even when i was going month to month just barely making it. so think about this, folks, i really want you to ponder it if you've been thinking about starting your own business, you won't be alone. family, friends, everyone will be rooting you on, and so will liz claman because she loves the american dream as much as anyone else. liz: yep. that's why my dad came to this country, to pursue it, and he did succeed. charles, thank you so much. all right, folks, we are one hour away from disney earnings, and the soul of the company is on the line. will it leitzest streaming update -- latest streaming update be enough to counter blows from the parks and cruise line businesses? and should you even be buying the magic kingdom's stock near record highs in we've got all the angles covered. bitcoin blasting through record ceilings as two major names in the financial world vault onto the crypto bandwagon despite new eyebrow-raising comments from the new treasury secretary. what she said and where bitcoin

stands now amid all the action. plus, the appetite for binge eating adding to a major pop for pepsico. ceo of pepsi is here. and as u.s. markets retreat from record highs here in the final hour of trade, in just 30 minutes one of the biggest voices on wall street, jpmorgan's david kelly, announces his top long-term play. one sector for 2021. that you cannot miss. all right, a fox business alert, disney, one of the most widely-held stocks in the world, is on deck to report after the bell. after closing at a record $190 a share back on monday, we're at $189.94 right now. investors will be hyperfocused on multiple businesses from its struggling theme parks and cruise businesses which are expected to lead to a loss for the quarter, to its savior, the streaming service disney plus.

but what will subscriber growth be? there are huge anticipations here. and then the latest controversy over disney plus' hit, the mandalorian. lucasfilms says gina carano, no longer part of the show after many online called her recent social media posts inappropriate and demanded her firing. all right, so a lot here. let's get to the earnings preview with slate executive chair. steph, to you first, what does bob have to say on this call to investors, and what does he need to do to calm the fears that people have? >> well, first off, i don't ever speculate about stock prices, but i do speculate about the underlying businesses, and i think bob is focused on really making disney the biggest streaming player on the planet.

and everybody seems to believe in them. and i think that's what is keeping disney's momentum up. they are targeting a quarter billioning subscribers over the next few years, and they have a ton of underlying ip they have yet to exploit. if you were to just look at the entire ecosystem they have with hulu and the new star which is the you lieu international rolling -- hulu international rolling out and all their other properties, they're on their way to becoming a netflix max way faster than netflix is going to become a disney plus. so i think they're really well positioned and they just need to keep people focused on their streaming strategy. liz: okay. you just pointed out what everybody's hinging on and that is, of course, the streaming business. jeff sica, you've got to give me a number here because we, last time around, disney plus had about 74 million subscribers. what must you hear as far as the new number is concerned? >> well, the magic number for the magic kingdom, liz, is 100 million subscribers.

they have to surpass that number. that's what -- that is the number that we're hopeful for. i think there's a lot on the line here because, first of all, they pivoted like no other company has pivoted ever. they saw their cruise business, they saw their theme park business decline to nothing, and they built this streaming business from nothing from 2019, and now this business is blowing the doors off of their competitors. they have to keep up the momentum because they are going to be faced with the challenge of overcoming that half a billion dollar loss they had in theme parks, theaters and cruise lines. and in order to do that, they not only have to pivot to streaming, they have to gain momentum, and that momentum has to continue well into the future. liz: yeah. steph, you're in the business of

financing films and matching financiers with, obviously, with people who want to make films. you have to tell me about this movie business issue that disney faces. you already had comcast universal basically saying, you know what? we are now going to narrow and squeeze down the theatrical release window where it comes out in theaters first for a movie and then jumps, of course, to the streaming plan. disney has black widow coming out, all kinds of other films that people are expecting. they want to know is that model -- of course, warner brothers and universal -- shortening that theatrical window or just making it on the exact same day as it relates in theaters going to be followed by disney? >> yes and no. i think shortening the theatrical window has been something everyone's been talking about for decades. the fact that it's finally happening, to me, means it's something that consumers want as well and that the studios know is a better way for them to

rapidly monetize using premium dod. that said, disney, their ip has done extremely well theatricically. so they don't want it to go away. disney in no way is going to want to undermine the powerful of theatricals. however, shortening windows is, i think, the viable strategy. and as they get to the quarter billion subscriber mark, that is ultimately where everything's going to end up. but i think it'll always be theatrical tent poles, maybe shorter windows and moving to dod followed by the streaming strategy. are. liz: jeff, we've got to tackle espn. [laughter] people are saying it's a yesteryear type of story because, of course, cord cuttings has come into play. but what are you going to look for when it comes to espn which used to be that real winner for them? >> they have, look, they have a lot to prove with espn. they've taken a lot of hits especially when espn went so

political, and that turned off a lot of people. now what they have to do is they have to reestablish that iconic brand, and they're going to do that with original content. that's the way that they're doing it with drone streaming even though they have these iconic brands, they're creating content, original content. they have to continue to do that. as far as the live events, that's where espn could really do well, is charging a premium for life events -- for live events. what i see with espn is that what's people really want. and they're really -- and they've shown that they're willing to pay a premium to get the experience as if they're there. so they're hanging fire on how they could put out these live events in the future. liz: okay. steph, before we go, i have a guest here on set who would like to ask a question. it's baby yoda.

he wants to know -- she, he, who even knows? the hand lore ya, a huge -- mandalorian, a huge franchise. will it grow bigger or burn out? >> i think right now the mandalorian is the crown jewel of disney plus. i think it blows up from there. they have so many exploited ip still they're going to fold in x-men and the avatar franchise coming, there's so many universes that are about to collide, so baby yoda has a bright future. liz: okay. very happy to hear that. great to have you both on disney. we've got breaking news on bitcoin. after hitting a record high of clash 48,360 an hour and a half ago, the cryptocurrency is holding on to gains. it stands at about $47,795, just below where it was. but as another megacorporation says we've got to get into this. to ashley webster on a bunch of developing stories swirling

around crypto. ash. ashley: yes, indeed. mastercard appears to be preparing to take a swipe on cryptocurrency. according to a blog post, the payments giant will soon allow merchant transaction using some digital currencies. while they didn't say which ones, investors are piling into bitcoin, xrp, looked at all of those up 3, 5, 6%. ah, but wait a minute, here comes the sheriff. in financial sector innovation, treasury secretary janet yellen warned it might be time to rework the age-old anti-money laundering act due to the, quote, misuse of cryptocurrency and dark money organized crime which she calls a growing problem. perhaps regulation on the way. try telling that to the a nation's oldest bank, bny melon announcing today it will buy, hold and transfer digital money

on behalf of its clients. and, liz, both melon and mastercard getting a bit of a bitcoin bump today. the more it's accepted, the more it starts to take hold. that's the story there. liz. liz: yeah. until you forget your password. okay, ashley -- [laughter] thank you. ashley webster. [laughter] finish i know. mastercard joining the crypto craze, one of the hot topics on my early market minute on tiktok, about a one minute bow. follow me @red fox liz on tiktok. hormel satisfying its craving for planters peanuts in a $3 billion with kraft heinz. kraft heinz sheds weight, hormel down 3.9%. pepsico vice chair and cfo hugh johnston is here on the

power-packed sales numbers his company just reported and the next steps to going above and beyond all pepsico's competition. closing bell ringing in 50 minutes. we have the dow down 58. we've had a pretty significant swing in the nasdaq and the s&p today. we're watching it allment stay tuned, we're coming right back. ♪ ♪ (sam) gamers! he who is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. take fuzzywuzzy28. blamin' losses on a laggy network. only one or two. verizon 5g ultra wideband is here, the fastest 5g in the world, with ultra... low... lag! stop blaming the network

and start becoming the best gamers in the ga-- that escalated quickly. (sam) 5g ultra wideband, now in parts of many cities. this is 5g built right. only from verizon. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ living with metastatic breast cancer means being relentless. because every day matters. and having more of them is possible with verzenio, the only one of its kind proven to help you live significantly longer when taken with fulvestrant, regardless of menopause. verzenio + fulvestrant is for hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after hormone therapy. diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. at the first sign, call your doctor, start an anti-diarrheal, and drink fluids. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor about any fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection

that can lead to death. life-threatening lung inflammation can occur. tell your doctor about any new or worsening trouble breathing, cough, or chest pain. serious liver problems can happen. symptoms include fatigue, appetite loss, stomach pain, and bleeding or bruising. blood clots that can lead to death have occurred. tell your doctor if you have pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain and rapid breathing or heart rate, or if you are pregnant or nursing. every day matters. and i want more of them. ask your doctor about everyday verzenio. these days, it's okay to do some things halfway... but taking prescriptions shouldn't be one of them. so cvs has a proprietary search tool that looks for savings. plus free delivery. get a free prescription savings review at cvs.

so you're a small business, plus free delivery. or a big one. you were thriving, but then... oh. ah. okay. plan, pivot. how do you bounce back? you don't, you bounce forward, with serious and reliable internet. powered by the largest gig speed network in america. but is it secure? sure it's secure. and even if the power goes down, your connection doesn't. so how do i do this? you don't do this. we do this, together. bounce forward, with comcast business. research shows that people remember commercials with exciting stunts. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's something you shouldn't try at home... look, liberty mutual customizes home insurance so we only pay for what we need. it's pretty cool. that is cool! grandma! very cool.

only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ♪ liz: well, bring on the by pita chips and the hummus. a massive win for the quarter, the beverage and snacking giant beat quarterly estimates on both the top and bottom line. the 8% revenue jump fueled by demand for its snack brands and, yes, that includes cap'n crunch. that's, like, the main food group for me. shares are down about 2% at the moment with about 45 minutes left to trade, but it would be hard to tamp down our next guest's sugar high from these numbers, that would be pepsico vice chairman and cfo hugh johnston. i remember covering your purchase years ago of stacy's pita chips and sabra hummusment aside from those, was there one

brand in particular that blew you away with the sales jump, and what is that telling you about what your consumers want now? >> well, it's interesting, liz -- great to be with you all here on fox business. it's fairly broad-based in terms of the growth. literally, all of our frito lay snack products are growing at a healthy clip. some in single digits, some in double digits. doritos, cheetos, lays, all doing terrifically well. we certainly feel great about where the snack business is, and frankly, it's not just about the pandemic. it really is about the fact that frito lay is marketing well, the product innovation is great, and we're really hitting on all cylinders with that business right now. liz: and now you've got a new cylinder that you're adding to the engine of pepsico, and that is beyond meat. you've struck a partnership. can you kind of assail how you'll be using it and promoting it in your company? >> yeah. we're excited about the partnership with beyond meat.

they're, obviously, the leader in the plant-based protein category, and what we bring to the table is an ability to brand in a big way and also to build up distribution for them. so consumers clearly are moving towards plant-based proteins as an incremental snacking opportunity. we couldn't be happier with the idea of creating a partnership with the beyond meat folks. and over time i think we're going to build out a really nice portfolio of healthy, delicious plant-based products. liz: yeah. you are going healthy, but you still go with sort of great brand names that are out there. this morning kraft heinz announced it was telling its -- selling its planters peanuts brand to hormel. did you guys make a run at acquiring that? that seems like it would really fit in with your new snack divisions and areas that you want to hit. >> well, it's interesting, i mean, people tend not to focus on it as much, but we have a frito lay business called nut

harvest which is a significant player in the category, primarily in convenience stores. and we're really happy with that business. so we didn't feel the need to acquire anything more. what we have right now we feel like we've got a dynamite portfolio of a whole variety of nut products. liz: ah, that is interesting. okay, so you didn't make a run for that. to the beverage business, the massive business of gatorade and g zero. not to mention, you know, a year ago at this time at the super bowl in miami, i ran into your ceo, and he was most passionate -- with me at least -- talking about buble. that a makes me wonder what about that division? less sugary and healthy? >> yeah. if you look at our beverage business overall, a lot of the growth is coming from low and no-sugar products. it's essentially a product that we created with terrific flavors, sparkling water and really cute and effective

marketing. that business has kind of gone from nothing to a multi-hundred million dollar business. and gatorade zero has just exploded on us. again, that was a category that we felt like once we got the product right, we want to play in the zero calorie eye so tonic business, and last year it actually became a billion dollar business for us in just its third year in the marketplace. g zero, i think, is going to continue to grow at an accelerated rate for some long period of time. liz: one thing that has accelerated during the pandemic is the pandemic pancake -- [laughter] boom. i mean, i'm into that too, let me tell you something. but you changed the name of aunt jeff -- jemima. are you anticipating any hit to the bottom line simply because consumers might not recognize? i mean, the bottle is the same, the colors are the same, but they might not be ready to looked at that and say, oh, wait, that is the old aunt jemima.

are you anticipating a hit to bottom line on that sale? >> there may be a short period of disruption as we do the conversion, but i don't think anything that will sustain. we've gone through name changes on brands before for a variety of different reasons, and we've gotten pretty good at sort of creating a small size indicator of the old brand and then a larger indicator of the new brand, and then over time we'll take the indicator away. so my expectation is it won't make any difference. listen, given that people are eating breakfast at home more and more, i'm hopeful that business is going to continue to grow. liz: i do have to ask you because coca-cola's making a big deal of its scale and its pipeline. they have launched their hard seltzer overseas and in south america. are you guys looking into any sort of light alcoholic, hard seltzer type of businesses? >> you know, from a pepsico standpoint, we're a growth company. we'll turn over every stone looking for growth, but in terms of alcohol, nothing incremental

to report right now. no news there at this point. liz: okay. when you do, you come back right here and break it, because i want -- [laughter] i want that story. i think that's very interesting. i want to see the new growth area. good to see you, hugh. thank you very much for joining us. >> thanks for having me, liz. liz: hugh johnston, cfo of pepsi. all right, spirit airlines sinking after posting a fourth quarter with loss. revenue skidding by nearly half in the three month period as travel numbers remain depressed by the pandemic. but the cdc on the verge of landing what could be a, quote, crippling blow to not just the spirit airline business, but perhaps the entire airline industry. the warning you have to hear next. but first, what's better than getting a dozen valentine's day roses? chris mccann's story, that's what. he started working at his brother's local flower shop in high school mopping the floors, adjusting bouquets. forty years later that little

flower shop has grown into the largest in the world, and chris is the ceo. 1-800-flowers.com now owns more than 15 companies from popcorn factory to sherry's berries and more. in my latest everyone talks to liz podcast episode, chris reveals the one dream he gave up that led to a much bigger one becoming reality. the inspirational story available on spotify, apple, google, just look for it, everyone talks to liz. closing bell ringing in 38 minutes. russell's down 2, a little bit of red on the screen, but the nasdaq's up 27. stay tuned, we're coming right back. ♪ ♪ how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need? i mean it... oh, sorry... [ laughter ] woops! [ laughter ] good evening! meow! nope.

oh... what? i'm an emu! ah ha ha. no, buddy! buddy, it's a filter! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ incomparable design makes it beautiful. state of the art technology, makes it brilliant. the visionary lexus nx. lease the 2021 nx 300 for $359 a month for thirty six months. experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

municipal bonds don't usually get the media coverage for thirty six months. the stock market does. in fact, most people don't find them all that exciting. but, if you're looking for the potential for consistent income that's federally tax-free, now is an excellent time to consider municipal bonds from hennion & walsh. if you have at least 10,000 dollars to invest, call and talk with one of our bond specialists at 1-800-763-2763. we'll send you our exclusive bond guide, free. with details about how bonds can be an important part of your portfolio. hennion & walsh has specialized in fixed income and growth solutions for 30 years, and offers high-quality municipal bonds from across the country. they provide the potential for regular income...are federally tax-free... and have historically low risk.

call today to request your free bond guide. 1-800-763-2763. that's 1-800-763-2763

the world's first fully autonomous vehicle is almost at the finish line what a ride! i invested in invesco qqq a fund that invests in the innovators of the nasdaq-100 like you become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq liz: fox business alert, it's love at first sight9 in today's pot stocks. bumble having the best first date ever with the public markets. the value of the blackstone-backed dating app where women make the first move

surging to $14 billion in market cap after shares, which were priced at $43, spiked at the open to $76. now, what are we at, about 34 minutes to the close? bumble is still up, $70.32. talk about having the right moves, sonos, zillow and zebra all hitting new records or. the speaker maker, sonos, up 15%. zillow charging higher by 17%, and zebra, of course, the maker of the smart labels that monitor covid vaccine shipment temperatures, is up 9%. and the at-home cleaning boom, irobot handily beat on both the top and bottom line and emptied the bin by giving positive guidance for the years ahead, climbing by about 2%. the meme stock crowd now

looks like they've learned the art of buying and selling. pot stocks surged to all types of highs yesterday, now they're burning out in a broad-based selloff. canopy down 28%, tilray down 32%. where do you stand on making that type of requirement a domestic one as well? the passengers have, you know, a so-called covid passport that shows a negative test or vaccination? >> domestically, i don't think that's practical. we already carry over one million people a week. to be able to demonstrate covid tests or vaccine inoculations, currently it would cripple this industry. liz: that was delta's ceo ed bastion over a month ago here on "countdown," warning what a requirement for domestic covid testing for air travelers would do, wound already suffering airlines. but now there are new rumblings

out of the cdc and the biden administration that are pointing in that very direction. jeff flock live at chicago's o'hare international airport. jeff. >> reporter: that's right, liz. and, of course, i've spent all day out here trying to find somebody who thinks that could be a good idea. i haven't found anybody yet, but still, the secretary of transportation, one pete buttigieg, is apparently thinking about it along with the cdc. he says the biden administration is having, what he i calls, active conversations with the cdc to perhaps make that a mandatory. as you know, airline passenger counts already way down. we just got the numbers yesterday, 722,000 passengers went through tsa checkpoints yesterday compared to one year ago, 2 million. that's -- do the math -- about a third of what it was. and consequently, losses for the major carriers in the u.s. last year, $46 billion. in addition to ed bastion who told you that first on fox

business, as you say, a month ago, his counterpart at southwest now, gary kelly, along with the unions that represent the workers at southwest wrote a letter to the president saying this would be counterproductive, costly and lead to unintended consequences. like maybe a mess out at the airport? and a whole lot of costs for these tests. u.s. travel association also onboard as saying this is just not workable. listen. >> it's a very important thing to open up international. we're opposed to it domestically. it's very difficult to enforce, it's just -- won't work. >> reporter: just won't work. as i say, liz, you know, these tests, they have them here now, you can get a test if you're going to an international destination, you have to get one. they're $120 apiece. if you took a round-trip flight, that's two times $120 on top of the ticket you already bought in

addition to the logistical problems associated with it, getting everybody through security. you know, some people think maybe it'll make people more secure, but, you know, even if you're negative test, you could still spread the virus. so not so sure. liz: yeah. we have got the diagnostic industry names moving higher but, of course, then you dig down a little more deeply, and they're nervous, i would imagine. jeff flock, thank you very much. closing bell, 29 minutes away. let's check the markets right now. we have got the dow down 45 points. s&p's in the green but just fractionally. nasdaq better by 31 at the moment. we are coming right back. stay tuned. ♪ ♪ governments in record debt; inflation rising and currencies falling. but i've seen centuries of rises and falls. i had a love affair with tulips once.

lived through the crash of '29 and early dot-com hype. watched mortgages play the villain beside a true greek tragedy. and now here i am, with one companion that's been with me for millennia; hedging the risks you choose and those that choose you. the physical seam of a digital world, traded with a touch. my strongest ally and my closest asset. the gold standard, so to speak ;) people call my future uncertain. but there's one thing i am sure of... at t-mobile, we have a plan built just for customers 55 and up. saving 50% vs. other carriers with 2 unlimited lines for less than $30 each. call 1-800-t-mobile or go to t-mobile.com/55. hi, i'm dorothy hamill.

if you're turning 65 soon, like me, you might be thinking about medicare. i know i want coverage that connects all the different parts of my health care to keep me aging actively. aetna medicare advantage plans offer $0 monthly plan premiums and prescription drug coverage. with benefits like dental, vision and hearing. and telehealth. that's the aetna medicare advantage. call today to learn more or to be connected to a local agent in your community and we'll send you a $10 visa reward card with no obligation to enroll.

your daily dashboard from fidelity -- a visual snapshot of your investments, key portfolio events, all in one place. because when it's decision time, you need decision tech. only from fidelity. ♪ ♪ liz: china preparing to usher in the year of the ox tomorrow, just 24 hours after the first phone call between president joe biden and chinese president xi

jinping. last night we are toll that the president made clear his priority in protecting the american people's security and prosperity, but what will a new year and a new administration mean for investment opportunities in china? one of the biggest names on wall street says that's now his best long-term play. david kelly, jpmorgan chief global strategist, is here to tell us why. i'm guessing you don't factor in -- because you don't feel it's necessary -- how an administration deals with china or you are optimistic e it will be at least a slightly friendlier? >> well, i'm -- i think it'll be more predictable. i mean, the truth is that china and the united states are the sort of two giants on the world with stage. and by 2027, the chinese economy will be bigger than the united states' economy for the first time since the 1890s. so it's enormous, and it's growing fast. now, you know, we've got very different systems, very different values in many ways,

but we have to learn how to live together on this planet, so there are going to be areas of competition, there are going to be areas of confrontation, and there are going to be areas of cooperation. and when you look at the readout both from the chinese side and, indeed, the u.s. side, on that conversation between president biden and xi jinping, it's clear that they see that. they're playing a careful game here. they both don't want to cause any disruption. but a steady game going forward, i think, does still allow for strong chinese growth and a lot of investment opportunities in china. liz: well, this is your growth pick for 2021 as far as investors are concerned. tell us what's behind it, because there are many opportunities for people to get in whether it's through individual stocks -- and we do remind our viewers that the chinese market was closed today for the lunar new year, and it'll be closed for a couple of days. but as we look at some of these names and exchange-traded funds where people can buy baskets of

these stocks, what's driving your belief that these names will roll? >> i think the first thing is you have to take a long-term view on china. i think china did very well in terms of economic growth last year. china actually did grow by 2.3% as opposed to the u.s. which actually saw a 3.5% decline in gdp. i think we are going to recover from the pandemic, and china doesn't have half as much of a recovery because it's already begun to recover, but i think you look long term, and it's really about consumer growth and technology. but what that also means is i think you do need active management here because i wouldn't just get into sort of an etf basket of chinese shares. i'd really want to know that i had boots on the ground looking at which companies to invest in, which to steer clear of and really latch on to those trends of technology growth and consumer spending growth. liz: well, why? because we're looking at, first,

the ishares china fund, and then we could look at the large cap, xfi, opportunity here x they both look pretty healthy at the moment. this is a basket of these names. why not just go with that? >> well, because there are plenty of problems in china too. i mean, china's got a huge, bloated real estate sector. i mean, the chinese have been investing in real estate with more enthusiasm than the u.s. has been investing tech stocks. so you have to think think aboue have some vulnerability in terms of that. there's also a big, you know, within china there's a big division between state-owned enterprises, which are somewhat slower moving, and, you know, not really growth engines of the chinese economy and then private enterprises. so i think you have to make that distinction too. and even within each sector there are tradewinds, there are political issues, there are issues all over the place. you can't just blindly buy

chinese stocks. it's a little bit of a wild west market still. there's a lot of uncertainty and volatility there, i so i think you need some experienced hands when it comes to pinning which stock -- picking which stocks to own in this china. liz: i'd be remiss if i didn't bring up the reddit crowd and the heat and the chill they've added, certainly, to the market. what do you see that worries you about that and encourages you? >> i worry about the sort of growth of what i would call financial populism here. you do need to think about the value of what you're buying. and what we've seen in recent weeks in financial markets in the united states is, you know, too many people chasing after individual names just as a matter of speculation without any fundamental analysis. and we've seen this happen too many times before. so you do -- i think this is a year where the fog is going to clear to some extent on, you know, the global financial and economic landscape, but when it clears, i think it's going to be

very important to think about valuations. so i think that's going to be very important for investors going forward. liz: yeah. david, great to see you. thank you very much. >> okay, liz, thank you. liz: solid voice in the drama that's out there on wall street and on main street. all right, well after going private ten years ago, playboy just went back into the public markets today via a spac merger. playboy group spiked at the open, and right now -- if we can look at the stock -- i do believe that it is holding on to at least some of the gains there. it is ironic that playboy has come back to life the day after the world of pornography lost its baddest of bad boys, "hustler" founder larry flynt died yet. he grew a one-sheet flier that he handed out on a kentucky street corner into a global adult media empire. he was extremely controversial, hounded by women's groups and the christian right who abhorred what they felt was

objectification of women. but i am going to tell you something about larry flynt that may surprise you. we were friends. i met him in person back in 2013 when fox business sent me to l.a. to focus on the business of pornography. did i love how women were portrayed in "hustler" magazine? no. but living in a democratic society means just because you're offended, the offender should not lose the right to say what they want. and you know what? the supreme court agreed with him. 1988, in a unanimous decision, the highest court in the land overturned a lower court's guilty verdict against flynt that involved a pornographic cartoon that "hustler" had published of reverend jerrying falwell. flynt became a champion of free speech. he paid dearly for always pushing the envelope. in 1978 he was shot and paralyzed permanently by a white supremacist who was offended by pictures of a biracial couple. nothing deterred larry flynt

though, not when it came to the first amendment. heck, even my mom, the biggest prude on the planet -- [laughter] respected his free speech fights and asked to meet him. larry flynt, dead at the age of 78. we'll be right back. the holidays weren't exactly smooth sledding this year, eh santa? no, but we came through smelling of mistletoe. the now platform lets us identify problems

before they became problems. if only it could identify where my ball went. this you? hmm... no, mine had green lights. whatever your business is facing. let's workflow it. maybe i should workflow my swing... servicenow. mike shopped for the lowest mortgage rate and chose amerisave. a choice he'll never regret... ...unlike using perm plus, a shampoo which attracts cats. lots and lots of cats. visit amerisave.com now. lower mortgage rates mean higher savings.

when you switch to xfinity mobile, you're choosing to get connected visit amerisave.com now. to the most reliable network nationwide, now with 5g included. discover how to save up to $300 a year with shared data starting at $15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. you can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. stop in or book an appointment to shop safely with peace of mind at your local xfinity store.

it's time for the ultimate sleep number event on the sleep number 360 smart bed. you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. can it help me fall asleep faster? yes, by gently warming your feet. but, can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. will it help me come out swinging? you got this. so, you can really promise better sleep? not promise... prove. don't miss our presidents day weekend special. save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed, . plus, 0% interest for 36 months & free premium delivery when you add a base. ends monday. ♪ >> young pasta the, is that his name, young pasta? liz: yeah. >> well, everybody knows it's an italian-american kid -- >> fox news, how are ya? big honor. me and my his steve, we watch you every single night. i'm making dinner, i'm paying attention. he's half asleep on the recliner chair. maybe this is good, you can

teach my son vincent some tricks on how to be successful in life and not be a piece of [bleep] playing xbox every day. do they feed you in that studio? do i have to give someone behind the scenes a beating for not tooking for you? if you guys quit your job, not only am i not watching anymore, but i'm also going to think about where you live, both of yous. [laughter] liz: how do we get him to cook for us, charlie? he's one of these youtubeers, you know, tiktokers. he is so big on tiktok. i'm not saying that his mom could rival your lasagna, charlie. [laughter] >> i'm just flattered that we made it with the gen-zers. i'm glad you cut it off there, because if you go any further, it's like every other word -- [laughter] i mean -- liz: i think he's got a future. >> yeah, he does. and i will say this about him, he's -- it's appallingly

accurate, the spoon. [laughter] i can't tell you how many times i had the spoon with my mom. [laughter] you know, your old man gave you a beating once in a while, and it hurt, when you're in an italian-american family, but you were deathly afraid of your mother because it was hair pulling -- [laughter] it was, i mean, you know, you got out of line, you were getting smashed by mom. who still did your laundry even when i was in my 20s and when i was coming home -- liz: that the one line, we cut it out to shorten it, but he said -- he doesn't even know how to do his laundry. vincent, thank you, we love it. by the way, we're fox business. [laughter] get to the business, the reddit crowd. >> yo, yo, vince, we're fox biz. [laughter] getting back to the business on fox business, next week is going

to be a pretty big week for the robinhood, reddit, gamestop traders. there's going to be a house financial services committee hearing. i believe it's next wednesday, if i -- by maxine waters, who's always interesting, as you know. and the guest list, people that have been asked to testify from what i understand, is going to be, it could make this must-see tv if you're into hedge funds, if you're into all the stuff we watch here, day trading and this crazy runup in all those stocks where gamestop was trading as high as $500 a share and caused a short squeeze that nearly eliminate9 one of the biggest hedge funds in the country. so he's what we hear -- here's what we hear is going to be on the guest list. they're not going to be treated like guests, i don't think. robinhood's ceo, no doubt about that. these are not confirmed because the committee hasn't put out the

list yet, but i'm hearing these are the other folks they want to show up to speak, and the names are melvin capital's ceo, i hear they want him. they want citadel's ceo, ken griffin. he helps -- he's the reason why robinhood traders trade for free. he buys the orders, buys and sells orders from robinhood, matches them on the side payment for order flow. reddit ceo steve huffman, i hear, the wanted. wanted by the committee. not wanted criminally or anything. this is not a criminal proceeding, we should point out. lawmakers likely are going to probe issues including short selling, the halting of trades, the whole gamestop thing. this could really get out of hand because, i mean, look at the guest list. every one of these guys are going to have five minutes to talk, then they're going to be grilled by people that know nothing about stock trading for a couple hours.

[laughter] you know, the democrats control the committee, therefore, there's going to be a lot of virtual signaling -- virtue signaling about ripping off the little guy and all this stuff. so this could be really interesting. obviously, ken griffith, it's going to be fascinating to watch him up there, if he does go. should get a tiktok on how melvin almost collapsed and how it was saved. it could be really interesting. and the backdrop of all of this is mounting regulatory pressure investigating whether the reddit/robinhood guys, somehow the people there were eliminating markets through a pump and dump, pumping those stocks up and then cupdutchinging them when they knew -- dumping them when they knew gamestop wasn't worth $500 a share. again, hard cases. i reported about the sec's interest. the journal came out and said that robinhood got subpoenas from justice department. usually these cases are double teamed by both agencies. the sec is wall street's top

cop. justice department is criminal, much higher bar, but both cases are going to be very difficult to bring. it's very hard to prove stock manipulation of this type. what's the difference between minute really believing in gamestop and somebody that, and say why not have some fun and buy some gamestop which i like and also screw a hedge fund? i mean, it's just so, it's so fraught. so that's where we are. i can't wait to see vince do a segment on my gamestop reporting now. [laugher] liz: yeah. vincent. vincent, yeah. yuung pasta. all right, charlie, thank you very much. closing bell ringing in seven minutes. we of do have the dow in the red. nasdaq still gaining by about 31 points. much more ahead, don't go away. ♪ ♪ under one account. i was able to lower my monthly payments

and feel like i'm well on my way to becoming debt free. and i have sofi to thank for that. ♪♪ and i have sofi to thank for that. (sam) gamers! verizon 5g ultra wideband is here, with ultra... low... lag! so start becoming the best gamers in the ga-- (avatars) oohh! (sam) 5g ultra wideband, now in parts of many cities. this is 5g built right. living with metastatic breast cancer means being relentless. because every day matters. and having more of them is possible with verzenio, the only one of its kind proven to help you live significantly longer when taken with fulvestrant, regardless of menopause. verzenio + fulvestrant is for hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer that has progressed after hormone therapy. diarrhea is common, may be severe, or cause dehydration or infection. at the first sign, call your doctor, start an anti-diarrheal, and drink fluids. before taking verzenio, tell your doctor about any fever, chills, or other signs of infection. verzenio may cause low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infection that can lead to death.

life-threatening lung inflammation can occur. tell your doctor about any new or worsening trouble breathing, cough, or chest pain. serious liver problems can happen. symptoms include fatigue, appetite loss, stomach pain, and bleeding or bruising. blood clots that can lead to death have occurred. tell your doctor if you have pain or swelling in your arms or legs, shortness of breath, chest pain and rapid breathing or heart rate, or if you are pregnant or nursing. every day matters. and i want more of them. ask your doctor about everyday verzenio. i'd call my grandfather as a result of the research that i've started to do on ancestry.

having ancestry to fill in the gaps with documents, . . closer relationship with my grandfather. i can't think of a better gift to give to my daughter and the generations that come after her. bring your family history to life like never before. get started for free at ancestry.com

♪. liz: 3 1/2 minutes before the closing bell rings. most major averages are off the session lows. we do have to get some popping into the green here, up just fractionally. nasdaq better by 43 points right now. nasdaq on pace for a record close. we are now just getting these reports that president biden, set to announce 200 million additional covid vaccine doses his administration now secured. this according to "the washington post." we are watching the story. we'll be watching the stocks. moderna is up. pfizer, astrazeneca, slightly lower. markets have wind in their sales according to the "countdown" closer. he says tread camely when it comes to the entry points for stocks he feels he should buy. paul is global investment manager chief investment officer joining us now. paul, great to have you. go through the three names. you like boeing, paypal, eod. tell us how it pick the entry

point, starting with boeing? >> really, interesting, boeing has had a lot of headwinds. it is a interesting story developing. obviously with the economy reopening, obviously the faa clearing boeing for return to service of the 737 max i think there is some interest here. so obviously what i'm looking at, what i'm trading boeing i'm building a position. i'm looking for a type of correction, anywhere from 10 to 15% from where it is currently trading. it is a a long term -- one of those companies you want to own in the long run. >> also like pay pal. it is high-flyer. getting into the crypto business. it is well-run at the moment. you have to tell us what to do if we want to buy this stock? >> it's a great company. definitely been on a tear. we actually had really strong earnings. i think with them early

adoption, make them a leader, strong revenue, strong potential through venmo, again, i think it is, you have to be prudent. i would like to see a correction. i think this stock is going higher. you may not get another bite at that apple. i'm long the stock. if i could use the option market to actually get paid to wait, see another 10, 15% correction from where it is trading, somewhere between 250, 260-dollar per share would be a good entry point for me. liz: quick line on eog. what about this one? >> energy has been a tough trade the last five years. they're entering a cyclical bull market. supplies are being cut. they're a great operator. as you know they have operations in the united states. based in the united kingdom, north seas, china. good operating margins. great debt to assets. so again, you know if i saw pull back somewhere in the 40 to $45

per range i would be a willing buyer. liz: paul feinstein. [closing bell rings] points out how and when to get into stocks. don't buy at top, folks. dow is making a run to the flat line. that is a record for the nasdaq. see you tomorrow on "the claman countdown." neil: all right a lot to cover today. we have a warning that china will come in and eat our lunch. we have a new spending push from the white house. stocks fighting at the close to end up at record highs. start with the dow, it was literally moving between gains and losses in final seconds of trading. looks like it will settle a few points lower by s&p 500. looks like we might get a record after all for the s&p. it is touch-and-go, if we're up. looks like we'll get a record for the s&p 500. we'll let the numbers settle. same for the nasdaq