radio--2020-04-21--Rep. Matt Gaetz: We Should Pass Legislation So Americans Can Sue China For Damages

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla , Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) explains why he agrees with Rep. Dan Crenshaw ( R-TX ) wanting to pass legislation to let Americans sue the Chinese government in the aftermath of COVID-19 .
`` Here 's what every American should ask themselves .
What excuse does China have for having held the sequencing of this virus for 10 days ?
The Wuhan Institute of Virology , either conspicuously or miraculously , is the first to sequence this virus on January 2nd and they do n't tell the world what that sequence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have been critical for us to be able to get a head start , figure out the type of reagents , compounds , testing apparatus we would need .
And instead , they were selfish about it , tried to get as much PPE as they could for their own country , and then that resulted in negative consequences around the world .
One good consequence is we should take up and pass the legislation that my colleague Dan Crenshaw has offered to hold hold them liable where Americans who suffer from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the damages caused by yet . ''

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) explains why he agrees with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) wanting to pass legislation to let Americans sue the Chinese government in the aftermath of COVID-19.
“Here’s what every American should ask themselves. What excuse does China have for having held the sequencing of this virus for 10 days? The Wuhan Institute of Virology, either conspicuously or miraculously, is the first to sequence this virus on January 2nd and they don’t tell the world what that sequence until January 12th. Those 10 days would have been critical for us to be able to get a head start, figure out the type of reagents, compounds, testing apparatus we would need. And instead, they were selfish about it, tried to get as much PPE as they could for their own country, and then that resulted in negative consequences around the world. One good consequence is we should take up and pass the legislation that my colleague Dan Crenshaw has offered to hold hold them liable where Americans who suffer from this Chinese flu can actually sue China for the damages caused by yet.”


radio--2020-05-19--Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL): Democrats Pulled Out Of Bipartisan Task Force On Countering China In Feb

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL): Democrats Pulled Out Of Bipartisan Task Force On Countering China In February. Why?

Congressman Adam Kinzinger talked with Fox News Radio 's Guy Benson about being a member of the 'Task Force ' on countering China .
Rep. Kinzinger revealed to Guy that Democrats pulled out of bipartisan task force .
Saying , Listen To The Full Interview Below : Audio Clip : The evidence we 've been able to develop from the killer 's devices shows that the Pensacola attack was actually the brutal culmination of years of planning and preparation by a longtime AQAP associate .
He was meticulous in his planning .
He made pocket cam videos as he cased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final will purporting to explain himself and saved it in his phone .
The exact same will that AQAP released two months later when they initially claimed responsibility .
Guy Benson : It 's the Guy Benson Show .
That was Christopher Wray , the FBI director , announcing yesterday that there is now conclusive evidence that the terrorist who shot and killed three people at a Navy base in Pensacola in December of last year was , in fact , radicalized and directly in contact with al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a lone wolf .
This was someone who was acting in concert with an international terrorist organization .
The attorney general , Bill Bar .
Filled in some more details on this , put more meat on the bones .
Listen to Cut 21 , .
Audio Clip : The phones contained information previously unknown to us that definitively establishes Al Shum a significant ties to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula , not only before the attack , but before he even arrived in the United States .
We now have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and activities in the years , months and days leading up to his attack .
Guy Benson : The attorney general went on to critique Apple , which the government is saying did n't really assist as much as they could or should have in unlocking the phone and helping with the device .
After the attack occurred Cut 22 , .
Audio Clip : It was clear at the time that the phones were likely to contain very important information .
Indeed , al-Sham Ronney attempted to destroy both of the phones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disengage from the gunfight long enough to fire a bullet into one of the phones .
Unfortunately , Apple would not help us unlock the phones .
Guy Benson : The company says that they did help , but the government obviously disagrees that whatever they provided was sufficient .
Joining me now is Congressman Adam Kinzinger , a Republican of Illinois .
And Congressman , before we get to some of the news of the day , I would argue this absolutely is news of the day , and yet it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be like a pretty important story in my book .
A confirmation of a tie , a terrorist attack on U.S. soil just a few months ago to an international terrorist organization , in fact , an offshoot of the terrorist organization that carried out 9/11 .
And we saw this announcement at the DOJ yesterday .
And it was it got a little bit of attention .
But it 's just surprising , perhaps , given all the other news that 's been consuming us recently , that this was like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .
Rep. Kinzinger : Yeah , I do n't disagree with you .
And maybe it 's you know , people are so focused on COVID or the politics behind it or whatever , but this is a huge deal .
And , you know , and as a guy that went through pilot training myself , you know , to think that you could be training with somebody that could turn and do this and actually have planned it is is definitely beyond concerning .
It 's disgusting .
And , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got to the bottom of it .
And hopefully justice can be served to anybody else involved .
But yeah , I agree .
I mean , we 've got to when it comes to the news , you know , of the day or whatever , we 've got to be focused on more than just the , you know , the death count because of COVID .
Because that 's .
Yeah .
Important .
But there 's also a lot going on around place Guy Benson : Other things happening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out The Wall Street Journal has a story about this today .
They remind us that this terrorist posted anti-American rants on social media a few hours before he opened fire in a classroom at the naval air station Pensacola .
That was December the 6th .
He killed three people , wounded eight more .
He was then fatally shot .
We know he 'd been communicating with al-Qaeda shortly before the attack .
These were operatives , AQAP , that he was in touch with .
And the FBI director , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radicalization based on the evidence that they have dated back to his earliest 2015 , which kind of raises some of the questions .
Congressman .
Why was this person in the country ?
Were there red flags that were missed if he was radicalized five years ago or at the time , four and a half years ago and he was in contact with al-Qaeda and he was posting anti-American stuff on social media , and yet he was training to become a pilot at a Navy air station and then murdered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the system failed .
Rep. Kinzinger : Yeah , absolutely .
And , you know , especially when it comes to the social media piece in terms of , you know , what 's basically publicly out there now , you know , do we have people working at the Navy bases that are constantly searching everybody , social media ?
Probably not , but something like that should be triggered .
You know , we should n't be so politically correct that if somebody says something anti-American , we wash it under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rug because mean , .
Guy Benson : He was a Saudi and 15 of the 19 hijackers were for Saudi .
Right .
So , I mean , this is n't this is n't much of a leap here .
And I understand that we have partnerships in strategic allies and we try to train some of those folks to be good guys in their neck of the woods .
But we have to be very careful that we 're not dealing with basically sleeper agents .
And if this guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 've been radicalized for years , to have him as one of the people as part of this program , I think is is a real problem .
Last question on this , Congressman .
There 's been criticism .
We played the clip from Bill Bar of Apple , not doing enough to help the government access phones and perhaps access evidence as quickly as they could have .
Apple saying we did participate .
We did assist .
But they have , I guess , consumer privacy questions to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind , the appropriate balance here ?
If the government 's saying we have a terrorist , we need to get new his phone ?
What 's the obligation of an American tech company to their customers in terms of privacy and to the national security interests ?
I do n't think it 's a totally simple question .
Rep. Kinzinger : No , it 's not .
And it 's really what we 've been doing out here all the time .
So every time , you know , these civil libertarians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on TV and talk about , you know , the things the government 's doing .
This is the kind of stuff that comes into play .
So if you do n't want the government to be able to , you know , anything like this and then go with the libertarian viewpoint .
But there 's got to be a middle ground in this case .
You know , I think if you 're an American company on a terrorist investigation , you 've got to help the American government , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm not going to the level of accusation and Apple because I do n't know .
But there are a lot of American companies that are very eager to please the Chinese with their requirements .
Know the Russians want their requirements .
And I get that China has a billion and a half people and it 's a big market .
But if you 're not going to help your own country and you 're going to go out of your way to censor or to provide or do whatever to these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some accountability for that .
Guy Benson : I think it 's a fair point .
And I also think , look , I might be a little closer to the libertarian side than you are on this question .
And I do n't really trust big tech a lot of the time , and I do have very serious privacy concerns and I do n't think that should be taken lightly .
But in this case , I mean , you had a a terrorist attack where the perpetrator was dead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I 'm not I 'm not quite sure what the problem was , but it 's a story that we 're following .
And I just wanted to make sure that we devoted at least a few minutes to it on this show because it could very easily get lost .
Given everything else that 's going on , you did mention China .
Congressman , I want to ask you about the China task force that you are a part of .
And the bill that and the legislation that you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , in Congress this week .
Give us the upshot of what you 're involved in .
Rep. Kinzinger : Yes .
So the China task force here .
Here 's the important point to note .
I was actually asked to be on this last fall .
So this was supposed to be a bipartisan task force .
And then right about the end of February , this thing fell apart .
Now , the Democrats are n't , you know , responding to why they 're not answering questions on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about what was happening at the end of February .
You know , you had Trump 's travel ban .
The Democrats called it racist .
And then , you know , Nancy Pelosi was saying everybody should go have dinner in Chinatown that night .
And so they wanted to back out because they were going to either play race politics with this or they did n't want to be , you know , involved with that .
So what we 're doing there .
Guy Benson : Wait , wait .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ let me just start interrupt .
But I want to make sure I 'm understanding this properly .
There was going to be a China task force .
This was established late last year and it was moving forward on a bipartisan basis .
And then the Democrats withdrew from the task force in February .
Rep. Kinzinger : Yeah .
One hundred percent .
And in fact , Josh Rogin wrote about it in The Washington Post because he was going to drop the story about the bipartisan task force and interviewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the task ?
What was the task originally of the task force before the Democrats , you know , pulled out ?
Rep. Kinzinger : Yeah , well , the task it 's the same now because , you know , it 's the same as it was then , which is OK , let 's look at all the challenges China presents .
And from a legislative perspective , how do we tackle it , whether it 's national security , 5G technology , space issues , supply chain vulnerability .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the way .
We had seen this coming .
And there was widespread agreement .
And then actually when COVID 19 , you know , it was an issue .
That 's when the Democrats pulled out .
I do n't want to use it as a weapon against them , because I think this is an 80 percent issue that we have to address as a country .
But I think this is very clear .
Then , you know , who is the best party to deal with the China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well , that 's that 's a very strange I 'm I was not aware of this until you literally just told me here on the air .
Have they offered when you 've when you 've spoken to your colleagues on the other side , have they offered any explanation for why was it all of them Democrats just up and left us , said we 're not participating anymore ?
Have they had they explained why in a way that would be at least defensible ?
Rep. Kinzinger : No , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 've read just simply says they wo n't respond to comment .
You know , especially when it was the guy that was writing the story about it when they pulled out .
So I do n't know .
And , you know , it 's it 's a question they 're going to have to answer .
They 're going to have to be accountable for November .
We will walk on them if they want to come onto the committee .
It is open to Democrats , but we 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : So it 's just so it 's just Republicans now .
So you 're you 're basically taking up picking up the ball that has been dropped without the Democrats .
It 's just gon na be a GOP thing .
Rep. Kinzinger : Yeah , well , it is for now .
We 're welcoming among them .
They 're welcome to come in .
But right now , we 've made the decision that this is so important that we 're going to go ahead .
We 're going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position on a number of national security or , you know , trade , et cetera , pillars that can then be put into legislative action .
So hopefully they do come around because this is so important .
It 's not about November .
But if they do n't , people need to be aware of that , because China is the biggest threat we face right now when it comes to anything foreign .
Guy Benson : So I 'm just .
I 'm trying not to leap to unfair conclusions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you described , if they were saying , OK , we agree this is a huge geopolitical threat , an adversary , we 've got to get a task force together to really think through these issues , then Corona virus hits , it 's coming from China .
Trump is starting to correctly blame China .
We get the travel restrictions , which the Democrats in some cases condemn .
We heard xenophobia from from Joe Biden and .
What they just sort of decided that this is become a partisan issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blame China for their cover up of coronavirus , they did n't want to be a part of a fact finding mission that could look bad for China because somehow that could make Trump look good .
I mean , that we 're looking at here .
Rep. Kinzinger : Yeah , that that is my kind of internal belief is that nobody 's told me this and they probably never would .
But my belief is that if you think about not we 're right now , but where we were at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it was racist .
You know , the Democrats said it was racist .
And then , you know , Nancy Pelosi said , everybody go out to eat in Chinatown .
You look at at that point , if they 're on the verge of announcing a China task force , I think they made the decision that , you know , this is gon na be bad for President Trump .
We 're gon na be able to hang this around him .
And so we 're gon na pull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's looking pretty bad for them .
I do n't want to to .
I want them in this task force .
I want to fix the problems .
We 're going to fix it without them .
If we have to .
Guy Benson : Talk about the legislation that you 're involved in on this front .
Rep. Kinzinger : Yes .
So that 's a it 's it 's two really important bills .
So one of is a country of origin labeling on apps .
So basically , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it was either owned in part or you know , or in whole .
By the Chinese Communist Party or even any non-state actors in China , it has to be clearly labeled and it 'll be enforced by the government on that tick tock , for example , like , by the way , this Chinese app up be up when you go on , take the act .
You need to see very clearly that it 's Chinese app and it 's enforceable .
If you do n't follow it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unfair Trade Practices Act .
And then the other big one is if you look at , for instance , Amazon is a great example where you see a lot of at a company in my district that made an auger like a drill .
And China has been copying that repeatedly and setting up these fake things that look just like them and selling them and undercutting them .
And there is really no way that they can stop that , because every time they have to hire a lawyer , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to go through a process .
The other side gets time to show how they 're not violating these trade practices .
And this would clamp down on that .
There is a lot of commerce that is being lost to cheap Chinese knockoff .
So it 's important when you go on something like Amazon or any online retailer to make sure that you 're not getting a product , that China stole IP wise and is leaving up there until the law can go through .
And .
And so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just the start of where we 're going to go .
But it is extremely important .
Guy Benson : Congressman , you mentioned the W.H.O .
and President Trump sent them a very scathing letter .
Frankly , yesterday was very detailed in their actions , vis-a-vis China and covered 19 .
And I think it 's pretty devastating .
We 've also seen W.H.O .
carrying China 's water , repeating their talking points , even continuing to exclude Taiwan from participating in these global health forums , even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with coronavirus .
I think partially because they instinctively do n't trust Beijing and communist China .
And W.H.O .
is repeatedly doing the bidding of the regime in China .
And we know that we 've paused .
U.S. taxpayer dollars flowing to W.H.O .
for now .
There has been a demand by President Trump for some reforms and changes in the next 30 days .
Your reaction to the president 's letter and just the broader issue of the W.H.O .
and their role in all of this ?
Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the correct action .
And I think the president 's done the good thing by pausing the funding .
W.H.O .
can play an important role , especially when you look at like Ebola and things in other parts of the world that we do n't have CDC necessarily , but we have to use our money as leverage .
And this is important .
You have to drose the head of the W.H.O.
, who has a very shady past with China before he was the head of the W.H.O .
and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from intelligence reports from Europe that he , in fact , had a conversation with President Xi , who asked him to not declare this a pandemic .
We know that two drose was the deciding vote to not declared a pandemic , which kept that from happening for a number of weeks .
He called China , you know , extremely transparent .
We know the history of China .
Guy Benson : Well , he withheld the human to human transmission piece .
We know that , too .
Yeah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yep , That 's right and they 've also imprisoned doctors and not allowed them to speak or disappeared doctors .
And the W.H.O .
has been complicit in this .
So if we want to save the W.H.O .
as an important position , they absolutely need a new head and the U.S. should withhold funding .
Until they do that , we can not have an owned by China W.H.O .
when we 're paying about five times what the Chinese pay for that organization .
Guy Benson : Congressman Adam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ veteran himself , appreciate your time on this program .
Congressman , let 's get you back soon .
You bet .
Anytime , guys .
Stepping aside .
Coming right back with more of the Guy Benson Show after this .

Congressman Adam Kinzinger talked with Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson about being a member of the ‘Task Force’ on countering China. Rep. Kinzinger revealed to Guy that Democrats pulled out of bipartisan task force. Saying,
“Here’s the important point to note. I was actually asked to be on this last fall. So this was supposed to be a bipartisan task force. And then right about the end of February, this thing fell apart. Now, the Democrats aren’t, you know, responding to why they’re not answering questions on it. Well, let’s think about what was happening at the end of February. You know, you had Trump’s travel ban. The Democrats called it racist. And then, you know, Nancy Pelosi was saying everybody should go have dinner in Chinatown that night. And so they wanted to back out because they were going to either play race politics with this or they didn’t want to be, you know, involved with that.”
Listen To The Full Interview Below:
Full Transcript:
Audio Clip: The evidence we’ve been able to develop from the killer’s devices shows that the Pensacola attack was actually the brutal culmination of years of planning and preparation by a longtime AQAP associate. He was meticulous in his planning. He made pocket cam videos as he cased his classroom building. He wrote a final will purporting to explain himself and saved it in his phone. The exact same will that AQAP released two months later when they initially claimed responsibility.
Guy Benson: It’s the Guy Benson Show. That was Christopher Wray, the FBI director, announcing yesterday that there is now conclusive evidence that the terrorist who shot and killed three people at a Navy base in Pensacola in December of last year was, in fact, radicalized and directly in contact with al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula, which is AQAP. This was not just a lone wolf. This was someone who was acting in concert with an international terrorist organization. The attorney general, Bill Bar. Filled in some more details on this, put more meat on the bones. Listen to Cut 21,.
Audio Clip: The phones contained information previously unknown to us that definitively establishes Al Shum a significant ties to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, not only before the attack, but before he even arrived in the United States. We now have a clearer understanding of al-Sham rani’s associations and activities in the years, months and days leading up to his attack.
Guy Benson: The attorney general went on to critique Apple, which the government is saying didn’t really assist as much as they could or should have in unlocking the phone and helping with the device. After the attack occurred Cut 22,.
Audio Clip: It was clear at the time that the phones were likely to contain very important information. Indeed, al-Sham Ronney attempted to destroy both of the phones, even going so far as to disengage from the gunfight long enough to fire a bullet into one of the phones. Unfortunately, Apple would not help us unlock the phones.
Guy Benson: The company says that they did help, but the government obviously disagrees that whatever they provided was sufficient. Joining me now is Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a Republican of Illinois. And Congressman, before we get to some of the news of the day, I would argue this absolutely is news of the day, and yet it’s barely caused a blip. This seems to be like a pretty important story in my book. A confirmation of a tie, a terrorist attack on U.S. soil just a few months ago to an international terrorist organization, in fact, an offshoot of the terrorist organization that carried out 9/11. And we saw this announcement at the DOJ yesterday. And it was it got a little bit of attention. But it’s just surprising, perhaps, given all the other news that’s been consuming us recently, that this was like a second, third or fourth tier story.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yeah, I don’t disagree with you. And maybe it’s you know, people are so focused on COVID or the politics behind it or whatever, but this is a huge deal. And, you know, and as a guy that went through pilot training myself, you know, to think that you could be training with somebody that could turn and do this and actually have planned it is is definitely beyond concerning. It’s disgusting. And, you know, I’m glad we got to the bottom of it. And hopefully justice can be served to anybody else involved. But yeah, I agree. I mean, we’ve got to when it comes to the news, you know, of the day or whatever, we’ve got to be focused on more than just the, you know, the death count because of COVID. Because that’s. Yeah. Important. But there’s also a lot going on around place
Guy Benson: Other things happening. And I just want to point out The Wall Street Journal has a story about this today. They remind us that this terrorist posted anti-American rants on social media a few hours before he opened fire in a classroom at the naval air station Pensacola. That was December the 6th. He killed three people, wounded eight more. He was then fatally shot. We know he’d been communicating with al-Qaeda shortly before the attack. These were operatives, AQAP, that he was in touch with. And the FBI director, Chris Wray, said his communications had radicalization based on the evidence that they have dated back to his earliest 2015, which kind of raises some of the questions. Congressman. Why was this person in the country? Were there red flags that were missed if he was radicalized five years ago or at the time, four and a half years ago and he was in contact with al-Qaeda and he was posting anti-American stuff on social media, and yet he was training to become a pilot at a Navy air station and then murdered Americans. That seems kind of like the system failed.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, especially when it comes to the social media piece in terms of, you know, what’s basically publicly out there now, you know, do we have people working at the Navy bases that are constantly searching everybody, social media? Probably not, but something like that should be triggered. You know, we shouldn’t be so politically correct that if somebody says something anti-American, we wash it under the rug. We sweep it under the rug because mean,.
Guy Benson: He was a Saudi and 15 of the 19 hijackers were for Saudi. Right. So, I mean, this isn’t this isn’t much of a leap here. And I understand that we have partnerships in strategic allies and we try to train some of those folks to be good guys in their neck of the woods. But we have to be very careful that we’re not dealing with basically sleeper agents. And if this guy was in active communication with AQAP and I’ve been radicalized for years, to have him as one of the people as part of this program, I think is is a real problem. Last question on this, Congressman. There’s been criticism. We played the clip from Bill Bar of Apple, not doing enough to help the government access phones and perhaps access evidence as quickly as they could have. Apple saying we did participate. We did assist. But they have, I guess, consumer privacy questions to deal with. What is, in your mind, the appropriate balance here? If the government’s saying we have a terrorist, we need to get new his phone? What’s the obligation of an American tech company to their customers in terms of privacy and to the national security interests? I don’t think it’s a totally simple question.
Rep. Kinzinger: No, it’s not. And it’s really what we’ve been doing out here all the time. So every time, you know, these civil libertarians go out here in Congress, go on TV and talk about, you know, the things the government’s doing. This is the kind of stuff that comes into play. So if you don’t want the government to be able to, you know, anything like this and then go with the libertarian viewpoint. But there’s got to be a middle ground in this case. You know, I think if you’re an American company on a terrorist investigation, you’ve got to help the American government, because, by the way, and I’m not going to the level of accusation and Apple because I don’t know. But there are a lot of American companies that are very eager to please the Chinese with their requirements. Know the Russians want their requirements. And I get that China has a billion and a half people and it’s a big market. But if you’re not going to help your own country and you’re going to go out of your way to censor or to provide or do whatever to these communist nations, there has to be some accountability for that.
Guy Benson: I think it’s a fair point. And I also think, look, I might be a little closer to the libertarian side than you are on this question. And I don’t really trust big tech a lot of the time, and I do have very serious privacy concerns and I don’t think that should be taken lightly. But in this case, I mean, you had a a terrorist attack where the perpetrator was dead. And I feel like at that point, I’m not I’m not quite sure what the problem was, but it’s a story that we’re following. And I just wanted to make sure that we devoted at least a few minutes to it on this show because it could very easily get lost. Given everything else that’s going on, you did mention China. Congressman, I want to ask you about the China task force that you are a part of. And the bill that and the legislation that you’re looking at and introducing, in fact, in Congress this week. Give us the upshot of what you’re involved in.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yes. So the China task force here. Here’s the important point to note. I was actually asked to be on this last fall. So this was supposed to be a bipartisan task force. And then right about the end of February, this thing fell apart. Now, the Democrats aren’t, you know, responding to why they’re not answering questions on it. Well, let’s think about what was happening at the end of February. You know, you had Trump’s travel ban. The Democrats called it racist. And then, you know, Nancy Pelosi was saying everybody should go have dinner in Chinatown that night. And so they wanted to back out because they were going to either play race politics with this or they didn’t want to be, you know, involved with that. So what we’re doing there.
Guy Benson: Wait, wait. Hang on, hang on. Let let me just start interrupt. But I want to make sure I’m understanding this properly. There was going to be a China task force. This was established late last year and it was moving forward on a bipartisan basis. And then the Democrats withdrew from the task force in February.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yeah. One hundred percent. And in fact, Josh Rogin wrote about it in The Washington Post because he was going to drop the story about the bipartisan task force and interviewed Democrats.
Guy Benson: And what was the task? What was the task originally of the task force before the Democrats, you know, pulled out?
Rep. Kinzinger: Yeah, well, the task it’s the same now because, you know, it’s the same as it was then, which is OK, let’s look at all the challenges China presents. And from a legislative perspective, how do we tackle it, whether it’s national security, 5G technology, space issues, supply chain vulnerability. This was all before COVID 19, by the way. We had seen this coming. And there was widespread agreement. And then actually when COVID 19, you know, it was an issue. That’s when the Democrats pulled out. I don’t want to use it as a weapon against them, because I think this is an 80 percent issue that we have to address as a country. But I think this is very clear. Then, you know, who is the best party to deal with the China thing, right?
Guy Benson: Well, that’s that’s a very strange I’m I was not aware of this until you literally just told me here on the air. Have they offered when you’ve when you’ve spoken to your colleagues on the other side, have they offered any explanation for why was it all of them Democrats just up and left us, said we’re not participating anymore? Have they had they explained why in a way that would be at least defensible?
Rep. Kinzinger: No, not to me. And every article I’ve read just simply says they won’t respond to comment. You know, especially when it was the guy that was writing the story about it when they pulled out. So I don’t know. And, you know, it’s it’s a question they’re going to have to answer. They’re going to have to be accountable for November. We will walk on them if they want to come onto the committee. It is open to Democrats, but we’re also not going to.
Guy Benson: So it’s just so it’s just Republicans now. So you’re you’re basically taking up picking up the ball that has been dropped without the Democrats. It’s just gonna be a GOP thing.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yeah, well, it is for now. We’re welcoming among them. They’re welcome to come in. But right now, we’ve made the decision that this is so important that we’re going to go ahead. We’re going to, you know, create a policy position on a number of national security or, you know, trade, et cetera, pillars that can then be put into legislative action. So hopefully they do come around because this is so important. It’s not about November. But if they don’t, people need to be aware of that, because China is the biggest threat we face right now when it comes to anything foreign.
Guy Benson: So I’m just. I’m trying not to leap to unfair conclusions, but based on the timeline that you described, if they were saying, OK, we agree this is a huge geopolitical threat, an adversary, we’ve got to get a task force together to really think through these issues, then Corona virus hits, it’s coming from China. Trump is starting to correctly blame China. We get the travel restrictions, which the Democrats in some cases condemn. We heard xenophobia from from Joe Biden and. What they just sort of decided that this is become a partisan issue where if Trump was going to accurately blame China for their cover up of coronavirus, they didn’t want to be a part of a fact finding mission that could look bad for China because somehow that could make Trump look good. I mean, that we’re looking at here.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yeah, that that is my kind of internal belief is that nobody’s told me this and they probably never would. But my belief is that if you think about not we’re right now, but where we were at the end of February before COVID China said it was racist. You know, the Democrats said it was racist. And then, you know, Nancy Pelosi said, everybody go out to eat in Chinatown. You look at at that point, if they’re on the verge of announcing a China task force, I think they made the decision that, you know, this is gonna be bad for President Trump. We’re gonna be able to hang this around him. And so we’re gonna pull out. Well, the reality is it’s looking pretty bad for them. I don’t want to to. I want them in this task force. I want to fix the problems. We’re going to fix it without them. If we have to.
Guy Benson: Talk about the legislation that you’re involved in on this front.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yes. So that’s a it’s it’s two really important bills. So one of is a country of origin labeling on apps. So basically, if an app comes on your phone and it was either owned in part or you know, or in whole. By the Chinese Communist Party or even any non-state actors in China, it has to be clearly labeled and it’ll be enforced by the government on that tick tock, for example, like, by the way, this Chinese app up be up when you go on, take the act. You need to see very clearly that it’s Chinese app and it’s enforceable. If you don’t follow it, you’ll get fined and the Unfair Trade Practices Act. And then the other big one is if you look at, for instance, Amazon is a great example where you see a lot of at a company in my district that made an auger like a drill. And China has been copying that repeatedly and setting up these fake things that look just like them and selling them and undercutting them. And there is really no way that they can stop that, because every time they have to hire a lawyer, they have to go to Amazon. They have to go through a process. The other side gets time to show how they’re not violating these trade practices. And this would clamp down on that. There is a lot of commerce that is being lost to cheap Chinese knockoff. So it’s important when you go on something like Amazon or any online retailer to make sure that you’re not getting a product, that China stole IP wise and is leaving up there until the law can go through. And. And so this would crackdown on that. This is just the start of where we’re going to go. But it is extremely important.
Guy Benson: Congressman, you mentioned the W.H.O. and President Trump sent them a very scathing letter. Frankly, yesterday was very detailed in their actions, vis-a-vis China and covered 19. And I think it’s pretty devastating. We’ve also seen W.H.O. carrying China’s water, repeating their talking points, even continuing to exclude Taiwan from participating in these global health forums, even though Taiwan has done a very good job with coronavirus. I think partially because they instinctively don’t trust Beijing and communist China. And W.H.O. is repeatedly doing the bidding of the regime in China. And we know that we’ve paused. U.S. taxpayer dollars flowing to W.H.O. for now. There has been a demand by President Trump for some reforms and changes in the next 30 days. Your reaction to the president’s letter and just the broader issue of the W.H.O. and their role in all of this?
Rep. Kinzinger: Yeah, it’s absolutely the correct action. And I think the president’s done the good thing by pausing the funding. W.H.O. can play an important role, especially when you look at like Ebola and things in other parts of the world that we don’t have CDC necessarily, but we have to use our money as leverage. And this is important. You have to drose the head of the W.H.O., who has a very shady past with China before he was the head of the W.H.O. and then he gets there. We know from intelligence reports from Europe that he, in fact, had a conversation with President Xi, who asked him to not declare this a pandemic. We know that two drose was the deciding vote to not declared a pandemic, which kept that from happening for a number of weeks. He called China, you know, extremely transparent. We know the history of China.
Guy Benson: Well, he withheld the human to human transmission piece. We know that, too. Yeah, for a while.
Rep. Kinzinger: Yep, That’s right and they’ve also imprisoned doctors and not allowed them to speak or disappeared doctors. And the W.H.O. has been complicit in this. So if we want to save the W.H.O. as an important position, they absolutely need a new head and the U.S. should withhold funding. Until they do that, we can not have an owned by China W.H.O. when we’re paying about five times what the Chinese pay for that organization.
Guy Benson: Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, military veteran himself, appreciate your time on this program. Congressman, let’s get you back soon. You bet. Anytime, guys. Stepping aside. Coming right back with more of the Guy Benson Show after this.


radio--2020-05-19--Charles Payne Predicts Hybrid Between A "V" & "Swoosh" Shaped Recovery

Charles Payne-Host of Making Money with Charles Payne on FBN talked with Fox News Radio 's Guy Benson about the @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus outbreak .
Payne predicted that he sees the economy recovering in a `` I @ @ @ @ @ hybrid between a V and a swoosh .
And I think the market will have @ @ @ @ @ more of a swoosh . ''
Listen To The Full Interview Below :

Charles Payne-Host of Making Money with Charles Payne on FBN talked with Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson about the economic spiral caused by the Coronavirus outbreak. Payne predicted that he sees the economy recovering in a “I’m going to say a hybrid between a V and a swoosh. And I think the market will have a sharp V. The economy more of a swoosh.”
Listen To The Full Interview Below:


radio--2020-03-24--Ian Bremmer on Whether the Cure is Worse Than the Disease

President and Founder of the Eurasia Group Ian Bremmer joined Brian to discuss President Trump 's response to the COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ comments on the cure for COVID-19 possibly being worse than the disease itself .
The @ @ @ @ @ business closures and stay-at-home orders which are continuing to have severe economic consequences for both @ @ @ @ @ worker .
`` Almost every leader around the world , if they 're responsible , @ @ @ @ @ it 's obviously true that there 's massive economic damage that comes from a lock-down @ @ @ @ @ Bremmer went to explain how the President can more effectively get his message across to @ @ @ @ @ home and are uneasy about the rapidly worsening economy .
Listen to the full interview @ @

President and Founder of the Eurasia Group Ian Bremmer joined Brian to discuss President Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as his comments on the cure for COVID-19 possibly being worse than the disease itself. The President was referencing widespread mandatory business closures and stay-at-home orders which are continuing to have severe economic consequences for both Wall St. and the American worker.
“Almost every leader around the world, if they’re responsible, is thinking that privately because it’s obviously true that there’s massive economic damage that comes from a lock-down,” Bremmer said. Bremmer went to explain how the President can more effectively get his message across to Americans who are stuck at home and are uneasy about the rapidly worsening economy.
Listen to the full interview here:


radio--2020-03-24--Impact of COVID-19 on the Political Landscape

This week , Bret sits down with Dr. Janett Nesheiwat , Medical Director of CityMD and Chris Stirewalt , FOX @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread , the panel discusses why lawmakers are struggling to @ @ @ @ @ legislative aid , how the American health system is doing compared to other nations and @ @ @ @ @ their part to ensure that the medical professionals can focus on the most at risk @ @

This week, Bret sits down with Dr. Janett Nesheiwat, Medical Director of CityMD and Chris Stirewalt, FOX News Politics Editor.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the panel discusses why lawmakers are struggling to work together to pass bipartisan legislative aid, how the American health system is doing compared to other nations and how Americans can each do their part to ensure that the medical professionals can focus on the most at risk people.
Follow Bret on Twitter: @BretBaier


radio--2020-04-17--Judge Napolitano: Governor Phil Murphy Should Resign If The Bill Of Rights Are "Above His Pay Grade"

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla , Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano explained why New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ resign if he did not take into account personal freedoms into his how he was @ @ @ @ @ his state .
`` Our fearless colleague Tucker Carlson , the other night , may @ @ @ @ @ 's political career , which would be a positive good for anybody in New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ Governor Murphy , in that Tucker Carlson , sort of sweet way that he can @ @ @ @ @ where did you get the authority to nullify the Bill of Rights ? '
And @ @ @ @ @ Bill of Rights ?
That 's above my pay grade . '
Above his pay @ @ @ @ @ solemn oath in January of 2018 to preserve , protect and defend the Constitution , @ @ @ @ @ Rights .
If it 's above his pay grade , he should resign and get @ @ @ @ @ and let somebody who understands what human liberty means fulfill the job . ''

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano explained why New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy needs to resign if he did not take into account personal freedoms into his how he was handling the COVID-19 crisis in his state.
“Our fearless colleague Tucker Carlson, the other night, may have destroyed Governor Phil Murphy’s political career, which would be a positive good for anybody in New Jersey, when he said to Governor Murphy, in that Tucker Carlson, sort of sweet way that he can, ‘Oh, Governor, where did you get the authority to nullify the Bill of Rights?’ And the governor goes, ‘The Bill of Rights? That’s above my pay grade.’ Above his pay grade? He took a solemn oath in January of 2018 to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, which includes the Bill of Rights. If it’s above his pay grade, he should resign and get the heck out of there and let somebody who understands what human liberty means fulfill the job.”


radio--2020-04-16--Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) On Democratic Leaders Holding Up Paycheck Protection Program Funding: "

Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) On Democratic Leaders Holding Up Paycheck Protection Program Funding: "It Is Distressing & Disgusting"

Senator John Barrasso ( R-WY ) a member of the President 's congressional `` task force '' to reopen the economy gave an update on the White House 's plans to reopen parts of the economy in certain states .
Senator Barrasso also slammed democratic leadership for holding up ( PPP ) paycheck protection program funding .
The $ 350 Billion loan program ran out of funds for small businesses , just as 5.2 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits .
Listen To The Full Interview Below : Guy Benson : Joining me now is U.S .
Senator John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wyoming , also a medical doctor .
Senator , great to have you on the show .
Welcome .
Sen. Barasso : Well , thank you .
I could n't have said it better myself .
What you said is absolutely right .
The fact that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are blocking the paychecks of millions of Americans , Americans holding us all hostage at gunpoint essentially is unconscionable .
This is blackmail at its worst .
And you want it .
I agree with Senator McConnell , who was just on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can not imagine that at these times what our nation is going through , that these two basically old time politicians are saying , what a great time for politics as usual .
It is distressing and disgusting .
Guy Benson : And senators actually kind of shocking , even given everything we know about Schumer and Pelosi , we are actually quite literally in the midst of a global pandemic .
We opened the program with the update that now nearly 32 million Americans have died of this disease .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million people who have been laid off .
This is not some Republican priority .
This is something that your colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle and some of your colleagues on the other side , the Democratic side of the aisle got together weeks ago and said a huge core component of the rescue bill is going to be for small businesses to make sure they can keep people on the payroll .
And it 's been such a popular program that it has gone through and exhausted 350 plus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three short weeks .
We all knew that they were going to run out of money .
You guys start warning about this last week .
And rather than just saying , OK , this is something easy .
This is a lay up that we can all agree on .
The structure is there .
The bipartisan support is unanimous .
Let 's just do it .
Instead , they 're saying , no , we want all these add-ons .
And Senator , let me ask you this .
Some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some of them are fine .
Some of them are probably worthwhile and worth debating .
That would be part of a phase four bill in legislative process .
That 's going to come probably relatively soon .
Why not just set it aside , incorporate their ideas for phase four and get this urgent priority done today ?
Sen. Barasso : I agree with you completely got a number of the things that they 're talking about .
I 'm happy to have those discussions and the debates .
Some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our rural hospitals or other hospitals , to the states , to the communities .
They may need additional help depending on how long the health crisis that is upon us continues .
But the dire need today is keeping people on the payroll , making sure they get their paychecks through this paycheck protection program , which has been so successful .
And , you know , you know , the Democrats around the country have been taking credit for voting for this in a bipartisan way , and they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean , Kristen Cinema from Arizona , I was on the call with her that today with the president , as we 're part of the task force looking at reopening the country .
She tweeted today , let 's get this passed today , additional money for the paycheck protection part .
So you have bipartisan support and you have the old time classic Paul 's playing politics when the country can not afford it and they do n't seem to care .
Guy Benson : You know , Senator , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech during the filibuster , so I do n't want to get all mired into the history of this .
But three weeks ago , they delayed the whole process for three or four days , basically for nothing playing these similar games .
I follow Washington relatively closely .
And the U.S. Senate .
I appreciate the work that you do .
I 'm not sure I 've ever seen you as visibly agitated and angry as you were on the Senate floor during that filibuster .
And I can sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as I mentioned the intro , you 're a medical doctor .
You 're seeing both the economic side of this and also the horrible health costs of this .
That has to also play into maybe part of the reason why you 're taking this seemingly more personally than politics as usual .
Sen. Barasso : Well , absolutely .
I was absolutely livid on the floor of the Senate when we had what we thought was a bipartisan agreement with the Democrats in the Senate .
And then Nancy Pelosi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no , the agreement that you 're all working on .
Not good enough for me .
And she wants to include components of the Green New Deal .
She wants airlines to be carbon neutral by 2025 .
She wants to reshape change election laws in the country .
All at the time when the coronavirus crisis was hitting , our health care providers needed help in the field .
Our families needed help with their paychecks , all of the things that needed to be done .
And they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the most disturbing thing was Chuck Schumer , the Democrats got in line behind her .
So if it 's not good enough for Nancy , it 's not good enough for them .
And that was the most disturbing thing , that on Sunday and on Monday , the Democrats , each one of them came to the floor of the Senate and voted no to moving ahead with something that they had negotiated in good faith with the chairman and the ranking members of the committees over the weekend .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new round of this nonsense .
And this is even more narrow .
This is something it does n't get easier .
This is a two hand slam dunk on a four foot hoop for Washington , D.C .
It really should n't be hard .
And yet here we are .
Senator , I do want to ask you some health related questions , because you 're a doctor .
Number one .
Do you agree , based on the data that you 're seeing , that the curve nationally is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be , are you getting concerned about the uptick in cases that we 're starting to see in some rural parts of the country ?
Sen. Barasso : Well , both .
I think we are at the top .
Coming back down on the curve , the you know , it 's interesting when you look at some of these models , the point of the highest level on the curve has n't been reached on the calendar yet .
According to the models for rural areas , the Rocky Mountain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least , this is the model coming out of Washington state , the medical school there that we may not peak until May 5th .
The good news , because of all that we 've been doing with social distancing is less than a month ago , they predicted 240 deaths in Wyoming .
But because of all that we 've doing , flattening the curve .
Now they 're saying maybe thirty six at the most .
So we have by behavioral changes alone .
Well , we do n't have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment yet have been able to flatten the curve to the point where we may have saved hundreds of lives .
Certainly in Wyoming and thousands , if not millions across the country .
Had we done nothing , had the president done nothing on this ?
The predictions were a million and a half to two million lives lost .
Now it looks like it may be less than one hundred thousand .
So we had a headline story in the Casper paper .
The other yesterday , about a million over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States because of action and cooperation by people doing the right thing .
Guy Benson : And Senator , look , I 'm open to people who argue that the models were deeply flawed in some cases , imperfect in others , and maybe some of the projections were too draconian and scary .
But I also really do n't buy into this notion that while we 're at 32000 deaths nationwide and that 's not so bad .
And the distancing in all of these closures were n't really necessary because all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like you reject that .
It sounds like you 're saying the measures that have been taken from the president 's team and implemented across the country , in your medical opinion , have been hugely impactful in saving lives .
Sen. Barasso : Hugely impactful .
If you talk to Bill CASSIDY , John Kennedy from Louisiana or doctors in states surrounding Louisiana and specifically New Orleans , and pinpoint timing to Mardi Gras with close contact .
And many people view what you see .
There is basically an explosion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a small area and close interpersonal relationships .
The the Michigan activity , you take that in terms of how this the increase there after they had the big final political rallies before the Michigan primary , the Bernie Sanders rally , would he have 11000 people there on the campus at the University of Michigan ?
You take a look at the numbers where there been large congregations of people and then the peak and the spikes that occurred a couple of weeks afterwards .
And I think it 's absolutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing has saved well over a million lives .
Guy Benson : You mentioned , Senator , a moment ago and you touched on it .
But I want to circle back and focus on it .
You were on a phone call today with the president , the United States .
In a number of your colleagues there is this congressional task force to help reopen the U.S. economy .
And the president 's looking at this from a business perspective .
We heard some of the partners on that front at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there 's also a group in Congress charged with plotting this course forward , if you will .
You 're part of that working group .
Can you tell us what the president tasked you with today , what he said , and without getting too far in front of him ?
'Cause I know there 's a big announcement coming around 6:00 p.m. Eastern today .
What what should we expect to the extent that you 're allowed to tell us ?
Sen. Barasso : Well , there is there were bipartisan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the need to get the country open .
And the best way to do it , a number of us say it is time to start now in areas where we believe it is the safest .
Clearly , the better testing we have in terms of a rapid test , the better it would be , the more people that can be tested .
We may not be able to wait fully until we have all testing for all people .
There are places right now where , you know , Wyoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals that have essentially closed their doors to elective procedures and are now sitting empty , waiting for the crush of Corona virus cases that may hopefully never come .
I mean , the idea of closing down all the hospitals all around the country was so they would be available if they needed to have to take care of all of the patients who would need be done .
So the question is , can people safely go while socially distancing ?
Get back to work and open to business to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Ca n't have all the big gatherings , but we need to get open .
And I know the president 's going to address that tonight .
He did have good news on testing a new saliva test that 's coming along with work , work being done by Johnson and Johnson on vaccines .
The Abbott test , which is which is increasingly available , the therapeutics , the work being done by the companies that were successful in fighting against Ebola and coming up with treatment for AIDS , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell .
And I think the president 's going to want to mention those tonight .
Guy Benson : Okay .
And we 'll be following that closely sometime in the 6:00 p.m. hour Eastern Time as the announced time , at least for the briefing today .
Let me just follow up and ask you this .
And it 's not asked in a hostile way , but it 's something that I am at least concerned about , because everything that you said makes sense to me .
I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but surely identifying low risk counties , let 's say in low risk areas and say , okay , let 's do this very carefully , very safely .
Here 's how we can start in some places to get a little bit back to normal so people can work again and people can go out and do things again .
It seems to me as a non-medical expert , that you really need very robust testing to have confidence in those in those assessments of what areas are safe to do this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is we 've heard some criticism and that there 's still a lag here .
Are you satisfied with the state of the testing regime nationwide where you think it 's safe to start doing this soon ?
Sen. Barasso : I 've never been 100 percent satisfied with the state of the testing nationwide .
And but it is getting better , much better .
What you just prop appropriately , he said county by county .
And the vise president on the call today and Secretary Manoogian was there as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that they have the numbers down to the county levels .
So they opening it up , as you well , we talked about , is something that may be done at that level as well .
I 'd like more testing the the areas where that guy 's a doctor or a health care professional .
I 'm always from the want to get the next test .
I want to make sure of this .
We 're very soon approaching that level .
Guy Benson : OK. We 'll have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're out of time , it 's U.S .
Senator John Barrasso , Republican of Wyoming .
Also a medical doctor .
Senator , really enjoyed this .
Please come back .
Sen. Barasso : I 'll be happy anytime I get to talk with the Lee Atwater outstanding young conservative award winner .
I 'm happy to do it .
Guy Benson : Thank you , Senator .
Really appreciate that .
He 's a he 's a dual threat .
Senator Barrasso is a senator and a doctor .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ valuable common combination for our listeners .
All right .
We 've got to take a break .
We 'll take it and we 'll come right back on the Guy Benson Show after this .

Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) a member of the President’s congressional “task force” to reopen the economy gave an update on the White House’s plans to reopen parts of the economy in certain states. Senator Barrasso also slammed democratic leadership for holding up (PPP) paycheck protection program funding. The $350 Billion loan program ran out of funds for small businesses, just as 5.2 million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits.
Listen To The Full Interview Below:
Full Transcript:
Guy Benson: Joining me now is U.S. Senator John Barrasso. He’s a Republican of Wyoming, also a medical doctor. Senator, great to have you on the show. Welcome.
Sen. Barasso: Well, thank you. I couldn’t have said it better myself. What you said is absolutely right. The fact that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are blocking the paychecks of millions of Americans, Americans holding us all hostage at gunpoint essentially is unconscionable. This is blackmail at its worst. And you want it. I agree with Senator McConnell, who was just on the floor of the Senate. What you cannot imagine that at these times what our nation is going through, that these two basically old time politicians are saying, what a great time for politics as usual. It is distressing and disgusting.
Guy Benson: And senators actually kind of shocking, even given everything we know about Schumer and Pelosi, we are actually quite literally in the midst of a global pandemic. We opened the program with the update that now nearly 32 million Americans have died of this disease. We are now up to more than 20 million people who have been laid off. This is not some Republican priority. This is something that your colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle and some of your colleagues on the other side, the Democratic side of the aisle got together weeks ago and said a huge core component of the rescue bill is going to be for small businesses to make sure they can keep people on the payroll. And it’s been such a popular program that it has gone through and exhausted 350 plus billion dollars in just a matter of three short weeks. We all knew that they were going to run out of money. You guys start warning about this last week. And rather than just saying, OK, this is something easy. This is a lay up that we can all agree on. The structure is there. The bipartisan support is unanimous. Let’s just do it. Instead, they’re saying, no, we want all these add-ons. And Senator, let me ask you this. Some of their ideas I’ve seen their proposals. Some of them are fine. Some of them are probably worthwhile and worth debating. That would be part of a phase four bill in legislative process. That’s going to come probably relatively soon. Why not just set it aside, incorporate their ideas for phase four and get this urgent priority done today?
Sen. Barasso: I agree with you completely got a number of the things that they’re talking about. I’m happy to have those discussions and the debates. Some of those dollars are just going out now to our rural hospitals or other hospitals, to the states, to the communities. They may need additional help depending on how long the health crisis that is upon us continues. But the dire need today is keeping people on the payroll, making sure they get their paychecks through this paycheck protection program, which has been so successful. And, you know, you know, the Democrats around the country have been taking credit for voting for this in a bipartisan way, and they have a right to do that. I mean, Kristen Cinema from Arizona, I was on the call with her that today with the president, as we’re part of the task force looking at reopening the country. She tweeted today, let’s get this passed today, additional money for the paycheck protection part. So you have bipartisan support and you have the old time classic Paul’s playing politics when the country cannot afford it and they don’t seem to care.
Guy Benson: You know, Senator, we actually played some audio of your floor speech during the filibuster, so I don’t want to get all mired into the history of this. But three weeks ago, they delayed the whole process for three or four days, basically for nothing playing these similar games. I follow Washington relatively closely. And the U.S. Senate. I appreciate the work that you do. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you as visibly agitated and angry as you were on the Senate floor during that filibuster. And I can sort of hear it in your voice. Again, as I mentioned the intro, you’re a medical doctor. You’re seeing both the economic side of this and also the horrible health costs of this. That has to also play into maybe part of the reason why you’re taking this seemingly more personally than politics as usual.
Sen. Barasso: Well, absolutely. I was absolutely livid on the floor of the Senate when we had what we thought was a bipartisan agreement with the Democrats in the Senate. And then Nancy Pelosi swoops into town from California and says, no, the agreement that you’re all working on. Not good enough for me. And she wants to include components of the Green New Deal. She wants airlines to be carbon neutral by 2025. She wants to reshape change election laws in the country. All at the time when the coronavirus crisis was hitting, our health care providers needed help in the field. Our families needed help with their paychecks, all of the things that needed to be done. And they were slowing the process. And you know, the most disturbing thing was Chuck Schumer, the Democrats got in line behind her. So if it’s not good enough for Nancy, it’s not good enough for them. And that was the most disturbing thing, that on Sunday and on Monday, the Democrats, each one of them came to the floor of the Senate and voted no to moving ahead with something that they had negotiated in good faith with the chairman and the ranking members of the committees over the weekend.
Guy Benson: And this is now a new round of this nonsense. And this is even more narrow. This is something it doesn’t get easier. This is a two hand slam dunk on a four foot hoop for Washington, D.C. It really shouldn’t be hard. And yet here we are. Senator, I do want to ask you some health related questions, because you’re a doctor. Number one. Do you agree, based on the data that you’re seeing, that the curve nationally is flattening? And then a second question would be, are you getting concerned about the uptick in cases that we’re starting to see in some rural parts of the country?
Sen. Barasso: Well, both. I think we are at the top. Coming back down on the curve, the you know, it’s interesting when you look at some of these models, the point of the highest level on the curve hasn’t been reached on the calendar yet. According to the models for rural areas, the Rocky Mountain West, they say in Wyoming, at least, this is the model coming out of Washington state, the medical school there that we may not peak until May 5th. The good news, because of all that we’ve been doing with social distancing is less than a month ago, they predicted 240 deaths in Wyoming. But because of all that we’ve doing, flattening the curve. Now they’re saying maybe thirty six at the most. So we have by behavioral changes alone. Well, we don’t have a vaccine and don’t have the treatment yet have been able to flatten the curve to the point where we may have saved hundreds of lives. Certainly in Wyoming and thousands, if not millions across the country. Had we done nothing, had the president done nothing on this? The predictions were a million and a half to two million lives lost. Now it looks like it may be less than one hundred thousand. So we had a headline story in the Casper paper. The other yesterday, about a million over a million lives saved in the United States because of action and cooperation by people doing the right thing.
Guy Benson: And Senator, look, I’m open to people who argue that the models were deeply flawed in some cases, imperfect in others, and maybe some of the projections were too draconian and scary. But I also really don’t buy into this notion that while we’re at 32000 deaths nationwide and that’s not so bad. And the distancing in all of these closures weren’t really necessary because all this has been overblown. It sounds like you reject that. It sounds like you’re saying the measures that have been taken from the president’s team and implemented across the country, in your medical opinion, have been hugely impactful in saving lives.
Sen. Barasso: Hugely impactful. If you talk to Bill CASSIDY, John Kennedy from Louisiana or doctors in states surrounding Louisiana and specifically New Orleans, and pinpoint timing to Mardi Gras with close contact. And many people view what you see. There is basically an explosion of cases because of so many people confined in a small area and close interpersonal relationships. The the Michigan activity, you take that in terms of how this the increase there after they had the big final political rallies before the Michigan primary, the Bernie Sanders rally, would he have 11000 people there on the campus at the University of Michigan? You take a look at the numbers where there been large congregations of people and then the peak and the spikes that occurred a couple of weeks afterwards. And I think it’s absolutely what we’ve been doing with social distancing has saved well over a million lives.
Guy Benson: You mentioned, Senator, a moment ago and you touched on it. But I want to circle back and focus on it. You were on a phone call today with the president, the United States. In a number of your colleagues there is this congressional task force to help reopen the U.S. economy. And the president’s looking at this from a business perspective. We heard some of the partners on that front at a recent press briefing. And now there’s also a group in Congress charged with plotting this course forward, if you will. You’re part of that working group. Can you tell us what the president tasked you with today, what he said, and without getting too far in front of him? ‘Cause I know there’s a big announcement coming around 6:00 p.m. Eastern today. What what should we expect to the extent that you’re allowed to tell us?
Sen. Barasso: Well, there is there were bipartisan members of the committee talking today about the need to get the country open. And the best way to do it, a number of us say it is time to start now in areas where we believe it is the safest. Clearly, the better testing we have in terms of a rapid test, the better it would be, the more people that can be tested. We may not be able to wait fully until we have all testing for all people. There are places right now where, you know, Wyoming, a rural state. We have hospitals that have essentially closed their doors to elective procedures and are now sitting empty, waiting for the crush of Corona virus cases that may hopefully never come. I mean, the idea of closing down all the hospitals all around the country was so they would be available if they needed to have to take care of all of the patients who would need be done. So the question is, can people safely go while socially distancing? Get back to work and open to business to a different level than we were expecting beforehand? Can’t have all the big gatherings, but we need to get open. And I know the president’s going to address that tonight. He did have good news on testing a new saliva test that’s coming along with work, work being done by Johnson and Johnson on vaccines. The Abbott test, which is which is increasingly available, the therapeutics, the work being done by the companies that were successful in fighting against Ebola and coming up with treatment for AIDS, that there is a lot of successful stories to tell. And I think the president’s going to want to mention those tonight.
Guy Benson: Okay. And we’ll be following that closely sometime in the 6:00 p.m. hour Eastern Time as the announced time, at least for the briefing today. Let me just follow up and ask you this. And it’s not asked in a hostile way, but it’s something that I am at least concerned about, because everything that you said makes sense to me. I think once we get into May, slowly but surely identifying low risk counties, let’s say in low risk areas and say, okay, let’s do this very carefully, very safely. Here’s how we can start in some places to get a little bit back to normal so people can work again and people can go out and do things again. It seems to me as a non-medical expert, that you really need very robust testing to have confidence in those in those assessments of what areas are safe to do this in. And I guess the question is we’ve heard some criticism and that there’s still a lag here. Are you satisfied with the state of the testing regime nationwide where you think it’s safe to start doing this soon?
Sen. Barasso: I’ve never been 100 percent satisfied with the state of the testing nationwide. And but it is getting better, much better. What you just prop appropriately, he said county by county. And the vise president on the call today and Secretary Manoogian was there as well. The previous president talked about the fact that they have the numbers down to the county levels. So they opening it up, as you well, we talked about, is something that may be done at that level as well. I’d like more testing the the areas where that guy’s a doctor or a health care professional. I’m always from the want to get the next test. I want to make sure of this. We’re very soon approaching that level.
Guy Benson: OK. We’ll have to leave it there for now as we’re out of time, it’s U.S. Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming. Also a medical doctor. Senator, really enjoyed this. Please come back.
Sen. Barasso: I’ll be happy anytime I get to talk with the Lee Atwater outstanding young conservative award winner. I’m happy to do it.
Guy Benson: Thank you, Senator. Really appreciate that. He’s a he’s a dual threat. Senator Barrasso is a senator and a doctor. And in these times, it’s a valuable common combination for our listeners. All right. We’ve got to take a break. We’ll take it and we’ll come right back on the Guy Benson Show after this.


radio--2020-04-10--Even With Bernie Out, Biden still Overshadowed by Corona

Earlier this week , Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his presidential campaign .
Chris Wallace , Host of `` Fox News @ @ @ @ @ what this means for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and why he thinks this @ @ @ @ @ a `` referendum on how President Trump handled the coronavirus . ''
Holy week , @ @ @ @ @ a little different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic with houses of worship being @ @ @ @ @ .
Priests and Rabbis are now relying on technology to keep the faith alive as @ @ @ @ @ Theologian and Fox News Contributor Jonathan Morris explains why it 's important more than ever @ @ @ @ @ during this time of uncertainty .
Plus , commentary by Robert Jeffress , Fox News @ @ @ @ @ Dallas First Baptist Church .

Earlier this week, Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his presidential campaign. Chris Wallace, Host of “Fox News Sunday,” talks about what this means for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and why he thinks this year’s election will be a “referendum on how President Trump handled the coronavirus.”
Holy week, Easter and Passover will be a little different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic with houses of worship being forced to close their doors. Priests and Rabbis are now relying on technology to keep the faith alive as parishioners worship from home. Theologian and Fox News Contributor Jonathan Morris explains why it’s important more than ever to keep your faith alive during this time of uncertainty.
Don’t miss the good news with Tonya J. Powers.
Plus, commentary by Robert Jeffress, Fox News Contributor and pastor of the Dallas First Baptist Church.


radio--2020-05-18--Judge Napolitano: If The Government Makes A Tracking App, One Will Be Made To Negate It

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla , Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano discussed the possibility of @ @ @ @ @ app to see who has been infected with the coronavirus and where they were traveling @ @ @ @ @ has no right to to track you , trace you or surviel you without a @ @ @ @ @ without a warrant .
If it does so , without a warrant and attempts to @ @ @ @ @ without a warrant and a criminal prosecution , theoretically , the courts will not let @ @ @ @ @ the purpose of the warrant requirement is to keep your free from government surveillance , @ @ @ @ @ use the materials gathered for a criminal prosecution or for not .
What I think @ @ @ @ @ government starts telling people or suggesting to people or rewarding people for using these apps @ @ @ @ @ an app that will negate the government 's app . ''

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano discussed the possibility of the government creating a tracking app to see who has been infected with the coronavirus and where they were traveling too.
“The government has no right to to track you, trace you or surviel you without a warrant. It does it without a warrant. If it does so, without a warrant and attempts to use information, it gathers without a warrant and a criminal prosecution, theoretically, the courts will not let it do so. But the purpose of the warrant requirement is to keep your free from government surveillance, whether they’re going to use the materials gathered for a criminal prosecution or for not. What I think will happen is if the government starts telling people or suggesting to people or rewarding people for using these apps, somebody else will develop an app that will negate the government’s app.”


radio--2020-04-08--Gary Sinise on How His Foundation is Helping Frontline COVID-19 Responders

Oscar Nominated actor and author Gary Sinise stopped by the Brian Kilmeade show to talk about how his foundation has @ @ @ @ @ the workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus response in the U.S. '' We developed @ @ @ @ @ called our Emergency COVID-19 Combat Service , '' he said .
`` We 're supporting @ @ @ @ @ , healthcare workers , gold star families , you name it .
Everybody 's been @ @ @ @ @ home from work or go to work because they 're a first responder and they @ @ @ @ @ we 're trying to make a difference . ''
To date , the Gary Sinise @ @ @ @ @ pieces of PPE and sterilization equipment to first responders around the country .
To learn @ @ @ @ @ help Gary support our first responders , visit www.garysinisefoundation.org or listen to the whole interview @ @

Oscar Nominated actor and author Gary Sinise stopped by the Brian Kilmeade show to talk about how his foundation has changed gears to help support the workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus response in the U.S.
“We developed a campaign to address COVID-19 called our Emergency COVID-19 Combat Service,” he said. “We’re supporting first responders, frontline workers, healthcare workers, gold star families, you name it. Everybody’s been impacted by having to stay home from work or go to work because they’re a first responder and they’re needed out there so we’re trying to make a difference.”
To date, the Gary Sinise Foundation has donated thousands of pieces of PPE and sterilization equipment to first responders around the country. To learn more about how you can help Gary support our first responders, visit www.garysinisefoundation.org or listen to the whole interview below.


radio--2020-04-08--How a Virus-Stricken Ship Led to a Navy Shakeup

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned one day after apologizing for calling the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt `` @ @ @ @ @ -for his handling of the ship 's coronavirus outbreak .
Commander Kirk Lippold , who @ @ @ @ @ the USS Cole when it was attacked by an Al Qaeda cell in 2000 , @ @ @ @ @ the controversy .
Many businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic resulting in @ @ @ @ @ jobs and trying to file for unemployment .
Today on the Rundown we speak to @ @ @ @ @ been impacted by Covid-19 .
Avi Liberman is a stand-up comedian and screenwriter and Mandy @ @ @ @ @ for a high end restaurant chain , a job she held for fifteen years .
@ @ @ @ @ coping financially , what the unemployment process is like and what can be learned from @ @ @ @ @ , commentary by Kat Timpf , co-host of the Tyrus and Tympf podcast .

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly resigned one day after apologizing for calling the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt “naive and “stupid” -for his handling of the ship’s coronavirus outbreak. Commander Kirk Lippold, who was the commanding officer on the USS Cole when it was attacked by an Al Qaeda cell in 2000, joins The Rundown to discuss the controversy.
Many businesses have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic resulting in millions of Americans losing their jobs and trying to file for unemployment. Today on the Rundown we speak to two people whose jobs have been impacted by Covid-19. Avi Liberman is a stand-up comedian and screenwriter and Mandy Visser is a corporate trainer for a high end restaurant chain, a job she held for fifteen years. They share how they are coping financially, what the unemployment process is like and what can be learned from all of this.
Plus, commentary by Kat Timpf, co-host of the Tyrus and Tympf podcast.


radio--2020-05-11--Ben Shapiro: Demagoguery On Economic Reopening Amid Coronavirus Is One Of The Most Cynical Things I'

Ben Shapiro: Demagoguery On Economic Reopening Amid Coronavirus Is One Of The Most Cynical Things I've Ever Seen

Ben Shapiro , Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire and Host of the Ben Shapiro Show joined Fox News Radio 's Guy Benson Show to talk about the reopening of the country amid Coronavirus .
Shapiro commented on those blaming the economic downturn on President Trump and those who say we can not reopen the country without Killing older or vulnerable individuals .
Saying '' It 's deeply cynical .
One of the more cynical moves that I 've seen is the attempt to suggest , as Joe Biden did , for example , that we were not willing to lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dow .
Though these are tradeoffs as if we just killed enough people , then we would just add points to the Dow , which is , of course , not how this how any of this works or the or even the suggestion that one side is lying and on the other side is the economy .
So the economy is not made up of millions and millions and millions and hundreds of millions of individual lives being affected in deep and profound and insane ways by the lockdowns and by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Full Interview Below :

Ben Shapiro, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire and Host of the Ben Shapiro Show joined Fox News Radio’s Guy Benson Show to talk about the reopening of the country amid Coronavirus. Shapiro commented on those blaming the economic downturn on President Trump and those who say we cannot reopen the country without Killing older or vulnerable individuals. Saying
“It’s deeply cynical. One of the more cynical moves that I’ve seen is the attempt to suggest, as Joe Biden did, for example, that we were not willing to lose one life for one point on the Dow. Though these are tradeoffs as if we just killed enough people, then we would just add points to the Dow, which is, of course, not how this how any of this works or the or even the suggestion that one side is lying and on the other side is the economy. So the economy is not made up of millions and millions and millions and hundreds of millions of individual lives being affected in deep and profound and insane ways by the lockdowns and by the public policy”.
Listen To The Full Interview Below:


radio--2020-05-12--How Coronavirus Is Changing Voters' Priorities

This week , Bret sits down with Amy Walter National Editor of the Cook Political Report , Josh Kraushaar Political @ @ @ @ @ FOX News Politics Editor Chris Stirewalt to discuss how COVID-19 continues to change the landscape @ @ @ @ @ The panel discussed the important role the coronavirus will play in deciding what kind of @ @ @ @ @ voters in the 2020 election , how the campaign issues will evolve as we get @ @ @ @ @ Senator Kamala Harris is Biden 's best choice for VP .

This week, Bret sits down with Amy Walter National Editor of the Cook Political Report, Josh Kraushaar Political Editor at National Journal and FOX News Politics Editor Chris Stirewalt to discuss how COVID-19 continues to change the landscape of the 2020 race.
The panel discussed the important role the coronavirus will play in deciding what kind of policies will matter most to voters in the 2020 election, how the campaign issues will evolve as we get closer to November and whether Senator Kamala Harris is Biden’s best choice for VP.
Follow Bret on Twitter: @BretBaier


radio--2020-05-12--Scott Walker: America "Should Be Moving Towards Safely And Responsibly Reopening The Economy"

Former Wisconsin Governor & President elect of Young America 's Foundation ( YAF ) , Scott Walker talked with Guy @ @ @ @ @ about the reopening of states and local governments amid coronavirus .
Saying that America , @ @ @ @ @ safely and responsibly reopening the economy by using standards that have effectively worked at grocery @ @ @ @ @ at pharmacies and at manufacturing sites that were deemed essential for the last almost two @ @ @ @ @ The Full Discussion Below :

Former Wisconsin Governor & President elect of Young America’s Foundation (YAF), Scott Walker talked with Guy Benson of Fox News Radio about the reopening of states and local governments amid coronavirus. Saying that America,
“Should be moving towards safely and responsibly reopening the economy by using standards that have effectively worked at grocery stores and hardware stores, at pharmacies and at manufacturing sites that were deemed essential for the last almost two months.”
Listen To The Full Discussion Below:


radio--2020-05-12--Brian Brenberg: Politicians Should Be More Like "Cheerleaders" For An American Comeback

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla , Fox News Contributor Professor Brian Brenberg explained why governors and other politicians need to be more like cheerleaders than trying to scold the American people during the coronavirus crisis .
`` You feel like governors and mayors have been kind of scolding people and telling them , you got to stay and you got to listen to the health health experts .
If you catch somebody doing the wrong thing , you get a picture on social media and they become the bad guy .
And I think smart governors and smart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying people got to get back to work .
We can not keep throwing money at this problem .
And so instead trying to force them to stay home , we 're going to try to help them think about the best ways to come back .
If you 're going to come back , do this , do that , use these resources , make sure that you 're practicing the distancing .
But at some point , politicians have to become more cheerleaders for America making a comeback than people putting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you 're going to get this antagonism between political leaders and people in business that is actually going to be the thing that causes a recovery to slow down and to stall and nobody wants that . ''

On Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, Fox News Contributor Professor Brian Brenberg explained why governors and other politicians need to be more like cheerleaders than trying to scold the American people during the coronavirus crisis.
“You feel like governors and mayors have been kind of scolding people and telling them, you got to stay and you got to listen to the health health experts. If you catch somebody doing the wrong thing, you get a picture on social media and they become the bad guy. And I think smart governors and smart local leaders are the ones who are saying people got to get back to work. We cannot keep throwing money at this problem. And so instead trying to force them to stay home, we’re going to try to help them think about the best ways to come back. If you’re going to come back, do this, do that, use these resources, make sure that you’re practicing the distancing. But at some point, politicians have to become more cheerleaders for America making a comeback than people putting on the brakes because at some point you’re going to get this antagonism between political leaders and people in business that is actually going to be the thing that causes a recovery to slow down and to stall and nobody wants that.”