Shapiro: Media's coverage of Trump's European trip was predetermined

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Shapiro: Media's coverage of Trump's European trip was predetermined

The Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro weighs in on President Trump's European visit on 'The Story.'

This is a rush transcript from "The Story," June 7, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

ED HENRY, HOST: Well, after a whirlwind trip, that actually want some rave reviews in Europe. President Trump touching down on U.S. soil a short while ago, but while he was basically in the air, a bunch of American media pundits were ripping him.

One MSNBC picture even calling him a "despicable" human being. Not so nice. As the president also faces growing tensions over two separate trade wars he started, and escalating feud with Nancy Pelosi, and of course, a growing course of Democrats calling for his impeachment.

Well, welcome home, Mr. President. Good evening, everybody. I'm Ed Henry, in for Martha MacCallum as she too travels home from an outstanding two days of reporting from Normandy, you saw all of that.

The president wrapping up a productive week of his own. That did not quite fit the narrative that some in the mainstream media try to jam down your throat. The Washington Post declaring way back in Monday, "Trump's visit to Britain will be remembered as a low moment for a special relationship."

Time Magazine condemning the president's behavior in Europe on day one of the trip. Writing, "Trump's visit is a reminder that Europe is being bullied by America." Except the opposite seems to play out, there was some real success in the U.K. as the president solidified that so-called special relationship.

Then, onto France, where he received high praise his speech commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day. So, that original narrative predicting the president would fall on its face, well, it fell apart.

And with media barons across the pond, basically tipping their caps of the president for a rather brief moment, some of his harshest critics here at home admitted he did a good job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST, MSNBC: President Donald J. Trump, delivering what, at least, I believed to be his most powerful speech that he's given as president of the United States.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI, HOST, MSNBC: Trump's speech itself was very good, and measured up to the moment.

JIM ACOSTA, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: He really hit all of the right, I think moments in that speech. This is perhaps the most on-message moment of Donald Trump's presidency today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Well, the praise didn't last so long after the president, during interview with our very own Laura Ingraham, unleashed on Speaker Pelosi. She did throw the first punch. Saying, privately, she wanted him to wind up in prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: But Nancy Pelosi, I called him nervous Nancy. Nancy Pelosi doesn't talk about it. Nancy Pelosi is a disaster, OK, she's a disaster. We have Pelosi, we have crying Chuck Schumer who's a disaster, by the way, he's a total political, you know, jerk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Well, those remarks to open the floodgates for the haters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLLE WALLACE, CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST, MSNBC: There's never a moment when he's not still the Donald Trump we all know by now. This is why many of us are living through his presidency with clenched stomachs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has no sense for the time or the place or appropriateness.

DONNY DEUTSCH, CONTRIBUTOR, MSNBC: He's despicable. That is despicable play of humanity that if anybody's six greater behaved that way, they would be sent to their room. He is a despicable human being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: In moments, Ben Shapiro here live. Does he think that criticism is warranted or is it just further proof the president's in a no-win situation with the media? But first, Steve Hilton, host, of course, of "The Next Revolution", joins me now live. Steve, good to see you.

STEVE HILTON, ANCHOR: Hi, Ed.

HENRY: It seems like no matter what the president does, he can't win for trying.

HILTON: It is just laughable, actually. When you -- when you see the story of this week, it was such a good example of the nonsense that you get, and the double standards, and the complete departure from reality in the media. Just look at the story, I mean, even before he got there, you had the (INAUDIBLE) with Meghan Markle. "Oh, the president's attacking Meghan Markle. No, he wasn't. She's the one that called him misogynist years ago, and he was responding to that.

The president's attacking the mayor of London. No, the Mayor of London went out of his way to write a newspaper article saying that the president wasn't welcome and President Trump, responded.

And then, as you pointed out with Nancy Pelosi. He didn't attack her. She was the one that said that he should be in prison. In fact, he started off and has for a long time tried to have a good respectful relationship with Nancy Pelosi and it's only recently that she's gone off the rails.

The other week with that, that language, that inflammatory language about a cover-up in the White House, and now with this, this desire to see him in jail. He's responding to that.

HENRY: Listen to what Andrea Mitchell from MSNBC said today. She covered a lot of presidents. Here's how she compared the president to President Reagan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA MITCHELL, CHIEF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, NBC NEWS: I was here when Ronald Reagan was here in 1984. I was here for that. And for all the disagreements over how to handle missile deployments in Europe, there were a lot of tensions then. But we didn't have the divisions with Europe that we have now. America is less respected in Europe than at any time in post- war history.

HENRY: What do you think about a reporter, anchor saying were less respected? And I thought it was Theresa May, the outgoing prime minister who in Britain actually gave the president credit for standing up to NATO allies and said, Theresa May did that they're now paying up. They respect --

(CROSSTALK)

HILTON: It's so ignorant. It's quite shocking actually to hear someone who is seen as this respected journalist like Andrea Mitchell say something like that.

She should remember that at the time she was talking about with Ronald Reagan, there were massive protests in London against Ronald Reagan, and the deployment of cruise missiles much bigger than anything you saw with Donald Trump in Germany, right across Europe.

And when you bring it up to date and look at the -- look at the way that actually what this president has done is strengthen the special relationship. It really cooled off. In the Obama years, I remember this vividly. I was in Number 10 Downing Street working with Prime Minister David Cameron.

When Obama came for his state visit, we were actually told don't even ask him to say the words, special relationship, because Obama doesn't believe in it. He prioritized this is the relationship with the E.U. or with Germany, don't even go there.

Donald Trump, clearly loves the U.K., loves the royal family. Wants it to be a special relationship. And so, I think what he did this week is actually strengthen it.

HENRY: Yes. Last question, Steve. As I listen to you lay out the successes of this trip for this president, and also a moment ago, you were listing, you know, all the kind of silly things he was responding to and how others threw the first punch. Would it be smarter for this president though to not always punch back on those things when he's doing well on the world stage?

HILTON: Well, you could say that. But I think, it's part of his character. And the truth is that he wouldn't get any lasting credit anyway. Because what's quite clear from the story of the Trump campaign and now the presidency is that it's nothing to do with substance, it's nothing to do with anything real, they just don't like him. They think he's vulgar, they don't like the way he looks, the way he speaks, and there's nothing he can do, literally, nothing that will eliminate this Trump derangement syndrome we're seeing now all across the world.

HENRY: Well, I think we may have seen that again. Steve Hilton, 9:00 p.m. Eastern live here in the Fox News Channel on Sunday night. I never miss it and you should know that. Appreciate it.

Also here next, Ben Shapiro is seemed right there, editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com, author of the new book, The Right Side of History. Thanks for coming in.

BEN SHAPIRO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FOR THE DAILY WIRE: You bet.

HENRY: Ben, how do you see it in terms of how the president did compare to the narrative that was being set for all of us?

SHAPIRO: I mean, listen, I think he gave one of the great speeches of his presidency, and yet, most of the media coverage surrounded ancillary issues that had pretty much nothing to do with what was happening on the ground.

Yes, I saw a lot of coverage on Twitter of how he signed the joint document with the other allies from World War II. I signed it at the top of the page, oh, the end of the world. I saw the -- I saw the media attempting to report that it was his fault that there was a delay in the ceremony when in reality it was because Emmanuel Macron, the head of France took too long to get there and it was supposedly because Trump delayed some -- delayed the event for an interview with Fox, which, of course, ended up being false.

And I do think that the media coverage was already pre-set here. They were not going to allow him to have a full victory. And does it help when the president, you know, mouths off too much?

HENRY: Yes.

SHAPIRO: No, that never helps too much. But, the fact is that overall, it should have been a nearly unanimous victory for the president. And instead, the media turn it into something else, of course.

HENRY: We laid out with some people on MSNBC, were saying, listen to how the view put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, HOST, ABC: I don't even want to talk about him now, because it just -- me. I just don't because those -- you know, that whole -- all those people who went and gave their lives,

BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, THE VIEW, ABC: Yes.

GOLDBERG: They didn't ask -- they didn't have bone spurs. They went. People went. People went to fight the ugly that was happening.

WALTERS: Yes.

GOLDBERG: They went and did it. That's all I'm going to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: There are other presidents of both parties who did not serve, and yet she chose to highlight that on the day he was honoring all of those who did serve. And even "The View" had to cut out you heard that delay there because there was a swearword in there. She had to go on the attack.

SHAPIRO: Right. It is pretty insane. I mean, the fact is that again, the president was there to pay homage to people who did give their lives in defense of American freedom in Western civilization.

And the fact that she feels the need to go after Trump's military record and Joe Biden didn't serve in the military, either. Bill Clinton was presumably a draft dodger. So, this new found, you know, reverence for the idea that everybody has to serve from the same people who want to undercut the military and defund it is kind of amusing.

HENRY: Yes, and there was Anne Applebaum, The Washington Post, wrote that Donald -- "If Donald Trump was president," she wrote, "in 1944, D-Day never would have happened. How do journalists today have this a magic ability to look back 75 years and predict for us what would have happened?

SHAPIRO: I mean, and that -- it is incredible. I'm so glad that she has a time machine. As long as she does have that time machine, then perhaps you can go back in time and stop like the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. And we can -- we can just get this thing nip in the bud.

HENRY: What do you think about the -- you alluded to this a moment ago, the president's instinct to fight back, it's what helped get him elected. But in the transition from campaigning to governing, when he's on the world stage doing far better than his critics expected, might it be better for him sometimes to hold back?

SHAPIRO: Yes, you know, again, I think a little bit of wherewithal would go a long way. If you're looking forward to 2020, suburban women is obviously what everybody is talking about, he's deeply unpopular with that group of folks.

I understand that a lot of people get jazzed up when he fights back, and it's fun to watch. I mean, he's a hammer in search of a nail, when he hits a nail, it's really satisfying. The problem is, when he hits a puppy, it's less satisfying to those suburban women.

HENRY: Now, you put together a D-Day special of your own. And I want to play a clip from it because two of the -- at least two of the folks featured in here were featured by our own Martha MacCallum, as I mentioned at the top of the show. And we really can't get enough of honoring these people. I want to play a quick clip and we'll talk on the other side. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For months after my 18th birthday, I was called up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was 18 years of age.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 112 pounds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I flew 36 combat missions over Germany.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was a medic. We were just assigned a mission and happened to be D-Day landing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mainly it was chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was so frightened. I was blacked up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when my mind was flashing through, there's a son, father, that won't be coming home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reason you are sitting here today is because of what we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: It's so emotional we hear them talk. And the -- and on the three trips I took from Paris to Normandy over the years reporting with presidents, I was always struck when you've got really close to the cemetery-- the American Cemetery. There'd be little Inns along the way that French families run and all the signs had French flags, American flags, and it said simply, "Thank you, America."

SHAPIRO: Now, thank God for these men. And you know, we should all spend an awful lot of time especially these days not only honoring these men but talking to these folks. Because unfortunately, as time moves on, it's easy to forget them, a lot of these folks are dying out. And these are American heroes, and they are the best that America had to offer. They're still what America has to offer.

HENRY: All right, where can people see the special?

SHAPIRO: You go check it out over at dailywire.com and you can download it at YouTube or iTunes or any place, also, you can get a podcast.

HENRY: All right. Ben, thanks for telling their stories. Martha is been doing that as well. We appreciate it.

SHAPIRO: I appreciate it.

HENRY: Joe Biden, meanwhile, caving to political pressure on abortion. But some on the far left still not satisfied. What Alexandra Ocasio Cortez has to say about the former beep? That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, D-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right. If I believe health care is the right as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's zip code.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: 2020 Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden caving to an onslaught of political pressure from his own party abruptly reversing course on his support for the Hyde Amendment, a measure hailed by most Republicans because it prevents federal funds from being spent on most abortions. But will it be too little too late for far-left critics. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, D-N.Y.: If you're going to come out in saying that you support the Hyde Amendment which prevents us from funding clinics like Planned Parenthood, that's not Progressive. Don't kind of come out here and then say you're a Progressive candidate but at the same time not support repealing something as basic as a Hyde Amendment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Here now Guy Benson, host of "The Guy Benson Show" on Fox News Radio and a Fox News Contributor and Rochelle Ritchie, Democratic Strategist, former Press Secretary for the House Democrats. Good to see you both.

ROCHELLE RITCHIE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to see you, Ed.

HENRY: Guy, boy, that was fast.

GUY BENSON, CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it was 40 years in the making and he had --

HENRY: Maybe not that fast.

BENSON: He had his convictions for 40 years and then he seemed to back away from the matter, rope line a few weeks ago and then that was clarified no, he's standing behind his original position. And then with this litmus test on fire, he decided I guess it's time to cave to pressure.

And frankly, I think it's sad on policy that he felt like he had to do this given the radicalism of his party now on this issue. But just politically speaking as we look at this primary, this I think puts blood in the water. People feel like he can be bullied. He couldn't even stand up for a day to this type of scrutiny reports that he was getting pressure from his own junior staff.

HENRY: Right.

BENSON: And he change his mind. Alyssa Milano was lobbying him. How is he going to stand up to President Trump?

HENRY: Rochelle, as recently as Wednesday, Joe Biden staff was saying no, he's still for the Hyde Amendment.

RITCHIE: Yes, and then all of a sudden he turned around and changed his mind. And I think this is what's going to be a little frustrating for those people that are in -- within the Democratic Party that are more moderate, they're more centrist. And that is the fact that there are plenty of people who don't necessarily believe in abortion but they also don't believe in using federal -- they believe in abortion but they don't believe in using federal funds for those abortions.

And those are Democrats that feel that way. I think there was a poll out there that said more than 50 percent of Democrats feel that way. So I think that he needs to stick to his guns. I don't think that he should be influenced by people like Alyssa Milano. And I know that you know, AOC is coming out and saying whatever she has to say, but you know, that is sort of representative of why people keep saying that the Democratic Party is divided.

HENRY: Well, that train may have left the station for someone Joe Biden who supports Amtrak so much. He has already flipped on this one issue. Let's look -- there's another dimension to this I want to get into in the 2020 race when he was running for election as vice president of course in the debate with Paul Ryan. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: With regard to abortion, I accept my church's position on abortion as what we called they feed a doctor. Life begins at conception. That's the church's judgment I accepted in my personal life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, he went on say that he was pro-choice, but Guy, in recent weeks some of his advisors were using his Catholic faith to say this is his personal belief and it's one of the reasons he supports the Hyde Amendment which bans federal funding on abortions. Where'd that faith go?

BENSON: Well, I'm not going to comment on his faith. What I will say is when you look at this question of funding for abortion, one of the arguments that is made in favor of the pro-choice argument is this. It is a deeply personal decision that must be left exclusively to a woman and her doctor. And now they're saying, nevermind, let's also bring in the American people and their tax dollars, right.

I think that this is one of the truces if you will that we've had in a very difficult debate over abortion, and we can have our differences of opinion and really fight those out in good faith. One of the few compromises that we've hammered out is the Hyde Amendment. It's been in place for many years with supportive Republicans and Democrats.

And you're exactly right, there are many Democrats -- setting aside the pro-life Democrats, there are moderately pro-choice Democrats who Biden I think was right there with them and now he's gotten tug, tug, tug over to this really shocking position that is becoming basically mainstream in the Democrat Party.

HENRY: And Rochelle, to his point, your party had been saying that Republicans were going too far on some state laws --

RITCHIE: They are. They definitely are.

HENRY: OK. But then, if you're trying to say Republicans are extreme, how do you explain this one?

RITCHIE: Well, I don't think that this is necessarily extreme because this is more of him saying that I don't support something anymore. He's not necessarily signing a bill or signing anything into law. He hasn't even won the presidency yet.

HENRY: But it was a moderate position this guys was saying. It's something that people --

RITCHIE: It was -- it is a moderate position, and that's what's so important. And I think that he has to stay down that moderate line because it's not about winning the popular vote, right, it's about winning the Electoral College. And right now I'm pretty sure that Trump is not going to win the popular vote. However, there is --

(CROSSTALK)

RITCHIE: There are not going to be a lot of -- there's not going to be a lot of progressives that are in that Electoral College and he has his ride that line because you want to make sure that you're pulling back those Trump supporters that supported Obama, right. And you also want to make sure that you're gaining those independents that are you know, sort of leaning towards Trump but also kind of in the middle. And he has to not go far left with AOC and Sanders.

HENRY: Guy wants to jump in.

BENSON: I would just -- I would just point out on this broad issue. Brand-new poll today from NPR and PBS. These are not right-wing bastions on the issue of abortion. It found that only 18 percent of the American people, less than one in five support legalized abortion for all nine months of pregnancy.

I don't think there's a single Democrat running for president right now who is not among that 18 percent while 70 percent of the poll supports significant new restrictions on abortion, 70 percent. Is there any Democrat in this country running for national office who's going to speak to that 70 percent.

HENRY: Quick last point, Rochelle.

BENSON: It was going to be Biden but not anymore.

RITCHIE: Well, I would say this. I think that Biden -- this is -- this is the 24-hour news cycle, right? Is going to change we're going to change our focus and it'll be back to the same thing.

HENRY: There may be another flip-flop tomorrow.

RITCHIE: But they need -- if he flip-flops, if he wins the presidency, then they need to make sure that they hold him accountable to his word.

HENRY: All right, Rochelle, Guy, I appreciate you coming in.

RITCHIE: Thanks, Ed.

HENRY: Democrats attempt to breathe some new life into the Mueller report preparing a wave of imminent actions next week to try and ramp up impeachment pressure, even calling on yes, a central figure who helped bring down Richard Nixon during Watergate to come testify on the Hill Monday. The details next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Almost from the time I announced I was going to run, they've been giving us this investigation fatigue. It's been a long time. They've got nothing, zero. You know why, because there is nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MUELLER, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL: Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report. It contains our findings and analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. We chose those words carefully and the work speaks for itself. And the report is my testimony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: It's been more than a week since Robert Mueller declared it's officially case closed on his Russia investigation. But House Democrats especially those dead set on impeachment are just getting started, set to kick off a new wave of hearings that start Monday featuring the former White House Counsel who helped bring down Richard Nixon during Watergate as their first star witness.

Our Correspondent Leland Vittert has “The Story” from Washington tonight. Good evening, Leland.

LELAND VITTERT, CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Ed. As you point out, the optics here are important. And nothing quite says impeachment like Watergate and few living figures are more closely associated with Watergate than John Dean. Politico reports Democrats hope his mere presence on this panel Monday will create further momentum for the impeachment of President Trump.

Here is how the now CNN Contributor talked about a possible Trump impeachment in light of Nixon's behavior.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DEAN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: The article three against Richard Nixon was really based on his behavior after they started the impeachment proceeding because he refused to cooperate, he refused to supply his tapes. He didn't -- he couldn't prevent all the witnesses but he did what he could. But that's what that article three was based on not something that happened during the general Watergate investigation but directly related to the impeachment proceeding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VITTERT: Dean served his White House Counsel for Nixon engaged in a slew of dirty tricks and alleged illegal behavior. As the Watergate investigation closed in he turned and agreed to testify against the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and if the cancer was not removed, the President himself would be killed by it. I also told him that it was important that this cancer be removed immediately because it was growing more deadly every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VITTERT: Well, Dean, though is controversial, to be generous of adjective, among Nixon's alumni. Geoff Shepard, who served as deputy counsel of Nixon during Watergate, wrote this on Dean's coming testimony.

"John Dean is a convicted felon sentenced to a prison term of one to four years and disbarred from the practice of law for 45 years but he remained a media hero, the toast of the liberal media eastern establishment because he changed the story of what had happened to safe himself and to sink his former colleagues. Fact is, the ugly truth about John Dean is far different from what the American people have been led to believe."

Dean takes the oath on Monday 2 p.m. Eastern, Ed. One can imagine his testimony this time will have a little bit fewer ratings points than during the Watergate days. Those hearings at times were seen by 70 percent of Americans.

HENRY: Riveted the nation. Leland Vittert, I appreciate that report.

Joining me now, Jon Sale, former assistant special Watergate prosecutor and Jason Chaffetz who served on the House judiciary committee for eight years before becoming a Fox News contributor. Good evening, gentlemen.

JASON CHAFFETZ, CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Ed, -- good afternoon -- good afternoon.

HENRY: Jason, as a former house judiciary committee member and former chair of the oversight committee, what do you think Jerry Nadler is going to accomplish here with John Dean as the first witness?

CHAFFETZ: Nothing. This is a made for a C-SPAN event, its sensationalism at its best. They seem to bring -- the House seems to be bringing convicted felons before to somehow give testimony that's going to be compelling. He can shed no light on the immediate situation, no light on what happened during this event.

It's disgraceful. What Jerry Nadler is doing is running a clown show with buckets of chicken. Convicted felons of people who know nothing about the case at hand.

HENRY: Well, Jon Sale, you clearly were one of the prosecutors who sent John Dean to jail. Might not think he's such a good judge a character. But on the other hand, I imagine Jerry Nadler and other Democrats might say that he's redeemed himself and has some perspective that they want to add to this debate. Do you buy in that?

JON SALE, ASSISTANT SPECIAL PROSECUTOR, WATERGATE: No. It's a political stunt. What is he, an expert on obstruction of justice? John Dean pled guilty to a conspiracy to obstruct justice, he participated in the payment of hush money, he even encourages people to leave the country.

It is nothing whatever to do with what's happening today. They are, there was underlying climes. He didn't bring down Richard Nixon. That tapes brought down Richard Nixon.

HENRY: Interesting you mention the tapes, because Bob Woodward of Watergate fame himself and you know him well, Jon Sales, had this to say about the differences, and this was before we heard about John Dean testifying just a minute and a half or so ago. Here's what he said about then and now. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WOODWARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, THE WASHINGTON POST: I hate to go back to Watergate, but you have those thousands of hours of tape recordings where you heard the president say let's obstruct justice, let's pay blackmail money, let's lie, let's stonewall the grand jury and so that raised the bar on how you deal with the president, and at this point we do not have that kind of evidence involving Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: How could Democrats answer Woodward on that point, Jason?

CHAFFETZ: Well, look at what Donald Trump did. He informed everybody, speak with the general counsel, make all the documents available, provide all the e-mails. He went to the unprecedented step of allowing his general counsel to spend more than 30 hours with the special prosecutor.

He did exactly the opposite of what happened in the previous cases. Donald Trump should be winning award from the Sunlight Foundation and for others for being as open and transparent as he was. He really should be winning awards.

HENRY: I don't suspect he'll be winning awards. But Jon Sale, what differences and similarities do you see between Watergate and now?

SALE: Well, in Watergate, there was an underlying crime, a break-in at the DNC, a burglary, and there was evidence of that was covered up. Here, what do we have? In Mueller's report, I don't get it, a double negative? He can't find that he didn't commit obstruction?

Well, there's no underlying crime. There's no evidence of obstruction, and Mueller is not going to shed any light on that. So, as I said, I think John Dean's testimony is just political theater and I don't think people are going to be riveted to the TV set like they were 40 some odd years ago.

HENRY: Well, Robert Mueller said himself the report should speak for itself. Democrats seemed to be wanting to speak a little bit more.

John Sale, Jason Chaffetz, I appreciate you both coming i n with your perspective.

CHAFFETZ: Thank you.

SALE: Thank you.

HENRY: Still ahead, our ladies' night panel takes on the critics calling First Lady Melania Trump's sunglasses, calling them disrespectful at Normandy. Much to do about nothing folks picking on the first lady especially when you consider the serious news breaking news right here in New York City tonight.

A live update on the suspect arrested for threatening to blow up Times Square. Big story. He wanted to do it with hand grenades. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: Some breaking news tonight. A New York city man is in federal custody after allegedly plotting a terror attack in Times Square. Officials say the suspect wanted to use grenades as part of his plan to kill law enforcement officers as well as civilians.

Our correspondent Jacqui Heinrich is live in Times Square tonight with those chilling details. Good evening, Jacqui.

JACQUI HEINRICH, CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Ed. Investigators say that man unknowingly met with an undercover FBI agent at least 20 times not realizing the Joint Terrorism Task Force was building a case against him.

The suspect's name is Ashiqul Alam, he's 22 years old from Bangladesh and was living as a permanent resident in Queens. Police arrested him last night after he allegedly tried to buy two semiautomatic pistols with the serial numbers removed from undercover officers.

The FBI had been tracking Alam's movements since August of last year. Investigator say he repeatedly praised ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Osama Bin Laden and said he admired the attack on September 11th. Later, he allegedly began planning his own attack with a suicide vest in Times Square.

He also considered Washington, D.C., saying he wanted to kill a senior government official. Agents said Alam planned to use grenades because they could, quote, "take out at least eight people." He allegedly went so far as to record cell phone video of Times Square to map out his targets and on another occasion he said it would make him happy to see the flag of Islam on the Twin Towers or the Empire State building.

He also allegedly talked about blowing up a military base and shooting law enforcement officers within an AR-15. The judge ordered him held on no bail, calling him a danger to the community.

This is at least the sixth terror plot targeting Times Square since the 9/11 attacks. Back in 2010, a crude car bomb was found smoking in a car just one block south of where I'm standing right now. And in 2017, a man tries to set off a suicide bomb in the subway at Times Square. Both of those bombs failed to detonate.

Investigators said this time there was no risk to Times Square that agents were watching this man's move every step of the way, but the criminal complaint against him certainly paints a dark picture of what agents say he wanted to see happen. Ed?

HENRY: Jacqui Heinrich, I appreciate that report. Also developing tonight, a doctor in Ohio now facing multiple counts of murder in the overdose deaths of 25 patients. He's accused of intentionally ordering potentially lethal doses of opioid painkillers for those patients. But has since pleaded not guilty.

Trace Gallagher is live from our West Coast newsroom with the back story. Good evening, Trace.

TRACE GALLAGHER, CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Ed.

For context, about 100 micrograms of Fentanyl is the normal dose for someone in pain depending on their weight in circumstances. The allegation here is that from 2015 to 2018, 43-year-old Dr. William Husel gave 25 patients up to 2,000 micrograms of the opioid, that's 20 times the norm.

So Dr. Husel is facing 25 counts of murder, but it's notable that pharmacist, nurses, and other medical technician, a chain of some 30 people all followed the doctor's orders.

Now investigators in the Mount Carmel health system in Columbus are trying to figure out why. Most of the patients who died were end-of-life patients, meaning older and seriously ill. And prosecutors say some of the patients were unconscious and unable to feel pain, therefore the doses given by the doctor could not support any legitimate medical purpose.

Here is the Franklin County prosecutor. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON O'BRIEN, PROSECUTOR, FRANKLIN COUNTY: I think the difference is you're not entitled to not treat a medical condition and give a pain medication that will shorten their life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: The state medical board has already suspended Husel's license for, quote, "failure to meet acceptable standards regarding the selection of drugs, violations of minimum standards of care, and failing to cooperate in the board's investigation."

But Husel's lawyers say this is not a murder case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BLAKE, ATTORNEY FOR DR. WILLIAM HUSEL: Look, at no time that Dr. Husel ever intend to euthanize anyone. Euthanize meaning to speed up death. At no time did he have any intention of doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: And the families of the alleged victims are also trying to process the allegations. A woman who lost her mother was asked if she considers Dr. Husel a monster. Here's her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY PFAFF, BEVERLEE SCHIRTZINGER'S DAUGHTER: I'm just kind of numb to him right now, and what happened, and what he did to my mom. I would not say a monster, more or less just wanting to know why.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Wants to know why. In fact, there are a lot of unknowns including the motive. Ed?

HENRY: Well, big story, Trace. I appreciate that report. Up next, Beyonce apparently throw some serious shade at the woman talking to her rapper husband Jay-Z. And the queen bee's fans come out in full force, even reportedly threatening her with death. Our ladies' night panel is up next. Don't miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: Well, she's no stranger to criticism over fashion choices and now First Lady Melania Trump is facing a wave of backlash on social media over her accessory at the commemoration for the 75th anniversary of D-Day this week. Yes, people are focusing on sunglasses.

Criticisms on Twitter range from not appropriate to it was disrespectful and even rude for leaving them on during the ceremonies.

Here now ladies' night, Lisa Boothe, Jessica Tarlov, and Susan Li. Good to see you all.

JESSICA TARLOV, CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.

LISA BOOTHE, CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, Ed.

SUSAN LI, FOX BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Ed.

HENRY: Lisa, maybe it was just sunny out.

BOOTHE: Exactly. My thought is exactly it was sunny. When it's sunny out you wear sunglasses. Everyone was always trying to make a story out of everything with the Trumps and that's what's going on here. Even so much when President Trump have probably one of the best speeches he's ever given his D-Day speech. Even Jim Acosta praised it. So that he rose to the moment, that he was on message, even Vox praised him and said the speech was great but then they have to add the caveat but he was the wrong man to give it.

Because this is what the media does. This is what president Trump's opponents do and critics, they can never let him have anything nice. They always have to take it away, there has to be some sort of element of criticism and they can't just have him have a lovely day, a lovely speech honoring brave men, they have to turn it into something nasty.

HENRY: Jessica, why can't Lisa have nice things?

BOOTHE: Yes, why not?

TARLOV: Lisa can all the nice things in the world. Just sort of say, so there was the D-Day speech and then there was the interview with Laura Ingraham which wasn't the same tone, shall we say.

(CROSSTALK)

HENRY: Different choice.

TARLOV: As for the sunshine, I didn't see anyone else in sunglasses. I personally wasn't criticizing her for this because -- listen, there are more things you can criticize Melania Trump for. But everybody else was sitting there with no sun --

(CROSSTALK)

HENRY: So she's what?

TARLOV: I mean, really?

HENRY: I mean, mostly --

TARLOV: Are you giving me Tucker slot?

HENRY: Yes. Mostly, I heard at the early part of trip that she looked fabulous.

BOOTHE: She looked fabulous.

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: I just mean, I've always been more of a let's critique on the substance and the policies --

HENRY: On substance.

TARLOV: -- and things like that than focusing on fashion choices or whatever.

HENRY: Sure.

TARLOV: Generally, she looks fabulous all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOOTHE: I mean, look at that.

LI: I'll pick the girly topic. I think she looks fantastic. The Christian Dior's, the white hat.

TARLOV: Everything in the British part of that trip looks --

LI: I mean, it looks fantastic. But in sunglasses, OK, so she may have missed step this time but she'll learn for next time and it was sunny outside.

BOOTHE: But it wasn't in this -- I don't think --

(CROSSTALK)

LI: It was a little bit disrespectful.

BOOTHE: It was a little disrespectful given that it was D-Day.

TARLOV: It is rude to have your sunglasses on.

LI: And no one else had their sunglasses on.

TARLOV: Right.

LI: So I'm just saying she will learn for next time. She still looked fantastic. Still a great representative of the U.S.

HENRY: Well, another moment during the British part of the trip was Meghan Markle and the president responding. Here's his interview with Piers Morgan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIERS MORGAN, BROADCASTER, ITV: Do you think Meghan Markle is nasty or not?

TRUMP: No. You know, the question was asked to me and I didn't know that she said anything bad about me. It sounds like she did, and that's OK.

I was referring to she's nasty, I said, she's nasty about me. And essentially I didn't know she was nasty about me. So, I said, but, you know what, she's doing a good job. I hope she enjoys her life. But it just shows you how terrible the news can be because if you read it, I'm sure you did, I was talking about nasty, she was nasty about me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And in fact, in that original interview, he was referring to, he did multiple times say, I hope she's doing well. I didn't know she criticized me. I hope she -- you know, she's seems nice.

BOOTHE: I think that with every interview with President Trump, always read the transcript. Because the way the media covers it is always disingenuous and you have to look at the context and this is what President Trump said as well.

As you mentioned, previously he seemed disappointed that she wasn't going to be at these events because of maternity leave, he said he hopes she was doing well. Then he was told that she said some nasty things about him, and he was like, I didn't know. I thought she was nice. I didn't know she was nasty, and that kind of response.

And then even after that when ask if, you know, he likes her being an American princess, he was like, I think she does an excellent, she's great, essentially I'm paraphrasing. (CROSSTALK)

HENRY: Well, he did say all that.

BOOTHE: But it's a lot of positive things. He was saying that he didn't know that he didn't know that she says nasty things.

HENRY: But was he splitting hairs a bit.

TARLOV: Of course, there's audio of it.

BOOTHE: No.

TARLOV: Listen, Lisa have all the nice things in the world.

BOOTHE: Go reason --

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: What he is on tape doing these things it looks ridiculous. He could have just clarified it and said, it was a poor choice of words. I love having Meghan Markle as a representative of America in the U.K. She does a great job, great princess, adorable boy, love the name Archie. Let's move on.

(CROSSTALK)

LI: She wasn't even there and she had to feel the press heat. I mean, this poor woman just had a baby for a few weeks ago so she's at home nursing him.

TARLOV: Yes. I like that angle.

(CROSSTALK)

BOOTHE: I don't feel bad for her. She's gone out of her way to say disgusting things about the president. Clearly, she doesn't mind the attention. I really don't think she has any problem with the attention.

(CROSSTALK)

LI: She wasn't even there. When did you see her over the last five days?

BOOTHE: Whatever, I don't --

(CROSSTALK)

HENRY: All right.

BOOTHE: She's fine.

HENRY: I'm going to blow the whistle now. They like the NBA finals. Because we're going to move on --

LI: Yes. Go Raptors.

HENRY: -- to the Golden State Warriors are playing the Toronto Raptors and the wife of the owner of the Warriors, Nicole Curran, was hosting Jay-Z and Beyonce in those court side seats. You see this all the time. And people seem to be all a Twitter, if you will, over the fact of something that played out.

Here's a tweet from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "Curran says Jay-Z asked for a Vodka soda. She asked if he wanted lime with that, but it was loud at Oracle and she couldn't hear, so she leaned over. That's where the photos of Beyonce looking askance of her come from because everybody was talking about how Beyonce thought she was moving in on her man."

LI: Come on.

BOOTHE: Also, I bet Nicole is never going to ask anyone for a drink again, or if they want a drink again. Here she is trying to be hospitable, trying to be nice, show some hospitality here, be a nice person, ask what they want to drink, and then she gets death threats for it.

Nicole, if you're looking for a friend, I would love to be a courtside with you, I love free drinks. I'll be your friend.

HENRY: She served Vodka soda, by the way.

BOOTHE: Yes. I will do that or Rose (Ph) or whatever. I will be her friend. That's what we're looking for.

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: Such easy day like taking her to the game.

HENRY: She just want these nice things.

LI: All the nice things.

HENRY: So Jess, where do you stand on this?

TARLOV: I'm really not into the death threats from this.

HENRY: Yes.

TARLOV: It actually seems something worthwhile for Jay-Z and Beyonce to clarify with some sort of press release, I understand Beyonce doesn't do a lot of social media stuff herself but they were guests of (Inaudible), it seems quite innocent. It was about whether he wanted lime with his Vodka soda. The bee-hive is extreme. And I want some. Remember, I'm a huge Beyonce fan. But she didn't actually even look that angry.

LI: I don't think she's that angry.

TARLOV: Because I've seen her angry face.

HENRY: Right. People just don't react.

LI: I've seen real cut-eye. That didn't look like cute-eye --

HENRY: Cut-eye?

LI: But look, OK, so basically, it was so funny, some of the memes was queen Be, slain Becky with the good -- but a lot of these courtside antics seem to be taking more antics than the game itself.

HENRY: Well, right. I wanted to be a good host which is I brought up this clear. To be clear --

BOOTHE: I read it.

HENRY: I brought limes.

BOOTHE: Yes.

HENRY: But they are not Vodka soda. I had to regret to inform you -- it's just sparkling water with a little lime. I thought it would be nice as we head into the weekend.

LI: Lovely.

BOOTHE: Cheers.

LI: It's very lovely. Very fresh.

HENRY: Hope you all have a great weekend.

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: Have a great summer weekend.

HENRY: With no side eye or hid eye or whatever.

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: No. All straight eyes at each other.

LI: Cheers, cheers, cheers.

HENRY: More of “The Story” coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: And we want to end on a very important update to a story that Martha reported on last night. We now know the identity of the West Point cadet who was killed in a military vehicle crash just yesterday.

Chris C.J. Morgan of New Jersey was a high school wrestling star. The 22- year-old came from a family of West Point graduates. In fact, his father said, quote, "he was my first child. He was my hero." In fact, he is now a hero to so many of us.

On a week when we celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-Day and we wonder about the greatest generation and the current generation, there are many in the current generation are doing so much, serving all of us every day. And we salute all of you.

That is “The Story” on this Friday night. Martha will be back from France on Monday. I'll be back on "Fox and Friends" tomorrow bright and early 6:00 a.m. Eastern. Come check it out. Have a great, great weekend. In the meantime, Tucker is up next.

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