Tucker Carlson on crime surge, COVID origins, vaccine mandate at Indiana University

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Tucker: This is America, not a 'third-world hell hole'

'Tucker Carlson Tonight' host says rise in crime can be blamed on bad leadership across the country

This is a rush transcript from "Tucker Carlson Tonight" June 21, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. 

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: Good evening and welcome to TUCKER CARLSON
TONIGHT. Happy Monday. 

It was a year ago this month -- we checked the calendar -- that a
University of Chicago Economics Professor called Harald Uhlig questioned in
public the wisdom of defunding the police. Now, Uhlig is German by birth,
he is a macroeconomist by trade, so he is a fairly rational person, it's
his job. 

And it struck Harald Uhlig that maybe a functional society might want to
have police around so that say old ladies don't get beaten up on the way to
the grocery store, and fewer people get shot to death, less rapes. You
know, the basics. That seemed reasonable to him. 

Unfortunately, for Harald Uhlig, in the weeks right after George Floyd's
death extending to the present day, rational thinking of any kind has been
prohibited by law. Nothing that is true can be said out loud. The truer it
is, the more forbidden it is. 

So, in Uhlig's case, the Federal Reserve of Chicago promptly fired him from
his job as an advisor, then they went online to attack him and his support
for the police as quote, "not compatible with our commitment to diversity,
equity, and inclusion." All of which require no police apparently. 

Then the University of Chicago, his employer began an investigation into
Harald Uhlig's racial views, which went on for some time. Then Janet
Yellen, then the Chairman of the Fed; now, the Secretary of the Treasury
denounced Uhlig effectively as a racist. 

Everybody did. "Defund the police, we'll be safer if we do." That's what
they were saying a year ago, everyone in charge. It was lunacy. 

And precisely because it was lunacy, no one was allowed to disagree with
it. Here is the formula. The more self-evidently absurd a statement is, the
more clearly untrue, the more viciously they have to attack anyone who
points out that it is untrue, who dissents. 

Trans-women are women. January 6 was an insurrection. Defund the police.
It's childish. It's all so ridiculous and no sane person believes a word of
it. But until the fever of the moment passes, most people who have no power
feel obligated to play along with whatever orthodoxy it is until reality
re-emerges as inevitably it does because you can't beat nature. 

In the case of crime, that may be happening no. The White House announced
today that on Wednesday of this week, Joe Biden will outline a new plan to
fight rising crime rates -- which are skyrocketing -- and the body counts
that accompany them. Now, we haven't seen the plan. We can't know what's in
it. The White House won't tell us. 

But we do have two fairly informed guesses for what we're going to discover
on Wednesday. First, there will be no apologies. You will not hear Joe
Biden beg forgiveness from the thousands of families whose loved ones have
been killed by the Democratic Party's nihilistic embrace of crime and
disorder. "Looting as reparations. You go looters." They should apologize
for that, they never will. 

The left's ideology destroyed America's cities, but they will never under
any circumstances admit that -- ever. Instead, they will blame you. That's
guaranteed. 

Our second guess is this. Whatever Democrats propose to fix the problems
that they created, will in the end make them more powerful. See how that
works? They create a problem and the solution empowers them. That's always
the way it goes. 

So, with that in mind, we expect Joe Biden to remind us on Wednesday who
the real criminals are, who the threat is. People who didn't vote for Joe
Biden, whereas Joe Biden himself puts it, white supremacists. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've taken steps to
acknowledge and address systemic racism and the scourge of white supremacy
in our own country. 

Yes, forced us to confront systemic racism and white supremacy. It's just
been weeks since all America witnessed a group of thugs, insurrectionists,
how political extremists and white supremacist violently attacked the
capital of our democracy. 

I believe we're in a battle for the soul of this nation and the simple
truth is, our soul will be troubled as long as systemic racism is allowed
to persist. 

(END VIDEO CLIP) 

CARLSON: Yes, white supremacy is America's biggest problem. As we've noted
many times before, we still don't know despite fervent and sincere efforts
to find out what a white supremacist is. The White House has not told us.
They have refused. 

So, as of tonight, that remains a term without definition. By the way, if
you've got a definition, send it to us. We'll read it on the air. 

But they don't need a definition. They keep screaming, "It's the greatest
threat we face," so because we're highly literal on this show, we believe
in language, we went searching for the numbers. Are there numbers to prove
that? Because there are numbers on everything. Well, they are busy trying
to create those numbers now. 

But for the moment here's what we've got. Researchers at the University of
Maryland run something called the Global Terrorism Database. Some of the
data they produce are clearly highly political. For example, they count the
Parkland School shooting as an act of white supremacist violence, it
wasn't. There is no evidence that it was. How could you say that? But they
say it anyway. 

So, the numbers they have are inflated and yet, the researchers at the
University of Maryland could find fewer than 70 people in the entire
country who died from white supremacist violence over the entire period
between 2015 and 2019. 

How many people is that? Well, of course it's too many. Any death is too
many, but for some perspective, more people die in this country every year
from lightning strikes -- literally. Look it up. 

So, no, white supremacist violence, bad as it may be is not a major threat.
It is not even on the list, actually. 

What's at the top of the list? Well, let's see. Crime. 

Crime tops the list. There's no second place on that list. 

In the year 2019 alone, there were more than 10, 000 arrests for murder in
this country. By the way, more murders than that, but 10,000 were arrested.
Just in 2020, last year, more than 750 people were murdered just in the
City of Chicago, 750, and we can say, not that anyone is asking, but in
case you're wondering, with some confidence that the overwhelming majority
of those suspects in the City of Chicago were not practicing white
supremacists or members of QAnons. 

How do we know this? Well an informed guessed, but in some cases, there is
video. 

For example, this show has obtained exclusive surveillance footage of a
shooting that took place this weekend, a horrifying shooting, on the
northwest side of Chicago. This one took place right after a Puerto Rican
Day Parade there. 

You may have seen an abbreviated version of this clip on social media
today. We have the full version, it's on your screen as we speak. It is
taken directly from a closed-circuit television camera in the City of
Chicago. 

Now as you watch this, ask yourself: what country is that? It's America.
It's not some third world hellhole. It's not Haiti. It's a major street in
your third largest city. 

So, a couple with a Puerto Rican flag waving from their car, apparently
minding their own business, ambushed by a mob, dragged from the car and
shot execution style right in the middle of the road. The men who shoot
them take off, and then maybe the worst part, the victims just lie there
bleeding because nobody comes to help. 

Again, what country is this? Who is running it? And why haven't we brought
those people up on felony neglect charges? They deserve it. 

If we accept a country where things like this happen, then we are the
savages. We should not accept it. Joe Biden does, though. He hasn't said a
word about that shooting and he won't because there are no white
supremacists to blame. It's one crime he'll never mention. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Here is a Podcam video of the horrific
altercation. The brother who didn't want to be identified says his brother
had rear-ended a parked car. After that, a group of up to six men inside of
that car jumped out, started attacking them, and also throwing up gang
signs. 

Twenty-four-year-old Gyovanni Arzuaga was shot in the head, hip, and thigh.
He died at Saint Mary's Hospital. His wife, 23-year-old Yasmin Perez was
shot in the neck and remains in critical condition. 

(END VIDEO CLIP) 

CARLSON: Shot in the neck and just laid there with no one helping. But
that wasn't the only shooting this weekend in Chicago, far from it. In
Chicago, a city by the way that just banned its own police from chasing
suspects on foot, in all, 54 people were shot in Chicago this weekend. 

And it wasn't just happening there. Chicago gets a lot of attention, but
it's not constrained to Chicago. In New York where the geniuses also
defunded the police, surveillance footage shows two children were nearly
shot to death on Thursday in the middle of an attempted murder, in the
middle of the day. Watch this. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): This disturbing surveillance video shows
a gunman firing his weapon at a 24-year-old man inches away from two young
children, brother and sister ages 10 and five. It happened in broad
daylight, Thursday. 

The kids were walking to this bodega before they were caught in the middle
of this. At one point, you can see the sister trying to shield her younger
brother with her own body. 

(END VIDEO CLIP) 

CARLSON: So, normal people watching that would say to themselves,
"Whatever we're doing, we have to change. You can't have things like this."
Innocent people are getting killed, even guilty people are getting killed.
People getting killed flat out, and we can't have that because we're a
civilized society. This is a decent nation and the one thing you can't
allow is that, and yet that's not the conclusion they're reaching. 

By the way, new polling -- there's a mayor's race going on in the City of
New York right now. The primary is tomorrow, which in effect is the
election, because it's a democratically controlled city. Fewer than 20
percent of New Yorkers would like to see fewer cops on the street, so most
people aren't for this at all because it's insane, but the people in charge
apparently haven't noticed. 

So now, New York may change its approach even further in the wrong
direction. Just days ago, officials in the city announced they were
dropping charges against hundreds of rioters and looters who were arrested
last year. So, you wreck the city and you're not punished. 

It is scary, but it's not as scary as the attitudes on display in this
clip. This really gets you asking deep questions about the future of the
country. This is from Oakland, California 

Now, several people were shot, one died during Juneteenth celebrations this
weekend. That's bad, but the worst part is how people in the neighborhood
reacted. They didn't seem bothered at all. Here's how they responded to the
ambulance when it arrived. 

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS] 

CARLSON: Last week, we showed you footage of people in Chicago dancing on
a police cruiser and now we have this, sociopaths and that is the word for
them, celebrating a shooting by twerking. What kind of society produces
people like that? Who would behave like that? Do you know anyone who would
behave like that? 

When you see people behave like that, you have to ask yourself, what are
we, as a society, doing wrong? Is it no fathers? Is it the schools? Who
knows what the answer is, but if we're not trying to find the answer, then
we are going to be guaranteed more of it. 

Anyone who'd celebrate a shooting is not someone you want to share a
country with, so we should fix that. Is there a more important task?
Probably not. But it's completely ignored. 

Instead our irresponsible, low IQ political leaders patronize us with the
same mindless talking points, the same talk about gun control, and assault
weapons like AR-15s are the problem, and not our political class, which is
clearly the problem. 

Here for example, we can show you many examples, but here is just one. This
is the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot featured in a local news report. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Tuesday, little Kayden Swann was shot on
Lake Shore Drive, 18 others were shot, five of them died. 

Wednesday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said part of the crime issue is gun
control. 

MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT (D), CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: If you can go over the border
in Indiana and literally buy military grade weapons with any -- at any
quantity. 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): CPD numbers show that crime is up.
Around this time last year, there were 521 people shot. Now, that number is
743. 

(END VIDEO CLIP) 

CARLSON: It's tiresome even to repeat it, but again because we are literal
and connected to physical reality, we feel honor-bound to tell you once
more something that Lori Lightfoot, of course, knows herself -- virtually
every gun crime in the City of Chicago is committed with a handgun, not
with an AR-15. Virtually no crimes nationwide are committed with assault
weapons. 

So, why is she focused on assault weapons? Well, because the people who own
assault weapons don't live in Chicago and didn't vote for her. So, she'd be
happy to disarm them and the Biden administration of course feels the same
way. That's why in March, the White House's lawyers argued before the
Supreme Court of the United States in a development that did not get the
attention it deserved that police should be able to enter the homes of law-
abiding American citizens and seize their firearms without a warrant. No
judge involved, neither any finding of mental impairment or threat of
violence, nor any of that. 

In other words, your means of self-defense belong to the Biden
administration. Right? 

This will not solve crime, it will only disarm you. The real problems here
have nothing to do with the weapons used and nothing to do with the race of
the people committing the crimes. It's not a black person problem, it's not
a white person problem. It's not white supremacy, it's not black supremacy.
It is bad leadership by the people in charge and it's on display all around
us. 

Prosecutors, many of them funded by one man, George Soros refusing to
enforce the law, and the results are immediate. In the City of
Philadelphia, for example, where George Soros helped elect Larry Krasner as
the DA, arrests are hitting record levels, but convictions are dropping. In
other words, the cops are doing their part and the prosecutors are refusing
to do theirs. Result: the city is now on pace to far exceed its murder rate
from 30 years ago, 1990 was the previous high, they're about to beat it. 

So, what happens when prosecutors do enforce the law and use it to target
the people committing crimes? Well, that's the way the country used to
work, and by the way it works, and we have new academic research tonight to
show that. 

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton found that gang
takedowns by cops explain nearly a quarter of all reduction in so-called
gun violence in housing projects in New York City after 2011. In other
words, you go after the people you know are committing the crimes and then
you've got a lot less crime. 

The gangs are committing the crimes in these cities, particularly in
Chicago, so if Joe Biden was serious about protecting children from being
murdered on the street or people at the Puerto Rican Day Parade from
getting killed next to their car, he would go after the gangs. Oh, but he
is probably not going to do that on Wednesday. 

He is also not going to say a word about prosecutors like Larry Krasner
funded by his friend, George Soros, call on them to enforce the law, no. We
also don't think he is going to call on criminals to stop twerking on
ambulances in Oakland or police cars in Chicago. Those are Biden voters. 

The people Joe Biden is going to target on Wednesday are the ones who don't
support him and live far from the collapsing cities. In other words, it's
your fault. He will tell you that. You watch. 

Ray Stevens is a radio show host in the City of Chicago. We're happy to
have him on with us tonight. Ray, thanks so much for coming on. 

So, it seems like and I don't live in Chicago, but it's true in almost
every city that the overwhelming majority of violent crime is committed by
a very small number of people who the police can identify. Is that true in
Chicago? And if so, why aren't they doing something about it? 

RAY STEVENS, CHICAGO RADIO SHOW HOST: Well, it absolutely is true, and
here is the frustrating part. I work with a lot of outreach programs. We go
into the cities, Tucker. We go into some of the hardest core cities with
the biggest crime rates and we do clean-up projects. We go and we want
people to know that maybe somebody that doesn't look like them is here to
help. 

And when they see us, they're happy. They are glad that we're there. 

The problem happens at night when things get crazy and it just gets out of
control, and the problem is, most people are good. They want to live their
lives. They want their kids to be able to go to school in a zone where they
don't have to walk through a safe zone, but the problem is, it's such a
small amount. 

And this is what's maddening, it's a small amount of people in these
relatively good neighborhoods where moms and kids and dads just want to
live and they can't because of these gangs that you just mentioned. 

CARLSON: So, how is it liberation to allow armed gangs to control the
streets? Like who benefits from this exactly? Why is the City of Chicago
putting up with it? 

STEVENS: If you were to ask me, my conjecture would be this. You mentioned
this earlier when you were just speaking and that is, it is that, there are
politicians and all they want to do is pander for the vote. They want to
pander because they know who is going to get them elected. 

If they talk about a Hispanic boy that was 13 years old and he was a good
boy and he was shot, although he happened to be a Latin King, see that
doesn't that wash well with their constituents. 

There is a guy named Raymond Lopez, and Tucker, I know you're aware of him.
He is the only guy in my estimation in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods
in Chicago that will call out the activity, say what needs to be said and
then he gets, you know, castrated for it because he is speaking the truth. 

And it's maddening because every Monday, we're going to sit back, we're
going to do shows like this, and moms are going to cry, kids are going to
die, the pastors that I work with, they need a mental health break because
there's just so much going on. 

CARLSON: That's awful. It is shocking, actually. And I agree with you on
Raymond Lopez. Great leader. 

Ray Stevens, thank you. 

STEVENS: Thank you, Tucker. 

CARLSON: Our old friend, Candace Owens is the host of "Candace." She joins
us now. Candace, thanks so much for coming on. 

So, Joe Biden's party has -- I mean, they didn't create crime. Crime is a
feature of human nature, but they have made possible this terrifying jump
in crime rates and murder rates, and now, they're going to, quote "solve
the problem." What are the chances their solutions make them more powerful? 

CANDACE OWENS, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: One hundred percent. The chances are
one hundred percent of the solutions are going to make them more powerful. 

Look, I'll say and I'll spell it out plainly. The United States government
at this point is engaged in criminality. There's really no other way to say
it. They know exactly what they're doing. They are using black people and
racism as pawns to distract people from what's actually going on, which is
our government has increased its power exponentially over the last two
years. 

I mean, COVID-19, they've extended their powers into telling you when you
can open your businesses, when you can breathe, literally, when you can
breathe, right? COVID-19, among other things will be remembered as one of
the greatest wealth transfers of the government to itself, right? 

CARLSON: That's right. 

OWENS: Taking our taxpayer dollars and giving themselves trillions upon
trillions. 

You bring up Lori Lightfoot. This is a woman who just decided that she is
going to use COVID-19 funds. She is going to transfer $10 million of those
dollars, Tucker, to explore a public health crisis that is racism. What
does it even mean? I'll tell you what it means. It means that there is
going to be more government, right? 

They are going to employ more people. Government is going to get more power
because they're going to keep this issue going and that is exactly why, if
you're wondering why they're talking about Juneteenth, you can file that
under critical race theory, you can file that under the 1619 Project -- all
of these things are meant to distract from us taking a look at where
everything bad that is happening in our country right now is coming from
and that is the United States government being controlled by Democrats who
seek nothing more than to enrich and empower themselves. 

CARLSON: Man, that was about the crispest summation I've heard in a long
time of a very complex issue and every word of it true, in my view. Candace
Owens, thanks so much for coming on tonight. Thank you. 

OWENS: Thank you. 

CARLSON: So, schools across the country are forcing students to take the
COVID-19 vaccine even though there is growing evidence that for young
people particularly young people who have been infected and recovered from
COVID. That is bad medicine, and it can be dangerous. 

Now, some parents and some students are fighting back in court. We'll give
you an update on their progress just ahead. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

CARLSON: So, the World Health Organization, we think they are corrupt, but
the people in charge revere the World Health Organization. We have to
follow their directives, we've heard that for a year and a half now. Here's
an interesting point in light of that. 

W.H.O. is now saying that kids under the age of 18, young people, should
not take the coronavirus vaccine because the risks outweigh the benefits.
What are some of those risks? Well, researchers in Israel have found that
the COVID vaccine could increase the risk of potentially fatal heart
inflammation in young people by as much as 25 times. 

And it's also clear that people who have been infected with the coronavirus
and recover do not need to take the vaccine in many cases because their
antibody levels will protect them naturally, and yet, despite the mounting
evidence that there could in fact be profoundly negative consequences to
forcing students to take the vaccine, colleges are doing it across the
country. 

And people feel like they have no choice. They're not going to commit a
felony by getting a fake vaccine card, though clearly some are, so they
need people to protect them in court and that's now happening. 

A new lawsuit filed today on behalf of parents and students at Indiana
University calls the school's vaccine mandate unconstitutional. Jim Bopp is
the lawyer who took up that case and we're happy to talk to him tonight. 

Jim, thanks so much for coming on. 

JIM BOPP, ATTORNEY: Great to be on, Tucker. 

CARLSON: Before I get to the rationale behind your suit, which I think is
self-evident, I'd love to hear you explain it, but let's just get right to
the point. For parents who have been told they have until like next week to
show proof of vaccination for their kids to return to campus, is there any
chance that you will win this case in time for those student? 

BOPP: Well, we're certainly going to give it hell, Tucker. We filed the
case, we've asked for expedition. We were seeking a preliminary injunction
to enjoin this mandate from taking effect and adversely affecting Indiana
University students. 

CARLSON: Were you aware that Americans could be forced to take medicine
they don't want and don't need. Has that ever happened before in American
history? 

BOPP: It has in the progressive era forced sterilization and vaccination
was approved by the Supreme Court and of course, that was in the era in
1904 when the progressives were basically anti-individual liberty. They
were in favor of experts deciding all these issues. They were very
skeptical of democracy because they didn't want the experts to be
influenced and that of course led to first forced vaccination and then
immediately as authority for forced sterilization where the Supreme Court
gave one of the most notorious statements ever, which was three generations
of imbeciles is enough, justifying forced sterilization. 

Well, things have changed. We respect individual liberty now. We're not
ceding the authority that students have or that adults have to experts and
the government. You know, there are cases and it seemed like the beginning
of this pandemic that it was extremely serious that it justified severe
measures and of course, those were applied. 

But a year and a half -- years later, we have wonderful therapeutics that
have ameliorated the effects of the infection. We have vaccinations that
prevent people from getting it. I mean, most governments now are lifting
restrictions and limitations, and then Indiana University suddenly kind of
out of the blue requires one of the most severe rights violated
requirements which is every student needs to be vaccinated. 

CARLSON: Yes, so I'm sorry that it fell to you to do this. I don't know
where lawmakers in the State of Indiana are tonight. They should have done
this first, but I'm glad that you are doing it. Jim Bopp, thank you and
Godspeed on that. 

BOPP: Thank you. 

CARLSON: So, Don Lemon is more than just a low-rated cable news host, he
is a representative he often tells you of all people who look like Don
Lemon. He is the leader of his people. 

So with that in mind, we've got some new information on Don Lemon tonight
that might make you consider his commentary a little differently. That's
next. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

CARLSON: Mr. Don Lemon is a cable news host on our competitor over at CNN,
and most of the time, he talks about cable news host type things. What the
Royals are up to? How a commercial airliner might have flown into a black
hole? You know, the news. 

But Don Lemon is, most importantly, more than that. Don Lemon is a Civil
Rights leader, and just the other day, he spoke to "The Washington Post"
about his feelings on Civil Rights and he declared -- you may not be
surprised by this -- that America is a racist country, quote: "We're living
in two different realities, as black and white people," said Father Lemon. 

It was interesting, we read that and we thought, well, here's a guy who
makes millions of dollars a year for presiding over a show that is failing,
that seems like a pretty good deal, but like so many, Don Lemon is also a
victim, a successful victim. 

And so we asked on the victim scale on the scale of say Meghan Markle to
Michelle Obama just how oppressed is Don Lemon? What is the different
reality he is forced to live in and as a black man in America? Well, we did
a little digging, and here are the details. 

Don Lemon lives in a $4.3 million home in Sag Harbor, New York. No, he does
not live in Section 8 housing, he lives in one of the whitest towns in
America. In fact, 80 percent. Sag Harbor is just three percent African-
American. 

Now in the interview, Mr. Lemon said America needs to see more people like
him. He regularly lectures America about diversity. What he didn't tell
"The Washington Post" is that in his free time, he runs away from
diversity. His reality is that he doesn't like diversity at all, none of
them do. 

But here's the most troubling discovery about Mr. Lemon. Now, you have
heard from the White House, from the President himself that white supremacy
is a lurking threat. You might not always see it, but it's always there.
Like Russian spies, white supremacists come in the dark of night in the
most surprising form. They are shape shifters. 

Now, we're not calling anybody a white supremacist here, but you have to
ask yourself. I want to put this on the screen now. What is this? This
symbol of hate? A symbol of hate posing as a cookie jar doing in Don
Lemon's kitchen? Do you see that? That right there, ladies and gentlemen,
is a white supremacist QAnon cookie jar. 

Now, we're not calling for the Department of Justice to look more deeply
into this because that's not our place. We're a cable news show, not a law
enforcement agency. Now, let's just put it this way. If you find yourself
with a blackface cookie jar in your own kitchen, it's time to reflect. 

That means you, Don Lemon. 

We've got good news for you tonight. It turns out we're not all going to be
dead as a species in a dozen years, that's the word from Steve Koonin. He
was one of the climate scientists who looked into this in the Obama
administration. 

He spent many years looking into it in fact. He is not a conservative, but
he is an honest man, and he has found that much of the data that we are fed
as if it is science, is in fact manipulated and/or false. 

We had an amazing conversation with Steve Koonin in the latest episode of
"Tucker Carlson Today." Here's part of it. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 

CARLSON: The idea that human behavior is causing more extreme weather,
droughts, hurricanes, you're smiling. 

STEVEN KOONIN, THEORETICAL PHYSICIST AND DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR URBAN
SCIENCE AND PROGRESS, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: It's a fiction of the media and
the politicians who would like to promote that notion. When you look at the
actual data and what I've written in the book is a summary of the data and
the official science as written by the IPC, the U.N. and the U.S.
government. There are no detectable human influences on hurricanes over
almost a century. 

The heat waves in the U.S. are no more common today than they were in 1900,
and the warmest temperatures have not gone up in the last 60 years. 

Sea level is rising at the grand rate of one foot a century. We can go into
the details of that, but it was rising the same if you go back 60 years
ago. So, there's a lot of natural variability in the system and it's very
difficult to untangle or discern human effects in extreme weather. 

When I hear people talking about these existential threats, you know, I'm
reminded of the line from the "Princess Bride" movie where Vizzini keeps
using the word "inconceivable" and Inigo Montoya says to him, "You keep
using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means," and I
don't think the science says what Mayor Pete or now Secretary Pete thinks
it says. In fact, I can guarantee you, he has never read the science. 

In fact, I can guarantee you that Senator Sanders, President Biden,
Ambassador Kerry, and Secretary Granholm have never read the science
because you need to be a scientist in order to do that, right? 

And in fact, when you read it, there's very little in terms of extreme
weather that has changed over the last many decades. 

CARLSON: But that claim is ubiquitous. 

KOONIN: Of course, it is. Okay. 

CARLSON: Why is that? 

KOONIN: That's part of the corruption of climate communications that's
taken place as you go from the literature to the U.N. and U.S. government
reports, to the summaries of those reports, to if you'll excuse me, the
media and the politicians. 

CARLSON: So, that is just -- and I think you have standing to say this.
You're saying that specifically -- it's a complex topic, I think you made
that pretty clear, it is complicated, but that specific claim is just flat
out not true. 

KOONIN: It's just wrong. It's just wrong, okay. We've seen no national
change in the incidence of floods or droughts. Yes, there are certain
regions that have gotten drier and other regions that have gotten wetter,
but overall, no more variation than what we've seen naturally. It's just
wrong. 

(END VIDEO CLIP) 

CARLSON: If you have a sincere and open-minded interest in climate change
and you should because the responses to it will affect you, they probably
have already, you ought to watch that. It's the latest episode of "Tucker
Carlson Today." It's at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__foxnation.com&d=DwICAg&c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&r=tgDLkJy54PfJyWJwul3dKe54qGxqO7b7d5vjo7RcZds&m=ZhH6Nxmkbf32b-FLxZhFJZvheBy4AYVQSLyN7gX-E7c&s=3hlnlnurd9utKFEJXn14vYOPRbRqGpawRuXEN_IXLyc&e= right now. 

Up next, an amazing story. There are reports, doubtless you've seen them,
that a top Chinese official with top secret information about the Wuhan
Institute of Virology and much more has defected to the United States and
is currently being debriefed by the U.S. government. Is that true? And if
it is true, what would this official know exactly about the origins of
coronavirus? 

We'll try to get the bottom of that after the break. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

CARLSON: There are rumor tonight including rumors circulating in China
that that country's Vice Minister of State Security, a man called Dong
Jingwei has defected to the United States, came in mid-February with
daughter. 

Apparently, the reports say, Dong Jingwei had supplied the U.S. with
information about the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the true origins of
the coronavirus. Is this story true? If it is, what does it mean? 

Gordon Chang is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute. He is the
author of "The Great U.S.-China Tech War," and we're happy to have him on
tonight. Gordon, thanks for coming on. Is this story true, do you think? 

GORDON CHANG, SENIOR FELLOW, GATESTONE INSTITUTE: I think that it is.
Beijing says it isn't and as a matter of fact, Beijing's "Beijing Daily"
and Hong Kong's "South China Morning Post" have issued stories that Dong is
busy at work discharging his obligations, but I don't believe that and the
reason is that China has every reason in the world to parade this guy in
front of cameras that would squelch all sorts of rumors that are damaging
to the regime. 

Now, China has not done that and that to me says that we have him and that
he in fact defected. 

CARLSON: So, one of the reasons that this seems true to me is that the
great American propaganda machine, the liars in charge at managing the lies
that we receive and consumer unthinkingly, in one week changed their
official story on where the virus came from. 

And all of a sudden, they were, oh, well, I guess it came from a lab and
that suggested to me that there was some person who had unimpeachable
information on this, who would contradict the official lie. 

CHANG: Yes, and clearly what we have right now is a change of heart on
some people -- of some people in the Biden administration. Now, it could be
due to various things, it could be due to political pressure for instance,
but I think that they have now gotten evidence that indeed, this was a leak
from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and perhaps as important that the
Chinese military was working in the lab itself and that suggests a
biological weapons program. 

CARLSON: So, the Chinese scientist we have interviewed a couple times on
this show and we kind of deemphasize this because I don't know what to make
of it, but said unequivocally, she was in Wuhan when this happened. She
believes this was released as a bio weapon intentionally. I hate almost to
say that because it's such a radical thing to say, but I have to ask, how
you assess that claim? 

CHANG: Well, it is possible, but I think that it is unlikely, and the
reason is that China did not have the vaccine, so you know, there are
people who have said, well, they wanted to see the effect of the
coronavirus on the population and they thought they could contain it, and
you know, that's possible, and as a matter of fact a lot of Chinese
nationals do believe that it was an intentional release. 

It is the foreigners who think that this was accidental. I believe it
probably was a mistake and that China was not able to contain it. 

CARLSON: Yes, I mean, you've got to think and as an American, it's just
too hard to get into my head the evil required to do it on purpose, but
it's interesting that they think that. 

Gordon Chang, I appreciate you coming on tonight. That's for that amazing
story. 

CHANG: Thanks, Tucker. 

CARLSON: So in move unprecedented in American history, the Biden White
House tried to award stimulus money to farmers based on their skin color. A
judge blocked that program. Now, one disabled farmer is fighting back
against the discrimination, and he joins us next. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 

CARLSON: A Federal Judge has thankfully blocked the administration's $4
billion agricultural aid program because it was openly discriminatory and
therefore, unconstitutional. The program awarded money to farmers depending
on what color they were. They excluded a lot of people. 

Adam Faust is a disabled farmer. He has lost both his feet. He might have
used some of that government aid, but he wouldn't have gotten a dime under
Joe Biden's plan because he is the wrong color. He joins us tonight with
his attorney, Rick Esenberg. 

Adam and Rick, thank you both, very much for coming on. 

Adam, it is nice to speak to you again. Tell us your response to the
Judge's ruling here. 

ADAM FAUST, FARMER: Well, I definitely think he got it right. It was
pretty obvious that it was absolutely a racist move. I mean, the only thing
that the entire program was based on was something as simple as skin color. 

CARLSON: Right, I mean, does it surprise you -- you grew up in the country
-- that something like this could happen and get basically no attention in
the media, whatsoever, most Americans aren't aware that it happened and
that it would require a Federal Judge to stop it. I mean, why didn't the
whole country rise up and say, no, you're not allowed to do this? 

FAUST: Oh, I think it's like almost everything in agriculture, people are
so far removed from the farm that they just take for granted the fact that
food shows up on the table and they really have no concept of where it
comes from and all the challenges that are involved, and this is just
another one that nobody noticed. 

CARLSON: Man, is that -- that is absolutely true. Rick, how does this
program stand tonight? Can it, now that it's been blocked by the Judge, by
injunction, I suppose, does that mean it's done? They are going to have
reorder it? 

RICK ESENBERG, ATTORNEY: Well, this is a preliminary ruling. The Judge
issued a temporary restraining order blocking the program. There will be
additional briefing that it is undergoing right now, but I don't really see
anything that the Biden administration can say that has not already said
and that obviously has not convinced the Judge that this program should be
permitted. 

This is an unusually broad, abnormally blatant form of racial preference.
It is clearly at odds with precedence of the United States Supreme Court
and it's not unusual -- the Biden administration has been doing this again
and again and again as part of its racial equity program. My organization,
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has halted two of these programs
already. We, and others will keep suing until the Biden administration
learns to follow the law. 

CARLSON: Because you're absolutely right. This is not -- I mean, this is
happening in the agricultural sector and you're right, no one noticed
because it was agriculture and as Adam points out, no one knows where the
food comes from. 

But it is happening everywhere and until people like you sue to stop it,
you know, we become more a divided country in a deep and sick way. 

I appreciate your suing, Rick. I appreciate, Adam, your coming on tonight.
Thank you very much. 

ESENBERG: Thank you. 

FAUST: Thank you. 

CARLSON: We are out of time, unfortunately. 

You can watch a brand-new episode of "Tucker Carlson Today." If you have any interest
at all in climate change and global warming and whether it is real and what
its effects are and what people can do to stop it, and what our policy
ought to be, this is an honest -- completely honest, non-polemical, non-
ideological, science-based conversation on that topic. Best I've ever had
anyway. 

We will be back tomorrow night. The sworn enemy of lying, pomposity,
smugness and groupthink. Have the best night. 

Here is a surprise for you, Sean Hannity is taking over at 9:00 p.m. for
the full hour, ladies and gentlemen. Here he is. 

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