'The Five' on Biden's dipping polls, Democrats' handling of crime surge

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'The Five' blast Democrat leaders like New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for failure to contain crime surge

'The Five' panel discuss Democrats blaming the novel coronavirus pandemic for rise in crime within their cities

This is a rush transcript from, "The Five", December 13, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR (on camera): All right, Robert, thank you so much. Robert Ray, fox weather correspondent following all of that, witnessing something that is hard enough, let alone during the Christmas season. Let's remember that and let's remember them, let's help them. Here's THE FIVE.

GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS CO-HOST: There you go. THE FIVE.

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST (on camera): Hello, everyone. I'm Dana Perino along with Dagen McDowell, Harold Ford Jr., Jesse Watters, and Greg Gutfeld.

It's five o'clock in New York City, and this is THE FIVE.

President Biden playing the blame game after yet another brutal new poll. He's now pointing the finger at worried Americans and says they could just be confused about the job he is really doing. The president under water on nearly every big issue the country faces.

A growing number of Americans not happy with how he is handling surging inflation and the economy. And Biden is hitting a new low on how he is handling that pandemic. Fifty-three percent like the job he is doing on COVID. After months of bad polling news, Biden says he has stopped keeping track.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: How must you pay attention to the approval ratings?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, not anymore. No, I'm joking. I don't pay attention in the mid-60. Not in the mid-40 I don't pay attention.

Look, people are afraid. People are worried and people are getting so much inaccurate information. They're being told that, you know, Armageddon is on the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO (on camera): But after the White House went around all the media companies and said, you should be giving us better coverage, some in the media are giving Biden leeway on the polling disaster arguing that it's just out of his control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: It seems as if there is nothing the White House can do to improve their political standing these days. It does feel like every week there is another poll, it's a new bottom, it's a new this. And some of it is out of his control. His too big promises where to get COVID behind us and to get rid of Donald Trump. COVID is not behind us. And Donald Trump is still lurking. It's not his fault.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO (on camera): So, Jesse, I'm confused by this. You are all just confused crisis response.

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: Yes.

PERINO: Because have you ever told a woman she's just confused?

WATTERS: I told the woman a lot of things, Dana.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: They do not like it. They don't like it.

WATTERS: I know, the one time I told the woman that, it's the last time I did that. How small the president of the United States has to go on a late- night TV show. Zoom by the way, not in person and complain that no one listens to him anymore. Jimmy, nobody trusts what I say anymore. You know, it's like, the American people they are just so anxious and they are just a bunch of suckers who believe anything anybody tells them. Right, Jimmy.

Jimmy, you tell me. You are the good guy. Right. Tell them I have inflation under control. Tell them how crime is down. Tell them how I save three cents in gas. Right, Jimmy? Everybody else is lying but Jimmy, you and I are telling the truth.

And then he gets up and he says you know what, everyone is scared. Well, who scare them, Joe? You have still people putting face masks on babies.

PERINO: Yes.

WATTERS: You have people double vaxxed, boosted, test negative and still have to wear a mask. They're scared because you scared them and now not only that, you have high crime and you have high prices and the American people feel that. And they're not going to listen to a politician to tell them they are not feeling what they're actually feeling.

And then there is Chuck Todd who has this problem among many. He says I only care about the access I'm getting. I don't care about putting on a good broadcast. He's worried about not getting exclusive with Joe Biden, not getting the Mayor Pete exclusive, not getting Kamala sit down.

So, he is not going to say anything too critical. He figured out a crafty way to do it, though. He goes, well, you know what, there are a lot of really bad things happening in this country, especially with the administration, but it's not Joe's fault.

So, when Donald Trump overpromise and under deliver, that was because he was an incompetent loser. But when Joe Biden overpromise and underdelivers, it's something he can't control. And that is a straight news reporting. That's a straight news guy in a straight news Sunday show on a broadcast network trying to be straight. That's why no one watches.

PERINO: And they sounded a little depressed.

WATTERS: Yes.

PERINO: A little depressed. Harold, last week you said that Democrats and all politicians actually, not just Democrats, but that you should meet voters where they are. And one of the things you see here is that the voters are in this position looking at gas prices and inflation for their groceries and all the work requirements and things that are coming because of COVID.

And then the White House is saying, well, it's not as bad as you think. And actually, the wages have gone up, and actually it's all this and that in the other thing. So that there is a big disconnect. Do you think that's one of the reasons the poll numbers are where they are?

HAROLD FORD, JR., FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think there is any doubt. I'm just glad someone remember what I said last week.

PERINO: Yes, I wrote it down.

FORD: The -- you have to meet people where they are and then explain where you want to take down. And unfortunately, for Joe Biden, the (Inaudible) he already is, he is right on some of this. The economy is doing much better. We've created over five million jobs since he's been president. Jobless claims are down. Wages are up for a lot of Americans.

The problem is it's not connecting with anyone. And you don't do -- I agree with Jesse, you don't tell the people you are wrong and you should be listening and whomever you're talking to where we are right now, what's wrong with --

(CROSSTALK)

WATTERS: Yes. The inflation is wiping out the wage gains.

FORD: Right. But that's why you have to meet people where they are and explain that we shut the economy. There are lot of reasons and there's a narrative behind this but you can't preach to people if people aren't in the congregation. You got to sit with them, you got to meet them, you got to let them understand -- the president in my lifetime who understood this best was Bill Clinton.

Bill Clinton met people where they were. He felt their pain. And right now, I don't think that Joe Biden is connecting with everyday Americans that way. I think if I were in that White House and you're with the communications team, and it's a good team they have, you got to step back and say something is missing here and how we figure out and how do we bring that about.

There is no doubt that COVID remains on the president how our economy and trading markets are reacting to things, whether we like it not. The truth is the market was down today, if you look at the analysis, they say it's the Omicron variant and it maybe what the fed may or may not do.

I thought Kevin Warsh, a great piece in the Wall Street Journal on this today.

PERINO: Yes.

FORD: That being said, if President Biden White House meet people where they are, don't tell them they don't understand. Meet them were there and then tell your story.

PERINO: So, Dagen, if they did do what Harold is suggesting, what would they find?

DAGEN MCDOWELL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: They would -- well, they can't admit that inflation is a problem. To Jesse's point, wages are down almost 3 percent this year when you adjust for inflation. They can't admit it because they have, they will never ever do anything to fight it. What's important is their agenda and their world view.

Their world view is we govern for the green climate movement and their agenda is to pass this giant welfare monstrosity and because they know it will end up being permanent. It's not going away. It is not getting repealed just like Obamacare. So, they want to put in place welfare program after welfare program after welfare program.

If they admit spending at least in small part it's part of the problem, then that blows it up and it give Joe Manchin ammunition to say I'm not doing that. But at least Biden and company are consistent on one thing, whether it's the welfare monstrosity, inflation, the border, Afghanistan. The talking points are always completely false, their lies, and they are untethered from reality.

And to that point that they don't give a flying damn about any of this because it's just one example. Biden stopped federal aid to new fossil fuel project overseas three days ago. Energy prices are global. If they can -- they would not do that if they cared about energy prices.

PERINO: All right. Lat word to you, Greg.

GUTFELD: Well, I was watching that, Joe talking about his low ratings on Fallon and Fallon laughed. And I haven't seen it but he could relay.

WATTERS: Yes.

GUTFELD: That's pretty interesting. But it was like watching an overzealous puppy, like, you know, licking crumbs off in old man's chin. He's desperately trying to repair his reputation after being nice to Trump for once.

So difficult to do this show sometimes because when you surf up the line, Dana, that says every week Joe find a new bottom, and I can't make a joke, it's really hard. It's just not fair. So, I'm going to sit here because it's Monday.

PERINO: My mind didn't go there.

GUTFELD: Yes, I'm not -- it's not going anywhere either. But it's amazing to me. You know, Chuck Todd basically still blames Trump for being alive. Right?

WATTERS: Perfect.

GUTFELD: It's like, it's incredible. Does he prefer that Trump be struck by lightning? Because it's just like, the reason why Joe is not doing well is because Trump is still around. And like any bee like any good Republican pass away like Bob Dole or John McCain or George Herbert Walker Bush. And then you admire them, right, because as you know, you vilified them when they are alive, and then you admire them when they're dead.

So, that's how it works. That's why Chuck is sitting there and going like, what's going on here. It is pathetic. Joe blames misinformation, but saying that Build Better Act will pay for itself, where is that coming from? That's coming from Joe. That Kyle Rittenhouse was a white supremacist, where did that come from? That came from Joe.

The border security was whipping people. Where did that come from? That came from Joe. That vaxx things weren't safe. Where did that come from? It came from Joe. That Smollett was a victim, Joe. Tornadoes cause by climate change, manmade climate change, they came from Joe.

So, all of this misinformation is not coming from anybody but his own mouth.

PERINO: You just reminded me of that whipping story.

GUTFELD: Yes, remember that one away? Where is the investigation?

PERINO: Where is the -- we demand an answer.

GUTFELD: Exactly. Whipping into shape.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: Because you know what, they benched those guys.

GUTFELD: Yes, they did.

PERINO: They can't work.

GUTFELD: They did.

PERINO: I want an answer.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: I expect --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Remember how they were completely demonized.

PERINO: Yes.

GUTFELD: Yes.

MCDOWELL: But there's not going to be an investigation.

PERINO: Well, opening the bottom of it by tomorrow morning on --

GUTFELD: Get to the bottom of it.

(CROSSTALK)

WATTERS: Yes, new of Joe Biden.

PERINO: Coming up next, Democrats are being called clueless after what they said about out-of-control crime.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATTERS (voice over): Really interesting (Ph) stories.

MCDOWELL (on camera): Democrats utterly clueless on how to solve the crime wave. They unleashed to they just keep blaming the pandemic. In Chicago there was yet another brazen smash and grab robbery caught on camera. This ransacking a luxury car dealership in broad daylight stealing millions of dollars of items. The owner of that showroom blasting the city's liberal leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE PERILLO, CO-OWNER, GOLD COAST EXOTIC MOTORS: This happened in broad daylight on Saturday and they have people come and break into your store while there's customers shopping and there's children in there. I never realized that it has gotten to such a boiling point and there is no one stepping up to say said anything about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCDOWELL (on camera): And as New York City suffer through a massive spike in violence, outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio perhaps making the most foolish statement of his time in office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY): Eight years that I've been mayor index crime, major crime in New York City down 11 percent over eight years. And we did it bringing police and community closer together. Look around the city right now, the city is thriving. The bottom line is that there is today in New York City a much safer city then we were eight years ago. There is no question about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCDOWELL (on camera): Bite me. Greg, what do you say?

GUTFELD: Double bite me. I think if you get double bit, you are more than immune from that idiot. I don't know where -- obviously he stoned 90 percent of the time. Because everybody here intimately somebody who's been a victim of a crime or has been a victim of a crime. It's nothing like this.

He -- he is talking about index crime meaning that he lumps them altogether so he lowers the average while murder skyrockets. So, think about this, he can say muggings are down because the mugger killed the victim. Right?

That's exactly what he is saying. Personally, I like more muggings with less murder. Right? Do you see that -- do you see the logic here?

WATTERS: Yes.

GUTFELD: that the only reason why muggings are down --

PERINO: Yes.

GUTFELD: -- is because they killed the person. You know what the worse part about this is, how do you fight -- how do you fight crimes when the political leaders and the media who coddled the criminals and deny the crime exists? I'm worried at this point that there's a sense of hopelessness and acceptance that has set in when you are doing this kind of like, mumbo-jumbo.

When you hear about another shopkeeper who is uptown getting stabbed because a guy wanted a free cigarette or something, he was stabbed to death last night. Then you have an elderly Asian that was shot dead in Chicago in the streets.

And you go in your head you go, but what can you do, right? What can you do? And you go back and you look at your box scores or you look at your stocks, that's everybody in the media. Everybody in the media is now reporting the stuff as mundane and as acceptable, almost making us all guilty.

We should be out on the street. It's a shame that none of us protest because we're, you know, we've got a good life. But this is worth protesting.

PERINO: Yes.

GUTFELD: It's insane. We know people.

MCDOWELL: It -- I know I hear stories from friends everyday now.

GUTFELD: Yes.

MCDOWELL: That somebody getting mugged, you know, robbed, stabbed, Dana, but at least the mayor here in New York City is speaking out against the bail reform and says, you know, it's not his words, but it's crazy that people are just committing a crime and are right back out on the street. Could he individually change it and turnaround? Because people are angry enough about it.

PERINO: Well, there's a huge amount of hope in Eric Adams. And so, the mayor comes with everybody pulling for him but really hoping to see something pretty quickly. Recently I was told of an event that he went to or lunch where they said, he said he went into feedback. What could be done in the city to make the investment a thing, make sure that all of these empty storefronts get filled again.

And he said, don't tell me about homelessness and crime, because I've got that. I got it. It's going to be changed. I'm on top of it. Let's now talk about the business community.

That might be the right attitude it will be helpful for him. But do you know who else should help him? The Biden administration. They have an opportunity to try to back a new Democratic black mayor in a city that is super important not only to our nation's economy but to the world's economy. And this is a wonderful state with some really good people.

They should come in and figure out a way to help him and maybe help themselves in the process because the White House has continued to point to COVID for a reason that crime is up. When actually -- you actually -- you see Eugene Robinson writing today and I believe Clarence Page also wrote today that soft on crime prosecutors are a problem.

MCDOWELL: Right. And the city councils and the governors in the states and the legislatures. But here is what Jen Psaki had to say when she was asked about crime, Harold. I'll get your response. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What I will tell you is we have seen an increase in crime over the course of the pandemic. There are range of reasons for that and what we're focus is on is what we can do to address that. The president has proposed additional funding in the budget to make sure that local police department and cops have the funding they need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCDOWELL (on camera): Well, instead of giving concrete answers and reaching -- sending a, you know, help for New York, she serves up a bowl of gruel that she fully expects the media will lap up.

FORD: Well, I think when you, we talk about protesting and I think the real protest we saw here in New York voters elected Eric Adams. Eric Adams position on crime, his position on community engagement, his position on putting police officers back in communities, perhaps even undercover, fully funding.

And now to your point, Dagen, reforming bail reform. I think that's the message that the majority of Democrats I know, and I know a lot of them, that's where we are on this issue. And I would even argue that moderate Democrats and even some moderate Republican friends are right where he is.

I think the president is probably going to have to speak more specifically and concretely about the ways in which the federal government will partner with cities, be it chiefs of police in Chicago all across Texas, and for that matter all across the country.

I saw the former mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter be very critical of the D.A. there in Philadelphia. There is no question that there are a number of D.A.'s that are elected across the country who have adopted a coddling criminal and enabling crime kind of position.

And I think it came from a good place. They still got to search and articulate what that good place is, but they've got to figure -- they've got to understand that what they thought they were achieving in a positive way is not working. It's creating more crime, it's creating more violence, it's creating more unsafe areas in cities all across the country.

And the people who generally are hurt the most by this are people in the middle class and people who are not in the middle class beneath it. When police officers don't show up when the cops are called, the communities that are hurt the most are the ones we want to protect the most.

So, I hope they change this and I hope the White House and others are partners with Eric Adams and others across the country who want to do these things.

MCDOWELL: Yes. The liberal lunacy isn't going to disappear, though, Jesse. There's a billboard over on the west side highway about we need to -- the problem is in the prisons, free them all, it says. Free them all. So that's not disappearing.

WATTERS: I wonder if the fact that California emptied the jails for COVID had anything to do with the rise in smashing grabs in California. I think it has a little bit to do with that. We had the jewelry thief, ex-jewelry thief on Watters' World over the weekend.

He says he thinks a lot of the smashing grab cruise are gang initiations. You know, they used to have to have someone beat you up in order to join the gang. Now you just kind of have to be a member of the heist in order to do it.

He thinks it's not drug addicts, it's not low-down scale people. PERINO: Right.

WATTERS: These people have nice footwear. All black. Mask. They've obviously cased the joint. Case the joint is lingo for thievery and stuff like that.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Thank you.

FORD: When you say all black community are dressed in --

(CROSSTALK)

WATTERS: Yes, they are dressed in all black, Harold.

GUTFELD: Are you sure that's what you meant?

WATTERS: Of course. And they go and they are highly organized, because each one knows where the other one is doing. If you notice in the end, they all go into different directions, so that way you can't pinch more than one at the same time. Pinch is also a phrase they use --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Thank you.

WATTERS: -- in some of these --

FORD: Write it up?

GUTFELD: Yes, yes.

WATTERS: They're watching, Greg. And so, also, a lot of times they don't even use a gun during the heist because if you get caught with a firearm, that's an additional seven to nine years or something like that.

GUTFELD: And the click.

WATTERS: And the click.

GUTFELD: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: What's a click?

GUTFELD: It's a person.

WATTERS: And they line up a lot of this -- the buyers for all this luxury goods ahead of time. So usually, you get like that shuffled out of your hands quickly on the black market or the internet. Why are you looking at me?

GUTFELD: The black market is what, the illegal underground market.

WATTERS: It's the illicit underground trade and stolen goods.

GUTFELD: Right. OK, thank you.

WATTERS: Maybe they take about 10 percent off of the Lululemon or something like that.

GUTFELD: Yes. Yes.

WATTERS: But a lot of it has to do with defund of the police. The first thing they cut were these informants or these undercover units. So, --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Stoolies.

WATTERS: Stoolies. Or rats. And so, the police departments have no idea any of this stuff is coming. They don't have the ear of the streets.

GUTFELD: Yes, like you do.

WATTERS: Like they used to.

MCDOWELL: Got to go.

GUTFELD: What an education. You need to do a crime show on Fox Nation.

WATTERS: How do you know I already all have one line up, Greg.

MCDOWELL: Thank you. Speaking of insanity, COVID insanity not going away as Democrats impose new ridiculous mandates.

GUTFELD: So bad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUTFELD (on camera): As long as Democrats are in charge, COVID insanity may never be going away. The White House suggesting that it's OK for kids to eat their lunch outside in cold temperatures as a pandemic precaution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PSAKI: I will tell you; I have a three-year-old that goes to school who sits outside for snacks and lunch, wears a mask inside and it's no bill deal to him. I'm not saying that's the case for everybody but these are steps that schools are taking to keep kids safe. And I think the vast majority of parents appreciate that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD (on camera): I wonder what a three-year-old can afford to wear outside that other three-year-olds can't. Business owners in New York are also blasting the governor's new mandate that requires workers and customers to wear masks indoors or show proof of vaccination. And now California is launching its own slew of mandates, including indoor mask wearing.

All right, Dana, there's a lot of people that, you know, that are very skeptical about the -- they don't trust the government for various reasons. And here we have, you know, one documented Omicron case that was -- that was -- that a person had who had died, but not of it but who had it.

PERINO: Right.

GUTFELD: Almost all of them are mild versions and if left alone would build up a natural herd immunity, and yet, this is what's causing this. So, if you are not, like if you're not skeptical of the government, you sure as hell better be now because this is insane.

PERINO: Yes, the numbers for trust and government are going to go down after this week for sure including myself.

GUTFELD: Yes. You've been red-pilled

PERINO: This is ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous. Do you remember what I said last week when the Omicron studies came out and they said it was mild, and I said the White House should have had a press conference and said, good news, everybody.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: Everybody -- this is good. We're going to get this behind us. We're going to move on. Instead, it's like, all of a sudden, the restrictions we have now for a milder strain of the virus, and while all of us have vaccines or options to therapeutics --

GUTFELD: Therapeutics.

PERINO: -- or we have immunity from having COVID. The restrictions are now more -- are worse than before?

GUTFELD: And Biden is the worst role model because he's walking around -- he's like -- shouldn't you be -- if you're triple vaxxed, don't wear the mask. Tell people there's hope at the end of the tunnel. Don't tell them, no, the tunnel keeps going. The tunnel goes forever, Jesse, and it's taking your kids with it.

WATTERS: Yes -- no, if they tried to do that to my kids, I'd be one of those parents at the School Board hearings getting arrested.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: Fox News cameras would have to be there. I would make a scene just to make sure you guys knew how angry I was. The government has told us to - - during this pandemic, don't go outside in the summer, but go outside in the winter.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: How stupid is that? And we were saying in the commercial break, we don't have Gutfeld money. We can't buy $1,100 parkas. A lot of the times with our children, you know, we get something off the rack at Macy's, and you hope they don't freeze to death?

I don't know. It's probably mild in Washington D.C. right now. What's it like, 50, 45? We know it goes to 20. Let's see if little Jen Psaki's child has the same idea. My children, they have mask breaks at their classroom. I'm fine with that. But I'm getting the feeling that these permanent pandemic power grabbers are going to want to mask our children forever.

Because when you're an adult, and you are nervous, and you don't have control over your life, who do you go to do assert control over? You go to children, and you try to control kids. And I'm not down with that. Also, my bakery told me to put a mask on today, my own bakery.

PERINO: You have a bakery?

GUTFELD: You have a bakery?

WATTERS: And I've been vaxxed for months. He says, put a mask on. What? When did that happen? The stupid Governor overreacting to Omicron. There's like 10 people that died in Manhattan the other day. There's like eight million people in this city, 10 people died, what are we doing?

GUTFELD: And not from Omicron?

WATTERS: No. I haven't seen lips. I haven't seen chins. Some guys might have a goatee. I need to know that.

GUTFELD: You do need to know that especially before you kiss them. Harold, as you know, you are evil being a lawyer.

WATTERS: Wait, he's a lawyer?

GUTFELD: Yes, Harold is a lawyer.

WATTERS: What?

GUTFELD: You didn't know that?

FORD JR.: I went to law school.

WATTERS: You didn't tell me that.

GUTFELD: So, when you --

WATTERS: A lot of things we haven't talked about, White Denzel Washington.

GUTFELD: Wouldn't you -- the White Denzel is shocked. Wouldn't you agree that it's -- this fear of litigation that is driving this kind of zero risk hysteria. But we have -- if we continue to chase zero risk because we're fear of being sued like the airlines, we will never get back to normal.

FORD JR: That's a -- that's certainly is a factor I think in all of these things. I do think two things, this point -- data points. Scott Gottlieb who I listened to on these things, I think he's incredible in this.

GUTFELD: Yes, great guy.

FORD JR: He says that the Omicron is on the rise in Europe. Boris Johnson is bringing back a lot of the kind of safety and security mandates that they had before. Now, what that -- I looked into it close enough to understand but I take him at as word. I think that the White House and government officials locally and statewide including Governor Hochul, they had to -- they had to frame this a little differently. This had to be to keep our economy strong act as we think about ways -- not mandates, but encouraging people to get it.

The key is, the only way you get a variant is if -- is if someone doesn't have a vaccine, and that's where these variants are growing up and maturing. Now, we don't have fully enough data on Omicron. The initial data is great. It's mild.

WATTERS: It's immature.

GUTFELD: I would rather get Omicron than --

WATTERS: Right.

FORD JR: I'd rather get nothing. But I'm saying all -- I think we all would. But all I'm saying is we -- the data right now is very encouraging. And to your point, Dana, I would have -- I would have approached it that way at the White House if given the opportunity.

GUTFELD: You know, Dagen, we're creating two classes of people. I mean, you know, we're dealing with this in this building right now. Thanks to the governor, we got zone -- we've got vaccine zones and non-vaccine zones. And essentially, if you aren't vaxxed, you're not welcome in certain places.

MCDOWELL: And do you know how stupid Kathy Hochul is, the governor of New York, is that she borrowed her game plan or her messaging from Joe Biden where she's trying to pit the vaccinated against the unvaccinated. Like, make the lives of vaccinated so uncomfortable that they get what, angry at the unvaccinated?

GUTFELD: Right.

MCDOWELL: But you're also like, I think 91 percent of New York ages 12 and up have gotten at least one shot. So, they're pitting all those people against the few who have been -- who haven't gotten the shot for whatever reason. Maybe they had COVID. Maybe that's why they didn't have the shot. But it also sends the message that the damn vaccines don't work.

GUTFELD: Exactly. Well, that's what Joe is doing. What are you going to say, Dana?

PERINO: Governor -- I think there's cracks in the dam with the Democrats because Governor Polis of Colorado said that the emergency is over and you can't tell people that they have to mask up. And so perhaps there's a way for Democrats to get behind him.

MCDOWELL: And New York has five times the number of cases per 100,000 in Florida, no mask anywhere.

GUTFELD: Yes. You want a revolution, be under the thumb of people who are dumber than you. That's what's happening.

PERINO: It's happening.

GUTFELD: It's happening. We have dumb people ruining our lives. We have to stop it. We got to get control of our lives back or it's going to be another tea party and it's going to make the tea party look like a tea party. I don't know where I am.

Kamala Harris attacking the media while complaining that her job is really, really, really hard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATTERS: Kamala Harris wants you to know her job is really hard. The VP is doing damage control after being called a bully and a terrible to work for person by her own staff. Harris dismissing allegations she's a bad boss and claims she will not be distracted by ridiculous headlines.

Harris adding this, "There is nothing about this job that is supposed to be easy. If something's coming to me, it's because it needs to be addressed and because by definition, it's not going to be easy. If it was easy, it would have been handled before it comes to me." Did she plagiarize that from someone, Greg?

GUTFELD: It sounds like Catcher in the Rye. I don't know.

WATTERS: I've heard that before.

GUTFELD: But it is comedy gold. The reason I suck at my job is that the job is hard and they only hand me the difficult tasks, right?

WATTERS: Like sitting and talking.

GUTFELD: Yes. She's like John Wick or something. We need to call you in at the last minute. They handle all the problems. And then she fails, I'm done here. That was tough.

WATTERS: You only get the toughest job, right, Dagen. Only the toughest.

MCDOWELL: The only challenge she apparently has is making something that should be very easy, look extremely difficult --

WATTERS: Right.

MCDOWELL: -- and tough. She's supposed to interact with child actors who are paid to suck up to her, who are paid to make her look good.

WATTERS: You mean, like Mayor Pete.

MCDOWELL: Yes. And shop in the little boy section. And she can't even make that work. She is surely countless.

WATTERS: It's like everything she does, even the cleanup interviews, there's something funny there.

FORD JR: For me?

WATTERS: Yes, you.

FORD JR: Look, it is hard. And I think she's learning the rhythms of the job. There's criticism that's warranted her. But I give her some credit today in the last day or so as she was able to announce some big investments, at least part of kind of an alliance for prosperity look alike. That's what Kennedy did for the -- for the -- for Latin and for South America, particularly in our own region, this hemisphere.

She announced about $1 billion to $2 billion worth of activity and investments. I think they need to build on that. So, she's understanding -- start to understand even better this role. And what I'm happy is that she's not complaining. She's complaining that hey, people want to criticize me, maybe I should handle the criticism a little bit differently, but she's welcoming the challenge. She does that she'll be in a better position.

WATTERS: Imagine Dick Cheney during the War on Terror. Dana?

PERINO: His job is hard.

WATTERS: It's hard stuff, you know. They -- but they only get me the big stuff.

PERINO: Yes, it was easy.

WATTERS: Yes. It was easy we're got a lieutenant governor do.

PERINO: But one thing I really loved is that she trashed the media coverage that she's getting during an interview that was a profile piece that was set up for her to talk about how she had redecorated the Vice President's office. So, that's like --

WATTERS: Oh, she didn't like how Pence did it?

PERINO: That's like -- probably not. I mean -- I think she has good style. I'll tell you that.

WATTERS: Not better than Mike Pence. Pence's taste is exquisite.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: So, some of the -- some of the news rags and D.C. are crowdsourcing ideas from political pundits of all stripes saying what do you think she should do? And I just can't believe -- I would be so embarrassed if that was happening.

And this is what I would say. They didn't come to me for advice, so I'll just give it for free on here. For her situation right now, the only way to get out of it is to show not tell. So, show what you're doing. Don't tell us how hard your job is, that the media coverage is unfair. Just show you're doing a good job and the good media will follow.

WATTERS: Show and tell.

PERINO: Show not tell.

WATTERS: See, I -- even I can't deal with it. It's hard. Maybe she's right. It is hard.

MCDOWELL: How do you not know that? It's first rule of writing, show don't tell. Show, don't tell.

PERINO: Yes.

WATTERS: All right.

FORD JR: How do you not know that?

GUTFELD: How do you not know that?

WATTERS: I'm not John Wick. What can I say, Greg? Coming up next, the store that's infuriating parents everywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FORD JR: Parents are furious. Their children will fall even further behind after your COVID lockdowns and remote learning. Some school districts now offering teachers extra days off in order to fight burnout, which means kids struggling academically will be missing out on even more class time.

School districts in California are taking heat after eliminating D and F grades in an attempt to reengage struggling students. Jessie and I support that. So Greg, quick question.

GUTFELD: Yes.

FORD JR: Is it good to give teachers off some time for mental health days?

GUTFELD: Oh, I would say it's probably -- maybe it's OK. But the problem is that you can do whatever you want when there's no competition. And that's the reason why there's -- the public schools are such a shambles. We all know that, you know, minorities in urban areas aren't be given -- aren't given adequate education. But what's the solution for that if you're already pouring in tons of money?

The solution would always be competition, because that improves the quality in every walk of life. And yet what's preventing competition is the teachers union. So, no wonder they get more -- they can get more days off. They'll get whatever they want because they don't have to compete against anybody. What are you going to do, you know?

WATTERS: Yes, they'll just send them more money. I just think if you already have summers off, burnout, you have summers off, Harold. That is three months according to the last calendar I looked at. If I had summers off, and I'd come back to work in September, I'd be like the Dalai Lama. I would be so relaxed. I'd be like, build back better whatever.

These people need a more vacation, and you throw on top of that winter break -- Christmas break -- they probably call it winter break now. Spring Break, that's another. They get every federal holiday. They can't complain. Half the day started at 8:30. Then they leave at 4:30.

GUTFELD: They're off at 3:00.

WATTERS: Yes, 3:00.

GUTFELD: 3:00 sometimes.

WATTERS: I mean, what's like the biggest pressure -- like, is there like political drama at school with the janitors looking at you funny?

FORD JR: You think they should --

WATTERS: Someone sat next to me at the cafeteria table I don't like. Really? Like, there's no office politics and at school. Here, I mean, you get yelled at, you get fired for not making payments. You know, you miss a deadline, goodbye. You know, no pension. No pressure there. Pressure. There's no competition. You said it.

GUTFELD: Yes.

FORD JR: Are you finished? I mean, because you saw that. Do you think they should --

(CROSSTALK)

WATTERS: You think it's a psychological problem.

FORD JR: Do you think, Dana, in light of that, should we extend the school year. I mean, I think teachers may have a point of wanting a little time off. I agree with it. It needed some other things about the units and all, but maybe we extend the school year.

PERINO: Well, I think that whatever we need to do, as taxpayers who are investing in these children's education for the future, they have to be have higher standards. It's not good for them to be, oh, you know, what, we're not going to even grade you anymore. Just like, you know, just like, think about how you would grade yourself. It's all nonsense if they're going to enter a world that is super competitive.

But the other thing is Parents Defending Education in this group, and they did this deep dive and they looked at this consulting contracts all around the country. So, all of this money that should be going to the teachers, or to other curriculum --

FORD JR: Classrooms.

PERINO: -- is going to these consultants that are talking about like, woke education, superintendents of equity. They're making six figures doing all of these things where the teachers maybe need more support. But a lot of this money is going to woke consultants.

FORD JR: Dagen, bring us home.

MCDOWELL: Like Merrick -- like Merrick Garland's son in law running a company that has, you know, again, consulting work. I think Mark Zuckerberg is a big investor in that. So, if you can't rope in the young people on Instagram, if that's horrible to the parents, do you rope them in and collect data on them in the school system? That's what's going on? It's happening across the country.

They're -- one of the problems with the teachers unions, you know, school choice is an existential threat to them. But they have no self-awareness. Why, after all of the ire and anger from parents in the last year, when kids were being schooled virtually, would you want to take time off, you know, for your own we need mental health days off, no self-awareness.

And I know that for a fact, because if there was any self-awareness, Randi Weingarten would have told Terry McAuliffe, yes, probably not a good idea that I come to your last political rally when you're running for governor. We saw how that happened.

WATTERS: Yes. It's like Jesse Jr. wet his bed and asked for a cookie. You wet your bed. You're not getting anything.

FORD JR: You should give him two cookies.

GUTFELD: What a great analogy.

FORD JR: You should give him two cookies for that. One more thing -- "ONE MORE THING" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PERINO: It's time now for "ONE MORE THING." Greg.

GUTFELD: Let's do this. It's been a while.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD: Animals are great. Animals are great. Animals are great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD: Yes, sir. You know what? There's nothing better than that feeling you have right before you sneeze. It's something we could share with all animals including an elephant seal. Check out this sucker. Look at that look. Oh, he's got -- it's coming. It feels so good. It feels so good. I could watch that for days and maybe I will look. Look. It's like me with my allergies. OK.

WATTERS: You know, that feeling is not as good now because of COVID, you know.

PERINO: Yes.

WATTERS: And that like it used to be a real pure feeling.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: And now it's tarnished with COVID.

PERINO: Emma's story about sneezing and COVID is the best one ever.

WATTERS: Yes. (INAUDIBLE)

PERINO: OK, I want to tell you about this. The University of Houston's men's basketball team lost a game to Alabama over the weekend. They were not happy. In fact, they were so mad that the players and coaches actually threw a temper tantrum in response knocking over garbage cans and kicking chairs.

But one sophomore on the team, a guard Jamal Shead didn't join in the trash in the arena and walked in the locker room. Instead, he began cleaning up his teammates' mess and has since gotten a lot of attention for his maturity and being such a good role model.

The Houston's men's basketball coach apologize for the team's behavior. But Jamal you are good citizen number one.

GUTFELD: Oh, they're going to hate Jamal in the locker room.

PERINO: All right.

WATTERS: Yes. He made the team look bad.

PERINO: Oh, he made the team look bad. Harold.

FORD JR: He's a good kid. We ought to keep reading that story over and over again. Take a look at this. Speaking of good guys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's white.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I'm going to get my phone on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a body camera going. Let's look for it under there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FORD JR: The first snowfall here Wisconsin. Officers Sean Fridge trying to help the snowplow team there in Wausau, Wisconsin. He himself can't stay on his feet. He has some good sense of humor about it. We should fully fund them for many reasons, but certainly for this reason as well. Thank you for your courage, for your service. And I'll tell you that Wausau Police Department posted a video to remind everybody. Officer Fridge would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to hashtag penguin walk safely on snow-covered surfaces. You never know how slick it is -- slick it is underneath.

WATTERS: Another reason we need body cameras.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Remember that scintillating tape, Harold.

PERINO: (INAUDIBLE) Jesse.

FORD JR: Thank you. I was there to film it myself with it, so thank you.

WATTERS: All right, great news, everybody. We have THE FIVE pillow and the "GUTFELD!" pillow available on the Fox News shop. So, go to the shop foxnews.com, $25.00 each. Made in the USA.

FORD JR: Hear, hear.

MCDOWELL: Get down.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: All right, so you snuggle up at 5:00 or 11:00, whenever you want. Mostly at 11:00. And you get free shipping on all orders through 12:30.

GUTFELD: Jesse, how do you clean it

WATTERS: My pillow?

GUTFELD: Yes, this pillow.

WATTERS: My pillow.

GUTFELD: No, this pillow.

WATTERS: This -- your pillow or my pillow?

GUTFELD: Both pillows.

WATTERS: How do you clean it?

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: Take it to the laundromat.

GUTFELD: OK.

WATTERS: Stick a few quarters in, sit back, stream Fox Nation. Greg and I are going to have a pillow fight after the show. It's going to get real romantic.

PERINO: Don't worry. I'll film it and post it out later.

WATTERS: That would not be on Fox Nation. You have to pay a lot for that.

PERINO: Dagen, you got 30 seconds, Dagen.

MCDOWELL: This woman loves Christmas maybe a little too much. She turned her cubicle at work out in Oakley, California -- this is Monika Orrey -- into A gingerbread house.

FORD JR: Look at her.

MCDOWELL: Yes. It's cute but you know, I would probably try to take a bite out of that and it's cardboard.

PERINO: I kind of like it.

MCDOWELL: You know what, if you're going to do it, make some vegan gingerbread.

PERINO: Johnny, we would like that -- Jesse's office to look like that by tomorrow.

WATTERS: No. I would fire someone.

PERINO: All right, that's it for us, everyone. "SPECIAL REPORT" is up next. Hi, Bret.

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