The Fox News Rundown

Two billionaires are getting a lot of attention for launching their own rockets into space ... or at least the edge of outer space. 

But not all the buzz about the recent blastoffs has been good for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Virgin's Sir Richard Branson, who both have their own space companies.

The launches were intended to create some enthusiasm for the space tourism industry.  But many critics found the brief trips unimpressive or wasteful.

Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently joined host Lisa Brady on FOX News Rundown to discuss space tourism and share his reaction to the recent flights.

While Tyson hopes to see tourists vacationing in space becoming more common and attainable in the future, he also had his own critiques of the recent highly publicized launches

Our interview was too long and we could not include all of it in our original segment. On the FOX News Rundown Extra, you will hear our entire conversation with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and hear his complete unique take on the billionaires' space race and what the future of space tourism and exploration should look like.

COVID is trying to stage a comeback, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. 

As the Delta variant spreads throughout the U.S., so is talk of reimposing mask mandates.

Earlier this week on the FOX News Rundown, Admiral Brett Giroir -- former Assistant Health Secretary under President Trump -- joined host Lisa Brady to discuss the recent COVID spikes and whether mask mandates are the way to curb them.

While Admiral Giroir says certain Americans should continue to mask up, he insists the government should not mandate them. However, he did lay out what the Biden Administration and health officials should be doing more to address the current coronavirus wave.

Our interview was too long and we could not include all of it in our original segment. On the FOX News Rundown Extra, you will hear our entire conversation with former Assistant Health Secretary Admiral Brett Giroir and hear his complete take on what government should and should not do as it deals with yet another COVID surge and millions of Americans who are still reluctant to be vaccinated.

After experiencing losses due to inflation fears and concerns over the Delta variant surge, the stock market made a comeback late this week. Wall Street is certain to keep watching both situations very closely in the weeks to come. FOX’s Trey Yingst speaks with Al Lord, the founder of Lexerd Capital Management, about inflation concerns and the current state of the economy.

This Week: 

Infrastructure fell short again this week thanks to a failed cloture vote. With less than the 60 votes needed and no Republican support the legislation was unable to move forward for now. Also this week, in an unprecedented move House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocked two Republicans from a bipartisan House committee tasked with investigating the January 6 riot. Jared and FOX News Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram discuss.

This week, several staffers including one in House Speaker's Nancy Pelosi's office tested positive for COVID-19. The cases luckily seem to be mild, a good sign the vaccine is working. With the Delta variant threat rising not only in Washington D.C. but across the U.S., there are calls by some to bring back the mask mandate. Jared speaks with Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas' School of Public Health in Houston and Dr. Jerome Adams, former Surgeon General under President Trump, on if old precautions may be needed again to battle the summer surges.

On Monday, the United States, Britain, Germany, and other NATO countries released a statement linking a recent Microsoft Exchange hack to China. Fox News Correspondent Mark Meredeth discusses whether or not the Biden Administration plans to impose sanctions on China in response to the attack, how action against China could impact American businesses, and the ongoing issue of cyber-attacks as a national security threat.

In early July, President Biden set an August, 31st deadline for the United States to exit Afghanistan. But part of that 'exit' involves the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp in Cuba, where 39 detainees remain after one detainee was released to his home country of Morocco this week. Fox News Pentagon Correspondent Lucas Tomlinson joins the podcast to discuss the Biden Administration's goal to close the prison camp and exit Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill failed its test vote in the Senate, however the group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers who drafted the framework continue negotiating the legislation and President Biden suggested this would be a momentary setback until the measure is brought back next week. After the failed vote, some Democrats began discussing budget reconciliation as a method to fold physical infrastructure into their already multi-trillion spending plan. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has had a front row seat to the chaos in the Senate and joins to explain why Republicans voted down the bipartisan infrastructure bill and his hopes that the bill will deal with physical infrastructure instead of a Democrat wish list. He explains his concern with inflation impacting the U.S. economy, his advocacy for police reform that better funds law enforcement and his priorities for his 2022 Senate re-election campaign.

 

Earlier this week, the world watched Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos take-off into space for a 10-minute flight and land successfully back onto Earth with his space crew. This was Blue Origin's first human flight into space and the second historic space mission this month following Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson's space launch. Is this the beginning of the space tourism industry or is it now becoming the battle of the billionaires in space? We speak with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about the recent Blue Origin flight, and if billionaires getting involved will negatively impact the perception of space tourism.

 

Don't miss the good news with Tonya J. Powers.

 

Plus, commentary by Rachel Campos-Duffy, co-host of "FOX & Friends Weekend" and co-host of From the Kitchen Table.

Olympic organizers say they are confident it is safe to hold the the Tokyo games despite calls for its cancellation due to COVID-19 fears. But the head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee has not ruled out canceling the games at this late stage. FOX's Trey Yingst speaks with Chris Haynes, Associate Professor of Political Science, National Security and Legal Studies at the University of New Haven, about the odds of the games being cancelled.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is travelling to Southeast Asia next week where he will be visiting Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Biden administration is looking to strengthen the U.S. role in the region where China holds a large influence and amid tensions and military activities by the communist regime in the South China Sea. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) explains what's happening in the South China Sea, the latest on the Microsoft Exchange cyber-attack and what he thinks the U.S. and our allies need to do to hold China accountable.

As economists debate whether the surge in inflation is simply a short-term readjustment to the changing pandemic economy, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the issue is a "perfect storm of very strong demand and limited supply." While the Fed is confident that the spikes in consumer prices are a temporary issue, it remains unclear when that trend may begin to reverse. Meanwhile, food prices are on the rise and as a result restaurants across the country are struggling. Gerri Willis of Fox Business joins to discuss the how consumer prices are affecting the restaurant industry, why the fall will be a critical time for establishments and she forecasts what could happen to the restaurant business if inflation becomes a long-term issue.

Plus, commentary by former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, host of the Jason in the House podcast.

The West Coast of the United States is suffering from a historically devastating fire season with more than eighty fires raging across thirteen states. New technology is being used to link information from government agencies in order to predict and track natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes. FOX's Trey Yingst speaks with Raj Tumuluri, the President of Openstream.AI, who's describes how his company uses the technology to predict natural disasters and try to mitigate the damage caused by them.

Today the Senate votes on whether it will move forward on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Back in June, President Biden announced, "We have a deal," after negotiations between Democratic and Republican lawmakers yielded a bipartisan compromise for a $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure package. With a cloture vote looming, many Republicans have voiced hesitation to move forward with the bill so fast, with many pointing out that the legislation has not been written yet. There are also concerns about how the infrastructure package will be paid for, with some agreement on this point from moderate Democrat Senator Joe Machin of West Virginia. Fox Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram joins to break down the latest in these infrastructure negotiations, the delicate balance of the Senate impacting this bipartisan agreement and why Democrats are weighing the option to exempt the filibuster when it comes to voting rights legislation.

With the Delta variant threat rising across the U.S. there are growing calls by some to bring back the controversial mask mandate, despite CDC guidance that says if you are fully vaccinated you do not need to wear a mask.  Over the weekend, Los Angeles County reinstituted its mask mandate for public indoor settings in response to the spread of the Delta variant in the area. The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidance for the upcoming school year, pulling away from the CDC and recommending that anyone above the age of 2 wears a mask inside schools even if fully vaccinated. Former Trump administration HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Brett Giroir weighs in on if states should bringing mask mandates back, if children should wear masks in school and the messaging behind coronavirus vaccines and face coverings.

Plus, commentary by Jimmy Failla, host of "Fox Across America."

Israel has been developing closer diplomatic and economic ties with China for almost two decades now, which recently has been causing some concern with Washington. Two of the biggest issues causing tension is China's involvement in Israeli port construction and keeping their 5G network technology out of Israel. FOX's Trey Yingst speaks with Ambassador Alon Pinkas, former Consul General for Israel in America, about Israel's relationship with China and how it presents challenges to the United States.