Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson

Today, we begin on the Southern U.S. border, where immigration policy disagreements continue as we approach the 2020 election. From miles of new border wall, to coronavirus travel restriction, a lot stands to impact illegal border activity. We went south to the Mexican border in California and found that some drug smuggling has spiked in a surprising way, but there’s also been a remarkable drop you probably haven’t heard much about in terms of illegal human trafficking.

In the age of coronavirus, the internet has become more crucial than ever for working families, but many of our communities can't get high speed internet at all. Next month the FCC begins phase one of a $16 Billion dollar plan to wire up more rural areas but today we find out what happened to the billions of tax dollars already spent for that purpose.

The federal Department of Education recently made a controversial ruling saying transgender high school athletes in Connecticut who competed on boys' teams cannot switch to girls’ sports. The feds say that deprives girls of athletic opportunities guaranteed under civil rights law. It’s a national debate that's forged some unexpected alliances. Today we tackle the transgender divide in sports.

Chicago residents wake up Mondays to check the reports of their city’s all too often shocking number of weekend shootings and killings. Chicago may not have the highest murder rate in the country, but Scott Thuman reports the violence is staggering. A year ago, few would have predicted that a movement to “defund the police” would become a touchstone in campaign 2020. John Yoo is a law professor and a former Department of Justice official under President George W. Bush who sees big trouble on the horizon. Twenty years ago, suicide terrorists exploded a small boat alongside the USS Cole—a Navy Destroyer—as it was refueling in a port in Yemen. The blast ripped a 40-by-60 foot hole near the waterline of the Cole, killing 17 American sailors and injuring many more. We recently boarded the USS Cole, still in service, and spoke with Commander Ted Pledger. You probably haven’t heard much about it but the United Kingdom has officially parted ways with the European Union, terminating a relationship that began back in 1973. Now, a (ten month long starting Jan. 2020) transition period is about to end. But believe it or not, four years after that momentous and unexpected Brexit vote... both sides are still arguing on the terms of their divorce. Today, we update the story we first covered in our travels across Europe more than a year ago.

At the beginning of this year, many considered the economy to be one of the strongest successes of the Trump presidency and his best argument for a second term. That’s when we first set out to identify key features of The Trump Economy. Like everyone else, we had no idea what was about to hit and how it would change most everything.

Today we dive into an election issue and a political flashpoint: Sanctuary Cities. You may recall the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal taxpayer funds from hundreds of American cities, counties and states that continue to shield illegal immigrants. What ever happened? You might be surprised by what we found when we followed the money.

It’s another record-setting American election when it comes to campaign cash. Groups funded by billionaires and linked to “dark money” are spending more than ever this election. Today, we begin with a deep dive into the givers and takers, including the biggest political donors of all: some names you know and a few you’ve probably never heard of.

Story 1: The Big Miss: With Election Day in the rear-view mirror, you may be feeling deflated, elated, or left in limbo. Part of the chaos surrounding the whole process can be traced to the polling that was wildly off and now seems more than ever to have been used to try to sway public opinion rather than measure it. Since 2016, we've been tracking the media's Big Miss, the implications, and the pledges to self-correct. But we found in 2020: they failed. Story 2: Fleeing California: A record number of people are leaving California. So many that the Golden State could lose a seat in Congress for the first time ever. I recently spoke to Will Witt in Hollywood about his short documentary examining the exodus called “Fleeing California.” Story 3: Apocalypse Never: From claims that the world is coming to an end, to child environmentalists chiding the world for not taking the proper action, we hear environmental alarmism on a regular basis. Today, we get an alternate view from an environmentalist who apologizes for what he calls misplaced panic. Story 4: Medal of Honor: Since the Medal of Honor was created as the nation's highest military award for bravery in 1861, fewer than 3,600 medals have been awarded. Now, there are plans to create a museum dedicated to the men and one woman who've received it. James Rosen speaks with a recent recipient of the medal, whose gallantry was caught on camera.

Story 1: Title IX: Largely unseen and unreported, there are big changes going on at most American universities when it comes to sexual misconduct. Federal Title IX rules dictate how sexual assault claims must be handled. But the new rules aren’t ending the debate over what to do. Sharyl Attkisson reports for Full Measure. Story 2: Takata Air Bags: As many as 30 million cars could still have a defective airbag, despite a giant recall that has been going on for years. Lisa Fletcher talks to a former advisor to the Japanese company Takata that made the airbags. He's written a book about what he knows. Story 3: Adam Corolla: Entertainer Adam Carolla frequently addresses today’s cancel culture and the seemingly-widespread chipping away at the First Amendment. His documentary “No Safe Spaces” examines this challenge to free speech on college campuses. I spoke with Carolla in Los Angeles about his latest book “I'm Your Emotional Support Animal: Navigating Our All Woke, No Joke Culture.”

Story1: The Battle Below: During the frenzy leading into the election, there was an emergency declaration you may not have heard about. In late September, President Trump declared the U.S. dependence on China for so-called ‘rare earth’ minerals a ‘national emergency’. Those minerals are essential to technology from our phones to our top-level defense weapons. In today’s cover story, Lisa Fletcher takes us on a deep dive, literally, beneath the earth’s surface into the ocean for ‘the battle below.’... Story2: Tracking Coronavirus Relief: There’s more tax money going toward coronavirus relief than anything comparable. The amount is more than double the so-called “stimulus” plan in 2009. Today, who’s following the money and what they’re finding... Story 3: Slanted: Taking a moment out now for a page from my new book “SLANTED: How the news media taught us to love censorship and hate journalism.” It traces the devolution of the news as we once knew it. Exhibit One is the historic trend of major media mistakes in the era of Trump forming a disturbing pattern.