b. dazzler said it is common sense and rules not being used together. i remember when it was sweet for this to happen. keep sending your responses and we'll monitor them throughout the day. have a great day. "fox & friends" starts right now. bye good morning. i'm ainsley earhardt filling in for elisabeth. an entire family that was missing in the freezing snow, well, they were all found alive and they are doing well this morning. their hero dad credited with saving all of their lives. we'll tell you why coming up. >> while president obama shook hands with raul castro, the guy who runs cuba, senator ted cruz had a very different reaction to the cuban dictator. what the texan senator did has people talking on this wednesday morning. >> a six-year-old suspended for sexual harassment?

>> kissed her on the hand. >> is that kindergarten kid -- suspending a kindergarten kid and putting it on his record, is that going too far. >> he has a record? >> he has a record. >> you have a long laundry list on your record, brian. >> not at six. queue the head shot. "fox & friends" starts now. >> hear ye, hear ye, that's the news. god safety queen. >> thank you very much. >> save the county. it's in trouble. >> welcome aboard, folks. elisabeth is off. ainsley is with us. good to have you here. let's just get together. >> all right. here's heather. >> heather come in. photo bomb. photo bomb.

>> you've got to frown. >> all right there. >> i'm late to the game. >> it is now in webster's dictionary. >> on the cover of the post, the president of the united states posed for a selfie. >> she is not happy. i've seen that look before. >> thank you very much for joining us on this awfully busy wednesday. >> i didn't see selfie in the rundown. >> heather take us away. >> good morning. we're having fun already as you can see. i've got news to bring you at about 3 minutes after the hour. a family that had been missing in subzero temperatures in the nevada mountains found safe and

sound. this morning the father's survival skills are credited with keeping that family alive. two adults and four children survived for two days by burning their spare car tire in order to help keep them warm. rescue crews were able to hone in on a cell phone signal to help find them and then they found the family's jeep lying upside down and they saw that through bill -- through binoculars. >> they went through an embankment and tipped over. >> they had food and water with them in the jeep. all six are doing just fine this morning. thank goodness for that. dramatic new video. take a look at this. golden colorado, showing the moments an ice dam busted open. the freezing water rushes through the streets and folks in an r.v. park forced from their homes. an ice dam caused by a cold snap over the last few days, folks are now being let back into their homes but a flood advisory remains in effect. my mom lives in that area. she says it is darned cold

there. kevin: congress reaching a -- coming reaching a budget deal. congress reaching a budget deal. >> we knew if we forced each other to compromise the core principles we would get nowhere. we decided to focus on where the common ground is. >> because of this deal the budget process can stop lunching -- lurching from crisis to crisis. >> that deal reduces the budget by more than $23 million. federal workers including the military will have to contribute more to their pensions and will likely increase the fees in airline tickets. the deal still needs to pass the house and the senate. the country's biggest stars coming out for the fourth annual american country awards. ♪ ♪ >> we saw three of our friends. florida georgia line was the big winner taking home

artist of the year. the show was hosted by our friend danica patrick. leann rimes paid tribute to patsy klein. ♪ ♪ >> beautiful voice. taylor swift was in australia. she received the first ever worldwide artist award from olivia newton john. those are your headlines. >> patsy klein, was she best friends with loretta lynn. >> she died in a plane crash; right? >> leave it to a south carolina girl to know all that country trivia. >> highlights of that awards show throughout the program. >> a fox production. >> ainsley will have fine follow-up questions to

every story. >> i like to ask questions. i'm a reporter. >> later on this morning, 9:00 a.m. eastern time the administration is going to release the november numbers for the number of people who signed up for obamacare. and they are the -- the numbers are embargoed until 9:00 this morning. >> we can't tell you those numbers whatever they are. >> when you see them, you won't believe them. let's put it this way. when you see these, you'll realize there are a lot of people who don't want to sign up. there could be another reason as well. last night the former clinton health care director said one of the things you've got to worry about going forward is, okay, if you finally do get a doctor, how good is the doctor going to be? listen. >> the plans are getting paid on the basis of quality and they're moving these quality incentives down to doctors and hospitals and holding them accountable. i think a lot of doctors are not happy about being measured and, frankly, as a

patient and as someone who advocates for health system change, i want doctors to be measured and i want there to be quality incentives and i want there to be a system that does not penalize them for taking a sick patient. >> here's an idea. can i be the judge if my doctor is doing a good job? if the person understands me? do i feel comfortable in the doctor's office. i don't want to find out from ezekiel emanuel, he comes out and says if you want to pay more, you can hold on to that doctor. listen, there's somebody in my family who wants to see a doctor that the other people don't think is too good. it doesn't matter what i think because that person has to feel comfortable with that doctor. do you want some person you don't know grading your doctor telling you that doctor is not doing a good enough job for you? >> you're talking about the government doing the grading. how well does the government do with the d.m.v.? that puts it all into

perspective. now they're in the doctor grading business. >> and these doctors are getting paid according to quality? and the government is going to do the grading. >> every plan has got different scales. ultimately what it comes down to is, according to a friend of this program, dr. ben carson, going forward, doctors essentially being treated as government workers. listen to this. >> one of the reasons that private practice is disappearing is because all these different costs and requirements are so onerous you need to be under the umbrella of a hospital or big medical system in order to be able to do that. basically we're in the process of making doctors into government employees. >> your question, mendelson said the up side is the costs will be down. the down side is it restricts patient choice. >> what's interesting -- i talked to one of my doctors about this -- he said if i

did want to buy into this system, no one contacted me. no one asked me if i want to buy in. my patients, if they're signing up for obamacare i'm not going to be on the list because not once has the government asked me if i want to sign up. he entered in his zip code on the obamacare website to find out what doctors in our zip code were on the list, and found two doctors on the upper east side. that was it that had signed up for it. >> there just aren't many details on the website when you go to sign up -- >> next time when you go to your doctor ask. >> let's be honest -- crazy. >> let's talk about yesterday -- by the way, you did an incredible job at the memorial service yesterday. >> thank you. >> that was prime time there. >> we thought the memorial service was going to start at 4:00 a.m. we were told that. for one hour we were discussing what was happening and painting the picture. but it didn't start until

nation in which we have no

diplomatic relations. that is a "titanic" move, the president of the united states shaking hand and going to the right cheek, left cheek, back to the right cheek with mrs. raul castro because fiddle is evidently still alive but his brother is in power. it has to be intentional. you know where the seethe chart is. >> maybe he didn't recognize him. who knows. >> we have a quote from ted cruz. "for decades castro wrongly imprisoned and tor -- tortured countless innocents. he should hold free elections and once and for all set the cuban people free." >> how do the people in miami, cuban descent, feel about the handshake. listen to this. >> for us cuban americans, that is an enemy, raul castro, for what he did to all the, his own people and what he continues to do to

his own people. for us, that's not permissible. >> shaking hands in front of everybody, he shouldn't do it. >> with everything the castro regime has done, the oppression, the human rights violations, to actually acknowledge somebody is one thing, but to shake their hands is [inaudible] >> according to nbc news, our president also shook hands with robert mugabe, the mass murderer. >> maybe this will open the door for some kind of conversation they can have. who knows. >> you've got to be worthy of a conversation. number two, your security people check everybody who is there. they knew exactly where everybody was and they could have avoided it. either that or he's got the worse man in the history of secret service. >> what do you think? e-mail us. coming up texas taking the fight against crime at the border into its own hands and the plan already working. so how do they do it?

the lieutenant governor is coming up next. >> he defended our freedom, but apparently that's not enough to land him a job. this veteran says his time in the military actually cost him a job. he's going to be here to talk about it. >> first, a look at the american country awards. here is kelly pickler. ♪ connect 1200

>> what got us to the point where you guys spent all this money to do it yourself? >> brian, we spent almost $800 million, $800 million of our own texas tax dollars since 2008.

>> we'll put up the funds if the federal government doesn't. but the federal government ought to be doing this not just for the 1,200 miles of the texas border but all 2,000 miles of our southern border. >> lieutenant governor, the word from the administration is the border has never been safer and traffic has never been lower. what is your take? >> in that county they have 130, 150 people, they try and go north. it is a war zone down on the border in many of the counties. >> unfortunately it's got to stop because there's only so much money the state can put out in the

state of texas as well as it's doing. >> hopefully the new guy in charge will step up. thank you very much lieutenant governor dewhurst. he thought the military background would be an asset but it cost him his job. a six-year-old suspended for sexual harassment? his crime? he kissed a girl's hand. honestly? ♪ ♪

some quick headlines on this wednesday morning. the search is on for the person who pointed a green laser light at a jetblue

plane full of passengers. the plane was headed to west palm beach, florida from new york city. despite being blinded the pilots were able to land the plane safely. in florida pointing a laser light at a plane is a third-degree felony. >> angelina jolie has been ground from beneficiaries daned from flying her plane after she did not renew her registration. her team sent in the registration but it didn't make the deadline in time. darn it. >> our next guest thought his military background would be an asset when he was looking for work. instead this air force reservist claims it cost him his job. but now he is fighting back. joining us is air force reservist major john murphy. good morning major murphy. how are you? >> great, ainsley. good morning. >> good morning to you. this happened three years ago. the reason we're talking about it today is because it took you three years

from what i understand to get a job and now there is a lawsuit because you felt like you were discriminated against. tell the folks who are watching at home your story. >> i was the finalist for an affluent community as a township manager. i was called up and told that i wasn't being considered for a second interview because of some serious concerns about my ongoing military obligations by some of the commissioners. >> this happened in radner, pennsylvania. how many people applied? >> 70 people applied. i was one of the eight finalists. >> why do you feel like you were discriminated against? how do you know that was the reason? did they say we're not hiring you because you're going to spend one weekend a month as a reservist, two weeks every summer as a reservist? >> i will tell you i've been involved in interviews, i've given interviews before. it was -- the interview

started out normal until one of the commissioners, the chairman started really grilling me about my reserve obligations and whether or not they would be forced to send me. at that point he was stopped after about five minutes or ten minutes, stopped by his own manager and told he was probably violating a federal law. in the deposition, the manager talked about telling the chairman to shut up. so for them to say it was a normal interview and they didn't treat me any differently is totally wrong. >> the interview was going really well, and then in the middle of that he starts to grill you about how is this going to affect your job if you're away fighting for our country or serving our country? >> right. >> then it took a turn for the worse. so you knew he was asking inappropriate questions? >> i knew he was asking inappropriate questions, but then when they called me to tell you --

originally they were supposed to bring four people back for a second interview. when i walked out the manager put his arm around me and said you did great. i'm sure you'll be in the top four. it's only when he called me a day or two later and said i know i told you they were bringing back four but they are only bringing back three because they wouldn't hire you because of your ongoing military obligation. >> you have to feel so defeated because you're trying to put food on the table for your family without work for years. you're serving our country, giving up one weekend every month, two weeks a year. i know this. my father was in the arm reserves. we lost -- or we weren't with him for one weekend out of every month and two weeks every year, every summer. it takes a toll on your family. you have to feel defeated when you're trying to find work and you can't in this great country because you're serving the country.

how did you feel for the last few years? how has it affected your family? >> i felt a lot of emotions. first i was disheartened and disappointed. i grew up as a lover of this country. i have a passion for public service and i thought it was a perfect blend after the military to go into public administration, and i had a successful career. it's only when, after this experience in radner i channeled those emotions and i was determined to fight not just for j.j. murphy; for all the other reservists who face the same challenges when employees don't treat them fairly. >> we got a statement from the township of radner, they say at the lower level we pointed out reasons why mr. murphy was not given a second interview. his military service which was admired by the supervisors had nothing to do with the decision. major murphy, we wish you the best. thanks so much for joining us this morning and thank

you for your service. >> thank you, ainsley. >> sure. coming up, remember this scene from "a christmas story"? >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> not only will you shoot your eye out, apparently b.b. guns can land your children in jail. a stunning report. harry reid accused of helping expedite visas for vegas hotel investors. those details coming up next. ♪ ♪

e

in a radio interview, kanye west said he wants to be the obama of clothing. that's what he said. he wants to be the obama of clothing. to achieve his goal he's designing fashion nobody wants and offering it on a website that doesn't work. it should be fascinating. >> i wouldn't be surprised if this story is in jay leno's monolog. it is about a six-year-old suspended from school and given a label, put on his record for sexual harassment. what did he do? he kissed a girl because he liked her. >> thank you, katy perry.

he kissed a girl's hand. >> thank you. >> you know, he was suspended. that little boy is six-year-old hunter. >> and his shoelaces are untied. >> he is in kansas city, colorado. he was suspended for a couple of days. his mother says, look, there's nothing wrong with a display of affection. here she is. she is not backing down. he's six-year-old. he kissed a hand. >> this is taking it to an extreme that doesn't need to be met with a six-year-old. now my son is asking questions. what is sex, mommy? it should not ever be said sex in a sense with a six-year-old. how can you do this? how can you say this about my child? remove sexual harassment. remove it from his record. i just -- i need to stand up and fight for him. i can't let that happen because it's not the case. it's not what happened at all.

>> the school says the boy's behavior is unacceptable. kissing a girl at school is not acceptable. a child psychologist interviewed for this story says i'm critical about the district's decision to punish a boy over a kiss. on facebook almost everybody is outraged. i was asking a question about raul castro but this question is beginning to outstrip raul. >> if you're a mother you teach your children to love each other. when they play together you say give johnny a little hug. tell him thank you. give him a kiss on the cheek. you're taught that at a very young age. parents are trying to teach kids to get along, to love each other. >> hunter loves his dog as well. he has been in a little trouble in school in the past for roughhousing. >> he's a boy. >> he did kiss a girl one time before. but you know what? kissing is normal for a six-year-old kid. >> what about the judge? every day he walks in, he finds a woman, kisses her

hand. judge napolitano. >> he's always looking for the long arm of the law to kiss. you weigh in. >> does hunter need to be socked. >> heather, you have children. you teach your boys to get along. >> absolutely. when they're not busy trying to kill each other, you try to get them to hug -- >> when they're not busy roughhousing. >> do you have kissing a girl's hand is inappropriate touching? >> this is way overboard. i think most parents out there would probably agree with it. i have got news. there is a new report in "the washington times" today that reveals the obama administration overruled homeland security officials by speeding up visas for a company that was strongly backed by democratic senator harry reid. the agency originally decided that s.l.s. hotel in las vegas did not deserve expedited consideration for visas for workers from china. but after heavy pressure from senator reid, the

process was moved along a lot faster so the hotel could get the financing and the workers it needed. dramatic video just released of what looks like a woman being snatched off the street. this went down in philadelphia. you can see as a man grabs her and then drags her into his car. what's even more disturbing about this, the man who watched the whole thing happen, well, does absolutely nothing to help. police are now asking anyone who has information to please come forward in philadelphia. remember this scene from the movie "christmas story"? >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> not only could you shoot your eye out, kid, you might also -- listen to this -- go to jail for owning a b.b. gun. new jersey apparently makes no distinction between owning a b.b.g. and owning a real gun.

b.b. guns have to be registered with the state. kids who are charged with possessing a b.b. gun could face mandatory jail time. okay. slingshot, b.b. gun, steve, what do you think? this wedding guest falling head over heels, literally. look at this. >> yes, she is going after the bride's bouquet. she went flying over the railing and into that garden right there. she walked away with a couple of scratches and a sore back as well. >> she wants to be the next one to get hitched. >> i guess so. >> probably after a few glasses of champagne. >> now let's throw it over to maria molina with the weather. >> hello. good morning. we do have some extreme weather to tell you about. our storm system from yesterday is out of the northeast but it did leave behind pretty significant

snowfall totals. in parts of maryland, up to six inches reported. in central part, not so much. about 1.4 inches reported here in new york city. otherwise we do have some extreme weather in terms of lake aoefbgt snow today. -- lake-effect snow. up to three feet of snow will be possible north of the city of syracuse where we could be significant more significant snowfall accumulations. lake-effect snow warnings out here. otherwise temperatures across the northern plains, take a look at this. it currently is 19 degrees below zero in international falls. factor in the wind chill and you're looking at wind chill temperatures as cold as 50 degrees below zero. we have a number of warnings and also several advisories in place. brian, i want to mention, take a look at this, this storm system forecast to impact the northeast as we head into saturday and also on sunday. maybe more snow. we'll see. over to you. >> thank you very much,

maria. long time university of texas football coach mack brown hanging up his spurs. he will not be coaching anymore. after 16 years coaching the longhorns, before that north carolina, brown announced he'll step down by the end of the week. he was 158 and 47 including a national championship in 2005 and another title game in 2009. no word on who will replace him. there was pressure on him to retire. talk about some ice cold beer, that is what happened to fans at monday night's chicago bears game. these pictures posted on twitter and instagram after fans' beer started freezing over. the temps on monday night's game was 8 degrees with a minus 9 wind chill factor. the bears won 45-28 to the cowboys. watch this everyone. former nfl linebacker sean merryman was on espn yesterday before he goes inaudible in the middle of the interview. >> thanks guys, i appreciate it.

all right. >> watch. he just gets up. he takes off his ear piece. he leaves. the guys don't know what to do. they start staring at each other on live tv. they have no idea. they break the allusion they are in separate rooms. his publicist says he wasn't happy with the line of questioning so he walked off in the middle, said goodbye and that is about it. these guys sat in total silence for 25, 30 seconds. i thought it was so funny. maybe it is just an inside tv thing. an update on the book. i have a big event on friday. i'll be in naples, florida, on friday. that will be at the ritz. aisle be doing greg norman's charity event. i'll be at the villages at the barnes & noble there. next week the highlight of my stops has to be going to virginia at 11:00 at the barnes & noble and then going to george washington's house at mount vernon. it is open to the public. anna was there with the

opening of the library. >> if i want to get my book signed, should i go to the villages? >> go to brian kilmeade.com. >> my aunt wants it for christmas. >> really? >> terrific. 18 minutes before the top of the hour. coming up, have you seen this video? passengers waiting for their luggage get gifts instead. one of those lucky families that told santa what they wanted and then it showed up on the bag carousel will join us live. >> the largest teachers union is planning a massive rally, but stuart varney says their reason for protesting has nothing to do with your kids. ♪ ♪

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quick headlines for you. the founder of the workout clothing company lulu lemon stepping down. chip wilson came under fire after he blamed women's fat thighs for problems with the company's yoga pants. they were recalled for being see-through. the world's hottest models hit the runway. victoria's secret fashion show featured performances from taylor swift. the angels featured birds of paradise and snow angels. >> branching out. >> the music sounds good too. all right. >> a lot of thighs in that last story. i've got to tell you what's going on. the largest teachers union in the country planning to rally across america next week. their goal to, quote, reclaim the promise of public education. but could the real reason be because unions are losing members and money at

an unprecedented rate? stuart varney joins us on the curvy coach where maybe somebody -- on the curvy couch where maybe somebody spilled coffee. >> are you blaming me? >> absolutely not. tell us about what's going on here. >> i think the teachers are desperate. the unions, the unions are desperate. number one, they are losing members. the national education association -- one of the two big teachers unions -- down 230,000 since 2009. that's a big number. all kinds of reasons for that, but they're losing members. losing money. the american federation of teachers, they're still bringing a lot of money but the revenue is actually down, about $6 million last year alone. and i think most important, they're losing public support. there was a poll and it shows that only 32% of those polled found that teachers, they see teachers

in a positive light. losing members, losing money, losing support. so they take to the streets with a big, an attempted big demonstration fighting a rear guard action. >> the teachers are taking to the streets. shouldn't parents take to the streets to complain about the education their kids are getting. you look at the rankings and we're way down the totem pole. >> the rankings, we're way down there. after world war ii, i think america was top of the tree in just about everything. we've come all the way down to those rankings. there is some big challenges coming in the immediate future. specifically, in california, the teachers union is being taken to court because of their position on tenure and their defense of very poor teachers. if they lose, that sets the pattern for the whole country. tenure could be in doubt and their whole activities of the union could be in doubt. >> we will say this. i don't think there's one, anyone amongst us that can't name your first

through sixth grade teachers. teachers are special people. they don't do it for the money. you're not saying that. you're talking about the unions? >> i've got a big family, i know a lot of teachers. it is the unions that create problems. >> thank you, stu. we'll be watching you on the business channel in a couple of hours. >> and you'll see how bad it was just a short time ago if you go to twitter. >> it's already posted. >> coming up, volunteer firefighters, the latest victim of obamacare? one fire chief saying your safety is at risk. >> maybe the worst part of traveling waiting for your luggage, but not for these people because check out what happened. gifts came out instead of luggage. one of those lucky families is here next. ♪ ♪

this is my favorite story of the day. being on santa's nice list can really pay off sometimes. watch. >> hello there! is that cowan? what are you looking for christmas this year? a train? what would mommy and daddy like for christmas? >> big tv. >> yeah, big tv. >> ho, ho, ho, a big tv!

>> and they got the big tv at the end of their flight. canada's west jet airlines spreading holiday and christmas cheer when santa asked 250 flyers what they wanted for christmas and granted their wishes when they claimed their bags. our next guests were lucky enough to be on that flight. they join us today from calgary, canada. good morning to all of you. >> good morning. >> okay. so it all got started, matt, there at your gate as you're about to leave. there is a great big cube and there is a video and santa was there and what was he asking? >> he was basically scanning your boarding pass and your name popped up. he asked what we wanted for christmas. cowan asked for a train and he asked us what we wanted and big tv came to my head. >> absolutely! that would dom my head as well. andrea, you're pregnant. what came into your head?

>> honestly, like nothing did. i kind -- they don't show it, but i blanked for a long time, i was just laughing because there were so many things that i could ask for. but none seemed appropriate for santa. >> i understand you were thinking, i wish there was something to eat in there because i'm a little hungry right now. >> for sure, yeah. some subway or whatever. >> so you tell the video santa what you want. you think nothing of it. you get on your plane. go for a big airline ride and then at the other end when you're waiting for your bags, what happens, matt? >> i was standing by the baggage carousel and presents started to come down. bubbles and snowflakes coming from the ceiling and next thing i know, there is a box on the carousel and it's just a small box and has my name on it. i grab it. andrea comes over to me and goes, you got a present. i was like yeah, i guess so. and santa came out and he had a box in his hand and it said

cowan's name on it. and he went over there and there was a train set and the oversize baggage door opened. >> and that's where the big tv came. what was the scene like? it looks like everybody was crying there. >> yeah. i started crying almost immediately. and i tried to blame pregnancy hormones, but it was pretty overwhelming. all the west jet ladies were crying and matt started crying and everybody was crying. so it was making it worse for me. i cried all the way home pretty much. >> i don't blame you. congratulations to all of you. by the way, once the video gets 250,000 hits to youtube, they're going to give flights to families in need with the ronald mcdonald house charity. merry christmas, it's so good you wound up with a tv and cowan

wound up with a train as well. congratulations. >> thank you so much. >> see you later. that's great. coming up, brand-new poll out, bad news for the president. surprising news as well from independent voters

good morning. it is wednesday, december 11. i'm ainsley earhart filling in for elisabeth this morning. found alive, an entire family missing in the freezing snow for days. all found alive and they're doing just great this morning. the incredible story of how they survived and who they have to thank for it all. then it was the handshake seen around the world between president obama and raul castro. senator ted cruz having a very difficult reaction to the cuban dictator. what he did that has everyone talking this morning. and this story is going to have y'all fired up. they protect our families and ask nothing in return. now volunteer firefighters may

be in jeopardy because of obamacare. one of those volunteers is going to respond this hour. "fox & friends" hour two for this wednesday starts right now. >> hello there. this is grover from "sesame street." do you know the way to "fox & friends"? >> over here. >> very good. guess what? we have a deal in washington. for the first time in years, there is actually budget. they went into conference, the house passed a budget, the senate did, and they came up with it. i was snot astonished to see the president of the united states took credit for it. under my direction, i told them to come up with a budget, so they did. is either side happy? no. does it show titanic switching of the tax system in order to balance the budget? no. does it reinvigorate the pentagon? no. but do they agree to at least finance for the next two years? yes. >> here is essentially what it is. no government shutdown. no tax increases. no incentives for people not to work and some modest entitlement

reform as well. but the key is it does avoid a shutdown, which will keep the republicans focused on the affordable care act, also known as obamacare, which is not working. paul ryan says there are a number of people on the other side of the aisle. they wanted to shut things down. >> i think there are a lot of people who would like the drinks of government shutdown for one reason or another. i think they'd like to get off obamacare and by not shutting the government down, we're not going to get off obamacare. we're going to keep speaking truth to power, keep doing -- sunshining the light on these problems with the claw that, to us, gives us a good position. >> he was on greta van susteren last night. basically saying that the democrats are trying to somehow take the focus off of obamacare. >> desperately! >> loosening sanctions in iran and passing this budget deal now. what do you think? >> they basically restored $63 billion in automatic cuts.

i'm going to talk to a general about how the military was taken care of because they do take care of some of the meat ax cuts with the pentagon, but not all the way. they restore $52 billion worth. >> yeah. the worst part is that it does break the budget control act, the so-called sequester, because remember that was just going to be 2% of future increases in spending. now what they're going to do is they're going to limit those. ultimately, though, the democrats realize that they need to do something, to your point, ainsley, because the obamacare thing is dragging them all down of the you look at a poll, how is the president handling health care? 62% of you disapprove. only a third of the country approves. when it comes to the economy, which we're all worried about, close to 60%. disapprove. and a little north of a third approve how the president is handling that. >> right. and also in the same poll, american voters also disapprove of congress by the tune of 74 to

19%. they're not happy with anything to do with washington right now. >> that's historic. >> but the president disapproval at 57%, that stands out. his approval is at 38. >> then 38% approve. >> the timeses that up to 42% approval rating. >> here is the thing that's got to have the president -- john podesta has been called in to help him out. this next number is what he has to work on. the president's approval rating with independents. it's the independents who get people elected and provide all sorts of things, political cover. only 30% of independents now approve of the job the president of the united states is doing. speaking of the president, guess what? yesterday at nelson mandela's memorial service in south africa, the president of the united states, it was his turn to talk. what does he do as he's going down the line there? he shakes hands with castro. only the third time since 1959 an american president shook

hands with the dictator of cuba and he did it and it's got some people rankled. >> yeah. including senator ted cruz. when he saw castro speak, he left. that's a little different. in fact, shear what his communications director said. for decades, castro has wrongly imprisoned people. castro should finally release all his political prisoners and hold free elections and once and for all, set the cuban people free. there was a time where we would demand things like that before we would give them the opportunity to get a photo op, shaking their hand. i remember when the president first took off and hugo chavez was alive. and he jammed that book in the president's hand and the president was caught by surprise. we analyzed the fact with karl rovement he said before a president walks in the room, it's cased and advance people make sure stuff like that doesn't happen. how could you not know with the almost seven days advance notice what the seating chart will be?

you know security and he could have avoided that. there is a million ways to do it unless he wanted it. >> hue go had to get up, go around the table because he had his new book that he wanted the president to -- the president also shook hands with the president of brazil and she's steamed with what's going on with the nsa. she stepped out of a big event because of that and he shook hands with her. according to nbc, he also shook hands with zimbabwe's reaction. >> we sent our cameras to florida. take a listen. >> for us, cuban american, that's a sworn enemy, raul castro, for what did he did to s own people and continues to do to his own people of the for us, that's not permissible. >> he shouldn't do it. >> with everything the castro

regime has done, human rights vialses, to actually acknowledge somebody is one thing. but to shake hands is an insult. >> senator john mccain said t gives raul some propaganda to continue to prop up his brutal regime and that's it. marco rubio said i'm not gog criticize the handshake, saying the president should have taken the opportunity to press castro on human rights. i don't know if do you that in a packed stadium with nelson mandela's body there. >> maybe this will open up the line of communication between the two. he will have an opportunity to discuss after that handshake. >> then maybe it's a legacy thing. if the iran thing goes south for the president, maybe he could fall back on -- >> cuba? >> maybe. who knows. >> the russians just forgave all of cuba's debt to the former soviet regime. they're trying to get in-roads there. who wants in-roads with heather nauert? >> i appreciate that. good morning to you. we have an update on a story we

told you about yesterday. that family that had been missing in the sub zero temperatures in the mountains of nevada, they have been found safe and sound. this morning we're learning more about their ordeal. the father's survival skills have been credited with keeping the family alive. two adults and four children were able to survive for two days by burning a spare tire in their car to help keep them warm. rescue crews were eventually able to focus in on a cell phone signal and that's how they found the family's jeep. as it was lying upside down and they saw that by looking through binoculars. >> they went up on a site embankment and tipped off. >> the couple and the kids had food and water with them in the jeep. all six are doing just fine this morning. and thank goodness for that. dramatic new video showing the moment an ice dam broke open in colorado. part of the creek froze so quickly, there were few places the flowing water could go.

that caused the dam to burst. an rv park was evacuated because they were worried a wall of water could destroy it all together. the water surging past it. that piece of video from golden, colorado. a second person under arrest, accused of stealing part of the porsche that paul walker was in when he died. 25-year-old man surrendered to police a week after his friend was caught bragging about stealing some parts and he bragged about it on-line. that friend posted these photos on instagram with the caption, piece of paul walker's car. took it off a tow truck at a stoplight. they now face up to 4 1/2 years in jail for that. last night, lady antebellum kicking off the 4th annual country music awards. ♪ ♪ .

>> florida georgia line was the big winner, taking home six trophy, including new artist and single of the year. artist of the year went to luke bryant. that show was hosted by trace adkins and danica patrick and features performances by people like brad paisley. ♪ ♪ >> he was presented with the video vanguard award. he was the nicest guy when he was. he seemed so humble and a cool guy. >> i don't find him nice. >> they had a little misunderstanding. he had an album out. it was his tenth album. it had an x on the cover. brian referred to it as x. >> he said brian g back to school. have you ever heard of roman numerals? it was pretty funny. >> i got to interview him and go to his concert in new jersey. it's going to be part of our

christmas special. >> terrific. it's christmas album. i bought it for my mom. it's amazing. >> a celtic christmas. >> is not going to make the christmas special. >> as brian would say, it was a celtic christmas album. >> go back to school, brian! >> i was born in this country. we call them celtics. and he's a country music artist. >> this is why we're 26th in the world. >> i'm dragging the country down? >> yes. coming up, this baby chair maybe off the shelves. it's not because of safety concerns. why parents are outraged. >> then a volunteer firefighter the latest victim of obamacare. one fire chief saying your safety is at risk. he joins us next. >> first another look at the american country awards. here is justin moore.

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they protect us quietly without asking for a dime. now volunteer firefighters all across the country could become the next victims of obamacare. joinings us now to explain is pennsylvania's fire chief, ed, and pennsylvania state fire commissioner. good morning to you. >> good morning, steve. thank you. >> we talked a little bit about this yesterday. even though you guys are volunteers, the irs considers you to be employees and if any fire department has more than 50

employees who are really volunteers, then that municipality is obligated to buy obamacare for everybody, right? >> that's my understanding of the affordable care act. >> ed what, would that do to fire departments all across the country if that is true? >> most of the volunteer fire departments, especially here in the commonwealth of pennsylvania, would not be able to afford to make that contribution. many of these fire departments depend solely on donations and fundraising. they don't receive a lot of money from their local governments and at the end of the day, they simply wouldn't be able to afford those contributions. >> i know the international association of fire chiefs has asked the irs for clarification. in return, the department of treasury's response is, quote, we are taking those comments into account as we work toward issuing final regulations on the

employer responsibility provision. you know what? there are a bunch of people in washington watching right now, why don't you go ahead and make the case of why this is a dumb idea and why volunteers should not be considered employees by the irs. >> the easiest way to resolve this is exempt volunteer fire companies, volunteer rescue companies and those people who provide volunteer ambulance service. the issue goes away then. it becomes a nonissue. if not, there is a very good possibility and a lot of small communities across the country, there won't be a fire department. there may not be a volunteer rescue service. there may not be a volunteer ambulance service. >> it would seem to me the common sense would be the irs would just say -- would do exactly what you're saying and exempt volunteer fire departments. but with washington, d.c., you never know what they're going to do. unfortunately, my town has a volunteer fire department. all across new jersey, 97% of

the fire departments in pennsylvania. this could have a huge impact all across the country. >> absolutely. and again, the international association of fire chiefs, congressional fire services institute, the national volunteer fireman's council have all identified this to the irs in letters back as far as september. clarify it. >> sure. one of the other things is -- because the volunteer fire departments are unpaid with the people who volunteer, currently a lot of municipalities don't have that tax burden. you're suddenly talking about having to buy people obamacare or insurance, suddenly in addition to that burden, your tacks are going to go up all across the country! >> from a personal perspective as a volunteer fire chief, my fire company is fortunate. we do receive an appropriation from our local government.

but i can tell you now that if i have to contribute to health care, i'm going to have to go back to the local government and ask for an increase in local property taxes to be able to make that contribution. >> absolutely. it would have a ripple effect all across the country. all right. ed mann, sir, thank you very much for telling the story today on "fox & friends." >> thank you, steve. >> all right. what do you think? e-mail us right now. what should the irs do? seems like a no brainer. but then again, it is the irs. up next, incredible video of street strangers drag ago soldier out of a burning car. the story will make you proud to be an american. then the new budget deal asking our brave men and women to pay more into their pensions. u.s. army chief of staff general ray ordierno is next with brian. first, he's got to shake hands with ainsley. ♪

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time for news by the numbers. first, more than 42,000. that's how many followers president george w. bush racked up in less than 24 hours. the 89-year-old joined twitter yesterday. next, $400 million. that's how much the mega millions jackpot is now worth after no one won the prize last night. the next drawing is this friday. buy your tickets. finally, $15. that's how much the creator of the cronut is charging for the new christmas cereal he made. it's made of chocolate puffed rice, spiced hazel nut, cinnamon and sugar brittle. yum. brian, are you excited?

>> i'll tell you at the break. new budget deal asking our brave men and women to pay more into their pensions. joining us now is army chief of staff general ray odierno. you had a big award last night. but i know you care most about sequester because the military has absorbed body blow after body blow in budget cuts. first off, if the budget is accepted as the agreement came forward as we understand it last night, instead of having a pentagon cut of five or six $2 billion, now it's at a budget of 527 billion. now you get to hold at $527 billion. how do you feel about that? >> it's helpful because one of the problems we had were up front cuts were so high that it caused us to get out of balance with readiness, modernization and end strength. this will help a little bit in that way. helping us invest a little more in readiness. >> let's talk about what you absorbed. secretary of defense gates says i'm gog do a preemptive cut so you don't have to.

how much did he cut then? >> so secretary gates did about between 250 and 300 billion. then we had a $400 billion cut. almost $500 billion cut with the budget talk. another is 500 billion from sequestration. >> how has the military been affected? >> because of how fast we've had to do it, really has affected our readiness. so we have -- what i'm concerned about is we're able to meet our missions in afghanistan, but it will be at some unknown contingency, i'm concerned we wouldn't have our soldiers trained to do what they need to. that's been the problem. that's been what's most concerning to me. this deal will help a little bit in the near term. but it still doesn't address the broader problem with sequestration. it stretched two years. that's a start. we appreciate that very much. work that's being done. but we now have to be concerned about the sequestration is a nine-year problem. so it's another seven years that we still have to be concerned. >> you guys are commissioned by nature to take orders.

but it's about time you spoke up and understand the american people can't ask for everything. you can't ask to be in somalia and afghanistan and special operations through africa and at the same time skewering your budget. pensions are -- will you have to pay more into pensions? >> no. i'm still trying to -- i haven't had a chance to really review what they agreed to yesterday. my understanding is that it's somewhat impacted cola increases. it's not cutting pensions or making them pay in more. just the increases of the pensions. >> you had everything to do with the capture of saddam hussein. we're coming up on that anniversary and makes us any that day and also where iraq is today. are you disturbed where we're at with our country? >> we left it -- when we left, it was in a really good place. security was very good. >> it's a great place. >> so it's concerning as we watched the violence grow inside iraq. it is kind of representative of what's going on now in the middle east, the sunni-shiite

divide happening in lebanon, iraq. there is deep concern. >> if you had a residual force, do you believe things would be better in iraq? >> i think -- it's hard to say. i think it probably would be if we were allowed to have a residual force. >> does it hurt you because you spent so much of your life there and know so many people who lost their lives there, your own son lost an arm there. does it disturb you to see where it is right now? >> well, i just think i haven't given up hope yet. maybe that's reaching a little bit. it is concerning to see the violence at the levels it's been and how it's grown throughout the year. it's really because of political disagreement and mistrust between the parties in iraq. the fact that they simply don't trust themselves. they can't get to agreement. so it's allowing others to exploit this and it's increasing the violence. it really is difficult to watch. >> general, i know i think it's my ego, i think you came here to visit me. but it isn't. you came here to get an award. the nfl reached out to you, the

national football foundation. you're br and huge giant fan and nfl supporter. what award did you get? >> distinguished american award, which is for leadership, lifetime of leadership and service and contributions you make to college football. for me, it was really an incredible honor. i tell me everyone if it wasn't for football, i wouldn't have gone to west point. it gave me an opportunity i wouldn't have had. because of football, i had the opportunity to get an education, to get a leadership experience that's allowed me to contribute back. i think we forget about that, about sports. a lot of young men, they honor scholar athletes last night. they're incredible young men. sports is more than just football. it's about giving young men and women in other sports the opportunity to get a great education and then contribute to our society because the fundamentals of being an athlete, especially a football

player, mental and football, resiliency and the importance of training people to be part of a team and try to achieve something greater than themselves is an incredible lesson. that's what you get with sports. i think sometimes we forget about that. we are rightfully concerned about the safety in football, but we must also remember the great things that come out of football. the great people, the training and the leaders that have been growing out of football for many, many years. >> macarthur wrote about it and paton described it in his book. they weren't great, paton especially, but they learned so much. >> macarthur started the national football foundation. he and red blake are the ones who helped establish this foundation back in the late 40s. so he played a significant role. he believed in it. >> if do you retire, i wouldn't be rised if you put -- the giants could use some help. thanks for your service to the country. >> thank you.

>> congratulations on your award. >> thank you. >> coming up, major victory for the freedom of the press and our boss roger ailes going on the record about it next. then he danced his way through our news room. our favorite dancing cop is back with bigger and better moves. first first another look at the american country awards last night. here is part of florida georgia line. ♪ ♪

it is now 26 minutes before the top of the hour. we just used a little star wipe. did you notice that? for a little hollywood story now, brian kilmeade's bromance with simon cowell has been well documented. take a look at this. >> how important is this interview to you? >> it's an annual thing. i like it. it's like barbara walters for the oscars. you have a problem with your show? >> the color? >> great tapes. >> engines in the back? what am i looking at? >> that's the engine, but there is no cover over it. >> what does simon cowell like to do to take baths? this is for your next bath. this is to make sure your skin stays soft.

you tell me if i should go through the audition. it looks like i'm taking off the top of something. >> not to me it doesn't. >> yeah. >> so classy. have you finished? >> i think we're better off in long island city. >> you're welcome to my house any time. >> really? >> of course. >> okay. what time tomorrow? >> i'll northbound london. >> you took him bath oil? >> i heard he likes baths. >> well, guess what? that bromance is confirmed. >> what? >> what's the name of that morning anchor who keeps interviewing me? i said brian kilmeade? he said, that's the one. love that guy. he knew your name. >> simon said to her on the jay leno show. >> that's fine.

i interviewed him 15 times. >> and he doesn't remember your name! >> this is unbelievable! >> yeah. what's the name of that morning anchor who keeps interviewing me? >> right. next time, name tags. i'm going to wear a name tag the entire time. >> he invited to you his house and he doesn't know your name. >> simon says, brian kilmeade. >> but megyn kelly had a fine appearance on the tonight show. >> she did a great job. >> sorry about your bromance. >> time for news with heather nauert. >> you made simon cowell a star, really. you always make the guy look good. >> i did. and they never remember your name the next day. >> what's up with that? all right. good morning to everybody. it's 36 minutes after the hour. freedom of the press scores a major victory. new york's highest court now ruling in favor of fox news.com reporter dana winter. she will not be forced to reveal her sources for a story that she broke exclusively for us that revealed the could not tent of a notebook belonging to james

holmes before the movie theater attack. fox news chairman and ceo roger ailes praising that decision. listen. >> it's a major win for all journalists. the protection of her confidential sources was necessary to preserve and protect journalism and democracy itself, in my view. so the highest court in new york did the right thing. >> if that court had not ruled in her favor, she would have faced jail time. a soldier's life saved by complete strangers. an army national guardsman crashes into a pillar in syracuse, new york. that car bursting into flames. >> my god, somebody must be in their truck. and so we pulled right over on the median and we ran. >> you react. you get out. you run and that's what we did.

>> really good samaritans right there. they were able to crack open that door just a bit, cut the seatbelt and then pull him from the burning car. the soldier was burned and broke some bones, but he will recover. this happening in upstate new york. a lazy boy for babies? a bouncy seat with an ipad attachment is now under fire from children's advocates. the campaign for commercial free childhood now starting a petition that urges mattel to recall this product. the american academy of pediatrics says children under two years of age should not be allowed to use tech gadgets because it can damage brain development. what do you think of that? and he is back, "fox & friends" favorite dancing cop freding christmas cheer on the streets of rhode island. remember this guy? he's got the moves. officer tony la pour showing off shows dance moves in the snow. the 66-year-old has entertained drivers since 1984.

he retired back in 1991, but due to popularity, he was resworn in up as a full time reformer. last year he danced in the snow news room here at fox. stay tuned because this friday he'll be back. brian, over to you. >> all right. thank you very much. hey, what's a football game in america without tailgating? we're about to find out because tailgating to the degree we're used to has been banned at the super bowl. here to react to that is a guy that usually playing in the games. while people are having a good time on the outside, ronnie lott. hall of famer. nice to see you. what's your reaction to a cold weather super bowl and yet a cold weather super bowl where you can't tailgate on the outside? >> i can't wait. the reason i can't wait is that think about it. when you were a kid, what did you do? did you go outside and play? did you play. when you played outside, you wanted to play in the snow. you didn't want to play on assist turf. i think a lot of fans will tell

you they enjoy playing outside. this happened this past weekend. >> right. is that okay? >> no! you're saying i'm soft? >> yeah. >> you're saying i'm soft! no, you're telling -- i'm a tough guy, man. what are you talking about. that's what i'm talking about. >> you're okay with it? >> yeah, of course. >> what about the no tailgating? you know that's part of the cold weather as well. >> you got to remember, what they're trying do is make sure, and they're just trying to make sure that all the fans get in the game. the other thing, it's the super bowl. think about it. having the super bowl in new york, you want to make sure that the fans get in the game. you don't want them sitting outside. you don't want them sitting in cold weather. you want them in the game. you want them to participate and be part of the game. >> and pay $25 for half a beer when you can sit outside and have your wrangle. >> i'll join you with one. i can see me and you sitting out

there with all the tough fans in america sitting outside with you and me just hanging out having a beer. >> let's be honest, you would never hang out with me. >> wait a minute. i don't know if it's a tie -- i don't know if the tie works. >> hains did something incarial. they put together a survey of 6,000 fans. who were the toughest football fans? are you ready for the ranking? >> yes, i am. >> you supplied them. number 3, the philadelphia eagles. the third toughest group of fans. >> very tough. >> haynes says number two were the green bay packers. >> cheese heads. you got to love them. >> and the team that you played on more thans as number one, which is no surprise to me, the oakland raiders. >> the black hole. by the way, the black hole said we got to bring in some comfort blend t-shirts, all for you, baby. all for you. all for you. now all you have to do, right, is go to haynes and now get

everybody to tweet out #americastoughest. that's it. >> i'll do it. if you want to know how tough brian lott is, they told him your finger is broken. you're going to miss a few games of the season, or we can cut it off and you can play. he said, cut it off. you cut off your finger in 1986! so you didn't miss a game! >> we just had the general out here. now that's tough! >> i agree. >> being a general and knowing what he's done for our country, that's tough. >> you personify toughness in football. always great to see you. >> thanks very much. >> coming up, an american pastor jailed in iran not part of negotiations. his wife joins us next. plus, big news from beyond the grave. johnny cash back. ♪ i went down, down down and the flames went higher ♪ ♪ and it burns issues burns, burns ♪ ♪ the ring of fire ♪ the ring of fire

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can. ♪ because you're mine ♪ i walk the line >> johnny cash is back. his estate is now releasing never before be heard music from the man in black. material was found by his son and aven archivist last year. the album will be leased in march. terrific. it's a boy for kate winslet and her husband. welcomed a baby boy. his name not yet released. this is her first child with rock'n'roll -- ned rock'n'roll and her third overall.

ainsley, over to you. >> thank you. the u.s. and iran made a nuclear deal. an american pastor jailed in iran not part of those negotiations. so is the obama administration doing enough to help? the wife of the pastor, the american pastor imprisoned in iran and her attorney, jordan sekulow, executive director of the american center for law and justice, they're both joining us now. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> my first question is for you, state department didn't even bring up your husband's name during the nuclear negotiations with iran. what's your reaction? >> we didn't ask him to necessarily bring it up negotiations. we asked them as a precondition, as a good faith effort, we've done things to show iran, have shown good faith efforts to iran and as good faith efforts, we haven't seen anything from iran to ask them to release americans as the holidays approach.

it's been the most painful time of the year for the families, for those in prison in iraq. it's heart breaking. it's showing me and our family that this is not a priority. not only saeed's issue, but the importance of really just freedom and issues like that are just not a top priority for our government. it would have been an easy ask to release the americans that are in a way being held hostage by sit sitting across the -- sitting across the table from the iranians. that would have been an easy asking before the negotiations, as a precondition. >> that would have been a perfect opportunity. you're absolutely right. >> i have two kids that are hurting, they're crying. i shared recently something on my facebook showing jacob praying for his dad. but i can't express enough how much pain my son and daughter are going through. it's too much for them.

to think we'll have to have another christmas, it's too hard to imagine. i'm still hoping we'll get him home before christmas. >> i was praying for him this morning before the show. i do hope that happens. jordan, i want to ask you, tomorrow lawmakers will hear testimony from both of you. what do you expect to tell these lawmakers? >> well, the law maker who is called for this hearing was congressman chris smith who chairs a committee that john kerry testified at yesterday. he asked secretary kerry to confirm these reports. the reason why there is so much confusion here and she can attest to this and i can attest to it and so can members of congress, is we've had the white house national security, deputy national security advisor say it was not on the agenda that his release was not on the agenda. but then we had the spokesperson for the national security council on the same day inside the white house say it was discussed on the margin.

so it was still being discussed. it was just marginalized. we thought that was bad enough, that it was not even a key element. but on the margins. but secretary kerry yesterday in a response back to congressman smith who will be testifying for his subcommittee tomorrow, said, to be clear, it is in no way part of the negotiations and they're afraid that saeed will become some kind of pawn. let me just say right now very clearly, the reason why we asked for this to be a precondition is exactly the excuse secretary kerr gee using for not discussing saeed. >> keep us posted on what happens tomorrow and we'll be following this going forward. i wish you a very merry christmas. we're all keeping your husband and your family in our prayers and hoping that he comes home soon. if not, i know he'll get that ultimate reward in heaven, whatever happens going forward. >> we're hoping for a quick return. >> thank you. god bless you. coming up, does this sound familiar? your mother-in-law comes over,

not to say hello, but to clean your house. is she normal or is she nuts? love this segment. dr. keith ablow coming up next.

time for america's number one morning feature. y'all love it. it's normal or nuts with dr. keith ablow. good morning to you from boston. >> good morning to you guys. >> ainsley. >> first letter, my daughter is an obsessive worrier. when she doesn't have something real to worry about, she worries about things that have been resolved or worries about why she doesn't have anything to worry about. dr. ablow, is she normal or nuts? >> well listen, she's nuts.

this person knew that when they put the word obsessive in the question. this is an obsessive form of anxiety. she's constantly worrying. what's more, it's a little crazy not to go get help because obsessions, compulsions, other forms of anxiety, they're highly treatable either with psycho therapy or medicines or both. she should get help and worry a little bit about that. >> okay. another one, i get tense around the holidays because my mother and mother-in-law come to visit. i love having them around, but they insist on cleaning my house, even if it's spotless. this frustrates me to no end and i'm repeatedly asked them to stop. am i nuts for refusing their help? >> no, you are not nuts for refusing their help. they're crazy. here is the key, you're not going to cure them and i probably can't cure them, so give them a project. rather than frustrating them, say listen, can you come over a couple days before christmas. i need some help.

the basement needs to be organized. or make a mess and let them clean it up. be happy, it's christmas. spill something. let them mop it up. >> the last one, i have a friend who discards her entire set of dinnerware dishes every year. normal or nuts? >> doesn't take a psychiatrist here at normal or nuts headquarters. that's nuts! you don't throw your dishes every year! it's not about williams and sonoma new patterns, it's about you. you're anxious, it's obsessive compulsive. >> is it you're rich! how can you do this? >> come on, i'd get my wife help if she was throwing out our dishes every year. >> what about throwing them at you. >> i'd give her help. i'm a psychiatrist. >> have a great week. thank you very much. >> take care. >> coming up, a six-year-old suspended for sexual harassment? his crime, he kissed the hand of a six-year-old girl. >> we all know the song "i will

survive." but do you know the story behind it? can you say divine intervention. gloria gaynor here on the curvy couch to explain. ♪ just turn around now ♪ 'cause you're not --

good morning. it is wednesday, december 11. i'm ainsley earhart. i'm filling in for elisabeth this morning. a miracle in the mountains. a great story to start you off with. an entire family missing in the freezing snow for two days found alive. the awesome thing is the dad did it all to help save their lives. >> plus, a six-year-old suspended for sexual harassment. his crime -- >> i kissed her on the hand. >> he kissed a girl on the hand. seriously, does the punishment fit the crime? his story coming up. he's adorable. >> so is the dog. hey, parents, you must read this for your kids. a letter to santa written in 1915 that will make them feel

crummy about asking for 100 gifts. "fox & friends" final hour starts now. >> this is simon cowell, you're watching "fox & friends" and i'm sound asleep. >> apparently he has no idea what our names are. >> yeah. mine in particular. 15 interviews and he doesn't remember my name. the morning anchor. >> but he said he likes you. >> whoever i am. >> he said, i love that guy. >> you know why? clayton, he could be talk being clayton. >> or steve. >> no, i didn't take him bath oil. >> you never tried to soften his skin. >> let's keep it that way. let's tell you a little bit about what's going on if you were watching bret baier last night, you saw patty murray, and paul ryan, they were together announcing the fact that we have a budge yet going forward. here are the highlights. no government shutdown. that's critical really for both parties. no tax increases. no incentives for not working.

and a little really modest entitlement reform. paul ryan, the republican who did the negotiating, said look, this is the best we could do because there are a lot of people on the other side of the aisle who wanted washington to shut down again. >> i think there are a lot of people who would like the drinks of government shutdown for one reason or another. i think they would like to get off obamacare. we're going to keep speak truth to power. we're going to keep shining the light on these problems with the law and that, to us, gives us a good position. >> budget still over a trillion dollars. some of the military cuts with the military has been eased to the tune of $63 billion. in terms of a massive restructuring of our debt and deficits, not happening. it's still at 17.2 trillion. what you have is there is good news, you have the head of the budget, chairman of the budget committee meeting with the

senator patty murray, for the first time they went into conference until they came out with a deal. at least wall street will say i have certainty rather than dysfunction. >> right. do you think is a distraction? send us your comments. many people are saying that the nuclear deal with iran was a distraction as well to get us to stop talking about obamacare. but we're not. >> ultimately it avoids the shutdown. the republicans and the democrats both wanted that. but the republicans wound up being able now to force everybody to focus on the affordable care act, which is not so affordable and not working out for democrats across the country. >> among the people that are critical, paul ryan, he said he should make a stand and you should not take shutdown off the table. that that was a key thing for republicans. but it's a tactic they're not using. >> here is one side effect to the affordable care act we told you about yesterday. the way that the irs works is they consider volunteer firemen,

volunteers, as employees even though they don't get paid. even though they're a volunteer, they're considered employees for tax purposes and stuff like that. under the affordable care act what that means is if you've got 50 volunteers in your town, you're going to have to provide insurance for them. unfortunately, towns can't afford that. there is a simple way to fix this, according to a pennsylvania fire chief. he joined us earlier to explain. >> the easiest way to resolve this is exempt volunteer fire companies. if not, there is a very good possibility and a lot of small communities across the country, there won't be a fire department. there may not be a volunteer rescue service. there may not be a volunteer ambulance service. >> let's hope the irs does the right thing and exempts volunteer fire departments. otherwise they're going to have to provide it and towns don't have money. >> or they'll have to let some of them go, i guess. would you let them go if they're

volunteers? >> do you want to let 80 firemen go? >> we're all affected by that. >> all i can say, did anyone prethink this law? >> no! >> it's like the earthquake that keeps rumbling. >> remember they said we'll figure it out as we go, just pass it. >> i'm trying to make sense of this and also this story out of colorado. a six-year-old, hunter. and he had a problem. you know what the problem was? he kissed a girl on the hand. they labeled it sexual harassment. they got him in trouble. the kid is shaken up and the mom -- >> now he has a record. >> right. he's got a kindergarten record. jennifer saunders is his mom. listen. >> this is taking it to an extreme that doesn't need to be met with a six-year-old. now my son is asking questions. what is sex, mommy? it should not ever be said, sex in the sentence with a six-year-old. how can do you this? how can you say this about my child? remove sexual harassment. remove it from his record.

i need to stand up and fight for him. i can't just let that happen because it's not the case. it's not what happened at all. >> the superintendent says that the little boy who has kissed a girl in the past and has gotten into trouble at school for rough housing, he was suspended because of unwanted touching. but none the less -- and it was at the suspension meeting where he was kicked out of school for a couple of days where the principal mentioned sexual harassment, which is crazy. that's why he's asking now, hey, mom, what is sex and all those other things? >> you know i'm all over facebook. social media has said, raul castro, a little bit interesting to us. i'm more interested in this story. that's what we want on the "fox & friends" facebook. >> bob on facebook said instead of taking the opportunity to teach, they used the opportunity to punish. sadly, educating children is a

lost art. >> he is six, as victoria says. totally out of control. this is what has become of our education system. sadly, this will follow this child and the impact it has on his life can be devastating. we're talking about hunter yeltin. >> angela says, so basically nothing is really done about the bullies, yet a kiss on the hand deserves suspension. glad i pulled my kid and home school. >> barbara says, this is stupid. this mess is going to teach our children that emotions of expression of love at any stage is bad. everything we do to them when they are kids will impact their lives. >> one of the problems is colorado is moving to a zero tolerance policy regarding all discipline. so even though it's a little harmless kiss on the hand because they classify unwanted touching, they got to do something. >> but the kid in colorado can buy pot. correct? >> right. >> so he can buy pot. he just can't kiss anybody afterward. >> he's got to be older. >> okay. >> my parents would have loved

it if they had gotten a note home by baby brother for kissing someone. it was always like fighting and biting and punching. >> right. can we pull up some of his records? >> no, you don't want to do that. he's a great kid now. but growing up -- >> the good news is he's not fighting anymore. >> 8 minutes after the top of the hour. we've got headlines. here is heather. >> i've got a biter at home. >> do you bite them back? they were like, bite them back. >> i think that was 1950s. >> that's what they used to teach. >> watched "the rifleman." >> sorry, everett. headlines. we're learning new information about that family that had been miss not guilty sub zero temperatures in nevada. they have been found safe and sound. but it is their father's survival skills that are now being credited with keeping them alive. the two adults and four children survived for two days by burning

their spare tire to help keep them warm. crews zeroed in on a weak cell phone signal and zeroed in on the car turned upside down. >> the critical thing is staying with the car. one of the biggest factors in surviving is the will to survive. >> the couple had some food and water with them in their jeep. they were all found dehydrated, but all six are doing just fine. dramatic new video showing the moments an ice dam broke open in colorado. part of the creek froze so quickly that there was few places for the water to go. that caused a dam to burst. an rv park was evacuated because officials were worried a four foot wall of icy water could destroy the dam all together. but it surged right past it. country's biggest stars coming out for the fourth annual american country awards. ♪

♪ >> florida georgia line was the night's big winner, taking home six trophies, including artist and single of the year for that cruise remix. blake shelton wasn't there, but earned four awards, including album of the year. that show was hosted by trace adkins and danica patrick and featured performance by lee ann rimes who paid tribute to patsy cline. ♪ >> taylor swift was in australia. she received the first ever world wide artist award from olivia newton-john. and this just in, time magazine announcing pope francis as their pick for 2013's person of the year. the pontiff winning hearts with his common touch and rejection of luxury. he beat out kathleen sebelius, president obama, and the president of syria and also the president of iran. good for them. those are your headlines. >> and edward snowden was a

runner up. >> that was a good choice. who is going to argue with that? >> straight ahead on this wednesday. >> coming up, the craziest video you will see all morning. a robber grabs a woman. what did he want? stay tuned. then iran now calling the shots on our nuclear deal? >> wow, look is here. >> should we even be negotiating with them in the first place? colonel allen west coming up next. >> in the flesh. >> first, more from the american country music awards and lady antebellum. ♪ ♪

secretary of state john kerry here defending that nuclear deal with iran. >> the national security of the united states is stronger under this first step agreement than it was before. israel's national security is stronger than it was the day before we entered into this agreement. and the gulf and middle east interests are more secure than they were the day before we entered this agreement. >> really? well, his testimony coming just one day after iran's foreign minister told time magazine, quote, the entire deal is dead. we do not like to negotiate under duress and if congress adopts sanctions, which they're threatening, it shows lack of seriousness and lack of desire to achieve a resolution on the part of the united states. so is the united states on the brink of another foreign policy disaster by the administration? let's ask colonel allen west.

good morning to you. >> good morning. merry christmas. >> thank you very much. you don't like this administration deal with iran? >> no, it's absolutely horrible. when you listen to what secretary kerry talked about, that's a delusional statement. first of all, the saudis have said this is bad and they're looking at working with israel. the prime minister of israel, benjamin netanyahu, said this was a disaster. i don't understand how he could say it improves the national security of the gulf states, of israel, and definitely not ours. you think about this, in october of this year, we remembered the 30th anniversary of the beirut bombing attack. we know who was behind that beirut bombing attack. the iranians. as a matter of fact, president rouhani of iran just put in place a defense minister, the person who planned and oversaw the execution of that attack, that's a general degani. why would you be talking to people that are the person that was responsible for the death of 250 marines? and they have three americans still. >> absolutely.

and with the pastor that was -- that never even came up. but how many u.n. resolutions are there already out there where iran has got to stop enriching completely and yet, part of the deal we're doing with the iranians is go ahead and enrich. just don't have it cranked up to high. >> yes. we're saying keep it to the low to moderate level. the thing we have to understand, as long as they can continue to enrich that uranium t does not mean they have to have a nuclear warhead on a missile. if you can put it in a beefcase, if you can put it in a bag and take it to a major urban economic center, that's a capability. we don't want them to have. >> it seems like such a bad deal. bipartisan opposition on capitol hill whether they'll come up with new sanctions. why is the president pushing this? is it legacy? is he already thinking, obamacare, i can scratch that off my bucket list of great things. maybe iran. >> well, i think that the president is looking for some foreign policy success. there is no doubt that the reset

button with russia has been a failure and we see what is happening between russia and the ukraine. there is no doubt that we see what is happening with syria, was a failure. so now he's looking for some success. >> was this a failure yesterday at nelson mandela's memorial? he shook hands with raul castro, the dictator of cuba. you're from -- there it is right there. they exchange a couple of words. your reaction? >> the south florida cuban community is incensed. they are apoplectic about that. if you're there to celebrate nelson mandela and the freedom and remembering his time, being in prison, why would you want to shake the hands of someone like raul castro, as well as robert mudavi and we know his record is not one that reflects the united states of america. >> he had to do something when he wasn't taking a selfy. thank you. >> great to have you. >> 18 minutes after the hour. remember this scene from "a

christmas story"? >> no, no! >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> yeah. not only will you shoot your eye out, kid. apparently bb guns can land your kid in jail. we'll tell new what state. plus, we all know the song "i will survive." but do you know the story behind it? she does. gloria gaynor up next. ♪ i will survive ♪ oh, as long as i know how to love i know i'll be alive ♪ ♪ i've got all my life to live ♪ i've got all my love to give ♪ and i'll survive ♪ i will survive ♪ hey hey

we're going to start off with quick headlines. the sign language interpreter at nelson mandela's memorial tuesday, a fake? sign language experts told the associated press the man was making unintelligible gestures. south africa's government said it is now preparing a statement. wow. and a new report in the washington times reveals the obama administration overruled homeland security officials by speeding up visas for a company strongly backed by harry reid after pressure by reid, the process was expedited, so the hotel in las vegas could get the financing it needed and the workers that it needed. ♪ weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with good-bye ♪ ♪ do you think i'd you crumble ♪ did you think i'd lay down and die ♪ ♪ oh, no not i ♪ i will survive >> all right. it was 35 years ago that gloria gaynor wrote "i will survive" and sang it and it became a

smash hit and an anthem for all those facing adversity. over the years, fans shared their stories of how that song inspired them. >> and she has collected some of those stories in her new book "we will survive." joining us is grammy award winner and author, gloria gaynor. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you have such a powerful story. i remember in the '70s, i was djing in a disco, spinning some records. yours was one of them. i had no idea that you in the '70s fell off a stage here in new york city and what happened? >> well, i woke up the next morning paralyzed from the waist down and ended up in the hospital, had surgery on my spine and as soon as i came out, i got a call from the record company to record a song called "substitute." isn't that a great name? ran out to l.a what's going to be the b side? after talking to me, they said we think you're the one we've

been waiting for to sing this song that we wrote a couple years ago. >> the rest is history. >> and it was "i will survive." >> didn't you also find that record company was thinking about dropping you, too? >> yes. yes. they had already written a letter saying my contract was running out and they were not going to renew it. >> so you have all these negative things happening. so that's why maybe you felt this song more than -- >> absolutely. i mean, i'm in hospital praying, okay, god. what do you mean by this? what's going to happen next? what am i going to do? i really believe that song was the answer to that prayer. >> what are some other stories -- can you share a few from the book? people wrote you over the years. >> oh, yeah. there is all kinds of stories. lots of cancer survivors. one lady whose son was autistic and not high functioning at all. but he managed to order her flowers and candy on her credit card on the phone and it was

like tear jerking. another woman who was in a car accident. before that she thought her face and her beauty was everything. and this car accident literally ripped her face apart. she had to rebuild her self-esteem on who she was inside. >> ever since your song came out 35 years ago, you will be walking down the street and people who know you go, gloria gaynor, your song "i will survive," i would sing that because i was up against so many things. >> right. >> i read in your bio that in addition to just the perseverance to survive, your spirituality really helped you out. you looked to god all the time. >> all the time. all the time. i'm a christian and christ permeates every area of my life. everything. >> can't survive without him. >> what did you ask this

morning? >> i asked gloria, i said, gloria, you grew up in new jersey. we were chatting during the break. she said yes. and i said, did you ever come to the city as a kid, 'cause i looked forward to bringing my kid to the city. did you goat do that as a kid? she said i remember the first time i came to new york. >> i was petrified. at first i was afraid. >> i guess you get that all the time. >> you inspired so many and now you got a new book where people can build off the same thing. >> we will survive. and the cd of songs that compliment the stories in the book. both are called "we will survive." the cd and the book are available on amazon.com. the cd is available on itunes. great christmas gift. >> good idea. perfect sides. >> who needs another beatles album? >> a real pleasure. thank you very much. >> thank you for sharing these stories about survival because it's important for everyone. >> thanks for being next to

ainsley. coming up straight ahead. >> coming up straight ahead, the craziest video you will see all morning. a robber jumping through the window and grabbing that woman. what did he want? stay tuned. we're going to tell you. >> plus, the hottest hit for christmas. no, not maria. you can't have that. >> that is a pretty hot gift. ♪ ♪

it's time for your shots of the morning. the white house just releasing the photos from inside air force one on its way to nelson mandela's memorial service. here is president obama and former president george w. bush. here is another of the president and the former secretary of state, hillary clinton. and here is president bush sharing photos of his paintings with michelle obama, hillary clinton, susan rice, and eric holder on the tablets. >> that looks like a dining room. >> that's inside air force one. the picture everybody is talking about, president obama taking a selfy with the prime minister of denmark and the united kingdom. first lady, screen right, not

look -- >> there is like six other pictures where she looks ticked off. >> at one point i think it was after that, she wound up sitting between the president and the prime minister. >> breaking them up. >> we've all seen that picture before. we've all felt that feeling. >> no! >> who is having fun over there! come on. we're at a funeral. >> i remember the last time i was sitting with the danish prime minister. she caused trouble in my relationship as well. >> brian, you're fired. >> thank you very much. no wonder simon doesn't know who i am. thank you very much. heather, take it away. >> after those comments about maria, you may not make it to 21 years. >> i don't think i've been out of trouble this morning. >> with your wife, you know that look. >> believe me, i'm not kidding. >> sort of a fun story to tell you b. she has gasoline running through her veins. mary bara named gm's ceo.

the first woman to hold the top spot of a major auto company. she's 51 and she joined the company as a student at the age of 18. she's really come a long way. her first car there was a chevette. her father was a gm machinist for nearly 40 years. how proud he must be or would be today. remember this scene from "the christmas story"? >> i want a rifle! >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> not only could you shoot your eye out, kid u might also go to jail for owning a bb gun. new jersey making no distinction between owning a real bb gun and -- excuse me, a bb gun and owning a real gun. bb guns have to be registered. so kids charged with possess ago bb gun could get mandatory jail time? we'll keep bringing that story to you new england patriots video is nuts.

a robber dives through a motel window, grabbing the clerk and demanding money. this happening in cherry hill, new jersey. you can see the guy as he lungs right through the window that separates the front desk from the lobby. he takes off after he grabs $400 from the register. police have not caught him yet. steve, what's your alibi? this is our favorite story of the day. the airline granting holiday wishes to more than 250 passengers. >> what are you wanting for christmas this year? a train? >> what i need is new socks and underwear. >> an android tablet. >> west jet, the airline, set up a virtual santa to ask passengers what they wanted for christmas. we told you about this yesterday. then while the plane was in the air, volunteers actually went out and bought many of those gifts. imagine the surprise when the passengers waited for their luggage to arrive and then they got christmas presents instead. the hughs family was one family on that flight and they joined

us earlier on the show. >> i started crying almost immediately and i tried to blame pregnancy hormones, but it was pretty overwhelming. and all the west jet ladies were crying and matt started crying and everybody was crying. so it was making it worse for me. >> that family got brand-new tv, right? >> a big screen tv. some people just asked for very humble things, like socks or a shirt. the airline vowing if their youtube video got more than 250,000 hits, it would donate free flights to needy families. the video has been seen more than 6 million times. those are your headlines. neat story, huh? >> suddenly -- thank you. maria molina is out on the streets of new york city. she was on a scooter a minute ago. now she's stationary. >> that's right. stationary, but we're in our mobile weather lab outdoors. >> we have one?

am. >> no, it's just me. but let's take a look at the weather conditions across the country. i want to show you the snowfall totals from yesterday's storm across parts of the northeast. this storm produced up to six inches across parts of maryland, not so much here in central park. 1.4 inches of snow. but it was a mess in terms of travel. there was some delays of over five hours on average reported in some airports. today lake effect snow is going to be an issue, especially across parts of upstate new york and also off of lake erie. farther south across parts of northwestern pennsylvania. locally up to three feet possible. otherwise current temperatures out here across portions of the northern plains are frigid. this is what it feels like as we head out the door. some current wind chill temperatures, currently about 37 degrees below zero in international falls. if you're old in new york city or other surrounding areas, keep in mind it's probably a lot colder in other areas, like in international falls. today's high in minneapolis, 0. that's your actual temperature.

that's as warm as it's going to be today. as we toss back inside, i want to mention we have a storm we're tracking this weekend that could produce a big mess over the weekend. >> all right. that's good. we'll continue to track that. i'm sorry about the monkey giggling, it's part of our next segment because christmas is less than two weeks away and if you are looking for a great gift for your kids, look no further. we've got some of the hottest toys around, right, ainsley? >> we're excited for this segment. >> not as excited as the monkey. >> thank you for being here. what are you holding? >> this is cuddles. he's our giggly monkey. very interactive. he'll snuggle in with our little ones. we can put him to sleep of the we can hang upside down like a real monkey and swing her around and she responds to everything. >> you don't mind if i give this to ian because it's starting to bother me. >> oh, no! >> kids are going to love it. allow them to nurture and have play. >> it comes with a banana? >> it does, like a little bottle. this is zoomer.

zoomer is amazing. the most robotic dog out there on the marketplace. he's so fun. we're going to give him commands and able to tell him, lay down, go to bed, even go to the bathroom. >> can we try? >> let's see -- i don't know if he's charged up enough. there he goes. now he's waking up. so we're going to pet his head. there he goes. his eyes are open. now he's waking up. we're going to be able to pet him. we'll see question marks in his eyes. >> so cute! >> once he develops these question marks in his eyes, he wants to us give him a command. that command could be absolutely anything. but he's going to sit, roll over and play all sorts of games with our kids. >> they play very well together. i'm going to turn him off so he doesn't crawl off the table. so hot wheels, this is the best of hot wheels and go to old-fashioned pinball. we'll put our hot wheels cars in here. if you can tap that button on the top, i'm going to start a game. i'm going to launch my hot

wheels cars through here. this is like old-fashioned pinball. our goal is to play, hit high scores and bonus rounds on that. this is hot wheels combining two of our favorite games. >> exactly. >> the next one, boom boom. we're going to roll the dice. we're going to see -- what number does that say? >> three. >> so what we're going to do is we have to push these sticks in three times. one, two, three. now we continue to take turns rolling that dice until what's going to happen? we're going to squish that balloon so much, it will pop. whoever it pops on, doesn't win the round. lot of fun in that anticipation. >> makes loud noises? >> it's a big old boom. >> kids need to be scared. >> this is nerf, the heart breaker bow. we're going to pull the way back. we're going to release it.

and here we go. it's foam darts. so a lot of fun. go ahead and grab that. pull that back. it can shoot up to 75 feet. you want to pull that bow all the way back, aim it. >> fantastic. >> what does that milk you? >> poor killeds. i'm going to get in the middle here. for our gals and guys, even the whole family, reebok has a create your own -- she just got you in the head. create your own reeboks, which is fun. go on to yuri bach.com. you can design the whole thing, the color, the front, the back. this is the brand-new power wheels corvette. this is awesome. designed after the brand-new stingray that just came out this year. our kids will be able to drive around this. by the way, it goes from 0 to 6 miles an hour in about four seconds. >> wow. how much would this cost me? >> this one under 300.

>> okay. >> how far under is the key. >> far under. this is awesome. the wide flicker carver. would you like to give this a try? >> go ahead. >> it allows our kids to power themselves. no batteries on this. they're going to wiggle and move right and left. >> go ahead issues ainsley. >> you wiggle your hips right and left. move those feet like you're skiing. this allows you to carve, turn, do awesome 3 60s. >> and you love that. >> you steer with your right hand. >> try it. >> all right, i will. >> it's going to give you great exercise. kids love this. it's so high-tech. they are able to do great tricks. >> that's really cool. >> how much is it going to cost? >> 129. it's for ages five and up. >> thank you so much. we'll do it. first, we have to talk about this. coming up straight ahead --

steve, do you want to tell us what's happening? >> i might as well. thank you very much. coming up, a great white shark no match for this marine. how he pulled in the big fish. it's the catch of our day. look at that. look at that. hey, parents, you must read this to your kids. it's a letter from santa written back in 1915. it will make them feel crummy about asking for a whole bunch of stuff. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪

>> here is the top video trending at this hour on-line. first, a marine's amazing catch caught on camera. he reels in a great white off the coast of san diego. he opens the shark's mouth showing off its razor sharp teeth and drags it back into the water.

next, the wedding guest falling head over heels. watch screen right. she was so swept on catching the bouquet, she we want flying over -- she went flying over the railing. she got a couple scratches. finally, he shoots, he scores! somehow a virginia high school student manages to get his hands on this wayward pass, throwing an impossible behind the back shot. and that's what's trending. all right. ainsley, brian? >> thank you, steve. president obama's job approval among american voters hitting a record low. >> elizabeth prann with brand-new poll numbers. they can't make the white house happy. >> right. good morning. approval rating is at a stagnant low figure after seeing more than six months of decline, starting with the summer stalemate. it certainly experienced a sharp

tick downward during the botched rollout of healthcare.gov, despite the administration insisting the american people want the law. there is not much evidence of that when it comes to polling, according to a new quinnipiac poll that asks how the folks feel the president is handling the health carrollout. about 62% disapprove. only 34% approve. when it comes to the economy, 59% disapprove. and lastly, what about his overall approval rating? those surveyed say 57% disapprove of the president. while only 38% approve. the president also has taken a hit when it comes to his trustworthiness and his ability to manage. ainsley, steve, brian, back to you. >> all right. thank you very much. straight ahead, a must read for your kids. it's a letter to santa written back in 1915. look at that. it should make your kids feel bad about asking for 100 different things. the son of the guy who wrote that is with us live next.

>> the big question is, what does bill hemmer want for christmas? he'll cover that and a whole lot more. >> we don't have enough air time for that. >> you need to watch the segment, bill. >> merry christmas. >> i'll see you on the radio shortly, unless you blow me off again. >> i'll get martha. big morning of headlines, we know the numbers of how many people enrolled in obamacare today. this will be a big story today. kathleen sebelius testifies in one hour on all of this. the family in nevada are alive. they are doing well. it is a great, great story. meet a six-year-old who has petitioned the white house so he can go into space. martha and i will see you in ten minute, top of the hour

all right. simple letter from a 7-year-old to santa from 1915. it's now going viral. 98 years later. it says simply, dear santa claus, will you please send me a box of paints, also a nine cents reader and school bag to put them in. if you have any nuts or candy or toys to spare, would you kindly send me some? if so, you will please a 7-year-old boy. signed, homer melon. >> the letter has been preserved through the decades by the melon family and it may leave you feeling a little too materialistic perhaps. >> homer's son, larry, saved his father's christmas wish and he joins us now. thank you so much for being with us. do you have the letter? >> yes, i do. >> will you hold it up for us, please? >> where have you been keeping it?

>> it's framed. >> can you see it? >> yes, sir, we can. tell us about this letter, how you found it. >> okay. this letter, my mom kept it in a little safety box with some locks of hair from the kids, other little things. it just got put away and hadn't been found until years after her passing on and dad as well. and my wife, connie, put it away and thought nothing of it. then she opened it up, went through everything and this is where it was. >> what's the message that you want people or do you take away from this? >> this has meant so much to me because it was my dad and it just reflects what his feelings were about christmas and about

life; that it is special and greed doesn't have to be part of wanting. you can want something without greed. >> sure. and larry, you can put it down. we've got a good look at it right there. it must touch your heart to think that your father, 98 years ago, wanted so little in comparison to what kids want today. >> when you look at it, it wasn't that he wanted so little. that was quite a bit for homer mellen back then, because he didn't have that much. >> you think that we've gotten away from that today? >> oh, certainly. but if you say that, then you sound like the good one or i do or anyone, hey, don't be so greedy. don't want these things. hey, it's the commercialism of

big business that's made us want so many things. nothing wrong with that, but it's a lot different than it was in the time of my dad. >> larry, what do you want for christmas? >> love, peace, health, and everyone to know that there is more to christmas than just songs and excitement. >> and stuff. larry, thank you so much. >> can't get those things at brookstone. >> thank you. >> merry christmas. more "fox & friends" moments away. ♪ ♪

7 coming up tomorrow, maria? >> darrell issa. >> yep. >> who and joining us, he'll be joining us live and cheryl casone has your holiday party dos and don'ts. plus reverend billy graham's son, franklin graham. >> see you tomorrow. bill: good morning, everybody. a fox news alert on what has turned out to be a busy day. brand-new enrollment numbers for obamacare just into the newsroom. 258,000 signed up in november in the federal and state exchanges. that brings the total number of enrollees 352,000. that's a long way from the 7 million the administration are expecting by the end of march. martha: we are expecting to hear more on these numbers this morning. we'll hear from the