>>> VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE HAD HARD WORDS FOR THE NBA THIS
WEEK.
WEEK. >> THE NBA IS ACTING LIKE A HOLY
OWNED SUBSIDIARY.
OWNED SUBSIDIARY. >> THIS IS ONE OF A SERIES OF
STORIES THIS WEEK THAT MADE US
SAY HANG ON, LET’S CHECK THAT.
CHINA GOING TO BUILD $20 BILLION
WORTH OF AGRICULTURE GOODS.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A BIG POSITIVE.
THAT IS FAR FROM THE 40 TO 50
BILLION PROMISED BY TRUMP TWO
WEEKS AGO.
WEEKS AGO. OR THE NEWS THAT BROKE IN
WISCONSIN THAT THE EXPENSIVE FOX
CON DEAL, THAT IS SUPPOSED TO
BRING IN HUNDREDS OF JOBS AND
THE WHOLE PLANT IS NOW ON HOLD,
AND A NUMBER OF MANUFACTURING
LAYOFFS THAT ARE IN STATES THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP WON BY LESS THAN
5% IN 2016.
BUT HE WON THEM WITH THE SUPPORT
OF SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE
MANUFACTURING SECTOR.
MANUFACTURING SECTOR. WE HAVE A LOT TO BREAK DOWN IN
THIS
THIS THIS.
THIS. HOLD ON, LET’S CHECK IT.
DYLAN BYERS.
DYLAN BYERS. AND VAUGHN HILLIARD MAKING A
RARE APPEARANCE HERE.
AND MY DEER FRIEND BEN WHITE.
DYLAN, LET’S START WITH YOU, THE
VP’S STATEMENT ABOUT THE NBA.
FIRST OF ALL TO SAY THAT THE NBA
IS WHOLLY OWNED BY COMMUNIST
CHINA, WHAT IS HE SAYING?
THE NDA IS IN A VERY PRECARIOUS
SITUATION.
SITUATION. THEY DIDN’T AIR THE FIRST TWO
PRESEASON GAMES, CCTV IS THE
LARGEST TELEVISION NETWORK ON
THE PLANET, WE HAVE NO IDEA IF
THEY WILL AIR A SINGLE GAME THIS
SEASON.
SEASON. THE REVENUE STREAM THEY GREAT
THIS TV DEAL IS MASSIVE.
WHAT IS MIKE PENCE TALKING
ABOUT?
ABOUT? >> TO WHICH I WOULD ADD THAT DID
THE VICE PRESIDENT MISS THE PART
OVER THE SUMMER WHEN HIS BOSS
CALLED THE PRESIDENT OF CHINA
AND AGREED NOT TO ADDRESS THE
PROTESTS IN HONG KONG AND TO
WITH HOLD ANY CRITICISM OF HOW
BEIJING WAS HANDLEING THE
PROTESTS.
PROTESTS. THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF
HYPOCRISY, AND ADAM SILVER HAS
BEEN RATHER DEFT IN HOW HE
MANAGED THIS ISSUE.
YES, HE HAS AN ISSUE.
DWRE IS
DWRE IS YES IT IS CHINA, DWRE IS VERY
LUCRATIVE.
LUCRATIVE. AFTER A LITTLE WAFFLING AND
UNCERTAINTY, HE TOOK UP FOR FREE
FEATURE FOR THE RIGHT OF HIS
PLAYERS, HIS EMPLOYEES, THE
MANAGERS, THE TEAM OWNERS, TO
SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT.
AT THE SAME TIME SAYING THAT
THEY DON’T REPRESENT THE THE VIC
AWARE AS ANYONE OF THE NUANCES
AND DIFFICULTIES OF DOING
BUSINESS WITH CHINA.
IT’S CLEAR FROM THE ONGOING
NEGOTIATIONS THAT THE WHITE
HOUSE IS HAVING WITH THAT
COUNTRY THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF
THOSE NUANCES.
THOSE NUANCES. SO IT’S RIDICULOUS TO SUGGEST
THAT SOMEHOW COMMISSIONER ADAM
SILVER IS DOING ANYTHING LESS
THAN THE BEST HE COULD POSSIBLY
BE DOING RIGHT NOW.
>> VAUNGHN, YOU’VE COVERED MIKE
PENCE FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
IF HE’S TAKING A STANCE THAT ANY
COMPANY THAT’S DOING BIG
BUSINESS WITH CHINA, IS THE NEXT
MOVE GOING TO BE SEEING HIM GO
AFTER APPLE, DELTA, DISNEY?
>> THIS IS THE ROLE THAT THE
VICE PRESIDENT HAS PLAYED EVER
SINCE HE JOINED THE
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. 11 MONTHS AGO, I WAS WITH HIM IN
NEW GUINEA, AND HE FOLLOWED
PRESIDENT XI IN A SPEECH AND HE
HAD A VERY SIMILAR SPEECH IN
WHICH HE CALLED OUT NOT ONLY THE
SUPPRESSION OF HONG KONG
PROTESTS, BUT ALSO THE
INTERNMENT OF THE MUSLIMS.
THIS IS THE ROLE THAT THE VICE
PRESIDENT HAS SEEN HIMSELF
PLAYING, CALLING FOR DEMOCRACY
AND CALLING OUT COMMUNISM IN
CHINA.
CHINA. AND AT THE SAME TIME HE’S ALSO
TRIED TO PROVIDE HOPE FOR THE
AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY IN THE
UNITED STATES SAYING THAT THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS WORKING
ON BEHALF OF AMERICAN FARMERS IN
ORDER TO BUILD UP THESE MARKETS
OVER INTO CHINA.
AND I THINK THAT IT’S
INTERESTING, BECAUSE HE’S GIVING
THIS SPEECH AT THE EXACT SAME
TIME THAT THE PRESIDENT IS
TWEETING OUT JUST TWO WEEKS AGO,
THE PRESIDENT OF THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES TWEETED THE
DEAL I MADE WITH CHINA IS BY FAR
THE BIGGEST AND GREATEST EVER
MADE FOR THE FARMERS IN OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. THAT DEAL IS NOT SIGNED YET AND
THE PRESIDENT HAS SUGGESTED HE’S
GOING TO SIGN THIS DEAL.
BUT VICE PRESIDENT PENCE IS
GIVING THESE SPEECHES AT THE
SAME TIME THAT THERE IS STILL
YET A DEAL FOR AMERICAN FARMERS
HERE.
HERE. >> GIVEN HOW CHINA REACTED TO
ONE SINGLE TWEET FROM AN
EMPLOYEE OF ONE BASKETBALL TEAM
MERELY SAYING I STAND WITH HONG
KONG.
KONG. THAT COULD BE COSTING THE NBA
BILLIONS.
BILLIONS. IS MIKE PENCE GIVING A SPEECH
LIKE THAT POSSIBLY PUTTING A
TRADE DEAL AT RISK?
>> I DON’T THINK HE’S PUTTING IT
AT RISK.
AT RISK. IF YOU LOOK IN THE DETAILS OF
THE SPEECH, THERE ARE
CONCILIATORY NOTES.
CONCILIATORY NOTES. HE HAS TO CALL OUT THE HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSES, OBVIOUSLY THE
TERRIBLE THINGS THE CHINESE ARE
DOING.
DOING. HE DID NOT TALK ABOUT DECOUPLING
WITH CHINA.
WITH CHINA. I’VE BEEN TALKING TO A NUMBER OF
INVESTORS ABOUT THIS OVER THE
LAST 24 HOURS.
INITIALLY THEY SAW THE HEADLINES
AND THOUGHT THIS CHINESE WERE
GOING TO BE FURIOUS.
THEN THEY READ IT CAREFULLY AND
SAID CHINA WILL UNDERSTAND THAT
HE HAD TO HIT THESE NOTES.
WE CAN STILL MAKE PROGRESS ON
THE TRADE DEAL.
IT’S HURTING US AND THEM.
THIS SPEECH, AS FAR AS I CAN
TELL IS NOT SEEN AS A
DEAL-BREAKER FOR THE TRADE DEAL
AND THAT THE CHINESE CAN DEAL
WITH IT.
WITH IT. THEY WILL RESPOND ANGRILY AS
THEY ALWAYS DO, THE NEGOTIATORS
WILL CONTINUE TO TRY TO MAKE
THIS DEAL.
THIS DEAL. >> YOU KNOW WHO DOESN’T CARE
ABOUT SPEECHES OR HEADLINES,
FARMERS.
FARMERS. YOU’VE SPOKEN TO MANY WHO HAVE
SAID THESE TARIFFS, THIS TRADE
WAR IS HURTING US IN THE
SHORT-TERM, BUT WE APPRECIATE
THAT THE PRESIDENT IS TAKING
THIS HEAD-ON.
THIS HEAD-ON. LET’S WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
WHEN I READ THE HEAD LINE, GET
READY, THEY’RE ABOUT TO BUY $20
BILLION, I JUST LOOK BACK AT
HISTORY AND I REMEMBER BEFORE
THE TRADE WAR STARTED CHINA WAS
BUYING $40 BILLION.
SO THEY USED TO BUY MORE BEFORE
THE TRADE WAR.
WHAT ARE THOSE FARMERS SAYING
NOW?
NOW? BECAUSE THEY’RE AN IMPORTANT
VOTING BLOCK FOR THE PRESIDENT.
>> I TALKED TO BRENT RENNER LAST
NIGHT.
NIGHT. HE VOTED FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP.
HE SAID HE’S WORN OUT.
HE SAID THAT IT’S NOT JUST THE
TRADE WAR.
TRADE WAR. HE’S ALSO QUESTIONING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION’S COMMITMENT TO
THE BIOFUELS INDUSTRY.
I FIRST MET HIM DURING THE
35-GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, HE SAID
HE’S BEEN SEEING THESE HEADLINES
FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.
HE DOES NOT FRANKLY KNOW WHAT TO
BELIEVE ANYMORE FROM THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. >> LET’S TALK FOX CON.
WHO DO WE BELIEVE ABOUT THIS,
WHEN FOX CON AGREED TO BRING
THIS MEGA PLANT THAT WOULD BRING
THOUSANDS OF JOBS TO WISCONSIN,
THE PRESIDENTS WITH THRILLED
ABOUT IT, CUTTING RIBBONS.
WE SAW THE SAUM THING OUT OF
FOXCONN FIVE, SEVEN YEARS AGO
AND THEY NEVER SHOWED UP.
>> THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RED
FLAG TO THE ADMINISTRATION, THE
PRESIDENT WITH FOX CONN GOING
BACK FIVE, SEVEN YEARS.
I TALK TO FOLKS AT APPLE AND
THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE WITH FOX
CONN.
CONN. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK
THE ADMINISTRATION PROBABLY
SHOULD HAVE SEEN COMING.
BUT AS TO WHERE THAT GOES, I
JUST DON’T KNOW.
>> SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING?
BEN, WE TALKED ABOUT IT AT
LENGTH.
LENGTH. EVERYONE DID.
EVERYONE DID. >> I REMEMBER HAVING A
CONVERSATION ON THIS SET
MULTIPLE TIMES THAT FOX CONN IS
KNOWN FOR DOING THIS, SAYING
THEY’RE GOING TO COMMIT TO
BUILDING FACTORIES IN THE UNITED
STATES AND VARIOUS OTHER
MIDWESTERN PLACES.
MIDWESTERN PLACES. SOMETIMES THEY BUY BUILDINGS,
SOMETIMES THEY DON’T AND THEY
DON’T ACTUALLY PUT ANY WORKERS
OR CREATE ANY JOBS.
REMEMBER, THIS WAS $3 BILLION IN
SUBSIDIES THAT SCOTT WALKER
PROMISED IN WISCONSIN,
RECORD-BREAKING SUBSIDIES TO
CREATE A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER