'Your World' on CDC mask confusion, Gaza conflict, Texas border crisis

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This is a rush transcript from "Your World," May 17, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SANDRA SMITH, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Mask confusion.

The Biden administration facing a wave of criticism after CDC guidelines on masks are leaving a lot of Americans confused as to what exactly they can and should do.

The news catching some states off-guard. Now businesses are caught in the middle. Coming up, we will talk to Admiral Brett Giroir on what can be done to stop this second-guessing.

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

We have got FOX team coverage for you with Peter Doocy with the latest from the White House. And Grady Trimble is in Chicago on how businesses are dealing with this COVID confusion.

But we begin with Peter.

Hello.

PETER DOOCY, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And now -- Sandra, good afternoon -- the governor of New Hampshire is telling us we were as surprised as anyone by the CDC's announcement, learning about it through the press.

And the governor of Nebraska tells us he didn't get a heads-up from the feds either.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. PETE RICKETTS (R-NE): Better communication from the Biden administration, better communication from the CDC when they're going to make policy changes, so that we have a heads-up on this and then can use that for making decisions in our own states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: White House officials, including the president, who had been preaching CDC guidance as gospel, are now saying it's OK to ignore the new CDC guidance and wear a mask even if you're fully vaccinated, if that is what you choose to do, asking everyone else to be kind to those who want to wear one still.

And that comes as the CDC director herself is trying to clarify confusion she caused.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: This is not permission for widespread removal of masks for those who are vaccinated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: But that is not what President Biden said last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The rule is very simple. Get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOOCY: And the president's only on-camera appearance today was to talk about COVID-19. But there's a lot of pressure here most -- to talk about something else.

Most of the questions at the White House briefing were about the conflict that is growing in Israel. The president says he's going to have a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu this afternoon. We expect a readout soon -- Sandra.

S. SMITH: We await any details from that.

Peter, live at the White House for us, thank you.

Walmart, Target and Costco, meanwhile, are among the major retailers ditching the mask requirements in their stores for vaccinated customers in response to the new CDC guidance, but shoppers can't help but still be confused.

FOX Business' Grady Trimble is live in Chicago with more on that.

Hi, Grady.

GRADY TRIMBLE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Sandra.

And it's the businesses large and small that are caught in the middle of this confusion, along with their customers. So take a look at what some of the national chains are doing. They're kind of split on what to do. At Apple Stores and Kroger's and the Home Depot, vaccinated customers still have to wear a mask.

But you mentioned some other stores, like Trader Joe's, Publix, Costco, and Walmart. At those locations, if you're vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask.

We are at Gene & Georgetti, an iconic Italian steakhouse here in Chicago, and they're trying to decide what to do as well, because the Illinois governor has not rescinded the state's mask mandate.

So, Michelle Durpetti, the owner here, you're kind of in a tough spot. What do we do? Do we go against the state or do we follow the CDC's new guidance?

MICHELLE DURPETTI, OWNER, GENE & GEORGETTI: Right, so, for right now, we're following the state. We're just waiting on word.

We heard that something might be shared soon. So we're crossing our fingers and hoping that that's the case, because it would just make our jobs a lot easier to have that guidance.

TRIMBLE: I think, from spending a night out this weekend in Chicago, that people are ready for some change to get back to a more normal life. I'm sure you saw that with customers as well.

Are the people going to decide what happens, even if they have to keep waiting on the governor?

DURPETTI: I feel like, at this point, a lot of people are making the decision. But when you're a business owner, it's a little bit different, because it's not just about one individual. It's about your employees and your customers.

So, for us, we're still going by what the state says, which is why we're waiting with very bated breath to make sure that we have that guidance.

TRIMBLE: And, Sandra, this is a restaurant that has followed the rules to a T. since the beginning of the pandemic, even if they didn't necessarily agree with those rules.

So now they're waiting on new rules to follow, hopefully an optimistic future ahead for this steakhouse, which I know you like, and all other restaurants here in Illinois -- Sandra.

S. SMITH: How can you not? It's a great place, been around for a long time.

Grady Trimble, thank you.

And you know it's bad when even "Saturday Night Live" is now spoofing all of this confusion over the new mask guidance from the CDC. Coming up, we will speak to a former "SNL"er, Joe Piscopo. Can't wait to talk to him. He's coming up.

But, first, to former Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir on the consequences of all this.

Admiral, it's great to see you.

I have so many questions for you. And just talking to people in the building, at home in the neighborhood, other parents, everybody is confused. So, was it the messaging coming from the White House, the CDC? Who's getting this wrong, so that we can all get back to normal?

ADM. BRETT GIROIR, FORMER U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Well, first of all, let me say it has been very, very confusing.

Three different points. Number one, they did a complete about-face from what they did one week earlier, even Dr. Fauci on the morning, when they changed the guidance. Secondly, it's obvious they didn't let any state or local officials know it. It's astounding to me that, when you have new school guidance, you can consult with the teachers unions, and actually let them edit your final documents, but you don't even talk to the state and local officials.

And the third and most important thing, the CDC should be telling us what is safe or relatively safe or not safe to do. But their guidance was what you can and cannot do. They have neither the authority nor the expertise to do that.

In fact, the guidance says you can do this unless somebody tells you can't. So that's why everyone is confused. But let me tell the American people, if you are vaccinated, fully vaccinated, it is safe for you to go maskless. If you are not vaccinated, and you're in public, it is still important for you to wear a mask until you get vaccinated.

That's basically the bottom line.

S. SMITH: Admiral, you know that this is tough to navigate because private businesses can do as they please. They can put a sign on their door and say, you have to have a mask on to enter. Many have chosen to do that.

Are they not willing to take on the potential risk? Are they protecting their employees? They could have several reasons for doing that. But I think, big picture, we all just wonder, when is it going to be respectful to lower the mask and do so -- I know you're saying that we can today.

But I think there's still sort of this stigma now with dropping the mask when you go into a public place, even though the CDC guidance says the science says that we can. Do you think this is just going to take some time to navigate, to come out of this, and to find that new normal?

GIROIR: You're exactly right. It's going to take some time.

But, again, the words that the CDC use matters. When they say you can, I hear that. That means I can. But that's not what the CDC can do for you. They can only tell you what's relatively safe or not. That's why this has been passed down, again, complete lack of leadership at the federal level.

That's why they're passing the buck to the state officials and local officials and to the businesses. And that's what you're seeing right now. And it's going to take some time to evolve.

But, given the lack of warning by the CDC that they were going to -- changing, the lack of leadership from the White House, I think the American businesses have done a great job. You're seeing many states even today, Massachusetts, New York, you're seeing many businesses already rolling back with no prior warning.

So I think it's going to evolve very, very quickly.

S. SMITH: That is welcome news to many Americans.

Also welcome news is what we did here out of the Biden White House today. There is a laundry list of good numbers, good statistics coming from this pandemic. Deaths are down 81 percent, Admiral. Those Americans with at least one shot of any of the vaccines, that's now up to 60 percent.

So it's no wonder that they're changing guidance, but listening to that, the White House was definitely taking a victory lap. Admiral, coming from the last White House medical team, were you surprised not to hear more credit given to Operation Warp Speed and all the work of the previous administration to get here?

GIROIR: Well, I'm very surprised.

And I have been. And that's what really got me reinvigorated to come on the media. This is really all going by Operation Warp Speed. When I said last October or November that the end was in sight, you can't test your way out of this, you can't mask your way, you have to vaccinate your way out of it, and this is going on Warp Speed schedule.

The Biden team has done a good job taking the baton and getting it closer to the finish line. I want to give them credit. But this is according to the Trump administration playbook, only enabled by that. And it's a great American story.

Why try to cancel the Trump culture of what did so many great things in a historic time to get these vaccines up into Americans' arms?

S. SMITH: Admiral, I just have one quick question, because I know there's so many parents out there who wonder.

You can probably assume there's not going to be guidance change for school- aged kids K-12 in this school year, considering there's only, in most cases, weeks left of school. But should kids as young as 5, 6 years old be required to mask up outdoors, at summer camp, at their sporting events?

Because that's still happening most places.

GIROIR: Well, 5 and under, you said outdoors, of course not, not outdoors.

And, look, I think the issues of children 5 and under is really an important one. The WHO, with the whole global consensus, and the United Nations children's organization, UNICEF, say, definitively, do not put a mask on kids under 5 years of ages.

This may cause developmental issues, communication issues, et cetera. So, the CDC is way out of bounds for that.

You're seeing mask guidance has changed. The U.K. just announced no more masks in children under 11 starting in another week. So, this will evolve. I think it's fine that they're keeping it right now. But it needs to evolve by the fall, no question.

S. SMITH: Things are changing, light at the end of the tunnel. The numbers are getting better.

Admiral, it's great to see you this afternoon. Thanks for coming on.

GIROIR: Thank you so much.

S. SMITH: OK.

As violence at the Israel-Gaza border continues to mount. So is criticism of how President Biden is responding to that ongoing conflict. And it's coming from his own party.

And think your taxes aren't being raised this Tax Day? Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott pointing to all those price spikes and saying, think again. He's here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. SMITH: To the Israel-Gaza border, where Israeli forces today continuing heavy airstrikes aimed at destroying militant tunnels there.

FOX News' Greg Palkot is on the ground in Tel Aviv with the latest.

Hi, Greg.

GREG PALKOT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Sandra.

Yes, we are now well into week two of the battle between Israel and the Hamas militant group. And from what we have seen on the ground, there was no sign of a break in the action.

Take a look at what we saw in Central Israel earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALKOT: We're hearing sirens now near the city of Ashdod. That's in the central part of Israel.

You're looking behind us, if our camera man, Alon (ph), can just show what we're looking at. And that's the batteries of the Iron Dome defense system. And it is going up in the sky. A second one's going up the sky, looking to target -- make that a third. Make that a fourth, looking to target a Hamas rocket coming from Gaza several miles away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PALKOT: In fact, we watched as four rockets from Gaza were intercepted by those Iron Dome missiles.

One got through, hitting a building in the city nearby, injuring three people. Those rockets in response to some heavy Israeli airstrikes today in Gaza throughout the day, militants and their underground network targeted.

All told, during this week-plus of strife, some 10 Israelis killed, 200 in Gaza, including women and children. As their pressure builds from all quarters, Sandra, for some kind of a cease-fire, we talked with an Israeli Defense Force officer today. We asked, when would there be a sign, when would there be an indication?

He said, when the rockets and/or at least the firing tapers off? No sign of that today -- back to you.

S. SMITH: Greg Palkot live in Israel for us.

Greg, thank you.

The White House today responding to mounting criticism from some Democrats over the administration's support for Israel. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We share an objective of de- escalating the situation on the ground, of bringing an end to the conflict. That's an objective we share with members of Congress who have different points of view and are -- of course, we support their ability to have different points of view.

But we are approaching it through the prism of how we feel we can come to the most effective outcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. SMITH: What does my next guest to make of that?

Former Undersecretary of Defense General Jerry Boykin joins us now.

General, what do you make of that?

LT. GEN. JERRY BOYKIN (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Well, first of all, let's remember that three days ago was the 73rd anniversary of Israel. It's a sovereign nation.

And it has the right to defend itself, to protect its borders. And I think that what has been lost here is the fact that these people that are firing those rockets out of Gaza, as well as out of the parts of Southern Lebanon, Syria and other places, they don't recognize the right of Israel to even exist.

So, for members of Congress to get up and criticize the president at a time like this, I think, is ill-advised, because he is up against the greatest test of his leadership right now. I hope that he makes some tough decisions here soon.

But these people are not helping the situation. And they are what I would categorize as sort of a new element within the Democratic Party, which has generally been supportive of Israel.

S. SMITH: Well, General, we could speculate on what Biden's next move is here. But I will ask you, as far as strategy, what should the next move of this White House be?

rMD+IT_rMD-IT_BOYKIN: He should pull out all stops diplomatically. He should be leaning on our allies and the United Nations to stand with Israel in this -- what I believe is an unprovoked attack on Israel, not by the Palestinians, by Iran.

And the second thing is, he should be shipping all the warheads that he can to Israel right now to go into this Iron Dome system that you just showed that is taking out these rockets and missiles that are coming into Israel.

S. SMITH: Yes.

BOYKIN: And then, thirdly, he should find out what else they want.

This whole idea of $730 million worth of military sales, that's good. That's a good thing. But, by the way, do you know that that started under Donald Trump? And the president could have been -- President Biden could have stopped it.

But it started under Donald Trump. He needs to have his own strategy now. And he needs to find out what they need and pull out all stops diplomatically to bring this to an end.

S. SMITH: Based on the criticism he's receiving from some on the far left, as we just discussed, do you believe the commander in chief will take into consideration that criticism? Will politics play a part in what he does next?

BOYKIN: I hope that he blows these people off. What is it, 28 of them that signed this petition asking him to cancel those military sales?

Yes, I think that he is -- sadly, I think that he is greatly influenced by this wing of the Democratic Party. I think that they will have an influence on him.

Let's just hope and pray that he makes the right decisions here with regards to standing to our allies. Listen, they are a democracy. And they have been our allies really since December or -- I mean, May 14, 1948, when our president was the first one to recognize them as a sovereign nation.

I hope he makes the right decisions. And all he needs to do is look at history to know what that decision has to be.

S. SMITH: General, appreciate your time this afternoon. Thank you.

BOYKIN: Thank you.

S. SMITH: Drivers, meanwhile, still feeling the pain at the pump, despite days of that East Coast pipeline being back online. We will have the very latest.

And on this new Tax Day, forget hikes coming. Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott sounding the alarm on the hikes that he says you're already paying, no matter how much you make.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. SMITH: Horse trainer Bob Baffert, we are just getting word he has been temporarily suspended from entering horses in New York, pending Kentucky Derby medication inquiry.

That's the latest.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. SMITH: The Colonial pipeline is back pumping fuel, but, for now, that's not stopping your pain at the pump, with prices rising over the weekend.

To FOX Business Network's Edward Lawrence at a gas station in Washington, D.C., with the very latest.

Hi, Edward.

EDWARD LAWRENCE, FOX BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Sandra.

Yes, this gas station out of gas. But if you're lucky enough to walk around or drive around D.C. a little bit, that gas station right there does have gas that people are getting.

Now, what's happened here with the shortage is that these gas prices have spiked here, especially up and down the East Coast. In fact, AAA says the regular gallon average is $3.05 a gallon. That's about 63 percent increase from last year, where you were paying $1.87 a gallon.

So it's simple supply and demand here. The demand causes supply to dry up; 69 percent of the stations in Washington, D.C., are without gas now, according to GasBuddy. It's about a third of the gas stations in Virginia and about half of the gas stations in North Carolina and about half in South Carolina.

So, you throw in the rhetoric, the anti-pipeline rhetoric and stance of the administration, and some Republicans are saying, hey, wait a minute, this is what happens when you constrain supply. And, as you said, Colonial pipeline is up and running at normal operations.

But it takes some time to get that gas to go from Texas 5,500 miles from beginning to end of this pipeline. So you have some of those feeling pain at the pump here, and those prices expected to rise a little bit when it comes towards the Memorial Day weekend.

However, some experts believe the prices will settle down a little bit from where they are today -- back to you.

S. SMITH: OK, Edward Lawrence, thank you.

I want to get right to Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott on these price spikes we're seeing across the board.

Senator, this is something you have been sounding the alarm on, especially with the White House pushing trillions more in spending. So, is the average American seeing this come out of their pocketbook?

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): Absolutely. Reckless spending has consequences. That's exactly what the Democrats and Biden are doing.

I have been saying this for two years. You can't just keep spending money like this without seeing an impact on people. Who's it hurt? It hurts the poorest family, hurts those on fixed income when gas prices are up, food prices are up, household good prices are up, used car prices are up.

Everything's up. Everything is going up. And it's going to hurt the poorest families the most. And so I have asked the Biden administration to focus on this. And they won't. I mean, they just act like, oh, this is -- oh, it's all going to go away.

It's not going to go away if we don't stop this ridiculous spending. They want to, what, spend another $4 trillion or $5 trillion after they wasted the last $1.9 trillion? So, we have got to stop this wasteful spending. We're at $28 trillion worth of debt, soon to go to $30 trillion worth of debt.

Who's going to pay for this? This is -- there's no free money here. It is your money that they're giving to you. And they're trying to make everybody a dependent. I mean, it's like, we -- let's have a -- let's make every -- let's give everybody some money, so everybody's equally dependent on government. And, eventually, we're all going to be equally poor.

This is systemic socialism. And this is exactly what the Biden administration and the Democrats are doing.

S. SMITH: This is coming on a day where President Biden spoke at the White House. He gave remarks on that spending, talking about getting money to families that he says so desperately need it coming out of this pandemic, the child tax credit.

You're talking -- you're talking about millions of American families that will now get those child tax credits for the children under their roof. The Biden administration makes the case that this is much-needed help to American families that need it, Senator.

How do you make the case otherwise?

SCOTT: Well, I think all of us, I for sure want to help the families that need help.

I grew up in public housing. I watched my parents struggle to put food on the table. I want to help people that need help. But to make middle-class and upper-income families dependent on government, why would we do that?

We're going to have to write -- somebody is going to pay for this. And as taxes go up, what happens? We receive less money. You can't make everybody dependent on government, and this works. It's never worked. It's socialism.

I mean, we beat the Soviet Union, because that's what they tried to do. It's never worked anywhere. So, think about what they're doing right now. The Biden administration and Democrats, they want a redistribution of wealth. They want everybody -- raise everybody's taxes. We're seeing unbelievable inflation already happening, Green New Deal, you name it.

It goes on and on. Take away our personal freedoms. This is socialism. That's systemic socialism. That's exactly what they're doing. Let's help the people that need the help. But the rest of us have got to get to work. And we have got to continue to build a country that we're all proud of.

S. SMITH: What do you worry is the impact on these -- these companies, small and large, all over the country right now who says -- who are saying that they can't fill job positions, millions of them that are wide open, but they don't even know have people showing up to apply for them?

SCOTT: I -- it just doesn't make sense.

Why would we pay people more not to work than to work? Who can do that? What government can do that and stay in it forever? That's what we're doing right now. We started it last year. I brought it up with some other Republican senators to say you shouldn't be paying people more not to work than to work. And that's what they have been doing. And now they're going to be doing it through September.

I applaud the governors that are saying, we're going to stop it in our because we want our citizens back to work. It's better for them. It's better for our businesses.

S. SMITH: Well, it is happening. And we are seeing the price of a lot of food materials, obviously, construction materials are going up.

We all -- it's an easy -- it's an easy measure to see the price of gas going up at the pump. So many Americans are affected by that, obviously.

Senator, it's great to chat with you. Thank you for being here this afternoon. Appreciate it.

SCOTT: I'll see you.

S. SMITH: OK.

And this is a FOX News Alert now. And you're looking live at Albany, New York. And we're looking at some brand-new details about that COVID leadership book written by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and how much cash he could actually be making from it.

To FOX's Eric Shawn with the very latest on this.

Eric, reaction is already pouring in.

ERIC SHAWN, FOX NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it's pretty stinging, too, Sandra, because critics say they know what now why Governor Andrew Cuomo allegedly hid the number of nursing home coronavirus deaths in his state.

The reason, they say, his big jackpot. It turns out that Cuomo is set to receive more than $5.1 million for his coronavirus book. That's a lot more than first thought. Few people wanted to actually buy that book. It's called "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic."

It sold about 50,000 copies. And you can go on Amazon right now and buy one for just over two bucks. Cuomo and his aides are reportedly being investigated now if they used state resources on the book. He denies any wrongdoing.

But prominent Cuomo critic Democratic Assembly Member Ron Kim, whose uncle died of COVID in a nursing home, says that Cuomo officials should go to jail, in part saying -- quote -- "Today's news is further confirmation of the insidious and ugly truth that Andrew Cuomo took millions of dollars from Crown Publishing to write a book in the middle of the pandemic, while families buried their loved ones."

The governor's office says that just over $1 million of the book money is going in trust to Cuomo's three daughters and that he is also donating half-a-million to United Way for COVID relief.

But you know that gesture will likely not offer very much solace to those who blame Cuomo for the deaths of their family and friends from COVID in New York nursing homes -- Sandra.

S. SMITH: So many with whom we have spoken to right here on this network that are still grieving today the loss of their loved ones.

Eric Shawn, thank you.

And you are looking live at Del Rio, Texas, the Biden administration reportedly now shifting some emergency funds, including money to fight COVID, to fight the crisis at the Southern border.

The mayor of Del Rio is not impressed. And he's a Democrat. He's here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. SMITH: A former associate a Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz pleading guilty today to six federal charges. Those charges against Joel Greenberg include sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.

Federal prosecutors looking into whether or not Gaetz was involved with these allegations. He has so far denied any wrongdoing. Gaetz was not mentioned in the plea deal or the court proceedings.

Migrant border crossings still a big problem at Del Rio, Texas. We will be speaking to that city's mayor in just a moment, this as we learn about some emergency COVID funds being shifted to now deal with the border crisis.

To FOX's Alex Hogan. She is live in Del Rio, Texas for us.

Hi, Alex.

ALEX HOGAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Sandra.

Well, border agents here have long asked for more support. Now more funding, this allotment, could potentially relieve some issues. This is a $2 billion fund that would go to help the more than 20,000 children that are still in U.S. facilities after crossing the border alone.

Now, an HHS spokesperson did just send us this statement, saying: "The recent transfers have had no impact on our ongoing work to defeat this pandemic."

Well, in the first four months of 2021, Customs and Border Protection have apprehended more than 530,000 people. Most led across the river are by coyotes. And the Del Rio chief says he won't order his officers to stop them, because proving that these people are smuggling humans across the border isn't as easy as it seems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUSTIN SKERO, BORDER PATROL DEL RIO SECTOR CHIEF: You have to prove it with evidence, right? And so this person could very well just be helping people walk across the river.

Now, if we had the evidence to prosecute, I'm confident that either our state's attorneys or a U.S. attorney's will take that matter. But it would be a very difficult case to prosecute.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOGAN: Now, we have seen almost 30 people cross the border just today alone.

All that remains now is clothing on the ground, items that they have discarded, wet clothes, jackets, shoes, socks, even money that we have seen discarded on the ground, the only traces left behind of the difficult journey that they have made -- Sandra.

S. SMITH: Alex Hogan reporting from Del Rio for us.

It is a situation Bruno Lozano knows very well. He's the Democratic mayor of Del Rio, Texas. He joins us now.

What do you make of these additional funds being shifted now to deal with this crisis at the border that were meant for COVID?

BRUNO LOZANO (D), MAYOR OF DEL RIO, TEXAS: I think it just showcases the lack of long-term plan and solution to this continuing crisis at the border.

I always ask myself, why are taxpayers continuing to have to fund all of these issues, when it's a policy that really needs to be evaluated and reassessed really? And this cannot be sustained. This is unsustainable. It's affecting my community firsthand.

So, that's my thoughts.

S. SMITH: Mayor, talk about that, a situation that happened with a school going into lockdown recently?

LOZANO: Yes, ma'am.

We had illegal aliens attempting to traverse the perimeter fence at one of the local schools in the southern side of the city. And that school, Ruben Chavira Elementary School, had to go on lockdown temporarily just to make sure that the students were safe.

They heard helicopters overhead. I had a message from my cousin who said: "I just heard the helicopters. We saw state troopers and sheriff and police responding to that incident." The -- I believe it was 13 illegal aliens that were there that were processed and detained by Border Patrol at the time.

So, I ask -- I ask Congress, I ask those politicians that are out there advocating for different nations right now, stating the calm and the care that we need to provide them, what about our -- what about my elementary school students?

Imagine how the trauma that they're experiencing, having to be on lockdown for illegal immigrants coming in and trying to get into their fence line? That's ridiculous.

S. SMITH: Mayor, noting that you're a Democrat, do you feel members of your own party are listening, knowing that there's been...

LOZANO: No.

S. SMITH: ... an obvious pointing out that Kamala Harris has not even visited the border since being put in charge of it?

LOZANO: I think it's a really unfortunate place to be right now.

I'm in a rock and a hard place, trying to defend my community and its needs and really showcasing that we really need to support our American citizens and provide security for our city and national security, at most. I mean, this is not something that should even be bipartisan, or -- I'm sorry -- divided in nature. But yet here we are.

You have people that are more loyal to different nations outside of the United States than you actually do for your own American citizens, brothers and sisters here that live here.

S. SMITH: Who specifically are you suggesting has those priorities?

LOZANO: I think, reading one of the tweets from AOC in specific, particularly, that she posted the other day.

And it's a quite a contrast to Senator Cruz's tweet. He's calling out the current crises that we're having right now. We have the Southern border crisis with national security. We have the gas crisis. We have unemployment and COVID.

The list goes on and on. And yet here we are showcasing our priorities outside of the American people. And I think that's a -- that's very unfortunate.

S. SMITH: Real quickly, how's your community doing with all this?

LOZANO: I get -- I get praises and thanks for standing up for what's right and supporting and being somebody outspoken and supporting the city of Del Rio, Texas, which is what I was elected to do, is be there for them when I can.

S. SMITH: You have a lot on your plate.

LOZANO: We're anxious. We're anxious. I can tell you, we're very anxious.

S. SMITH: Yes, OK.

LOZANO: High-speed chases are not fun.

S. SMITH: Yes.

LOZANO: So, thank you.

S. SMITH: Mayor, our best to you and your handling of this. Thanks for coming on.

LOZANO: Thank you for having me. Bye-bye.

S. SMITH: Well, with prices spiking, do we really need all of this big spending? We will debate that.

But, first, "Saturday Night Live" making light of confusion over masks coming off?

Joe Piscopo is warming up. He will join us coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE MCKINNON, ACTRESS: The CDC announced that people who are vaccinated no longer need to wear masks outdoors or indoors.

Pretty great, right? But a lot of people had questions, such as, what does that mean? What the hell are you talking about?

(LAUGHTER)

MCKINNON: Is this a trap?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. SMITH: "Saturday Night Live" poking fun at the messaging mess over masks, after the CDC said fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear a mask in most cases.

Some states and businesses updated mask rules in response. Others have chosen to hold off. And a whole lot of Americans as a result are confused.

What does former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Joe Piscopo think about that? And there he is wearing a mask outdoors.

(LAUGHTER)

JOE PISCOPO, COMEDIAN: Can we do it -- am I OK? Can I take it off now, Sandra? Is it OK? I'm totally confused. I don't know what to do here.

S. SMITH: The guidance, the science says, Joe. If no one's directly around and others are vaccinated around you, if they're close.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

PISCOPO: I can breathe.

(LAUGHTER)

PISCOPO: Good to see you. How are you?

S. SMITH: What did you -- it's good to see you, friend.

So, Joe, "SNL" is poking fun. I don't know, poking fun because people are confused. I think everybody's confused.

PISCOPO: Yes, I thought they were right on the money. I loved it.

Kate McKinnon was hysterical. It was so funny, the way they did it into little vignettes. And, remember, they said, oh, I will go out with you. But can you take the mask off, so I can see what you really look like?

(LAUGHTER)

PISCOPO: That was so funny, I thought.

And you know what? Everybody's so confused.

S. SMITH: Yes.

PISCOPO: Every morning on AM-970, Sandra, as you know, if I may...

S. SMITH: Yes.

PISCOPO: ... my audience is so -- our audience is so great. But they -- they're confused. They don't know what to do. It's like nobody's in charge.

So I'm telling everybody, just hang in there. We will get through it and use your best judgment, because, really, they don't know what they're doing down there in Washington, honestly.

S. SMITH: Common sense goes a long way, doesn't it, Joe?

PISCOPO: Exactly. Exactly.

S. SMITH: And Joe comes on my show in the afternoon on many days.

And, Joe, I never know where you're going to pop up. I mean, is this Central Park? Where are we today?

PISCOPO: No, we got to do a series, "Where in the World Is Joe Piscopo?" with Sandra Smith.

(LAUGHTER)

PISCOPO: I loved it, because you know what?

I'm at my mom's house, you know? And I said, oh, I got to go. And there's all the action. I got to step out and talk to Sandra, in for Neil today. So I'm in beautiful New Jersey. Always -- I don't have an American flag that I could see.

I always -- oh, there you go. Yes, I got one on my lapel, Sandra. There you go.

S. SMITH: Joe, let's not forget that we're on TV. We're covering the news.

(LAUGHTER)

S. SMITH: All right, I want to get you to respond -- your response to the former royal Harry himself taking on the First Amendment.

PISCOPO: Yes.

S. SMITH: Listen to this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: I don't want to start sort of going down the First Amendment right, because that's a huge subject and one of which I don't understand, because I have only been here for a short period of time, but you can find a loophole in anything.

And you can capitalize or exploit what's not said, rather than uphold what is said. There's so much I want to say about the First Amendment, as I still don't understand it, but it is bonkers.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

S. SMITH: What does he have to gain by bad-mouthing the First Amendment?

PISCOPO: I don't know.

But this guy is Austin Powers. I mean, bonkers? Yeah, baby. It's bonkers, baby.

(LAUGHTER)

PISCOPO: They're making fools of themselves. And what does this guy -- how is this guy to dictate that we have to -- our free speech, freedom of speeches is bonkers?

Because now we know we're in serious issue. And, again, we address it every issue on the radio, Sandra. People are afraid, because you see big tech taking away free speech.

And now we got to have somebody from the outside tell us that it's bonkers? I mean, if it's so bonkers, why doesn't he just go back to London? Oh, that's right. I don't think they're going to take him back at the castle.

S. SMITH: Wow.

PISCOPO: So, inexcusable, unnecessary. An apology is due, Sandra.

S. SMITH: Joe Piscopo, our royalty here in America.

Joe, we appreciate you joining us. Thank you.

Put that mask back on.

PISCOPO: All the very best.

(LAUGHTER)

S. SMITH: Thanks, Joe.

All right, prices, they are rising at the grocery store and beyond and at the gas pump, but could something that the Biden administration is planning to do cause even more concern for the American taxpayers?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT: Reckless spending has consequences. That's exactly what the Democrats and Biden are doing.

I have been saying this for two years. You can't just keep spending money like this without seeing an impact on people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. SMITH: Well, that was Senator Rick Scott telling me that he thinks President Biden and Democrats' spending is causing inflation.

So, is he right?

Let's bring in our panel.

Joining us now, FOX News contributor Liz Peek, Turning Point USA contributor Rob Smith, and Democratic strategist and FOX News contributor Jessica Tarlov.

Welcome to all of you, and good to see all of you.

A nice healthy debate we have set up here.

JESSICA TARLOV, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.

S. SMITH: So, Rob, to you first.

Isn't there clear evidence we're seeing the price of just about everything go up right now?

ROB SMITH, TURNING POINT USA: Yes, there's clear evidence of this. And we're seeing right now, look, independents are more negative about the future.

We're seeing flat spending, a jobs report that was nearly 750,000 under expectations, and inflation that is here. The cost of living has jumped over 4 percent from last year, which is the biggest increase in 13 years.

So, we are seeing all of the evidence right now that what the left is doing, in terms of all of this radical spending, is not working. And you have some governors even saying that we're going to turn down this extra $300 in weekly extended unemployment benefits, because it's so hard for us to get people back to work.

So we're seeing all of the results of this reckless spending happening all around us.

S. SMITH: Well, you can see on the screen many of your food prices are going up.

But, Jessica, something we talk about almost every day is the price of gasoline going up. And that affects everyday hardworking Americans. So why is this administration not acknowledging inflation is a real problem?

(CROSSTALK)

TARLOV: Well, there definitely acknowledging it. And, obviously, we have heard kind of both sides of the coin from Janet Yellen, saying it was going to be a little bit of a problem, might raise interest rates, now backtracking on that.

But I think the important element of this to discuss is what's gone on for the last year-plus. We have supply chain problems, because the entire country was shut down because of a global health pandemic that's taken millions of lives and 570,000 American lives, I think is the latest count.

That's obviously going to have an effect on the economy. In terms of the spending and how reckless it is, Joe Biden has only gotten one of his plans through so far. So, people are trying -- this is what the American Jobs plan caused, et cetera, et cetera.

So far, we have had a COVID relief package that was approved of by more than 70 percent of Americans. You had no Republicans vote for that kind of relief, which they so desperately need.

S. SMITH: OK.

TARLOV: And I'm not saying to not pay attention to these indicators, that there is an issue. We need to continue to do that. But Americans did need that infusion.

And I don't think we have seen the long-term inflation problems for a while or enough to say we have got to change course at this point.

S. SMITH: Let me get Liz in there.

Liz?

LIZ PEEK, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think that's wrong. I think, as we entered this year, we'd already spent or were in the process of spending $3 trillion on relief.

Consumer incomes went up 10 percent in the first quarter. It's not just spending. It's also the Fed, which continues to pump $120 billion into the economy every month. Something has to change, Sandra. And what it has to -- I think the Fed has to get away from this quantitative easing.

And I think the federal government needs to stop spending so much money. What we absolutely know is, we don't need an extra $4 trillion that Biden wants to push through. That would be reckless. And I think that would just contribute to the problems we have.

S. SMITH: Rob, free money has been out there for a long time.

And if you continue that, along with this spending spree, how can the price of everything not continue to go up?

R. SMITH: Well, no, it will continue to go up.

And, also, a lot of these businesses and restaurants and stuff like that are going to have problems attracting employees, because, if there's so much free money out there, why would people go out to work, when they can actually get more to stay home?

So I understand we can all have this conversation. I think the Biden administration is going to do what they want to do. Mind you, in the words of Chuck Schumer and a lot of people on the left, they have taken this COVID pandemic, and they have taken the reins of the presidency, and they want to radically transform America.

This is what they have said, and they will spend untold amounts of money to do this.

S. SMITH: In fact, I wasn't even referencing the stimulus checks, and now the child tax credit checks that are about to start going out in July.

R. SMITH: Yes.

S. SMITH: I was referencing the free money environment as far as the low interest rate environment that we have been in...

R. SMITH: Oh.

S. SMITH: ... while all this is happening, Jessica.

Isn't that a recipe for higher prices across the board, whether it's food, energy or housing?

TARLOV: It looks that way, certainly, in the short term.

And I do believe that the Biden administration, in conjunction with the Fed, is going to work very hard to address this. We certainly don't want to lose economic gains that we have had. And, as Rob referenced when he originally spoke, we want consumer optimism to go back up.

We certainly need retail spending to go up. That was something that we saw a downturn on last quarter. We shouldn't have. And, obviously, the jobs report was extremely disappointing. And it wasn't because Easter was in the wrong month this year.

S. SMITH: Right.

TARLOV: So we have got to be paying attention to this.

S. SMITH: Yes.

TARLOV: But I don't think you can ignore supply chain problems after a year of shutdown, that being a build motivating cause.

S. SMITH: Anybody who is trying to remodel their house or build a house right now, you know the price of construction is skyrocketing. Lumber prices have tripled during the pandemic.

Liz, final shot at it?

PEEK: Well, I think the biggest problem is, the Biden administration could make this inflation surge permanent by creating a surge in wage increases.

S. SMITH: Yes.

PEEK: And for some people, that's going to be good.

S. SMITH: OK.

PEEK: But this $300 -- hey, look, Amazon's top 10 percent. These are not good trends, Sandra.

S. SMITH: Got it.

Thanks to all three of you for joining us. Appreciate it. Good, healthy conversation and debate, as promised.

And thank you for being here. Thanks for joining us. I will be back here again tomorrow for Neil. And you can catch me, along with John Roberts, every weekday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time for "America Reports," 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

That is it for us. Thanks again for joining us.

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