in fact, one black president a world away wants to know why president biden is singling out african nations when it is affecting people hopping on planes and going everywhere? i'm harris faulkner and you are in "the faulkner focus". the president meeting now we're told with his covid response team getting set to speak later this hour to the nation on the new variant. and the world health organization says it poses a very high global risk. south africa's first reports of it were last wednesday. the truth, there is still a lot we don't know. dr. anthony fauci says it should take about two weeks to get a clear picture of how severe and transmissible the variant is. >> you have a virus that has already gone to multiple countries. inevitably it will be here. we're on the lookout for this. cdc has a good surveillance system. if and when shall did-it will be when it comes here hopefully we'll be ready for it. >> harris: dr. marty makary says it could take 12 hours. let's get the facts with him later in focus. we begin with peter doocy live at the white house. >> harris, good morning. the president found himself in a rare sunday oval office meeting about the variant last night. >> are you considering travel restrictions on europe or any additional countries? >> president biden: having a meeting with my medical team at the white house. >> this is what he heard. dr. fauci informed the president while it will take approximately two more weeks to have more definitive information on the sieve air tee and characteristics of the variants he believes existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases of covid. but rushing back from an nantucket holiday to get a briefing by dr. anthony fauci has some critics wondering president and biden and his staff have learned the right lessons from the last year and 3/4. >> he lied to congress and should be investigated and repeatedly said his agency did not fund dangerous and risky gain-of-function research in the wuhan labs which certainly was the origin of this virus. he said it repeatedly to congress. his agency admitted a few weeks ago that they did fund gain-of-function research. so there is a lie there. >> this is a president who promised he was not going to shut down the economy but he would shut down the virus. the second part hasn't happened yet. the new variant gives him another chance to try. >> harris: thank you very much for sengt us up as the covid team races to learn as much as it can about the omicron variant dr. fauci is warning it could spread faster. >> mutations would strongly suggest it would be more transmissible and that it might evade some of the protection of monoclonal antibodies and plasma and even antibodies induced by vaccine. >> harris: oh, it is so frustrating when they say all of that and scare people and they admit they don't have the facts yet. dr. marty makary is a fox news contributor and professor at johns hopkins university school of medicine where we have gotten so much of our numbers and material this pandemic. dr. makary, great to see you. the one thing that i want to ask you about is research that i know that you are familiar with. we have those biosafety labs. they have are a high-level lab. how many do we have here? >> we have four of thoefs in the united states, 59 in the world. this he need to go to work now to tell us whether or not this new variant binds to antibodies. that's a very simple scientific experiment. it has been done with other variants. we have the entire world economy on hold right now. we need this answer. we have 54 billion dollars at the nih and cdc. they need to go to work and get the question answered. we have elective surgery on hold. flights being banned and all kinds of things going on. >> harris: elected officials in the continent of africa are upset with biden now. why are you singling them out and punishing south africa for finding the variant? quickly, you told my team in 12 hours we could know what they say will take 2 1/2 weeks. why do you say that? >> this is a very simple experiment. take a new variant of the virus and the antibodies and see whether or not they bind. that needs to be done nou. instead we get all of this fluff about how we are partnering and talking closely and on top of it, don't worry, the government has it. we don't hear anything about the new medications and anti-virals that will get approved. the narrative get your booster, ignoring natural immunity. people don't want to hear speculation right now. they want the real answer. >> harris: you talked about life being put on hold. i want to get to this travel ban. president biden's travel ban on eight southern african countries now goes into effect today. my first question was if it were that much of an emergency why did he wait throughout the weekend of the holiday. anyway, the president said the decision came at the recommendation of his covid team including dr. fauci. fauci himself has said it is only a matter of time before omicron hits the united states. yeah, it is in canada this morning. south africa's president demanding a reversal. here he is. >> we call upon these countries that have imposed travel bans on our country and our other southern african sister countries to immediately and urgently reverse their decisions. these restrictions are completely unjustified and unfairly discriminate against our country and our southern african sister countries. >> harris: i want wait to get to the point where biden criticized trump. tom cotton says the travel ban is worse than useless. >> what president biden did over the weekend is a typical half measure that reflects the incompetence of this administration. a travel ban needs to go into effect immediately. that's what most european nations did. if you don't want a travel ban because you think the virus is already here and counterproductive you shouldn't do so. it is another incompetent half measure. >> harris: here it is on the campaign trail then candidate joe biden said this about president trump's handling of the pandemic. we were at the beginning here remember at the very beginning. we knew it came from china. president trump said lock it down. in terms of travel back and forth from there. here is the former candidate biden. we are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. we need to lead the way with science, not donald trump's record of hysteria, xenophobia and fear mongering. the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency. i cue up dr. makary. >> look, i stay out of politics. the travel ban is not a travel ban. a travel ban when you have no testing, no specific testing is highly effective and you need to do it indiscriminately. but when you have testing that's specific to a virus like we do now, then a travel ban is mute. by the way, omicron is already in the united states certainly at this point based on the number of people testing positive that have already shown up from africa. so when we have good testing as we do now it is a matter of implementing the testing, not shutting down all fight. you shut out researchers, humanitarian workers and the travel ban does not apply to americans. so it is a very pieced together discriminate travel ban we have right now. >> harris: quickly. i know you don't want to step into politics. do travel bans work at the beginning of this? it seems to help. did it not with china since it was coming from there? >> it slowed it down. we could have done more. >> harris: but now if you say it's already here i say it's in canada. they've confirmed cases. how do we slow this down? delta came, too. i don't understand how they got to this particular move with the biden administration. >> it makes people feel good when you have a travel ban after testing has matured like we do now. i'm not opposed to a travel ban now but it has to be more flexible. when you have human tarrance and medical researchers trying to get back and forth and they can't. people trying to get back to a funeral. i have think non-essential travel at this point could be put on hold until we get the experiment done in is bsl4 lab. the idea that we have this taken care of because we've done a partial ban in the future doesn't work. >> harris: i just look at the holiday that we just had and how many people were going all over the world and how just a few days ago the united states virgin islands opened its travel back and forth with parts of the african continent. specifically south africa. you have people traveling back and forth. if it's a emergency stop it. we waited until after the holiday. your quick thought. >> we knew about this on november 10th. so the idea that we acted as soon as we got the information is not actually accurate. >> harris: wow. new york governor declares a disaster emergency in the city on friday. she signed an executive order letting state hospitals limit non-essential procedures. she said in a statement we continue to see warning signs of spikes this upcoming winter and while the new omicron variant has yet to be detected in new york state, it is coming. both new york state and city have seen notable increases in the seven day rolling average of covid-19 cases and hospitalizations compared to last month. what would you say to the governor about that? >> elective surgery is still very important to do elective surgery. hip replacements, aortic aneurysm repair and cancer resection. when we stop elective surgery it has massive implications for help. what is driving it staffing shortages that people aren't willing to admit from a non-flexible vaccine mandate. we wouldn't have these massive walk-outs that we have now and chemotherapy shortages nationwide. if we have a halt on electricive surgery in new york because of a variant that may evade immunity, highly unlikely we'll be in this thing forever. variants will form forever. >> harris: quickly we know we are expecting to hear from president biden later this hour on the omicron spread. what would you like for him to say and does he have any cleanup on aisle 7 to do with regard to how he is handling this? >> look, i would love them to recognize natural immunity, their greatest failure. give people hope and asewer answer. -- assurance. 95% of the spike protein is identical to previous variants. we have a lot of reasons to believe despite the number of mutations on the omicron surface that immunity from vaccination or natural immunity encompasses that and the new antiviral medications are anti-virals and will work against all variants and we'll have those very soon. i would love for them also to talk about a medication that doesn't have the controversy of hydroxy andiveer mek tin. trials published in the top medical jurn as showed it reduced death by 91%. you never hear the biden administration talk about the therapeutics or natural immunity. people need hope right now. i think people need to live their lives. >> harris: they need you to make sure those things are said. maybe they'll watch here. thank you. i feel calmer already. information does that for you, right? truth and information. well again we're awaiting president biden's marks from the white house on the new covid strain and concerns over you heard the doctor say it, things are put on hold right now. entire economies put on hold right now and the president is already under fire over his handling of the inflation situation hitting so many americans smack in the wallet. remember this. >> president biden: we are going to get things done. we are going to act. we are going to beat this virus and get it under control. >> harris: candidate biden promising to have the virus under control. now even as his media -- there is a lot to get into. pete hegseth is in "focus" next. veteran homeowners. you made a smart move when you bought your home. now make another one and turn your equity into cash with your va home loan benefit. the newday 100 va loan lets you borrow 100% of your home's value. remodel the kitchen, consolidate debt, pay off big bills or save for retirement. newday is holding the line on rates. with today's high home values, turning equity into cash is a really smart move. [ sigh ] not gonna happen. that's it. i'm calling kohler about their walk-in bath. my name is ken. how may i help you? hi, i'm calling about kohler's walk-in bath. excellent! happy to help. huh? hold one moment please... [ finger snaps ] hmm. ♪ ♪ the kohler walk-in bath features an extra-wide opening and a low step-in at three inches, which is 25 to 60% lower than some leading competitors. the bath fills and drains quickly, while the heated seat soothes your back, neck and shoulders. kohler is an expert in bathing, so you can count on a deep soaking experience. are you seeing this? the kohler walk-in bath comes with fully adjustable hydrotherapy jets and our exclusive bubblemassage. everything is installed in as little as a day by a kohler-certified installer. and it's made by kohler- america's leading plumbing brand. we need this bath. yes. yes you do. a kohler walk-in bath provides independence with peace of mind. call... to receive $1000 off your kohler walk-in bath. and right now we're offering no payments for 18 months. >> most of the physical infrastructure work but more envisioned in the build back better law. contains incentives to make it more affordable to buy an electric vehicle. families will never have to worry about gas prices again. >> harris: driving electric will fix this? transportation secretary pete buttigieg appearing to brush off the pain americans are feeling at the pump as the price of gasoline and just about everything else is going through the roof right now. republican senator john barrasso said the president's massive spending plan is going to make things worse if it happens. >> i view this as a back breaking bill for the country with the kind of expenses, spending, adding to the debt. inflation and taxes that will hit the american people. you know, for joe biden to say we have to spend even more money on top of inflation, to me this is alice in wonderland logic. he is a mad hatter out here. this is all about democrat spending. this is 100% on them. >> harris: the "wall street journal" editorial board called out democrats for stupid inflation tricks coming up with new culprits to blame for rising prices and this after the president and liberals like senator elizabeth warren recently blamed opec and greedy corporations for the spike in gas prices. pete hegseth, co-host of "fox & friends" weekend. i don't know if people are prepared for the economic talk you can throw down. >> here is what the biden administration is attempting to sell us, an electric future which already is heavily subsidized. $550 billion worth of subsidies in this bill relies on traditional power generation. if you don't have coal-fired plants and natural gas or other ways of generating power, nuclear plants which we aren't opening, we're shutting, you don't generate more electricity to provide for the new electric future. by the way you aren't solving the climate crisis that the left says that we are over in as well. so the emission issue isn't addressed, either. all the subsidies create a lot of disruptions into a market which isn't yet prepared to sustain this renewable future they're dreaming off. >> harris: former military we talk about this idea of readiness all the time. you have to stay ready so you don't have to get ready. we aren't ready net. how do we know? they aren't everywhere. you get caught -- i have friends that don't want to go from phoenix to san diego in a car because not enough stations along the way. >> bill: the infrastructure is not there. a huge amount of money to put a charging station in your own home. people can't afford. the infrastructure. or want to if they're renting. it's $12,000 per person they may subsidize for electric vehicles and again they are saying don't worry about the pain you are feeling right now, which is really real. it is record breaking gas prices across the country. this future we'll give you will be so wonderful. the pain you feel in the next 5, 10, 15 years if we even get there, that's not your problem. that's not our problem, your problem. we care more. even though a lot of people miss this. on thanksgiving it got underreported. climate scientists are acknowledging that their models have been off for all these many years. so the climate science they worship is what's driving all of this. ultimately they know deep down it is not even correct. yet you have to change our entire life and entire economy in order to serve their religion. >> harris: it is hard to do that if we aren't ready for the next step yet. then you have to have a lot of cash. $12,000 subsidy is about what some people have been comfortable with purchasing cars. i don't want to spend too much. a few years down the road maybe we'll be electric. it is crazy to me. >> bill: whose cash is that? your cash and my cash. >> harris: not the government's cash. >> taxpayer dollars we don't have. inflation won't be a problem because -- >> harris: they don't eat. >> the answer to every problem is their agenda is the way it always seems to work. >> harris: outer space creatures inside the beltway. congresswoman nancy mace is pushing back on president biden's plan as well as saying it includes funding for more i.r.s. agents to monitor american's bank accounts. >> $80 billion for 89,000 new agents to spy on our bank accounts. it has been tried in socialist countries and doesn't work. the fact we'll continue to do this rather than reform our tax policy to make it more friendly and easy to use. rather than a flat tax we'll hire new agents to spy on our bank accounts and it is unamerican. >> harris: the build back better plan includes that funding for more than 80,000 agents which would allow for more than a million additional audits every year. nearly half of them likely to affect families earning fewer than $75,000 a year. so they say oh, it is to target the rich. they are going after everybody. >> absolutely they are and they'll go back years and years and that's where they believe they will cover the gap in their costs which cbo hasn't scored which isn't a good score but ultimately everyone acknowledges the bill supposed to be 1.7 trillion is actually closer to 4 or 5 when you get -- trillion when you get past the budget gimmicks. the other part underreported it envisions a 300 person climate corp. tell me what the 300 person climate core will do? what's wha* are their parameters for operation? tr r they the new osha on climate watching every aspect how our economy runs? they envision a future where the government looks into your bank accounts, books back in your tax records no matter what you make and oversees every aspect of climate. >> harris: here is a question i would ask if we got some climate corp people and i.r.s. people in a room. do you all get together and connect the dots? if i'm spending money on a certain thing are you informing the other guys that i'm spending money on that and is there reverb for that? maybe my $600 isn't on readiness for my home for an electric car. i'm still trying to buy a sofa, i don't know. >> they will find a way to talk to you if they want to target you. how about a few more folks in the marine corp? we live in a dangerous world. the defense budget is a net decrease and we see the ambitions of china. they aren't talking about that. >> harris: news of the omicron variant spent the dow on its worst plunge friday. the chief economic advisor said the new covid strain could trigger a return of the battle stagflation of 1970. >> the marketplace is wore eefd about two things. one, yet another variant of covid is going to hit them hard. we travel less, we go out to restaurants less. the marketplace is worried also this will cause more inflation. that supply chains will be disrupted even more. those two things together, trace, low growth, high inflation, stagflation. >> harris: it is all adding to trouble for president biden. some of the media are doing their jobs and taking note. >> ultimately this is also a political problem. president biden ran on -- >> this poses a significant challenge to the biden administration on the economic front. last week we heard the president urge americans to have confident in the progress the economy has made. the omicron variant could pose a threat. heading into an election year it could spell trouble. >> harris: they've already found something to blame and we've been told it's 2 1/2 weeks before we know omicron variant can be blamed. >> the old playbook is rolled out preemptively. if you look at the data now. you did a great interview with dr. makary. always helpful to hear the real information. the covid data now the state with the lowest number of covid cases? the state of florida. understood how to balance the economic impact with the reality of a virus that you learn more about but folks like fauci as opposed to mccarey want to roll out travel bans that were racist under trump and okay under biden. mandates for people. lockdowns on populations. >> harris: in florida they were having a two-way conversation. desantis and those with him were trying to figure out how to get people's lives back together. a two-way conversation and put up 25 sites around the state for monoclonal therapy. the administration is a one-way. >> ignoring their poout ickx. -- therapeutics. leadership is a balance of other things that matter in people's lives. >> harris: you know who gets to have the other side of the conversation? next november in the mid-term elections. we have to see what the people are saying. thank you for being in focus. critics going after media coverage of the waukesha parade massacre. was the s.u.v. responsible or the suspect who drove it? >> we could have stopped him and closed the front entrance and they put the flashers up. whoever got in the way they were going to hurt him. >> harris: this is more than just robbing the joint. smash and grab looters in california getting more brazen. now the crimes are spreading across america. jason rantz in "focus" after the break. >> man: what's my safelite story? my truck...is my livelihood. so when my windshield cracked... the experts at safelite autoglass came right to me... with service i could trust. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ people were afraid i was contagious. i felt gross. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx. four years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections —some serious— and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. learn more at cosentyx.com. going to tell you about exciting medicare advantage plans that can provide broad coverage, and still may save you money on monthly premiums and prescription drugs. with original medicare, you're covered for hospital stays and doctor office visits. but you have to meet a deductible for each, and then you're still responsible for 20% of the cost. next, let's look at a medicare supplement plan. as you can see, they cover the same things as original medicare, and they also cover your medicare deductibles and co-insurance. but, they often have higher monthly premiums and no prescription drug coverage. now, let's take a look at humana's medicare advantage plans. with a humana medicare advantage plan, hospital stays, doctor office visits and your original medicare deductibles are covered. and of course, most humana medicare advantage plans include prescription drug coverage. in fact, in 2020 humana medicare advantage prescription drug plan members saved an estimated $8,400 on average on their prescription costs. most humana medicare advantage plans include a silversneakers fitness program at no extra cost. dental, vision and hearing coverage is included with most humana medicare advantage plans and, you get telehealth coverage with a $0 copay. you get all this for as low as a $0 monthly plan premium in many areas. and your doctor and hospital may already be a part of humana's large network. if you want the facts, call right now for the free decision guide from humana. there is no obligation, so call the number on your screen right now to see if your doctor is in our network, to find out if you can save on your prescriptions, and to get our free decision guide. humana, a more human way to healthcare. >> harris: smash and grab looters attacking stores around the nation this holiday weekend. many of the brazen crimes occurred in california. one of them in los angeles county where as many as 10 people believed to be teenagers made off with hundreds of dollars worth of tools. probably more than that. in oakland a former police officer was killed during an attempted robbery while working as security for a news crew covering a smash and grab. william la jeunesse is live for us in l.a. william. >> harris, voters may be rethinking california's soft on crime policies like releasing non-violent inmates and reducing felonies to misdemeanors after a dozen smash and grab rob east including this one friday where thieves ransacked the home deep owe and melrose, louie vit on in beverly hills and nordstrom and several stores in mid town. >> a manifestation of desiengd we'll defund the cops and other ones. >> what do they have in common? they are all in areas led by progressive das who attribute many property driems wealth inequality and oppose a jail time for non-violent offenders. >> we need to get rid of the imposter district attorneys. the jurisdictions where it is happening in san francisco and los angeles and chicago and minneapolis, it is where you have these soros funded d.a.s, public defenders in disguise. >> newsom agreed with gascon. opposed to increase sentences for many offenders. now with public opinion shifting, so is he. >> we want real accountability. we want people prosecuted and we want people to feel safe this holiday season. why are we here? we want to protect people. >> a lot of the goods are resold online or through fencing networks. retailers would like to see other prosecutors get involved like the feds or state. just this morning the california attorney general said he was busy filing a brief in support of rights for transgender students. >> harris: thank you very much. the brazen looting spread far beyond california. over the weekend holiday it has many people feeling it is right in their neighborhoods. for some it is. in chicago four stores hit thursday and early friday morning. outside minneapolis more than 20 people stormed a best buy. can you imagine being in a store and having 20 people storm the store while there? you, your family. they hauled off anything they could pick up and carry out. seattle talk show host jason rantz is in "focus" now. welcome. you have said time and time again either it was the autonomous zones, the rioting going on, looting. once you relax the reaction that you have to crime, the criminals say it's on. >> absolutely. when you have a party that is not prioritizing public safety at all it leads to this and it is not going to stop. almost feel like a broken record. why wouldn't criminals be empowered to commit these kinds of crimes when the democrats have said every one of them will get a pass if they get caught. we don't do jail time anymore. we are closing jails. a low level misdemeanor with no consequences. these are felonies. restorative justice. you get art or music therapy instead of jail and criminals skip it anyway. they continue to do this because they are allowed to do it. only until you stop it and you actually punish and actually send a message up until that point nothing will change. >> harris: i wrote down what you said. organized crime. if you have one or two people -- when you have 20 people hitting one store like a best buy, somebody had to have control and command of that situation in some way. >> absolutely. we've seen this all across the country. now the people who are committing these crimes are still low level people getting taken advantage of by other more deefshous but it is organized. when you go as a group and getaway car waiting in the parking lot, you have conspired to commit this crime and that raises it to a felony level. democrats can pretend all they want it is a result of institutionalized racism and poverty. no it's not. we have to stop with the absolute nonsense and by the way you calling it looting is apparently a microaggression. apparently it is a racist term. >> harris: i did not know that, oh my goodness. >> they are word police rather than promote actual policing. they got mad at media outlets for saying looting because it apparently he volkswagen racist imagery. it is absurd. >> harris: critics are tearing into cnn over this tweet yesterday on the wisconsin parade massacre. waukesha will hold a moment of silence marking one week since a car drove through a parade and killed six people and one person tweeted this. well, how about that? autonomous cars seem to run amuck. another a car did this? not a human being with intent to kill and maim and being held on 5 million dollars bail. you are a joke. >> democrats like to focus on the weapon when they don't want to makevilleance out of the criminal when it flies in the face of the narrative they're pushing. the smash and grab is not the issue, poverty is. darrell brooks can't be the focus because he is not a white supremacist who was influenced by a right wing or a trump supporter. when we are told over and over again the true threat is that white supremacist exist and taking over the country. kyle rittenhouse was a white supremacist with intent to kill. darrell brooks we ignore his criminal history enabled by left wing light on crime policies and then we focus on the s.u.v. and then people then wonder over at cnn why don't people trust us? look at your tweets. >> harris: wow. you laid that down old school. good to see you. thank you. we'll see you soon. president biden reportedly telling allies he plans to run for reelection but that is not stopping speculation about a potential replacement on the 2024 democratic ticket. so who is the party eyeing if biden does not run? and shocking new reports on hunter biden's business dealings with china. including lavish gifts and millions and millionss of dollars. however, critics are calling out the media for ignoring it all again. >> thou shalt not cover hunter biden in any capacity to attack right wing media in making him the victim. hunter sits on the third rail of journalism. he is untouchable. ♪ i had a dream that someday ♪ ♪ i would just fly, fly away ♪ i brought in ensure max protein, with thirty grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks! (sighs wearily) here i'll take that! (excited yell) woo-hoo! ensure max protein. with thirty grams of protein, one gram of sugar, and nutrients to support immune health. what's strong with me? i know when i'm ready for a rest day. ...so i can be ready for anything... tomorrow. find out what's strong with you with fitbit sense and daily readiness. this is an important mortgage rate watch alert for veteran home owners. mortgage rates are starting to climb nationally, but newday is holding the line at just two and a quarter percent, 2.48 apr, still the lowest in their history. if you're one of the thousands of homeowners with va loans who haven't yet refinanced, one call to newday is all it takes. there's no appraisal and no out of pocket costs. save an average of $3,000 a year. xfinity rewards are our way of thanking you just for being with us. enjoy rewards like movie night specials, xfinity mobile benefits, and the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. hey, it's me. plus, get holiday gifts for everyone on your list with great deals on fan favorites from today. join over a million members by signing up for free on the xfinity app. our thanks. your rewards. where's mom? she said she would be home in time for the show. don't worry sweetie, she promised she'd be here for it. oh! nice shot! thanks! glad we have xfinity. with wifi speeds faster than a gig. me too. [claps] woah! look! [chuckles] mom is on tv! she's amazing! [screams and laughter] yeah! xfinity brought us together after all. get started with xfinity internet and ask about wifi speed fast than a gig. click, call or visit a store today. >> harris: "washington post" is reporting president biden is already telling all -- allies he will run in 2024. a new poll finds vice president kamala harris and michelle obama seen as top contenders. also buzz around transportation secretary beet buttigieg. -- pete buttigieg. the idea of a kamala harris, buttigieg ticket has this tweeted this. why can't the left be normal and grounded in reality? joe concha not convinced by the combination, either. >> all sizzle, no steak, all hat, no cattle. any ticket with kamala harris on it would be a nightmare. performance on the border has been horrific. handlers keep her under the political version of lock and key. buttigieg has yet to visit an actual port. long beach, los angeles, savannah. his solution is to pass the president's build back better bill. >> harris: power panel. america rising pac and former communication at rnc. kevin walling former biden surrogate. cassie, i will start and get your top line thoughts. >> great to be with you, harris. this reads like a wanna be episode of the west wing or veep. you have the liberal elites what a dream ticket to look like to get biden off the ticket. they know they are in trouble with voters and know what they are doing is unpopular no matter which we they go. they get the prescription wrong. this isn't about the people on the ticket. it is about the policies on the ticket. so if democrats have any hope of turning things around for themselves in 2022 or 2024, they can't rewrite the cast. this he have to rewrite the script and the whole plot because these policies are not working for the american people. >> harris: you bring up a great point. kevin, i start with the policies. when you say buttigieg, you think supply chain crisis. it could be one of the top things you say. kamala harris one of the top things you say could be the border crisis. i don't know if that's the kind of branding of policy you want to start a presidential campaign with. your thoughts. >> good to be with you. this talk always resumes around this time. i remember having the same conversations about donald trump's reelection three years ago and whether mike pence would be on the ticket. d.c.'s favorite parlor game. i'm focused on the mid-terms now. we have a long way to go to 2024. i'm more focused holding the house and senate in the mid-terms. they have an uphill battle there in the next year or so to make the case to the american people. we have very popular policies with regards to the build back better agenda. cutting -- >> harris: are they part of either one of their portfolios is my question. when we have this conversation this time around every president. if you won't announce you can be seen as a lame duck. with president biden's numbers so low now that's probably what you want to float out there. if you have to start to talk about it or it will be harder to get stuff done. fox poll finds biden is under water on his handling of coronavirus. 49% say they disapprove how he is handling it compared to 48% who approve. that's a huge swing from a few months ago. in june 64% of people approved. 34% disapproved. kevin, i am coming right back. those numbers are part of the reason why people may be looking to see what's happening upside of d.c. what i'm asking is can you fix it this way and are these the two people kamala harris and pete buttigieg the two people to help you fix it? >> it's a good point. it makes a lot of sense in terms of framing it in that direction. the president is going to speak about this new variant just in the coming minutes from the white house. this is a white house that's very focused on tackling covid-19 and what he ran on. you see the dip in the polls. americans are frustrated how this pandemic is playing out and the fact that variants are coming out and we can't get past the covid-19 crisis is a serious concern for the white house and you see a president continuing to be in charge, continuing to be fully briefed and continuing to level with the american people and provide a vision for steering the country out of the crisis. it will be a singular focus for the mid-terms and 2024. >> harris: covid-19 is so-called about because it happened in 2019. 2021 now. it is so 2019. it's like we didn't learn anything along the way and the american people may be holding this white house responsible for that. the hunter biden headache not letting up with some explosive new reporting from "new york post" columnist miranda devine with a new book. laptop from hell and his connection with a chinese energy company. the chairman gave hunter biden a 3 carat diamond. former speaker of the house newt gingrich. >> remarkable story. chinese dictatorship trying to take over countries in this case exploiting what was then the son of the vice president. now the son of the president. it is a story of absolute corruption and it is a great problem in america because our elites have become corrupted to such a degree that having this conversation would be impossible on a number of networks because their owners wouldn't tolerate it. >> harris: let's pause there for cassie. >> yeah, really a horrible situation. the leader of the free world who can't stand up to china, one of our foremost enemies because of this gigantic conflict of interest. china has been playing chess with the biden family for years and it is paying off. you have the president right now who is unwilling to stand up to china be it on taiwan, unwilling to stand up to china on our issue with the supply chain right now. there is nothing he can do because he knows that they've got his family on the hook here just because of his son, who has no qualifications to hold any of these jobs or have any of these relationships other than his last name is biden and the american people are suffering as a result. >> harris: quickly kevin before we go. >> this president has obviously stepped up our response to china. they had a bilateral the president and president xi. >> harris: this is about hunter biden. we saw it and covered it live on fox. anything to say about hunter biden. >> not a new story. these are all revelations from five years ago litigated. this president came in with the strikeest ethical policies in place to prevent his family from doing this going forward. >> harris: we have to run. six seconds left. i will bring you back. "the faulkner focus" appreciates your viewership. "outnumbered" is next. veteran homeowners- with home values at all-time highs and rates at near all-time lows now's the time to do more with your home equity. veterans are calling newday at a record pace to take advantage of the newday 100 va loan. you can borrow up to 100% of your home's value to upgrade the kitchen, add a pool for the grandkids, or have the security of cash in the bank. with an average cash out amount of $60,000, you can do more. it only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. tide pods child-guard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. to close, twist until it clicks. tide pods child-guard packaging. hi, my name is cherrie. i'm 76 and i live on the oregon coast. my husband, sam, we've been married 53 years. we love to walk on the beach. i have two daughters and then two granddaughters. i noticed that memories were not there like they were when i was much younger. since taking prevagen, my memory has gotten better and it's like the puzzle pieces have all been [click] put together. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. i've spent centuries evolving with the world. that's the nature of being the economy. observing investors choose assets to balance risk and reward. with one element securing portfolios, time after time. gold. agile and liquid. a proven protector. an ever-evolving enabler of bold decisions. an asset more relevant than ever before. gold. your strategic advantage. >> harris: we have breaking news this hour on "outnumbered." i'm harris faulkner and michael was emily compagno and kayleigh mcenany, we are on the couch for this because president biden is about to give us an update. we are inside a two-minute warning. this is on his response to the newly identified omicron covid variant. a couple of points. right now, we've already learned that if the administration was hoping by all of the travel ban's and restr