why, because the truth matters. the truth matters. with your help we established the national monument in honor of mamie and emmett till, his body was lynched and body mutilated, the mother insisted on an open casket, she said let the world see what i saw. the truth matters. it always matters. we can't just learn, choose to learn what we want to know and not what we should know. we should know the good, the bad, the truth of who we are. that's what great nations do and we are a great nation, the greatest of all nations. we are not perfect, but at our best we learn from our past and

we look to the future. a nation continuously striving to be a more perfect union. i'm here to speak to another truth. it's because of this congregation and the black community of south carolina and not exaggeration and jim clyburn that i stand here today as your president because of all of you. [applause] that's a fact. that's a fact. and i owe you. and i've done my best to honor your trust. that means rejecting the small narrow cramped view america as well as lifting up a bigger and broader view of america. but if you do well, i do well. we all do well.

we all do well small towns and big cities are doing better. when our freedoms are protected and deny hate as a safe harbor where everyone has a fair shot at a life of dignity and opportunity. and our democracy works for everybody. it benefits everybody. i don't get these guys. everybody does better. even those folks who disagree with us. i'm keeping my commitment to you. that's the america we are building together instead of erasing history, we are making history. and it starts -- and it starts with the administration i committed to, i said my administration would look like america and taps into our full talents and strengths as a nation. starting with our incredible vice president kamala harris. when we came to office the country was in the depth of a pandemic which we lost over a million 200,000 people.

so we moved heaven and earth to get the country vaccinated, saving countless lives. when the economy on the brink we spent, we sent $1,400 checks to the pockets of people hurting badly, to keep them going. i said we would invest in all of america, all america, and we are. results of clear. over 14 million new jobs, record economic growth, lowest inflation rate of any economy in the world but we have more to do. we see this progress for all america. we have the lowest black unemployment rate recorded in a long, long time. more black americans have helped bringing peace of mind and dignity to their lives. i remember when i was a kid we lived in a three bedroom house, four kids and a grandpa, and my headboard in my room was up against, it was a split level

home, we were not poor, we were -- we were not wealthy. and i remember really one night hearing my dad restless, because the headboard was along my headboard on the other side of the wall, and asked my mom the next morning what's the matter with dad? she said honey, his employer told them they are dropping health insurance. what that does is deprive a man and a woman their dignity. how do you look at your child and say i can't cover you, i can't take care of you. and now he said it better, average of $400 a month for seniors, with diabetes, now paying $35 a month. by the way, they are still making a profit three times, it cost $10 to make it. i've been trying to take on as a couple of you in the audience know from my entire career, big

pharma. finally beat them. finally, finally, finally. [applause] we are gonna go back and make sure the medicare can negotiate prices for everybody, not just for seniors. again, it saves the american taxpayers billions of dollars, not having to pay pharma for these things. you know, we are growing black wealth, a lot more to do the racial wealth gap is the smallest it's been in 20 years under my watch. more black small businesses starting up than in decades, opening new businesses, act of hope, taking on housing discrimination in many ways. so a home owned by today, a home owned by a black family on one side of a highway built by the same builder on the other side of the highway and white guy living in it, the white guy's home is valued more than the

black guy's. i know you know it. but guess what, that's how you build generational wealth when you build your home. kamala and i are leading the charge, mainly kamala, to protect the freedom to vote and that vote be counted. defending your freedom to choose, keeping our commitment and providing incredible opportunities, making historic investments in hbcus, $7 billion. 7 billion. [applause] just as good as other universities, they don't have the billionaire contributors, so they didn't put the laboratories together to get the contracts to be the ones that design new aircraft carrier decks, the ones that design what's changing, it's changing. providing people with real shot by reducing the burden of student debt, i won't go into it i was going to, $132 billion, 3.6 million people, significant

percentage of those students are african american students. despite our friends on the other side of the table, supreme court did everybody they can to stop me. replacing every lead pipe in america. not just some, every single lead pipe in america will be taken out and replaced. why? because in mostly poor neighborhoods where they are, and that's where kids end up with brain damage, because of the lead, i'm not going to go into it. but look, you can turn on the faucet and the child doesn't get sick. delivering high speed internet affordable for everybody, everybody. so you don't have to sit in mcdonald's parking lot with the child to do homework. producing clean energy so you can breathe clean air without leaving home. look -- i understand it. when i moved from scranton i was ready to go to delaware, more

major refineries including houston, texas, not a joke, i grew up with asthma and most of us did because of prevailing winds, my mom would drive us in grade school, and when there was a frost, turn on the windshield wipers, an oil slick. the fence line communities get hurt. not on my watch. it's changing. we know there's more to do, making childcare and elder care more affordable, which would save american taxpayers billions of dollars along the way. early in my administration we were -- we cut child poverty in half. black child poverty in half by giving checks every month through the childhood tax credit and the other side balked it. we are going to get it back. the fight is not over, we are going to come back. no child in america should ever go to bed hungry, period,

period, period, period. [applause] after historic movement for justice in the summer of 2020, i signed the most significant police reform executive order in history. we didn't get the law passed, but guess what, i did it by executive order, significant part. but now congress has to step up and do what i did, the law of the land. a few days ago, defeated former president was asked about the recent shooting in iowa, did you hear this one? it's hard to believe. you know what his response was? all those kids dead, we have to get over it, end of quote. i promise you, we have to get over it. my response is we have to stop it. [applause]

so your children, family, your friends, you can leave your home -- >> sandra: the second campaign speech from president joe biden as begins his campaign tour for his re-election bid for the white house and seven days from the iowa caucus, john, some interesting moments there where some protestors interrupted the president for a little while. >> john: and he said he understood the passion they were demonstrating and he, as emily was saying, allowed that, he said he's having discussions with israel about reducing the intensity of the military campaign there, and pulling some troops out of israel. now we have seen some troops coming out of israel in exchange for more of a focus on commando raids as well as engineering, but for the president to say that he's been working with israel to reduce the intensity of the fighting there and pull

some troops out, that was a piece of news. >> sandra: the moment, it happened a short time ago, about 27 seconds long, the protestors were eventually removed from the church in south carolina but they stood up and interrupted the president. >> if you really care about the lives lost, you should honor the lives -- go for the ceasefire in palestine. >> president biden: it's all right, it's all right. >> ceasefire now, ceasefire now, ceasefire now, ceasefire now, ceasefire now, ceasefire now. >> sandra: while the president said that's all right, as you can see in the tail end of the video there, as we watched it live play out, the protestors did eventually have to stand up and they were led out of the church, john. >> john: and of course, where he is, the emmanuel ame church in

the heart of charleston, a hallowed location, back in 2015, a white supremacist killed nine people in a prayer group and remained sort of a very significant point of discussion in terms of the idea of racism in this country, and that community still healing from that horrible event that happened so many years ago. >> sandra: and this happening as bridges and tunnels here in new york city were shut down in and out of the city earlier this morning by protestors. those protesting the war as well. now this. l -- >> the penalty faces growing pressure to explain lloyd austin's secret hospitalization that left senior officials and president biden in the dark for days. >> john: austin went in for surgery on december 22nd and admitted to the icu on new year's day at walter reed but took several more days for the commander in chief to find out about his secretary of defense

condition, all this as the war in the middle east intensifies and u.s. forces come under increased attacks across the region. >> sandra: fox team coverage, go to the touch screen for a spin with lieutenant general keith kellogg to assess the growing threat, alex hogan on the ground in israel, but peter doocy at the white house, as austin resumes his duties from the hospital. the white house has come clean why he was hospitalized? >> peter: they have not come clean, maybe because white house officials don't know what was going on. they were brought into this so late. >> it's just that it is not something that we can speak to right, this is his own medical -- it is a private thing. >> peter: we are told president biden would not accept secretary austin's resignation if one was

offered, and this morning when i asked white house official whether or not president biden still has confidence in austin's ability to do his job told the following. yes, absolutely, the president has full trust and confidence insect austin, looking forward to him being back at the pentagon. elise stefanik wants austin to resign, she says in the chain of command, the secretary of defense serves as the connection which the president controls armed forces. our closest partner in ally is at war with terrorists, critical the secretary of the defense has the full trust of the congress, people and the white house. but austin has some allies in congress. >> is this acceptable to you, vice president pence called it a dereliction of duty.

>> i don't think it's a dereliction of duty, i don't think that at all. i wish it has been disclosed and maybe it was. maybe just not made public. i don't know all the particulars here. >> and we are told that austin did participate in a secure call with the president january 1st, the day he went back to the hospital for post elective surgical issues. but the white house situation room needs to know where people on the calls are located did not know specifically where he was. >> it's -- what town they are in, d.c., that's the process, when a cabinet official getting hospitalized that's on the agency to inform that that is happening. >> peter: so president biden is not going to accept a resignation from austin if one was offered and if historical precedence holds, he's not going to fire secretary austin because

he doesn't pfeiffer anybody. sandra. >> sandra: keep us posted if hear anything from the white house. thank you. >> john: israel's two front war grinds on. israeli defense forces says it killed a key hezbollah commandser in lebanon as they hammer hamas targets there. alex, what are we learning about the killing of the senior hezbollah leader and another hamas leader in syria taken out. >> they say they are confirming he has been killed, idf not formally taking responsibility for the assassination but says it was a commander who helped train hezbollah forces in lebanon. idf took out specific targets in lebanon striking military sites after the idf says it identified an incoming anti-tank missile.

prime minister benjamin netanyahu visited an israeli town thanking troops for fortifying the country's northern front and the southern front in gaza, significant fighting in khan younis, the idf says it has located the largest weapons production site since the beginning of the war. in all the fighting we have seen this weekend, israeli attacks killed two journalists, and the u.n. is sounding the alarm, 90% of gaza's residents are out of their home and at least 500,000 people are at risk of starving. u.s. secretary of state antony blinken willisrael later today, trip to the country since the start of the war, and so far he's met with the heads of turkey, greece, qatar, amir, king of jordan and the saudi crown prince. conversations this time, narrowing down what each country

can do after the war. a lot of concern as to when that could be. we just heard from the chief of the idf saying the fighting in gaza will continue throughout the entirety of this year. so the entirety of 2024. and john, what we just saw here within tel aviv alone in the last several hours, the largest barrage of rockets fired here toward central israel since the start of the new year. >> john: incredible since the destruction in gaza hamas still manages to fire off rockets. stay safe there. >> sandra: lieutenant general keith kellogg, fox news contributor, foreign national security adviser to vice president pence, and great to take a spin on the touch screen so folks at home can understand where we are with this war. and this shows us the attacks into northern israel from lebanon, sort of highlighting the anti-tank fire in the red

here, unspecified attacks throughout the border as we learn of this israeli killing of the hezbollah leader. what does this mean and where does this leave us today, general? >> yes, sandra, thanks for having me today. look, i was very concerned when the war first started in october and into november, israel was going to fight a two-front war. i don't think it's going to go there. i think they are focused on hamas right now and i think nasrallah, leading hezbollah in the north, he does not want to get involved in another invasion from israel that happened in 2006 and that was 32-day war, both sides, it was incomplete like a draw and i don't think they want to go there. so low level, relatively low levels of violence going on in the north between hezbollah and israel. but i don't think you are going to see any full scale invasion at all by the israelis into the north. they are going to use targeted strikes by the aircraft, by artillery, special operations

strikes, but they are focused on hamas right now into gaza and that will be the primary they are going to work on, and it's going to go for a while. here is the concern i have, you mentioned earlier, where is the end state? i know the president can talk about withdrawing or getting the israelis to withdraw, what is the end state to this and nobody seems to be able to tell anybody how does this thing end? >> sandra: quickly, general, a final thought on the secrecy of the defense secretary hospitalization as the white house was left in the dark. thought on that. >> this is really bad, this is really bad process by the pentagon. the national command authorities civilian control of the military, goes from the president, secretary of defense, to the commander. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff has no involvement. so when you get somebody like that out there that has to have command and control, who is giving the orders? deputy secretary of defense did not know about it, how were the orders being processed, attacks

in the middle east, how is that working and nobody gives a good answer. i think it's a big mistake. >> sandra: really important stuff. general keith kellogg, always good to have you join us. good to see you. >> john: those questions continue to swirl, one week until the iowa caucuses. republican candidates hoping to break through with voters there but is it really just a battle for second place? our panel, chris bedford and juan williams on what we can expect next monday coming up next. tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. -ugh. -here, i'll take that. woo hoo! ensure max protein, 30 grams protein, 1 gram sugar, 25 vitamins and minerals. and a new fiber blend with a prebiotic. (♪) [sneeze] dude you coming? ♪ alka-seltzer plus powermax gels cold & flu relief with more concentrated power because the only thing dripping should be your style. plop plop fizz fizz winter warriors with alka-seltzer plus.

hey, i just got a text from my sister. you remember rick, her neighbor? sure, he's the 76-year-old guy who still runs marathons, right? sadly, not anymore. wow. so sudden. um, we're not about to have the "we need life insurance" conversation again, are we? no, we're having the "we're getting coverage so we don't have to worry about it" conversation. so you're calling about the $9.95 a month plan -from colonial penn? -i am. we put it off long enough.

we are getting that $9.95 plan, today. (jonathan) is it time for you to call about the $9.95 plan? i'm jonathan from colonial penn life insurance company. sometimes we just need a reminder not to take today for granted. if you're age 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance starting at just $9.95 a month. there are no health questions so you can't be turned down for any health reason. the $9.95 plan is colonial penn's number one most popular whole life plan. options start at just $9.95 a month. that's less than 35 cents a day. your rate can never go up. it's locked in for life. call today for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner, so call now. (soft music) ♪ hello, colonial penn?

here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. sdangz. cler>> sandra:. >> sandra: major disruptions, blocking tunnels, massive

traffic jams and lengthy delays as nypd officers were forced to use saws to cut through pipes held by the protestors. br bryan, have the protestors cleared out? >> bryan: quite a disruption indeed. and yes, the pro-palestinian protestors have been cleared out from the brooklyn bridge, williamsburg bridge and the manhattan bridge. we are on the manhattan side, traffic is clear, no protestors. you talked about the pvc pipes, what we are talking about. pretty much chicken mesh wiring and they stuck their arm through the pipe to make it difficult for nypd to get them. they buzz sawed through the pipe to move the protestors from the area. they were forcibly removed. nypd says about 200 protestors blocking traffic at all three of these bridges. it all began about 9:30 this

morning. it took two hours before the nypd was able to finally give the all clear and traffic was able to move again. actress susan sarandon was one of the protestors at the manhattan bridge last month, united talent agency dropped her after she said at a pro-palestinian rally people afraid of feeling jewish were getting a taste of what it feels like to be a muslim. she later apologized for the comments. it was not just the bridges either. dozens of protestors blocked the entrance to the holland tunnel, in and out of new jersey, they held signs, and mayor adams had this to say. >> the right to protest does not give one the right to block bridges and tunnels. the goal to peacefully protest without doing major disruption to the city. some people are not just driving to and from crossing the bridges to go to their place of

employment, some are dealing with real emergency-type issues. >> bryan: the mayor said hamas must be eradicated. at least 120 arrests. sandra. >> sandra: thank you. head now to saudi arabia, a gaggle happening with blinken, he's speaking after meeting with mideast leaders there. >> agreement on a few basic objectives. first, that israel and israelis should be able to live in peace and security. free from the fear of terrorist attacks or aggression from any of their neighbors. second, that the west bank and gaza should be united under palestinian-led governance. third, the future of the region needs to be one of integration, not division and not conflict. and fourth, for that to happen we need to see the establishment

of an independent palestinian state. now no one i talked to think it will be easy, all recognize the hurdles and that anything will happen overnight but we agreed to work together and to coordinate our efforts, to help gaza stabilize and recover, to chart a political path forward for the palestinians and work toward long-term peace, security and stability in the region as a whole. i also found across the board that the countries we visited, the leaders we spent time with, are prepared to make the necessary commitments, to make the hard decisions, to advance all of those objectives, to advance this vision for the region. we are heading now to israel, i'll have an opportunity to share with israeli leaders everything i've heard thus far on this trip. and also to talk to them about

the future direction of their military campaign in gaza. i will press on the absolute imperative to do more to protect civilians and to do more to ensure humanitarian assistance is getting into the hands of those who need it. we'll also, of course, focus on our relentless efforts to bring back the hostages, americans, israelis and others. and we'll talk about how we see the future for the region and for israel and i'm convinced that there is a future path that can actually bring lasting peace and security for israel, that can assure that october 7th never happens again, and that can bring the region together, that can meet the aspirations of the palestinian people, and do it in a way that makes this a region focused on the future, not on the challenges of the

past. with that, happy to take questions. >> secretary, your trip is partly about trying to prevent a wider war, israel has killed two hezbollah leaders in a week. what does that say of u.s. leverage over israel, and one said military strikes against the houthis were not the best options and preferred diplomacy since strikes would raise regional tensions. what are you giving to arab partners of intentions toward military strikes in yemen. >> first in regard to lebanon, it's clearly not in the interest of anyone. israel, lebanon, hezbollah, for that matter, to see this escalate and to see an actual conflict and the israelis have been clear they want to find a diplomatic way forward that creates the kind of security that allows israelis to return

home. nearly 100,000 israelis have been forced to leave their homes in northern israel because of the threat coming from hezbollah and lebanon and also allows lebanese to return to their homes in southern lebanon and we are working intensely on that effort and doing so diplomatically. second, with regard to the red sea, the international community as a whole faces a challenge. these attacks, consistent attacks by the houthis on international shipping are a threat to everyone. we talked about this yesterday. you've got about 15% of the world's commerce every day going through that strait, going through the red sea. and these attacks are having a real effect on the prices that people have to pay for food, for medicine, for energy, ships have to get diverted to other place, insurance rates go up and the basic principle of freedom of navigation is at stake. so the international community has a real stake in upholding

that. we have had 40 countries come together to make clear what the houthis are doing has to stop and other countries have made clear if it continues there have to be consequences. so, our strong view, our strong preference is that the houthis get the message that they are receiving from countries around the world that this needs to stop and that's what we are focused on. >> before the october 7th attacks you and other aides to president biden were trying to pursue the idea of saudi-israel normalization, and -- you still want to pursue that because it might be one way for -- to get israel to recognize aspirations of the palestinians. would it -- would the crown prince tell you today about the

prospects for normalization, what conditions is he looking for to reach normalization and what do you think the u.s. and israel have to put forward to reach that -- to reach an agreement. secondly, would crown prince muhammad and mbz tell you about what they are willing to do in a post war state in gaza? >> so, second part of the question first. what i found virtually every stop was a willingness of all of the countries involved to do important things to help gaza stabilize and revitalize, and i heard that in every place. and one of the things that we are going to be working on together is just what that would require and just what countries specifically are prepared to do. but that was a pretty constant theme. with regard to integration to

normalization, yes, we talked about that on every stop, including here in saudi arabia and i can tell you this. there's a clear interest here in pursuing that, there's a clear interest in the region in pursuing that, but it will require that the conflict end in gaza and it will also clearly require there be a practical pathway to a palestinian state. this is what i heard from everyone we talked to about it but the interest is there, it's real, and it could be transformative. thanks, everyone. >> thank you. >> sandra: all right, so the sent will now make his way to israel as he just mentioned, he will speak to them about what they see in the future. he says i'm convinced there's a future path that will bring peace and security to israel. he says he plans on pressing israel on how imperative it is to do more to protect civilians on the ground there, and he will share with israeli leaders what

he has learned on that trip after this middle east meeting. and john, an update from the pentagon on secretary austin and his condition, no longer in the icu but still in the hospital, recovering well, prognosis is good, per a spokesperson at the pentagon. they don't have details to provide on what the procedure was that austin had and that austin has not offered his resignation and has no plans to resign. this is just coming out of the pentagon in the last couple of minutes. >> john: what i thought was interesting, key in what antony blinken was saying is that they want to see, the leaders he spoke with, a united west bank and gaza, which would be wholly unlike the way it's been since 2006, with fatah in charge in the west bank and hamas in charge in gaza. and it was actually quite a violent uprising as well between hamas and fatah when fatah was kicked out of gaza.

the leaders are saying bring it back together again and work on the creation of a palestinian state. >> sandra: fair enough. a lot of news from that. >> john: our panel, chris bedford, and juan williams. juan, your response to what the secretary was saying of shuttle diplomas in the mideast, and request from the administration to reduce the amount of fighting in gaza, protect civilians, united west bank in gaza. a lot to chew on. >> juan: i thought the questions given to the secretary were instructive, great fear of an escalation that what we have seen in terms of israel striking at the two when i consider terrorist leaders in recent days might get an escalation coming from, for example, hezbollah, and yet hezbollah has not acted and i think that is a critical piece.

the minute they act because of the size of their military, the military capacity, that's a tipping point. so far held back. but how long can that go on? >> john: i remember when i was there the week after october 7th and michael orin, the former ambassador to the u.s. was pushing to go after hezbollah in lebanon first and then go after hamas. >> chris: it's a dangerous situation for israel and the united states will want security and stability in the region but even more so for the biden administration this is a politically important thing. because another war opening up with hezbollah now on biden's watch is bad for voters he's counting on. the people who shouted him down at the church today chanting pro-palestinian things, people shut down the tunnels in new york, those might be some radicals but there are some serious voters in georgia and michigan he needs to count on. and if this war gets bigger, it's bad for his ability to stay

in the white house. >> john: the turn to next monday, martin luther king, also iowa caucus day. the latest rcp averages, trump leads by 32.7 points, desantis, haley, ramaswamy, the rest well behind. even in a caucus which can result in some surprises, the die would appear to be cast here. juan, what would you be looking for next week? >> juan: i don't have crystal balls but in front of me. >> john: i think it's a crystal ball. might not have the others. >> juan: i look at the numbers on the screen and think it's a monumental lead that donald trump has and it's not only in iowa, new hampshire nationally. what you are seeing on the ground is also telling, and that is the ad buys, ad buys dominated by haley and haley not attacking trump so much as

attacking desantis. desantis seems low on the money, and so he can't have the kind of control of the airwaves that you would like to have when voters are locked in days before the caucus. >> john: would appear to be a battle for second place. depending how that goes, how could it change the equation going forward? we have seen in the past that new hampshire can change things up, even if you have a huge win in iowa. visit certainly could, and that's something that desantis has moved past. he has not campaigned strongly in new hampshire. when you see nikki haley hammer him down there, that's what she's trying to do, and he gets blown out in iowa, a good possibility, people will wonder quickly what future does this campaign have and people calling on questions, if desantis wants a future in public in politics maybe he should pull out. most of iowa and new hampshire is buzz, haley will say she did

better than expected and desantis will try to get ahead of her. but donald trump will win. >> john: thanks. >> sandra: more than 100 boeing planes grounded after a door blows out. and a door found in a back yard. >> john: and questions about president biden's re-election run. ask mr. wonderful, kevin o'leary, if any of them will come true. to treat plaque psoriasis. it can help you get clearer skin. don't use otezla if you're allergic to it. serious allergic reactions can happen. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. some people taking otezla had depression, suicidal thoughts, or weight loss. upper respiratory tract infection

and headache may occur. live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. ♪ it's two things a young man want to be, a cowboy or a gangster. and a gangster's out of style. i got back to my roots. we come from a long line of cowboys. my grandfather, my great-grandfather, my aunt even rode horses. when i see all of us out here on this ranch i see how far our legacy can go. now on sale at ancestry.

we were tired of cleaning out our gutters every few months. and i wanted him off that ladder. so we got leaffilter. leaffilter's a permanent gutter solution, so you never have to worry

about damage from clogged gutters again. call 833.leaf.filter today, or visit leaffilter.com. she runs and plays like a puppy again. his #2s are perfect! he's a brand new dog, all in less than a year. when people switch their dog's food from kibble to the farmer's dog, they often say that it feels like magic. but there's no magic involved. (dog bark) it's simply fresh meat and vegetables, with all the nutrients dogs need— instead of dried pellets. just food made for the health of dogs. delivered in packs portioned for your dog. it's amazing what real food can do. municipal bonds don't usually get the media coverage the stock market does. in fact, most people don't find them all that exciting. but, if you're looking for the potential for consistent income that's federally tax-free, now is an excellent time to consider municipal bonds from hennion & walsh. if you have at least 10,000 dollars to invest, call and talk with one of our bond specialists at 1-800-593-6593.

we'll send you our exclusive bond guide, free. with details about how bonds can be an important part of your portfolio. hennion & walsh has specialized in fixed income and growth solutions for 30 years, and offers high-quality municipal bonds from across the country. they provide the potential for regular income... are federally tax-free... and have historically low risk. call today to request your free bond guide. 1-800-593-6593. that's 1-800-593-6593. >> sandra: fox news alert, big news coming out of an off camera on the record gaggle, this is

happening, john, with the major general pat ryder, still ongoing, apparently, as the white house and the nsc was left in the dark over the hospitalization of defense secretary lloyd austin. on any news that secretary austin may be considering resigning, they are saying that is not the case, he's not offered to resign, no plan to resign. we are learning new details, taken to walter reed in an ambulance, that was monday night, the pentagon is confirming. his chief of staff and major general pat ryder and other senior dod officials were told he was in the hospital on tuesday, so brought to the hospital monday night, they were told tuesday. ryder in this off camera on the record gaggle has an explanation for why it took so long to tell biden and the nsc. they are saying it's because austin's chief of staff had the flu, not kidding, that is the reason they are giving for the notification process, john.

no one on the dod staff has offered to resign. just some of the details we are learning. >> john: said to be in good condition, don't know why he went back to the hospital, he had an elective procedure, i guess it would be the week of christmas there at walter reed medical center and apparently something must have gone wrong after the procedure which necessitated him going back to the hospital in what would appear an emergent situation and ending up in the icu. nothing in here so explain why somebody didn't tell the president of the united states or at the very least, the chief of staff that the secretary of defense was out of commission. it boggles the mind to figure out how a major figure in the president's cabinet was gone, and nobody knew about it. >> sandra: not sure it's going to make the situation any

better, explanation that austin's chief of staff had the flu and why the president of the united states was not told his defense secretary had been taken to the hospital and the pentagon didn't learn about it until the next day. but to add to your update there on the secretary, he is in good condition, according to the pentagon. still at walter reed, has been moved out of the icu and no set date yet whether austin will be released. john. >> john: and the fact that he's not offering his resignation is a clear indication that he thinks there's no reason to. i mean, the president might not accept his resignation regardless, but he has got no plans to resign. i mean -- there was such a huge break in the chain of command. this is in the middle of two wars raging in different parts of the world, in israel and in ukraine, well over 100 attacks against u.s. forces in the middle east region, with houthi

forces attacking commercial shipping in the gulf of aden, the strait as well as the red sea, and the defense secretary just kind of disappears and doesn't tell anybody where he is. there's nobody at the pentagon -- i'm sure somebody at the pentagon knew, but it's your duty to inform at the very least the military liaison at the white house, but the notification should have gone to the chief of staff and the chief of staff has to know, even if the president is not, and the national security adviser. >> sandra: you think about everybody that should have known that he was taken to the hospital on monday, just about everybody was not told. so the chief of staff for austin was told on tuesday and he did

not directly relay to the president or the nsc because he had the flu. so waiting to see if there is an immediate response from the white house on this. obviously there's been a lot of criticism over how this is handled, speculation of resignation. right now according to the pentagon gaggle that's not the case. happy to hear he is in good condition, still at walter reed, however, and moved out of the icu. so, getting peter doocy at the white house and what kind of response from them, this is likely going to be scrutinized quite some time. >> john: some question who authorized the strike on thursday if the secretary of defense was in the hospital. according to the pentagon folks, authorized before the hospitalization and the centcom

commander knew. general, when you hear the circumstances of this, particularly, that the secretary of defense's chief of staff had the flu and that's why he didn't pick up the phone and notify either the white house chief of staff or the national security adviser, what do you make of that? >> yeah, john, look, this is a mess any way you want to call it. fact of the matter is, a huge mistake by everybody at the defense department and needs to be accountability. people sleep well at night here in the united states of america because they trust, they have confidence in the military leadership and the civilian control of the military leadership and this is a great example of a miss all the way through it. when it goes back to what eric said approving a strike beforehand, that's unheard of,

you don't do that. he goes to the secretary of defense and says how is this strike going to go, what we want to do. and the reason for that, john, if there are some consequences from that strike, how are they supposed to react? so you have to be prepared for that. so there has to be that degree of communications and the fact the degree of communication was missed, and i don't care what eric or anybody else in the military says, this was a clear violation of civilian control of the military. it's harsh to say but it's true. there's one thing about civilian control that makes you feel good at night that somebody has their handle on the tiller and i don't see that happening right now at all. >> sandra: you know, this is leaving many republicans to call for his resignation. elise stefanik, the republican in congress is one of them. says there must be full accountability, and those that lied for him, into this dangerous dereliction of duty.

she writes in response to all that, there are some outraged republicans response to it. sheila jackson is one of them, reaction saying i'm stunned any member of congress would choose to grab the limelight by calling for a medaled combat veteran who served the nation to resign. a lot of political left and right back and for the happening right now as this news comes in, general. >> yeah, look, when my -- former vice president mike pence, kind of vanilla, meaning he's very conservative. when he says it's a dereliction of duty everybody ought to understand. look, said clearly there was a lack of transparency and failure on the part of the defense department on multiple levels to keep the president of the united states informed. when we were in the white house, the situation room, always kept track of one cabinet officer. that was always the secretary of defense. you had to have the ability to

be able to talk to him especially if you had a missile event to do something. katherine hicks was down range, at the very least they should have done is put what we call night watch, airborne operation center down with her to at least to ensure they had some type of connectivity. but that meant she had to be informed and she wasn't. so there's a big gap and a big lapse here of command and control and i think elise stefanik is correct. there needs to be some accountability. is there going to be, probably not. but goes back to what happened in afghanistan when there's been no after action review or no talk of accountability and you continue to today. what are the american people think right now. lack of trust and confidence in the military and lack of transparency. any way you call it. and i'll be very candid with you, you have to be very, very hard on. because this is one of those

things when it comes to military control by the civilian leadership is absolutely critical and it was missed. >> john: you would think, general, when it comes to people you need to know where they are 24/7, chairman of the joint chiefs, secretary of the navy, secretary of state, vice president, but clearly the chain got broken. appreciate it. >> sandra: thank you so much on the news. peter doocy joining us live at the white house as we learn the chief of staff for austin didn't relay to the white house or the president that his defense secretary was in the hospital because his chief of staff had the flu. that we are learning and more. what's the reaction at the white house, peter? >> peter: reaction that president biden has full confidence in austin, and austin has no plans to resign. the white house is telling us they would not accept a resignation if one was offered.

accountability for the lack of transparency will be down the line. but a real test of this ongoing three years ongoing now white house narrative that president biden is always working when he's on vacation, always plugged in. he was in st. croix when an ambulance took lloyd austin to the hospital, he didn't know about it. sandra. >> sandra: very interesting reaction continues to pour in. tom emmer, although he wishes him a speedy recovery, he must be held accountable for the stunning failure of leadership. another member of congress weighs in. check back in with you at the white house shortly. thank you. john. >> john: and going to have a lot more on this developing story. senator tom cotton will join us in the next hour. lloyd austin has given no indication he plans to resign. but should he. peter said the white house would not accept it anyway. here's to... one year bolder.

♪ ♪boost♪ nutrition for now. directv sports central brings your games stats and scores together and now you can get it without a satellite. one more reason to finally get rid of cable. but getting rid of the cable guy... ...might not be as easy. oh yeah, touchback! visit directv.com for up to $200 reward card.

sometimes, the lows of bipolar depression feel darkest before dawn. with caplyta, there's a chance to let in the lyte™. caplyta is proven to deliver significant relief across bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, confusion, stiff or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be life threatening or permanent. these aren't all the serious side effects. caplyta can help you let in the lyte™. ask your doctor about caplyta find savings and support at caplyta.com.

singlecare is amazing. even though i have insurance, it can't beat the pricing i get on my medication through singlecare. before i submit any prescriptions, i always check singlecare first! just go to singlecare.com, search for your prescription and show the coupon to your pharmacist. millions of people on medicare, just like me, use singlecare every month, and you can too! visit singlecare.com and start saving today.

that first time you take a step back. i made that. with your very own online store. i sold that. and you can manage it all in one place. i built this. and it was easy, with a partner that puts you first. godaddy.