guest right now. >> this is from me to you. >> personal delivery from santa? doesn't get better than that. >> see you tomorrow. >> survivors are picking up the pieces and counting their blessings across the south after devastating tornados tore three several states. as of now, christmas morning, 14 people are confirmed dead in mississippi, tennessee, and arkansas. good morning to you. >> kevin: tha-- thanks for join us. abby: merry christmas. i am abby huntsman. many survivors say it is a miracle they alive. one tornado damaged over a

hundred miles tossing trucks around like toys. rick is live from the new york newsroom. >> reporter: we first reported on the deadly weather yesterday along with the warm temperatures in the south and east setting records including a high of 72 on christmas eve. it will be mid-60s and clear here. but the weather spawned the twisters killing 14 people, 7 in mississippi, including a seven year old boy who was in a car that was picked up and tossed. six other died in tennessee and another in arkansas. many spent christmas eve surveying their lives. mississippi governor said dozens of search and rescue teams worked through the night and will stay on the job as long as needed >> our main assessment teams are on the ground trying to

determine the mount of damage that occurred from a monetary amount and how many homes have been damaged. we can get that information and bring in the preliminary damage assessment teams. >> reporter: flood water is a concern where the mississippi ral valley all the way to tennessee is flooding. you will see the possibility of isolated severe thunderstorms. a rough ride for the folks in the southeast where at christmas the biggest gift might be their lives or saving their home. >> the pope is calling on catholics and christians to spread the church's teachings of forgiveness. this as the christian worshipers

in the east mark the service located near where what is thought to be the birth place of christ. recent clashes between the palestinians has brought violence to the holy land. >> reporter: there were more clashes between palestinian p protesters in police in bethham after the service ended. there was the traditional mass at the church earlier today in be

beth bethleham. the message was peace amid the fighting between israelis and palestini palestinians. many hoped for a calm and peaceful christmas following the violence in the west bank yesterday. new reports of violence and attempted car ramming also in the west bank as well. because of this, today as part of his christmas message as you had mentioned, pope francis appealed for peace in the holy land calling on israelis and palestinians to resume he said direct dialogue and reach an agreement that would allow them to live together in harmony. we saw those reprecussions earlier in the week are are seeing them. back to you. abby: president obama enjoying his hawaiian vacation even finding time to hit the green. the commander and chief sending a message to americans to be

compassionate this christmas. kevin cork is live with more. good morning, kevin. >> reporter: good day to you, abby. good morning from honolulu. they are on their annual christmas vacation in hawaii and for the president that means golf. given the high pressure of the job, i imagine a few rounds on the links is probably a good thing. spending time with family and friends as well. the first family has a number of other holiday traditions including a special request for all of us as we. >> today like millions of americans and christians around the world our family celebrates the birth of jesus and the values he lived. treating one another with

compassion, caring for the sick, hungry, poor and persecuted, and the stranger in need of shelter, or just a simple acting of kindness. that is the spirit that binds us together not just as christians but americans of all faiths. >> reporter: we have seen the president spend a lot of time there fought just with the first lady but are veterans as well. many who have been hurt serving the country. and time with the kids as well. all part of the annual holiday tradition as the first family makes their way for to 50th state for a little r and r. for all of us working the early morning shift throughout the day, we are right by the ocean, so no compliants, but merry christmas to you and yours. abby: i was saying you better not be com plaining. it looks beautiful there as early as it might be. >> queen elizabeth giving her

christmas message to britain issuing a pre-recorded verse saying light can triumph over darkness. the queen noting moments of darkness referencing to the terror attacks in europe and the chaos in syria that is driving millions of refuges from their home. abby: and police say a long running dispute sparked a shooting inside a charlotte north carolina mall. an off-duty officer heard the shots inside the mall and confronted the man and the officer opened fire killing the 18 year old gunman. nobody else was hurt luckily. the police chief said it began with an argument between two groups of people. >> and a massive gas plant going up in nigeria killing as many as

a hundred people. the plant was crowded with long lines of people waiting to refill canisters to be able to cook with. officials say the inferno was possibly sparked by someone pail failing to follow the proper refilling procedures. abby: he is leading the race for the gop nomination but one columnist is warning that donald trump could spell the end of the conservative party. more america's news head quarters straight ahead on this christmas morning. >> i am stationed in kuwait. i want to say happy holidays to my friends and family back in new orleans, louisiana. go saints! go tigers! go tigers! ♪ everything kids touch during cold and flu season sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around.

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>> merry christmas to you and yours. these santas were having a fabulous christmas morning, christmas eve morning. surfs up. hundreds of santas not on sleds but on surf boards catching waves for the seventh annual surf event in cocoa beach, florida. 5,000 people showed up to catch

500 santas hanging ten and a few paragliding santas as well. and raising $40,000 local non-profits. abby: conservatives top priorities is to keep donald trump from becoming the nominee. in a washington post opt-ed it is said if trump wins it is over. trump has had almost a numbing effect. putin kills journalist and the united states kills terrorist. what is the difference? eric duncan -- eric ericson is

here. quite the opt-ed here calling donald trump a sad figure. this is what stood out to me he goes on to say if trump wins the nomination it would not mean another democratic presidency but also loosing what taft made possible. so in other words the end of the republican party as we know it. very strong words there. eric, what are your thoughts? >> i think we should not be blaming donald trump for the end of the conservative party when the republicansid a good enough job of doing it. donald trump wouldn't exist as a candidate if the republicans had not broken promises. they funded planned parenthood and obamacare and haven't stopped the president. donald trump exist in a world where republicans made promises to get themselves elected and repeatedly broken them. abby: eric, play it out.

we are getting close to the primaries. just a month or two away. it could be that we see donald trump as the nominee. what happens them? george will is one of the leaders in the republican party not wanting this to happen. what will they do? >> i think the odds are low he is the nominee given the polling in iowa with ted cruz and mark rubio and chris christie doing well in new hampshire. were he the nominee, a lot of republicans who told conservatives you have to suck it up and deal with the establishment candidate, they will pack up and go vote for hillary clinton or not vote at all. and they will expose themselves as hypocrites and probably give the race to hillary clinton. it will be the republican establishment handing the race to hillary clinton not donald trump. >> if you were helping out cruz or rubio or bush what would you

be telling them? how do you run against someone like donald trump who it seems he can get away with saying anything and the poll numbers keep going up? >> right. look at ted cruz's campaign. he had a playbook and he kept to a strategy and he is close to donald trump without every engaging trump. i believe the normal rules of politics apply and ultimately you have to have a ground game to get people to vote for you particularly when you are looking at people that don't consider themselves republican. if they don't show up in iowa or a saturday primary in south carolina when people are used to voting on tuesday donald trump is not going to get far. i think the fundamental rules of politics matter. abby: ted cruz and donald trump have been playing nice but how long is that going to last?

someone is going to throw the first punch. who is that going to be? when will it happen? >> i suspect donald trump might throw a punch at ted cruz. but they are getting along and may try to get along in iowa without it but if donald trump feels like he is loosing in iowa i suspect he will do something. according to the finance reports, trump doesn't have a pollster on staff so he may not have internal showing of how far down he is in iowa. abby: do you plan to endorse anyone? anyone in the field you think has what it takes to meet hillary? >> i would be happy with cruz or rubio. abby: thanks for being with us. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. and efforts to beat back isis' advances continues making

some progress in the middle east. but is it time finally to send in serious u.s. combat troops to help in the fight? we will examine that. and droughts in the west. they may be getting some relief. how the storms we are seeing this weekend could help solve what is becoming a potentially catastrophic problem. announcer: it's time to make room

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six american nato forces and serves as a reminder that country is still in a state of chaos. and a wave of violence going on in iraq as insurgeants try to retake parts of ramadi back. the united states sending 200 special forces to iraq. but the big question is is that anywhere near enough troops? fox news contributor and former advisor to four ambassadors in the united nations. on christmas you never want to talk about sending troops into the harm's way. but is 200 troops enough? >> first of all merry christmas to you, leland. we have the make decisions about military troop numbers without politics involved. we have military experts who can evaluate whether we have enough

troops. i don't think it is appropriate for republican or democratic presidents to bring their politics into the equation and force the military experts opinion off the table. we have heard there are a thousand isis troops in ramadi alone. think about that. a thousand troops in iraq in one area and yet we are only sending 200 special forces there and doing an air campaign. military experts across the board are saying this white house is not listening to their exp exp expertise. they give opinion about how many troop numbers. it is overruled by people like susan rice and ben rodes. i think it is important to take politics out and use the collin powell doctrine which is if you

are having to go in, and you should try not to take military action, but once you make the decision for troops to go in you have use overwhelming force. >> leland: that is what happened during the first gulf war with powell. look at what is happening now the decision about the u.s. troop involvement in various wars be it desert storm, the iraq war and the president promised to end the iraq and afghanistan war, we are intertwined with military decisions and how does the president pull it out? >> i think you have to listen to the dod and pentagon experts. we have had multiple secretary of defenses who have served president obama. not just one or two. but three have come forward to say that his white house is

being very political with their advise. i think the evidence proves this is a problem for president obama. is not unique to president obama. -- it -- other presidents, including republican presidents, have allowed politics to creep into it. you can not allow that to happen. >> leland: president obama promised he would end the iraq and afghanistan war. we have 10,000 troops in afghanistan still, give or take, that number was supposed to be drawn down, and we are sending troops back into iraq, you think the president is trying to run the clock out on the instruction and hoping nothing happens that forces his hand on some level? >> i think he is beholding to the promises he made in 2008 in the cornfields of iowa that he would end all wars. that is not something you do when you read the intelligence and decide to act according to the timely intelligence that you are getting every single

morning. so one of the ways to stop this is to make sure the national security advisor is not a political person. it needs to be someone who can balance the state department and the defense department's disagreements. that is why the national security advisor is there. we need to make sure they are not someone who is super political. susan rice always worked for democrats and she is partisan and that is one of the problems we have right now. >> leland: she received a lot of criticism especially on benghazi. enjoy christmas in palm springs where the weather looks nice. abby? abby: the shopping is over and the presents are open. now it is time for the after christmas sales and returns. what about the economy in 2016? more growth? or is a recession coming our way? we will take a look ahead. and hillary clinton finding a

nice present under the tree this year. a surge in the poll. is she about the lap the field in the democratic nomination? fox is america's presidential head quarters.

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oh, that smells so good. aw, and it tastes good, too. we can provide the right care, right at home. abby: welcome back. a very merry christmas to you. with the holiday shopping season drawing to a close it is time for a closer look at what we might expect from the economy next year. the federal reserve hiking the interest rates for the first time in a decade and oil and gas plummet. some experts worry about china and it will drag the economy down. i am joined by steve moore. a fox news contributor here. >> merry christmas. >> let's start with the oil prices remaining low. good news for consumer sales.

what does it mean bigger picture for the economy? >> i think the big story on the economy of 2015 was these dramatically lower gasoline prices. a little over a year ago we were all paying almost twice what we were paying at the gas pump. in chicago we are paying 1.89 a gallon and fought so long ago it was $4.00 a gallon. i call that a real stimulus to the economy. if you pay less at the gasoline pump you use more of that to go out to a restaurant or more retail shopping for christmas and so on. and this is the big story not only because it is really good for the industry and by the way the reason this is happening, abby, is america's shell oil gas boom is leading the world. within the next four or five years the united states of america would be energy independent so this is a big news story and just the

beginning of it. i see more of it in 2016. abby: there is also talk about a worldwide economic slow down. talk about that going into the 2016 and china's role in that. where do you see the economy going in china? >> china has beenrowing 10-11 percent for ten years. it is one of the great economic stories of the last ten years. but it is slowing down and they don't know how to deal with it in beijing. they don't get the free market thing and keep trying to have commanding and controlling interventions in the economy and i am unsure if they will work. i am not predicting a recession but a slowing closer to 3-5 percent which is still rapid growth but when you are used to growing at twice that rate it will feel like a recession. this reinforces, abby, the fact that the united states is still the global economic super power.

i am always asked if china is going to take over america's number one position and i don't see that happening. as slow as the growth has been in the united states, we are still the least rotten apple in the cart. abby: i will take it. there is a big election here in the united states around the corner. what impact does that have on our economy and also the global economy? i am sure it has impact. >> you asked if there was going to be a recession in 2016 and i am not going to predict. abby: please don't! >> i don't think we will have recession in 2016. but i think we will stay in this slow rut that we have been in with 2% growth which is kind of, you know, running fast or just staying in place. and i think the economy right now is on a holding period and

it will be for the next 10-11 months until we know who is going to win this next election. it is a big one. you have two parties that stand for different things. investors are standoffish and not wanted to put money into expanding their business until they know what happens. i think you have get a president rubio or cruz or trump in office i think the economy could take off at the end of the year and starting in 2017. abby: prediction there. and before we go. what can you expect from the real estate market? prices are high at least here in new york city. can we expect prices to drop? >> did you real estate? we want a robust housing market. what caused the last recession,

remember? when real estate prices crashed. as an investor, do you want your money in buying bonds that pay 2% interest rate? i like investing in real estate. i think the american housing is going to continue to do very well. i hope so because i own two houses i am trying to sell so i have to get rid of that house. and by the way, if the housing market crashed like it did in 2008-2009 it would cause a recession. but so far the last three months the housing data has been good. new home sales are good, construction numbers are pretty good. look, i guess i am pretty happy where the u.s. is right now economically. the one thing we really need, what we really need in 2016, americans need a pay raise. we are creating more jobs but the american workers haven't seen a pay raise in ten years. let's hope this christmas next year americans have more money in their wallet.

abby: i agree with you on that one. have a merry christmas. thanks for being with us. >> have a great day! >> leland: fox news is america's election head quarters. it is looking like a very merry christmas for hillary clinton under the tree for her in her campaign. new polls showing clinton surging after last weekend's democratic debate and after a week of sniping with republican frontrunner donald trump. the latest average of polls from real clear politics shows clint leading bernie sanders with 24 percentage point and o'malley a distant third. and we have two gentlemen to talk about this with us. merry christmas to you both. doug, first to you, with the new poll numbers, we are five weeks out until iowa, is this now hillary clinton's nomination to

lose? >> well, look, i think she is the clear frontrunner. the data you cite supports that. but in iowa there have been some polls in high single digits and she is loosing in new hampshire. here fear, coming from e-mail her campaign sent out, is she could lose one of two or two of two and make the race one shield she would win but more competitive and sanders would raise more money. i would not coronate hillary yet but it is a good bet. >> leland: to that end, brad, asas you look at the national polls, and you have every republican candidate just hammering away at hillary clinton. is that the right move for the republican candidates? should they feel as though whoever the democratic nominee

is we can beat her? is it right for rubio and these folks to focus on hillary? >> i don't think it is. you have to be selected by the party before elected by the people. and hillary clinton may get a lump of coal in her stocking because the fbi is investigating her for serious crimes and the democrats may rule the day if she is indicted about putting all her eggs in that basket. i am sure to get the nomination to win against republican it would be hard. hillary is not out of the woods yet. >> leland: does the fbi investigation, and a possible indictment that would be all but unprecedented against a presidential candidate this late in the race, is that something that worries team hillary? >> i think the president of the united states said he doesn't see any national security risk. there was certainly no criminal intent or intent to deceive as

far as i could see in anything that secretary clinton did. what she did was legal when he did it. but i think there is a larger issue here. i think in politics we have to move past the got you phase, particularly on christmas day, to look at the common problems as a nation and the challenges we face domestically and overseas and take this one day to look beyond the narrow politics of partisanship and celebrate what is great about america. >> leland: doug, do you have any equally amazing christmas pieces? >> we are at critical times economically and in national security. we cannot sweep things under the rug or say things are better than they actually are. as your previous guest said we are at a critical time in america. the next election is going to be determining where we go as a

nation. are we going to move forward or go back? it is nice to be nice at christmas time but at the end of the day when we wake up tomorrow we still have the same problems. merry christmas. >> what is great and unique about our experience i would like to say this is the greatest country in the world. we are the most powerful country with the most powerful military and i hope we can all join and say thank god for the united states of america. >> leland: hopefully in 2016 both of you come back to talk about whoever the president elect will be. >> i look forward to it. abby: parts of california hoping for a white christmas this year not just to get in the holiday spirit but to provide much-needed moisture to the drought-ridden state. some snow storms may help with that. will carr is live in our los angeles newsroom.

good morning to you, will. >> reporter: the gift that california really needs this year is more rain and snow especially after we have been dealing with this historic drought for the past four years that decimated the state. snow packed california gets 60% of its water from the snow pack in the mountain range. the snow melts and builds up the reservoirs. california and the west coast is seeing more snow and rain than previous years thanks to the el nino. the snow pack is higher than average which is something that hasn't happened in a while. the drought is not over but it is not stopping people. skiers and snow boarders hit the coast including mount hood in oregon where the conditions were perfect they said. >> last year was so bad we

didn't get to ski. >> way more snow than last year's whole total at this point. it is a great year. came up for skiing and snow boarding and mother nature hasn't disappointed. >> reporter: since we have snow this year, even saint nick hitting the slope in big bear, california before going all across the world to deliver gifts. the man has good move there is. abby: great moves there. will carr in los angeles. thank you. >> santa is a busy guy. generally good weather making for a relatively easy christmas travel week but wasn't a cheap trip or all that comfortable for a lot of fliers. a look ahead to next year's adventure a travel expert has great tips for you just after this christmas greeting. >> i am with the army core of

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>> good morning and welcome back. santa and his reindeer with getting company in the sky early this morning. a very rare christmas full moon helping light the way. it peeked just after 6 a.m. eastern time. it is the first full moon on christmas day since 1977. nasa says there will not be another christmas full moon until the year 2034. >> leland: lots of people hitting the road for holiday travel and many taking to the skies as well. that has a lot of folks thinking about the best deals on travel for next year. got to book ahead. now, get this. quite a few cutbacks have come

to airline royalty programs. the famed frequent flier points. gary has travel tips for the new year. bloger for view from the wing and co-founder of the mile high frequent flier program. are we at the point where the airline cut back on the program and you might as well by the cheapest ticket and head out? >> you have two things. while the programs themselves are less generous it makes sense. planes are generally full and the airlines are doing well and don't need to spend as much on marketing these days. i think the advice is the same as before. unless you are someone who travels a lot, 25,000 miles a year or more, where you can earn status and be treated better, by the ticket based on schedule and

price. but join them all. these are $20 bills left on the street. don't ignore the programs because they provide value. >> people may leave pennies but not $20 bills on the street too often. is there a way to maximize what you can get out of the programs? take the loyalty programs? you pay an annual fee but it seems look it adds up to be worth it. >> if you do fly one airline with some regularty maybe not enough to earn status but you travel four to six times a year getting the credit card of the airline you travel with the most is a good idea. priority bording and free checked back in the case of united a couple lounge passes per year can be helpful and provide value. get the card. doesn't mean it is the most valuable to put spending on but if you have the airline credit

card they will treat you almost like the passenger that flies 25,000 a year. the best cards are the ones that let you transfer points to a variety of airlines you can pick later. chase rewards or star wood preferred guest points transferred based on where you want to go and when has the award when you book. >> leland: last question, oil prices are at an all-time low. are people at the point where you can book further ahead for 2016 travel? are prices only going up going into the 2016 or a way to come down mid-year? >> on the whole prices are lower than they were a year ago. the airlines are betting oil is not going up too quickly. what i would say is you want to know what a trip you want to book usually cost so you can evaluate whether or not something is a good deal when

the price comes along that is better than usual book that knowing you are getting a good deal and you can jump right away because the best deals come along every few months but don't last when they do. >> leland: nor do $20 bills on the street last long. thank you, sir. >> happy holidays. >> leland: merry christmas to you and yours. abby: it has been a year since the united states moved to reestablish ties with cuba and one opportunity might be in the car business. we go to havana to look at the famed classic car culture which for decades made due with pre-embargo automobiles. pre-embargo automobiles. three spreadsheets later, you finally bring home the one... then smash it into a tree. your insurance company is all too happy to raise your rates... maybe you should've done a little more research on them. for drivers with accident forgiveness,

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er >> leland: taking a dip on christmas day may sound according to the script weird or a lot weird unless you live in florida. in germany, it is an annual thing for the berlin seal. they hit the lake in northeast berlin. temperatures are around 40 degrees fahrenheit. abby huntsman is ready to leave the set and ready to go. abby: how much do you have to drink before that? >> leland: lots of egg nog before and brandy after. abby: if there is one thing cuba has a lot of it is classic cars. u.s. car makers haven't been

able to sell there since the embargo. it has been a year since the u.s. announced normalized relations with cuba so what has changed? rich checked it out first hand and has the story. >> reporter: now there is interest from americans and classic car collectors and businesses that want to sell cuban's america car parts. auto manufacturers were banned from selling there and there are newer chinese models but an esmated pre-1960 american classics. most are now as much cuban as they are american fitted with diesel engines and layers of poorly executed paint jobs. for the demand for the american cars, one classic car insurer writes the frankenstein cars interest many.

the cars have been kept running for 50 plus years with very little resources available. they are not original but have a great story to tell. and u.s. auto parts are traveling to cuba hoping to one day sell the car owners american parts. >> a lot has to take place for us to do business. but again, these early stakes and we are excited to see how it goes on and how it will develop. after the changes start happening hopefully we can go with it. >> reporter: cubey is still a state planned economy. abby: pretty good stuff there. thanks for that report, rich, we appreciate it. >> leland: on this christmas day, people across the south rebuilding their lives quite

literally after powerful and deadly storms rip across several states. we will have the latest coming up. ..

>> wave of severe weather leaves 14 people dead, high wind and tornadoes pounding the southeast killing 7 people in mississippi, six in tennessee and one in arkansas. whether issue is expected to last the weekend. welcome to this special edition of america's news headquarters on christmas day. leland: merry christmas, thanks for spending the day with us. is a miracle that they survived the deadly storms, many spending their christmas morning rather than opening presents cleaning up the mess that has been left

behind. >> i don't know. it just took -- destroyed the house. leland: 14 people dead, rick leventhal has more. >> reporter: conditions don't get much better today or tomorrow for many folks suffering in the southeast including those people in alabama, arkansas, tennessee, kentucky, prolonged downpours, flash flooding with possibility of isolated severe thunderstorms. >> instead of renting presents christmas eve storm victims picking up the pieces after numerous clusters and the storms ripped a path of destruction across the south. is included a 7 year boy who a car was picked up and thrown by the wind. feel better his wife and hunkered down and safest place in the home.

>> i got in the shower, jumped the guy on him, just modest. >> assessment teams have been on the ground for a full day and night serving the homes of hundreds of businesses as search and rescue teams and for survivors and more victims. floodwaters have been rising in alabama, more flash floods are a major concern for several states where heavy rains continue to pound the mississippi valley through virginia. in the northeast as you know, very different story, high of 72 yesterday, the warmest christmas eve after smashing the old record of 63 set nearly 20 years ago still in the 60s today so if anyone want that the white christmas in the northeast, head west. >> sage and insightful advice,.

abby: a mountain pass in washington state east of seattle was closed from north bend to ellensburg, at trees leading to the roadway and high avalanche danger, the westbound lanes shortened after 1 a m early this morning. two feet of snow have fallen in the area for the past 24 hours. >> unbelievable what weather is going on, might not be a white christmas the snow is in a forecast, including texas. texas area, they don't say this with other forecasters, 100% chance, making early preparations, and placing surfaces, they are calling everyone into service, the forecast is calling for 5 to 8

inches of snow. abby: unbelievable. someone enjoying some great weather, president obama was vacationing in hawaii hitting links in hiking trails during the stay on the island, in the holidays, kevin court live in honolulu with others enjoying lovely weather. >> one of the major traditions is to get out and spend time with loved ones, family and good stuff this morning, and football, but not going to do that. they practice the art of giving, give his 2 girls, and a lot of golf, and knocking in that 40 foot ship off of the fringe the other day, but far more importance than getting out on the golf course commander in

chief is the encouragement of annual christmas message which he delivered this year with the first lady. >> what holidays are about. coming together as american family celebrating blessings and values we hold dear. during this season we honor all those who defend values in the country uniform. everyday grave men and women keep us safe and said to their families. >> as sing carols and open presence -- >> no loose snowball fights. >> those who have given the country so much. go to joining forces.gov to see how you conserve the troops, veterans and military families in your community. >> that web site is joining forces.gov. see what you can do if anything at all, you can give your time ago to the web site and see how you can help a veteran or family

veteran joining forces.gov. back to you. >> message we need to hear, thanks so much. >> a look ahead to the 2016 presidential race, candidates have momentum going into the new year. the latest polling out of iowa, a month from now shows ted cruz leading the republican field with 30%, donald trump right behind him followed by marco rubio. the weekly standard, we had this break, ten days the swing christmas and new year's, is that bad from ted cruz, roaring up not only in iowa but nationally as well? >> there's a way to take advantage of it, hits the road

in iowa continues to hit 99 counties in iowa. he has a lot of momentum and when you talk to ted cruz people, they still believe they are a lot more persuaded old voters and the numbers are going to grow. there's a lot of pressure and ted cruz to carry the momentum in the new year to grow his supporters, it is expected he will win this race, a lot of pressure on him by racing to the iowa caucus, and a lot of people out to get him. >> expectations are high like that, it does create issues. if we look at the iowa caucus, the top three folks, ted cruz, donald trump, marco rubio, look at head the head matches, each of those people against hillary clinton most likely, the democratic nominee, the only one who consistently wins head to head in the national role is

marco rubio, does that matter in states like iowa, truly fundamental, very hardcore republicans heading offer caucuses. >> we don't know how this will play out. so far doesn't appear to be a big factor for most electable republicans. it has affected to help mitt romney, the most electable republican in the field, he lost, and they think this is not a factor to take into consideration when deciding who to vote for because it doesn't work out so well. it is a good case for marco rubio to make, i beat hillary head to head, you may have your disagreements with me but let's win this thing for the republican side. ted cruz, donald trump will try different kind humans because they are falling short head to head, but doing better with republican voters, leading in iowa and nationally.

>> want to get your thoughts on the democratic race, post last democratic debate hillary surged forward in her numbers nationally. quintin 51.3, martin o'malley all the way down, i was specific, national spread is even larger for mrs. clinton. are we at the point and now where there's not much that can be real hillary clinton? you are an expert in this and i want your thoughts. is she worried about the fbi investigation, e-mails coming back in those kinds of things? >> the fbi investigation is a big unknown. you don't know what is going to happen, no one knows what will happen. leave that aside. it is hard to consider what you don't know. we do know hillary clinton seems to have nomination very close to wrapped up. she has to win the state, a big factor but bernie sanders, his star has faded.

he was winning in iowa months ago, no longer is, he is still winning in new hampshire. and in other states, she is winning the black vote and a lot of democratic constituencies and have to be competitive to win it democratic primary. it is hard to see how hillary would lose this thing but a lot of things are unknown. we talked last year at this time, we never would have predicted donald trump in this position where he is so we don't know what is in store for the year ahead. that is fun about falling politics. >> we will have a lot of fun talking about attended doesn't keep us from talking about it. thanks for coming in on christmas. thanks to your young family on this christmas. abby: remember when donald trump said this about the media? >> i hate some of these people but i would never telthem.

these people i will be honest, i would never kill from. i would never do that. abby: we will look at his colorful relationship with folks in the news business and how it is playing out. sent that may be immune to spring weather conditions fedex is not. many employees are working overtime this holiday season. >> major eric carson from the corps of engineers in afghanistan. i wish my wife chris and my two boys from nebraska merry christmas and happy new year. i love you guys, miss you. you're here to buy a car.

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ptsd synthetics employees are volunteering to play santa today after the delivery giant failed to get all the packages delivered in time for christmas morning. heavy storms especially in the south cause major problems for companies trying to deal with the increasing number of last-minute orders. who doesn't have their presents this morning? >> reporter: if you are waiting for some packages to arrive by christmas there is still hope. fedex will be delivering packages today, christmas day and opening some fedex offices so you can go in and pick up the

office in person. and an unexpected surge in last-minute holiday shopping, the official statement, quote, fedex doing everything possible to that customer shipments by christmas in spite of slight delays to to heavy demand, last-minute shipping volume and severe weather outbreaks in some areas of the u.s.. some ups packages were delayed as well but this one and social media, fedex is the bigger grinch this season, the account is flooded with those furious that their packages didn't make it in time for christmas morning. one person wrote fringe of the season goes to fedex who didn't meet the 4:30 p.m. deadline for applause are as deliberately someone else said fedex, you are the worst delivery service at her. ten days to get one, one poun package and still not here. thanks for ruining my bottle girl's christmas. so far the company has not said how many deliveries it could not make but the numbers are

estimated to be in the tens of thousands. i won't name names but i know someone in my family is still waiting for a shipment is what about you? abby: ptsd i won't from anyone under the bus, part of the christmas spirit. hopefully you can wrap a picture together of the gift or something. abby: it is almost as good. ptsd almost. abby: donald trump giving the media a lump of coal. leland: very dishonest. >> you have gone from calling journalists come and sleazebag -- >> not strong enough. abby: despite comments like that reporters cannot get enough of mr. trump's toxic though it may be this relationship proving to be mutually beneficial for both sides. networks get the ratings,

websites, trump gets the free publicity. let's talk about this with the chief political correspondent at the conservative review and fox news contributor and a senior strategist at show and consulting and democratic pollster. welcome, you guys and merry christmas. i was just thinking this reminds me of the kardashians in a way. if you are a magazine website or something you know if you talk about them, print them it will get the clicks, same with donald trump. what do you do? same in this case. >> an obligation to the kardashian, donald trump, not this morning but in general i find the more entertaining and less threatening to the future of the world but yes, the media needs donald trump and donald trump needs the media. and shouldn't discount fact that this is what the people want, he is leading in the polls,

americans are sick of the washington works and they like his candor and his inappropriateness and telling it like it is. i am not a huge fan of his policies as not detail as they may be but he has the formula down and no one else can compete with it. abby: you talk to people and they can't believe he is leading in the polls, but people you talk to are like shocked by as this and don't seem to be on board. who are these people that continue to want him to be president? >> donald trump has tapped into american frustration, how he comes up with what he says, being straightforward, straight shooter and putting issues on the map that the media does not want to talk about, this love/hate relationship with donald trump, he sees america's disdain for the media. public lock step with progresses

and the government policies, the media in support of a cultural mentality and so i think donald trump tapped into the frustration americans are seeing because the media is supposed to be unbiased and we are not seeing that. abby: people love him because he is hard on the media and is willing to push back. he would not kill a journalist. very kind of him. >> time and time again he gets away with saying things. ted cruz has benefited from this, called out the media during the cnbc debate when asking about the issues and his cartoon in response about his children where he has hillary walking the two dog labeled washington post and new york times, people eat that stuff up. ted cruz fund-raising, donald trump, the rest of the candidates need the media more than they do, the establishment even on the right, i know you say the media is in the pocket of the left but the

establishment of their people are out there, ted cruz, jeb bush may still have a chance, leading a here. they are in best position to say you got it all wrong. abby: you think the media is treating donald trump fairly? >> i don't and i believe it is because he is forcing the media to talk about issues they would not normally report on. sanctuary cities, americans were not aware of the dangers involved with sanctuary cities when it comes to illegal immigrants, killing innocent americans, he is putting these issues front and center so americans know what is going on and i think that is why the media does not like donald trump but they love him for the ratings. abby: he is number one in the polls and a lot of people in this country are resonating with what donald trump is saying.

thank you for being with us. we appreciate it. back to you. leland: the royal family is nothing if not traditional. the question -- christmas custom they did not want to miss and pope francis's latest christmas mass and his message to folks. cash card from capital one. i earn unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy for my studio. ♪ and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means thousands of dollars each year going back into my business... that's huge for my bottom line. what's in your wlet?

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thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. abby: the royal family keeping with tradition, and prince charles to church service, george and charlotte stayed home. about 1,000 people enjoying today's festivities which include playing the british national anthem and several hymns. leland: pope francis paying for peace in his christmas message, spoke to thousands of faithful from the balcony of st. peter's

basilica and called on catholics worldwide to spread the church at teaching of forgiveness. meantime were addressed in the middle east mark this database service that the church of the nativity. on huddy live in jerusalem where the holy land is not that peaceful this christmas. >> reporter: no it isn't. there are prayers for peace today during the mass at the church of the nativity but there was violence once again. i will get to that in a moment but first as you mentioned there was the mass this afternoon at the biblical birthplace of jesus, the nativity, the last patriarch of jerusalem lead today's masse. as serene scene, the music and for air a bid the political unrest and ongoing violence and as we mentioned the violence continued today, palestinian protestors clashed with police at the israeli border, and

church of the nativity, breaking what many hoped would be a calm and peaceful christmas in the holy land, this following yesterday's violence on the west bank and several attacks on israelis. today as part of his christmas message pope francis mentioned appeals for peace in the holy land calling on israelis and palestinians to resume direct dialogue and reach an agreement that would, quote, enable the two people to live together in harmony if there was a conflict that would long said that odds with grave repercussions and that braver grieve for pet -- grave repercussions this evening, reports of yet another attack in the west bank where israeli police shot and killed a palestinian woman they say tried to ram her vehicle into a group of police officers trying to according to israeli officials control rioting that has been going on there as well. leland: going on in the west bank even on christmas day. john huddy live in jerusalem,

thanks. patty: 15 snowstorms mean good news for the midwest, have the weather could bring relief from a record drought. leland: a new survey revealing americans's biggest fear is heading into 2016. top of the list the threat of homegrown terrorism. we will take a look at the latest incidents around the country that are fueling those very real fear is.

connell: leland: thanks for staying with us this christmas day. new information is coming out and a survey reveals america's biggest fear is heading into the new year. the top of the list the threat of hunger and terrorism. this on the heels of the deadly attack in san bernardino calif.. radicalize couple opened fire at a christmas party killing 14 people and wounding many more. we will keep an eye on other terror cases in the u.s..

i-man in the suburb of fremont accused of wanting to go to syria to join an al qaeda of the elliott, in rochester, new york trying to recruit for isis, a man in harrisburg, pa. charged with offering material support for isis. joining us is fox news least terror analyst. first of all, merry christmas to you and yours. is this right as folks bartokian today, is it right for them to be scared? >> is right for all americans to be concerned and project, near, medium or far future, no reason we think is over, but the concern should not develop into full fear, paralyzing, always concentrate and work with law-enforcement and lawmakers to have a better defense against these attacks. >> when you talk about fear shouldn't be paralyzing you walk around streets of new york city,

in part to resembles an armed camp, every couple of blocks, teams of police officers with automatic weapons and those kinds of things. in some level are we giving in to the terrorists by having these measures the change our way of life? >> the reason we have these deployments in urban areas across america and new york and washington is because we don't know who is going to come, where the next wave is going to be. what we need to do is push forward in to where are the lines of defenses and with congress and european parliament we need to begin much earlier when the radicalized radicalization begins, the radicalized couple in san bernardino had been known before we didn't have to deploy later. leland: had we known before the state department didn't go as far as to look into social media before she came over here. in the coming years are we going to have to change and be willing

to trade a little political correctness for a little safety? >> what is politically correct is uninformed, the public is uninformed the administration should change the policy. once the administration, this or the next one would say this is the ideology, we have no fear of political incorrectness. leland: for this administration to start saying what we are dealing with his radical islam and call it what it is as the british and others? >> the british, french and egyptian and saudi and moroccans, the only ones who are not identifying this ideology. we are simply not doing it. once we do it, the next administration can begin a different project. leland: when you talk about a different ball game do you mean all of a sudden social media postings about jihad, radical islam would be a reason not to allow someone into the country,

those kinds of things? >> on facebook and other social media we see a narrative that corresponds to the jihadists, not researched one, of course it is the red flag. that is how all other nations are working, china, russia, indiana, the only ones not doing it. kerri surprising to me. leland: when we think of these cases that come the rep, so and so arrested for providing support for isis of wanting to fight for isis, those are the known, we have known about these people, the investigation, some numbers said the fbi has 1,000 people under investigation. do you get the feeling that the fbi and our intelligence services know about all the isis sympathizers in the united states or are we waiting another case of unknown, slipping through the cracks? >> very difficult question to answer but let me give a shot at. the fbi knows everything it can

know about. the fbi is not backed with the capacity for the ideology, then we have a much wider pool of jihadists. what the fbi is doing, every individual planning on going to syria or iraq training, doing a fabulous job but the government administration needs to give the public a much wider scope that is the ideological radicalization method working hand-in-hand with the fbi and other agencies to have a better defense for the nation. leland: your expert in middle east, the arguments of the administration come back, if we call it radical islam that plays into isis and somehow isis thinks we are in a religious war and helps the recruiting. does that logic make sense to you or is it just political court miss run amok? >> not even political correctness. these other talking points of the muslim brotherhood. the administration taking advice from scholarship, let me give you an example.

i met -- i met with ideologues and people in government in the middle east and that is what they are doing. how can the administration say if we do it the muslim world will be enraged the queue leaders of the muslim world are doing it. it is a surprise to many. leland: fascinating insight that deserves more thought, we hope you will come back and talk about it. >> thank you for having me. abby: a series of powerful snowstorms bringing drought relief for much of the west. many people have been under strict water restraint for quite some time but not experts a larger than expected snowfall could be just the thing after historic routes that in some areas have gone on for years. will carr is live for as in los angeles. >> reporter: merry christmas. california is in the midst of a historic four year drought.

they need more rain and snow. thanks to the el nino we have seen a decent amount recently creating dangerous driving conditions for drivers but over the last four years the drought has decimated its snowpack. you can see the difference from 2010 compared to 2015, the majority of the snow has vanished. california gets 60% of its water from the snowpack in the sierra nevada mountain range. snowmelt and brings filling streams and reservoirss. big news this year california and a lot of the west coast seeing more snow than previous years thanks to the el nino and sierra nevada is higher than average for this time of year, something that hasn't happened for a while. the drought is far from over but no skiers and snowboard is hit the slopes on christmas eve, all up and down the west coast including mount hood and oregon, they say the conditions -- >> i didn't get up last season.

the greatest snow year, couldn't ask for much better than first day this year. >> way more snow than last year. is the great year. >> skiing and snowboarding, mother nature hasn't disappointed. >> reporter: santa claus stop to take a couple runs in christmas eve, i knew he could fly at you see on one of the ranks he made a major jump. abby: he is pretty talented. fresh powder from utah, some of my favorite things, we appreciate it. leland: who has been trying to stay away from the eggnog? maybe you shouldn't worry about it so much after all. there is no evidence showing alcohol can be healthy. i have been talking about this

for a long time. much more authoritatively shall we say person, a true doctor would tell you an extra glass of eggnog. abby: there joining in on the festivities and celebrate christmas in the u.s.. >> i am captain jesse pitts with the special operations task force in afghanistan. i want to wish my husband in new mexico and my family, mom, dad, cannot, eleanor, whitney of very merry christmas.

abby: involved with a drink or two the holiday season, moderate alcohol consumption is not harmful for most people. it can actually be good for you.

i say moderate, at nyu school of medicine, joins us now. christmas morning a lot of people watching this with a minos on hand or a nod. good news from the steady. as long as it is in moderation you shouldn't go to bed feeling guilty about having a drink. >> most of this research is from red wine. the idea that if you have certain chemicals in red wine might help blood flow to your heart. that is a good thing. there are other studies that show alcohol can improve your good cholesterol. there are positive effects to alcohol but it is confusing for most people. a new survey out every wheat contradicting itself. >> kind of shed some light on it. think of a lot of these studies, for the most part doctors don't give the patients alcohol to see what happens. in a drug trial you might take a large group of people and put them up so half get the drug and half don't. in this case what they do is

look at what patients are doing to begin with, the benefit and the harm. the first large study that was done under this was in the 90s, the attendant to 75,000 people and compared people who drake one to two drinks per week to weather on amounts. people who drink that amount did a lot better than those who drank heavily and they did better than the folks who didn't drink at all. this duck out to me in a survey. i want to pull this a. it says both consumed three or more drinks a day at a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease but a higher mortality rate overall. help explain that one. >> there might be some benefits to the heart from alcohol. there is risk to the heart as well but think about it, what put the affects of alcohol? it helps the heart in some ways, it can damage the liver. if you have problems with heartburn or pancreas it can make that worse or it can affect your nerves. i don't want to come out totally in favor or against alcohol but

it is a mixed bag and people who have those problems, the doctor tells them not to drink whereas if you tell them to drink limit how much they are drinking, those folks might not be in this research because they will not drink that much to begin with. lea: you enjoy a glass of wine or two. with the drinks and a better than the others? red wines at the top of the list. >> sometimes they group red wine inert, it is not as beneficial as red wine but in terms of other alcohol a lot of this group all drinks together but we know it depends how much you drink of these things they can come out differently but if you drink a lot of beer, at a lot of calories, you might lose some of the benefits that if you are putting a lot of weight that could put other risk factors in your way. abby: not too many eggnogs. >> in moderation. abby: what is moderation mean? >> to different people it can mean different things. some folks take one or two

drinks a week but other studies they say up to three drinks at a time. it depends on the person. some people might be lightweight and feel if they have one drink that is more than enough. other people take three drinks and it is okay but if you take more than three drinks in anyone sitting that would be you, more concern. abby: leland has been very excited for this study. i will throw it back to you and you can enjoy a drink or two after the show today. leland: finally some news, everything in moderation including moderation. there you go. coming up, an extra special christmas for hundreds of refugees families in utah thanks to local community members who donated everything from diapers to tool is to clothing and do was all up for grabs at any event they called a shepherd's healthy, truly fabulous. data lawrence from our fox affiliate was there. >> reporter: trying to stay warm

as long lines wrapped around the gym waiting for this. thousands of presents, and rapped so refugee mothers and fathers can take out the perfect gift for their children. hundreds of volunteers organized gift-giving events, a first of its magnitude to serve you taught at refugees. philip need not is playing santa for his wife and children. >> four boys. >> reporter: he left his home in sudan in 1987 escaping civil war. >> people get killed and very scared and the killing. >> reporter: with the help of the utah refugee center philip and his wife are raising children here and he has long term goals. >> coming here was the dream of going to school to make myself an educated person. >> reporter: that is not all. even though he is home safe here

in utah his real home is back in africa and he will never forget what he left behind. >> the community, i want to help people back there. >> reporter: today's outpouring of generosity from our community reminds philip of the generosity he plans to give back one day soon whether it is the holidays or not. >> everybody needs help. i am very glad for them to. leland: it helps those who are giving as well. that was from salt lake city. as you think about that story that is what the holidays are about. abby: it should be that way every day of the year. leland: we can all dream. abby: stuck in a time warp thousands of vintage american cars still rolling down the streets of cuba with relations

between the u.s. and cuba, what it means for those classic cars. leland: santa stretching his legs, there is, the high seas, but little recreation time after all this time. there they are.

abby: cuba has a lot of classic american cars because of persons the economic blockade started in the 60s u.s. carmakers of not been able to sell their. the country is filled old

vehicles raids with odd parts to keep running. it has been a year since the u.s. announced normalize relations with cuba so what has changed? rich edson in havana to see firsthand and is here with the story. >> reporter: there are americans hoping there becomes a market to buy classic cars, to sell american car parts. 1959 fidel castro seized power in cuba and block ought to manufacturers from selling their. the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 free 1960 american classics are now so called frankenstein cars featuring japanese diesel engines, spray paint jobs and other unintended parts. since the u.s. reestablished diplomatic ties with cuba this past year american companies have been visiting the island exploring potential business opportunities. auto parts companies are among them. >> you can see cars here from

the late 60s, a lot of cars from russia, korea, very diverse. not the same, we can adapt to that. >> reporter: parts companies hope to sell in cuba, others are looking to buy. one classic car ensure rights, quote, the holy grail would be finding one of the race cars from the queue but grand prix from 1957, 1958 and 1962 secondly would be to find that ultimate free in 1960, stashed away is that would make a perfect survivor car or perfect car for restoration. for those buyers and sellers bear are obstacles, the u.s. embargo remains in place, opponents of president obama's cuba policy say this only enriches its compressive regime. also cuba remains a communist country with a state-controlled economy. abby: i want to go to havana. leland: it would be interesting especially before it changes as it possibly will over the next couple days.

we of scenes and the do lot of things, snowboarding, surfing, get this, now he is out on his water skis. who knew the big guy would be so nimble on the water with his reindeer riding across the potomac river in washington. old-time on his chair for tricks by the elves and hopefully he can have some fun now all of the presents have been delivered. that takes work but at least it is warmer in washington so that if you fall into the potomac -- on the budget is the. abby: the air shares are to do, i was never able to answer the air chair. leland: my view of you has been crushed. one thing we can do is give you all of christmas, this is for free, this is two hours of you and i coming up. the "outnumbered" special, we

will see you back here in an hour. ♪ everything kids touch during cold and flu season sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox.

>> merry christmas this is "outnumbered". i am andrea tantaros and with the is harris falkner, host of kennedy on fox business, a kennedy, editor of townall.com, katie pavlik and one lucky guy, a veteran trial attorney and fox news legal analyst peter johnson jr. and you are "outnumbered" on this christmas. merry christmas. >> merry christmas, everybody at home. >> like the cat in low window. >>