log in to our facebook page to #keeptalking. >> hope you had a great weekend. new week on tap. >> finish that christmas shopping. >> frocks frocks -- "fox & friends" starts now. bye. >> good morning. it is monday, december 15. i'm elisabeth hasselbeck. sydney under siege. at least a dozen people taken hostage by an armed extremist. now the united states on high alert. are we next? we have developing details for you. >> protests turn violent over the weekend here in new york city. >> what do we want? >> who do we want? dead cops. great. one man brought a bag of rallies to the rally. get this.

he's a professor. >> we have more on him. it is official. barbara walters has chosen her most fascinating person of the year, but you might not agree. her biggest accomplishment was getting married. and it wasn't us because we're married already. >> mornings are better with friends. >> hi, this is sean ashton. movie star and what not and you are watching "fox & friends." >> and what not. ladies and gentlemen, it is the 15th day of december. that means christmas is ten days away. >> that is the incredible countdown going. and the list keeps going. while we're thankful you're joining us we want to begin with a fox news alert. an armed extremist holding more than a dozen hostages inside a cafe in sydney, australia. >> the standoff going on for more than 12 hours as he, the gunman, forces them to stand against a window, each of them apparently he has them stand there and holds the flag for two

hours a piece and then he alternates to another hostage. >> there was some good news. some hostage did seem to get out. joining us live from london with the breaking details, greg, what's been happening? >> we are well into 12 hours into this hostage situation. it is a hostage taking with at least a reference to the islamist group isis and thankfully so far it is a hostage situation with no casualties. it is happening in a sydney cafe. a man carrying a backpack walked into the place and took at least 13 maybe 15 people hostages. hostages have been seen at the window playing the role of a human shield, also holding a flag with an islamic declaration of faith. there have been claims that bombs have been placed inside the cafe and in the downtown area of sydney.

those have not been confirmed. five people have gotten out. they were not released. they actually fled. there has been a massive police effort surrounding this place. the downtown area of sydney has been completely evacuated. police say they are in contact with the man, negotiating with the man. indications are they want to let this play out so there are not any casualties. this is being treated like a terror act. it is not being called terror yet but those references to isis perhaps a lone wolf terror attack but a lone would feel can be as dead -- a lone wolf can be as deadly as the real thing. >> the police say the situation is now a negotiation and they intend to pursue it peacefully. there you can see one of the -- keep in mind

initially the, they were not going to confirm the police were -- what the gunman was asking for. he had a flag like an isis flag but asked for an official one. he asked to talk to the prime minister. we know the prime minister has gone on twitter as well but we don't know whether or not the prime minister has spoken to the hostage taker. >> it is confirmed that the u.s. consulate in sydney has been evacuated. the comparison with those flags is interesting at first because the one against the glass had a black background with the islamic declaration of faith on there, and now demands to get that isis flag and have that phone call with the prime minister. >> they say it is no coincidence channel 7 is right there. they want publicity and get a live chat with the prime minister on a live radio show at the same time. the printed creed on the flag is there is no god but

allah and muhammad is the messager of god. it is kind of interesting. they say one description of a man is he's heavy-set and is known to police and to local officials. keep in mind too there was a major arrest that morning, and this is the same place, australia, that thwarted another terror plot that their mission was to randomly go through the streets of sydney and behead people. >> this is not something new -- >> this is a series of events and seems to be the latest. a lot of people say what does it mean for america? what does it mean for new york, the number-one spot for terrorists to hit? >> there is a lindt chocolate shop two blocks from where we're sitting. five people in all got out of that building. it is unclear whether or not they were released. there is also a report that one of the people who did

get out wound up going to the hospital apparently for a preexisting condition, not something that happened. so maybe the gunman said you don't feel good, all right, get out. >> meanwhile, the actual individuals here at home who have been looking into and trying to stop attacks like this and perhaps future hostage situation as we are still at war indeed with isis and terrorism are the c.i.a. and they have been painted as the bad guys at home. former vice president dick cheney actually called out chuck toad -- chuck todd for taking cheap shots. >> why did we prosecute chinese soldiers? >> they did an awful lot of other stuff to draw some kind of moral equivalent between water boarding and what the japanese did with the slaughter of thousands of americans, with the rape

of nan king. it is a cheap shot to try to draw a parallel between the japanese prosecuted after world war ii and what we've done with water boarding of three individuals who participated in the 9/11 attacks. >> the american people have little compassion for people in gitmo. i believe washington insiders are saying this shouldn't be done to even the worst of the worst. look at the c.i.a. if they thought the methods were to be nice and friendly in order to get the maximum information as quickly as possible this is what would have been done. i think people are acting as if people are out of their mind and the c.i.a. is trying to get an eye for an eye. they were trying to quickly get as much information as possible. the worst could be yet to come. later on this week we'll find out if the obama administration will be successful to stop the releasing of hundreds of photos of the

interrogation, variation things that happened in afghanistan that will not make us look like the ben nef -- benevolent people we want to look like we are. >> you see what's happening in a shock lat shop and you understand real crisis with isis we're in, the sharp contrast with the c.i.a. trying to do their job and keep america safe for the past 13 years startles you. >> meanwhile more protests over the weekend. there were protests in new york city and washington, d.c. al sharpton's national action league marched on washington, d.c. then saturday night here in new york city listen to the chanting of these so-called peaceful protesters. >> what do we want? >> dead cops >> when do we want it? >> now. >> yeah, that's really.

>> what do we want? dead cops. >> that was great. by the way, who's keeping them safe? dead cops. excuse me. live cops. they have to sit there and get screamed in the face. some got spit on, some got punched. what about this guy? 29-year-old eric linsker, a professor of english at baruch and queens college. it is quite obvious he is anticop. he used this opportunity allegedly to confront police through a garbage pail and evidently kicked a cop in the face and broke his nose while others threw two cops to the ground in and around his attack. and then two of them, they were trying to take his coat and take the cops' radios. he ended up running from the scene leaving a bag of hammers. they tracked it back to his house in crown heights, they made the arrest, they brought him in and you saw him in complet >> -- you saw him in court.

>> any time you have those things on you it is not peaceful. >> imagine writing a $45,000 check to that school knowing that is my daughter or my son's english teacher. >> the governor of the great state of massachusetts questions the point of the protests and says they're disruptive, maybe not helpful. >> i think it begs questions what is it we're trying to accomplish beyond disruption? part of it is to make sure people understand how broadly the concern lies around being understood and not being fearful either as unarmed black man or as police and that huge chasm of misunderstanding between the two has got to be bridged. >> violence and hitting people in the heads with hammers as we saw last week is not how you get stuff done. >> let us know what you think about that on

facebook, twitter and e-mail. we're going to turn now to welcome heather childers. >> good morning to you. a lot of news to catch up on. we start with a fox news alert. a possible terrorist situation developing in belgium. reports of four armed men storming an apartment taking at least one person hostage. all this drama playing out on a busy street in the city of ghent, west of brussels. police sealing off a wide perimeter telling nearby residents to stay indoors for their safety. on the heels of the hostage situation in sydney, the standoff sparking fierce of a terror connection. over-the-weekend the senate passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill avoiding a government shutdown, but the real winners, salty food and belching cows. buried in the giant bill there was a provision to prohibit the government from requiring less salt in school lunches, a set-back for the first lady's

healthy lunch standards. also farmers will not have to obtain methane emissions permits for their cows. you can fill in the blanks there. the new james bond film is the latest victim of the cyber attack on sony. the producer saying an early version of the screenplay is among the stolen documents and they're worried that it will be leaked next, this as sony wants the media to stop talking about it. a lawyer for the studio says leaked e-mails between the studio and executives are privileged information and sony does not consent to their release. george clooney's new wife named barbara walters most fascinating person of 2014. amal met the a-list actor at a charity event in italy in 2013. in 1995 clooney told walters he would never marry again but changed his

mind after meeting the human rights lawyer. they wed in italy in october and she did look beautiful. >> thank you very much. congratulations. coming up, more on that tense situation in downtown sydney, australia. how long could it last and could the united states be next? a terrorism expert straight ahead. >> the most popular gift almost all of you will give someone for christmas is? stick around. ♪ i'm an idaho potato farmer and our big idaho potato truck is still missing. so my buddy here is going to help me find it. here we go. woo who, woah, woah, woah. it's out there somewhere spreading the word

about america's favorite potatoes: heart healthy idaho potatoes and the american heart association's go red for women campaign. if you see it i hope you'll let us know. always look for the grown in idaho seal. feet...tiptoeing. better things than the pain, stiffness, and joint damage of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist decide on a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can relieve ra symptoms, and help stop further joint damage.

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jihadist. australia is grouped in with europe, the united states and canada. it is a majority nonmuslim country. it contributed to the alliance against terrorists in iraq and afghanistan. australia is a prime target. it's out of the way out there in the pacific ocean but australia does have a muslim population. a lot of lebanese and somali immigrants. as a matter of fact, australia reportedly has sent up to 130 people to syria to join isis. >> something happened in that morning. there was a major arrest of one terrorist and a plot evident thri thwarted. we know of another plot in september where they were planning to behead people in sydney streets. obviously the ramifications would be unbelievably devastating to the economy and terrorism around society. i think something else stands out. not only is australia a friend of ours, they might be our best friend.

wherever we go, they follow. if they can't get to us, what a message. >> brian, absolutely. australia has contributed to the coalition in iraq, in afghanistan. they have stood with the united states. go back to world war ii, the aussies were standing with us. the aussie prime minister is pro-american. anyone in that coalition be it britain, canada, australia is undoubtedly a target. this is going to continue. you brought up that plot back in september, this beheading plot where a group of isis sympathizers were going to kidnap someone off the street minding their business and behead them on videotape. this is the new face of terror. everyone needs to understand the bad guys are plotting the next 9/11 undoubtedly but the biggest immediate threat sthees -- is these lone wolf self-starter actors. >> when you ask for a flag and that flag gets

delivered and the words translated are there is no god but muhammad and allah is the messenger of god it is hard to believe this is not terrorism. next a u.s. soldier sentenced to 20 years for killing two civilians while serving in afghanistan but new details about those men that he killed could set him free. santa getting the boot at one school because one person complained? the parents at that school not backing down. an outraged dad joins us next. ♪

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we've got quick monday morning headlines. christmas shoppers watch in hor ross as rescue crews free a boy whose foot got stuck in an escalator. it happened in a mall in philadelphia. the seven-year-old was freed and we're told he's doing just fine. what's the present most people will give and get this year? the answer is a gift card. that's according to the national retail association, the most popular cards are from visa, amazon and i-tunes. ho-ho-ho.

>> so long santa. following one complaint a school sent parents a notice informing them our first through fourth grade concert as well as our kindergarten concert will not include a visit from santa claus this year. end quote. but not all parents are on board with this decision. joining us is outraged dad robert thompson. good morning, and thanks for being with us. this is kind of shocking to hear. this christmas concert and holiday concert has gone on for years. you have how many children? >> i have two children in the school. >> they have participated in this concert before; correct? >> yes, they have. and one still does. >> when you got this letter, what was your initial reaction? >> the letter was received at our house the day before. it kind of -- it just was so hard to believe that somebody had high on their list to make the world better to get rid of santa. it just didn't make sense

to me. there was no prior warning. this decision was made behind closed doors. the public was not involved in the discussion. and i just feel it is not right. >> do you have a hunch who this one complaint could have come from? >> i can't confirm it is one person and one complaint. that is one thing i'll admit. how many people involved i guess doesn't matter and i have no idea. it wasn't made public. nobody talked about, that it was a discussion up for debate. they just behind closed doors presented their problems with somebody in the cambridge school system and this is what they came out of it for solution, to ban santa. >> why does that bother you? how will the kid be affected by this? do they know? what's their response been? >> my opinion why it bothers me, i come from a city that celebrates diversity and tolerance. i think at its base this decision wreaks of intolerance. and this whole celebration,

the sing-along, they celebrate everybody's culture and tradition and now they're telling me mine, for some reason they haven't told us, is not acceptable. and i just have -- i still can't understand it. >> is the school, we reached out to the for -- out to the school for comment. they have not gotten back to us. do you know what the plan is for alternate? >> the last day before school vacation, december 23, 2:00. they were going to have a sing along in the same awed awed -- same auditorium and santa will be present them. that is supposed to make up. i would like to question these people that caused these events, how would they feel if you were told

you're not good enough for the main show but we'll let you have your own show. have a nice day. >> certainly a little discrimination it sounds like hearing from you is what is felt. how many dads do you think will show up in santa hats for the concert? >> i believe more than usual. one thing about these concerts, they are put well together by the music teachers. they get all these young kids on the stage singing as one. it's beautiful. when santa would make that appearance, they would sing a santa song and he would come down the aisle and everybody was staring at him. the crowd was the loudest then. five minutes, in and out. >> something the kids will miss. robert, we want to thank you for sharing that story and hope you can bring cheer to those kids that day. >> merry christmas. thank you. >> merry christmas. coming up, from a school banning santa to another now taking down the ten commandments. one student says enough is enough and is boycotting

his school over it. he's the most decorated sniper in history and now his story is on the big screen. we are talking to the we are talking to the author of the book. it's the purple pill, the #1 prescribed acid blocking brand, available without a prescription for frequent heartburn. get complete protection. nexium level protection™

a fox news alert. dramatic video showing five people escaping an armed extremist holding them hostage in a sydney cafe. a dozen people are still inside. police now wearing night vision goggles and say they are communicating with the gunman 13 hours later. >> will undergo tonight and for as long as it takes is to get those people currently caught in that building out of there. that is the number-one priority and nothing will change. >> wow. you can see the other

hostage inside holding up a flag with arabic writing on it used by extremists in the past. >> the gunman is reportedly demanding an isis flag and a towk to the prime -- a talk to the prime minister of australia tony abbott. there are talks out that the gunman claims to have four bombs two inside the cafe and two in the city as well. 44 muslim groups throughout the sydney area put out a statement. they say they are shocked and horrified and -- quote -- "we reject any attempt to take the innocent life of any human being or to instill fear in their hearts." certainly in the heart of sydney this morning there is terror. >> our u.s. consulate has been evacuated. we'll turn now to heather childers. >> good morning to you. a fox news exclusive learning lawyers for clint lorant convicted of killing two afghan natives are accusing army prosecutors of withholding evidence

that would have acquitted him. in 2012larrants and his platoon were in afghanistan when he ordered troops to shoot and kill two afghan men he believed to have terrorists. now there's new evidence that suggest they did have terror background and larrants is seeking clemency. coming up we will speem exclusively to his mother. today a federal appeals court will reconsider a decision forcing youtube to take down an antimuslim film which sparked violent riots in the middle east. earlier this year a three-judge panel ruled in favor of a woman who had a minor role in the film. she claims she was never told the movie was about religion and received several death threats as a result. youtube was forced to remove the film and is fighting back claiming infringement on their first

amendment rights. to extreme weather now. hitting kansas, a rare december tornado. this is really a rare situation. it touched down just southwest of wichita. we do know that no one was hurt and there was no damage reported. out west in drought-stricken california more rain in the forecast. but it won't be as intense as this weekend's pine apple express which caused major mudslides. the bay area can expect up to two inches before the rain dying out as the system moves into southern california. enough is enough. a student in ohio goes on strike after a ten commandments plaque was removed from a hallway at his school. the plaque was a gift from the class of 1953 but the principal ordered it taken down after similar displays were challenged in nearby schools. now that student is skipping homework and school functions. he says his message is worth the consequences. >> i am rat dpshes i -- i am

attending class but refusing to participate. >> school leaders say he will not be punished as long as he doesn't disrupt his classmates. both sides apparently will meet next month to talk about the plaque's placement. those are a look at your headlines. >> taking a stand. >> plaque attack. >> that also works for dental hygiene. so many types of flak and only one type of football. week 15 of the nfl season. late game cowboys and eagles too close to call. get this, new jersey governor chris christie a life long cowboys fan on hand to celebrate the win. peyton manning had the flu but played good.

new england patriots, a blowout win over the dolphins. 41-13 the final, six in a row for new england. johnny manziel not too good. the team was shut out. he was 10 of 18 for 80 yard. two interceptions against the bengals. adrian peterson's lawsuit against the nfl expected to be filed today. the lawsuit is expected to challenge the impartiality of harold henderson the arbitrator who upheld the league's suspension of peterson until april of next year. he might quit the game entirely. >> an emotional clip at the cleveland browns football game. >> returning from afghanistan. his kids crying when they had a video message, had no idea he was here. >> army staff sergeant anthony wagner reuniting

with his kids before yesterday's game. he's been deployed in afghanistan since march. the cleveland browns foundation were the ones who put it all together and pulled off the great surprise. >> that's fantastic. got a feeling those kids didn't even care who won. that's great. dad's home. meanwhile, it's the story of a movement that changed history. >> you must stand up. >> you march those people into rural alabama going to be open season. >> a film about martin luther king's civil rights movement through alabama in theaters next month. >> let's step into the fox light with michael tammero. he was at the premiere and it was? >> amazing. star-studded. big standing ovation, a ten-minute standing ovation. it is the first time this pivotal moment in the civil rights movement has been

depicted on the screen. it's got four golden globe nominations. you'll be hearing a lot about it. it stars oprah winfrey who has a small role. she also produced this movie. we caught up with her and asked her what her a-ha moment was during the production. >> just how astounding that in 50 years those now legendary warriors for freedom marched across that bridge in selma and here is an african-american directing that story. she, even with the people who are playing the racists had this ability to make them feel like it's okay. you're going to be okay. >> that was good. it opens up limited release on christmas day. from serious to silly, it is hard to believe a night at the museum franchise is coming to a close.

the third and final movie. back in 2006 when it was started they had no idea the story would go this far. we caught up at the premiere the other night and they all remembered their costar robin williams. this is the final movie he shot. >> i feel fortunate to have had the chance to work with him. a huge fan of his, always will be. >> one of the highlights of my life. a great inspiration to me growing up. an actor who made audiences cry as much as laugh. he's just there to entertain them constantly. actors, the crew, he kept everyone in such great spirits and that i'll never forget. >> secrets of the tomb opens up on december 19. a lot of fun. as always check out all my interviews at inthefoxlight.com. brian, i thought of you all weekend because fred clause was on constantly. >> wouldn't be christmas without fred clause.

>> you're going to colorize it. >> the brother of santa deemphasized in my youth. >> ladies, does youran like spicy food? >> first they made the bull. >> what that could reveal about a man's personality coming up next. >> he is the most decorated sniper in american history. now his story is on the big screen. we're talking to the author of the book by the same name straight ahead. >> negative. your call.

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>> it's more tingley than hot. >> yeah. >> a new french study claims men who like spicier food are alpha males with higher levels of testosterone. people looking to sign up for obamacare have until midnight tonight. 400,000 people have actively renewed their plans. those who don't actively renew can face higher out-of-pocket costs. chris kyle was the most lethal sniper in american military history. now the much anticipated movie about his life is hitting the big screen. >> her arms aren't swinging. she's carrying something. she's got grenades. can you confirm? >> negative.

your call. >> scott mcquen cowrote the book. how did you meet chris kyle? >> i met chris kyle in san diego through other navy seal friends of mine and became friends with him and ultimately drinking buddies. >> eventually you started recording his history. why? >> when i was hearing his story, i felt it was so compelling and amazingly patriotic towards this country that i felt it was an historical disservice not to have his story recorded because chris was the epitome of a warrior and patriot of this country. >> at what point did you realize he was the most

lethal sniper in american history? >> i heard it from multiple different seal team sources and the numbers that came out were astonishing. it was 160 that got confirmed. i can assure you the number was far more. >> the book you guys did was terrific. and in fact brian did one of the final interviews with chris before he was killed, sadly. chris did talk to bradley cooper who plays him in the movie; right? >> he did. i was a part of that conversation. >> how did the -- i understand you felt when you watched the movie, you were looking at a ghost? >> bradley took on the character so deeply both physically and mentally. i really believed at times when i looked at bradley that i was almost seeing through to see chris because accent-wise, physical characteristic wise, seal team mannerisms was very close to chris kyle.

>> when people watch this movie what are they going to take away from it? >> war has many tolls. i think somebody like chris who was an amazing warrior for this country also went through a lot and his family went through a lot in doing what he did. while we see the accomplishments such as the most lethal american sniper in history not only that, you have ten years of war and the family and the troops have an extreme toll taken on them in doing so. this movie and what clint eastwood did with this movie is not just a war movie per se, it is a movie about the toll of war. >> tell me about your book target america. >> it is a book that involves a fictional seal team sniper that is confronted with the country's sum of all fears that we have a nuclear weapon inside this country and the seal teams are called upon to basically find the bad guys and get the weapon. i think it's very topical

particularly when we look at right now when people are second-guessing what's going on with 9/11 and according to your money you should always be looking for tips for the future. this pro can wrap gifts in seconds. the question is are brian and elisabeth up to the test? tips from gift-wrapping pros coming up next. who ♪ ♪ ♪ they say 'i never thought you would quit.' but chantix helped me do it.

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check out this pro wrapping. two gifts in under 30 seconds with one piece of paper and two piece of tape. the video has other than 3 million view. >> the real question is, can either one of us pull it on and off here to judge and add some tips of their own are hgtv home stars robert and courtney. we're going to wrap in our own styles. you can tell us how wrong we are. >> good luck. >> let's put on the clock. >> put some wrapping music on. >> you can do it. >> no cheating. >> oh!

>> come on, else, you got it. >> you're doing another? >> yep. you have to do two. >> hang on. >> you got it, you got it. >> you can't smush it, brian. >> merry christmas. >> did i come in second? >> yes, you did. >> tell us what we did wrong. >> you have to fold a little wiser, i think. overall, this is a very good job. very good job. >> thank you. >> so you have some tips for us. what are some alternate ways of wrapping. >> elisabeth, we love work photographs on all our designs. this particular one, this is an old picture of myself and my mom and my sister. >> great idea.

>> you have to carefully unwrap that. >> you can print that on computer paper and that will be a particular gift to give my mom. >> doesn't matter what's inside if that's on the outside. >> the nice thing is it gives memories and a nice conversation piece. >> okay. >> so also we love to use whatever your favorite christmas carol is. this is "jingle bells." anyone can go on line, print it on your home computer and wrap up one and everyone can have christmas carols. it's a way to have everyone gather around the table. >> you said i could do this online, use computer paper? >> exactly. >> we love vintage photographs. any photograph, if it's a great trip you took with someone, it's really about that person. >> i don't want to use robert's family. i'll use my own. >> exactly. this gift is for my sister. her name is brandy. it's regular brown paper. but what i love to do is write down what that person means to me of the she's beautiful, she's caring, helpful. and i like to do it with my kids, too. you can use colored markers.

>> all seven of your kids. >> all seven. and they have a lot to say. this is also i'm sure with your three kids you get lots of preschool artwork. you can't use it alt time, or save all of it. but we use it as wrapping paper. so if i'm wrapping presents and very busy, i give them artwork and say let's give that part of the gift. you can wrap it and put a candy cane on top. >> and the towels? >> these are a gift to you from us. it's a blanket. it's our old navy blanket that we designed for the holidays. >> adorable. >> you have raised the bar on wrapping. thanks so much. >> thanks for having us. >> steve, tell me what's coming up next. >> good job, wrap masters. coming up, more on our fox news alert. we're following what the suspected terrorists holding a dozen hostages in sydney is asking for right now. a live report straight ahead. and we now know what hollywood says about george

clooney and leonardo dicaprio in the layest sony leak. donald trump weighs in in three or fouonr minutes.

good morning. today is monday, december 15. i'm elisabeth hasselbeck. a fox news alert. sydney, australia under siege. at least a dozen people taken hostage by an armed muslim extremist. this morning as some victims escape, others are forced to hang an islamic flag and now the united states is on high alert. we are live with the developing details. and different note, anti-cop protests turn violent in new york city. one man even brought a bag of hammers to a rally and he's a professor. the niece of dr. martin luther king, junior is here with a message for those protesters. and ladies, does your man

suffer from selective hearing? give him a break. scientists say it's not our fault. >> good. >> did you say something? >> nothing. >> thank you for joining us. mondays are better with friends. we're starting with a fox news alert. from new york city, dramatic vialed i don't shows five people escaping an armed extremist holding them hostage in a sydney, australia cafe. a dozen people still inside. police wearing night vision goggles and say they're communicating with the gunmen 13 hours after he took the lint chocolate cafe. >> yeah. they might even know who he is. greg palkot is following the story from london. hey, greg. >> reporter: we've been tracking this story minute by minute. we're well into the evening,

monday night in sydney, australia. this hostage taking with at least overtones of isis or islamist terrorism continues. so far luckily, no casualties. it happened at a busy cafe in the center of sydney monday morning australia time. a man with a shotgun walked in, took at least 13 people it is reported hostage. hostages have been seen at the window, also a flag with islamic declaration of faith. there has been claims bombs placed around the cafe and the downtown area of sydney, but no confirmation of that. so far, five people have escaped and the gunman has reportedly made demands. et cetera a real isis flag, we are told, as well as a talk with australian prime minister tony abbott. it is a massive police effort around this thing. swat teams surrounding the cafe, evacuating the downtown area. officials say they're treating it like a terrorist act. but there are not -- but they are not calling it terror. it could be a lone wolf

terrorist, the kind we've heard about in the states and elsewhere. but just as deadly. the cafe we're told, the latest is it is dark. the lights have been turned off. the area around that cafe, an eerie calm. the police are in contact with the gunman. but no movement right now. we'll be tracking it minute by minute. >> greg palkot live in london with the very latest. >> let's bring in donald trump. he joins us every monday at this time. you look at those images. you live on fifth avenue here in new york city. there's a lindt chocolate shop close to your house. >> maybe that will be next. the fact is they no longer respect our part of the world. they no longer respect it. they see what's happened. >> they see what they get away it and it will happen in this country and more and throughout the world. a lot is a lack of respect and they don't have that. >> good morning to you. it seems as though to contrast,

handcuffing and creating enemies out of those here who want to keep us safe. law enforcement and c.i.a., what we've been going through lately. describe your take on that contrast. >> i said it in a few words. i mean, we go for sleep deprivation and they go for chopping off people's heads and then we're horrible people because sleep deprivation is a horrible form of torture and water boarding and all. nobody can tell me we don't get information from things such as that. then we pay people $80 million to come up with certain ideas and then we pay them $40 million to do that horrible report. now i understand they're going to be releasing pictures. i know the president or lots of people in the administration want to release actually pictures of what took place during the tortures. that's going to make us look really nice, too, and especially to our allies all overt world that are petrified to even talk to us anymore because we're so stupid. >> yeah, because we asked them to do us a favor and be able to

interrogate them in certain places and we're exposing all of that. so it gets their careers in jeopardy for doing america a favor and now they're doing this for everyone to see. >> you know, brian, it's actually inconceivable what's going on that they're releasing these reports, that it's almost like they're enemies of our country. but that they're releasing these reports. then you see terror all over the place. but that's called terror. >> the vice president says, well, look how great a country we are. we can admit we made snakes and so much better because we tell everyone we made mistakes. i don't agree with that. for one thing, i'm not sure there were any mistakes. we didn't act out of fear. we did whatever we could to stop the next attack. that's why we hired these guys, trained these men and women to get something done. >> they were just following orders. >> you're right. and as soon as the next attack happens, everybody is going to want to go back to the torture because that's what happens after 9-11, everybody felt strongly about it. it was fine.

but years go by, people forget the thousands of people that were killed horribly by these maniacs and now all of a sudden, they're saying oh, the torture and we shouldn't have it at all. we should just say to people, please give us secrets and what do you know? let's be friends. this is just incredible to me. even watching john mccain and others and john mccain certainly went through a lot, but it's inconceivable that they can feel this way. to me. especially in these times that are so troubled and so violent. you go back to medieval times, i used to read medieval times, how vicious. this is just as vicious as ever in history. it's what we're going through now. what the world is going through right now. >> the world is going through right now. we're going to keep an eye on what's going on in australia. essentially it's in their times square area where this gunman taas taken a cafe hostage. let's talk about sony taken hostage. somebody, it's presumed north korea, they don't like this new

movie coming out. they have somehow hacked into all of their e-mail. they've got a lot of it. their company is in shambles. they're promising a christmas present, more interesting stuff, going to put sony in its worst state. some of the latest developments apparently amy pascal, one of the top producer executives there, called leonardo dicaprio despicable after he passes on her steve jobs film. she wanted him in. he wanted out. george clooney beg ford protection after the "monuments men," and jennifer lawrence and amy adams were paid less than their male co-stars. and the list goes on and on with all this embarrassing stuff. so sony has since hired david boys, one of america's best attorneys, to remind news media outlet, hey, this is private correspondence. we're not giving you the okay to print this and publish this. you better stop it. what do you think? should the media publish it or -- 'cause people love to hear

about george clooney dirt. but at the same time, it's private business. >> i think the funniest thing of all is that the sony chief, amy pascal, has gone and sought counsel from reverend al sharpton. >> right away. >> that's one of the great things. that's to me, one of the great funny things. she shouldn't even be allowed to run a company 'cause anybody that does that -- and i know al, as you know, very well. and i understand al. he's doing his thing. so i get that. he's doing his thing. he's done his thing for many years. i've known him for many years. i dealt with him for many years. i told you, he came up to my office very recently to say that he apologized for something and i get the whole deal. for her to call reverend al to seek counsel. now, watch what he does, because he does it very well. he will turn the tables on her and call her all sorts of things. he will do a number on her like you won't believe. >> well, she was in hot water because of the e-mail exchange with rudin over what kind of movies they should show the

president and a lot of people looked at that and said, you look racist. and so who does she turn to? al sharpton. >> yeah. she must be a real beauty. she's heading the company. you know, years ago issues you would want to only by a sony television. today it's actually a liability. they have run that company into the ground and i would say that when pascal goes out and says, i want guidance from reverend al sharpton, this is the person running a company making probably millions and millions of dollars a year? she should be terminated for being stupid. >> right. here is the thing, though, we're at a point where north korea can hack into a huge corporation like that's private e-mails and even though it seems as though north korea is doing it. >> what if they hack into the trump e-mail? >> i know. what could be next? >> i sadly, it wouldn't be that interesting. but i must tell that you this is the problem that we have with computers. i have guys in the company and i know people that are so brilliant with computers, they can do almost anything.

in the old days you would have a file cabinet and locks on it and it would be behind locked doors, right? today, nothing is safe on a computer. that's much more important than sony and people calling angelina jolie and different people bad names. you know, you have tremendous secrets that are very vital to security. and people can hack these computers so easily. what do you think russia is doing? you see they're sending planes all over the place now, war planes and getting very near civilian planes. i don't know. he looks like he might be going a little bit off the edge. i think he's a little concerned about a lot of things and he has no respect for president obama. we have a problem. >> all right. >> there is no such thing as technical property anymore, right? no tech property, apparently. >> in the old days, when you had wars, they'd send an envelope by courier and the courier -- today you send something out by computer, you don't know how many people are hacking it. i really think, look, computers are wonderful. but boy, they are dangerous as

can be. >> especially when you accidentally cc a lot of people on an e-mail. >> all right, see you next monday. >> thank you very much. >> heather has headline. >> he does not minutes words. we start with a fox news alert. video of a possible terror situation developing belgium. reports indicate police stormed a building where four armed men were holding at least one person hostage. three people have been arrested. all this drama playing out in a busy street in dent, west of brussels. police sealing off a wide perimeter, telling nearby residents to stay indoors for their own safety on the heels of the hostage situation in sydney. the stand-off initially sparking fears of a terror connection. happening overnight, three alabama inmates who broke out of prison back behind bars this morning. the prisoners, two accused of murder, apprehended by u.s. marshals following a daring prison break on saturday. all three of the men recaptured without incident. one of them hiding out at his

grandmother's house. another nabbed in a movie theater parking lot. they escaped after making a guard believe that one of them was sick. they then overpowered him and then they took the keys to the front door. over the weekend, the senate passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill avoiding a government shutdown. but the real winners, salty foods and belching cows. a provision to prohibit the government from requiring less salt in school lunches. that is set back for the healthy lunch standards. farmers will not have to obtain methane emission permit force their cows. you can fill in the blank. ladies, you are not going crazy. it is true. scientists say that there is evidence men really have selective hearing. >> talking is starting to drain me. now i'm after the highlights to see what did i just hear? >> a new study shows the average man only tunes into his

partner's conversation for six minutes at a time. but he can on the flip side, manage to talk to his male friends for about 15 minutes. why? guys aren't interested in the same thing that women are and tune out because they get bored. so -- do you remember what i said? >> i remember having selective hearing when the babies were crying. >> thank you, heather. does this sound like a peaceful protest to you? dr. martin luther king, junior's niece has a powerful message for those protesters. she joins us next. >> and ever take a picture you wish you had back? a new upgrade on facebook could make your life a lot easier. >> i could have used that. ♪ ♪

thousands march with al sharpton over the weekend in washington, d.c. and in new york city, there was a different protest against the police with a hateful message. aren't types of demonstrations doing more harm than good? it's a question everyone is

asking. we're here to get perspective from dr. alveda king, the niece of dr. martin luther king, junior and joins us now. thank you for being with us here. when you heard the protests in new york city saying what do we want? dead cops, what was your reaction? >> elisabeth that, is just so shocking. many probably don't know, but i'm old enough at 64 to have marched in the 20th century, in the children's march in louisville, kentucky. when we chanted, what do you want, and we'd see freedom, you know, so today, what do you want? jobs, better economy. safe families. but what do you want? dead cops? oh, my goodness. >> they're hearing a message that they're just spitting out or feeling justified in this movement by mate at the base of it. and it's really sad.

what would your uncle say right now at this point in time, because it's a very -- it's an open wound in our nation right now. >> well, my uncle, my dad, his brother, reverend a.d. king. m.l, they modeled demandy, jesus christ certainly, with nonviolent, peaceful protesting. one of the youngest children that was arrested in birmingham was three years old. and the reporters asked him, why are you doing this? what do you want? and the little three-year-old boy said teetum, he was trying to say freedom. so my uncle would ask for peace and justice, certainly justice. but dead cops are not going to set anybody free, having that type of reaction. so my uncle would certainly just encourage people to be peaceful. that's just rabble rowing. >> speaking of rabble rousing, a lot of people would look at reverend al sharpton, who seems to be taking a major step with

leadership when it comes to race in this nation and how close he is. 61 times he visited the white house. does it make you uncomfortable that his words, his notions are now taking the lead perhaps over the words of your great uncle? >> well, i actually believe that we can overcome evil with good and my uncle showed me how to do that. uncle m.l. did, my daddy, my grand daddy. so i'm joining with leaders from across the country to encourage peaceful, nonviolent protests. people do need jobs and work and good housing, good education. of course we do. we don't want to be killed in the streets. no. but this is not the way to get our answers and our solutions. >> dr. al via king, we -- al alice alveda king, thank you for being here. >> thank you. coming up, dick cheney fighting back against the

mainstream media trying to paint c.i.a. as bad guys. >> it's a really cheap shot, chuck, to even try to draw a parallel. >> the question that got him ticked off. we'll bring it to you. do you know what to do with your money? ç

24 minutes 'til the top of the hour. timer in news by the numbers. first, third place. that's where miss united us rann the miss world competition. $24.5 million. that's how much "exodus: gods and kings" made at the box office. dethroning "hunger games." the time of day two baby girls

were born saturday with the last consecutive date this year. hazel and grace on the left, born in cleveland. and quincy born on the right. born in billings, montana. congratulations to the parents. steve? >> easy birth dates to remember. thank you. you know that saying, age is nothing but a number. but it's not exactly true when it comes to our finances. >> when it comes to money, every move you make from 20s to 60s could mean the difference between retiring comfortably or not retiring at all. peter dunn is a financial planner and told me to say that. he's written a series of books entitled "your money," each one has different advice based on the different decade of your life. >> you're releasing six books the same day. >> how to live on commission book at the same time. it was an interesting fall, to say the least. >> first off, you broke it down into decades which people appreciate. what is the focus for your 20s? >> for the 20s, really you're kind of getting rid of hopefully student loan debt.

we want people to be done by 30. they're amateurized -- i want it done in eight years so you can move on with your life and maybe get into homeownership. the thing is, to have an extraordinary financial life, you need to do something different. there is people in their 40s, even 50s with student loan debt still. and that's not going to work. so the goal is to be done by eight years after you graduate from college. >> i've never heard that before. that's great. >> and start an early retirement plan. >> yeah. get it going. people want to know, can you pay off debt and invest at the same time? and the answer is you have to. >> in your 30s, you start to think about a how many times but don't think about a big house. think about a house that costs 25% of what you make. >> i'm in one of the top five real estate markets in the world right now as we sit here. usually 25% of take home pay to go towards a mortgage payment. a bank alone, 51%. a 40% and bigger real estate market, san francisco, l.a., honolulu, new york, things like that. but 25% is the key.

>> for the people in the control room in their 40s, what should they keep in mind? >> here is what i realize, 40s is terrifying from a financial perspective. you got your kids' college, panicking about retirement, mid life crisis starts to kick in. so i would say make sure not to overpay for college. too many parents are taking on parent plus loans, which sounds positive. >> because you would do anything for your kids. >> you would. >> they get into a great school, you don't want to say i can't afford t but you should say, i can't afford it. >> saying we can't afford it is a beautiful phrase. >> there are loans for the kids and that can make it all happen then. >> that's how it should happen. >> okay. some day i'll be in my 50s. what should i be doing? >> the sooner you can live your retirement lifestyle, the better. some people hear that, they're like, sweet. mimosas all day long. which i do that anyway. >> like the villages. >> right. but the key is to project retirement will be and start

living at that level now so that way you glide into retirement, you don't go to a cliff and fall off. >> no big surprises. >> right. >> except when they tell you, you're retiring. 60s happens. what's going on? >> there is a lot of pressure in 60s. people think they're running through the finish line. again, practicing living on your retirement income before you retire. no cold turkey retirement. and finally, understand the health care costs. we all know this. health care costs are crazy. budget at least $1,000 a month prior to age 65 for health care and once you go over 65, budget about 750, believe it or not. >> i couldn't believe how many people have not even budget to do retire. only have $1,000 in the bank. if you plan on living on social security, you might be very disappointed. >> absolutely. it's supposed to be a safety net. not the core retirement income. >> he has some advice that you should think about. he's got the six books coming out this week called "your money life," thank you for joining us. >> and also here is what stands out, he had the courage to win the vest. the same courage i displayed one

week ago. >> coming up on this monday, gas prices are hitting rock bottommish. but air fare has never been higher. so how does that work? and what is being done to fix the big price difference? plus, he makes breakfast a work of art. >> what is that? >> now he's showing us how he does it. see his amazing skills live. we think it's a crab. >> it's a monster! >> could be. ♪ ♪

we have a fox news alert. dramatic video shows five people escaping an armed extremist holding them hostage in a sydney cafe. this is in a part of sydney that is essentially their time square. it's a beautiful part of

downtown. about 15 more people are still believed to be inside. this is essentially a tourist mecca. police now wearing night vision goggles and say the gunman is carrying an ipad and communicating on social media. the hostages, who escaped, said the gunman also encouraged them to use social media to get his message out. police still say they are communicating with the gunman nearly 14 hours later. >> only goal tonight and for as long as this takes, is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely. >> earlier you could see hostages inside holding up a flag with an arabic writing on it that has been used by extremists in the past. he recently moved the hostages away from the window and back inside the cafe. >> all right. so the gunman is reportedly demanding an isis flag to speak with australian tony abbott. he wants to do it live on the radio.

and he also claims to have two bombs in the cafe and two somewhere in the city. that was his original comment, things were ready to go off everywhere. the other problem is, as that police chief just stated, you not only want to get everybody out, but you want to do it in a way not to spur more hostage situations. >> the police say that their intention is to pursue it peacefully. that's where it is right now as night falls on sydney. >> we will stay on that for you. in the meantime, we turn to heather childers with the latest headlines. >> good morning. armed stand-off in sydney sparkses new fears of terrorism across the globe. dick cheney fights back against the mainstream media trying to paint the c.i.a. as bad guys. >> when you say water boarding is not torture, then why did we prosecute soldiers? >> it's a really cheap shot, chuck, to even try to draw a parallel between the japanese who were prosecuted for war

crimes after world war ii and what we did with water boarding. three individuals, all of whom are guilty and parted in the -- participated in the 9-11 attack. >> another chance to authorize harsh interrogation methods, he would do it again in a minute. one law maker trying to figure out why are prices for plane tickets going through the roof? >> why immediately when the price of oil goes up, but when the price of oil goes down, it still goes up? >> good question. new york senator charles schumer wants the feds to investigate why ticket prices are so high when airlines are making record profits. the industry expected to rake in $25 billion next year. texas could soon allow the open carry of hand guns. governor-e to expand gun rights in the new year and says he will sign a bill allowing open carry if it gets to his desk. texas allows the open display of

rifles and shotguns. florida, california, and new york banning the open carry of hand guns. and never post those embarrassing drunken pictures on facebook again. the social media site wants to create a program preventing users from uploading intoxicated selfies. scanned pictures reportedly would determine how drunk a person is and ask if they really want to post it. facebook already uses technology to identify faces for tagging your friends. those are a look at your headlines. it smells incredible in this studio. >> it smells like breakfast. >> it smells great and looks great. you'll want to make your kids breakfast. they'll look forward to eating it. our next guest did just that by creating incredible elaborate pancake art. they're pancake portraits and here to shows how it's done. here is nathan shields. good morning. >> good morning. good to be here. >> you're the father of the

year. >> thank you. >> i thought i made really cool pancakes until now. >> not like this. how did if start? >> it start about three years ago, i was just trying to entertain my kids with an interesting breakfast one morning and realized if i used these squeeze bottles -- >> he's making one right now. come on over. >> you started with a turkey baster, right? >> that's right. i did a little experimenting before i figured out this is an easy way to do it. i slapped that on there. you could do it at home. i'm going to make a multi-armed sea star. >> or the sun. >> do you ever use other colors or primarily the two? these are amazing. >> well, you can change the colors that you get by just letting certain parts cook longer. i've added a little cocoa to mine. >> ed, come on here. let's show some of the stuff he made early. and he made these all fresh this morning. >> there is brian. >> it's very popular. this is really taking off. >> there is elisabeth.

>> people are flipping over them. >> that's a flap steve. r2-d2. you have olaf. >> are you an artist? are you artistic yourself? can a civilian do this? >> a civilian can. but i do do a lot of drawing as well. >> do you ever just make a regular pancake anymore? >> how would you be like a round one? >> we don't have time for those. >> how old are the kids? >> six and four. >> oh, my gosh. do they try it? >> oh, yeah. they make their own. usually star wars or princess. >> how do you flip it over? >> let's see if we can flip this. >> internationally, you've gotten acclaim for this, right, on twitter, social media, people pointed this out. >> i started posting it on youtube and it's taken off. >> you could have a uponcake portrait business right here. this is where it gets a little

tricky. >> look at that! >> oh, my goodness. >> it might be the tastiest sea star you eat today. >> if people want the recipes, it's like if people want more information, where are you on social media. >> pancakes on facebook, twitter, youtube. >> and go to our web site and you can get it as well. >> i just think if you can make good breakfast and have the kids entertained, orgeat high five for me. >> all right. go, carbs. coming up straight ahead, a warning for all of america. the super bowl could be canceled and it could be congress' fault. >> what? >> u.s. soldier sentenced to 20 years for kill to go civilians while serving in afghanistan. new details about the men he killed could set him free. his mother joins us live next. born on this date in 1979,

the star of the o.c. was the first male actor to pose for the cover of elle girl magazine. who is he? e-mail us with the correct answer and you will be today's big winner.

thanks for being with us. we have a quick look at your headlines now. the super bowl may be canceled. you have congress to thank for it. they have two weeks left to pass an insurance bill to help insurance companies pay claims in case of a terrorist attack. without it, insurance companies have to jack up their rates so high that no venues can afford it. obama family christmas photo with some very special elves. >> cheese. >> these are some excellent

santa's helpers. >> the president's family attend ago benefit hospital. the concert featuring darius rucker airs on tv later this week. sweet. >> thank you very much. a decorated army american lieutenant seeking his freedom this morning. in 2012, as three men approached his platoon on motorcycles, lieutenant clint larrance gave the order to open fire and engage them. two of the three men were killed. the army said they didn't have ties to terror at his court-martialing. so lieutenant larrance went to prison to serve a 20-year sentence. now his lawyers are seeking clemency and accusing army lawyers of withholding crucial evidence of the men's terror connections. joining us is fox news legal analyst, peter johnson, jr. and anna larrance's, the

lieutenant's mother. thank you for joining us from dallas. when did you find out that apparently the government withheld some information at his court-martialing? >> that was the first of november. >> okay. and the information is that while the government had presented these to be just guys -- three guys on one motorcycle driving at a high rate of speed at his platoon and he instructed his men to open fire because they posed a danger, as it turns out, they have ties to terror, don't they? >> that's how it appears. we have the paperwork. we filed the paperwork on november 30th with the information stating those facts. we have still heard nothing. >> okay. peter? >> in reading the paperwork here, it seems that the army withheld an awful lot of evidence in terms of terror ties, in terms of the witnesses, in terms of intelligence.

in fact, according to your lawyer, at least ten different government databases showed that the people who were involved with this potential attack had terror ties. how does that make you feel this morning that your son is serving 20 years in leavenworth prison for a crime that he may not have committed? >> it's heartbreaking, to say the least. my son has been grieving because even though he did what he felt he had to do and he said if he was in the same situation, he would do it again. he chose to protect his troops. however, he's being told that it was civilians and we find out that it actually was not and the army knew this at the court-martial. >> peter, you're a lawyer. you look at this stuff all the time. do you have any idea why the army would have withheld this

information, that apparently these guys rushing toward the platoon and they were presumed to be scouts for the bad guys, why would they withheld that? >> there is no evidence to why it happened. we don't know if it was pressure from the afghany government or whether it was a prosecutor gone rogue. but general richard clark, the head of the 82nd airborne, decorated incredible officer, he has the opportunity to reverse this in what's called clemency. so what i would ask you this morning, anna, your son on his 18th birthday in the wake of the 9-11 tragedy decided he wanted to enlist in the army. that's what he wanted to do with his life. what would you say to general clark this morning about what he can do to do justice in this case? imagine that he is sitting right there in front of you, what would you say to general clark? >> i would ask him, general clark, you, too, have a son. will you please look at all of

this evidence, look at all of my son's credits in the military, look at his career and with your heart, please do the right thing. we have the evidence. you have the evidence in your hands that the jury did not have. i know you to be a loyal man and a true man to your soldiers of the 82nd airborne. my son, too, was a soldier in the 82nd airborne. he's your soldier and i ask you to please do the right thing and release my son and let him come home. >> anna, i have read all about your son. he sounds like a great kid and he was a great member of the u.s. military. he would not be in prison today if he wasn't doing his job for the army. >> that is correct. clint was a young man that never give us one ounce of trouble. he always was focused on his tomorrows and clint is a young

man that would never seen the inside of a jail cell had he not chose to serve his country and that is sad. >> that is sad. let's see what brigadeer general does because he decides whether or not this court-martial stands or he could grant him clemency. that would be a fantastic thing. >> i'm hoping and believing and praying that he will do that based on the evidence that i've seen, anna, we're going to stay on this. >> we really appreciate it. our family is praying that the general will do the right thing. >> all right. anna, we thank you very much, and peter johnson, jr., who i know will stay on this. thank you. >> absolutely. >> let us know what you think about this story. e-mail us. coming up on this monday, senator phone and registration please. your driver's license could soon go digital. but is that a good idea? kurt the cyber guy with the pros and cons of that. on this day in 2001, the leaning tower of pisa reopened after 11 years and $27 million

to keep it tilted. and in 2009, boeing's 787 dream liner made its maiden flight. in 2001, usher had the number one song in america, "you got it bad". ♪ ♪

the answer to the trivia question is adam brody. the question is who is adam brody. the winner is anna gould from georgia. how would you like your driver's license built into your smart phone. good idea, right? or really bad idea? kurt the cyber guy is here to answer that. you took a picture, gave us an idea of what it would look like if we did this.

>> just playing around with this, 'cause the idea is your linto a smart phone. it's not about if this will happen. it's about when. iowa of all states, is the first state to do this. in 2015, although they haven't announced the date yet, it's suspected they're going to do this technology where you leave your wallet behind. your license will now be inside your phone. you get pulled over, you show them your phone. so the questions now coming up are, how good is this? where is it we're not thinking yet in terms of the privacy and security with this kind of technology? >> for me who loses everything, i have my credit cards with the apple pay now. i have it on the phone, or two of them. now this would make me think, oh, great. however, you point out a bad part to this we don't handle it up front. >> look, you lose your phone, we're going to be able to wipe that out from afar. we know we can do that now. but what i'm more concerned about is let's say that right now you're the officer. you pulled me over and may i see your license? i hand it over to you and you say, yes, sir. and all of a sudden a text pops

up and says, i had a great time with you. i hope you didn't get too drunk on that beer. meanwhile, you weren't drinking and now your out of your car doing a field sobriety test. >> you also point out, then maybe you're nervous and screw up that test, even though you're not drunk. you also point out they can tell how fast you drive and also track where you're going. >> these are unanswered questions. the technology exists right now. let's say that in order for me to receive my license on my smart phone or that i'm mandated to do so, i have to sign off on the terms of agreement that say will be able to track your phone, its speed, where it is. how it relates to you and your car at any given time for your state's dmv that. is way overreaching. are they planning to do that? who knows? they haven't defined any of these parameters. the deal is i don't want to be driving down the road and receive a speeding ticket from my phone having not even been pulled over just 'cause it can tell i'm in my car and going a certain speed. that's absurd and at this point,

we should not have any of these unanswered questions. >> you're saying it's coming. >> i'm telling you, 20 states right now are in discussions with the leader in this technology that already is the company making driver's license technology. iowa will be the first state to have it. they've already hired the app developers for android and iphone. >> you want to get kurt's newsletter, sign up cyberguy.com. right? >> you got it. four minutes before we're done with this hour. we're following our fox news alert here. five hostages made a daring escape from a suspected terrorist early this morning. 15 more at least still in danger. now the gunman is using social media. and one parent gets santa booted from the school pageant. but other parents not backing down. an outraged dad top of the hour. ♪ ♪

good morning. today is monday, december 15. i'm elisabeth hasselbeck. a fox news alert. sydney under siege. this morning people flee for their lives as about 15 more hostages are held captive by an armed extremist. now the united states is on high alert. we are live from the white house with the developing details. terrifying. nationwide protests turn into a war on cops. listen to this carefully. what do we want? dead cops. one state university professor even bringing a bag of hammers apparently to the rally. the niece of dr. martin luther king, junior, here with a message for those protesters. then it's official, barbara

walters has chosen the most fascinating person of the year. i was sick. but you might not agree with who is number one. their big accomplishment was getting married. but on a lighter note, mornings are better with friends. fox news alert. dramatic video, five people escaping an armed extremist holding them hostage in a sydney cafe. >> about 15 more people are still believed to be inside and here at home, president obama briefed on the situation. >> james rosen is on his front lawn with the very latest from the white house. james rosen. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. president obama has been monitoring this unfolding situation since fairly early on. it was around 9:35 p.m. eastern time last night, about four hours into the drama, that the white house disclosed

counterterrorism advisor, lisa monaco, briefed the president on the incident, which at first glance appears to involve a self-radicalized lone wolf who is an isis sympathizer. the cafe in downtown sydney was crowded shortly before 10:00 a.m. local time monday morning there when the gunman seized the shop and began rotating hostages at the cafe's window for up to two hours at a time. the seven network tv news channels sits directly across the street in downtown martin place and took the now infamous images of two hostages presumably under duress, unfurling a black banner with the islamic declaration of faith. after five hostages escaped in two groups, the gunman could be seen angrily addressing his remaining captives. there are also reports that he has been ordering some of the more than a dozen remaining hostages to use social media to communicate his demands. >> the one thing that i can say is if people are being contacted by hostage, particularly the media, we would ask that you put

those people and ask them to insure that the man inside speaks to police. >> and minutes ago, the u.s. consulate in sydney, which is located about a block or two away, announced it will remain closed to the public on tuesday. bearing in mind the 16-hour time difference. it is now just after midnight in that troubled city. back to "fox & friends." >> james rosen, because it is just three minutes after midnight there, that's why the officers now outside the lindt chocolate cafe are using night vision to figure out what's going on inside. >> it's hard to imagine what's going on, the prime minister urging the australians to go about their business. it's almost impossible that they could. >> channel 7 is right next door and say it's no coincidence that it was done here to get maximum amount of publicity. especially when the prime minister was asked to speak to the hostage taker live on radio. this is nothing new to australians. they thwarted a few plots,

including one that was going to behead randomly sydney residents as they went about their day, going to work or going home. >> 25 suspects arrested, having to do with terror raids there. in september, two threats were thwarted. >> and you look at those images, apparently when the guy first got there, he had a flag with some islamic script on it. but then apparently he had -- there he is right there. the gun man, white shirt, black cap, unshaven, holding a pump action shotgun right there. he had two demands. one, give me a real isis or isil flag, and also i want to talk to the prime minister. brian was talking to eric earlier on the program. he's a terrorism expert. and when asked why australia? you know what? australia is part of the west and the united states, these are targets for people who are trying to make a statement. listen to this. >> in the eyes of the jihaddist,

australia is grouped in with europe, can did, with the united states and with israel. it is a western democracy. it is a majority non-muslim country. it has contributed to the alliance against terrorists in iraq and afghanistan. so australia is a prime target. this is the new face of terror. everyone needs to understand. look, the bad guys are plotting the next 9-11 undoubtedly. but the biggest media threat is these lone wolf self-starter type actors. >> never seen that -- we're seeing that happening right now. why australia? why a chocolate shop and the terrorist also say, why not? >> the bottom line is, they don't necessarily have to go to those camps. they sit there and watch youtube and say, i agree with that. i think i can do something because i got the go sign from some of these arabic leaders who told me what to do and how to do it. >> new york city on high alert. >> they were on high alert saturday night. you've been seeing a lot of nba stars wearing i can't breathe

shirts. >> notre dame women's basketball team. >> yeah. a lot of people are doing that. so reverend al sharpton organized a march on washington, d.c. overred weekend. it was peaceful. then here in the new york city area, we're going to tell you about how cops were attacked. first, keep in mind, if you read "new york times," they talk about how it was really a peaceful protest here in new york city. okay. this part really peaceful. but the message is vile. listen to it. >> what do we want? >> dead cops! >> what do we want? >> dead cops! >> when do we want it? >> now! >> doesn't sound peaceful to anybody hearing that. what do we want? dead cops? are you kidding me? one protester arrested for attacking cops. he was a professor! also a member of a -- he's 29, eric lynnsker, a poet teaching

english at queens college. not using that college well. violently resisting arrest as police tried to take him into custody after 7:30 p.m., attempt to go toss a garbage can from a bridge! >> it sparked more violence when two other cops were knocked to the ground. this professor is known for writing erratic poetry. he got free from police as they try to stop him from throw ago trash can, did some damage and took off. they found his i.d. and went to his house in crown heights and they arrested him. look how happy he is about it. >> does that look peaceful to you? bag of hammers, throw ago garbage can, attempting to at our officers down below. >> he has something in common with the police officers. he gets his salaries from the public. dr. alveda king, a niece of martin luther king chatted with allegation about an hour ago

about all this stuff that's going on. she had this observation. >> many probably don't know, but i'm old enough at 64 to have marched in the 20th century in louisville, kentucky. when we chanted, what do you want? and we'd say freedom. so today, what do you want? jobs, better economy, safe families. but what do you want? dead cops? oh, my goodness! >> oh, my goodness is right. what's that message? how does that honor anybody? >> which is what duval patrick brought up. it's like if you're going to get together, have a movement and a goal rather than just speaking up. get something going. >> right. he said we need to bridge. not separate. we'll keep posting on all of that. we'll turn to heather who has all the headlines this morning. >> good morning to you and to everyone at home. we start with this fox news alert. an hour long hostage crisis we've been following for you in

belgium all morning long, it appears to be over. cameras capturing the moment a suspect surrendered to police. you can see it right there. it all started when four armed men stormed an apartment, taking one person hostage. at least three people are in custody. the drama playing out on a busy street in the city of ghent, west of brussels. police sealing off a wide perimeter on the heels of the hostage situation in sydney. the stand justify initially sparked fears of a terror connection, but police source now says they believe the incident was drug related. happening overnight, three alabama inmates who broke out of prison all back behind bars this morning. the prisoners, two of them accused of murder, apprehended by u.s. marshals following a daring prison break on saturday. all three of the men recaptured without incident. one of them hiding out at his grandmother's house. another nabbed in a movie theater parking lot. they all managed to escape after making a guard believe that one of them was sick. then the trio overpowered him

and took the keys to the front door. new james bond film, the latest victim of the cyber attack against sony pictures. producers for "specter" say an early version of the screenplay is among the documents stolen by hackers. they're worried that it could be leaked next. meantime, sony is asking members of the media to stop talking about the hack. the request that donald trump questions right here on "fox & friends" last hour. >> i know people that are so brilliant with computers, they could do almost anything. in the old days you would have a file cabinet and locks on it and it would be behind locked doors, right? today a computer, nothing is safe in a computer. that's much more important than sony and people calling angelina jolie and different people bad names. >> the lawyer for the studio says the leaked e-mails between studio executives are privileged communications and sony would need to consent to their release. and finally, george

clooney's new wife named barbara walters' most fascinating person of 2014. amal, who changed her last name to clooney, she's now mrs. clooney, met the a list actor at a charity event in italy back in 2013. in 1995, clooney told walters that he would never get married. but apparently changed his mind after meeting the human rights lawyer and they wed in italy in october. she's apparently the most fascinating person to talk about. back to you. what do you think about that? >> i think it's a brilliant choice because george clooney is very popular and i bet barbara walters will get a big number. >> is he still on "e.r."? >> he'll always be there. >> he's great. >> and "facts of life." >> by the way, the final season of "facts of life," this year. >> were you a blair fan? >> who wasn't. >> i can't answer now. coming up next. >> is elizabeth warren, the senate from massachusetts,

pushing hillary clinton out of the 2016 presidential nomination selection process? larry sabato is here with his crystal ball. >> he's rubbing it now. and the real -- >> excuse me. >> robbing the crystal ball now. the real men eat thing, at least according to science. we'll tell what you it is and we'll discuss it in the break. ♪ ♪

why in the last minute as you head out the door and a spending bill must be passed are you making it a priority to do wall street's bidding? who do you work for? wall street or the american people? >> massachusetts senator elizabeth warren lashing out on thursday proving to be a serious challenge to hillary clinton perhaps if she decides to run for president in 2016. so what does that mean for the republicans? let's talk to dr. larry sabato, the director of the center for politics and a professor at the great university of virginia. good morning to you. >> good morning, steve. >> what do you think -- first of all, before we get to the republican component, what about elizabeth warren? was what we saw her do in the u.s. senate last week her coming

out party where it's kind of like, hey, i'm serious about this stuff. i could be president? >> well, look, i think she's toying with the idea and considering it seriously because she really has to. several hundred former obama campaign staffers came out recently urging her to run. they are liberal groups like move on.org that are raising money to just hand her a pot of money if she'll run for president. it's difficult not to pay attention to things like that if you're even considering running for president. having said that, she's got to wait for hillary to make a mistake. i don't think she can just jump in. the rash ale isn't fully there yet. but it might be and i'm sure the clinton people are very nervous about this. elisabeth warren is actual will he in a better position to challenge hillary than -- >> you know what? i think the end of that sound bite was really fascinating, but

we couldn't hear you. larry, can you hear us? we have lost the audio. election can you hear me? >> i can hear you. >> okay. we couldn't hear you for a second. i was just wondering what you were doing. you were talking about the mistakes that hillary would have to make, like give us an example. how big of a mistake would it have to be? a lot of people say the benghazi thing would disqualify her. what do you say? >> not on the democratic side. we're talking about a democratic primary nomination battle. she would have to be revealed, for example, to have gotten even more money than anybody suspects from wall street or from big donors. it would play right into the elizabeth warren theme, which is that the democratic party ought to be for the little guy, but the clintons are now the big boys. and the financial records could prove it and goodness knows the clintons have strong ties to wall street. when hillary was in the u.s.

senate, she was very close to wall street. >> right. and they've made hundreds of millions of dollars since they left the white house. okay. let's say it is a battle with elizabeth warren and hillary clinton. what does that do for the republicans? >> for one thing, it takes some of the focus off their own inner battles. it would be a good thing for the republicans to have the democrats also fighting rather than having a nominee coronated. so you've got on one side a nominee who hasn't had to spend much money or battle and just simply presents a positive front versus the republican side with maybe a dozen candidates carving each other up. so it would be welcome, i would think on the republicans' side. it's possible elizabeth warren could sharpen hillary's campaign skills. i think frankly they need to be sharpened. so that's a plus for hillary. if she's actually challenged. but i'm sure she would rather avoid it. >> yeah. absolutely. and also elizabeth warren could

pull her further to the left, which would make it more problematic when she runs against the republicans. dr. larry sabato, great to have you. usually we hear all of you. this time we missed a little. so we'll have to have you back real soon. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up, a u.s. soldier sentenced to 20 years for killing two civilians while serving in afghanistan. but new details this morning about those men he killed could actually set him free. could lead to clemency. hear from his mother straight ahead. and does this sound like a peaceful protest to you? >> what do we want? >> dead cops! >> what too we want? dead cops? are those anti-cop protests helping or hurting? former chicago policeman steve wilkos weighs in on that next. ♪ ♪

ladies, does your man like spicy food? >> he does. >> more tingly than hot. >> yeah. >> we have so much spicy food video. a new french study claims men who like spicier food are alpha males with higher levels of testosterone and i love spicy food. the effect of spicy food on women has yet to be studied. we just don't have the money right now. a pricing glitch at amazon shoppers got deals for a penny. the problem was in the u.k. most orders were canceled when amazon realized the mistake.

>> that's the news. meanwhile. >> anti-cop protests got taken to a whole new level over the weekend in new york city. take a listen to this. >> what do we want? dead cops! >> when do we want them? >> now! >> are rallies like this making a divide between the community and the police even deeper? we're going to ask steve wilkos. served ten years. >> almost 12. >> you got over a decade, marine blood. when you see that video and you hear them saying what do we want, dead cops, what's your response? >> i think everybody in that protest when they're in trouble they're going to call the police and they'll call 911 and they're going to want the cops to bail them out. it's disgusting. you're protesting and you want -- most policemen go to work and try to do a good job. nobody wants to kill anybody. you talk about killing the police? i mean, it blows my mind.

>> sure. what about guys like al sharpton whose base of operations is here in new york city? >> not a fan. >> why? >> well, i don't think he does anything to really bridge, like try to make things better. i think he is very divisive. >> first off, do you believe there is a problem f what you witnessed when you were in it, from the guys you still keep in touch with, that are still in, with the way the nypd or other cops treat african-americans or minorities? >> you know what? i can only speak for myself. when i went to work every day, i wanted to go and do my job and go home at the end of the day. i didn't want to get hurt. i wanted to make sure i was alive at the end of my shift. i think most cops are that way. listen, are there prejudices of some police officers? of course. but i think most cops aren't, they're not racist.

95%, 99% want to go and do a good job. >> but they're being portrayed that way. >> they are and it's a shame. these couple instance, now ferguson, and the garner situation, which are two totally different situations. for people to protest, which i'm all for protesting, but when you start talking about you're chanting to murder innocent people, why are you protesting? because you're just as bad as what you're thinking that you're chanting -- >> keeping you safe, cops, lining the streets. >> exactly. >> in terms of protecting other people, did you it for a long time. jerry springer was celebrating -- >> i have been on tv for 20 years. >> in the audience. >> yeah. >> you're celebrating that. the steve wirkos show. what can we expect? >> it's like being a police officer. we cover topics of domestic violence and molestation and things like that. and because of the show, we put some people have gone to jail

and we've got some serious situations that have been resolved. and i feel good about that because -- >> your area of expertise because you're you. >> i've never been an entertainer or celebrity. i was a chicago cop who got a really good break to work on the tv show, the jerry springer show, which was a huge show at one time. i'm very fortunate that people relate to me and to the show. >> genetic, your dad? n my dad was a paratrooper in the army. a chicago cop for 30 years. >> when i watch the jerry springer show, but did you -- was it understood that the people who were called on, you know what, if you throw a swing, it will make for good tv? >> you know what? i never met the guest before until i went on stage and the same thing now. >> 'cause everybody got into a fight. >> but if you watch, and i tell this to people, i say, if some

guy is sleeping with your wife and you're on the show, it doesn't take a lot of incentive for you to charge him, you know? >> you kind of talk common sense into them. >> did that ever happen on the jerry springer show? >> all right. check the steve kilkos show out. real pleasure. >> thanks a lot. >> usually people charge the set. >> so far we got nothing. >> thanks for all you've done. >> coming up on this monday morning, dick cheney fighting back against the mainstream media. >> it's a really cheap shot, chuck, to even try to draw a parallel. >> yeah, chuck. the question that ticked off the former vice president next. and this democrat was getting heckled -- this democrat is in jail but won't quit his day job as a law maker and plans to commute from jail, coming your way.

we have a fox news alert. dramatic video showing five people escaping an armed extremist holding them hostage with a shotgun in a sydney, australia cafe. this is in the heart of the city, about 15 more people are still believed to be inside. it is currently 33 minutes after midnight in australia. the stand-off now going on for nearly 15 hours. police are wearing night vision goggles to see inside the cafe after the gunman shut off the lights and moved hostages away from the window where they had been holding what looked like an isis flag. >> i understand they don't know if they escaped or they were allowed to escape. police investigating reports that he has an ipad and is using hostages social media

accounts to demand an isis flag and a meeting with australian prime minister tony abbott. >> this is a very disturbing incident. it is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation. >> earlier you could see hostages inside holding up a flag with arabic writing on it that has been used by extremists in the past. there are reports that the gunman claims to have four bombs. two inside the cafe and two somewhere in the city. >> when this first -- this is in martin place, near the royal botanical gardens. it's like the times square of that area. when this first started, people were so desperate to get out of downtown sydney, apparently uber, and they've taken a lot of heat, started charging people 100 bucks to get them out of downtown. >> you're killing? >> since they got a lot of heat on line, and now they're giving

people a ride for free. >> as they should to help escape the threat of terror there. not capitalize on it. >> no kidding. >> we're going to stay on top of this and we have reporters there. heather childers is following other stories you need to know. >> busy news day. with other headlines at this hour, good morning to everyone at home. fox news has learned exclusively that lawyers for lieutenant clint larance, convicted of murdering two afghan civilians are now accusing army prosecutors of withholding evidence that may have set him free. back if 2012, he order his troops to shoot and kill two afghan men approaching them on motorcycles. he was sentenced to 20 years in prison after the military court determined those men were not members of the taliban. but now there is new evidence that suggests they did have ties to terror. larance is seeking clemency. his mother, who is leading the fight for his freedom, joined us earlier on "fox & friends." >> it's heartbreaking, to say

the least. my son has been grieving because even though he did what he felt he had to do and he said if he was in the same situation, he would do it again. he chose to protect his troops. >> the lieutenant's case now goes to general richard clark, who ultimately decides if clemency will be granted. he made headlines for bringing an a.k. 47 to the virginia general assembly floor last year to protest guns. and now this democrat law maker is making headlines for wanting to commute to work from jail. delegate joseph morsi will be allowed to leave his cell and go to work. he was sentenced to 12 months for having a sexual relationship with his 17-year-old office assistant. but the 57-year-old has not resigned. he is still serving the people of virginia and works at his private law practice through a work release program.

dick cheney fights back against the mainstream media trying to paint the c.i.a. as bad guys. >> when you say water boarding is not torture, then why did we prosecute japanese soldiers? >> it's a really cheap shot, chuck, to even draw a parallel between the japanese who were prosecutorred for war crimes after world war ii and what we did with water boarding. three individuals, all of whom were guilty and participating in the 9-11 attack. >> cheney says about the interrogation methods, he would do it again in a minute. and finally, here is a great story. mug of hot chocolate. it almost turned deadly for a mom when she chokes on marshmallows and can't breathe. she has her daughters to thank for saving her life. >> the thumb side of your fist, against the stomach just above the belly button. tell me when you're ready. >> okay. >> with your other hand, grab

your fist and quickly jerk inward and upward. do it now. >> what great daughters. neither of her daughters knew the hiemlich maneuver, but they still saved her thanks to the calm and quick thinking 911 dispatcher. eventually janet was able to breathe again. definitely a lucky mom and two brave girls who were calm on the 911 call. >> and great instruction there. >> exactly. >> that's what you count on to save a life. >> didn't eric bolling save bob beckel that way? >> eric and our boss, they were across the street having i think beckel was choking on a shah shrimp, and the two of them did the hiemlich and bob has been making news ever since. >> meanwhile, let's talk about this, we're going to tell but a couple of cases of political correctness. there is a high school where for over 60 years, a plaque of the

ten commandments has been on the wall. well, the freedom from religion foundation contacted that town and said, you know what? we're going to sue you 'cause you got to have it down. it's a public building. you can not endorse a religion, which that's their interpretation of it. well, one young man, anthony miller, who is a student at the high school, said you know what? if they're going to do that, i'm going ton strike. listen. >> i am attending class because by law you have to attend class. but i am refusing to participate. >> in everything else. >> that's right. they say they're not going to mark him down. but he can have his protest there. he obviously wants that plaque back. then you turn to cambridge, massachusetts, where there is a dad upset. he's got two kids upset there and every year they have this holiday concert, a christmas concert. his kids are participating in it. they took santa out. a letter went home to the parents saying santa will not be participating in the christmas concert. >> how many complaints were there? >> apparently there was one complaint that this parent knew

about. and this is robert thompson expressing why this is bugging him this christmas season. >> just was so hard to believe that somebody had high on their list to make the world better is to get rid of santa. there was no prior warning. this decision was made behind closed doors and public was not involved in the discussion and i just feel it's not right. i come from a city that celebrates diversity and tolerance and i think at its base, this decision reeks of intolerance. >> no kidding. next thing you know it's gone and the concert is done because one person puts their hand up and they don't want to be sued. >> here is my question, this is all about santa. where is santa in the bible? >> right. >> he's not! he's a symbol of -- >> i think he's german, isn't he? >> saint nicholas. >> e-mail us about what you think. coming up, will the grinch steal christmas from wall street?

a huge dive on friday. is it going to happen in a couple of minutes again when the street opens in 50 minutes? maria bartiromo will drop by. >> she's a little shy today. and bradley cooper's new role, the most decorated sniper in american history. >> she's got grenades, russian grenades. >> you got eyes on this? >> hear from the author of the book by the same name "american sniper".

we got quick monday morning headlines for you. the much anticipated movie about america's most deadly sniper, chris kyle, premieres tonight here in new york city. so how is bradley cooper as the american hero? scott mccueen wrote the book with chris kyle "american sniper" and joined us earlier today. >> i really believed at times when i looked at bradley that i was almost seeing through to see

chris because accent wise, physical characteristics wise, the seal team mannerisms, everything else was very, very close to chris kyle. >> the movie looks terrific. bradley cooper stars. it opens on christmas day. also today marks the biggest shipping day of the year. that's because it's your last day to send packages to make sure they get there by christmas. fed-ex says they will move a record 22.6 million packages today alone. if you're going to do it, get online now. meanwhile, so much for a happy holiday. gas prices may be down, but that doesn't mean the grinch isn't headed to wall street this christmas season. >> the dow taking a tumble, falling more than 300 points on friday. the worst weekly performance in three years. >> so what does it mean for the economy? only one woman knows. she's fox business' own maria bartiromo. can you make sense of that? >> yeah. i think the market has been moving higher at a steady rate, at a very strong clip all year

and people are waiting for some pullback. and the smallest thing will sort of give the market that pullback and this week people are worried about the dropoff in oil. we're looking at oil down almost 50% from the high, down 30%. >> consumers love it. >> it's a great story. no doubt about it. it's a positive story for consumers putting more money in your pocket. however, when you look at what it's doing for earnings, oil earnings, represent 11% of the s & p 500. so it will take overall broad earnings down. so that was one of the scares. also people are worried, look, we're going into an economy that is sort of bumping along the bottom. yes, the u.s. is the best game in town, but you got with weakness around the world and interest rates will be raised, if not 2016, likely 2016. that -- 2015, but likely 2016. we'll see things like this from time to time. >> it sounds like "it's a wonderful life," moving forward in the new year, what's your projection? >> over the long-term, i still believe that the stock market is the place to be.

that is where you create wealth for yourself. stock market, long-term. i think this market is very much in a secular bull market. that does not mean we'll see sizable selloffs from time to time. driven by these worries. i'm not a strategist. i'm not an analyst. but i see the flow and i think that long-term we're in good shape for the stock mark. >> absolutely. one of the things about the fact that the price of gas down currently is 2.60 national average. we were talking about this story in the break. while that's great news for people who drive their cars, it's bad news for the green energy people. >> yeah. because it's not as much of an urgency to get into ways to get away from just oil. >> you got to get a prius! >> right. you're seeing suv sales come back. it used to cost you $100 to fill up your suv. now it will cost 60. so that's great news. so sure. at the pump. >> this weekend i bought an 18 wheeler. that's how confident i am.

>> you did not. >> i said, i got to get a bigger car. >> he can't park it. >> right. >> maria, do you know that your show starts at 9:00 o'clock on the "fox business" network. to find it in your area, foxbusiness.com/channelfinder. >> thank you so much. i love that. >> thank you. coming up, it's a season for giving, but that includes our furry friends. how you can help paws for a cause after commercial. >> first, we're going to check in with martha mccallum for what's coming up at the top of the hour. >> good morning. we've got continuing live coverage this morning. sydney under siege. hostages being held under the islamic flag in a coffee shop in the heart of the financial district. how to get them out and w will happen next. we have we got team coverage with sydney and terror experts here. and the meaning of a deal struck over the weekend. ted cruz and elizabeth warren staking out their own ground. we'll tell you what happens next in washington when bill and i see you at the top of the hour.

we'll see you soon. will that be all, sir?

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>> an annual tradition here on "fox & friends" in our paws. >> kicking things off, denise woodside, the manager for outreach and community services and the southeast area animal control authority in los angeles. and esmeralda is here, animal control officer. with us are the sweet pups, noel and nicholas. ho is who? >> i have noel. she's an eight week old lab mix. a little girl. she's looking for a great home and she has a beautiful velvet-like coat. she is a sweetheart. say, hi. >> you say that the dogs, like a

black lab or mix here, the darker dogs don't get adopted as often? >> yes. people are drawn to the light colored dogs. so we want to be able to highlight her and all of her beauty. she has little white markings and she's just looking for a forever home. but we want to do emphasize that. not just at our shelter, but all across the united states we notice that lighter animals get adopted first. >> what do you have there? >> i have nicholas. he's a chihuahua. he's about eight weeks old. he's been neutered. he has a microchip. >> that explains why he's shaking. now everybody knows. >> he's kind of tiny. but he's super sweet. >> why is it important this time of year for people to really just go ahead and find a pet that would be perfect in their home and rescue? >> we encourage people to responsibly adopt and especially for the holidays.

everyone is looking to extend a helping hand. but we always encourage for it to be a forever home and for those who are looking to give the gift of an animal, to give a gift certificate and let the match, whether it be a cat, dog, bird, so that way a good match that will last forever. >> we can go to your web site? >> absolutely. >> we'll do that on the "fox & friends" web site. >> you know what else is important? you provide vaccinations and help them out and take dogs in and if people say i can't have another dog, i already have six, you will actually take donations. correct? >> correct. yeah. on our web site, you'll see a donate now button and amazon wish list and it will help the animals directly in our care. >> what's this dog mixed with? >> i'm not quite sure. she looks pretty pure. however, we're pretty confident she has some white here and white on her chest. so she's not 100%.

>> i think this is a great dane. look at the size of those legs. >> she's precious. >> thanks so much for coming in. always great to see you. >> what great gift. we haven't got anything for steve yet. coming up. >> ever take a picture you wish you could take back? a new upgrade on facebook could make your life a whole lot easier

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road. do you really like -- do you get really drunk and post your pictures on the internet, brian? facebook's got your back. the social media web site wants to create a program preventing users from uploading intoxicated selfies. scanned pictures would determine how toasted a person is and ask, do you really want to post that? >> make them check before they do it. emotional reunion here. before yesterday's cleveland brown game, take a watch. >> staff sergeant anthony wagner returning from afghanistan, his kids on the board crying when they had a video message. had no idea he was here. >> army staff sergeant anthony wagner reuniting with his two kids on the field. he's been deployed in afghanistan for nine months. awesome reunion. >> meanwhile, it's called the hungry to win contest. so few people are buying the lunches at schools, they're now offering a ravels. if you buy the lunch, you have a chance to win a jump rope movie tickets, itune, vouchers, and

kites as well as other special prizes. >> are these the michelle obama lunches? >> the michelle obama lunches. >> what was that? >> that were so popular! you win a kite, eat lunch. >> guess that all makes sense. >> buy a dog. bill: this is where we begin. a fox news alert on the breaking developments overseas in australia. five people escaping from gunmen who stormed into a cafe in sydney waving a jihadi flag. night fall as we say good morning here in new york. welcome to america's newsroom. martha: this gunman forced the hostages to hold a black flag with islamic messages. the writing says there is no god