James Comey is the first senior government official to face charges in one of President Trump s biggest grievances, the 2016 Russia investigation. The Secretary of War, Pete Hegghath, is planning a rare in-person meeting with hundreds of top generals and admirals from around the world, military sources tell Fox News that this is set for Tuesday at a Marine base in Virginia. Another ICE facility is under attack outside Chicago.
00:13:33.940And Georgia, by the way, and I know that I know that President Trump and Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, have had their disagreements, to say the least, in the past, though they did patch things up for 2024.
00:13:44.600But I've always, and go back and watch the shows, I've always praised Governor Kemp for what he did to Antifa and the Antifa networks following the Stop Cop City riots and attacks.
00:13:59.120Remember we were calling them Treehouse Antifa?
00:14:00.600Antifa, when they were attacking, they were in the forests, they were laying siege, they were firing, they were violent, they were fatal in some cases.
00:14:08.720Because in these attacks, it was happening over and over.
00:17:24.100Obviously, everything that your department has gone under, and specifically the ICE agency this week, is absolutely horrific.
00:17:33.000And what can you tell us as to how the department, and we just have a minute until the break, but I'll hold you if I can,
00:17:40.040is dealing with this wave of violence against ICE agents?
00:17:43.080Well, Secretary Noem has ordered for all facilities, whether it be ICE or CBP, just DHS in general, facilities across the nation to be hardened in the security.
00:17:55.780I mean, we just saw, and we actually just announced that earlier today, about 30 minutes ago, we confiscated a firearm from a riot that's happening right now at our Broadview facility in Chicago.
00:18:10.220And this is just two days after what just happened with this deranged individual opening fire indiscriminately on our ICE facility and the vans down there that led to the killing of one of the detainees and the serious injury of two of them.
00:18:24.920And thank God that our law enforcement was not injured and everyone's alive, but we're fearful we're going to see more of this.
00:18:32.480And so we're certainly going to be hardening security, but also, I mean, you've done such a great job, Jack, of pointing out the dehumanization and the demonization of our law enforcement from these media pundits and from the political left.
00:18:59.780But if we can, I'd love to get you on the flip side of this, because we do need to delve into that topic, as well as these threats that are ongoing against federal law enforcement who are just doing their job enforcing the laws of the United States of America.
00:19:45.040We're on with the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin.
00:19:48.780Tricia, you were telling us in the previous segment about this firearm that was confiscated at this siege, this violent protest that's going on outside an ICE facility, which is near Chicago.
00:20:03.000Can you tell us, do we know if this was a long gun, handgun, anything like that?
00:20:07.140I'm still getting details, Jack, on what that firearm was.
00:20:10.440But what we do know is that there's about 200 protesters, 200 rioters around this Broadview facility that's in Chicago.
00:20:18.940Within that facility is child predators, drug traffickers, those who have committed violent assaults, including against police officers.
00:20:27.780So these are truly heinous individuals, and there are these rioters outside who are trying to obstruct our law enforcement from entering that facility, and they're trying to cause chaos to operations.
00:20:38.900But among them was one of those rioters who did have that firearm.
00:20:42.320He has been arrested and that firearm confiscated.
00:20:45.140But, of course, this is increasingly alarming, Jack, after what we just saw out of our Dallas ICE field office, where that deranged individual opened fire and tried to hunt down our law enforcement.
00:20:58.340Again, one individual was killed, and two others are in critical condition.
00:21:03.100Those individuals are detainees, or excuse me, were detainees, and we do pray for them today.
00:21:08.060But what we know with that deranged individual from the Dallas ICE field office, he was doing this because he was hellbent on killing our law enforcement.
00:21:18.400As much as the media tries to spin this and say otherwise, we know the motivation.
00:21:24.040We saw those shell casings that had anti-ICE messages on them.
00:21:27.620He left behind handwritten notes that said he wanted to terrorize ICE agents and bring the ultimate violence to them.
00:21:34.680We also saw that he was largely inspired by the murder of your friend and so many of our heroes, Charlie Kirk, his murder.
00:21:47.700The format of the attack itself was similar as far as from a rooftop, from a roof that was adjacent to the ICE facility.
00:21:55.640That's where he was trying to snipe down and rain down these bullets on our law enforcement.
00:22:01.260And farther, this was very premeditated.
00:22:03.360He did a lot of research on the Charlie Kirk murder, and we believe that it was very much an inspiration for him.
00:22:11.400And we are, gosh, Jack, God forbid we see more copycats of this.
00:22:15.720And that's something that I think we're starting to piece out that, you know, because when I first saw the photo, when FBI Director Patel released the photos of those bullets, I have to say myself, like I'm sure so many others, the very first thing we thought of was,
00:22:34.280my gosh, my gosh, that looks exactly like the bullets that were used in Charlie's assassination.
00:22:41.600And, you know, you wonder just off the first glance, was this meant to be some kind of copycat message?
00:22:51.360And then, as you say, the fact that it was a Mauser, the fact that it was a bolt-action rifle, the fact that it was, you know, similar brand, similar make, slightly different setup.
00:23:04.040But, again, all of these pieces that come together that really seem to show that this was a, you know, perhaps meant as an homage or something like that in terms of this type of violent act.
00:23:17.060And, of course, then a call for more, a call for expansion.
00:23:21.520And, unfortunately, and studies have shown that when these types of attacks do happen, they can inspire copycats.
00:23:28.740I hate to say this, but are you tracking more, is the department tracking more threats like this?
00:23:34.640We're certainly tracking more threats like this across the country.
00:23:38.780I mean, we've seen, of course, at this ICE facility in Chicago that that is a potential sticking point there.
00:23:46.260Portland has had very violent riots as well.
00:24:22.080And how do we prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law?
00:24:25.480And so when you talk about coordination, and of course the president signed several EOs, can you tell us, if you can, I mean, I understand if there are current things that you want to get into because of investigations, but are you able to tell us, is this something the DHS is now able to bring certain authorities to bear because of those EOs?
00:24:47.180I think definitely to a certain extent.
00:24:52.180I think that's something that's something that's been more important than even some of those EOs is that President Trump and his cabinet secretaries have really done a fantastic job of breaking down silos in the intelligence community.
00:25:03.580It used to be when we started 250 days ago, that left hand didn't know what right hand was doing.
00:25:09.580They didn't have certain targets or certain intelligence information that would have been helpful to track down these perpetrators and track down those who are trying to harm Americans.
00:25:19.160And so that's been incredibly helpful to both Homeland Security, to the FBI, and to other agencies that a lot of Americans won't even consider part of the intelligence apparatus like the Treasury Department.
00:25:33.920And going after finances is absolutely key.
00:25:36.240In fact, we interviewed Secretary Besson a few weeks ago, and he said that 50 percent of his portfolio is national security or criminal related.
00:25:45.780And in fact, I know from having done previous investigations and work into this that, you know, it always seems that there's there's some guy in the back of a you talk about the silos, some some investigator in the back of one of those joint terrorism task forces, the JTTFs that are across all the major cities, who has done in many cases, a lot of the tracking of the information of these individuals in these networks.
00:26:07.000And yet it's siloed and they can't share it with people because they don't stay in one AOR.
00:26:12.980They do other things and they don't share it with other agencies who could then bring those investigative those investigative prowess and the and potentially prosecution forward.
00:26:23.980So I absolutely applaud the fact that that you've done that.
00:26:27.500I hope the JTTFs can be a resource here as well.
00:26:30.180Obviously, DHS plays a huge, huge role there.
00:27:09.340The information is out there breaking down the silos.
00:27:11.780I love hearing this because as a guy who used to be stuck in one of those silos, hoping for some kind of action in the intelligence community, this is exactly the moves that need to be made.
00:28:07.460So, you know, as you know, as we go through these these weeks and we're talking about the the Charlie Kirk legacy and we're talking about and we're here in Charlie's studio.
00:28:19.640And one of the things that Charlie really went in on was no tax on tips.
00:28:25.980And he really was so focused on and not just that issue, but among others, he was so focused on the working class.
00:28:36.900And but he didn't call it that, of course, he called it the muscular class.
00:28:40.160He would say those guys who have to take a shower before work and after work, you know, and he had so much love for for this group of people that had really been given the short end of the stick for so many years in this country and and wanted to help them.
00:28:55.980Economically, to achieve that wage growth, the home ownership and really just just fought for it as much as he could.
00:29:04.640So we wanted to bring you on today because I know we have some numbers to report.
00:29:08.700And I just know that, you know, Charlie is he's on assignment with God right now, but I'm sure he's I'm sure he's looking down and smiling at some of the the wins that have really been coming out that he fought so hard for.
00:29:20.160Yeah. Well, absolutely. And, you know, when you talk about the working folks, you know, President Trump is a builder and he understands that because when he built buildings, he he he worked with all the people that that were part of it.
00:29:33.820That's who he was comfortable with without naming names.
00:29:35.680As I actually know, a gentleman who worked with Trump organization for years and he always said that the president was a huge patriot and it was the common folk who he bonded with, which is kind of interesting.
00:29:45.880Right. You don't think someone successful as a billionaire is like that.
00:29:48.560And the same thing with Secretary Besson, if you read his history and how he was working as a kid at a very early age hustling.
00:29:55.360And, you know, so the president clearly understands how important it is, as Charlie did, to do what we can to lift the after tax wage rates for for U.S. workers, the backbone of the economy.
00:30:07.020We like to call the the blue collar workers.
00:30:09.580And under President Trump, we're seeing now through the first eight months of administration now is actually the fastest growth in real wages over one percent than any administration in the last 60 years.
00:30:21.000If you look at the first term and the bill that was passed, as you highlight, the no tax on tips is important, but it also includes no tax on overtime.
00:30:29.220Jack, that's going to encourage people into the workforce, produce more for people.
00:30:33.100It's going to lower inflation. And of course, even working seniors, they're going to get a tax break as well.
00:30:38.380So all these things that Charlie highlighted, the president clearly has those same views.
00:30:44.060And we're all working in the right direction, which is lifting American wage rates, lowering their cost of living and raising their living standards, especially for the middle and lower income workers.
00:30:55.600That is central to what President Trump wants to do.
00:30:58.820Well, you know, it's something that, you know, just I remember last year, Charlie would be telling us, he's I'm in the back of the Uber and I'm telling the Uber driver all about no tax on tips.
00:31:07.900And I got his I got his address and we're going to send him a ballot and, you know, it'd be out at dinner somewhere.
00:31:14.240And, you know, he wrote it on all the receipts, you know, Trump, no tax on tips.
00:31:18.160And of course, he was in Arizona, but wherever he was in his travels that he would whenever he would meet people who were, you know, Uber drivers, waiters, servers, you know, anyone in that, you know, anyone who is in the in an industry where they have tips.
00:31:36.180Right. He made sure to just be one of the biggest evangelists for that, because it's something that I mean, of course, we held a couple events in in Las Vegas.
00:31:45.940And of course, Nevada, this is a huge issue. And he would talk about it as much as possible.
00:31:49.960So, you know, he really made it a high spot of the the efforts in twenty twenty four.
00:31:58.260And it's so incredible because, you know, we're seeing that take place, but we're also seeing and again, the wage growth that is coming in for the muscular class now.
00:32:07.360Yeah, I mean, I think unfortunately, I didn't get to know Charlie. I wish I had.
00:32:12.940But he believed that ideas mattered. And if you had a better idea, he was going to listen to it.
00:32:18.720And President Trump, with the no tax on tips, knew that was a real important development.
00:32:24.240And what was a great novel idea that made it jack into the legislation is you talk about waiters and waitresses and other people that depend on tips for their livelihood.
00:32:33.080But digital asset creators, content creators are also now part of this bill because that's how they earn their money through voluntary paid tips or what we call qualified tips.
00:32:45.300So the YouTube, the YouTubers, the live streamers, the podcasters, all the people that you knew and grew up with, they also now get the benefit of this.
00:32:53.660So not only is President Trump helping the interior of the economy, the backbone of the economy, he's also gotten legislation passed that take us into and through the 21st century in a way that's going to benefit the U.S. uniquely to everywhere else in the world.
00:33:08.940Well, and I certainly appreciate that as a as a content creator, streamer type person myself, you know, that that's really something that that is fantastic.
00:33:22.120And I know that Charlie was a huge part of that behind the scenes to get that included in there and something that, you know, he was always fighting for because he was always thinking about different pieces of legislation and different ways that he could help.
00:33:37.300And by the way, not just people on his political side of the aisle or people who agreed with him on every issue, but actual American citizens.
00:33:44.920And that was the entire point. And I think that's something that gets lost many times in, you know, these framings, not just of Charlie, but in his legacy, but also the president and the administration in general, that these are wins, not only for, you know, if you're someone who wears a red hat, if you wear a blue hat, if you are a camo hat, if you wear a construction hat, you know, construction helmet to work.
00:34:06.540Guess what? These policies are going to help you. And in fact, they're kicking in now and already helping you.
00:34:13.240And some of the numbers that we're seeing, the job growth that we're seeing, you and I talked before about the new capital investment, investitures that businesses are doing into the United States.
00:34:22.020And President Trump talks about it every single chance he gets. He says, America is so hot right now. America is so hot. The money's all coming in.
00:34:28.940And it's actually true. It's actually happening. It's not just a marketing pitch, even though he is the best salesman there is, but it's it's actually coming to fruition.
00:34:37.080Well, you know, you need optimism. The animal spirits, as a famous economic quote would say.
00:34:41.500So the president is a builder, knows how the economy works, knows how the private sector works.
00:34:45.620You're exactly right. One of our earlier conversations, we talked way back about the blue collar boom that was starting pretty much the minute that the president took office.
00:34:54.280But we also see much stronger CapEx, Jack, as you allude to. We're at almost a 15 year high or close to it in terms of capital spending.
00:35:02.780We've yet to benefit fully from the full expensing of capital equipment that is going to continue to engineer much faster investment by companies.
00:35:10.940When companies invest more, they could produce more.
00:35:13.340They make more profits and they could pay their workers more. In addition, because President Trump's a builder and he wants to make things and factories and reindustrializing and reinvigorating the manufacturing base,
00:35:25.360which was really depleted and exhausted under both Democrats and Republicans, this revival, this golden age, if you will, now can start because of the president's forward looking policies such that companies are going to make and build things here.
00:35:40.060And they will be they'll be made by American workers. They will be employed by American workers.
00:35:45.700And Secretary Besson, as well, has made this point. What will that mean? It will mean rising wages for everyday Americans.
00:35:52.100As the secretary has said many times, you know, Wall Street has done well and we'd like Wall Street to do well.
00:35:56.820But this is mainstream turn. They need to do well. That was the overriding, unique characteristic of the first Trump administration, where middle and lower class families outperformed the upper end.
00:36:08.920They had the biggest wage gains, real wage gains they had essentially in history.
00:36:14.660And basically the first three years of President Trump's first term, he was something like two to three times the cumulative gain in the prior 16 years.
00:36:23.000So the president knows what makes the economy work.
00:36:25.960And he's got great people like Secretary Besson to put his policies in place.
00:36:30.980And, Jack, the best news is still ahead. Four percent GDP nearly last quarter looks looking maybe at four percent this quarter.
00:36:38.140However, I'm just super optimistic on the outlook.
00:36:42.120And and quick, quick question, Joe, the I have to ask as well, the interest rate cuts that, you know, we finally see the you know, this this the situation with Powell, something the president had been pushing for so long.
00:36:54.220So just before we break, go to the break, I know we have about a minute left and I know you have to run.
00:36:58.500And what what do you do we expect to see from finally getting these interest rate cuts?
00:37:03.480The Fed finally is cutting rates or cutting rates, Jack, because the labor market's weak.
00:37:07.960We find out after the fact that we had about a million and a half fewer jobs than what the prior administration thought we had.
00:37:14.280So it wasn't like the president hired and inherited a good job market.
00:37:17.700Quite the opposite. We're upbeat, though, that all the capital spending in the building will lead to to much higher growth.
00:37:23.440But there are pockets of the economy that could certainly benefit from lower rates.
00:37:27.480Housing won certain areas of manufacturing.
00:37:30.420And we know from the first Trump term you could have fast growth and low inflation.
00:37:34.380So why hold the economy back with high rates? The Fed has cut.
00:37:38.300The good news is they're signaling in their projections they they need to cut more.
00:37:43.480Understandably, the president has been frustrated with the slow pace of the cuts.
00:37:47.340But I think finally they're moving in that direction and that will just give the economy an added prop.
00:37:52.780We'll be able to produce more and that will mean actually lower inflation, faster growth.
00:37:57.540It's a fantastic story. And again, very consistent with why voters put the president back in office because of the successes he had in his first term.
00:38:07.460Joe Lavernia, Counselor 2, Secretary of the Treasury.
00:38:11.460Thank you so much, Joe, for being here and for your kind words about Charlie.
00:41:27.540And when you think about how this affects that generation, and I've been thinking about my children as well.
00:41:37.280And, you know, this is going to be something that it is a it's a mass trauma.
00:41:43.160You know, it's a mass trauma where it's different from, say, a military attack or a, you know, something that just happens on the news because it's personal.
00:41:55.000It was so personal for so many kids in this generation.
00:41:58.540And I keep hearing kids down to, you know, 10 years old.
00:42:02.080Someone told me the other day that that they were a huge fan of Charlie and my own kids.
00:42:07.700They were sort of they're sort of too young to have been fans of Charlie, even though they knew him personally and had met him.
00:42:14.720But they just sort of know him as like Uncle Charlie or, you know, and they don't quite understand the scope and the scale.
00:42:27.260You know, do you think that for the ones that do and you mentioned that they that they are seeing what it is when it comes to the media, when it comes to the professors?
00:42:39.400Do you think that they are really going to start turning against them?
00:42:45.000Because unfortunately, in the wake of this, what do we see from the media?
00:42:48.980More demonization, demonization of ICE agents, continued demonization of Charlie himself, even in death.