'Your World' on Omicron, Biden's relationship with Putin

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Biden needs to show Putin the United States will not sit back: Sen. Fischer

Sen. Deb Fischer urges Biden to have a ‘blunt and focused’ conversation with Putin in response to Russia’s military build-up.

This is a rush transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," December 6, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated

SANDRA SMITH, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Thank you, Martha.

Stocks surging, meanwhile, as Omicron fears start easing. Looking at the Dow, as the markets look to settle here, 4:00 Eastern time, the Dow up 647 points on the session, almost a 2 percent gain. Financial stocks, including America Express, Goldman Sachs and Visa, among today's big winners.

But with key inflation data due out later this week, you can expect some choppy sailing over the next few days. We're going to have a lot more on that coming up.

First, this. So, is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? That is the question at this hour. President Biden set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow, as U.S. intelligence officials warn, Russia is planning to deploy 175,000 troops to the Ukraine border, many already deployed, and that we could see an invasion early next year.

How is the White House responding?

Welcome, everyone. I'm Sandra Smith, in for Neil Cavuto. And this is "Your World."

Jacqui Heinrich is at the White House with more on those high-stakes talks.

Jacqui, you were able to get some questions in the briefing today. Hello.

JACQUI HEINRICH, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Good afternoon to you, Sandra.

Yes, the White House has been making clear that they have been speaking to their allies about a set of sanctions that would, in their words, make significant and severe harm to the Russian economy, should they need to take those moves if Russia chooses to invade Ukraine.

But they're also providing Putin a bit of an off-ramp ahead of this call tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELE FLOURNOY, FORMER U.S. UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, I think what the administration is actively considering with our allies is an escalating set of sanctions that go beyond what's been done before.

I'm sure they are looking at sanctioning the banking system, sanctioning the energy sector, possibly cutting off Russia from the SWIFT system, which enables all of their international financial transactions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEINRICH: So, the White House said that they don't know right now if Putin has made a decision, but, if he hasn't, there's an opportunity to have a conversation about a range of topics where there can be mutual interest.

U.S. officials are reportedly zeroing in on sanctions against Putin's inner circle and on Russian energy producers and banks, and also weighing one nuclear option described, as you just heard there, by former President Obama's Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy. That would be cutting off Russia from the SWIFT system that enables all of their international financial transactions.

Now, Russia is heavily reliant on the SWIFT system. And, according to CNN, the European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution back in the spring for a move that -- or, rather, they passed a resolution to take that action should Russia invade Ukraine. And, according to CNN, the U.S. has been discussing it with E.U. counterparts.

Now, the White House would not confirm to us that that option on the table, but they told FOX: "We have had extensive interactions with our European allies and partners in recent weeks, including with Ukraine, about the need to respond together and resolutely to any further aggression in Ukraine, and fundamentally have also aligned with them around diplomacy being the responsible way to resolve this potential crisis."

Now, President Biden wrote in his memoir that, when he was vice president and Russia took Crimea back in 2014, he says that he pushed former President Obama to supply lethal aid to Ukraine, and Obama repeatedly rejected that idea.

Now he is president. There's a bit of a staging here for a possible replay with Russia and Ukraine. So we will see what he does now that he is in charge -- Sandra.

SMITH: OK, Jacqui Heinrich, thank you for that.

So, the big question is, how should the U.S. respond to Russia's military buildup here?

Nebraska Republican Senator Deb Fischer is a member of the Armed Services Committee. She joins us now.

Senator, welcome.

There's been questions and concerns, in fact, over Afghanistan 2.0, that, based on how the president led us through that Afghanistan withdrawal, that we could see a similar disastrous situation happen when it comes to Russia invading Ukraine.

Where do your concerns lie?

SEN. DEB FISCHER (R-NE): Well, it's obvious to all that the United States and Russia are seeing growing tension.

And it's because of Russia's action toward Ukraine. A Ukraine report says there's about 94,000 Russians on its border right now. This is a sovereign country. And you have Russians amassing on its border. That is projected to grow to about 175,000 troops that will be there, 100 battalions.

They will have missile capabilities, armor. And that is obviously a concern not only to the United States, but to the world at large.

I was recently in London and in Brussels and in Eastern Europe. And, yes, there's definitely concern from our allies about the handling of Afghanistan by this administration. And when we're talking about a confrontation between Russia and the United States, obviously, tensions are very, very high.

SMITH: You heard John Kirby at the Pentagon today. We carried it live on our air here. He said that conflict is not inevitable, that they believe that they can lead this -- lead through this with diplomacy.

Do you believe that to be the case, as The Wall Street Journal editorial board this morning writes about the rogues on the march around the world, and so many of our allies, in fact, questioning President Biden's own judgment after Afghanistan, saying that this is going to be an ultimate test of Joe Biden's leadership, and how he responds will be telling to the world?

Do you believe he's up to the task?

FISCHER: I would hope so.

And I would hope that the president will have a very blunt and very focused conversation with Putin tomorrow. I understand he will have a call with him. The Senate Armed Services Committee will be having a briefing with the administration tomorrow as well on this issue.

But I think we all need to be aware that Putin respects strength. And so I want the president to come out and be very, very -- show resolve in his conversations with Putin, and to let him know that the United States is not going to sit back.

There are many options that are available to us. And we need to be able to take those options, whether it's providing Ukraine with anti-air, anti-tank capabilities, with radar to follow missiles, or whether it is looking at stationing more U.S. troops within NATO countries around Ukraine, or if it is action by NATO itself.

This is serious. And the president should know how serious it is. The Russians recently did a test, I guess you could say it was, in taking out a satellite in space. Obviously, it was very irresponsible, what they had done because of the debris that is left in space and the future that that's going to hold having all that debris in space.

So it's obvious, I think, to many people, Republicans, Democrats, to the public at large, that the Russians are pushing the envelope when it comes to seeing just how far they can go with this administration.

SMITH: OK, Senator, we appreciate your time. Thank you very much for joining us.

FISCHER: Thank you.

SMITH: Will the threat of sanctions be enough to prevent an attack by Russia on Ukraine?

Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense retired Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin with us now.

Thank you so much for your time, sir.

Big questions over what Congress needs to do to maybe get ahead of the decision and the judgment by this president on how he handled this space on what happened in Afghanistan. But I was talking to General Keith Kellogg earlier. He called this phone call tomorrow with Putin and Biden critical as far as our standing in the world, and how we show strength.

What do you want to see and hear from the president when he gets on the horn with Putin tomorrow?

LT. GEN. JERRY BOYKIN (RET.), U.S. ARMY: yes, well, I certainly agree with Keith Kellogg on that issue.

This is a very important meeting that is going to take place. And I agree with the senator as well, in that I hope that the president has the result to actually send a very strong message to Putin that the United States is not going to stand by as we did in 2014 and watch them annex another country or another portion of a country.

And, right now, Eastern Ukraine would be the primary target. But that's only a beginning. And I will just tell you that I think the president has to make his point and he has to do it with credibility. And that credibility is strained because of his actions in Afghanistan.

So, hopefully, he is seeking counsel from people who will benefit him in terms of what kind of message he needs to deliver to Putin, but it needs to be a message of resolve.

SMITH: Let me ask you, sir, based on that and your agreement with General Kellogg on this issue that we need to show strength, the ultimate strength, in that phone call, draw red line with Vladimir Putin.

Do you believe there's anything that President Biden can say or show in that phone call meeting with Putin tomorrow that will change Putin's mind on what he already thinks about current leadership in this administration and how it leads?

BOYKIN: Well, it's going to be tough again, because of his track record and what he -- what we saw in Afghanistan that has shown weakness, and I think that's what Putin is relying on.

But I think that he can make it very clear that -- as a reminder, he needs to remind Putin that the Ukraine was considered the second most powerful military during the era of the Soviet Union. And so, with our support and military hardware and equipment, lethal military hardware and equipment, I think we need to remind Putin that they will be a formidable force.

And we downplay that and we forget about them. But if we give them the right equipment, they can be a force to reckon with. Furthermore, I agree with the senator that talked earlier about increasing the number of U.S. forces in certain NATO areas like Poland.

Poland is one of the places that we need to be watching very carefully now because...

SMITH: Yes. Yes.

BOYKIN: .. I think that they are threatened as much as anybody, any nation in NATO, particularly when you throw Belarus into the equation.

SMITH: Senator, I asked the same question of General Keith Kellogg earlier I ask of you.

When you explain to the American people and to those who are listening right now why, why we have such investment and involvement when it comes to what is happening there in Ukraine and what we're watching on the border with Russia, as Americans that are already dealing with so many mounting crises here at home, why should we be so significantly involved?

BOYKIN: Well, first of all, let's go back to the fact that we -- our president canceled the American pipeline and relieved the sanctions for the Russian pipeline.

So we are seeing a situation where it's only a matter of time, where the -- all of Europe, to include all those NATO nations, are going to be dependent upon Russia for their energy. Keep in mind that the Ukraine is really a buffer between Russia and the Western alliance of NATO.

And what we -- the last thing we need to do is let that be occupied and controlled by Russia.

SMITH: Got it?

Sir, thank you very much for your time. Thanks for joining us. Appreciate your insight.

BOYKIN: Thank you.

SMITH: And no end in sight, by the way, for inflation, something the American people to continue to deal with, but maybe less of a fight from Omicron, Wall Street focusing on COVID, at least for today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: Look for those price spikes to keep spiking.

According to a new survey from the National Association for Business economics, 6 percent inflation is what we could be looking at in the fourth quarter of this year. That's a scary thought.

Let's get right to it with FOX Business contributor Gary Kaltbaum.

In my head, I'm thinking, 6 percent. OK, what does that mean? That's the highest that we have seen, Gary -- and welcome, by the way -- in decades. We thought 5 percent was high. We were telling everybody that was a 30- plus-year high. Six percent? We are paying a whole lot more for just about everything in our lives for a while.

GARY KALTBAUM, FOX BUSINESS CONTRIBUTOR: And just remember, a lot of that has been the price of the pump.

And every 10 cents over a year's time to the upside, you're talking about $10 billion coming out of the consumers pocket. And you're talking about lower-income and lower-middle-class income Americans, good Americans, that are getting taxed big time, so something that needs to be addressed.

Good news short term, natural gas is down. Oil prices are down, but still way elevated from where they were. And, unfortunately, all the policies I'm hearing actually make inflation worse. And I'm hoping some smarter heads prevail going forward.

SMITH: OK, so, Gary, as far as inflation is concerned, tell people what that means, because the White House -- and you will hear Jen Psaki tout this, Ron Klain and others -- you will hear the White House touting that wages are up.

So that is a good thing for the American worker. But wages are up at a time where inflation is sky-high. So talk about how those higher prices eat up the gain in wages.

KALTBAUM: If you making a little more money, but you're paying a lot more money, you're very -- you're in deficit, simple as that.

And it adds up every day, every week, every month and throughout the whole year. And it works itself into the economy also. Inflation is just not on the consumer. It's on the business. And if business has to eat the profits or keep adding to price, that's trouble.

Also, we got this thing called shrinkflation now, where you're paying the same amount for less of a lot of products. I spent an hour in the supermarket last night checking it out. There's a lot of that going on. So, again, this needs to be addressed. But all the policies I'm hearing about, higher taxes, more spending and continued massive money printing, not good news.

Paul Volcker, we need him to come back very quickly.

SMITH: Well, Gary, good on you for spending an hour at the grocery last night for your family. That's a good thing. It's a good thing.

(LAUGHTER)

SMITH: But it is tough. There's serious sticker shock out there.

And now that everybody's kind of -- maybe some folks didn't look as closely before. They are now. And you see the polling that is out there. A majority of Americans feel that pain at the pump. They feel the pain at the grocery store. They don't like what's happening in inflation.

And the political consequences of that could be very real come the midterm elections if, as projections are that, this lasts well into next year.

But solve this one for us, because you have got the Dow in the bottom corner of the screen, when we're talking about supply chain issues and inflation and empty store shelves and all these sort of economic crises that this administration is battling. The stock market just keeps on going higher, record high after record high, Gary.

What's fueling this?

KALTBAUM: Oh, well, we had a pretty good pullback, but, today, real good move. And today's move, all you have to do is look at the travel stocks.

This was about over the weekend hearing that this new variant, the words being used are modest. And we're not hearing the word death. So -- and, look, I long for the day when I, as a money manager, not have to worry about the next variant that hits. So that's in play right here.

And just remember, Sandra, we're still at zero percent interest rates. They are still printing, between us and European Central Bank, $250 billion a month that have fueled markets and a lot of bubbles out there. So that's in play also. And I think that's a big part of the equation that eventually there will be some repercussions for, because valuations are in the trees now.

SMITH: Which is why our good friend Charlie Gasparino over at FBN, and good -- good friend of the show, I know, and Neil's, Charlie Gasparino says possibly the biggest threat to this market isn't Omicron or any other variant. It's the possibility of tightening, a tightening money supply, right, rising interest rates, if it keeps going the way it does.

So, Gary, great to see you. Thank you for joining us.

KALTBAUM: My pleasure. Happy holidays to you.

SMITH: And to you as well.

KALTBAUM: Thank you.

SMITH: So, want to get into the U.S.? You better get a negative COVID test.

Jeff Flock is watching some new flight restrictions take off -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK CORRESPONDENT: International arrivals here in Philadelphia.

We have been talking to travelers. No disaster, Sandra, but a lot of inconvenience. And is this going to have a chilling effect on what had been a recovering air travel market.

Questions and answers -- when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: Jussie Smollett getting his day in court and taking the stand in his own defense.

What did we learn? A live update from the courthouse.

We're back in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: No test, no trip. Some new travel restrictions kicking in today, as the Omicron variant has everyone on high alert.

To Jeff Flock now at the Philadelphia International Airport with the latest from there.

Hi, Jeff.

FLOCK: Sandra, hello to you from the international arrivals hall.

Just got a flight in from Abu Dhabi. And there have been no disasters, but talking to just different people here, it's been a pain. This new test requirement is 24 hours or you don't fly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct. And

I didn't have -- I had a test. But the test didn't get the e-mail to me in time, so I could make the airline. So I had to wait a whole 'nother day.

FLOCK: Just your whole opinion of this -- of this new regulation?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare. It needs to be implemented, but not the way we're implementing it.

There's no way it's fair. It's not fair to the industries and the people that get inconvenienced by it. It's horrible. I mean, you have no idea. You can get a test and you can be positive. In an hour, you get a negative test. The testing places aren't even sufficient.

And then you pay for the test. I paid for four tests while I was over there.

FLOCK: Four tests? That's...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And two people -- two companies never got them to me in time. So I had to wait another day, I had to stay at a hotel another day. I had to take taxicab another day, I had to do all kinds of things.

And my airline, thank God they adjusted the fare, and they did not charge me more.

FLOCK: Yes. I appreciate that perspective, sir. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any problem. Good luck. Take care. I wish you the best.

FLOCK: For sure.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... with your mask.

FLOCK: Yes, have to get that mask on.

Sandra, as you know, the new regulation is, it applies to everyone, whether it's -- if you're an air traveler. If you come across the border, it's OK. You don't have to be tested. You have to get a PCR or an antigen test.

In addition to that, you have to get it within 24 hours. I say 24 hours. If you get one yesterday, it's good today, so even if it's longer than 24 hours. And it's everybody, citizens, as well as folks coming to the U.S., and anyone over two years of age.

Some people think that's a little -- just a little bit too strict. Other people say, well, maybe that's what we got to do. We will continue to watch it -- Sandra.

SMITH: We know you will.

Jeff Flock, great to see you. Thank you.

Well, it is 17 days and counting. That's the number of status -- states -- I apologize -- detecting Omicron as it spreads. Are we learning more about what it could actually do?

Let's get the read, Dr. Bob Lahita, the health director at St. Joseph's, joining us now.

Doctor, great to see you.

So you had Jeff Flock reporting from the airport there. And flying is always -- it's always tough. Traveling in general, it's stressful. Do you agree, though, with these new restrictions based on the arrival and discovery of this Omicron variant? Is this necessary? And it doesn't even work.

DR. BOB LAHITA, ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: No, I don't think it's necessary, Sandra.

In fact, I find it quite onerous. If you have family members, as I do, who are flying internationally, it is a pain in the neck to try to get testing done. And we don't even know whether that means anything. There's been 121,000 cases of COVID, most of it not Omicron, last week.

And right now, the encouraging data is, those who are infected have very mild disease. This Omicron variant seems to be related to the common cold, as many coronaviruses are. So that's good news.

SMITH: Well, the bad news, right, the comparison to the common cold is that it's contagious, right? It can easily spread.

But as far as it being more dangerous, Dr. Bob, last week, Neil Cavuto talked to Dr. Anthony Fauci about that. And here's what he had to say about Omicron at this point, what we know now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Even though you can't make a full extrapolation, based on a relatively small number of cases, we don't seem to see a signal of real severe disease, though we need to get many, many, many more people to follow to determine the severity of the disease.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Do you believe, then, Doctor, the fears about this variant were overblown from the beginning?

LAHITA: Yes, I do.

And I said last Friday -- my vacation was interrupted actually on Friday by this variant. And I said at the time, let's not panic, let's not panic, we simply don't know.

You remember, Sandra, we had the Mu and the Lambda from South America about three months ago. And at that time, there was all this big commotion. Turned out to be nothing. I'm hoping that the Omicron turns out to be nothing but symptoms of a chronic cold. It's very transmissible, but hopefully the disease severity will be very low.

SMITH: And that being vaccinated certainly -- certainly still helps to defend against it.

Appreciate you joining us, Doctor.

LAHITA: Thank you, Sandra.

SMITH: All right.

Looking live at Chicago, Jussie Smollett taking the stand in his own defense today. We are going to get the very latest on that.

And California residents fed up over crime spiking, how they're taking matters into their own hands now -- that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: To Chicago now, actor Jussie Smollett taking the stand in his own defense today.

FOX News correspondent Matt Finn is in Chicago. He's been covering this for us.

Hey, Matt.

MATT FINN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi Sandra.

Jussie Smollett is on the stand right now. And a short while ago, he testified under oath. He says there was no hoax, telling that to the jury. Jussie Smollett also testifying about the night of the alleged hoax, saying Bola Osundairo called him the night of the attack after he landed here in Chicago to talk about Smollett's training and meal plan.

Smollett says Bola Osundairo told him he had to eat four eggs. So Smollett said he talked to him about going to Walgreens close to 2:00 in the morning to get those eggs, explaining why he left his house at such a late hour. Smollett also testifying under oath that he did not want "Empire" security because he liked to drive around himself in his car and smoke a blunt on lunch in his car during his break.

Smollett says that "Empire," the studios, offered him security after that - - a hate letter arrived. It's a hate letter that allegedly Smollett sent himself. Smollett also testifying his face was very important to him, that he would not set up a hoax that would cause him to be beaten.

He said he needed to look like a -- quote -- "black Cary Grant," testifying that computers were used to remove scars from his face after that attack. And Smollett testifies Lee Daniels, a creator of "Empire," told them he was fat, and that encouraged him in part to lose weight for an upcoming music video.

And that is why he paid the Smollett brothers $3, 500, to train him, not for the alleged hoax. Smollett is on the stand. He likely will be for several hours. The prosecution has not even begun their cross-examination.

We will keep you updated -- Sandra.

SMITH: OK, Matt Finn on the ground there in Chicago for us.

Thank you, Matt.

Let's get right now to our next guest on all of this.

Criminal defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh joins us now.

Mark, great to see you.

All right, so, Jussie Smollett, he has ultimately taken the stand in his own defense, says there was no hoax. Has he been convincing today?

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Probably not just yet.

How do you deal with bizarre, sensational, hard-to-believe facts? You double up on them and come up with more bizarre, sensational, extraordinary facts. And that's what he's doing.

So you either believe him or you don't. He needed to testify. He needs to look at these jurors and explain the overwhelming evidence that seems to suggest that he wasn't framed like the Mona Lisa, like he's alleging, that he really did do something so bizarre, outrageous and offensive.

SMITH: Yes.

EIGLARSH: And now, well, it looks like cross-examination is not going to be something that he's going to enjoy.

SMITH: Yes, it's been really something to watch there.

Meanwhile, we have been watching this situation in Los Angeles. There was this press conference today, the smash-and-grabs that have continued with the spike in crime that we have seen coast to coast. And the L.A. District attorney, George Gascon, this notice of intention to circulate a recall petition.

And then there was this holiday party where some of these armed burglars entered a home. They were hosting a holiday party. The robbers came in. They took cash, jewelry, cell phones. I mean, this is an unbelievable situation that continues to play out there.

Are residents of cities like Los Angeles, states like California going to wake up to what is happening there and allowing this to happen, Mark?

EIGLARSH: Well, I hope so.

Let's identify the cause. Is it the DA's fault? If it is, you need to do something about it. I don't know that it is just yet. Find some of these people who are committing these atrocious offenses, and then trace them back. What was their last appearance in court like? Did some lazy prosecutor just say, ah, credit for the time that he served, instead of looking at his record dating back to the disco crisis and saying it's time for him to do some real time?

Those are the examples that should fuel people to action.

SMITH: Wow. And, meanwhile, Attorney General Merrick Garland was pressed on the issue of rising crime today and said this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: ... me very much. And the violent crime increase is one that we must address and that we are putting all of our resources toward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: We must address rise in violent crime.

But, of course, Mark, this is coming on the heels of the White House just last week, Jen Psaki, talking about rising crime coast to coast and COVID being the cause of it. So do you believe leadership in this country is getting a grip on just how bad this problem is?

EIGLARSH: I think they're trying. They need to. We all need to feel secure. Or what's the point in life? How much happiness can you have if you're always looking over your shoulder?

The key, I think, is to have tougher laws that take the worst of the worst. I saw it when I was a prosecutor. We were targeting the habitual violent offenders. And instead of them getting slapped on the wrist, they were getting 10, 15, 20, 30 years. And guess what? Crime went down. It's a simple formula.

A disproportionate number of these people are committing the most violent offenses. Get them off the street.

SMITH: And, meanwhile, today, Jen Psaki, she sort of walked back those remarks. Now she's sort of pointing out that this is happening, and this spike in crime is happening while we're dealing with a pandemic.

But, of course, Jonathan Turley during my hours said was quick to point out these smash-and-grab robberies, it's not like they're breaking into stores and they're stealing food or necessities or baby bottles or baby formula. You're talking about gem-lined purses. They're breaking into luxury stores and department stores and taking everything they can, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of materials.

EIGLARSH: Yes, unacceptable.

And those people who commit certain crimes -- we're not talking about taking a little bit of fruit from somebody's front yard to support their daily ritual of feeding themselves, and now they're charged with a burglary. We're talking about violent offenses. And the question has to be asked by the people in that community, what are you doing about these violent offenders?

And if they're not being targeted, if you don't have a specific unit in your office that targets these offenders, then something's wrong.

SMITH: It is a growing problem, for sure.

Mark Eiglarsh, appreciate you joining us. Thank you.

EIGLARSH: Thanks, Sandra.

SMITH: All right, you are looking live at the Southern border, where the Trump era remain-in-Mexico policy is restarting today.

Will that help officials there get some relief? We are live there with the very latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: To the Southern border now, the Biden administration restarting the Trump era remain-in-Mexico policy for asylum seekers beginning today, but with a few changes, this as the surge continues.

FOX News obtaining exclusive video of a Texas DPS mission to apprehend human traffickers at the border.

FOX News correspondent Bill Melugin is live in La Joya, Texas, for us with the very latest. He's got the details.

Hi, Bill.

BILL MELUGIN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Sandra, good evening to you.

I can tell you there has been no slow down whatsoever down here in the Rio Grande Valley sector, the busiest area all along the border. Just to give you an idea, a DHS source tells us that in one 24-hour span over the weekend, Border Patrol here picked up about 2, 300 illegal immigrants, again, in just one single day.

Let's show you some of the activity with some exclusive video. Take a look at this. Went out on the exclusive right-along with Texas DPS on one of their gunboats on the Rio Grande in the middle of the night. Didn't take long to find some activity. You're going to see a human smuggler bringing a raft ashore on the U.S. side here in La Joya.

Some runners go taking off into the brush trying to get away. Other people were still on that boat, not able to get off in time. It was some women, some children, some family units. The Texas troopers went up there and they tried to catch all of them.

Take a look at the second piece of video here. They went after those runners into the brush. They were able to track some of them down, actually holding some of them at gunpoint as they were trying to hide in the area, telling them to put their hands up. They put them in handcuffs.

And then they took them away. This is all part of a much bigger Texas DPS operation they have launched here in the La Joya area because of how busy the activity is. You saw that night video there. Well, they're doing it in the daytime as well. Take a look at this video we shot from one of their helicopters, showing us what they're doing out here.

You're going to see they're putting about 30 of their boats in the water. These are all owned by the state of Texas. They're putting all these boats in the water in this hot spot to try to deter these rafts from coming across and stopping people from dropping them off illegally.

And it's not just those boats in that one spot. They're going all over the place. These are heavily armed DPS gunboats armed with M240 machine guns. They want to send a message that they're not going to allow this to happen and they're going to try to help out their federal partners, because, back out here live, all that video that you just saw, you might notice there was no federal government there.

That was not Border Patrol. Border Patrol's completely overwhelmed. All that video you just saw, that was the state of Texas using their own Texas resources, launching their own Texas operations, because Border Patrol and the federal government out here completely overwhelmed.

How bad is it? According to that same DHS source, just since October here in the Rio Grande Valley sector, there have been about 102,000 migrant apprehensions. That's up 163 percent over the same period last year. And as of right now, since October, again, just here in this sector, more than 9, 500 known got-aways. Those are migrants they saw on the cameras, on the sensors, but they didn't have the manpower to get to.

We will send it back to you.

SMITH: Bill, thank you for your reporting from the border. Appreciate it.

So, will restarting this remain-in-Mexico policy stop the flow of illegal immigrants coming across the Southern border.

Want to bring in Texas Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.

Thank you, Lieutenant, for joining us.

Do you believe that to be the case? Well, will this help the problem you have been facing, sir?

LT. CHRISTOPHER OLIVAREZ, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Well, good afternoon, Sandra. Thanks for having me on. Great to be with you.

So, again, this remain-in-Mexico policy remains to be seen as far as how effective it's going to be for this current border crisis. This is something that should have been done at the beginning of the year. But we're almost a year into this border crisis. And there has been no action taken upon the federal government to try to curb or deter or stop this border crisis.

So, again, it remains to be seen how effective it's going to be. But I can tell you right now, with the state of Texas doing what we have been doing since day one, under the leadership and guidance of Governor Greg Abbott, our state legislatures, our state leadership, we are cracking down on these illegal -- we're cracking down on criminal activity, the human smugglers, drug smugglers that are coming into the state of Texas, because it not only affects the state of Texas.

It affects the entire country. But, because of them, we have been able to provide -- we have been able to have more resources, more equipment, more technology to help us secure the border. That's what we have been doing ever since this border crisis took place.

SMITH: I'm trying to get a sense from you whether or not you think this is going to help the situation. I know you're saying it's a little too little, too late.

But there are some suggesting -- and this is a local attorney -- suggesting that people are going to die because of this remain-in-Mexico policy, saying that, instead of being led to the U.S., they're going to be put into these camps, essentially refugee camps in Mexico. This has been the case against that remain-in-Mexico policy.

So, now that it's being reimplemented will it at least help, from your view?

OLIVAREZ: Well, Sandra, I can tell you this right now, that the criminal organizations, the smuggling organizations have profited off this border crisis since the very beginning.

They're making millions, hundreds of million dollars a month just by smuggling illegal immigrants across the border. And I can tell you right now they're going to continue to smuggle these illegal immigrants across the border. They're going to change their tactics.

And one thing that we need to focus on too, aside from the families and unaccompanied children, we have the single adults that are coming across. We have seen a significant increase in single adults that are coming across our borders, not only in the Rio Grande Valley, but in the Del Rio sector as well.

And these are the individuals that are coming across avoiding detection. So, regardless of Title 42, or the remain-in-Mexico policy, these individuals are still coming across our borders, and they're still trying to make it further inland.

And these are individuals that have ties to transnational criminal organizations. Some are criminal gang members. So that's what we need to focus on right now. And that's what our men and women of Texas DPS are focusing on, is that criminal element.

SMITH: It is a massive problem that is growing that you face every day.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked today about reinstating this remain-in-Mexico policy and said this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It is not our preference to be reimplementing and reinstituting the migrant protection program -- protocol.

We are doing that because of a court order and legal requirement to do so. But we still feel that the program is inefficient, inhumane, and we are not -- we weren't -- we did not eagerly reimplement it, I should say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Lieutenant, your response to that?

OLIVAREZ: So that just goes to show you right there, Sandra, that is has no intent to fix this border crisis, when it could have been taking place from the very beginning.

But, again, she just mentioned right there they're not in favor of this remain-in-Mexico policy. But they are forced. They are forced under a court order to reinstate the policy.

And I can tell you right now it's going to be a slow process. And it remains to be seen how effective it's going to be. But I can assure you right now and I can assure the American people that the state of Texas is going to continue cracking down on this criminal element and trying to deter and disrupt these criminal organizations from profiting off of this border crisis right now.

SMITH: Sir, we really appreciate your time. Thank you, sir. Huge task at hand.

OLIVAREZ: Thank you, Sandra.

SMITH: Thank you for your time.

The flag at the White House is at half-staff to commemorate the late Senator Bob Dole's life of service to this country. We are commemorating his time on this show next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMITH: Former Kansas Republican Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole died yesterday at the age of 98.

He had dedicated his life to public service, representing Kansas in the Senate for 27 years, where he was always willing to reach across the aisle. His commitment to bipartisanship was something that could be seen through his many discussions with Neil over the years. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You had said that this parliamentarian move that the Democrats are considering, where you don't need a supermajority or a filibuster-proof 60 votes, you think that's a prescription for disaster.

FMR. SEN. BOB DOLE (R-KS): Yes.

CAVUTO: Could you explain why?

DOLE: Well, there are two reasons.

First of all, it was never intended to be used for that purpose. And the originator of that provision, the reconciliation provision...

CAVUTO: Right.

DOLE: ... Senator Byrd, is opposed to it.

But I think, more importantly, the American people want to see us working together. And they're going to -- they may not understand everything in the bill. But if you have got, say, 20 Republicans voting in the Senate for this bill, it's going to have a lot more credibility and the American people are going to be more willing to accept it.

CAVUTO: But do you have any regrets, Senator, then, being the leading Republican who effectively stymied and then stopped Bill Clinton's health care reform efforts?

DOLE: Yes, I -- as I said in a speech in Kansas City a couple of days ago, we all an accept blame because there's no health care now. And, certainly, I'm in that group, though we did give it our best shot. We stayed two weeks during the August recess, before Senator Mitchell finally gave up and pulled the plug.

He was the Democratic leader. I was the Republican leader.

CAVUTO: Right.

DOLE: But we had -- we appointed -- I appointed people and Senator Mitchell appointed people to try to come together and compromise. And it just about got there, but didn't make it. The result was no bill.

CAVUTO: Guys like me who have not been through what you have been through, what Senator McCain has been through, what Orson Swindle has been through, you just can't relate to that sacrifice.

But you would kid about it. I know Senator McCain would kid about it, dismiss it. Very rarely did you guys even want to talk about it. Why?

DOLE: I don't know why.

I mean, it's something that happened to each of us. And I determined it didn't do any good to talk about it. It wasn't going to change your injuries. But I think we kept it to ourselves. And that was the proper thing to do.

CAVUTO: When you were heading the Finance Committee and later the Republican leader, did you ever envision such a toxic environment now, where were the two sides, any sign of middle ground, the other side pillories them, and nothing gets done?

It's a very, very poisoned well environment, and it has been for a while now, many argue permanently.

DOLE: Yes.

CAVUTO: What do you make of it?

DOLE: Well, it's easy to be critical. And I have been gone for 12 years, so it's even easier to be critical.

I'm not there. I don't see what happens every day. There are a lot of good things happening. But I do think the one thing that kind of bothers me, it's gotten so personal, where you have these attacks on -- one senator on another or statements made off the Senate floor, where you can't make a response or make a reply.

I mean, we had plenty of differences when I was in the Senate and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Republican leader. But we always tried to keep it civil, where I could go speak to Senator Mitchell or Senator Daschle, even though we totally disagreed on the issue on the Senate floor.

And I think we could do better. Put it that way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: And we say goodbye and remember Bob Dole, World War II hero, longtime senator, and former presidential nominee, dead at the age of 98.

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