Trump campaign 'moving forward' with GOP convention in Jacksonville amid surge in COVID cases in Florida

close

Video

Trump campaign 'moving forward' with GOP convention in Jacksonville amid surge in COVID cases in Florida

Hogan Gidley, Trump 2020 national press secretary, joins Martha MacCallum with insight on 'The Story.'

This is a rush transcript from "The Story," July 13, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MARTHA MACCALLUM, ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody.

I'm Martha MacCallum in New York City. And tonight, we lead with this story. The perfect storm started as the virus broke out in pockets of America this winter. Then we had the unprecedented lockdown that was put in place. There were concerns that the massive resulting unemployment could lead to unrest and instability and uprisings. That was hard to believe or imagine at that point.

But now we've seen it as racial tensions poured gasoline on the instability. Now we see what was feared. It is happening in cities across America that are erupting in clashes of all kinds. Big and small, like this one between blue lives matter supporters and Black Lives Matter supporters.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

MACCALLUM: And then we have seen a huge jump in violent shooting deaths in Milwaukee and Kansas City and Philadelphia, in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles all have numbers that are up surprisingly.

Hundreds are dead, including all of these children that you see on your screen in just the past couple of months. But you also remember when shots rang out in the halls of high school in Parkland, Florida, and then in a grammar school before that in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, there was understandable outrage at the deaths of those children rightfully so. And nationwide, calls from Congress to Hollywood to end gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW: Enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enough.

JULIANNE MOORE, ACTOR: Enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Demand to plan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, D-N.Y.: Let us resolve to do something, something about the epidemic of gun violence in this country.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: The epidemic of gun violence in America. That's a national emergency. Why don't you declare that emergency, Mr. President?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: So now, with some exceptions, we hear pretty much next to nothing about gun violence from some of these same people. 36 children were killed in primary and secondary school shootings in all of 2018 and 2019. Far too many. We have already covered the shootings and the deaths of dozens of children just since Memorial Day in this country. So, where is the outrage for these kids? Why do they seem to matter less to some people as the country reels in stress and conflict and murder?

So, as New York Congressman Peter King watched this scene of Mayor de Blasio painting Black Lives Matter on Fifth Avenue in front of the cameras, he called that a publicity stunt, saying this under de Blasio is leadership, blacks are being murdered at a higher rate than at any time in almost 25 years. And here's President Trump at the White House earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: 358 percent increase in shootings in New York. Last month, over 300 people were shot. NYPD retirements have quadrupled and they're going up even further and New York City is out of control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: New York City is out of control, he says. So, in a moment, Congressman King will join us. Also, on THE STORY tonight, John Ayala, the grandfather of this beautiful little boy, Davon McNeal. He was shot over 4th of July weekend in Washington, D.C. So, we're going to get an update on the four suspects there.

Also, tonight, Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Hogan Gidley will join me on whether or not the Republican convention is going to happen, whether it will go forward in Florida next month, just few weeks away. And former attorney general now Alabama Senate candidate Jeff Sessions on the state of his primary race, which is tomorrow. And it's a hotly contested one in President Trump plays a big role in that situation. So, we'll talk to Jeff Sessions coming up tonight as well. But we begin, as I mentioned, with Congressman Peter King.

Congressman, good to see you. Thank you very much for being here tonight.

REP. PETER KING, R-N.Y.: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: You know, I mean, it strikes me when we've covered a lot of these terrible stories of these young people like Davon McNeal, who was shot in D.C. and another young one-year-old who was killed this weekend in New York City. And you don't see the same kind of outrage for these children that we saw for the other children who were also mercilessly killed in those school shootings. Why do you think that is?

KING: I think there's so much hypocrisy here, Martha. Whether it's a Black Lives Matter movement, whether it's progressive politicians like Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez.

The fact is that they are more interested I think in pushing a political agenda. I mean listen, everyone agreed, totally agreed that the murder of George Floyd was horrendous. So, since then, we've had riots and demonstrations. We had demonstrations in New York, against the NYPD. We should not have one questionable shooting last year at all, 36,000 cops, 35 shots were fired, the whole year. Only 35 cops even fired the weapons last year. There were five African Americans killed and four of those five had guns or knives. So, far more white shot than blacks in New York.

So, all these demonstrations out in the streets denouncing the cops, cursing at the cops, throwing bricks at them, Molotov cocktails. That again was allowed to happen and encouraged. And that encourages the violence. As a result, the cops that's slowly pulling back, there's restrictions put on them as what they can do. They can't even get somebody in a headlock. And as result of that, the thousands of lives that have been saved in the minority communities are now being lost.

I mean, I guess maybe 350 shootings since Memorial Day in New York and over 75 murders. 98 percent of the shootings were committed against minorities. And 100 percent of the murder victims are African American. And they would turn their own communities. And that's what the cops have been able to prevent over the last 25 years. But because of these progressive policies and paging Black Lives Matter, which is a radical, as far as I'm concerned, semi-terrorist organization, they're focusing on that and ignoring the fact that innocent black kids - last night, a one-year-old kid was shot down in the streets of Brooklyn at a family outing.

MACCALLUM: As you say, there's a very wide spectrum when people say Black Lives Matter. You know, you've got, kids wearing T-shirts that say Black Lives Matter, suburban homes with signs on their front lawn. And then you've got the radical element that is at the heart and the core of it, which is an admittedly Marxist organization. So, it's a very wide spectrum when people use that phrase. I just want to point out.

Here's Mayor de Blasio because he did comment on the death of Davell Gardner this morning. And here's how he talked about it. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR OF NEW YORK: It's heartbreaking for so many reasons. And it begins with the fact that there are just so many guns out there and that is a New York tragedy and a national tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Is that the problem?

KING: The guns are on the street now because the cops have been pulled back. The cops took more guns off the street over the last several years that can be imagined. But now that unit which was going after guns has been disbanded because it was considered too offensive.

So, yes, there are guns on the street, and they're being used by the bad guys. And I wish Mayor de Blasio realize that when he went after the cops, every person in New York should thank the NYPD for the job they've done, especially the African Americans, the minorities living in those communities, which they are the ones whose lives have been saved.

We went from 2000 murders a year, the overwhelming majority were black and Hispanic. Now, that was done under 300 last year. Now it's gone back up again. So again, these people who - they have blood on their hands, these politicians, and media people - in New York today and the media stories in the local news, the shooting of that boy, he was like fourth or fifth down. The main story was that somebody threw red paint on the Black Lives Matter side in the middle of the street. That shows how our priorities out of whack. And we got to turn this around or the country is going to be lost.

MACCALLUM: Peter King. Congressman, thank you very much. Good to have you here tonight.

KING: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: Joining me now, Juan Williams, Fox News Political Analyst, and co-host of The Five. Juan, great to have you with us as well. What's your reaction to that?

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS HOST: Thank you.

MACCALLUM: Because we talked so much and we heard so much from, you know, as I said, from members on Capitol Hill to Hollywood folks about these horrific school shootings. And yet we don't hear from them about these children being killed in the middle of this, because the narrative that goes along with it doesn't necessarily fit the things that they seem to be wanting right now.

WILLIAMS: I see it a little differently.

MACCALLUM: OK.

WILLIAMS: I mean, I think obviously, after what we saw in Newtown, after what we saw down in Florida at that high school, and I could go on. Nothing gets done. Even President Trump was saying, you know, we can do something here. He's going to get a deal with the NRA, and nothing gets done.

And now you're focusing on, you know, the easy availability of guns in cities that often have strict gun control laws, but they can't control neighboring states and guns flow in the market of illegal, the black market of illegal guns.

MACCALLUM: But here's one of the problems with that--

WILLIAMS: Aggressive and active.

MACCALLUM: That Peter King just mentioned. And, you know, I had a conversation with a former New York City detective who was part of that plainclothes force when he was on the force. And this discussion I had with him was back in, I think it was probably April and when that decision was made that that group was going to be disbanded. He said, you watch what's going to happen this summer in the city. It's going to be horrific because those plainclothes police officers are the ones who get those guns. And in many cases, drugs attached to them off the street.

So now, what you've got is basically gang warfare, being able to play out because they know that there's nobody on the street who is a police officer who's not dressed as a police officer. So, they have nothing to fear. These guys in the video that I saw of them coming out and shooting this young boy was so unbelievable.

So, they are operating, these gangs are operating in an environment that is much more open and easy for them at this point, Juan.

WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know why that unit was disbanded, Martha. But I will say that you have a situation right now in the aftermath of the George Floyd video, where everybody, including Peter King, I will say it was horrific what happened, that you have a police officer kneeling on a man's neck and killing the man like that. So, I think there's more scrutiny and more questions about what we - the authority, the power that we give to police and how they act and behave. So, I don't know that it's necessarily related to the disbanding of this unit that you are talking about that was pulling after guns.

MACCALLUM: Well, that was part of the reason that that unit was disbanded because the thinking was that they were walking around--

WILLIAMS: They were just disbanded since then?

MACCALLUM: Oh, yes. They were disbanded in early May, I believe. And this force of 600 police officers who used to walk around New York City getting guns off the street as undercover police officers, it was determined that they were not fair, that they weren't playing the game fairly and that they needed to be redistributed.

WILLIAMS: Well, I don't know.

MACCALLUM: Well, that's what happened. Mayor de Blasio wanted that whole group disbanded.

WILLIAMS: Well, here's what I think. Well, here's what I think. I think that's a pretty short-term consequence. But my sense is that you have here - my sense of it is, first of all, that this is not as was described by Peter King. First of all, Black Lives Matter. I don't think most Americans would identify them as any terrorist organization. I think that what you have is overwhelming protest against abuse of power by police and bad apples in the police department that need to be reined in that the police--

MACCALLUM: But the result, Juan.

WILLIAMS: People who protect bad cops.

MACCALLUM: But the result is that you are seeing these children get killed and people get murdered in our cities in America because the police have been told to pull back.

WILLIAMS: That's not what I think. I think you have, first of all, in black and brown neighborhoods, low income black and brown neighborhoods with the summer, with the fact that people were pent up with the Coronavirus. Now that you have this explosion and it is horrific. And guess what? There are lots of people who are not involved, like these children who get killed, Martha. And it's just tragic and it's wrong.

And I hope Black Lives Matter would stand up and say that's wrong and that this kind of murder, as you see it, mostly black on black is not good. It's terrible. And the people inside the black community, my community should be outraged about it, just as we're outraged over abuse of police power.

But to somehow tie it and say, oh, police aren't doing their job. First of all, I think police take an oath and I respect the police and I think they do their job. So, it's not their responsibility. You had some thug or gangster or a drug dealer pulling a trigger.

MACCALLUM: There's clearly less interaction because police officers hesitate. And that I mean - I think that's pretty well known in many of these departments. They'll tell you that they think twice about entering certain situations because they don't want to end up being that guy. And, you know, everybody understands that what we saw with George Floyd was horrific. I think there's universal opinion on that and on any similar situation.

But what's happening is that people are dying as a result of the policies that we're seeing play out here. And I think that, you know, this this is a situation where all these little children's lives matter immensely and we need to think twice about it. So, I thank you very much for being here tonight, talking to me. Thanks, Juan.

WILLIAMS: You're welcome. That's a good conversation.

MACCALLUM: Good to see you, Juan. So, coming up, President Trump today insisting that his nominating convention will happen, but there are reports that some in the campaign are wondering, is it really worth it? Do people decide who to vote for based on these big conventions? 2020 Press Secretary Hogan Gidley here on that and more. And then Karl Rove and Chris Hahn will weigh in on these polls that we're seeing in Texas and in Florida where COVID-19 has dug in. Coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to be able to hold the convention in Jacksonville with all this virus spreading?

TRUMP: Well, we're going to see it built up a little bit, but we're going to do something that will be great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: President Trump pressing ahead with plans for the Republican convention in Jacksonville, Florida, as his state deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases. There are some growing questions about what this convention may actually look like in the end. Here now, Hogan Gidley, Trump's 2020 National Press Secretary with a new title at the campaign. Hogan, good to see you tonight. Thank you very much for being here. So, 100 percent definite convention in Florida?

HOGAN GIDLEY, TRUMP 2020 NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: We're looking to move forward with it in Jacksonville. The President's very excited about it. But, of course, he wants the American people to be safe. He cares about the health and safety and security of the people that would come to that convention. And there'll be a lot of them, I can promise you that. But we're working with people on the ground, too, with Governor DeSantis in his office, the mayor as well, the RNC, all the local officials. And quite frankly, the health experts, because we want to make sure if we proceed forward, how it looks and the measures that need to be in place to make sure that when this thing goes off, it goes off safe.

MACCALLUM: So, if we proceed, I heard in there, so it sounds like there is an opening that this might not happen. Are there people within the campaign who are arguing for? Look, it doesn't matter. We can do this a different way this time around.

GIDLEY: No, people are excited because they want to see this this convention happen. It's been you know; this country has seen an unprecedented, unforeseen crisis in the pandemic coming from China. And as we work our way through this and we put the health measures in place to make sure the American people are safe, it's time to get back out and enjoy life. And one of the ways we can do that is with this convention.

But at the same time, as I said, the president cares about the health and safety of the American people. So, we're going to proceed in the best way possible.

MACCALLUM: All right. So, what's the likelihood that you're going to do something outside and that there will be social distancing at this event? I know there were a couple of places that have been looked at outside. It was something that a lot of people thought maybe should have been considered right up - out of the gate. And why wasn't it?

GIDLEY: Sure. Well, look, we're looking at all the options out there. The President wants to go into the great state of Florida. One of the states, a pundit said he could never win. That helped catapult him into the White House and thank them for all of their hard work. They want to hear the man speak, you know as well as I do, whether it's a rally or a convention speech. People will do anything and everything to get in and hear this man and cheer him on and thank him for improving their lives.

And when you look at the vision the President is putting forward of a great America, making this country get through this pandemic and better on the backside of it, the uplifting, patriotic message he has. And compare and contrast that with Joe Biden, who wants to defund the police and thinks America is now in the cause of all the problems--

MACCALLUM: You say a lot of people want to turn out and they always historically have. You know, obviously the crowds at these rallies have historically been enormous. But Tulsa wasn't a great experience, then New Hampshire got canceled. So that has to be forcing a little bit of a different conversation at the campaign right now.

GIDLEY: Look, again, I would argue Tulsa was successful. 11 million people saw that thing. That's incredible. Broke all kinds of record.

MACCALLUM: On TV.

GIDLEY: I think New Hampshire just because of the weather. Listen, we want to proceed, but we want to do it in a proper way. The President cares about the safety and security of the American people, as I said. And so, we'll look at all options. But the fact is, we're moving forward with this convention in Jacksonville. We want people to be safe. And we're looking forward to getting the President's message out there.

MACCALLUM: So, one of the other messages that has been out there is, you know, sort of where to place the blame for some of the numbers that are a little soft right now and we're early out. I think a lot of people don't make up their mind about these things till well after Labor Day and certainly after these conventions, if they happen and the debates are going to be a huge data point here as well.

But the things that have floated out from even members of the task force is and from the President as well, a little bit of finger pointing at Dr. Fauci, like, well, you know, maybe he should have told us earlier to wear masks. Then also finger pointing at the head of the campaign, Brad Parscale. There was a piece in The Washington Post today sort of suggesting that there's some blame going in that direction. Is that fair?

GIDLEY: No, it's not. I'm going to break some news on your program tonight. I'll give you some numbers that no one knows. And that's this, to all of our media platforms right now, we just eclipse a milestone. No one knows about this. So, again, just for you, Martha, 1.1 billion views of our show we put forth on the Trump networks. 107 shows, the President has only participated in a few of them. The excitement is out there. People are engaged. They want to get out and vote for this President.

And when you see the numbers of registered Republicans outpacing that of Democrats in key swing states, we're doing something right. Money raised at a pace no one thought possible. And it's because we have a great candidate. Make no mistake, when you're talking about Joe Biden, you don't have to guess what his economy would look like.

You saw it for eight years, depressed wages, jobs leaving shores, 3 million of them go into China alone. You don't have to guess what the culture would look like. He pops out of his basement every once in a while, to say defund the police. The fact is, our jobs aren't safe, our families aren't safe, and our American way of life is not safe with Joe Biden, because he is waging war on all three policies.

MACCALLUM: A very different reality right now. And everybody's forced to kind of think creatively and do their business in a creative way. And I think that works in the campaign environment as well. And we'll see how it all plays out. Hogan, thank you very much. Good to have you here tonight.

GIDLEY: It does. Thank you.

MACCALLUM: Next up, Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush and a Fox News Contributor. Chris Hahn is a former aide to Senator Chuck Schumer and a syndicated radio host. Good to have both of you with us tonight.

CHRIS HAHN, FORMER AIDE TO CHUCK SCHUMER: Great to be here.

MACCALLUM: Karl, what do you think? Does the convention have to happen, and does it have to happen in Jacksonville? Does it have to happen the way it usually does? What do you think?

KARL ROVE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it won't happen the way it usually does, because typically these are gigantic festivals for the Democrats and Republicans. Lots of donors, lots of activists, lots of interest groups. They swarmed the convention site. They go on for a week or two before the convention begins. There are enormous crowds during the convention. Many of them never get into the hall, but they go to the parties. They go to events. They go to the satellite. You've seen them. You've been at a couple of these.

MACCALLUM: Yes, I've been at a lot of them.

ROVE: That's not going to happen.

MACCALLUM: Yes.

ROVE: And it's going to be a slimmed down version. The key is going to be, can the Democrats and the Republicans both figure out how to showcase their candidate's acceptance speech, because typically, historically, going back to the beginning of the TV age, the moment of the acceptance speech is the most watched point of the campaign, except the presidential debates. And so, as they're going to be looking for ways to do that, it's going to be interesting to see how they deal with it in a time play.

MACCALLUM: It's going to be fascinating. I mean, they've only got a few weeks to hammer this out. And I think, you know, everybody's got to put it their creative hats on and come up with something that is going to, you know, really wow people, and get them to tune in.

Let's take a look at some of these polls and get Chris's reaction. And then Karl's reaction. So, the first poll that we have is - what do we have there? Texas. Arizona. There is Arizona, Arizona is flat. 46-46. Florida has Biden up by 6 points right now. And Texas has Trump up by only 1 point. Chris, have at it? What you see there?

HAHN: Well, you know, I told Karl on this program a few weeks ago that Texas is going to be in play. Texas is going to be in play. The average of polls in Texas right now is 0.1 percent for Trump on the average of polls. I think Biden is going to win Texas especially, hopefully somebody senior in the Bush family will come out and endorse Biden in Texas. That will put him over the top. I don't know if George itself, but it's going to happen.

MACCALLUM: So, Karl is that going to happen? Is George Bush going to come out and endorse Joe Biden.

ROVE: You know, it's an unusual for a major media figure like Chris Hahn to visibly demonstrate that he's smoking dope on television. It's amazing. I mean, it's really--

HAHN: Hey now.

MACCALLUM: Chris, you're not smoking dope, are you?

ROVE: The American people can believe that Texas is in play. The American - no, obviously, I'm kidding. But he is, like, weird. So, we can believe that Texas is absolutely in play when Joe Biden comes down here and buys a lot of TV and appoints even a state chairman.

HAHN: He's going to.

ROVE: Let me finish, Chris, please, for once, for God's sake, please.

MACCALLUM: Go ahead.

ROVE: So, but until that happens, we can - look, the state's going to be close. No ifs, ands or buts about it. But the idea that this is a state that is in play and is a top target of the Democrats, I have yet to see, you know, they're not even a Biden state chairman. There's no staff on the ground. There's no TV buys. There's no--

HAHN: Here's why?

ROVE: It's not there.

MACCALLUM: Final thought, Chris.

HAHN: Here's why it's in play. Abbott and Warso (ph) Dan Patrick, two Trump clones have ruined the recovery to COVID-19, in Texas. It has made more people's lives in danger and it has endangered the economy of Texas and the nation as a whole. So that just--

ROVE: I just saw a poll looking at that and Governor Abbott's approval rating at 66 percent approval rating. He didn't like your Governor Cuomo. He did not send people with COVID to nursing homes--

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: You go ahead.

HAHN: Please, please Karl. Karl, you're going to need multiple whiteboards to figure out a map for Donald Trump to win this presidency. He's such a failure. He's failed on so many levels in so many states. I am so dizzy--

(CROSSTALK)

ROVE: You've got to get a new rap. We keep hearing this every time we're together.

MACCALLUM: We're going to keep this--

(CROSSTALK)

ROVE: Say something substantive--

MACCALLUM: I think it's similar conversation. I'm not exactly sure if it was with you, Chris Hahn. But I know Karl Rove said that Beto O'Rourke would never win Texas and that he could see that that was never going to happen. And, you know, so here we are or--

ROVE: Martha, one thing here.

HAHN: As bad a candidate--

ROVE: One thing before we go. Chris said that Biden is going to win Texas. I want to bet a $1000 Chris's favorite charity, not a political group, but a charity. If he'll bet a $1000 to my favorite charity, that I say Biden doesn't win Texas. He says Biden does. Let's see if he's going to man up right now.

HAHN: I need odds, Karl. I need odds.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: All right, bye guys. Talk to you next time. All right. Coming up, Dr. Scott Atlas says that science proves he's very emphatic about this. He says schools absolutely must reopen and he says the science demands that they do. He's back with his argument right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Schools should be opened. Schools should be opened. Kids want to go to school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: The latest political divide appears to be going back to school with Democrats mostly urging caution and Republicans mostly, starting with the president, saying that kids need to get back into the classroom or risk a learning loss that maybe irreparable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF., SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Going back to school presents the biggest risk for the spread of the coronavirus. They ignore science and they ignore governance in order to make this happen. If there are CDC guidelines, they should be requirements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Dr. Scott Atlas, senior fellow at Stanford University Hoover Institution and former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center. Doctor, welcome back to the program. Good to have you.

SCOTT ATLAS, PROFESSOR AND CHIEF OF NEURORADIOLOGY, STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Thanks, Martha.

MACCALLUM: She says, Nancy Pelosi says that this is the biggest risk to the spread of the virus if the kids go back in September.

ATLAS: I think we have a different scale because that's just completely wrong and contrary to all the science. And when I say, when I say all the science, I'm talking about signs all over the world not just in the United States but Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Australia, Asia.

I mean, it's totally contrary to the science and here's the science, I'm not sure how many times it has to be said but the risk to children from this disease for fatality is nearly zero. The risk to children for a significant illness is, quote, "far less from seasonal flu" according to JAMA Pediatrics.

I mean, this is totally antithetical to the data. And the other thing that we have to, obviously we know this by now it's been confirmed all over the world. Children rarely transmit the disease to adults. This is --

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: Well that's the biggest concern, if -- pardon me for hopping in, but that's the quickest rebuttal to that. That, you know, yes, but these kids aren't going to realize their carriers, they're going to go home and infect their parents or their grandparents.

ATLAS: Well, but those are people that obviously either don't know the data or are refractory to learning themselves because the facts say otherwise. And this has been proven by contract tracing all over the world by studies on these kids. This is like really ludicrous.

But I think the most important thing of all, well, the other -- there's two points that I want to make. One is that teaching is a young profession. In the United States half the teachers are 40 or less and a quarter of them are under 30. Ninety percent are under 60 in public schools.

They have almost zero risk from this and for those high risk teachers, which there are some, if they believe in masks and social distancing, don't think they know how to do that by now, and if they're still afraid to do their job, why can't they teach from a distance? If they think social distancing works, teach in a class, if they think a distance learning works, teach from home.

But the problem here and this the biggest point of all, I never hear anyone talk about the harms of closing schools. The harms are against the children. Anyone who prioritizes children would open the schools. That's just counterfactual to say that, you know, the children are not the risk or, you know, were at risk here.

When we see the harms to children, most children learn most of what's in schools from social engagement, from learning how to resolve conflicts from dealing with others.

MACCALLUM: Yes. So true.

ATLAS: This is obvious. When children learned that they need a hearing aid or glasses, that's done in school. There are over almost a quarter of a million apparently reported child abuse cases --

MACCALLUM: Yes.

ATLAS: -- missed because children's child abuse is most noticed in the schools. And so, I mean, I'm not sure. We are the only country in the world, this is a level of hysteria like this is something I feel like I'm living in a Kafka novel here. I mean, I get thousands of e-mails a week from all over the world, from professors, teachers, mothers in the United States and elsewhere, they are stunned that we are willing to just simply destroy our children out of some bizarre notion that is completely contrary to the science.

MACCALLUM: Yes. I mean, we watched some countries in Scandinavia that went right back. The kids all went right back and they did very well. So, this is really important, you know, that the kids they -- the learning deficit is so dramatic and we're going to talk to Betsy DeVos about this later in the week.

But Dr. Atlas, I got to go but thank you so much. Always good to have you with us.

ATLAS: All right.

MACCALLUM: Coming up, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions served in the United States Senate for than 20 years and now he faces the fight of his life to get back there after an ugly divorce from his time in the Trump administration. Remember this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They put this country through, Jeff Sessions was a disaster. He was a total disaster because he basically let it happen, unknowingly, because he is not very smart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: Well, he see that criticism quite a bit from the president. He is here tonight to talk about that and about his Senate race hours ahead of a crucial run-off in Alabama, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: Ever since Jeff Sessions left his attorney general post President Trump has been trashing his earliest Capitol Hill supporter. Now the president is backing Sessions' opposition Republican Tommy Tuberville in tomorrow's primary runoff tweeting this. Big Senate race in Alabama on Tuesday, but T. Tuberville he is a winner who will never let you down. Jeff Sessions is a disaster who let us all down. We don't want him back in Washington.

To which Jeff Sessions clap back, I've taken the road less traveled, not sought fame or fortune, my honor and integrity are far more important than these juvenile insults. Your scandal ridden candidate is too cowardly to debate, as you know Alabama does not take orders from Washington.

Joining me now, less than five more hours until runoff date, Jeff Sessions, former attorney general and 2020 Alabama Senate candidate. Good to see you, sir. Thank you very much for being here tonight.

JEFF SESSIONS, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Thank you, Martha.

MACCALLUM: We have a poll from May, I want to point out that this is a very old poll but there are several polls that show you double digits behind Mr. Tuberville. How are you feeling as you head into tomorrow given that?

SESSIONS: Thanks. I'm moving our way there's no doubt about it, our campaign is catching fire people are finally beginning to ask who is our opponent? Where did he come from? He just passed through Alabama 18 months ago. He claimed for tax purposes his home in Florida. He is wrong on trade, wrong on immigration, wrong on China.

He's not been advocating for the Trump agenda that I have been advocating for. His name is going to be on the ballot tomorrow, not President Trump's.

MACCALLUM: OK.

SESSIONS: We'll be voting for him in November but the choice is clear. My opponent is hiding out, he rejected coming on your program. He rejected Bret Baier's program, he's gone radio silence in the state --

MACCALLUM: All right.

SESSIONS: -- since the scandals have broken there.

MACCALLUM: Let me ask you this. You know, it's interesting that you say that you -- one of the things that you would do if you get to go to the Senate would be to defend President Trump's policies. Even though every chance that he gets he tries to undermine you in this campaign. How do you do that?

SESSIONS: The president has strong feelings about this and he gets to express those opinions, but let me tell you. I was for those policies before he announced. I was the number one voice in the Senate for them. I believe in them. Not because of any personal gain but because I think they're right for America and Alabama.

He needs stronger voices in the Senate. The Senate is not speaking out sufficiently on trade, on immigration, on China. Those are particularly difficult issues. Judges. Religious freedom. Those things, I know about, I fought for, I understand them. I'll help him, I want him to succeed.

MACCALLUM: OK.

SESSIONS: That's the fundamental thing because it's good for America.

MACCALLUM: So, interestingly, I want to ask you a question about what happened with Roger Stone and the commutation which is obviously been a controversial decision. And it's interesting that last week the person who came out after you, Attorney General Bill Barr said that he -- he was asked about the Stone sentence and he said that he thought the sentence for him was fair given the crime. And he also said that he thought that it was a righteous prosecution. Do you agree?

SESSIONS: Well, I don't know the details of that case. I would just say the president clearly has the power to pardon. President Obama did 200. One of them was a terrorist who was teaching people how to make bombs to blow up the United States.

So, the president has this power. I respect Attorney General Barr. I like the fact that he's digging into all these matters, these allegations of unfairness and federal abuses in FBI and prosecutors. I think this matter, this Russia matter, can never be completed until the American people have a belief that the investigators themselves have been evaluated properly and wrongdoing punished wherever it occurring.

MACCALLUM: All right. Former Attorney General and Senate candidate in Alabama, once again, Jeff Sessions. Thank you very much. Good to see you, sir.

SESSIONS: Thank you.

MACCALLUM: So, this little boy is 11-year-old Davon McNeal. He was shot and killed by a stray bullet during a Fourth of July peace cookout that was organized by his family to bring people together in his community. He's quite the young athlete, had a bright future ahead of him.

One of the suspects connected to his murder was recently released from prison because of COVID-19 and they wanted to let people out. Davon's grandfather, John Ayala who you met here last week wants to update us on what's going on in this case. He says that a violent offender never should have been let out of prison. He is here next. Don't miss it when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He shot my baby in his head. He got shot in his head. It looks so bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN AYALA, DAVON MCNEAL'S GRANDFATHER: He gets out of the car, shots ring. He hits the ground, Crystal looks and saying get up. You don't get up, so she goes to see what's going on and realize that he was hit with one of the bullets that was being shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACCALLUM: That's the grandfather of a 11-year-old Davon McNeal describing the senseless shooting that took the life of his grandson over the Fourth of July weekend. When asked about Davon's football coach said, quote, "we just had a real genuine kid who wanted to get out of the neighborhood. That's all he said, is I'm going to make it."

There are four suspects at least connected to Davon's killing, two have been arrested including 22-year-old Christian Wingfield who was in custody for possession of a firearm but released because of the COVID-19 outbreak when they left numbers of people out of prisons to control the outbreak.

So, two of the other suspects are still out there, still on the run. And police are working on a warrant for a fifth alleged shooter we have learned in this case.

Davon McNeal's grandfather, John Ayala is here once again on THE STORY with me tonight. He is the founder of the D.C. chapter of the Guardian Angels, an organization that works with police to prevent a crime.

Mr. Ayala, thank you so much for joining me tonight. And again, I just -- my heart breaks for you and your family and your grandson was a beautiful kid. I'm sorry for your loss. What do you think about this news that one of these men was released from prison because of COVID-19?

AYALA: I am absolutely outraged. Just about a month ago, I was watching the news up in New York City. About the same thing happening and someone was released during the COVID-19 within 24 hours committed a murder. Then here in D.C. we had a young man that was 16 years old also released from COVID. Sixteen. And within 30 days after that being released, he shot nine people. And of those nine, four are deceased.

This is a young man at 16 years old running around with the guns. Now in his home, you know, another young man that was brought up on gun charges released because of COVID.

MACCALLUM: Yes.

AYALA: And him and his friends decided to tote their weapons and get involved in the turf war. He shot my grandson. I don't know -- I mean, I don't even know they were out there, they shot my grandson and this probably could have been avoided if he was still locked out. We don't know who was the leader, was he the leader of this?

MACCALLUM: Yes.

AYALA: Were the other guys? We don't know. But what I do know is that he should have been in prison not on the streets.

MACCALLUM: What is your message to the other individuals that were involved in the shooting which is being a premeditated first-degree murder?

AYALA: I definitely -- I definitely see that because these gentlemen knew what they were doing. The sad thing is, two of these guys actually attended Crystal stop the violence cookout. Actually, he was over there. They posted pictures on their Instagram page. And then they go out right after and they kill her son. You know, you guys, the guy would be watching, you got to turn yourself in.

(CROSSTALK)

MACCALLUM: Why? I mean, what do you say to the people -- they have to turn themselves in if they're watching. I want to make sure that message gets out there. So, give everybody, why --

(CROSSTALK)

AYALA: Yes, definitely.

MACCALLUM: -- what happened? What was that turf war about, why are they out there, you know, ending these young lives?

AYALA: You know, I don't know what the turf war is about but these young guys in the community, what happens if there some kind of beef among them, usually it's one person that gets deceased in another community because of a shooting.

They don't believe in telling the police. It's revenge. So, they come back and forth they shoot up each other's community and when they do that, they don't care who's around. They don't care if it's children, grandmothers, parents. They just want somebody from that community to lose their life.

MACCALLUM: To pay the price.

AYALA: So that community can be in mourning and that is the worst attitude that anybody can have.

MACCALLUM: John, thank you so much, John Ayala. We'll keep on THE STORY. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACCALLUM: That's the story of Monday, July 13, 2020. But as always, the story continues so we'll see you back here tomorrow night. Tucker Carlson, coming up next. Good night, everybody.

Content and Programming Copyright 2020 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2020 ASC Services II Media, LLC. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of ASC Services II Media, LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.