lots of viewers wanting to do something for the benghazi heroes earlier. one started the shadow warriors project. it supports wounded american private contractors like these guys with their medical bills needs. here's the website. give it a look. thanks for watching. tonight the countdown to iowa is on. texas senator ted cruz is on a bus tour in the hawkeye state. >> i'm going to keep my focus o for this country. we can turn this country around. >> the 2016 republican presidential candidate is here tonight. >> the politicians can pretend it's something else, but donald trump calls it radical islamic terrorism. >> donald trump unveils his first television ad. former speaker of the house newt gingrich is here to weigh in. >> we know we can't stop every act of violence, but what if we try to stop even one? >> and president obama gets ready to use executive action to push through his anti-gun agenda. we have all the facts, and "hannity" starts right here, right now.

welcome to "hannity." welcome to 2016. tonight with the iocaucuses onl four weeks away, candidates on both sides of the campaign aisle are pounding the campaign trail. earlier today ted cruz officially kicked off his six-day bus tour in the hawkeye state. his campaign is calling it the, quote, cruzzin to caucus tour. the man himself, 2016 republican presidential hopeful, texas senator ted cruz. senator, how's the tour going? looks like you got a big crowd behind you now? >> sean, good evening. it's great to be with you. yes, it's incredible. we're on the first day of a six-day barnstorming tour through the state of iowa. we're doing 28 counties in six days. we started in boone, then in carroll county. we're now here in guthrie county. i got to tell you, the energy, the enthusiasm that we're seeing on the ground has been incredible. i mean, what we're seeing all across iowa and really all across the country is we're seeing conservatives coming together, conservatives uniting.

and that's tremendously encouraging because if conservatives unite, we win. >> you're up by nine points in the cbs poll in iowa, you're tied in another poll with donald trump. how important is -- look at the polls nationally. trump has led for a significant portion of this campaign. you have come up in the last month dramatically. how important that you get this win in iowa? >> well, listen, what is important is that we continue to unify conservatives. we're not spending a whole lot of time worrying about national polls, historically they've been very poor predictors of who the nominee is. you look in prior elections. rudy giuliani led the national polls for a year. he won zero states. what matters is who earns the votes on election day. this election starts as it always does with the first four states, iowa, new hampshire, south carolina and nevada. we're all in in all four states. we're all in in iowa, we're all in in new hampshire, we're all in in south carolina, we're all in in nevada.

there's a bunch of candidates in this race that have to win iowa, or their campaign is over. there are other candidates that have to win new hampshire or their campaign is over. we don't view any of the early states as must-win for us, but we are competing hard to try to win every one of them, if possible. and i believe we're going to do well in the first four states, and then ten days after south carolina's supertuesday, the so-called s.e.c. primary, states like georgia, alabama, tennessee, arkansas, oklahoma, texas. i think super tuesday is going to be an incredible day for us. >> with the rise in polls comes the hundreds of thousands of dollars now that are against you in negative ads and the criticism from your opponents. donald trump not many evangelicals come from cuba. one candidate suggested that if you are elected, that, in fact, it could lead to polygamy, trying to take away your conservative credentials. i'm not sure if you heard that. what is your reaction?

and on the campaign trail, you're warning the people of iowa, telling them, hey, you're going to hear a lot of awful stuff about me. >> well, listen, just a few weeks ago almost every candidate in the republican field was attacking donald trump. today almost every candidate in the republican field is attacking me. i guess that suggests something has changed in this race. and i recognize that a lot of the candidates are getting very, very worried. the washington cartel is panicking. and the reason is very simple. they're panicking because of the men and women in this room, they're panicking because of the men and women in new hampshire and south carolina, nevada and across the country. the washington cartel is panicking because conservatives are uniting. in past elections, what washington's tried to do is divide and splinter conservatives. and what we're seeing is conservatives are uniting. now, the next couple of months we're going to see million of dollars of false attack ads as the washington cartel gets more and more terrified, our focus is

going to be don't engage in the mud slinging, don't engage in the games, just focus on telling the truth with a smile, focusing on my positive, optimistic, conservative vision. we can turn america around if we get back to the free market principles and constitutional liberties that built this country. >> you know, there's even "the new york times" interesting because they weren't attacking you early in the race, but as your poll numbers have gone up, specifically in iowa, now they're saying that your tax plan is a radical plan because it relies a lot on a value-added tax or national sales tax. and i wanted to give you a chance to explain that because i don't think a lot of people understand it because most americans have been indoctrinated into only understanding an income tax. >> well, sure. and you're right. from "the new york times'" perspective, if you're a big government guy that wants power in washington, then you better believe the cruz flat tax is a radical plan from their perspective. because my flat tax plan is simple. for a typical family of four,

first $36,000 in income, you pay nothing, zero, nada. above $36,000, you pay a simple flat tax of 10%. that means every american -- we can fill out our taxes on a post card and we can abolish the irs. now, on the business side, we eliminate the corporate income tax. we eliminate the payroll tax. we eliminate the death tax which hammers farmers and ranchers and small businesses and we eliminate the obamacare tax. and we replace them with a simple 16% business flat tax. that will produce incredible economic growth and jobs that will raise wages, it will raise after-tax income for americans of every income level. and for folks who want to learn more about the details of the cruz simple flat tax, you can read the full white paper, you can look at the numbers, you can see the details at tedcruz.org. tedcruz.org, go, read about the tax plan, sign up, volunteer, contribute. our focus is on empowering and energizing the grass roots.

and let me mention one other thing, sean, about the "new york times." a number of weeks ago, a "new york times" columnist wrote a column saying anybody but cruz. and the columnist said, please, you can vote for any other republican, anyone but cruz terrifies us. and listen, if you're a big government "new york times" kind of guy, that's right. but my response when "the new york times" ran that attack column, i simply said, thank you for the endorsement because the american people are tired of the failed big government policies of barack obama and hillary clinton and "the new york times" and we need to bring power back to the people. >> it is interesting -- i can hear you getting a good response. it is interesting to watch the media coverage. for example, you made a pretty good joke on the campaign trail when they brought up the issue of gay marriage. and you said -- no, you said all throughout that this is something you believe should be handled in the states, but the way it was, you know, politicos tried to portray it is they have a secret tape but that's the same thing you said on jay leno and the colbert show.

so it wasn't any different. what was so secret about it? >> well, look, it's the media playing mischief and other campaigns that are panicking. so they had this secretly recorded tape of me at a fund-raiser saying, as you noted, word for word what i had said publicly many times. which is that, the question was asked if my top priority would be going after gay marriage. my top priority is defending the constitution. and what was striking is that was word for word what i said on stephen colbert and i observed, look, i know that there aren't that many viewers watching colbert. but if this is some secret plan, saying it on national television is an awfully strange strategy for rolling out a secret plan. when it comes to marriage, i've been proud to defend marriage. when it comes to life, i've been proud to defend life. when it comes to religious liberty, no one has fought harder. that's why we've seen conservatives like steve king, like bob vander plats, like james dobson all coming together and saying that ted is the strongest defender of life,

marriage, of religious liberty and of the constitution in the race. that's why conservatives are uniting behind him. >> the issue of immigration is so key this year and both marco rubio and donald trump have gone after you. trump said you copied his immigration plan. you had that battle in the last debate with marco rubio. and your statement was i oppose legalization today, tomorrow and forever. meaning what, that we build a fence, that we secure the border. what happens to the 11 million people that are here illegally? >> we enforce the law. existing law provides that if we apprehend someone here illegally, we deport them. that's what existing law is. and we have a president, barack obama, who refuses to follow the law. i've spent my whole life fighting to defend the rule of law, fighting to defend the constitution. when it comes to immigration, 2013 was really, as reagan would say, a time for choosing, when a line was drawn in the sand. on one side you had barack obama and you had chuck schumer and you had a whole lot of establishment republicans in

washington lining up behind a massive amnesty plan. on the other side of the line were people like steve session, were people like iowa's own steve king. and i stood with jeff sessions and steve king, and we led the fight to defeat the gang of eight amnesty plan, to preserve the rule of law and to fight to secure our borders. and you know, it's interesting. a lot of presidential candidates suddenly have discovered illegal immigration is an issue. i'll point out you remember that 2013 fight. you were standing there leading the fight, mark levin was leading the fight, rush was leading the fight. you look at the men and women standing on the debate stage in 2013 when obama was on the verge of getting his amnesty win, most of the other men and women on that debate stage were nowhere to be found. the scriptures give us a good guide for telling what people really believe. the scriptures say you shall know them by their fruits. if someone claims to be really strong on illegal immigration, my question is where were you in the gang of eight? did you stand and fight with the american people? or were you somewhere else doing

something else? >> last question. politics can be ugly. "the washington post" cartoon going after your daughters was one of the ugliest things in this campaign cycle. did you get the proper apology? and where do you stand with that? >> well, look, now, the post hasn't apologized, you're right. they had a cartoonist who did a cartoon making fun of my two little girls. caroline is 7 and catherine is 5. that wasn't fun. >> attacking 7 and 5-year-old girls, that's disgusting. that's despicable. >> it really was. it wasn't fun over christmas sitting down with my daughters and explaining to them that they had been drawn in a newspaper as dancing monkeys. and you know, all of us were taught when we were in kindergarten don't pick on 5-year-old little girls, yet somehow "the washington post" can't figure that out. you know what it did, sean? it revealed their true colors, which is they're willing to attack children because they hate conservatives so much. i was glad the "post" pulled the cartoon.

it was the right thing to do. but we ought to follow a simple rule. leave the kids out of it. don't pick on my kids, don't pick on marco's kids, don't pick on hillary's daughter or her grandchildren. leave our kids out of it. focus on the candidates. >> one of the things i have always said about barack obama, he seems to be a good father and his daughters seem lovely. i think that is the lowest of low. thanks for being with us, senator. have fun in iowa. we'll catch up with you on the campaign trail. thank you. >> great, thank you, sean, god bless. coming up, is going after bill clinton fair game? that's later tonight. but first -- >> donald trump calls it radical islamic terrorism, that's why he's calling for a temporary shutdown of muslims entering the united states until we can figure out what's going on. >> donald trump releases his first television ad. former speaker of the house newt gingrich. he is here with reaction. that's coming up later. president obama plans to go around congress once again and use executive actions to restrict your second amendment rights. all of that and more tonight on

"hannity." tonight on "hannity." you both have a perfect driving record. perfect. no tickets. no accidents. that is until one of you clips a food truck, ruining your perfect record. yeah. now you would think your insurance company would cut you some slack, right? no. your insurance rates go through the roof... your perfect record doesn't get you anything. anything. perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. does your mouth often feel dry? multiple medications, a dry mouth can be a side effect of many medications. but it can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath. that's why there's biotene, available as an oral rinse, toothpaste, spray or gel. biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too.

remember, while your medication is doing you good, a dry mouth isn't. biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth.

live from america's news headquarters, i'm kelly wright in washington. the san bernardino office where 14 people were killed last month reopening yesterday. employees of the inland regional center returned for the first time since the massacre. also yesterday san bernardino county mourning those lost on december 2nd. a memorial was held in nearby ontario, california. more than 3,000 people attended the service. and guatemalan communities are on alert after a volcano and fire erupted sunday. it was seen spewing lava. it also sent clouds of ash more than 20,000 feet above sea

level. authorities aren't ordering evacuations yet, but they are asking people to remain vigilant amid a state of yellow alert. el vulcan de fuego has erupted 30 times. i'm kelly wright. now back to "hannity." hello, welcome back to "hannity." 2016 republican front runner donald trump has released his first television ad. take a look. >> the politicians can pretend it's something else, but donald trump calls it radical islamic terrorism. that's why he's calling for a temporary shutdown of muslims entering the united states until we can figure out what's going on. he'll quickly cut the head off isis and take their oil. he'll stop illegal immigration by building a wall on the southern border that mexico will pay for. >> we will make america great again. >> joining us now with reaction, the author of the best-selling novel "duplicity," our friend newt gingrich. mr. speaker, good to see you.

>> good to be with you. by the way, i thought that was a terrific interview that you just did with ted cruz. i mean, i don't know how he could have performed much more effectively or much better than he did. tells you a little bit about why he's one of the real competitors in this race. >> it really seems -- look, i'm looking at every poll that's available here. if you look at national polls, you look at iowa caucus polls, new hampshire polls, it's trump and cruz. do they go all the way? do you think, for example, does trump get more votes, has more support or less support than the polls show? or less support. people may get, well, a little shy at the end or back off at the end or do you think these numbers are real for both of them? >> i think the numbers are real for both of them. it's a very dynamic environment. i remember a point where i was 17 points ahead of mitt romney, for example. i remember when hillary was, i think 23 points ahead of barack obama.

so these things come and go. in a primary, people don't have a loyalty to a party to hold them to a candidate. they can move pretty fast back and forth. and i think howard dean, for example, might have won iowa in 1984, i mean, in 2004, if the election had been four days or five days earlier. people can suddenly decide to start moving, but you have to say both cruz and trump have been doing remarkably well. cruz coming up steadily. trump having been dominant now for six months since he announced on june 16th. hose folks who say, yeah, but it's all going to change. and i'm kind of curious why they think it's going to change. we've never seen, sean, an election where 24 million people look at a debate over a year before the general election. >> it's unbelievable. >> the level of interest is astonishing. >> i can tell you from my perspective as a conservative, i

would count myself, although i'm a registered conservative, among the 60% of republicans who feel betrayed by their party in washington. and i had a lot of conversations when i was on vacation with people. and the only conclusion i can give you is establishment republicans -- and we know what that means -- hate trump, they hate cruz. their argument is, oh, they can't win. my argument back is if your candidate that you're backing can't beat them, what makes you think they can beat hillary? >> that's right. >> how do you explain this vitriol, this emotional hatred? >> you put your finger on it. look, these guys represent the end of an era. they are the first two genuine outsiders since reagan who have the power and the ability to really put this thing together. then again, let me be clear to our viewers, this is not a done deal. nobody knows today who the nominee is going to be next

spring, but you have to say that about 60 or 65% of the republican voters are picking either trump, cruz, carson or fiorina. now, that's two out of every three republican voters are saying don't tell me you have a lot of experience because i think the experience is actually a handicap not an asset. that is astonishing. >> the argument i keep hearing from these establishment guys -- and i talked to a lot of people over vacation -- they can't win the general election. do you buy that notion? >> no. first, look at the polling numbers. everybody is either beating hillary or losing to hillary by two or three or five points. hillary is just going to get worse. just look at the e-mails that were -- and by the way, i think this is a disgusting comment on the american government today, that they would deliberate i dump 1,000 e-mails on new year's eve and it's an absurdity, deliberate effort.

doesn't work because the media looks at them. the number of cases we're now discovering where hillary clinton clearly used the state department on behalf of donors or people hiring her husband. all this keeps getting worse. i think hillary will get beaten by the republican nominee. either cruz or trump brings a lot to the ticket. candidly, rubio brings a lot to the ticket, kasich brings a lot to the ticket, chris christie could bring a lot to the ticket. this is still -- and jeb bush, who i think has had the hardest year, these are all talented people. and i think when you got to a general election and the choice is clear that any one of them could take it to hillary. but probably the person with the most dynamic is trump because he attracts ranges of people. look at the size of his crowds. >> you think he can win new york? >> i doubt it, but i think i just saw a study the other day that his best state is west virginia.

his second best state are upstate new york. so i think in the primary he probably will win new york. >> yeah. what advice -- here in 28 days you've been through the process and you've been through a lot of elections. why are you laughing? >> look, this is the kind of year, sean, you know this, you and i talk about it privately. this is the kind of year when who knows? >> i don't even have to finish the question. what advice would you give any of these candidates at this late hour heading into iowa? look, iowa may not be the biggest predictor of who is going to be the nominee but it's important in terms of establishing momentum. it matters if you win, it matters if you win new hampshire. >> my first advice is very simple. don't plan to sleep very much until after this is over. get out there on the road. i like what -- again, notice the total difference in styles. i like what cruz is doing, which is getting on a bus going small town to small town going to

these ranches. i know spending time in iowa, because you know my wife calista went to school in iowa, luther college. we had lots of ties in iowa. i know that that's a very powerful, very effective model. last time rick santorum used it to great effect. ted cruz is doing exactly what a traditional candidate should do and he's doing it very well. on the other hand, you have the donald whose basic theory of life is i think i'll twitter a little bit in the morning, call in to "fox & friends" then maybe go do something on facebook then show up to a rally that has 25 hss this people. totally different styles. we don't know which one is going to work. >> he has this big plate of his with his name on it. >> we spent a lot of time on small airplanes, particularly when you go to a place like iowa and south carolina. and calista said that trump plane pulling in, he has huge advantages in physical health

just because he's getting on his plane with his staff. totally comfortable. but you have to give him credit. this is a guy who -- and by the way, i'm writing a column this week on the art of the deal because i read it over christmas. i was astonished how much you can learn about trump and how much it explains his approach when you read "the art of the deal." >> i've read the book. the story about lowman rink is incredible. everything with him is a negotiation. him advising be willing to walk away from a deal up to the last second, all good advice. newt gingrich, we'll be having you on weekly to talk about this. thanks for being with us. >> look forward to it. coming up, donald trump slams hillary clinton for her husband's past scandals. we'll check in with michael cohen from the trump organization and leslie marshall will weigh in. then later done tsh -- >> i don't like it. i don't like anything having to do with changing our second

amendment. we have plenty of rules and regulations. there's plenty of things that they can do right now that are already there. they don't do them. >> trump slams obama's plan to clamp down on your second amendment rights. check in with dana loesch, bo dietl, kirsten powers. they're all here tonight. to debate that on this busy news night in this new year. re resea. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. liberty mutual insurance.

withof my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis... ordinary objects often seemed... intimidating. doing something simple... meant enduring a lot of pain. if ra is changing your view of everyday things orencia may help. orencia works differently by targeting a source of ra early in the inflammation process. for many, orencia provides long-term relief of ra symptoms. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you're prone to or have any infection like an open sore, the flu,

or a history of copd, a chronic lung disease. orencia may worsen your copd. if you're not getting the relief you need... ask your doctor about orencia. orencia. see your ra in a different way. she used the word "sexist." i'm sexist. and she was using sort of very derogatory terms. how the hell can she do that when she has one of the great women abusers of all time sitting at her house waiting for her to come home? >> that was donald trump continuing his attacks on bill and hillary clinton. earlier today after campaigning for his wife hillary, bill clinton was actually asked if he was fair game and here's what he said. >> donald trump -- i got to ask you, is this fair game?

>> here with reaction from the trump organization, michael cohen and radio talk show host fox news contributor leslie marshall. i think it's a simple question. i don't think it's complicated. if words of donald trump, if hillary's going to claim they're sexist, then certainly accusations that are very severe by multiple women, that should be fair game. i don't think you would disagree with that, would you? >> no, i do disagree. this is why. bill clinton isn't running for office. if he were, it is absolutely fair game. donald trump is rung. hillary is rung. donald trump can attack her for being a victim as well as she can attack him for his treatment of women. >> but if she wants to be the champion of women's rights in america -- >> just amazing. >> and she was part of a cover-up and never spoke out just like the clinton

foundation took money from saudi arabia and the countries that have abysmal human rights records on women. i think that's legitimate. >> but sean, how could you not think she was going to say that answer. of course it's a problem. its bill should be off limits. why? because it affects hillary clinton. the bottom line is he is fair game. they've called donald trump every nasty name in the book. as you know, donald trump takes it and he takes it when you give it to him, he gives it back to you a hundred times worse. and the same's going the happen for the clintons. she is what they would call in, you know, in law, she's an enabler, an accessory to after the fact, she's involved in the cover-ups that took place when the smears -- >> -- campaigns. >> the besmirching of these women who fell prey to president clinton at the time. but this is all like tuesday tabloid information. the real issue here is who's best to lead the country for the next four or eight years? >> it's bigger than that.

because every campaign -- this is what the democratic playbook is. republicans are racist, republicans are sexist. poor mitt romney, the most decent guy you'll ever meet. >> sean, i'm a registered democrat. you know that. i don't feel that way. >> thank you. >> in 2012, mitt romney was accused of a war on women for having women's resumes in a binder. >> and they tried to do the same thing to donald trump and we actually talked about it and i spoke with it on many different programs. donald trump is not a misogynist. when it wasn't chic to have a women build a high-rise, a skyscraper, donald trump was the first. he pays women as much if not more than men in similar positions. >> you get paid -- >> much less. i don't deserve it. let's be honest. what does this country need? we need a dealmaker. and donald trump is a natural dealmaker. i have been in the office and in rooms with mr. trump when we're negotiating deals that, in all fairness, no one could get --

>> let me ask leslie -- >> before you bring leslie in. >> well, thank you. >> we get these deals done. >> let me ask leslie this question. let's go back to mitt romney because the democrats do play this card. hillary clinton did try to act like she was a victim because of words of donald trump. you know, will you at least agree in retrospect that, quote, the war on women, mitt romney, the fact that mitt romney had a binder of resumes of women who he wanted to hire, that that was not sexist, that that was an unfair charge leveled against him by your party, by your fellow liberal democrats? >> i think that -- hey, hey, hey. there is a woman here. >> hi, how are you? >> i think that -- >> was it unfair? >> whether it is -- was swift boat unfair to john kerry? >> no, it was actually accurate. because of the men that served with him. >> when it is an election year,

there is mudslinging on both. >> but i asked you -- wait a minute. i asked you a question. was it unfair to say that this was a war on women because he had republicans of women who he wanted to hire? >> no, i don't -- i don't think it was unfair. and i also think speaking to donald trump and all of his hiring of women, bill clinton appointed the first female hd secretary of state, bill clinton appointed one of our still sitting supreme court judges. >> that doesn't take away any of the assaults that he might have been involved in, does it? >> but he's still not running. he's still not running. >> i guess you could argue that bill cosby probably helped women in their careers. >> i'm sure he did, one had a pill that knocked them out, the other had the power. >> scary. it really is. those charges are very severe. good to see you, thank you. thank you. coming up here on "hannity" -- >> i don't like it. i don't like anything having to do with changing our second amendment. we have plenty of rules and regulations. plenty of things that they can do right now that are already

there. they don't do them. >> donald trump slams obama's plans to limit your second amendment rights. dana loesch, bo dietl will debate the president's proposal. then later tonight -- >> showtime is over, everybody. we are not electing an entertainer in chief. showmanship is fun, but it's not the kind of leadership that will truly change america. >> governor christie is now taking shots at his 2016 rivals. was he specifically calling out donald trump there? we'll check with charles hurt, monica crowley. they'll weigh in on that and much more as "hannity" continues. i am his sunshine. i am his advocate. so i asked about adding once-daily namenda xr to his current treatment for moderate to severe alzheimer's. it works differently. when added to another alzheimer's treatment, it may improve overall function and cognition. and may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. vo: namenda xr doesn't change how the disease progresses. it shouldn't be taken by anyone allergic to memantine,

or who's had a bad reaction to namenda xr or its ingredients. before starting treatment, tell their doctor if they have, or ever had, a seizure disorder, difficulty passing urine, liver, kidney or bladder problems, and about medications they're taking. certain medications, changes in diet, or medical conditions may affect the amount of namenda xr in the body and may increase side effects. the most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, and dizziness. he's always been my everything. now i am giving back. ask their doctor about once-daily namenda xr and learn about a free trial offer at namendaxr.com.

so strap yourselves in for action flo! small business edition. oh, no! i'm up to my neck in operating costs! i'll save the day! for plumbers and bakers and scapers of lawn, she's got insurance savvy you can count on. you chipped my birdbath! now you're gonna pay! not so fast! i cover more than just cars and trucks. ♪ action flo did somebody say "insurance"? children: flo! ♪ action flo cut! can i get a smoothie, please? ooh! they got smoothies? for me.

welcome back to "hannity." this week president obama will announce executive actions that he intends to use to enforce his radical anti-gun agenda. earlier today while meeting in the oval office with the attorney general and the fbi director and others, the president said this. >> i have just received back a report from attorney general lynch, director comey as well as deputy director brandon about some of the ideas and

initiatives that they think can make a difference. the good news is these are not only recommendations that are well within my legal authority and the executive branch, but they're also ones that the overwhelming majority of the american people including gun owners support and believe in, the recommendations that are being made by my team here are ones that are entirely consistent with the second amendment. and people's lawful right to bear arms. >> and later in the week, the president will hold a town hall to talk about his gun control push. here with reaction, the host of "dana" on the blaze, dana loesch, kirsten powers and former detective bo dietl. kirsten, i'll start with you because you're on the other side of the aisle, but i consider you fairly intellectually honest. >> fairly? >> you are, you are actually very honest. >> thank you.

>> when you go back we have coequal branchs of government. we have separation of powers. we have a president who said 25 times he did not have the authority to do what he later did on immigration. he did it anyway. he didn't respect the rule of law. now we can't get done legislatively what he wants to get done with guns. he's going to use executive actions. i would think that you would want him to go through congress, go through the process, respect other branches of government. true, false? >> well, yes, except for the fact that the idea that he's going to somehow go through congress and get anything -- that anything's going to happen on gun control is absurd. >> but that doesn't give you the right to just write laws himself, does it? >> let's back up. the president does have the right to do executive actions in some circumstances, so let's not suggest that he never has the ability, the legal authority to do these kinds of things. i think the issue specifically

with the gun issue is that you don't like what he is doing. even if -- the idea that if somehow there's a democratic congress and he did this with a democratic congress that you would be supporting it? i don't think so, sean. >> what do you think, dana? >> i find his whole stance to be entirely inconsistent. it's hard to take seriously this president who has all this rhetoric about gun control when just this past november, this administration, the department of justice and the prison bureau decided to go ahead with its early release program of thousands of felons, many of whom were violent, some of whom had also additional firearms charges, convictions for this. these are repeat offenders. and this is the biggest driver of gun homicides. you have repeat offenders, gang violence. it seems inconsistent to me. i can't take it seriously. >> bo? >> you know, you're right on with that. he's such a hypocrite in a sense of what's gone on in chicago with the illegal guns on the street. why doesn't he do executive orders about the shooting of our young kids, our young minorities and all these democratic controlled, the best gun laws in the country are in all these

cities and all the illegal guns are out there. make an executive order there to enhance and get those guns off the street. that's what he should be doing. because we know the safest towns like in texas, there are towns in texas where people can carry gun. crime is down to nothing. and america, first of all, i think it's 109 out of 230 countries around the world as far as gun violence goes. we're not at the top like people really want to believe. >> let me ask this, kirsten, because josh earnest was asked this before the new year. it's really simple. anything that the president talked about, people on no-fly lists, not having the right to buy guns. can you name one recent example of a shooting where anything that the president proposed would have saved lives? because i can't. and neither could they. >> no. i don't think we can, but that doesn't mean that we don't need to do these things. that doesn't mean -- >> but he's using that -- >> -- expanded background checks

is something that the people in the country overwhelmingly supports. so i don't think that means that he shouldn't do that. >> we have them. >> that is really fundamentally the core of what he's going to do and it's not outside of the normal -- let me just ask you. i'm just interested with you guys. you're all conservatives, i guess? >> no, no. i'm an independent. but perfect example. >> hold on. let me finish. is there anything that needs to be done to deal with gun violence in this country? you guys are talking. you just said there was no problem. >> you know what has to be done? let him make an executive order to put more people on the streets in chicago, in baltimore, in washington, d.c., cities where our youth is being killed out there. let him do an executive order -- >> hang on. let's go one at a time. >> you're obamacare is going to be wiped out within the next year. this is a perfect example of this president going -- >> we have expanded background checks in california, we had

them in colorado, we had the expanded background checks in oregon as well. we had all these in these areas. in connecticut as well, so that's already failed. the biggest thing that you could do to change this is let's reform the justice system. let's stop reducing sentences. and steve lewis, there was a case meyers should have been in jail. his life would have been saved if his bail was not reduced and he was out on just $1,000. >> if i was in a situation like those poor people in san bernardino, i would want bo dietl in that room with a weapon and could have save some lives. all right. thank you all for being with us. coming up tonight next here on "hannity" -- >> showtime is over, everybody. we are not electing an entertainer in chief. showmanship is fun, but it's not the kind of leadership that will truly change america. >> that's new jersey governor chris christie lashing out at his republican rivals. was he talking about trump there? is this a smart strategy? charles hurt and monica crowley weigh in next. strategy?

charles hurt and you can't predict... the market. but at t. rowe price, we can help guide your investments through good times and bad. for over 75 years, our clients have relied on us to bring our best thinking to their investments so in a variety of market conditions... you can feel confident... ...in our experience. call a t. rowe price retirement specialist or your advisor ...to see how we can help make the most of your retirement savings. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. hi mom! hi! every mom is a coach... an artist... sometimes even a zoologist. every mom is a working mom... and it's working moms everywhere who inspired us to work harder. so we made our banquet meals even better. with mashed potatoes now made with real cream and chicken strips with 100% natural chicken breast. so now, there's more to love with banquet. now serving... a better banquet.

(singing alougetting to know you. getting to know all about you... getting to like you. getting to hope you like me... is someone getting to know your credit? not without your say so. credit lock lets you lock and unlock your transunion credit report with the swipe of a finger. getting to know you. getting to know all about you... get one-touch credit lock, plus your score and report at transunion.com get in the know.

choose, choose, choose. but at bedtime? ...why settle for this? enter sleep number, and the lowest prices of the season. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. you like the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store... find the lowest prices of the season, going on now. save $600 on the #1 rated i8 bed. know better sleep with sleep number.

♪ welcome back to "hannity." so as the iowa caucuses near, 2016 presidential hopefuls are ramping up their campaigns and the rhetoric. in a speech today in new hampshire, new jersey governor

chris christie went after his republican rival. take a look. >> as voters become more frustrated, angry voices begin to sound more reasonable. but it is not enough to express anger. we must elect someone who actually knows how we get things done. showtime is over, everybody. we are not electing an entertainer in chief. showmanship is fun, but it's not the kind of leadership that will truly change america. and bluster is not the leadership we crave. talking a big game and either not showing up or not knowing how isn't what we desperately need today. we need someone that knows how to make decisions and how to make them work for our government and our citizens. >> here now with analysis from the washington times, charles hurt, and fox news contributor monica crowley. you know, there is something very interesting. if you look nationally you've got the polls, donald trump he's in the lead, ted cruz in second,

marco tends to come in third. we've got a fight in iowa between trump and cruz. looks like cruz is winning that battle as of now. but in new hampshire, things are opening up, monica. chris christie has been living there. does he win? does he do well enough to continue? >> it will be interesting because he's certainly gained serious traction in the state of new hampshire where he's putting most of his eggs if not all of his eggs into that basket. what's interesting is he's critical of what he calls bluster, which i find ironic given that governor christie has built a political career on bluster. but in that particular quote he hit obliquely, he hit trump, cruz and rubio and of course he would attack them because they're running ahead of him particularly in the state of new hampshire. what's interesting about chris christie is that he has now through default but also through a well run campaign become sort of the establishment choice now that jeb bush has faded. >> is it him or marco? it seems that the establishment

now, all right, jeb is not where we want him. we've got to look at marco rubio. >> right. i think they're split. i think between marco an between governor christie. but christie has to win, place or show in new hampshire or it's over. >> all right. what is your take on it, charles? one thing i was asking newt gingrich earlier that. >> hate cruz. the establishment hates trump. their argument is they can't win a general election. i don't buy that argument. >> yeah, and it's kind of tough for the establishment types when your top two contenders are completely unacceptable to -- it's one thing to have just the front-runner. but when the top two, that eats up a good 50% of the electorate right there. chris christie's problem is that new hampshire is his kind of high point, i think, for him. he may end up doing very well. >> he is 11-1 poll. he is 12 in another poll in new hampshire only. so he has really put all his eggs in that basket. >> yeah. and after that, it gets very tough for him when you get to

south carolina, florida, and across much of the rest of the country, you know, he is still battling with the margin of error at 3% or even lower in places. >> do either of you think that anybody can come up against cruz and trump? what do you think, monica? >> well, i think that the final four will end up being trump, cruz, rubio and chris christie? >> you do? >> and two tiers right now, and we'll have to see how it shakes out. it might be if donald trump somehow implodes. if cruz and rubio end up neutralizing each other, there might be a place right up the middle for chris christie to come. >> what do you think, charles? >> the problem for chris christie is, the excerpt from the speech you just played, he can't just talk about his rivals without naming them. he is a big boy. he f he wants to go after donald trump, he needs to go after donald trump. and of course as of yet, nobody has been able to go after donald trump who didn't see their numbers sink in the polls like a rock. >> guys, we got a break. good see you both.

happy new year. when we come back, our ask sean segment is next. and we need your help with the important question of the day. it's about iowa. we'll be right back. months... please. it's time you got the quicksilver card from capital one. quicksilver earns you unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. doesn't get much simpler than that. what's in your wallet? and i'm still struggling with my diabetes. i do my best to manage. but it's hard to keep up with it. your body and your diabetes change over time. your treatment plan may too. know your options. once-daily toujeo® is a long-acting insulin from the makers of lantus®. it releases slowly to provide consistent insulin levels for a full 24 hours. toujeo® also provides proven full 24-hour blood sugar control

and significant a1c reduction. toujeo® is a long-acting, sugar in adults with diabetes.d it contains 3 times as much insulin in 1 milliliter as standard insulin. don't use toujeo® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you're allergic to insulin. allergic reaction may occur and may be life threatening. don't reuse needles or share insulin pens, even if the needle has been changed. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which can be serious and life threatening. it may cause shaking, sweating, fast heartbeat, and blurred vision. check your blood sugar levels daily while using toujeo®. injection site reactions may occur. don't change your dose or type of insulin without talking to your doctor. tell your doctor if you take other medicines and about all your medical conditions. insulins, including toujeo, in combination with tzds (thiazolidinediones) may cause serious side effects like heart failure that can lead to death, even if you've never had heart failure before.

don't dilute or mix toujeo® with other insulins or solutions as it may not work as intended and you may lose blood sugar control, which could be serious. pay no more than $15 per prescription for 12 months. eligibility restrictions apply. learn more at toujeo.com/info or call 800-580-3421. also, 9 out of 10 medicare part d patients can get toujeo® at the lowest branded copay. ask your doctor about the proven full 24-hour blood sugar control of toujeo®. ♪ (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. where are you? it's very loud there.

are you taking a zumba class? amerivest selects the funds and manages your portfolio. is it run by robots? no no, you can talk to a person anytime. 'cause i don't trust robots. right...well, if the portfolio you're invested in doesn't perform well for two consecutive quarters, amerivest will reimburse your advisory fees for those quarters. i wasn't born yesterday. well, actually it looks like you were born yesterday. happy belated birthday. thanks. for all the confidence you need td ameritrade. you got this.

♪ all right. time for our question of the day. who do you think with 28 days away is going to win the iowa caucuses? just go to facebook.com/seanhannity. on twitter at sean hannity. time now for our ask sean segment. >> hey, sean, it's nikki. i was just wondering what do you think the biggest challenges that republicans face and how do they overcome it to win the white house in 2016? >> i think that's a great question, nikki. one of the things they have is a perception problem. and that is so many people feel betrayed that they didn't keep promises that i they made in 2010 and 2014. so the best thing they've got to do is regain people's trust, lay out a positive agenda that will solve america's problems, restore america's standing in the world. and then get it done. i think that's a big problem. quick programing note. be sure to tune in tomorrow

night 10:00 eastern. republican presidential candidate front-runner donald trump will be joining us again tomorrow at 10:00. that's all the time we have left. thanks for being with us. see i didn't back here tomorrow night and happy new year. rerered unafraid. it's good to be back. tonight "on the record" g.o.p. frontrunner donald trump targeting former president bill clinton. president clinton hitting the campaign trail for his wife and trump hitting both clintons hard. trump tweeting the worst thing hillary could do is have her husband campaign for her. just watch. and that's not all trump said. >> if you bring up the women card i'm going to bring up the women card, too. and i'm going to be talking about your husband. >> it's not the first time he has demonstrated a penchant for sexism. >> she used the word sexist. i'm sexist. how the hell can she do that when she has one of the great women abusers of all time sitting at her house waiting for her to come home? >> i'm a happy grandfather. i'm not mad at anybody. >> i'm the only