This is a rush transcript from “Special Report" September 18, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Good evening, welcome to Washington. I'm Bret Baier.

Breaking tonight, with 46 days to go until Election Day, early voting gets underway in four states. Big lines forming early in Virginia, voters also going to the polls in Minnesota.

Both presidential candidates are spending time in that crucial battleground state today. Joe Biden was in Duluth to visit a union training center.

President Trump will land in Minnesota shortly. He'll address a rally as you see it there in about an hour.

Earlier this afternoon, the president told reporters he is sending billions to Puerto Rico to help revive the economy there. Chief White House correspondent John Roberts starts us off tonight live from the North Lawn.

Good evening, John.

JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Bret, good evening to you. While Puerto Rico does not vote in the presidential election, it has been a political thorn in the president's side with Democrats ripping him for not doing enough to help the island recover from Hurricane Maria.

Today, with some six million Puerto Ricans in the United States looking on, President Trump moved to set things right.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Almost three years to the day Hurricane Maria bludgeon Puerto Rico, President Trump today announced the biggest single FEMA relief award ever, $13 billion to rebuild the island's electrical infrastructure in school system and revive the pharmaceutical industry.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I have to say in a very nice way, very respectful way, I'm the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico.

ROBERTS: In the past, President Trump has criticized corrupt politicians in Puerto Rico and complained the island had already received too much federal relief money. And then, there is the issue of timing.

Why not a year ago, why not two years ago, why not three years ago? Why 46 days to the election?

TRUMP: Because what we're doing is, we've been working on it for a long time to get it passed, very tough to get things passed. Democrats where they don't want to see this happen and they probably certainly didn't want to see it happen at this point.

ROBERTS: The award comes as the Biden campaign re-doubles its efforts to reach out to Puerto Rican voters. President Trump today blamed Puerto Rico's economic woes in part on Biden supported 1996 to eliminate tax breaks that began Puerto Rico's economic downturn.

TRUMP: That Biden Harris campaign what they did, they hurt -- you know, I've gone through it and whether it was President Obama or Vice President Biden, they were a disaster for Puerto Rico.

What we're doing is something that will be fantastic for many years in the future.

ROBERTS: President Trump also sought to dispel doubts Biden has sowed about a coronavirus vaccine. The president today, saying, the U.S. is on track to have enough vaccine for every person who wants to get it by this spring

TRUMP: Hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month and we expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April.

ROBERTS: A coronavirus relief bill though remains elusive. Nancy Pelosi again rejecting the White House's idea of a slimmed down bill.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): State and local government is a big hang up, they have contempt for science and disdain for state and local government.

ROBERTS: On his way out to Minnesota for a campaign rally tonight, President Trump suggesting his FBI director may be on thin ice after telling Congress Russia was actively trying to denigrate Joe Biden.

TRUMP: I did not like his answers yesterday and I'm not sure he likes to be there. I'm sure that he probably would agree with me. The big problem is China and why he doesn't want to say that, that's certainly bothers when.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Asked whether he wanted to replace Christopher Wray, the president issued a cryptic we're looking at a lot of different things response.

With voters in Minnesota going to the polls today, President Trump wanted to be there tonight. He'll take the weekend off campaigning in the hit -- and then hit Ohio and Pennsylvania the beginning of next week, Bret.

BAIER: John Roberts live in the North Lawn. John, thanks.

Former Vice President Biden was in one of the mining regions of Minnesota that flipped from Democrat to Republican in recent years. Correspondent Peter Doocy reports tonight from Duluth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Joe Biden's message to Minnesota, you can go and vote for him starting today.

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's time to take the country back folks and it's going to start here today with voting in Minnesota.

DOOCY: The COVID-19 focus Biden says, he's been pro-mask for six months.

BIDEN: All the way back in March I was calling for the need for us to have masks.

DOOCY: But, no mask on Biden last night as the Democratic nominee greeted firefighters in Pennsylvania who are mostly unmasked as well.

BIDEN: You know, you're the only crazy SOBs that run into a fire.

DOOCY: Still, Biden said Wednesday, he wants a mask mandate.

BIDEN: Our legal team thinks I can do that.

DOOCY: The next day, he changed his tune.

BIDEN: I cannot mandate people wear a mask.

DOOCY: Biden is going so far as to blame every American COVID death on Trump.

BIDEN: If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive. All the people. I'm not making this up.

DOOCY: But today's visit to battleground Minnesota, the former V.P. is trying to make inroads with voters in the Iron Range.

BIDEN: Here on the Iron Range, we can see the resilience and the grit communities.

DOOCY: A batch of New York Times Siena College polls finds a one-point Biden lead in North Carolina and a nine-point Biden lead in Arizona. In Pennsylvania, a critical issue is fracking.

BIDEN: Get to net zero power admissions by 2035 but there's no rationale to eliminate right now fracking.

DOOCY: But that's not what he said in March.

BIDEN: No more, no, no fracking.

DOOCY: Mining is a huge issue in the Iron Range where Biden visited today as he hopes to prevent Minnesota from trending towards Trump.

BIDEN: My measure is Scranton, Duluth, Irvington. Places where I grew up and so many people I know grew up. I see hard working women and men are just trying to earn an honest, decent living to take care of their families.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOOCY: Biden's remarks today were closed to the public but since they wrap things up over there at the union training facility, the motorcade has been driving around Duluth. First, he went to a coffee shop to greet some folks who voted today on the first day they could. And then he popped up and just left in the last five minutes or so at the fire station behind us in Duluth.

And if you're keeping score at home when he met with Pennsylvania firefighters last week, he brought them beer. When he met with the Minnesota firefighters today, he brought them cookies, Bret.

BAIER: OK, beer and cookies. Peter, thank you.

We will hear some surprisingly unfiltered comments from a Minnesota public school principal in just a few moments. What she sees the situation is on the ground. You definitely want to stick around for that.

A judge in Michigan is clearing the way for more absentee ballots to be counted in the state. The judge says, envelopes post marked by the eve of the third of November the election are eligible even if they show up days later.

Michigan voters have already registered and requested about 2.3 million absentee ballots. Michigan law requires them to be received by the time the polls close on Election Day.

Meantime, an Ohio judge is temporarily blocking the Republican secretary of state's order, limiting counties to one ballot drop box. Both the state and the Republican Party have appealed.

In an age of hardball politics, there are concerns tonight that Joe Biden is getting too many softball questions from the media. Some Democrats are even worrying aloud that Biden is not toughening up for what may be a bare- knuckle series of debates with President Trump.

Fox News media analyst and host of Fox's "MEDIA BUZZ" Howard Kurtz takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWARD KURTZ, FOX NEWS HOST: Anderson Cooper who regularly chastises President Trump on his CNN show took a far more gentle approach at last night's town hall with Joe Biden.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: How are you preparing for the debate? There are a lot of people who worry about a breakdown of law and order in this country, are you one of them? Do you think it's still possible to reach across the aisle?

KURTZ: The president faced far more aggressive questioning at an ABC town hall.

You fought to repeal Obamacare. You are arguing --

TRUMP: Well, I actually did.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC HOST: You are arguing the Supreme Court right now to strike it down that would do away with pre-existing conditions.

TRUMP: No, so we can do new healthcare.

KURTZ: As for audience members, ABC used four Trump supporters, five whose voting records were unknown and three who backed Hillary Clinton or Jill Stein.

CARL DAY, PHILADELPHIA PASTOR: When has America been great for African- Americans in the ghetto of America? Are you aware of how tone deaf that comes off to African-American community?

KURTZ: But CNN pick three Republicans and 13 Democrats.

KINA SMALLWOOD BUTTS, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR: How will you handle Russia's involvement with Trump? How will we know the many ways he has compromised the United States?

KURTZ: With the first debate moderated by the Fox News Sunday anchor 11 days away, veteran network reporter Jeff Greenfield tweeted to Biden, this is not exactly getting him ready to face tough questions from a Chris Wallace.

Biden is averaging one national T.V. interview and one question taking session with reporters each week. Kamala Harris is even less accessible.

Trump has spoken this week to Fox News, ABC, Greta Van Susteren. His 18 interviews with Bob Woodward were recently published and holds contentious news conferences almost every weekday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you lie to the American people now?

TRUMP: That's a terrible question and the phraseology, I didn't lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KURTZ: President Trump makes far more news most of it negative than Joe Biden and the Democrats lighter schedule suggests that is by design. This imbalance makes it vital for journalists who get to question the candidates not to hold them to different standards, Bret.

BAIER: Howie, thanks.

The Commerce Department says it will ban Chinese owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores starting Sunday. It says it will also impose technical restrictions that could seriously limit their functionality in this country. The order cites national security and data privacy concerns.

It's not clear how it will affect the deal by California tech giant Oracle aimed at satisfying government concerns over TikToks data collection and related issues.

Stocks were down today, the Dow lost 245. The S&P 500 fell 38, the NASDAQ dropped 117.

For the week, the Dow was off three-hundredths of a percentage point. The S&P 500 lost two-thirds of a point. The NASDAQ finished down about a half.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is dropping a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and saying anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested. This is a return to its previous testing guidance. It eliminates language posted last month that said people did not need to get tested if they did not feel sick.

President Trump says he thinks the U.S.-Canada border will re-open before the end of the year. Today, Canada extended the agreement until at least October 21st because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The public safety minister there says Canada will continue to base the decision on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe.

Some residents in one of Florida's largest counties are calling for an end to an ordinance requiring the wearing of masks in public. The Pinellas County residents say the ordinance is no longer needed and is an infringement of their rights. Masks supporters say the coverings are what led to the reduction of cases there and should be maintained.

California firefighter has died battling the massive blaze is burning through the West Coast region. Wildfires in California right now blamed for at least 25 deaths this year but there is hope on the horizon in some places. Correspondent Jeff Paul has the latest tonight from Monrovia, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF PAUL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Weeks of scorching temperatures and bone-dry conditions finally shifting in the northwest. Thunderstorms are set to sweep through Oregon and Washington state bringing much needed rain and fresh air to some of the areas hardest hit by wildfires.

RACHEL DODGE, ESTACADA, OREGON RESIDENT: I felt a couple of raindrops up at the house before we left and I'm just hoping for more.

PAUL: But the weather is casting a dark cloud of new concerns. Lightning could spark fresh fires and the precipitation is pushing flash floods and mudslides into the picture with so much charred ground loosened by the flames.

TONY JONES, ESTACADA, OREGON RESIDENT: We need the rain, it's just -- it's unfortunate that it's going to can affect anybody on a -- on a hillside down out on the -- out on the upper hills.

PAUL: More than five million acres have burned in the western U.S. and now the death toll is rising. The four service in California announced a firefighter was killed while battling the El Dorado Fire, burning roughly

70 miles East of Los Angeles.

The fire investigators say was originally sparked by a smoke generating pyrotechnic device at a gender reveal party thrown over Labor Day weekend.

JEREMY PHIPPS, MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA FIRE DEPARTMENT: Even after the fire front does come through, you still have the risk of falling rocks and trees that can injure and possibly hurt firefighter.

PAUL: Smoke continues to create dangerous air quality levels so bad it forced the closure of Yosemite National Park on Thursday evening.

SCOTT GEDIMAN, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK: It's not a decision that we made lightly but again, -- you know, to have employees out in these conditions and visitors, it's just -- it's just not healthy.

Yosemite and California's 18 national force will remain closed through the weekend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: No rain in sight here in Southern California. It's expected to be another hot and dry weekend which will likely only create more vide -- dried vegetation like this to feel this ongoing fire, Bret.

BAIER: Jeff Paul live in Monrovia. Jeff, thanks. A second death from Hurricane Sally is being reported in Alabama where the storm came ashore Wednesday. The corner in Baldwin County says the death in the Foley area was of someone involved in storm cleanup.

In Florida, authorities are looking for a missing kayaker now feared dead.

The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for the man who went out on the day of the storm.

Up next, we will hear from the minis -- Minneapolis high school principal about the enormous challenges she and her students are facing in this year, especially in that crucial swing state.

First, here's what some of our Fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. Fox 5 in New York as the Trump administration opens an investigation into racial bias at Princeton University. The Education Department says the school's recent acknowledgement of racism on campus amounts to a shocking and serious admission of discrimination.

Fox 19 in Cincinnati as Customs and border Protection officers seized a shipment containing 29 pounds of cocaine. The drug was concealed in 11 pouches, labeled as shelf-stable emergency food rations. Officers say the cocaine has a street value of $952,000.

And this is a live look at Chicago from our affiliate, Fox 32, sunny night there. One of the big stories there today, a rally in support of nurses and essential workers ties up traffic in the Loop near Millennium Park.

Chicago police say about 100 people gathered around 8:00 a.m. for the protest. That's key traffic time. Nurses at the University Illinois Hospital have been on strike since the weekend. They're calling for better pay and COVID-19 protections.

That is tonight's live look "OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY" from SPECIAL REPORT.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Authorities in New Jersey are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of two suspects who opened fire on the home of two police officers in Camden County. The officers and their 10- day-old infant were inside their home when six bullets struck it Tuesday night. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The sheriff, meantime, of Los Angeles County, says the investigation into an ambush attack on two of his deputies is progressing well. Sheriff Alex Villanueva, says detectives are looking for someone who may have spotted the gunman. One of the deputies was released from the hospital Wednesday, while the other remains hospitalized.

Last night, we heard a snippet in a piece from a high school principal in Minneapolis, about some of the intense challenges she and her students face right now.

Remember, Minneapolis City Council made an effort to defund or dismantle the police department there, after George Floyd's death. And just this week, some of those same council members were complaining about increased crime on the streets. Plus, you have the COVID restrictions that are very tight there.

This evening, we want to hear more from that perspective. More from North High School's principal, Mauri Melander Friestleben.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAURI MELANDER FRIESTLEBEN, PRINCIPAL, NORTH HIGH SCHOOL: So, we have elementary principals, we have middle school principals, we have high school principals. All from Minneapolis public schools going all the way down.

You know why, right? You know why we're here is because we lost a student last night. We lost a Minneapolis public school student last night who attended Patrick Henry High School, he was not two weeks into his senior year when he was shot and killed right here in this space.

And I know for me, I am so absolutely 100 percent over it. For those of you that do not know what is happening in the city of Minneapolis, let me help you understand.

So, we literally are in a city right now that is completely and entirely out of control. I just -- I have to absolutely just say it the way I feel it. It feels out of control. It feels like when I walk into a classroom where the teacher has given up. And all of you guys know the way that classroom feels, right?

You know that you'll get that teacher where maybe those one or two naughty kids that won't listen, the teacher just says, fine, they just shrug their shoulders and they sit down behind their desk and they put their feet up, and they say, I'll collect this check, do what you need to do, and the whole class goes rogue. That's how it feels to me right now. That's how the city of Minneapolis feels to me right now.

Nothing is making any sense. Everything feels topsy-turvy. I understand completely that I am speaking not just as myself, but as the North Community High School principal. And guess what, I am speaking as the North Community High School principal.

I have kids that so badly and so deeply want to be in school. They want to play their sports, they want to get in the weight room, they want to work out, and because of COVID, guess what? They can't do anything.

We're kicking them out of the school, we're kicking them out of the weight room. They can't practice, they can't work out. All of these things because of COVID. But just down the street, they see people doing whatever they want.

They see tents up, they see hundreds of people just not social distancing, and their law enforcement drives right past it. We're seeing out in the open, whole parking lots that are being taken over. Whole blocks that are being taken over.

People who have -- who have substance abuse problems, chemical dependency issues, all of these other things, and they are just allowed to be, however, they want to be. But my kids can't work out, it doesn't make any sense, and the kids know it doesn't make any sense.

This absolutely, we have -- we have an opportunity in Minneapolis to try something different to do something new. And that's to say that we are not going to be held hostage by the voices of a few.

You overhear law enforcement in our city right now, and they feel like, well, the city council doesn't want us, or, well, you know, the people don't want to switch people. Who? Which people is it? Show me where they're at, OK?

So, are you talking about the few, some of them that don't even live here?

Are you talking about the people that, that, that don't have to worry about their children coming to a store like this that live in a different part of the city? Is that who you're talking about?

Because the people, who I'm around, need and want good law enforcement. The people who are in my community need and want good law enforcement. And, and, and, and have the maturity to be able to say that we need good law enforcement to need and want us.

What I'm seeing in my community is that there's not even patrolling anymore. I can see outright laws getting broken, traffic laws, people driving right through red lights. Speeding, going 60, 70 miles an hour. We got kids on skateboards that are getting hit by cars and nothing, no -- what is law enforcement? It's enforcing the law.

There is no law enforcement, there is a reaction. So, we're all here. So, you've got about 50 to 60 Minneapolis public school principals that are out here, and, and, and, and will hold space.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BAIER: Our thanks to those principals. We thought important to bring that to you unfiltered.

As we reported Thursday, Minnesota's governor puts the price tag at half a billion dollars after more than 1,500 businesses were targeted by rioters there.

Up next, we'll tell you about one of the key Senate races this fall that could decide which party takes over the majority.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Tonight, a look at the battle for control of the U.S. Senate. The current balance of power has Republicans with 53 seats, Democrats have 45, plus two Independents that caucus with the Democrats. So, basically, it's 53-47.

There are 35 seats up for grabs this November; 23 are up for the GOP; 12 for the Democrats. Of those 35 seats, at this point, with 46 days to go before the election, only three are considered toss-ups.

By Fox's decision team, North Carolina, Montana, and Maine, where Republican incumbent Susan Collins finds herself trailing in the Real Clear Politics Average of recent polls.

Correspondent Molly Line takes a look at the race in Maine that could be pivotal for Republicans keeping control of the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOLLY LINE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Once a Republican stronghold, Maine now has New England's last serving Republican in Congress, Senator Susan Collins.

The 67-year-old known for her independent streak is seeking a fifth term, and she's in the toughest race of her career.

The Democratic challenger, Sara Gideon, is Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. As Maine politics go, the 48-year-old is a relative newcomer, having moved to the state in 2004. But the latest "New York Times" Siena College poll shows her with a small lead. At a saw mill tour, Collins touted her deep pine tree state roots, later taking a jab at her opponent.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): A rookie senator simply does not have the clout, the experience, or the seniority to deliver for the people of Maine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gideon's husband's law firm took up to $2 million from the program.

LINE: Per federal data, the race is the most expensive in state history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Susan is not the same Susan that we sent to Washington.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The airwaves saturated with ads.

Collins did not vote for Trump in 2016 and has repeated refused to say whether she will vote for his reelection. The Gideon campaign did not respond to our requests for an interview, but at a recent debate, she slammed Collins as an ally of the president.

SARA GIDEON (D), MAINE SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Collins does not stand up to Donald Trump. She votes with him 94 percent of the time.

LINE: Collins broke with her party to oppose the repeal of Obamacare but voted for the president's acquittal at his impeachment trial, and also cast a deciding vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her support for Kavanaugh was a huge disappointment to many Mainers, including Democrats who traditionally supported her in the general election over the years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LINE: Collins told me today that she stands by her Kavanaugh vote because it was the right thing to do. Bret?

BAIER: Molly Line in Maine. Molly, thanks.

One of the emerging issues in the Republican fight to hold control of the Senate this fall is the future of the filibuster. GOP leaders are saying Democrats could bring major changes to the country if they win the majority and get rid of the minority tool of the filibuster. Here's chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE EMANUEL, FOX NEWS CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A warning from Senate Republicans -- if Democrats win the majority, they'll change the rules and rubberstamp their agenda.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The far left is salivating over the prospect of killing the filibuster in order to pack the Supreme Court and pack the Senate with new states, tilt the playing field permanently so they can never lose power again.

EMANUEL: The GOP warning is Democrats would make Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico states, adding even more Democrats to the Senate, and would move the country far to the left.

Under current rules, the minority party can block legislation with 41 votes. Progressive activists are anxious to remove the filibuster so Republicans cannot stop them.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Nothing is on the table. Nothing is off the table. We have to wait till we get the majority before we can decide what to do and under what conditions and how many votes, we have the majority.

EMANUEL: Moderates from both parties are warning against it.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): Let's not take the last tool that holds us in check, this filibuster, and throw it away as well, because we will regret it.

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): We cannot ever as a Senate, ever discard the bipartisanship that we are supposed to basically exemplify. And if that falls apart in this institution, democracy is going to be challenged.

EMANUEL: But a prominent Democrat says the Senate is currently dysfunctional.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): Do we have to change the rules to finally make the Senate work, or is there another way? I'm open to other ways.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

EMANUEL: With the presidential race expected to be close, Senate Republicans are hoping their argument of being a check on the possibility of a President Biden and Speaker Pelosi helps McConnell stay the majority leader. Bret?

BAIER: Mike, thank you.

Up next, our "Whatever Happened To" segment looks back at the devastating Australian wildfires and their lasting effects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: In tonight's "Whatever Happened To" segment, the Australian wildfires. As the U.S. west coast struggles with historic blazes, we examine the aftermath of a similar crisis down under. Here's correspondent Benjamin Hall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BENJAMIN HALL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Australia's black summer still haunts it. The worst wildfires on record led to irreparable damage that devastated large parts of the country. Those fires claimed 34 lives, up to

3 billion animals were killed, some now extinct, while 10,000 buildings were lost as 46 million acres burned. The full economic cost runs into tens of billions of dollars. The fires were eventually extinguished by themselves or by fire services. But the prolonged relief effort still hangs over Prime Minister Scott Morrison, as does the perception that he ignored early warnings of a bad fire season.

SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIA PRIME MINISTER: There has been a deep scar in the landscape that has been left right across our country.

HALL: Now a commission has identified much needed reforms, among them, the urgent need to focus on fire prevention.

RICHARD GEDDES, BUSH HERITAGE, AUSTRALIA: What we really need to shift our focus is from putting these fires out to actually reintroducing fire in the cooler periods of a year in a way that only burns the forest floor.

HALL: Indigenous communities carried out this type of land management for centuries. But modern landowners have been relying on federal fire agencies instead. Now they must work together.

MAJ. GEN. PETER DUNN (RET), FORMER EMERGENCY SERVICES COMMISSIONER: You can't say just sit back and say it's a government responsibility, be it federal or state, as is the system here in Australia, or it's up to the landowners. It is a shared responsibility.

HALL: The Australian government is also moving towards legal enforcement of these rules where landowners will be bound by law to clear their land.

Australia also needs more aircraft. Over 50 percent of the planes used every year are flown in from the U.S. But this year, because of fires on the west coast, they won't be available.

And climate change is believed to be a factor. Two massive droughts have come in the last 13 years, whereas the cycle used to be every 25 years.

Australia's climate is comparable to that of California, and in both, temperatures are said to be rising.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HALL: There is some hope for Australia this year. There is a 70 percent chance of La Nina. That means higher rainfall and lower temperatures. But if that doesn't come, many in Australia, they fear for a repeat. Bret?

BAIER: Benghazi, thank you.

Up next, the panel on the president and Joe Biden in Minnesota, plus Candidate Casino, and Winners and Losers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Number one, I would not try to throw into question the legitimacy of the election like this president and the people around him have done.

Fracking has to continue because we need a transition. We're going to get to net zero emissions by 2050, and we'll get to net zero power emissions by 2035.

If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive.

So the idea that there's going to be a vaccine and everything is going to be fine tomorrow is just not rationale, not reasonable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: Former vice president Joe Biden at a town hall with CNN last night.

A lot of write-ups about this town hall, one of them from "Politico" in which they say it was kid gloves, a town hall with Biden, quote "If ABC's event with President Donald Trump was an icy grilling, CNN's drive-in conversation with Joe Biden Thursday was more like an affable reunion of old acquaintances.

With that, let's bring in our panel, former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. who is currently the chairman of RX Saver, Susan Ferrechio, Chief Congressional Correspondent for the "Washington Examiner," and "Washington Post" columnist Marc Thiessen. Marc, your thoughts on what we saw from the former vice president and if he's ready for Chris Wallace in 10 days?

(LAUGHTER)

MARC THIESSEN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: He's been avoiding Chris Wallace, but he's not going to be able to avoid him forever. I don't think the Democrats or their media allies are doing Joe Biden any favors but shielding him from tough questions. The reality is, is that he's not going to avoid them forever. He is going to have to debate. And he's not getting tested. He's not getting challenged. And so the reality is that he's going to have to face the tough questions without the prep.

But at the same time, he did a pretty good job yesterday of not having any senior moments, right. And this is a problem going into the debate for Donald Trump who has been constantly mocking him for his being slow Joe and his mental capacity. If Joe Biden strings together a few coherent sentences in the debates, all of a sudden he wins because the bar has been set so low. So yesterday was soft on Biden, but it also shows how if he just puts together a few sentences he comes out OK.

BAIER: Yes, meantime, Harold, "The New York Times" writes "Does Biden need a higher gear? Some Democrats think so. As Mr. Trump barrels ahead with crowded, risky rallies, some Democrats in battleground states are growing increasingly anxious about the trade-offs Mr. Biden has made with some polls tightening since the beginning of the summer. They're warning him that virtual events may not be enough to excite voters and urging him to intensify in-person outreach.

I saw that on the ground in Pennsylvania around his hometown of Scranton where Democratic leaders were coming up to me and saying, listen, we're asking the campaign to get out here, but they haven't yet. They may have to.

HAROLD FORD JR. (D) FORMER TENNESSEE REPRESENTATIVE: First, thanks for having me on.

I'd say a couple things -- 29 percent of the country thinks we're moving in the right direction. The president enjoys a 42 percent approval rating, which is hard to win reelection as an incumbent at that rate at this moment in a campaign less than six weeks, or almost six weeks before a campaign.

Unfortunately, and I hope I'm wrong, but 200,000 Americans will likely be the number who have died from corona after this weekend, and over 15 million Americans are jobless.

I think the enthusiasm rate that we often look to in these campaigns may not be there as evident as they've been in previous campaigns, largely because the country is ailing and hurting. For the good news for President Trump, it appears that white working-class Americans, particularly men, are consolidating around him in Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania. Will that be enough? That's the question.

I can tell you, as someone who lost a Senate race 14 years ago, and I had a very enthusiastic minority with me, it's much better to win with an unenthusiastic majority than to lose with an enthusiastic minority.

BAIER: These rallies do, Susan, show enthusiasm, and you look like at Bemidji, Minnesota, where the president will arrive. And there are people already here lined up, and obviously a lot of concern about, are they wearing masks, are they not. They're very close together. But when he goes different places, he packs the outside spaces, and some inside spaces. The Trump campaign is seeing movement, but are they seeing enough as they look at these battleground states?

SUSAN FERRECHIO, "WASHINGTON EXAMINER": No. No, not enough. I think the Democrats are really doing a good job of targeting the president on coronavirus, which is the weakest part of his campaign platform, and it may be what causes him to lose, if he does lose. I'm not convinced he is going to lose in November, but this will be the main reason.

I think Democrats have done an effective job -- I'm not saying they've done a truthful job, but they've been effective at claiming the president is responsible for all of the coronavirus deaths -- most if not all of them.

We heard the vice president say today that he was responsible for all of the deaths. Most Democrats say that's not the case, but he should have acted sooner and more strongly to try to defeat the virus and taken it more seriously, and then we'd have far fewer deaths.

So Democrats have done a good job with that. That's a big problem for him, and of course, in the key battleground states, which are all that matters when it comes to the Electoral College, winning those particular states.

But as for the campaign issue, these rallies, they energize voters, they energize the base, they energize the president as he moves along in the campaign. So they're really important. And I think it does make Biden look a little bit out of touch and sort of hiding in his basement kind of feeling when he's not out there more and engaging with crowds of people cheering for him. That's a big part of the campaign, seeing the crowds, and seeing these big rallies. And if the president is willing to do it even during a pandemic, it forces Biden to really reconsider stepping up his game, too.

BAIER: And I wish some people would step up the question game. Exactly what would Joe Biden have done had he had the same briefing at the end of January, exactly what would he have done. And we could have learned some of that.

We're going to take a little trip down the street to Candidate Casino. We haven't been there in a while. But you have $100 in chips. It's now the general election. You have to play the $100 in chips. Marc, we'll start with you. How are you playing it?

THIESSEN: I'm staying with the same bets I made the last time I was on. I'm putting $50 on Donald Trump, $45 on Joe Biden, and $5 on Kamala Harris, because anything could happen.

BAIER: OK, just holding it out. All right, Harold?

FORD: It's $55 for Joe Biden, $45 for President Trump. I think this polling has to be taken seriously. North Carolina, Arizona, Florida in recent days bode well for Joe Biden.

BAIER: Susan, where are you?

FERRECHIO: I think the polls are going to shift in his favor. It's going to be $35 for Biden, $40 for Trump, but I also reserve $25 for no mediate outcome. It's very likely we're not going to know who is president on November 3rd.

BAIER: Man, I might slip a chip behind that no immediate outcome. We'll see as we get tighter.

OK, we'll do some Winners and Losers here. Marc, winner first, then loser.

THIESSEN: My winner is Jared Kushner, who helped broker Middle East peace.

When the president was elected and announced that Jared Kushner was in charge of Middle East peace, the Washington establishment mocked him. He accomplished something that the Washington establishment was completely unable to do for a quarter century.

BAIER: OK, and loser?

THIESSEN: My loser is the Minneapolis city council, which cut $1.5 million from the police budget and is wondering why crime is on the rise.

BAIER: Harold, I wanted to ask, did you see that principal that we aired, that piece earlier in the show? It is powerful to listen to that on the ground.

FORD: No, look, I think Marc is right. He chose that loser before I could get to it.

(LAUGHTER)

BAIER: All right, Harold, winner and loser?

FORD: Winner is First Sergeant Thomas Payne. The valor, bravery, and honor that he showed on the ground is something every politician should learn from. He was given the Medal of Honor from the president. And the loser is Attorney General Barr who I think needs another history lesson around slavery and the impact it had then and the impact that it may still have now.

BAIER: Susan, winner and loser?

FERRECHIO: My winner this is Big Ten college football which reversed a decision to postpone any season at all until 2021, and now they are going to start looks like as soon as October 23rd. I think the coronavirus science is evolving and they feel that there's a way that they can return to the game safely. I think it's good for the colleges, it's good for the fans, and most of all, it's good for the players.

And my loser of the week is Nancy Pelosi because she immediately rejected a brand new proposal by 25 Democrats, 25 Republicans in the House that offer as compromise between these sticking points between the Republicans and Democrats on this very much desired next round of federal coronavirus aid.

I think her rejection of it right out of the gate makes her look increasingly political in failing to reach a deal on this.

BAIER: Quickly around the horn. Marc, first, do you think a deal on a coronavirus bill happens before Election Day?

THIESSEN: I don't think it does because the fact is Nancy Pelosi doesn't want to do anything that gives Donald Trump a victory before Election Day.

That's why they killed criminal justice reform. That's why they killed the skinny COVID relief. They could have negotiated something. She doesn't want anything.

BAIER: Harold?

FORD: I hope so. On a very personal note, and to you, Bret, to your family, our prayers goes out to the entirety of your family as you deal with what you deal with, my brother.

BAIER: Thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Thanks a lot, panel. When we come back, "Notable Quotables."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAIER: Finally, tonight, it is a Friday, and that means "Notable Quotables."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was three feet of water down there splashing in through the seams of the doors. There was nothing that I could've done.

TRUMP: We've taken a very different path. You could say it's a backdoor, but I call it a smart door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We obviously feel very strongly that the hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier.

TRUMP: It will start getting cooler. You just watch.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish science agreed with you.

TRUMP: Well, I don't think science knows, actually.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA) HOUSE SPEAKER: Anything the president says is a projection of his own insecurities.

TRUMP: Crazy Nancy, crazy as a bedbug.

DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION:

I might even go so far as to say that this facemask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine.

WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool, but it is no way to run a federal agency.

BIDEN: If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive. All the people -- I'm not making this up.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: A Harris administration together with Joe Biden as the president of the of the United States.

BIDEN: I just have one thing to say.

(MUSIC)

TRUMP: Sometimes I have to turn it off. I can't do it anymore. I can't watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: One week.

This weekend on FOX News Sunday, Chris Wallace will speak with the former CDC director Tom Frieden, and the chief of staff to Mike Pence, Marc Short.

Check your local listings for showtimes.

Thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. That is it for this week, and for this SPECIAL REPORT.

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