>> happy new year. don't drink too much and we'll wear sunscreen. that's the advice. >> great year to come. >> happy new year. >> that does it for us. i'm eric shawn. >> i'm arthel neville. thank you for watching. thank you, docs. >> thank you. mother nature's fury, severe storms usually not seen until the spring strike the south leaving a deadly trail of destruction, be the very latest in the fox news extreme weather center. threatening message, the leader of isis taunts the u.s. in a new video, but on the ground, isis is losing territory in iraq and syria. >> and 2016 candidates speak out this holiday weekend including donald trump. he continues his war of words with hillary clinton. what he said on fox news today. welcome to "america's news headquarters."

i'm shannon bream. we're in washington today as usual. >> as usual. beautiful day in washington. hope you're having a great post christmas weekend. i'm leland vittert. thank you for spending your sunday with us. >> at least 11 people are reported dead, 15 injured after tornadoes ripped through the dallas area this christmas weekend. as many as 11 different tornadoes touched down leaving a violent path of destruction. cars tossed off highways, homes flattened, 50,000 people now without power. in the garland suburb, more than 600 structures are damaged. most of them houses. some of them reduce ed to rubble. several of the twisters touched down after dark and that just added to the chaos. >> you could see the transformers blowing up and few things popping. you can only see when the lightning went off, when the power went out, it was pitch black. >> sounded like a freight train coming through. it was just, i mean, it was astonishing the way it came

through. just shocking, just heard everything just shaking, rattling and rolling. >> the tornado kacapped off a christmas week that saw devastating storms across the southeast. janice dean is tracking it all. >> hi, shannon. the threat for severe weather again this afternoon and tonight. we have a tornado watch in effect east of the dallas area. but we also have a tornado warning within that watch box. seeing some rotation on doppler radar, you need to be listening very closely to your local weather forecast, especially if you live in texas, as well as lieu lieu and arkansas. behind this, very cold conditions and a lot of snow. blizzard warnings up for new mexico. texas and oklahoma. your severe threat, damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes, we have an enhanced risk here east of houston, up to shreveport and then around the arklatex across the gulf coast.

tomorrow, the tornado threat diminishes a little bit, but we still could see some isolated twisters in parts of alabama up towards kentucky and tennessee and the panhandle of florida. so not out of the woods just yet. the flooding is going to be a concern. 4 to 6 inches of heavy rainfall will cause flash flooding. we have flood advisories, flood warnings, flood watches up for over a dozen states and here in the deep shade of maroon, that is a flash flood warning. so flooding is occurring, it is imminent and that continues to stretch across the ohio valley, the great lakes as well. on the cold side of this, we were talking about the snow, 6 to 12 inches in some areas 18 and you can see we have a narrow band of snow, but with that, we could see very gusty winds and blizzard conditions and between the rain and the snow, the risk for ice. and in some cases a quarter of an inch to half an inch of ice is going to make travel

impossible over parts of the central u.s. and then in towards the midwest, south of the chicago area. and this is monday at 6:00 p.m. it is going to happen throughout the day. so icing is going to be a major issue. again, forecast precipitation several inches of rain, several feet of snow in some areas and with the blowing snow, blizzard conditions are happening. we have blizzard warnings in the red here. ice storm warnings in the purple. and from texas all the way up to the upper midwest, we have winter storm advisories. so a multifaceted storm, shannon, we'll be watching it throughout the afternoon and this really won't exit until tuesday when finally we will have better conditions for travel. but i know people are trying to travel now, they just need to stay put if they're in any of these warning areas. back to you. >> as you said, just listen very closely to the warnings and obey them. always the best advice, thank you so much. okay, shannon. >> leland.

>> in northern england, a month's worth of rain has fallen in just a matter of days, causing the worst flooding in that country in 70 years. the military came in to evacuate thousands of people from their homes after a river swollen with rain overwhelmed the protective flood barriers. >> we're dealing with an incredibly serious situation. what just happened, the level of the rivers, plus the level of rainfall has created an unprecedented effect and very serious flooding. this time of year, particularly, we all feel huge sympathy with those flooded and never had to leave their homes. >> the prime minister you just saw there pledging more military help as the severe flooding remains a threat still today. >> people in southern california are returning home today after getting word that a dangerous wildfire is mostly contained. 400 firefighters in ventura county battled the blaze which started friday night from a downed power line. it is now about 60% contained.

about 50 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders but none were damaged. meanwhile, across the globe, people in victoria, australia, are returning home to a much more devastating scene. a wildfire there destroyed 116 homes on christmas day. the good news, no one was injured. we are waiting to see if and how the obama administration will respond to what could be described as a taunting message from the leader of the islamic state. purported audio of abu bakr al baghdadi says the coalition is doing well. kevin cork traveling with the president who is on vacation in hawaii right now. kevin, anyone from the administration willing to get in the sand box on this one? >> usually you don't get that sort of back and forth, right, leland? you and i have covered this sort of story for quite some time. what generally happens is the

administration will sort of be hands off because you don't want to get in an elevation circumstance where you're making the message more important by actually responding to every message that you hear. this 24 minute audio recording basically has baghdadi proclaiming the resilience of isis forces and it comes by the way amid a backdrop of reports that iraqi security forces, leland, have been able to retake the government complex in the center of ramadi. if that's true, that's an enormous victory because that scene as isis' last remaining stronghold in that western city. as you pointed baghdadi, as the fierce battle continues, there is a fierce debate here, state side, about the wisdom of using ground forces to eradicate isis. >> i think we can do this with special operations in the forefront and trying to help organize coalitions and those people on the ground like the

iraqis, like the saudis, like the jordanians and egyptians who want to join the fight and to do this for us, the boots on the ground for us. if we don't do that quickly, isis will continue to thrive and baghdadi will be right. >> i would expect al baghdadi to say that. we had some impact. but overall, probably right. after 15 months of -- 16 months of air attacks bit u.s., had minimal inpact on isis, considering how long the attacks have been going on. >> keep this also in mind there, leland. now there are more special forces, operators on the ground that seems to be working, at least in some pockets and if iraqi security forces have been able to reclaim ramadi, that would probably be the biggest victory for them since the terror group swept across the country in 2014. one last note, the hunt for baghdadi continues. >> continues, we'll see if the israelis get involved. they were threatened in this latest message as well. kevin cork traveling with the president, thanks, kevin. we're learning that on christmas day the department of

defense launched a series of air strikes on isis in iraq and syria. 17 strikes in all targeting islamic state tunnels, explosive manufacturing sites, bridges and fighting outposts. five of the strikes were in syria, 12 in iraq, all u.s. aircraft returned safely. the short christmas vacation is over if it ever started for presidential candidates. many wrapped up the holiday weekend, making the rounds on the sunday morning talk shows. and then heading right back out on the campaign trail for this week between christmas and new year's. kristen fisher is tracking them all. any bombshells this morning on the sunday shows? >> anytime donald trump is on the sunday show there is usually a few bombshells and i've got one, because for a while now donald trump has been hinting he may use bill clinton's history

with women against hillary. when hillary said today -- excuse me, sorry, when hillary said that, you know, trump had a penchant for sexism, trump warned, be careful and indeed last night trump moved forward from a warning to really a full blown attack. he said on twitter, hillary clinton announced she is letting her husband out the campaign, but he's demonstrated a penchant for sexism. so inappropriate. trump then went on fox and friends and said bill clinton is fair game in 2016. >> i think he is fair game because his presidency was really considered to be very troubled to put it mildly because of all of the things that she's talking to me about. she's mentioning sexism. i don't -- certainly bill clinton is not going to be the end all in the campaign and he'll come under attack, not just from me, he'll be coming under attack from many other people. >> clinton's campaign has not responded. this morning on meet the press, debbie wasserman schultz said

any candidate who uses bill clinton as a negative does so at their own peril. and bernie sanders gave this classic response -- >> i tell you what, we're going to let my wife jane out and i think hillary is going to be a real, real trouble. >> ben carson's campaign is showing some signs of trouble, a few days ago carson said everything including personnel changes might be on the table. he doubted that a bit today on face the nation, but still said that changes to his campaign are coming. >> there will be some alterations, you know, we have been looking in every particular area. one thing i want to do is have a much more robust response to attacks, particularly when they are false. and, you know, we have taken a nonchalant attitude toward that. i think that's the wrong thing to do. >> if carson is serious about making some alterations, he

needs to move fast, the first nominating caucus, the iowa caucus, 36 days away. but who is counting, right? >> i think all of us are counting. we can start talk ing about it. kristen fisher, appreciate it, thank you. well, tax cuts, interest rates, trade deals and job growth are plenty of promises being made on the presidential campaign trail. what does it mean for the bottom line and the nation's economy? steven moore of the heritage foundation is here a bit of a crystal ball. good to see you. >> hi, shannon. merry christmas. >> to you as well. i want to start with a couple of our most recent polls, mixing politics and the economy, the gop candidate that you feel most qualified to handle the economy, trump is way out in front, 52%, cruz way back at 13%. we know right now terrorism is in the top spot, but the economy is not far behind. >> i think the explanation for that poll is that some of the other candidates are associated with washington, right? and people are just frustrated with what is happening in this town nowhe last six years

that, you know, it has been ten years since the average american got a pay raise. so people are feeling very economically short changed. and anything with washington right now is a bit toxic. so donald trump is the ultimate outsider, he's saying he's going to shake things up in washington. and, look, the fact he has a business back ground, i think is very attractive to people. this is a guy who runs businesses and that's something that is very uncommon in washington. >> it is. let's talk about interest rates. we saw the very first little tick upward. what do you predict there and what impact does it have on everyday life? >> i think the impact of these interest rate increases, which have been very slight as you said, quarter percentage point, we have been at zero on interest rates for first seven years. i don't -- i think this is much to do about nothing, actually. i think that the problem with the american economy has not been fed policy. we have actually had fairly low inflation for the last four or five years. the problem with the economy, the reason it is not growing, by

the way, we just saw revision on the gdp numbers, 2% growth, we had that now for six years, it is okay but it is not knocking it out of the park and people aren't feeling the love for this expansion. so what you need to do, i think, got to fix the tax system, you know. we have the highest business tax in the world, you talked about that on the show, a big problem. we got to do something about promoting our american energy and especially our coal and oil and gas. and we have to do something about obamacare. you do those kinds of things, i think you can make this economy grow a lot faster. i don't think that's going to happen in 2016. i just don't -- i think there will be so much friction between congress and the president, i don't see this as a year where we're on the big issues like tax reform, you're going to see much progress. >> we do hear candidates talk about it. and from different view points, some of them want to raise rates on higher income, some want to -- >> and bernie sanders, there are others who want to make some changes you referenced, but getting anybody on the hill to

agree to any major reforms -- >> this will be the number one economic issue as this campaign unfolds in 2016. you've got -- i worked with need republican candidates on tax reform, several of them, like cruz and rand paul that want a flat tax and others talking about lowering rates, that's become the republican ideology on taxes. on the other hand, as you said, hillary and sanders are out there saying we don't want to lower the tax rates, we want to raise them. that's a central point of contention. >> i want to ask about the issue of terrorism and how that can potentially impact the economy. nothing would make them more happy, you know, attacking the financial sector and wanting to keep people away from malls and staying home. >> the terrorists are not just trying to terrorize us personally, they're trying to terrorize our economy and slow us down and cause a recession. look, i do think terrorism is also an economic issue and not just a national security issue. we got terrorists bombing buildings and schools like

that -- things like that. that has a very negative effect on the economy. it is why security is -- people i say have security over here and economics over here, i think, shannon, they're one combined. we have to defeat the terrorists to keep us safe, and also to make sure we have a prosperous economy. i think in 2016, we'll see more of the same. 2% growth, everybody will see investors, employers, consumers in a holding pattern to see what happens, 11 months from now, as the election. 32 days. >> who is counting? always good to see you. thank you for coming in today. happy new year. >> you too. >> coming up, the race against time continues to save 17 miners still trapped underground after a deadly collapse. we'll tell you the shocking turn of events above the ground. plus, this, house speaker paul ryan has the gavel. so what will the new year bring under his leadership on capitol

hill? our political panel debates it all. and even after all of those hearings, all of those promises, we are still learning that veterans are getting bad treatment at the va hospital at the center of the waiting list scandal. >> it really hasn't changed very much over time. there is still a lot of problems. and really no surprise because many of the architects of the downfall of phoenix are still there. get fast-acting, long-lasting relief from heartburn with it neutralizes stomach acid and is the only product that forms a protective barrier that helps keep stomach acid in the stomach where it belongs. for fast-acting, long-lasting relief. try gaviscon®.

but he's a chaos candidate. for fast-acting, long-lasting relief. jeb bush: donald, you know, is great at the one-liners. and he'd be a chaos president. two months ago, donald trump said that isis was not our fight. donald trump: let syria and isis fight. why are we... why do we care? let isis and syria fight. jeb bush: he said that hillary clinton would be a great negotiator with iran. donald trump: hillary's always surrounded herself with very good people. i think hillary would do a good job. jeb bush: and he gets his foreign policy experience from the shows. chuck todd: who do you talk to for military advice right now?

donald trump: well, i watch the shows. i mean, i really see a lot of great, you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows... jeb bush: i don't know if that's saturday morning, or sunday morning. donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. that's not going to happen. if i'm president, i'll be a commander-in-chief, not an agitator-in-chief or a divider-in-chief... that i will lead this country in a way that will create greater security and greater safety. announcer: right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. just serve classy snacks and bew a gracious host,iday party. no matter who shows up. [cricket sound] richard. didn't think you were going to make it. hey sorry about last weekend, i don't know what got into me. well forgive and forget... kind of. i don't think so! do you like nuts?

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sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. the owner of a chinese mine which collapsed has reportedly committed suicide. 17 miners are still trapped. officials confirm one miner died. so far 11 workers have been rescued. the first week of congress in the new year will look oddly like the last few weeks this year. obamacare and fund ing for planned parenthood all on the agenda. contributor for the daily banner.com garland nixon and kevin sheridan here to talk about what's coming up. kevin, first to you, you're an old paul ryan guy, is the speaker going to keep going down the rabbit trail of trying to

defund obamacare and these kinds of things or will we see bills on things that everyone in congress can agree about? >> i don't know everyone in congress is going to agree about everything. what we're going to see is a bold republican agenda, a conservative agenda that is different from the last seven years of very liberal obama policies and so i think you'll see a real repeal of -- a real repeal and replace of obamacare, border security. i think you'll start to see the outlines of what an actual conservative agenda will look like. now, whether or not anything actually gets done in 2016, i would tend to agree with steve more that it is more of the same and we'll be standing in place for a while, but i think when we get to 2017, and we get a republican president, hopefully, they'll have an agenda to act on and that's what paul rain is going to use 2016 to do. >> garland, the house is only going to be in session as of now for 111 days next year.

never mind a lot of us are working 111 days. but when you look -- hear what kevin is saying coming down the pipeline, as that stuff gets passed and vetoed by the president, does that play well for the democrats come november in the race for the white house or is it something that the president may have to compromise once or twice? >> well, you know, believe it or not, i won't necessarily agree with him. i think that the budget deal in october has set the table for some real reform. i do think contrary to what a lot of people believe there will be some bipartisan agreement. right now, cory booker, mike lee, chuck grassley, all senators are working on some criminal justice reform. they have the higher education bill. i think this year there is an opportunity for some real reform. and i think it is going to happen. i don't agree with him it is just going to be a year of politics as usual. >> does it make sense at some point to bring some bills that everyone can agree on, tpp, criminal justice reform, those kinds of things that can have a chance of getting through, maybe

an authorization military force against st. and have things signed into law, show the country that the republicans in control of the house and the senate can get things done? >> well, i think if you take each one of those, there is problems with each one of those. i think senator mcconnell has shown some, you know, some hesitation on acting on some of those. and, you know, the obama administration has not really laid out a clear and cohesive strategy for iraq and syria. whether or not they can act on either one of those things might not -- they may never happen. and so i think, look, tpp would be nice. tpp would be something they could probably get, you know, some bipartisan support on. but that's got to -- they got to get there and they're not there right now. >> garland, how does this play for the democrats? is it worth -- is the democrats allowing the republicans to fight among themselves and try to put forth things like defunding obamacare, things that are going to be vetoed or better

to try as the democrats did at least right at the end in terms of the latest spending bill, work with republicans on things that they can come together on? >> you know, i have to agree with what the president said many years ago that is good policy is good politics. i think it benefits democrats to try to get -- particularly from the justice reform, some other things. let's not forget, there are things they have to deal with. we have the puerto rican debt crisis. so i think it benefits the democrats in that they can say we're responsible for a party, but i think it also -- democrats, excuse me, i think it also benefits the republican because they got to be able to show that they can govern. i don't think anyone is going to be better off if they play the bickering game and nothing gets done. >> what is the messaging we're going it see coming from speaker ryan now in terms of trying to convince the american public that the republicans are actually doing things even though they may not be able to get it signed into law by the president. >> i would -- to go back to criminal justice, i think there

is bipartisan support for that. that may be somewhere -- it is pretty undecided what that would look like. they may be able to go back on that. in terms of big picture items for -- big picture for paul ryan, his confident america speech is where his -- where he wants the republican party to go. i think hopefully that hands off to a presidential nominee that can carry it forward. it is big, bold change. it is big ideas again. we have to get back to big ideas. if that means some legislation has to sit for a while, so be it. he's trying to set out an agenda that the american people can actually -- an alternative agenda from the last seven years, the american people can get behind and we can win on in november. >> we'll see if they get behind it and see if you win in november, kevin, garland, appreciate it, happy new year. >> thank you. it has been months since the va's secret waiting list scandal outraged the country. why are veterans still getting poor treatment? we'll have a live report you

don't want to miss. plus, we're getting an update on the top stories of deadly tornadoes across texas. >> in the main path of the tornado, you can absolutely see the devastation where two story homes have completely obliterated and carved as one gentleman mentioned before this -- heartburn! no one burns on my watch! try alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. they work fast and don't taste chalky. mmm...amazing. i have heartburn. alka-seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief.

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debris for anyone trapped in their homes. there is a lot of ground for them to cover. the damage from these tornadoes stretches about 40 miles across the dallas metro area, including more than 600 structures, most of these were single family homes. the storm blew roofs off and completely devastated neighborhoods. despite the destruction, many folks are grateful to be alive. >> it is the grace of god, how he works, man. i'm really grateful, you know, my wife works not that far from here. if i didn't call her, she would be here now and my kids would be here too. >> city leaders are still trying to complete assessments of the damages, but say dozens of people were injured and at least 11 people were killed in the storms overnight. five of those deaths happened at this busy intersection in the city of garland, folks were in their cars, some likely on their

way home after christmas when officials say a tornado made a direct hit. completely crushing several cars and tossing others off the road entirely. that same twister moved east and caused absolute devastation in the city of rawlet where the mayor says it is a miracle nobody was killed. >> we have 23 that are injured, but i think the thing that actually saved us is the fact that we have plenty of warning, the sirens went off multiple times, we have been called out to the citizens, and i think the bottom line is that's why we were able to have -- not have any fatalities at this point. >> and sadly even as folks were trying to get back to their homes to start to clean up, more storms, possibly severe ones, are forecasted to hit the area later today. >> we have that snow out to the west there in texas and also possibilities of flooding as well. not exactly the christmas weekend people dreamed of. thank you, garrett. >> you got it.

today, nearly two years after we learned about widespread issues at the phoenix veterans affairs hospital, we're told the problems still persist. that was the controversy that blew the lid off the shameful treatment of our veterans across the country. we look at phoenix and the va there where some say not a lot has changed. hi, brian. >> that's exactly right. more than two years after whistle-blower dr. sam foot made allegations that at least 40 veterans died while waiting for proper medical care at the phoenix veteran health administration hobble, foot says there are not enough doctors and wait times are too long. >> it really hasn't changed that much over time. there are a lot of problems. and it is no surprise because many of the architects of the downfall of phoenix are still there. they have yet to take action on the chief of has, the associate director of the chief of staff

there and in the case he was at the center of the waiting list scandal. >> 15 months after an internal probe found two senior managers at the phoenix hospital trying to retaliate defense foot and other whistle-blowers, they have yet to be disciplined or punished. foote was a dr. of internal medicine before he retired in december 2013 after exposing the hospital for covering up long wait times for vets. foote said those wait times led to the deaths of 40 vets. the testimony led to major reforms. in october, the inspector general released a scathing report finding some patients with bladder and prostate cancer died waiting for medical treatment at the phoenix va and exposing critical staffing shortages in the urology department as early as april 1st of this year leading to canceled appointments and the deaths of seven patients. despite new reforms implemented

by the new va secretary robert mcdonald, and billions of dollars spent to overall the veterans health administration, foote is reminding all of us that major problems still persist in how our veterans are cared for. >> that is disgraceful. we know folks on the hill are working on it. but thank you for keeping us updated. we break out our crystal political ball and look at what will be a make it or break it month for the men and the women fighting for their party's 2016 presidential nomination. and a veteran who served two tours of duty in afghanistan finds his family home ransacked, just before christmas, devastating, as you can imagine, his wife and his three young children. >> all i could think is they're going to think santa claus didn't want to bring them anything. kids are emotional. they're going to feel it and we're going to feel it, we know

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the sense of security. their home is their safe place. this is where they're supposed to be safe all the time. and to have somebody come in and take that away from them, it is trying to build that safe place back. >> veteran joseph cottier served two tours in afghanistan but says most important job is right there at home. the cottier family was devastated on christmas eve when they found their home ransacked. all of the presents for their three small children had been taken, the christmas tree trampled, the house you can see basically turned upside down. the story does have a happy ending. we want you to know about that. donations poured in from the cottier's military community. the kids were still able to enjoy plenty of gifts from

santa. we celebrate present's day in february and it is also the month that will move us just a little bit closer to knowing who the 45th president will be. after the primaries, of course, come the general election and the all important swing states. colorado is one of the more crucial swing states. for a long time colorado was as purple as they got. and then in 2012, and 2008 they went for the democrats. any chance it is swinging back toward the republican or is colorado going from purple to blue ? >> well, we're still technically considered a purple state. purple mountain majesty is -- so it is a good thing. that's what we're known for. the fact of the matter is i think that we're going to see a

very difficult time for republicans moving this back in the direction of red. there are 300,000 people who moved into colorado in just the past two years, just in the last year. and enough people moved in that surpassed the population of the city of boulder for instance. nobody nose who the people are, what they stand for. but we do know they're young people, mostly. young families, young professionals and some of them certainly not most some of them are drawn here by recreational marijuana. and so it is hard to imagine that this mass migration into colorado really automatically benefits republicans, those there are things republicans can do, i believe, to court the new voters. >> it is interesting you talk about this massive influx especially in colorado. you got nine electoral votes. but another big part of the colorado population in addition to those who enjoy the

recreation -- if you end up want establishment candidate not as right wing as some candidates, marco rubio, the colorado turns red, not because of political views, but because of the latino vote. >> well, you know, the latino vote in colorado is very much a swing vote within a swing state. we saw this last year with the election of mike kauffman to the united states house of representatives against a very fluent speaking, spanish speaking fluent spanish speaking democratic opponent. but he appeals to the hispanic vote. they're very conservative on social issues. and he learned spanish. just the fact that this republican went out of his way to try to speak the language, the native language of hispanic voters went a long way to

helping him. i think he's a great example of how the republican party can and should try to court the hispanic vote in colorado and you're right, it is absolutely everything in colorado. if you cannot win the hispanic vote, democrat or republican, you're not going to prevail. >> especially in places like arapahoe county. another interesting race folks are looking at is the senate race. michael bennett, the current u.s. senator from colorado, a lot of folks would think he's so vulnerable, but the republicans have not seemed to be able to coalesce behind anyone really to run against him. are they getting any closer to having a candidate out there? >> no, they're not really any closer at all. there are a lot of good people running. no big names running. we don't have a congressman, for instance, running who has announced at this point. but there are a lot of exciting prospects. who republicans nominate in that

race have everything to do with whether the presidential nominee can get the nine votes in colorado. if it is an exciting person who can get the base out, and who can attract the all important unaffiliated who are one third of the registered voters in colorado, that will make all the difference. we're going to see going forward who the republicans nominate and at this point, you know, it is really -- it is up for grabs. there is no clear leader in that race. up for grabs. >> we'll see how it plays out. we appreciate your insight in colorado. >> thank you very much. a mother paralyzed while trying to save her children has a christmas message of hope for all of us. that's one of the many stories of inspiration in a brand-new book by pastor and journalist john dickerson. my interview with him right after the break. and after six long years of

family's lost four legged friend comes home. six years. just in time for christmas. >> he's got a story to tell. all i can say is he knows he's glad to be home. ok, we're here. here's dad. mom. the twins. aunt alice... you didn't tell me aunt alice was coming. of course. don't forget grandpa. can the test drive be over now? maybe just head back to the dealership? don't you want to meet my family? yep, totally. it's practically yours, but we still need your signature. the volkswagen sign then drive event. zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on a new jetta and other select models. and i quit smoking with chantix. i don't know that i can put into words how happy i was when i quit. it's like losing some baggage, i don't have to carry it around with me anymore. chantix made it possible for me to quit smoking. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix definitely helped reduce my urge to smoke.

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bream would have given up hope. six years later, they never thought they would see their dog again. they lost their pet while vacationing 300 miles away from their las vegas home all of the way back in 2009. they got the surprise of their life when a shelter called just before christmas and said willie was alive and well and waiting for her family. so far willie isn't letting on exactly where he has been all this time. what a story to tell though. >> i love that. welcome home, willie. during the holidays not everyone is celebrating. for many it's a time of struggle. remembering lost loved ones who aren't around the table this year or tough financial pressures and other problems. a new book out tuesday shows how suffering can be one of our greatest gifts. i talked with the author about

what drove him to wrote "i am strong finding god's peace and strength in life's darkest moments." >> paul the apostle writes about a physical sickness he had. he called it his thorn in the flesh. in that passage of scripture he writes when i am weak, then i am strong. that's where the title of this book "i am strong" comes from from the reality that in our weakness, in our pain, we can call out to god and god says in scripture that he's near to the broken hearted. he says he upholds those who are crushed in spirit. it's when we're at our most broken that we actually have the best opportunity to find god and not only god but to find a strength and a peace that defy our circumstances. >> what do you say to folks who don't have faith or who were struggling with it but they don't see a spiritual option. >> we have resistance to this idea. god says that he resists the proud and that's those of us who

don't want to tell you about he gives grace to the humble. those who will be humble enough to say, god, i need your help. reality is throughout history there are millions of people who have found god at their deepest pain and suffering and they are what i call living proof that it works. i write in this book "i am strong" about people who are alive today. some who have been paralyzed. others with physical sickness and those who say in my pain and suffering, i have found god's strength. i have found his peace. and my encouragement would be turn to god with your pain. all of us we have a simple choice when pain comes into our life. we either turn away from god because of the pain or we turn to god with the pain. those are only two options. i would suggest to everyone watching right now, that's the most important choice you'll make in your life is with your pain will you turn to god, believing he wants to help you. >> reading these from the outside looking in, it's amazing to think about you referenced the one mom that people can read

the story about how she ended up paralyzed trying to save her own children and how she has so much joy in a day. so much perspective and such a lesson and so inspiring that someone who suffered what most of the world would say is an incredible tragedy actually lives in a place where she celebrating every day. >> her name is joy. i was with her a couple weeks ago in new mexico. she's in a wheelchair. she's paralyzed from the waist down. has been for 16 years. she says if i could go back and change that day i got paralyzed, i wouldn't. the joy and peace that i found internally far outweigh my physical health. the reality is that's available to all of us in jesus christ. it's not always an immediate healing. but he promises, one, he'll deliver us out of our pain and, two, he'll sustain us through it. as a reporter, i started seeing this in people's lives and now as a pastor i spend time in hospitals and funeral homes

delivering this hope to people and the goal of the book "i am strong" it's written as a gift to help people find god in their pain and suffering. whether you directly or someone you know, a neighbor, a relative, a co-worker that lost a loved one, going through a divorce, has a sickness, all of the questions we ask, where is god? why does this happen? i tackle those questions from scripture in this book. >> coming up, pugs on parade. we'll show you what costume one top dog.

>> we asked you to show us pictures of how you celebrated christmas. greg said it was a drive-in christmas brunch with christmas bikes and steven sends us an unconventional christmas photo. this may be my favorite. sandy shares an adorable video of her dog opening presents. >> precious. >> see if the dog gets to the bone soon. >> speaking of dogs, ain't no party like a pug party. at least in the ukraine. we sense a theme here with these countries. one of the thousand pug lovers celebrated christmas by dressing up their four legged pugs in

festive attire and they made appearances at the club party but the pug dressed like a red polka dot tea pot won the top prize. >> only in ukraine. >> that's it for us here in washington. >> hope you had a great christmas. see you soon. >> another night of deadry tw l twisters and mike huckabee says it's iowa or bust. >> if we don't do well in that state, then i don't know how i can translate that into a great surge going forward. mike huckabee on make or break in iowa and his republican rivals. it's a "fox news sunday" exclusive. holiday travelers may no longer be able to opt out of those controversial body scanners. >> i flew right after 9/11 and that was scary. this i would say i'm feeling comfortable with. >> i don't think this training procedure for soon