This is a rush transcript from "The Story," June 19, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SANDRA SMITH, HOST: A tough job, only Spider-Man going to handle. Bret, good evening to you. Thank you.

Well, a packed House hearing today tackling what is emerging as one of the hot button issues of the 2020 campaign. The question of reparations for descendants of slaves. Lawmakers and advocates on both sides of the issue speaking out in an emotional, at times, fiery hearing on the Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE, D-TX: Role of the federal government in supporting the institution of slavery and subsequent discrimination directed against blacks is an injustice, it must be formally acknowledged and address.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, R-LA: Putting aside the injustice of monetary reparations from current taxpayers for the sins of a small subset of Americans for many generations ago. That -- let me finish.

DANNY GLOVER, AMERICAN ACTOR AND ACTIVIST: If we cannot tell ourselves the truth about past, we become trapped in it. And that's what we are, we're trapped in it.

COLEMAN HUGHES, COLUMNIST AT QUILLETTE: Black people don't need another apology.

SEN. CORY BOOKER, D-N.J., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The stain of slavery was not just inked in bloodshed, but in the overt state-sponsored policies that fueled white supremacy and racism and have disadvantaged African-Americans economically for generations.

BURGESS OWENS, FORMER PLAYER, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: Don't matter our color. We have become successful in this country like no other because of this great opportunity to live the American dream. Let's not steal that from our kids by telling them they can't do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Good evening, everybody. I'm Sandra Smith, in for Martha MacCallum. Many 2020 candidates say they would support looking into reparations. Though some including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have not yet spoken out on the issue. And speaking of the former vice president, he is in some hot water tonight over what some are calling a racially-charged gaffe after he said this about former Senate colleagues who were segregationists.

Saying, "I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland. He never called me boy, he always called me son. Well, guess what? At least there was some civility. We didn't agree on much of anything. But today, you look at the other side and you're the enemy."

The Biden campaign says he absolutely did not praise segregation. But 2020 opponents including Kamala Harris were quick to condemn those remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, D-CALIF., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To coddle the reputations of segregationist, of people who if they had their way, I would literally not be standing here as a member of the United States Senate. Is I think, it's just -- it's misinformed, and it's wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Mike Huckabee and Rochelle Ritchie, join me in just moments and all of that. But first, Republican Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina. Senator, good evening to you and thank you for being here.

SEN. TIM SCOTT, R-S.C.: Thank you, Sandra. Good to be with you.

SMITH: First up on the issue of reparations, where do you stand, sir?

SCOTT: Well, if this was 1865 or 1920, we could actually have a conversation about paying back those folks who provided so much free labor to this country. There is no question that slavery is a sin, but what we're not talking about today, we're not talking about slavery. What we're actually talking about, and what we should be talking about is progress.

I think what you saw today was a political show around reparations to create an atmosphere again in this country that I think is polarizing and divisive. What we should be talking about is a way forward that it's quite inclusive.

Education, making sure that every single zip code in this country has a high-quality education. We should be talking about the opportunity zone legislation signed by President Trump that brings back billions of dollars to the most distressed communities in America.

We should be talking about criminal justice reform done by the Republican Party that will create opportunities for returning citizens to not recidivate. There are a lot of topics that we should have.

I wish they'd have a hearing in the House about some of these topics and ways to move this nation forward together.

SMITH: But as far as the bill is concerned, Senator, do you -- do you like many of those 2020 candidates? They have not thrown their full support behind reparations. They are throwing their support behind a bill that would study and consider reparations. Do you support that?

SCOTT: I don't. The subject of reparations is 100 years too old from my perspective. We should look for ways to grow -- to grow our economy and give every single and American a chance to compete in the greatest economy in the world.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Well I wonder -- I wonder how your party will ultimately respond because this is emerging as a big issue.

SCOTT: Yes.

SMITH: At least, on the side of Democrats. It's coming up a lot. And you saw that hearing today, it got fiery at times.

Mitch McConnell is being criticized for some of his remarks today. Here is the Senate majority leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, R-KY: We've -- you know tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a Civil War, about passing landmark civil rights legislation. We've elected an African-American president. I think we're always a work in progress in this country. But no one currently alive was responsible for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, the 2020 contender Cory Booker quickly responded to those remarks. In a new interview, he said this to the Senate majority leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOOKER: Talking about somehow electing Barack Obama was tantamount to reparations, you know, just leaving that alone, and it's hard to do that. But one of the big strikes of ignorance that he said there is that somehow this is about a compensation, in other words, a writing a check to somebody and reducing this the urgency of this conversations to simply that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Senator, if I could just get you to respond to all of that.

SCOTT: Sure. First thing you have to do with Senator McConnell's comments is to bifurcate them to separate them out. His conversation around the civil rights movement, around issues, and objectives of the federal government to make up for the past sins was a clear contrast to the reparations.

He suggested that there is a way forward, and this country has been evolving in the direction of progress. And as a point, in fact, recognizing the progress this nation has made, we the nation, elected President Barack Obama, that was a sign of progress. It was not to be conflated with his comments around reparations.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: And you can see how -- and you can see how some saw it that way including Cory Booker. You know you go back to Barack Obama on this issue, and he has not throwing his support, at least, publicly behind reparations. We went back to an Atlantic interview with Barack Obama in 2016, Senator, he said this.

"I have much more confidence in my ability to mobilize the American people around an investment to help every child in poverty in this country than I am in being able to mobilize the country around providing a benefit specific to African Americans as a consequence of slavery and Jim Crow."

So, it will be interesting to see how he responds now the growing debate and conversation on Capitol Hill about reparations. Final thoughts from you tonight, Senator.

SCOTT: Yes. Bottom line, our nation has made so many leaps forward, we should keep our focus on what actually creates progress. But we know without question creates and leads to progress, strong powerful education system, and access to the greatest economy the world has ever known.

If we could put those two together and we did that, in 2017, under our tax reform bill, there are a number of ways I would love for us to dive deep into on why America is better today than it's ever been.

SMITH: Senator Tim Scott, we appreciate your time tonight, sir. Thank you.

SCOTT: Yes, ma'am.

SMITH: Here now, former Arkansas governor and Fox News Contributor Mike Huckabee and Rochelle Ritchie, democratic strategist, and former congressional press secretary. Good evening to both of you.

Governor Huckabee, join the conversation, what do you think?

MIKE HUCKABEE, CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the big question is, who pays who? I mean, if we're talking about people who never were responsible for slavery, paying people who were never slaves, and that's a big question.

I don't have a problem, Sandra, with having the discussion in the debate. Although, I don't know that Congress needs to pass a bill and spend taxpayer money for it. And if we're going to open this door, are we going to look at everybody who had some type of grievance? Are we going to look at Native Americans who certainly got a (INAUDIBLE)? What about Southerners, whose homes were burned down?

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Elizabeth Warren has suggested that, actually. Yes.

HUCKABEE: There were a lot of things that happened to people throughout the American history that were unfair. So, let's have the discussion, I'm all for that. But I really think you're going to have to ask yourself how broad does this discussion get? Is it limited solely to African Americans who, by the way, were enslaved largely because of policies put forth by Democrats?

It was Republicans who fought slavery who sought to create a freedom. And I just want here to be some honesty about that.

SMITH: Well, Rochelle, it's interesting to see the polling on this issue. You go back to a Fox News poll in April, asking are you in favor of reparations, 60 percent of respondents said they opposed them. And it just 32 percent said that they support them.

Now, if you break that down to Democratic primary voters, a majority do support reparations in some form and that's what you're hearing Kamala Harris and others calling for reparations in some form. Your thoughts, Rochelle.

ROCHELLE RITCHIE, FORMER CONGRESSIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: Well, the first thing I would say is that if the descendants of slave owners are able to benefit from slave labor, then why is it that the descendants of those slaves are not able to do the same?

I think a lot of people are looking at this whole reparations thing as another swarm of social welfare. They're looking at it as a handout, and that's not what it is. This is the United States trying to make, you know, amends for its sins of the past. And I would say --

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: I don't know that we've heard -- I don't know we've heard of a lot of that, but I've heard a lot of people on the right and the left, Nancy Pelosi saying this is a very challenging issue.

RITCHIE: It is a challenging issue, and this is what I will say. Yes, the Republican Party prides itself on being the party of Lincoln. Lincoln actually believed in reparations. It was Lincoln and his Congress that decided that free blacks should receive the 40 acres and a mule. And when he was assassinated, Johnson overturned that.

So, it's surprising to me, it's so here, Republicans come out and say, we're, we're the party of Lincoln and we, we freed the slaves. But then, when it turns around to say, well what about reparations for those people, it's oh no, let's not do that. And the United States has done this in the past.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: So, Rochelle, before we move on in this conversation, you do support reparations?

RITCHIE: Absolutely.

SMITH: And what -- and what form would you support them? What would you like to see, and who would get them?

RITCHIE: Well, I think that the, who would get them is really one of those things that's going to be I don't know how they would really determine. I mean, you would really have to go into a person's history and into their DNA to really determine -- you know, in fact, who is a descendant of a slave, people bring up Barack Obama. Barack Obama is not a descendant of a slave. His father is from African -- from Africa, and his mother is white.

So, the likelihood of Obama being a descendant of a slave is sort of a -- really ignorant comment.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: I think the question was where he stood on the issue was the question. Governor Huckabee?

HUCKABEE: Well, one of the things I would -- I would point out, my own parents certainly never owned slaves, nor did their ancestors. No one upstream for me ever, ever had slaves. My own parents lived in houses without electricity and running water. So, I wonder who's going to pay me for the disadvantage that I had as a result of having parents who grew up so dirt poor that the floors in my mother's house as a child (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

RITCHIE: But you were born -- but your ancestors are born in this country.

SMITH: Rochelle, last thoughts on that before I move on. Go ahead.

RITCHIE: Really quickly, though. With all due respect Governor Huckabee, your family was born in this country. A lot of African Americans descendants came from Africa.

SMITH: It's a big debate, guys.

RITCHIE: So, if this is not about, about being fair or unfair who deserves what, this is about America riding its wrongs. That's it.

SMITH: I want to -- I want to get last thoughts from Governor Huckabee, and I want to ask you and likely this discussion was heating up as we go into 2020, where you'll whole lot more on that. Your daughter last night upon that stage, here's the president on Sarah Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT: We're sort of going to be losing. I have a feeling she's going to be running for a certain gubernatorial position. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Thank you, Mr. President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Quite a moment on that stage, Governor. Might that gubernatorial position he referenced be the one you formerly held?

HUCKABEE: Well, I don't -- yes, I don't think she's made any decision of what's for the future. But her boss certainly has pushed her out of the nest, and sort of said, go run for governor of Arkansas.

Let me say this, if she does, I think she would have a wonderful chance of winning. And quite frankly, she'd be a great governor. Maybe as good as her old man.

SMITH: Is that going to happen?

HUCKABEE: Who knows? I think it could. And you know, she wouldn't have to be introduced or given a tour of the governor's mansion, she grew up there.

SMITH: Well, the president called her a warrior and said he was really going to miss her. Rochelle, final thoughts. So, it was a -- it was a big moment last night as the president launched his reelection campaign.

RITCHIE: Yes, I mean I think this is going to be really an exciting 2020 campaign. I think it's going to be very contentious, and I just hope that during all of these campaigns, we all respect each other's thoughts, you know as American.

SMITH: That's a great final thought and a great note to end on. Appreciate both your time tonight. Thank you.

HUCKABEE: You bet.

RITCHIE: Thanks.

SMITH: Well, breaking just moments ago, a significant update in the case of Red Sox star David Ortiz, who was shot in the Dominican Republic earlier this month. What the lead prosecutor is now saying.

Plus, the president firing up his base with a raucous rally to kick off Trump 2020. And Democratic rivals quickly pounced.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, I-VT, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's going to take me a little while to settle down because I just had the extremely unpleasant experience of actually watching Donald Trump in action for an hour and a half.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Ready? Make America great again. You ready? Keep America great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: And the crowd went wild. President Trump kicking off his 2020 campaign in Orlando last night raising nearly $25 million in the past 24 hours alone setting the Democratic frontrunner to take him on. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders quickly reacted in attack mode.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: An hour-and-a-half speech of lies, distortions, and total absolute nonsense. Listening to Trump made me feel very much that he is a man living in a parallel universe, a man way out of touch with the needs of ordinary people and a man who must be defeated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, that was Bernie Sanders. Then team Joe Biden wrote this. Let's be clear, President Trump inherited a growing economy from the Obama- Biden administration. And now he's in the process of squandering it.

Joining us now is Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush and a Fox News Contributor. Ari, good evening to you. Interesting for Biden to reference the robust economy that the president was touting last night, but then take ownership of it and credit for it.

ARI FLEISCHER, CONTRIBUTOR: Big mistake by Joe Biden. The last thing he wants to do is take the ownership of the economy that exists in 2016. If that economy was so good then Hillary Clinton would have been reelected or have been elected to Obama and Biden's third term. That didn't happen because the American people want to change.

SMITH: And then you saw that quick response from Bernie Sanders, a man who must be defeated referencing back to the 90 minutes that he just saw. Was is response effective?

FLEISCHER: No, because he looked terrible. You know, the rhetoric, the language, we're all used to that from the Democrats. The President is an abomination. They go over the top and their criticisms of him. But the way Bernie said it, I mean he just didn't look very presidential and image is a very important part of politics.

SMITH: Very interesting. It was quite a night last night and in that response Bernie sort of started by saying every --that he had to calm down after watching the president. It was a lot of energy. And then this morning to get the news Ronna McDaniel Chairwoman of the RNC, Ari, that the Trump campaign raised $25 million in the first 24 hours.

You look at the Democratic frontrunner Biden, Sanders, $6 million in their first 24 hours. $25 million, that's a lot of support and a lot of enthusiasm out of the gate, Ari.

FLEISCHER: Yes, the business has changed. I remember when you could raise that much in a quarter. It was good. But let's step back from these moments. The big picture still is mixed for the president. He goes into the reelection with two big favorable, one is the economy and a second his status as an outsider.

But it's his very status as an outsider that also has made so many people now rise up against him thinking he's too much of an outsider he doesn't fit. In so many ways, what's going to be tested in 2020 is whether the Trump campaign can deliver first-time voters, people who gave up on politics, people who hate politicians, but they're going to come out because they love Trump, versus what we heard for two or three years that Trump is terrible, Trump is not the what we want as a representative of this country, that he's over the top. And it's that rhetoric that allowed the Democrats to do well in 2018 in the House. Now it gets put to the test in 2020.

SMITH: I mean, there's the money raised in the first 24 hours $25 million. There was the crowds last night. But the polls, Ari, some are quick to discount them because of what we saw happen in 2016, but the polls are telling a different story showing in potential matchups frontrunners like Biden and Sanders beating the president. The President's 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale took that on and made this bold forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRAD PARSCALE, CAMPAIGN MANAGER, TRUMP 2020 CAMPAIGN: The abilities that we have to turn out voters, it's not -- the polling can't understand that. That's why it was so wrong in 2016. It was 100 percent wrong. Nobody got it right and not one public poll. And the reason why is it's not 1962 anymore. I think we went in electoral landslide as of today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: I think we win an electoral landslide, he predicted.

FLEISCHER: Yes, I'm not so sure. You know, I really do think you take a look at all the polls, you add them up, you figure out the direction. And if you're Donald Trump, you want to be winning in those polls right now against a person like Biden.

Now, I will say that Democrats have the advantage of generally being generic Democrats at this point. The president hasn't beat them up yet. He hasn't defined them as the Socialist, as the Liberals, as the spenders, as the out-of-touch people that is invariably going to happen in a very concrete way, but be careful on the polls.

For the President's people, the president's team, the polls really weren't that far off, Sandra. The final real clear average of polls in 2016 predicted Hillary would win by 3.2. She won the popular vote by two point one. They're only off by one point one percentage point. That is pretty darn close.

The difference was the President threaded the needle in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and did indeed defy the state polls in those three states to pull off the narrow victory having lost the popular vote. But still those polls are good indications of general direction, and the general direction should get better for the president if he's going to win.

SMITH: Very interesting analysis. Ari Fleischer, great to have you on. Thank you.

FLEISCHER: Thank you, Sandra.

SMITH: Still ahead on “The Story,” Jesse Watters covers the latest fallout over Parkland Survivor Kyle Kashuv's past racist comments. Plus Dan Bongino and Juan Williams, they are warming up. They are going to join us on what Speaker Nancy Pelosi is saying now about impeachment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: The timing is now on possible impeachment. We'll see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: Breaking tonight, a significant update in the shooting of former Red Sox star David Ortiz. The Dominican Republic's lead prosecutor now says Ortiz was not the target in that June 9th shooting. Another man dressed similarly to Ortiz who was sitting near him was apparently the intended target of that nightclub shooting.

It was allegedly orchestrated by a member of a Mexican drug cartel who has not yet been caught. Ortiz remains in the hospital, we're told, in Boston tonight. The doctor is saying his condition is now listed as good.

Also developing, Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying today she feels, quote, "no pressure to join her fellow Democrats calling for an impeachment inquiry into President Trump." But noting that if that's the route they pursue and there is sufficient evidence of criminal activity, only impeachment is a strong enough reprimand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When it does rise above all the other stuff for you? What is that trigger?

NANCY PELOSI, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: When we stop finding even more information. As I say, with me, this runs deep. Every day we see more. So why would we stop with a less strong case? I think the sense here is it's just a way out. If you want to go, you have to go. You know, if the goods are there, you must impeach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Here now Dan Bongino, the host of the "Dan Bongino Show," and a Fox News contributor, Juan Williams is the co-host of The Five and a Fox News political analyst.

Well, I've had a chance to catch up with Juan here, Dan. But to you first, because Nancy Pelosi says politics are not at play here. This was a roundtable discussion hosted by Christian Science Monitor and she really digs into this conversation. Politics not at play? Could that be?

DAN BONGINO, CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, that's hilarious. Of all the ridiculous things said in Washington, D.C., Nancy Pelosi hinting that politics aren't at play in an impeachment talk? Impeachment for watch, Sandra? Winning an election?

What did President Trump do, he was the victim of the biggest spying, political spying scandal in U.S. history, there was no evidence of obstruction of justice that would be a remotely convincing court case. It was absurd. So, Nancy Pelosi gets that that's why she is trying to tamp down this utterly absurd talk.

SMITH: And she suggested they have evidence but they just need to, Juan, gather more evidence to build a stronger case for impeachment. Well, there is evidence. Shouldn't the American people be privy to that?

JUAN WILLIAMS, POLITICAL ANALYST: There is evidence, and it's right there. I just don't think most people have read the Mueller report, but he outlines 10 specific items of obstruction of justice and says it's up to the Congress. He says let's let the process proceed.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: So, Juan, why wait? Why not pursuing impeachment now if that's the case?

WILLIAMS: Well, because, I think because Nancy Pelosi thinks that if you simply proceed with impeachment knowing that the Senate its majority held by Republicans it's unlikely that the president would be convicted and therefore the impeachment really would not remove him from office and would allow him to claim that he is a martyr to some kind of, you know, political act.

In fact, I just want to contradict what Dan said because I think Nancy Pelosi is under pressure from Democrats who say, forget the politics as to whether or not it helps us going into 2020 or doesn't, the Congress has a responsibility under its constitutional obligation as a first member of the government, you know, the three branches of government to hold the executive accountable and future presidents if they see this guy's behavior might behave even worse.

SMITH: She goes even further in this roundtable discussion, Dan, and talks about her lack of trust for the Attorney General Bill Barr.

BONGINO: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PELOSI: We will be having access to less redacted versions of the Mueller report. I've accepted that because I'm afraid, I really don't trust the attorney general of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: That's a big statement, Dan.

BONGINO: Yes. I'm not really sure what Juan is talking about here, my friend Juan who I respect greatly, but there is evidence of obstruction of justice.

So, Juan, let's just be clear, you have the former FBI director who was a skilled lawyer and was 20 plus, 30-year public servant and he had obstruction but because he was being a really nice guy, he didn't charge it?

Juan, I did read the Mueller report, I actually wrote two books on this case and I don't know if you realize it but Andy McCabe, the deputy director of the FBI was asked under oath by Senator Marco Rubio if there was any effort to obstruct the case and he said no.

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: Well, Mueller --

BONGINO: So, Juan, unless you're suggesting -- wait, wait, hold on. You have some information Bob Mueller and Andy McCabe don't. I don't know what you are talking about.

SMITH: All right.

WILLIAMS: So, let me just respond quickly. To say, Sandra, that what we heard from Robert Mueller in his brief press conference that because of Justice Department policy he did not think it was his place to indict a sitting president.

BONGINO: That's not what he said. That's not what he said, Juan.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: If I --

BONGINO: There are three witnesses in the Department of Justice that have him saying the exact opposite. That is a factual in the report.

WILLIAMS: It's in the report.

BONGINO: That's not correct.

SMITH: All right.

BONGINO: No, it's not in the report. And there are witnesses saying otherwise. That is wrong.

SMITH: All right. But Juan, and the respect is mutual, by the way, dan mention that.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

SMITH: Juan, I just want to ask you what direction you want to see your party go in here? Because now the calls are for Robert Mueller to testify, get Robert Mueller up there in some way or another, subpoena him if you have to do. Where is your party going with this next?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think there is such pressure coming from the base of the party to say listen, do not relent, don't give up because, you know, if you look at Barr, and this is what Nancy Pelosi was talking about, Sandra, he seem to spin the Mueller report and lead people to think there is nothing there.

SMITH: That's a big statement, Juan.

WILLIAMS: yes.

SMITH: That's a big statement.

WILLIAMS: I think that's why people want. But the question is, is it smart and do you do it in such a way that allows him to stay in office.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: I've got to go. You have five seconds, Dan.

BONGINO: He spin the report. Juan, he quoted Mueller in this one. I don't know what you're talking about.

WILLIAMS: No, he didn't.

BONGINO: You're just making stuff up. He quoted Mueller.

SMITH: All right. This conversation will continue.

WILLIAMS: Thanks, Dan.

SMITH: Thank you, gentlemen.

BONGINO: All right. See you on --

SMITH: All right. Up next, new fallout over Parkland survivor Kyle Kashuv past racist comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. REP. DAVID JOLLY, R-FLA.: See something, say something. We see a shooter and then we go back and we look at social media post and this is exactly what we see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: So, did those comments from a former congressman go too far? Wednesday with Watters. There he is, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE KASHUV, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR: At that time, it was really a friend group or who could say the most shocking thing in the most extreme thing for the sake of shock value. And I'm extremely sorry for it. And I wish I could have taken it back, but I can't.

All I can do right now is seek to right this wrong and I know that forgiveness isn't given, it's earned. I know that, you know, the person who wrote those things is not who I am today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: That was the parkland shooting survivor Kyle Kashuv on “The Story” this week apologizing for racist comments that he made two years ago when he was 16 years old that caused Harvard to yank his admission.

Now former Republican Congressman David Jolly is equating Kyle's social media post to the school shooter who murdered 17 of his fellow students and teachers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOLLY: These are the social media postings we see a shooter and we ask, where were the signs? See something, say something. We see a shooter and then we go back and we look at social media post and this is exactly what we see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Kashuv responded to that on Twitter saying, quote, "I've said repeatedly that I'm horrified by comments I sent a few years back. I'll spend years working to make it right. I will accept and learn from the criticism but I will not accept being compared to the shooter who murdered my classmates."

Here now for Wednesday with Watters, Jesse Watters, host of Watters World and co-host of The Five. Jesse?

JESSE WATTERS, HOST: Hi.

SMITH: What do you think? I mean --

WATTERS: Well, Jolly is a joke. I mean, you don't kick a kid like that when he is down. He is an adult and it's irresponsible for him to smear him in that way. But at the same time Harvard could do what it wants. There has no obligation to accept this kid, you can rescind it for any reason.

You have a Harvard man, you know, it's a character school, it's an elite school, do you want to associate yourself with someone throwing the n-word around. He's a high-profile young man, obviously a very bright man but I don't think it does Harvard any good to bring someone that has that kind of inflammatory profile into the community.

I understand redemption and I forgive him even though I'm in no position to forgive him, but sometimes life is about facing the consequences for what you do. I'm sure he'll be extremely successful later in life.

SMITH: It was his Google doc that emerged and these were comments that he made before that shooting ever took place, he used the n-word multiple times. He included the phrase killing all expletive Jews.

The Washington Post has to call him out, basically sort of taking the other side here, taking the side of the student, saying Harvard has betrayed its mission to educate.

In that piece it writes, "The decision to bounce an apologetic student over a sophomoric mistake betrays a lack of intellect -- intellectual confidence in that original mission. It's not the job of Harvard College, properly understood to certify a relative handful of perfect human specimens and train them in the proper expression of approved ideas. Education is about improvement. It is rooted in the faith that errors can become resources, ignorance can be enlightened, horizons can be expanded, improvement is the value from which learning thrives its moral character."

WATTERS: I mean, it's a good argument and I can see both sides of this. This guy is a Ben Shapiro protege who's extremely bright and I have a lot of respect for. But Harvard is its own university, it doesn't have to fall into any sort of pressure situation.

The real issue is, what kind of snake for political purposes went and then took these comments off of this internet situation and then leaked it to damage this kid Kyle for partisan reasons. That's really what the ugliness here is beside the comment.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Everybody has got a thought on that and we'll see where all that goes. I want to ask you finally about West Hollywood city council, they have voted --

WATTERS: Yes.

SMITH: -- to have Donald Trump walk of fame star removed.

WATTERS: Right.

SMITH: This has now been confirmed by the Hill that city council made this decision and they voted unanimously to approve of the removal of that. Sorry. I mean, aren't there-- isn't there a lot going on that that city has on its --

WATTERS: I mean, there's like an explosion and almost population they have to bulldoze the entire neighborhood of Skid Row, it's a mess in that city. But listen, Donald Trump is probably the biggest star living on the walk of fame right now.

I mean, huge TV celebrity, hit show Apprentice and now is the president of the United States, he is a historical figure, the most famous person in the world and because of petty partisan reasons they're going to just scrap the star? It just looks small, but it doesn't surprise me, it's Hollywood.

SMITH: And by the way, a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has said that they would never remove stars because of potential backlash, but it looks like they are making and exception, fascinating to watch.

Jesse, great show tonight.

WATTERS: Thank you very much.

SMITH: Thank you for doing this with us. Good to see you.

WATTERS: Thank you.

SMITH: Up next, a well-known reality star falls ill after traveling to the Dominican Republic.

Plus, the incredible story of a World War II veteran reunited with his first true love during a return to Normandy 75 years later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: A reality star known from the dating show "The Bachelor" now detailing her battle with a mysterious illness after traveling to the Dominican Republic. Melissa Rycroft is on the mend, but she says she felt ill with a fever and major stomach pains after a family vacation to the Caribbean hot spot.

Trace Gallagher is live from our West Coast newsroom with THE STORY. Hey, Trace.

TRACE GALLAGHER, CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Sandra. Anyone who follows Melissa Rycroft knows that she prides herself on her health and fitness. She is a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader contested on dancing with the stars. And as you said she won season 13 on "The Bachelor."

A few years ago, she went down to the Dominican Republic with her family and stayed at Nickelodeon Resort in Punta Cana. On her second day in the D.R., Rycroft got an upset stomach but it quickly passed, and she went on to say how much fun she had even posting on social media that she made memories of a lifetime.

But for when she got home, Rycroft said she got severe cramping and was miserable for days. Last Friday she went to the doctor and posted this, quoting, "After a really rough week I had been put on a liquid diet and given meds for my severe cramping. Fingers crossed this goes away in three days. Doc says next step is parasite testing, it doesn't."

Then yesterday she posted this, quoting. "More blood work done today. Blood pressure was 90 over 50, so they're monitoring it, but new meds are making me feel so much better. Test results by Thursday at the latest, but this is good progress."

We should find out more about her mystery illness tomorrow. She assumes it was some foodborne illness but nobody else in her family got sick. And of course, over the past year, nine American tourists have died in the D.R. and they share some very unusual common links like drinking alcohol from their hotel minibars and all of them died from heart attacks and/or water on the lungs.

In fact, one couple died of the same thing at the same time, at least five dozen others have gotten sick but recovered including a Colorado couple who eventually tested positive for pesticide poisoning.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating at least one of the cases and the FBI is viewing the toxicology results of those who died to see if they can better explain exactly what's going on. Sandra?

SMITH: A lot of question, So, Trace, thank you.

GALLAGHER: Yes.

SMITH: Also, tonight, a wartime love story 75 years in the making. K.T. Robbins was young army soldier when he met Jeannine Ganaye while stationed in France in 1944. The two quickly fell in love but not long after he was assigned to the front line.

For 75 years K.T. carried Janine in his heart even saving this photo of her assuming they would never cross paths again. But that all changed earlier this month when Robbins returned to France for the 75th anniversary of D- Day and was surprised to meet his long-lost love once again.

They greeted each other with hugs and tears. K.T. telling Jeannine he always loved her. Jeannine responding that she always hoped he would return. After a couple of hours together the two parted ways with "I love you." Here now in a Story exclusive is World War II army veteran K.T. Robbins.

How did you speak considering you both speak different languages? How did you communicate?

K.T. ROBBINS, WORLD WAR II VETERAN: Well, I knew a little bit of French. I would say hello and all that kind of thing, you know. And how are you doing? And all of that. I said what about your parents? What do they do? (Inaudible)

SMITH: Yes.

ROBBINS: But anyway, they began to get this large (Inaudible) And finally, I got acquainted with the family. And the girl and I became good friends and we kind of fell in love really. That's what happened. And so --

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: And then you both went on to live your separate lives, you both -- you both --

ROBBINS: Yes.

SMITH: You both ended up marrying different people and you lived your lives.

ROBBINS: We do.

SMITH: And then 75 years later the two of you reunited.

ROBBINS: Yes.

SMITH: What did you say?

ROBBINS: Seventy-five years later, well, we had to leave. We leave when we have the (Inaudible) speaking when I heard they said K.T., you are going to France. They are going to come get you in a car that get France from Paris, you are going to stay in a hotel the next day (Inaudible) and then the next day you are going to go on a bullet train and you are going to see Jeannine.

SMITH: Yes.

ROBBINS: But he didn't tell me that she was still alive. They said (Inaudible) found her daughter. But you've got and my partner said, K.T., she's alive. I said, wow, you mean she is really alive? He said, yes, she's alive. Then we get -- we get to the little town; she is at a nursing home. And all our friends had to kind of embrace and (inaudible). So K.T., walk forward, and we met and we embraced and what a glorious thing that one.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: It's a beautiful thing. Will you each other again?

ROBBINS: We are going to see each other again.

SMITH: That's fantastic and you'll continue your relationship.

ROBBINS: They told me that they are planning (inaudible) here now. Somebody I think going to pay their pay and probably they are going to spend a couple of weeks with me, it's going to be great.

SMITH: I know you said it was the best day of your life.

ROBBINS: It was one of the best days of my life, yes. Probably the happiest day of my life. But that was a great one after 75 years.

SMITH: It's a great outlook. And what a life that you have lived and what a moment that was. K.T., we really appreciate you.

ROBBINS: Imagine --

SMITH: Yes, go ahead.

ROBBINS: Seventy-five years. Imagine, 75 years. I didn't find her picture till late. And one of my neighbors happen to find it, find the picture in my house. I said, that's Jeannine Ganaye. And all the feelings came back after that.

SMITH: Well, we are looking at that picture now and we're looking at you as a young man, a young soldier there.

ROBBINS: Yes.

SMITH: And we appreciate your service and what you did for this country. And we're so thankful that the two of you have been reunited many years later. Thank you for telling your story here tonight here, K.T.

ROBBINS: Yes, ma'am.

SMITH: It's an honor to meet you.

ROBBINS: It's great.

SMITH: Thank you. A special man, K.T., thanks again. More of THE STORY next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not a racist bone in my body. I've been involved in Civil Rights my whole career. Period, period, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, that was Joe Biden a few moments ago responding to the backlash we told you about at top of the hour over working with a former senator who supported segregation. That is our “Story” for tonight. Thank you for joining us. See you in the morning. Tucker Carlson is up next.

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