>> never miss an episode of the fife. we'll see you back hereev on monday. "special report" is next. fox news alert. the "new york times" is making a bombshell new claim about the deadly benghazi terrorist attack. it contradicts many of the findings that we have heard overt last 15 months about who was behind that attack that killed four americans, including ambassador chris stevens. good evening, everyone. welcome to a brand-new hour inside america's news home quarters. i'm jamie colby. >> i'm greg gutfeld. that making -- i'm gregg jarrett the new findings completely

contradicting the assessments of some of our most senior lawmakers, including the chairman of the permanent select committee on intelligence, congressman mike rogers, who had this to say about who was behind the assault. listen. >> it is accurate that of the group that is being targeted by the bureau at this point, there is strong al-qaeda ties. >> chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge joins us live on the phone. you have been reporting on this story since the day after the attack. what's your assessment of the "new york times" claim here? >> thank you. congressman mike rogers, as head of the house intelligence committee, has regular classified briefings and more significantly, he also has access to the raw intelligence data so that he can make his own assessments. one day after the attack, he told fox news on the record that there was no link to this anti-islam video, that the assault was a premeditated terrorist attack. and since he has maintained an

on the record interviews with fox news that it was an al-qaeda-led assault and that the individuals being targeted by the f.b.i. have strong al-qaeda ties, we have confirmed separately through intelligence contacts that two of the primary suspects include individuals with historic ties to the al-qaeda senior leadership in pakistan. they include a former guantanamo bay detainee and one who was a form body guard for the al-qaeda network. so that is a significant body of evidence to assess when considering this new report by the "new york times." >> is there any evidence that the video was to blame fort attack? >> what's striking in the "new york times" story is that it seems just to make a passing reference to the mortar attack on the c.i.a. annex in the second wave in the early morning hours of september 12. we now know from testimony from individuals who were on the ground in benghazi that there

were five mortgagors that were fired and they came down in the annex in under a minute and three were accurate. that takes premeditation. it takes advanced planning. more specifically, it takes training. this would fly in the face or at least contrast with the suggestion that this was somehow spontaneous and the response to the anti-islam video. in addition, fox news was able to review the findings of an independent data mining firm which assesses social media traffic in benghazi in the 24 hours leading up to the attack and the 24 hours after the attack and significantly the first reference to this anti-islam video was in the days following. it was a retweet of a russia today story. this does not comport with the idea that this was a response to the anti-islam video story. >> thank you very much for that information. appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. >> we want to take a further

look at the shocking new claim. let's turn to fred, a former c.i.a. senior analyst and managing editor. thank you very much for being with us. this story arising in the last hour. what's your analysis, first of all, of the "new york times" report? >> it's good to be here. i read this report and i was really incredulous. it seems to be an effort to revive this discredited theory that the anti-islam video was behind it. but when you read the article closely, various statements where the author seems to down play the link to terrorist groups. he says that the main leader of the attacks did not have clear terrorist links, but he also says that this leader participated in a convoy of trucks in benghazi in june 2012 where they were flying the black islamist ladcal flag. he says al-shariah, the group

that participated in the attacks, does not have ties to al-qaeda, but even if cnn does not agree with that. there's a piece on their web site that ran earlier this month that says groups sympathetic to al-qaeda had a significant presence in benghazi, moth notably on war al-shariah. umbrella group that includes militant outfits suspected of launching the attack that killed four americans at the u.s. consulate in benghazi. cnn doesn't agree with the new york story. >> as a form c.i.a. senior analyst, the evidence that catherine herridge lays out for us, including what was found at the site of the embassy, the in-depth report that was done, the testimony and statements of members, high ranking ones at that, of the intelligence committee and then all of a sudden this report that contradicts so much of it, who had more evidence behind their

statement? >> catherine herridge makes a very important point in what she just told you, that congressman mike rogers has access to classified information. he's talked to government officials and this article is based on interviews with libyans, most of the libyans deny they had anything to do with the attack. of course they're going to say that. they don't want to be prosecuted or arrested. i think the evidence is fairly overwhelming. i worked with chairman rogers on the house intelligence committee. i have the utmost respect for him. if he says al-qaeda was behind this, i believe him. >> homeland security member pete king, congressman from new york, agrees with what mike rogers' analysis was and discredits the "new york times" report as well. is this irresponsible journalism on the part of the "new york times" and is it dangerous to us as a nation? >> i thought it was a politicized article. it tries to say that anwar al-shariah, the republican attempts to tie that to terrorism is a stretch, when even cnn says that they're at

least sympathetic to al-qaeda. it leaves out the head of al-qaeda called for terrorist attacks against western targets on september 11, 2012, he did that the day before in retaliation to the death of his deputy. that isn't mentioned in this article. i think that's a key data point. >> it's interesting you bring up the point about having access to classified information. mike rogers would have access to things that we may never know. but in your experience as a c.i.a. analyst, former analyst, does this pass the smell test? >> it really doesn't. i think there were a loft -- a lot of omissions, statements about terrorism that didn't add up. the article tries to claim that al-qaeda operatives were not present in benghazi. but if you read this carefully, it doesn't represent the fact that al-qaeda has changed its tactics. it's now a decentralized organization.

it's relying on affiliated organizations and franchise, encouraging terrorist attacks through this decentralized organization. that should have been discussed in this article so that we will understand the real threat. >> beencourage everyone to take a very close look at it and go back to foxnews.com and see other catherine herridge and broadcast journalists, to see what we had uncovered and what the intelligence community had uncovered. thank you very much, good to have you here. >> thank you. >> appreciate your time tonight. gregg? >> we have new numbers now on how many americans are looking for health insurance under obamacare. more than 800,000 people visiting the web site december 24th. doesn't mean they enrolled. that's the last day that people could enroll for coverage that begins january 1. even with obamacare ending the year onion upswing, is it too soon for the administration to take a bow?

doug mckelway live if honolulu where the president is on vacation. >> reporter: the web site passed a major, major test on december 23rd, that was the deadline for people who were seeking insurance that would begin on january 1. it was later extended to december 24. the center for medicare and medicaid services say it passed a major, major test. here are the numbers they released. apparently the president was briefed on these numbers yesterday. he's got to be pleased with them. on monday, december 23, 2 million site visits. that was the peak day. the system able to handle 83,000 concurrent users while the cueing system was activated. 129,000 people were sent to that cueing system. that's basically a waiting line. and then the next day, 880,000 total visits. here is josh earnest speaking to fox news on that day, december 23rd, about the enrollment numbers and visiting numbers. >> millions of people are taking advantage of this opportunity to get access to quality affordable health care. what the president's team has been focused on is making sure

that as people transition to the new health care coverage, that that transition is as smooth as possible. they're probably will be glitches. there have been glitches before and there will be glitches moving forward. but we have put in place a team of experts who are working through the holidays to try to minimize that inconvenience. >> critics say this was largely expected. they say the big problem is not with the web site itself, but with the institutional, fundamental problems of obamacare itself when it gets put into practice. tom price is a republican congressman from georgia and is a physician and he's seeing some of these problems already creep up in atlanta. >> folks in obamacare in the affordable care act believe they purchased something that they haven't really purchased. they're going to have health care coverage with fewer doctors, with fewer hospitals, with fewer clinics being able to see them. they're going to have higher out of pocket ex opinionses --

expenses and deductibles. >> we assume because we pay so much attention to obamacare that most of america is, too. that's definitely not the case. there is a poll out that reveals some of that. the poll suggests 81% of young democrats approve of the affordable carack. 68% of young democrats approve of obamacare. what's the difference? there is none. no difference. it suggests a lot of people out there have not been paying any attention to the rollout of this fundamental transformation of the american health care system and they perhaps might be in for some big surprises down the road. gregg? >> that really does speak volumes. if people just aren't paying attention and they're not informed, that is truly astonishing among young people. doug mckelway live in hawaii, thanks very much. the water there is all nice and calm burks it isn't for a russian ship stuck in antarctic ice. they have been there since

christmas eve. and a chinese ice break that are went in to try to free the ship was forced to turn back today. very tough conditions. it was facing as a stranded crew watched them turn around and retreat. australian ice breaker is now rushing in to try and help. let's find out how it's doing. brian yennis with the latest. what do you have to tell us? >> we've been following this all day. the australian ice breaker is set to arrive by sunday night, australian eastern time of the the latest report coming from a guardian reporter on board the stranded russian ship says they should know within 12 hours if of its arrival whether or not it will be a able to cut through the thick ice and rescue the stranded ship. a chinese and french ice breaking ship have been able to do so -- unable to do so. now the hope is with this. they're said to have the best ice breaking ability of the three. if that plan falls through, the academic could possibly be

evacuated by helicopter. the stranded ship left new zealand november 28th carrying 74 tourists, crew and scientists. they were recreating australian explorer's century old voyage to antarctica when high winds wrapped the ice around the ship, freezing it in place. >> the location is know -- notorious for high winds. it's the windiest place in the world with average wind speeds of 70-kilometers an hour. >> it's not in danger of sinking. the safety authority says they are in regular contact with the academic and all on board are reported to be safe and well. there are weeks worth of supplies. in fact, the crew is said to be doing just dandy. they celebrated christmas with a feast and even did their own secret santa gift exchange. scientists are passing the time by playing games, posting videos and counting birds.

they say they plan on continuing their expedition if the ship is freed. but the next 24 hours are going to prove pivotal. >> they mentioned that watching birds. find out for us what birds live through the cold temperatures like that. i guess maybe penguins? i don't know. >> they don't fly. take care. >> we wish them the best. >> we do. >> take care. we now know how many people visited the obamacare web site to sign up and meet the january 1 deadline. but the important question is will enough of them actually enroll to meet the administration's proposed goal? we're going to have a fair and balanced debate coming up. >> plus, this is pretty controversial. it is a image of a plus size barbie. find out what it's all about, why it's taking social media by storm. just ahead. [ male announr ] every inch. every minute. every second -- we chip away.

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welcome back. time for a quick check of your headlines. the "new york times" coming out with a stunning report. reading like an attempt to challenge the narrative of the benghazi terrorist attack. saying it was in response to an american-made video that was critical of islam. and not an organized raid by al-qaeda contradicting fox news

reporting. plus, a judge dismissing doddss of lawsuits that were seeking damages from the federal government for flood damage caused by hurricane katrina. the judge also tossing out lawsuit against a contractor claiming its excavation work weakened flood walls. this just in, former president bill clinton will swear in bill de blasio as the next mayor of new york. that will be held new year's day on the steps of city hall here in the big apple. we reported early on on obamacare showing signs of life now. healthcare.gov receiving more than 800,000 visitors on december 24th alone. now the pressure may be mounting on republicans who are pushing to repeal the affordable care act to make the next move. is it time for the gop to change its strategy? let's bring in our political panel to talk about it, jehmu green joins us, fox news contributor, brad blakeman,

former deputyistant to president george w. bush. brad, what about it? 2 million people expected to be enrolled by january 1. that will only grow. many of those folks will benefit. look, obamacare is a reality and often once that happens it sticks. so how do republicans proceed? >> i think republicans, it's not enough to be against something, we've got to stand for something. we've got fix something. the democrats created this mess and it's now an opportunity, i believe, for republicans to try and fix it. there is no way even if we were going to get the senate in 2014 to retain the house, even if we passed a bill through both house, repealing obamacare, do you think the president will sign it? then do we have the votes necessary, two-thirds of both houses to override a veto? the answer is no. let's deal in reality and not govern the way we wish things could be and let's have a plan of action for obamacare. has yet to play out in services. we know the web site stinks.

let's try and fix it as best we can. >> i'll come back to an alternative with you in just a moment. but jehmu, let me jump in here with you. social security, medicare, medicaid all comparable programs had bipartisan support, not obamacare. and look, i got to tell you, it's been almost four years, people still don't like it. i looked at the recent cnn orr policy, 62% oppose obamacare. that number could increase if people get higher premium, big deductibles, lost doctors, worse care, et cetera, et cetera. >> i have to admit that i was one of those folks who in the last minute did sign up on the new york health exchange. but i also need to correct the record on obamacare being unpopular. when you look at those poll numbers, you're also including people in there who are liberals who thought that it didn't go far enough. so you really have to actually divide out the people who don't

like anything obama does and the liberals who thought obamacare, the affordable health care act should have gone further. i agree with probably 95% of what bob said. amen. that's a surprise, because can you imagine a republican congressman who goes back to his district after representing them for four years or even his first term and saying what, did you do, what did you accomplish? the only thing they've done is talk about repeal, repeal, repeal. they shut down the government. >> brad, let me ask you -- you know it's going to come up day after day after day. what is the cohesive comprehensive plan, the alternative that republicans can get behind? >> let me just first say that democrats have a tougher road to hoe because how do they justify voting for this monstrosity? having said that, it's not enough to be against something. let's be for something. what we need to do is take a look at the bill in the macro sense and how it's work. we still don't know the delivery

of services have yet to be tested. we know more people have been dropped by insurance companies. so what we need to do in the springtime is see how this thing is working out and then try fixing the bill. but not by administrative fiat. we need to fix this bill by a bill, the way it was created is the way it's got to be amend. that's the real test for bipartisanship. >> jehmu, roughly 6 million people this their policies terminated in the individual marketplace. that's our brain room stat, they follow it di day by day. it's really 18 million because an average of three people per plan. now you got cbo nonpartisan predicting next year some 20 million plans will be canceled by employers, so you got to do a multiple then on that number. that's a lot of angry people the democrats are going to be facing this next year, isn't it? >> you're right, gregg. democrats have to communicate the message that the insurance

companies cannot get away with laying this all at the feet of the affordable health care act. first of all, every year insurance plans were canceled before obamacare. second of all, employers were dropping plans left and right before obamacare. these numbers you're talking about are not solely due to obamacare. there is a messaging issue that we'll have to deal with. but once americans understand the insurance companies no longer call all of the shots when it comes to health care, that's something that they can get behind. it's something they wanted all along and finally that has happened because of the affordable care act. putting the blame on democrats can't be a winning message for republicans. >> you're stuck with this thing, jehmu, whether you like it or not. the achille's heel -- >> i'm happy to be. >> there is not enough people paying in. >> there is repeal in 1988, remember the medicare catastrophic act that was repealed 19 months later? so it happens pretty often actually that congress repeals a bad law.

jehmu green and brad blakeman, good to see you both. >> thanks. does the new year mean a new beginning for obamacare? we're going to tell you what many enrollees can expect come january 1st. >> and a different take on the classic barbie doll. why this plus-size version is creating a big buzz on-line. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] this is george. the day building a play set begins with a surprisewinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪

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hi, everyone. bottom of the hour. time for the top of your news. a week after an ice storm, thousands of maine residents still without power and officials there are calling the damage the worst in more than a decade. iced heavy trees crashing on power line, obstructing repairs

and many people could remain in the dark even longer. another storm is on the way. >> michigan also seeing mass power outages. some 32,000 folks without any power at all after that same storm hit there. utility workers worry that melting ice could fall on power lines as temperatures rise while they rush to restore electricity. and today is the day emergency unemployment benefits expire today and it affects more than a million people right now. hundreds of thousands more could remain affected in the months ahead if congress doesn't act. after all the problems, the broken promises, the apologies, the restarts and then those moving deadlines, 2014 will certainly be a true test for obamacare when the plans actually begin january 1, just days from now. the new law will face hurdles, including dealing with penalties for those who don't sign up, insurer fees and subsidies, to name a few. joining us now to take a look ahead is jonathan, hedge fund

manager and regular guest on "cashin' in." great to see you. happy new year. >> thank you. happy new year to you. >> will it be a happy one actually for those who were successful at signing up for obamacare? >> well, obamacare brings with it a laundry list of arbitrary taxes, fees and regulations. you mentioned the individual mandate which could be as much as 1% of someone's income. but there is also taxes on health insurers, on the health medical device makers, each individual health plan, on the old, on the young, on people who want to tan. tremendous amount of taxes that come along with obamacare. 23409 even to mention the hidden tax of hundreds of millions of us having to spend how many hours actually figuring out what these arbitrary rules are and really we've seen executive rule by fiat in the last couple of weeks, especially. so even that unknown is a real tax and will have more to look forward to in 2014. >> i'm not sure if you mean this specifically, but that's kind of interesting, for all the time that people had to face

struggling with the internet, many of them during their holiday vacation, their time is pretty valuable, too. businesses taking a look at this, do they know yet what it's going to cost and how will that influence their decisions to employ more workers in the new year? >> one of the most interesting statistics of 2013 was that at one point, 40% of small businesses were butting off hiring specifically because of obamacare. so for those that said obamacare hasn't had an impact on potential hiring in this country, the stats are very much the opposite. we've seen a lot of that over the last 12 months, especially companies wanting to hire action want to go make invest, you -- wanting to invest, but not doing so because of obamacare's influence. >> we don't even know if the actual unemployment rate 67% is an economic -- 7% is an economic reality because so many people have given up work. many economists say it could be higher. when it comes to the first quarter, 'cause you look we'll end with the s & p at some record numbers, people are very

pleased with what they see if they've invested in the market, particularly in equities, not necessarily bonds. when you look at the profits of these companies that will be hit with some of these costs, would you be concerned about putting money in the market in the new year? >> thankfully, we are still the most capitalistic individualist society on earth and that's why our market is at an all-time high. that's one of the reasons. a loft those companies like wal-mart, amazon, costco, netflix, are innovating, progressing, they're creating miracles. that's why their stocks are doing so well. unfortunately, obamacare is just one of the headaches a lot of corporate americans are having to teal with now. they're hesitating to make decisions not only because of that, but because of another major intervention, the federal reserve. we've had this five-year plus era of cheap money fueling the stock market rise f. that begins to change, you could see this major stock rally take a major drop. >> what would you expect? >> you have to expect

destruction. every time government gets involved in manipulating prices, whether it's in ethanol, in housing, whether it's in student loans, wealth destruction always follows. we've seen that with interest rates in the tune of trillions over the last five, six years. what the net result will be hard to predict. >> is there a lesson to be learned at the end of the year when we see that, for example, 40 million customers who are holiday shopping at target have their credit information taken, their pin numbers possibly for debit or credit cardser, for an example like that, there could be a little ill will against them, and delta offering a those almost freebie air fares that gregg teased me with yesterday, $60 to go to honolulu. but unfortunately, it was only for a few minutes and it's not available anymore. i read today that delta has taken a hit over that, too. >> and delta is taking responsibility. they're honoring those fares.

ups is giving free waivers and giving free shipping. corporate america, they make mistakes. but unlike the federal government, they take responsibility for it. let's hope in 2014, we could start seeing some people in washington take responsibility for their decisions just like corporate america does every day. >> all stated. thank you so much. we wish you all the best for the new year. keep us posted on how we can preserve our future. we appreciate it. >> will do. thank you. gregg? >> obamacare is going to bring yet another change in the new year. calorie counts in vending machines. oh, yeah. the f.d.a. expected to release final rules that will require calorie information to be displayed on roughly 5 million vending machines nationwide. the agency says it will help people make healthier choices. a group representing the vendors says complying with the new law will be too ex opinionsive for the mall -- expensive for the smaller companies. >> it's bad enough they took away my snowballs out of the

vending machines. how about this? people come in all shapes and sizes. it's a question of body image and now it's a question of barbie. it has sparked a facebook post of a plus-size version of the famously skinny doll -- i think she had like a three quarter inch waist, the original. this one has a thicker waist in size. triple chin. the image is one artist's take on how a heavier barbie might look. it's received 40,000 likes since december. no word from mattel which makes barbie dolls. i think she's beautiful. >> looks like a snooki barbie, doesn't she? >> no, she's blond and barbie licious. >> all right. cable network and a & e faces another fire storm after calling phil robertson back to "duck dynasty" following his

controversial statements in gq magazine over race, homosexuality. but it remains to be seen if the network can mend fences between the show's supporters, critics and civil rights activists. dominic denatale is live in los angeles. >> got one hell of a job on his hands trying to reunite everybody. the justification of why it's being a u turn hasn't been clear on its reasons for it. let's take into account the "duck dynasty" is the channel's highest rated program and set a reality show record for cable with nearly 12 million viewers for its fourth season debut this past summer. so clearly a lot for it to consider. in a statement that still shows that a & e executives really are not at ease with phil robertson's comments, it had this to say late yesterday. "duck dynasty" is not a show about one man's views. it is a show about family, a family that america has come to love. they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance

and for forgiveness. these are three values that we at a & e networks feel strongly b. that seems to have patched things up between the two. now, the robertsons cheered the news via twitter. phil's son posting this, back to work. three exclamation marks. so proud of all the fans of the show and family. old phil may be a little crude, but his heart is good. he's the real deal. not feeling the love with the gay lobby, glaad rushing out this strong worded statement. phil robertson should look at african-american and gay people in the eyes and here harry about the hurtful impact of praising jim crow laws and comparing gay people to terrorists. if dialogue with phil is not part of the next steps then a & e has chosen profits over african-american and gay people. well, a & e for its part said it consulted with numerous advocacy groups and would soon be airing

public service announcements that would promote unity, tolerance and acceptance. phil will be back on air come january 15th. the ten episodes of the next season have been filled and while fresh recording and filming of the series after that is due to resume in spring, seemingly with all the family going to be on air. back to you. >> dom nick in l.a., thanks very much. kristy clinton, ryan, some of the names bandying about as possible contenders for the white house. in 2016, is that what the polls say? we'll have a brand-new breakdown next. >> also it is getting closer to countdown. fox news has all the festivities covered for you. our very own elisabeth hasselbeck and bill hemmer bring you coverage on new year's eve. must see tv, 9:00 p.m. eastern to 12:30 a.m., 2014. ♪

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as we got ready to ring in 2014, there is already talk of the 2016 presidential primaries. according to the latest fox news polls, new jersey governor chris christie is at the top of the list among republicans. 16% of the vote, followed by jeb bush, senator ted cruz, paul

ryan. it's a pretty crowded field. and democratic side, former secretary of state hillary clinton, miles ahead of other possible candidates, including joe biden, elisabeth warren, governor andrew cuomo. hillary collecting 68% of the vote. susan estridge joins us. great to see you. i know it's early, but it was early on in the 2008 race in which hillary was the presumtive nominee. she had it all sewn up 'til this young man that few people heard of jumped out of nowhere. he was a senator for a nano second and he grabbed the nomination from her. so i guess there is nothing sure about a sure thing? >> nothing sure about a sure thing. what we've got now, we've got sort of a photograph of where things are now and the mistake would be if we assumed that it was a prediction of where

they'll northbound a couple of years. we don't know that. but we know where they are now. >> frank bruiny pen add column in the "new york times," surprised a lot of people. he said of hillary clinton, this was last months -- he said hillary? not so fast. because he called her the establishment candidate, part of the ruling class that voters have come to disgust. what about that? >> well, first of all, i don't agree with that, but the funny part of primary caucuses on both sides is it's not about what the general public thinks and that's one of the tricky parts to these polls. chris christie has got good name recognition. i think he's very popular among moderate voters. but moderate voters don't vote in republican primaries and caucuses. by the same token, establishment democrats do control the primaries and caucuses. so if you're looking at hillary clinton at 67%, well, it really

is hers for the losing. >> jonah goldberg asked in his column, what has hillary actually ever accomplished? let's put it up on the screen. here is part of what he wrote. as first lady, her only major accomplishment was a failed health care reform scheme. as a carpet bagging senator from new york, what historic legislation did she shepherd? the only thing they can tout is she traveled a million miles, which strikes me as the ultimate strikeout of quantity over quality. when you really do examine her resume, is it thin and does she carry a lot of baggage like hillarycare and benghazi? >> she gets baggage, that's for sure. but i don't think you can really have it both ways. i mean, i think hillary has got baggage 'cause she's been trekking for quite some time. in a business where most people get shot down a lot earlier than she has. she's got some baggage, but obviously she's got some

accomplishments. i think reducing her eight years as first lady to the failure health care, she was involved in women and girl's health around the world just to begin. so i think she's very formidable and i think she'll be a formidable candidate. >> i'm sorry. i interrupt you. i apologize. on the republican side, it's nothing like that that it is on the democratic side. it is really, really crowded. there are eight guys, really sort of bunched up together. is that an advantage or a disadvantage for the gop? >> disadvantage. i mean, you can spin it however you want, gregg. but if hillary running essentially unopposed and democrats are focused from day one on collecting as much money as they can, doing negative research, getting hillary out there and figuring out the name, address and e-mail preferences

of every democratic voter in the country, while republicans are stuck in some kind of -- always looks like a squabble with seven guys in a debate interrupting each other and fairgrounds in iowa. that doesn't help the republicans. they got to get it sorted out and the sooner they get it sorted out, the sooner they can focus on the democrats. >> yeah. and they still got 2014 to deal with, trying to retake the senate. what's interesting, a prominent radio talk show host, who i think is now retired, he said that the gop will fail to take the senate in 2014 because he said in the individual races, they will invariably nominate candidates who are absolutely obsessed with social conservativism and social issues that tend to alienate the general electorate. does he have a point there? >> yes. i mean, i happened to meet with

chris koonce a few weeks ago. here is this guy, a brilliant senator from delaware, but he would be the first to tell you this is a guy who never would have gotten elected to the united states senate had republicans in delaware not nominated the one candidate he could actually beat, which was christine o'donnel. not the candidate he couldn't beat, the former senator and congressman. he's absolutely right. whether that's what will happen in 2014 remains to be seen. but it's what makes the republican party right now very interesting and challenging. >> yeah. they could have taken it two years ago, but again, they elected some candidates who in the end are arguably unelectable and nevada against harry reid in the midwest there was a race there. the list goes on and on. susan estridge, always great to chat with you. thanks very much. >> happy new year, gregg. >> you, too. don't forget, read susan estridge's syndicated column in newspapers all over the country every wednesday and friday.

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right now in our country,

there are more than a million americans receiving long- term unemployment benefits. today they get cut off. >> this is a immediately impacting anyone who is collecting unemployment for more than 26 weeks. that was the maximum time when the benefits were extended and more than a million people are impacted that number is expected to grow. it was providing two years of coverage. so which states have longer than average connecticut, and massachusetts and california. ilno. pep pen and maine and new jersey. democrats are pushing for an extension. one released a statement. they provide kretical support to

economy and americans who have yet to find work. benefits need to be paid for republicans say. it not only adds to the deficit but doesn't incent vise job soakers. long- term unemployment benefit cause it and not only help the people who are among them and uncentives to city on government assistance. nat the same time, the house bills will be looking at military cuts for the retired. jamie, back to you. network thank you so much. elizabeth is reporting. you never get a sense where we have been. i am jamie colby. and dpreg jarret and i tell you

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