into that. great working with you. >> i will see you tomorrow? >> we'll be back here. >> see you too hopefully. >> "happening now" starts right now. jon: we are now getting word more american resources are on their way to help in the recovery of airasia flight501. as heart break replaces hope for passengers and family members on board the doomed flight. welcome to the first hour of "happening now." i'm jon scott. arthel: i'm arthel neville in for jenna lee. crews are slowly recovering bodies and debris from the java sea. they are confirming that these from the jet line they're disappeared from the radar three days ago. it crashed into the sea midway through a two-hour flight from indonesia to singapore and the pentagon told fox news moments ago that navy poseidon aircraft,

like this one you see here, are heading to the region plus another vessel carrying helicopters along with two navy dive teams. jon: david piper is in that part of the world following the story from bangkok thailand, where obviously now it is dark. david, what is the latest? >> reporter: hi, jon. yes, it is really now turning from a search to a recovery operation in the java sea. there is ships from many nations now moving toward that crash site which we believe is about halfway in that trip between sure rabay yaw indonesia and singapore. the key at the moment will be to try to find the black boxes to find out exactly what happened to that plane but at the moment they are trying to recover the bodies of, jon. jon: tell us more, david about what the u.s. is offering in the way of help. >> reporter: as you mentioned that poseidon is moving into help. also we've got the uss sampson.

that is a destroyer home base, san diego. it will be very helpful in this search and recovery for the body of the plane because it has got sonar detection on board. helicopters will be very helpful in the recovery operation now ongoing, jon. jon: this is the third major accident within a year involving malaysia-based airlines. tell us about reaction in that part of the world. >> reporter: well, it is really shock, jon. i have lived here a long time and i have never seen anything like this and many nations send their sympathies to indonesia. but also to malaysia because of these two these three lost planes but you have to consider airasia has been at the forefront of this expansion of flights across asia because of the growing ross parity here and, really, it is because a lot more people can fly because of these budget airlines and so it has had a major impact that they

have lost one of these now, jon. jon: yeah. so it's a sad story. so many families were holding out hope and appears those hopes have been, dad. david piper in bangkok. david, thank you. arthel: meanwhile there is a massive manhunt underway for a gunman who opened fire on a police patrol car happening in south los angeles. investigators do not yet know if the shooting was an ambush. one man was taken into custody but other suspect is still at large. william la jeunesse joins us. what are police saying at this hour? >> reporter: you know, it is possible arthel, that this black and white cruiser simply rolled into a gang shooting sunday night but that is not what the two officers inside say happened. responding to a call, the officers heard shots and saw muzzle flashes aimed at them, treating it as an ambush, returned fire, caught an 18-year-old suspect and caught a

pistole and a rifle. further investigation shows they could have been caught in a gang war cross fire, patrol cars are pretty hard to miss. the citywide manhunt continues today for a second suspect. arthel? arthel: william we're just learning that they released the autopsy results of the shooting of ahn unarmed man. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: well this happened in august. ezell ford was 25-year-old mentally ill black man t was august 2nd days after michael brown was short in ferguson missouri. police withheld the coroner's autopsy for months claiming they needed time to investigate. yesterday they revealed they had not spoken to any witnesses. the autopsy report showed police shot ford three types including once in the back. so close that the gun left a muzzle imprint on the surrounding skin. >> there is nothing in the coroner's report that is inconsistent with the statements given to us by the officers. we still are searching for witnesses. we still are looking for other

versions of events. >> reporter: last night protesters attempted to stop traffic on an l.a. freeway on a street nearby claiming the investigation is inadequate. the shooting, unjustified. >> if the person is not armed then a gun should not be drawn on them. too much innocent blood is laying in the streets of america and ezell ford case. >> reporter: police say the autopsy is one piece of a puzzle that they shot ford during a skull when he went for one of the officer's guns. it is still unclear why police stopped ford in the first place arthel. both the inspector general and district attorney are investigating. arthel: thanks william, good to see you. jon: any moment now the department of health and human services could release the new numbers who signed up for obamacare for 2015. the government's goal is to nine up 9.1 million people by the time enrollment closes february 15th. today's new data shows those who

signed up through state exchanges and could indicate whether we're on track to meet that foal. joining us from our sister network, fox business network rich edson. rich, how has the open enrollment gone so far? >> with more than a month 1/2 to sign up the administration is on its way to its lower expectations. six million have signed up or reenrolled to obamacare insurance through the federal exchange. white house projected 13 million by end of this season's ol' enrollment. they have downed that forecast to 9 million by end of february. this will show how many signed up through state based exchanges. 14 states and washington d.c. have their own online marketplaces of the congressional budget office expect 25 million to have obamacare insurance through these exchanges in about the next 10 years, jon. jon: what about uncertainty that lies ahead for obamacare?

>> reporter: plenty of it. in supreme court case justice will hear in march opponents of the law charge that obamacare as written prohibits the government offering obamacare insurance subsidies signing up in states without their own exchanges. that is 37 states. one analyst says the ruling against the administration could undermine the entire law. >> if the court decide to interpret the affordable care act to prevent tax credits to individuals and states relying on federally facilitated exchange health care market place it could really have disasterous consequences for the act. >> reporter: another challenge? republicans seized control of full congress next year and many are promising to attempt to chip away at the law. jon? jon: rich edson, thank you. don't miss rich on the fox business network. if you're not sure where to find it in your area, log on to foxbusiness.com/channelfinder. arthel: political predictions for 2015 with ahead now that the republicans now control congress with a democrat in the white house.

speaking of the white house what are -- one of the likely presidential contenders for both parties planning for the new year. police in hot pursuit of a stolen truck. how the wild ride ended. the hunt is on for the gunman who targeted two church preachers. what folks in the area are saying. pop pop. i heard a bunch of bangs but i didn't know what it was. first thing you think of it is gunshots but i didn't know.

i have great credit. how do you know? duh. try credit karma. it's free and you can see what your score is right now . i just got my free credit score! credit karma. really free. jon: some crime stories we're following now. lawyers for the boston marathon bombing suspect asking the judge to delay his trial until september saying they need more time to prepare. jury selection is supposed to begin next week. police in san diego hunting for the gunman who shot two ministers as they sat in a car in a church parking lot. folks in the area in shock. one of the preachers was hit in the chest and arm but his injuries are said to be

non-life-threatening. police chase a stolen newspaper truck through the streets of hayward california. the driver bailed and made a run for it but was arrested a short time later. arthel: lots of big political developments ahead for 2015 from the gop takeover of congress to the race for the white house kicking into high gear with candidates from both parties jockeying for position. joining us senior editor at roll call. david, good to see you. >> hi, arthel. arthel: what we're going to do "politico" publishes an article it is called the 15 political questions for 2015. we both read them. i pull some. questions, get you to respond. question number one can hillary change, went on to say, might have presumed democratic nomination hurt her? >> well you know that story talks about hillary 2.0 i would like to say that i think hillary is more like hillary 6.0 at this

point. she reinvented herself several times since first laid different arkansas a couple of types. when she was bill clinton's wife on the campaign trail. when she was first lady, then as senator and presidential candidate. she knows about reinvention. it will be fascinating to watch how she repositions herself this time. obviously there are some sort of insider strategic things how she ran her campaign the last time people think she needs to fix. more than anything else she need to probably position herself to ward off a challenge from her left flank. many conservatives don't believe this but actually hillary clinton gets criticized as too close to wall street too cozy with sort of mainstream financial interests and her big challenge there will be preventing somebody from running to her left credibly like a bernie sanders senator from vermont or liberal's ideal choice elizabeth warren who i don't think will end up running. she says she is not. i don't think she will. arthel: you addressed this

question, if not hillary but who. we'll move on. let's go to question four. does jeb scare anyone offer from running? >> gosh, i don't think so. seems like every day you hear about more and more people getting into this. it seems like it could be the biggest republican field of all time. it doesn't seem as though jeb will scare anybody off. he may sooner or later because if he actually announces and begins raising money, the sort of conventional wisdom is that he is going to be able to gobble up the lion's share of so-called establishment money and ward off maybe some other people from running. the big rivalry people think for the money will be between jeb bush and chris christie. so that is going to be the one to watch. i don't think at this point it will scare anybody off. there is even a couple of people that were think about doing little stories about it at "roll call" thinking of running we haven't even heard of. arthel: so i have another question for you.

you mentioned chris christie, governor of new jersey and question six is, can christie get his outbursts under control? >> i, you know, i don't know chris christie well enough to say whether he can. i would say that, while i said a couple seconds ago that hillary clinton i think has done more than most politicians have to reinvent herself several times, and this is going to be a campaign of reinvention we'll probably have to see rand paul reinventing himself. if christie wants to make it serious he will have to get is his outburst under control. so far there are not too many sipes he is doing. that he seems to be prepared to run as chris christie that he has sold himself as as the guy who speaks his mind, speaks the truth all the time. it is unvarnished. that seams to be the way he will market himself. i'm not sure he will try to get his outbursts under control. arthel: it worked for him thus far. people in new jersey love him

for that. >> right they do and that's the way we roll here. i grew up, for a time in new jersey and that really works. you know whether obviously not almost certainly not going to work in iowa. if he runs he will probably not do even contest much in iowa. could work in new hampshire. could it work in south carolina and could it work in some of these other primary states? big gamble for him to take. arthel: do one more if you wouldn't mind, question 10. can mcconnell control his conference? referring to incoming senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. >> that's right. that is probably the one that is my favorite as somebody who covers congress for a living. the big challenge for mitch mcconnell he will have a big fight between his establishment wing and his confrontational wing. what compound that challenge is that the confrontational wing is led by a couple of people who may be running on that long list of presidential candidates. ted cruz, maybe marco rubio.

presumably rand paul. mitch mcconnell, fellow kentuckian has endorsed rand paul but really hasn't said whether he will help make the senate floor a vehicle for the rand paul candidacy. that will be fascinating. arthel: it will be fascinating. >> on top of that, he has got a bunch of centrist republicans trying to run for re-election in 2016 in bluish states. so he will have to decide whether he helps this confrontational republicans running for president or guys hopes will be with him and make his majority leadership last more than two years. arthel: david, last question for you. what is your big question of 2015. just pick one. come up with something. >> i guess the other one as a congress watcher that i'm most fascinated with is john boehner and whether it is really true as the people around john boehner are saying that he will have an easier time of it than he has in the last four years of his speakership. that whether it really is true the sort of tea party wave has calmed down and this new record-sized majority he has of

246 people, largest republican majority in eight decade, will be stepping to his leadership style more than ever before. >> good question. we'll see how that answer plays out. david hawks, thank you so much. >> thanks, arthel. jon: the united states is taking the fight to the terrorists with the pentagon confirming new airstrikes. where they took place and who they targeted coming up. plus debris and bodies recovered from the sea close to an airasia flight's last known location. the latest on the investigation in why this airbus went down.

arthel: the u.s. military conducted a drone airstrike in somalia on the terrorist network al-shabaab. the pentagon says the target was

a senior al-shabaab leader. at this time officials are assessing the results of that operation but do not believe there were any civilian casualties. the strike happened monday in the southwestern area of the country. al-shabaab is extremist militant group linked to al qaeda. jon: another begins with the discovery of debris and bodies from airasia flight 8501. dozens of bodies so far pulled from the stormy waters of the java sea. it took more than two days. now the big question, what went wrong? we have an aerospace journalist and former pilot and airline training ininstructor. this is awful news obviously for those families who had loved ones on board that plane but i suppose the good news here is this is not going to be another malaysia air flight 370. >> jon, i couldn't agree with you more. i was actually on the internet last night when the story broke.

i was reading and i saw it, just so thankful that this family, it is sort of the first part in the closure for them and really what it is going to be is three things. today finding that debris and having it confirmed that it is from the airasia jet. secondly will be retrieving the black boxes and the voice data recorder and hoping they're in good condition. then of course third six months to a year from now when the final report comes out. and i think this is the first of those necessary steps. >> the pilot obviously reported bad weather. we all talked about. that what do we know about the final moments of this jet? did he do anything to divert around it? >> yes he did. he requested a climb. we don't know exactly if he requested a climb because he saw a thunderstorm ahead he would try to top or if he was just in rough air or if it could have been just a natural part of that flight, that that point in the flight plan to climb higher for better fuel consumption. he did ask for a left turn which air traffic control granted.

air traffic control initially denied his request to climb but if it had been an emergency situation, if he had felt for any safety reason he had to climb he certainly would have. one thing that is unusual with airbus pilots i've spoken with this week is 38,000 feet, which is altitude he requested to climb to is 1000 feet below the max service ceiling of that jet. so if you're in rough air most pilots don't want to get up near that service ceiling in those kind of conditions. that is a little unusual. jon: are there parallels here to what happened to air france flight 447? that is also an airbus, a bigger airbus but its pitot tube, the little probe probes on outside of the plane that measure airspeed, they froze up. that caused flight computers to turn off and pilots didn't know in the dark of night what they were looking at, what was going on with the airplane. >> well, exactly. now one of the things that is

different is this flight took off an hour after dawn. even though they were in probably cloudy conditions it was daylight but you can't help but draw parallels with air france and we're going to wonder with the conditions that they were in, one of the first things that we hope we'll retrieve on this air data computer is, did they lose any of the sensors? did they lose part of the pitot-static system as you mentioned on air france. how that would happen encount iring supercooled water droplets that simply overwhelmed heating system on external sensors. when that happens, the on board computers don't have accurate information. they can go blank or malfunction, leaving the pilots in a state of confusion. one of the other things we need to look into is the emotional an mental state of the pilot. meaning was he at the top of his game that day the captain. there are reports coming out that he had a brother that passed away in days or weeks leading to the accident. one of the things investigators need to look into what was his

mental state. when we look at air france and one of the things that was a little bit hidden at first was that the captain of the flight actually had only about one hour of sleep the night before. even very busy out touring rio de janeiro if you will, with a friend. you have to wonder would he have perhaps made different judgments that night if he had not about so fatigued. that is something else investigators need to look into. jon: air france revealed to lot of people different way airbus builds its jets thaoeing. in boeing, if it push the yoke, the control forward the pilot and copilot go forward. in airbus, they found one pilot was pulling back on stick and other pilot was pushing forward. essentially they were counteracting each other or overruling each other even though the two pilots were doing totally different things. >> that is true. one of the issues with airbus you have a joystick, similar to what you have with videogames.

you don't have a lot of actual pressures versus a control wheel like you see in some of the boeings. like what happened as you talked about the copilot in air france and pulling back, kept the airplane in stall all the way down into the ocean. the captain could not feel that. they can't feel necessarily what the other pilot is doing with the joystick. led to a lot of confusion in that cockpit. sadly a very preventable accident. jon: as our viewers know a stall she is referring to when the wings are at such an angle angle of attack they call it, air flowing over them doesn't provide support or lift for the airplane. and the plane essentially flew like an angle like this air france 447. go ahead. >> i think that is a good chance that is something that could have happened with this. jon: really? >> we have some preliminary radar reports that the airplane initiated a climb without telling air traffic control atc later issued a directive they

could i am klee. by that time airasia was already climbing through 36,000 feet. he gained about four thousand feet in altitude. if the radar indications from the air traffic control screens are collect it slowed 100 knotts in speed putting dangerously slow at that altitude and weather conditions. looks like debris is found close to where the last radar signal was found which indicates to me that the airplane did not, fingerprints have its engines flame out and glide 90 or 100 miles which it would have been capable. it looked like it came down. the fact they're finding i don't want to being grisly, the bodies are fairly intact, that leads me to believe not as high impact as others. what that would generally mean perhaps, perhaps they were in a stall condition. jon: yeah. it is, well answers that will come from the blacks boxes no doubt. kathleen bangs thanks for your expertise. >> thank you.

>> well the mayor of new york city is trying to patch things up with its police force. new york's finest turning its backs on bill de blasio after assassination of two police officers. what will it take to mend the very strained relations? the mayor has a big meeting planned in just a short time from now. also this. more than three decades after the iranian hostage crisis gripped the world president obama doesn't rule out reopening an embassy in tehran. >> it is another unforced error by the president another example of how he is giving away things and getting nothing in return.

arthel: right now a quick look what is still to come with this hour of "happening now.." pope francis with big plans for 2015 very much keeping with his active style. a look back at all the pontiff has done in 20 months and what lies ahead. new york city's mayor trying to replayer relations with his police department after the assassination of two officers amid anti-police protests. what he is doing now. plus no joke. why the odds are good las vegas could get some flakes just in time to ring in the new year. jon: 35 years after the hostage crisis at the u.s. embassy in tehran president obama now says he will not rule out one day reopening that embassy.

the president told npr quote if we can get a deal-making sure iran does not have a nuclear weapon if iran recognizes it is in its own interests having already said that there are actually not interested in developing a nuclear weapon, to go ahead and prove that to the world so that over time, as it is verified, sanctions are removed, their economy begins to grow they're reintegrated into the international community, if we can take that if we can take that i'm sorry that big first step, then my hope would be that would serve as the basis for us trying to improve relations over time. let's get some thoughts on this from fred flight. former senior analyst with the cia and senior fellow with the center for security policy many of us remember what happened in 1979. the sight of our diplomats and marines and so forth paraded around with blindfolds on at the u.s. embassy in tehran.

is it seriously time to be talking about reopening that embassy, fred? >> jon good to be here. i'm very disturbed by the president's comments. first of all we're nowhere considering such a step. iran is still a state sponsor of terror. it is backing the assad regime. supreme leader comauney issued a plan how to destroy the state of israel. considering a nuclear deal, this deal will not significantly affect iran's nuclear program in any significant way. it locks in iranian capability to make multiple nuclear weapons. i don't know how this gives iran a clean slate so the united states can open diplomatic relations. jon: you say they have enough nuclear material to build weapons if they have the technology? >> iran has enough reactor grade nuclear material to make eight weapons. could do that in four months.

as little as time as two months. what has been agreed to into the nuclear talks so far locked in iran's capability to make multiple nuclear weapons. i believe the obama administration sided with number of experts at brookings georgetown and columbia university, since a iranian nuclear weapon can not be prevented we can manage it. we're conceding the bomb to iran because the obama administration thinks it canned stop it and it is desperate for a deal. jon: but the president said it would not permit iranians to the got bomb. >> i know what the president has said but i also know we have been offering iran the capability of operating up to 8,000 uranium centrifuges. we're not insisting that they stop construction on a plant that will be source of plutonium. we're not insisting iran remove enriched-uranium from the country. on one hand the president is saying we won't let iran get the bomb but enormous concessions that will let them get the bomb.

i see enormous parallel with cuba and iran. wouldn't concede to the democratic chairman of the foreign relations committee that he would normalize relations with cuba because that is unacceptable. we're considering a -- jon: republicans in senate and will hold the levers of power in that chamber in the new congress republicans are saying they want a vote on increased sanctions against iran. so if the president is on the one hand-holding out this carrot and republicans in the senate are saying we'll increase the sanctions, who wins? >> republicans and democrats in congress are watching what's happening with these nuclear talks and they're very disturbed. they realize letting iran keep all the nuclear technology but it doesn't give up anything in exchange is very dangerous. i think there are strong, bipartisan support for putting strong sanctions on iran. my organization, the center for security policy believes, these talks must stop. the united states has to go back to the drawing board with its

allies, tell iran comply with all u.n. security council resolutions stop enriching uranium and get rid of all the enriched-uranium stockpile. that has to be a a bare minimum for a deal. jon: i suppose you heard ambassador bolton in the sound clip we played before the break who thinks it is wrong approach to talk about the possibility of reopening diplomatic relations reopening an embassy in tehran before iran lived up to obligations under these agreements. >> the ambassador is exactly right. by making a statement we're telling iranians they can squeeze more concessions from us. many people are wondering we made all the concessions to iranians so far. why isn't there a deal? i think there are some hard-liners in iran who never wan a deal but i think there are some there is no reason why they can't continue to hold out because as long as they hold out we keep making more concessions. i think that is what the ambassador is arguing and i agree with him. jon: former cia analyst. fred, thank you for your

thoughts. >> good to be here. >> right now new york city mayor bill de blasio is preparing to meet with police union leaders in an effort to mend severely-strained relations. >> bill de blasio. >> thank you. congratulations. officers. arthel: you could hear the mayor met with boos yesterday while addressing the nypd graduating class in madison square garden. many officers turned their backs on the mayor at the hospital after the murders of nypd officers rafael ramos and wenjian liu in brooklyn and during officer ramos's funeral as well. david lee miller joining us live in new york city newsroom with more. >> reporter: hi, arthel. the question, will he or won't he apologize? mayor de blasio's meeting with police union leaders and police commissioner is going to be behind closed doors. some critics say it is time for the mayor to say he is sorry for recent remarks and actions they

believe were critical of police. among those who de blasio was slated to meet with is the head of the police benevolent association who accused the mayor of having blood on his hand following the execution-style murders of two police officers. another union leader says the mayor quote need to humble himself. but admits a public apology is not likely. the planned meeting takes place one day after de blasio was booed and heckled by audience members at police ceremony. listen as de blasio tries to ignore the interruption. >> confront the problem that plagues all our society. problems that you didn't create. confront poverty you confront mental illness. >> reporter: in case you missed it after the mayor talked about what he described as problems police didn't create, someone shouted, you did. at that point other audience members applauded the heckler. friend and relatives of newly

graduated officers say the mayor has it show more solidarity with police. >> we need the support of higher-ups. the mayor has to get behind the uniformed officers. >> i can't quite say he has blood on his hands but i think he played a very large part what has taken place. >> reporter: this weekend de blasio is expected to speak at funeral of the slain second officer. no indication if police in attendance will turn their backs when he grins his remarks. arthel. >> david lee we'll be keeping an eye on that. david lee miller, thanks very much. jon: the hunt is on right now for a great white shark thought to have killed a teenager in an attack. what's being done to try to catch that fish. also as millions of travelers head to the airport for the new year holiday it might already be time to plan your 2015 vacation. some tips for you coming up. ♪

arthel: let's check out what's ahead on "outnumbered" at top of the hour. jedediah kennedy what's up? >> we have lot coming up including new york city mayor bill de blasio holding an emergency summit with heads of five police unions and arrests and summons reportedly plummet across the city but will this heal the growing rift? >> sorry jfk americans appear less likely to ask what they can do for their country these days. a new poll shows our sense of duty has slipped. >> that is awful. a problem parents face every single year. how to get kid to bed early new year's eve so parents can. one company has the answer. >> all that produce our hashtag one unluckyify at top of the hour on "outnumbered." arthel: hotted it did i as you did it for me. just saying.

jon: shark attack on the western coast of australia. now the hunt is on for a killer great white. they baited lines to try to cash the shark. the victim a 17-year-old boy who was spearfishing. firing a spear gun into the shark's mouth but it was too late. sharks common off australia beaches, deadly attacks are rare, just two per year. arthel: people jet out for their last vacation of 2014 you can find great deals and start planning your next adventure in 2015. joining me brian kelley, founder, editor-in-chief of the points guide.com. hi brian. >> thanks for having me. arthel: glad to have you here. first start talking about the last minute new year's flights if we want to get out between now and the end of the year. where can i find them and how flexible might i be? >> airlines release a ton of available seats. if you're going to peak

destinations like miami and rio you might be out of luck. if you're a little bit flexible you can still book the last minute tickets. just choose a different destination than where everyone else is going. arthel: i don't want to get stuck in some crappy place. i didn't say pittsburgh was bad. >> i went to school there. i'm allowed to say that. a great city. arthel: okay. >> you have to be a little bit flexible. one of the things call the airlines. i just went to japan two weeks ago, first class. it was $5.60 in fees but had to call american airlines to book the ticket, japan airlines carrier i flew doesn't show on aa.com. there are inside tips and tricks. arthel: how does that go? you call american airlines want to go new york where did you go? >> tokyo. arthel: how did you do that. >> check on japan airlines. first class is incredible. if you go to aa.com. doesn't show. agents said it was available two seats. 10,000 a ticket but got it for five bucks. you have to know to call.

sound counterintuitive to call airlines still but doing that little bit of due diligence can pay off. arthel: that sound fantastic. what about getting a good seat. flying to japan you don't want to get stuck in the middle seat. get good seats. >> absolutely. air fares are not skyrocketing thanks to low oil. but what we're seeing airlines are charging for best seats in coach. you do sometimes have to pay. you can pay in advance, 20 to $100 to get exit row seat but get twice the leg room it can absolutely be worth it. if you're cheap and don't want to pay recommend checking in exactly 24 hours. at that point the airlines open up a lot of those seats. last case, go to the gate. be nice. give a chocolate bar to the gate agent. can you help me out. you would be surprised being nice can pay of more than any upgrade. arthel: check at the last minute because seats may become available. >> they block offsets for babies with bassinet. if there are no babies on flight, no people with disabilities those seats are

empty. gait agent is one with power so be friendly. arthel: winter weather, the delays cancellations you're telling us tips, at this point you could leverage your elite status and leverage social media. so it is not getting caught up in all that. >> social media is huge these days. even if you don't have huge following, airlines if you tweet them you can get assistance instead of waiting two hours on the phone or in the airport. always tweet airlines. doesn't always work. arthel: what do you mean tweet the airlines? >> for example if you miss the flight because of late connection. you could be in the air@american air, i will miss my flight can you rebook me. you get rebooked before anyone else on the flight. these days with unwith seat let on a plane, timing is everything. using social media to your advantage. arthel: you told me how to he have arerage elite status. >> divide is getting bigger. can save you hundreds of dollars in fees. a lot of credit cards these days

will help you get to the next level. you have until december 31st. tomorrow is the last day you can fly. if you're just short of elite status might make sense to go somewhere to get the next level. arthel: i get it. brian, thanks so much. >> thanks for having me. jon: breaking developments in moscow as a top critic of vladmir putin gets sentenced for fraud, sparking protests in the streets just as russia gets more bad economic news. plus pope francis and his activist style. what he has planned for 2015. we're live with that story next. 's right. it's just that i'm worried about you know "hidden things..." ok, why's that? no hidden fees from the bank where no branches equals great rates.

arthel: there are rare and unsanctioned protests right now on the streets moves could you after vladmir putin's political

rival. many consider him the biggest threat to the russian president. his trial was moved up a month and he got a suspended sentence of 3 1/2 years. well now several thousand people are rallying outside of the kremlin after more than 18,000 threatened to protest in the streets on social media. meanwhile the ruble and russia's economy plummeting. analysts think russian authorities saw him as a trouble maker and wanted to head off protests. jon: pope francis shaking things up in the roman catholic church instituting profound changes during the 20 months of his papacy thus far and having a major impact on global politics actively brokering the recent thaw in u.s. cuban relations. he has more big plans in 2015. doug mckelway is live in washington with a look at that. >> reporter: you might remember when president obama announced a

controversial fall with u.s. cuban relation after 52 years he gave special thanks to pope francis who helped inspire the deal. >> i want to thank his holiness, pope francis whose moral example of pursuing the world as it should be rather than settling the for the world as it is. >> pope francis is pursuing change at dizzying pace from a catholic church more at a moderate speed. he attacked what he called the cult of morn any in capitalism. in 2015 pope francis will publish a rare encyclical to address climate change. here in the u.s. the criticism is especially pointed. u.s. cardinal raymond burke openly criticized pope in october, the church under his leadership is like a ship without a rudder. retired bishop francis george, pope francis create ad impression that catholic doctrine is up for grabs.

like many predecessors, the pope appears to welcome the vigorous debate. >> the pope, before francis they were afraid of open debate. they thought it would endanger the your remarks the reputation of infallibility. >> reporter: the pope's latest push to address climate change may play well into the hands of skeptics who have seen global warming fears as religious in fervor with biblical themes of eden-like planet tarnished by man, followed by loss of grace and coming doomsday. jon? jon: doug mckelway in washington. thank you. arthel: here is what we're working on the second hour of "happening now." cracking down on crime in the windy city, is it working. the latest in the battle to take back the streets of chicago. plus a fight of another sort. the battle of bulge which many of us will resume this week. some tips how to take it off in 2015.

>> we will see you back here in one hour. >> "outnumbered" starts right now. >> this is "outnumbered." i'm kennedy. here today we have -- today's hashtag one lucky guy, concerned veteran for america and fox news contributor, it's pete. and he is outnumbered. welcome back pete. >> glad to be here. >> is this really a record 17th appearance for you? >> i just saw that. >> i saw it on twitter. >> one thing you never disappoint with, the socks. >> authentic minnesota socks. >> he buys them at the airport on the way in. >> i do. >> you're here full time. >> we have to start with some very tragic news. after two days very rough ending in the search for the missing air