with president obama and big controversy there. again, thanks for waping us tonight. please remember the spin stops here. breaking tonight, a week of media attacks. welcome to "the kelly file" everyone, i'm sandra smith in for m erksz megyn kelly tonight. suggesting that if he faced a similar situation, he would "not just stand there and let him shoot me. he went onto explain that he would encourage everyone to attack the gunmen. the critici critics went wild.

but, tonight, g.q. magazine took the debate to an all-time new low and political writing posting a piece headlined blank ben carson. you're looking at it. in a kelly file exclusive, we'll start with chris starwald. it's the political discourse in this country is unbelievable right now. and this is a new low. >> yeah, i had the time to refleblgt on the two-minute read on the article that is basically a person throwing up their bile and putting a nasty headline on it to get attention and to get clicks. basically, you are reading a

writer and you are reading a magazine and you're reading this moment. it's not just in g.q. it's all over the place. the ben carson effect of making people's head just pop. they just cannot take it because you have a guy who is very conservative, very christian who is also a black man, who is a brain surgeon. so what you're reading of this piece is they've been tolerant of ben carson for as long as they could take it. now they've decided that it's over for ben carson and they're going to just end this and shout him down. >> chris, in the piece, which as you mentioned, not a very long piece, but this isn't a very serious journalist, by any

stretch. i looked back at some of his previous articles. but this is making front page head lymes. in it, he wrote that he doesn't believe ben carson. >> i don't know whether you read his book or know -- books on movie or any of that stuff, ben carson's life story is the stuff of books and movies. it is astonishing. it was the amazing rise of a guy who was destined for the dust bin. >> there's an attack on his credibility here with any evidence or reason why this felt compelled to write this piece. but he said you are now bearing witness to an arm's race of stupid. because stupid is in such high demand at the present molt. so, clearly, this isn't just an attack on dr. ben carson.

this is a violent attack on the gop in general. >> well, ben carson need to start wearing some skinny jeans, get a man bun and really get the met ro sexual vibe pumping. and then maybe g.q. will be on board. but the reality is this. they're not going to like him. they're never going to like him. but he has something. and, by the way, we have a lot of old white people. we look at the republican field you have in the top tier two hispanic senators. you have a female businesswoman, an african american brain surgeon and it just is shattering the basic construct that journalists have worked with for so long. and their country clubs and boo hiss and the democrats of party of inclusion. >> well, chris, right now, the reaction that g.j. is not getting very good response from its own readers.

they're calling the author racist, smug, full of intolerance. obviously, that's not just conservatives on there, as i mentioned. most of their readers wouldn't be. chris, thank you so much for joining us tonight. >> you bet. >> here now is an exclusive sbrer view of barry bennett. here to react live tonight because it is breaking, it is exclusive and it's just now getting out there. what is you're reaction? >>. >> it's amazing. this guy should be writing about the dos and don'ts of pocket squares. >> barry, some of the word written in the article, i mean, they're an direct attack. it's an attack on the gop in general saying some of these guys have done a cynical bit of calculous and are betting that

the stupid vote constitutes the majority of the american electorate. >> everybody is stupid who doesn't agree with him 100%. i mean, at the university, she was just practicing in her academic freedom. >> we know what all of this started from when it comes specifically to dr. ben carson. and it was about those comments that he made and they were viewed as insensitive. his comments of how he would attack that shooter at the community college in oregon. does the doctor have any regrets about his response to that? >> he was asked what he would do? he said what i hope i would do is fight back. that's what we all hope. we never know until we're in that situation. he wasn't casting judgment on anyone.

just asking what he would do. and then they take that out of context and try to turn it into something else. it's ridiculous. when you take it out of context and you see it as insensitive, you really look at the entire story and see and read really what he said. it is a different story. not a lot of people, obviously, today, take the time to do. is that being said, dr. carson ranked over 17% of the volt. i will point out that he's still doing very well as far as the likability factor is huge for dr. carson. most of this was done along with recent focus groups.

that's fine. let's have a debate. >> is dr. carson aware of this article yet? does he have a response? >> he's a little sickened by it. >> i think we all are. thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> thanks for having me on. >> also breaking tonight. one effort to burn washington's political machine to the ground. next on the history-making moment unfolding as we speak. and then the u.s. serviceman who managed to stop a terror attack just weeks ago is hospital iced. he is now in serious condition, we're told. we now have the surveillance video that showed the attack that almost killed that man.

wait until you see what he and his buddy said to megyn. tonight, he is here with the rest of that story. >> putin has begun a proxy war with the united states. how can the united states standby and do nothing. ♪ our parents worked hard so that we could enjoy life's simple pleasures. now it's our turn. i'm doing the same for my family. retirement and life insurance solutions from pacific life can help you protect what you love and grow your future with confidence. pacific life. helping generations of families achieve long-term financial security for over 145 years.

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breaking tonight, dramatic new fallout after years of pent up anger frustration boilsover in washington. it's no secret that a segment of the voters have been angry for years. but something changed. back in 2009, with the rise of the tea party and growing complaints about an out-of-touch government and presidential overreach, voters gave the gop majority and sent increasingly conservative lawmakers to washington and their fights with the white house and their own leaders have become very public. today, that struggle manifest igts.

>> with us tonight, former chief speech writer for george w. bush. let's start with you, frank. it has been an unbelievable 48 hours. angry voters everywhere. what does it tell you about the state of politics and washington and, in general, the state of america right now? >> there's a poison in washington. and that poison just took the political career of kevin mccarthy. he's staying as majority leader. but this is the man who had the capability of bringing together all of the aspects of the american party and even bringing over a few democrats, as well, to actually get things done. there's too much negativity right now. he had the ability to rally republicans.

but it wasn't enough for certain members. they want to get something done. they expect these elected representatives to work together. not to destroy each other, not to bring each other down. kevin mccarthy was uniquely capable. but he's not going to get that opportunity now. there are 40 members that believe it is their way or the highway. >> i know you do and i know you have for quite some time. were you taken by surprise by

his departure? >> i've been spending the last two weeks on capitol hill. and i know that everyone is upset. but i thought in the end, that people would come to their senses and that they would understand that they're not just there to represent 10 or 20,000 of their most conservative constituents. that congress is the representative body of the entire institution. we don't need a fresh face. >> you're detailing that the americans that you speak to, they see washington as a mess.

there's so much negativity. is there optimism that we can actually see change? that things are going to turn around, specifically with this election? >> no, they're very concerned about it. i'll tell you something,ives involved in 2006. this is exactly what happened in 2006. this kind of internal bat m. the same thing could happen in 2016. these need to be held accountable. there has to be someone who can stretch across the aisle to get something done. that's not what happened today in washington. >> my next guest is the group leading revolt underway in capitol hill.

>> what happens now? how does this change things? >> i think the establishment lost again. i think two speakers in two weeks gone. they don't get it. folks across america are angry. about three quarters of them didn't want john boehner as speaker. but we also need an old approach. over half the people are telling washington they've had enough. where do we go from here? we need to make certain the house is open for business that allows conservatives to have a voice. day after day, month after month. >> i feel like we're still

talking, right? nothing is getting done. >> if you were a conservative in the house, you didn't have a voice. you weren't allowed. just last week, capitulating to barack obama. and gaved into him for another 2 1/2 months. you wonder why people are angry. >> you're still not telling me how we do that. they don't like what's going on. everybody says we need change. but nobody's telling us how that's going to happen. >> i'll be happy to tell you. this is how we do it. we actually empower members of congress to represent constituents. nothing happened for the last four years.

we have a debt ceiling coming up in a couple weeks. the leadership has yet to have a conversation how we face our overspending problem in washington. there's been no response from our leadership and that's been happening for years now. >> all right. thank you for joining us tonight. on the campaign trail, this was a good thing saying the race for speaker of the house is not about kevin mccarthy. it's about burning the corrupt washington political machine to the ground and rebuilding our country so america can win again. fox news contributor and former speech writer. thank you for joining us tonight. >> how does this change 2016? >> if the house republicans had

elected kevin mccarthy who are running against the gop political establishment. it would have been as if the presidential campaign wasn't happening. you've got an election going on right now where 56% of republicans are voting for people who never held political office in their lives. >> democrats are laughing tonight after this. gop has to get their act together. >> the point is, this atmosphere, where you have such an antiestablishment erector, you can't just promote the next guy on the totem pole. >> paul ryan is being talked about. if you have the same leadership, you get the same results.

now, you have an opportunity for consensus candidate who can actually get results. >> i think that you need -- if we had just elected boehner's deputy, it would mean that he was completely tone deaf. people are sending a message. >> it's hard to -- i'm taking what you're saying with a grain of sault. right now, there's nobody rushing to sign up for that job. it's not the ideal job.

but you have the opportunity to have a clean break. they're not running against nancy pelosi and harry reid. so we have a chance too have a fresh start. you can have different results. >> it's wishful and hopeful thinking. thank you, mark. >> thank you. >> coming up, did an admitted domestic terrorist just ask for a seat in the white house? plus, the american hero who managed to stop a terror attack is tonight hopized after he is jumped and stabbed in the street. his story is next along with he and his buddies told megyn about confronting danger. >> had you always known that you

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we just got word that airman first class spencer stone recently credited with stopping a terror attack in europe is tonight listed in serious condition. we just got this surveillance tape in to fox news. he's the one in the shirt with the men around chasing him in the streets. spencer knocks one of the men down to the ground, you're going to see. spens i recall hits the guy down one more time while another guy reaches around from behind spencer and stabs him in the front upper body, we're told. >> just a couple weeks ago, how they stopped that terror attack back in august.

>> it's more of an afterthaukt. i've always had that mentality. >> had you always known that you'd rush to the danger to take it on is this. >> you're going to he has tat and you're going to die. for the latest on this breaking story, we duoto trace gal ager. trace? >> although it is serious, spencer stone is suffering nonlife threatening but significant joours. police say the 23-year-old was out with friend, a man and three women, in midtown, sacramento. sometime, after midnight, they got into a verbal argument with another group. you can see it quickly went from verbal to physical.

one man falls to the ground, but you can't see any knives when you watch it over and over. because stone is one of three americans who helped stop that terror attack on a train from amsterdam to paris, police asked if there was a connection. although the exact motive remains unclear, there's also no indication this was any type of hate crime. police are looking for two asian males who fled the scene. other members of his group had been drinking. one of his fellow heroes from the european trainho was on this season's dancing

with the stars tweeted everyone send prayers out today. you'll recall it was a box cutter he was cut with and he almost lost part of his hand. >> we wish the best for him and his family tonight. trace, thank you. >> a new story to add to the list of disturbing incidents where police are targeted for criticism while just working the beat. we'll have that plus, with russia launching dozens of missiles into syria on an almost daily basis, we'll ask general jack kooen that the white house's current approach is only likely to bring more bloodshed. russia has the opportunity to

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we've seen increasingly unprofessional blaif i don't recall from russian forces. they've shot cruise missiles without warning. it remains our hope that russia will see that at the time eat t itself to a sinking ship is a tragedy. >> that was ash carter earlier today. the secretary of defense suggesting that russia's all-out military offense was unprofessional. but testimony before the armed service committee today, now is not the time to simply hope the

kremlin comes around. >> putin has put russia oon a path to be a world power. we are certain to lose the war unless there is major and comprehensive change. putin has begun a proxy war with the united states. how can the united states standby and do nothing? if we continue to ring our hands and continue to be dominated by fear and opposed to instilling fear, then russian aggression will not just advance in the middle east now is the time for a firm hand.

his stern trat jill started with the war in iraq. >> delighted to be here. good to see you. >> listening to your words there today, so strong, but so scary. in fact, at one point you said aggression that is unanswered. normally lead to more aggression. what did you mean by that? >> well, say it as it is. when you had thugs and bullies and killers imposing their will, if you don't respond to it, it just keeps coming. they're encounselored by their own success. 1938 naziism. nobody did anything. >> what are we doing, then? you heard ash carter.

we're talking about being professional. or that we were being unprofessional. meanwhile, russia is gaining ground. they are strengthening. what are we doing? it feels as if we're standing idly by. >> those comments, i find those comments stunning. he has moved out of europe and russia for the first time ever with military force. why is he doing that? he is bringing everything that he has to make certain that his ally does not fall. we have a far better military than he does. but he's going to make certain that asaad's regime is going to be preserved. meanwhile, we abandon iraq, we retreated from yemen and we retreated from libya.

what a message he is sending to the region. >> and you said, also, by the way, general, in that testimony today, that even more cig nif kabt is russia's alliance with iran which will diminish u.s. influence in the region. your word are very powerful. i was talking to the ambassador the other day. i said do you think that putin is capable? i do think that the yiet, for a long time, has underestimated his ability to strat jazz. is it a matter of the united states underestimating his ability to be that strong? or unwilling to change it in the face of failure? >> yeah, that's really a great question. it goes deep to the heart of what this issue is all about. >> he sees it as a threat to his security. i think he clearly is about trying to break up nato.

he's made an important decision. this alliance with iran that you mention is an absolute game changer and the strategic implications of it are very significant. it will impact every country in the region who will now begin to have relationships with russia and putin as opposed to the long standing relationships that we had with the united states. it doesn't mean that they're a player anymore. but our role in the middle east is about to be diminished significantly. >> what is the one thing that we should do now if anything if we act right now. >> well, i still think we should back up our opposition moderates wo we trained much as putin is backing up asaad. there's prudent things we can do. put up safe zones. put refugees in there and opposition forces. there's much that we can do.

always great to talk to you. good talking to you. >> joining me now to react, someone's father who has been incredibly out spoken. megan, great to have you here. >> thank you. i wish it was under better circumstances. >> here you are being unprofessional. really? people that we have armed and trained? that's unprofessional? i think i canty of other word that i would use instead of that. i don't understand what president obama is doing, but i know every day putin is growing stronger. it's just something that really takes my breath away right now

because i live in fear right now of what putin is going to do next. >> as the old saying goes, here he is. >> as the old saying goes, mr. putin's appetite is growing with the eating. now, russia has intervened and it has become the latest disastrous turn for the middle east. >> this is what happens when you lead from behind. all of the disasters of the obama administration and there are plenty. i believe this will be the most deadly long term. >> we don't have a strategy. it's the big criticism of this current administration. it's clearly failing as general king pointed out.

it's really the lack of what we're going to do going forward. >> president obama is just letting him to whatever he wants. he met with p, tin two days before he knocked on our door and we still had done nothing. >> you announced your support? >> who do you think is best on foreign policy to handle this crisis going forward? >> i ark which youly think he and carla are the strongest. again, i would do it under better circumstances. it's just absolutely petrifying. we are at a turning poipt right now. the next leader need to understand the kind of times we are living with. >> well, very clearly dictated,

what this means. >> thank god for people like him. >> to cops on the job. that is just ahead. plus, did an admitted terrorist just ask for a job at the white house? see how bill ayres is now making news. >> a group of catholic hospitals. we've got both side of that fight when we come back. >> i truly think the aclu will never be happy. like i sweat money. i want to smell the way champagne tastes. i love champagne. infuse your laundry with... ...up to 12 weeks of luxurious long-lasting scents... ...unstopables in wash scent booster.

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why pause the moment? ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. for a free 30-tablet trial go to cialis.com . all right, developing tonight, the american civil liberties union is suing one of the largest catholic hospitals in the country for refusing to provide emergency abortions. going after trinity health which runs more than 80 hoptss across the country. we all have a right to religious believes. but a hospital who serves the public cannot hide behind his religious affiliation as an excuse to withhold emergency terror. the case has no merit and it takes cues from the directives of the u.s. conference of catholics and states that the

abortion is never permitted. both sides are here tonight with phil donahue, president of the catholic league. the founder and executive director of the accountability project. we'llki first. your take on this at this moment? >> well, catholic churjs are one out of every six. 45% of the money is federal. under emergency medical care act, it is the law. it's federal law. that these hospitals must provide emergency care to women who have cancer and need to have a termination otherwise they'll die. this is blatant federal law that they've been violating. and they've found five instances where these catholic hospitals have violated the law. >> they have found those instances where they've vie lated the law.

there's really nothing more to in. many communities don't have any other hospitals than catholic hospitals. one out of every six is a catholic hospital. so when a catholic hospital denies services and doctors who may or may not be catholic to basically provide health care to everyone, to save lives, they're looking at religious doctrines over the federal law. >> it was great to get your perspective on this. we want to get the catholic perspective on all of this and we'll turn to phil donahue. she makes the point that in the case of emergency care, these

cases should respond where appropriate. first of all, she's wrong on one thing. senator frank church passed the church amendment. it means that religious hospitals do not have to perform sterilizations or abortions. going back to the they followed him to a catholic church. they wrote this in a court opinion that he took holy communion and he was trying to impose his catholic views on the law. it was thrown out of court. just as this case was thrown out this past june. >> so is there a solution then? these hospitals do receive federal funding. >> well, if they don't like it, let them change the law. but the law is that you are protected. and we also have a first amendment right to it. the aclu is like a moving target on this. every time you have a secular

hospital like a kat lyric hospital, they come in like they did in new jersey and say you have to have an abortion clinic. it's kn ee's not just in hard ct in every single case. i did a ph.d. dissertation, i've written two books, i know exactly what it is. >> so the aclu doesn't have a change. >> maybe they ought to read it some day. >> thank you for joining us. >> we will be right back with a troubling new attack on police.

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an admitted domestic terrorist finds himself back in the news today. weather underground co-founder bill ayers is getting attention

after recently tweeting that he's "officially available to be the next secretary of education" and suggesting we need aed are cal new direction. it is unclear if ayers, whose group was responsible for dozens of bombings, is actually serious. deputy education secretary john king is expected to replace arne duncan when duncan leaves in december. also tonight, a new incident in what has been a string of troubling incidents involving the police. this time it involves coffee shop employees who are writing ftp on the tops of its coffee cups. the initials are believed to be directed toward police. with the latest on this story we go to trace gallagher from our west coast newsroom. trace? >> it is a st. louis coffee shop, sandra. tweet that started the controversy is "when you realize why bay is bay, that's short for

baby, and why mokabes is your favorite place. ftp is "f the police. the owner's son wrote ftp on all the lids. because of the tweet, the coffee sh shop was inundated with accusations. "i've seen them call police numerous times for disturbances, panhandlers and people who refuse to leave. if you can't support the please, please opt out of the police. good-bye, mo." the shop posteded a facetious comment on twitter saying about the employees, per our policy he is on paid leave pending an investigation because we take cup graffiti as seriously as the police take police murder.

they're very active in the black lives matter movement and have attended several protests. the coffee shop had a very tense night after the grand jury refused to indict the cop for shooting michael brown. one patron was told if she wore a t-shirt supporting the a t-shirt supporting the po

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go to facebook.com/thekellyfile, tell me what you think. it looks like you already are. everybody's got opinions. thanks for watching. i'm sandra smith. this is ""the kelly file."" tonight -- >> i think i shocked some of you. huh? >> majority leader kevin mccarthy drops out of the race to become the next speaker of the house. >> i just think it is best we have a new face. >> so where does the gop go from here? then, more foreign hackers reportedly try to access hillary clinton's server. >> dereliction of duty of secretary clinton is being revealed here. >> ed henry has a full report and rudy giuliani on if hillary could end up in jail. the nra's position reminds me of negotiating with the iranians. or the communists. >> and clinton makes a ridiculous claim about the nra as democrats get ready to push