Biden has blown his chance
Laura Ingraham addresses how Biden is burying America when the country should be in the middle of an economic revival
This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," July 26, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: I came to New York only to see you. And they say, no Hannity. You weren't there. I looked. I went on every floor. I don't know, 13 floors.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: I haven't been in the studio.
INGRAHAM: I don't know.
HANNITY: I haven't been in the studio forever, but - like a lot of us, but- -
INGRAHAM: I was so sad.
HANNITY: (inaudible) fortunate for technology.
INGRAHAM: I was so sad.
HANNITY: Oh, you were not sad. You say you just - that's a lie. It's not true.
INGRAHAM: I was waiting for my sippy cup and I was going to give you your freedom matters - your freedom matters mug. I was going to give it to you in person, but I'll have to send it to you. Made in the USA, baby.
HANNITY: OK. Talk to my team. We have the studio closer to home.
INGRAHAM: I was just kidding you.
HANNITY: Thanks, Laura. Have a great show.
INGRAHAM: Awesome show. I'm Laura Ingraham. This is THE INGRAHAM ANGLE from Washington with a Fox News alert.
Former California Senator Barbara Boxer was assaulted in Oakland earlier today. According to a tweet from her official account, "The assailant pushed her in the back, stole her cell phone and jumped in a waiting car. She's thankful that she was not seriously injured." We are as well, of course.
But it just raises the issue. What is it going to take for Democrats to wake up to what's happening, broad daylight?
Now, in Oakland, carjackings are up a whopping 95 percent, robberies up about 15 percent, murder is up 30 percent year-over-year. And, of course, we all know this right? The rise in crime comes as police funding being cut with the money being redirected to various social projects. And the results speak for themselves. More news on this as we get it tonight.
But first, Biden blows his chance. That's the focus of tonight's ANGLE.
Now, over the weekend, I spent some time in upstate New York. It was a world away from New York City. Now, this is a gorgeous part of the U.S. I'd never been there before. So the foothills of the Adirondacks, just incredibly beautiful. But at the same time, I could almost feel the hope there evaporating.
What Americans thought was going to be this fresh start post COVID is on the verge of slipping away. Now, filling up at the gas station, I noticed the other customers exasperated, they were literally changing the price of the gas on the sign we were there. And they're all looking at the price, almost four bucks a gallon.
Remember, when Trump left office, it was about $2.24 in the DC area, and around the country, some places it was $1.92. Now, it turns out Biden's administration six months in is itself already out of gas.
Now, they might think they're doing a lot because for them destroying individual initiative, blowing money we don't have, they are huge accomplishments. But a quick look at where America stands today shows us that Biden has taken a golden opportunity and he's just grounded into the dirt.
Now, the public's optimism about the future is plummeting. Just since May, according to a new ABC News poll, it's down nearly 20 points to 45 percent. Now, in late spring, think back on this, we were all looking forward to the future, the summer, the fall, back with friends and family, kids in school without zoom, without masks. The most vulnerable, the elderly, most of them were vaccinated and millions of those otherwise vulnerable were as well. So ending the scourge of COVID was pretty much why Biden was elected after all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And so folks, I will take care of this, I will end this, I will make sure we have a plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Well, unfortunately, for Biden, his plan ran into the public health apparatus that he refused to shake up. Now, you got the sense that Anthony Fauci and the CDC's Rochelle Walensky, didn't much appreciate that Americans were actually going back to their old lives. They're traveling, they're enjoying themselves, slowly returning to the office.
The Delta variant, the lambda variant, the zeta variant, wherever we're at now, look, it was always going to be something that they would end up citing to put America in reverse. Biden should have thanked Fauci and sent him on his way into retirement. Then he should have instructed his team, the following: Going forward, I want you to focus on engaging in common sense, respectful dialogue with the American people. No insulting them, no blaming them, no vilifying them. But instead Biden's team decided to indeed gaslight to the unvaccinated people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.
BIDEN: We have a pandemic for those who haven't gotten a vaccination. You're not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Well, of course, we know now that's not true with the breakthrough cases reported all over the country, Tennessee, England, also in Israel. But now it turns out, they want to punish the vaccinated too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NIAID: I'm deciding I want to wear a mask. Joe, there's nothing wrong with that.
WALENSKY: Everyone, whether vaccinated or not, when in public spaces should continue to wear a well fitted mask.
BIDEN: Some people may want to continue to wear a mask, even if they're fully vaccinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Well, this is a huge mistake and incredibly demoralizing for the American psyche. First off, if you're vaccinated, and you believe in the vaccine, why are you worried about the personal choices that other Americans make? Second, masking vaccinated people makes literally zero scientific sense, unless you're conceding that the vaccine doesn't really work.
On the other hand, we know natural immunity from prior exposure is very long lasting and effective against the variants as well. So why does the medical cartel refuse to acknowledge this? Why do they refuse to take this into account when we know that millions of the unvaccinated especially the young, they've already had COVID. They'll have T and B memory cell responses to COVID and the variants. They do not need a vaccine.
Now, while we wouldn't expect big pharma to be shouting about natural immunity from the rooftops for obvious reasons, Biden's COVID team, they could could-be and should-be. That would help us on every front, especially on the optimism front. The reality is the government spent trillions in taxpayer money on research and government subsidies during COVID. Blue states needlessly stole a year plus of our education from our young kids. And the lockdowns, we know they destroyed hundreds of thousands of small businesses. It was terrible.
Biden should have said, Look, there going to be challenges along the way, but we're moving forward. No government mandates, no shut downs. America is open for business, schools are open for learning. But no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We're going in the wrong direction.
WALENSKY: This virus has no incentive to let out. And it remains in search of the next vulnerable person to infect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: If just once she could just speak without reading. Now, of course, they're thrilled. Fauci loves mask, he never wants us to be free of the masks. And now they're totally fine with denying American citizens their basic rights if they refuse to get the jab, whether or not they've been exposed to COVID in the past.
On the viral origins question, another area where Biden has lost ground. Biden has looked terrible on this. Think about this. We have more than 600,000 Americans dead. How does a president not pledge to the American people that he'll get to the bottom of our funding of risky research in China, and also hold the CCP accountable if there's a cover up, which certainly looks like there is?
And as if this COVID messaging wasn't bad enough, Biden has also blown it on inflation. You want to talk about hurting optimism? He should have listened to Larry Summers. All that COVID relief money they're throwing around, it doesn't go very far when prices are skyrocketing. It's an instant tax on everything all Americans buy. And it hits the poor and the middle class especially hard.
And of course, targeting oil and gas companies, the dream of the [ph] grainiacs? It's going to enrich the same people who got richer during COVID and hurt the same people who got poorer during COVID. But don't worry, the trillions more that Joe and Romney and the group there they want to spend to put us further into debt, oh, I'm sure that's going to help with inflation. Please. They know it won't help.
Creating a socialist system where most self reliance and individual responsibility give way to government dependence and victimhood? That's going to make us less free. And it's certainly going to make us far less prosperous.
Mitch McConnell was right today when he said that Biden had the wind at his back when he came into office. If he had waved off the lunatics in his own party if he had dropped their race obsessed woke-ism, supported law and order, kept Trump's border policies in place, respectfully advocated for vaccines and healthy lifestyles, then leave Americans alone to reclaim their lives, Biden would be sitting at 60-plus percent approval and probably 65-70 percent optimism about the future.
But Biden is blowing it. And in the process, he's burying America when we should be in the middle of a huge economic revival. And no elected Republican, no moderate Democrat, Joe Manchin, no independent, should be helping him spin it any other way. And that's THE ANGLE.
Joining me now is Dr. Harvey Risch, Yale epidemiology professor. Dr. Risch, it seems to be that the medical administration officials, they're doing more to increase vaccine hesitancy than anyone out there, because of these heavy-handed tactics, the blame game, the vilification, the demonization. Your thoughts?
HARVEY RISCH, PROFESSOR, YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Well, I think you're right. Good to be with you, Laura. I think that really the problem is, they have no imagination, and they don't really think about what's going on and how to solve it. They're working on a premise that if they didn't do enough in the first place, it'll just do the same but more so now. And that's a failed idea.
And really, we have the tools to fix it and we just need to use them. And as I've said many times on your program, for the breakthrough cases for people who get COVID, treat them as outpatients with hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, other treatments that work very well, and that solves a problem.
As to Delta that's coming, Delta is going away in the UK. So this is a bump that we're facing now, and is very likely to be gone in another three or four weeks in the U.S., or going down in three or four weeks. So we are really in what I would call a fairly optimistic point, if we would just use our brains and solve it the way we know how to do.
INGRAHAM: And yet you talk to folks who tried to get their doctors to prescribe some of these antivirals that do have some efficacy. Now, there's no doubt about it. Stephen Smith's work, I know, you've looked at over. I mean, there's no doubt that it helps. But to get a doctor to be able to prescribe that, in a lot of states you can't do it, still after all this time.
RISCH: Well, there are now many doctors across the country who are willing to do it, who become aware that the evidence wasn't what they were propagandized to believe. There's also a number of telemedicine groups that have been doing it quite actively. They treated now more than 130,000 patients as the last count that I did with them. So there are plenty of places where people can get treated if they need to.
INGRAHAM: A new study, come out like 10 days ago or so, is revealing, Dr. Risch, what you and I have been talking about along with others on this program for a long time, which is the acquired immunity, the basic immune response after a COVID exposure. It's durable, its broad immune memory after a COVID infection, persistent antibody responses and memory B and T cells. The results suggest that broad and effective immunity may persist long-term in recovered COVID-19 patients.
Why Dr. Risch has Dr. Fauci, the CDC director, all of these so-called experts on television, why do they so vigorously avoid the topic of natural immunity? Why?
RISCH: Well, I think this goes back to the WHO, when they removed natural immunity from the definition of herd immunity. And there was so much uproar outcry from the scientific community that a few days or a week later they returned it to their definition of herd immunity.
But I think that if your goal is to sell vaccines at all costs, then you deny that there's anything that will provide immunity except for vaccines. And now we know that the vaccines do a good but not great job. And so we need additional support besides just the vaccines.
INGRAHAM: Yes. So we have tens of millions of Americans, undoubtedly, who were exposed to the virus, and there are various companies I know that T- Detect company offers a test that got emergency use. You could find out if you have T-cells right now in your body. You have to pay for it. It should be much cheaper if the government wants to do something.
But don't you think that would be smart for everyone to have their T-cells measured before they rush, especially young people to get a vaccine?
RISCH: I think that would be useful, but it's not entirely required. People know if they've - many times if they've had COVID. And they can assume that they have good immunity if they've had COVID. It's only the people who might have had it but were asymptomatic, who are facing a choice that they don't want to make, because they don't think it's in their risk benefit interest to take the vaccine who might consider getting tested.
T-cells is not the whole story. As you say B-cells is also important. B- cells that migrate to the bone marrow are liable to stay around much more longer than T-cells even. T-cells last for quite a while, but even so the B-cells are the backup for the important part.
INGRAHAM: Dr. Risch, there is no one I'd rather speak to about B or T-cell immunity than you. It's so good to see you tonight. Thank you so much.
And with Biden floundering everywhere from his COVID response to inflation to crime, why are some Republicans bending over backwards to throw them a lifeline? Well, that's exactly what some are doing on this infrastructure bill.
Now, as we told you last week, the GOP members negotiating with Biden and the dems are being played. It's embarrassing. And now the Democrats are demanding that the GOP reopen discussions on all the points they already agreed to, as we predicted.
Now one of those being played like a fiddle is Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy. Now remember, Cassidy was one of the few Republican senators to vote to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. Now, despite the absurd charges and the fact that nearly 60 percent of Louisianans voted for Trump, and who's taking the infrastructure negotiating lead? Well, it's Ohio's Rob Portman. So Cassidy represented by Portman, Mitt Romney, then Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski's blessing, all of them.
Now, Rob Portman is going to be the one negotiating away Republicans' hand to the Democrats. Joining me now, Dinesh D'Souza, conservative author, filmmaker, host of the Dinesh D'Souza podcast. Dinesh, you think of Louisiana, you think of Senator Kennedy who's so - just strong and solid. Then you got this guy Cassidy, just was elected in 2020, a disaster. Why are these Republicans just given away the store with this infrastructure given Biden a cover?
DINESH D'SOUZA, CONSERVATIVE AUTHOR & FILMMAKER: It's because Republicans have a completely different psychology than Democrats. Republicans here are literally trying to keep the Biden ship afloat. They feel it's their responsibility to prevent it from kind of tipping over.
Now, there are no Democrats who really behave like this. The only Democrat who, in a sense, even plays footsie with the other side is Joe Manchin. And let's remember, there's a reason for that. Joe Manchin is in a very conservative state, which Trump won decisively. So there are strong political reasons for Manchin to play to the center.
But think about Cassidy, he's in a very safe state, Louisiana; think about Romney in Utah. So a lot of these, sort of, never Trump Republicans who are trying to kind of make a peace with the Democrats, there is no political reason to do it. And what they should be doing is actually letting the Biden ship sink, so Republicans can coast a victory in the midterms next year.
INGRAHAM: Right. Well, here's how Senator Bill Cassidy is doing Biden's bidding. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): We continue to work hard, worked all day yesterday all through the weekend. There are some thorny issues, but we can get it done. And the infrastructure bill is not the Bernie bill, not the kind of reckless spending in taxation that the Democrats want to do. This is about roads, bridges and highways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: Oh, my God, he's a very stupid man. I'm sorry. He's just a very stupid man. If this is how he thinks politics is done, he should just go back to practicing medicine and call it a day. Dinesh, why does giving Biden the victory, the bipartisan victory on infrastructure grease the wheels for the reconciliation, remake of America? Why does it do that?
D'SOUZA: Well, it does that because the way the Democrats operate is they will convert a small victory into a bigger victory. It will give them the kind of momentum, they say, OK, well, we got the first thing done. Now we need to get to second base and the third base, and finally to the home run.
So Republicans need to do block and tackle. Biden has a narrow window, it's about a year before the midterms kind of kick in seriously. And so everything that we can do to block and tackle them in the meantime, that's obviously the smart play for Republicans. But it's not the smart play for these guys, because in some ways, they're the useful idiots of the Biden administration.
INGRAHAM: Oh, my God. Every Louisianan watching this show tonight, make your voice heard. Talk to Cassidy's office respectfully, show up respectfully, make your voices heard. You just got to do it.
Now, Dinesh, we heard tonight now that Pelosi is planning to announce an extension of so-called proxy voting. OK. During COVID, they didn't have to show up to vote. Well, now apparently she wants to make this permanent. That's the ultimate goal here. They want to continue proxy voting. Why is that such a bad thing that new normal becomes the normal?
D'SOUZA: Well, I think that the - we see here the Democrats all across the board have, sort of, no respect here for Democratic processes that have been long established. They're perfectly willing to use those processes when they come to their benefit. But the moment the political tables turn, you see this with the filibuster, you see this in so many other issues, the rules are really not really rules for them. They're merely opportunities when it's one way and then they are obstacles when it's the other way.
So this is a party that's completely without principle. And for us to debate them as if we're debating the merits of the filibuster or the merits of the proxy rule, they would flip on those issues completely if the roles were reversed.
INGRAHAM: Yes. This is why these Republicans negotiating are just completely buffoons. Dinesh, thank you.
Now, another bit of breaking news tonight. The Biden Department of Homeland Security just made an announcement minutes ago that seems to recognize an immense failure at the border. What is it? We'll talk to Texas lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, as he reacts to the breaking news, next.
Plus, Ben Shapiro's here on how the authoritarian left is ascendant in nearly every aspect of American life. Busy show. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: Now, breaking in the last hour in response to what has remained a totally chaotic border situation, the Department of Homeland Security just released a statement that "Certain family units who are not subject to public health order on the U.S.-Mexico border will be placed in expedited removal proceedings." That's only six months late.
This is hugely embarrassing. It's a reversal for the Biden administration. Rio Grande Valley sector Border Patrol chief Brian Hastings said that last week alone, the Rio Grande Valley apprehended more than 20,000 illegal migrants.
Joining us now, Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick. Dan, now I'm going to believe it when I see it. But at least rhetorically, this is a huge course correction, an admission of failure from the Biden administration. Is this too little too late?
DAN PATRICK, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF TEXAS: It's much too little too late, Laura. It's still bursting over the dam like a flood coming into the United States. I think the reason they did this, Laura, this goes back to a Trump policy is they're worried about COVID. And right now, a lot of these people are coming from Guatemala, I think their vaccination rate is about 12 percent, 14 percent; Hahndorf, 7 to 8 percent.
So they have a lot of potential COVID cases coming in. And of course, that's an issue for them. As you talked about, on the top of the show, this has gotten out of hand. He said, he would control this. I think that's what it's about.
INGRAHAM: Well, it's a massive percentage. And again, we're not being told everything, Dan. But apparently, it's a very high percentage of the illegals who are coming into the country, have tested positive for this Delta variant. So you can't tell Americans mask up, vaccinated, unvaccinated, shutdowns coming. And then there it's like borders been open for six months. This is a travesty. Total travesty.
PATRICK: (inaudible) by a trickle. This 42 that they're implementing will be just a trickle of the people. They'll stop and send back. It won't make a difference. We have to close the border. That's why we're working on the wall now.
INGRAHAM: Now today's speaker Dade Phelan in the Texas House signed a civil arrest warrant, Dan, for the first Texas House Democrat who returns from Washington. Now, the warrant to apprehend state Rep Philip Cortez is the first one signed by the speaker since all those Democrats fled to Washington, some of them got COVID. So what do we make of this at this point with the Democrats?
PATRICK: I have to be honest with you. Philip Cortez was in Texas, he was in the Capitol, or meeting with the Capitol leadership team. They should have held him then. Now, they put out the warrant after he left. Doesn't make much sense to me.
INGRAHAM: Why did they do that? That's weak.
PATRICK: I don't know, Laura. But we've got to be firm on this issue. We cannot have anarchy at the state Capitol by Democrats fleeing the Capitol. So they had time to keep them. I don't know exactly when they issued it, when he left, but they had time to keep him right then. And there are probably a few more Democrats in the state they could send DPS after their home or their house to bring them in. We've got to put an end to this, Laura.
INGRAHAM: Yes.
PATRICK: It's anarchy. Government has to function.
INGRAHAM: God, if Republican reps in Texas don't see the writing on the wall here, I don't - I mean, come on. Now, Dan, speaking of which, I have to get this request from - to this request from the fugitive Dems from Texas who are still in DC. Apparently, Dan, they're asking the public for care packages. They want Dr. Pepper, salsa, hard candy hairspray, travel toiletries, hand sanitizers, sewing kits, I bet they are doing some sewing, first aid and/or money to pay shipping. What? These are just - I mean, shameless.
PATRICK: Laura, pathetic.
INGRAHAM: Shameless.
PATRICK: They're shameless, pathetic. I mean, they are hanging up their underwear in a photo and they're griping about the food they're eating. Look, they made this decision. And in terms of a care package, guess what, more and more Texans don't care about them as every day goes by. They will keep a hardcore of their Democrats are rooting them on, and crazy Beto O'Rourke going around, saying he's helping them.
They are losing support day by day, especially with independents and with those of color in Texas. One of the reasons they're hammering us on SB-1, the new number for the voter election bill, which is a security bill, not a suppression bill, is because we are gaining more black and brown voters.
And they're trying to -- they talk about fear. They're the ones who are afraid. They're losing on border, they're losing on inflation, they're losing on defunding the police and crime.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: They're freaking. All right, we've got to go.
PATRICK: The only thing they can do is try to separate us by race.
INGRAHAM: Dan, I know you're going to send that Dr. Pepper tonight, so good luck getting to FedEx before it closes.
PATRICK: That'll be the day, Laura.
INGRAHAM: For the left only total compliance, total submission will do. No one is better than my next guest whose brand-new book addresses this head on. Here now, Ben Shapiro, host of "The Ben Shapiro Show," author of the new book "Authoritarian Moment" out tomorrow. Ben, congrats on the book, it's great to see you tonight. We've discussed this a lot on THE ANGLE, but the left wasn't just happy owning entertainment, higher education. Now they're looking to take over the military and other traditionally more conservative spaces. What does this tell us?
BEN SHAPIRO, AUTHOR, "THE AUTHORITARIAN MOMENT": The renormalization, Laura, of every single major institution in American life is continuing apace. And everybody can feel this. By polling data, literally the only people in America who by broad numbers feel comfortable saying what they think are people who exist on the radical left. If you're not on the radical left, you have to think twice about it, you're afraid of being socially ostracized, you're afraid of being fired. And it's because the institutions themselves have been changed and changed from the inside.
All it takes is about 20 percent of people at any given institution to renormalize the institution along their lines, so long as they're intransigent, so long as they're very loud, and so as there is cowardice within the institution. You've seen it happen in a wide variety of institutions all the way up and including places that conservatives thought were relatively safe -- corporate America, for example, or the military.
And as we see these stories rolling out, there will be blowback. We can just hope that the blowback isn't too little, too late here.
INGRAHAM: Ben, to your point, the Democrats are already putting a price. According to this new piece in "Politico," they may be losing ground on this, quote, "school equity plans." They're writing that people are scared, "Democrats appear to be underestimating parents' anger in places where Critical Race Theory is top of mind. Objections to new equity plans are not the sole province of conservatives but extend to many moderates and independent voters as well." Ben, they are just realizing if they're doing it to the military with the woke-sim, the schools, you're running into mama bears there in school, daddy bears.
SHAPIRO: That's exactly right. They can boil the frog only so long before people actually start to realize that the frog is boiling and they start to push back. The boiled frog eventually does try to jump out of the pot. We are at that point in the educational system. All the parents who basically had said I'm sending my kids to school, I'm going to leave them there, and all these goodhearted teachers, they are going to civilize my kids, make them better American citizens, they're beginning to realize, especially after the pandemic, especially after having to Zoom into class and see what teachers are actually teaching their kids, that this is a bad idea, that the heads of our institutions don't have their best interests at heart. And you're starting to see that silent majority, that silent middle, the people who up until now have been sort of conflict-averse, starting to say, well, I can't be conflict-averse anymore because you've not left me the opportunity to be conflict-averse. Either I stand up and I protect my kids, or I watch as my kids get perverted by ideologies that are blatantly anti- American, like CRT.
INGRAHAM: One final point, Ben, and it goes to the point of your book, now you have the ADL, the Anti-Defamation League, that are working with PayPal to try to stop funding so-called hate groups. People think KKK, OK, it's not really defined what the, quote, hate groups are going to be. What does this say to conservative organizations or others that could just be thrown into some list just because they disagree on some basic issues? Pick your poison on what issue. What does this tell us? What direction are we going in?
SHAPIRO: This is the scariest thing I think that's happening right is the perversion of neutral service providers in pursuit of a political end by the left. We saw this when Parler was kicked offline by Amazon webservices after January 6th. And now you're seeing it with PayPal, which is supposed to be, again, a neutral service provider. You just use it to pay your bills. And not they're saying OK, we're going to team up with the ADL, which is an overtly left-wing organization that is very broadly defined in the kind of content that they're seeking to target.
Authoritarianism doesn't just have to come from the government. It's not just people at the government level telling you what to do. It's the hijacking of institutions that matter in your life to ostracize you from your social community, and then push you outside of the boundaries of normal, everyday life. That's dangerous stuff. It polarizes the country. The left is doing it every single day.
INGRAHAM: Ben, thank you. Everyone go buy the book, "The Authoritarian Moment" is out tomorrow. And Ben, great to see you, congrats.
And Joe Biden drops a stunning admission, but why? Raymond Arroyo unpacks it all. "Seen and Unseen" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: It's time for our "Seen and Unseen" segment where we expose the big cultural stories of the day. And for that we turn to FOX News contributor Raymond Arroyo. Raymond, the Olympics, as I predicted on Friday, are failing to draw TV viewers. They once did, though, so what's going on?
RAYMOND ARROYO, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: The viewer drop-off has been severe, Laura. You predicted it properly. NBC hit a 33 year low in the ratings for the opening ceremony on Friday, down 37 percent from Rio in 2016. This should surprise absolutely no one. Most of the pregame coverage focused on woke Olympians talking about kneeling in protest rather than sport or pride in representing the USA.
And frankly, it shows. Controversial USA soccer captain Megan Rapinoe has been the face of the Olympic Games forum wall-to-wall over at NBC.
INGRAHAM: Her team lost huge, didn't they, last week against Sweden? And what was their greatest accomplishment on the field, just looking angry and kneeling before the first game? I don't know. But what else?
ARROYO: And still, NBC excitedly interviewed Rapinoe about her fiance Sue Bird who has chosen to be the U.S. flag bearer. And it creates the feeling, Laura, or the perception, that criticizing America's failings abroad is what the games are all about. So people tune out. Americans don't want to watch. And Team USA has not done that while. Our men's basketball team, including NBA player, one of your favorites, Kevin Durant, lost their first Olympic games since 2004 to France, of all countries. Our gymnastics team had a shaky Sunday performance, and swimmer Katie Ledecky, incredible swimmer, she was beaten by an Australian, whose coach reacted this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doc Brown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARROYO: You see him there, Laura. This is the guy you want at your wedding party. Look at these moves. This is excitement. I wish our athletes were this excited when they won an event, or in representing the U.S.
INGRAHAM: Katie Ledecky, I have to say this, I have to reveal this, but I know her. I haven't talked to her for a while, but I've known her, since she was a little baby I've known her. She's a class act. She was so classy in getting that Silver. She's an incredible competitor, she loves this country. She's an incredible --
ARROYO: And look, she practically matched her time. It's the third-best time she's ever had. She's got another event. I'm sure she'll do fine. Simone Biles should get much higher scores because she is outperforming everybody with the things she adds to her routines.
INGRAHAM: I love Simone.
ARROYO: And our swim team took him some gold, so that's all good.
Now time for another Olympic-sized event, Laura, "Free Stylin' Biden."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Joe, where are you? Come here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARROYO: Today the president introduced a congressman, but couldn't recall his -- where is he?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator Casey, Congressman Scott, Congressman -- where is he? There you are, Paul. You understand this better than anybody does. I want to thank you, Congressman, for all your work. And I want to thank you all for being here.
Second, by the way, where is mom? Mom, is she here? Oh, she's watching. OK, I thought she looked and said mom was out there. I was going to ask her to stand up. But mom, you can't stand up if you're home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARROYO: Why can't mom stand up when she's home. What is he talking about? Whose mom is he referring to here? But you know the amazing thing, Laura, no one in the media asked who is the mom he is referring to and what is happening with the president, why is he so confused?
INGRAHAM: The new normal. This is their new normal. It's just like Pelosi wants to vote at home forever. Never to show up at the Capitol again. And then Biden, that's the new normal, a man who can't remember any names.
ARROYO: If this were Trump or Reagan, it would be a very different tone. But this may be one of the most bizarre soundbites I have ever played for you, Laura. Biden was asked yesterday about immigration reform, then the president may have given us new insight to his personal hygiene. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Must it be in reconciliation?
(INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARROYO: Laura, online some are insisting the president is saying, I kid you not, "My butt's been wiped." We will do one more pass, then I'm going to let you flesh out the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARROYO: I'm so glad he is fresh all under. What you think he's saying there?
INGRAHAM: But, but, what, what? But, but, what, what? That is like a new rap. That should be my ringtone. That's going to be my ring tone. I've got to get the producers to clip that.
ARROYO: OK, we'll see if Apple can upload that to your phone. That will be a fun way -- my butt's been wiped.
INGRAHAM: I'll ask all my kids.
INGRAHAM: That is so disturbing, I don't know who came up with that, but it what it was a bit confusing.
ARROYO: You know what I think it is? Articulation. His articulation is shot. It's probably not what he was saying, but --
INGRAHAM: But, but, we've got to go. Raymond, thank you.
A college professor is threatening to sue his university over their COVID vaccine requirements. He is here next to explain why his lawsuit might change the conversation. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREGORY WASHINGTON, PRESIDENT OF GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: Cases on our campuses have been kept to a minimum with no known classroom transmissions.
The Delta variant is indeed a threat. In response, we are joining the growing community of universities requiring all faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated.
I realize this is a bold step, but we take it for the health and safety of every Mason patron.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: First of all, that's a creepy video with weird music. Despite minimal cases on campus, as you saw, George Mason University requiring everyone affiliated with the campus the still not approved by the FDA COVID vaccine, including my next guest, Professor Todd Zywicki. The professor says he already recovered from COVID, so he has taken multiple antibodies test to quell any fear from students. But that's not good enough for GMU. And Professor Zywicki is now threatening legal action. He joins us now. He's also senior fellow at the Cato Institute.
Professor, explain your posture currently with the university. It is an edict, it is a mandate to get the vaccine. Are there exemptions?
TODD ZYWICKI, GEORGE MASON LAW PROFESSOR: That's right, Laura, and it's great to be with you tonight. Basically, what it is, we contacted them last week with a long letter that said that I had natural immunity, that I consulted with my immunologist who has a PhD and has taught at both Harvard Medical School and Penn Medical School. And he said based on my current antibodies level and my current medical condition, that it is not in my interest right now two, at this time, to get a COVID vaccine.
The university said I can file for medical extension, but it's not an exemption like anybody thinks it is. All the exemption says is that I don't have to get the vaccine. What I would have to do is I would have to wear a mask. I would be limited in my ability to interact with students and my faculty colleagues. I would have to be tested every week. And meanwhile, everybody who qualified for the vaccine exemption wouldn't have to do any of that.
So basically what they want to do is treat me like a pariah. And they want to undermine my ability to teach my students. If I have to wear a mask in class, I can't teach my students to the best of my ability.
INGRAHAM: What is the reaction of your colleagues to your posture, currently?
ZYWICKI: Fortunately, my colleagues in the law school are great. And basically, they know their science, they know the science, and the science is very clear on this, which is that natural immunity after you've recovered from a COVID infection, after I've actually had to live through that once already, that it is at least as protective as the best vaccines on the market, and it's clearly more protective than the less protective vaccines such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The George Mason policy is so bizarre, Laura, that they finally decided that any vaccine approved by the World Health Organization would qualify. That includes garbage like the Chinese Sino vaccine, which is at best 50 percent protective level, and the way the studies by 16 percent for people about six months out. And that counts, but my immunity, which the World Health Organization itself says is 95 percent effective, does not count.
INGRAHAM: I have to say who's really to blame is the CDC, Fauci, the whole crowd at NIH for not proclaiming this from the rooftops. This is good news that we've millions of people recover from COVID. I know there's some problems with long COVID, but it's good news because you are broadly protected going forward, including against the variants. But this maybe an uphill battle on the legal fight until the Jacobson case is distinguished, smallpox this is not, or it's overturned. Professor, will you keep in touch with us, please, about how this goes moving forward?
ZYWICKI: I will, Laura. Thanks for talking to me. It was nice to talk.
INGRAHAM: Thank you for joining us.
What happens when Joy Reid is out on vacation? It gets a little cray-cray. The Last Bite explains.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
INGRAHAM: If you've ever wondered what's crazier than Joy Reid, her fill- in, step right up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why exactly does this committee have to be so bipartisan? It's like if you were prosecuting Dave Koresh, you're not ever thinking, we should get the Branch Davidians on the committee too, to get their perspective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: It's like insanity took the night off at the 7:00 p.m. over there. Oh, boy.
That's all the time we have tonight. Remember, Freedom Matters on the Web site. Gutfeld next.
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