>> you can now logon to fox and friends.com. there is more. >> good morning and merry christmas. thank you for being with us for a special christmas in addition of "america's newsroom." it is like we both planned to wear red. >> it is like we think it is christmas. merry christmas to all of you. we begin with some news at the top of the hour around the world celebrate in the birth of jesus christ. >> the movie "the interview" already streaming online and opening in limited release to sold-out audiences around the

country. how sony continued a stunning reversal amid hack attacks and threats and criticism. >> pope france's delivering address at st. peter's square but it is bucking tradition. how it is impacting millions around the world. ♪ we begin with a new ebola scare in the u.s. officials for the center for disease control says a lab is being monitored for possible exposure to the deadly virus. the technician was working at a secure love at the time and i have come in contact with a sample as part of an experiment. peter doocy has latest from washington. >> this is all happening because somebody at the cbc made a mistake transporting what may have been a live virus from a lab handling ebola twin lab not

approved to handle ebola. now they will be monitored for three weeks even though there are not any symptoms of ebola right now. the director of the cdc is not happy. he says "i'm troubled by this situation in the research laboratory in atlanta." thousands of scientists have taken extraordinary steps in recent months to improve safety, no risk to staff is acceptable and our efforts to improve lab safety is essential. safety to employees is our highest priority. the material was destroyed as part of normal cdc procedures before anyone realized what had happened. the lab had already been decontaminated, so it was cleaned up again but will now be closed until a full review is

done. leaders about this within one hour. officials don't think there is any risk of exposure to the public cdc believes only one person at risk and others who worked around this potentially live ebola virus have been contacted but are likely already in the clear. >> peter doocy in washington, merry christmas. >> removing north korea doesn't want you to see is going from no opening to an unprecedented open. sony debuting "the interview" online for $5.99 on google play, youtube and microsoft xbox. 300 movie theaters also showing a comedy of the plot to assassinate north korean leader kim jong-un. many screenings are already sold out.

sony took a lot of heat for canceling the theatrical release amid threats in which the fbi blamed on north korea. >> pentagon officials believe a fight has crashed in syria and the pilot is being held prisoner. the f-16 going down there isis capital and the pentagon quick to say the aircraft was not shot down. the family pleading for his police did this is the first plane to crash since the coalition began airstrikes in iraq and syria. >> demonstrators took to the streets for a second straight night in berkeley, missouri, following a police shooting of a black teenager who authorities say was armed.

obviously a reference to the eric garner case in new york city. it was peaceful for the most part. some gathering for a candlelight vigil to end what they call excessive use of force police did in the case in missouri, the 18-year-old victim pointed a gun at a police officer. david did reporter: about half a dozen people were arrested. some demonstrators blocked traffic before making their way to the gas station for the shooting took place. an attorney says his client is lucky to be alive. the shooter has a criminal record including assault and armed robbery. the moments leading up to the shooting wer released by authorities. local leaders say it was very different from what heaven and ferguson and any comparison is unfair. >> we all said the same thing.

a white policeman killing a lack young man, so when does this stop. i can assure you has to happen. >> the matter still under investigation, please not that anything about a motive. the incident happened a few miles from ferguson and that community very tense after grand jury decided not to indict a white officer in the killing of a black teenager. they are following unrest in ferguson now estimated to have caused $12.5 million. >> david lee miller, thank you, sir. we're going to take a look at christmas by the numbers this morning. according to the national retail foundation, american expected to

spend $720 on gifts this year for $616 billion in total christmas spending. november is the top shopping month with 38.2% of women buying gifts in november. eight in 10 americans put up a christmas tree for the holiday but careful with those lights. estimated 15,000 er visits due to christmas decorating mishaps in 2012 alone. >> winter weather causing some ugly holiday travel conditions across the country for anyway trying to travel today. mountain areas getting blanketed with several feet of snow. it is a white christmas on the east coast thanks to heavy rain more than 3000 places delayed, it is expected to continue.

merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. hello, everyone. fracking unsettled weather across the country. in the eastern united states. so bringing some areas of unsettled rain fortunes of northern new england that most of the rain offshore and behind the storm system temperatures getting cooler with windy conditions. also across the state of new york and into portions of maine. when gus 30 miles per hour, expected with the higher elevations and off the great lakes the wind gust gust possibp to 60 miles per hour. you're very mild ahead of the storm system. not bad especially for late december. areas farther off for the west, in the 30s for cleveland, chicago, kansas city and chile this morning in el paso.

now across parts of the rockies we do have a storm system rolling through that area as we head into tomorrow and assist in bringing a white christmas for many areas all the way down to the valley in some areas with widespread winter warnings and winter weather advisories and a foot of snow expected for the highest elevations. lower elevations looking at a couple of inches of snow and dangerous traveling conditions. be careful if you are doing any driving to see family members on this christmas day. >> one house investigation into the irs targeting of conservatives is actually now over. lois lerner refused to testified

is just one of several people faulted in that report. coming up, we will break them with report means and what the irs investigation goes next. >> facebook claiming class-action lawsuit claiming they violated their rights by scanning messages to target advertising. the legal panel will weigh in. hi, efficient here. want with my daughter and son a happy holiday. and i miss you guys. love you.

>> falling oil prices game testers a break because the government is spending less on fuel as prices keep plunging.

the pardon of defense's largest consumer of petroleum in america and since 2013 have distributed 90 million barrels to various agencies. the new savings add up to billions. >> the official weight house chef always a busy guy is hanging up his apron after six hard years on the job. he cooked up by more than just personal meals for the first family. also the senior advisor for nutrition policy, a first for any white house chef. he helped develop the white house vegetable garden although i don't think that is video of the garden and the healthy living and school lunch initiative. replacement is to be named sometime in the new year. >> house republican investigation into the scandalous now complete. they found serious problems with how they treated conservative

groups seeking tax-exempt status. report does blast the obama administration for not fully cooperating saying in part the white house is an obstruction not only violated operation but affected the fact-finding obligations. each of these leaders could have and should have done more to prevent the irs targeting of conservative tax-exempt applicants. it is not an the investigation into the irs. the beck is a political correspondent from the "washington examiner." thank you for being here today. >> thank you. >> 1.3 million pages of documents looked at. 52 officials were interviewed for this. this is far from over. >> it is just beginning. with the chairman was trying to do just as he is leaving the oversight committee giving the chairmanship to jason from utah is to set the page is

investigation. it also pressures to take up this investigation if he was planning on pursuing other priorities. now the pressures on him to continue to follow up on the outstanding subpoenas on the irs to look into some of these e-mails that have not been searched through and to see if there is a type the white house as darrell issa was trying to prove there is but so far unsuccessful. reporter: the claim as they have a fully cooperate with the investigation no direct link to the white house, right? >> to be seen as a mixup on his part. this is sort of what he wants this investigation. this is what he sought out to find. he has been talking a big talk about this investigation, but he turned up nothing that pointed to the white house been involved in any scandal in the irs to put a lot of pressure to try to deliver on that front to keep

the scandal alive and to draw attention to republicans. >> you mentioned taking over the oversight committee coming up in january. he says his approach will be different. >> it will be. he loves being in the spotlight, loves bringing attention to what is investigating. jason taking more of a low-key approach, he attends to take a more deliberate pitche mature ah to these investigations be at doesn't want to feel the spotlight as much and has indicated he will be taking a different approach. he has hired a whole new staff in the committee almost, indicating he is turning over a new leaf. reporter: the representative saying republicans leaked parts of it without putting all of it out there.

>> the plaintiff make him is usually the procedure is for republicans to at least run by this report, run it by democrats to get their approval to make it public, but he went ahead and did this all on his own, that was not well received by democrats at all because very harsh charges against the white house for not property with the investigation but that is also the role of the ranking member on the committee is to be the dissenting voice in the investigation. >> what is your prediction for what will come from this investigation? >> there is a lot to be seen. we have three outstanding letters from the irs, the trove of e-mails the irs said they were not able to locate, so who knows what will come out of that the republicans are now under a lot of pressure to show this went beyond the irs and so far

no indication that was actually the case. under a lot of pressure with this investigation now. >> thank you for joining us, i'm glad we had a similar looking dress. >> great minds look alike. >> you both look great. facebook does not like this lawsuit. a judge saying the suit over the thumbs-up button can go forward but doesn't have a a shot? plus arizona governor john mccain spending his christmas in afghanistan. what is says about a long-term commitment in that country. plus isis standing in iraq and syria, what the u.s. is doing and what's more it can do to help combat the extremists. bulldog: [yawn]

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and queen-size memory foam mattress sets as low as $697! that's more mattresses than you can shake a bone at. ♪ mattress discounters >> now time for a quick check of the headlines. senator john mccain spinning christmas in a war zone meeting with local leaders in afghanistan days before the vast majority of americans and nato combat troops withdraw from the countries. a 13-year-old girl arrested after refusing to detonate a suicide bomb in the crowded nigerian market.

they strapped her into an explosive suit threatening to bury her life. senior intelligence official kidnapped by islamist terror group. arriving in the early morning hours waking him up. no word on their demands. >> model put up pictures from their social gatherings and facebook now facing a class-action lawsuit over the privacy policies. all about that iconic like button. facebook scanned the content of private messages and counted each time you like something and they use that info to compile a profile and use that to deliver targeted advertising. joining me to talk about it, former, defense attorney and also a criminal defense attorney. john, this is a legitimate

privacy concern or is this really essentially more about trying to make trouble for facebook? >> there is some concern about that under california a personal and fundamental rights to privacy and this lawsuit is contending the like button is disseminating information extracted from facebook to give to data aggregators and marketed by marketers this we take information to click on the like button and sell to third parties. the issue will be on electronics medications privacy act. this book will respond the city this information is covered under the wiretap act as it is otherwise known that was information that was collected done in a regular course of the business so long as they can show that facebook they have a defense here. >> you look at this, facebook is free. you sit there and you see they have advertising. would in some ways by they will

do their best to target their advertising to think what i like or don't like on facebook is somehow private is a little bit far-fetched or naive? >> exactly right. but me start by saying merry christmas, great to be back with you. this goes back to when facebook, mccain, corporate publication had to find a way to monetize their model. that is what they have done. i'll be like to think their private messages on messenger are being snooped upon or read by facebook or other third parties but the bottom line is this. there is a voluntary assumption of a known risk, everybody who uses social media know to expect it is probably not private and anything you put on the internet will be out there forever and ever. >> people have learned the hard way in this part of the world especially in d.c. is that a valid argument on this one? >> i think that makes sense to a

point. i have the point is where you do believe your messaging somebody or speaking privately, that is what the loss it is contending most facebook users believe they are actually corresponding in privacy when they are not such as any kind of url links may send a friend or advertisers may send to somebody on facebook and ask them to like but in reality it is like a trojan horse been replicated given to third parties. i think that is what the lawsuit is contending at this point. >> we read about this lawsuit involves things like the wiretap law in these things, is this about protecting consumers was a spot class-action lawyers trying to make a couple extra dollars to buy a new jet or something? >> that is an excellent question. time will tell. class-action lawsuits are very lucrative not the individual members of the class like me and you.

lawyers involved in this class-action is successful and there is a settlement at the end, yes, they stand to make quite a bit of money. that is what class actions are about. the class itself if it receives any benefit in the end is nominal. they will get a big payday. >> one i should have been a class-action lawsuit lawyer. when you're looking at this case when it comes to facebook, does the end-user have any right to expect what they put up on social media stays private or therthat these companies some inflated privacy policy read and it is pages long that they can do anything they want which mark >> take a look at the google example a few months if not a year ago back. google is going to some sort of

exposure stating they're actually getting getting off the e-mail address, e-mail addresses are being looked at. i think it is naive in today's day and age to assume munication data is completely private. it's always ask the utmost care and assumed is being viewed by third parties. i don't care if facebook or google is saying they give you full privacy on the internet anybody can see what you are doing. >> appreciate you being here. merry christmas to you both and your families as you head home. >> isis ramp up the fight take over government strongholds across middle east with a series of homicide bombings in iraq. u.s. much equipment ending up in the hands of terrorists. latest in the fight against the terror group. plus, homeward bound for many brave servicemen and women this season. we thank those who are still serving abroad.

>> hi, i'm sergeant station in qatar. i want to say happy holidays to my wife and my son. i hope your first christmas is a magical one. i will be home soon. ♪

leland: well it is the bottom of the hour on this christmas. thanks for staying with us. now time for the top of the news. delays for christmas vacationers when a flight from sacramento to hawaii had to be diverted to oakland international airport. a hawaiian airlines spokesperson says there was mechanical issue. no emergency on board. the plane sat in oakland for two hours before getting everybody safely to honolulu. christmas came early for some convicted criminals. california governor jerry brown pardoned 105 convicts. his office says one pardon was retracted after an inquiry bit "los angeles times." police searching for a suspect who stabbed a man multiple times on a seattle bus. they say the victim got into an argument with the man sitting next to him. that victim in the bus stabbing that victim in the bus stabbing

leah: militants are pushing deeper and deeper into iraq targeting government strongholds. [gunfire] islamic fighters already control major parts of northern and eastern syria, now targeting only major northern city still in government hands. they're trying to capture a major airbase in the eastern province and threatening to take over libya. joining me is fox news middle east analyst, walid phares. good day to you. >> good day to you. merry christmas. leah: merry christmas. this seems like a classic case of a power vacuum. the civil war with isis taking advantage of it. will isis eventually topple the regime? >> well, just in the last 48 hours while we were celebrating christmas, isis is moving as you said in the introduction seizing airports or airfields in the northeastern part of syria, getting very close to a large city controlled bit regime. will they be able to seize the

entire syrian country and topple the regime? i don't think so but they will control so much of the territory, of course they have competitors such as al nusra. and still the fledgling fsa organization. we'll see sort of a mosaic in syria controlled by manyorg ageses. -- many organizations. still the regime will be in today most discuss and northwestern part of the country. >> turkey has been basically been telling the u.s. government they want a commitment to out of assad. in your opinion which is the more of a threat to the u.s., isis or the assad regime? >> what a question. it all debates around the world around the regime of assad or isis. well isis of course is on the offensive. we need contain them first but if the assad regime wins this game as well, they are inviting hezbollah from lebanon, iranian revolutionary guard. iran is developing its nukes. either way i major problem. what we need to focus on neither

isis or assad but moderates. the moderates have been late sporting and they are losing ground in syria. leah: russia's vladmir putin chief political ally is trying to convene peace talks between the main opposition in syria and the regime. not so successful in the past. >> look, i think that the negotiations between the assad regime and its opposition will not be successful unfortunately. we missed the train or the boat in 2011 when we were still in iraq as the assad regime was under pressure and was isolated. once we didn't do much in 2011, what is happening now, assad regime is afraid of negotiating and losing ground. the opposition knows if they negotiate assad will go back against them after the cease-fire. it is very bleak in syria at this point in time. leah: lots going on with the air campaign over syria. yesterday the downing of a jordanian plane. now initially isis of course claimed responsibility that they shot the plane down.

a former navy fighter pilot. that was a joke. >> the government saying it was not shot down but how do you think this will impact the coalition moving forward? >> air force you're very familiar with that i suppose. i was concern ad plane went down, that is the first point. more grave concern is the fact that isis seized dozens, if not hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles. those missiles will not stay in syria. they will spread to iraq. they will spread to other places where isis is getting supporters in north africa and libya. that would be major concern for international community, not just for syrian battlefield in my view. leah: dr. walid phares, thanks for joining us. good insight. >> thanks for having me. leland: we have an incredible christmas surprise that allowed some of our sailors to reunite with their families just in time for the holidays. here is their story. >> it was really heart-breaking. i cried really hard.

i miss him so much. >> brigitte perdue was right back where she was six months ago but this time she is much happier. >> as soon as i woke up this morning he will actually be here today. i got so excited. >> her husband is coming home on the uss pella lou. this comb come something a little more special than the rest. >> her dad is coming home today. >> just after 10:00 skyfox is overhead for the homecoming. the peleliu is spotted as she pulled into san diego harbor returning from its very last voyage. >> this is the last of the amphibious assault ships. this is the last remaining one. >> for its final deployment they spent six months conducting exercises in the western pacific and it almost became an extended mission. >> i explained to them there was a super typhoon bearing down in the philippines. immediately my crew asked, what can we do, captain. >> help wasn't needed. instead the crew got an early christmas gift, the message to come home. >> it has been really hard.

we missed him a lot. >> part of that was preparing for her daughter's arrival on her own. >> it was really hard, especially getting everything at home set up for her. it was hard. >> little laramie was only born a month ago. so this meeting of father and daughter, is for the very first time. >> amazing. she's beautiful. >> the tears flowing once again. but this time of joy, just in time for christmas. >> can't beat it. thank you. leland: that was sharon chen out of our fox affiliate in san diego. that video never never never hard to watch. leah: i was in navy 12 years. leland: everybody goes what a surprise. leah: that is exactly what happens. usually on your way home and ship turns around and heading back. >> turned around and went back in.

great news. leah: all right. well, former florida governor jeb bush getting plenty of media attention with his announcement that he is quote, actively considering a white house run but he is not the only one putting feelers out there. we'll look at some dark horse gop names making the move. leland: gazing into the sun is of course bad for your eyes. nasa is using new technology to show us the sun as we have never been able to see it. ♪

leah: nasa finding a new way to look at sun using a space telescope. designed to investigate black holes and distant stars. this revealed high energy x-rays

that could explain high temperatures above sun spots in the solar atmosphere. >> well the 2016 presidential field is slowly starting to take shape. former florida governor jeb bush is now in the spotlight after formally announcing he is considering running. not to be outdone several other republicans are retooling hoping to move past some rough white house runs back in 2012. outgoing republican governor rings perry reaching out to donors and former pennsylvania senator rick santorum, promising supporters a very different candidacy than his failed one in 2012. dog r doug schoen, fox news contributor, max key land, founder and president of keyland group. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. leland: there has been so much talk of a bush-clinton rematch come 2016 with both names once again on the ticket. first to you, matt, are both of

these the 800-pound gorillas? are they inevitable or is there still a lot of open space? >> both will start out as favorites in the race but one of the problems they both have are backward looking candidacies. people at eight years of barack obama are asking for someone looking forward to the future. both bush and clinton have histories of their families, it will be a big benefit for both of them but also could be an albatross. leland: how does somebody like hillary clinton who for right now all intents and purposes seems like a foregone conclusion some ways? how do you keep momentum and peak too early a year ahead of iowa and how do you keep somebody getting excited about about somebody like barack obama who came out of nowhere in 2006 and seven? >> two things you have got to do. first you have to develop as matt was suggesting a message forward-looking, not backward looking. i think former secretary of

state hillary clinton has to do just that which is to have a proactive message on the economy, on foreign policy to tell us where she would take the country but second she was to do what all good candidates do, which is sweep up and raise as much money as possible because there won't be a credible challenge to her if she is able to get all the democratic money or virtually all the democratic money raised and committed before any perspective challenger would emerge. leland: so much of this comes down to money. rick perry, the governor of texas, who dropped out early in 2012, has already been talking to donors. we're told he invite ad number of donors down to tex to sort of give them a new spiel how things might look and one of the big challenges he has to overcome is this moment. >> it is three agencies of government i get there that are gone. commerce, education and the,

what is the third one there? let's see. five. commerce, education and the -- >> epa. >> epa, there you go. >> that was beginning of the end for rick perry. how can we forget about it. so many of the names put up for 2016 from the republican side are retreads from 2012. guys like romney, obviously the nominee. somebody like santorum, rick perry. the list goes on and on. can you come back again and have another life here come the next four years or is somebody like rick perry basically disqualified after what we just saw? >> i think the american people love a comeback story. if i were rick perry or rick santorum one of the things i would say, first time i was on stage with everybody else and i look up and down the dais where were you in 2012 running against barack obama. i had political courage to do it. you sat home on your couch.

that is the message that will really resonate with republican voters. i think any one of those guys has a good chance to be an alternative to jeb. leland: doug, who do the democrats want to run against? obviously you spent time in the clinton white house. who does senator clinton, secretary of state hillary clinton want to run against come 2016? is it somebody like a rick perry? is it somebody like rand paul or establishment person like jeb bush? >> well i think the ideal candidate from hillary clinton's point of view would be somebody you didn't mention, ted cruz. i think having shut the government down and being an extreme conservative he would probably be the easiest to beat. i think given that rick perry is now, and you haven't mentioned it, under criminal indictment in texas, that is a formidable challenge for anyone running for president. i think rand paul is probably the most creative of the republican candidates but given his neoisolationist views on foreign policy, that he is

trying to distance himself from he would also be an easy candidate for hillary to beat. the one she fears most is the jeb bush because he is the most logical, reasonable and thoughtful of the republican candidates. leland: doug, i do want to get to this. we've been talking in this discussion as though hillary is inevitability. is there any discussion among the true democratic ranks here of elizabeth warren, jim webb, someone else coming on as a real threat? is that considered a serious possibility or is that something for fodder on the talk shows? >> well right now it is fodder on the talk shows but with 300 obama staffers having signed a letter asking elizabeth warren to run with moveon.org having collected 100,000 petitions signatures and saying they will spend a million dollars, and the democracy for america group having pledged 250,000 to getting warren in the race, she, given the message she has, is a

compelling candidate but until she announces and makes it clear she is prepared to take the risks barack obama did, it is just fodder. leland: and you brought up the name, barack obama. there was not a lot of people in december of 2006 talking about him. >> correct. leland: doug, matt, merry christmas and yours back at home. >> our pleasure. thank you. >> leah? leah: well a sleigh is not the only way santa gets around. in washington, d.c., st. nick along with a team of reindeer and even the grinch water skiing on the potomac river. this is the 29th year performers head the river on christmas eve and check it out. in hawaii, a santa had a much better weather, had much better weather to work with, hitting waves in wakiki beach. he was greeted with a flower lea and greeted children that came out to see him. leland: i'm going if you have to have a job, be the christmas

santa in hawaii, not on potomac. it looked cold. leah: i agree. i grew up on the potomac river. it is not so warm. leland: massive christmas display in california is turning heads but this one really has a meaningful story behind it. there is a lot of lights there. the home is all decked out. there is even merry-go-round and ferris wheel that adds to the holiday magic. the family started the display after their daughter died in a plane crash in 1999. >> this is 15 years later. now you see what we've done. i tell everybody, i want this to be big enough and bright enough so she could see it from heaven. we took our sorrow an turned it into happiness for thousands of people. >> every time we see kids smiling and people enjoying this, we give them a good spirit. leland: hard not to be happy looking at that. this year thousands of people across the area voted for that family, helping them to win a

holiday lights competition. well-deserved. leah: his holiness, pope francis, holding a special christmas mass. with a message of peace and reconciliation. a couple days ago he dropped some jaws accusing some christians cold blood he hadly killing reputation of some of their colleagues. wait until you hear what he was talking about. ♪ prilosec otc. the number 1 doctor-recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 9 straight years. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

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personally, i prefer a slow internet. there is something about the sweet meditative glow of a loading website. don't listen to the naysayer. switch to comcast business today and get 50 megabits per second for $89.95. comcast business. built for business. leland: now time to check in on christmas in baghdad. understandably, things are a little bit different there where the dwindling number of faithful gathered for morning mass. they prayed for the iraqi people who faced relentless attack from isis extremists. of course christians have been targeted there. the violence is not stopping against christians. in damascus, syria, from celebrating christmas. the country is now in their fourth year of civil war. leah: well the plight of christians in the middle east on the mind of pope francis. the pontiff shocked many bucking

tradition on number of issues delivering his annual christmas message to tens of thousands in st. peter's square. >> i ask the savior of the world to look upon our brothers and sisters in iraq and syria who too long suffered effects of ongoing conflict and those who belong to ethnic and religious groups are suffering brutal persecution. truly there are some tears this christmas. together with the tears of the infant jesus. >> joining with us more on this is father jonathan morris, fox news religion contributor. of the father jonathan, so nice to see you. >> merry christmas to you. hard to say merry christmas when you know there is so much suffering. we saw pope francis choking up. leah: on his heart and mind christians being persecuted. he there are clearly those being persecuted around the world but pointed to those in the middle east. >> he made a call to refugee

camp and spoke to a large number there. keep in mind refugees, coming now from syria and iraq, many of them have been on the run for a very long time. and there is, over 1.2 million refugees in jordan, the country of jordan alone. they're in refugee camps. leland, you have been in that part of the word a lot. you know what it is like. the fact these people on christmas day, are persecuted precisely because they believe deeply in the baby. >> is right? leland: they are on the run, facing horrible violence. as you look back in history is the persecution of christians worse than ever, or simply worse because we now know about it? >> the first centuries of christianity, if you were a christian you were most likely going to die. look at the first 500 years of the leadership, for example, of christianity, of the popes, they were all martyrs or almost all of them. percution, death, martyrdom,

that is nothing new but you say, really 21st century and we're killing people because they believe in jesus? disgusting, terrible. leah: interestingly enough, if you look back into history, the muslim faith was traditionally more, understanding, more fair to other religions. christians were the ones, when you go really far back in history that were persecuting others? >> certainly there were atrocities committed by lots of people in the name of a lot of things. unsung heroes are actually muslim leaders in jordan. the queen and king abdullah, they have housed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of chris hundred refugees as muslims, housing christian refugees. i want to say thank you for them. pope francis has great love for them, has been with them. on this christmas day many are suffering who are blessed because of the generosity of the country of jordan. leland: i will take a dogleg

here. it is still christmas morning. we'll bring a little bit of joy back to the world. you watch the videos from st. peter's square and see so many more people there than in times past and you and i talked about the pope francis effect. >> sure. leland: we're more than a year into this, 18 months since that magical time in rome when was elected pope. are you still seeing that pope francis effect and his message positives tiffty playing through in your church -- positivity? >> i was there when he was elected. he came on to the balcony there and was very, very kind of subdued. i have said, oh, no, we need communicator. come on. what do they do, he bowed his head and asked people to pray over him. on this christmas day a message for all of us is humility, that pope francis has shown living in a guest house, moving out of the papal apartment, so many things. but that has the power to

transform. who made a bigger effect over this past year than pope francis and he has done it by not being a big shot, rather than the opposite. being like baby jesus. leland: leading by example and important message on christmas like you said, leading like baby jesus. leah: the pope of the people. thank you for being with us. leland: merry christmas, sir. threats, leaked emails and massive embarassment. the show must go on. of course we're talking about that movie "the interview." small theaters are fighting back against cyber threats showing sony's movie, "the interview." we hear people are lining up to see it. plus we're getting into the christmas spirit here in new york and with messages from our military heroes. >> imcolonel stephanie bradford. from afghanistan. >> major tom garner.

>> my family in georgia. >> and my family in fort meade in new york. >> happy holiday season. >> serving the force every day.

>> good morning. >> today if you have vee frame tuke you can go to the theater or watch it online. it is being offered on many sources including a dedicated

website. $5.99 to rent and $14.99 to buy. many theaters are taking extra precaution after sony pulled the movie. on wednesday the white house praised the decision to release the movie after the president rebuked sony for pulling it to begin with. they spent $44 million on production and tens of millions on top of that promoting it. it is a spoof comedy and an attempt to assassinate the north korean dictator. >> super funny. people are saying i am going to watch it because it is a statement. but actually it is a statement

to come here and super funny. >> it is the highest level. i would compare to airplane. it is funny but definitely nothing that could topple a monarchy. >> seth rogan and the creator showed up to a theater and thanked everybody that showed up. i cannot say exactly what they said because we are family-friendly but let's say they were very happy. and merry christmas to you back at the head quarters. >> whatever they said i am sure it was good. >> yeah, it was. some protesters near st. louis found themselves in hand cuffs on christmas eve.

chanting i cannot breathe. several people were arrested during a mostly peaceful vigil in berkeley, missouri. antonio martin was shot the night before after the police say the teen aimed a gun at the officer. david lee miller has more. >> reporter: about half a dozen people were arrested during the protest. some blocked traffic before making their way to the gas station -- where the shooting occurred. the recording shows the 18-year-old martin off in the distance. authorities say he had a handgun with him and he had charges of assault and robbery. the chief of police say the

gunman made the regrettable decision to confront the police. >> this is a tragedy to everybody and our hearts go out to the family of the deceased. >> nearby three people were killed and three others were injured during a shooting at a convenience store on christmas eve. this happened a few miles from ferguson where the community is still tens after the grand jury failed to indict the officer who shot the young, unarmed black man. a difficult day for a city named after a saint. >> no kidding. difficult christmas and summer and winter as well. jonathan mccain is spending this christmas in afghanistan meeting with troops as they finish up and get ready to come home. senator mccain pledging u.s.

support coming forward. >> we are in a time where we have proper support and effort including militarily and economically. >> the afghanistan president praised the troops for their sacrifice for the last 13 years. afghanistan takes over their own security on january 1st. we will talk to john bolton about its futures and challenges later on. who says a convicted felon can't serve in congress? that is what michael grim plans to do after pleading guilty this week to tax fraud. voters sent him back to washington even with a felony indictment hanging over him. can the house leadership, as in john boehner, push him out.

can congress force someone out? it is difficult we hear. >> well, i mean the thing to keep in mind -- there is nothing in the constitution that prevents him from serving. but once he is back in washington, if he doesn't resign, he is going to be treated like he has ebola. no one is wanting to go near him. he is not going to be able to push his priorities or have influence in his communities. and leadership is going to do everything they can to make life difficult and pressure him to resign. >> it was interesting. i watched his press conference and he said as long as i can serve, i will serve. might be difficult when he goes to prison -- if he does. but to your point, can he best

serve the district or is him staying in congress about serving michael grim? >> there is no point for him to keep on serving. he is not going to get anything accomplished. at the same time, from her perception, you would think he would want to lay low and not have to constantly rehash everything he did. and keep in mind, there are a lot of tools congress has. they could open up an internal investigation or they could take the step of expelling him from congress with a two thirds vote. so there are tools open to him. it is just a matter of how long he wants to hang on for no good reason. >> it is how far both sides push it. this isn't his first run-in with controversy. look at this clip when he went

after a reporter after the reporter asked a question he didn't like. i think the direct quote there was i will break you in half. that was a former fbi agent. john boehner, the speaker, is known for running a tight ship among his leadership and caucus. the republicans have the house and senate and there is a lot on their plate they want to get done in january, how much is boehner going to put up with and let this become a distraction and let's the democrats holler and say there is a convicted felon in your panel. >> there is too much at stake

with boehner, especially with the 2016 presidential election looming, there is too much at stake for boehner to risk the republican's party prospect based on a lone congressman so he is going to undermine him and make life difficult and force him to resign. >> and we will see what happens when congress comes after first of the year and if mr. grim goes to jail. much of the united states hoping for a white christmas but will mother nature be naughty or nice? and a potentially deadly mix up at the cdc. how a lab worker may have been exposed to ebola. and growing security concerns as troops prepare to leave afghanistan in a matter of days. what is next for the troubled nation and united states

involvement there?

well, just like the song goes a white christmas, at least for some parts of some country, especially in the northwest and rockies but it isn't all sl sledding out there. up to a foot of snow expected in some areas and flight delays and cancelations are ripping across the country. who is seeing it the worst?

>> reporter: really across parts of the rockies. that is where the winter weather advisory and warnings are that continue in effect throughout the day and some for areas tomorrow. but i want to focus on the storm that caused headaches over the east. it produced several tornados across parts of the southeast and heavy rain up and down the east coast and we have lingering heavy rain in portions of eastern maine. but it is quiter now and a little on the windy side -- quite -- wind gust up to 40 miles per hour and tree branches down in buffalo, new york. a lot of activity behind the storm even though it is dry out there. temperature-wise you will start to notice they are dropping across parts of the east coast.

we set record-highs in new york with temperatures in the middle 50s. today 50 in new york city, 54 in raleigh, north carolina. but 30s in minneapolis and into chicago. a quick tease for next week. arctic air in the lower 40 so the cold is making a come back. by tomorrow, the storm is impacting colorado still and moving into the portions of the planes and there is a look at the warnings and advisory that continue in effect spilling into parts of nebraska and south dakota. >> good news for skiers but when you say it is a tease i thought

it would be a good thing. arctic air doesn't sound too good. >> just information in advance. >> we will work with that. sounds good. thank you. leah? united states troops are celebrating christmas and their final days in afghanistan. the role of americans is looking more uncertain as the majority of troops is leaving next week. john mccain is visiting and talking about the afghanistan people supporting themselves. john bolton is here. good to see you. >> glad to be here. merry christmas. >> senator mccain talked about the recent attack in afghanistan claiming 150 lives mostly

children and senator mccain says he will see more of these attacks unless america leave as stabile force and one that is tied to the ground there. >> i think it may be worse than that. when the bulk of the coalition forces are gone and the president pulls out the remaining troops in 2015 or 2016 the odds are overwhelming that al-qaeda will staying over control again and that raises the question of why were we there and why should we still there be? and the mistake is we are there to help the people of iraq or afghanistan. absolutely not. we are there for ourselves. when we pull out, we expose ourselves to the risk that people will take control again as they did in iraq and i am

afraid they will do in afghanistan. >> you make a point we are not there for afghanistan. we are there for ourselves. explain that. >> the reason we overthrew the taliban after 9/11 was to eliminate a threat to the united states. and we overthrew hussein to remove a threat to regional security and therefore the united states and the reason to stay behind is to make sure the threats don't reemerge. it is ludicrous to say we will count on the afghanistan and iraqi government to defend themselves without us. it doesn't make sense. we have kept troops in far away places for long periods of time to protect american security and our unwillingness to do so in

iraq and seemingly afghanistan is going to cost us done the road >> more than a $100 billion has been spent to afghanistan most coming from the united states. the special general put out a report and i will ready from it quote evidence suggests that afghanistan lacks the support to continue to establish what has been built over the decade. how do you respond to that? >> i think that is certainly true. and i say this from the emergency of national development. this underlines the question again why are we there? we should not have been there to do nation building for the afghan and the iraqis. we are there for american security which can be enhanced by greater cohesiveness in afghanistan or iraq.

but we are there for american security and when we forget that i am afraid large amounts of our system can go to waste. >> lots of good points. i served in afghanistan and lost many friends there. thank you, john bolton. russia has launched a communication into orbit. today's lift off came from a space center in the northern part of the country which also put russia's first global navigation satellite system back in 2008. it is russia's answer to our own gps. why a worker at the cdc is under observation for ebola and how a mix up at the lab may be to blame. and the k-9 police force is

getting extra protection. we will show you what they will be wearing in one state. and the grinch may have stolen christmas. who made off with one family's christmas decorations? we will show you coming up. why do i cook for the holidays? to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when we're apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more, swanson® makes holiday dishes delicious!

welcome back. time a quick check of the headlines. a snow stormed slammed moscow causing 150 delays at the airport. bank notes scattered all over one of the busiest roads and authorities urging anyone who took money to hand it over or risk arrest. and a recall here at home as a missouri firm pulls its happy apple brand caramel apple off the shelves after three deaths. it covers 31 states. not good news for the holidays. ebola is back. and not from africa this time. but from a cdc lab where a worker is now under observation

for exposure to that deadly disease. turns out there was a mixup in lab specimens. peter deucey is following the story. how does something like this happen with something so deadly? >> reporter: they are saying the possible expokes -- exposure happened when the sample was moved through the lab with a different safety level. it had approved bio level 4 with the virus but not level 2. and for reason the sample was transported to the unapproved lab and a scientist unknowingly worked on it. the sample was destroyed and lab was cleaned as part of normal procedure and after the instance the scientist learned what happened the lab was cleaned,

and people were briefed, but the cdc director says quote i am troubled by this incident. 150 labs throughout the cdc have taken steps to improve safety. no risk to staff is acceptable. the safety of the employees is our highest priority. the cdc says there is no risk of public ebola exposure because of this and not even risk to most of the people in the lab with the live virus. although those people have been contacted. there is one scientist, though, who is now monitored for three weeks, even though no symptoms are present and we expect to know more when the review is complete. until the lab that handled the ebola mistakingly is closed. >> and this isn't the first time

the cdc has had problems. peter, live in washington, merry christmas and thanks for being with us. someone pulled a real scrouge in california and made off with one family's christmas decoration stealing them off the front lawn but the surveillance system of the family caught the thief on tape and they are hoping it will nab him. >> my kids were watching movies and i was wrapping gifts. we were in the house. we ran to the camera and started searching >> this happened three or four times in the city that i know of. i don't know how much money they can make off with it. >> this isn't the first time a thief made off with the family decorations. they are trying not to let this crush their spirit but next year they are going to stick to simple light and scrap the lawn

ornaments. this isn't funny. it is sad. >> you wonder when people who do this stuff are going to realize there are cameras out there and you could put a gps tracker on the ornaments. george h bush spent christmas eve and today hospitalized because of shortness of breath earlier this week. the latest on this condition and what his christmas plans are. plus, did you get an e-book christmas? you see, i ruined the present. you may want to power it down before bed time and we will teal you how it might be affecting your sleep and even your health.

well, on this christmas day it is the bottom of the hour and time for top of the news. pope francis delivering this christmas message to tens of thousands of people in st. peter square calling for dialogue and peace and says we should focus

on those weeping around the world. there has been even more violence in missouri with a deadly christmas eve shooting spree near downtown st. louis. it reportedly happened near a convenience store. one person was killed and three in critical condition and former president george h bush remains in a houston hospital but his prognosis is positive. he was admitted on tuesday because of shortness of breath. we are learning those of us who have e-readers may have to shut them down earlier if we want the shut out we need a. new study suggest reading on electronic devices make it harder to get a good night sleep taking ten minutes long tour falling a sleep and less sleepy

than they would have been after reading a paper book and showed reduce meltonin and also were slee sleepier the next day. i have heard you should not watch tv because of the bright lights but by kindle has darker lighting. >> the original kindle is safer because of the lighting but the newer e-books have a different light that wakes you up more. melatonin is what sets your regular sleep cycle so it is high levels at night in the dark and when exposed to the sun it goes down. so it is going down because of the e-book here so that keeps you up a little longer. and in terms of symptoms, in the

short term you might feel tired or groggy which may not be dangerous but in the long-term when you effect your sleep cycle it can cause other problems like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even some cancers. >> quick question when it comes to the issues of the e-books and that is i get the idea you have this light coming back at you. but does the same thing happen when you sit and read with a flash light and shine that on the kindle. >> a flash light is a little different. there are things called light therapy. and we use this for people that work irregular hour like at night or different shifts and not when the sun is up. it is as a much brighter type of light that sets off the changes in your melatonin. so a flash light may not cause

the same problem but it will wake you up more than being in the dark. this study was about e-books but if you look at cell phones, computers, televisions -- they might cause the same effects. so for the people that went holiday shopping and bought these one positive and you may be able to use them when you wake up and may they help you wake up more. >> a lot of people look at their phones while laying in bed, checking prices for flights for their vacations or whatever, who do you need to stop using them to fall asleep? >> it is person to person. there is the light itself. and if you are looking at something, let's say work related, it might trigger anxiety so you are more awake. at least an hour or two before

bed would be the last time to look at it. that is not always practical. but in terms of e-books -- are they going to be that risky? maybe not by itself but in terms of the larger picture the fact we use a lot of device and work more hours on the weekdays weekend and this contributes to getting sleep deprived and that leads to health problems. we worry about teenagers because they go to sleep later and wake up later and the fact is if they use these moreso it is harder for them to wake up and go to school -- more so -- >> you mention melatonin and some people are saying suppressed levels of that can lead to cancer; is that right? >> it looks relate today breast and prostate cancer.

but it is the stress of going against your body clock that is putting you more at risk for different types of diseases in general >> i am going to try to make a point to try to put the devices away earlier because of you. thank you. merry christmas. the stabbing death of a pittsburgh police dog has led officers more than a thousand miles away to take steps to protect their own k-9s. in andover, kansas the department is arming their dogs with bullet-proof vest. they put their lives on the line as well they said and they deserve protection. >> i thought i have a vest on and my k-9 is going to be going ahead of me and he is going to be more likely to be in danger more than i would be so i wanted him to get a vest, too. >> thor has gotten his this

week. hon hondo gets his after the holiday break. well deserved. a judge in montana denying bail for a man convicted of killing a 17-year-old student. he shot and killed this german teen who was trespassing in his garage. the man setup a trap for would be break-ins after two people had broken into his home. google is rolling out a new feature to by pass lyric sigtes and help you get the results you need. you can find lyrics to tunes like the christmas song and who let the dogs out but many other title searches come up empty and

google is adding them only when copyright deals are in place. a 10-year-old boy can teach a lot of us the true meaning of christmas. he is playing santa for the homeless. he has been doing it by handing out gift cards and our affiliate spoke with ben and his mom. >> reporter: much to his mother's surprise what this 10-year-old wanted for christmas was to do this. >> here you go. happy holidays. >> reporter: he is handing out good cheer and gift cards to the homeless. most are to restaurants and all come with a hand written note. >> near neighbor, love your friends in the city of palao alto. >> reporter: it was controversy over the homeless people beingible able to live in their

cars. >> i kept it to myself and after a dinner discussion we decided we should do something for them. >> reporter: ben asked friends and family to hand over their unused gift cards. >> it did surprise me. but he is such a great kid. he inspires me. i am impressed by his interest in caring about other people. >> reporter: he has collected nearly 80 cards and more keep coming. >> people are sending them in the mail. >> happy holidays. >> reporter: he has been walking up and down university avenue handing them out. >> this is one of the sweetest thing i have ever received. hardly anyone is kind to me out here. >> reporter: he hopes to spread as much joy and maybe inspire others, too. >> i hope others get holidays are not about getting but giving. >> that was ann ruben reporting

from our san francisco affiliate. here is a christmas present. see the earth from what it never looks like before. what it looks like is a christmas miracle. well it is just mare nature really. how we got the stunning high tech technology. and the economy is booming. jobless claims down, dow hitting record numbers and confidence is way up. how can president obama make sure everybody is getting the message?

the u.s. military got a little help from the first lady to let kids know where santa over the christmas and christmas eve. michele obama pitches in to help norad track san ta personally answering calls from kids letting them know where santa is. the volunteers have been tracking santa every year since 1955. it is more high tech these days. they use the heat signature from rudolph's nose to track the journey and post the pictures to social media. and check out the stunning time lapse video from the international space station. sun rising, lightening storms and an awesome view of the

northern lights. more than 10,000 images rolled together taken by a german astronaut who brought them back at a earth. there is new data showing the u.s. economy growing like gang busters but many are not feeling it in their wallets. many say the president's of the union is going to be about just that: making sure all-americans get their chance at a piece of the pie. we have two people here to talk about this with us. starting with niger, the president said pick any metric you want, america's resurgeance is real. do you agree? >> if you are part of the 1% and

doing business with big government or receiving a government subsidy then the economy is and has been booming. put for working and middle class americans are wages are flat, stagnant and we are working harder and longer hours and prices are getting hire. if you are part of the one percent, the elite, business is booming. >> back in 2012, president obama ran on the issues saying the one percent and everybody needs to pay their fair share. the dow at a record high. gdp is the highest we have seen in a decade. why is the president untable toe economic class. >> talking about 2012, i remember when romney promised to

have unemployment down below 6% and i remember when newt gingrich promised to get the gas at $2.50. but this is because wages are stagnant and they are a lagging indicator of the economy. until the president is able to show people their wages are growing. what niger is saying is relative to many extents that people are not feeling it in their pockets. >> niger, how do you solve this problem going forward? and do you buy what the president is selling about raising minimum wage and raising the middle class instead of letting it grow. >> no, i don't agree. you have had a trillion stimulus

and the federal reserve keeping interest rates artificially down and this benefits the one percent. it isn't a shock that 10 of the 15 richest countries are the washington, d.c. suburbs. the other five are new york and new jersey surrounding wall street. but if you are an entrepreneur, you are suffering. you are unable, because of over taxation and over regulation to get started. dodd frank was supposed to break up the biggest banks but the banks too big to fail are bigger than others and the little community banks are going out of business being gobbled up by the big banks. >> i want to give julie a chance to respond here. you have a lame duck president in a sense, a republican-controlled house, and republican-controlled senate. do you think the president is going to be will to spend the

political capital to get the economic reforms passed or is are other things on his plate? >> you are talking about small business, the national federation of small businesses did a poll that small businesses believe hiring is up and the economy is getting better. so it is penetrating to the middle class. wages are a looking indicator bought there is an indication they are getting higher and rising. the president is going to spend the capital on this and the republicans will do anything they can to stifle that because they know the best way to get the white house is to stall anything. >> we have to leave with it james carver who said it is the economy, stupid. it is christmas at the white house and a live look at the

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well, president obama and the first family are far from the white house in hawaii for the holidays but it is still christmas at 1600 pennsylvania avenue and we have the story from washington. >> reporter: if your taste for christmas run over the top the white house does want disappoint. walking down every corridor is to be emersed in a level of christmas cheer that is difficult to fully take in. there is one giant tree after another and even one made out of a mannequin for some reason. but there is a much simpler things like this christmas card signed by the president of the united states. what does it take to get on that list? ed henry is on the list. but he puts in a time suffering through one white house briefing

after another. you can go to ebay and buy this year's white house christmas card but be ready to shell out evergreen. the price on this passed $70. who else makes the cut? >> they are sending it to fake friends, campaign donors, con tributers and the folks they want at the polls. >> reporter: and that is where you can blur the lines between pomp and politics >> caroline harris had the first white house tree but it was upstair and maybe more for the family. >> reporter: andy oak, a historian, can go on about the executive power at christmas at length but the tradition of harnessing the power of the holiday started 80 years ago. >> hoover was the first who decorated an official public

white house tree but it isn't until 1961 where we see the themes comes through with jacqueline kennedy who chose a nut cracker theme. >> reporter: this year's theme is a children's winter wonderland. there is sincerity amid the cynic talk and as many presidents have said merry christmas to all and to all a good night. a chihuahua named eddy the terrible has a now home. he is cute but there was a video about why no one would adopt him. a brave couple saw the video and knew it was meant to be. there humane society wants to remind you there are lots of other dogs looking for a loving home. look at them.

>> very cute. well, some folks retire and take up a new hobby like wood carving. but someone took it up with a chain saw. 71-year-old june, a grandmother who retired from her pharmaceutical job two years ago likes to make a lot of noise creating art. h herinativety scene got a lot of attention this year >> i thought i would try my hand at it. i work out every day at the gym. you have to be strong. i am not the typical grandmother. >> i would say that is an understatement. she is looking ahead to easter and buzzing away on a rabbit she said. a homeowner tried to get into the christmas spirit by creating a scene but the town wants them to take it down and

not for religious reasons. jason dixon didn't have the traditional figures but had zombies >> i manage 13 rooms at doom haunted house and had all kinds of props left and none were pretty. the neighbors don't like it. my father hates it. on the average, we probably get 30-40 cars stopping and taking pictures. people that follow zombie movies love it. >> i bet a lot of people stop and take pictures of that. town officials filled a zoning complaint about how close the display is to the street ordering him to take it down by tomorrow. dixon said if it was a pretty scene it would not be an issue and it is his first amendment right to have it up. we will have a first amendment right coming up.

new obamacare coverage starts in two days and how many people signed up? we will be back. . .

>> ho, ho indeed, i'm leland vittert. special edition of "america's news headquarters." nice to be with you, leah. leah: i'm leah gabriel. we'll bring you festivities from the faithful in the vatican to pilgrims in bethlehem. leland: the very simple of the christmas spirit. it is not too late to give to those in need. leah: the show will go on. after you will "the interview" opening in hundreds of theaters and online have sony does an

about-face on the controversial new movie. but we begin with protests erupting on christmas eve near ferguson, missouri. >> i can't breathe. i can't breathe. >> hundreds of protesters taking to the streets in the town of berkeley for the second night in a row, this after police there say an officer shot and killed an armed teenager who allegedly pointed a gun at him. officers say the officer was conducting a routine check at at gas station when 18-year-old antonio martin, pulled a gun causing the officer to fear for his life. tensions simmer near the boiling point. david lee miller is live in our new york city newsroom. david lee? >> leah, half a dozen people were arrested during those protests. some demonstrates briefly blocked traffic on major

interstate before making their way to the gas station where the shooting occurred. this incident were caught on surveillance video and part released by authorities. they show 18-year-old antonio martin off in the distance. he had a 9mm handgun. he has charges of assault and armed robbery. the mayor says the comparisons what happened in ferguson are not fair. more than half the police force in his city is black. circumstances in berkeley are very different and people should not rush to judgment. >> when i got there, we were all saying same thing. here is a white policeman killing a black young man. so, when does this stop? and i can assure you that did not happen. >> reporter: attorney for unidentified officer who fired fatal shot says his client is lucky to be alive. the chief of police said the gunman made a regrettable decision to confront cops. >> this is a tragedy for

everybody and our hearts go out to the deseedent's family but bad choices were made. >> one person was killed three others were injured during a shooting at st. louis convenience store. police have not released details or a possible motive. thank you. >> david lee, thank you. leland: remember that movie "the interview," it is now on the big screen, debuting today in some 300 theaters across the country. sony is also making it available online, this after the comedy about a plot to assassinate north korean leader kim jong-un smash ad cyberattack on sony and threats against movie-goers both of which the fbi i links to north korea. sony initially canceled the movie's christmas day release but then reversed its decision. >> i was really excited. i really want to seat movie. i was disappointed when sony pulled the plug.

>> this reminds me a lot about banning books. i'm glad sony changed their mind. censorship is bad when we're being vaguely threatened by terrorists. leland: some theaters were sold out. president obama had criticized sony's decision to pull the movie but then applauded the decision to release it. >> the father of a jordanian pilot captured by isis is pleading for his son's release of the pilot's warplane crashed yesterday in syria during airstrikes against the militants. the pentagon denies that isis claims the terrorists shot that plane down. isis has not said anything about the fate of the captured first lieutenant, his father wants the group to remember his son is also muslim. the pilot is first known member of the military to be captured in the ongoing air campaign against isis. leland: now on to a new ebola scare happening right here on u.s. soil. officials at the centers for disease control and protection in atlanta say a lab technician there is now being monitored for

possible exposure to that deadly virus technician was working in what they describe as a secure lab at the time and may have come into contact with a live ebola sample that was supposed to be part of an experiment. peter doocy has the very latest from washington. peter? >> reporter: leland, one scientist will now be monitored for three weeks after handling ebola samples that may have contained live virus and not even known it. this happened because somebody at the cdc made a big mistake, transporting the ebola material with a lab with a biosafety level of four approved for sampleslike this to a lab with with a biosafety level of two, not approved for samples. since it was taken from point a to point b securely on a sealed plate the cdc stresses there is no risk to public and they don't think there is a risk to others in the lab with the sample. they contacted other scientists

to give them a head's up but that's it. still cdc director tom frieden not happy. quote, i'm troubled by the incident in our ebola reserve laboratory in atlanta thousands of laboratory scientists in 50 labs throughout the dr. dc have taken extraordinary steps in the recent months to improve safety. no risk to staff is acceptable. our efforts to improve lab safety are essential of the safety of our employees is our highest priority. there is a big review going on right now. the cdc wants to know how in the world this was even possible. higher-ups were apparently briefed one one hour of this mistake coming to light. the hhs secretary sylvia burwell was prompted notified as well and the lab that opened up the ebola will be closed until officials are sure it is safe around they can figure out how to make sure this never happens again. leland? leland: we know the cdc had problems with these kind of things before. peter doocy, live for us in

washington. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. leah: obamacare keeping busy signing up more than a million people for health insurance in a week. december 15th was a major deadline for when most states could sign up to choose a plan and get coverage by january 1st. as of last week there were 6.4 million enrollees. 70% of them were reenrolling and 60% of those were auto enrolled for plans they purchased last year. joining us is a reporter for "the hill." kevin, nice to see you. >> well, merry christmas, leah, thanks for having me. leah: thanks for being here. in the second of three major obamacare deadlines 6.4 million americans signed up, more than a million in a single week but you say there is more to this story? >> well, if you take a closer look at the numbers you've got to remember while there was a one million user surge in just the final week of this deadline, you've got to remember that 70% of these folks are reenrolling. so they already had this plan. if you even peel back the layer

just a little bit more, leah, you have got to remember 60% are auto enrolled. that means they signed up last year during the first obamacare sign-up. remember when all the website glitches were happening? and they, they were just kind of able to be auto enrolled this time again. leah: so you mentioned those glitches. there is not so much frustration with the website this time but you say there is some other frustration when it comes to the cost of premium. talk about that. >> leah, everybody was out shopping for holiday gifts this season but they could have been shopping for health care plans because the health department actually came out with a study just a few weeks ago that said that 70%. 70%, think about that, 70% of folks who signed up for obamacare actually could shop around and get a cheaper plan, that is not only more fiscal fit for their wallet but also perhaps even more a better physical fit for their health,

that would help them for, and is a better deal and so i think that even now we're at a point where the administration is encouraging folks not just to simply sign up for obamacare but to also shop around. look in the market to see if perhaps there is better plan better suited for them and their families. leah: for those auto enrolling there is a downside, right? >> there is a downside. could you facing higher premiums. you could face with a deal not something better suited for you and your family. so it really is important that this year, in particular, where there is a shorter window for signing up, last year, there was a six-month window. now we have a reduced window because we're in the new year. and obamacare is, you know, institutionalized to some extent and so it really is important for folks who are thinking about signing up in obamacare or who haven't signed up yet or are auto enrolled to really look

around in the market and to see if there is a better plan for them and their families. leah: let's talk about the insurers for a moment here. on the surface this looks like it bodes well for insurers but you say there are unaccounted variables. can you explain? >> well, there are a couple unaccounted for variables and i think that's a great question. if you look what happened in the last year itself with all of this uncertainty in the marketplace because, you know, it is not just consumers who are really feeling it but also businesses as well. so a lot of talk on capitol hill, especially with republicans, about to take over congress about the future of obamacare. so we're just a few weeks away, leah, from when republicans will take over on capitol hill. and they have insisted that there are parts of obamacare that they would like to chip away enconcluding perhaps most notably the medical device tax and 30-hour work week. so a lot of uncertainty with what parts of this law are going

to stay and what parts are going to be chipped away. leah: absolutely. we'll see what happens in january when the republicans take over. >> of course. leah: kevin, thanks for joining us. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. thanks for having me. leland: speaking of christmas there were lots of gift cards under the tree perhaps in your stockings and many of those get cards will go unused. walmart, of all people, has the solution. we'll tell you how it works and if it's a good deal. plus a health update on president bush 41 after the former president was rushed to a texas hospital. and how one 7-year-old has this whole spirit of christmas thing down pat. what she is doing to help hundreds of homeless americans. >> in november i asked her what do you want to do for your birthday? she said i want to feed the people. i have the worst cold with this runny nose. i better take something. dayquill cold and flu doesn't treat your runny nose.

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leland: former president g h.w. bush is spending this christmas at a houston hospital but a spokesman says, quote, his prognosis is good. he was rushed late wednesday night to houston methodist after experiencing shortness of breath. leah: the president's personal chef at the white house stepped down. sam kass had a lot on his plate. he not only worked up the first family meals and worked on policy he helped the lady work up her garden and the healthy living and school lunch initiative. leland: happens this time of year. we get a gift card to a store we never go to but the gift card expires. walmart is looking to remedy the problem with a new program that lets you exchange cards with more than 200 other stores for a wal-mart card. however the card will be worth a fraction of the value of the

original gift card, but will this finally answer the question on how to keep gift cards being wasted. is this good for consumers. we have mark who is from a consumer group. even if you get 70 cents on dollar, 80 cents on the dollar sometimes a little more from walmart, still a good deal for the consumer. >> it is a good deal. first you have to understand that walmart's walmart's corporate strategy is to test this to see how consumers react to it. there is a metric component to see how valuable it will be for the revenue, for their profit. i think by the end of next quarter we should understand how this actually is going to impact. none of the corporate finance strategies have been given. so we're still -- leland: there are a lot of websites, all sorts of folks doing this. it work, things are getting a

little better it seems in terms of economy. there is often thought there will be more spending. the dow over 18,000. gdp is way up. gas prices were way down. a lot of people said that would really stimulate holiday shopping. have we seen that? >> well, there is two ways of looking at this. when you look at the u.s. economy you look what wall street is telling you which in fact shows that the u.s. economy has been growing. that is a barometer for the u.s. economy. when you look at the fundamentals of the u.s. economy it is the other way. so what we need to see how these companies eventually are going to portray consumption to see and enact new strategies and to make people buy more. leland: as things are happening, you know, consumers have more free dollars to spend, lower gas prices, those kinds of things. does that help retailers in the sense there are more sales or can they discount less with people more money their pocket, they don't have to offer as big

of a discount? >> that is good question. that goes back to what i was saying. there is not a metric to evaluate how good this is going to be. imagine they have a card and buy it back from you. you get a little bit of a percent from the store. how do they use this money internally? is it to buy inventory? expand it to hire more employees for the firm itself? those are the answers, those are the questions to be answered. leland: still a lot to be seen. marco, managing director of the soriano group, appreciate you coming here on christmas. merry christmas to yours. >> merry christmas to you. leah: chaos on christmas eve after shots ring out at a crowded mall. who police have in custody and what they say sparked the deadly incident. leland: a very white christmas. we'll at the you where a massive snowstorm is bringing traffic and travel to a standstill. leah: turning the spirit of christmas into reality. the salvation army say you can

still donate to the red kettle campaign to help those in need. >> hi, i'm captain walker and i'm currently deployed in djibouti. ii want to say happy holidays to chris and teddy walker in montgomery, alabama. happy holidays. i miss you all. (vo) watching. waiting. for that moment, where right place meets right time. and when i find it- i go for it. (announcer) at scottrade, we share your passion for trading. that's why we give you the edge, with innovative charting and trading features, plus powerful mobile apps so you're always connected, wherever you are. because at scottrade, our passion is to power yours. ♪soft holiday music ]♪

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reliably fast internet starts at $69.95 a month. comcast business. built for business. leland: merry christmas. thanks for staying with us. meeting with that country's president after vast majority of nato troops were withdrawn from afghanistan leaving local forces in charge of security. chilling story from a nigerian girl arrested for refusing to explode a suicide bomb in a market in that country. the young teen said her father gave her to the boko haram terror group. they told her they would bury her alive if she refused to strap on the vest filled with explosive.

snow pounding moscow. sparking major delays at three of the city's airports. >> this time of year when you hear a bell ringing it reminds you that it is season of giving, even though already christmas day, not too late to give to iconic salvation red army kettles. leland: the calendar this year makes the campaign to raise donations four days shorter than it was last year. so every penny counts in helping those in need. so we're going to ask how can you make a difference. the person to answer that question, lieutenant colonel ron busrow, the national spokesperson for the salvation army and in some ways the season has been really busy. today is where you already start to give back, right? >> well, we've been giving back all week. over four million families have been helped this week with toys and clothes and food for children and today there are probably millions of people who are sharing their christmas meal

at the salvation army or have received a gift basket from the salvation army. so today is a very busy day. leland: made possible by all those donations. >> made possibles by all the nickles, dimes, quarters and dollars dropped into the iconic red kit ills around the country. unfortunately they're finished now. last night the red kettles came off of the streets. but it is not too late to give. leah: since you mention it, how can people give? we'll get right to that. >> it is important. many of the places we've been monitoring the country, some are up, some are down so we anticipate we'll be even with last year which is not good. we needed to raise more money than we did last year. but the important thing it is not too late. they can go online to salvation armyusa.org and make a donation. or call one 800-sal-army.

operators are there 24 hours a day. you can make a donation to the salvation army. if you like to donate time. salvation army is busy christmas day and 365 days a year. so you can go online again. salvationarmyusa.org. put the zip code in. it will show you where the closest one of 7,000 salvation army locations are around the country. leah: this is a season of giving and after everyone gotten through the christmas rush people are ready to give their time and donations. talk about some of the charities you support. one i like is the emergency lodge. >> yes. i mean, we know that there are many people who are homeless in this country. it is a great tragedy in this country. this wonderful country but many people who find themselves without a place to stay. one fastest growing is homeless families. being able to have a place where

families can come. children can come. warm bed. warm meal. safe environment. more than that, place where counselors, people are there who can help them overcome whatever problems that brought them to the salvation army. so tonight there will be some 2thousand people staying in a salvation army bed, homeless people who will stay in a salvation army bed somewhere around the country. leland: as you've seen this year play out, we know the calendar was a little shorter. so it made it harder to raise all the money you guys wanted. are you finding that the economy is getting better, being less generous or more generous? is that money wake -- making its way to your guys kettles or is that -- >> the economy is still very good. there are still many families who are struggling. families are struggling to make ends meet on a normal basis. then you add the stress of christmas and want to provide something nice for your children

during christmas season. so, yes, there are struggles. people understand that. and you know, the american people are a very generous people. that is one of the hallmarks who we are. we are so generous and people have given gold rings and gold coins and dollars and, nickles and, everything you can imagine, just to help those who are less fortunate realizing that 82 cents out of every dollar that is given will go to help people in that local community where that gift is made. that is very important. leland: one of the great things about the salvation army how the percentage of the money you give goes directly to help folks rather than to administrative fees and marketing. these are number of volunteers you guys have. >> we have 30 million volunteers who have been working, many of them over the past couple weeks just doing, i mean, around the clock getting ready for families to come in and pick up their toys and pick up their clothes and pick up the food baskets.

today hundreds of thousands of volunteers are providing christmas meal for those less fortunate. so if the salvation army din have volunteers we wouldn't be anywhere near as effective as we are. every zip code in america. 82 cents of every dollar. the important thing that we want everybody to realize is that when you drop money in a kettle here in times square or or times square and go online today and make a donation online, within 24 hours that money is actually in the bank account of that local salvation army. doesn't come to national headquarters or any place like that. it goes directly to the local salvation army, 82 cents of every dollar goes to help peoplepeople in the community. leah: wonderful to understand how it works. more than 100,000 toys went to kids last week through the toy program. thank you so much for joining us. >> wonderful to be here and merry christmas. leah: merry christmas. >> god bless you.

leland: well they may be very far from home. of course we're talking about our troops overseas in afghanistan but they are still self greating christmas. how many of them are marking their last holiday in that country. >> plus, the pope sharing his christmas message with the world. why he singled out certain christians this year. ♪

leland: well it is the bottom of the hour on this christmas day. time for the top of the news. police in louisiana are trying to find the motive behind a deadly shooting in a suburban new orleans mall that happened on christmas eve. they're questioning the suspected gunman who it appeared targeted his victim, firing three shots at close range. nobody else in the mall was hurt. president obama and the first lady used their christmas message to give thanks to u.s. troops and their families saying the holiday is the time to step pack and reflect on sacrifices for u.s. families. speaking of our troops, folks in afghanistan were treated to haven't investigation christmas dinner. it is days before most of them

are scheduled to withdraw from that country. leah: thousands of christians gather in bethlehem in jerusalem today to celebrate christmas. pilgrims come from all over the world to the traditional birthplace of jesus. onlookers watched elaborate processions and midnight mass held in the church of the nativity. john huddy joins us live from bethlehem. john? >> reporter: well, leah, yeah, the celebration continues tonight here in bethlehem. in fact, let me give you a nice little panoramic shot behind me. behind you see the trees, manger square. then of course the beautiful church of the nativity. there are many people still here. last night, yesterday was packed. thousands of people for the festivities. there is of course midnight mass. it has been a very lively atmosphere so far today and peaceful i should add, at a time of great political turmoil and violence. but overall very lively and peace phil atmosphere. that was the case earlier today

outside of the church with people singing and dancing and it's celebration wasn't only here in bethlehem but all throughout the middle east. in syria christians were celebrating christmas and also in iraq, in baghdad, christians there were celebrating at a time when of course the battle continues against isis. isis persecuting christians among many other people. as we've been reporting pope francis last night called a group of christians staying in a refugee camp outside of erbil in the northern part of iraq to wish them a merry christmas and offered them words of encouragement in a very, very difficult time. back here in bethlehem, remember it has only been four 1/2 months since the war in gaza so that is very fresh on people's mind. nonetheless folks from around the world have been undeterred and came here and are here for

the celebration. i talked to people from denmark, from south africa, from france, from germany, the united states and canada as well. and they say they wanted to be here, that this is a trip of a lifetime. that it is overwhelming and emotional experience despite, again, the political tour mill and -- turmoil and violence. that continues. everybody is offering prayers for peace and hoping those prayers are indeed answered. leland, back to you. leah: john, definitely a tough time for lots of christians around the world but looks beautiful there where you are, the birthplace of jesus. john huddy, thank you, merry christmas. well the pope focusing on children around the world as he delivered his christmas message telling a crowd of tens of thousands in st. peter's square and talking about children sold as property in rings and violence against children talking about a recent terror attack on a pakistani school. the holy father condemned

persecution of christian communities in iraq and syria. leland: it has been a tumultuous year for the president. weeks after suffering major losses in the midterm his job performance ratings seem to be on an up swing. the latest gallup tracking poll puts his approval rating at 45%. that is the highest it has been since may. joining us now a former campaign aid, white house aide to president george w. bush. emily tish sussman, campaign director at center for american progress fund. dee dee, start with you, is this about the president's leadership? or is this a case the economy is going well, the dow is at 18,000, gas prices are down and rising tide lifts all ships? >> in a spirit of christmas everybody deserves a gift here or there. he had such a terrible year. with the christmas spirit that changed. one thing i think the president has done right he told sony look, you need not to fold under

this dictator north korea. people like the message during the holidays. but in the spirit of new years it will be very different when the republican congress comes in and it is going to show his weakness yet again. leland: emily, i'm often reminded of that sense you can have high approval numbers but what good are they if you don't have ability to use them or not willing to use them and go out and actually affect change. how does this play coming now into a republican-controlled congress and a republican-controlled senate? >> i think it is incredibly relevant right now. if we look at the difference in the president's approval ratings even a month ago and what has changed over the last month. the first is the economy. there has been, 50 straight months of growing numbers in jobs. this is the lowest jobless necessary in six years. so that is continuing under president obama. but the other big thing he is really been acting like a decisive strong leader in the last month. sony was one example of it. but he also come up with a slew of executive orders since the midterm. people are responding very

strongly. now it is on the republican-led congress in both houses to say will we utilize this moment with increasingly popular president, or will we keep stall, stall, stall and respond to the far right? leland: so, dee dee, you have the situations set up now with the president being more popular and not only that, there is two years left until the next round of elections. what is the republican's play here? >> well look, 45% i wouldn't say is popular. maybe more popular, when you're so low and in the dumps, the midterms he got shellacked and obama policies were shellacked. so good, during the holidays he pops up a little bit. it is just a blip. the republicans will be active. that is what the american people want. they spoke. they didn't want the obama policies. mary landrieu in louisiana is not having a good christmas. these democrats went down. time for the republicans to take up the banner and go forward to help america. leland: tough as a lame duck president to get much done or much popular done.

>> certainly is i would push back on his policies were not popular. the year health care was run on very strongly he did as we as many senate democrats. in past year one of the prime policies in the agenda is minimum wage. when that was on the ballot, that won five for five. his policies are doing quite well. speaker boehner has difficulty controlling his caucus in the house because there is such a very strong tea party segment of the caucus that doesn't want to compromise at all. so now the question is, will there be really strong leadership, both republican in the house and senate to find something to do, something to come to the president and work together on? he is not going to repeal obamacare. they need to -- >> last two years, very difficult for a president and that is historic. that is not his fault. in the last two years he will have a lot of trouble. this will be about the gop congress and it will be very active and very strong. that is good for america. america spoke. got their christmas president and new year with a brand new congress that will finally get something done. leland: getting something done

would be an interesting christmas present for the american people or late one. i want to show you these poll numbers to talk about. this is among active military members as it relates to president obama's approval rating. in 200935% approved of the president's job. today, just 15% of america's active duty military approve of the president's job. these are the people who he is the commander-in-chief of. he is their commander-in-chief, only 15% approve. dee dee -- >> speaks volumes. we should thank our men and women in uniform and vets today because they're not being treated well enough. when they see the president obama giving all the goodies to illegal aliens instead of the vets, i'm sure they're not very happy. i don't blame them. so as americans we need to support our military as much as possible and unfortunately the president has not done that. so let's wave the flag for our servicemen and women today because they are so important. they protect our liberty and we

need to remember that. leland: we certainly need to remember that today, every day, but as they're aware from their families in afghanistan and parts unknown in harm's way that is the one thing i think you both can agree on. thank you very much, we really appreciate you guys being here. merry christmas. >> you too. >> merry christmas. leah: well an incredible surprise allowing some of our sailors who risk their lives who keep us safe, reunited with their families. this brings me back to my days in the navy. emotional homecoming just in time for christmas. this is story you have to see. >> it was really heartbreaking. i cried really hard. i missed him so much. >> brigitte perdue was right back to where she was six months ago but this time she is much happier. >> as soon ace woke up this morning, i'm like he is actually going to be here today. i got so excited. >> her husband is coming home on the uss peleliu. this homecoming is a little more special than the rest. >> her dad is coming home today. >> at just after 10:00 skyfox is

over head for that homecoming. the peleliu is spotted pulling into san diego harbor returning to its very last voyage. >> this is the last class of amphibious assault ships. this is the last remaining one. >> for the final deployment the peleliu spent six months conducting exercise in the western pacific and almost it became an extended mission. >> i explained to them there was a super typhoon bearing down in the philippines. immediately my crew asked, what can we d captain? >> help wasn't needed. instead the crew got an early christmas gift, a message to come home. >> it is really hard. we missed him a lot. >> part of that was preparing for her daughter's arrival on her own. >> it was really hard especially having to get everything at home set up for her. it was hard. >> little laramie was only born a month ago. >> oh. >> so this meeting of father and daughter is for the very first time. >> amazing.

she is beautiful. >> this tears flowing once again but this time of joy, just in time for christmas. >> can't beat it. thank you. >> sharon chen, fox 5 news. >> great story brought to us by sharon chen. back in 2008 i showed up in afghanistan for my deemployment right after the holidays. i was lucky enough to spend holidays and remember seeing christmas decorations up. so many people are deployed around the world. so great to see them coming home. leland: wherever you're at for work and get that phone call, you got to stay longer, no, you're not coming home for christmas. it is great to see you will be home. imagine how everybody is excited for that. this is not in any way the christmas spirit. road rage caught on tape. it is holidays, guys, come on. with a driver repeatedly cuts another car off the road. it got even scarier.

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smote ♪ leland: spirit of christmas not to be found in a very serious case of road rage. cell phone video capturing a wild scene playing out in northern california as a driver repeatedly cuts off one car. eventually forcing it off the road. the driver then got out and pretended to be a sheriff's deputy. somehow a very quick-thinking victim new otherwise. >> her i.d. on window said visiting angels and has their name. visiting angels is like a senior home care place. >> real police eventually nabbed the suspect.

they charged her with reckless driving and also assault with a deadly weapon. leah: youtube potentially facing very expensive lawsuit over pop music. a music licensing group that owns 20,000 songs by some very famous artists says its music was illegal posted on line. that group, global muse being rights is threatening to sue youtube for $150,000 per song, totaling more than $3 billion. joining in studio, former prosecutor doug burns. in los angeles, former defense attorney brian claypool. >> merry christmas. leah: merry christmas to you. doug you say this is very complicated case. can you break it down for us? >> sure is coply indicated. 40 artists, 20,000 songs, their material was really handled by two other entities, as cap and bmi. now a new entities is handling

it. if you assume for the sake of argument that the previous entities did have some licensing agreement where it was okay for youtube to show it, does that extend to the new entity? i think the answer to that is probably no. the other reason this is complicated and we've seen this before, leah, in other cases involving this type of copyright infringement, potential copyright infringement, they actually, the individuals claiming infringement have to do it song by song, individual notification. and as a practical matter that is really, really hard. in other words you can't just say these 20,000 songs are infringement much you have to list each one separately and it is very, very hard. leah: brian, you say you're on the side of youtube. explain that. >> well, yeah. unfortunately on christmas morning youtube got a lump of coal in its stocking with this threatened $3 billion lawsuit. but here's the good news. i think the law is on the side of youtube. the digital millennium copyright

act, leah, was enacted in 1998. that is safe harbor for internet service providers such as youtube and it immunizes them from liability unless the follow occurs. that they have actual notice of a specific infringement by somebody else of one of these songs. and up until now the global music rights company has not given specific information to youtube of a specific violation or copyright law violation. as such, youtube has no obligation to remove it. so right now, the ball is in the court of youtube and i don't think they would face any liability. really what this is about, i think it is a bullying tactic on the part of gmr. i think what they want to do is they want to force youtube to do its work in monitoring the site to make sure that these videos are not being pirated. leah: doug, do you agree? where do you see this case going? >> i do agree. the brian lays out the law

correctly, that is why i said the about the individual notice thing. as practical matter, artists they have to put together some program, effort, team of people, lawyers, whoever, to go through and again, painstakingly point out each individual violation. but the other point i want to make is that the reason why the potential point of as said this, is distinction worth drawing, is that they want to sell an actual monetary subscription, okay? people paying money so that they can have access and artists are always more upset when you are trying to specifically profit via subscription as opposed to the mere digital sharing. so that is sort of my take on that part of it. leah: okay, so, brian, global music rights says it is getting closer to having no alternative than to file a massive lawsuit. so far there has been letter-writing between the two. where do you see this going and how does it impact artists

themselves? >> two things, leah. remember last year viacom filed a several billion dollar lawsuit against youtube as well with similar allegations. that case has not been decided. if gmr will file a lawsuit it will look to what the results are from the viacom lawsuit. in my opinion, again, in both instances i don't think there is a lot of muster to either of these lawsuits because of the fact that these companies have to show the specific actual violations. and now getting back to the artists, think there is a lesson that could be learned. there is a teachable moment here, if you're a recording artist and you have a agreement with a music label you better make sure you're getting some compensation for the right to digital market. leah: we're running out of time. thank you so much, brian claypool, doug burns, good insight today. merry christmas. >> happy holidays. bye. leland: if starring in the a movie at the center of an international incident was not enough, actor seth rogan is

getting a lot more for movie-goers that they bargaineda for in the aftermath of the sony cyberattack. theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes relief to your worst cold symptoms plus chest congestion. [breath of relief] oh, what a relief it is.

make the best entertainment part of your holidays. catch all the hottest handpicked titles on the winter watchlist, only with xfinity from comcast. >> this is sergeant daniel to the meyer in kuwait. like so send a greeting to my

wonderful wife bailey, my mother ellen and sister kate. i have will be home before you know it. leah: pennsylvania girl celebrating her 7th birthday and teaching grownups the true meaning of christmas by helping those in need. instead of asking for precedent, she is feeding more than 300 homeless men and women, brightening up their holiday season. chris o'connell from our fox affiliate in philadelphia has the story. >> what kind of cookies would you like? >> spend a few minutes with 7-year-old mia month come, and you will realize she is special kid. >> god bless you. >> how many little girls would invite 300 of camden's homeless to holiday dinner? the idea came on a recent trip with her parents to new york city. >> i saw homeless laying on the floor. and i got really sad. >> it was a lost homeless people seesaw on the curb and on the street. it affected her in a way she couldn't comprehend why people were living that way.

>> what did this pint-sized dynamo do? >> in november i asked her what do you want to do for your birthday? she said i want to feed the people. >> no princess party for this girl. no, mia enlisted help of her family started raising money. they shopped for food and got help of camden's life assembly ministries. they opened their doors to people like lance white. >> i've been sleeping in the streets for last 13 months. >> white, a dad himself, says the gesture from this little girl impacted him in a big way. >> it gave me a better outlook on my situation because, i was ready to go do some crazy things and now i'm not going to do those crazy things. >> guests not only got meal, donated clothes, shoes and a special treat to go. >> got a blessing bag. >> inside of a sandwich, water, snacks, gloves, and a handwritten note from mia herself. >> some people think that god doesn't really care for them but they do. so i decorated these when i was

three. >> for this little girl, it is certainly didn't seem like a big deal but for those on the receiving end it was everything. >> she is my real person. i really appreciate it to everybody. >> something happened inside of her that different than many of us and as the lord just showed her something and she responded tonight. oh, it is not the first time she has done something like this. for her fifth birthday, mia starred a toy drive for local kid. so what did she think of her good deeds? >> i think it is going to be a very happy christmas and i think i'm going to be on the good list of santa. >> definitely on santa's nice list. chris o'connell reporting from fox 29 affiliate in philadelphia. thank you, chris, for bringing us that story. leland: this story is also pretty good one. air force sergeant reuniting in arizona with his four-legged best friend just in time for christmas. steven is back together with his dog butters, after serving in

south korea for 14 months. butters, as you can see is very excited. he was staying in a family in a program that takes care of pets while servicemembers are deployed. obviously the sergeant is very grateful. >> helps us, especially being in the military, knowing where there is place for you can give your animal and they will be well-taken care of. you don't have to worry about them. if it wasn't for this program i probably would have had to, you know, give him away or sell him, worry about him being in a good home. and, i didn't have to worry about all those things. >> well the sergeant was concerned that butters would not recognize him. video proof here, it appears there was absolutely no need to worry about that. >> servicemembers have so many things they have to worry about when they're deployed. nice to not have to worry about your furry friends when they're at home many. leland: nice to do that. you can never stop watching

video of dogs -- almost better than reunions with the people. it is fabulous. leah: it is so cute. guys, thanks for being with us this hour. i'm leah gabriel. leland: i'm leland vittert. another hour, christmas bonus hour, is next. i like it when my hygienist lets me know i'm doing a good job. i like it when my toothpaste lets me know too. that's why i went pro. go pro with crest pro-health. for an intensive clean. i can really feel it deep cleaning my mouth. for a 4x better clean try these products together. that was a great check up. and i quit smoking with chantix. people who know me,

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>> hello, and welcome to america's news head quarters and merry christmas to you and yours. >> and merry christmas to you. hope you are enjoying your christmas. tb a white or rainy christmas like it is here in new york city. topping the news, protestors are spending christmas behind bars accused of crossing the lines in protest. >> and why a lab worker is monitored for ebola. >> and thousands of kristmans on

on christians in bethlehem. we begin with sony pictures. they are defoying the hacker threats and releasing the movie on line and in theater. >> all of the major film chains backed out when hackers threatened violence. and it is shown on line on youtube. actor setting hogan stopped by one of the movie theaters and showed support. will, i am sure that is exciting for people who are watching the movie. >> and unexpected and a merry christmas to you. with all of the twists and turns in the past couple of woks, a lot of people thought they may not be able to see this movie and you can watch it the at home and part of the unprecedented on

line debut. there is a dedicated website. it comes at a cost to rent 5.99. and it is more than 300 showing the movie. and many have been in contact with the fbi and taking extra security precawings after sony pulled the interview following a devastating attack. and on wednesday, white house praised sony's decision to air it after president obama rebuked sony. it is unclear if they will make money. they spent 44 million on production and tens of millions promoting it. >> they are not going to make that money for a simple do the math kind of reason. if i stream at home and watch with my family.

that is one charge for five people. >> as for the movie itself. vowers seem to like it so far. the proof comedy with setting and james in the attempt to assassinate kim jong-un. they got a special surprise. some of the viewers when setting and one of the directors showed up. leland pointed it out to me. norad tweeted that santa's sleigh was spotted over north korea and said the leaders had been naughty but the kids were good. kids got toys and coal handed out in north korea overnight. will car, merry christmas to you. >> who said norad didn't have a accepts of humor. >> christmas eve did not deter them. demonstrators in berkly,

missouri following the shooting of a black teenager, police said the young man had a gun. the i can't breathe chants are in reference to eric garner case in new york. the protest was peaceful and some with a candlelight vigil. the 18-year-old victim pointed a gun at a police officer. here's more with the details, david? >> authorities in berkely, missouri said what happened there than what happened in ferguson. the shooting in berkely was caught on surveillance video and was portion released by the police. he is brandishing a handgun and had a criminal record of assault

and robbery. demonstrators took to the streets in berkely after briefly block traffic they marched to the gas station. there were a now arrest and some of the protestors want to know why the police didn't respond with stun gun or pepper spray. the attorney for the unidentified officer said his client is lucky to be alive. the shooting was the third such incident in the area involving a white police officer and a black man since michael brown was shot in august. >> demonstrations in other cities in the country. david lee miller live in new york city. >> in the meantime police in st. louis are investigating a deadly shooting. one person killed and three others injured in a downtown convenience store on christmas

eve. and the grand jury decided not to indict a police officer. and there is no word on any arrest in the latest shooting, lea. >> hillary clinton slipping in the presidential pole for the race to the white house. she has not announced she is running for the white house. what republican could boat her? we have grassroots activity and found are of citizens for g. nice to so you both. >> thank you for having us. >> jessica even though the polls have slipped a bit, the nomination is still hers to lose? >> i hope that there is a competition and we'll hear from other great candidates like elizabeth warren and jim laven. and i think hillary clinton will

come out on time. it is a 47 point lead. that is massive she has the most experience of any candidate entering the field. and i think that she is the inevitable choice if she wants it. >> mark, who are the potential trents in the democratic side for the nomination webb and war ep. warren is a significant threat. the donor base is rallying around warren and she represents a new progressive liberal face of the party. she is forcing hillary clinton to the left and she's not that comfortable. and hillary is a troubled candidate and if it comes down to a race between her and elizabeth warren, we'll so a real fight. >> jessica, do you agree that

her foreign policy failed? >> there are certain things that has not worked. russian reset and asia pivot. i wouldn't say it is burning as much as it was a now months ago, the economy is recovering and we have news today of oil prices that is hurting our key enemies like venezuela and iowa ran and russia they could boost obama's popularity in the the end and take hillary clinton along with him in a positive direction and elizabeth warren is a front runner. >> that is an interesting comment. the focus is on things that hillary had nothing to do with. if you focus on what he had involvement with. benghazi and she has the equivalent of howard difference scream. what difference does that make. >> they have already tried to

take her down on ben benghazi. >> and i think it will do diagramming. he doesn't have a positive recovered and that is troubling for any candidate. >> jessica she had oops moments. saying she was broke when leaves the white house. can she avoid thel in the future. >> she was a great candidate in 2008. but she knows how to do this and her husband knows how and they have been around the block and has a strong centric message and where the democrats end up. she has two years to make good on all of this stuff. it is still very far out. >> it is far out. and mark, it is a good year on a personal level. she's become a grandmother. how will that play in to it her moving forward? >> i think that is extraordinary year to be a grandmother the first time.

i think that has a profound personal impact and plays in to whether she will rup. she has gone through two-runs with her husband and run on her and senator and secretary of state and she knows the toil that takes. and with a personal life that is falling in life. her daughter married and first grand daughter in the house makes it a difficult decision. >> everyone is expecting her to throw her name in the hat and is there a strategy to it. >> she was waiting to see who else would be entering and seeing jeb bush announce that he is exploring his option. i think the clinton want to see that and the idea of a bush/clinton show down is an interesting one and they will give her enough time to run a solid campaign and early in the new year.

>> i know we are all excited about the election season starting. jessica and mark, thank you and merry christmas the >> and on the republican side, jeb bush is stepping down from a corporate board in yet another move to a full out presidential run. the former governor of florida will resign for tenet, a for profit hospital chain and he will step down as an advisor for barclay bank. he is a director for other companies. >> tomorrow is ten years since a devastating tsunami hit asia. it killed 200000 people in indonezia and southeast asia and to sri lanka. there is a number of remembrance ceremonies and prayer vigils and

a new tsunami detekdz system gives them warning in case of a wave. there is evacuation routes and preplanned rescue operations. >> president obama's spreading a message of peace and unitty as he vacations in hawaii with his family. we'll go live to the beaches of ho noluyendyk. >> and unspeakable cruelty against believers on christmas day. the brutal steps isis is forcing people to convert. >> and warming your heart. a greeting from our troops. hey, everybody. this is lieutenant win. i want to say happy holidays to my family in norcross, joefrjia. miss you guy and look forward to seeing you guys. soup. because i make the best chicken noodle soup. because i make the best chicken noodle soup. for every way you make chicken noodle soup,

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>> the first family spending

christmas day in the president's home state of hawaii. they delivered their christmas message and focused on thanking our troops. >> and our family know will join millions in celebrating the birth of jesus not only a baby in the manger but message that changed the world and roach out to the sick and hung row and troubled and love one another as we would be loved ourselves. >> president obama getting plenty of golf in with a republican congress in washington and a military winding down in afghanistan as well. and dan, how are you? >> reporter: i am good. merry christmas from sunny hon luyendyk. they are turning their attention to those who are deployed in

afghanistan. >> this marked a major milestone to the war in afghanistan. most combat troops are expected to love on the 31st. their thoughts are on the mission and their families back home >> it is a pretty important mission and honored to be a part of that and at the same time it is difficult to being away from home. >> i love you and miss you and i hope you enjoy your christmas. merry christmas. other than >> starting in january the u.s. will have 13, 500 troops in afghanistan. there are critics of pull out. it could be the deadliest year since the u.n. started to keep track in 2008.

in a now days our combat mission will be over. that gives an opportunity to step back and reflect on all the family have given us. our troops are willing to stand back. >> the fourth round of golf since a ratifying last weekend and played with white house staffers and the prime minister from malaysian. and he had time to go bowling from the beach and later on today, we expect another tradition which is passing out turkeys to the troops in hawaii. >> it is good they are staying in the spirit of christmas. and thank you for bringing us those stories, merry christmas. >> thank you, merry christmas. >> and turns to the fight against isis, thefamily of a jordan fighter pilot is

pleading for his safe release. the pilot is held a prisoner by isis and theet pentagon said the aircraft was not shot down as isis claimed. this is reports of new atrocities. among them they are turning christian churches in torteur chambers where the victims have to convert to islam or die. they join us now live. merry christmas rick. >> in a time like this. it is months and they are able to carry out atrocities and making gains on the battlefield, what is going wrong? >> we underestimated them from the beginning. isis size create an islamic state they want to create and

talking about creating a global is slammic state. we see trouble in lebanon and libya because of isis. it is an ongoing problem. isis is targeting christian churches and taking the historic relics in those churches and selling them on the black market and making millions of dollars to further their hate. we have seen the radical islamic push for a while. remember 67 shoppers were killed last year in a mall in kenya. and the radical islamist who went in the mall and asked them basic questions about islam. and if you couldn't answer them they killed you. this is an organization that is completely violent and al-qaeda no longer works with isis because they are too violent and

brutal and impatient. if an organization is too brutal for al-qaeda it is a serious problem. >> it is not just limited to the middle east. it came out from a german who spent time with isis urched great threat inside syria and he said did you run into american. 14 of them some americans that were there that were american- arab. and they had a threat from isis not just limited to iraq and syria although it is terrible a strosities there. >> they clearly started off in syria and joined with another force inside of syria to expand. we have seen them get the money and they clearly have the motives to expand globally and they are expanding globally.

and the fear we have right now and the intelligence community is fearing, the individuals that are radicalized and don't need to be a part of the larger isis organization. they just need to hear the teaching. we have seen a scary development. european citizens that are radical islamic followers, move in the islamic state with the families, because they say it is it a protection zone and a utoppia. and they want to move in the islamic radical state. and they are professionals, doctors and lawyers and isis likes it. they are trying to create the utoppia in the middle east or where ever they do it the and the western governments need to take it serious. the only thing they understand is violence and we have to kill and defeat them before they kill

us. >> rick, thank you for joining us. >> centers for disease control monitoring one of his own for ebola. and how the worker may have been exposed to the deadly virus. we'll have that coming up. som. dayquill cold and flu doesn't treat your runny nose. seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is.

and now time for a quick check of your christmas headlines, former george bush spent the holiday in a houston hospital. admitted on thursday for shortness of brechlth he is staying one more night as precaution. and detour for travellers going to ho noluyendyk. and the airline said there was no emergency and the flight landed in hawaii safely. and prince george was missing from the traditional royal christmas day service. the duck and duchess arrived hand in hand without their baby boy. kate later apologized for leaving him at the home. >> cvc worker spending christmas under observation for ebola. he may have come in contact with

a live ebola sample. peter doocey has more from washington. >> reporter: that's right. one scientist is in the beginning of a three weeklong monitoring period for handling ebola, live virus without knowing it. this happened because the sample from the lab to go to a lab that was not and is not approved to handle the ebola experiment. the lab is shut down pepping a review. and everybody in the lab has been notified that they had a close call, but because the ebola was on a sealed plate, officials think exposure was limited to just one person. still the cvc director tom frieden is doubled by the situation in atlanta. thousands of scientists have

taken extraordinary steps in recent months to improve safety. and our efforts to improve lab safety and the safety of our employees is our highest priority. they knew about the mishap one hour within its discover. and the lab that transerred the ebola material is not transferring anything for the time being. and the lab is closed for right now and a full review is under way. the cvc said that is so they can improve moving forward. lea. >> thank you, peter in washington. merry christmas. >> pilgrims are traveling to the holy land to bethlehem. traditional birth place of jesus. and falling oil prices may put

prices. will it help you. we'll talk to an expert coming up.

>> it is the bottom of the hour for this christmas and now time for the news. (dhanting) >> demonstrators on christmas

eve protesting against police brutality in missouri. it is right next to ferguson. the town is berkely where an officer shot a teenager on tuesday night. the officer said the teen pointed a gun at the officer. nmonitoring a lab tech for possible exposure to ebola. the worker may have come in contact with the deadly virus. >> and pope francis delivering the christmas message to tens of thousands of the faithful in st. peters square. he said we should focus on christians persecuted in iraq and syria. >> and pilgrims from around the world traveling to the birth place of jesus christ and attending midnight mass and in the church of the nativitity.

>> john. >> yeah, well, leah you are right. people have been celebrating christmas here. i want to show you once again. >> reporter: manger square here below us and of course the tree and all of the decoration and lights. and then across the square from us is the church of the nativity and all of its blendor and glory and history. it dates back to the 4th century and oldest operating christian church in the world. but even standing beside it. look at those belltowers. it is an incredible thing to see. and that's what people from all over the world, and from the u.s., canada and italy and germ no and france, just among the countries and people we have

talked to. it is an amazing experience and including a woman from south africa that we talked to earlier today. and described being here first time in bethlehem for christmas. >> the church of the nativity. and jesus being born here. we are privileged to on this side. we are privileged to be here. it is not everybody who can come here at christmas time. >> and so many other people share the same feelings. we are looking at the church of the nativity, and it is a live he and peaceful. and that is part of the world that is seeing so much conflict and political turmoil. this is a welcome respite from all of the violence and from all

of the violence and conflict that continues in this region. and as one told me. i am praying for peace and i hope my prayers are answered. so from belehealth. merry christmas to everybody watching it. have a wonderful and peaceful christmas. >> same to you, merry christmas. >> senator john mccain spent christmas day in afghanistan. meeting with the senior government officials as the troops are packing up prayings there and getting ready to come home. the meeting included the new afghan president. senator mccain pledged u.s. sopt going forward. >> we have proper effort and partnership. and in every way including militarily and economically.

>> the afghan president praised the united states and troops for their sack feases in the past 13 years. afghanistan takes over its own security come january 1st. >> and a big break for airlines heading in to 2015. it could boost airline profits by 26 percent next year. and ed, is a managing partner. and ed, nice to see you here. thank you for being here with us. >> fuel is the largest operating expense for airlines and two- fifths of the costs can we'll not see drops in the ticket prices? >> we are not. the number varying from airline to airline on the cost. the bottom line costs are going up a bit. we are seeing a lower energy price but that is great. but a lot of their fuel was

purchased years out and they have made a forward contract and bought foul for 2015 and 16. a and even though oil dropped lower and more money in the people's pockets, but their costs are soaring and it is good but i don't think we'll see a lot lower prices in terms of ticket prices. >> and all because the airlines are reinvesting the monies and into building their business and fleets and routes. and can you tell us about the other airline experiences that are soaring right now. >> the insurance costs and we talk about the health insurance that is soaring. also the other incidentals and i fly a bit. and everything that you look at is going up. and that is one thing. and maintenance costs and just

about anything that you can think of in running an airline. and the full prays it is dropping. i would avoid the sector still today. >> interesting what to avoid right now. >> there is no question about it and too many incidentals and you have a good global condition. and as you said it is a perfect point you brought up. they are reinvesting and making up for batted years and there is other places to put your money and i would not put it in the airline for sure. >> that is good for the airlines to reinvest. but the economy has been strong. >> it helps. no question. we had in the recession number of flights that is cut back. it is hard to find a flight that

is not full. and we'll see where the prices will be for the airlines and southwest airlines is doing a great job. they have a lot of demand and expanding their routes and that is the winner. u.s. air that joined up with american airlines and delta, they are suffering from a lot of bad years and so the global economy is going to help them and internationally we have great. but i don't think everyone needs to get excited about the lower fuel prices and translated in lower ticket prices. >> and we have seen the oil market essentially be flooded. u.s. production of oil and opec department stop production. and how long can we expect them to last. >> it is a great question. and the odd says increase sploi.

and they did it i believe to go after russia and cripple russia's economy. and the saudis don't want them that low. they pay for a lot of things in saudi arabia. and if you are a citizen of saudi arabia, a lot of money comes in the saudi government for oil pricesment they are going to cut back on that production and doing what they want to do and that is to cripple russia. >> and ed, always great to see you and insight and merry christmas. >> and russian president vladimar putin may be putting the brakes. >> top cabinet members could not attack a christmas break. russian economy is suffering economy because of the falling

oil prices and sanctions. putin told top officials they would have to work over christmas and orthodox christmas. that happens in january. >> mad dash for cash. cash is falling off and it is bank notes and the people sewn here team sobe helping the officers clone up the cash. police urge anyone who took the money to return it. >> how about a real life grinch. >> what a crook stole involved the holidays and we'll tell you where as well. >> and one man in the naughty

list and the zombie nativity scene. >> i worked with what i had. >> i didn't pay attention until the different colored lights came on and then finally the baby was put in the mange. -- manger. you drop 40 grand on a new set of wheels, then... wham! a minivan t-bones you. guess what: your insurance company will only give you 37-thousand to replace it. "depreciation" they claim.

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the tabbing death of a pittsburg police dog inspires officers a thousand miles away to take steps to protect their own canines. police in kansas outfitting dogs with bulletproof vests. they raised money and applied for a grant. the officers said they preserve protection. >> i have a vest on and my canine out there may be going ahead of me and he would be in

danger more than i would be. i wanted him to have a vest, too. >> thor is here and received his vest this yoke. hondo would get his after the break. >> an ohio homeowner in a christmas battle over a christmas zombie scene. he worked in a haunted house attraction. and the city of deerpark, ohio wants him to take it down. it is too close to the street and the homeowner said it is it attracting positive and negative attention. >> the neighbors don't like it and my father hates it and anything pad that happens, he blames it on that. on average we get 30 or 40 cars stopping and taking pictures and people who follow zombie movies love it. >> and joining us now is the

defense attorney. i want to start with you. is this a free speech or a city saying we have our codes and you can't put it that close to the street. >> we'll see if that is true, what is person in these kinds of cases whether or not they have selective enforcement. and i read an interesting piece. wecant go do the enforcement issues. there would be to many pope. and it is clear to me. they are offended by the message. and they have to understand the constitution protects the freedom of expression and home and prfrpt is most protected in our constitution. and i believe they are setting themselves up to a federal civil rightate haughtment njay, we'll stick to the legal basis of it

here. does the city have the right to say you can't build something in this area. or is free speech so broad, they will lose. >> free speech is broad and because it is it on private property. it is it a first amendment issue. there is a lot of cases that deal with freedom of religion and where you can place nativity scenes and what they can or can't contain. but those in the court races. and deal with them in the public a ren. the government may not be able to do much much but free spoe will prevail. you can't yell fire in theaters or put this smings on the line. and the city may be able to fine

him if should it is too close to the street. and a good all them in l homes in relationship bow very wells and they try to be shut down. >> robert, you have a case like this, obviously to a number of neighbors it is so offensive in many ways and the beliefs that a lot of people hold dear. and some level it may not matter and christmas is over and by the time it works its way it is gone. and this guy leaves it up for a while. is there anything that the neighbors can do aside from voting with their feet? >> no. unfingerprintly freedom of speech means that you may not like the speech.

it may be offensive and uncivil. but if you stop free speech and that is not endangering the community, you do it for all instances. the town is in a precarious condition here. i would be making a friendly phone call to the mayor and law enforcement officials. and say do yourself a favor before you pay the legal. >> if you are the klu klux klan. >> it comes down to money and how much the city is spending on this. i appreciate your time. thanks for having us. >> and california family is warning us to be on the look out for thieves that are targeting christmas lawn ornaments and liz

gonzalez has more from fox affiliate kmph. >> it is the season for giving and apparently that message didn't get through to this man. >> the word i can describe is scrooge. >> he helped himself to the display. first testing the electrical will outlets and seeing which would deflate mickey and minnie mouse. but it was not in the we hours of the morning, it was before 9 o'clock at night. >> my kids were watching christmas moveses and i was inside of the house. >> she asked her husband to turn on the display and it was missing. >> it was a natural reaction. they have been stolen two years before. and that is why decorations are high in trees to keep them out of reach. >> we shouldn't let people like

that ruin. we decorated. and unfingerprintly it happen again. >> the love for all things disney is clear from stuffed animals-and now they are only l the chimney portion. >> i don't know how much money they can make. but it is happen throw or four times in the city. someone stole the lawn ornaments. >> and all from fox affiliate kmph. do with those things. it is sad with that. >> they would think they would

think there were cameras up. >> steal all of these christmas lights. they are to the extreme. we are going to show you a spectacular competition. female announcer: it's time to make room for the new mattress models!

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>> i'm staff sergeant gsh i want to say happy holidays to my mommy, daddy, brother, sister, and all my family. happy holidays. probably a lot of people spend hours, ks lighting their homes leading up to today, christmas day. an amazing display in california's bay area has a very special meaning behind it. in fact, the family behind a deck the halls contest, terry moriarti from our fox affiliate ktvu has the family's story of love and remembrance. >> we had literally thousands of people across the bay area who they voted for their favorite home, and we would like to congratulate you as the winners for our all decked out. you guys get bragging rights. >> thank you. thank you. wow. >> thank you. >> okay. >> bob and linda taylor got top

honors for their christmas lights display. >> this is unbelievable. this is beautiful. >> reporter: thousands of people flocked to the home on old road each year to check out the best lights in vallejo. >> it's like a winter wonderland. it's amazing. >> i have never counted all the lights. i just tell everybody we have thousands and thousands and thousands of lights. >> the taylors' labor stem from love. his daughter bonnie died in a plane crash xshgs in honor of her the family decided deck their home in honor of her favorite holiday, christmas. >> this is 15 years later. now you see what we've done. i tell everybody i want this to be big enough and bright enough that she can see it from heaven. >> each year more sparkle and shine was added, including a merry-go-round and phares wheel built 50 years ago by vallejo firefighters. santa and mrs. claus greet the children and -- >> last year we gave away over 16,000 candy canes.

>> we're happy. every time we see the kids smiling and the people are enjoying it. we give them a good spirit, christmas spirit. >> if are you wondering how much money it costs for the taylors to put on this spectacular light display, last december just for that month it was $3,000. thanks to l. e.d. lights this year, they've been able to knock off nearly $1,000, but they do accept donations. >> i have been coming here every year to look maybe just the last five years, and i heard about this story, and they deserve it. >> bob, a retired electrician maintains the extensive electrical system. >> we try to make everybody happy, and we took our sorrow, and we turned it into happiness for literally thousands of people, and for them to turn around and acknowledge us, that's wonderful, guys. thank you so very much for that. we love it. >> turning sorrow into happiness. what a special story. that was tara morriarti from our san francisco affiliate ktvu. leland. >> the u.s. military got some

help from the first lady to let kids know exactly where santa is on christmas eave. michelle obama pitches in every christmas to help mnorad track santa claus on his epic journey around the world. she personally answers calls from kids letting them know when santa will be above their house. volunteers at norad, the north american aerospace defense command, have been tracking santa every year since 1955. it's a little different, though, now in the high-tech days. they use the heat signature from rudolph's nose to trace the journey and then post updates as you can see some of the videos here to social media. >> very cool. santa had one spectacular view on his trip. if these incredible pictures are any indication, check out this stunning time lapse video. it was taken from the international space station. sunrises, lightning storms, and an awesome view of the northern lights. more than 10,000 images all rolled together taken by a german astronaut ---ing his mission in space. the european space agency published his video this week.

>> can you just imagine him sitting around at christmas. oh, what did you do this year? let me see some pictures. >> i know, right? >> hard to top that. >> that's it for us on this christmas day. merry christmas to you and yours. i'm leland vitter. thanks for spending it with us. >> merry christmas. a fox and friends christmas subpoena. that's next. >> see you. a holy event that changed the world. yet, questions still remain unanswered. now the amazing truth behind the story. lauren green takes owes a special journey. the nativity, facts, fictions, and faith tonight. 't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes relief to your worst cold symptoms plus chest congestion. [breath of relief] oh, what a relief it is.

>> merry christmas and welcome to a fox and friends christmas special. >> we want to thank all of you for welcoming all of us into your house on this special day and for letting our family celebrate christmas with your family. >> we have an amazing line-up for you today. scottie mccreary, andy grammar, the sons of -- from america's got talent, and the radio city rockettes. >> and all your favorite fox and family fox news friends. >> we're going to share them all throughout the program. >> all right. without any further ado, let's get this show started with country music super star scottie mccreary. ♪