"The nation is mourning the 57-year-old pop star who sold 100 million albums in his career. I never met Prince, but I saw him perform and he was spectacular. Many reports say that he was a nice guy and certainly deserves the accolades he is getting. Out of respect for Prince's family, we will not delve into his personal situation but there are reports that he was drug involved. And that leads us to an epidemic in America that is largely out of control - yet the powerful are running away from it. The essential problem is a combination of prescription pain killers like Percocet and OxyContin. Those legal drugs have addicted millions and now we have a flood of cheap heroin, another opioid sweeping through the nation. The stats are grim: In 2014, more than 28,000 Americans died from opioid-overdoses, a record level. From 2013 to 2014 heroin use among Americans rose 51%. That is catastrophic!. So there's no question the epidemic is under way, and it is simply stunning that our culture has evolved to a point where the sale and use of hard narcotics is now acceptable. President Obama has led the way, classifying drug dealing as a 'nonviolent crime.' That sends a signal that it may be illegal to sell drugs but it's not all that bad. And the left is generally supporting the craziness. When I grew up in Levittown, a suburb of New York City, anyone who sold hard drugs was a pariah, an outcast, a vile human being. And those who used drugs also were stigmatized, at least for a while, until the sex, drugs, and rock and roll culture kicked in. Today the drug culture is running wild. And the vicious cartels, largely operating out of Mexico, are taking full advantage of that. Tons of hard drugs come across the Mexican border, yet the Democratic Party does not want a wall or to militarize the border. So you can see the permissive atmosphere surrounding the use of narcotics is now taking a very serious toll on this country. It is long past time for powerful people to stop enabling the drug culture. The use of pot by children is an atrocity. The addictive capacities of heroin and other painkillers are enormous. Once a person becomes drug-involved, his or her whole life is negatively affected. Yet where are the anti-drug crusaders? They are mocked by many in the media, dismissed on college campuses, and seen as uncool by many in this culture. Nancy Reagan's message was simple: 'Just say no.' The message today is, it doesn't matter if you say yes, you're a victim and the thugs who provide the poison are low-level offenders who should not be harshly punished. This is disgraceful and shameful. The drug culture is not a positive in any way for this country, and we are reaping what our cowardly leaders have sown - a drug epidemic that cuts across all boundaries. That's the message that should be loud and clear in the media. People selling hard drugs are not non-violent offenders. They are killing the weak and addicted at a historically high rate. Countries like Singapore have stopped the madness by instituting tough anti-drug policies. But the West will not do that and the carnage will continue."

Fox News contributor Kirsten Powers reacted to the Talking Points Memo. "I agree with a lot of what you said," she began, "but I disagree about whether it is a violent crime to deal drugs. It is definitely a crime, but I don't think the person selling the drugs is responsible for what happens after that. Just as doctors who are over-prescribing medications are not engaging in a violent crime. If someone wants to take heroin, I think it's a bad idea, but they can do it." The Factor told Powers she is 'giving a pass' to evil people who cause destruction and death.

There is a national debate over whether a transgendered individual, for example a man who self-identifies as a woman, should be allowed to use the bathroom of his/her choice. Donald Trump waded into the controversy by saying that Caitlyn Jenner, still anatomically a male, should be able to use any bathroom she chooses. Karl Rove explained how the issue could affect the presidential campaign. "Donald Trump's position will be better in the general election," he said, "but it will hurt him in socially conservative areas and Ted Cruz will seize on that." Rove also theorized that Donald Trump, despite his dominance in recent polls, is far from a lock to win the Republican nomination. "Right now there are 845 Trump delegates and 950 'non-Trump' delegates, and in order for him to get to 1,237 he has to take 58% of the delegates from here on out. The Republican Party is going to be blown up and damaged no matter what happens."

The Factor welcomed Heather MacDonald, who frequently writes about crime and punishment and has assailed the claim that 'mass incarceration' is a result of the war on drugs. "The fact is that no one is going to jail for smoking a joint," she declared, "and the major conceit here is that somehow the drug war is responsible for our incarceration rates. It's violent crime that is driving our prisons and when we did not have the incarceration rates we have today the crime rate was much higher. Less than 4% of the people in state prison are there for possessing drugs and 12% are there for dealing drugs. 54% of the people in prison are there for violent crimes, and those people have very long criminal histories. The primary beneficiaries of the crime drop have been law-abiding black citizens."

The Factor introduced a few of Jesse Watters' past interviews with some astoundingly uninformed young people. There were the newly-minted business administration graduates who had no clue what capitalism is. Another young man expressed his deep admiration for the Russian Revolution and Karl Marx. And a few people were quite unhappy with some guy in the news named Ben Ghazi. But at least one woman was very confident regarding her priorities. Asked to name the biggest crisis facing the world today, she said, "I don't have enough shoes"

Eric Bolling and Alan Colmes joined The Factor to discuss the drug situation in the USA. "You have to go hard on dealers and distributors," Bolling asserted, "even the punks in the street. It doesn't have anything to do with race, it has to do with the fact they are providing access for people to hurt themselves." But Colmes put forth the full-blown libertarian argument. "Drugs should not be illegal! We've legalized marijuana in some states, which has helped the economy. Prohibition does not work, and criminalization does not reduce drug use!" The Factor protested, "To make drugs even more available in the United States is insane."

Bobby Bowman, Lubbock, TX: "Bill, you say the media will savagely attack Trump. Just when was the media for a Republican candidate?"

Anthony Perrelli, Astoria, NY: "Fox News spins against Trump. I think we the people are stupid to let you guys get away with that."

Tom Holderith, Macungie, PA: "On the Fox News political website right now, there are 18 different stories about Trump. Kasich and Cruz combine to get five."

The various campaigns have responded very differently to requests for interviews on The Factor. The Clinton campaign has been respectful and there is now negotiation for an interview. Bernie Sanders is very upset and has steered clear of the No Spin Zone. Donald Trump's campaign is cooperating now, but they were unhappy a few weeks ago. Ted Cruz is also cooperating, but John Kasich, who used to guest host the show, is apparently very angry at The Factor. That's just a snapshot and all could change very quickly.