The Five 04-14-2026

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Five (April 14, 2026)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of The Five explores some of the day's most controversial and widely-discussed stories. The panel dissects the downfall of Congressman Eric Swalwell amid shocking sexual assault allegations, the political maneuvering within the Democratic Party, the ongoing U.S.–Iran standoff under President Trump, attacks on journalists and questions about First Amendment protections, and speculation about Vice President Kamala Harris’s political future. The show balances sharp political critique with moments of humor, personal anecdotes, and rapid-fire exchanges.

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Key Discussion Points & Timestamps

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1. Eric Swalwell’s Resignation & Sexual Assault Allegations

Timestamps: 00:04 – 10:22

• Allegations Surface: Eric Swalwell resigns after multiple sexual assault claims, including a televised statement from a 2018 accuser ([00:41]):

  "He raped me and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness and I thought I died."
  — Woman Accuser ([00:41])

• Panel Reaction:

  • Jesse Watters brands Swalwell a calculated predator ([01:57]):

    "He became very good at being a predator, and he clearly preyed on these women... [and] became extremely proficient at lying..."
    — Jesse Watters ([02:12])

  • Greg Gutfeld frames the scandal as a result of Democratic political maneuvering:

    "This was highly orchestrated, professionally organized. This was a political assassination. And I think it was only possible because the Democrat machine knew about all of this for years."
    — Greg Gutfeld ([04:04])

• Institutional Critique: Harold Ford Jr. calls out failures across the aisle and the broader decline of Congressional reputation ([04:53]).

• Political Fallout: Discussion about the Democratic establishment’s complicity, the nature of D.C. gossip, and the question of accountability ([06:55]).

Notable Quotes:

• "Both these things are possible at the same time. The Democratic establishment can be completely corrupt, and Eric Swalwell can be an alleged rapist."
  — Kennedy ([08:09])

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2. U.S.–Iran Standoff: Trump’s Blockade and Diplomatic Maneuvers

Timestamps: 10:46 – 19:46

• Diplomacy & Blockade: President Trump heightens pressure on Iran with a blockade, discussing potential new talks ([10:46]). J.D. Vance notes Iranian negotiators lack real authority.

• Media & Political Reactions:

  • Gutfeld and Failla comment on liberal reluctance to see Trump succeed:

    "Democrats and the liberal media sound like they’d rather see Iran come out ahead just so Trump doesn’t score a win."
    — Greg Gutfeld ([11:31])

  • The panel notes U.S. markets' positive response to possible progress; blockades cut off $434 million/day from Iran ([18:17]).

• Obstacles & Complexities:

  • Ford raises concerns about repeating the Obama-era Iran deal and the challenge of securing a truly denuclearized agreement.

Notable Quotes:

• "We want the United States to win. I think that what Tom Friedman...dislikes Trump so much. He doesn't want this to be a victory for Trump. But I want America to win..."
  — Harold Ford Jr. ([19:04])

• "Neither of those things is never. Which is what the obligation was right."
  — Dana Perino on nuclear negotiations ([19:32])

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3. Attacks on Journalists & California’s Proposed “Anti-Doxxing” Law

Timestamps: 20:07 – 29:18

• Incident Report: Savannah Hernandez, a conservative journalist, is attacked while covering a left-wing protest in Minneapolis. Panel voices outrage at physical intimidation of media ([20:13]).

• California Legislation: Proposed bill would criminalize posting personal data about immigrant services providers. Panel warns this could shield corrupt NGO or government behavior ([21:57]-[26:06]).

• First Amendment Debate: Extended exchange between Greg, Kennedy, Harold, and Dana about standards in both protest and journalism; name-calling vs. civil discourse; differences between "citizen" and “real” journalists ([23:09]-[26:06]).

Notable Quotes:

• "No one should be in a position to have to defend themselves like that when they're just simply trying to film and observe."
  — Kennedy ([20:22])

• "If Jenny says to me, 'Hey, I want to go over the credit card statement,' and I go, 'I'm passing a law, actually, that you can't go over the statement.' Best case scenario, there's a charge from Hooters. Okay. But if you're passing a law, it's probably well beyond Hooters."
  — Jimmy Failla ([27:44])

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4. Kamala Harris’ Political Future & Biden’s Vice Presidential Regret

Timestamps: 29:43 – 34:34

• Atlantic Report: Rumors Biden regretted not picking Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over Harris after BLM protests ([29:43]).

• Media & Party Perceptions: Harris viewed as unpopular and ineffective; speculation she may be redirected back to California politics.

• Role of Identity Politics: Debate over whether Biden’s choice was a reaction to racial pressure in 2020 ([34:29]).

• Historical Context: Harold Ford Jr. invokes the rarity of a victorious VP pick being so widely second-guessed, contrasting with McCain/Palin.

Notable Quotes:

• "But that's how you know, she sucks. Harold. He won and regretted it."
  — Jimmy Failla ([32:44])

• "The headline is Biden's afraid of the blacks... The blacks were burning things down and Biden said, okay, okay, okay, I'll put a black person on the ticket."
  — Greg Gutfeld ([34:29])

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5. Lighter Segment: Engagement Rings & Tradition

Timestamps: 35:38 – 37:42

• Ring Rejection Debate: A New York Post advice column question, “Can I return my engagement ring?” sparks humorous takes.

Memorable Moments:

• "Marriage is a sacred institution. Odds are you're only going to do it twice. You got to get it right."
  — Jimmy Failla ([36:10])

• "You can give the ring back, but if you do, he gets to sleep with the maid of honor."
  — Greg Gutfeld ([37:05])

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6. “One More Thing”: Personal Plugs, Uplifting Stories & Comic Relief

Timestamps: 37:42 – End

• Book Promotions: Dana Perino and Rachel Campos Duffy’s new books highlighted ([37:42], [38:35]).
• Feel-Good Segment: Young boy receives cochlear implant ([38:14]).
• Comic Relief: Drunken grandmother hands Barnes & Noble gift card to police instead of a license ([39:13]).
• Upcoming Comedy Tours: Jimmy Failla plugs his stand-up dates ([39:41]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Both these things are possible at the same time. The Democratic establishment can be completely corrupt, and Eric Swalwell can be an alleged rapist."
  — Kennedy ([08:09])

• "I have to be able to call people names, Harold. I'm on television."
  — Greg Gutfeld ([25:34])

• "Fraud is expensive. I guess that's my problem. And when government is expensive, they pass on the savings to taxpayers..."
  — Kennedy ([23:09])

• "Marriage is a sacred institution. Odds are you're only going to do it twice. You got to get it right."
  — Jimmy Failla ([36:10])

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Structure & Tone

The Five maintains its signature blend of rapid-fire banter, skepticism, and humor. Discussions toggle between sobering assessments of institutional failure and current events, and irreverent asides or comic jabs. The episode flows naturally between segments, ensuring politics and social commentary are balanced with personality-driven interaction.

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For Further Listening

• Swalwell’s Scandal: Main coverage opens at [00:04]
• Iran Blockade Discussion: Begins at [10:46]
• California Journalism Law & First Amendment: [20:13]–[29:18]
• Kamala Harris Speculation: [29:43]–[34:34]
• Comic Relief & Feel-Good Closer: [35:38]–End

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This summary encapsulates all major arguments, humor, and memorable moments, and should serve listeners as a robust guide to the episode’s main themes and takeaways.

Transcript

[Dana Perino]

Hello, everyone. I'm dana farino, along with kennedy, harold ford jr. Jesse waters and jimmy fala. It's five o' clock in new york city, and this is the five. Eric Swalwell officially resigning from Congress as he gets hit with a shocking new rape allegation. Adding to a growing list of sexual assault claims. Some accusers are speaking out on camera for the first time, including a woman who says Eric Swalwell drugged and raped her when she was working as a model in LA in 2018.

[Woman Accuser]

I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine. When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated and I couldn't move my arms or my body. He raped me and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness and I thought I died.

[Dana Perino]

And then he sent me a photo of his penis. It reached a point where he invited me to a hotel to meet him. It was very clear what the connotation was. Eric Swalwell's attorneys denying the allegations against him, calling them, quote, false, fabricated, and deeply offensive, and a calculated and transparent political hit job. Meanwhile, Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, who once chaired Swalwell's presidential campaign and described Eric as, quote, my best friend. Well, he faced off with reporters for more than 40 minutes today, vehemently denying any knowledge of inappropriate behavior, except rumors of flirting.

[Jesse Waters]

This man led a double life. He lied to us, he lied to his family, lied to his constituents. Anybody that asks or anybody, any legal, you know, proceedings that need will get whatever they want, without a doubt. Since I told him to drop out, I have not spoken to him.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

When you first heard these rumors, should

[Jesse Waters]

you have acted when you first heard these rumors? Several years ago, the rumors I heard were that he was just a flirty, social guy. That's it. He became very good at being a predator, and he clearly preyed on these women in different positions. And he became extremely proficient at lying to us, lying to his family, lying to his community.

[Dana Perino]

Well, Jesse, that all escalated very quickly.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah, well, the Democrat machine's pretty slimy if you think about it. Nancy Pelosi, who was Eric Swalwell's mentor, she put him on the House Intel Committee, kept him there even after Fang Fang Jeffries put him on J6 committee. So he was sponsored. He was a rising star, and they used him as a weapon to hurt Trump. And they looked the other way at all of these shenanigans until he threatened their power in California and then kaboom. Coup nuked on the eve of the primary. First shot Fired Friday in the hometown paper, San Francisco Chronicle. That hurts. It was local. And then over the weekend, you just see a domino of endorsements collapse. CNN gets the woman in spot shadow. The network, CBS now have three women face out there. And then Monday he takes himself out. They didn't even need this woman on Tuesday. You accused him of choking her, raping her and drugging her. This was highly orchestrated, professionally organized. This was a political assassination. And I think it was only possible because the Democrat machine knew about all of this for years. And everybody in Washington admitting they knew about it. Everybody's admitting this was all out there. Did the reporters dig?

[Jimmy Failla]

No.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Did the Democrats protect the women? No, not at all. I think it all happened the way Biden went down. They covered up his brain. Then he blew himself up at the debate, became a liability, threatened all their seats and the coup happened. Same thing here. So the Democratic machine is ruthless. They survive on blackmail, cover ups and coups. Now, Trump took on the Republican machine in 16 and won. But so far the Democrat machine remains unbeaten. And I'm not saying Swalwell's a victim. He did this to. He put the gun to his head, but the Democrat Party pulled the trigger.

[Dana Perino]

How do you see that, Harold?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Well, first, it's good to be with you. The allegations against him are so serious and vicious. He has denied the allegations. He'll have an opportunity to defend himself. But you said it yesterday. These things just keep coming. I differ with you a bit on the Democrat thing. I mean, I think it's the wrong question to be asking. I wouldn't ask, did the Republicans, how long do they know about Gonzalez or how long do they know about Corey Mills and the things that he's been accused of, women saying that he assaulted them. I don't think anybody in Congress was enabling this. And if they were, they'll have to answer these questions if it comes up in some proceeding where they find information to that effect. This is not a good day for the Congress. It's an institution that has failed to do its job over the last year. So it's been more associated with government shutdowns and defaults on our debt than it has been with getting things done and arriving at budgets and spending bills on time. And now you have this, interestingly, the Gonzalez matter. And again, I just don't think this is the right question to be asked. But the Gonzalez matter, since we've asked it, he admitted to what happened with the young lady in his office. She apparently committed suicide and no one had asked him to step no One had moved to expel him. They kept him in. It's largely because of the politics. It was not until you had the situation with Swalwell, where now everybody wants Gonzalez out because you have an even number of people. You got one Democrat, one Republican, so you don't upend or disrupt the majority in the Congress. We should ask every member of Congress on the Republican and Democrat side, was that ever in your calculus? Because that, to me, is as vicious and as serious as the allegations are. If these people knew these things, as vicious and as serious as the allegations are against Swalwell.

[Dana Perino]

He denies it. Kennedy, but you saw her. And, well, the women who have spoken out publicly, it's hard for them to do so. What do you think it happens next? Yeah. And he resigns from Congress. But what she's describing is criminal.

[Kennedy]

Yes, absolutely right. And Jimmy and I were talking about this on my podcast yesterday. We what do you do with your life after this if you're Eric Swalwell? Because I assume when I saw him in the first class lounge and then in first class lie flat beds flying with four other people from Newark to Los Angeles, I assumed that the guy was rich. Little did I know that he was allegedly paying his illegal nanny with campaign funds in cash under the table. There's a lot of dubious stuff that has been swirling around him. And D.C. is the most gossipy place on the planet, much more so than Hollywood, much more so than anything that I've seen in TV or film or music. People thrive on gossip as currency, and they all knew about this. And Swalwell's big defense was always, well, you know, if any of this were true, the MAGA people would have found out about it, Donald Trump would have found out about it, and they would have come after me. And, you know, these are just politically motivated rumors, rumors. And he accused the other people in the race of ginning these things up and making up lies and potentially paying off women to come out and talk about him. But this had been circling pretty publicly since December. That's a long time between then and now to keep him, this little golden party boy, as the front runner in your gubernatorial race in the biggest, most powerful state in the country. They absolutely knew. Both these things are possible at the same time. The Democratic establishment can be completely corrupt, and Eric Swalwell can be an alleged rapist.

[Dana Perino]

It does appear that the Chinese spies understand their marks.

[Kennedy]

Right.

[Dana Perino]

At what point did the Democrats not think the Fang Fang thing was a tell?

[Jimmy Failla]

But that's where Nancy Pelosi's defense is so laughable on its face. Because if you're ensnared in a honeypot probe, okay, you get the same thing we got during COVID It's called contact tracing. They don't go, this guy shagged a spy anyway. Don't do it again. They go, who else was he texting? Who else was he emailing? Who else was he hanging out with? If I could just jog your memory. One month, he was threatening to file legal action to deny the DOJ from releasing the files from that FBI investigation. Why? Because the contact tracing might have brought a lot of this stuff up to the surface. So there's two things that jump out at me. One is the shameless lying because Gallego says, I had no idea it was my best friend. I had no idea. That's like Dr. Dre being like, Snoop Dogg smokes weed. Since when? Where have you been on this? So that is laughable. And just as the. As the head of a small household on a small scale, I'm blown away by what his data plan happened to be. You talk about him not having money, the amount of disgusting texts this guy was sending. I don't. I aspire to be in that tax bracket someday, but I hope to behave better when I get there.

[Kennedy]

On Snapchat.

[Jimmy Failla]

On Snapchat.

[Kennedy]

And his wife is like, wait, you know, you're. You're 44 years old. There's no way you're on Snapchat. That's for teenager.

[Jimmy Failla]

The level of arrogance. She's making a brilliant point because this is a guy who behaved like he thought he was bulletproof. He was a useful idiot until he no longer was. But in the golden days of useful idiocy, you could open with your closer. You could send something as insanely forward as a pig. You know, a picture of the governor, whatever you want to reduce this to. It's very Brett Favre of him, is what I'm trying to say. And guys only do that because they probably have a habit of doing it successfully.

[Dana Perino]

All right, Those were the golden days.

[Jimmy Failla]

They're over.

[Dana Perino]

Coming up next, at blockade breakthrough, President Trump is teasing a new round of talks with Iran.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Is President Trump's squeeze on Iran starting to pay off? The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz hitting day two and 47, telling the Post the second round of talks with Iran could be happening over the next two days. J.D. vance telling Bret Baer our very own how Iranian negotiators didn't have the authority to agree to Trump's terms and needed to go back to Tehran to get approval.

[Guest Expert]

Watch, really, the ball is very much in their court. The only thing the Iranians have been able to do, they haven't, of course, beaten us militarily. They've had their military been decimated. They haven't been able to prosecute the case. When it comes to weapons of war, what they have done is engage in this act of economic terrorism against the entire world. The President, United States showed two can play at that game.

[Greg Gutfeld]

And how's this for a petty twist? Democrats and the liberal media sound like they'd rather see Iran come out ahead just so Trump doesn't score a win.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I really don't want to see Bibi

[Jimmy Failla]

Netanyahu or Donald Trump politically strengthened by

[Harold Ford Jr.]

this war because they are two awful human beings. And so I really find myself torn.

[Jimmy Failla]

Now deceased supreme leader, who. I'm not mourning his death. Right. A very bad person. He did have a fatwa in place that said no development of nuclear weapons. The problem is, is his now second eldest son, Ali Khamenei, doesn't believe in that fatwa.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Donald Trump also told the demented lie in attacking the Pope that Iran wants to, quote, exterminate the world.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Well, Dana, I gotta give them credit for honesty. They really can't decide who they want to win, Iran or America.

[Dana Perino]

Hard to say this, but I guess. I guess we're gonna have to go with Iran.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Yeah.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Oh, well.

[Dana Perino]

Well, you know, now we know we don't have to guess, and I guess that's fine. I thought that when the vice president revealed that the Iranians couldn't make a deal because they have to go back to Tehran, that's pretty interesting because it means that they probably don't have a way to communicate in a way that doesn't reveal the location, because the ayatollah, you know, you know that guy you keep talking about, maybe he was like, I'll just sit here and we have to do everything by pen and paper at this point. I feel like, you know, in reality shows, which I don't watch a ton of, but in reality shows where they just keep you hanging on, like. And then. And if you stay around after the next commercial break, then you might find out who did it. That's what I feel like. In the next two days, there might be talks. I don't know. We just started the blockade. We'll see what happens. There's a lot of maneuvering going on. China's involved, et cetera. Again, as Greg Gutfeld would say, dana, you're so intelligent because you're saying you don't know what's going to happen.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I know it's gonna happen. Trump's gonna get angry when it takes for the gay ayatollah to say, this is no good, or this is good. That's gonna be so frustrating.

[Kennedy]

I think gayness is the least of his worries right now. I think breathing might be higher up on his list, and I'm not quite sure he's doing that. I think what we're witnessing is weak in that Khameneis, and it's not going well for either side. You know, it would be like if Kamala Harris were negotiating, because right now we have two sets of people we're negotiating with, the people in the room who don't have any power and people who are terrified in Tehran who hate the United States so much they would rather pull Iran down with the rest of the world. And if Kamala Harris were negotiating, we'd have, like, sober Kamala Harris where she would be able to explain everything and then the rose all day. One who would be laughing and talking about falling out of a coconut tree. I do think that JD Vance has comported himself well. I hope that the talks go well. I don't have any faith in Iran. I think that they are stubborn. I think that they are murderous. They are incredibly desperate, yet somehow they're not out of missiles. And that makes them more of a force than I think anyone had anticipated. I think the President and the Secretary of War thought that this would go as smoothly as the first Iranian incursion and the Venezuela bout did, and we're not seeing that. And to Dana's point, we don't know the terminus. I hope the next round of talks give us more confidence and bring us to a close.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I mean, you can do see the light at the end of the tunnel. They have not attacked any of these destroyers in the strait. Talks do seem to be moving in the right direction, and China does feel pressure. So you can kind of see this thing, how it winds down.

[Jimmy Failla]

This does dovetail with the Dana theory that this is a sweeps week gambit aimed at the spring ratings book. I think it's good. I think it's very TV of us. And I agree. And since we're talking about tv, can we just acknowledge really quickly Lawrence o' Donnell talks at all times, like he's trying to hold in a fart. I know that's not very adult of me on a serious show of this stature.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Serious.

[Jimmy Failla]

But when he says Iran and President Trump, I'm like, dude, just let it go. You don't know everybody in this elevator. They'll be off at the next floor. But the Thomas Friedman thing, you have to admire the candor on some level, okay? Because he's flat out saying we're in a nuclear standoff. For all intents and purposes, we don't want them to have a nuke. He concedes that's a problem, but says my own political preferences are more important than the existential threat we're dealing with. That's a level of self absorption that. I gotta be honest with you. The people in Iran rooting for a settlement right now are not sitting in their caves in fear with their soul in a fetal position going, I just hope it doesn't happen under this Khomeini because he's a dirtbag. If we can get to the midterms, it's embarrassing, man.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Yeah. The market liked day two of the blockade, Harold. And it looks like the S and P has recovered all the losses since the beginning of the war.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So a couple of things the market did. It recovered and continues to because it's believing there's going to be a second meeting and believes that we may find some, some resolution here. There are two goals we're trying to get. And I differ. I never like differing with DP on anything, but different. I didn't, I didn't think Vance was particularly effective. Yesterday he said that they were inches away from an agreement, but he didn't believe the people in the room were able to settle on an agreement. And they met for 21 hours. This is a 6,000 year old civilization that feels like they're, they're, they're their country and what they represent is facing and has a existential threat posed to them. They were not going to solve this in 21 hours. I thought there was progress made there, but I wouldn't have criticized the people there in the room like he did. But maybe that's part of the strategy they have. We need with two goals here. First, open up the strait. That's why the market is responding as it is. And two, the most important is to ensure that they cannot make a nuclear weapon and they can't threaten us or our allies in the region. Now, I said yesterday the blockade has been a success. It's a success because we are depriving the Iranians of money. Now, it was reported today that a Chinese vessel got through, then it had to come back through. I'm curious as we get some more reporting this evening from some of our reporters and other outlets to figure out what exactly happened there. I do hope we're not. That we, the United States, are not cherry picking or deciding who can get through, who cannot get through. It sets an awful precedent for commercial.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It didn't leave an Iranian. That's why.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Right. So I think it sets. You're probably right and I trust you. But my point is this is a bad precedent to set in a commercially important piece of geography. And I hope if the White House and the Department of War are of this position, they need to share with the world and us what we're trying to, what the real goal is here. But the blockade, in my estimation, the reason it's so important is that it's depriving them of money. And I'm hopeful that this will force them back to the table up to

[Kennedy]

434 million a day, exactly half a

[Harold Ford Jr.]

billion dollars a day. They're losing. So finally the losing the money is great. I don't think all Democrats are rooting for the Iranians. I'm a Democrat. I have a lot of friends that are Democrats. We want the United States to win. I think that what Tom Friedman, I didn't quite understand it fully, but I think he dislikes Trump so much. He doesn't want this to be a victory for Trump. But I want America to win. And that means the president, who's our commander in chief, will win as well. Finally, we are probably going to end up, Jesse and everybody around the table with an agreement between us and the Iranians that's going to look a lot closer to what Obama negotiated several years ago than not. I don't think the Obama deal was as bad as some people think. I won't go as far as my friend from the great senator from Virginia, Tim Kaine, who said it would be the worst. It's the worst thing ever. But I do think if we'll look back and wonder why we withdrew ourselves from that agreement, if indeed we have to agree to something very similar a few years later, I will say I'm

[Greg Gutfeld]

not so sure you're right.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I hope I'm not. I hope I'm not. But if I am right, I hope you say I'm right.

[Jimmy Failla]

If you're right, they're getting alert. If you're right, they're getting a lot of cash in the mail. So that's good news for them.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Right. But that, well, it means that and perhaps a few other things. We want 20 years. They want less than 10, is how long they will not enrich uranium.

[Dana Perino]

Well, neither of those things is never. Which is what the obligation was right.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

But think about.

[Dana Perino]

We're never going to agree. I'm agreeing with you.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

They're never going to not do it. They want a nuclear weapon, we've got it. We've got to bring them into the Western world where they don't want to harm us and our friends. I don't mean to keep going.

[Greg Gutfeld]

It's okay. We love you. Coming up next, a shocking left wing attack on a conservative journalist. Wow, look at that.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Freedom.

[Kennedy]

Freedom,

[Jimmy Failla]

Freedom.

[Kennedy]

Well, I want freedom, but so much for protecting journalists. A mob of left wing protesters viciously attacked Turning Point USA reporter Savannah Hernandez while she was out covering an anti ice protest in Minneapolis. Police arresting three of the attackers. Watch. Oh, God. Hey, guys, I didn't even come here today to, you know, try and interview people. I came here to simply observe and know what you don't know. No one should be in a position to have to defend themselves like that when they're just simply trying to film and observe. Well, over in California, that could all be illegal. Exposing fraud could get you in very hot water. Nick Shirley is warning about a proposed bill there that would make it illegal to post a photo of personal or personal data of an immigrant services provider on the Internet for harassment or violent purposes. So, Jesse, this is crazy because it's crazy. People who have been activated and told that this is how they should behave when they are confronted with someone they might have a political disagreement with, someone whose words they might not agree with, that they then feel justified turning into violence. Are they looking for mentally deranged people to go to these protests and carry that out?

[Greg Gutfeld]

Maybe not looking for, but they happen to be there. They're on the front lines. And the Democrat Party will protect its own position. If you start asking questions about money or like what Doge did, what they do, they burn cars down. If you start looking around and knocking on doors, they're going to throw you in jail. I mean, look what they did to Trump. They tried to put him in jail before he was even elected. If you start sniffing around in the greatest welfare state in the world, California, where the Palisades money went missing, the homeless money goes missing, the train money goes missing. All of this money is just a slush fund to keep people in powerful positions. And they're all dumb. Like, look at Karen Bass. She's an idiot. And then the mayor in San Francisco, they're usually stupid, too. Same with the governor. The guy's out to lunch. And then you got Swalwell. It's a system designed to be a racket so you can steal. And then if anybody comes in knocking, you throw them in prison. And until we throw them in prison, they're going to keep sucking all the cash out of the system and, and, and it's going to be the corrupt state of California like it's always been.

[Kennedy]

Fraud is expensive. I guess that's my problem. And when government is expensive, they pass on the savings to taxpayers who have to pay higher taxes in order to fund some of the fraud which, you know, they dress it up nicely. It's non governmental organizations that are just out there helping. But really, you know, it's, it's just grift. They're just stealing.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

It is and unfortunately we need, we have to let the chips fall where the chips may fall. And we should, we should look at this all across the country.

[Kennedy]

Shouldn't we be looking for more fraud though, and not less?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I agree and I'm not, I'm not disagreeing. I don't know how I can say it. I agree. But Jesse and I are great pals and I don't like when anybody, I think the president does it. There are Democrats that do it. You didn't mean to do it. When we call people idiots and stupid who are in public life.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Karen BASS Right.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

But when you call people, you call people piggy and low IQ when Democrats do. But when these people are against ice, when you do what you do to a young lady like that who is out exercising her First Amendment rights. We all, we all get in our little crouches when it's. And defend from there when it's our position that's being attacked and say how wrong it is. It's wrong when anyone is attacked for a Democrat not to say that young lady, that young journalist there who was there to ask questions and perhaps had a motive or an agenda. But guess what? The First Amendment doesn't say your speech is protected if you only have an agenda that is pure or agreeable to the person who believes the question is a bad question or believes that your speech is not the right speech. That was wrong. What happened to her. I don't think it's right to call people and that's just me and perhaps I'm just old fashioned. I think it, we talk about all these things, how it bleeds into other things. This thing here in California. Nick Shirley act Think about the ICE officers were wearing masks and they didn't want their, they didn't want to have their names. I thought they were right to do that. I don't think you should be Able to publish public servants names online for the purpose that some people may want that they might be publishing these things for. Maybe we need to find a better balance. But I just don't like the name calling because I think the name calling escalates and escalates and it gets to a point where it's easy for someone to say that guy's bad because they took on a TPUSA journalist. That guy's bad because they took on someone who supports my opposition. What they did, that young lady was terrible. And every Democrat should stand up and say it. And every Republican should also be able to say when somebody says something that's wrong about a Democrat that they, even if they don't like the Democrat, they have to say it's wrong too. Otherwise this thing is going to get worse and worse and worse.

[Greg Gutfeld]

I have to be able to call people names. Harold, I'm on television.

[Jimmy Failla]

Yes, thank you.

[Greg Gutfeld]

We have a show here.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Single me out with it. Just keep calling me those.

[Kennedy]

I mean, Harold is right. Having said that, Karen Bass is a contemptible dingbat. So. But Dana, it really looks like this California assembly bill is geared up to punish journalists. And you know, they're trying to make a differentiation between, you know, establishment journalists and citizen journalists. But you know, in this day and age, is there really a clear defining line?

[Dana Perino]

Well, the California bill is basically pretty phenomenal. Instead of saving taxpayer dollars by cutting waste, fraud and abuse, they want to figure out a way to protect anyone trying to expose the. Not protect the people trying to expose waste, fraud and abuse. The same in Minnesota. And I like your point that they will protect themselves when you start looking at the money. But the every city, especially blue cities, if you are worried about your wealthier citizens fleeing your state for another place, you should want to deal with the waste, fraud and abuse in your own places. In 2032, they are looking at a very different electoral map. We won't have to worry about the blue wall anymore because it won't, it won't be a problem because not that many people are going to be living there. Other places are going to get those numbers. So that in order to get to. How many is it? 4. 4 32. How many numbers we need to win the presidency? 270 in order to get to 275.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

30.

[Dana Perino]

It's not going to be the same map after that census, I think because you have so many people leaving those cities. Also, I just want to say I'm really glad that the people got arrested and I hope that they are prosecuted and Especially like the man pushing her. Okay. That's when it's pretty obvious the whistle in her ear that could have done. That could possibly do permanent damage to somebody.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. And that's what they're trying to do. I mean, they're doing that in Portland during the George Floyd protests with the US Marshals regarding the federal courthouse. Many of them were blinded, right. With the laser pointers that they were shining in their eyes. And then magically in that liberal. What has become a hellhole. Those people were not charged. They were also waving marital aids in her face, Jimmy.

[Dana Perino]

And I thought that was an affront to society.

[Jimmy Failla]

Yeah. I'm not happy with it. Can we just acknowledge this? California law is an admission of guilt. It is an admission of guilt. If Jenny says to me, hey, I want to go over the credit card statement, and I go, I'm passing a law, actually, that you can't go over the statement. Best case scenario, there's a charge from Hooters. Okay. But if you're passing a law, it's probably well beyond Hooters. But listen, I have a school age kid, and I can tell you, like, when I was in school, kids who were ambitious, you knew they were ambitious because of what they wanted to do. They were like, I want to be a doctor. I want to be a lawyer. Kids my son age now, they're like, I want to run a daycare in Minneapolis. That's how you know the grift is on. I've never met a kid up until about a month ago who wanted to run a hospice in California. Cut the crap. With this law. I don't mind.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

I want them to, but I don't think we should have the. You can expose everything, but don't put the people's names in their addresses. Just say what the secretary of that. That agency, whoever that person is, say this, that person is responsible for this grip and corruption and fraud and whatever it may be. But I just. I don't like. I didn't like when they went after those school board members in Tennessee and other places during. During COVID I just don't like it when public officials, you vote them out. You don't. You don't shoot them, you don't kill them, you don't harm them. And I think that's what we run up against them.

[Kennedy]

Well, unfortunately, though, in California, it's ballot measures. It's not necessarily what is passed by the Assembly.

[Dana Perino]

It's.

[Kennedy]

You know, this is very insidious.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

So the voters actually directly said they wanted that spending, which is I think even more curious.

[Kennedy]

Oh, so now you're using. They were asking for it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Defend.

[Kennedy]

All right, coming up, does Joe Biden have veep regrets about Kamala?

[Dana Perino]

Find out next.

[Jimmy Failla]

Guess who's having a little veep? Buyers remorse. According to the Atlantic, Joe Biden wanted Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to be his vice president, but, quote, had to choose Kamala, saying he was pushed to her after the Black Lives Matter.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Protestant.

[Jimmy Failla]

Well, fast forward to now. And the Dems are panicking at the idea of Kamala 2028 humiliating the party again. The View crew wants to foist her on to California. Check it out.

[Kennedy]

I'd like to see Kamala Harris, maybe put her hat back in the ring for governor of Congress. Governor of California. I know that she's talked about being president. I don't know if that's the right position for her.

[Dana Perino]

But

[Jimmy Failla]

how about it, Kennedy? Let's start with the obvious here. Okay? Biden wanted Gretchen Whitmer. BLM forced Kamala on him. But they can take advantage now and just tell him he had Gretchen Whitmer and it went great. Can't they?

[Dana Perino]

Yes.

[Jimmy Failla]

Can't they make this go away?

[Kennedy]

A lot of the Democrat media establishment would probably go along with the narrative and they would probably indulge the fairy tale.

[Dana Perino]

Kamala Harris is.

[Kennedy]

You know, she is unliked by her fellow Democrats. Now, so many of them have done whatever they can to try and distance the party from the failure of the 2024 campaign. California doesn't want her.

[Jimmy Failla]

Thank you.

[Kennedy]

She was the one who said she didn't want to run for governor. California because the system is broken. The system of which she is a product.

[Jimmy Failla]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

The system as vice president that she helped codify. But the state is in such a bad state. I actually would love for her to run because I think Steve Hilton would absolutely trounce her. Crush her on a debate stage.

[Dana Perino]

Yes.

[Jimmy Failla]

Amen. Harold, are you concerned that this is a slight. Harold. To Katie Porter, who's currently on the ticket. Okay. And she's not exactly the best with the staff. This isn't going to lower tensions on the set. The next time somebody walks into Katie Porter's side, the View might have just caused harm. Are you concerned? Do you call for the View to stand down before somebody gets hit by a pot of boiling mashed potatoes?

[Harold Ford Jr.]

They should keep talking. The. I'd say a couple things. It's Gretchen Whitmer. I read this story and I thought we were saying that he wished that Whitmer had been at the top of the ticket this last go round and not combo. But he was saying he wished he'd picked her. I think it just goes to show she remains that Gretchen Whitman is very relevant. She's a force in the party. I think her and Shapiro and Bashir are names that Democrats need to focus on even more. Beginning to help get their voices out because they're outcome oriented. They're so smart, they're pragmatic. You know, you talk to a lot of candidates after they lose race. And the amazing thing is that Biden actually won the race in 2020 with Kamala. So she didn't drag him down there. She turned out not to be a great presidential candidate under the circumstances. But you talk to John McCain. John McCain before he passed, God rest his soul, said, you know, I wish I had not picked Sarah Palin. I wish I picked Tom Rich. You can find those who lose who often said they wish he'd pick someone else. It's unusual to find somebody who actually won the race sake.

[Jimmy Failla]

But that's how you know, she sucks. Harold. He won and regretted it.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Fact that Sunny hosted is now saying she should run for governor and endorsed her. I think it shows a lot where some of the media is, particularly the left leaning media is on her in this next presidential race. She's got a lot of minds to

[Jimmy Failla]

convince, but this is where it's a fool's errand. Dana. And you remember this when she ran in 2020, she dropped out before the primaries because she was polling at 1% in California. She was polling behind my milk in California. So this idea that there's any market for her right now is so laughable.

[Dana Perino]

Well, it makes sense that Joe Biden would have initially wanted Whitmer because she's in Michigan. That's a purple state. He didn't need to win California. He was going to win California. So that just logically makes sense. And then also the former Biden official basically was like, yeah, we're not going to comment on this. Which makes you think it is also true they're not trying to help Kamala Harris. We might just have to ask Dr. Jill Biden when she goes out on her book tour who she really wanted. Me. No, she didn't want to Kamala. So it's probably was big Gretch. But the problem for Gretchen now is I feel like because Trump won her state, she is more constrained in what she can do. She's not out there on Hasan Piker show. Right. For example. Right. But the base of the party wants younger brasher, fresher and she can be funny, but I don't think that's where the energy of the party is.

[Jimmy Failla]

No. And I think, Jesse, you know this because you cover this stuff every night. She's actually just as cringy as Kamala with her Dorito videos. Have you ever seen her rap Llama Llama Red Pajama with those poor kids? I actually don't think she would have aged any better than Kamala. I just think it was Biden being beaten down by the stampede of BLM in that summer. He was a prisoner of the moment. He didn't think beyond it.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You nailed it. The headline is Biden's afraid of the blacks.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

That's what you think the headline is.

[Greg Gutfeld]

The blacks were burning things down and Biden said, okay, okay, okay, I'll put a black person on the ticket. Yeah, that's the headline. Harold. Is that Biden? Is that weak? He gets scared of black people burning stuff in the cities. Now imagine Trump. You could never bully Trump into doing anything. Like, you tell Trump not to do stuff, and he'll do it just because you told him not to. You really don't pick her. Don't pick her. And he'd be like, oh, I'm picking her. Oh, no. Like, that's the difference between these guys.

[Jimmy Failla]

Fair. Now, all I need to know to fact check your statement about Biden being afraid of the blacks is whether it preceded his Charlemagne interview where he said, if you have a problem figuring out if you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black. So there was a point where he wasn't scared.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That's right.

[Jimmy Failla]

Maybe that predates that moment. I don't know. But we'll watch the replay during the break.

[Greg Gutfeld]

The fastest is up next,

[Harold Ford Jr.]

The remaining but the fleeting illusion to be pursued. Welcome back, advice columnist for the New York Post, getting asked, quote, my fiance proposed, but I hate the ring. Can I give it back? And grandma Gill, she's not having it. Watch this. Are you kidding me?

[Dana Perino]

Just be quiet and accept the ring

[Kennedy]

and say thank you.

[Dana Perino]

It's beautiful.

[Kennedy]

This whole thing is like the weddings, the bachelor parties, the destinations, the ring.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

That's.

[Kennedy]

That's not what marriage is about.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Jeremy, you had a reaction to that.

[Jimmy Failla]

Is I actually. I'm not a materialistic guy, but I do think she should be able to give back the ring. Marriage is a sacred institution. Odds are you're only going to do it twice. You got to get it right.

[Dana Perino]

It's hard for me to believe you're not a materialistic guy when you wear a jacket with fake pockets.

[Jimmy Failla]

It does. Perino got me on that one, got

[Dana Perino]

married and my great grandmother's gold wedding band. And years later I put it in a very safe place. And I cannot find that safe place. But I'm sure it's in a safe place. No, I think that I agree with

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Grandma Kennedy, you've got something to show.

[Kennedy]

No, I absolutely love my ring. I think that my beloved sexy teenage boyfriend did a great job. Even if it was ugly, I would not have given it back. She's absolutely right. Focus on the marriage. Focus on communication, the things you have in common. Learn to love the same foods and travel and the rest will follow.

[Jimmy Failla]

Amen.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Prime time. Bring it home.

[Greg Gutfeld]

You can give the ring back, but if you do, he gets to sleep with the maid of honor.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Wow.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Those are the rules. I didn't make the rules. Those are the rules.

[Jimmy Failla]

One more rule, Never buy a used laptop off Jesse Waters. That's an odd plot there, bud.

[Greg Gutfeld]

That's a great rule though.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

We've got to get back. Theoretically, we got to get back to reading the Bible. One More Thing is up next.

[Dana Perino]

It's time now for One more thing. A little book promotion for Purple State. If you liked, everything will be okay. You're going to love Purple State because it gives you like the fictionalized version with all the good lessons. And then a couple of things for New Jersey, Northvale, New Jersey Books and Greetings. 12pm April 26. You can get tickets. And then May 2, Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, Little Point Bookshop. You can call them to get tickets. And then Dana Perino on tour in St. Louis. I haven't been there in a long time. At the county library. Dana perinobooks.com for tickets.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Harold, congrats on everything. 12 year old Ryder was diagnosed with a hearing loss in both of his ears at birth. Here he is crying tears of joy after he got a cochlear implant and can hear for the very first time. God bless you, young fellow and God bless our incredible technology and medical advances.

[Dana Perino]

That's great, Jesse.

[Greg Gutfeld]

One of my favorite senses, hearing people say I don't listen, but I do. And we're really excited for your book, Dana. All right. FOX and Friends weekend co host Rachel campos Duffy celebrating America 250 with a new book called All American Patriotism. Look at that. She and the FOX News family celebrating the people, places, values and traditions that have made America the best nation in the world. Some of our stories are in it too. Go check it out. Pre order it foxnewsbooks.com Also tonight Dana Lasch. Clay. Travis. Julie. Where's Greg Banderas?

[Dana Perino]

Great cover on Rachel's book. Okay, we go to Kennedy.

[Kennedy]

Let's check in with this drunken grandma. She was driving the wrong way down a roadway in Florida. 12:30 in the morning, they pulled her over. They had a sneaking suspicion they were dealing with the dui and they asked her for her license and she whipped out her Barnes and Noble gift card.

[Greg Gutfeld]

She's a reader.

[Dana Perino]

She whipped that out.

[Greg Gutfeld]

Jesse, I'd never whip it out.

[Dana Perino]

All right, Jimmy.

[Jimmy Failla]

She can vote in most blue states with that library card.

[Harold Ford Jr.]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Failla]

By the way, I tried to get away from that. I am in that Rachel Campos Duffy book. I'm in the chapter America, £250. Don't see me do stand up. There's my stand up promo. I'm all over the Midwest. You're going to love it. It's amazing.

[Dana Perino]

Let me look at all these towns. Oh, Napa. That sounds fun. San Antonio. That's a good one. That's going to be a really good one. Okay, well, we will see you tomorrow. That's it for us. Have a great night, everybody. We'll see you.

[Jimmy Failla]

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