. We have a golden opportunity and we have a majority, overwhelming majority of Democrats supporting it.
And they're doing it because this is the right time and the right thing to do for our country. But, also, it's a time we basically can bring Democrats and Republicans together as we've done with the bipartisan infrastructure bill. We've done it with the CHIPS bill. And we continue to do things when we need to do something for our country.
This is the most important thing that we can do today. And it's the most critical -- critical problem that we have in front of us which is energy independence and security.
BREAM: So, as you look to try to get those votes together from both sides, here is something that Senator Kennedy, Republican out of Louisiana, had to say this week about this whole thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): I'm just a little surprised. Joe's been around here a long time, and he's a very -- he's my friend but he -- and he's a savvy politician.
You know, he made a deal about without -- without having all the ducks in a row. I'm even sure they know where the ducks are right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: Did you miscalculate on the ducks, Senator?
MANCHIN: No. John is my dear friend. What a great person. I just enjoy him very much. And the thing, we have good conversations.
When they say they weren't involved, everything I've done for the last 12 years working with my Republican colleagues has been incorporated in this. We have talked about it and worked about it. So, they have tremendous amount of input in this.
But the process has come down to party line vote which is unfortunate, but it is what we're dealing with in a toxic political atmosphere. But I can assure you, everybody, we try to take everyone's input on this and my Republican friends' input is in this piece of legislation.
So, I'm just hoping that and I'm very optimistic that we have the opportunity, they realize this opportunity and they'll never pass again in our lifetime.
BREAM: Okay.
MANCHIN: When they had everything, when they -- in 2016 to 2020, Shannon, they had Republican president, Republican House, Republican Senate, we couldn't -- we couldn't move it because I was the only Democrat.
Now we're in a position where we have a majority Democrats and our Republican friends can take it across the line.
BREAM: We'll see if they do.
This all traces back to your vote on the so-called Inflation Reduction Act. The Penn Wharton budget model and the CBO both found that it had statistically just negligible effect on inflation.
Right now, Americans are continuing to pay more for everything, including just groceries. We look at August to August, 13-1/2 percent jump last week. And then the markets are plunging and there's this headline. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn warns the worst is yet to come for investors and compares U.S. inflation to the fall of the Roman Empire.
So, what regrets do you have at this point in voting for the Inflation Reduction Act which hasn't cool things off, it's not projected to short term or long-term, in exchange for this deal now that may no actually go anywhere on energy?
MANCHIN: Inflation is horrible and is extremely -- it's extremely damaging to our economy, and damaging to every West Virginia and every American. So, we have to fight inflation.
The Inflation Reduction Act, basically, first of all, does, puts more energy back into the markets. So, if you want to reduce prices, then put more products out there. If you want to get your gasoline prices down, produce more oil. If you want to get your home heating, produce more natural gas. Do it cleaner than anywhere in the world, replace the dirty energy around the world. And that basically helps the climate and gives us more product.
When you reduce basically the Medicare prices of drugs -- in West Virginia, 300,000 West Virginians rely on Medicare. We're reducing their pricing on drugs and so that has to reduce it.
When they're saying it's negligible, they're going to see it in the next 30 days? No, will they see it? Absolutely they will see it because this does nothing but gives us a chance to reduce inflation. And I -- you know, I have worked very hard to make sure we had an opportunity to be energy- independent and secure and fight Putin's war. I understood that -- I understood that Bernie Sanders and my left wing of the Democratic Party would never support anything that would let us be energy-independent with the energy we have in our own country.
BREAM: Well, Senator, you have made the case. We'll see if your Republicans and Democrat colleagues are listening as you take those votes this week. Senator, thank you very much. We'll keep an eye on it.
MANCHIN: Thank you, Shannon. I appreciate being with you. And I sure do put the country first and America. It's all about America, not about Democrats or Republicans.
BREAM: That's what Americans are hoping for. Thank you, sir.
Up next, protests break out across Russia as discontent grows over Putin's order to draft more troops to prop up his struggling military campaign in Ukraine. We'll go live to Kyiv and discuss the fallout when "FOX News Sunday" returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BREAM: Moscow's war on Ukraine taking central stage again as world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Vladimir Putin's call for 300,000 reservice to fight in Ukraine drawing swift condemnation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let us speak plainly, a permanent member of the United Nation Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase the sovereign state from the map. Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenants of the United Nations charter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: And Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on world powers to stand up to Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also making another dramatic plea to the U.N.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: Russia is afraid of real negotiations and doesn't want to fulfill any fear (ph) international obligations.
We must finally recognize Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: These developments have many wondering where things stand now more than six months into the invasion. In a moment we'll discussed with retired Four-Star General Jack Keane.
But first, let's turn to Trey Yingst in Kyiv with a look at how Russians are responding to Putin's call to beef up the battlefield.
Hello, Trey.
TREY YINGST, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Shannon, more Russian troops are being forced into this war as Ukrainian soldiers make territorial gains, putting new pressure on Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YINGST: Russian reservists hugged their loved ones good-bye before loading onto buses. These men are some of the 300,000 people called up to fight in Ukraine under partial mobilization orders given by President Vladimir Putin.
I will go. Do I have an alternative, one man asks, or I will get criminally prosecuted.
The new soldiers lacked both experience and moral. Much like the Russian public, they're being dragged into a war they didn't sign up to fight. Anti-mobilization protests erupted across major Russian cities this week that saw more than 1,400 people arrested, further raising pressure on the Russian leader. A mass exodus at the country's borders, prompting neighboring Finland to restrict Russian tourists from entering.
Putin trying to do all he can to make up for significant battlefield losses in recent weeks. Today, annexation referendums are underway in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. The voting to become part of Russia was described as a sham and illegitimate by Ukraine and its western allies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YINGST: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was very clear in recent weeks, every part of this country will be liberated by his troops despite these referendums. As Zelenskyy describes it, it is Ukraine or death.
Shannon.
Trey Yingst, live in Kyiv. Trey, thank you very much.
Joining us here in Washington, retired Four-Star General Jack Keane, chairman of the Institute for the Study of War, and Fox News senior strategic analyst.
General, we are always grateful for your insights. Thanks for joining us today.
GEN. JACK KEANE (RET), FOX NEWS SENIOR STRATEGIC ANALYST: Yes, wonderful to be here and congratulations.
BREAM: Thank you very much.
So, let's start on where Trey touched on, these referenda that are being held in Ukraine. "The New York Times" reports it this way, it's as Ukrainians were forced to vote while Russian officials or their proxy stood guard. The aim of the hastily called referendums, supported by pro-Russian residents and their proxies, as apparent to give President Putin of Russia a legally bogus pretext to gobble up their country.
What are we to make of these votes?
KEANE: Yes, he's seeking - he's just had a military defeat that was quite sizable. He's got to conclude that, at least night now, he's losing his war.
And this is an attempt to obtain a political victory, largely for his own domestic audience, that they have gobbled up this increased terrain in four different regions in Ukraine. I mean anybody looking at this knows it's a sham, as Trey pointed out and other commentators have. I mean this is a vote at gunpoint and it's not going to mean anything. And it certainly is not going to stop the Ukrainians from continuing their military operations inside these territories. After all, they have conducted some significant attacks inside of Crimea. Espionage attacks and also missile attacks, which have been annexed by Russia since 2014.
So, the Ukrainian operations will continue. The political sham, I think, is what it is. And the whole international community sees it as such.
BREAM: And it seems like these referendums will also tie into some saber rattling over nuclear use by Putin. "The Washington Post" talks about this speech he had on Wednesday. They say he made two references or two threats. He reminded NATO that Russia possesses more modern weapons than the weapons NATO countries have and Putin pledged that Russia would use all weapons systems available to protect its territorial integrity, Russia's people, as well as Russia's independence and freedom.
How do you take those nuclear threats?
KEANE: Yes, well, first of all, the -- I think the probability of it is pretty low, but you have to take it seriously because of what these weapons, obviously, and the horrific applications and what it would mean to Ukraine and to the world rite large. But what's his motivation here? And I think he's brandished these weapons before, or at least he's had his surrogates do it. And I think he's had some success with it because it delayed the distribution of advanced weapons that Zelenskyy was begging for, for weeks and weeks and weeks. And it finally took months before we got those systems to him. He likely knows that on the table the United States is considering sending to Ukraine advanced fighters, like F-16s, after training the Ukrainians, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other equipment that will help the Ukrainians with a spring counteroffensive, which would be conventional, combined arms to drive them out of the Donbas region. So, he likely would like to curve that.
Now, let's assume he's serious and the use of a nuclear weapon is actually on the table, which I think is probably very low. But if you consider that, here's the factors he's got to consider. He would use the nuclear weapon and want to end the war. And that's not going to happen.
The Ukrainians, the people, as well as their military, are steadfast. They openly talk about the possibility of a nuclear weapon being targeted against them and they are going to fight and continue to fight.
The second thing is, his army on the battlefield, they're not trained to deal with a radioactive nuclear battlefield. The Soviet Union was. They were equipped to properly trained. These guys aren't trained to fight a conventional fight, much less deal with an environment like that.
And then the third thing is, this is about taking it serious. I believe the Biden administration has reported that they're talking to Putin and his surrogates about the consequences here. And I hope we're very direct with him about what their consequences would mean. I think that's likely an expansion of the war. It brings the United States and NATO into it. Not to use nuclear weapons, we wouldn't do that. I don't even think we would put a significant amount of ground troops. But we would conduct devastating air and missile attack, largely to destroy his military, inside of Ukraine. And he knows that and so does his military people know that. He wants to win the war. If he uses a nuclear weapon, it guarantees that he loses.
BREAM: OK, so let's turn to another region of the world also filled with tension at this moment. "60 Minutes," the president said last week, it - we would come, U.S., to Taiwan's defense if China launched an unprovoked attack. And then there was walking back some of that, clarification of that.
The Council on Foreign Relations said, while pledging to defend Taiwan from China, Biden shifted on Taiwan independence and it matters because it says the White House has clarified, or they're trying to, that U.S. policy hasn't changed, but officials in Beijing will see this as further evidence that the U.S. is walking away from a one China policy.
KEANE: Well, I think the American people must scratch their head here and say, what is going on. In 1979 there was a Taiwan Relations Act that China and the United States agreed to. And the essential ingredient in it that it would govern China's and the United States' behavior as it pertained to the Taiwan Straits. The central theme was peace and stability along those straits. And we said that we would help Taiwan defend itself, made no statements about whether we would physically help them to defend themselves in terms of our own troops. That is called the strategic ambiguity.
But, in the last 10 years, look what has happened. President Xi has accelerated the military intimidation and cohesion of Taiwan. Not only that, on repeated occasions he has said, if - if Taiwan does not capitulate and become a part of mainland China, then he will use military force to take control.
Now, all of this activity that he's done in 10 years to include threatening military force, I would suggest he has violated the 1979 Taiwan agreement to maintain peace and stability. And I think it's quite appropriate, and even more than that essential, that President Biden make a public declaration -- he said it four times already in response to a question -- but make it a public declaration that Mr. Xi, if you're going to attack Taiwan, you are forcing me to have to respond military to defend it. And I would encourage my allies to do the same.
I think that's where we are anyway. Certainly, that is where the president of the United States is. And he is the decisionmaker.
BREAM: We're just about out of time, so I quickly want to ask you to comment on Israel. Their prime minister making comments at the U.N. this week. He says we'll do whatever it takes. Iran will not get a nuclear weapon.
KEANE: Yes, what we have to understand here, you know, you can have an academic discussion about whether nuclear weapons would be used in the Middle East by Iran. That's not relevant. The only thing that's relevant here is, Israel is convinced that if Iran has a nuclear weapon, it's an existential threat because they have repeatedly said for 40 years, they intend to destroy the state of Israel. And I believe they've had intelligence for a number of years that indicates that Iran would do just that. And the fact that they have 9 million people, densely located in a small country, and Iran had 86 million people in the mountainous large country, that Iran had seriously considered destroying the state of Israel and absorbing a nuclear attack themselves and believing that they could survive it.
Now, does that make any sense to anybody? No. But that's not important. The fact is, the Israelis believed it. And they believe that Iran clearly has this intent to destroy the state of Israel. So, this is a dangerous point we're at. It can lead to conflict, whether there is or not a nuclear deal, because Iran is in pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
BREAM: General, thank you. Sobering analysis, but very insightful. We appreciate it.
KEANE: Yes. Thank you.
BREAM: Good to see you.
KEANE: Good talking to you.
BREAM: You too.
All right, up next, more legal setbacks for former President Trump as he hits the trail with more midterm candidates. We're going to bring in our Sunday group to discuss Trump's latest legal troubles and whether all the investigations could put an end to his `24 hopes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: Claiming you have money that you do not have does not amount to the art of the deal, it's the art of the steal.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, she campaigned on it four years ago. It was a vicious campaign. And she just talked about Trump, and we're going to indict him, we're going to get him. She knew nothing about me. I never heard of her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BREAM: Former President Donald Trump firing back at New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is suing Trump, his family business and three of his children for fraud and overvaluing their assets as the former president's legal problems grow.
It is time now for our Sunday group.
Reuter's White House correspondent Jeff Mason, editor of townhall.com Katie Pavlich, former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr., and Howard Kurtz, host of MediaBuzz.
Welcome to all of you.
KATIE PAVLICH, EDITOR, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you.
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "MEDIABUZZ": Thank you.
BREAM: Good to see you, too.
All right, Howie, let's start with you because the president now has multiple states, federal issues, there's a lot going on, and he can have these interviews and press conferences but now it's in court and the judges are starting to crack down and not everything' going his way.
KURTZ: Well, I have conducted an intensive review of this and I've concluded that Donald Trump is spending a lot of money on lawyers.
BREAM: That's true.
KURTZ: Look, this Letitia James civil suit in New York, it does have a partisan stench because she did run for office vowing to go after Donald Trump and she's out there accusing him of crimes that she can't prosecute after the Manhattan DA declined to bring criminal charges. The Justice Department probe is back on track after an appeal. As well the special master is giving the Trump team a hard time. And it seems to me that even Republican senators are saying he can't just mentally declassify documents.
But if there's one silver lining here for Donald Trump it is this, the more that he is pursued and persecuted, his word, Republicans feel that he's under attacked by his political enemies, and he still has a virtual lock on the nomination.
BREAM: Well, and Politico goes to that point. In this piece on Thursday they say his troubles are mounting but his support is consolidating. One Republican strategist who works with hardline congressional candidates around the country said, the more Democrats keep going after him, the better it is.
And, Jeff, it adds to his argument that the establishment, the deep state is after him.
JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: It does. I mean if -- Donald trump is someone who has been able to avoid all rules of politics ever since he came on the political, national stage. He has said things. He has done things. There have been allegations against him that would take down nearly any other political candidates. They don't, and haven't, with president - former President Trump.
In this case, as - and Howie's right, he's got lawyers for a reason. It may not be the politics that brings him down. It could very possibly be the legal - the legal system that brings him down. But, politically, it has been up until now, and almost certainly will continue to be useful for him.
BREAM: OK, there's that argument. And on the other side there are Republicans who are looking at the midterms. And they know Democrats want to be talking about the former president.
Dick Wadhams is a long-time GOP strategist. He's quoted in this article. He says, if we lose a lot of Senate races, or House races for that matter, that we should have won, and that can be traced back to the emergence of Trump once again as such a dominant figure in the midterm election campaign, I think that will probably hurt him long-term.
Katie.
PAVLICH: Well, look, Democrats have dumped millions of dollars into primary races trying to get Trump candidates elected. That's something that they think is beneficial to them. This is also something they did, if you remember going back to 2015 and 2016, they all propped up Donald Trump thinking they could beat him and then he beat Hillary Clinton in that election.
So, when it comes to what they want to be talking about, of course Donald Trump is in the news with his legal woes. Joe Biden is off at the top of the headlines. That's good for them when it comes to inflation, especially the market dipping this week. But also it helps with Republican voters in the sense that they do feel like the government has repeatedly brought these charges against the president. They have not been able to prove them. Here we go again with the Department of Justice and now the New York attorney general, who is running for election again on this idea of going after Donald Trump. That is something they like when it comes the narrative. But Republicans see it as another chance to hold government accountable and to roll back this idea that the legal system and federal law enforcement or state law enforcement should be used for political purposes rather than to go after actual criminality.
BREAM: I mean she did, Letitia James, the attorney general there in New York, talked about that she would make this a big part of her job.
Trump Attorney Alina Habba says this, it's solely focused on advancing her political agenda. She says, we're confident the judicial system won't stand for this unchecked abuse of authority.
Harold.
HAROLD FORD JR. (D), FORMER TENNESSEE CONGRESSMAN: Well, first off, happy Sunday.
I - it's amazing when politicians say they're going to investigate people, and then they do it. I think that one of the things that Republicans in the Congress are saying is that they're going to investigate the Bidens, Fauci, Merrick Garland. And if they get the majority, perhaps they will do it.
I don't know all the details around and legality of these things. The thing that has struck me the most, and how we touched on it, is a special master who both the Trump team and the Justice department agreed to in this matter involving the search warrant executed on President Trump's home down in Florida. The president said for a long time he declassified things. He said that stuff was planted. And the special master has asked for some evidence around that.
So, for me, that -
KURTZ: So, just, put up or shut up.
BREAM: Yes. I mean you can just - you can't just say it and then walk into court and not say it.
FORD: Yes, I was trying to be kind because this is a president. But so - so, to me, that - whether it's the DOJ, whether it's Letitia James, whatever the case may be, it seems to me what's really got the president in a bind are the things he's saying. He'd be a tough client. You can't really control him and you don't know if he's telling you something that he's not telling - he's not telling you something he's telling other people.
BREAM: Well, he is keeping attorneys busy.
I want to make sure that we talk about this case out of North Dakota.
This 18-year-old, Cayler Ellingson, who was killed in a hit and run by a 41-year-old man named Shannon Brandt. There's been little reporting more broadly across media. We have been following this case. The man said that this was over a political dispute.
Tom Bevan, who heads up RealClearPolitics, the founder of it, he talked about a CBS story. He tweeted this. He says, amazing, CBS News does a 400- word write-up of the North Dakota nut who ran down and killed a teenager over a political argument without mentioning he told police he thought the teen was a Republican political extremist.
Howie, this is a media story as much as it is a tragedy. What do you make of it?
KURTZ: I make of it that it sounds like it should be a much bigger story. I mean for someone to lose their life over some sort of political dispute. You would think maybe people don't - there are - the media agenda isn't furthered by pushing this. But it seems like it's been treated as a mere footnote, one that's an absolute tragedy. And I would like to know more about it.
BREAM: Harold, would this be a different story if this person was a MAGA, you know, individual who mowed down an 18-year-old Democrat, a young man?
FORD: First off, our prayers go to that family and to that community.
What disturbs me most about this story is that somehow -- we don't know all the facts yet. It appears that maybe he wasn't a - they didn't know one another. There wasn't a political argument. But what's amazing to me is that this guy who killed this 18-year-old kid thought he might get some sympathy.
BREAM: Right.
FORD: He thought he may get some kind of mitigating factor here if he said that the kid was a Republican or he had a political view that was different than his. We plunge into a very deep and terrible place if we can't all recognize, we may agree on some thing, disagree on other things. But to kill someone, and 18-year-old, whatever his age may be, because of a political agreement, is asinine and, frankly, doesn't speak - bode well for our political system.
BREAM: I want to get a quick comment from both of you all about the political rhetoric.
Katie to you, and then Jeff.
PAVLICH: Well, look, yes, we've seen the media erase Democrat from a lot of these stories. "The Las Vegas Tribune" had a journalist who was killed by a Democratic - or allegedly killed, he's been charged with murder, and Democratic politician. We saw a man who was upset about Justice Kavanaugh's pro-life views or his - the way he had done his opinions on the abortion issue show up and try to assassinate him outside of his home. The president has talked a lot about extremist rhetoric. We haven't heard him talk about this specific case. So maybe he should make a statement about this on both sides of the political aisle.
MASON: I would just say, political rhetoric can be dangerous and it's dangerous on both sides. And in this case it was tragic.
BREAM: Yes.
KURTZ: On both sides.
FORD: Well said. Well said.
BREAM: Yes, and we have seen evidence of that, unfortunately, here and across the country.
All right, panel, stick around. We will see you next Sunday.
Before we go, though, a military couple together for nearly 20 years celebrating a big milestone on the very same day. We're going to share what they credit for their continued successes as they serve our country, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BREAM: And now to some good news on this Sunday morning, because who doesn't need that.
The story of a military couple with a whole lot to celebrate. Meet Lt. Col. Courtney O'Brien (ph), and Lt. Col. Michael O'Brien (ph). These two Marine leaders have been married for 17 years. They've got two children. Earlier this month, Courtney took the helm commanding the Marine Ariel Refueler Transport Squadron. And, just down the flight line, on the same day, Michael took command of his own squadron. The O'Brien's credit each other for their successes. Michael says his wife, who is, by the way, the all- time leading scorer on the Naval Academy's women's basketball team, always reminds him of the rules and regulations. While Courtney says her husband encourages her to be more extroverted and assertive with communication.
Congrats on your new commands. We thank you both for your service.
That's going to be it for us on this Sunday. Have a great week. It's going to be a busy one here in Washington. And we will see you next FOX NEWS SUNDAY.
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