evening. i'm bret baier. we're coming to you tonight from fox news world headquarters in new york. and breaking tonight, you have heard it all day. we are three hours from the start of what figures to be the most important event of the 2024 presidential campaign so far. president biden will face former president trump in the debate in atlanta. tonight both camps are setting exceptions, and getting in some preevent spin. meanwhile, there is still no decision from the u.s. supreme court on the former president's claim of immunity from prosecution. however, they have come down with some important decisions. we will get an update from shannon bream on that in a minute. we have fox team conch tonight. fox news chief legal correspondent, anchor of "fox news sunday" shannon bream with the latest from court. aishah hasnie atlanta new rules on the debate how they may impact what we see and hear tonight. we begin with peter doocy live on the north lawn of the white house with something the two sides are actually agreeing upon ahead of the debate tonight. good evening, peter. >> peter: good evening, bret. president biden hasn't been to his office in the last seven days. we have now seen him for the first time in a week on the ground in atlanta as aides are hoping that all that time away from official responsibilities and out of swing states helps them turn around a series of poor polls. [chanting four more years] >> peter: biden campaign and it trump campaign uniting behind a letter to cnn advocating for a pool reporter in the debate hall the whole time. not just during breaks. whca president kelly o'donnell writes the host. debate no audience present format rules silence candidates' microphones we don't know how this mr. l. play out in real time. the headliners on the biden side of tonight's spin room, california governor gavin newsom and mary trump, the former president's niece. it's unclear if they will go into more detail than the press secretary about donald trump's claims that biden will use adderall to stay focused. >> what is the response to former president trump's claims that president biden may be taking something tonight to boost his performance? >> i don't think that -- uh -- i should dignify that with an answer. >> the president's debate prep was guided by 16 aides over a week. but, ultimately, he is the one with all the experience in cycles, 2020, 2018, and 1988. >> senator biden? >> i guess that's the camera, huh. i was going to speak to the audience i will speak to the camera. >> 37 years later biden qr code taking smart phone users to a site claiming donald trump wants to ban abortion and cut social security. >> this is going to come down to tens of thousands of votes in a handful of states. that's why tonight is an opportunity for president biden to communicate directly to those voters that are going to decide this election. >> the trend here at the biden white house for the last year is for aides to put the president out less and less for shorter, scripted speeches. any q&a is almost always guided by note cards prepared by staffer. none of that is going to be possible tonight. bret? >> bret: peter doocy live on the north lawn. thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> bret: it's hard to overstate the importance of tonight for the 2024 race. we are about three hours away from the first presidential debate. let's look at where things stand in this race with our fox news power ranks forecast. four toss-up states in yellow, arizona, nevada, wisconsin, pennsylvania. lean democrat pretty close but lean democrat minnesota, michigan lean republican. the pink ones north carolina, georgia. ultimately talking about electoral votes. right now 251 to 241 favor trump. 46 in the toss-up. 270 is the magic number to get across the threshold to the white house. national polls the fox poll you see 50-48 for biden. here our most recent poll plus or minus three the margin of error. for months very tight on a national level. now you go to where the debate is tonight. the new atlanta journal constitution poll has the former president up five here over president biden among likely georgia voters. one of the reasons we're seeing that is a slippage in black support from his core supporter and black voters. this is a fox news poll. this is from the 2020 results that we saw 91% for president biden. there you see october 2020, 79%. slippage here june 2024, 73%. now, the percentage of black vote in georgia is actually double what it is nationwide. and if you remember how tight georgia was, it was actually 11,779 votes that separated the two candidates. now, if there was a slippage of that much in the black vote and they don't come home before the election, this state would clearly go to the former president. the debate will be the first time in four years the current and former president will be face-to-face, the trump pain says he is ready biden campaign is putting out what it calls lies from the former president. the rules are much different than previous encounters, congressional correspondent aishah hasnie is in atlanta with the latest tonight. [cheers] >> sources tell fox news former president trump is heading into the debate confident and prepared. calling his opponent this morning a threat to the survival and existence of our country. the trump campaign former president focus on fixing the economy. restoring peace around the world and securing the southern border. after the recent assaults and murders of americans at the hands of illegal immigrants. >> joe biden has blood on his hands, and he needs to answer for that tonight. >> the campaign also says trump is ready to take on any questions about january 6th. and election integrity by focusing on the next four years. but all eyes are on which trump takes the stage tonight. the combative candidate of the past -- >> people know. you're a senator. >> answer the question. >> i'm not going to answer the question. >> why wouldn't you answered question. >> more disciplined unifier seen in recent weeks. >> the personal attacks are going to come from joe biden because he has nothing else to stand on. >> new rules this year include muting the mic of the candidate when the other one is speaking an effort to prevent any talking over each other, and team trump says he is not phased. >> i don't think it's going to have a big impact. you know, look you, this is not about whether joe biden can stand up for 90 minutes. this is about defending a re record. >> aishah: bret, all eyes on the spin room floor right behind me. everyone is going to be on the lookout to see who is here to support the former president. that is because trump has said previously that his vp choice, his pick will be here in atlanta at the debate tonight. although i don't know how much that helps us, bret. >> in our search for this v.p. candidate if every single person on that short list is here tonight. bret? >> bret: yeah. it doesn't take anybody away. aishah hasnie live in the spin room where sean hannity will be later. aishah, thanks. what could have been a major topic of discussion for the debate will have to wait. fox news chief legal correspondent anchor of "fox news sunday" shannon bream with the latest on the decisions coming out of the u.s. supreme court. good evening, shannon. >> shannon: good evening, bret. the court is making headlines tonight for the cases it didn't decide in the hours leading up to the big showdown. critical cases a couple of them to president trump's legal fights and to his run for the white house. and apparently it's so contentious and wrap these up. the court made it official today they will not wrap a schedule this week. this goes into overtime next week. >> we still do not know where the court will land on the issue of presidential immunity. behind closed doors, the justices are working on this question. whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity for criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office. special counsel jack smith alleges trump tried overturn the results of the 2020 elections. >> we're coming in. >> and directed his supporters to the capitol on january 6th. trump says he has absolute immunity for constitution outer perimeter responsibilities. the events of january 6th also figure in another decision we're awaiting. whether the justice department wrongfully applied an obstruction statute passed in the wake of the enron scandal against hundreds of january 6th defendants, including president trump. today the court did release its official opinion in an abortion case after a document, which appeared to be a draft of that decision was inadverse tently and temporarily posted to the court's website wednesday. the court ultimately decided not to address the merits of a conflict between idaho's restrictive state abortion law and a federal law the biden administration is using to press for wider abortion access. sending it back to a lower court instead. both sides say the fight is not over. >> the emergency room is there to provide healthcare. abortion is not healthcare. >> we will not rest until reproductive freedom is the law of the land for every single woman in the united states of america. >> it's entirely possible that case ultimately ends up back here at the supreme court some matter of time. today the justices also blocked a massive bankruptcy settlement related to the opioid epidemic. it's a deal that would have shielded the family behind purdue pharma. the makers of oxycontin. we note justices will give us 10:00 a.m. eastern on friday. tonight they made it official. expect them on monday, too. >> bret: first time that's happened in a long time. shannon, really quickly, serve focused on this immunity case that chevron case the so-called chevron case that's a really big deal big picture. >> it is for federal legs regulations. right now deference given to federal agencies that they get to decide how to interpret the law congress passes when there is ambiguity. a lot of folks worry about that. unelectable branch. not accountable to the people. nobody votes for them. see if the court reigns in that agency power. >> bret: shannon bream outside the court. >> i notice that reagan reagan kemp roth proposal which running mate george bush described as voodoo economics and said it would result in 30% inflation rate. >> yes can you lick inflation by increasing productivity and by decreasing the cost of government to the place that we have balanced budgets and are no longer grinding out printing press money, flooding the market with it. we don't have inflation because the people are living too well. we have inflation because the government is living too well. >> bret: there you go. getting very excited. let's bring in fox news chief political analyst brit hume and aforementioned larry kudlow fox business. that's music to your ears to hear reagan. >> the most wonderful thing to end the day. thank you, bret. >> bret: economy, inflation, this is going to be big deal tonight. we will see where the moderators choose to go. they can answer however they want to, and the former president is probably going to take it there. >> brit: overarching issue in any presidential election. certainly this one. the biden economic record. yes, there is growth in the economy. and there is job growth and all the rest of it. but, all the public sentiment about that is completely smothered by the inflation. and there is no way around it. even though inflation is not happening at the rate that it did, but it is still hang, people feel it, everybody feels it. nobody likes it. and it's, i think it's the insoluble issue for the biden campaign this year. >> bret: look at that i knowflation chart with president biden took over. year over year. and how it, you know, makes its mark into where it is now. the president has talked about this. numerous times. he has had to be corrected numerous times about where it started and where it is. bottom line, people feel it. no matter what the administration says about the good numbers and the economy. >> yes, well, thanks for having me. i agree with you and brit on this. it started about 1.5% and then, of course, it peek peaked at 9%. sentiment of voters not feeling it. the cumulative impact of higher prices is about 20% on the consumer price index. 20% is a big number. 20%, i might add, is higher than the cumulative rise in weekly wages. so biden is in the uninnable position of having to deal with negative declining weekly wages in real terms, that's a kitchen table issue. it's a pocketbook issue. it's become, i might add, one of the affordability crises is in the home building area. you can't afford a house. prices are 30 year highs, sales are crashing, mortgage rates are still sticky at 7%. i expect mr. trump is going to take that to mr. biden on a number of equations. >> bret: question, brit, where we get down into the weeds or it's not going to be that weedy. another question is the deficit and debt. we remember just a few cycles ago you had candidates in mitt romney and paul ryan campaigning around the country in front of debt clocks about how important the problem was with the debt and deficit. now neither party talks about that issue. >> brit: the problem and it threat it poses is immeasurably worse now than it was then. neither major candidate in either party is talking about it. the reckless spending, that occurred after covid, there was a whole lot of spending during covid that was going to problem trigger some inflation. but the post covid spending that occurred in the biden administration was reckless, it was extravagant. it is what produced the inflation. >> bret: the debt today ticking as we speak. >> brit: there you go. the size of the spending, dumping that much in the economy going to produce inflation it. did. economists and the democratic side somehow believed it wouldn't. they were wrong. and the country and i think the democratic party are paying the price for that now. >> bret: larry, you were in the trump administration, this was not a sweet spot for president. president trump. as far as dealing with deficit and debt. he doesn't talk about it a lot. but, eventually we as a country will have to deal with it. larry larry we have to deal with it. reckless spending came after president trump. and came after the emergency i'm not a big spender free market capitalist and supply sider. at that moment when large major chunks of the economy was closing down. we had to provide government income to support families and the economy. now, that stuff was supposed to expire. the next year. and therein lies the problem with the reckless spending. i think you will hear mr. trump say tonight, briefly. two ways. number one, keep tax rates low to grow the economy. and number two, he will talk about restraining spending. he has focused on it much more in this campaign than he has before. >> bret: you were going to say? >> i was going to say what larry is saying here emphasizes once again why some of us thought that the covid shutdowns of the economy really and much else was the worst public policy decision certainly that i can ever remember happening. and it's what led to the spending during covid. and does not account for the spending as larry points out. doesn't account for the pending. >> bret: we have seen a lot of these debates and obviously we played that reagan carter debate. how much of this debate is looking backwards and how much is looking forwards? if it's successful it's looking forward. bret. >> brit: what i think the question on most people's behind tonight the priority question, the present question of what kind of shape this president, president biden is now in. i mean, i think people look at donald trump and say yeah, is he old and wish he weren't so old and all that he seems vibrant and makes mistakes and maybe he is showing some of the effects of age. we have seen these signs with president biden that have come to a great many people quite alarm not guilty way he moves. the way he walks, the way he talks and things he forgets and the rest of it. the question tonight the threshold question is can he get through this and seem lucid and sharp, his proponents all say that oh, he is on his game. lord knows he has had enough time to prepare this week. >> bret: last thing larry, whole thing muted mics. not like they're miles apart. mute the mics still hear the other guy if he pipes up. it's going to be fascinating to watch. >> it's a very interesting idea. as i said earlier in the day, i think to you, it may save mr. trump from himself sometimes, may save biden, i don't know, i don't understand any of that stuff. just one quick political point, i think a lot of people are going to watch this debate, they are going to see mr. biden, but they are actually going to see kamala harris behind mr. biden, a lot of people do not believe that president biden, whatever happens in the outcome of this race will be the president for the next four years. i think that's one of the unseen invisible hands in this whole story. >> bret: all right, gentlemen, thanks for being here. here is other headlines tonight boeing sharing information door plug blowout left a gapping hole in a boeing 737 max 9 aircraft. the national transportation safety board says the company blatantly violated the agency's investigative regulations. more on that story tomorrow on "special report." the judge in the trial of accused idaho student killer bryan kohberger has scheduled a june 2nd, 2025 start for that trial. 29-year-old former criminal ph.d. student is accused of killing four university of idaho students in 2022, the judge entered a not guilty plea on kohberger's behalf last year. stocks were up today ahead of key inflation data. the dow gained 36. s&p 500 finished ahead 5. the nasdaq rose 54. up next the funeral of a 12-year-old texas girl who authorities say was murdered by two illegal immigrants. we will take you there. later we revisit some of the high points 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was murdered a crime that has increased awareness of the southern border crisis night. >> i was with her the day before she took her last breath. and now she is forever taken from us. >> 12-year-old jocelyn nungaray now laid to rest 10 days after prosecutors say these two illegal venezuelan migrants strangled her to death. >> our heart breaks first of all, as a houstonian, as a father also of a teen girl. i could only imagine the heart break that a parent could feel. >> hundreds came out to support jocelyn's family and her mother alexis. elected officials promised her death will inspire change. >> jocelyn will make a difference in the entirety of our life. >> the first lady of texas cecilia abbott attended today's service as did texas lt. governor dan patrick who announced new legislation called jocelyn's law that would prevent accused murder hers from receiving bail in texas. the suspects in this case received a $10 million bail. >> i promised her mother. >> prosecutors now await test results to determine if a sexual assault happened, which would make the case death penalty eligible. >> these two individuals deserve the death penalty for murdering an innocent little girl. >> lt. governor patrick has this message about the crisis at our southern border. >> these two alleged killers strangled the breath out of her. if that doesn't make people rise up in america and say enough is enough and secure that border, i don't know what will. >> moments ago at a celebration of life for 12-year-old jocelyn, houston mayor john whitmire said, quote: there is unity in houston tonight. referencing not only this community's shared grief but also its desire to hold those who murdered jocelyn accountable. bret? >> bret: nate foy in houston, thank you. up next, the resonating moments from debates in the past and setting the record straight on one piece of debate folklore. first, here's what some of our fox affiliates around the country are covering tonight. fox 61 in hartford, connecticut with at least one person killed wednesday night when a line of powerful thunderstorms 3w5eurb89d across the h. barreled across the northeast. hundreds of thousands lost power. flights at some of the busiest airports canceled. fox 32 in chicago as a freight train derails in madison, prompting nearby residents to evacuate their homes temporarily, the train consisting of about 25 railcars was carrying various substances when it derailed. one railcar containing liquified petroleum gas leaked a minimum amount of product. it was contained and officials said there was no danger to the public. this is a live look at new york here at fox news studios. one of the big stories from fox 5, the second round of the nba draft is underway right here in new york. one notable pick, the lakers take bronny james, son of lebron james to set up what could become the first father-son same team duo in league history. that's don't's live look outside the beltway from "special report." we'll be right 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( ♪ ♪ ) start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. ♪ when you have moderate to severe eczema, it's okay to show off. with dupixent, show off your clearer skin and less itch. because you have plenty of reasons to show off your skin. with dupixent, the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, you can stay ahead of your eczema. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema to help heal your skin from within. many adults saw 90% clearer skin, some even achieved long-lasting clearer skin and fast itch relief after first dose. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. show off to the world. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. ♪ >> bret: you are looking live at the spin room in atlanta, just outside where the debate will take place. we have complete conch. "jesse watters primetime" starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. sean hannity will broadcast after our debate conch at 11:00 p.m. with analysis from the spin room tonight. gotcha covered all night long. there has been plenty of memorable moments during past presidential debates. tonight's senior congressional correspondent chad pergram takes a look. >> the debates change television. >> the question is. >> the question is. >> radical left. >> you shut up, man. >> and television changed politics. underscoring the importance of live performance. reality tv mixed with politics long before reality tv was a thing. >> i am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. [laughter] >> brought us whole binders full of women. >> what we want to do is to replenish. >> such a nasty woman. >> trust fund. >> debates amplify gaffes. >> >> there is no soviet domination of eastern europe. >> they deliver unexpected humor. >> i'm all ears. [laughter] >> sometimes what's said isn't even what most people remember. >> i'm going to fix it. >> viewers might recall what a candidate does. >> i have had a record of appointing judges in the state of texas. that's what a governor gets to do. the man is practicing fuzzy math again. there is differences. >> in 1992, president george h.w. bush time in office was up. tonight's debate is the first without a studio audience. initial forum in 1960. >> the candidates need no introduction. >> it was unclear whether john f. kennedy or richard nixon won that first debate. nixon sweated, supporting a 5:00 shadow. kennedy cool and confident. it's said that those listening to the radio believed nixon won. people watching tv thought kennedy prevailed. >> that's been taught for decades. however, it's folklore. there is no study to prove it. bret? >> there you go. resident historian chad pergram. chad, thanks. tonight we conclude our preview of big debate issues by looking at foreign policy. it could play a larger than usual role in tonight's event considering what's going on around the world. here is state department correspondent gillian turner. >> i will prevent world war iii. >> president biden and former president trump go on offense against each other and america's enemies tonight. >> let me say again to any country thinking of taking advantage of the situation. i have one word, don't. >> both candidates will face tough questions about america's role in major foreign wars. >> if i was president, the afghanistan disaster would never have happened. ukraine would never have happened. would have never have been invaded by russia. and the october 7th attack on israel would never ever ever have happened. >> biden in recent weeks has doubled down on support ukraine with $225 million security assistance, air defense interceptors and antitank weapons. >> everything we have is going to go ukraine until their needs are met. >> trump insists all the money in the world isn't enough. >> putin has no respect for him. no foreign leaderboard has respect for him. >> 1200 miles south the israeli defense forces say they are wrapping up the deadly gaza campaign. >> i made it clear to the israelis i think it's a big mistake for them to think they are going to occupy gaza. >> israel's attention now increasingly on lebanon where an even bloodier regional fight with iran backed hazard will lose. he says he will protect america no matter what. >> we will build the great iron dome over our country. >> iran is expanding most prolific rumor in the hoping of fast tracking a nuclear weapon. >> iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. >> iran was broke under the trump administration. >> well, the state department today announced new sanctions targeting nuclear sanctions targeting iran's petra chemical sector that will certainly give president biden a talking point tonight. if you need one, should trump accuse him of being soft on iran as he usually does, bret? >> bret: gillian turner live at the state department. thank you. up next, the panel setting the stage for tonight's cnn presidential debate that you can catch right here on fox. >> the countdown is on to one of the most consequential moments in the 2024 election. ♪ it's pain o'clock! let's do this! sorry, pain. i can't let you in. what? i've had a standing appointment with mr. dubin for years! i'm expected! not anymore. mr. dubin's been taking relief factor. relief factor!! keep pain away for good, with relief factor. a natural supplement that takes a different approach to pain relief. it doesn't mask pain, it builds up your body's response to inflammation so pain won't get in. call or go online today and live your best life without pain. ♪ grandma: billy, i need help with the clicker. billy: one second, grandma. this guy's going to buy my car. caller: billy? you still there? we gotta deal, right? grandma: you need carvana. grandma: what's your plate number? billy: boss... mov grandma: vehicle features...no accidents, right? billy: no. grandma: good. generating offer. carvana can pick it up tomorrow! billy: that's an amazing offer. billy: but do you still need help with the clicker? grandma: i'll ask your sister. announcer: sell your car the easy way with carvana. ♪ limu emu... ♪ and doug. 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(elevator doors opening) (inaudible sounds) i thought you were right behind me. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, ♪ ♪ liberty. ♪ arthritis pain? we say not today. tylenol 8 hour arthritis pain has two layers of relief. the first is fast, the second is long-lasting. we give you your day back, so you can give it everything. tylenol. in. you can give it everything. ♪ ♪ >> absolute going to watch the debate. i think it's one of the most pivot tab debates in the history of our country. >> i have an hour a day to myself and that's not how i'm going to spend it. >> yes. >> yes. >> yeah. >> more than likely not. >> no, i just wait object soundbites. >> i will probably tune in just to see what has to be said. it's not going to influence my vote. >> bret: only said 70% of americans may watch this debate in some way, shape or form either live see it right here on fox news channel or clips of it. and that's a lot of people if you think 330 million americans. let's bring in our panel tonight. special panel. martha mccallum, ed anchor and executive editor. and harris faulkner, dana perino. key build this up, harris, we talked about all kind of different, you know, ways to look at it. but the bottom line is just a really big moment for this election. >> i think there are going to be a lot of things decided. quinnipiac had an interesting stat this morning of 16% of voters who may change their minds today that seems like a big number to me. we have been told everything is all baked. in most people they love trump, love biden, don't like either one of them. whatever. when you come to the issues. that number 60% is a big deal. they ever watching specifically to see who will solve some of their problems. whether it's economy, it's security and crime in their areas where they are living. and the border crisis. so, i think the tune in factor that you mentioned. i do believe tonight it's up to 73% in some of the polling. the tune-in factor is huge. but the takeaways. we have got to figure out what that is really going to look like. so i don't like the idea of the muted mic by the way. i will just come clean on that. i think it's kind of chicken. i think that the moderators you guys have done it so beautifully. can you handle that room. by cutting a mic you might miss a little something. >> this is a human being making that decision. i want to hear everything they have to say. >> bret: i was just saying that the room is pretty small. even the muted mic the other candidate will hear something. >> harris: they will but we won't. >> bret: harold, around this debate, obviously the campaigns are dropping ads on their biggest issues, the biden focus is an ad about abortion. the trump campaign focus is about mental competency. take a look. >> ask yourself a question. do you think the guy who was defeated by the stairs got taken down by his bike, lost a fight with his jacket, and regularly gets lost makes it four more years in the white house? >> these laws are truly barbaric. they being putting us back decades, if not centuries, donald trump did this. he put women's lives in danger. >> bret: you can kind of see by those ads maybe where their sweet spot is in some of the talking points. >> maybe. i think tonight, to harris' point and thanks for having me is the first time as you listen to some of those people who led in the show who were talking about what they were going to do this evening, we heard the numbers three quarters of america may watch this or consume this somehow. this is the first time the american people are going to see them standing side by side. they stood side by side in 2020. that was a long time ago. covid, people's lives have changed. i love politics and i don't remember those debates. this is the first time you are going to see them head to head and answer questions about the border. answer questions about inflation. answer questions about abortion -- about the border and abortion and the economy and inflation. things that happen overseas. and i think a lot of people, to your point, i think that number could be higher, harris, we hear the poll numbers say 16%. i think upwards of a quarter of america will say you know, i had a thought about one of them. i watched tonight and i now for the first time i have seen the two of them together and i think differently. i think dana and jake are going to be tough but they are going to be fair and i hope they are. >> bret: i hope so, too. this is the is the first on the commission of presidential debates. cnn is doing. this moderating it but it's simulcast here on fox news channel. one of the controversies about all the new rules is we don't get a journalist in the room besides the cnn person. of the white house correspondents association put out a letter kelly o'donnell with nbc is the president saying that the whca is deeply concerned that cnn has rejected our repeated requests to include the white house travel pool inside the studio. in other words, one person that can say here is what happened during the commercial break. or here is something you don't see on the tv screen. >> so, people are -- one group who is going to watch this very closely is the presidential commission on debates tonight. they are ready to say i told you so. we're better at this. we know how to set the rules for this. we're not going to leave people unhappy that there is not a presence in the room. the other part of it, you know, and i remember in 2020 when you and i were in that room, it was a very tense night, it was in the middle of covid. >> bret: it was a feisty debate. and you know, you could see the ins and outs, right? you could watch people walk into the room. you could see the body language. what happened during the breaks? do they look at each other and talk to each other. we call it color in journalism it. adds to the story. i don't know why cnn is forbidding the pool to add that kind of color to this event. and i think it's a loss. i would also say that in 2020, 66% of america said they were dissatisfied with way things were going in the country. that's understandable. we were in the middle of covid. it was a nightmare. now, we are back to that same number. 66% again dissatisfied for different reasons this time. but this matchup isn't what a lot of people wanted to see in this process. but there's a reason that this is what we have and we will see it tonight. >> bret: harris that, is a focus of some of the pollsters. this is about the double haters. people angry and frustrated they don't even want this choice. but they have to make a decision which one is worse. >> so i point out that many of the double haters whom we have talked with voters voices on my show are young. and what they don't like, that's when the age and acuity comes. in they don't like the fact that their only choices include someone that they have watched fall and stumble for the last three years and also someone else who has been in office before. they are looking for someone, who perhaps generationally speaks to them. they will be watching tonight, too. they may not always vote. the youth vote may not always be something you can always count on. but they will be watching tonight there was something out of that white house correspondents association letter that really stuck out to me that i wanted to share. so, without the pool camera there with that white house press corps, they are not there for the what ifs in a world where the unexpected does happen. and they say this sets up precedent that matters for future debates. i'm reading from that white house correspondents association letter. look, to your point, martha, this really is a dangerous template, if it doesn't work. >> yeah. and i would imagine the debate commission is watching and saying well, we don't want it to fail. if it has, to i'm sure they could point to the reasons why it wouldn't. >> bret: really quickly. take a break. talk more about this on the other side. as you look live at the spin room, the countdown is on. complete conch here on fox news channel. we already got the clock up. >> harris: i know, i love it. >> like the super bowl. >> harris: let's do it. ♪ ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't know that if she owns a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. even a term policy. even a term policy? 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shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. >> bret: we have heard from the biden campaign that one of the topics is likely to be the threat to democracy. january 6th. the former president's role in all of that. meantime. "the washington post" poll out on swing states on the issue of who do you trust to handle threats to democracy. has former president trump at 38%. president biden at 29%. meantime you have got a gallup poll now of favorability with the former president at 46. president biden at 37. you know, harold, you see all these polls, do you think that one of the reasons this debate was chosen to be now and that's the biden campaign's choice was because they saw this slippage that we are seeing across the country. >> they agreed to several weeks ago. i think both candidates -- remember, president trump didn't participate in any of the republican primary debates. probably smart not to because he had such a commanding lead. you generally want debates when you are falling behind or you think that things are getting tight, two, the six states that are most important, where the voters are most coveted in swing states swing voters, that's who they are really appealing to tonight. they have got to figure out how do you gain an edge in nevada? how do you gain an edge in wisconsin and pennsylvania and michigan? so i'm going to be watching closely to see -- because they are not going to dictate the questions. cnn is going to deck at a time that but how they answer those questions and even how they pivot to the issues they think are most important. the most surprising thing to me that poll threat to democracy. i said to my party threat to democracy doesn't necessarily favor democrats. republicans believe that democrats are a threat to democracy as well. >> bret: what about what i showed earlier in the slippage in the black vote. do you believe that that's real or that it's going to return to the meme democrats getting black voters back. >> harris: i think it's real. i can't say they automatically go to trump. the big crime is if those people sat at home. we want everybody voting in america. particularly those people who may feel disan enfranchised on or about left out of the conversation. he has left us out of the conversation people of color by saying things that are osceola and not working on the issues that lift all americans. i mean, the optimal color brown, not tan, not black, it's green. when the economy is hurting, for people and economies that are not on wall street, then he hasn't done enough. and to keep saying bidenomics, it's so -- i mean, i think your guy got it right at least he stopped saying that after a while that they were working, he has got to tonight, if he wants to get any people in independents and those six battle ground states, he has got to admit that his pol policies e put people in some harm's way in the last three and a half years. and on the issue of democracy, how can you have a strong democracy if you don't have a strong sovereign border? and that's where you see that difference between trump with 38 and biden with 29. >> bret: that's a good point. martha, we are going to be looking for other things besides the substance. i talk to brit and larry and talking down in the weeds and economic numbers. i bet it will be a moment outside of all of that that catches the viral clip that goes around the world. >> yeah. i mean, you think about them in 2020. it got veryst pfizery, biden called trump a racist at one point. i think he will want to go for the juggler at some point in this. he will probably pick his moments. these are men who do not like each other. i think about the reagan moment when he talked about mondale's youth and inexperience. mondale cracked up. that was a warmer environment. we don't have that at this stage. so, we will see what lands. >> bret: seven days at camp david. there has got to be a lot of canned lines in seven days. >> harold: you would think so. i think that's the point. the threat to democracy. i think they open with the border tonight. the thing that should concern democrats the most is what is our answer? i think we have a decent one. you got to be sustained with it. two, i love the fact that black voters are being paid attention to. both sides. election year normally have democrats. i don't know if president trump is going to win a big number of black voters. i like the fact that black voters are being engaged and spoken to in serious ways. >> bret: i have to run. >> harris: trump is changing the came for courting those black voters. he is going to places where they live. >> harold: democrats have done that too. it will be interesting to see how it works out. >> bret: a lot to talk about tonight. countdown on. clock on the side of the screen. tomorrow on "special report." complete reaction to whatever happens tonight with analysis from strategists alex cass tee an knows and mark penn both sides please plan to watch the debate right here on fox news channel. again, starts 9:00 p.m. eastern time. look at that. you have got jesse coming up. debate conch, predebate conch. debate. afterwards, sean hannity in the spin room we have you covered. events for any other source. tonight is no exception. >> complete conch 8 p.m. eastern time. set your dvr 6:00 p.m. in the east and 3:00 p.m. in the west for "special report." that's it for us at least for "special report" but not tonight fair balanced and unafraid. special edition of "jesse watters primetime"