( APPLAUSE )
WELCOME BACK!
HEY, EVERYBODY!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, JOINING ME NOW IS THE ANCHOR OF "SPECIAL
REPORT WITH BRET BAIER," AND THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK, "TO
RESCUE THE REPUBLIC."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," BRET BAIER!
♪ ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ ♪ >> IT IS GREAT TO BE BACK WITH A
LIVE AUDIENCE.
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
BEFORE WE GET STARTED HERE, YOU KNOW, I-- THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A
SHOW WHERE PEOPLE HAVE THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
DURING THE DAY, AND THEIR OWN ANXIETIES AND THEIR OWN
OPINIONS.
AND THEN I GO OUT THERE EVERY NIGHT AND GIVE MY OWN ANXIETIES
AND OPINIONS, AND SOMETIMES THEY AGREE AND LAUGH.
I JUST WANT TO GET THE RULES BEFORE WE GET STARTED HERE.
YOU'RE A NEWS MAN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE A JOURNALIST YOU AND CHRIS WALLACE
ARE THE TWO CLOSEST THINGS WE'VE GOT TO JOURNALISM AT FOX NEWS.
( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE ).
I KNOW, YOU CAN'T SAY A THING.
YOU CAN'T SAY A THING.
>> THERE ARE MANY OTHER JOURNALISTS.
>> Stephen: WHAT?
>> MANY OTHER JOURNALISTS WILL AT FOX.
25 YEARS.
>> Stephen: THIS FRIDAY IS 25 YEARS.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO SOME OF YOU OVER THERE.
( LAUGHTER )
RESPECT YOU, AND I WATCH YOUR SHOW, AND I GET INFORMED.
CAN YOU HAVE OPINIONS ABOUT SOMETHING, OR DO YOU HAVE TO BE
ABSOLUTELY STRAIGHT DOWN THE LINE AND NEUTRAL?
BECAUSE PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY OVER THERE PUTS THEIR OPINIONS
ON THEIR SLEEVES.
AND I DON'T SEE THAT FROM YOU.
>> YEAH, SO I'M TRYING, IN THAT HOUR, TO BE AS STRAIGHT AS I
CAN, BUT I'M NOT A ROBOT.
I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THINGS.
I JUST TRY NOT TO GET EMOTIONAL ABOUT DIFFERENT TOPICS AND MAKE
SURE EACH SIDE GETS A SAY ON THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: LIKE A LOT OF NATIONAL REPORTERS, YOU STARTED
OUT IN LOCAL NEWS STATIONS.
I RECENTLY FOUND OUT YOU HAVE HISTORY IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
>> YES!
>> Stephen: YOU WERE A LOCAL NEWS REPORTER-- WHERE IN SOUTH
CAROLINA?
>> EYE LITTLE STATION WALD WJWJ, IN BY FORD, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND
I WAS THE LOW-COUNTRY BUREAU GUY IN HILTON HEAD.
TOUGH ASSIGNMENT.
>> Stephen: WAS IS CBS?
>> PBS, THE BIG MONEY.
>> Stephen: THE LONG GREEN.
>> I WAS THE ONE-MAN BAND-- THE PHOTOGRAPHER, EDITOR, REPORTER.
I COVERED BIG STORIES LIKE LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE NESTING,
AND WHAT COLOR THE AZALEAS WERE IN THE MEDIAN.
AND I DELIVERED FOOD AND I WAS A BARTENDER AT APPLEBEE'S.
SO I WOULD FINISH MY DAY JOB, DO THE STORY, AND THEN I'D BE
DELIVERING FOOD.
AND THE GUY WOULD SAY AT THE DOOR, "AREN'T YOU THE REPORTER
AT CHANNEL 6?" I SAID, "YEAH, I AM.
DID YOU ORDER THE CALZONE?" >> Stephen: THIS JUST IN.
>> THIS JUST IN.
>> Stephen: YOUR JALAPENO POPPERS.
>> AND I MIXED DRINKING AT APPLEBEE'S.
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT WHOSE HAPPENING TODAY.
WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT IN THE MONOLOGUE TODAY.
A LOT OF IT IS POTENTIAL THINGS HAPPENING.
IT SEEMS THE NEWS OF THE DAY IS SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN-- AN
INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL, SUBPOENA APPEARANCES-- WILL PEOPLE SHOW
UP FOR THEIR SUBPOENAS HAVING TO DO WITH THE JANUARY SIXTH RIOTS.
CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE INSEREXISTS.
DOES THIS DEBT CEILING DEAL GO THROUGH?
I HEARD SOMETHING RIGHT BEFORE I CAME OUT HERE.
>> THE DEMOCRATS ACCEPTED MITCH McCONNELL'S DEAL TO PUNT,
WHICH IS WHAT WASHINGTON DOES QUITE A LOT, IS THEY PUNT TO THE
NEXT FISCAL CLIFF.
SO NOW THEY'VE PUNTED TO DECEMBER.
AND THEN THEY HAVE TO COME UP WITH A DEAL TO EITHER GO THROUGH
WITH RECONCILIATION, WHICH IS LESS THAN 60 VOTES, OR WE COME
TO ANOTHER CALAMITY.
>> Stephen: I HEARD McCONNELL WANTS IT TO BE
RECONCILIATION, MEANING LESS THAN 60 VOTES, AND THE DEMOCRATS
HAVE SAID, "NO, NO, WE HAVE TO GO TO DO IT THROUGH REGULAR
ORDER, MEANING WE NEED 60 VOTES SO 10 OF YOU HAVE TO COME OVER."
>> THAT'S TRUE.
>> Stephen: THAT MEANS IT STILL MAY NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT TAKING THE OFFER EXACTLY AS McCONNELL WANTS,
AND HE TENDS TO LIKE THINGS THE WAY HE LIKES THEM.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
AND McCONNELL HAS A SHORT MEMORY AND LOOKS BACK AT WHEN
REPUBLICANS WERE FORCED TO VOTE ON A DEBT CEILING BY THEMSELVES.
AND THIS IS POLITICS IN WASHINGTON.
WE ARE ALWAYS ONE ELECTION AWAY FROM SOLVING BIG THINGS, IT
SEEMS.
THIS, TODAY, WAS A HUGE PUNT TO DECEMBER, WHICH IS GOING TO BE
ANOTHER CLIFF.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A REALLY POSITIVE WAY OF LOOKING AT IT.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU SAID, "WE'RE ALWAYS ONE ELECTION AWAY
FROM..." I DID NOT THINK "SOLVING BIG THINGS" WOULD BE
THE END OF THAT SENTENCE.
WE SEEM TO BE ONE ELECTION AWAY FROM CHAOS AT THIS POINT.
>> WELL, THAT'S TRUE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT IT'S SO SLIM, THE MAJORITIES IN
THE HOUSE AND SENATE, MAKES IT REALLY TOUGH TO GET BIG, BIG
THINGS THROUGH.
THEY HAVE TO NEGOTIATE.
AND WE'LL SEE IF THEY DO.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
BUT WHEN WE COME BACK, I WILL ASK BRET HOW THE CONTENTS OF
THIS BOOK ARE RELATED TO THE INSURRECTION ON JANUARY 6.
STICK AROUND.
♪ ♪ ♪