'The Five' on FBI's response to DOJ whistleblower

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FBI's statement responding to DOJ whistleblower doesn't help their case: 'The Five'

The panel on 'The Five' offers analysis.

This is a rush transcript of "The Five" on November 17, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS MCMICHAEL, AHMAUD ARBERY SHOOTER: Let's see what happens and make sure everybody is OK. Instead, identify.

LINDA DUNIKOSKI, PROSECUTOR: All right. So, you just said, based on everything you think something had happened.

MCMICHAEL: Yes, ma'am.

DUNIKOSKI: But you had no idea what happened.

MCMICHAEL: At that time, I didn't.

DUNIKOSKI: All right. And --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST (on camera): Hi.

GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST: Hi, I'm Greg Gutfeld, along with Katie Pavlich, Geraldo Rivera, Jesse Watters, and she snowboard in a bowl of sugar. Dana Perino. THE FIVE.

President Biden's FBI using a tool normally meant for ISIS and Al Qaeda to target parents. A whistleblower claims the bureau's criminal and counterterrorism divisions created a threat tag to log incidents of school board officials allegedly facing threats of violence. Republicans are demanding answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): At this moment, the FBI is not maybe, is treating parents as terrorist threats. And the attorney general came in front of the committee and said just the opposite.

REP. GREG MURPHY (R-NC): Attorney General Garland basically purged himself in front of Congress and should really face the consequences before this.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): What this shows us, in fact, the parents are getting domestic terrorist treatment. Garland said, no, we would not treat them like domestic terrorist, the very least we are going to need put them under oath and bring them before the committee and say what the world is going on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD (on camera): And Attorney General Merrick Garland is being accused of lying under oath for saying the FBI wasn't using counterterrorism tools against parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: I can't imagine any circumstance in which the Patriot Act would be used in the circumstances of parents complaining about their children nor can I imagine the circumstances where they would be labeled as domestic terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTFELD (on camera): Can't imagine. The FBI releasing a statement attempting to defend the practice but maybe doing more harm than good. Quote, "a tag is merely a statistical tool to track information for review and reporting. The FBI has used tags to track everything from drug trafficking to human trafficking."

And now, I add, parents! Yes, that really clear things up, Katie. It's like, no, no, no, we just use this thing on drug dealers and human slave drivers and parents.

KATIE PAVLICH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.

GUTFELD: Well done.

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS CO-HOST: I read that call this morning and I got to that far and I was like wait, what?

PAVLICH: So, they made it worse by comparing them to actual criminals by claiming that they weren't doing it. And they also confirmed that the memo from the whistleblower is real as well.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PAVLICH: So, they confirm that. Obviously, they are trying to squash dissent here. Let's remember how this started. The National School Board Association sent a letter to the White House, it's working with the White House staff saying we have this problem with the parents, we want the Justice Department and FBI to go after them.

They toss it over to DOJ and the DOJ, you know, creates this task force and then it becomes public and the National School Board Association withdraws the letter. But the FBI continues with the task force.

So, Merrick Garland goes on Capitol Hill and claims this isn't happening. The fact that they haven't withdrawn the task force proves that this is all about quashing dissent.

GUTFELD: Right.

PAVLICH: Because the left has had a lock on education for decades. The parents now are a threat to that power. And they are using the FBI, this administration, to take care of what they perceive as a problem.

And if you don't think the teachers unions and these leftist organizations like the National School Board Association have control and power go back to when the CDC was writing school guidance for masking and COVID regulations, right?

So, don't -- that clip they don't have the kind of influence with the Justice department as well to go after parents who are showing up at the school board meetings.

GUTFELD: Dana, is this like, Merrick Garland, is he lying or is this some kind of cluelessness that allows for plausible deniability because you see this a lot with this administration. Especially with, you know, Joe Biden where he would say he didn't know something and then you find out he does.

Is it just not, are they deliberately not knowing things? Because I do that sometimes to get out of trouble.

PERINO: It's a good way to stay out of trouble, --

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: -- isn't it? That can definitely can happen in Washington where like, well, I wasn't in a meeting --

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: -- so I don't know. I take notes, I don't know. In some -- when I first got the FBI statement this morning so it comes out during America's Newsroom, so I get it and I read it, call them. And I read them like, OK, that makes sense, I got it wait, I got it tag. And then I was like, wait, what? You just said that they're human drug traffickers?

As a communications person I can imagine that the boss comes in and says, hey, this is what we are going to say.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: And you read that and say, great, send. You don't say, wait, we can't say that unless we are actually doing it. When the Patriot Act was reauthorized, well, initially passed and then reauthorized, there was all these concerned that it would be used against American citizens.

And there were all these safeguards that was supposed to be put in place. And everyone said we don't do that. That doesn't never happen but we would never do that, but now, citizens could be definitely forgiven for thinking that it does.

And this is what I would say to the FBI and also to Merrick Garland, especially when the school board association withdraw the letter, there is no shame in backing what.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: Right? Maybe it's a new cycles worth of, you guys are so such idiots. Fine. But that's better than drug in this through and making people further distrust the FBI. That's like really not something we need right now.

GUTFELD: Yes. You know, it does, Geraldo, I do now like, wonder if I was wrong supporting the Patriot Act when people were saying this because I was like, always thinking now this wouldn't happen. This -- there has been a lot of blunders, but this might be the biggest deal breaker for independence because they're open. Everybody is a parent except for me. You are a parent.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE: I am.

GUTFELD: You've been a parent many times.

RIVERA: Many times, over.

GUTFELD: Yes.

RIVERA: And as more thing will indicate.

GUTFELD: One more thing, one more time.

RIVERA: I worry that about hyperventilating in Congress. The Senate I was really dismayed, I'm sorry, by the tone that they were so, so disrespectful when they have the attorney general there for the first time. These congressmen Jim Jordan from my home state. I mean, they know that this is not using the Patriot Act to snoop on. I let --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: But they just said it --

RIVERA: Let me finish.

GUTFELD: Sure.

RIVERA: They're not characterizing parents as domestic terrorists. It is the statistical tool. There was a trend of violent confrontations in these school board meetings. I understand why --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: They don't have any evidence.

RIVERA: I don't like the teachers union. I understand however how they could be alarmed, let's say, by the passion. And a lot of it mirrors what's happening right, left, Trump, Biden, you know, it is distressing in this country. And it is -- I understand the suspicion that people have of the other side. I am dismayed by it, but I --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: All right. Let's stay -- I'll take Geraldo at his word but that still doesn't warrant you to use this enforcement arm to scare the crap or intimidate parents.

WATTERS: Threat tags like when the FBI opens a file on someone.

GUTFELD: Right.

WATTERS: They open files but they haven't opened up a formal investigation. So, they are looking at narcotics trafficker, they are looking at someone that's running women for the mafia. They are looking for an Islamic terrorist or a militia man.

But here's the thing. The memo says the task force involves the counterterrorism division.

PERINO: Yes.

WATTERS: And the national security division of the FBI. The Patriot Act is the primary tool used by those divisions that allows for easy wiretapping snooping on computers, phones.

PERINO: On foreign nationals.

WATTERS: Inserting -- well, people in this country. And you can insert informants into those things, you can do all kinds of things, right? And so that's why this is so dangerous. And they've already had a meeting about it according to the memo, this task force.

And so, we need to bring these people back into Congress and say what happened at this damn meeting? Because this is a huge escalation. Remember, Geraldo, they keep -- FBI keeps files on a lot of people. They kept it on Martin Luther King, Marilyn Monroe, Helen Keller. And they keep it on a lot of people and is not a good thing, Geraldo.

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: Can I ask you, Jesse.

WATTERS: It's a threat matrix against the U.S. citizens where you can share information from local, state, and federal law enforcement.

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: Do you concede --

WATTERS: It's not good.

RIVERA: Do you concede that there is an alarming increase, apparently in these --

PAVLICH: Apparently.

RIVERA: -- very vigorous --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: You condition your --

RIVERA: -- passion --

GUTFELD: You condition your own equation.

(CROSSTALK)

WATTERS: There was one local beef that was charged. There was one -- two low local beefs that was charged.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Even if there --

WATTERS: One was a violent threat and then the other guy got arrested and that was because they've covered up with daughter's --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: But also, I mean, you guys have kids. If there is an organization that's getting between you and your kids, you are going to get pissed off. That's different than being a threat and they are treating you like ISIS in cardigan sweaters.

WATTERS: Right.

GUTFELD: This is nuts.

(CROSSTALK)

WATTERS: You can't treat parents like narcotics --

RIVERA: I'll give you -- I'll give you a hypothetical. I'm a parent. Your teaching pedophilia is good for you in school.

GUTFELD: OK. I wouldn't, let's be clear. What the hell of a hypothetical.

RIVERA: So, I say, listen, this is inappropriate and I want to kill you for doing this and I'm going to burn the school down because people like you're exactly why I hate --

(CROSSTALK)

PAVLICH: Can I give you a non-hypothetical?

GUTFELD: Yes, do the non-hypothetical.

PAVLICH: Like a non-hypothetical is that the attorney general admitted they have no evidence there in their own investigation and that the only thing they went off it was this National School Board Association letter saying, apparently, there were incidents, that's what they went off and that letter has been withdrawn. So, they have nothing.

GUTFELD: Yes. All right, speaking of nothing, we got something.

WATTERS: Nice.

GUTFELD: Yes. That's a transition. Up next, big developments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial as we get closer to a verdict. Yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAVLICH (on camera): Major developments day two of jury deliberations in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. The 12 jurors just finished rewatching video evidence in the courtroom from the night of the shooting. That happen as the defense pushes once again for a mistrial claiming prosecutors withheld key video evidence. And the media ramping up their attacks on the judge in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, HOST, CNN: I don't see how anybody can say that this judge is not biased and is not leaning in a certain direction.

BAKARI SELLERS, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, CNN: He is shielding Kyle Rittenhouse treating him as if he is a child.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CO-HOST, ABC: This judge throughout what many people believe would be the one charge that he would be convicted of.

JOY REID, HOST, MSNBC: His phone was going off with like the song that gets played at Trump rallies. But we won't go into that too deeply.

JOHN BERMAN, HOST, CNN: What about the judge involving Rittenhouse and drawing those numbers? I've never seen that.

UNKNOWN: Never.

BERMAN: Granted. So, it doesn't happen?

UNKNOWN: Never. I've never ever, ever seen that before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAVLICH (on camera). But Judge Bruce Schroeder isn't taking their crap, calling out the media and saying he'll think twice about live broadcasting one of his trials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE SCHROEDER, JUDGE, KENOSHA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, WISCONSIN: When I talk about problems with the media when this trial started, that's -- we were there in part. Not fully, but in part because of grossly irresponsible handling of what still comes out of this trial. I will tell you this, and I'm going to think long and hard about live television of the trial again next time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAVLICH (on camera): So, Greg, he's right about the way the media has covered this but don't you think it's essential that the trial was broadcast so people can watch it themselves without the media filter?

GUTFELD: Because the media would say something -- and it's funny. People are watching it and there is still a segment of media boldly lying about what's happening, Sellers especially, is just full of falsehood.

I think we are at a stage where every juror that takes part in a trial will have to be placed in witness relocation after the trial because the media in a fraud (Ph) and activist class puts them in danger because they see violence as an appropriate response if the jury doesn't come back with the decision that they want.

So, the media perpetuates the cycle. Right? If there is riot, they will call them mostly peaceful which then puts the cops on notice, right, that you better not arm these peaceful protesters holding their Molotov cocktails. And they will deliberately like those clowns ignore the facts of the case, bear the truth about Jacob Blake, the truth about the man that Rittenhouse or the non-men that Rittenhouse killed in order to make sure that there is, there is trouble later.

I'm not rooting for anything but justice. So, I will live with whatever outcome there is. But the media plays as a lower bar for the activist class. They believe that their behavior can include any kind of violence no matter what.

I said this, and I said this yesterday to the audible gasps a month ago when I talked about the Chauvin verdict that I was relieved that Chauvin was found guilty because my neighborhood would not be torched. There was a commentary on this and how the justice system is now being held hostage by threats of mayhem because the media will allow the activist to riot for that reason.

PAVLICH: You know, Dana, the judge has received a number of threats as a result of this trial.

PERINO: Well, that might just be a little bit a sign of the times. In our first block we were talking about passions but then also sound like threats and then the FBI is involved. And then the judge. I understand why they don't want cameras in the courtroom because in some ways that this is just a distraction and it could put the jury in jeopardy or make them perhaps change their minds.

But I also think that the trial being on television helped a lot of people understand what was actually happening that night. Why did Kyle Rittenhouse feel threatened? Was it self-defense? If you had, well, and you just think, what if it wasn't on television where the prosecution's witness admits that he had a gun pointed at Kyle Rittenhouse.

PAVLICH: Right.

PERINO: That -- so without that, we wouldn't have known. And I think that -- so I think that's good. I'm very interested in this whole process of there is a mistrial motion and when the judge can make a decision and that also includes even if they find him guilty. They could -- he could go back and say mistrial and prosecution has to start all over. We don't know what's going to happen --

PAVLICH: Right.

PERINO: -- but we'll watch that very closely.

PAVLICH: So, Geraldo, can you comment on that with your legal expertise on why the mistrial motion was filed? Again, there was one filed previously in the trial because the prosecution withheld evidence of high-quality video. So, the jury had seen the video before but it was low-quality and you're supposed to submit the most high-quality version of the evidence.

RIVERA: I think what the defense is indicating is that they would have proceeded in a different way --

PERINO: Yes.

RIVERA: -- if they had that vivid, high-quality video and knew more precisely what their client did. I think that a couple of things. I think that on the basis of the defense moving for mistrial without prejudice, which means the state would have a do-over, that doesn't seem that they have a lot of confidence in their case for the defense to do that.

Why would they want a mistrial without prejudice, a do-over if they thought they were winning right now? So, you know, I'm starting to feel a little bad on the fact that the deliberations are now being prolonged.

But remember when I was starting in the news business decades ago, there was a guy and the Warner Wolf was the sports guy who said "let's go to the videotape." Nowadays, because of body cams on cops and surveillance cameras everywhere and drones with cameras, people, the jurors are discounting the physical testimony and are asking to be their own witnesses by looking at the videotape themselves and making a determination what they see.

Did Rittenhouse provoked, you know, the first victim Rosenbaum or was he merely trying to defend himself?

PAVLICH: Right.

RIVERA: So, if you see in the videotape, if, indeed Rittenhouse is pointing the gun first and then the whole thing happens, it's different than if Rosenbaum in his face do crazy --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: Yes. So, Jesse, there's the issue too, is that the prosecution got berated by the judge multiple times during the trial for trying to introduce evidence that are already been thrown out and now we are learning that they didn't actually give the defense the proper evidence.

WATTERS: I am so shocked at how unethical lawyers can be. These guys, you know was not --

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: First --

WATTERS: -- doctoring evidence against Donald Trump. They are embezzling money and shaking down people like Avenatti. And remember those with Mueller, just destroyed their iPhones after that witch hunt. It's just -- I love these people who are supposed to be independent actors. They are just like the rest of us. They're just a bunch of really dirty rotten scoundrels.

These are rogue prosecutors. They are rogue runaway prosecutors. And this is great because now we can see how dastardly they are. And if you didn't have cameras, you get the press come out and lie about what would happen in the court room.

PAVLICH: Right.

WATTERS: It's like right now if they didn't have a window here, the press would say it's raining. And then they open up the window, no rain. The press still tells me it's raining. That's why the country doesn't trust the press anymore. Because we can see. We have the internet now. We have full visibility cameras in the courtroom.

You can see the actual documents. The FBI I.G. reports. You see it's a great, great time to be alive in this country. And we are just being lied to in our faces. And it's sick the way the press is also trashing this judge. They don't like this judge because he supposed to be impartial. The left hates impartiality.

They want activist in roads that's why every person they appoint to the high court is a total left-winger. The liberal justice has ever cross over to side with the conservatives. It's always the conservative justice is crossing over because they have some semblance of independence.

No, no, no, they don't like this guy even though this judge appointed by a Democrat --

PAVLICH: Yes.

WATTERS: -- and ran for election like a bunch of times. The people put him there.

PAVLICH: And there was an Associated Press headline today that was frustrating with the deference the judge had to the defendant but let's remember you are innocent until proven guilty in America.

All right. Coming up, wokeness gone way too far? The shocking story of a college professor trying to normalize pedophilia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUTFELD: Yes.

RIVERA (on camera): We missed Lady Gaga part. Could it be -- welcome back. Could it be that we have finally reached the tipping point with ratchet wokeness? This outrageous story you are about to hear certainly makes a powerful case that we are.

An assistant professor at Old Dominion University in Virginia attempting to normalize, yes, normalize pedophilia, advocating we destigmatize and rebrand this deeply sick members of society.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLYN WALKER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DOMINION UNIVERSITY: I used the term minor attracted person or MAT in the title and throughout the book for multiple reasons. First of all, because I think it's important to use terminology for groups that members of that group want others to use for them.

And MAT advocacy groups like before you act have advocated for use of the term MAT. They have advocated for it primarily because it's less stigmatizing than other terms like pedophile. A lot of people when they hear the term pedophile, they automatically assume that it means a sex offender. And that isn't true and it leads to a lot of misconceptions about attractions towards minors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS (on camera): How can a sex offender not be a pedophile? I just don't get that. The university, thank God, though, coming to its senses after that nonsense placing that professor on leave. And the president of Old Dominion issuing the statement, "I want to state in the strongest terms possible that child sex abuse is morally wrong and has no place in our society." Close call (Inaudible).

PAVLICH: Yes, exactly. You have a little more, do you want to --

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: I have more? I just want to say --

(CROSSTALK)

PAVLICH: I appreciate you wanted to have a conversation.

RIVERA: -- I wanted your answer. OK. The professor later saying I want to be clear child sexual abuse is an excusable crime.

PAVLICH: OK, now we're ready.

RIVERA: Now we're ready.

PERINO: And we're back.

PAVLICH: And we're back. Well, I drew the line at chest feeders and birthing people and memes for women.

(CROSSTALK)

RIVERA: How about Nazis and rapists?

PAVLICH: And this person goes by the pronouns they, them and is transgendered. People who warned about this language manipulation and rejection of reality leading to something like this, redefining the terms of child sex abuse and pedophilia were called bigots and intolerant.

So, I'm glad that we have a line for this kind of language manipulation but these are the same people who have been saying that you should allow people like this professor of sociology and criminal justice to put drag queens in your kindergartner's schools for story hour.

So, if you are a parent and you are saying, "no, thank you" like my underage kid is not going to be subjected to this rejection of reality. You are not a bigot. You are perfectly within your rights of thinking that.

RIVERA: I'm actually flashing back to grade school in the city. I think the word drag queens entertaining the children. But listen to this. Minor attracted person. So, you knew -- you know who not to hire for your babysitter. The minor attracted person.

WATTERS: Yes.

RIVERA: The MAT.

WATTERS: I don't know, Geraldo. I see this as like, I want to support full academic scholarship you should be able to pursue as far as you want, any taboo or controversial issue. But this is not a legitimate academic pursuit. This is trying to have a Ph.D. help with the branding for the pedophile community. That's what this is about and it's taxpayer money/ This is funded by the taxpayers at old dominion, public school.

This kind of is like the illegal immigration thing, oh you can't call me illegal immigrants --

PAVLICH: Oh, come on.

WATTERS: -- because illegal --

GUTFELD: Stigmatizing.

WATTERS: -- is stigmatizing them and we don't want to do that, so we're just going to call them wanderers or something like that. You have stigmas for a reason, Geraldo, OK. Pedophilia has a bad stigma because it's one of the nastiest things you can do.

Now, here's what she says. She says that just because you are attracted to a minor, doesn't mean those people act on that attraction. OK. Show me someone who's attracted to a child --

RIVERA: She was the key? That person was the key?

WATTERS: Show me someone that's attracted to a young child as an adult that hasn't tried to touch that person, who hasn't surveilled a playground, who hasn't put themselves in an environment where other children are around, or maybe even watched it on the internet. No.

That attraction is the strongest attraction in the human body. It's hormonal it's inside your body. It's chemical inside your body. There's nothing you can do about that. You have to keep those people away from children and stop trying to soft-pedal it like it's just some attraction no one pursues.

RIVERA: But is this, Dana, you know so stupid that it will affect -- is it -- isn't wokeness in retreat? Isn't this like the last gasp? This is so ridiculous. It's such a stupid idea.

PERINO: I guess -- I mean, they keep giving us examples to bring up. I mean, they're not stopping. I do think that the American people are saying like, we are sick of it. But I see his point that -- her point, sorry.

WATTERS: Is it?

PERINO: I don't know.

PAVLICH: They or them.

RIVERA: They say they or them?

PERINO: Their point --

WATTERS: Did I misgender her or him?

PERINO: I think so. But I do too.

GUTFELD: You need to be fired for that.

WATTERS: I apologize.

GUTFELD: Go to H.R. right now.

WATTERS: I apologize.

PERINO: With the point being that perhaps somebody is attracted to children but they haven't acted on it. But I do think that there's this miss -- this has missed a point all day long which is the outrageousness of child pornography and the pervasiveness of that all around the world on the internet is so disgusting and it's happening all across the world.

And if you think about one of the things that the Justice Department recently did, they've had that big takedown of that child pornography syndicate. I mean, there is harm that can be done to children even if they're not touched by the person who has that attraction. That is a huge issue.

WATTERS: The Justice Department just did that?

PERINO: Recently, yes.

WATTERS: Well done. Garland, stick to that stuff. Stick to that, Garland.

RIVERA: So, too far, a bridge too far? Does it cause -- does it cause --

GUTFELD: I think --

WATTERS: Where do you stand on this?

GUTFELD: I think -- I'm going to come out against pedophilia, all right.

RIVERA: On the woke side. On the woke side.

GUTFELD: No, no, no -- of course, of course, of course. But the thing is everybody makes fun of people who warn that this will be happening. And then, when it happens, nobody remembers the warning. We have been in this process of shifting condemnation from the deranged to those who wish to not comply to the demands of the deranged.

There are stories in which lesbian women are called transphobic bigots because they won't have sex with transwomen who have intact male genitalia. That is not for me. That is from the Guardian, a very left-wing paper out of England. We are at a point where you --

RIVERA: Wait, wait a second. Wait a second.

WATTERS: Draw us a picture.

GUTFELD: I'm not going to draw you a picture, Geraldo.

WATTERS: No one understands what that means.

GUTFELD: If you -- the point is, if you do not accept what is called the new kind of amoral truths, then you are the one who's guilty of deviance. For example -- I mean, it's like -- let's say, if you don't want a lap dancing drag queen in your kindergarten, that's on you.

Now, that's way different than what we're talking about but it's like all of a sudden you're the uptight parent or you're the lesbian who is a bigot because you won't sleep with a transfemale who has male genitalia. The point of being a lesbian is that that's not her thing, OK. She doesn't want to see that stuff in her bedroom. So, why are you coming in there and demanding it. Nobody wants it.

RIVERA: Why are you -- why are you so emotionally engaged?

GUTFELD: Because this is such a great story. And also, because Jesse took my talking point which is -- which is stigmatization exists for a reason. But you know, it's weird. In a back -- in a back-end way, you almost agreed with the professor by saying it's biological. And if it is biological, it is not free will. So, that means the pedophile has no choice in what their thoughts are.

RIVERA: But that does not stop -- that does not stop you from stopping them from having access to children --

GUTFELD: That's true. I'll go with you.

RIVERA: -- or whatever their motivation is. Whether sincere or not, I don't give a damn.

WATTERS: I don't -- I don't think they're born pedophiles. I think something happens to them usually in their childhood.

RIVERA: How could you know?

WATTERS: Usually, they're molested as children.

RIVERA: Oh, come on.

WATTERS: And then --

GUTFELD: It could be. It could be.

WATTERS: Usually that's what happened, and then they do that to other children.

RIVERA: Would you cut the coupon out in the comic to get my talking points on psychiatry? Up next, the inflation insanity from Democrats who now claim Republicans are happy about the surge in prices.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PERINO: You guys would have paid --

GUTFELD: No, you wouldn't.

PERINO: -- big money for that commercial break content.

GUTFELD: Too late. Too late.

PERINO: But it's not going to happen. All right, the White House appears to have a new political strategy to deal with inflation. Just point the finger at Republicans. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki posting a tweet that claims the GOP is "rooting for inflation." That as Democrats press ahead with their new spending plan and still claim it will cost nothing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My plan to build back better for people, getting folks back to work and reducing the cost of things like child care, elder care, housing, health care, prescription drugs. 13 -- or excuse me, 14 Nobel laureates and economics said they'll actually bring down the costs and reduce the deficit. And it will totally paid for --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: Fact check, not true.

WATTERS: Do you know what this reminds me of, Dana? The White House said the Republicans were the ones that wanted to defund the police. You know, guys -- you know, I've been saying that all day.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: Yes. And then he trots out this other thing that's been debunked. I mean, how many times we have to debunk this guy for him to keep talking about this? Like, watch Fox for one day. We've been debunking this for a week. I don't understand. The guy is trying to inflate his way out of inflation. Who in their right mind could say adding another $5 trillion on top of the $10 trillion we already spent last year would reduce inflation? On what planet does Joe Biden come from? That's not a rhetorical question.

RIVERA: Isn't that the new talking point?

PERINO: Well, in the last three weeks, I noticed that their positioning on inflation has changed. This is what -- at first they said, inflation is not happening. Then they said, it's just chant transitory or temporary. Then they said, well, if we pass Build Back Better, inflation won't be that bad. Now, today, they're saying, actually, if you pass Build Back Better, it will help inflation, Katie.

PAVLICH: And Jen Psaki argues that there is not a single economist who has said that this will lead to more inflation when there are dozens of economists --

PERINO: Including Democrats.

PAVLICH: Including Democrats. And Joe Manchin has been saying that as well.

RIVERA: (INAUDIBLE)

PAVLICH: Jesse, I'm glad that you made my point for me.

WATTERS: Thank you, Katie.

PAVLICH: Thank you very much. I appreciate that. So, they're saying this because A, they're losing on the issue, and they're trying to take the wind out of the political sails for Republicans next year as these generic ballot show Republicans up by almost double digits in a lot of these new polls.

So, they're trying to get ahead of it by saying, look, they're touting inflation and all these ads, which shows that they like it, when really, they have no solution to actually stop it. And they're telling Americans that the prices they're seeing at the grocery store can't be helped and are part of a recovering economy.

So, they're trying to get ahead of the narrative on them using this as a political point to get elected next year.

PERINO: Well, the other thing is, I noticed, Greg, they seem to be looking at -- looking to Wall Street to help them.

GUTFELD: Oh, there you go.

PERINO: And that Wall Street might actually try to help them try to get this Build Back Better bill passed.

GUTFELD: I just want to be clear that I'm against pedophilia.

PERINO: OK.

GUTFELD: All right?

PERINO: Got it.

GUTFELD: Are we clear? OK?

WATTERS: We're clear.

RIVERA: Pedophilia?

GUTFELD: Pedophilia. I'm confused because I thought they said that inflation was a good thing. And now, they say Republicans want inflation. So, shouldn't they be relieved that Republicans are on board with their economic plan? That was the point I thought you were going to make.

WATTERS: No.

GUTFELD: No. Because it was -- yes.

WATTERS: It was a good point.

GUTFELD: It was good. And also, the -- what is it, the 14 Nobel laureates, what does that sound like? The 14 Intel or the 17 Intel experts that all happened to be the same name.

RIVERA: Isn't the point, though -- I don't mean to interrupt.

GUTFELD: It's OK.

RIVERA: But isn't the real point that because of Manchin and Sinema, and perhaps other moderates within the Senate Democrats, this will never happen. This bill is never going to be passed.

PERINO: Think about what's going to happen on Friday. The Congressional Budget Office is the nonpartisan scorekeeper for how much a bill is going to cost the American people. So, the moderate Democrats and Senator Manchin -- actually the Senate requires the CBO score. They're waiting to see what is the score going to be before they will vote on it.

So, already, because the White House knows that the score is not going to come out in their favor, they're trying to work the refs and say, well, these guys, they really don't have the experience to say how much the IRS is going to be able to claw back from all these Americans, and they don't really know this.

And then today, when Peter Doocy asked them about that, they're like, oh, no, no, no, no, we're not trying to disparage the CBO, we just think that it would be better if x, y, z. So --

GUTFELD: Can I finish --

PERINO: -- I do think that Manchin is going to hold strong because of the CBO score. But yes, please finish.

GUTFELD: Yes, I was just going to say that there's a clear difference between these administrations that we've watched in the last like, five years. Trump administration was highly entertaining, sometimes a little crazy, but they weren't harmful. They didn't go after individuals. They didn't call individual's white supremacist. They didn't say let them eat cake when it came to gas prices. They didn't say let him eat cake when it came to inflation.

All Trump did was he went after the media, politicians, celebrities, the NBA, and China. He always punched up. This entire administration is punching down at middle Americans and the working class by saying you know what, gas prices are going up, that's going to help the environment. Tough peens. I almost said something else.

PERINO: Tough what?

GUTFELD: You know, tough love, tough love, which I am actually for --

PERINO: But not pedophilia.

WATTERS: No, that's laugh love, Greg.

PERINO: Oh, boy, this show. We haven't have one of these in a long time.

GUTFELD: Yesterday.

PERINO: All right, up next, I've been warning people about this for years. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATTERS: It's an issue the whole country can union behind, especially Dana, nonstop notifications from your phone driving people insane. And experts are warning that the constant stream of pings, and dings, and chirps are turning your brain into silly putty. Dana, your thoughts on the ping, dings, and chirps.

PERINO: Finally, vindication science-based that I am one, not crazy. And also, vindication that I have been trying to tell everybody, in order to rest your brain, like, you don't need to know every time a phone -- that your phone is getting an e-mail because you are looking at it all day long.

There used to be this gal who works near me. And she had different notification for each thing. So, like, if an e-mail came in, it was one thing. If she sent a tweet, it was that little swoosh noise. Then, if a text message, it was yet another one. It's just too much distraction. Save yourself and your fellow Americans.

WATTERS: Save yourself, Greg.

GUTFELD: You know, technology is always waiting for biology to catch up, right? That happens with every kind of innovation. And in this case, I call this the doorbell effect. Meaning, that we react incorrectly to even silent notifications as if they are the old-fashioned doorbell. When your door -- when you were young and years ago and the doorbell would ring, you'd go, just a second.

WATTERS: Now, I'm scared.

GUTFELD: Yes. Now, I'm scared. But what happens is that's how our brain is reacting, 20, 30, 50 times a day. We still have the biological effect of the doorbell in our brains when, in fact, we can't turn off. Even the silent notifications that come up on your phone, oh, my God. The sense -- it is a false unnecessary sense of emergency that you use to feel when somebody was at your door but it's now it is here. You are walking around with a door.

WATTERS: Katie.

PAVLICH: The problem is that if you don't respond right away, people send five more notifications. Like, did you get my e-mail, did you receive my text, did you see that I e-mailed you --

PERINO: Unfriend them.

PAVLICH: Unfriend them. I think that you need to add in FaceTiming in public without headphones.

PERINO: It's terrible. It's terrible.

PAVLICH: So, if you're on a train or a plane and you FaceTime for four hours with no headphones --

PERINO: That happened to you?

PAVLICH: It should be banned. That happen to me.

PERINO: I would have lost my mind.

PAVLICH: And the train was called out and I had to sit there for four hours listening, so --

PERINO: And it's usually nonsense. They're just talking about like, oh, what did you eat for dinner?

PAVLICH: It is -- it is a fight. It is the couple fighting.

PERINO: Even worse.

GUTFELD: I would love that.

RIVERA: Speaking of family, that's why I would love to turn my phone off. But when you have five children in various stages of life --

GUTFELD: It states.

RIVERA: In the old days, they used to have -- and states. In the old days, I used to have -- you know, I was concerned about the news, missing news. But now, the kids and the grandkids, and who's got a cold and the --

PERINO: Well, I'm not saying you turn your phone off.

PAVLICH: Just put it on silent.

PERINO: Just the notifications.

RIVERA: But if you turn it off, you don't get the notifications, right? I only have on and off. Is there something I'm missing?

PAVLICH: I will teach you.

WATTERS: You only have on and off, Geraldo?

GUTFELD: That should be on your gravestone.

WATTERS: "ONE MORE THING" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUTFELD: Time now for "ONE MORE THING." Jesse.

WATTERS: I smell a Feeding frenzy. Let's get this started. Applebee's bringing Cheeto flavor wings and cheese bites to its restaurants. The wings are tossing original or Flaming Hot Cheetos sauces, coated in Cheetos crumbles, fried Cheetos cheese bites, and much more. We're going to give it a try. Are you guys going to try it with me or are you going to be lame?

GUTFELD: I'll do it.

RIVERA: I'm going to be --

PERINO: I'm waiting for Walker Hayes' song about these.

PAVLICH: Dana is wearing white, OK.

PERINO: Yes, but I mean, I going to say, they look delicious to me.

PAVLICH: They smell really good.

PERINO: Is it so good.

WATTERS: It's really good.

PERINO: Like the best thing you've ever had?

WATTERS: It's really good. Applebee's, limited time. Check it out. Also, check out "PRIMETIME" tonight.

RIVERA: (INAUDIBLE)

WATTERS: I'm just going to promote it with my mouth full.

GUTFELD: Oh, that's so good.

WATTERS: We have Bongino, Kellyanne Conway, Rand Paul, Senator John Kennedy, Newt Gingrich, Larry Elder, and much more, 7:00. Thanks, guys.

GUTFELD: I had Kelly on last night, so you know.

PERINO: You win?

GUTFELD: Yes, I win.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Tonight, tonight I got -- tonight, I got Andrew Yang. I got Andrew Yang tonight.

PERINO: Oh, cool.

GUTFELD: It's going to be great.

WATTERS: Oh, Yang Gang.

GUTFELD: All right, let's do this. And you guys, don't erupt. Greg's breakup news. All right, after maybe a decade or so of a strong intimate relationship, I'm deciding that I'm breaking up with Delta Airlines.

WATTERS: No.

GUTFELD: Yes, I flew Sunday from Birmingham, Alabama to LaGuardia. My mask slipped below my nose. I was asked to put it up, I put it back up. Then the flight attendant asked me if I wanted something to drink, and I pulled it down to say wine. She said, you don't need to pull it down. You can hear me correct. That's your second warning.

Then she told my seatmate, my manager, that she was going to report me and that that was my second warning. And I'm thinking to myself, what does that mean? I'm a frequent flyer. I've been with Delta for years. Are they going to like, duct tape me to the chair?

WATTERS: Hopefully.

RIVERA: That's exactly what I thought.

GUTFELD: I'm in -- I'm in mid-air. And I completely shut up and shut down and I'm thinking, what does second warning mean? She is doing -- she was a mask Nazi. And it's like, this stuff is too far. So, I'm telling Delta, like, I have your --

RIVERA: No, she's not.

GUTFELD: -- I have your -- I have your damn credit cards, I have six figures of frequent flyer mileage which I'm going to donate to somebody.

WATTERS: Me.

GUTFELD: Not you. You have too much already. But I've had it. I've absolutely had -- you guys suck.

WATTERS: Greg does not speak for THE FIVE.

RIVERA: Not for me. Not for me.

WATTERS: I love Delta.

GUTFELD: I love Delta. But that's it. That is it.

WATTERS: It's the number one carrier in the country.

GUTFELD: All right, Dana.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: Do you know what Delta should do in order to apologize? They should advocate for the mask mandate to be taken away.

WATTERS: Yes, blame Joe.

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: Yes. And they -- and they should be the leaders on that. That would be helpful.

GUTFELD: She enjoyed it. She enjoyed it.

RIVERA: Well, that's -- there are people who have the statistics.

GUTFELD: They get off on it.

PERINO: I want to do my "ONE MORE THING" quickly. So, tonight, Diana the musical premieres live on Broadway. A good friend of ours, David Bryan, he wrote the music and the lyrics. He is actually the keyboardist for Bon Jovi. It is a fantastic show. It's about Diana, Princess of Wales, of course.

I loved it. I think it's going to be a huge hit that goes on for many, many, many years. It's now open on Broadway. So, if you're coming to New York, get your tickets. Don't miss it.

GUTFELD: Geraldo.

RIVERA: Geraldo's Geraldo news with Geraldo actually is about my daughter Sol. Look at her when she's the little baby, my little cutie kindergarten. She was playing piano for the first time. Well, not the first time but, you know.

PERINO: OK.

RIVERA: Oh, now flash forward to age 16. She had a recital last weekend in Cleveland.

PERINO: Wow.

PAVLICH: Good for her.

WATTERS: I don't notice a difference.

RIVERA: Eat some more Cheez-It.

GUTFELD: Thank you.

RIVERA: And you know, we love her. She's so -- she's so accomplished in her own way. She's so busy, so focused. Here she is getting her certificate. But the other thing is her great YouTube channel. Sol Food is really happening. Check it out. Sol Food on YouTube.

PAVLICH: Awesome.

GUTFELD: All right. You know what she could use? She could use some CRT. Geraldo, get her some CRT in school.

PAVLICH: No CRT. No CRT.

GUTFELD: Katie.

PAVLICH: OK, real quickly. My colleague over at Town Hall, Julio Rosas has just announced he has a new book coming out. It's called Fiery But Mostly Peaceful: The 2020 Riots and The Gas Lighting of America. He was in Kenosha when all that went down. He was in cities across the country last summer and his book comes out on May 3, 2022.

RIVERA: A Latino.

PAVLICH: So, you can pre-order it now.

GUTFELD: Great title.

WATTERS: I like the title.

GUTFELD: It's a very clever title.

PAVLICH: Congrats, Julio.

GUTFELD: I might have to read that.

WATTERS: Julio Rosas.

PAVLICH: Julio Rosas.

GUTFELD: All right, that's it for us. Oh, God, why did I eat that?

WATTERS: What, you're going to kill another sponsor?

GUTFELD: Yes.

RIVERA: Where's the (INAUDIBLE)

GUTFELD: "SPECIAL REPORT" is up next. Hey, Bret.

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