a person of integrity, intelligence and experience. william says, fix the economy, leave the social issues to the people and get government out of it. thanks to all of you for sharing with us today. and that is going to do it for me in d.c. don't forget our special, huckabee's forum, south carolina, undecided, i'm uma pemmaraju. have a great day. >> a tense situation with iran, escalating. >> patti ann: i'm patti ann browne, welcome to a new hour inside america's news headquarters, video released shows iranian speedboats taunting two u.s. navy vessels in the the strait of hormuz and the boats coming within a few hundred yards and ignoring u.s. warnings until the last minute. we're told the incidents happened earlier this month, and just days after some high-profile war games there. now, iran is threatening to shut down the critical oil route in retaliation for new sanctions by the west. later this hour, we'll speak

with retired four star general jack keane on how the u.s. can calm the waters with iran and how to prepare if the efforts fail. >> kelly: another "fox news alert," a dramatic scenen folding at sea. a luxury cruise ship is sinking off the coast of tuscany, italy, with thousands of passengers on board. more than 100 said to be american. these are pictures now of the doomed ship sitting on its side. italian officials are reporting 70 people are still missing, at least 3 are feared dead. and, known to be dead. greg burke is streaming live from rome and i should correct myself, we know three people already died in this tragedy at sea. tell us more, please. >> reporter: kelly, that's right, two french tourists and somebody from peru, confirmed dead. what the american embassy tells us, they estimate about 130 americans were on that ship, when the accident did happen. they say that they have no

reports of any serious injuries, but, at this point they can still not ascertain, they still don't have a confirmation, of everybody who they think was on that ship and there are dozens missing, as you said. now, it was total chaos last night, as the ship, one of these really big luxury cruise liners hit a reef off the tuscan coast north of rome and soon took on loss of water and certainly there was panic as the ship began listing and the evacuation process began and, there are scenes that look like titanic, the ship yeft port, outside of rome, about 7:30 p.m. and people were actually at dinner when the incident happened and officials said it was just an electrical problem because there was a blackout at one point and it soon became clear it was much more than that. and, it was really a monster sized ship, suddenly on its side. passengers, many of them, french and german tourists, are furious

about what a mess the rescue operation was. certainly, everything could have been a lot worse. one of the things that perhaps was helpful was they were so close to shore, however there are reports that many people because of that jumped into the water, we don't know exactly how those people lost their lives. apparently some people were also trapped in the ship. we'll find out more about that, as it goes on, but, there certainly were problems getting the life boats down and, finally, kelly, the key question is why was such a huge ship so close to shore. there were reports that it was only about 150 yards off of shore. obviously, that is quite dangerous and we're told there is a black box on the ship like this and, certainly, we will be getting some of those answers. >> kelly: answers is what people are looking for now. greg burke, thank you very much for your report, sir. >> patti ann: a week from today, south carolina republicans will pick the nominee for president and since the first primary, 30

years ago, south carolina has always picked the eventual republican candidate. here's a map right now, detailing goings-on in the palmetto state today. let's go live to john roberts, who is in myrtle beach, south carolina. hi, john, we have polls now, what are they telling us? >> reporter: we'll get to the polls in a second. but first, we should tell you this closing days of the campaign, mitt romney with an outreach to social conservatives and there are quite a few in the palmetto state who suggest hey, you can feel comfortable foet vo-- voting tor me, his web campaign touting his supports on abortion and features marianne glenndone, the founder of women affirming life and was president bush's ambassador to the vatican. >> the pro-life movement is all about changing hearts and minds. and, it struck me as very unfortunate that mitt romney has been criticized by some people

for coming to a pro-life position on the basis of information. that is what the pro-life movement is all about. >> reporter: very pew people believe mitt romney is a true social conservative but, if you can convince people not so much to vote against him as for him, he may be able to hang onto the lead he has here. >> patti ann: that's the big question, can he accomplish that? and what are those latest polls saying? >> reporter: well, look at a new one, a public policy poll, shows the race tighter than it was before, mitt romney, had been up over 30% and now down to 29, with newt gingrich, nipping at his heels, 24%. ron paul next at 15 and rick santorum, at 14% and the real clear politics average shows the race is about the same. 26.7%, for mitt romney, and 22% for newt gingrich and santorum and paul tied at 14.7%. on the campaign trail, in the

last 24 hours, newt gingrich really dialed back on his attacks against mitt romney, on the bain capital front and instead, he says, over the next few days will launch an aggressive effort to compare and contrast his record in congress with mitt romney's, as governor of massachusetts. so, on jobs, taxes, abortion, and on guns. newt gingrich saying he is going to compare his record as the winner of an nra legislative lifetime achievement award with that of mitt romney's. >> by contrast, governor romney said he was comfortable with massachusetts gun control laws, and, increased the taxes of guns in massachusetts by 400%, i think in a state like south carolina that is definitive of who is the conservative and who isn't. >> reporter: and rick santorum tried to make the case he's the conservative in greenville, the northwestern part of the state where he's popular saying the u.s. was wrong for earlier this week condemning that attack, against that iranian nuclear scientist. trying to be tough on national

security, trying to get his poll numbers back up, he lost a lot of the momentum from the surge he got out of iowa, now back there in third or fourth place, depending on which poll you look at. patti ann? >> patti ann: john roberts live from myrtle beach, thank you. keep it right here on america's election headquarters, tune in tonight for huckabee forum 2. he will lead a discussion with five of the front-runners. the governor will be joined by congressman tim scott, tonight, on fox news channel at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> kelly: president obama unveiling a new plan to shrink the size of the federal government, asking congress to grant him the authority to the proposed mergers of various agencies. the president promised to take this issue on in last year's state of the union address, you may recall that and why is he announcing a plan now? joining us now, fox news political analyst angela mcgowan and doug schoen, fox news contributor. thank you both for joining us. angela, the president is making

the move right now, and, some on the republican side see this as political, and, maneuvering for his re-election bid. what do you say? >> reporter: i think it is a smart political move. i mean, let's say we have a machiavellian president who cares more about his political livelihood than about policies that would create a better america and by making the move, which is a conservative proposal, in downsizing government, and in putting agencies together, he's actually going to hold the members of congress's feet to the fire to see if they follow suit and if they don't follow suit and follow him they'll look like they are playing partisan politics and will also stand behind the argument of separating himself from washington, d.c. >> kelly: do you agree? is the president playing games or actually trying to get congress to do something on behalf of the american people, to move the government forward by streamlining it? >> i think he's doing both. i think it is smart politic and good government. any time you down size and

streamline the federal government that is good. and i think angela is right to say that congress is going to be put on notice effectively, they either have to go alone or get branded a do-nothing congress yet again in the aftermath over the fight over the payroll tax and i think it is good government, good politics and puts him on the side of independent centrist voters who are skeptical of big government. >> kelly: to your point and angela's as well, let me read what the president said: with or without congress i'm going to keep at it but it would be a lot easier if congress helped. with that, the president is trying to push for a bipartisan support on the plan, as you know, he wants congress to grant him broad new powers and streamlining the government, and, beginning with the small business administration and other trade and birth agencies. and, the -- dispense with the commerce department, is he taking the right approach here? >> i think he's taking the right approach, but, kelly, since 1996, bob dole ran on these

issues when he ran against president clinton and speaking of president clinton, here obama's now moving more to the center and if you recall, that is how president clinton won four more years against a hostile congress in which newt gingrich was speaker of the house. so, i think that the president is moving more to the center, to play politics here and, what republicans need to do is put more emphasis on what the president hasn't done, instead of proposals. >> kelly: doug, you heard what she said there, and, will republicans fight the president, even on this move? and other things that he is proposing? for congress? a lot of his plans have been kind of languishing in congress, with the house republicans, particularly, stepping out against the president. what can he anticipate from the congress? >> the republicans are in a tough position, because if they oppose these policies, elevating the small business administration to cabinet-level stratus, streamlining the government and extending the payroll tax they'll look

intransigent as they've increasingly done and if they go along it will be a victory for the president. so i think the president is in a good position. i would advise the republicans to go along, because, people want bipartisanship, and, it is a profound mistake for the republicans to think, juxtaposing obama will bring them victory in november. >> kelly: i hear you laughing about this, angela. looking at this on the fifsurfa do you think they'll remain skeptical now or follow your advice and doug's advice to go along to get along. >> of course, kelly, they'll remain skeptical but in 2010, the tea party members won on promoting small businesses and here obama is trying to make the small business administration part of his cabinet and is doing all of the right things so, they are going to have to support the president's proposals or they'll look anti-conservative, anti-republican. >> kelly: doug? >> this is exactly what i'm saying. my good friend angela is now

suggesting republicans have to support obama. she's right. it is a bit i've turn around for her but we welcome her to our camp and bipartisanship will benefit the most. >> kelly: i think that is tongue in cheek. >> i'm not going back over to the dark side, my friend. >> you're welcome any time, we'll take you back, any time. >> kelly: where do you site playing out quickly, from both of you? >> i think this is a huge advantage for the president. because he has got populism going and anti-washington going and now, adding a centrist dimension, smart politics, good government and the republicans are really sort of hamstrung. >> kelly: and angela, he's doing what he said he'd do, taking the message to the american people if congress fails to react and he's not waiting and going out there and talking to them. >> yes. and that is a smart move, because, doug and kelly, it will be independents that will decide this election, not conservatives, not democrats. and i think it is a very smart move, and republicans need to step up to the plate.

>> kelly: two of my good friends there, fox news contributors, one and all, angela mcglowan and doug schoen. >> patti ann: there are documents that reveal the obama administration knew about the layoffs at solyndra, and, they are investigating a large loan guarantee given to the energy company. peter doocy has more. >> reporter: hi, so lynn dra was in distress before the midterm elections and the obama administration knew about it, and kept their mouths shut while the company prepared to fire hundreds of workers, we have an e-mail white house advisor to the director of climate change policy control that says: here's the deal: the company will announce they are lawing off 200 of the 1200

workers, and, republican investigators are saying the sad truth is that the loan was tainted by stimulus politics from the outset, rushed out the door from the protests of the administration's top experts and layoffs delayed until after the 2010 election and an indefensible loan restructuring, which left taxpayers on the hook for half a billion dollars and the white house says there is no support for the allegations of political favoritism and improper white house interference that were the initial focus of the committee's concerns. dong man darrell issa, chair of the house oversight committee reads it a little differently. >> one of the things that bothers me the most is, that they were more concerned about whether news of solyndra's layoffs were going to come out before the elections than whether or not their plan to finance companies like this, even if they were not viable, was a good one or not. >> reporter: and the congressman

says this even if some of the other loans, other stimulus money out there, does not end up resulting in a default, in some cases they were still inappropriate and he blames that all on favoritism. patti ann? >> patti ann: all right, thank you very much, peter doocy live in washington. >> kelly: how about this, a big win for the obama administration. we'll tell you the latest decision on tracking guns over america's southern border and serious new concerns after hundreds of prisoners are left off the hook. hear from the man who handed out the pardons, on why his faith played a major role in his controversial decision. >> reporter: five guys we're talking about, really the focus, one sentenced to prison in 1993 after shooting and killing his wife, and turned his began on a family friend and another guy killed the principal of a school where he thought and another by sentenced to life in prison after shooting his wife in the back as recently as 2001 and,

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>> patti ann: the criminal trial of former presidential hopeful

john edwards is on hold again, his lawyer is saying he has a life-threatening heart condition. that came out in a north carolina courtroom on friday. a federal judge agreed to push his trial back to late march. the judge announcing that a cardiologist says that he needs surgery, next month. prosecutors say the ex-senator used close to a million dollars in campaign cash, to cover up an affair with his pregnant mistress, rielle hunter during the 2008 white house run, he later admitted to fathering a love child while his wife, elizabeth, battled the cancer that eventually killed her. >> kelly: at least four convicted murderers set free in mississippi. and now we're hearing from former governor haley barbour, who says he is very comfortable with that decision. these men are among 200 who received a pardon just before he left office. they worked as trustees in the governor's mansion, and, doug mcelway joins us live with more details.

>> reporter: good afternoon to you. among the criminals pardoned by governor haley barbour were charles hooker, who in 1992 was sentenced to life in prison for killing the principal of a mississippi high school where he was a teacher, and also, joseph osmond, imprisoned in 1993 for murder, conspiracy and korrmed y and anthony mccray who murdered his wife, shooting her in the back and a man who shot and killed his estranged wife as she held their baby son and then turned the gun on a friend who managed to survive the bullet wound to the head. >> i think they ought to be -- the governor himself ought to look me as a family in the eye and say i'll let this guy go but there wasn't that, that is the coward's way out, if you ask me. >> reporter: outrage over the pardons resonated across mississippi and much of the nation, and the governor explained his reasoning for them. during an exclusive interview last night with bret baier. >> this is eight years worth of

pardons, my first four years i did what mississippi governors traditionally do. the mansion is staffed by inmates from the state penitentiary and almost all of them are murderers because the experts say they are the least likely to commit another crime if their crime was a crime of passion and the department of corrections sends us who works there, i don't pick them. >> reporter: he said that he understood and respected how victims' families and survivors were hurt by this is decision. a decision, he said, was based in christian principles. >> most people in mississippi are christians or profess to be and we believe in forgiveness, and we believe in second chances. and, in the case of these five inmates, at the state penitentiary that is what most of this is about. four murderers, they have all said they were guilty, they have served on average 20 years in the penitentiary. you know, these are not guys that got a slap on the wrist.

>> reporter: he added the majority of those granted clemency have been out of prison for years and that 90% of the decisions were based on recommendations from the parole board. kelly? >> kelly: all right, doug, i think the story will be around for a little longer. doug mcelway, reporting from d.c. thank you. >> patti ann: major developments in the face off between the feds and the u.s. gun industry. why the obama administration's new rules on sales along the u.s. border are likely to stick around. also, the death of a nuclear scientist sparks new tensions with iran. up next, we'll speak with a retired four star general on how the u.s. can try to calm the waters. >> we cannot tolerate iran blocking the straits of hormuz. and that's a red line. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition?

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news. horror on the high seas. a cruise ship full of passengers sinking off the coast of italy. three people are dead. a rescue operation is underway for 70 people, still missing. upstate new york digging out from the first heavy snow of the season, yesterday's snow falling at a rate of an inch an hour in watertown. and the republican candidates for president, stumping in south carolina, ahead of next week's primary. real clear politics average showing front-runner mitt romney with a strong lead over newt gingrich. >> patti ann: tensions between the u.s. and iran reaching a new high. newly released video shows iranian speedboats ignoring u.s. warnings in the strait of hormuz and coming within a few hundred yards of two navy vessels. the stand-off happened earlier this month, days after high-profile war games in the straits, now, iran is threatening to shut down that critical shipping route. on top of all of this, iran's supreme leader is blaming the

u.s. and israel for the assassination of one of its nuclear scientists. joining us now, fox news military analyst and retired four star general jack keane, thanks for joining us. >> glad to be here. >> patti ann: regardleing the video, they said iran disregarded the standard maritime protocols followed in the strait. was it a provocation. >> they'll continue to harass us, somewhat and sabre-rattling about threatening to close the straits of hormuz. i don't think they'll attempt to close the straits. they know that that would be a military escalation and that would require a military response from us. but, nonetheless, they truly are starting to feel pressure for the first time, of the international community, sanctions that are being imposed on them and the currency is starting to be devalued somewhat and the economy is starting to shrink as well, and we'll have to increase sanctions if we'll stop them from having a nuclear

weapon. pushing yesterday the obama administration confirmed it is warning iran through various channels not to disrupt the flow of oil from the persian gulf and we'll see what happens with that. but, in the meantime an iranian nuclear scientist was killed on wednesday. by a bomb and the u.s. and easy real are both denying involvement but as we said earlier iran's supreme leader is blaming the cia and israel's mossad. might either have been involved? >> i don't know. i mean, i take secretary panetta at the his word but the fact of the matter is there is much we can do to cripple the iranians' capabilities, through sanctions, short of a military attack. look, secretary panetta said publicly that within a year, the iranians will have a nuclear weapon. so, now is the time to pull out all of the stops. we can seize the mullahs' personal assets that are in foreign companies, we can ask the international community not to have iranian ships come into their ports to trade. we can conduct covert

operations, as you suggest, through espionage and also, targeting the quds force and the entire nuclear capability and, certainly, if there ever was a case to do cyber attack on limited economic and military targets, this is the place. and, also, we should be doing everything we can to encourage the people to overthrow this regime through money and moral support. >> patti ann: an interesting development, western diplomas telling the "wall street journal" iran has actually agreed to host a high-level team of u.n. nuclear inspectors, later this month. what do you make of that? >> well usually with the iranians, it is two steps forward, one step back. and they do anything they can to get the pressure off of their back. and just understand, the iranians don't tell the truth. they manipulate us, they clearly want regional hegemony to control the region in which they live and they clearly want nuclear weapons. you keep your eyes on those

targets while they go through all of the machinations to try to put us off. >> patti ann: the journal also reporting that the united states is concerned that israel is preparing to take possible unilateral military action against iran. the u.s. objecting to such a move, the journal saying president obama and defense secretary panetta have delivered a string of private messages, to israeli leaders, warning about what they call the dire consequences of such a strike. what is your opinion of israel's movement towards military action? >> well, israel's situation and the iranians saying they have nuclear weapons, they intend to use them against the zionist state of israel, i don't know how you take that lightly. and, bet the sovereignty of the nation on the motivations of the iranians. so, i think they've got to take it seriously. what we need to do is impose crippling sanctions on the iranians now, coming at them

from multiple places at the same time and that is what would dissuade the israelis from conducting the strike if they saw the fact that we were truly serious about sanctions on iran, and started to have a positive impact on them and at some point, if we were going to be involved in covert activity i certainly would bring the israelis into let them participate in that and gain their trust and confidence as well. >> patti ann: general jack keane, thank you so much. >> good seeing you, patti ann. >> patti ann: you, too. >> kelly: new developments in a show down between the gun industry and the federal government. the atf requires gun store owners in southwest border states to report customers who buy several high powered rifles. the gun industry sued and now a judge has thrown the lawsuit out. julie bandaras joins us with more on the story. >> reporter: that's right, and the gun industry in fact will be filing an appeal, we are told, we spoke with them moments ago on the phone and in the meantime a u.s. federal judge in washington, d.c. as u handed the obama administration eventually

a victory in the effort to curb violence along the border with mexico, despite heavy opposition from gun rights groups, the u.s. bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives or atf ordered more than 8,000 gun dealers in texas, arizona, new mexico and california to report the sale of two or more semi-automatic rifles to the same person within five business days and the decision came as the atf has been under scrutiny in recent months, after a botched gun operation called fast and furious meant to track guns smuggled into mexico resulted in thousands of weapons falling into the hands of drug cartels instead and two guns were found at the murder scene of u.s. border patrol age brian terry killed during a shootout in mexico and a well placed source on capitol hill tells fox the head of the u.s. attorneys criminal division in arizona, patrick cunningham is resigning and he supervised prosecutions

related to the operation and mexica mexican officials complained bitterly about guns coming from the u.s., tens of thousands of mexicans died in the drug war since 2006 when the government decided to take on the cartels and the national rifle association opposing the judge's ruling, they are appealing, and they argue the rules will have no impact on the cartels, and, will instead burden law abiding retailers. kelly? >> kelly: julie bandaras reporting for us, thank you. >> reporter: sure. >> patti ann: the most recent unemployment numbers are being touted by the obama administration as encouraging economic news. unemployment now down to 8.5%. but, this official rate of job growth is misleading because it doesn't take into account so-called discouraged workers. jobless americans who have not been looking for work in the past four years, as jim engel reports those numbers draw a different picture. >> it is clear no issue is more important this election year than jobs.

>> president barack obama: bring jobs home and invest in america. >> worrying about your job, not saving my own. >> this is about jobs, even those with jobs, even those who seem to be doing okay. there is a subtle discontent in this country. >> reporter: though the official unemployment rate has fallen in recent months, those in both parties say the jobs situation is much worse than it looks. >> we saw the unemployment rate decline and 50,000 people left the labor force that can't be a good news story. >> as bad as the unemployment rate has been the actual job situation in the country has been worse than that. because of these ways they don't get measured. >> reporter: what doesn't get measured is those who have lost hope of finding a job and quit looking for one. what are known as discouraged workers. official figures simply don't count them as unemployed, though some six million people are in that predicament, a large portion of the total unemployed. >> if you look at the number of people who have been unemployed for longer than 27 weeks, it is

3% of all unemployed. and that is a huge number. >> reporter: if officials counted the discouraged workers the latest unemployment rate of 8.5% would be much higher. >> 15.2% in december and, this number actually doubled the official unemployment rate. >> reporter: though economists agree there is a mild improvement in the labor market the holds risk for the president and he may have to face rising unemployment rights in the midst of an election year. >> if the economy heats up and you start to have jobs those people reappear, begin to look again and suddenly the unemployment rate goes back up instead of down. >> reporter: that's economy improves sometimes the unemployment rate can actually go back up, as some of those discouraged workers come out and say, hey, there are jobs, i'm going to start looking for work. >> reporter: so, just as some of the republican candidates peaked too early, president obama has to worry whether the unemployment rate, the most widely watched measure of jobs, dropped just as the election

year arrived, but, will rise as the voting gets closer. in washington, jim angle, fox news. >> kelly: thank you, jim. the annual detroit auto show is underway in the motor city. and, carmakers came away with amazing new stuff, over the last year. we have the highlights, in the week's car report. >> reporter: literally dozens of new cars made their debut this year, at the detroit auto show and many of them very important. like this dodge dart based on an alpha romeo chassis. and, our job is to find the coolest cars, let's do it. a no-brainer, the return of the acura super car, a hybrid and will be developed and built in the united states. and if that is not good enough, it is beak driven in the new iron man movie. and, a plug-in hybrid power train, the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon.

and this is actually a two-fer, concept cars from chevrolet, a mini-muscle car and the other an affordable exotic and both costing less than $20,000 and, a smart pickup truck. maybe not that cool. a beetle with a chop top and electric drive and is called the e-bug ster and it is so cool it almost hurts. i realize it isn't a car but the congratulations man ctx has power steering and traction control and cruise control and a cup holder. don't drink and drive, not even one of these. in detroit, fox news. >> kelly: thanks, if you want to learn more about the auto show, go to foxcarreport.com. >> patti ann: serious signs about the state of the european economy, we'll tell you how recent credit downgrades could impact our economy here and a horrific scene, a woman and her two young daughters strapped in the wreckage of their car as it

hacks over the side of a bridge. we'll have the video of their dramatic rescue, next. >> we could hear here scream and the only thing, her concern was, she let everyone know there was a baby in the vehicle. .. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually se arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammatio plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. a celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naen, and melocam have the same cardiovascar warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death.

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>> patti ann: incredible new video of a dramatic rescue of a family trapped on a bridge. let's take a look. a woman and her two young daughters, ages ten and ten months trapped inside their car, dangling on an overpass in california. according to police, a truck slammed into the car and the truck went over the bridge, tragically killing the driver and leaving the family of three hanging by a thread. >> the car started shifting and their fear was that it was going to fall over the overpass. >> they were all trapped in the

vehicle and teetering over the edge as we used the jaws of life to rescue them. >> patti ann: and they say the car seat saved the baby's life. >> kelly: the s&p downgrading the credit ratings of several european countries. including france, and austria. it is the latest fallout from the your zone debt crisis and will it drag the u.s. fragile economy down with it. joining us is our fox news contributor, and, it is an important topic, we see what s&p has done. what does it mean for the u.s., should france and germany not be able to actually get the countries in line in the european union? >> well the big word is debt and it is -- if interest rates continue to skyrocket in europe it affecteds their economy, which, affects everywhere else

and china is in no great shakes and of course we have $15 trillion of our own debt we have to deal with that is providing major head winds for what is happening here. >> kelly: what does it mean for the u.s. when the president of the united states says, i went to expand the debt by getting $1.2 trillion added, what does that mean for us? can we see another threat of s&p or some sort of downsizing? >> it is nothing good, and, the s&p threatened us once and followed through and, if they lower our rating again, potentially, our interest rates will go up. and if they do, the cost of that debt is going to go up, the cost of capital for businesses and consumers go up, and, if you want to see an economy that is already not doing that great, but doing a little bit better, recently, if you want to see head back south again, that would be the -- what needs to be done, so, hopefully, they get their act in gear but, unfortunately i'm seeing nothing out of washington about doing

anything about our debt and now we're in this election year and i don't think it is feasible right now. >> kelly: that is frustrating, what you mentioned, we saw a piece by jim angle, discouraged workers, how it might relate to the elections and now, how the eu is totally connected to what might go on, for our election and the outcome of that. what is the president looking at in terms of -- i mean, he must be kinds of looking at this with concerned thoughts about what is happening in europe? >> well, he has to be concerned. what happens in europe affects here. what happens here affects europe and we are a chain-link fence around the world. and as some economies go, other economies will go with it. and, that is what you basically have been seeing. you know, around the globe, right now, economic growth is what i call black. china has been going south, you have some recessions in some european countries and i feel kind of lucky here that we're not in recession, but, housing still in recession, and

employment still in recession and unless we come out of it and for me the big wore is employment, unless the numbers come down markedly and i'm not talking about going to 8%, i'm talking 6%, nothing good will really happen. >> kelly: i hear you loud and clear. a lot of work for us to do. gary, thank you very much, sir. >> patti ann: coming up a high-protein diet might benefit your health but a study suggests those who love red meat might need to think twice about how much is good for you. our medical a-team. coming up. of ingredients... i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta made with wholesome grains, real chicken, even accents of tomato and avocado. yeah! come on! [ barking ] gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta. another healthful, flavorful beneful.

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>> patti ann: a study shows eating large amounts of red meat may increase your chances of having a stroke. just how much is too much? joining us now with answers is dr. david samadi, he's the chief of the division of robotics at new york's mt. sinai hospital and a member of the fox news medical a-team. thanks for joining us, doc. i want to emphasize protein is important but the source matters? >> true. we thought protein is essential for your body, and muscles mass and for your body workup, but now we're finding out, red meat,

which is a source of protein, can increase the risk of stroke in men, 28% and women, 19%, if they take two servings of red meat a day and you have to be cautious. what i found out about the study which is important is different types of proteins, for example, chicken, reduces the risk of stroke by 17%. or fish, also, by 11%. so, the source of protein is as important as what you take. watch out for the amount of red meat you take every day in your diet. >> patti ann: and some people get their protein from powders and shakes. is that a good idea? i know protein increases your athletic performance and the muscle mass and your body mass index and so, for performance, short-term, that will help you but, long tem, you can get into a lot of trouble. it puts a lot of pressure on your liver and kidneys and you can go into what you call

ketosis, and, you have to be under supervision of a nutritionist, if you take the powders to be sure you get enough carbohydrates. >> patti ann: regular food sources are the best, and, you want to talk about strokes in general, people not as aware as they should be of the warning signs? >> you know, stroke comes in two different types, one is the blood clot that goes up to the brain and stroke by itself is an attack on the brain and if you have closure, a blood clot that blocks the blood vessel to get to the brain you can have death or es keep y es keep yeah, and, you have any weakness in the face, facial weakness, weakness in your arms, any slurred speech, at times it is essential, the sooner you get the patient to the emergency

room and find out there is any sign of stroke you can repair it and make sure that area of the brain that is danced can be repaired quickly and that is very, very important. >> patti ann: so, you can stem it from getting worse if you get the prompt medical attention? >> absolutely. there are medications we can give you, and it is to dissolve the blood clot and make sure there is enough to get to the brain and what i recommend for people out there is the way to prevent stroke, as you know, stroke is the third highest reason of death in this country, thousands and millions of people have been affected by stroke. so, make sure that you increase your activity. that is extremely important. you have to exercise at least three times a week. control your blood pressure, want to be sure your blood pressure is under control and that is how those vessels won't erupt and see if your cholesterol -- want to be sure your cholesterol is under control. and, make sure, especially your bad cholesterol, the ldl is low, diabetes, you want to be sure your sugar is under control and,

finally, smoking, reduce any kind of smoking. everything we talked about, is part of something, what key call a metabolic syndrome. high blood pressure, diabetes and they all lead to strong. so, that is really, really important. >> patti ann: and they all have the same causes an prech vengsz, healthy lifestyle, you have to get into that. >> and, the people in my office, complain about why i eat chicken every day, it is a great study so show why. >> chicken lovers, everywhere. >> once in a while, having red meat, once a week, is not bad. i love steak and so, you know, everything is in moderation and, watch what you eat. >> patti ann: doctor, thank you very much. >> kelly: you say you eat a lot of chicken -- we have to go... that's it, i'm kelly wright, thanks for joining us. >> patti ann: i'm patti ann browne, have a great day. what's this? it's progresso's new loaded potato with bacon.

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