maria: it's been a great show. >> the new law in california that makes uber and lyft employees, not independent contractors, doesn't pass the smell test. maria: thank you so much for joining us, everybody. varney and company. stuart: good morning, everyone. [laughter] you were second. you're a great broadcaster, maria, let me be very clear. kevin's truly great. maria: thank you. [laughter] stuart: all right, kevin, we'll have you on my show soon. between july and september, the economy expanded at an annual rate of 1.9%. the general motors one month strike came during the third quarter may have had a negative influence x that 1.9% follows 2%

growth in the april-june quarter. the growth trend is only down very, very slightly. this was a positive gdp report. and here is the market reaction, fairly muted. around 2:00 even this afternoon, we'll find out what the federal reserve is doing with interest rates. a quarter-point cut widely expected, but it's what comes after that, that has invest terse on edge. the dow's up a couple of points, same with the nasdaq. look at these stocks pre-market, facebook and apple. they report at four eastern today. we'll be watching to see how apple forecasts upcoming holiday sales. as for facebook, we want to know how many people droppedded off the platform with all that negative publicity. we also want to know if their ad revenue continues to surge. facebook and apple up pre-market. you've got to look at this, california faces a real crisis today.

the fires are raging, and today the wind picks up bigtime. our heart goes out to the millions without power and the hundreds of thousands evacuated. california, as of right now, is in a state of chaos. "varney & company" is about to given. ♪ ♪ [background sounds] ♪ ♪ >> i know, dad. i look forward to seeing this one. stuart: you're a view arer, you may well be asking why on earth are we starting with a clip from "game of thrones," well, would

you pay $14.99 a month to watch it? that's how much hbo's new streaming service is going to cost -- ashley: they believe it's quality cop tent. begins in may of next year. as you say, $14.99. they're going to tart with about 0,000 hours of -- 10,000 hours of content that includes movies, originallal content, some classic tv, the batman series and all of that, but they say their going to spend over $4 billion building up the platform and content in hbo max. this is a non-ad-supported, and then coming out in 2021 will be a ad-supported option. stuart: $14.99 for hbo plus -- ashley: top dollar. yes, correct. stuart: so we thought we'd like to start with something rather different. getting on track with your money. right at it, please. the first read on third quarter

economic growth came in pretty strong, 1.9%. that is annualized rate of growth for our economy. economist john lonski with us now. i think it's a positive report. what say you? >> you're right, and i think the highlight of this report would have to be the strength of consumer spending. after growing 4.6% in the second quarter, it's up by nearly 3%, 2.9% in the third quarter with, and moreover real residential investment, up 5.1%. remember that real residential investment spending, housing, spending on housing, had declined quarter to quarter in eight of the previous nine quarters. lower interest rates are taking effect, and they're providing the economy the lift. stuart: so if consumer spending's still strong and the housing market's beginning to puck up and you've got 1.9% annualized growth, are we at ata turning point where we might go more towards 2, even 3% down the

rod? is that possible? >> that could be the big surprise when you're looking at 2020. you know, lower interest rates in part of the united states are kept low by the super low rates you have outside the united states. and the u.s. labor market is relatively healthy. we could have a nice upside surprise with consumer spending, with household spending on real estate going forward. stuart: now, are we going to get a quarter point interest rate cut today from the federal reserve? >> yes, without a doubt -- [laughter] a 98% probability to a rate cut. stuart and if we don't get it -- >> oh, my goodness. tar and feather jerome powell. stuart: now, he's going to say what's going to come up in the future. >> i think jerome powell is going to look at what's going on in the treasury bond market, and the financial markets are telling mr. powell that perhaps he can wait and see whether or not the u.s. economy does worse

or gains some speed. if the u.s. economy is expected, does better, stabilizes, this could be it for the federal funds rate for the time being. stuart: but right now we've got a nice strong economy, maybe getting a bit stronger. >> yes. and remember, because of lower inflation, low inflation expectations, the fed has the latitude to cut rates if the need should arise after today's rate cut. stuart: pretty good situation, i'd say. lonski, economist, you're all right. thanks very much, sir. >> thank you. stuart: apple, they report after the bell today, okay? big number coming out. i don't know if it's a big number, but it's a very important report. susan lee is out there in cupertino for the earnings release. susan, as i understand it, there will be just ten days of iphone 11 sales in this earnings release. so we're not going to get much of a handle on 11 sales, are we? >> reporter: can. >> yep, no, no, ten days but, as you know, the bar's set pretty low, so we're expecting profits

to drop from a year ago, so it might make it easier later on today when the biggest company on the planet reports results. by the way, it's a good sign they're selling more iphones, that means people willing to spend four-figure sums on phones, and that shows strength in the consumer which also means strength in the economy as well. guidance is key especially as we head into the all-important shopping period, of course, and their guidance for iphone 11 sales, also tear writer riffs. -- tariffs. we know tim cook usually comments on that, and a 15% tariff starting on december 15th. we know the air pods are the subject of tariffs -- sorry, in september, and we'll see whether or not it'll have been impacted by that. it'll be very interesting. and also what they say about streaming. apple tv's plus lawn are. s this friday. they've been spending billions in content to get that up and running, so the streaming wars are alive and well. stuart: well, i'll be listening

on that call to see what they say about holiday sales. susan, thank you very much. see you soon. all right, today at 4:00. 4:00 eastern time. fox business, we got it coming. all right. rosy forecast at general electric, and that stock is poised to open higher, 8% higher actually. almost back to $10 a share, how about that, you ge holders? all right, day two of the boeing ceo getting grilled on capitol hill, this time from a house committee. yesterday the stock went up a half percent at the end of his senate testimony. this morning pre-market it's down a quarter percent, but we're watching it today. the the beer maker, molson coors, that stock's going to be down. the company's cutting 500 jobs. quite simply, people are drinking less beer. and then there's yum brands reporting slower sales at pizza hut and kfc, and its investment in grubhub also cutting into profits.

grubhub has just tanked in the last couple of days, down nearly 5%. look at gamemaker activision. obvious question, lauren are, what would their sales of that game in three days? >> the debut weekend, $600 million, which is a record for call of duty. on the first day of release, servers crashed. they couldn't even keep up. so i don't play the game, okay? but it depicts russia in the game, and russia didn't like that, so it's a little bit controversial as well. of there's a lot of -- stuart: $600 million for a video game in three days. where have we been, ash? ashley: can't get my head around it. that's a tremendous amount of money in three days, shows you how big these gameses are.

[laughter] [inaudible conversations] stuart: let's are a look at futures. we've got that positive gdp report behind it us, up 12 for the dow, 3 percent s&p, 18 for the nasdaq -- 3 for the s&p. congressman greg walden retiring, and he the 17th house republican to do so in this cycle. before he leaves we're going to ask him, where does he stand the on impeachment? he's on the show later this hour. real bad news for the e-cig maker juul. one of its former executives has alleged that juul sent at least one million contaminated vape pods to the market. that's a big blow to juul, if you ask me, and that is a big story. we've got it for you. the wildfires in california rage on forcing the national weather service to issue its first-ever extreme red flag warning which covers literally millions of people. we'll bring you the latest after

this. ♪

most people think of verizon as a reliable phone company. (woman) but to businesses, we're a reliable partner. we keep companies ready for what's next. (man) we weave security into their business. virtualize their operations. (woman) and build ai customer experiences. we also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. like 5g. almost all the fortune 500 partner with us. (woman) when it comes to digital transformation... verizon keeps business ready. ♪ (thud) (crash) (grunting) (whistle) play it cool and escape heartburn fast with tums chewy bites cooling sensation. ♪ tum tu-tu-tum tums

it also has the highest growth in manufacturing jobs in the us. it's a competition for the talent. employees need more than just a paycheck. you definitely want to take advantage of all the benefits you can get. 2/3 of employees said that the workplace is an important source for personal savings and protection solutions. the workplace should be a source of financial security. keeping your people happy is what keeps your people. that's financial wellness. put your employees on a path to financial wellness with prudential.

stuart: wildfires continue as we speak in the california and high winds expected today. let's go to janice dean in the fox news weather center. janice, tell me about this wind threat. >> so this is the worst day for the winds, that's why we have this incredible red flag warning, extreme red flag warning, so people are on high alert especially across southern california where we could see wind gusts in excess of 50, 60, even 70 miles per hour. right now we're seeing wind gusts in excess of 25 miles an hour, but things are going to ramp up through the day. high pressure anchored across the great basin, and those clockwise winds being funneled through those valleys and canyons, they're speeding those winds up, drying them out and making them very hot. the relative humidity is going to be very low this afternoon, and all of those ingredients together make this a very dangerous day for the igniting of wildfires and the spreading

of wildfires. so extreme red flag warnings in effect for southern california up towards northern california for one more day. tomorrow we'll start to see those winds relax a little bit, but then the temperatures are going to go up on friday, and we're going to have to watch for a continued threat as we head into the weekend. stuart, today's the worst day. we'll calm down a little tomorrow, we'll still have to watch heading into the weekend. stuart: janice dean, thank you very much for that, indeed. >> you're welcome. stuart: a big number for you, new york city restaurants, their sales reached an astonishing $22 billion just last year. one year, 2018, $22 billion in restaurant sales in just new york city. andy buzzer in is with us -- puzder is with us, i thought new york city restaurants would be suffering because of $15 an hour, but apparently not so. >> what a great economy. last year we had almost 3% gdp growth. you can't find an employee. this is an economy that's just

on fire. so i'm not surprised. i think last year should have been spectacular because people have money, they eat out. stuart: i'm still shocked. [laughter] this is one city. okay, it's a big city -- >> it's a big city. stuart: -- 22 billion? >> and new york benefits that other places because there's so many restaurants, people are used to eating out. you're here in town, you want to try the italian restaurants, the steak places, you want to go to a show. so i think it's a sign of the times. the economy is so good, and it's been so good to new york that i i think you should see significant growth in restaurant sales. stuart: tell me about grubhub because -- [laughter] that stock has just tanked in the last session, actually. because the ceo said that the food delivery business is a bubble. now, that's pretty extreme for a ceo to say that about his own industry. what do you make of it? >> well, i think the number of food delivery services is too high. competition will reduce those numbers, and i think it will

also reduce prices because competition drives prices down. grubhub's problem was door dash and uber eats were getting all the business. grubhub was losing business, so they had to discount. your profits drop. it looks like it was a bubble. everybody had huge profits for a long time because, you knowing it knowing -- you know, it was a growing sector. now there's competition, particular my from uber eats, all of a sudden the market's getting smaller and smaller because you have people -- stuart: the i would have thought restaurants would object to paying a piece of the check to a third party. >> they hate it. i can tell you the restaurant ceos i know are constantly working to negotiate costs down. if you have your own web site and the people order from your web site, the costs are way lower. that's what you have to negotiate down. stuart: big picture though is that the consumer is so strong. we just got these gdp numbers with very strong consumer

segment there. >> again. stuart: and that's across the board, helping the restaurant industry. >> absolutely. that's what drives sales at restaurants. i mean, unless you've got something really unique, it's hard to increase your sales when the economy down. the economy's been up for a while, and i think restaurants are clearly the beneficiaries x. these food delivery services, you have to have it to stay in the game. if you don't have it, you are going to lose sales. stuart: all right, andy, you used to run several restaurant chains. do you ever to order in food? >> all the time. up north there's no delivery, but when we're in nashville, we order delivery all the time. i have a millennial son who's still in college, he'll have ten friends over, and they'll order food delivery. it's a wide, widely used thing amongst our generation and even more. stuart: my generation? >> we're close, yeah.

[laughter] we both like the beatles. [laughter] stuart: but i've never ordered food delivery. i just don't do it. i can't stand waiting. >> if you do it once, you'll do it more. stuart: come and hold my happened. [laughter] ♪ i want to hold your hand stuart: andy puzder, thank you very much, indeed. >> it was fun. and we remember the beatles, that's even more telling -- [laughter] stuart: almost had a senior moment there, not quite. ing juul, big news there the. the there's a new lawsuit, and it contends that juul sent one million contaminated pods to the marketplace. ashley: well, yes. these were p mint-flavored e-cigarette nicotine pods. this has not been confirmed, but it is the claim of a former disgruntled employee who's filed a lawsuit alleging that, indeed, juul ignored his request to issue a recall. at the very minimum, he said,

issue a public health and safety notice to consumers. he said the chief finance officer at the time, who has since left, said that he should, quote, remember his loyalty to the company. so that's what he's alleging. he was fired the following week, by the way, the whistle mother, if you like. that's -- the whistleblower. there's been a big shake-up, they've changed out three four major positions, there's a lot going on at juul as it continues to battle the regulators. stuart: at one stage the they were the answer to smoking -- ashley: supposed to help people get off cigarettes. stuart: and now they're not. except in england. thank you, ash. look at futures, please. we're going to be up for modestly at the opening bell. we're going to be up about 7 for the dow, 2 for the s&p, 17 for the nasdaq. have a look at apple. as we keep telling you, they report after the bell today. coming up next, we have someone who is bearish on apple, and

apple tv plus is not a winner. she's going to tell us why after this.

stuart: now, this is apple's stock pre-market, $245 a share. bear in mind, please, that that stock has gone up by 50%, by a half, this calendar year. come on in, tech analyst beth kindig.

why are you negative on apple after it's gone up 50% this year? >> thanks, stuart. apple's a company that has phenomenal cash flow. it's clearing over $250 billion a year in annual revenue. the question that investors and analysts need to is ask is when was apple's peak. mobile industry analysts are calling for a contraction of the smartphone market, calling for a 2% contraction. that means there are going to be 2% fewer smartphones next year than this year. apple is not immune to these effects. in fact, we're seeing double-digit declines in apple's smartphone business, -21% in march. stuart: okay, understood. now, couldn't the revenue from services make up for any shortfall in revenue to on iphones? >> that's a great question. i think apple -- as stated, apple has a lot of cash. it can pull off many successful pivots. the thing to keep in perspective

is we're talking about the iphone here. can lightning strike twice. the iphone is apple's best growth driver in history, it may be one of the best we've ever seen in technology. it was responsible for $165 billion in revenue last year. compare that to services at $40 billion, there's a huge gap there. and i think what the market is being a little overly optimist inabout is can -- optimistic about is can there be a happened ah between the iphone and services. i think it's going to take time to absorb those the declines. stuart: can you tell us your price target? if it's $245 now, where is it by the end of the year or six months? >> for me, it goes back to the fact that apple's peak year was 2018. i don't think we're going to see those iphone sales and revenue for some time. with or without an earnings beat, apple will decline this year. of so i would keep it under the 2018 rice price of $220. i think we'll see it at 190.

stuart: beth, thank you very much, indeed. i'm just going to break away briefly because dennis muilenberg has just arrived on capitol hill. he's about to start talking to reporters, i believe. i think he's got a statement of some sort, and we're going to listen in to what he's got to say. this is day two of his testimony. he's approaching the microphone. >> morning. it's good to be with you here this morning. thank you. looking forward to today's hearing, and we appreciate the opportunity to talk with the house today. we know there are important topics to cover, we're all focused on aviation safety. and begin the anniversary of lion air flight 610, it's important queen the victims' families in our hearts and minds here. that's the most important thing today. thank you. >> [inaudible]

regulators in that he heavy -- [inaudible] >> andrew, as i mentioned, that was a top you can i was briefed on earlier this year. i'm sure that'll be a topic of discussion at today's hearing as well. >> they're going to is ask you, apparently, about managers who -- [inaudible] can you tell the us -- [inaudible] >> yeah. i believe in this case they're referring to a manager that brought forward some concerns about production on safety as we were moving through production rate changes recently. and aware of that, and we've taken on those concerns and addressed, have addressed those -- >> [inaudible] yesterday you said for the first time we're sorry that we made mistakes. [inaudible] why did it take so long to admit you made mistakes? >> well, first of all, we are sorry. deeply, truly sorry. i've talked with some of the

families yesterday, and their courage is amazing. and we're always going to remember that. you know, over the last year we have learned, we've learned a lot as a company. we're humbled. we do know that we made some mistakes and got some things wrong. we know what we needed to do. we own that. we've made the fixes that we need to make, and we're focused on safety going forward. >> [inaudible] >> well, it's -- i appreciated the opportunity to talk to them. as a father and husband myself, i was just heart broken over their stories. it was tough to hear, but i wanted to share in their stories, hear what they had to say. it was important for us to understand the impact this has had. as tough as those conversations were, i think it's part of the learning, the part of us taking time to listen and makes us

better as a company. we're going to learn from this, and i think most importantly it reminds us the work we do and safety has to be paramount. >> [inaudible] >> well, there were multiple stories. i want to keep those private. those were private discussions, but they were very personal. and they were very heartfelt. and to me, again, it just reminds me of the importance of the work we do and the importance of safety. so thank you. thank you. [inaudible conversations] stuart: dennis muilenberg there, ceo of the boeing company, answering some reporters' questions and making a statement. he's about to go into day two of the hearings, this time it'll be a house committee that grills him. yesterday his management was criticized, his team was criticized. what did he and the team know and when did they know it. that was a key question

yesterday. but overall, there are two questions here. can muilenberg survive as the ceo of boeing and, secondly, can he restore confidence in the max jet? will people fly on it when it goes back in service? all right. 9:30 eastern time, this is a wednesday morning. we're off and running on wall street. the backdrop to the day's market action is gdp, the economy, expanding at an annual rate of 1.9% in the third quarter. that was pretty strong performance, and the dow has opened on the upside to tune of 14 points. well, 11 points. we've got a lot of green and about half of them are red on the left-hand side of your screen. as for the s&p 500, been breaking records recently. right now it's up just a fraction. same story with the nasdaq. i believe that has hit records recently, and that too has opened on the upside right out of the box. general electric reported earnings early this morning, the

stock is up 8%. that's at $9.77 on ge. yum brands, fewer people eating at pizza hut and kfc, and its investment in grub job hub, that -- grubhub, that weighed on the overall performance of yum brands, down 7%. an ea astonishing story out of acti have -- actvision. its call of duty game made $600 million the world wild in just the first -- worldwide in just the first three days of release. all right, big day today. lauren simonetti and ashley webster. i've got to start with the latest read on growth. shar, 1.9% annualized third quarter, i say that's pretty good. >> still positive, a little slippage, obviously, from the second quarter, but i think it's still strong. it's above trend, and it speaks to, number one, i think this report speaks to a healthy

consumer. stuart: yes. consumption up 2.9%. >> a big driver. it's off again from the second quarter, but it's still very positive. so consumer's in a good place, the economy's in a good place, the the market's in a good place, i think things are rosy right now. stuart: plus, we do have to remember that the federal reserve at 2:00 eastern time this afternoon is going to say what they're going to do with interest rates, and if it doesn't go down a quarter point, that market goes down a lot. >> yes. everyone's expectations are for a quarter point. if we don't get that, all bets are off. ashley: dovish cut or hawkish cut, i think that's what the markets are looking for, the language are. stuart: what's he going to say when he addresses the media. >> december as well. do we get a fourth cut in december or not? the expectations for that are only 25% right now. >> one thing no one is talking about, i think he's going to bring up the new qe, and i think that's going to be positive for

the market. the fed has had to do repos with banks directly, they're going to have to do that, let the banks -- the only way they can do that is to administer liquidity, the only way they can do that directly is more qe. the market's going to look at that. if they speak about that, and i think it may be in the statement, i think the markets will look at that as a positive. stuart: forgive me for raising an issue here, shaw, but back in may didn't you forecast a 10 percent drop for the major averages? >> yes. we were looking -- [laughter] stuart: what went wrong? >> we'd seen some head and shoulders formations in the indexes. i thought if it got down to the neckline and investors were panicky, we could see a 10% drop. we have since bounced back up, so i've completely changed my position. right now i'm still cautious, but a as long as the averages are where they are, i'm going to start adding to positives. -- to

positions. stuart: you're ab honest man. >> i was wrong. stuart: did you just say that? >> he's modest. [laughter] stuart: two of the biggest tech names that we talk about every day report after the bell today. facebook and apple. would you buy either of those stocks, shah? facebook at 189, apple, 244. >> both. stuart: you would? >>. don't own facebook. we open apple. yes, it's the teflon stock. it's done very well in spite of an onslaught of potential regulatory hits it has not yet taken, still could, but growth in terms of revenue is fantastic. i think, yes, absolutely. apple, no. apple's apple. stuart: apple is apple. >> facebook is asson -- astonishingly, the ftc investigation, 47 state attorney generals, and it's up 43% this year. it is a teflon stock. apple, however, i think this company is going to be the first

going to $2 trillion, because we have been doubting them and doubting them and doubting them. you had an analyst saying iphone sales are -- fine, they are. how do you explain demand for the 11 which comes before the big 2020 phone which is supposedly going to have 5g? stuart: lauren simonetti says apple will be the first $2 trillion -- >> i think that's where it's headed. stuart: out on a limb there, girl. >> what other company is going to do it? >> microsoft. >> okay. perhaps. [laughter] stuart: check the big board. all right, we're down now. the dow is down, what, 20-odd points. we're back to 27,051. all right, mattel, they have resolved their accounting issues. informses really like that -- investors really like that. up 21%. former exxon chief, rex tillerson, he's going to take the stand in the exxon climate

change case today. no impact on exxon's stock, but we just thought we'd point it out to you, former secretary of state testifying in court today. round two for the boeing chief on capitol hill, he's just spoke to reporters. he's going into the hearing room right now, and the stock is down $3 at $345. molson coors, the beer people, cutting 500 jobs because we are drinking less beer. of that stock's down 3.7%. lyft will report its financial situation after the bell today. walking up to that it's up, what, 40 cents? no, 19 cents right there. grubhub, talk about a nose dive, that was a true nose dive yesterday because of increased competition and what the ceo said about food delivery. this morning -- what did you say? ashley: what was he thinking? [laughter] i mean, you know, don't say it out loud. >> lowering expectations. stouter stuart maybe he was like shah, being honest.

how about that? [laughter] look at garmin. it's a gps company, obviously. better sales. the stock is at its highest level since january of 2008. a 6% gained today. all right, the markets. first of all, interest rates, the classic ten-year treasury yield 1.82%. ain't no inverted yield curve today, sports fans. and the price of gold still 1493. the price of oil, i'm guessing 53, 54. 55, it's been there forever. johnson & johnson says its latest baby powder test found no asbestos present. they're still filing thousands of lawsuits though -- ashley: facing. stuart: is this going to make any difference to the company? >> it should make a difference. you know, it should. but people will sue. the lawyers will sue, and, you know, they'll have the cover the expense of the lit are division. stuart: it's a takedown of companies by lawyers. there you are.

>> i'm a recovering lawyer. [laughter] stuart: you are a recovering lawyer? >> been recovering for about 20 years. [laughter] stuart: unacceptable. casualty of the battle for your living room, sony ends its video streaming service called vue. what happened? ashley: never hammered of it. >> the bundles have gotten expensive, $50 to start a month, but you get the pay tv, the cable through your internet. in this case through playstation. sony says we can't do it anymore, it's too -- we don't have customers, it's expensive, so january 30th they're ending that service. pure streaming plays is where the bets are right now. we have apple tv launching, tv plus launch. ing friday and then disney coming and now hbo max next year. stuart: we should repeat what we told our audience a half hour ago. hbo max, which arrives next may, will cost you $14.99 --

>> this is what's interesting, here's the flipside of that. if you are an existing hbo customer, it's free at least for a little bit. so a lot of folks are saying, well, does that strategy work? ashley: depends how long you get it for free. how long does that last? stuart: apple tv starts friday, what is it, $4.939? >> yeah, $14.99 seems pricey. stuart: yes, it does. because people are going to have more than one streaming service. if one costs $15, the other costs 5, 6, 7, whatever it is, you could be aced out very easily. despite your content. >> right. stuart: i've got to get to this. this is for you -- >> all right, i'm ready. [laughter] stuart: popeye's, i'm told, has a very popular chicken sandwich which is coming back this weekend, and they're taking direct aim at chick-fil-a with this new promotion. chick -- chick-fil-a is closed on sunday, of course. >> andy, you could speak to

this. traffic at fast food places is slow, but if you have a really hot menu item which is the spicy chicken sandwich, i'm telling you, it went viral. they couldn't keep it in the store over the summer. they finally have it back. it's launching on a sunday when chick-fil-a is closed. they're having fun with it, but this could drive up traffic and sales. >> absolutely. when you can create sort of a competition between brands, you really generate a a lot more energy. they're paying nothing for us talking about this, right? stuart: that has occurred to me. [laughter] >> this is free. this is a great deal for them. now, chick-fil-a has a very loyal following you're not going to really dealt, but this is a great way to get coverage i think popeye's is doing. of course, they couldn't go after us because we were the little guy, right? stuart: i can't believe that we've spent all -- talking about a pice city chicken sand up. is it that big a deal? >> no, it's not. [laughter] i have one question, how could

popeye's not have enough chicken to make a chicken sandwich? >> i can answer that. stuart: answer it. >> they had an issue getting it from the supplier who did not have an exclusive fast food brand. [laughter] stuart: i was having this entire segment on the show because i can't believe the spicy chicken sandwich is important. but i was overruled by the producers. [laughter] time's up. 9:41 -- [laughter] shah, andy, thank you very much, gentlemen. great stuff today. thank you. check that big board. we're down 30 points if the dow industrials. that's where we are. convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein's death in prison ruled a suicide by the medical examiner. but this morning a well known doctor said the autopsy is more consistent with murder. does that open up a new legal fight? judge napolitano is here on that one in our next hour. the house will vote on the

impeachment procedures tomorrow. i'll take -- i'll talk to don's republican congressman greg walden about that and ask him why he's not seeking re-election. ♪ ♪ we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online.

now we've created a brand new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old, we want to buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate, answer a few questions, and our techno-wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot, and pick up your car. that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way-- at carvana. and i...was...shocked. right away, called my mom, called my sisters. i'm from cameroon, congo, and...the bantu people. i had ivory coast, and ghana...togo. i was grateful... i just felt more connected... to who i am. greater details. richer stories. and now with health insights. get your dna kit at ancestry.com.

hour 36 in the stakeout. as soon as the homeowners arrive, we'll inform them that liberty mutual customizes home insurance, so they'll only pay for what they need. your turn to keep watch, limu. wake me up if you see anything. [ snoring ] [ loud squawking and siren blaring ] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ stuart: a very narrow loss for the dow n the very early going, we're down just 5 points as we speak. mondelez, the maker of oreo cookies and a whole lot more, that company said, look, watch out, we're facing increased competition from brands which focus on simple ingredient ands high protein diets. beyond meat took a big drop yesterday after the lockout

ended. that means that early investors can sell, and a lot of them did yesterday. next one, the house. that will -- it will vote tomorrow on procedures regarding its impeachment inquery. joining us now, congressman greg walden, republican from oregon. sir, welcome back to the program. >> it's good to be with you, stuart. stuart: i can't believe that we are prepare to try to remove from office this president because he made a phone call with ukraine's president. can you believe what's going on here? >> no, i can't. i think it's terrible. and, look, if you go back to the 'em peachment proceedings in the nixon and clinton cases, they were much more open and transparent, they were much more fair. the president's counsel was a participant in the process, weighed in and exerted executive privilege. they have been education colluded. this has been taking place in the basement of the capitol in a secure facility that unless you're on on one of those committees, you can't even go in. and now they've got this i want

to say false resolution they're going to bring to the floor that pretends to provide transparency but does not. and they're going to have a rope a done. they're going to have the intelligence committee with its special privileges and rules operating separately and independently. but maybe together behind the curtain with the judiciary committee. but there's some information won't be shared -- this is a terrible process. if you're going to go down this path, then you better make sure if you're going to override the will of the american voters with an election coming up in about a year, you better have a transparent process that's open and fair, that people can put their faith in, and then you go about the investigation if it's warranted. but this is completely off the rails. and, stuart, you know as well as i the day after the election we had to have, you know, cry rooms and we had to have all these things because people reacted to the election and the will of the american people. the left went crazy. they began rioting and breaking windows and torching buildings. i've never seen anything like

it. it's never, ever stopped. stuart: is this why you're retiring from congress? >> no. no -- [laughter] no, actually, i didn't want to be carried out of here, and i didn't want to be kicked out of here. the polling in my district showed they weren't going to kick me out, but, you know, there comes a time, it's been a great journey and run. i love public service, done a lot of good work, but i was just ready. i'm at a point in my life and my wife and i both believe if i'm going to do something else, now's the time to do it. i'm thinking of coming to work in your studio and getting you coffee in the morning, you know? going back to my broadcast roots. stuart: were you a broadcaster once? i didn't know that. >> oh, yeah. we owned and operated radio stations. i've got the voice and face for radio. behind the scenes i could -- stuart: come and co-anchor the show, why don't you? i'm not in the position to offer you a job, sir, but think about it. [laughter] >> mr. murdoch may be watching, so we want to think this

through. stuart: i believe he is. the president too. greg walden, we wish you the best of luck. hope you can come back before you leave congress. >> i would love to. thank you, stuart. stuart: thank you. appreciate it. market check, please. 50/50 split between winners and losers among the dow 30, and the dow is off just, what, 18 points. that's what we've got. a pro-democracy activist, joshua wong, has been banned from running in local hong kong elections. maybe the demonstrations are beginning to p wind down. has beijing won? did it break the protesters? we'll cover the story next. chevy's the only brand...

to earn j.d. power dependability awards... across cars... trucks... and suvs. four years in a row. since more than 32,000 real people... just like me. and me. and me. took the survey that decided these awards. it was only right that you hear the good news from real people... like us. i'm daniel. i'm casey. i'm julio. only chevy has earned j.d. power dependability awards across cars, trucks and suvs. four years in a row.

beyond the routine checkups. beyond the not-so-routine cases. comcast business is helping doctors provide care in whole new ways. all working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gig-speed network. because beyond technology... there is human ingenuity. every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. to do the extraordinary. take your business beyond.

♪ stuart: a lot to talk about, google buying fitbit, but a new report that says fitbit would be unlikely to accept a deal for less than $10 a share. fitbit at 6.31, so i guess they're not biting yet. let's are get to hong kong where local activist joshua wong has been banned from running in a local election. china watcher gordon chang joins us now. this is a real crackdown on the democracy movement. do you think beijing's getting the upper hand in these protests? >> no, by no means, stuart. stuart: no? >> you've got two separate groups of protesters. we focus in on the mass of hong

kong people. that's the one organized by the civil human rights front. i think there's a sense of fatigue among most people in hong kong, maybe a little bit less lack of enthusiasm because they got what they wanted, which was the permanent withdrawal of the extradition bill. but beijing keeps on doing things that upset people. so, you know, beijing, you know, might be able to have these protests tamped down for a little while, but they can't help themselves. under the second set of protesters, these are the young kids dressed in black, you know, tear gas protection, they're actually becoming more enthusiastic. i mean, there have been something like 2800 arrests of them. but they're now in bigger numbers on the street, showing that beijing is losing that battle as well. stuart: i'm just trying to think of the end game here, because the protesters are up likely to get a free vote, which is one of the things they wallet, and beijing is not likely to allow a free vote.

that's anathema to a communist government. what is the end game? >> you can have, for instance, and i know you might sort of chuckle, but these kids can outlast the people's republic which look a little fragile right now. got a trade war, got a crumbling economy, got african swine fever and the problems in hong kong. remember, chinese regimes unravel from the outside-in. beijing is losing the propaganda war in hong kong. it's lost hearts and minds. most people, you know, they tolerate the violence and the aggressive tactics of the young protesters because a beijing enflames people, including disqualifying joshua woning for no -- wong for nothing at all. each three or four days it will do something that really makes the enthusiasm rise again. stuart: so they never relax the pressure. >> they never relax the -- these protests would have gone away if beijing had never tried to encroach on autonomy, or they would have gone away in april if they had withdrawn the extradition bill, but they

couldn't do that. so, you know, it's just like they can't do what's necessary to get this thing to move away. stuart: real fast, on december the 1st the chinese government is going to implement new rules which mean no -- what's the word, um, encryption. in other words, the chinese government can read anything on any system because they will ban encryption. that's incredible. >> yeah. no end description, no virtual private networks, vpns. those are used by businesses to access business information that is banned inside of china. this is an inmomentation of the 2016 cybersecurity law. what they are doing is putting together their multilateral protection scheme 2.03 which allows -- 2.0, which allows the chinese government to take all private information from companies. and by the way, there is no legal prohibition in china for the ministry of public security to take the information they get from foreign companieses and to give it to state enterprises that compete with our foreign

companies. stuart: that's not going to go down well in the trade talks and opening up china's economy. that is not going to do well. >> no. certainly not. stuart: very important stuff. gordon chang, thank you very much, sir. >> thanks, stuart. stuart: all right. a kanye west, he says he made $150 million last year, and he got a tax refund of $68 million. how is that even possible? well, we're going to try to explain it for you. the iconic new york city steakhouse, you may have heard of this, absolutely -- at this rate in a new york times review, zero stars. the paper called it a washed-up, overpriced scam. ouch. next hour we'll talk to owner of boston chops, a steakhouse. i bet he wouldn't like a review like that. we'll ask him about it. and the house will vote tomorrow on a resolution in the impeachment proceedings. personally, i don't think america's willing to remove this

president from office because of a phone call. i'll talk more about that in my take, which is next. kind strong brilliant unbreakable ♪ engagement rings now 20- 40 percent off shop unique bridal styles at zales, the diamond store . . about! so, aag is introducing a new jumbo reverse mortgage loan so you can now access as much as $4 million dollars in cash, tax free, from your home's equity. aag's new jumbo reverse mortgage loan can give you more tax-free cash than ever before find out more in your free aag jumbo guide. call the new aag advantage jumbo

gives you another way to effectively manage your retirement income sources. tell me something, what other asset can give you that kind of tax-free cash right now? and the sooner you call, the sooner you'll know if a jumbo reverse mortgage loan can improve your retirement portfolio's performance. get your info kit now! the good news is, many of us are living much longer, but you know what that means our retirement savings are being stretched over more time. that's where your home's equity can help... don't wait start learning more today. it could be the financial option you're looking for and give you the cash to supplement your other retirement assets. if you've had your home for a while, it's probably worth a lot more today. so why not use that appreciation for anything you need maybe it's some home repairs, or updates to make it more comfortable so you can stay in the place you love, your home. get started today while home values remain high.

if you're looking for extra cash now, accessing your home's equity could be the right financial solution for you. the new aag advantage jumbo is changing the way people use reverse mortgages, and another way aag is working to make your retirement... better. call it's how we bring hope to our patients- like viola. her team treated her cancer and strengthened her spirit. so viola could focus on their future.

cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. brian: tell me now, are we going to remove this president from office because he invited ukraine to investigate a political rival? that is what the impeachment charge amounts to. not lying to a federal judge and having sex with an intern in the oval office like bill clinton, oh, no. this time around the phone call is the high crime and misdemeanor. they will go ahead with the political process because they think they can damage him. congress gets nothing done during the impeachment storm. the country is held hostage by

speaker pelosi's contempt for the president. it is looking like a bad bet. these secret hearings are an affront to our sense of fairness. adam schiff telling witnesses not to respond to republican questions. that is simply outrageous. this is america. tomorrow on halloween, the house will vote on the rules governing the impeachment process. the democrats will have to show their true colors. that could be a problem for some of them. 30 members elected last year in heavily trump leaning districts, colin peterson, whose district in northern minnesota went for trump by 30 points. how will his constituents feel if he votes yes? that is a dangerous gamble. former speaker newt gingrich thinks tomorrow's vote will cost democrats majority in the house. the rest of the country looks on incredulous. the president orders killing of brutal terrorist baghdadi and his successor, the democrats

virtually ignore the victory. give the president no credit at all. back in 24 hours they're in secret hearings stifling witnesses. speaker pelosi committed herself to impeachment. it will go forward, but at some point the we the people will have our say. i don't think america is willing to remove this president from office because of a phone call. the abuse he is taking so offends middle america that he wins a second term. what will democrats do then? second hour of "varney & company" is about to begin. ♪ just in case you think i got carried away on impeachment, harlan hill, trump for president advisory board. where am i going wrong with that? >> i think you hit the nail on the head. they have absolutely abdicated their responsibility, democrats.

abdicated responsibility to voters. sent them to washington to get things done, not needlessly attack and undermine the presidency and institutions we celebrated for centuries. president would be willing to work with democrat on, like infrastructure. democrats are unwilling to come to the table. stuart: everybody benefits from that, including mexico and canada. no, it will be not be brought for a vote because of impeachment. >> absolutely. stuart: wait a second, my basic premise correct, america is not prepared to rethis president from office on basis of a phone call from ukraine's president? >> absolutely. stuart: have i got that right? >> americans don't understand what the phone call implicates. it is so complicated, they have been hearing for years there is promises, great revelation the president has done something wrong, whether russia, ukraine, whatever, it has all fallen

flat. the democrats cried wolf tore so many years. they haven't produced anything, nothing. stuart: not yet. because it is all in secret. >> that's true. stuart: harlan, stay there for a second. i want to bring in liz peek to look at financial angles. we have impeachment process voted on tomorrow. doesn't seem like the market cares. >> the market is ignoring it as well it should. you point out the actual end conclusion of all this will probably be nothing. in fact, if anything, quite possible that this very unfair impeachment process will bolster president trump's chances of re-election. i think the market, the other way around, if people really sense the president was in trouble because of this i think it would react because his policies of lower taxes and deregulation have really created energy for this economy. yes it has slowed down a bit, but remember all the recession anxiety. that is in the rear view mirror. we're not talking about a economy moving along close to 2% growth. i would predict because of lower

interest rates we'll get real estate, a very big part of the economy which has not been participating in our growth kicking in. you will see an acceleration going into 2020. there is virtually no chance of recession in 2020 and if that is the case, if people are feeling good as they are now about their economic outlook, president trump gets reelected. that is what the market cares about. stuart: that is fascinating, liz. hold on a second. i want to digress for one moment. former secretary of state rex tillerson who once ran exxon, our cameras caught up with him on his way to court today. he will be on the stand, he is on the stand right now in the company's climate change trial. jackie deangelis is at the courthouse. do you know what he said already so far? reporter: good morning, stuart. i just walked out, what rex tillerson was saying on the stand today, his highly anticipated testimony, yes he reviewed the key document on climate change, that he didn't call for any exception.

so he basically approved them along with the executive committee at exxon. he knew what the proxy costs were. he knew they were used as estimates to forecast for the future and that he didn't necessarily see any kind of problem with what the company was doing. there was an emphasis on the future planning. that these were estimates. remember this case is saying there was some sort of deception or potentially fraud that impacted the bottom line for shareholders right now. the defense is going to make the case it really was all about future planning, that estimates are exactly that, they're estimates, that the state is drawing because of certain agenda and policies, drawing sort of this leap there was some discrepancy between the numbers being used at estimates, that it was nefarious in some way. it is interesting because, rex when he got on the stand he was cool, calm collected. obviously the state was questioning hill right now.

the defense will take over in a little bit. we'll come back with more when we have it, stuart. stuart: yes you will. jackie very much indeed. i call that a show trial. >> it is totally political theater. environmentalists an green movement gone amok. in new york state unfortunately where i live, this is obviously a very big political pressure point. they want to accuse companies of exxon of lying to people about the impact on the future business of climate change. but i would, if i were exxon i would go back to them, show me where there are policies in place that are actually changing our business model or that have changed in the last five years our business model? because there aren't any. the truth is voters continue to reject measures in the united states and by the way in other countries too like australia which might have some impact on exxonmobil. it hasn't happened yet. so the politicals i think just as much on trial as exxon. stuart: good point. harlan, every time there has been a free vote on climate

change policy where consumers and voters have to pay more, voters have rejected it. >> yes. stuart: every time that happened. >> i believe the president came in, in 2016 with a mandate to peel back all the regulations and unleash natural resources in the united states. that is antithetical to the modern democratic party, willing to destroy the unmine the american economy and american middle class in the name of this climate change hoax. stuart: i don't know about hoax. >> i call it a hoax. stuart: that is your word. go for what you like, but i'm astonished at the influence of climate change on our body politic today. it has enormous influence. i'm shocked by it. but i will move on. that is what we do here. we move fast. items, a couple of items on juul, vaping people. number one the cfo is out. we knew that already. he is out. and now we've got this lawsuit that contends juul sent one

million contaminated pods to market. tell me more. ashley: that suit by a gentleman who was senior vice president of global finance at juul. he claims in the lawsuit that he warned the company, look, you are sending out one million mint-flavored e-cigarette nicotine pods he says were contaminated. he was told to be a good, loyal, employee, basically keep quiet. he says at the very least they should have been recalled or a public health and safety notice put out to consumers. we do have a response from juul on this particular lawsuit and here it is, it says mr. brehar's claims are baseless. he was terminated in 2019 because he failed to demonstrate leadership qualities in his role. the issues regarding safety problems with juul products and determined the product met all

and spread 9 underlying manufacturing issue and determined that the product met all appropriate specifications. they're facing investigations one criminal probe an vape be products an why it is creating sickness. they will cut 500 jobs by the end of the year. stuart: vaping was the savior of the smoking of tobacco. >> think of how many people are not smoking because of juul. amazing it has gone south so fast. stuart: we should note the lawyer behind the lawyer against juul, hahm meet dillon, is on with neil cavuto in the 12:30 hour this very day. what have we got next, wildfires in state of california, a terrible thing, concerns much stronger winds today will make things much worse. we have the update on fires from southern california next. bombshell from top forensic

specialist michael bauden on the jeffrey epstein case. bauden says epstein was murdered. the autopsy had ruled the death a suicide. judge napolitano will sort it out for us. peter luger, one of new york city's oldest and most iconic steakhouses brutally panned in a scathing "new york times" review. the owner of the steakhouse, boston chops, is back with us. question for him, are steakhouses going out of fashion? in "new york times" they're not popular, for sure. second hour of "varney" just getting started. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪

stuart: we're up but not much. a seven point gain for the dow industrials. that puts the dow at 27,777 -- 27,077. we're 200 points away from the all-time closing high for the

dow industrials. we have a beer story for you. moulson coors will let 500 people go, job cuts. people are turning away from beer. the stock is down 1.8%. yum! brands, profits down in the third quarter, mostly because of weak sales at pizza hut. look at it go, down 10% on yum! brands. now the california wildfires, very strong wind expected today. we'll have more on that in just a moment of the as you can see that is a remarkable situation there developing in southern california. it is 7:15 local time. we're going to update those fires momentarily. now a big decision yesterday from the ncaa. they will allow college athletes to make money off the use of their names and likeness. the ceo of videogame maker, electronic arts, they may bring back college sports video games. anything more on this. ashley: he thinks it is a good idea. he has been advocating for this.

electronic arts has huge franchises as we know. they have the fifa game. ultimate team, sims 4. fifa game alone has millions, millions of subscribers. these products, the, past 12 months generated $3.8 billion. if he can bring back ncaa, and get those players compensated in the way that the ncaa is allowing he is all on board. stuart: put them back into the videogames. where do you stand on that? i personally think they're using your image, you should get paid off of that. ashley: i agree. people making awful lot of money off you, you should compensated for that. stuart: you are saying quiet. >> going to school for free is sort of a payment. stuart: whatever you say. >> i wonder the reaction if some lawmakers get their ways, those potential earnings are taxed. stuart: they will be taxed. no way around that one. >> gen-z and millenials think

about that. stuart: we had a bombshell claim this morning from dr. michael bauden. he is a forensic pathologist, hired by jeffrey epstein's brother to determine the cause of epstein's death. now just listen for a moment to what he had to say earlier this morning. roll tape. >> i think that the evidence points toward homicide rather than suicide. >> why? >> because multiple, three fractures in the hyoid bone, thyroid cartilage, very ununusual for suicide, and more indicative of strangulation, homicidal strangulation. stuart: he says it is murder. the autopsy ruled it was a suicide. judge napolitano is with us. you run "the liberty file" on "fox nation." i know that. now where to from here? >> god, i wish i knew. i have to start by saying i have enormous respect for dr. bauden. he testified before me when i was on the bench in new jersey. his wife is a prominent trial

lawyer. she tried cases before me. i know them well, i socialized with them. this is sort of coming out of the blue, 80 days after the death and 75 days after he observed autopsy and made the observations and conclusions that he revealed today. so it's a head-scratcher. stuart: will it be brought up again? >> yes. stuart: it can? >> the way to open it up say to the fbi where is the ligature, instrument that actually choked him? whose dna is on that? did you consider this in your investigation, that a highly regarded, medical technician like dr. bauden has concluded it is more consistent with homicide than with suicide? and can you explain, he lists a terrifying list of event like the suicide watch was removed. the choke on epstein's next two weeks earlier was never

investigated. both guards fell asleep. three video cameras not working. listen, he doesn't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but it is an odd events all of which point to the inability of the government to explain adequately what happened? where does it go from here? i don't know. stuart: but it could be opened up? >> yes. the way to open it up present your findings to the fbi or file a complaint in federal court and have a federal judge, power of the court used to open it up. stuart: thanks for explaining all this. >> sure. stuart: breaking story. >> head scratcher. stuart: judge napolitano thank you. it is. facebook's mark zuckerberg last week told congress "deepfake" videos are emerging threat that could create problems in elections? can anything be done about them or will it be possible, impossible, actually, what is real or what's not? i don't think it is possible to tell the difference quite

frankly. we're on the story. it is a good one. a new poll shows bernie sanders has a lot of support among younger voters. why do college students support socialism? i keep asking that question. cabot phillips is on the show. ♪. most people think of verizon as a reliable phone company. (woman) but to businesses,

we're a reliable partner. we keep companies ready for what's next. (man) we weave security into their business. virtualize their operations. (woman) and build ai customer experiences. we also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. like 5g. almost all the fortune 500 partner with us. (woman) when it comes to digital transformation... verizon keeps business ready. ♪

thbecause with nband after thleague pass on xfinityr. you can watch the out of market games you want- all season long. and with the all-new xfinity sports zone, you get everything nba all in one place- even notifications about your favorite teams. watch the dropped dimes, monster blocks, and showstopping dunks. plus get instant access to your teams with the power of your voice. that's simple, easy, awesome. say nba league pass into your voice remote

to upgrade for a great low price - or go online today. i need all the breaks as athat i can get.or, at liberty butchemel... cut. liberty mu... line? cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. cut. liberty m... am i allowed to riff? what if i come out of the water? liberty biberty... cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ stuart: news on the chile apex summit next month. this is the summit where chichi and president trump were supposed to get together to do a trade deal. chile is pulling out of it. edward lawrence, how can you have a summit when the host is not going to be the host? reporter: yeah the host is

pulling out hosting this event because they have had a lot of unrest in chile. the unrest caused a lot of problems. security issues for the world leaders who would be coming in. it also clogged the streets. they had hundreds of thousands of protesters down there. so the president of chile finally saying there is nothing we can do. we can't stop this. therefore we can't host the event. it is not canceled but they can't host it. this is the tweet by the president of chile here. in this tweet the president of chile says now that the announcement will not be held in chile. apec and copa 25 will not be held in chile. that is the tweet that came out. the white house i'm told, before i got in front of the camera, i stopped with the press office here. they were not told about the decision. it was a complete surprise to the white house. the president is expected to go to apec conference to sign a phase one deal with china.

president xi xinping expected to be at the conference. the white house is figuring out where it will be next. they were surprised by the announcement. if it is held somewhere, wherever it is held, president would be there to sign the phase one deal if it is in writing. stuart: edward, i have a suggestion, why not hold it at the doral, trump doral resort in florida? they're already to go? reporter: open the can of worms, i didn't say that. edward lawrence, what a story. thank you very much indeed. strong winds could make the california wildfires a lot worse today. christina coleman is in los angeles for us. what are you seeing, kristina? >> just within the past hour a new brush fire just broke out in simi valley near the reagan library. this happened as firefighters are going in and out of some of the homes destroyed in the getty fire. they're going in and out to try

to put out hot spots to stop another flare-up. look at new pictures we're getting in of this rapid moving fire near the reagan library. the library is closed due to the fire. this fire is being called the easy fire. it was initially reported burning 15 acres northwest of los angeles. it is spreading quickly with the high winds and running southwest of wood ranch. it appears to be burning near power lines. now as for the getty fire, this fire continues to be worked on as firefighters continue to try to contain it. it is about 15% contained. with the dry winds out here, initial, additional flare-ups are also a concern. back to you. stuart: thanks very much. strong report there, reagan library. i will have a editorial on the situation in california at top of the hour coming up at 11:00.

in the next hour we have jason whitlock, will be with us with his reaction to the ncaa move to allow college athletes for their name and likeness. that is a big story. we want to get into deep fake. the phony videos of famous people that look totally real. that is going to be a big problem in the election, especially on facebook. we've got that story for you. ♪. ♪ limu emu & doug and now for their service to the community, we present limu emu & doug with this key to the city. [ applause ] it's an honor to tell you that

liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. and now we need to get back to work. [ applause and band playing ] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ strongve is one of a kind brilliant unbreakable ♪ engagement rings now 20- 40 percent off shop unique bridal styles at zales, the diamond store

fidelity has zero commissions for online u.s. equity trades and etfs, plus zero minimums to open a brokerage account. with value like this, there are zero reasons to invest anywhere else. fidelity. ♪ ♪ when i'm 64 stuart: did you know, quote when

i'm 64" he wrote that as a teenager. ashley: on the piano in the front lounge. i remember the documentary. stuart: when he was 16 years old >> random? stuart: one year before retirement age. lauren: so ancient. stuart: that is true. we're up 3 points on the dow industrials. kind of a go nowhere day. federal reserve tells us what they will do with interest rates at 2:00 this afternoon. we received latest news on oil, how much we have in storage. what do we have got? ashley: build of 5.7 million barrels. the expectation, i know you love, that was half a million barrel build. we have as much storage in oil. we're not using as much. therefore the prays should come down in theory. stuart: we got it. you don't have to mention

expectations. ashley: i do it to get you. stuart: i know you did. how about this one, last week, the senate actually did something, they passed the "deepfake" report act which would require dhs to publish a report on "deepfake" videos that could harm national security. that man on the screen is real. robert moran. he does a lot of research on this. "deepfake" videos. i've seen them. you cannot tell the difference. i don't know what you can do about this. will this act work to stop it? >> i think this act is a good start. the question is not really just about protecting u.s. national security with government or elections, but also the markets. you know, our firm focuses on markets and business. our concern you will have "deepfake" videos of ceo's saying things they did not say about earnings that did not

happen, that those would manipulate the markets. the challenge is two sides of the same coin. we're in a democracy and we live in a market economy. both are built on the idea of objective truth and if you attack the idea of objective truth things start to break down. that is a good start. there is a lot of investment on technology to identify "deepfakes." that is going full throttle forward, what you see with any weaponed technology, the aggressive use of technology, gets upper hand. defensive counter measures steered back into balance. i think you are going to see that. stuart: raises the whole issue of disinformation. >> right. stuart: i think your firm found what, six out of 10 americans are concerned about disinformation as they are about terrorism or guns. that is a high proportion. the public is upset about this. >> they understand, again in a

democracy, in a market, truth matters a lot, right? think about everything you report on in the business world. if that data is not correct or being manipulated or somehow others mimicked, then what do the markets think, right? you could have all sorts of chaos in the market. these are different categories, gun violence is a threat. but they chip away at our ability to build our basic institutions, to run our basic institutions. stuart: obviously you're right. i mean i can see the argument very clearly. i just don't know how we'll respond in the next year when some of these "deepfake" videos, they are going to come across our transom. we'll see this thing. i don't know what we'll do about it, i really don't. >> i think two things. one you will see a lot of technology on this. we also have to educate the investing public and voting public that if they see something that seems a little bit off or something they wouldn't expect to hear, they need to, before they share it, before they send it around, they

need to take another deeper look. same thing goes with the media. i think both political news but also in business news. our concern is, this could hit the markets. we, you would have false reporting on things. the business journalists are used to idea of these numbers being accurate. ceo video transcripts et cetera, what they are. i think, at some point we're going to have one of these go wrong and it is going to cause a problem in the markets for us. we're very worried about it. stuart: glad you gave us a head's up. a lot of people are worried not just in politics but in the market. robert moran, good stuff. we appreciate you being here. >> thank you. stuart: this is online petition. 10,000 people have signed it. they want congress to investigate amazon's ring surveillance system. ashley: the ring doorbell cameras are used as kind of a neighborhood watch thing to keep an eye out what is going on.

more than 500 cities signed up, partnered with this, so the police if they want to get access to footage can apply for it, ask for it without a warrant. unmasked request to help them in their policing but a group called fight for the future, says, whoa, wait a minute, you are basically allowing amazon to give away surveillance empire the way it says. amazon is aggressively for-profit surveillance empire says the group. it provides amazon surveillance network, that outpaces the nsa. congress needs to look into this. they have 10,000 signatures. they don't like the fact this is out there and easy for police to access. stuart: it is a fair point. more big brother. like big brother. facebook. ashley: these things are popular. that is a lot of video to access. a lot of cameras. stuart: big brother. new california law to reclassify gig or contract workers as full-time employees.

bad news for uber, lift and door dash. they are fighting this. what have they got, a ballot initiative. lauren: fighting with their pocketbook. together $90 million to carve out exception for them. we're protecting our bottom lines. if we have to pay paid sick leave and other benefits to gig workers, it will hurt us. we'll give them better benefits. in some instances we'll work with you. but this law isn't going to work for us. they say it is bad for customers because it would mean higher prices. right now their initiative is enhance the california, attorney general, and we'll see if it goes on the ballot this time next year. stuart: it is another rotten piece of legislation from california which will make their problems a whole lot worse. i got more on that coming up top of the hour as well. thank you, lauren. nasa about to kick off a year of celebration about the international space station. i will talk to the agency's

first chief female flight director in the next hour. iconic steakhouse in new york truly slammed by "the new york times." and is a fancy dinner at a steakhouse a thing of the past? not quite. i will speak to an owner of a steakhouse next. ♪. this is the age of expression.

but shouldn't somebody be listening? so. let's talk. we're built for hearing what's important to you, one to one. edward jones. it's time for investing to feel individual. stuart: strong report on the economy this morning. we're growing at 1.9% annual rate. that is pretty good, but the market is not responding. we're down five on the dow. look at the s&p, pretty much a similar story i think, down just a fraction of 1%. again on the nasdaq, home of all tech stocks, that is down again, a teeny fraction. so dead flat to slightly lower

today. "the new york times," if i say they slammed the famous steakhouse peter luger i'm underestimating it. they panned it big time. the headline reads, peter luger used to sizzle, now it sputters. it goes downhill from there. lauren: zero stars by the restaurant critic of "the new york times," pete wells. i grew up to peter luger's in brooklyn with my father. you get your steak a little on the rare side. cook it on the hot plate. the line was long. only accept cash. it is an icon. now "the new york times" gives it zero stars and says food is bad, management makes inconvenient to go there, the wait staff is rude? i can't believe it. and then, "the new york times" says the reviews coming in, the folks that read the paper are saying at least someone finally what we're thinking. i will say one thing, maybe peter luger's, you accept credit

cards, they do accept doab bit cards. stuart: not if you charge $16 for three slices of tomatoes with couple onions. 16 bucks for sliced tomatoes. no wonder they panned the restaurant big time. it time we brought in chris coombs. owner of boston chops, a steakhouse. you wouldn't want to review like that? >> that is tough. it is tough. stuart: it raises a issue of the steakhouse in modern society, at a time when climate change is big deal, cows contribute to the climate change. do you think you're going out of fashion? >> i don't think it is going out of fashion. pete wells is probably the most respected reviewer. it was beautifully written hit piece, ever since we lost jonathan gold, pete wells is top

dog across the country. you will not find any beyond meat at luger's. ultimately this is institution. there are almost nine million people in new york city. the place is packed all the time. i think they will be fine. stuart: steakhouses in general, are they moving out of fashion? >> i don't believe so. i think as time evolves, trends in food are always moving but people know what they can get from a steakhouse. there is something for everyone on the menu. for example pete wells had dover soul. a lot of restaurants don't provide variety, mass appeal, if you get together with people with various tastes where you can satisfy everyone. stuart: do you have fake meat on your mean you? you don't, do you? >> never. because -- stuart: you wouldn't go to a steakhouse to eat fake meat, would you? >> no. i mean, look, you know, beyond meat, i am not a consumer, i'm not a buyer. you know, what they pulled with

this quarter, the secondary offering, i think that this company as a whole really overestimating the total addressable market. there is a lot of consumption based on curiosity. it is in test with a lot of fast-food chains. i think this thing will cool off pretty soon here. stuart: i got a dollar that says your clientele at your restaurant excuse to older people, younger millenials don't eat that much steak. what do you say? >> i actually think we have a really diverse clientele at boston chops. we feed everyone from student host have come to boston for school, all the way up, our clientele is remarkably diverse. we have really diverse offerings at boston chops that are not as traditional as peter luger's. we're positioned to focus on

millenials, gen-z. stuart: do you serve sliced tomatoes with cheese at your restaurant? >> no. personally serve tomatoes in season locally. get them in august and september. stuart: how much would you charge for a small dish of sliced tomatoes in your restaurant? >> you know it really depends. i have certainly gotten $16 for capri salad before. if the baratta well-made i think it warrants $16, we'll end it right there. i may or may not being be customer for boston chops. it is in boston? >> we'll cook for you. stuart: that may be something. chris coombs, thanks for coming on the show. perfect timing, the steakhouse, review of luger's. thanks very much. >> thank you. stuart: next one, kanye west got a big tax refund, big check from the government.

how much did he get. lauren: $68 million. stuart: repeat that. lauren: $68 million. ashley: that is refund? lauren: that is what kanye told cbs host james doored done. he made $115 million last year, but ended up $35 million in debt, praised the lord jesus he got a tax refund to the tune of $68 million. in addition to his music, everything else he does has sneaker brand yeezy, clothing line. i don't know who he is 35 million in debt. stuart: we don't know how he got a 68 million-dollar refund. lauren: praise the lord. stuart: bernie sanders, because of free stuff is that why he is so popular on college campuses. we'll ask cabot phillips why undergrads like bernie so much. to me it is inexplicable.

whether you're out here on lte.

or here on a wifi hotspot. xfinity mobile has more coverage to keep you connected to what matters most.

that's because it's the only wireless network that automatically connects you to millions of secure wifi hotspots and the best lte everywhere else. switch now and see how you could save up to $400 a year. and get 50% off when you buy any new lg phone. xfinity mobile. click, call or visit a store today.

stuart: dead flat market. waiting for federal reserve on

interest rates. market dead flat. general electric had a rosie outlook. the market loves it. it is back above $10 a share. yum! brands, fewer people eating at pizza hut and kfc. it has an investment in grubhub which tanked yesterday. that is hurting the overall performance. yum brands is down 9%. moulson coors, the beer people, cutting 500 jobs. people are turning away from beer. the stock is down 1 1/2%. look at apple. please bear in mind, this stock is up 50% this calendar year. they report after the closing bell today. right now as you walk up to the earnings report, that is down 50 cents. facebook holding just below $188 a share. new poll from yale

university, that senator bernie sanders is most popular among college students and democrats. cabot phillips, editor-in-chief of campus reform is with us now. i know why bernie sanders is popular with youngsters, because he is going to give them free stuff. is there anything more to be said? >> that certainly a big part of it. so many hear him talking about to his credit issues young people care about. his solutions are outlandish and insane. when they hear student loan debt forgiveness, i like that. i will support that. another big element of this, is also the fact that some young voters on the left and right are anti-establishment. a lot of people look back on 2016. they saw how the establishment democrat party truly did rig the election in support of hillary clinton against bernie sanders. they say now bernie sanders is clearly what the establishment doesn't want because he will tear it up in their minds. that leads them also to support him. they think he is the most anti-establishment candidate. his support of socialism, we've

seen socialism rising in the polls. 70% of young people now saying they would vote for socialist candidate. that plays a role. that is combination of things. stuart: were you ever idealistic, socialistic teenager? i realize in your 20s or 30s, but were you ever as a younger guy idealistic. >> every year halloween, hand those 2006 bars over to me. i do think a lot of young people fall for the misconception socialism is compassionate. when they hear candidates like bernie sanders, every young person want to be a part of the social justice movement. they want to feel like they're helping eradicate income inequality. they have been sold a lie, that socialism is a way to do that. a lot don't know what socialism is, what it has done throughout history or how many people died. if we snap our fingers, lower class will be eradicate the.

they don't realize how many people will be driven into poverty by socialism. a lot of them can't tell you what socialism is. i have seen that first-hand. stuart: they are set to inherit $68 trillion from their parents and grandparents. don't they realize a lot of money will be taken off of them by socialists because they're fighting income inequality? do you think that will change people's minds? >> it would change their minds if they thought through it. there is misconception, or ridiculous notion, that somehow if you're wealthy person in america you're greedy. they don't see the contradiction, we will take money for you to spend on things we like that. is greed in itself. in all the conversations you have to realize the role of the great recession played in all of this. 2018, 2009, a lot of kids coming with age. they were hearing their parents struggle. they heard how the economy suffered. mistakenly blamed that on capitalism.

big business failing, markets failing, it was failure as we know of cronyism of government intervention in the market. they feel it is failure of capitalism. what they're hearing in class, additionally played into them embracing crazy alternatives like socialism. stuart: cabot phillips. keep on explaining the love affair of socialism amongst the young. cabot phillips. good stuff. >> thank you, stuart. stuart: college athletes get their pay day after the ncaa reversed course. revealed players should cash in on the image. fox sports jason whitlock will weigh in. nasa celebrates the 20th anniversary of the international space station for an entire year. what is all the buzz about, when will senate go back to the moon? fires raging in california. the lights are out due to forced power outages. how is this happening with a state with so much money and so

technically advanced? my take on that, an explanation after this. ♪ evable opportunity. i see best-in-class platforms and education. i see award-winning service, and a trade desk full of experts, available to answer your toughest questions. and i see it with zero commissions on online trades. i like what you're seeing. it's beautiful, isn't it? yeah. td ameritrade now offers zero commissions on online trades. ♪

stuart: the fires in california rage on. hundreds of thousands evacuated, the utility pg&e has cut powers to millions. they're trying to stop the burn. your heart has to go out to that state in chaos. but you also have to ask, why is this happening in one of the richest and most technologically advanced places on earth? my opinion, it's california's political and regulatory climate that's to blame. it's a one-party state, always eager to do the bidding of climate warriors, public sector unions and very little coastal elites. just look at pg&e which is getting all the blame for the fires expect blackouts. they're not allowed to clear

dead trees near their power lines, obvious fuel for fire. the greens insist on minimal forest management. pg&e is forced to spend billions buying expense i have wind and solar power, an extra $2.2 billion each and every year extra, money that cannot be spent on fireproofing. and, by the way, the state's supreme court has made pg&e or liable for damage caused by their equipment, even if they were not negligent. and by law, pg and e must provide power even in areas designated as, quote, very high fire risk. finish no wonder they're bankrupt. no matter what they do, they can't win. so now what? well, californians are going to be paying much higher electricity rates, they're going to be paying much higher home insurance rates, and somebody has to come up with a couple of hundred billion dollars to bail out pg&e. governor newsom wants warren buffett to pony up the money.

would buffett run a business in that kind of regulatory and legal climate? come on. i don't want to pile on, but california already has the highest poverty rate in the country, the highest level of income inequality, some of the highest taxes in the country, and at $4 a gallon, america's most expensive gasoline. and it gets worse. governor newsom is committed to reaching 100% renewable energy by 2045, and you know what that means, much, much, higher energy prices for everyone. do you really think the climate crowd is going to back off? i don't think so. get real. there is no short-term fix. i'll close with this: today's "wall street journal" asks this question, can 40 million californians suffer third world electric reliability without a political upheaval? he's put his finger on the problem which is california's far-left climate change

politics. maybe the current chaos will bring the change california so desperately needs. the third hour of "varney & company" continues. ♪ ♪ stuart: i want to bring in christina coleman on the ground in southern california, reporting on the fires for us. finish the fire threatening the reagan library. christina, the latest on that, please. >> reporter: well, right now we're in the brentwood neighborhood here in los angeles where you can see there are actually fire fighters going in and out of these homes that burned down to stop flare-ups there. but as for this new brush fire that started just within an hour and a half within the reagan library, that fire is moving very fast. the reagan library is closed as firefighters and trucks surround the building as this rapid-moving fire grows even

larger. it's burned more than 170 acres so far. with these strong wind gusts, some of them up to 30 miles per hour, crews have firefighters fighting this by land and by air by doing water drops on this blaze. now, as or if getty fire here near the famed getty museum. it's only 15% contained, and it has burped about 656 -- burned 656 acres so far. officials announcing just last night that the cause of that fire, they believe, started early monday morning as a eucalyptus tree branch hit a power line. and as you mentioned, power's been shut off of to a number of customers with strong wind conditions. as for the easy fire, mandatory evacuations are underway in that a area. stuart: what a dreadful situation. i might also add that there's a red flag alert through california today. very strong the winds expected in california today.

let's get back to your money. this is a big day for money, let's face it. we've already received that 1.9% growth rate for the third quarter, that that's the economic growth annualized 1.9%. pretty strong. at 2:00 this afternoon, we'll check in with the federal reserve, see what they're doing with interest rates. a quarter point cut confidently predicted. we'll also hear, 4:00 this afternoon eastern, from apple and facebook after the market closes. very important companies with very important reports. i want to repeat this news item, chile has pulled out of the apec summit next movement they were supposed to host this thing. now, we're told that the summit is not canceled, but it will be moved. this was the summit where president trump and xi jinping were expected to sign the phase one china trade deal. edward lawrence reports that the white house was surprised by a announcement. they found out like the rest of us, from a tweet from chile's

president. john layfield's here, inform let's talk economic growth. that was a strong, solid report on the economy this morning. what's your reading? >> my reading is that we're at a new normal. we had very low expectations, 1.6% growth, we saw 1.9. a couple years ago we were projecting 4, 5, 6%, what the administration had said. we're seeing 2% growth the last few quarters. i think we are seeing some struggles in the american economy. we exceeded expectations, but i still believe the u.s. is by far the best place to put your money right now. stuart: okay. now about the fed decision, just a couple of hours away now, first of all, we confidently expect a quarter point rate cut. in your opinion, do we need it? >> i don't think it'll do us a lot of good. no, i don't. i think we have a 97% chance according to the stats that we'll have a 25% rate cut. no, i don't think so we need it. -- i don't think we need it. we have full employment, and we

need something in our gun in case we have some kind of systemic problems, iran blows up, the china trade deal blows up. we need manager so we're not raising rate into potential recession. going to 1.25%'s not going to be a huge stimulative effect on this economy. stuart: i would like to say and repeat what the president has been saying, we'll be forced to cut rates because the europeans and japanese are in negative rate territory, and we've got to not catch up, but almost match them. john, i know you like two stocks in particular, verizon and disney. make your case for both of them. >> i think the u.s. economy's slow, but it's still doing quite well. even though we have had a trend of -- we're not falling off a cliff. i want to deal in stocks that are non-fragile asset es, stocks that don't have to deal with the china trade war if there is a potential escalation. so i like verizon, which is pretty much just a u.s.-based stock, it's got a 4% yield, and

disney. if we get the trade war solved, the u.s. economy's going to do quite well, these stocks will take off. if we don't, they're dependent on the u.s. economy, they still how old do quite well. stuart: verizon at 60, walt disney at 129. john layfield likes them. you're on videotape saying that. [laughter] >> thanks, stuart. stuart: apple reports after the closing bell today. 243 is the current quote. susan lee in cupertino, california, for us. they just released the air pod pros today. do you have 'em? >> reporter: i do. i have 'em right here in my hand. this is part of the wearables for apple's crucial business, and here we go. the upgraded version of the air pod pros. and take a look, it's got a larger charging case, but also inside you also have larger earpieces as well, a much better fit according to apple. and when i tried them on, i have to say they are much better

sealing off a lot of the noise, so the noise-canceling feature works really well. it cancels out most of the ambient noise. the price of 249, i think that's pretty competitive especially with bose. wearables, as i mentioned, will be a mayor component of the earnings later on today, it's at a run rate of $16 billion, said to be the third largest business after max and ipads next year. back to you. stuart you know i'm just a immigrant fresh off the boat, you know that, susan -- [laughter] >> reporter: i know you're going to complain, it's expensive. [laughter] stuart: thank you very much, indeed. we told you about the reports of joe biden expected to finish as low as fourth in the iowa caucuses. coming up, someone who's been running focus groups on mr. biden, and what they're saying about him is not that good. and president trump met with

a group of congressional leaders at the white house about the issues that matter to you; health care, umca to name but two. we'll speak to one of those lawmakers who met with the president later this hour. third hour of "varney" just getting started. ♪ ♪ driverless cars, or trips to mars. no commission. delivery drones, or the latest phones. no commission. no matter what you trade, at fidelity you'll pay no commission for online u.s. equity trades.

♪ ♪ ashley: always feel like somebody's watching me. stuart: oh, that's the word. ashley: yes with. stuart: why are we playing that? we have a reason? a new campaign, which is 10,000 strong, wants congress to investigate amazon's ring surveillance network. it's big brother. deirdre: it is big brother, but they also have 500 partner cities with the police, and a lot of local police like it because, guess what? if somebody's trying to break

into your home and you have an amazon ring, it sends a message automatically to the police alerting them that there may be a disturbance on your property -- stuart: 10,000 strong don't like that. >> they hate it. they are part of a civil liberties group called fight for the future. they say that amazon's surveillance network is bigger than the nsa's. that seems like a rather big claim -- stuart: yes, it is. [laughter] deirdre: the goal of their organization is to have 12,800 signatures. they are about 10,500 and counting. stuart: we'll see how that works out. deirdre: they're getting there. stuart: amazon's stock still at 1775. it hasn't budged that much recently. now, our next guest, important political guest coming up, here we go. our next guest has been running focus groups across the country asking people what do you really think about joe biden? kelly sad low's here. so, kelly, just act as a reporter -- >> okay. stuart: what are the focus

groups telling you? >> so we've done several of these focus groups across battleground states. independents. basically, we ask about joe biden x there's a silence. well, i mean, he was vice president for barack obama. we like barack obama but, i mean, what is -- we don't really know what his message is. and then it proceeds, well, why hasn't obama endorsed joe biden? and then it's, like, he's kind of creepy. the burisma, hunter biden gets brought into the conversation, and we ask who would you vote f obama -- i mean, biden or trump, and everyone goes for trump. stuart: they do? >> yes. stuart: these are dependents. >> independents. stuart: do you handle these focus groups in? we watch, you know, behind a mirror. stuart: and you have got a moderator gets the questions going, that kind of thing. >> yes. and one of the problems with joe biden is he doesn't have a message.

we ask, you know, kind of what policies do you like about -- and they don't have any answers to this. they don't necessarily equate him with the socialism or socialist policies of, you know, elizabeth warren and bernie sanders, but they just don't have any idea what he's all about. "the new york times" did an article saying joe biden needs to get his message out. the problem is his words are getting in the way. these focus groups get confused with his message. you know, joe biden often confuses what state he's in, what city he's in, on the debates he faltered. stuart: so is this bias involved in these focus groups? i mean, are you pushing these independents away from biden and towards trump? >> oh, no. oh, no. we need to know exactly where, you know, hey, we're going to be in 2020, we're going to have an opponent, we need to know what these independents think about our opponent no matter who they are. and what's surprising is how little they know about joe biden. stuart: did you see that civics

poll in iowa where joe biden comes in fourth? >> yeah. stuart: i'm inclined to think he's going to punt, skip iowa and just move on. >> he says he wants to move the state, but he has a state director in iowa who doesn't even live there and hasn't been involved in any races within the state within the last 12 years. he visited iowa three times last month. he's got $9 million cash on happened, which isn't much. he just had to, you know, he said he was going to -- he wasnt going to have a super pac, now he does. fundraising is a problem for him. stuart: can he afford, given the process of getting the nomination, can he afford to just skip iowa and walk away from new hampshire? >> i don't think so, because his whole campaign is based on electability. i'm the one who can beat donald trump. well, if he can't beat the opponents in his own primary in iowa, in new hampshire, he's leaning on south carolina, but we see now that one-fifth of the african community say they're

undecided x. this is a vote that he needs to lock up in order to win that state. if he loses two and goes into south carolina, he's going to have a loser reputation. stuart: that is a campaign in trouble. kelly sadler, thank you so much for being here. now then, the streaming wars, we've got news on that. hbo just unveiled the price of their the new streaming service. it's going to come out in may of next year. it is very expensive compared to the others. it will include blockbuster hit shows like "game of thrones," but here's my question: would you pay $14.99 a month for that? ashley: one of the most expensive. stuart: it is. we'll discuss after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ wheeveryone is different.ta, which is why xfinity mobile is a different kind of wireless network that lets you design your own data. choose unlimited, shared data, or mix lines of each and switch any line, anytime. giving you more choice and control compared to other top wireless carriers. save up to $400 a year when you switch. plus, get 50% off when you buy any new lg phone. xfinity mobile. click, call or visit a store today.

[background sounds] >> i know dad. he's got many faces. i look forward to seeing this one. stuart: no wonder i don't watch it, i can't see a thing. [inaudible conversations] [laughter]

stuart: oh, that was, what was it, "game of thrones"? hbo, a blockbuster there. hbo has just unveiled the price point for their new streaming service which will include "game of thrones." they don't debut until next year but, two things. number one, how much are they going to charge, and, b, how expensive is it? deirdre: $15 a month, may 2020 is the debut month that is, in fact, being talked about. if you look at netflix, $8.99 is your basic or $12.99 is what families pay. disney plus went out of its way to price at $6.99 a month. so hbo max, this product, they're really going out on a limb here. time warner and at&t, of course, combining for warner media. on the other side, a lot of media analysts say content is king, and hbo has a lot of content that people like and are addicted to, "game of thrones"

being one example, "big bang theory," "friends," so their premise is you love our shows, you love what we produce, you're going to pay the money. stuart: time will tell. speaking of "game of thrones," the series was going to get its own prequel, but oh, no, they're not. why not? why do i care? ashley: well, because -- you're not a "game of thrones" fan, so you don't care -- [laughter] but this particular prequel was going to be set thousands of years before the original series. hbo executives sat down and looked at it and said that's bloody rubbish. [laughter] yes, i think they did. naomi watts, the british actress, was going to be in it. they were not impressed and pulled the plug. so so that's the end of that. stuart: no wonder i don't care. thank you very much. the battle for your living room continues. sony has just ended its video streaming service, vue, i think

is the pronunciation. what happened to that? deirdre: they're basically saying, long story short, we realized this was a more competitive space than when we started developing this, and the streaming competitors, there's too many of them out there. we're going to pull this. so the cable replacement service ends january 30, 2020, and that's a wrap. i mean, realize, we just went down netflix, disney, we didn't even talk about comcast universal's peacock, apple tv plus, so sony just feels like, all right, we don't need to be in this space. stuart: they dropped out. deirdre: depletely. stuart: all right. nasa will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the international space station for the entire next year. what did we get out of the 19 years the space station's been up there? i will ask the first female flight director for nasa, who is on the show. she's with us next. ♪ ♪

when you're looking for answers, it's good to have help. because the right information, at the right time, may make all the difference. at humana, we know that's especially true when you're looking for a medicare supplement insurance plan. that's why we're offering seven things every medicare supplement should have. it's yours free just for calling the number on your screen. and when you call, a knowledgeable licensed agent-producer can answer any questions you have, and help you choose the plan that's right for

you. the call is free, and there's no obligation. you see, medicare covers only about 80 percent of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. that's why so many people purchase medicare supplement insurance plans, like those offered by humana. they're designed to help you save money and pay some of the costs medicare doesn't. depending on the medicare supplement plan you select, you could have no deductibles or co-payments for doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency care and more. you can keep the doctors you have now, ones you know and trust, with no referrals needed. plus you can get medical care anywhere in the country, even when you're travelling. with humana, you get a competitive monthly premium and personalized service from a healthcare partner working to make healthcare simpler and easier for you. you can chose from a wide range of standardized plans. each one is designed to work seamlessly with medicare and help save you money. so how do ya find the plan that's right for you? one that fits your needs and your

budget? call humana now at the number on your screen for this free guide. it's just one of the ways that humana is making healthcare simpler. and when you call, a knowledgeable licensed agent-producer can answer any questions you have, and help you chose the plan that's right for you. the call is free and there's no obligation. you know medicare won't cover all your medical costs, so call now! and see why a medicare supplement plan from a company like humana, just might be the answer. each day our planet awakens with signs of opportunity. but with opportunity comes risk. and to manage this risk, the world turns to cme group. we help farmers lock in future prices, banks manage interest rate changes and airlines hedge fuel costs. all so they can manage their risks and move forward. it's simply a matter of following the signs. they all lead here. cme group - how the world advances.

most people think of verizon as a reliable phone company. (woman) but to businesses, we're a reliable partner. we keep companies ready for what's next. (man) we weave security into their business. virtualize their operations. (woman) and build ai customer experiences. we also keep them ready for the next big opportunity. like 5g. almost all the fortune 500 partner with us. (woman) when it comes to digital transformation... verizon keeps business ready. ♪ ♪ ♪ stuart: down 21 points on the dow industrials as we await the decision by the federal reserve on interest rates at 2:00 this

afternoon. all right, we've already seen a report on the economy earlier this morning, 1.9% annualized growth. i'd call that pretty strong. jeffrey cleveland, an economist, is with us. again, jeffrey, i want to make this point, i think that was a strong report. 1.9% annualized growth, big jump in consumer spending and a nice jump in real estate investment. i think we just lost him. see that green panel that came up there? yeah, that's live television, folks. you know what you have to do? when things go badly wrong, you smile. no matter what. [laughter] nobody wants to invite me into their home -- can't have that. so i'm going to move on, because our next guest is ready, how about that? big smile. [laughter] nasa kicking off a year-long celebration tomorrow for the 20th anniversary of the international space station. here is holly riding, the first female chief flight director at nasa. holly, welcome to the program. it's great to see you.

>> well, thank you guys for having me. stuart: first of all, can you tell me without these astronauts whizzing around the earth for, what, 19 years, what did we get out of that? because we pay for it, what do we get? >> well, i mean, the first thing we get is all of the scientific research. we spent many years assembling the space station and then transitioned to a scientific platform, you know, for us here in the united states but also for all of our global partnerships, and that's really exciting. and the second thing which is, you know, near and dear to my heart is all of the inspiration for all of the generations that are, my generation and folks coming after. really think about it, everybody all over the world. science, technology, math is really a crux of that kind of inspiration. stuart: now, i believe that nasa plans to return astronauts to the moon by 2024, i think it is. >> absolutely. stuart: will you be the first female to land on the moon? [laughter] >> me personally, no. we've got our astronaut corps,

and there's plenty of folks vying for that exciting responsibility. but i do work in mission control in houston as the chief flight director. that's my job, is to keep the crew safe and executing our missions. so i definitely plan to be in mission control working as the flight director on that day. stuart: i sense the public enthusiasm for the space business is p waning a little. i mean, in the 1960s there was enormous enthusiasm, first perp on the moon -- first person on the moon was american, etc., etc. but i sense that enthusiasm has waned since then. what do you say? >> i actually might have to disagree with you. i would tell you, i think it's going the other direction, right? with the talk about artemis, right, so that's the program that'll get us to the moon in 2024, first woman, next man. everywhere i go people are excited about doing that. and, you know, you take that mission and then you make it sustainable, and then we jump off to mars. i mean, nasa has an amazingly

strong presence, and beyond that our commercial and international partnerships. and so i personally have experienced the opposite of that where i think it's absolutely going in the other direction. anytime you say moon, everyone uses the word we, like we. and it doesn't matter if you're from the u.s. or another country, it's we. stuart: when you're saying sustainability, are we going to stay on the moon? establish a colony there in a couple years? >> the idea is back to moon 2024, and by 2028 make that sustainable, exactly what you're talking about, establish kind of a home base. and from there you jump off to mars and beyond. so that's -- stuart: jump off to mars? [laughter] that's kind of exotic, to say the least. >> it would be, it would be. stuart: holly, i'm sorry about the short time here, but we thank you very much for being on the show. congratulations on the year-long celebration of the space station, and i hope you do get to fly to the moon at some point. i'd love to see you up there. >> thanks. so much for having me.

stuart: thank you. all right, i think we can get back to jeffrey cleveland. can we? we don't. we're dead on that one, okay. from space to sports. the world series headed to game seven after the washington nationals beat the houston astros 7-2. this is the first time in postseason history that the road team has won the first six games of a best of seven series. first time ever. and remember this guy, nationals' superfan jeff adams? now the star of his own bud light commercial. [laughter] he's the guy who stopped a home run ball without dropping his beers. bud light hooked him up with seats and travel for last night's game. he's a happy fan, ain't he? [laughter] a bit more on beer for you. check molson coors, earnings out earlier. oh, dear, ninth straight quarter of disappointing sales. they're going to cut 5003 jobs around the world. they're trying to cut down costs because people are moving away from beer. the stock's down 1.2% as of

right now. we do have some pretty good news for the alcohol industry. dwayne johnson, the rock, he's making his own tequila. what's it called? deirdre: terra manna. very popular movie star, and this product is launching in 2020. and he's actually following on a pretty well-trodden path at this point. george clooney and randy gerber, who happens to be cindy crawford's husband, created their brand, casamigos which, by the way, they sold for a billion dollars. they started it kind of as a hobby project from their vacation home in mexico, but they were producing so much of it for family and friends that eventually the regulators were like, okay, you actually now need a commercial license. so it developed in that way. they're not alone. breaking bad, aaron paul, bryan

cranston, they teamed up to make a mescal which is sort of a happy cousin, i guess, of tequila. and they have this product called dos hombres, so this is becoming a trend. there's a lot of celebrities investing though, i mean, there's people -- i think ash aton kutcher is the best nope one, he's invested in 61 companies, airbnb, change.org. i would say he's almost as well known for being an investor in companies as he is for his acting career. stuart: fascinating. ashley: it is. stuart: so celebrity is your launch pad. it comes with celebrity, gives you the capital to invest. fascinating. it's a wonderful system. deirdre: yeah. and it keeps new ideas growing. stuart: i think we've got jerry cleveland back with us -- jeffrey. deirdre: third time's a charm. ashley: there he is. stuart: look, i was in full flight introducing you. i think today's gdp report was very strong. we saw a very nice uptick in

consumer spending, a big uptick in investment in real estate and housing. i call that strong, case closed. what say you? >> i agree, stuart. the key thing for investors is to focus on, you know, are we on track to exceed 2% growth for the full year. so 1.9% in q3 puts us right on track, because with we had a great first half to grow 2.2, 2.3% for the full 2019, that is great. that's just above trend growth. positive contribution coming through from housing for the first time in about six quarters. that's a gooden sign. usually housing is slowing if you're on the cusp of a recession. all in all, i think good news. stuart: can we say that the economy slowed but is now in the process of turning round to a better growth rate? could you say that when you look at the fourth quarter this year, early into next year, are we going to improve the growth rate? >> i think we will because i expect income growth to remain

strong. that feeds through into consumer spending. the consumer's growing around 3%, stuart. we should get continued gains from housing. and some of the weakness that we've seen in manufacturing has been reflected in business investment. business investment has been weak the past two or three quarters. perhaps not a q4, stuart, but as we get into 2020. that will keep us on track for continued growth. and most importantly, no recession. stuart: okay, that's important. that's very important, actually. now in about, what, two and a half hours we get word from the federal reserve about interest rates. people confidently expect a quarter point cut to arrive at 2:00 eastern this afternoon, but my question, jeffrey, is what after that? will we get more rate cuts, maybe one in december? maybe another one early next year? what do you think? >> well, i think the trick for jay powell at the press conference today is to leave the door open to possible further rate cuts so as not to disappoint financial markets,

disrupt markets, if you will. however, if this is a 1998 readout, as i think you and i have discussed before, the fed cut three times in 1998. alan greenspan decided to stay on hold and watch the data to see how it came out. the data bottomed, as we expect, and the fed didn't have to do anymore. that could very well may out again here. stuart: okay. no recession of any kind on the horizonnen at all. we'll leave it at that? we'll leave it -- >> no recession, fed cutting, good for financial market. thanks very much for joining us, jeffrey. good stuff. >> good to see you. stuart: college athletes will get their payday after the ncaa reversed course and ruled that the players, who bring in millions for their schools, should be able to cash in on their name and their image. was that the right call? fox sports' jason whitlock joins us shortly on that. impeachment front and center

on the hill, but it's business as usual in the white house. president trump met with a group of congressional leaders on health care and trade. next, we'll speak to one of those lawmakers who who was in t meeting what's the plan here? we'll be back. ♪ ♪ driverless cars, or trips to mars. no commission. delivery drones, or the latest phones. no commission. no matter what you trade, at fidelity you'll pay no commission for online u.s. equity trades.

stuart: more bad news for juul, the vapg guys, hit with another lawsuit, and this is a big lawsuit. ashley: it is. it was filed by a former employee who claims that juul ignored -- they basically ignored the his protest to issue a product recall on what he said were over a million mint-flavored e-cigarette nicotine pods that were contaminated. he claims that he was told by the chief financial officer of juul at the time that he should, quote, remember his loyalty. so he claims that these went out, they knew about it, and

they told him to keep quiet. now, we have had a response from juul. they put out a statement: mr. behar's claims are base lis. he was terminated because he failed to exhibit the leadership qualities needed. the claims are equally meritless x we have already investigated the underlying manufacturing issue and determined that the product met allal applicable specifications. the company will vigorously defend this lawsuit. stuart: by the way with, one of the lawyers behind the lawsuit, hamid dillon, was supposed to be with neil cavuto in the next hour. she will not be appearing. our next guest met with the president yesterday and a few other republicans. they're trying to transform the party into the party of health care. congressman lloyd smucker was at the meeting, pennsylvania republican. he joins us now. how do you win on health care, congressman? because the democrats are just going to give everything to

everybody for free. what are you going to do? how are you going to win on this? >> yeah. so this meeting was a, the leadership of the republican study committee which is one of the largest conferences or caucuses of conservative members of the republican party. we have been working on a number of issues of real importance to the american people. one of those is health care. we have a task force that has been working to put together ideas to advance more affordable health care -- stuart: so what's -- can you just tell me, congressman, what is the big idea here? because the democrats are running with health care, and i want to though what you're going to do. >> it's a collection of ideas. for instance, we can improve the individual marketplace by providing for high risk pools. there are a number of ideas, but we know one thing, it does not make sense to pour hundreds of billions of dollars into this system and have the government take over health care. that does not work. we believe in the free market.

we believe in transparency. we believe in the consumers having more information and more individual choice. that will drive down the cost of health care and will provide better access. stuart: i know you also talked to the president about usmca, the new nafta. looks to us like that thing is stalled in congress which is overwhelmed with impeachment, and we won't get the new nafta, we won't get usmca. what's the update on that? >> so very important issue in the district that i represent, agriculture and manufacturing. so i brought this up to the president. it continues to be a very high priority for him. he knows as we do in congress that there is sufficient support for this bill to pass when it's brought up for a vote, and it's what he said. it is speaker pelosi needs to make the decision to bring this up for a vote. stuart: do you think she will? do you think speaker pelosi will bring this up for a vote? >> there's incredible pressure, i think, on members of congress on both sides of the aisle

because we know that this will impact -- we were talking about a great economy earlier. this will continue to drive that great economy if we're able to get this trade deal done. it will give leverage for the president in dealing with china. so members of congress, both sides of the aisle, are hearing from their constituents on this. so i hope at the end of the day that we get this vote, it will pass. we need to schedule this vote now. stuart: we need it now. congressman, thanks for joining us, sir. we do appreciate it. >> thank you. stuart: i want to update a big story that's going on today, the california fires. i want to tell you again that the reagan library, it's in simi valley, it's been evacuated. 150 firefighters on the ground right there. they're battling the blaze, but the fire is real close to that library. real monument in california. and it's been evacuated. next case, bet you didn't know this one with. you can trade high-end sneakers like trading stocks. deirdre: you were thinking

socks. it all makes sense in your brain. you can trade anything. it's on wechat and sneaker trade thing platforms -- trading platforms exist. you can even by options on these, much as you would on a stock. i'm going to give you one price here, travis scott, the rapper and designer, he has a nike air force one model that is lists at $170, but there are options that go as high as $2, 667 for these shoes which are going to go on sale november 4th. you have these entire trading platforms based on these high high-end speakers -- sneakers. some of them have designers or rappers that are very popular, and they had a hand in the design. the chinese regulators or administrators are not too happy. stop chasing everything that's hot where it's bitcoin or garlic. believe it or not, there was a big garlic-buying frenzy in china -- [laughter]

it's the same as the sneakers. stuart: maybe they should try -- deirdre: actually, even in new york city, sneaker heads, is what they're called, people will camp out overnight. stuart: okay. we got the story. the ncaa, as you know, is moving to allow college athletes to earn money on their name and likeness. next, fox sports' jason whitlock joins us. a, does he think this is the right move and, b, what does it mean for college sports? we'll be back. ♪ ♪

stuart: the ncaa will allow college athletes to make money on their name and likeness. of jason whitlock joins us now, he's the guy with speak for yours, a favorite guest on the program. look, jason, this is going to happen. it is going to happen. so you tell me what effect on college sports as a whole. what do you think? >> well, i'm not a big fan of this new law or this new rule that the ncaa's thinking about doing. i didn't like, you know, what gavin newsom did out in california. he's trying to implement this out here in 2023.

i think all of this is just a smoke screen to make it easier on the shoe companies to get their hooks into these college kids without putting themselves in legal jeopardy. if you remember, stuart, they had this adidas trial where an adidas executive and several other people were actually sentenced to prison for their involvement with the ncaa and the law enforcement call, illegal recruiting of college athletes and violating their amateur status. that's where i think this law is coming from, is really protection for the shoe companies and their ability to get their hooks into -- stuart: okay. so what's the impact when it does take place, when with it comes in? >> well, look, i think it's going to create more chaos in college athletics. i think it's going to be railroad hard or to police and govern how these kids profit off their likeness and image. i think you're going to see kids that will start behaving in a way on the field to promote

their individual brand to is that they're more attractive to some companies so so they can get endorsement deals or likeness deals. i think it's going to create chaos in college athletics. aye already seen -- already talk about the new legislation where they're going to tax scholarship money, consider that income for the athletes. i don't like this. i'm not a fan of amateurism, i just don't think this is the right solution. stuart: it's interesting, chaos ensues. i didn't realize the complications of this. i've got one more issue i want you to tackle, please, and that is new york state. they want to ban tackle football for kids 12 and under. they're obviously trying to prevent brain damage when the youngsters get older. your thoughts on that, please. >> well, stuart, you're talking to the one guy that's willing to say i think the cte controversy, crisis has been overexaggerated, overstated. you know, i don't have a real problem if kids don't play

football until they reach seventh grade, 12 or 13 years of age. but i just don't think football is nearly as harmful as the media has made it out to be. i think i started playing football when i was in fourth grade, and, you know, most of my friends started playing in third or fourth grade. you know, it's anecdotal evidence, but most of my friends are fine, and if they are crazy, it has nothing to do with football, you know? has more to do with bad decisions or drinking. [laughter] stuart: look, it's a tough sport any way you slice it, isn't it? that's a fact. >> yeah. stuart: jason, thanks for joining us. you note we didn't even mention soccer, english premier league soccer, not even once? what a guy. >> they should ban that until you're 25. [laughter] stuart: that was good. that was really good. jason, we'll see you soon. thank you very much, sir. >> thank you, varney. stuart: a couple of stocks in the news. first off, beyond meat. bouncing back today. remember, it was down over 20%

yesterday. bouncing back with 7% today. no specific reason for the bounce. could be investors are buying on the dip. there are more shares available now that the lock-up has expired. promise you, more "varney" after this. ♪ ♪ look, this isn't my first rodeo... and let me tell you something, i wouldn't be here if i thought reverse mortgages took advantage wo . . it's helped over a million americans. a reverse mortgage loan isn't some kind of trick to take your home. it's a loan, like any other. big difference is how you pay it back.

find out how reverse mortgages really work with aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage guide. eliminate monthly mortgage payments, pay bills, medical costs, and more. call now and get your free info kit. other mortgages are paid each month, but with a reverse mortgage, you can pay whatever you can, when it works for you, or, you can wait, and pay it off in one lump sum when you leave your home. discover the option that's best for you. call today and find out more in aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage loan guide. access tax-free cash and stay in the home you love. you've probably been investing in your home for years... making monthly mortgage payments... doing the right thing... and it's become your family's heart and soul... well, that investment can give you tax-free cash just when you need it. learn how homeowners are strategically using a reverse mortgage loan to cover expenses, pay for healthcare,

protect investments, and so much more. look, reverse mortgages aren't for everyone but i think i've been 'round long enough to know what's what. i'm proud to be a part of aag, i trust 'em, i think you can too. trust aag for the best reverse mortgage solutions. so you can... retire better. stuart: california is burning literally. the fires are spreading. the wind is picking up. this could be the windiest day in a long time. that is whipping fires all over the place. millions of people without power. hundreds of thousands of evacuated and the reagan library which is in simi valley, that too has been evacuated. they have 150 firefighters on the ground right there, trying to battle that blaze.

now the question is, what happens next? ultimately the fires are out but californians have to look at much higher electric charges, prices, much higher home insurance prices. who knows what, who is going to bail out pg&e. neil, it is yours. neil: a lot of questions with that, stuart. thank you very, very much. we were following same thing you were, my friend. what the federal reserve does. could we see a fed three-peat, will the third time prove the final charm? let's go to ed lawrence what we can expect from the federal reserve. that is the consensus we'll see a quarter-point cut but that might be it for a while. what are you hearing? reporter: that is the consensus. they want to look at the data going forward, if there is a december rate cut. they're looking at inflation and uncertainty. on the inflation front the federal reserve is saying they're under 2% target again. overall