'The Ingraham Angle' on Biden's China call

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Chinese think they have the 'upper hand': Kilmeade

Brian Kilmeade blasts the Biden White House's efforts to spin President Biden as 'in command' after call with China.

This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," March 18, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BRIAN KILMEADE, "FOX & FRIENDS" CO-HOST: Hi, everybody. I'm Brian Kilmeade in for Laura Ingraham and this is a special edition of "THE Ingraham Angle." So let's get started. We have a lot to get to tonight, including the reemergence and potential goodbye - keep your fingers crossed - of Dr. Fauci.

Plus, are we going to get any accountability for those who lied about Hunter Biden's laptop, especially those 50 Intel folks who told us it was a fake, it was a phony.

But we begin tonight with the big news of the day. Earlier President Biden held what was billed as a high stakes call about 9:00 am Eastern with President Xi of China. The topic; Oh, I don't know, determining what role China was playing in backfilling Russia during the war in Ukraine, for example, with weapons money, and oil.

It came one week after reports that Russia and China for Military support and a lot of aid. They were running out of money, and one day after Chinese and Russian officials had a chance to meet face to face.

So while Joe Biden oddly decided not to mention this call, during his first appearance of the day, he left it to his press secretary Jen Psaki to play clean up, I guess, and predictably unbelievably fashion, she made sure to project Biden as in command.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president spends - the vast majority of the nearly two hours was spent with the president outlining the views of the United States and our allies and partners on this crisis, including a detailed overview of efforts to prevent and then respond to the invasion. And, of course, as was also noted in the readout, but let me just reiterate, he also conveyed and describe the implications and consequences of China provides material support to Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: Can we possibly not get spin just one time? Can we just get the facts? It should be noted that the Biden Administration has issued warning after warning to Beijing, over Ukraine and everything else and Beijing ignored that. In fact, they usually come back with sarcastic retorts.

Now the Chinese came away from this meeting, clearly thinking they had the upper hand. That's not included in the White House reading. It was the alleged Chinese response. But the Chinese did have response. Late this afternoon, Xinhua said - which is basically China's wire service, they released a readout of the Biden-Xi call.

And Ed Wong at the New York Times summarize it this way, quote. "It indicates no change in China's stance. Xi didn't suggest a role China would play in ending the war. And he used the favorite phrase of his cast - of his of his to cast blame on the U.S. let he who tied the bell on the tigers neck take it off."

So where do things stand right now? Let's bring in two of the best in the business at this topic that can read between the - or up and down the lines. Here now is Gordon Chang, Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute and author of "The Great U.S.- China Tech War." And Steven Mosher is here President of the Population Research Institute and author a "Bully of Asia."

Gordon, let's start with you. Statements aside, there was a lot at stake today. What was the goal for President Biden? And do you think he got there?

GORDON CHANG, GREAT U.S.- CHINA TECH WAR AUTHOR: President Biden want to clarify China's role, because there have been a lot of statements from Chinese officials and from propaganda outlets. And I actually don't think that he did that.

Because what he got in return, really were statements of generality from Xi Jinping. We picked that from the Xinhua release, but also some ambiguous statements, like China didn't want to see the result in the Ukraine war, which probably meant something along the lines of, we're very sad to see Vladimir Putin being beaten up by the Ukrainians.

So I don't think that the Chinese were terribly impressed with the warnings. And indeed, we're going to have to impose sanctions on China, if we want to move the Chinese in the right direction and Biden has not been willing to do that yet.

KILMEADE: Steve, that's one thing that China does not want. They don't want the secondary sanctions. They're not really loving the fact that they'll be best friends with the pariah of the world at this moment. It's not in their best interests to make it so apparent. It seems to be best buddies with Russia and do whatever they ask. Correct?

STEVEN MOSHER, "BULLY OF ASIA" AUTHOR: Well, correct. But remember that China encouraged Putin's invasion of Ukraine, hoping to embroil the U.S. in the conflict. I think he's been taken aback by the robustness of the response by the Ukrainian people. And also by the response of the world, Brian. Because look, Australian and Japan in his neighborhood - Xi's neighborhood are joining in to sanction China. So the Russian bet isn't looking so smart now.

And pay attention to the fact that the ambassador to Ukraine from China, Ambassador Fan said, in this situation, he told the Ukrainian people we will act responsibly, seeing how great the unity of the Ukrainian people is, and that means it's strength.

So I think that he's saying that China is seeing that it's not a walk in the park for Putin. If Putin had seized Kyiv in a couple of weeks and installed a puppet regime and the world had yawned saying, well, that was historically Russian territory anyway, let's just look away, it would be one thing.

But that's not how it's working out. So might Xi betray Putin? Might he retreat from the agreement they just signed. Of course, but not because Biden asked him to today or any other day. They would retreat because Biden is - Putin is looking more like a loser every day. Just as Russia, of course, is no longer a superpower. It's looking less and less like a superpower every day.

KILMEADE: And, Gordon, you're always good at you - you see the numbers, but then you see the story behind the numbers. I see a GDP that's been very - growing very slow for them. It's about five. I see the Omicron virus hitting them hard and hurting their economy again, and their people, obviously. I also see something else.

I see all the nationalizing of industries they're putting down of entrepreneurship and, and their degree of free enterprising really affecting their growth in their economy. Do you think they really need sanctions at this time, especially with President Xi up his five - another five year term?

CHANG: Yes, sanctions at this time would make China extremely vulnerable. You know, they claimed 8.1 percent gross domestic product growth last year. But even by their own numbers, they show that their economy is slowing fast, because they only claimed 4.0 percent growth in the fourth quarter.

And you know, Brian, those numbers are exaggerated. They've got a debt crisis they can't get past. Omicron, as you pointed out, is shutting down large portions of the Chinese economy, including Shenzhen and the South, which is critical for the tech sector. And their markets have really gone into retreat. And they would have stayed at the bottom, had it not been for a government announcement a couple days ago.

So now China is where we want it. And the question is whether Biden has the will to push China by imposing those sanctions? I don't think that he has, because he doesn't really want to do that.

KILMEADE: Steve final thought. The President is using the same approach with Build Back Better, as he's doing with China. But the stakes are much higher. He couldn't convince - he could not convince Joe Manchin to do what he asked, and they're in the same party. Can he convince President Xi, to not give arms, to not give weapons, to not give - not buy the oil of Russia?

MOSHER: No, I mean, China, look, is bound on its own trajectory, through time they will operate always and ever more in the interest of the Chinese Communist Party, their own interest. And lastly, perhaps in the interest of the Chinese people, that is, of course, last. I wish that we had a government that was capable of acting in the interest of the American people in this situation and in all situations. And sadly, we don't.

I mean, look, we have a president in the White House, whose family has taken money from Ukraine, Russia, and China - all of the major players. I think he's fatally compromised.

KILMEADE: Well, my hope is that China understands that they are fading power in Russia, and it's to their advantage to deal with a new newly reunited Europe. And that's probably the best we can hope for. Thanks, guys. Have a great weekend.

All right. Meanwhile, straight ahead. We take you now speaking of the place at war, Ukraine, where Fox's Senior Foreign Correspondent Greg Palkot has some important updates from Lviv. Greg, oftentimes, I tossed you in, it's quiet. Is it quiet there now?

GREG PALKOT, FOX NEWS SENIOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: At the moment, it is. It's early Saturday morning here, Brian, in Lviv. But Friday morning it was very noisy. You had four cruise missiles slamming into an aircraft repair facility about four miles from where we're standing.

The most significant aspect of that is we are less than 50 miles from the Polish border. One stray missile goes into Poland, you've got NATO, you've got the U.S. involved in this conflict.

And Brian, there could be more trouble here. This region is a key conduit for military supplies coming from outside Ukraine to the Ukrainian Military like anti-tank Stinger missiles. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, Friday, said if they think convoys are coming in with weaponry, they are in his words, "fair game."

Finally, we saw a rally, Friday, pumped up by Russian President Putin to try to win support for his war. Reports are that Putin spelled out with some time friend Turkish President Erdogan, what he wants from Ukraine, neutrality, no NATO, disarmament, denazification.

Now there are reports that President Zelenskyy is willing to compromise on NATO, even neutrality, but denazification, it really sounds more and more like President Putin is refighting World War II on this bloody terrain. Back to you.

KILMEADE: Yes, there's some technical problems too. And I was reading some of the transcripts, he didn't seem too eloquent. Greg Palkot. Thank you very much.

Joining me right now to talk more about this and where we are going from here, someone who has been tracking all the various negotiations better, than most, Niall Ferguson from Hoover Institute, Senior Fellow there. Niall, I can't see Ukraine agreeing to all of those conditions, perhaps some. Should we feel optimistic about this fourth round of talks? And the fifth?

NIALL FERGUSON, HOOVER INSTITUTION SENIOR FELLOW: I'm not too optimistic, Brian. We do see the outlines of a deal. And you know what it is Ukraine, not in NATO, a neutral state, a little bit like Finland, but with some security guarantees. I think this makes a lot of sense. The problem that really is going to slow things down has to do with territory.

But the thing is, the Ukrainians are doing well enough to feel that they don't need to give any territory. They're even beginning to wonder if they can get Crimea back, or Donetsk and Luhansk. And this is, in fact, the interesting thing. It's the Russians who've been giving concessions in the negotiations, more than the Ukrainians.

But I'm not sure I really would believe a ceasefire that Vladimir Putin agreed to at any point in the next few weeks. That might just be an opportunity for the Russians to regroup. As you know, Brian, they've taken extremely heavy casualties, maybe as many as 7,000 in the space of three weeks, more than the U.S. lost in the entirety of its time in Iraq. Worse performance than the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

And so they may well need a breathing space. But I don't want you to get the impression that the Ukrainians are winning, they're not losing. But the Russians are still gaining ground. They may not be in a position to encircle and take Kyiv, which may have been the original plan. But they are in a position - I fear - to gain ground in the East of the country - potentially quite significant ground. Mariupol could fall at any moment. And the Russians have their eyes on Odessa.

And if they can capture Mykolaiv there is a distinct possibility that they will control the entirety of Ukraine's coast. So I don't think we should get the impression just, because the Ukrainians are putting up a really impressive defense that they're winning. They're not. And there's a distinct fear in my mind, that Russia could make - could grind out more gains, using it siege warfare tactics. They're brutal. They're bloody. But I'm afraid they may over a period of weeks gain more ground.

KILMEADE: Yes. Just I want you to hear what Bill Taylor said former ambassador to Ukraine. He's got some contacts on the ground. Little bit more optimistic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: In the end, I am absolutely convinced that the Ukrainians will win and that will set the stage for people like President Putin and others in the chain of command who bombed civilian targets. So that will set the stage for that kind of accountability. President Zelenskyy his team, they will decide what to negotiate, how to negotiate, what to put on the table, what not, and we should support them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: Right. And then you got to wonder about the withering support, Niall, within Russia. There's reports of empty shelves, vanishing goods. People noticing their bank accounts are somewhat frozen and limited. Final thought on where we stand. Here we are one month in?

FERGUSON: Look, I yield to know in my admiration for President Zelenskyy and the heroic Ukrainian people as they fight this war of defense. But I think we shouldn't make the mistake of believing that we can somehow drive Russia to a crisis which will lead to the overthrow of Vladimir Putin.

I worry that our strategy at the moment, Brian, I think this is the Biden Administration strategy, is to let this war keep going in the belief that they're bleeding Russia dry, and it will ultimately lead to Putin's downfall. I think that's still a long shot.

When I look at our record of forcing regime change through sanctions in Cuba, Iran, North Korea it is a record of failure. And I worry very much that allowing this war to drag on, not using the power of the United States to intervene and bring about a settlement, is risking that Putin can ultimately declare some kind of victory. The risks of this strategy, I think, are really skewed to the downside in a way that not many people in Washington seem to appreciate.

KILMEADE: Yes. Niall, we're not taking the lead there.

FERGUSON: No.

KILMEADE: Maybe we don't have the qualifications and the fair and balanced approach. They got the Germans in there, the French who are talking, the Turks who are talking, but the U.S. is not doing - and pulling the strings behind.

(CROSSTALK)

FERGUSON: And nor is leaning on Xi Jinping and threatening him with sanctions the way to bring this war to an end. Only if the United States takes the lead to try to bring about a ceasefire and then a lasting peace, is it going to end. But I feel we're gambling on a war that keeps going in the hope that Putin falls.

I wouldn't hold my breath expecting Putin's downfall. That is just not the way Russian history tends to play out.

KILMEADE: Yes. They like to absorb punishment. They're famous for that.

FERGUSON: They can take a lot, Brian.

KILMEADE: And they tend to survive.

FERGUSON: That is the whole thing that I would have--

(CROSSTALK)

KILMEADE: They really can. Scorched earth was their retreat while burning everything they had and surviving. Niall Ferguson, thanks so much. Great perspective.

Straight ahead, one of the most under covered aspects around the Hunter Biden laptop scandal with the 50 Intel officers who sold us that that was Russian disinformation, and told the media. Some was even a CIA director. In fact, two were. In moments, we're going to show you some of the worst offenders.

Plus an update on the transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, her NCAA Championship quest. We have a verdict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KILMEADE: All right. Will there be any accountability over the Hunter Biden laptop story? Probably not. You know why? The same folks that have been unpunished after getting so much wrong over the past 20 years, who are the ones who perpetrated this whole fraud.

Now let's remember how the Russian misinformation lie was laundered. You had 50 officials in the intel community, they wrote a letter declaring it a Russian op and then when on TV to propagate the lie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER STRZOK, FORMER CHIEF OF FBI COUNTERESPIONAGE SECTION: You have a president who is asking to obtain Russian disinformation and he is then turning it and using it on the campaign trail.

JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: You have a willing target and the Russians are very sophisticated about how to exploit a willing target, and that to me that's what's at work here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think stuff like that could just have been planted in there, be completely fake?

CLAPPER: I do. I think the e-mails could be contrived.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: He's such an embarrassment. How do they keep him employed? And the media organizations they keep these people on their payrolls, lapped it all up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: The President happens to be peddling a series of unsubstantiated "New York Post" stories, claiming e-mails found on a laptop at a Delaware repair shop.

JASON JOHNSON, THEGRIO CONTRIBUTOR: The stories were preposterous. So we're supposed to believe that Hunter Biden in a drunken stupor dropped off his laptop, and I guess apparently QAnon repair office

JOHN HEILEMANN, MSNBC NATIONAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: The "New York Post", which is the only place low enough to put this thing in print.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: He wasn't in a drunken stupor, to be honest, he was on crack. Sohrab Ahmari was the Op-Ed editor, The "New York Post". When his story broke. He's now Contributing Editor at the American Conservative and joins me now.

Sohrab what's your reaction to the New York Times coming out and saying, yes, the story is authentic. And all those critics don't even pick up the phone to say was that your e-mail found in the laptop?

SOHRAB AHMARI, THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE: Now, like I said, on Twitter, Brian, I can't even summon the anger anymore in reaction to something like this. Because, you know, two years ago, my colleagues at "The New York Post", who did this story, I was on the opinion side, more defending this story. I knew that the work that had gone into this was honest journalism, and it was better sourced then a mountain of anti-Trump stories that had appeared in the mainstream media.

Yet, that wasn't called Russian disinformation, even though those anti- Trump stories collapsed under factual scrutiny. This you had the paper trail. "The Post" was very honest about how we came about this information and his e-mails. And so to watch the lies that were perpetrated, not just by blue check media, but by blue check media, accepting whatever the deep state, "intelligence community" said, like it was the gospel and using that, to justify Big Tech censorship at the time it was enraging. Two years later, there's more of a simmering anger. It's no longer that level of rage.

KILMEADE: Just to back it up. I asked the attorney general at the time, William Barr today, you'll see this whole interview tomorrow on one nation. I said, What did you do when you read about this? And you saw "The New York Post" social media accounts frozen, and they said this was Russian disinformation. And this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BARR, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL: He we had the DNI and the FBI - the FBI is in the work for me in the Department, both came out and said it was not related to Russian disinformation. The media completely ignored that and continued to suppress it, as its social media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: And he went on to say that Joe Biden lied at the debate when he said he knew nothing about it, and he said it was all about Russian misinformation.

And what about this Sohrab, John Brennan, CIA Director, Leon Panetta has had every important job in the government, General Michael Hayden ran the CIA, John McLaughlin, too and Mike Morell, all of them said Russian disinformation. They knew it wasn't Russian disinformation.

AHMARI: Yes, I mean, this just shows you what the Trump Administration faced from the day it came into the office. It was the hostility of this intelligence security apparatus machine that hated President Trump from the beginning, and threw everything they had at him with the help of a pliant blue check media, prestige media, all the outlets that you reviewed in the earlier segment. They worked hand in hand with Big Tech for four years and then this thing came and they cooperated as well.

The thing that's shameful is, you and I are journalists Brian, is the way that the press interacted with these former intelligence officials. The relationship between newspaper men and reporters and the intelligence community isn't supposed to be so friendly. It's supposed to be adversarial.

KILMEADE: I know.

AHMARI: These people wield a lot of power and you're supposed to ask them questions. When they say stuff you're not supposed to say. Oh, yes, sir. Mr. Clapper, that's right. Yes, it is disinformation. You're supposed to check it. That doesn't mean you should believe "The New York Post". You should do your own reporting as another reporter, and see if it's true or not before just repeating what some ex spook says or claims.

KILMEADE: How about this? Hey, Joe Biden, have you ever met Tony Bobulinski? Did you meet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel? Did he talk about international deals and take care of your son? Because right through the beginning of the unraveling of a story and the accuracy of what's in that laptop. It's unbelievable. Sohrab, thanks so much. Hope you like your new job. Hope to see you soon.

It wasn't just Hunter's laptop that gave the White House headaches today. White House press secretary Jen Psaki was grilled all about Hunter Biden and other entanglements.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN NELSON, NEW YORK POST: "The New York Times" reported this week that the First Son remains under criminal investigation. Does the President still intend to stay out of that case?

PSAKI: Yes. It's the Department of Justice, and I would point you to them.

NELSON: You told me last year that you were unfamiliar with the Senate report that alleged that the First Son - or a company linked to the First Son received $3.5 million from the richest woman in Russia.

Subsequent reporting indicates that President Biden, when he was Vice President, had a dinner in Georgetown with the same woman in 2015. How is President Biden navigating conflicts of interest when it comes to sanctioning people who have done business with his family? And can you explain to us what this $3.5 million was for?

PSAKI: I don't have any confirmation of the accuracy of that report, so I have no more further details.

NELSON: Can you say anything about the conflicts of interest, though - how he's navigating those when deciding sanctions?

PSAKI: What would be his conflicts of interest?

NELSON: Well, his son's company allegedly got $3.5 million from--

PSAKI: He - which I have no confirmation of. And he has continued to sanction oligarchs more than we've ever sanctioned in the past. I'm not sure that's a conflict of interest--

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: Steven Nelson, "New York Post." Joining us right now, Congressman Darrell Issa, on the House Judiciary Committee. Congressman, welcome back. Is she right? No conflict of interest whatsoever?

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R-CA): Well, what she said was she didn't have the facts, therefore, she couldn't do it. You know, one thing it's interesting, Brian, 1801 is when "The New York Post" began publishing. If you can take down one of the 10 longest running newspapers in the United States, one that predates Ohio as a state, then you can take anything down.

And that's what this shows, and that's why there needs to be a thorough investigation of the coordination that went on between the media, between these 51, including former CIA directors like Clapper and the like. And obviously, this whole question of taking down a printed newspaper of record by Twitter, as though it was, "fake news." That's not what Section 230 was there for.

We intended to have protection against taking down pornography, not protection, that would stifle the free press. And quite frankly, this is the largest scandal in in modern history, because it clearly was enough to make a difference in the outcome of the election. Anyone would know that if you if - you knew then what you know now, which is that Hunter Biden and Vice President Biden are clearly involved in corrupt behavior, and then covered it up.

KILMEADE: You know, so we'd think congressman, it's not a matter of somebody with a drug addiction, everybody watching us right now can relate to that story directly or indirectly, we get it. It's about international deals, trading on the family name that got them rich. We don't know where the money is. But we know there's a huge investigation that's going on for years, and yet the president is allowed to still deal with these countries at the highest level.

And we're not talking about hearsay, it's in print. There are travel records. His business partners are in jail. There's pictures of them together. There's pictures of Joe Biden with these dicey characters. So will you investigate something like this? Do you think your party will if you get control of the House?

ISSA: Well, when I've had a gavel, I've been pretty well understood to be a bulldog that doesn't let go ever. I don't get mad. I don't do anything except follow the facts. And that the same will be true in this investigation, whether it's me heading it or other people, we are going to get to the truth.

And we have to, because the American people have to know how we're going to keep this from happening again. How you're going to keep the vice president of United States from putting his son on Air Force Two and helping with his deals.

There's no question at all that some of these activities that we're now aware of have to be prevented by law, and certainly the taking down of newspapers, or, for that matter, any free speech, we have got to find a way to actually change the law. Investigations help you make the case for changing the law, and that is what Congress has to do in the short run and long run.

KILMEADE: Congressman, if you look at what is happening right now in the world, think about this. The problems with Russia and the problems we have here affect our relationship there. His dealings with Ukraine, please don't tell me you don't think Ukraine has been in the news. I think you've been paying attention. And of course, China, there was a meeting hours ago with the president of the United States. This relates to what's going on in the world. It needs to be followed up on. Darrell Issa, thanks so much.

Meanwhile, straight ahead, trans swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male, yesterday becoming an NCAA champion for the women's 500 freestyle. Hours ago, Thomas raced again in the 200 freestyle. FOX's Dan Springer is standing by with all the details. Dan, how did she do?

DAN SPRINGER, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brian. Lia Thomas failed this afternoon to add a second national championship, finishing fifth place in the women's 200 freestyle event. Her time a second-and-a-half slower than she had in the prelims. But today's poor performance will do nothing to quiet the controversy, especially after the dominating win yesterday in the much longer race. Some booed when she won, and a couple dozen people protested outside the pool. Others supported Thomas, who skipped the mandatory news conference afterwards, but did speak with ESPN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIA THOMAS, SWIMMER: I try to ignore it as much as I can. I try to focus on my swimming, what I need to do to get ready for my races, and just try to block out everything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPRINGER: Thomas competed three years at University of Pennsylvania as a man named will. He never qualified for the nationals. Two years into hormone therapy and after coming out as a transgender woman, Thomas was allowed to compete this year as a woman. Last month the NCAA issued new guidelines for transgender athletes but did not enforce them for Thomas in this week's nationals. Some teammates and opponents have said it's simply not fair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a teammate who did not make finals today because she was just bumped out of finals. And it's heartbreaking to see someone who went through puberty as a male and has the body of a male be able to absolutely blow away the competition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPRINGER: Penn, which has supported Thomas competing as a woman, is also now facing a civil rights lawsuit under Title IX filed Thursday by the Concerned Women for America. Its president saying, quote, "The future of women's sports is at risk and the equal rights of female athletes are being infringed." Lia Thomas has one more race tomorrow. It's the 100-yard freestyle even. Brian?

KILMEADE: This is a story that everyone is talking about, especially if you have a female athlete in your family and just wants a fair shot. I thought that's what Title IX was about. Thanks so much, Dan Springer, appreciate it.

Meanwhile, Fauci plays the role of politician. I'm talking about Anthony Fauci. And shocking new revisions from the CDC regarding COVID deaths, not as many as we thought. Dr. Nicole Saphier uncovered this. She's share that story in a matter of moments. Don't move.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KILMEADE: When he isn't warning us about restriction and how the virus might return, as he did earlier this week, Dr. Fauci is doing what he always dreamed of -- playing politician.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER: We will not be able to do the kind of research to address the inevitable next variant if we don't get the funding that we are talking about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The $22.5 billion, that's a hefty price tag. Is all of that money needed?

FAUCI: I have to tell you, we need more than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILMEADE: Really? A day before that he decided to weigh in on the midterms, too, and worried that if Republicans took back control of Congress that he'd be held to account for once. He told "The Washington Post" this, "It's Benghazi hearings all over again. They're going to try to beat me up in public, and there'll be nothing there."

Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity is here, and Dr. Nicole Saphier, also a FOX contributor, New York City physician. Phil, first off, doesn't he sound more like a politician than somebody who is in the medical profession?

PHIL KERPEN, PRESIDENT, THE COMMITTEE TO UNLEASH PROSPERITY: He is literally out there lobbying for more taxpayer money, representing the administration. The idea that he some sort of a medical expert or someone that we should defer to is a little bit ridiculous at this point. And by the way, Brian, we spent $1.9 trillion a year ago. Half of that money is still unspent. Republicans last week said, OK, you want this money for vaccines and therapeutics, that's fine, but take it out of the pot of $800 billion that is still sitting there unspent from the law last year.

And they're saying, no, no, this has to be new money on top of that. We can't possibly send less money to the states and to this slush fund and that slush fund, which tells you how completely unserious this us.

KILMEADE: Right. And by the way, last time he told us in June we could have a cookout, and by September we're getting hit by another variant, he was not ready for it. We didn't have enough masks, we didn't have enough tests. And we never prepaid for the therapeutics, and when we finally got the therapeutic, we didn't have enough of the therapeutic.

Dr. Saphier, this for you, I want you to remember this when Rochelle, doctor -- CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: I know many of you watch our data closely, and when something changes, it can prompt questions. As CDC director, I keep principle as leading with transparency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

KILMEADE: So do you remember this?

DR. NICOLE SAPHIER, NEW YORK CITY PHYSICIAN: Of course, Brian. It's really comical to hear the CDC talk about transparency and data in the same sentence. First of all, the CDC, Brian, has completely failed entirely when it comes to transparency and being able to provide accurate data to the American people. Just this week they have quietly removed about 70,000 deaths from the COVID death count. That reduced the pediatric COVID related deaths by about 24 percent. And their more accurate data collecting service, not the daily updated data tracker, but their National Center for Health Statistics suggests that that number is probably even lower, about 50 percent of what they have said pediatric deaths were.

This makes a big difference when you're talking about such a small number of deaths. The NCHS suggests that about less than 1,000, maybe about 900 children have died from COVID-19. That's out of over 10 million children who have been infected with the virus. But they still can't tell us how many of those children were healthy who died, how many of those children had natural immunity? How are we as physicians, as parents, supposed to make risk-based decisions as what is best for our children and people moving forward if we don't have accurate data from the CDC? At this point, the high-level leaders of the CDC not only owe the Americans and apology, but they need to step down, because they have created a massive disservice to this country when it has come to the restrictions and policies that have ensued as a direct result from their inaccurate data.

KILMEADE: I feel so much safer knowing that Kyrie Irving can't play basketball at home games for the Nets. That makes so much sense.

Final thought. This other Omicron subvariant that might have cases rising in Europe. Phil, are we supposed to be worried about this? Dr. Saphier, you go right after that.

KERPEN: I wouldn't be too worried about. I think that if you look at the countries that have been through the BA-2 wave in South Africa, it took over, and there was really no increase at all in the cases. I think what we're seeing in Europe right now is the same spring wave that we've seen. It's smaller than the winter wave, but we've seen it the last couple of years. I do think we're going to get some of that in the U.S., particularly in the northern states, but it's going to pretty small compared to what we just went through. And it's really going to be driven more by the seasons force than the variant in my opinion. But the key thing is, don't freak out. It's OK.

SAPHIER: And I agree, Brian. COVID is going to COVID. We're going to see a rise and fall in cases. The good news is even with BA-2, what we're seeing from other countries is that natural immunity, vaccine induced immunity still is able to prevent severe disease and death when it comes to these variants. So again, it's time to move forward. This virus will be endemic, and it's going to be cold, flu, and COVID season, not just flu season.

KILMEADE:. I like ask you doctor and find out. Thanks so much, guys, I appreciate it.

Meanwhile, the left is launching a smear campaign against a small college. That story next.

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LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: When the far left is confronted by parents about the gender and racial propaganda they're pushing in our schools, they feign ignorance. They call it all a conspiracy theory. And now they're viciously smearing anyone trying to offer an alternative. Case in point, "Slate's" campaign against Hillsdale College. "How this tiny Christian college is driving the right's nationwide war against public schools. If you wonder what conservatives hope to install in place of the books they're trying to ban, the answer often lies in Hillsdale's freely licensed curricula." This made me howl.

Joining me now is Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College. Dr. Arnn, are you trying to ban books and destroy the public education system in America?

(LAUGHTER)

LARRY ARNN, HILLSDALE COLLEGE PRESIDENT: I love of the public education system, and the charter schools that we're helping to found are public schools. They're just run differently, without the bureaucracy, well, less of it. You can't get away from bureaucracy in this day and age. But they're not subject to the rigors of control the above by countless experts who do these crazy things in the schools today, teaching children to doubt everything in the world.

INGRAHAM: Dr. Arnn, I happen to know many Hillsdale College graduates, and I've gotten to know them well. Some of them have worked, whether on my radio show or podcast or TV over the years. And I have to say, after having employed and had staff from all over the country, great schools, great kids, the Hillsdale kids are something different. And they know the great books. They know western civilization. They actually know what the discussion of metaphysics is all about and Aristotle, and all of the greats. And it's really useful.

That, however, is a threat to the left today, because they have been waging a war against western civilization for as long as I was looking at this, back at Dartmouth College in the 80s. but it has only intensified. That means you guys are making a difference if they're coming after you as they are now.

ARNN: Yes, they're just madder than hell. Education is a wonderful thing. The first line of Aristotle's metaphysics is the human being stretches himself out to know. We love to know. If you get in front of a group of kids, you can count on this. They want to know things. What do they want to know? They want to know what they are. They want the answer to all the questions they will face as they chart the course of their lives. That is what the great books are written about. It's very advantageous to a kid today in this oppressive society where the news is constant and ever demanding news things from you that we never expected. It's very good for a kid to step outside that, to look at another time and age. If you want diversity, read Plato, and then read his student Aristotle, and you will discover they don't agree about everything. And they're you're invited into a huge conversation, the greatest ever, that goes on to this day. But you can't participate in it if you just start with the newspaper today.

INGRAHAM: And Larry, last month we spoke with a former West Point cadet who left over the military's vaccine mandate, left West Point, which is heartbreaking. Now she went somewhere she feels much more welcome. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICKAYLAH SAMPSON, FORMER WEST POINT CADET: I was willing to drop everything because I was not going to compromise my morals for this agenda. I was willing to drop everything then and there with the faith knowing that everything was going to be all right in the end.

INGRAHAM: Are you at Hillsdale, by the way? I see your Hillsdale sweatshirt.

SAMPSON: Yes.

INGRAHAM: What a great school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Larry, do you have a lot of folks who ended up leading other colleges and universities looking at Hillsdale because, whether they have natural immunity or other objections, they decided they wanted to make a change yet still go and get a great education?

ARNN: Nickaylah is actually working in my office right now, and she's delightful. And also, when you walk up to her, she stands to attention. We have to tell her not to salute.

We're besieged with applications of every kind. We haven't got a bed free anywhere. And the other motive than the vaccine that is driving people to us is there is a wonderful article, by the way, in, where is it, Substack on Bari Weiss' site on Substack by one of our transfers came in the same time as Nickaylah. And what she says is what she was before, they don't ever talk about anything, because there is a standard answer. And it gets boring after a while to recite that, but it's dangerous not to. So they're stunted and infantilized, and that's what's going on.

INGRAHAM: Larry Arnn, I'm not going to tell everybody how long I have known you, but let's just say I was very young and so were you. Larry, it's so great to see you. Congratulations on everything you have done at Hillsdale, all the work you continue to do. And we are just glad you're a national resource and a national treasure. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KILMEADE: Wow, what a great college.

Final thoughts when we return. Don't move.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KILMEADE: I had a great time filling in for Laura tonight. I can't wait to tell you where I'm going to be the rest of the weekend. I want you to tune in tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern time, for my show, one nation, great roster of guests. I'll talk to former Trump attorney general Bill Barr, former Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster, exiled Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, he was jailed by Putin.

And if you need me on demand, I want you to go get my favorite app, FOX Nation. We got a special look at 50 years since "The Godfather." I host "The Wise Guys." And if you're really not sick of me and need more of me, watch FOX & FRIENDS Monday through Friday, listen to the Brian Kilmeade radio show from 9:00 to noon. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Now Gutfeld is cueing up, but first, live to Ukraine for the latest on what's happening in the war zone. Thanks so much for watching.

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