'Special Report' All-Star panel on potential gun, police reform

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Hurt: Americans looking toward guns for safety as Dems call them the problem

'Special Report' panel discusses potential gun and police reform on the anniversary of George Floyd's death

This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," May 25, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILONISE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER: My sister called me at 12:00 last
night. She said this is the day that our brother has left the earth. Just
devastating.

REP. ILHAN OMAR, (D-MN): Not only do we need to defund, but we need to
dismantle and start anew.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: You can use a snappy slogan like
"Defund the police" but you know you lost a big audience the minute you say
it.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know Republicans have
their own ideas and are engaged in a very productive discussions with
Democrats in the Senate. We need to work together to find a consensus, but
let's get it done next month, by the first anniversary of George Floyd's
death.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: President Biden calling for reform, police reform legislation by
today. And it didn't happen. All sides are saying they are making progress
in this front. But as you look at violence around the country, look
specifically in Minneapolis, and that is up 113 percent increase in
homicides, 15 percent increase in violent crime year-to-date, $8.8 million
cut from police funding since July of 2020, and nearly 200 officers in
Minneapolis left in the last year alone after the protests and after all of
the fallout.

What about all of this? Let's bring in our panel, Charles Hurt, opinion
editor for "The Washington Times," Harold Ford Jr., former Tennessee
Congressman, CEO of Empowerment and Inclusion Capital, and Ben Domenech,
publisher of "The Federalist." Ben, your thoughts on this day and what
we're seeing around the country, the fallout from all of this.

BEN DOMENECH, PUBLISHER, "THE FEDERALIST": Well, this is an anniversary as
well of another event, which is 60 years ago John F. Kennedy addressing a
joint session of Congress and calling to put a man on the moon and safely
return him within the next decade. That was something that required
American unity. It required to us work together and try to achieve
something that seemed impossible at the time.

I think, unfortunately, when we reflect on this past year, it's a
reflection on how you had a moment of American unity around the George
Floyd incident that could have led to something good, but it didn't.
Instead, it led to more division, it led to riotousness and violence. It
led to the loss of dozens of lives of innocent people, not at the hands of
cops but in these violent protests that played out across the country where
we saw many cities affected by rape, arson, increases of violent crime in
ways that do nothing to credit or to serve the interest of police reform or
pay tribute at all to George Floyd or his tragic death.

This to me is a real missed opportunity, a missed year of a moment in which
we might have seen some progress toward needed reforms of policing in
America. Instead, the media and other entities saw fit to turn this into
one of racial strife. And the siege that we saw of police precincts and the
White House and other areas across the country ultimately led to us today
where there has been no major legislative achievement to try to change
anything in America when it comes to policing.

BAIER: I mentioned the 200 police officers that left the Minneapolis
police force. Steve Dykstra is one of them. He was on this morning. And
then I want to play the former Seattle police chief who also left her job
about media coverage of all of this. Let's play them back to back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE DYKSTRA, FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER: We always talk about the
victims of police violence, but there are overwhelmingly more victims of
violent crime, and many of them are minorities, but black and brown bodies
that BLM is always talking about, they are victims of crime. And they need
protection.

Which lives matter? Just the ones affected by police brutality in rare
instances, or is it all those lives, including victims of crime?

CARMEN BEST, FORMER SEATTLE POLICE CHIEF: The destructive behavior, for
whatever reason, I'm not sure if there is a political reason or otherwise,
did not get the level of publicity or media attention. I would read stories
about the peaceful protest, and I would go part of it was peaceful, but I
was standing like 20 feet away from a hail of rocks. I was looking right at
them, held down, see from behind a telephone pole.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then you read the media and find that they are pretty
much gaslighting you. It never happened.

BEST: No, it was just peaceful protesting. When police do it, it's to
unleash teargas and pepper spray. And it just wasn't true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Harold, what do you think of all that?

HAROLD FORD JR., FORMER TENNESSEE REPRESENTATIVE: Well, first off, thanks
for having me on. This day is one that we didn't want to have to
acknowledge, a one-year anniversary. I have a little different point of
view than Ben does on this. I think police in our country -- I'm an
advocate for police. I believe that the majority, the overwhelming majority
of police officers are people of high ethics and valor and honor, and I
think it would behoove all those police officers who are not, the ones who
are not, to behave more like the ones who are. I don't need really much
more evidence to know that there are some examples and some egregious
examples of police abuse. And oftentimes it falls at the hands of people of
color.

Having said that, I am more optimistic that a reform bill can be gotten to
before summer starts, or before summer actually starts in June. I guess we
are getting ready for Memorial Day now. And I'm a believer that we can find
ways to come together. The awareness that's happened since this a year ago
I think has made everyone from the biggest quarters and C-suites across the
country to the smallest business owner to every police officer in the
country understanding a little bit better.

And I'm hopeful that we're going to find answers to these challenges. But
we can't be naive to call for defunding the police, and we can't be equally
naive and suggest that there is not a problem. There is an issue. We are
smart enough, we're good enough as a country to address it and find real
constructive, sustainable answers to it. And I trust that not only
legislatively we will find those answers, but I think we're coming together
as a humanity, as a humanity of people are finding -- is finding its way
out, and we are going to find ourself to a better place if not will ourself
to a better place.

BAIER: Charlie, President Biden is saying he sees optimism in negotiations
on police reform. Senator Tim Scott after talking to the Floyd family said
he was pleasantly surprised where things were. But, as far as advancing
that ball, we haven't seen the legislation move as of yet.

CHARLES HURT, OPINION EDITOR, "THE WASHINGTON TIMES": Yes, and let us not
forget that Tim Scott was called by Dick Durbin, his proposals to try to do
something about this, he was -- they were called a token effort by Tim
Scott. And they were -- and, of course, his efforts, his proposals were
very serious.

But it's a stark reminder that even something that has a lot of bipartisan
support across the country, a willingness to look at this issue and say
maybe we can do something about this, maybe there are problems here that
need to be addressed, it gets to Washington and it just dies. And we should
be very clear about who it is that is doing this. Unfortunately, Democrats
aren't listening to smart Democrats like you, Harold. They are listening to
crazy lunatics in their party, and they are pushing this line about
defunding the police.

And they are looking at a horrible tragedy like this, a tragic death. And
instead of seeing trying to find ways to fix the problem or fix things that
led to it, they see an opportunity to play politics and gain some sort of
political advantage off of it. And it's the most disgusting thing
imaginable.

And then one last point I think is very important. The White House looks at
the situation and they see a gun problem? My goodness. Have you been to a
gun store lately? Most Americans don't think this is a gun problem. They
think it's a crime problem right now, and guns are the answer. They are
buying guns. You can't buy ammo in this country today because everybody is
buying it up and keeping it on hand because they are very worried about
their safety.

And if people -- if Democrats and Republicans want Donald Trump to go away
and never come back, all of this is playing right into the hands of
ensuring that somebody like Donald Trump or Donald Trump himself wins in
2024.

BAIER: Yes, a law and order campaign is forming if it continues like this.
Panel, stand by.

Some news today. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has been
ordered to pay $1.35 million to plaintiffs in a lawsuit over his pandemic
related church lockdown. That's all coming to us from "The Washington
Examiner." It says the order also demanded today Newsom stop regulating
church attendance unless a specific set of infection statistics occurs.

Up next with the panel, President Biden sets the date for a summit with
Russian leader Vladimir Putin. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): If efforts
from both sides take place, we can count on relieving a certain tension. It
will not be fast or easy. As we stated more than once, we've positively
judged a proposal of the president, Joe Biden, to hold a summit.

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Putin had indicated he
wanted to meet with me well over a month ago. I've spoken with him a number
of times.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't expect everything to be
solved at the end of this meeting, but we think that it is in our interest
to have the meeting, which is why we proposed it to the president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were there any preconditions?

PSAKI: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Well, they will be meeting in Geneva in a few weeks. The president
on the way out Marine One also said it was too late for the Nord Stream 2
sanctions to take place. He said the pipeline was almost completed by the
time he took office, and it would be counterproductive to say that European
relations would be affected. I'm against it, but it's too late, essentially
is what he said. But there is an election in Germany coming up, and the
leading group that possibly could win, taking over for Chancellor Angela
Merkel, is a Green Party that is opposed to that pipeline. So what then?

We're back with our panel. Ben, this is an interesting play as Russia
continues to poke the U.S.

DOMENECH: An interesting play. I think it's a disappointing play in a lot
of different ways. I can only imagine what then candidate Joe Biden would
be saying if then President Trump had been engaged in a lot of these
different activities that are essentially playing very softly with Russia.

I'm going to be curious about a number of things coming out of this
meeting, but one of the big things I will be paying attention to is if the
subject of Alexei Navalny is even brought up. To me that's something that
has to be brought up in any conversation with Vladimir Putin regardless of
anything else that's on the table because of the importance of that issue.
It will be interesting to see if Joe Biden does that.

BAIER: Charlie?

HURT: It's just amazing, the bottom line here is Joe Biden might be
against the pipeline in Europe, but he green lighted it. And, of course,
here in the United States, the first thing he did, one of his first actions
as president was to kill a pipeline in the United States. Who is he working
for? I don't know.

BAIER: Well, take a listen to criticism of this summit, Harold.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICK SCOTT, (R-FL): Russia tries to poke the United States in the eye
every day they can. So, he is a thug. He is not a friend. It would be nice
if something could happen out of it.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We may have forgotten over the
last couple of years, but this is how diplomacy works. We don't work
together, we don't meet with people only when we agree. It's actually
important to meet with leaders when we have a range of disagreements, as we
do with Russian leaders. So we don't regard the meeting with the Russian
president as a reward. We regard it as a vital part of defending America's
interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: For all the years of Democrats criticizing President Trump for
being what they said was too close to Russia or somehow being a Russian
agent, it does seem like the policies of the Biden administration are a
little softer than what the Trump administration was to Russia.

FORD: I would differ there. I think this president, no president in my
lifetime has brought more experience, with the exception of possibly
President George H.W. Bush, around foreign policy than this president. He
has been blunt. He has been serious. He has been forthright, and he has
been transparent about what he wants to get done here.

Look, I think Ben is right, he has to raise the Navalny issue, and I'm sure
the president will. President Biden also knows that President Putin is
facing joblessness and corruption that's abound in the country. So he will
be blunt with him. President Biden also knows that our real adversary of
the 21st century, where the economic fight is to be engaged is with China.
So I have great confidence that the president will find the right tone, the
right temperament, and more importantly, the right substantive blunting of
Russia in this meeting in Geneva.

BAIER: And there's questions about China as well, whether he has the same
talking points there on that front as well.

OK, panel, stand by. When we come back, tomorrow's headlines tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Finally tonight, a look at tomorrow's headlines with the panel.
Charlie?

HURT: Inflation is back, and it's going to become a major issue for
voters, up there with violent crime and the border invasion.

BAIER: OK, Harold?

FORD: Women had to work 42 more days than men in 2020 to earn the same
pay. I have got a solution for this. Pay women the same the same as we pay
men for the same jobs.

BAIER: OK, there you go. Ben?

DOMENECH: Real American Hulk Hogan announces that he is coming out of
retirement to kick John Cena's red China loving butt.

(LAUGHTER)

BAIER: I like to see where that headline is running. That was quite
something, wasn't it today, with the Mandarin?

DOMENECH: That's enough Mandarin, John.

BAIER: OK, guys, thank you very much.

Tomorrow on SPECIAL REPORT, as the American economy revs up, one thing that
may be holding it back across the board, a lack of truck drivers. We'll
take you on that drive around the country. It's a big deal.

Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That's it for this SPECIAL
REPORT, fair, balanced, and still unafraid. FOX NEWS PRIMETIME hosted this
week by Lawrence Jones starts in five seconds. Lawrence?

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