guns and do not let a&e dictate how you live your life." >> "i love the show and the values they stand for. good for phil to quote the bible and stand up for what he believes in." some great points we have this morning. pretty overwhelming response. >> yeah. >> all right. have a great christmas. "fox & friends" starts right now. bye. >> bye. good morning. it's friday, december 20th, 2013. i'm elisabeth hasselbeck. will the robertsons take their duck calls and go home? new details this morning on the future of that family, and they're going to speak out. meanwhile, call it a hail mary. the white house throws a last-minute prayer to save obamacare. but will it hurt more than it helps? we're going to report. you're going to decide about something you probably haven't heard about yet. and what does mariah want for christmas? ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪

>> right. no, not really. not you unless you're a dictator. she's gone to angola. and once you go to angola, it's hard to go back. "fox & friends" starts now. >> this is joel the stage manager. ho ho ho. happy holidays. you're watching "fox & friends." >> very nice on-camera experience by joel, our stage manager for many years. there he is right there. >> again, good job. >> merry christmas. >> all right. joel, what do we do now? >> can you point at us? shunned you say action? >> right there. >> hold on. hi, everybody. it's great to see you. we've got news from overnight. >> we do. big changes coming to obamacare. the white house announcing a major exemption. now you can sign up for bare-bones coverage. >> where did that come from?

well, it came from the white house. joining us right now from washington with details, elizabeth crane. this came out of nowhere. >> reporter: yes, good morning. another flip coming from the white house. americans whose insurance policies had been canceled with insurance coverage at the last minute while the administration expects it to impact fewer than 500,000 people, the fact of the matter is, up to 6 million lost coverage after the october 1st rollout. one health and human services spokeswoman said, in part, this is a common-sense clarification of the law for the limited number of consumers whose plans had been canceled and are seeking coverage. this is one more option. but some experts say this announcement sent over to lawmakers last night means insurance companies have to adjust to the ever-changing demands of the white house. this now expands the definition of hardship for somebody who wants to apply for coverage. >> why didn't you allow anybody who lost their coverage to sign up for a catastrophic care? this is the kind of --

catastrophic policy that pays for everything on the back end but has high deductibles and low premiums. >> one health insurance industry spokesman said in part this type of last-minute change will cause tremendous instability in the marketplace and lead to further confusion and disruptions for consumers. another surprise move yesterday, the americans who had their health plans canceled or temporarily exempt from the individual mandate and the fine associated with it, so we continue to see more and more changes. elisabeth, steve, brian, back to you guys. >> unbelievable. >> thanks, elizabeth. >> if you're the insurance company, how do you possibly budget? how do you set up plans? >> right. >> you have to do this a year ahead of time. now all of a sudden you haven't set up prices for this catastrophic care. how do you figure out if it's going to be attractive to people if you're the administration. how do you make it affordable? >> basically healthy people sign up for catastrophic care. it's assumed they will need not the services. you're right, the budgeting will

be nearly impossible. >> it's a desperation play because people are not signing up. this is one way to get people in the door. in the meantime, our lead story, phil robertson has been suspended indefinitely from "duck dynasty" because of frank comments to "gq" magazine. he was quoting the bible. he was giving his personal religious beliefs, and yet the company said, you know what? we can't stand for that. we're going to go ahead and have to suspend you. interestingly enough, on the official family website, duckcommander.com, they've come out with a statement hinting that the entire robertson family may actually take their duck calls and leave the network. >> we called it. we call it had yesterday because we've been with the family. there's no way -- if any one of them got suspended, they wouldn't be doing the show, let alone phil, the oldest, the patriarch of the family. >> right. >> in fact, here's their statement. >> he said this. they said this together in a joint statement. "we are disappointed that phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. we have had a successful working

relationship with a&e, but as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions with a&e to see what that means for the future of "duck dynasty." again, thank you for your continued support of our family. >> you know what stands out with that statement? "successful." it didn't say enjoyable. it didn't say a mutually -- we have enjoyed the vestment. there's not a lot of touchy-feely in that statement. >> no, because millions of people are watching. some would say a&e was reacting to what people would think. millions of people watching, it was a knee-jerk reaction. they didn't wait to see what the feedback was after people heard phil's comments. they just suspended him. >> they did. in the meantime on "the daily news," they say that anybody who defends the robertsons are loons. tv dope blasts gays, and loons defend him. >> they're tolerant.

>> "go duck yourself." one of those people, bobby jindal, said this about the left. >> here's where i think that it's so hypocritical of a&e and hollywood and the left. they all say that they're for diversity, they're for tolerance, they're for, you know, minority views and opinions unless you disagree with them. >> all right. that was bobby jindal last night. he said i knew him before i was governor, after, when i was congressman, and they're friends. >> joining us right now is father jonathan morris. father john, this has to do with religious beliefs and freedom and liberty. what do you think about it? >> isn't it refreshing to hear the robertson family speak so open about their faith and not care what anybody thinks, no doubt. and i think a&e has made a huge mistake, as you guys have been saying. a very personal issue, my sister is gay and got married civilly to another woman this last year, which caused tremendous tension, obviously, in my family in terms of religious beliefs and all the rest. i love her so much.

she gave me permission to read this. she wrote to me and she said, "as much as i am not a huge fan of the robertsons' comments, the censorship applied by a&e undercuts much of the spirit of the gay rights movement. to be allowed to be out, to be able to live honestly and openly, listen to this, if glaad, one of the groups pushing this or a&e or any other organization starts censoring or punishing individuals who are out but just in a different way, in other words, expressing their religious faith, they are, in my opinion, behaving in a manner that they are in the same breath condemning." that's my sister saying. these people don't represent me in saying that anybody who speaks about their faith in a way that goes against my beliefs somehow should be censored. i think it's a very powerful recognition that these people have stepped over the line. >> she's a wise woman. >> she is. >> do you think that we are on some level redebating same-sex

marriage? >> i think what we're doing is the ability to speak our mind without being totally silenced. i'm shocked to say that i think phil robertson did not give a perfect definition of sin. it was said in a little bit of sense. they asked him what "gq" is asking phil robertson, i'm not exactly sure, but they said what in your mind is sinful? that's a tough question. that's like a theological question. he said, well, start with homosexual behavior and morph out from there. and then he lists a lot of things. that's not the best way to put it. why? because it sounds, to a homosexual, you know what? it all starts with homosexuality or it's the worst sin of anything. i don't think it was the best description. and therefore offensive. but, you know, he's not called to be a theologian. he's a great guy. >> he has the right to speak his rights. you know, he gave his beliefs as what he believed the bible said. >> yes, absolutely. i do think -- and this is --

first of all, i love the show and i love the family. but i think it is also an invitation to christians or others with strong beliefs about moral issues to learn how to say it in a very direct, not politically correct but also a passionate, kind way. >> i don't have the answer to this yet, but i think it's going to come out. i'm wondering, they've been with this family intimately for how many years? hour years? they know exactly what phil thinks about all these things. >> that's right. >> and this is a huge franchise and the foundation of a&e's success right now. why would you allow this family and "gq" to get together? why would, for example -- we see general mcchrystal in "rolling stone" magazine. they clearly have an agenda, a very liberal agenda. why would you ask that question to a reality star? do they ask the kardashians what sin is? >> exactly, the theological definition of sin.

it looks like a total setup. a&e is going to regret the fact that they made a very precipitous and i think not very smart decision. and the family will stick together, and another network will pick them up very quickly. >> to preach tolerance while practicing intolerance doesn't seem to make sense to many people. >> you're exactly right. and sometimes these activist groups, whether it's glaad or somebody else, they think that they represent everyone, and they don't always. and then it comes back to bite them. >> the thing is, too, we have to go over to heather we have to say hello to. remember where they debated the whole thing where they put a prayer in the end? that was fundamentally where the friction began between "duck dynasty" and the peruroducers. >> you're such a sensitive guy, wanting to say hello to heather. brian's always thinking about everyone. >> how do i bring the sarcasm out in a priest? with chris wallace, but with, father jonathan? no kidding. >> you're sticking around for

confession after, i hope? great. >> thank you very much, guys. >> great to see you. good morning, everyone. busy news day today. and while you were sleeping, take a look at what happened in florida. yes, that is an airplane sitting nearly upright. the pilot, he's lucky to be alive this morning. this unfolding in tampa. the planes were pouring out -- flames were pouring out of cessna when it went down. the pilot making a distress call right before the crash. two police officers heard that call. they even rushed to the scene. one cop actually put that fire out while the other one dragged the pilot out of his plan. he's now in stable condition at a local hospital. amazing. and then more than 80 people injured in london after a balcony collapsed inside a famous theater. chunks of debris falling on that audience, but it could have been a whole lot worse if the actors hadn't seen it coming. >> we thought it was part of the

play. >> the ceiling came down. a lot of dust, chandelier, wood and all that sort of stuff landed on about five or six rows. >> well, at least seven of those injuries are serious. so what does mariah carey want for christmas this year? ♪ mistletoe ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> well, she doesn't want christmas for you this year unless you are a dictator. mariah facing some really harsh criticism this morning. after she performed a concert for the president of angola. he is accused of serious human rights violences. carey was reportedly paid $1 million for the two-hour gig. she's come under fire for this before. in 2009, remember this story? she performed for the late libyan leader moammar gadhafi, and then she had to apologize for it. those are your headlines. what else you got? >> actually, her christmas song has been number one for a number of years. today on the program, we're

going to have pentatonix which has the number one christmas song this year. straight ahead, caught on camera. frightening moments in the a bus packed full of kids when the driver falls out of their seat. how some hero teachers stepped up and saved the day. >> like a keanu reeves movie. they fought for our freedom and now being forced to fight for their benefits. captain here with advice for washington and his complimentary cup of coffee. ♪ carry on my wayward son wisest kid, am i forgetting something? no holiday's complete without campbell's green bean casserole. wish you were here. ♪ [ doorbell ] [ gasps ] ♪ [ gong ] [ wisest kid ] m'm! m'm! good! the #1 selling pain reliever, in one cold medicine. advil congestion relief.

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well, they fought for our freedom and now being forced to fight for their own benefits. that's because congress puts the burden on veterans' pension payouts, but they won't go down without a fight. with us is ceo of concerned

veterans for america and he's here now to discuss. how shocked were you that this passed? >> unfortunately not shocked because we saw it with the shutdown, the way vets were used as pawns in that process. so here again, washington dysfunction, because they can't get a budget settled, because they can't find real places to reduce spending or get at our debt or find compromise, they go to veterans, and they go to veterans' pensions. and not grandfathering in older retirees, everyone under the age of 62 feels an indiscriminate cut to future benefits because they can't find anywhere else to cut. it's mind blowing. >> so much so concerned veterans for america, you guys put out this ad that i want to share with everyone. take a listen. >> what did the repeat budget deal accomplish? significantly reduce $17 trillion in debt? keep a bipartisan promise to reduce spending? reform entitlement programs? clean up d.o.d.'s budget and spending habits? cut retirement pay for america's military?

washington can't reform spending. now politicians want america's heroes to pay the price. call your senator. tell them to do their job. keep their promises and work for the real reform americans deserve. >> elisabeth -- >> powerful. >> -- the point of that ad was to say veterans have sacrificed a lot. we could sacrifice again. if this was a big deal that was going to get at our $17 trillion in debt, that was going to reduce our spending, address all the problems, because we know our fiscal future is at risk. veterans understand that. but it didn't do any of that. and it was thrust on the backs of veterans. so why this group being targeted? why now? if it's part of a big deal, we get it. if not, there's better ways at trying to reduce spending. other groups, i think a little bit less deserving, you might say, illegal immigrants, others carved out of loopholes instead of veterans. >> sure, we saw it the other day, spending in areas that don't seem to make sense. how disappointing is it for

those who have served that the commander in chief didn't stop this and it was on his desk? >> well, it's just like the if you carve this out and change it, it does start at the top. the tone starts at the top. it is a clear breaking of faith for someone who served to know that these benefits that they fought, you know, they've been given are eroding away before their eyes. congress is allowed to do it, but ultimately that kmancommandn chief is the one who can make that call. they're letting it side. it's all politics. that's what everyone will tell you. well, it's all politics and they're rolling over veterans in the process. >> it's a huge impact on families. up to $70,000 in the course of 20 years plus for some depending on how long they've served. >> yeah. and wounded warriors, iraq and afghanistan, have seen more of a cut because they've been on these benefits from the beginning. it hits those folks the worst

and the most, and that still hasn't been changed. they say they're going to fix it, but why pass it in the first place? you've seen other people stand up on principle and block bills at certain times. that didn't happen on this one. instead they say don't worry, we'll quietly fix it. maybe they will, but it's still a reflection of priorities and a gut punch to veterans for sure. >> a promise to fix is certainly something americans don't know if they can count on. certainly be questioned. captain, thanks for being with us. p. coming up, it was supposed to be a tribute to the late nelson mandela, but there's one huge mistake. can you spot it? hmm. plus, do you have a drawer full of old cell phones? how you can turn your old gadgets into cash for christmas. ♪ wake me up before you go go and now my journey

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♪ welcome back. some quick headlines for you now. new overnight, a mayor from the southern philippines shot dead in a manila airport. men on motorcycles shot at the mayor and his wife as they stepped out of the terminal. and north korea goes old school in its latest missile threat, this time threatening south korea via fax. the communist state is furious over demonstrations in the south to mark the anniversary of former leader kim jong-il's death. steve and brian? >> thank you, elisabeth. well, you've probably got some old ipods or smartphones or something laying around the house cluttering up the drawers. but what would you do if you could turn those gadgets into cash just in time for christmas? >> here to explain, someone who knows, consumer savings expert andrea is back with us. you're talking about a

transformation of our old, dusty gadgets? >> gizmos. >> yeah, but also if you consider the fact that electronic manufacturers are constantly releasing new models of the latest gadgets and a lot of people are always updating, you may even have an old iphone from just last year that's collecting dust in the kitchen. you could be sitting on cash. >> okay. >> what kind of cash are we talking? i actually know what you're talking about because i got a new iphone. i took an old busted iphone, the face was shattered, and they were going to give me 100 bucks for it. >> exactly. you could go to sites like gazelle.com, nextworth.com, buymytronics.com to get an instant quote. for instance, they may pay out up to $115 for an old iphone 4s with 32 gigabytes of memory. there's also your old blackberry, old ipads and computers. all those sites will give you cash. >> now you're talking about repairing it. what if we don't want to give up our gadgets? >> first of all, at

rapidrepair.com, they'll buy your old broken gadgets and they'll pay anywhere from $30 to $200. if you do have a gadget with a broken screen, they can repair it for under $60 instead of paying to repair it. i always recommend first find out if you can repair it before buying or upgrading because it's not working anymore. >> it's something i did with my home computer was rather than buy a brand-new one, i upgraded to the new maverick software. i updade eupdated it. >> exactly. it will work faster. sometimes changing out the software, updating the hard drive. obviously these are easier to do on laptops. you can also see if your old desktop just needs revitalized. and you're going to save a few hundred dollars. otherwise you could, again, sell them online. >> let's say i go up to steve and say steve, i'd like to trade you my old blackberry for your old iphone. could we trade this in? >> i don't know if that would be a great exchange, but you can go

to target, walmart, best buys, all of them have electronic trade-in programs. at best buy they just launched a trade-in plus where they're giving you a $50 gift card on top of the trade-in value for your cell phone. and a lot of these stores, target and best buy, will give you a gift card. and if you ship it in, they'll even prepay the shipping label for you. >> let's say father jonathan's still watching and we choose to donate it, steve. what could we do? >> to the father? >> to other people. >> as we're wrapping up the end of the year, you might be looking for extra tax deductions, donating your old cell phones is a great cause. hope phones is a campaign launched by medic mobile which is looking to increase medical help across the globe. there's also cell phones for soldiers which is an organization looking to provide communication tools to active-duty military and veterans. and they may even give you cash for those donations. >> we love that. if you'd like more information, is there one particular place they can go to? >> all the ones i mentioned, they also have their policies

online. also on andreawarrick.com, i've listed all these sites. >> andrea, merry christmas. >> to you as well. thank you. coming up straight ahead. >> we told you about target stores handling -- handing millions of our credit card numbers over to crooks. this morning there's an update. and it might be one of the most memorable moments of the year. >> that's right. remember, brian, when you did that to that poor little kid? >> oh, my goodness. >> there's more than that. we're going to recap the whole year coming up. >> how did that make the cut? ♪ buttercup baby don't you let me down ♪ [ woman 1 ] why do i cook? to share with family. [ woman 2 ] to carry on traditions. [ woman 3 ] to come together even when we're apart. [ male announcer ] in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and more,

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valhalla, new york, is proud of his work. look at that. just good spacing there. good work. >> 9-year-old seth ackerman from oakdale, california, and his little brother, liam, worked hard on this one. their younger sister, reese, helped, too, but she was off to the side eating candy, which kids are really good at. >> the nola family from pittsburgh has been making gingerbread houses for 30 years, and their daughters continued their tradition with their own children. >> fun. thanks for sending those. keep them coming. we like to see them. meantime, it's a tradition, every half hour we go over to her. >> i do the gingerbread house thing with my boys every year. they love it. one piece of candy on the house, one in the mouth. >> one for the house, one for me. >> do you use actual glue? rubber cement? >> frosting is really sticky. it works better. >> you should try it. >> i'm thinking about doing it. >> got some headlines now to bring you at 33 minutes after the hour. a u.s. marine dies during a trip that he won on "the ellen

degeneres show." brandon mcgraw was killed in a sky-diving accident on a trip with his wife in australia. he jumped from the plane and just before landing, his parachute suddenly veered. he slammed into the ground. the crash is now under investigation. retail giant target is now facing a class action lawsuit after putting millions of customers' credit card information into the hands of criminals. now, this lawsuit was filed by a guy in california. in the meantime, customers flooding the company's website and its call centers with lots of questions about this. security experts say watch your accounts for fraudulent charges. if you shopped at target from black friday through december 15th, you could be at risk. and then caught on camera. a school bus packed with children loses control when the driver falls out of his seat. well, this happened in south

carolina. two teachers springed into action. one be gras the wheel. the other jumps into the driver's seat and then hits the brakes. no one was hurt. the driver says the brakes simply didn't work, and he tumbled from his seat during the sharp turn. but the bus company not buying that story. they fired him in south carolina. little kids, i don't know about this guy. and then finally, a billboard in india remembers the late nelson mandela but gets a major detail wrong. that is not the former president of south africa. oops! that's the actor morgan freeman. check this out. the two guys side by side, freeman famously played mandela in a 2009 film. the man who commissioned the billboard claims he didn't see it before it went up. oh, boy. and those are your headlines. >> i did see "invictus." he was brilliant. >> he must have been really good because they swapped him right in there. >> thank you very much. that's the trouble with going

online. you google a picture, you put in nelson mandela, and morgan freeman picture's pops up. >> are you making excuses? >> i'm just saying i know how that happens. i've helped my kids with school work. >> jake lamotta using robert deniro. you can't do it. >> i never thought of that. >> it might happen. let's see. you know what? today we have a special treat. janice dean, the christmas machine, is with us. >> don't i look like a christmas tree in this outfit? all you have to do is put the lights on and a few decorations. >> i about the third hour. >> let's do it. are we ready? >> festoon you. >> first let's get to the weather because we have a lot to talk about. first of all, the temperatures on the map will show you where the cold front is. you can see it. it's 17 in minneapolis, right? but look at memphis. it's 62 degrees. and that's one of the ingredients we need for severe weather. can you believe we're going to see severe weather tomorrow across the south including the threat for tornadoes. so if you live in the shaded area in yellow and red across the mississippi river valley,

you need to be paying close attention to your local forecast. of course, we'll keep you up to date here from the fox news extreme weather center. as that cold front moves through, 33, 30 in chicago and see that icy mix? ice storm is possible. so not only tornadoes, not only snow, not only heavy rain but yes, we could see some ice. it's going to be very difficult if not impossible to travel on the roads in some cases tomorrow. and then all of that mess is going to move into the northeast by sunday. so we will keep you up to date. but call ahead and don't travel if you don't have to. it's going to be nasty. >> good advice. thanks. >> not going to work for me. 23 minutes before the top of the hour. it has been a big year here at "fox & friends." a new studio, a new set and a new blonde lady. >> that's me. >> elisabeth. >> if you missed a minute, you missed a lot. here's a look back of a year with "fox & friends." ♪ >> i barack hussein obama do solemnly swear.

>> what difference at this point does it make? >> "argo." >> it hasn't happened at fenway park for 95 years! ♪ lord have mercy >> a good show. don't let us down. >> sorry. i always do. >> parade of political posturing and phony scandals. >> they're not scandals. they're phony scandals. >> the fact is we have four dead americans. >> four dead americans and nobody held responsible. >> i want the whole world to know that she lied to my face. >> targeted by the tax man, the irs going after americans who dare to criticize government spending and waste. >> and i'm telling my government that you've forgotten your place. >> over the last few years it turns out that the department of justice was probing into fox news's phone numbers. >> it's not enough that he should resign. it's not enough that he's impea impeached. he should go to jail. >> we have a tremendous amount of news to tell you about this morning. one boston marathon suspect has

been killed. he is dead this morning. >> now you're seeing right in front of a house with guns drawn, rifles out. we did hear what sounded to us like gunfire. >> the sun is also coming up in moore, oklahoma, a massive tornado. at least 51 people have been killed. >> your house is gone. her school is gone. what do you do today? >> you pray. not just for yourself but for everyone that's around you. >> 10-year-old sara mirnahan is dying. she needs a lung transplant to survive. >> what stands in her way is the federal government's board. folks, if you want to help, go to gofundme.org. >> nobody did more to make it happen than you did. >> the problem is apparently the key has stripped, and now al, will you ever be able to turn that thing off? >> look what it's doing. town cryer on the streets of new

york city to start our show. >> anchor, hello. >> hello, anchor. >> hi, crier. >> who is your daddy and what does he do? >> you also don't have a belly button, is that true? >> i do have a belly button. >> what kind of research are you doing? >> the belly button edition. >> what just happened? >> i'm looking so much forward to moving on to my new show, but i will miss, miss, miss all these wonderful memories. ♪ have a little help from my friends ♪ >> thank you. ♪ have a little help from my friends ♪ >> the most famous couch in america, we're retiring it today. >> transition. >> ready? >> where we shipping it? >> away. we've got a new set. we've got new graphics. >> we are in every major newspaper across the country, i

believe. the one thing we're missing. >> hi, guys. >> elisabeth hasselbeck is here. ♪ starting of a brand-new day >> hop in. >> okay, let's go. >> playing politics with our military. the government freezing benefits for the families of the fallen. >> till sanity rules down in washington, fisher house will bridge the gap. >> the 12 days of christmas is replaced with the 20 days of obamacare in trying to rebrand what hasn't been working. ♪ one website crashing ♪ i keep on trying ♪ i've got nothing to say >> look who's here! >> i love you so much! >> there you go. >> how do you stop this? i'm sorry. oh, my gosh. >> it's matt lauer's newspaper. from roker, he says, hey, we have more than one of your papers, but bring kilmeade over.

>> oxford is making selfie the official word of the year. oh, brian. >> we're going to have to call that your hot shot of the morning. >> it's a bird, it's a plane, it's "the lone ranger"! ♪ know when to hold 'em ♪ know when to walk away ♪ know when to run >> what a year! >> good job. >> very, very nice. >> "the lone ranger" made it. >> and it's great to have you. >> oh, my gosh, i'm just thankful to be part of the year. i've been watching y'all for decades. >> decades. now you're hurting our feelings. decades? how old do you think we are? >> i'm no spring chicken either. it's an honor and i'm happy "the lone ranger" made it in. >> it seems like five years ago when we caught you in the hall with those two mugs. doesn't it seem like? >> cold coffee. >> yeah, it was ice cold. i never complained, but it really hurt me. >> i'm glad we can talk openly about these things. >> it has been a terrific year

for us. once again for i think, what, 10, 15 years, we've been number one. thanks to all of you. so thank you very much. that is what we are thankful for this christmas. all right. meanwhile, coming up straight ahead, troubling news for anyone who likes their food spicy. >> that's right. and santa ditches his sleigh for an airplane? arriving early to spread some christmas cheer, and our own ainsley was there, and she's here next with the good news. >> ho ho ho. hello, ainsley. ♪ rockin' around the counthrist tree ♪ ♪ have a happy holiday ♪ [ male announcer ] how could a luminous protein in jellyfish, impact life expectancy in the u.s., real estate in hong kong, and the optics industry in germany? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 70% of our mutuafunds

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nothing is more important than spreading christmas joy around the holidays. >> at john f. kennedy airport here in new york city, one organization did just that with

a little help from santa claus. >> how do you know that, steve? >> i don't. ainsley does. she joins us now. >> i saw the real santa, guys, with all these precious children. the organization is called community mayor. it's the event "operation santa." thousands of children with disabilities. they get to unwrap some toys, and they get a chance to see up close the real santa. >> ooh. >> a special treat for kids with special needs. ♪ jingle bells ♪ jingle bells ♪ jingle all the way >> reporter: christmas came early as kriss kringle left his reindeer behind to greet 4,000 people with special needs for a community mayors event last week. it's called "operation santa claus." >> merry christmas! >> reporter: coming from all over the tri-state area, the kids dance to christmas carols in anticipation as they waited santa. who are you going to see today? >> santa. >> santa's coming.

>> i get to see santa. >> santa claus comes to town. >> the most important feature is the arrival of santa claus. he is taxiing in, waving hello from a window of a delta airline jet. and when he exits the airplane, the children go just bonkers. >> reporter: this is the highlight for all these boys and girls at this event. they came to see santa. he has just flown in from the north pole and is here to meet and greet all the children. >> they will remember it for the rest of their lives because those memories are priceless. >> reporter: it's hard to believe this enormous operation began over 50 years ago as a small parade in brooklyn. now more than 3,000 volunteers including the fbi, secret service, new york firefighters and port authority police officers transform this empty airplane hangar into a winter

wonderland for good ol' st. nick. >> this is an opportunity to show the children how much we love them because these children, no matter where they come from, they need santa more than anything else. >> it's magic. it's a day where the volunteers come, and they are children again for the day. >> reporter: and magic it is. watching these children smile just in time for christmas. >> merry christmas! >> aww, great. >> the community mayors organization, it's a not-for-profit organization. it helps children with special needs, as you saw. the "operation santa claus" is just one of their many events that they hold throughout the year. if you want more information or if you want to donate to this charity, go to foxandfriends.com. >> what a wonderful story. who knew the front windows on big airplanes open up like that where people can stand out the front? >> oh, yeah, santa's, like, hanging out. >> the real santa. >> that was the real santa.

>> ainsley, thanks. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. still ahead, a&e is turning its back on the patriarch of the "duck dynasty" gang. but one company is standing right with the family. you're going to hear from its ceo, top of the hour. >> so the sponsors are staying in this case. some of them. then as we get ready to celebrate christmas, do you know the true story of jesus's birth? lauren green took a trip to the holy land. she's going to join us with what she learned while she was there. ♪ glory to the newborn king [ male announcer ] even ragu users a. chose prego traditional over ragu traditional. prego?! but i buy ragu. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made. [ pop muzak plays ] [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego.

♪ the story of the birth of jesus is often misunderstood. but lauren green set out on a mission to uncover the real story behind christmas.

>> instead of power being about the big bullies being about submission, this is as jesus christ said, about someone who didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for money. it's politically dynamite. >> politically dynamite. chief religion correspondent lauren green joins us to tell bus her special, the nativity, fact, fiction and faith. >> wow. >> i love him because he has incredibly powerful things to say about jesus. he talks about how politically subversive this idea of a messiah was, considering the jews were looking for a political messiah, what they got was a totally different kind of messiah. it's interesting because we traveled to jerusalem. bethlehem. what we know about jesus christ is in the gospels. only two contain the birth

story, matthew and luke. matthew we have the star of bethlehem, the magi. in luke we have the annunciation. we traveled to bethlehem to see where jesus was born, to see the church of the nativity. >> the manger? >> the manger -- basically where the church of the nativity is built over the manger where jesus was born attention where they believe jesus was born. so pilgrims travel to the church of the nativity, going down deep into the grotto of the church to see the actual place where they believe jesus was born. it's a cave. it's not a barn. he was placed in what we call an animal trough. this is what theologians say, god is turning the tables on humanity. he's saying, through strength, we have -- through weakness, we have strength. through poverty, we have wealth. god is simply turning the tables. we're also asking the question: if jesus is called jesus of nazareth, why is he born in

bethlehem? we explore that idea of why. it's because he's in the line of david. >> you went to nazareth. what happened there? >> we saw -- remember, the annunciation, this is when the angel gabe yehl comes to marry -- gabriel and says you will be the mother of jesus. at the church of the annunciation, that's where catholics believe that the annunciation happened. but the greek orthodox church have a church there as well where they believe it happened. and then you've got mary's well, which is another place where they believe the annunciation happened. >> we're going to be watching lauren's special christmas eve at 7:00 p.m. eastern and christmas day at 4:00 p.m. eastern as well. thank you very much. >> we will be watching. merry christmas n merry christmas to you. coming up, the "duck dynasty" family standing behind their suspended patriarch. will they take their duck calls and go home? what the robertson family is saying this morning.

how didn't they see this coming? a 50-ton whale lurking below tourists. the story behind the photo straight ahead. ♪ ho ho ho [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. some are giant. some not so giant. when managing your weight, bigger is always better. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant

good morning. it's friday, december 20, 2013. i'm elisabeth hasselbeck. have the robertsons made their last duck call? while you were sleeping, the family spoke out about their plans for the future. brian? >> all right. a last ditch effort overnight by the obama administration to save obamacare. what they just did could hurt more than help. steve? >> thank you. i think we're going to need a bigger boat. a massive whale swimming right beneath a boat packed with tourists. the story behind that incredible photo and so much more. "fox & friends" for this friday before christmas starts right now. >> this is chris chula, floor

operator, and i'm saying merry christmas to you and you're watching "fox & friends." >> we got the best crew. >> they're all right. >> i know you usually do sports. i'm going to try a line. the white house throwing a hail mary. how did that go? >> it's actually a religious reference. >> they announced a major exemption that will let you sign up for bare bones coverage. >> where did this come from and when did they unveil it? that woman, elizabeth prann has all the details. >> insurance companies have to adjust again. the white house is expanding the definition of hardship for somebody who wants to apply for coverage. so what does that mean in it means some americans whose insurance policies have been canceled can now purchase bare bones catastrophic plans at the very last minute. while the administration says this a common sense solution for the estimated 500,000 customers,

the fact of the matter is, up to 6 million lost their coverage after the october 1 rollout. insurance companies now have to take into account that catastrophic plans do include some primary care visits and some preventive benefits, but they're not necessarily designed for people over the age of 30. >> the insurers are pulling their hair out. they are unbelievably exasperated. they're going nuts because that point, if people exit the regular obamacare pool into this catastrophic pool, that means that sicker people will be in the obamacare pool. that means premiums will be more expensive. >> another surprise yesterday, the americans who had their health plans canceled were temporarily exempt from the individual mandate and the fine associated with it. but that's an option that was not offered to some who may have already purchased a very expensive plan. elisabeth, steve, brian, back to you. >> thank you very much. unbelievable. can you imagine the chaos right now, getting into the holidays, for all these major insurance

companies who go into exchanges, think they have one sort of budget and find out they have to reinstate some plans, and then have to offer catastrophic plans for all these people that they canceled. how do you do this? >> it goes to show you how screwed up things are. they don't have nearly the number of people signed up that they said would. so they've got to do some 11th hour hail mary move. they're hoping this is it. catastrophic. >> democratic lawmakers pushing the white house to do it and making these announcements on misssives and posts instead of saying, i have a major announcement, but first let me get with the insurance companies to make sure this is feasible. >> this is nothing new with this administration. >> heather nauert has some other headlines. >> the actuaries will be busy this christmas eve. good morning to awful -- all of us. look what happened in florida. that's an airplane right there. it's sitting nearly upright. the pilot is lucky to be alive this morning.

this happening in tampa, florida. the flames started pouring out of the plane when it went down near tampa international airport. the pilot made a distress call right before the crash. two police officers heard the call and they rushed to the scene. one cop put out the fire and the other one dragged out the pilot. he's now in stable condition and certainly lucky to be alive. for three different bus crashes on california freeway, leaving dozens hurt and one person dead. two of those crashes happening on the same stretch of highway about 50 miles from one another. one of those buses was packed with people headed to a casino. slick roads are being eyed as the cause of those crashes. balcony collapses inside a famous london theater action leaving more than 80 people hurt. it could have been worse if the actors hadn't seen it coming. >> the actors -- >> the ceiling came down, dust,

chandelier and all that sort of stuff, landed on five or six rows. >> at least some of those injuries are considered serious. i think we'll need a bigger boat. a photographer snapping this stunning picture while he was scuba diving in argentina. there is a massive 50-ton whale switching underneath that tiny boat. the folks on the boat had no idea that wail was right there. those are your headlines. how wild is that? >> that's a crazy shot. >> i wouldn't want to know. if you want to know what's going on with "duck dynasty," they're in repeats and they're in the middle of a christmas special which was a big hit. their christmas album was a huge hit. they're the hottest show in america and now they're in the eye of the storm. in case you don't know agq article where phil was quoted as saying some things that are controversial -- >> to some. >> to some. they were crude. >> he was frank, but he was expressing his religious belief. >> often seen on the show. >> absolutely.

>> now we have the first chapter. a & e reacted, broadcasting company said we are putting him on indefinite suspension. the cting, released this statement. >> that's right. they said this on their own web site, duckcommander.com. we are disappointed phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith which is his constitutionally protected right. we can't imagine our show going forward without our patriarch at our helm. >> harvey levin, i saw a tweet he sent out earlier today -- yesterday that is. he's from tmz. he writes, i'm gay and i don't agree with phil, but he has a right to his beliefs. it's not hate based. it's religious. miss directed, some might say. but it's his right. also we understand apparently underarmor, one of their biggest sponsors will stand by them. as are the fellow we're about to meet now. >> the governor of the state,

bobby jindal, very much in their corner yesterday. said i'll stay friends with them forever and today. >> but sky decker suspensions and are duck dynasty sponsors. we're going to talk to them right now. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> how long have you known the robertson family? >> several, several years. we've worked with them professionally since 2008, back in the duck commander days and we've known them as friends since we're in the same town for many years. >> if you could give us a voice to why you stand behind them. we heard other sponsors are doing the same thing. what's your reasoning there? >> sky jacker, we're a faith-based company as well and our beliefs are the same as theirs and while things phil may

have said may have been on the crude side, that's just phil's core beliefs. it wasn't about the topic individually. that's just the way phil is individually. we believe the same as he does. >> phil is a fine man. i wouldn't want to judge him by any means. i agree with my son here. phil may have spoke a little crude. he meant well. he's a fine man, good christian man. >> lonnie, now a & e said we're suspending him. the family says, we're stepping out. so they're in loggerheads. looks like they're separating. are you saying that you and your company will go where "duck dynasty" goes? >> absolutely. >> lonnie senior, let me ask you this, are you worried that there could be backlash against your company, sky jacker suspensions, that you are supporting them, even though all these comments have come out? >> i'm not worried about that at

all. it could be some backlash, but if it is, so be it. we're going to stand firm with phil and the beliefs. >> have you heard from -- >> so far -- go ahead -- so far in the support we've made with phil, we've had an outpouring of support coming into our office, our sky jacker facebook page has blown up. we've just had an outpouring of support for us because of our support for phil robertson in this matter. >> thank you for that. have you spoken with phil since all this has taken place? >> no, ma'am, we haven't. i wouldn't even try to get ahold of phil because phil, if anyone knows phil, he doesn't carry a cell phone on him. he's an extremely hard to reach out in the woods. >> sure. so that's where they're standing. you have the show that's garnering between 9 and 14 million people watching it. now they're in repeats going forward. could you say -- are you

surprised, number one, that those comments appeared in a gq magazine? were you surprised where this has gone? >> well, i was surprised it was gq magazine. you know, in today's tolerant world, i feel like that we all have to have our own beliefs. we have to believe in something. we have to be willing to speak out about our beliefs when we're asked about them. that's all that phil did. i feel like that's important today. if not, then we live in a tolerant society that we just stand by, next thing you know, we all believe in nothing and i feel like that -- everybody knows phil is going to stand up for what he believes in and that's one of the reasons why we support phil robertson and the "duck dynasty" is that they believe in the same beliefs we do as a company and i believe that there is nothing wrong with what he did. i'm not sure that a & e has to go so far as to remove him from the show. i believe they could have simply

issued a statement of what they believe in if they felt differently. >> does it concern you -- he's suffering a punishment right now that was a knee jerk reaction. does it worry that you expressing your beliefs and your faith as a company, that that could happen to any company, anyone who expresses what they believe on either side? >> yeah. i definitely feel like we have a right for freedom of speech and i don't believe that should be subject to penalty if we do that. >> we've stood up for -- i'm sorry of the we've stood up for our beliefs ever since we founded the company 40 years ago. it's in our magazines. we send out tracks. so the freedom of speech is there. >> absolutely. you ought to be able to express your own beliefs and he was talking about his religious beliefs, which are sacrosanct to many. we thank you for joining us from louisiana. merry christmas. >> thank you all so much.

merry christmas. >> they're staying with the duck commander and "duck dynasty." >> that's right. coming up, they just had a baby when they found out they're losing their health insurance. and they have obamacare to thank for it. that couple here next n plus, have you ever -- >> plus, have you ever regifted something? the surprising amount of people who give away stuff that was given to them. they think it's okay. better not be my stuff. i remember. ♪ let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ♪ ♪ it doesn't show signs of stopping ♪ ♪ and i brought some corn for popping ♪ ♪ let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ♪ wish you were here. ♪ ♪

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[ ding ] i sense you've overpacked, your stomach. try pepto to-go. it's pepto-bismol that fits in your pocket. relief can be yours, but your peanuts... are mine. ♪ imagine being a young couple expecting your first child, only to find out that thanks to obamacare, your health insurance has been canceled t. happened to the wenten family of california.

they tried to sign up for the obamacare web site. but never got confirmation. they do have a plan, they have no idea how much it will cost, what the deductibles are or anything else. they join us now from los angeles to explain their problem they're in, all due to obamacare. first the good news, on sunday, your wife gave birth, everything is okay. right? >> yeah, everything is great. the baby is happy and healthy. we are tremendously joy struck. >> but you in charge of your family and making sure they're insured, you like to know after the 31st, you have a policy. so what did you do? >> well, so i found out the policy was canceled. i went out into the state exchange site, went through the process. it kind of kicked me out through the end and couldn't confirm i enrolled. then i called the state exchange. they told me to call the insurer in ten days. the insurer said they hadn't received the information.

>> the insurer's anthem. >> the insurer then was blue shield, because it it happened they were going to be covered by uacla and wasn't. i switched to anthem. anthem claimed they were going to cover our pediatrician. turns out they aren't. so anthem's web site is also glitchy. i tried to confirm a plan with anthem. they can't send me e-mail or letter confirmation. so i'm not going to have proof of insurance on january 1. i'm pretty clear about that. >> couple things have already happened to you. number one, if you can keep your plan, you can't. number two, you can keep your doctor if you want to. not true. they're not going to pay for it. so now you're forced to switch your plan to another company, who is not answering you on whether they're insuring you or not. >> right. i'm trying to spend thousands of dollars on an insurance plan and i can't even get a document to

say that i've successfully done so. but on the other hand, i've come to the conclusion that individual insurance market is profoundly broken and has been for a long time. everybody that's shopping for individual insurance is either stuck in an existing plan 'cause they have a preexisting condition or they're healthy, so they don't sign up for a plan. the affordable care act solves those problems. by putting the insurers in competition with each other, i think that insurers will have to be much more customer friendly than they are today. >> we just have to make sure those insurance companies get on. we have to make sure that you get a chance to get there and have them bid against you. we've also been told that states like yours in california that take the money that the government is giving them will eventually dry up, they're able to implement it effectively. it looks like your example is an example of it not working. >> well, it's unclear.

i think in january i may or may not have insurance. >> i hope you do. best of luck to you and your family. we wanted to give a real idea of what it is like being the consumer on the other end and the situation where there is no gray area. your family is expanding. you need to know where the money is coming from. thank you for joining us. i appreciate it. congratulations to you. >> thanks, brian. coming up, parents aren't keeping silent about this one. their kid's school cut the religious references out of "silent night." how do you do that. then "anchorman 2" hits theaters. does it live up to the hype? steve doocy says yes. but let's see what kevin mccarthy says.

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time for news by the numbers. we're calling this the seven out of ten edition. first, seven out of ten children will get no surprise gifts this year because they make wish lists to make sure they get exactly what they want. >> they've been doing that for years. >> next, seven out of ten workers don't take the vacation time they're entitled to. take that, france. finally, seven out of ten people think regifting is okay. 15% of people say it's always okay. 58% say sometimes okay. that was the biggest gray area, kinda news by the numbers ever. >> if you're not going to use something, rather than throw away, give it to somebody. >> but do you tell them? >> if you tell them it's a regift, it diminishes the gift. >> like giving somebody a half baked cake. like i took a bite, but you want

it? merry christmas. >> sharing we call that. well, the much hyped sequel "anchorman 2" is now hitting theaters. >> can i help you, guy? >> what do you mean? >> you're staring at me, hot shot. explaining my autograph? who you were and i was looking at you. >> is that what i sound like when i talk? >> now fox news contributor, kevin mccarthy. i saw "anchorman." if you liked the first one, you'll be happy with this one. >> i'm 100% in agreement with you. good morning to you and merry christmas and thank you for having me on the show. i'm totally in agreement with you. if you loved the first one, it was totally random, awkward, out there jokes, the movie is ten

times more awkward and more random. this time around, they're joining a 24-hour global news network, the first 24-hour news network in the movie world and the whole news team is assembled again and the jokes are hilarious. i was laughing the entire time. steve, get this, they shot about six to 15 different takes of every single scene in the film. so there is talks that they may release a second "anchorman 2" with the same story, all different jokes. >> i'm totally with you. i was dying laughing. there was one section of the film why i felt like it fell off a little bit. but as the ending hit with the big fight scene without giving too much away, that solidified the four out of five for me. >> the first one had a big fight scene as well. it's not woody allen. it's just dumb. >> exactly! if you can turn your brain off and enjoy a dumb, whacky movie,

the same director, it's a very satisfying sequel. you don't ever get that many satisfying sequels. this one worked. i wouldn't say it's as good as the first one, but it definitely will make you laugh. >> how do you compare it to "jaws 2". >> that, it was dreadful. the only sequel in the history of cinema that are better than the originals, people will think i'm crazy for this, "aliens." godfather" 2" and "terminator 2". >> "porky's 2". >> "anchorman 2", you're giving four out of five stars, which you also give four out of hive stars to "american hustle." why? >> christian bale is one of the greatest actors when it comes to physical transformation and you're dealing with a movie that's directed by david o. russell. he did "the fighter" and" three kings." had is based on the fictional

account of the f.b.i. account ad from the '70s and '80s. christian bale social security a con man forced to work with the f.b.i. this is a film nominated for seven golden globe nominations. the performances are better than the actual film. it never really reaches that fit gear of greatness that "silver linings playbook" did. i find it more like "ocean 11". i love the references to" pulp fiction." >> this christmas week, if people have too much togetherness and they need to get out -- >> hustle over to "anchorman 2". >> yeah. and people can tweet me at kevin mccarthy tv. i have the most hilarious clip with christian bale 'cause he gained 40 pounds for the role. that stomach in the trailer, that's really his. he had to learn how to tie his shoes completely differently.

check it out on twitter. >> there it is. kevin, you are great. we'll also find you on nerdtears.com. >> it's been great having you as part of the team this year. thank you very much. >> thank you. and brian, i'll see you tomorrow in alexandria at your book signing at 4:00 o'clock. >> wait a second. you're going to mount vernon? >> sounds like it. >> i'll be there tomorrow. i live in alexandria. >> come at 3. it starts at 3. >> i'll be there at 3. >> thank you very much. >> coming up, a vacation turns into a nightmare. marine dies during a trip he won on the ellen degeneres trip. what went wrong? >> and faith under fire. a school taking christ out of the song "silent night." when is not staying silent? some parents. you'll hear from them next ooh, homemade soup! yeah...

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♪ then i saw mommy tickle santa claus ♪ ♪ . >> i love the reindeer out there. >> that's very festive up and down avenue of the americas. >> most of new york will have their shirts off today. it will be 45 to 50 degrees. >> it's 47 right now.

>> i know. >> you can take your shirt off. go ahead. >> i'm thinking about it, but i'm on tv. >> so? sweeps. >> it helps the man show back in the '90s. >> this is like a -- >> i'll let you guys hash it out. heather nauert? >> we have learned brian likes his pecs, so he can take off his shirt. >> i would never say that. >> that's your favorite body part you reported. >> i have some headlines. a serious story for you about a u.s. marine who sadly died during a trip that he won on the ellen degeneres show. gunnery sergeant brandon mcgraw was an active duty marine who had recently returned from a deployment to afghanistan. he was killed in a sky diving accident on a trip with his wife, in australia. he jumped from the plane and just before landing, his parachute suddenly veered to the left and to the right and then he slammed into the ground. degeneres releasing a statement saying, quote, i've

been speaking with his wife. my staff has been in touch with her. she asked us to help keep this private as she tries to deal with this unimaginable tragedy. the cause is under investigation. students at a california high school in trouble for changing their own grades. as many as a dozen students a at the school in newport beach hacked into a school computer, changed their grades and they were all saveable. to make matters worse, the cheaters may have been helped by a tutor. officials say timothy lance may have given students a hack device and instructions how to use it. the tutor may face criminal charges. parents are not keeping silent about this. their children's school cut religious references out of the song "silent night". ♪ heavenly host sing alleluia sleep in heavenly peace ♪

♪ sleep in heavenly peace >> those are fifth graders at a school on long island. they never sang the part of the song that says "christ the savior is born". >> it's silent night. it's offensive. if you're going to remove words to not offend other religions, what about the religion that that song belongs to, which is christianity? >> yeah. the school board eventually apologized and they say they're taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again. brian, we both live on long island. i cannot even begin to explain that one. >> i know the person you just interviewed. i know him. i worked with him. >> he's not silent. >> yeah. glad they got that on tape. >> heather, thank you very much. let's go out to the streets of new york city. janis dean, it's 47 out there. maria molina has been struggling

with 18-degree weather i wouldn't you're getting a jackpot day. >> it's because i'm with people from the south. how are you doing? >> all right! >> merry christmas. what's your favorite channel? n fox news. >> very nice. not even prompted. let's look at the maps. we have a storm that's going to move in. you know when you've got warm temperatures, you know something weird will happen because we have this cold front that's going to sweep on through. ahead of the system we've got a wintery mix across the ohio river valley and great lakes. watch this thing as it moves across the south and the mississippi river valley. we could see some severe weather, including tornadoes. tomorrow and then sunday this mess moves across the northeast and then the temperatures are going to drop. we're going to enjoy record-setting temperatures i think saturday and sunday, close to 70 degrees here in new york city. i will take full credit for that. back inside, steve. >> all right. great crowd out there. thanks very much. it's been a big year here at "fox & friends." a new studio, a new set and a my hostess. >> if you missed a minute, you missed a lot. here is a look back at the year with "fox & friends".

>> what difference at this point does it make! >> argo! >> it hasn't happened at fenway park for 95 years! ♪ >> sounds like a good show. don't heat -- let us down. >> endless parade of phony scandals. >> they're not scandals. they're phony scandals. >> the fact is, we had four dead americans. >> four dead americans and nobody held responsible. >> i want the whole world to know that she lied to my face. >> targeted by the tax man, the irs going after americans scared to criticize government spending and waste. >> i'm telling my government that you forgot your place. >> over the last few years, it turns out that the department of justice was plugging into fox news phone numbers.

>> it's not enough that he should reseen. he should go to jail! >> we have a tremendous amount of news to tell but this morning. one boston marathon suspect has been killed. he's dead this morning. >> now you're seeing in the house, with guns drawn, rifles out. we did hear what sounded like gun fire. >> the sun is also coming up in moore, oklahoma. a massive tornado, at least 51 people have been killed. >> your house is gone. her school is gone. what do you do today? >> you pray. not just for yourself, but for everyone around you. >> ten-year-old sarah murnaghan is dying. she needs a lung transplant to survive. >> what stands in her way is the federal government's board. >> if you want to help, go to gofundme.org. >> peter johnson, nobody did more to make it happen than you did. >> go, go! >> the problem is, apparently the key has stripped and will

you ever be able to turn that thing off! >> town cryer on the streets of new york city to start our show. >> hello. >> hello, anchor. >> hi. >> cry something. who is your daddy and what does he do? >> you also don't have a belly button. is that true? >> i do have a belly button. >> you don't? >> i do. >> what kind of research -- >> you know what? >> i pulled the rap. >> what just happened? >> i'm looking so much forward to moving on, but i will mississippi, miss, all these wonderful people. >> thank you. >> the most famous couch in america, we're retiring it today.

>> transition, ready! >> we've got a new set. new graphics. >> we're in every major newspaper across the country, i believe. one thing we're missing, elisabeth hasselbeck is here! >> hop in! >> okay. let's go. >> playing politics with our military. the government freezing money. >> 12 days of christmas is replaced with the 20 days of obamacare in trying to rebrand what hasn't been working. >> one web site crashing. >> i keep on trying. >> i got nothing to say. >> somebody said -- look right there! >> i love you so much! >> there you go! >> how do you stop this? i'm sorry. >> it's matt lauer's newspaper. >> roker says we have more than

one of your papers. bring kill need overment we have plenty of babies and basketballs here. >> the word selfie is, oxford is making it the official word of the year. >> we're going to have to call it your hot shot of the morning. >> it's a bird, it's a plane! it's the lone ranger! ♪ know when to fold eh ♪ know when to walk away >> i got to tell you, at the end, singing with kenny rogers was absolutely a thrill. >> it was a blast. never thought i'd do that. >> don't take this out of jealousy because i wasn't there. i don't think he's that happy. >> he loved it. he was singing with heather. >> did he really? >> he watches "fox & friends." >> kenny rogers, he wasn't going hey, heather. hey, elisabeth. >> kenny rogers, call us right now. 888-tell fox, if you will. >> he's watching from the tour

bus? >> yeah, wherever he is. >> direct tv. >> it's been a great year thanks to all of you. straight ahead, remember the interpreter who faked signing at nelson mandela's funeral? there is a big update on that guy coming up next. plus, make your new year's plans, a date with me and bill hemmer. here is a sneaks peek of our new year's eve special. we're going to show you coming up live. brian has issues with this. >> i have to make sure before this happens. ♪ ♪ you [ coughs ] have a cold with thiannoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i bett take something. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn

[ male announcer ] nope. [ sniffles ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting antihistamine to relieve your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is! [ man ] shh! for fast cold and flu relief, day or night, try alka-seltzer plus day and night liquid gels. where does the united states get most of its energy? is it africa? the middle east? canada? or the u.s.? the answer is... the u.s. ♪ most of america's energy comes from right here at home. take the energy quiz. energy lives here. anbe a name and not a number?tor scotade. ron: i'm never alone with scottrade. i can always call or stop by my local office. they're nearby and ready to help. so when i have questions,

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[ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. some are giant. some not so giant. when managing your weight, bigger is always better. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant 15 minutes to the top of the hour. quick headlines now. florida congressman riddle is out of rehab one month after pleading guilty to cocaine poe

something. many state and national republicans are calling for him to step down. but he says he plans to stay in congress. and the phony sign language interpreter at nelson mandela's memorial now a psychiatric hospital. his wife took him in for a checkup. the doctor suggested he be admitted immediately. >> that's all a bad sign. >> right. >> come on in right now. meanwhile, almost time to say good-bye to 2013 and hello to 2014. fox news channel's bill hemmer will be ringing in the new year with one of our newest employees, our own elisabeth hasselbeck and the two of them join brian and me here on the curvy couch. >> i'll be your wing man, okay? >> i couldn't be more excited. >> here is the problem, steve won't say it, but i'll say it. this thing was -- we find out about it in a promo. i don't know where we are in our relationship for another man to walk right in on one of the most romantic times of the calendar year. >> wait a minute. you're saying you want to be with her because it's romantic

or with him when it's romantic? >> awkward here. awkward. >> first off, why do you feel as though you're the right man for elisabeth in. >> here is what i think, the great secret here is that as a rite of passage, elisabeth, you must do new year's eve in times square. >> that's right. >> because kilmeade has done it. >> not really. >> doocy has done it. >> i started it. >> you did it like 80 times. >> i did. >> this is your rite of passage. this is your official well coming party. just to make sure you're comfortable, it will be 68 degrees on sunday. >> i thought mayor bloomberg should move the new year's eve date to sunday since it will be toasty warm. but i don't think we have control of that. foot warmers, you might need that. second pair for your hurricanes tim, so he's sitting on the couch watching football, keeping toasty. hand warmers.

you might need those. or maybe not. >> what is this? >> this is the secret. >> beef jerky? >> for you? >> i'm telling you, he's had issues since the announcement. >> body warmers. here is the secret. >> to put us in the spirit -- >> you put on a t-shirt and then you put the body warmer over the t-shirt. keep your core warm. you'll love it. these are the wrap arounds that you need in new york to keep your hair nice and neat. >> see thousand feels. >> 9:00 p.m. on new year's eve. >> who is going to be on the show? >> blues traveler, susan boyle will sing "you would lang sign." bill o'reilly will cook something up for us.

>> we've got the cast of "the five," guilfoyle and beckel. hasselbeck and some others. >> and you. >> there you go. >> happy new year. >> happy new year! we will be there. >> suddenly i can read the teleprompter. coming up, this teacher did not want planned parenthood in his classroom, so he was fired. you're going to meet him next. >> right. also under fire, mariah carey? she's spreading christmas cheer to after african dictator. ♪ ♪ [ woman 1 ] why do i cook? to share with family. [ woman 2 ] to carry on traditions. [ woman 3 ] to come together

even when we're apart. [ male announcer ] in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and more, swanson makes holiday dishes delicious.

trouble with schools. booted for his beliefs when a dedicated teacher of 11 years stood up for his pro-life views in the classroom, the school had no hesitation in firing him. that portland, oregon high school math and computer science teacher, bill diss, joins us now live from portland. good morning to you. >> good morning. how are you today? >> i'm doing okay. i'm doing better than you. i have a job. you don't. why did they fire you? >> well, it had been a process for six years. i had had very good reviews over at the high school. then in 2007 i started to be involved with the northeast community with a variety of churches and a mosque to stop planned parenthood from building a huge center. and that caused quite a bit of

scrutiny. in one year one of the principals asked me quite a few questions about what i was doing on my off time and what my sign said, what i told people, what i spoke to people about in church and then finally had to find a lawyer. then they backed off -- >> wait a minute, mr. diss. the principal wanted to know what you said in church? >> yes, yes. she was upset that the pastors introduced me as a teacher from benson high school. she brought in a district lawyer and the district lawyer and the principal told me i shouldn't even say i was a teacher because someone might ask if i was a teacher, then they might ask where i work. >> sure. that was one incident. another one was when the school administration wanted planned parenthood to come in and talk to your math class? i would understand maybe health class, sports class. but math class?

>> right. it was actually a tutorial class where i was helping students with mainly math, but other subjects also. and planned parenthood came in with posters and started to recruit the children for a program by offer the children $5 gift certificates. the children were able to sign a paper without their parents' knowledge and then instead of them working on homework and doing research, planned parenthood was able to take the kids in to a classroom and do little games with them. >> all you were doing was you were simply -- okay, planned parenthood can give their point of view, you gave yours. now you've been fired. the public school the of portland said mr. diss said his termination is based on his religious beliefs and freedom of speech. this is not true. his conduct and performance led to his removal from the classroom and termination as well. what are you going to do? >> well, we're looking at all

the different opportunities. the union has hired a very good employment law firm and life legal defense fund has also provided attorney to help try to rectify the situation here. >> well, it just doesn't seem right that you should be -- if they're going to have one side, the other side can't be represented in school, that just doesn't seem fair. good luck to you and keep us posted what happens next, would you? >> thank you very much. >> all right. out there in portland. what do you think about that? e-mail us because i know a lot of you are e-mailing us on this. coming up, are they going to take their duck calls and go home? the robertson family is speaking out. what they're saying about phil being removed from "duck dynasty" coming up. plus, their version of "little drummer boy" has been viewed more than 20 times and he'll

sing it for us in our studio. t. while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, this can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain and improve daily physical function so moving is easier. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions,

or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing.

so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?

good morning it's friday, december 20. i'm elisabeth hasselbeck. the "duck dynasty" clan drawing a line in the sand after their patriarch was kicked off the air. what they're announcement means for the future of their show. then the 11th hour exemption. another major change is made to obamacare. if you see this coming, what's happening just as the president leaving for vacation. will it hurt more people than it helps? we'll tell you all about it. >ant for christmas? ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> she sang for gadhafi, now

singing for another dictator. "fox & friends" will tell you that story. float the pictures. it starts now. >> this is craig morgan. i want to wish everyone a merry christmas and happy new year. you are watching "fox & friends" and to all service members, thank you for your service. >> he's a firefighter, military guy, and -- >> emt. >> and emt. and he is also an outstanding country artist. >> i believe he also revealed he was once the assistant dairy manager at a wal-mart. remember that? >> i think he did reveal that. >> i don't know if that belongs at the top of the resume. >> how many stars can say that. >> how many people can say excuse me. one of these eggs is broken. put them back. >> he can. >> that's why you're the assistant. let's talk about ducks. "duck dynasty" we know phil is the patriarch of the family. he's famously on "duck dynasty" with the robertsons. he was the one who played quarterback with terry bradshaw,

starting above terry bradshaw in college before he said -- during practice i used to look up and saw ducks and said, i would rather be shooting them. he actually became this entrepreneur, head of the family. they decide to form the duck commander franchise and then they decide to put this family on television. what is america's reaction to it? they love these guys. and they continue to give them outstanding ratings. from 9 million to 14 million last season and we had a chance in one of your first weeks to go out there and spend about three days with them. >> we did. we got real time with the robertsons which is excellent. got to know them quite well. we saw how their family operates together. they practice daily forgiveness in the business and at home. and everyone yesterday was sort of blown away by the fact that they asked phil to step out and suspend him indefinitely from the show because of some remarks he made in a gq article that was released. a & e went in there and didn't hear what anybody said, but that

the it was best to let him go and the family has since responded. >> that's right. on duck commander.com right now, the official web site, the family has written, we are disappointed that phil has been placed on hiatus. but we're expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. we have had a successful relationship with a & e, but as a family, we can not imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions at this point with a & e to see what the future means for "duck dynasty." again, thank you for your continued support of our family. it's interesting, there is a boycott a & e until phil is back on "duck dynasty" facebook page. it has -- i looked this morning, 1.3 million likes in a number of hours. also there is a petition to a & e, reinstate him. it is the istand with phil.com web site. because there are millions of americans who are amazed that they would suspend him or put

him on hiatus, whatever you want to say, because his comments, while they were frank, they were from his heart. he was paraphrasing the bible. they are his religious beliefs. how can you fire somebody for that? here is former governor sarah palin. >> they talk about tradition. they live out traditional jew keough christian ethics that our nation is founded upon and i think that not only is refreshing, but it's inspiring and empowering for the rest of america to be emboldened and to say hey, if they can do it and be so popular and not mocked and criticized perhaps until now as others have been, well, then, the rest of us can do it, too. that's going to strengthen our country and it will strengthen those who are elected to protect our freedom. >> i also thought karl rove had an interesting take on this. he said the language was crude and offensive. but why he allowed himself to be drawn in to an interest view by

a magazine on this top psychic beyond me. it says something to them knowing his viewpoint was, because he had been with his family forever. you can't watch the show without knowing he is a christian and has some views that some will find offensive. why would the network be surprised to find themselves in this predicament? i think that's what the story is. the thing is, i'm just wondering, what green lighted this interview? how did they benefit from this interview? they have a book out. they got a christmas special. they got a hit series. >> they're not trying to hide their faith. this is not the first -- >> the question was drawn to get these answers, as if they knew they would get similar answers. >> it's his core beliefs. his comments were frank, but he has a right to his beliefs. it wasn't hate based. it's religious, but it is his right. of the fact that it's blown up and a & e has thrown him under the bus, the governor of his

state, bobby jindal, says the left is hypocritical on this. >> here is what i think that is so hypocritical of a & e and the hollywood and the left. they all say that they're for diversity, they're for tolerance, they're for minority views and opinions, unless you disagree with them. >> how can you ask for tolerance when you're being intolerant is what he's saying, i think. many agree. a & e may come to regret their decision early on. there is a lot of support behind the robertson family. >> the big fear from a & e is people will think the robertsons represent their point of view. not anybody who understands the reality show thinks it represents their point of view. with the kardashian, represent the e point of view, it's called a reality show. the other fear is sponsors will leave. one is not leaving and they joined us earlier. lonnie mccurry, junior, and lonnie mccurry, senior, joined us to say they're standing behind the robertsons.

>> we're a faith-based company as well and our beliefs are the same as theirs. >> phil may have spoke a little crude. he meant well. he's a fine man of the good christian man. >> we've had an outpouring of support for us because of our support for phil robertson in this matter. >> could be some backlash, but if it is, so be it. we're going to stand firm with phil and the beliefs. >> they've known him and feel they have the same beliefs. also the "duck dynasty" biggest sponsor, underarmor, according to tmz is sticking with them. in the twitterverse, jr, who i follow says, what this is teaching people is that we should all stop being tolerant toward opposing views. sure you really want that? >> right. depending on your view, it could come back to bite you, right? so this is something that we've been keeping our eye on and people have been loud and heartfelt about their feelings. >> do you stand with phil or do you think what he did was wrong?

e-mail us. let us know. we know a lot of people are going to those on-line petitions. but we'd like to know. you can facebook us and you can twitter us. >> as we predicted, the family standing by phil. so if he's not in, it looks as though they are out. >> i believe he said that first yesterday. >> heather nauert is here. >> you did say that first yesterday. you said i have nothing to base it on, but here is my instinct seeing how they operate. you're exactly right, brian. >> what, are they going to have an empty chair? >> good morning to you. i have some news. we're getting incredible video in. look at this. a cab slams into a new jersey transit bus and it sends that bus slamming right into a building. this happening in newark, new jersey. this impact so powerful that it sent both vehicles flying more than 90 feet. officials were worried that the building could collapse, but at this hour, we are hearing crews were able to stabilize that building. the drivers of both vehicles and eight bus passengers were taken

to the hospital with minor injuries. we'll keep watching this one for you. also happening at this hour, another bus crash to tell you about happening in london. a double decker bus swerved to miss an emergency vehicle and then slammed right into a tree. right now two people are still trapped inside that bus. the crews are working to try to get them out. 19 other people have been hurt. at least two of them are in critical condition. the impact was so forceful that the tree was actually wedged inside that bus. also while you were sleeping, take a look at what happened in florida. hard to imagine, but that's a plane right there sitting nearly upright. the pilot lucky to be alive this morning. all of this unfolding in tampa. the flames had been pouring out of the cessna when the plane went down near the tampa international airport. the pilot made a distress call right before that crash. two police officers in the area heard that call. they then rushed to the scene. one police officer put out that fire and the other one was able to drag out that pilot.

he's in stable condition this morning. boy, what a story there. so what does mariah carey want for christmas? ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ >> yeah. this year not so wholesome. she's helping out a dictator. mariah carey facing harsh criticism after performing at a concert for the president of angola. he's been accused of ordering the execution of politicians, journalists and activists who don't agree with him. she was reportedly paid a million dollars for the private performance. she's come under fire for this before. back in 2009, remember this story? she performed for the late libyan leader, moammar gadhafi. after that, she said artists need to take responsibility for the shows that they book. huh. maybe she thought we'd forget. that's it. >> thank you very much. mariah carey, mariah cash and carry from now on. >> maybe she'll donate it to human rights foundation?

>> that would be excellent. >> i doubt it. >> there is going to be a lot of pressure to do it. coming up, it's a hail mary. the white house throws. is it a hail mary the white house -- you try this. >> it is a hail mary. you're on to something. >> call it a hail mary. the white house throws up a last minute prayer to save obamacare, but will it hurt more than it helps? we're going to report and you will decide. >> and then it was supposed to be a tribute to the late nelson mandela. but there is one huge mistake. >> yeah. >> that's a movie star. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you'll only find advil, the #1 selling pain reliever, in one cold medicine. advil congestion relief. it delivers a one-two punch at pain and sinus pressure with the power of advil and a nasal decongestant

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well, the white house delaying yet another part of obamacare, saying, quote, if the consumer believes the plan options available on the marketplace in their area are more expensive and they're canceled health insurance policy, they will be eligible for catastrophic coverage through a hardship exemption, end quote. but will this hail mary tactic even work? peter johnson, jr. is here to weigh in on that. >> i believe in praying to the virgin mary, but not on this particular issue. and what is exposed is the latest crack in obamacare. this kind of christmas crisis now, they're saying oh, now, you can use this exemption. you're having this emergency, but you know what's happened? the insurance companies gone nuts. >> of course. >> as a result of it. they said, you're going to make this industry unstable. you're confusing everyone. and what you're doing is putting a stake through the heart of obamacare 'cause you're saying,

these 5 million people, the white house says only 500,000. we'll see what the real number is -- you don't have to comply with the individual mandate. you can get a so-called catastrophic coverage policy, which is 20% less. and it has less coverage. so there is morocco payments and more actual -- more co- payments and actual payments. >> they're not unhealthy. they don't think anything is going to happen to them. >> they're taking a bet. they're saying based on age, based on health, i don't need to do it. now, a lot of democrats we were talking about before, they said i'm up for reelection, i better get behind this thing. they've written sebelius, the white house. they say, we've got to change this. we don't want to get these letters and e-mails, these terrible stories on the evening news about what's happening to our constituents in this country that they can't afford it. they can't get on-line. they can't find the coverage. they can't find coverage that matches what they had or what they need. >> and may not indeed have it as of january because all the paperwork. look at the delay of game.

a bunch of penalties. october 2011, they scrap a long-term care insurance program. and april 2013, the plans for small business insurance were delayed. >> then this year, the employer mandate was delayed in july and then last month the small business marketplace has been delayed. so they've missed about four different milestones, four different deadlines. i predict what's going to happen here is that more americans are going to see thighs general guideline -- these general guidelines, these exemptions, emergency exemptions and they're going to say, i don't have to do obamacare in 2014 based on the exemptions that have been published by health and human services and now the white house. if you look carefully at these exemptions, i guarantee you that lawyers that people that are looking at carefully will say oh, i don't think you need to comply with this based on the financial circumstances or

emergency situation that you are facing. so more and more, lot of americans are going to be standing up, based on this ruling yesterday and saying, no, i have an emergency. i deserve an elimination. the individual mandate does not apply to me. so they've started this slippery slope in order to cure the lie that was obamacare at the beginning that you could keep your doctor, you could keep your health plan. so little by little they're saying, let's satisfy this group, let's shut them down. let's quiet them down. what they've done, as i said at the beginning, is put a stake through the heart of the principle that allegedly was at the basis of obamacare. so they are scrambling. the president getting ready to go to hawaii for a two-week vacation. no obamacare advisor will be accompanying him 'cause they say because of a time difference between washington and hawaii. they'll be vacationing and the people in washington will be trying to figure this out. >> with all of these game changes and the hardship exemption, the irony there is that that hardship is

>> unfortunately. >> good to see you. >> thank you. caught on camera, frightening moments inside a bus packed full of kids when the driver falls out of his seat. but wait until you hear who came in and saved the day. and they may have small paws, but their mission is mighty and big. help find these furry friends a home for christmas. ♪ ♪

quick headlines for you. retail giant target now facing a class action lawsuit after putting millions of customers' credit card information into the hands of criminals, it looks

like. a billboard in india remembers the late nelson mandela, but gets a major detail wrong. that's not nelson mandela. that is actor morgan freeman. freeman famously played mandela in a movie. oops. ♪ ♪ >> just look at these adorable little snowballs with us now, all dressed up for christmas in their fun christmas sweaters. if you would like to give them the gift of a home for the holidays, we may have some answers. >> small paws rescue has a big mission. they have rescued more than 95,000 bichon dogs over the last 15 years. >> joining us is the founder, robin, and director of adoptions, bonnie ferguson. they both join us today from tulsa, oklahoma. welcome back. >> thank you for having us. >> why did you specialize in this dog? n it was interesting, back in 1998, i was looking for a dog to replace one that passed away for one of my other dogs that was lonely. i found an internet ad and i

didn't know what i was doing. i found myself on the steps of one of the worst puppy mills in missouri and there was a by shop. and -- bichon. that's how the rescue was born. >> on your left, can you tell us about these precious dogs? >> this is einstein. einstein is a bichon poodle mix. einstein's owners, he was used to using a doggy door and they moved into a new house and he didn't know how to go outside and so they took him to a shelter. >> because he couldn't use the door -- >> there was no doggy door. he was in danger of being euthanized and we rescued in the last two hours before he was to assume room temperature. so we saved him. he is five years old. he's ready to be adopted. then we have these two little great guys. they're a bonded pair, been together all their lives. they must be adopted together because they're very attached. this is abbey and she is a seven-year-old bichon.

this is murphy, he's a six-year-old bichon-poodle. murphy has a big personality. and he loves to just be into everything. abbey is quiet. so they really compliment each other in their personalityies. >> all three looking for homes? >> all three looking for homes, as well as many others on our web site. we have approximately 100 bichons in rescue across the country. since 1998, we've placed 9500 bichons in homes. >> it's not just in the tulsa area. people looking in from all across the country. you can arrange for transportation? >> you can. your web site? >> www.smallpawsres pew.org. we're always looking for adoptive homes, for volunteers, over and day, it costs us approximately $1,800 per day in veterinary expenses. we run completely by donations. >> so donations. >> all donations. we don't have any kind of government help or anything. we're all just a private

organization. so we count on just people to help us that love these animals and love what we do. >> smallpawsrescue.org. >> we are grateful for "fox & friends" for having us here. >> been a couple of years. >> it's been a couple. this is our seventh time to come. >> when you're on, it helps a lot. >> when we told people we were going to be on this time, we had so many e-mails from people saying, we've been volunteers now for four years because we saw you on "fox & friends." we adopted our dogs because we found you on "fox & friends." so thank you so much for that. >> thanks. coming up straight ahead, tomorrow we have a special final segment from our paws for a cause series. good friends joey the dog and dr. linda lowden will be here live. >> that's right. plus, coming up, a fox news alert, brand-new details about the obamacare web site. you don't want to miss. chris wallace will explain some stuff that happened in the last 12 hours coming up.

and then whatever, just like you know, just saying, the most annoying words in america revealed. you know what i'm saying? like that. >> it is what it is. ♪ ♪ keeping up with these two is more than a full time job and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today.

and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?

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for a body in motion. ♪ ♪ ladies and gentlemen, chris wallace on the copying machine. just like every typical party. chris wallace joins us live from our nation's capitol. >> you put an elf uniform on me? i'm the life of the party. i go crazy. what can i say? >> you can't elf yourself because we elf everybody. >> fun! i love that. good morning, chris. >> i can't take my eyes off it. i am one good looking -- you know the difference between me and brian kilmeade? i make that look good.

>> that's it! you are a better elf than me. you are a winner. and a better dancer apparently. yesterday, chris, my effort to transition to the real world, we found out there has been another change with obamacare. catastrophic policies now back in play. the biggest surprise on the market, perhaps the insurers who found out they can offer these again. >> you know, it is unbelievable. the way i put this is, up 'til now had a sense, it's all been theoretical. yes, you have to sign up and trio choose a policy, but it hasn't really affected people yet. starting january 1, it does because if you were sick or you want to go see a doctor, you wonder, do i have a policy or don't i? maybe i haven't gotten one of those cards yet. do i go see my old doctor? do i see a new doctor? this is really where the rubber hits the road starting i guess january 2 when people have to go get health care. the fact that they are -- what is today?

the 20th? 11 days before the start of the new year that they're still horsing around and trying to find new things. it just raises the question, is a delay really such a bad idea? >> such, exactly. chris, we have breaking news. it was embargoed until two minutes ago, apparently on tuesday, the house oversight committee spoke with theresa fryer, the chief information security officer over at cms, the centers for medicare and medicaid services. she said that she did not support the launch of the web site because of security problems. she said they were significant. that is exactly what a lot of people were warning from the outside and now we find out that inside the government they were saying whoa! we got some problems as well. >> well, mike rogers who is the chairman of house intelligence, but also is in that energy and commerce committee, and that's what he's been talking about for weeks is this question of security. and look, i'm not comparing it to, but i guess in a way i sort

of am, to target, you know. that if you're giving personal and important private financial information out to a site that is not secure, there are all kinds of dangers of identity theft and fraud. again, it does raise the question, why do we have to -- other than the political imperative of if you delay it, that the obama administration would be scared that they'll just delay it more and more and more and then possibly you have an election in november and the republicans take over the senate. but other than that political argument, why not delay it until you've got it right, 'cause clearly it is not right at this point, elisabeth. >> no, it's not right. isn't that what they were willing to shut the government down over? they want it delayed and here we are, delay, delayed, delayed. october, april, july 2013, november 2013, we've had delay after delay and yet, here we are again, as you said, days away from when insurance is supposed to take place and be impolicemenned and we're looking at this situation.

we have target facing a cadillac action suit potentially for security issues and having someone hack into their system and our government, which has vulnerabilities beyond description, with no consequence. where are we? >> and again, the point is up to this point it's just all been a virtual reality of trying to sign up on a web site. but come january 2, you got to go to the doctor, you know, which doctor do you go to? do you have coverage or not? if go in and you say -- i'm sure this will happen to a lot of people, i've got coverage on such and such and as we all know when we stood at the counter and they go, we don't really have a record of you having coverage there. are people going to have to pay out of pocket? it could be a regular mess. >> right. that's not going to stop from you doing your show, is it? >> i was thinking that maybe -- no, i think we'll go ahead and do the show. we got a great show. i'm going to give you an example of it's better to be lucky than good. we had already booked, before all the "duck dynasty"

controversy, we're going to have governor mike huckabee who was talking about possibly running for president in 2016. also joel osteen, the most popular, most watched televangelist in the country. this was all before the "duck dynasty" thing blew up. so we got a lot to talk to them about, including this hot new subject. i suspect obamacare will come up as well. >> indeed. will you be playing the elf yourself video? it's hard to go wrong with chris wallace dancing on the copy machine. >> as an animated figure. >> we like to have just a semblance of decorum and dignity >> here we go. >> here we go. here comes chris wallis up on the copier! >> look at your moves. >> oh, my gosh. what am i taking pictures of there as i stand on that thing? it's my feet. that's better. >> i love your moves. >> we don't show the part where you sat on the copier and send

that. >> that's the old chris wallace. >> none of that on fox news sunday. >> we'll be watching. thank you very much. >> merry christmas and to all of you out there who watch, thank you so much and merry christmas to all of you. >> merry christmas to you and your wife as well.e just saw elg herself was heather nauert. >> that's like jitter bug meets dosey do. >> do it, doocy. also fun to see. good morning, everyone. 8:37 here on the east coast. happening today, the newlyweds accused of using craigslist to commit murder for fun will face a judge today. 18-year-old miranda barber and her 22-year-old husband, elliott, are accused of luring a stranger that they met on craigslist. when they met up with him, they allegedly stabbed him to death. dumping his body in an alleyway. barber said they wanted to kill someone together. a u.s. marine dies during a trip that he won on the ellen

degeneres show. sergeant brandon mcgraw recently returned from a deployment to afghanistan. he then went on vacation with his wife where he was killed on a sky diving accident in australia. mcgraw's parachute suddenly veered left and then right and then he slammed into the ground. degeneres releasing a statement saying, i've been speaking with his wife. my staff has been in touch with her as well. she's asked us to help keep this private as she tries to deal with this unimaginable tragedy. caught on camera, a school bus packed with children loses control when the driver falls out of his seat. look at this. you can see right there as two teachers spring into action. this happening in south carolina. one grabs the wheel. the other jumps into the driver's seat and hits the brakes. fortunately, no one was hurt. the bus driver says the brakes didn't work and he tumbled from the seat during a sharp turn. but the bus company is not

buying that story. they ended up firing him. all right. when it comes to phrases that annoy people, it looks like whatever is forever. >> whatever, if she doesn't do the assignment, i can't do mine. >> according to a new poll, whatever is the most annoying word out there. it's taken that title five years in a row. runners up, like, you know, just saying, and obviously. those are your headlines. obviously, brian, i'm sure you they're a lot from your daughters, those ages, you know. eye rolling and stuff? >> i don't really get that yet, but i will say my person one, it is what it is. why did i talk then? why even analyze everything if it is what it is n it is what it is n why try to improve yourself because it is what it is? >> why is janis dean wearing --

it is what it is. >> i told you i was going to dress up like a christmas tree. be careful what you wish for. where are you from? >> annapolis. >> what's your name? >> jill. >> chrisy. >> joey from north carolina. >> fantastic. >> williamsport, pen opinion. >> let's look at the weather maps. they brought the beautiful weather with them. look at the temperatures. 42. we could set a record on sunday of 70 degrees. look at that. we've got a cold front, 28 in kansas city. 15 in minneapolis. here is the ingredients we're going to see the potential for severe weather. notice the mississippi river valley where we could see large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes on the first official day of winter. if you live across the south, be really, really careful. not only that, we're going to see the potential for ice and snow across much of the country. so it's going to be a hard travel day on saturday and sunday. just call ahead and be prepared. one more thing. >> merry christmas!

>> very nice. back inside, elisabeth. >> and happy news year. thank you. and it is what it is tomorrow, weather permitting. tomorrow i'll be at mount vernon at 3:00 o'clock and mark levin will be there, special escort. it will be fun. earlier i'll be at mcclain, virginia. at 11:00 o'clock. and come one, come all. it should be fun for "george washington secret six." >> it is what it is. that number three. >> right. i'll have pictures, i promise. so everyone dress up and look nice. >> fantastic. coming up, the "duck dynasty" debate. we've been talking about it all morning and so have you on social media. your comments pouring in. we're going to share them next. >> it's a record day on facebook, by the way. so join the loyalty program that lets you earn free nights in any of them. plus, for a limited time, members can win a free night every day. only at hotels.com

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swimming underneath this teeny little boat. oh, my. and brian, forget your old jet pack. i know you love them. check out this new one. instead of soaring like a bird, it let's you zip around under water like a super hero. >> under water. >> ai can't man. the price? $5,700. >> right. >> what about that thing called breathing? how do you do that? >> they got to work that part out. >> that's fantastic. our lead story today is the fact that phil from "duck dynasty" has been suspended indefinitely. all he was really doing was simply -- he made frank comments, but he was quoting the bible about his beliefs. we had one of the things he said yesterday on our facebook page right here. i would never treat anyone with

disrespect just because they are different from me. we are all created by the almighty and like him, i love all of humanity. you know what? that particular post on facebook is the all-time engagement record for fox news channel and facebook. over a million people so far have liked that. if you would like to like it as well, go to our facebook for "fox & friends." >> here is what some of you are saying specifically. j.r. kennedy says this: strange that the people who are pro tolerant are so intolerant on phil robertson's opinion. >> more on twitter. william sprague said, phil was wrong. the show should leave the air. >> looks like it is. >> if they do, i'm sure another network would pick them up. from facebook, james says, a family that believes together stays together. >> i wonder what's going on right there in town, around their house? bill smith says, whether you agree with him or not, he was expressing his first amendment rights to free speech.

>> and michael niles writes, a & e needs "duck dynasty" a lot more than "duck dynasty" needs a & e. >> william rogers types in, a & e will lose their biggest show because they gave in to a group of individuals to be politically correct. we heard that a number of times. >> and e-mail coming in from rick, thank god for people like phil who continue to stand up for what they believe in. >> all right. we should point out and we had the guys from sky jacker, the truck suspension company, they're one of their longest running advertisers and supporters of "duck dynasty." they're going to stick with "duck dynasty," as is under i don't rememberer, which is their biggest advertiser. >> and by the way, from glad, last night on megyn kelly, this is not a free speech. he's seeking freedom from consequence. i don't think that's true. >> a & e can do what they want. >> coming up, their version of "little drummer boy" has been

seen by over 20 million times. ♪ come they called me, pa rum puh puh pum ♪ >> they're going to perform right here in the studio. >> without instruments. just their voices.[ pentatonix ] [ male announcer ] robitussin dm max now comes in a new liquid-filled capsule. nothing provides more powerful cough relief. robitussin. don't suffer the coughequences.

♪ ♪ it is the christmas performance taking the web by storm. watch. ♪ come they told me practice rum practice rhumba rum -- practice rum papa practice pum ♪ ♪ a newborn king to see pa rum

puh puh pum stoat. ♪ me and my drum ♪ the group pentatonix' rendition of "little drummer boy," now one of the best sellers in the country. we're happy to have them here. you guys, congratulations. over 59 million copies sold. when it first topped, it was number seven. you have good news about where it is. >> it's number one on the holiday charts, which is really crazy. >> how does mariah carey feel about that, because she was number one, wasn't she? >> she's been number one since 1994. so this is a big moment. we love her though. >> i love the story of you guys. we were familiar with you. you won the third season of "the sing-off." three of you grew up together. the middle three right here. how did you find the guys on the end? >> we found kevin on youtube. he had a video, so we wrote him on youtube.

and we found her through mutual friend. >> good friends. it's working well. so talented. we're thrilled we get to hear you perform today. >> thank you. >> "little drummer boy," everybody. ♪ ♪ come they told me practice rum practice rum -- practice rum puh puh pum ♪ ♪ a newborn king to see pa rum puh puh pum ♪ ♪ our finest gifts we bring ♪ pa rum puh puh pum

♪ to lay before the king ♪ practice rum papa practice pum. ♪ rum rum papa pum ♪ so to honor him practice rum papa pum ♪ ♪ when we come ♪ pum, pum, pum, pum, pick pum ♪ pum, pick pum mary nodded ♪ ♪ practice rum -- practice rum a practice pum ♪ ♪ the objection -- ox and lamb kept time ♪ ♪ i played my drum for him ♪ pa rum puh puh pum ♪ i played my best for him

♪ pa rum puh puh pum ♪ rum papa pum. ♪ rum papa pum ♪ then he smiled at me ♪ practice rum papa -- pa rum puh puh pum ♪ ♪ they called me ♪ pa rum puh puh pum ♪ a newborn king to see ♪ pa rum puh puh pum ♪ me and my drum ♪ me and my drum ♪ me and my drum ♪ me and my drum ♪ rum but -- rum puh puh pum a subaru...

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♪ ♪ this is going to be the last time you see us all together before christmas and nothing says christmas more than big daddy bringing us a pizza. come on over, santa! the crew puts in the work. give the the pizza. >> come on in! >> this is the famous big daddy calzone. >> thank you very much, big daddy. >> by the way, if you don't know, he brings the new york giants pizza every friday and now he's bringing that tradition to us 'cause the giants keep losing.

>> we're not going to see you before christmas. brian will be here next week. everybody, thank you very much!! merry christmas! ♪ ♪ bill: nice sound. good friday. fox news alert. obamacare surprise. saw this one coming. the administration announcing an 11th hour rule that could affect the health care and bottom line for millions of americans. hold on to your hat. we've got more. good morning, everybody, welcome to "america's newsroom." i'm bill hemmer. martha: it's a friday. good morning, bill hemmer. i'm martha maccallum. are you keeping track here. the latest change was announced last night, four days before the enrollment deadline. the administration will give hardship exemptions for people that lost health insurance for people booted off it because it was not g