'Fox News Sunday' on November 5, 2023

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Mike Johnson: ‘We have to take care of our own border first’

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., discusses the House bill passed to combat antisemitism on ‘FOX News Sunday’ and criticizes Democrats’ ‘tone-deaf’ response to the GOP’s plan to link border and Ukraine funding.

This is a rush transcript of ‘Fox News Sunday’ on November 5, 2023. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Secretary of State Blinken makes a surprise trip to the West Bank today, as he tries to stop the conflict from widening through the region. Meanwhile, here in Washington, a major roadblock on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BREAM (voice-over): The future of the House-approved standalone aid package for Israel in limbo.

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD): The House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate.

BREAM: A big win for the new speaker of the House could be short-lived as critical funding for Israel's fight against Hamas and Ukraine against Russia gets caught up in political wrangling.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We want to pair border security with Ukraine because I think we can get bipartisan agreement on both of those matters.

BREAM: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson will join us exclusively to talk about his first full week on the job and his plan to avoid a government shutdown just days from now.

And --

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We provided Israel advice that only the best of friends can offer on how to minimize civilian deaths, while still achieving its objectives of finding and finish Hamas terrorists.

BREAM: Secretary Blinken back in the Middle East, meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

While back home, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators turned out on the streets of America, calling for a ceasefire.

Democratic Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed, joins us, only on "FOX News Sunday".

Then, Election Day just two days away in key bellwether states for next year's presidential election, including battleground Ohio. Abortion is on the ballot and whether the right to have one should be added to the state's constitution.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joins us exclusively.

Plus, Republicans look to win a trifecta government in Virginia. We'll look at what a big win could mean for Governor Youngkin's political future and ask our Sunday panel about who needs to have the biggest night in this week's third GOP presidential debate.

All, right now, on "FOX News Sunday".

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BREAM (on camera): And hello from FOX News in Washington.

Israel's ground assault into Gaza continues, as Israeli troops battle Hamas militants in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks on Israel.

Back Stateside, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters flooded the street of the nation's capital, demanding not only a ceasefire in the conflict, but also an end to any U.S. military aid to Israel.

It all comes as a tense time for Congress. There's a brand new speaker of the House looking to make his mark, decoupling Israel and Ukraine aid, a move that appears to face a certain death in the Senate. And yet another government shutdown is looming.

In a moment, we will speak exclusively with the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.

But, first, we turn to FOX News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on the ground at the Israel-Gaza border with the very latest.

And I understand, Trey, you may some incoming fire there.

TREY YINGST, FOX NEWS FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Shannon, you don't see me on camera right now, we just had sirens sounding and in this location, we've got about 10 seconds to get to cover. This area has taken a number of direct hits over the past several days.

But this comes as the fighting rages on inside Gaza nearly a month into the war between Israel and Hamas. We got a first hand look at the battle unfolding inside the Gaza Strip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YINGST (voice-over): Israeli bulldozers flanked by tanks and machine guns push deep into Gaza, nearly a month into the war and more than a week into the ground invasion. These troops must fight for each block of territory.

For the first time since the conflict erupted, the Israel Defense Forces are taking a small group of journalists into the fight.

Right now, we're with the Israeli military in an armored personnel carrier. The Israelis have cut the Gaza Strip in half. They fought their way to the Mediterranean Sea and encircled Gaza City. They're waiting now for the orders to go further in.

Seconds after arriving on outskirts of Gaza city, the crack of gunfire pierces the air.

IDF SOLDIER: So, right now, we are in --

YINGST: Israeli troops move carefully over mounds of dirt and debris. They understand Hamas can target from above and below ground.

IDF SOLDIER: We find two tunnels and now, we're going to destroy them.

YINGST: While Israeli troops focus efforts on destroying the tunnel network of Hamas Palestinian militants are still able to surprise and ambush them.

Right now, the Israelis are engaged in a gun battle with Hamas militants inside the Gaza Strip, they are working at this hour to go block by block and clear this area, trying to get to the Mediterranean Sea, effectively cutting the northern part of Gaza from the southern part.

As this is taking place, they've been ambushed. They've lost more than two dozen of their own soldiers and the battle continues.

Eight days ago the Israelis invaded with two missions, to hunt down Hamas leadership and bring hostages home. The latter is proving to be far more difficult.

LT. COL. GILAD PASTERNAK, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: We know that the hostages, most of them, inside Gaza City, not inside the suburb area, but inside the tunnels underneath the city. We are doing everything we can in order to free them.

YINGST: Lieutenant Colonel Gilad Pasternak is fighting his third war. The 38-year-old is in charge of five battalions.

His soldiers include those like Jeremiah Wallace who's originally from Philadelphia. He moved to Israel to join the army. Now, he points to why the war began.

JEREMIAH WALLACE, ISRAELI SOLDIER: We are here. We're coming after terrorists. We're coming after people that came into Israel that killed civilians, killed men, women and children, kidnapped them, as well. And we're coming -- we're coming back for them and we won't leave until -- until that's taken care of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YINGST (on camera): Something that struck me was the level of destruction inside Gaza. Currently, there are more than a million Palestinian civilians internally displaced, many of them have no homes to return to -- Shannon.

BREAM: Trey Yingst, thank you to you and your team for taking us places no one else is going. We so appreciate it. Thank you, Trey.

FOX News' Alexandria Hoff is traveling with the president. She joins us now from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where the president continues to be briefed.

Hello, Alex.

ALEXANDRIA HOFF, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Shannon, and good morning to you.

Yeah, aside from briefing from Secretary of State Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, all has been quiet here in Delaware. The president 100 miles from the White House where last night, pro-Palestinian protesters, they vandalized the fence and attempted to climb a wrought-iron gate. We are told no arrests were made.

The demonstrators are voicing anger for president's support of Israel and refusal to back a ceasefire. Instead, the administration has been pushing for a humanitarian pause in military operations ion Gaza to get aid in and hostages out. The president was asked about that yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Mr. President, any progress made on the humanitarian pause?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOFF: The president gave a yes there, thumbs up. The idea was seemingly, though, rejected by Prime Minister Netanyahu when Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Tel Aviv on Friday. Israeli officials want Hamas to release these some-240 hostages first and Blinken dismissed calls this weekend by Arab leaders for the U.S. to back an immediate ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMEH SHOUKRY, EGYPT FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We are still asking for an immediate ceasefire and that Israel would stop hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid.

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: It's our view that ceasefire now would simply leave Hamas in place able to regroup and repeat what it did on October 7.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOFF: A ceasefire was also likely urged by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas when Blinken made an unannounced stop in the West Bank today.

Meanwhile, the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group has now made it to the Red Sea, joining a massive naval power intended to send a message to Hezbollah and Iran that the U.S. is prepared to strike if any U.S. interests are harmed.

And on Capitol Hill, another message for new House Speaker Mike Johnson after House approved more than $14 billion in aid for Israel in a standalone funded by cuts to the IRS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, NSC STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: The president would veto an only-Israel bill. I think that we've made that clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOFF: Now, the House did reject a more broad $106 billion aid package that was requested by the president that include aid for Ukraine, as well, Shannon.

BREAM: All right. Alexandria Hoff with the president in Delaware -- Alex, thank you.

Joining us now is the new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.

Welcome to "FOX News Sunday".

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Hey, Shannon. Great to be with you.

BREAM: All right. I want to play a little bit more of what happened here in Washington yesterday. Estimates are this pro-Palestine rally was up to 100,000 people. We've got images of it and of what transpired last night when some of them took to the White House defacing one of the gates there, climbing on the gates.

Are you surprised at all by the amount that we've seen of this kind of response -- and I have -- to be fair, a lot of people I saw in that rally yesterday were very much worried about civilian lives that are being lost in Gaza. But there were others who were saying things that were clearly indicative of making sure that Israel no longer exists on the world map.

JOHNSON: Yes, no. We -- it is surprising to see this level of antisemitism that has sprung up around the country. Apparently, it's been dormant for a while, but this has given rise to that. And we're deeply concerned about it.

The opening to the program today, Shannon, I think gave a great snapshot of the crisis that Israel faces. And that's why, right off the block, as soon as I became speaker, within the hour, we passed a resolution to make clear that Congress stands by our great friend in that region, we always will. And then we passed, as you saw, our first priority is an emergency immediate funding aid to Israel so they can defeat Hamas and protect and continue as a nation. That's what's at stake.

I spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Saturday evening a week ago and he said this is a battle between good versus evil, light versus darkness. I could not agree and the world can see that.

BREAM: So, you passed a standalone measure, but the man who runs the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has this to say about what you passed in the House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: The proposal is simply not a serious one, and worse, it still wastes precious time at a moment when we need to help Israel, Ukraine and send humanitarian aid to Gaza ASAP.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BREAM: And it's not just Democrats. This is the headline from "The Hill", "McConnell and Speaker Johnson sharply divided on the year-end strategy."

So, Democrat and Republican leaders over in the Senate say there's no way the stand-lone measure gets anywhere. The White House has said it would veto it anyway.

So, with time of the essence, the urgency here, why waste time on a measure that has almost zero chance of actually aiding the Israeli people?

JOHNSON: Shannon, it's really surprising to hear Senator Schumer say that it's not a serious proposal. It's actually is what was requested, $14.5 billion.

What they don't like is that in the House, we're trying to be good stewards of the taxpayers' resources. We offset that spending. Instead of printing new dollars and/or borrowing it from another nation to send over to fulfill our obligations and help our ally, we want to pay for it. What a concept, and we're trying to change how Washington works.

And so, by taking that money from this giant fund, over $65 billion that's sitting there to build up the IRS, we weighed those priorities and said, you know what? It's more important to protect Israel right now than it is to hire more IRS agents.

BREAM: Well --

JOHNSON: Apparently, Senator Schumer disagrees with that. But I'll take that debate to the American people all day long.

BREAM: Well, he's pointing, as others are, to the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan group that scores these things. And they said actually, if you take that funding from the IRS, it's going to add billions to the deficit because you cut IRS personnel. They are not then collecting that revenue that they bring in.

One of your House colleagues, Democrat Brendan Boyle, put it this way. He says you are prioritizing, quote, deficit-busting tax giveaways for the wealthy over helping Israel.

JOHNSON: Look, only in Washington can you cut funding, add a pay-for to a new spending measure, and they say it's terrible for the deficit.

Listen, we're taking care of our priorities and we will. We know that these other important measures that right there on the table and we're working through it hour by hour, day-by-day and we're going to meet those obligations. But we have to do things in the proper order and we are committed to changing how Washington works.

I think you see a united and energized House conference. All of our members are working together in good faith trying to solve these great challenges that we face, and I'm very optimistic that we're going to do that. But we are going to also change the trajectory we're on.

Shannon, right now, we have $33.6 trillion federal debt. Just last week, the Treasury Department and the Biden administration announced that we're going to have to borrow over $1.5 trillion over the next two quarters, six months, to continue our operation as a government.

This is not a sustainable track. We can take care of our obligations and we can do it in a responsible manner and that's what we're committed to.

BREAM: OK. So, there's been talk that you want to quickly offer up Ukraine aid, of course, in a separate measure, potentially tying the U.S. border and security issues to that.

A group of Democrats say this and there's opposition from both sides on that plan, as well. But they say: Republicans can't move their extreme, cruel anti-immigrant agenda through the regular legislative process. So, they're trying to make an end-run around Congress and exploit two foreign wars to force it into law.

They say Republicans don't actually want to work on things that would change the problems at the border, beefing up port entry, personnel, things like more legal pathways to citizenship and getting at a root crosses -- causes of migration.

So, are there things that you can work on, and you can get bipartisan buy- in in attaching that to Ukraine aid, or is this going to be about holding your caucus together and getting all the Republican votes where you have very small majority?

JOHNSON: What this is about is advancing the agenda and first priority is the American people. I don't know which Democrat gave you that absurd quote, but they're clearly not listening to their constituents.

If you go into the country, people will say, look, we understand our role as a leader in the free world, we understand that we're the great superpower that needs to assist and ensure that freedom survives. But we have to take care of our own house first, and securing our border is an essential priority to American people.

So they're not listening to their constituents, I think that's a tone-deaf response. Again, we can do all of these things together. But when -- when you couple Ukraine and the border, that makes sense to people because they say, if we're going to protect Ukraine's border, and we have to do what is necessary there, we don't want Vladimir Putin to prevail. We can't afford that.

The free world can't afford that. But we have to take care of our own border first. And that's what we're saying. This is policy changes that are necessary. There's a growing consensus in the Congress, certainly amongst Republicans, but also even some across the aisle who recognize we have to change what is happening over 6.3 million illegal crossings since Joe Biden took office. It's more than the population of my state. We cannot continue this and everyone knows it and the fentanyl that's come over the border of human trafficking, the cartels making billions of dollars on our backs. We're going to stop that. And the House Republicans are committed to it. I think that people are with us, Shannon.

BREAM: So what as we talked about spending more dollars on those things, our border, Ukraine, more tax dollars flowing into those things. We're running out of money here again, in a couple of weeks. Are we going to have another continuing resolution that temporary financial band-aid, how long would it last? Would it be clean? Are you going to try to attach other things to it?

JOHNSON: The reason I look a little haggard this morning, Shannon, is because it was up late last night. We worked through the weekend. On a stopgap measure, we recognize that we may not get all the appropriations bills done by this deadline of November 17. But we're going to continue in good faith.

And the difference between what we call on Capitol Hill and continuing resolution now and what we've dealt with in years past is that this would allow us time and everybody understands, allow us time to continue this appropriations process. We're committed to bringing 12 bills to the floor as the law -- statutory law requires Congress to do that hasn't been done in many years. But again, we're changing the way Washington works because we believe it needs to be more accountable and more transparent for the people. And so we're going to fight that fight every single day. And we'll get that job done.

BREAM: OK, I want to talk about some social issues. You got a lot of critics who say that you're wildly out of step with the American people. Let's talk abortion first. One of the groups opposing you says this. He wants a total abortion ban with no exceptions. He supported bans that would not only criminalize abortion, but ban IVF treatments, and common forms of birth control. And that you voted against access to contraception. Where are you on these issues? Is that an accurate assessment of where you are? Because that's not in step with the American people?

JOHNSON: No. Shannon, look, I'm pro-life. I've said very clearly, I'm a Bible-believing Christian. I believe in the sanctity of every single human life. So I come to Congress with deep personally held convictions. But guess what, sort of, my 434 other colleagues in the House, everyone comes to Congress with their deeply held convictions. But the process here is that you make law by consensus. And I've not brought forward any measure to address any of those issues.

Right now, our priorities are funding the government, handling these -- these massive national security priorities that we have in crises around the globe, and taking care of changing and reforming how Congress works. That's what we're going to do.

Listen, I -- prior to the modern time, I mean, until recently, actually, almost all of our nation's leaders openly acknowledged that they were also Bible-believing Christians. So I mean, this is not something that should cause great unrest. OK, it's just that Washington right now, what you're seeing, Washington and the Associated Press Corps are engaging with a leader who openly acknowledges faith and in the foundational principles of our country.

BREAM: OK, but --

JOHNSON: I think this is a healthy discussion, but it doesn't affect how we run Congress.

BREAM: To be clear, though, have you voted against fertility treatments and access to contraception? Would you?

JOHNSON: I don't -- I don't think so. I'm not sure what they're talking about. I really don't remember any of those measures.

BREAM: But do you oppose anything --

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNSON: I am personally pro-life, yeah. No, no, of course not. No, that -- that's something that's blessed a lot of families who have problems with fertility, of course, that's a great thing. I would support that.

But, look, again, these are not issues that are on the front of the agenda, and we can come with our convictions and we can govern in an accountable transparent manner for the American people. And that's what -- that's what we're going to do.

BREAM: OK. So you've talked a lot about your faith. You don't backtrack, you're not shy about that. You're bold about that. You said, if people want to know your worldview, go open up the Bible. You know, that concerns a lot of people, your critics are harkening back to things that you've said about gay marriage, homosexuality, conversion therapy. There's a lengthy guest essay in the New York Times, not surprisingly, not big fans of yours. It's titled this, "The Embodiment of White Christian Nationalism in a Tailored Suit."

They point to a definition in Christianity today of that saying it's a belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Is that an accurate description of your view of how the government should function?

JOHNSON: No, I'm not even sure what the term means. And look, there are entire industries built on taking down, tearing down people like me. I understand that comes with a territory and we're not fazed by it. But listen, what -- what I believe in, are the founding principles of the country, individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, human dignity. Those are essential American principles.

And so I've been labeled all kinds of stuff, but these people don't know me. Look, my family, it's no fun to be misquoted and maligned and -- and mocked, of course, but we know that comes with a job, and we're unfazed. We're going to continue to love all people. We're going to continue to bless, even those who persecute us. Because that's -- that's our worldview, and that's how we operate. And if people just -- everybody take a breath, give us a chance, and you'll see what principled governance looks like. That's what I'm committed to do.

BREAM: OK. We got to go, but I have to ask you this, because there's been so much made about it. Vanity Fair says this, "What's up with Mike Johnson's very shady seeming financial disclosures?" They say, you've never reported a bank account or an assets on a financial disclosure form going back to 2016. Can you clear that up for us?

JOHNSON: Yes, look, I'm a man of modest means. OK. I was a lawyer, but I did constitutional law. And most of my career has been in the nonprofit sector. We have four kids, five now that are very active. And I have kids in graduate school, law school, undergraduate. We have a lot of expenses. But I can relate to everybody else. My father was a firefighter, right? I didn't grow up with great means. But I think that helps us be a better leader because we can relate to every hard work in American family. That's who we are. And I think it governs and helps govern my decisions and how I lead.

BREAM: Well, majority of Americans now say they're living paycheck to paycheck, so a lot of folks in the same boat as they try to figure out this economy. Speaker, we're wishing you the best in trying to keep the House running and the country functioning. Thank you, sir.

JOHNSON: Thanks, Shannon.

BREAM: Congress clashes over how to fund urgent aid for Israel and Ukraine. You heard what the Speaker said, we're going to bring in the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Democrat Jack Reed. He's just been in that region torn apart by war. Does he stand with Democrats insisting all of this aid be tied together? Or is he open to whatever gets aid to Israel most quickly? We'll ask him next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BREAM: Following his surprise visit to the West Bank this morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Turkey as part of his Middle East trip, hoping to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spreading. Blinken has also made stops in Israel and Jordan.

Joining me now, someone who has also just been in the region, Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed. He is the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Chairman, welcome back to Fox News Sunday.

SEN. JACK REED (D-RI): Thank you very much, Shannon.

BREAM: OK, so Secretary Blinken has just been with Mahmoud Abbas. And we have this readout from the administration. It says, the secretary expressed the commitment of the U.S. towards working toward the realization of the Palestinians' legitimate aspirations for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Do you think though, that that's something that Hamas would allow? Or even if that solution was worked out, would they continue? Do you believe to be about the extermination of Israel as a nation?

REED: Well, Hamas is committed to the extermination of Israel. That's why Israel is engaged in attacking, degrading, and ultimately defeating Hamas. What we have to do is not speak to Hamas, they are intolerant. We have to speak to the Palestinian people. We have to give them hope. We have to give them an aspiration so that they will break with Hamas. And they will begin to support, we hope, a stable and peaceful region in that whole area.

BREAM: So Secretary Blinken now continues on to Turkey. We talked last week about the fact that they're a NATO ally, but Erdogan as they're talking about Israel as an occupier, as committing war crimes. What should the Secretary's message be as he visits Turkey?

REED: I think the secretary's message is, first, we cannot let this conflict expand to other areas, and Turkey can play a key role in containing this conflict. Second, I think he can explain how we are trying to advise, assist the Israeli forces so that they, one, are much more strategic and much more precise in their targeting.

And, two, that they recognize that helping the Palestinian people is not just a good thing to do, it is a smart tactical move, because what you want to do is separate Hamas and the Palestinian people. And you do that by making it appear, in fact, make it a reality that they can find some support, medical support, humanitarian support, within the Israel lines, and they can't find that within Hamas' controlled territory.

BREAM: So there's also Hezbollah out there, their leader speaking out Friday saying that the U.S. is responsible in part for what's going on in Gaza, that we must be the ones to stop it, that they would overwhelm U.S. forces. They're not afraid of our warships, those kinds of things. How worried are you about a couple of things Hezbollah opening up a separate front to the north, and about U.S. troops at any point being dragged into this conflict?

REED: Well, first, the speech by the leader of Hezbollah was not unexpected. Second, we've moved in carrier task force groups to augment our deterrence efforts in the region. And I think they're very conscious of that, particularly our anti-missile capabilities, which are significant and can prevent an attack by Hezbollah on -- on Israel and open up another front.

I think also too is that we are trying, as I said to help -- help Israel focus and refocus his efforts to be more precise in his targeting, and to give less of a rationale for some people who would attack Israel on political grounds.

BREAM: So you are among those who are publicly saying we do want Israel to be more precise, Secretary Blinken says we've given them advice that a close friend would give them. But keep in mind, this is what we're hearing from a leader of Hamas, who talked about the fact that the October 7 attacks were just the beginning, he added this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHAZI HAMAD, HAMAS OFFICIAL (through translator): We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again. The Al-Aqsa Flood is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BREAM: He went on to say that that means the annihilation of Israel. So should any country be lecturing Israel in any way about how they deal with a group that is truly an existential threat to them?

REED: Hamas is an existential threat to Israel. They make no bones about it, as that statement indicates very clearly. And what Israel is doing appropriately so is targeting Hamas to degrade it and then destroy it. And we are helping them in that effort. It is somewhat reminiscent of our efforts against ISIS in Iraq.

But what they have to do, not only for the complying with the rule of law, but also winning the battle of minds and hearts, is to do it in such a way as that they don't -- or they minimize the harm to civilians. And that's what we're trying to help them with. We want them to get better intelligence. We're helping them with intelligence. We want that intelligence to inform selected targets, precise targets, want them to use precision-guided weapons systems with smaller diameter bombs. So they really hit the people they're going after.

And then we want them also to be able to show how not just Israel but the entire world community wants to provide basic necessities to Palestinian people. This would deliver a blow, not just tactically, but also politically to Hamas. And the goal is to end that threat to Israel, which is existential, Hamas does wonders for the State of Israel.

BREAM: Let's talk about aid because you heard the speaker at the beginning of the show talking about Israel, standalone aid was what he could get passed in the House. That was what the appetite was there. We know it's different over in the Senate. And there's talk of again, linking it together with Ukrainian aid.

But it was interesting, the Gallup Poll shows now that Americans are growing skeptical of providing unlimited continued aid to Ukraine. The number of Americans who say the U.S. is doing too much in that particular conflict, has jumped 12 points since just June. Do you worry that tagging those things together may slow down as Ukraine is less popular? The aid actually getting to Israel in a more timely fashion?

REED: No, I don't. I think on the Senate side, there's strong bipartisan support for aid not only to Israel, but Ukraine. And immediately, Ukraine is running down its resources. They're in the midst of a very serious conflict with the Russians. The Russians may have staged a major counterattack weeks ago. And they're tense casualties on both sides, particularly the Russian side.

So we can't just sit back and let time go by, and we have to support the Ukrainians. And it's in our interest. And frankly, and when I was talking to Secretary Austin at the hearing on Appropriations, he indicated, which I believe is, listen, if we don't provide these resources to Ukraine right now, it raises the probability that in the months or years ahead, we'll have to send American forces.

It's better in my view, to support the Ukrainian people now and their forces than to see a situation where we are pulled into a conflict with our young men and women. So this is a, not only the right thing to do, it's a, I think, a very, very smart thing to do.

BREAM: Well, we will watch how that plays out on Capitol Hill. Senator, we thank you for your time in uniform --

REED: Thank you, Shannon.

BREAM: -- defending and serving this country and for being with us today. Sir, thank you.

REED: Thank you very much.

BREAM: Up next, abortion is on the ballot this week. Ohio voters go into the polls, Tuesday, to decide whether to amend the state's constitution to provide more abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe. Governor Mike DeWine joins us, live.

But first, Fox News' Rich Edson takes us to Virginia where Governor Glenn Youngkin is working overtime on state elections there this week. And President Obama getting involved too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BREAM: Election Day is two days away for parts of the country. All eyes are on four states, watching for clues about what this week could tell us about how voters are feeling about 2024. Key gubernatorial races are taking place in Kentucky and Mississippi. Kentucky's election featuring an opportunity for Republicans to try to flip the Governor's seat read, while Mississippi's GOP Governor Tate Reeves is hoping to win his second term in a race that is tighter than expected.

In Ohio, voters will decide on the state's abortion and marijuana laws. In a moment we will bring in Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to talk about the stakes there. But first, Virginia certainly one of the states to watch and could be a preview of what's to come next year. Fox News. Rich Edson is live in Richmond with the very latest. Hey Rich?

RICH EDSON, FOX NEWS SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Shannon. Well, there's been persistent speculation surrounding Governor Glenn Youngkin's presidential ambitions. For now, he's focused on elections here in Virginia, and a test of whether he can deliver his party, the power to set the state agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLENN YOUNGKIN, (R) VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: What time is it? Time to win.

EDSON: Governor Glenn Youngkin is campaigning across Virginia, trying to flip the Senate, hold on to the House of Delegates and deliver Republicans control of the state government.

YOUNGKIN: These races are incredibly tight, and we need to get everybody out to vote. And that's why we've been working so hard on early voting

EDSON: Every Senate and House seat is up this election. And there are only a handful of competitive races. Republicans are promising to build on their agenda. They say to give parents a greater say in their child's education. They also want to pass limits on abortions beyond 15 weeks. And this race is attracting attention from outside the state.

WES MOORE, (D) MARYLAND GOVERNOR: I know what it feels like when you're on the cusp of a big victory. And that's exactly what I'm feeling.

EDSON: Halfway across the country, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is campaigning for his own election.

ANDY BESHEAR (D), KENTUCKY GOVERNOR: In every corner of our Commonwealth, what I see is hope and optimism.

EDSON: Beshear is one of the few Democratic governors in state former President Trump won by more than 25 percentage points in 2020.

DANIEL CAMERON, (R) CANDIDATE FOR KENTUCKY GOVERNOR: Donald Trump endorsed this campaign for governor and he feels very strongly about my ability to lead this state.

(END VIDEOTAPE

EDSON: Ohio is also voting on whether to legalize recreational marijuana. If so it'll become the 24th state to do so. Shannon.

BREAM: All right. We're tracking it. Rich, reporting in Virginia for us. Thank you so much.

Joining me now, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Governor, welcome to Fox News Sunday.

MIKE DEWINE, (R) OHIO GOVERNOR: Good morning. Good to be with you. Thank you.

BREAM: OK, so let's talk about this abortion issue. Issue one, on the ballots there. Democrats say that it proves that the right is as extreme as they've warned everyone that they are. Here's one supporter saying this. What Republicans frankly have done in this environment is they've created a window for advocates on the left to date say this. See, look, this is what we've been talking about. Our greatest fears or nightmares, our coming true. And this is our time to stand up and fight back.

Abortion measures generally have not done well in the post office decision after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe. Are you worried about the backlash on Republicans next week in your state?

DEWINE: No, if you look at issue one, it's a radical proposal and whether you're pro-choice or pro-life, it just goes much, much too far. It would enshrine in our Constitution the right to have an abortion up Until birth, so at any time during the pregnancy.

The second thing it would do is really threaten a law that we've had on the books for many years, requires parental consent, if we're dealing with a minor. So the lawyers who wrote this vote were very mindful for what they were doing. It is a radical proposal. It does not fit Ohio. And that's what's going to be voted on in two days.

BREAM: OK --

DEWINE: So -- yep, sure.

BREAM: I was going to say, so let's read some of the language of this measure. It says that the patient's treating physician, the pregnant woman, they have the ability to determine if the fetus has a significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus, with reasonable measures.

The AP puts it this way, it says, Ohio lawmakers could still restrict abortion beyond the point where a fetus can survive outside the womb. And with modern medicine, referred to the point of as viability is typically about 23 or 24 weeks into pregnancy. There's wide support across the country for that. There is still the issue of viability. They -- you know, critics will argue that what you're saying is, it's not true that it's up until the moment of birth, your response?

DEWINE: Now, that's just absolutely not true. Constitutional scholars who have looked at that certainly have a very different opinion. First of all, the viability question will be determined by the person performing the abortion at the Planned Parenthood or wherever that has been done. So that's the person who's going to determine it. And there's no review of that.

Second, there is a wide, wide exception written into this law, which talks about the health of the mother. The Supreme Court of the United States is defined this extremely broadly it can be health, can mean something having to do with her income, it can have something to do with, about children she has, and again, it is the person performing the abortion in that clinic, who's going to make that determination, and there's no review of it. So as a practical matter, they were very mindful, the lawyers very mindful what they were, language they were using. This allows abortion at any point in the pregnancy. And that is just much, much too far.

We've had on the books, for example, in Ohio, a law that deals with partial birth abortion and prohibits that. We had a doctor in Dayton, Ohio, who was performing these. We stopped that because of the law in Ohio. This constitutional amendment, because it is a constitutional amendment, not just a law, it would be a constitutional amendment would -- would trump that law as well as it would trump the parental consent law. So a very, a proposal that is just way too far and again, whether someone is pro-choice or pro-life. This is just not where the majority of Ohioans are.

BREAM: So one of your fellow governors over in Illinois, J. B. Pritzker, he has been pouring money into a number of state efforts, including this one in Ohio. His new organization is called Think Big America. He says it's this, dedicated to safeguarding reproductive rights and standing up against the right-wing extremists who want to take us backwards. He says folks, like you want to ban books, you want to ban voting rights and civil rights that you want to send women back to a time where they didn't have choices about their bodies. How do you respond to your fellow governor?

DEWINE: Well, that's just absurd. And he knows that's absurd. He knows me. That's not what we're trying to do at all. It's interesting, the pro side in this has spent about $35 million to try to mislead the voters of the State of Ohio. It's interesting to me that a governor of Illinois would come in with a half a million dollars contribution. If you look at all the other people who are doing this, these are the same people who want to -- get outside their own state and want to control what's going on in other states. We've only -- we have about 10 million. So it's been about three and a half to one. But our message is really, really clear. This is just whether you're pro-choice or pro-life. This is just much, much too far.

BREAM: All right, Governor DeWine, this is certainly a state. We will be watching on Tuesday. You've also got a measure on marijuana. We're out of time, but folks can research that as well. Governor, we appreciate your time.

DEWINE: Good to be with you. Thank you very much.

BREAM: All right, high stakes off your elections in key states like Ohio, give us a preview of how voters are feeling heading into the critical 2024 cycle. Our Sunday panel on what the results this week could tell us about next year's race for the White House, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BREAM: For a deeper dive on all the big issues this week, including Tuesday's elections, let's bring in our Sunday group. Olivia Beavers, congressional reporter for "Politico," Fox News senior political analyst Juan Williams, Guy Benson, host of "The Guy Benson Show," and former Bush national security official Michael Allen.

Welcome to all of you.

So, I want to pick up where we left off with the governor in Ohio. We do have important state elections this week. One of them involves Governor Glenn Youngkin, who is trying to prove his win was not a fluke in Virginia, which is very blue these days. This issue of abortion, new polling shows us it is something that Virginia voters are very dialed into.

Here is what Younkin says. He argues that his proposal, which is a 15-week abortion limit with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, represents a politically acceptable compromise between those who want to ban all abortions and those who would see no legal limits. He's quoted as saying, people recognize that's a reasonable place.

Guy, that's just one of the issue on the ballot essentially, not - not, you know, legitimately, but in theory

GUY BENSON, "THE GUY BENSON SHOW" HOST, TOWNHALL.COM AND FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. And it's a completely reasonable position. It's sort of a European-style proposal. The Democrats, the ads they're running on this, are suggesting that the Republicans would ban every abortion ever in Virginia, which isn't true.

What I'm struck by, watching this Virginia race develop, is, number one, Governor Younkin is very popular in the commonwealth. He's got plus 20, plus 25 approval rating. Can he parlay that into coattails down ballot? He's working very hard. He's very invested in this race.

The other dynamic that I'm seeing is, the Democrats are running their 2022 playbook, which was pretty successful for them. Trump, MAGA, abortion distortions, in my view on the later part. The Republicans in Virginia are running the 2021 successful playbook that Younkin won with on schools, education, crime, economy and that sort of thing. It will be fascinating on Tuesday to see which two - which of those two approaches prevails.

BREAM: Yes. And if you live in Virginia or anywhere in this area you are seeing the ads nonstop.

BENSON: Yes.

BREAM: And you're ready for that election to be over.

But let's look to Kentucky as well because there is a tight governor race there. The current governor, Andy Beshear, is a Democrat. He is up against - increasingly popular, the polling shows this has tightened with the AG there, Daniel Cameron. "The New York Times" says this, though, "Beshear is doing whatever he can to separate himself from Mr. Biden, whose approval ratings remain mired around 40 percent nationally and are much lower in Kentucky.

Juan, what about that race?

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you've got -- Beshear is like one of the most popular governors in the country. I think like number 5. And the key point here is, with Beshear, a Democrat in a red state, is not to think so much party affiliation as to think good governance, like, you know, who's getting the roads paved, who's doing this or that.

And then you get into some really difficult issues, as we saw in the debate this week, where, you know, Cameron was asked about something like vouchers. And you would think for Republicans that's a strong point. But in rural areas of the state, they see that as a threat to their public schools, so he wouldn't say his position. Similarly on Medicaid, you know, he's - he's very - he has sort of a halting, stuttering way of dealing with this issue, but it's very popular in the state. So, I think Beshear is in a - in the - in the cat seat there.

BREAM: Well, in Mississippi, you've got a governor's race there with an incumbent Republican. "Cook Political Report" says this, they've moved the race from "likely to lean Republican." So, that's a race that's been tighter than expected.

But some brand-new polling out this week takes us more broadly to the `24 race as we look to these states to see if we can gather anything about how voters feel about next year. "The New York Times"/Sienna College has a new poll out, six swing states, and President Trump is leading President Biden in five of those six states.

Olivia, that's tough news for the White House this morning. And some of these, the margins are not close at all.

OLIVIA BEAVERS, "POLITICO" CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: No, there is -- in Nevada there is a 10-point lead for Trump. I would say this is pretty devastating. It was going over issues where they feel like Donald Trump is prevailing, on economy, on national security, on border and immigration, which are some of the top issues of this upcoming election, where they felt like Biden, which we were talking about, is leading is abortion. He has time to make it up, but right now these are so many points that if he lost those states in the Electoral College, he would be in big trouble.

BREAM: Yes, and one of the issues, Michael, where he is upside down is on foreign policy. It was something that President Biden came in as Senator Biden saying this is, you know, my portfolio. I know what I'm doing there. The American public doesn't feel like he's delivering on this big, foreign policy issues, and now he's got a new one on his plate.

MICHAEL ALLEN, FORMER BUSH NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIAL: He does. Even when President Biden seems to stand strong, like he has in his support of Israel, I think the voters in the United States just view the president very negatively. I think it's all seen through the framework of the economy, inflation, his ignoring of immigration all these years. So, I think he is in a deep-seeded free-fall. And I can already hear the panic from the Democrats as they try to figure out what do you do with a candidate when 71 percent of the United States thinks you're too old to be president.

WILLIAMS: We know that -

BREAM: And it's - and it's not just about age. I mean it is the issues, Juan. I mean people are unhappy with how he's performing.

WILLIAMS: Right. But I think at this juncture, I think from the Democrats' point of view, what you have is polls that are a referendum on Joe Biden. And there are a lots of people who are upset about the wars that we're speaking about, Michael, Ukraine and obviously the events in the Middle East are quite upsetting. But also you have a broken Congress here on Capitol Hill. This looks dysfunctional. It looks like government's dysfunctional. So I think a lot of the angst, Shannon, gets directed to the guy who's in power, You're going to say, oh, you know, I'm sick of Washington. I'm sick of this.

BREAM: That's how it works. Yes.

WILLIAMS: Right. So, he gets it. But next year is not a matter of a referendum on Joe Biden, it becomes a choice election. And in a choice election people then start to say, oh, gee, the Congress was broken. Oh, Donald Trump's an extremist. Oh, where are we going in the world?

ALLEN: But - but the poll put them up against each other. I hear you. Usually when you just ask about Biden, people say he -- I have a negative view. But here it's Trump versus Biden. And Biden is losing all over the place.

BREAM: Well, and - well -

BENSON: And people - people know Trump. People are very aware of who Donald Trump is and all of his issues.

BREAM: Everything's baked in with him.

BENSON: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

BREAM: OK, but you mentioned Democrats. This is an interesting headline from "Axios." They said Thursday, "Democratic governors and senators are quietly boosting their national profiles to set up presidential campaigns in `28 or `24. With that in mind, here's something that Senator Fetterman said last night in Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): There are two additional Democrats running for Pennsylvania - excuse me, running for president right now. One - one is a congressman from Minnesota, the other one is the governor of California. They're both running for president, but only one had the guts to announce it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BREAM: Olivia, how nervous do you think the White House is about that because, listen, Gavin Newsom, he just got back from meeting President Xi in China. He's doing all the things you would be doing if you're running while saying I would never run. Not never but I'm not running this time.

BEAVERS: They're deferring but they're doing it just in case is sort of their approach. And he's not the only one. You have Booker, you have Pritzker doing the abortion campaigns. And, look, they should. This is politics. You should be building up your profile if you're interested in running. They're just saying we're not going to challenge Biden. We're doing it - you know, well, they're not saying it. It's implied in how they're operating. But they need to be building up their profile in case they need to step in, whether it's now or whether it's later because we know that the next presidential election cycle will be very competitive with Democrats looking to try to move up into the presidency.

BREAM: Maybe it's `24 instead of `28.

But I want to make sure we get to these number on third-party threats because there's new polling out with Quinnipiac that should be giving a lot of pause to everybody who is thinking about running for president, or currently running.

When they look at independent, if you add RFK Junior into the mix, this is what they find, 36 percent among independents support Kennedy, 31 percent support Trump and 30 percent support Biden.

Guy, there is growing concern on the left, and the right, about some of these independent runs.

BENSON: Yes, they're not really sure gaming out who would benefit more of the two major parties. I suspect that that number that we just saw from Quinnipiac is a reflection of the American people and independent voters being deeply dissatisfied with their two likeliest options ahead of next year, not so much a full embrace of RFK Junior and all that he represents. I think those numbers would come down when people get a look at what he actually believes on a lot of issues. But it is useful because it again highlights how very unpopular both major party frontrunners are.

BREAM: A quick final word from you, Juan, because when you add Cornel West into these - the mix as well, it's also not good for the primary frontrunners.

WILLIAMS: Well, sure, because I think that right now lots of people, again, are looking and say, oh, the world is just falling apart. I'm tired. But, you know what, voters, typically on independents, they kick the tires and then those votes fade away. That's what we saw with, you know, -- John Anderson. That's what we saw with recently Jill Stein.

BREAM: Well, we'll have to see because this could be an incredibly tight race. But based on the polling out of "The New York Times" this morning, maybe not so much in some of those swing states.

All right, panel, we've got to leave it there for this week.

Up next, how you can help veterans reintegrate into civilian life with dignity after they've spent their life serving our country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BREAM: All right, here at Fox we believe all our veterans deserve dignity and independence. We want you to join us in Making Camo Your Cause in support of the U.S. Vets campaign which aims to eradicate veteran homelessness. You can visit honor.usvets.org/foxforward. It's there on your screen. You've got the QR code. You can donate and find some cool camo gear. You can also post your camo pics on social media with this hashtag, honor U.S. Vets, and share your message of thanks. If you donate between now and November 12th you can pick up some swag being modeled by our panel today. Ties, which I tried to tie in the break, mugs, shirts and hats. We love how you all look in this and we want to celebrate our vets.

Very nice. You even went with a shirt.

WILLIAMS: I like this shirt.

BREAM: I -- Guy did a better job tying the tie then I did during the commercial.

WILLAIMS: It's hard - it's hard to compete with Olivia and you. You guys look great. Really good.

BREAM: Check it out.

That's it for today. Thanks for joining us. I'm Shannon Bream. Have a great week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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