blue skies smiling at me. >> thank you. have a great weekend. we will see you back here on monday. bye, everybody. >> "happening now" now begins now. welcome to "happening now." i am jon scott. >> paul ryan will take the weekend to answer if he will take the leadership position. this is coming a month before it showdown with obama to raise the debt ceiling or face a shutdown. mccarthy is not stepping down as the majority leader post and

putting the scramble for his job and other top officials on hold. >> and boehner said he will stay on until a successor is voted in but would like to leave at the end of the month saying it is up to congress. john is live here. >> reporter: for boehner to leave he needs someone who can get 218 votes. paul ryan, ways and means chairman, has been saying no and used other language but has been contacted by boehner and others personally asking him to reconsider. the house republicans had a good meeting the day mccarthy withdrew. >> trying to work together. a lot of speculation about who should run.

paul is looking at it. but it is his decision. if he will do it he will be an amazing speaker. >> reporter: chaffetz and florida congressman daniel webster are the two candidates being talked about. >> if paul ryan gets in the race, i am a huge fan, i will support paul ryan and i hope he does it. but he has said he will not consistently. >> reporter: others considering a run for speaker say they are willing to give ryan and his family the time and space they need. paul ryan answered the call for vice president. >> i believe he is going home to soul search about whether he can or not take this job.

a job he doesn't wat but it is seeking him. >> reporter: most consider speaker of the house to be the toughest job in washington. there are signs he would have the votes if he decides to run but many expect the honeymoon wouldn't last long. >> mike emanuel on capitol hill. thank you. let's go to the race for the white house. rand paul is struggling to gain traction in the early voting states, an article in politico caught our attention. it is written washington, d.c. republicans think poll numbers have flatlined. -- flat lined. let's talk to phillip bump here. writer for the politics blog. jaime is with us as well. senior editor were the daily

caller. it is a bit of deju vu. >> you asked last time who was going to drop out next and i said rand fall and i don't think thinks are getting better. on october first, we learned he raised just about $2 million. this will put it into a death spiral. i can see him dropping out if he doesn't make the main stage debate because it is hard to see how he comes back. >> republicans, as you know, took the senate in the last election because they had a favorable election map.

>> loosing rand paul's seat would be a huge blow in that regard. is that something they need to worry about? >> if your job is to make sure the senate stays in the republican's hand you are going to be worried. i have not seen polling suggesting danger for rand paul. the political article is saying he should spend less time in iowa and new hampshire. he is running a fairly inexpensive campaign but he led in the polls a month ago and now he is doing very poorly. but that said, i don't know that he has a desperate need to get back to kentucky and campaign for senate because i don't know he is facing a real challenge in life. >> this poll puts senator rand paul at just 2%. there you go. that poll shows him basically tied with mike huckabee and just

above john kasich. 2% doesn't get you very far in politics. but his father says there is nothing to be worried about. listen to what he had on fox business earlier this morning: >> i have not heard anything like that. i talked to him a couple days ago. i think his strategy is fine. i think he is organizing young people on campus and they are the ones who are more attuned to shrinking the government and being concerned about civil liberties and foreign policy. >> when he said i have not heard about that he is talking about the possibility and the prospect of his son dropping out of the race for president. what about it? rand paul does have a grass roo social media. can that propel numbers higher? >> it could potentially. scott walker was saying the same thing until he dropped out two days after he had he wasn't

planning to drop out. phillip mentioned rand paul is not running an expensive campaign. but there was a report saying the burn rate, meaning the amount of cash he is using from what came in, is at 186% so that is high. it is possible he comes on and becomes a message candidate and not appearing on the main stage debates and just tries to get the activist in iowa and new hampshire. but i think if he doesn't make the mainstage debate, i don't know why he would stay on especially when he has another race to run. >> sometimes you stay on to give a message to the political classes and others. is he doing that? >> i think he is trying to. i agree with everything james is saying. they are very good points. his father's argument that rand paul can rely on the young people to vote is a bad group to

rely on when talking about primary voting. i don't think he has a strategy other than hang on as long as you can and hope the others drop out and be the candidate the libertarian right centers on which is the value proposition he offered in the race. young people and a base like that is not going to bring you from 2% up to 20% in the way that rand paul hopes and needs to have happen over the short term. >> there will be one nominee eventually. we will see who it is. thank you both. >> thank you. president obama leaving the white house today to meet with families of the victims killed in a shooting at an oregon community college. but some families refusing to sit down with the president accusing mr. obama of using their personal tragedy for political gain. dan springer is live in roseberg with the latest. >> reporter: president obama will be here to meet with most

of the families of the victims of last week's horrible shooting. he will be here about 90 minutes and meet privately. and he will be met with protesters who are showing up to protest the president's visit. many people in the rural county of 107,000 residents were furious about the timing of obama's remarks. before we knew how many people were dead he called for stronger gun laws. a gun store owner saw the sales go up this week in her area and would whether the president not come to the area. >> i think he is doing it for p politics. his record indicates that. the only time he says he is going to talk to the people he is out there trying to get votes. >> reporter: local elected officials are being more diplomatic.

the county commissioner issued a statement saying quote regardless of differences on policy issues we await the presidents' visit. and the city put out a similar statement. we are seeing the victims of the shooting honored and their families supported. jason johnson had a memorial service on what would have been his 34th birthday. he was in his first week of college after battling a drug addiction for year. the community college had no classes this week but was open for counseling. a state rep disagrees with obama on everything but thinks the president can do good if he stays away from politics >> we want to make sure just like any freedom loving american they want to have the ability to protect themselves and their family in case the worst happens and the system fails them

>> reporter: there was a report that president obama is considering executive action to expand background checks for gun sales which has no effect in oregon because it is one of six states with universal background checks already. a woman accused of killing her husband is back in court after the case was declared a mistrial and what the new jury said this time around. and several stabs across israel in a 24-hour period. how jerusalem is responding.

>> crime stories we are following. a suspect in police custody after a deadly campus shooting in arizona. three people dead, another hurt when a gunman opened fire overnight at northern arizona university. three young people suspected of murdering a california man is accused of killing a canadian

woman in san francisco. all three will be arraigned today. police finding several similarities between the two west coast murders. and a california woman convicted of second-degree murder for killing her husband in 2012 a year after jurors deadlocked, the new jury not buying julie harper's argument of shooting her husband in self defense. an israel man stabbed four arabs and a palestinian later stabbing a 14-year-old israeli boy. security forces are bracing for more unrest. conner powell is live in jerusalem with the latest. just to give you a sense of the mood here in jerusalem, i went into an office building i often go into and it has been open and you can walk in, but

yesterday it was locked and you had to be buzzed in. security precautions going up all over including this system where the israel officials but in metal detectors and limited the number of palestinians that can go into the old city and today they are only allowing palestinians over the age of 50 in the city for friday's prayers. we have seen violence for several weeks. everything from a fire bombing of a palestinian home to stabs. dozens of stabbings in recent weeks. and in the last 24 hours we saw four stabbings. three on palestinians and one was a palestinian stabbing an israeli citizen. two things are fueling this. one is access to the compound with conservative groups pushing to pray at the site that is holy for jews and muslims.

it is the site where some israeli groups have been hoping to pray. but under an agreement, jews are only allowed to visit as visitors and not allowed to pray there but the groups are pushing to pray and that is causing tension here in jerusalem and the west bank. and palestinians are frustrate would the growth of israeli settlements in the west bank. we have seen classes in the west bank, and violence here in jerusalem and tel aviv and across the entire country really. leaders are calling for calm right now. a lot of attacks appear to be isolated incidents. there is not a lot -- security officials here in israel at least -- they can do to prevent them. the prime minister is calling

for the stopping of the attacks but the israeli officials say the palestinian authority is keeping a lid on the wider attacks. differing opinions as you always get here in the holy land. >> that is for sure. we will cover this throughout the weekend as well. good to see you, conner. the pentagon announces a radical change in the program trying to train syrian rebels against isis. the program cost hundreds of millions and recently only trained maybe four or five rebels on the ground. details coming up. and workers fighting for their lives after an explosion at a dam. >> we never had anything like this where equipment failed and people were injured. people were injured. i'm definitely able to see savings

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>> six workers injured at a dam explosion in washington state on the columbia river and some airlifted to electric -- local hospitals. electrical equipment sparked the blast. a program is under fire after reports of only putting four or five rebels on the ground and some handed their weapons to al-qaeda-linked militants. the new york times reported the

cord has been pulled on the effort. and ash carter returned from london to talk with counterparts. a conference call just got underway to explain this strategy shift. but two factors complicated the training efforts. first, the embarrassing admission by general austin saying only four or five remain in the fight. the second factor is russia is becoming the dominant player in syria and as it steps up the united states is meeting it with being passive.

russian planes according to the defense min strew flew 67 planes and struck targets within the last 24 hours. here is secretary of defense ash carter: >> as we have seen in the last few days, russia's actions in syria carry risks both to the region and to russia itself. their strategy in syria is flawed and the mistakes russia is making there will have consequences and only inflame the syrian civil war. >> critics have been unsure of the program as they have been of the administration's entire policy. here is senator john mccain. >> the administration warned russia not to send forces to syria but they did it governor.

then we tried to block the airspace in route to syria and failed. the u.s. defense officials failed and rushed in to quote deconflict in syria. >> reporter: in a statement released within the hour, peter cook, press secretary here at the pentagon said this: it will provide supplies to vetted leaders so they can make the push into territory controlled by isis still. >> sounds like a lot of money down the drain. thank you, doug. majority leader kevin mccarthy's with drawl from the house speaker race is fueling speculation the door is open for the democrats to take the house and maintain the presidency in 2016. is the media reading too much into this?

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>> a quick look at what's still

coming on "happening now." jeh johnson getting a look at damage? south carolina after flooding there. new information on an american hero who thwarted an attack on a paris train. it was the brain child of george washington. jon scott visits west point. jon: new speculation on the fallout from kevin mccarthy's withdrawal from the race for speaker. some are saying it will be an easy win for democrats in the house and the white house. house. kevin mccarthy's withdrawal from the race was pretty

stunning. but is it too early to suggest republicans as one political website did, republicans are handed the the keys to the white house to the democrats in the next election. >> of course that's too early and that's not the way most of the media are covering this story. i think what reporters are doing is reflecting the chaos that exists in the republican party. when you have pete king saying his party is behaving like they are in a banana republic, you know you have got a problem. the republicans can't even agree on whom they want to lead them when they are supposed to unite around a candidate for president. this does not bode well for them. so what are the media supposed to do. jon: i believe you just used the word chaos. what do you think of that word? >> i think it's overused.

chaos is the john boehner dictatorship that prevents a lot of bills coming up from a vote because he doesn't think on his own that they will pass. a lot of conservatives especially the freedom caucus, the conservative leaders who were elected top accomplish something give the voters, they want to see these bills pass and a fight for them, even if the president vetoes them. that's where the real contention is. chaos is a good thing if it results in results. that's what the people who sent these conservatives to washington want to see, is results. the torch is being passed to a new generation. not the old aging people of the democrat and republican parties. but the new upstarts who want to reduce the debt, control immigration and accomplish something that promotes the general welfare, not the welfare of the democratic party or the

republican establishment. jon: are the media picking favorites? or are they just observing the process along with the rest of it. >> i think they were stunned by kevin mccarthy's withdrawal from the race. it threw the media into disarray. but you have to stand back and figure out what as going on. cal is right in this respect. people, especially republican voters, are very, very angry who feel their agenda is not being taken seriously. but this is a way toward chaos, toward disunity and a way in which the republicans i think will insure that nancy pelosi stand a better chance of being the next speaker than a republican. that's astonishing when the party worked so hard to get a majority in to both houses of

the congress. jon: the complaints of john boehner are among the complaints are that the -- voters and maybe his own caucus members don't understand yeah you can hold the house and the senate, but as long as you have a democrat in the white house you are not going to get a lot done. do you agree with that and do you think the media are portraying that accurately? >> it's not about getting things done, it's about winning the argument. you have to win the argument, then you win the election. if you keep sending these bills up, you get media attention, you get attention of voters, they see you are more interested in advancing the ageneral due were elected to do than just getting along and having a couple drinks with democrats. the democrats don't play this game. they know how to use power. they know when they are elected they are supposed to use power.

only the republicans sit around and examine the en teletrails and saying what is the post saying about me today? this why voters are angry. >> not a single republican voted for the iran deal. the fact of the matter is barack obama is president. republicans may not lining that. but this is the way the system works. the republicans divided do not insure they are going to win the argument or an election. jon: it will be fascinating to watch what happens the next couple months. >> reporter: in the wake of the devastating flooding? in south carolina, homeland security secretary jeh johnson meeting with officials to talk about recovery plans as some counties lift advisories about boiling water. but with more rain expected to

fall this weekend officials are concerned about more flooding from rain-swollen rivers from the eastern part of the state. >> reporter: we are in new york city which is one of the nation's top tourist towns. visitors are short change themselves if they don't hit the hudson river and head north. >> reporter: you will find it 50 miles north of new york city and 250 years back in the history of this nation. >> reporter: george washington found this to be what he called the key to the continent and thought if he could control west point and the hudson river again the largest navy and largest army in the world, we could cure the united states. it was an tight-year war in the revolution.

>> reporter: west point. george washington's brain child. the nation's oldest it in academy. known for its stone architecture and cadet chapel. it trained grant and lee, pershing and patton, macarthur, eisenhower, petraeus and o o -- ierno. you got that, right? caused into the granite hills i it golf course. it's the proved a legendary course designer robert trent jones and built during the world

war ii years using an unusual labor source. german prisoners of our transported from the battlefield of europe to this american army post. i recently played with brigadier general malcolm frost. in 1983 he was a lowly pleeb, a freshmann at west point. these days he's the army's chief of public affairs. in that position one of his concern is how american civilians and military personnel relate to one another. >> we have a growing military and civilian divide in society. less than 1% of the population served in the military. so as we are cresting off the end of these last 14 years of warfare, though there is a lot of concern and a lot of danger in the world and a lot of forces deployed around the world. we want to insure the civilian

society and the military society, that they come together. this is a great place to do it at the united states military academy at west point. on * run of his. he reinlifted as an infantry for during the iraq war. back in the state and back in business, rice and some fellow graduates saw one opportunity right inside the west point gate. the historic thayer hotel. it was owned by the u.s. government but managed as well as the federal budget. >> it was struggling after 9/11. a group of graduates took over and revised the hotel. we have corporate strategy meeting here and weddings here.

it's owned by the american public. jon: which brings us back to the golf course. it, too, was in need of some spit shining. so markers were dedicated for each of the 18 holes on the court. number one is of course the american revolution, a war won by the man who gave birth to this place. as golfers battle the course they are reminded of the military battles that shaped our nation during the war of 1812 and the civil war in which west pointed kateed generals led the armies on both side. >> for a lot of cadets it took their individual states to secede before they decided to go with the south. >> that's this brother and brother. it's incredible to see though

you have the north and south and the confederacy and union, but to know close personal friends, they understand their habits and strengths and weakness. it's pretty significant. jon: through world war i and ii, golfers arrive at the third hole, vietnam. general william west moreland not only graduated from west point but also served as its superintendent. jon: a lot of people would like to forget vietnam but it's important for places like west point to remember. >> they brought forth the leaders you see today in iraq and afghanistan. >> reporter: anyone can go and dayw there, correct? jon: it's inside the gates of west point. you can stay there and have a

great sunday brunch. i'll show you the end of the west point golf course and some of the first monuments to the war as that are still hot. >> reporter: about the golf game, edited. jon: no, did the you see that putt? >> i think you torqued yourself. jon: i'm not the best golfer in the world. are you bill hemmer? he always criticizes my golf swing. >> i know nothing about golf. you did a great job. we'll have new details in the trial of a teenager accused in the rape and murder of his math teacher. >> the victim was trying to scream by the was ineffective because her airway was closed by virtue of the defendant strangling her.

arthel: major developments in the trial of a massachusetts teenager accused in the rape and murder of his math teacher. prosecutors are considering whether to charge a prospective juror after attempt of court after an alleged rant about the defendant in waiting room. this as the judge's instructions to the jury indicate the plan by his attorneys to mount an insanity defense claiming he was not criminally responsible. he is charged as an adult with first degree murder. he has pleaded not guilty. let's bring in our legal panel. good to see you both. fred, i want to talk about this father, would-be juror number 3.

will he be held in contempt of court? >> the court offered him lawyer and he declined it. i don't think that the court wants to charge this guy with contempt. i don't know when the judge gave his instruction. if i'm the prosecutor i need to make sure i get a conviction that stand on appeal. so any prospective jurors within ear shot of the this guy, rather than have the judge say to them can you be fair and honest based on what you have heard, i think it would be dismissed and keep moving. arthel: will this delay the trial? i understand opening arguments will be starting this morning. >> what the judge do is he should make sure this defendant gets a fair trial this time around. the judge was concerned with the

expense of dismissing jurors. but the expense is going to be far great they go through a trial, he gets convicted and the appellate court returns it to trial. so the safest thing is to get rid of these jars. start over. get jurors who haven't heard that. arthel: that way you would save time and money. fred, i want to talk about the defense and the possibility they are going to mount an insanity defense. what do you have think about that. if they do it, does it make it tougher for the prosecution? >> it's good news and bad news. in order to mount an insanity defense you have to admit you commit sad crime. this was a horrible, brutal, horrific crime. given the fact that this defendant moved the body

outside, tried to put it in a dumpster. there are facts from which the jury can determine he knew of right from wrong. under those circumstances, if i was a prosecutor in this case, irrespective of the defense this guy wants to mount i would be looking for a conviction. arthel: ashley, is this guy going to go to jail in massachusetts there will be noise death penalty. >> he can get a life sentence. the law says he has to have the possibility of parole because of his age base was under the age of 18 when he committed the crime. arthel: how long after this trial. >> too soon. >> anywhere between 20-30 years. so he would be well into his 40s before he was considered for parole. before it doesn't mean he would get parole it's hard for a juror

to think a 14-year-old boy would commit a crime likeness his right mind. an insanity defense might work because it's hard as a society to think someone can commit this type of heinous crime. arthel: i'm going to give spread the last word on this. >> i hear what you are saying and i have get that. but the judge instructs the jury to put this crime aside. i look at this and say how can a 14-year-old do that, but this is horrible. arthel: i have to leave it there but i thank you for chiming in. jon: spencer stone, one of three americans who helped stop that terror attack on a train in france. he's attacked with multiple stab wounds.we >> after evaluation by the trauma name our emergency department he under went surgery and was admitted to our

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jon: six minutes from the top of the hour and outnumbered. >> house republicans are huddling to figure out their next move. so who is going to stitch and take the reins? >> who wants the job? vice president joe biden. is he getting any closer to a third run for the white house? a smoaf just made that have democrats more certain than ever bind will jump in. >> why some experts say regular evaluations for your marriage can help out.

>> i thought that was arguing. all that plus our hashtag one lucky guy. jon: i won't say anything. arthel: we have new information on a story breaking yesterday on "happening now." one of thee americans who stopped a terror attack on a train in france stabbed at home. spencer stone hospitalized in serious but stable condition. >> reporter: spencer stone remains in the intensive care unit at u.c. davis medical center. doctors say they believe he will make a full recovery. but they also say the wounds he suffered could have killed him. >> wounds to the torso are

significant injuries that are potentially life-threatening. he had three wounds to his torso. >> reporter: this morning police are still searching for two suspects. they released a still frame from a surveillance video showing what they say are those two suspects. men they described as young asian males. in the surveillance video, spencer stone is seen trading blows with a group of four or five other men. police say they do not know exactly what led to this fight, neither do they know who started the fight, and who was defending themselves on this occasion. they do say they do not believe it had anything to do with spencer stone's actions on that train in france when he stopped a potential terror attack. they believe that this was in their words simply an alcohol-fueled bar brawl.

arthel: i have trouble watching that video. jon: new next hour on "happening now." authorities investigating a massive pipeline blast that left three contractors dead at a natural gas plant. one neighborhood on edge after a visit from some very unhe will come guests. citi financed the transatlantic cable that connected continents. and the panama canal, that made our world a smaller place. . (0209fox555a.ecl) for over two centuries we've supported dreams like these, and the people and companies behind them. so why should that matter to you? because, today, we are still helping progress makers turn their ideas into reality.

and the next great idea could be yours.